Last year, Chicago fans exited Soldier Field in a roar of excitement and happiness, for their Bears defeated the Eagles in a Week 4 regular season game by a score of 24-20. The same cannot be said about this season’s matchup between the teams, as the Eagles came out victorious, ironically by the final score of the 2008 contest–24-20. With a balanced offensive strategy and a good performance by the defense, the Birds were able to break their 2-game losing streak and keep themselves within the competitive division race in the NFC East. The game went back and forth, in terms of the scoring leader, but in the end, a 4th-quarter touchdown and a solid defensive stand was enough for the Eagles to capture the much-needed win. Although some may say the Eagles “bearly” won (anyone like the joke?), the victory counts, and is definitely accepted within the organization.

QB Donovan McNabb was proficient in the passing game, completing 23 of his 32 attempts, which included a pair of touchdowns. Meanwhile, rookie RB LeSean McCoy filled in as an excellent replacement for the injured Brian Westbrook, and the defensive unit, which underwent a few changes because of injuries to starters, played well for almost all of the game. There weren’t too many players banged up after the NFC showdown, but CB Asante Samuel sustained a strained muscle in his neck and his status for the team’s Week 12 meeting with the Redskins is currently unknown. Other than Samuel’s injury, the Eagles escaped Chicago with few major and disappointing announcements regarding players in a lot of pain.

The game, which began at 8:20 p.m. ET, tilted in favor of the Eagles early in the first quarter. On the Birds’ third play from scrimmage, backup QB Michael Vick ran the ball out of the Shotgun formation for a gain of 34 yards, and more importantly, the full support of his teammates and fans. Several rushing and passing plays followed the motivating scamper by Vick, and ultimately the Eagles settled with a field goal on the drive after being contained by the Bears in the red zone. As we’ve seen in previous weeks, the red zone of the field has haunted Philadelphia, and despite their stall again here, they were able to improve as the game went on. K David Akers knocked a 25-yard attempt through the uprights of the goal post and the Eagles took a 3-0 lead.

Not only did the offense begin on a good note, but the defense did as well. On the resulting series for the Bears, Chicago was held to 7 yards on 6 plays, and forced to punt. One ought to note the opening play of the drive which was a hand-off to RB Matt Forte…Jeremiah Trotter was lined up as the Middle Linebacker and made a spectacular tackle that kept Forte from gaining any type of yardage. This single tackle may not sound too amusing, but it certainly was during the game, considering Trotter has rarely seen playing time over the last few weeks, and surprisingly got the start and performed well against the Bears.

On the Eagles’ second offensive drive, Michael Vick once again took the field, and was granted a passing play. Despite the minimal gain on the play in which the speedy former Falcon completed his throw to TE Brent Celek, it was entertaining to see the athletic Quarterback active in the game and keeping Eagle fanatics aware that he is truly a useful offensive weapon. Donovan McNabb tossed a few more passes on the drive, but once the Eagles were able to move the ball within the 20-yard line of Chicago’s side, it appeared as if they were not going to be able to punch the ball into the endzone and continue to struggle in that area of the field. Backup RB Eldra Buckley failed to pick up any yards on a carry up the middle, but the Eagles then diminished their end-of-the-field woes with a 13-yard scoring pass from McNabb to WR Jason Avant, who last week led the team with 8 catches and 156 yards.

With a 10-0 lead, the Eagles’ defense played aggressively against the Bears on the next drive, keeping the first three plays under 5 yards. However, when a blitz was dialed, Chicago’s supposed franchise QB–Jay Cutler–quickly found an open receiver down field and converted for a first down. Shortly after this, Cutler almost had a touchdown pass when he heaved the ball deep down the right sideline to extremely fast WR Devin Hester, but the throw was too long and ruled incomplete. The drive concluded with K Robbie Gould booting a successful 45-yard field goal and narrowing the Eagles’ lead to 7 points.

As great as the Eagles’ offense started the contest, they fell just as fast as the second quarter went underway. The offensive line–after blocking very well throughout the entire first period–allowed a sack on McNabb that cost the team 10 yards, and also was penalized for jumping early prior to the play. The brief series resulted in a punt, and the Bears took advantage of the opportunity. Reserve runner Kahlil Bell opened the drive with an astounding 72-yard rush that brought the crowd at Soldier Field to their feet. Several passes and short runs later, the Bears found themselves right back in the game after Robbie Gould kicked his second field goal of the night, this time from 28 yards out.

Neither team was able to establish a rhythm offensively over the next few drives, and therefore neither was able to place any points on the scoreboard. Donovan McNabb was intercepted when his bullet pass intended for WR DeSean Jackson was snatched by Bears’ veteran defensive back Zackary Bowman, but Chicago dropped their turnover opportunity when they were held to a punt the following series. The Eagles gave the ball away again when DeSean Jackson this time made the catch, but was stripped of the ball by CB Charles Tillman and ended up losing the fumble. However, the Bears seemed yet again unable to capitalize off of their turnover, settling with a 28-yard field goal after a drive that lasted nearly 6 minutes and seemed deserving of 7 points, not 3.

The second half began with little excitement, as both squads booted the ball to each other via punts, but the Bears took their first lead of the game when Robbie Gould converted on his fourth field goal of the game, from 49 yards away. Even though the Eagles’ defense was playing solidly and keeping the high-potential Chicago offense under wraps, it appeared the team was letting the contest slip away after allowing 12 unanswered points and failing to regain the early momentum the offense held. That concept was thrown away several drives later, when McNabb aired a deep pass to his big-play receiver Jackson and gave the Eagles another lead. The play went for 48 yards, and gave the 2nd-year wideout his 7th touchdown of the season, a drastic improvement from all of last season in which the California product scored twice.

The Bears struck back when Jay Cutler completed a 15-yard TD pass to his backup TE Kellen Davis, and the Windy City warriors separated themselves further when Matt Forte recorded a reception in the endzone for a 2-point conversion. With the score now 3 points in favor of the Bears, it didn’t seem too promising once LeSean McCoy handed the ball right back to Chicago when he fumbled on a running play that otherwise would have been a significant gain. Attempting to add to their lead and solidify their late-game comeback, the Bears tried to give their kicker yet another shot at earning points, lining him up to kick a 48-yarder. To the dismay of the fans in Chicago, though, the kick was blocked by DT Antonio Dixon, and therefore kept the score within reach.

It turned out the block was very beneficial, for the Eagles reached the endzone on their next drive (off of a 10-yard run by McCoy) and gave their defense some leverage with the 4-point lead, which is obviously more than what a field goal will supply in a crucial situation. With the game on the line, the defensive unit produced for the Eagles, forcing Jay Cutler to miss on several throws and ultimately toss an interception to seal the game.

With their sixth win of the season, the Eagles now prepare to face the cellar dweller of their division in the Washington Redskins. This matchup will take place back home for the Eagles, in Lincoln Financial Field, and will be played on Sunday afternoon at approximately 1:00 p.m. ET. Further analysis and evaluation of today’s game will be released throughout the week, but for now, take a look at the Eagles’ statistical leaders from the matchup, some of their key players, a scoring summary of the contest, and a look at some interesting things that you may have missed while viewing the game:

Statistical Leaders

Passing: Donovan McNabb (QB): 23-32, 244 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT

Rushing: LeSean McCoy (RB): 20-99 yards, 1 TD

Receiving: DeSean Jackson (WR): 8-107 yards, 1 TD

Receiving (cont.): Jeremy Maclin (WR): 6-64 yards

Defensive: Quintin Mikell (SS): 6 tackles

Defensive (cont.): Will Witherspoon (OLB): 6 tackles

Kicking: David Akers (K): 1-1 FG, 3-3 extra point

Punting: Sav Rocca (P): 5-30.6 punt yard average

For a complete statistical breakdown of the game, click here.

Key Players

• RB LeSean McCoy: In place of the veteran Brian Westbrook, the freshman pro McCoy took to the Bears’ defense very well. The 21-year-old averaged 5 yards a carry, and finished the game with a total of 99. He also scored the winning touchdown, a 10-yard rush, and picked up on many blitzes that the Bears sent in on the Birds’ offensive front. Overall, he did a great job as a starter last night, and actually seems quite capable of carrying the rushing load for the team for the remainder of the year.
• WR DeSean Jackson: One might have thought that Jackson disappeared from the offense when he appeared to be uninvolved in the past few weeks’ “highlight plays”, but in reality, the 2nd-year target has been one of the most consistent and dangerous receivers on the roster. Last evening he hauled in 8 passes, and managed to eclipse 90 yards receiving for the fifth time this season, totaling 107. He also scored his fifth touchdown reception of the 2009 season, and as if that weren’t enough, Jackson also manned the team’s punt returner role, taking back a pair of kicks (one of which was returned for 53 yards).
• SS Quintin Mikell: Mikell has always been one of the quiet defensive leaders of the team, and once again had an arguably under-appreciated performance. With 6 tackles, the Safety also played man coverage on several occasions when starting CB Sheldon Brown rested on the sideline to keep his hamstring injury under as little pressure as possible. Mikell allowed few complete passes in areas he was responsible for in the secondary, and was overall one of the most consistent defenders on the field in last night’s game.

Did You Know…

• …that backup FS Macho Harris was frequently brought into the defense as part of the “3-Safety” formation? The defensive technique has been used in other instances this year, typically with the starting Safeties and reserve defensive back Quintin Demps, but because Demps was out with an ankle injury, Harris was thrust into the “center-field Safety” role. In this position, the highly-regarded rookie recorded 4 tackles and a pass deflection, and was somewhat of a key part of the defense’s success against the Bears.
• …that a rotation was established for the Middle Linebacker position during the game? Veteran player Jeremiah Trotter, signed earlier in the season and used only sparingly after a one-game stint as the starter, was dubbed the game’s official starter at the position, and finished with 4 tackles. He looked very motivated and determined to prove to the staff his worth on the team, but wasn’t the only member of the MLB position. Sophomore player Joe Mays saw a bunch of repetitions, starting OLB Will Witherspoon was moved to the middle in several formations, and 7th-year backup Tracy White was also brought onto the field for some action.
• …that FS Sean Jones was able to record the 15th interception of his career versus the Bears? His game-clinching pick keeps him among the league’s top Safeties in terms of most turnovers caused over the past few years. In addition to his interception–which was the first of the season and as an Eagle–Jones also got his hands on a pass for a deflection, and notched a total of 4 tackles.

Scoring Summary

1st Quarter
	FG	D.Akers 25 yd. Field Goal (9-68, 4:06)
	TD	J.Avant 13 yd. pass from D.McNabb(D.Akers kick) (8-76, 4:44)
2nd Quarter
	FG	R.Gould 45 yd. Field Goal (8-30, 3:03)
	FG	R.Gould 28 yd. Field Goal (6-72, 2:03)
	FG	R.Gould 28 yd. Field Goal (13-57, 5:34)
3rd Quarter
	FG	R.Gould 49 yd. Field Goal (5-20, 1:35)
	TD	D.Jackson 48 yd. pass from D.McNabb (D.Akers kick) (2-64, 0:30)
	TD	K.Davis 15 yd. pass from J.Cutler(J.Cutler-M.Forte pass) (6-55, 3:01)
4th Quarter
	TD	L.McCoy 10 yd. run (D.Akers kick) (11-62, 5:30)

(picture source)

I was trying to talk to my wife during the game about some facets of this Eagle bunch, since I was watching the game at home, and she didn't really care.  So since I have nobody at home who loves football as much as I love football, I'm going to bounce them off you.

1. Do you think that our spasmatic running game has more to do with Andy's love of  throwing the ball or the fact that Peters is back in the line up?  I thought that with him in there we really were able to handle that side of the defensive alignment.  Also, was it just me or did we just keep running it off tackle and off guard effectively because of him?  Also, loved his pick up of the corner blitz.

2.  The one thing I have to say about Maclin that puts him well above DJax is his ability to get position on a CB.  Is it really a surprise that the slants keep coming to Maclin since he is able to cut to the inside and outplay his man.  This is twice now that McNabb has thrown interceptions directly to defenders off of slant plays, and I'm more inclined to think that Don is "trusting" his receiver to make a play.  With Maclin, he gets in there and fights for the inside position, Jax just doesn't stick his nose in there.

3. The one thing over the past couple of weeks that I've noticed is that usually we've been giving up on the I-formation for most of the games we've played.  It always seemed like when we were going to run it was predictable, and mostly out of a single back set.  But when we passed, it was also predictable just in our alignment.  It was nice to see andy keep those backs in there running, and passing, out of a strong running alignment. 

4. We need to send a fruitbasket to Cutler.

5. I like how they talk about Avant as if he's in the same "new guy" group with Maclin and McCoy.  Avant has been "Mr. Clutch" for a long time now.  I need to buy an Avant jersey.

6. Somebody has to tell Asante that he's not allowed to jump routes unless he has safety help over the top at all times.  I know that he's gotten quite a few INTs that way, but he bites hard on those pump fakes.

7.  Who else likes how Mr. Jones likes to throw the body around like a FS from the "olden days" ?

8.  I would rather see them stay with weaver in the FB position and keep the two back sets in with Eldra Buckley taking a quarter of the snaps with Westbrook out.  Running from the single back set is fine, but if you go three wide and the opposing team is staying in their base defense, you're going to have to be crafty to get your running game going.  But if the eagles keep a FB in the back field with a blocking tight end, we can just man up our blocks and pound it...Just saying.  (I like how in pass protection, people always talk about how we have the biggest O-Line in the league, but when it comes to run blocking nobody says anything about their enormous girth.  Just saying.)

9.  Come 2011 this offense should be frightening.

Alright, I'm done.  Thanks for reading.

To begin, does anyone believe the playoffs are only 7 weeks away?????  It seems like this season started last week.  Amazing.  Okay, so lets look at the standings and assess the playoff hunt as it looks right now, even though the picture is nowhere near complete.

THINGS I'M PRETTY SURE OF:

New Orleans and Minnesota will almost surely win their divisions and are probably your top two seeds in the NFC.  I don't think anyone who knows anything about football will argue with me here.  Minnesota is 3 games up on Green Bay and holds the head to head tiebreaker, so in essence its a 4 game lead with 6 to go. 

THE NFC West is not going to produce a wild card.  San Fran is sitting there with a mathematical chance at 4-6, but would need a really good run to challenge.  They've made strides, but not quite enough this year.

STILL UP IN THE AIR

The NFC East is about as murky as it gets, with Dallas holding a narrow one game lead.  They have some tough ones upcoming though, with the Giants, Eagles, Chargers and Saints still on their schedule.  Like many of us predicted, this race won't be decided until all 16 games are played.

What will happen with Atlanta and Green Bay?  These were teams I pegged as good wild card candidates, but Atlanta is reeling badly right now at 5-5.  Green Bay still has offensive line woes, which is never a good thing to have if you're making a playoff push.

The Eagles (of course).  Inconsistent play at QB and penelty prone.  Gotta get that crap fixed, and fast.  On the plus side, having the tiebreaker over Chicago helps our wild card chances.

A LOOK AHEAD FOR THE EAGLES

The Birds face Washington at home and then away at Atlanta in the next two weeks.  If we can get these next two, our chances of at least a wild card are well enhanced.  Especially a win over Atlanta, which would give us the tiebreaker.  The next two weeks will clarify the picture at least a little.  On a side note,  we're 11 weeks in and not one NFL team has yet been eliminated from playoff contention.   Although I think that changes this week as Tampa, Cleveland, and St Louis starting gearing up for the race to the number one overall draft pick, the NFL's ultimate booby prize.

I just watched Donny McNabb talking to Cutler after the game and I have to say that the man is a class act. I'm proud of him and I feel honored that he's stuck with this city through the boos as well as the cheers. He could have had a better game, but he could have had a worse game, too. Winning and losing aside, our QB is a class act.

Happy Birthday D.McN.

Its too bad that McNabb can't lead the Eagles on 4th Quarter comebacks, otherwise we'd be able to beat the Bears tonight.

Continue reading this post »

Offense:

Eagles started out strong, the 15 scripted plays by Reid and Mornhinweg to start the game did a pretty good job of setting the tone. However, we got away from running after that, and turned the ball over twice.The interception was due to a bad throw by Donovan.

To win this game we will need more than 17 points from the offense. In the run game, we need to run toss plays to the outside, we need some cutback runs, and we need to have LeSean McCoy stop dancing so much in the backfield. One cut and then downhill running. We also need more QB draw runs from Mike Vick.  In the passing game, we need to send our WR in motion more, as well as run some bunch sets with 2 or 3 WR bunched up  to one side. So far the middle of the field is open on crossing routes, but I'm not sure Donovan has the accuracy to consistently hit those.

Defense:

Playing lights out considering the injuries, and considering the turnovers by the offense.  Remember the goal of Jim Johnson's and now Sean McDermott's defense is to hold the opponent to 17 points or less. right now we are on pace for that.

Special teams:

Good returns, coverage could be better.

Let's see what the second half brings.

Upon reading this game preview’s title, one may immediately receive the “joke” that was intended to be delivered: The Bears are going to be “hunted” by the Eagles in Chicago this week. However, there is also another, more significant meaning to the clever headline (at least I thought it was clever). Not only are the Eagles going to go on a fictitious hunt for a team with an animal that is commonly hunted representing their logo and nickname, but Philadelphia is also beginning their hunt to keep pace in their division, and even establish a path to the postseason. Against a slumping but talented Bears squad, the Eagles will really have to execute on given opportunities, and more importantly, create a balanced game plan that will allow the offense to succeed consistently and the defense to perform with dominance. The team has done both on several occasions, but hasn’t done it on a regular basis, hence their two consecutive losses in which passing has virtually been the entire offensive strategy, and the defense has allowed too many early scores. Despite the Bears’ 4-5 record, they should not be taken lightly, just as the Chargers should not have been last week, and the Cowboys should not have been the week before. As long as the Birds can take advantage of what they’re given, we should once again be in for some more thrilling football action.

Week 11 Opponent: Chicago Bears

2008 Record: 9-7

Last Meeting Between Teams: Week 4, 2008: PHI-20 CHI-24

Game Location: Soldier Field (Chicago, Illinois)

Evaluation: The Bears–after apparently having enough of the fan base’s criticism for the lack of a solid Quarterback, and realizing their need to get back to the Super Bowl–acquired one of the game’s top young passers in Jay Cutler over the offseason period, but thus far, the former Bronco has looked no better the team’s previous options at the position. In fact, the QB they traded away to Denver as part of a package deal for Cutler–Kyle Orton–appears to be on pace for a remarkably better season than Jay, and overall, things just aren’t looking too bright in Chicago. High expectations was indeed on the mind of the organization following the Cutler acquisition, especially since the Bears also hold one of the better young runners in Matt Forte, and a typically consistent defense led by longtime MLB Brian Urlacher. But Forte is rushing for low totals, Urlacher is hurt, and Cutler is on track to throw a horrid 30 interceptions. Lately, the “Windy City warriors” have had trouble finding an offensive balance (sound familiar?), and have been unable to keep up when their opponents take a lead. Although they are certainly beatable, the Birds cannot play this game without a smart strategy, for if they do, they may just let the game slip away as they’ve done before.

Key Matchups:

• RB LeSean McCoy (PHI) vs. MLB Nick Roach (CHI): If someone were to list this as one of the key player matchups prior to the season, one might be tempted to burst out in laughter or enter into a slight state of shock. While it was expected McCoy would see some time as a rookie in the offense, not many projected him to be the bearer of full duties at the RB position, and of course, it was fully expected that Pro-Bowl LB Brian Urlacher would be in the Bears’ lineup, but the veteran dislocated his wrist in the opening game of the year, requiring season-ending surgery. Roach, playing in his 3rd season, was originally a rookie free agent addition of the Chargers, but has since grown into a reserve and special teams role for the Bears. When he has been thrust into a starting spot, Roach has done a quality job, though, and his performance might very well change the momentum of the Eagles’ running game.
• DE Trent Cole (PHI) vs. OT Orlando Pace (CHI): Cole has overall been one of the most consistent and productive of the Eagle defenders, racking up 34 tackles, 7.5 sacks, and a forced fumble. After recording at least a half of a sack in the first six games, Cole has managed only one–to go along with 7 tackles–in the last three. Despite his recent slump, if it can be called that, the Pro-Bowl defensive lineman remains a threat each and every week, and this time, he’ll face one of the most experienced Offensive Tackles in the league–Orlando Pace. Formerly a longtime Ram, the 6′7″, 325 lb. beast of a player has seen his ups and downs this year after signing with the Bears in the offseason free agency session. He hasn’t been bad, but he hasn’t been impressive either. The amount of pressure Cole is able to place on Pace (and therefore on Jay Cutler as well) may determine how well the Bears’ offense flows, and that is obviously a key factor if this game.
• MLB Joe Mays (PHI) vs. RB Matt Forte (CHI): As stated in a previous section of the article, Forte has struggled carrying the ball this year, and thus far has gained only 482 yards off of 143 touches (a mere 3.4 average per carry). Despite his low rate of success, the Eagles will likely be starting a new man in the middle this week–2nd-year LB Joe Mays. This may not seem like much, but with a new leader at the heart of the defensive unit, the Birds will truly need the young Mays to perform with at least a hint of success. He has shown aggressiveness, but has also proven to be tentative at times when trying to determine what he should be doing on the field. This could perhaps be a bigger player battle than expected, depending on the amount of times the Bears attempt to run the ball up the middle.
• WR DeSean Jackson (PHI) vs. CB Charles Tillman (CHI): Jackson has been the Eagles’ go-to guy on big plays this year, and despite recording a quality amount of yards and total touches as of late, hasn’t been involved in many explosive opportunities lately. Of course, not many players have, considering the offense has been out of their rhythm over the past few weeks, but Jackson is definitely nagging at the chance to make another highlight. In his rookie campaign of 2008, he scored his first touchdown against the Bears, and this week, he’ll face them again, primarily matching up with CB Charles Tillman, who is experiencing arguably his best season in several years. Through 9 games, he has notched 41 tackles, 5 pass deflections, 3 forced fumbles, and a pair of interceptions. His speed allows him to keep up with fast receivers like Jackson, so we should be in for a great matchup here, that might decide how effective the Eagles’ passing attack is.

What to Watch For…

• The Eagles have been recorded as winless when they play in front of a national audience on Sunday evenings, so although statistical facts like this don’t really have an actual effect on the contest, they are factored in as intriguing trivia at the conclusion. Hopefully that number will receive it’s first victory mark tomorrow, and the Sunday night curse will be broken.
• Eagles’ starting QB Donovan McNabb was born in Chicago, and is therefore playing tomorrow night’s game as a sort of homecoming. Again, facts like these don’t provide true factors to the game, but be sure to keep an eye on McNabb and how he performs in his hometown, especially after throwing an astounding 55 passes last week in a loss to the Chargers.
• CB Sheldon Brown, who injured his hamstring last week, threatened to make the Eagles’ secondary extremely thin with the possibility of sitting out because of pain, but has since stated several times that he plans on being out on the field and performing at his best despite his injury. Without Brown, the Eagles would have been forced to push young backup (and relatively new roster addition) Ramzee Robinson into a starting role. However, Brown is intent on playing, and there shouldn’t be as many worries within the defensive backfield as a result of him likely to suit up.

Injury Report (Eagles):

RB Brian Westbrook (concussion) Out

FB Leonard Weaver (ankle pain) Probable

WR Jeremy Maclin (recurring foot pain) Probable

WR Kevin Curtis (surgery; sprained knee) Out

OT Jason Peters (sprained ankle) Probable

OG Nick Cole (knee pain) Probable

DE Victor Abiamiri (sprained knee) Probable

DT Antonio Dixon (foot pain) Probable

DT Mike Patterson (bruised wrist, toe pain) Probable

OLB Akeem Jordan (hyper-extended knee) Out

OLB Chris Gocong (strained hamstring) Probable

CB Sheldon Brown (strained hamstring) Questionable

FS Macho Harris (blurred vision) Probable

FS Quintin Demps (sprained ankle) Out

Projected Team Lineups:

(picture source)

Copied the story from: http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=4676868

Brian Westbrook is expected to miss at least two to three games as he recovers from his second concussion in 20 days, Philadelphia Eagles coach Andy Reid said Friday.

Westbrook, already out for Sunday's game againstChicago, was examined Wednesday by concussion specialists at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. After that exam, Dr. Joseph Maroon and Dr. Michael Collins said Westbrook was making encouraging progress, and would be re-evaluated in two to three weeks.

Asked if that meant Westbrook would be sidelined for upcoming games against the Washington Redskins and the Atlanta Falcons, Reid said yes, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer.

"I think the doctors want to see how he does after two weeks, what kind of symptoms he has, and then they'll just go back through and evaluate him after that -- two to three weeks," Reid said, according to the report. "We'll just see how he feels after that."

Westbrook was back at the Eagles' training facility on Thursday, but is not expected to resume activity until next week at the earliest, according to the report.

"We're backing off this week, just letting him rest," Reid said, according to the report. "Next week, he can start going to meetings and some things. We'll see how he feels as he goes."

Westbrook, a key element in the Eagles' offense, suffered a concussion on Oct. 26 in a game against Washington. He sat out for two weeks, but suffered a second concussion Sunday in his return to the lineup at San Diego.

Rookie running back LeSean McCoy will start in Westbrook's absence.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

I am going to stick with my prediction from a few weeks ago.....8-8.  Heres how I see it playing out...

Chicago...a win here gets Eagles fans excited again !  Mcnabb is riding high after passing for almost 400 yards against a corpse-like Bears defense.  Record --6-4 !

Eagles come back home and promptly lose to the redskns the following week.  Reid throws the ball 65 times and says after the game that "maybe we could have run the ball a little more" Record is 6-5.

.Onto Atlanta...Eagles  bounce back with a close win over a injury depleted Atlanta team. 7-5. Eagles fans feeling good once again. 7-5...Winning the division is in sight !

The following week the Giants win a close one overe the Eagles. Eli Manning leads a 11 minute drive at the end of the game to seal it. ...Hakeem Nicks is slowly becomig the new Plaxico and a hobbled Sheldon cant cover him.
Record 7-6.

49ers come to town.....all will be well if they win this one...and they pull it out despite Vernon Davis scoring 3 td's and having 12 catches for 140 yards.  8-6 ! Playoffs here we come...

Denver rolls in...Standing ovation for Dawkins...the last time the home crowd cheers. Eagles lose 27-10. Dawkins plays like an animal knocking poor Jeremy Maclin out of the game early for daring to go over the middle. Dawkins  finishes game with 12 tackles an int and a Lesean Mccoy fumble recovery. BGN server goes down because of all the angry eagles fans...Record: 8-7.

Last game of the Season....In Dallas... Eagles have a small chance at a wildcard but if they lose its over.
Romo  has an awful game but the Cowboys run game decides it...they hold the ball for 39 minutes. Andy reid after getting down early passes the ball 38 straight times....Eagles lose the game 24-12. After the game Reid says "We just have to get after it next  week and that's on me. Don't worry, we will get better."  Les Bowen reminds Andy that this was the last game of the year. Reid stares ahead blankly for what seems like hours then ends the press conference.   

Following the game the BGN server explodes...too many rabid Angry Eagle fans posting calling for Reid/Mcnabb/Luries head on a platter.   

The entire summer is spent with fans wondering how they can lure Bill Cowher or Mike Shanahan out of retirement.  

PHILADELPHIA (AP)—For the second consecutive week, the Eagles will go with a different look at linebacker because of a knee injury to weakside starter Akeem Jordan(notes).

Coach Andy Reid ruled out Jordan for Sunday night’s game at Chicago.

Will Witherspoon(notes) will again start at weakside LB, and second-year man Joe Mays(notes) will start in the middle. Chris Gocong(notes), who started in the middle in last week’s loss to San Diego, will move back to his customary spot on the strong side. Rookie Moise Fokou(notes), who started the past two games on the strong side, appears to be the odd man out.

It’s the sixth different set of linebackers the Eagles will start in their 10th game of the season.

So it looks like Joe Mays will get the nod, and Fokou will not be starting. I'm still scared about this unit because no matter which way you turn a shitty pie, its still a shitty pie. Be at that, an injured shitty pie.