ranked 22nd in passing
ranked 14th in the run

of where we are. It looked like the O was firing on all cylinders last Sunday, we’ll find out this Sunday whether it’s a trend or an anomaly. I really want to see Romo humiliated.

I can’t see Andy using the same game plan he did last week. I think a large part of our success was due to the balance of the play calling. Run blocking gives out O-Line a lot of confidence and a steady run game gives our play action much more threat and let’s Donovan sell more plays. Donovan was on fire and barely got touched but a couple times.

I would like to see at least 10 touches for B-West 10 for Shady and 6 for Weaver

Can our D-Line create pressure on Romo without Blitzing on every down?
Can our LB’s hold Choice/Jones/Barber/Witten and Bennett at bay?
I think so, but I think the key to this game is offensive balance.

I was more afraid of the Raiders then I am of the Cowboys.

I still fully believe the Cowboys are a sub-.500 football team. They had a very bad OT win over the Chiefs, a solid Falcons win they had to have after their bye, and a demolition of an injury-riddled and poorly coached franchise in the Seattle Seahawks (seriously, how did Jim Mora get another chance after that Atlanta debacle?).

The Cowboys are incredibly undisciplined, and Tony Romo is terrible when pressured. The Eagles blitz more times per game then most Cowboys fans can count up to. And, perhaps the most telling part; the Eagles are healthy, and the Cowboys are a division rival – a game the Eagles have marked on their calendars.

Miles Austin, the entire RB stable, and Jason Witten are playmakers. However, making plays is rather difficult when Tony Romo is running for his life and Flozell Adams is tripping three blitzers every down.

Afraid? What is there to be afraid of?

I think this game really has a lot of implications on who takes control of the NFC East.

Whoever wins this match up would really vault themselves into the ranks of the vikings and saints.

Lets hope the iggles can really take it to the boys and show that they are the dominant NFC East team.

Honestly, any one expecting another 44-6 rout of Dallas from Philly is completely and utterly wrong. These two teams are completely different, with completely different line ups and rosters, and it is a totally different time of the year. Dallas is going into Philly with their two losses of the year coming against two very good teams(or at least, a time where the Giants were a very good team, before their recent collapse), but as stated, haven’t really sunk their teeth into the meat of their schedule yet, barring the Falcons. Philly on the other hand, turned it around this last week after a horribly disappointing loss to the Raiders and an unimpressive win against the Redskins, however, they came out and rolled over the Giants.

To me, as a open Dallas fan who lives in northeastern PA(and before the “LOL BANDWAGONER” talk, I spent a lot of time growing up in Dallas and have many family members there, and actually going down to the Skins/Boys game this year), this matchup comes down to for the Eagles, if they can contain all of the weapons Dallas has on offense and if they can exploit our rather hot and cold secondary, as well as put pressure on Tony and get up quick. If they can get a 10-14 point lead, I fear as a Dallas fan that Garrett will revert to his old, dare I say, “Andy Reidish” ways in terms of pass, pass, pass. Put pressure on Romo and make Dallas one dimensional, and you will beat the game.

As for Dallas, the best thing they could do was limit the explosiveness of the Eagles offense in terms of DJack(who, by the way, will give me massive heartburn and headaches for years to come), Maclin, Celek, and again, force pressure on McNabb and make Reid and the Eagles offense come one dimensional.

Both of these teams are playing the best football that they have this year, and while this game certainly doesn’t mean the division(though it will play a huge impact), it still is a massive game. And while we no longer have T.O.(and thank god, considering how much he fell off in two years), the rivalry will still be as intense as ever. If I had to make a prediction, I am guessing something like a 28-21 in favor of Philly. 44-6 will not be the case this year.

As far as I know, the cowgirls have had an easy season so far, and the eagles have had a considerably difficult season overall.

I wandered over from the Cowboys blog just to get the other perspective on this game and I’ve stumbled upon inane and worthless statements from both sides of this debate. There has also been some very reasonable and insightful takes on the game that I initially came in search of…

My take…

      The Eagles and Cowboys both come into this game playing very good ball. But, neither team has shown a ton of consistency (Oakland/KC). It seems this game will hang on a few noticeable battles..

    Philly running attack vs. Dallas D – The receivers are going to get their yards it would take a fool to not see that. But, Reid’s tendency to get pass happy would allow the boys to bring pressure and keep up double coverage on Desean. The Boys have been stout against the run but have shown themselves to have problems with gap discipline that could be a serious problem against screens and counters. If the running game gets going it will force the boys to respect play action and not gear up against the pass.

     Philadelphia D vs. Dallas O – line – in the 44-6 game the line was beaten up and missing two starters. Romo didn’t have time to throw and was trying to force too many things. One thing that has been lost in the Romo/Austin love fest is that the O-line has been giving Romo tons of time in the pocket to find the open guys.Also, all 3 running backs have spent more time committing to blitz pickups and it’s shown. The Eagles have almost always been able to get pressure to disrupt Romo but if they fail to do so the offense will put up big plays and steady runs.

      Special teams – Desean has been a killer on returns. If I’m not mistaken 3 of his 6 TDs have come on ST. This will be critical to the game. One thing overlooked about this years Cowboys is their vastly improved special teams. David Buehler is a kickoff specialist that leads the league in touchbacks and Matt McBriar has been showing his pro bowl caliber leg and directional kicking. Under new coach Joe DeCamilis the special teams has been pinning teams deep and really getting great field position. Something has to give here and if Philly can maintain a very good return average they will do very well.

       Turnovers – I am not sure but I am pretty sure Philly hasn’t had a ton of trouble with turnovers this year. Dallas has been great the past couple weeks but still has the ability to give the ball away and if they do the eagles will certainly capitalize and probably win the game. I think the Eagles can still win this game with a -1 or maybe – 2 differential; The Cowboys though will probably have to be even or + in the t.o.d. in order to come away with a W on the road.

     This is going to be a good game I would expect. Both teams are confident and with first place on the line and the bad taste of 44-6 in the Cowboys’ mouths there is little doubt both teams will be up for this big division game. I think the Eagles are much less likely to beat themselves than the Cowboys. If the Cowboys turn the ball over they will almost certainly lose. On the flip side if the Cowboys jump out to a quick lead and force Philly to abandon the run I would believe it will be difficult Philly hang around with Dallas’ ability to run the ball and win the t.o.p. battle….

        If I was a vegas line maker.. I’d say it is pretty reasonable to think Philly should be favored by 6.5 or 7 especially being at home. But, someone above me said they were more scared of Oakland than they were of the Cowboys…this is pretty absurd. Dallas is a much better team than Oakland and is at least capable of keeping this one close and making a good game of it.

           This should be a good one… but, the only prediction I’m willing to make is… we won’t have another 44 -6 :)

    Best of luck this week…this is what the NFC is all about!

NFC East !