This rumor of Trotter’s two workouts in Philly has had fans talking the past week, and now we will see The Axeman return to Eagles Green.  So does this mean that Trot’s just in great shape, the organization is seriously worried about the Defense, or some combination of both?

There is definitely mixed feelings on this signing, as Trotter was one of the fan favorites while he played for the Birds in his first stint, yet his age and aged knees are a cause for concern. With the BYE this week, he’ll have some time to work out with the team and possibly be ready for the Tampa Bay game.

Quarterback Jeff Garcia was let go to make room for this roster move.

We’ll talk about this and what it means to the team on tonight’s show.  You want in?  You can send an email (fans [at] eaglesfancast.net) or call our voicemail line: (856) 335-3675.

This has to bring up the questions (again) as to how long the Eagles will carry Andrews, and if this is his last mention as an Eagle until we hear that he is cut.  With repeated back and other issues on his resume as an Eagle, and the high priority of protecting your quarterback, the Eagles have to analyze what is at their disposal.  Do they have the confidence in Winston Justice to get the job done the entire season?  How can the Eagles continue to carry a player that has played only two games in two seasons?

We had the opportunity to have a chat with Robert Siegel, the Writer and Director of the new movie Big Fan, which will be hitting theaters in limited release only in New York and Philadelphia on Friday, August 28th. In Philadelphia it will be playing at the Landmark Ritz at the Bourse, definitely go see it. Check the movie website for more cities and release dates.

Eric and I had a good time talking with Robert and learned more about this drama, his take on the characters, and how a New York sports bar was transformed into a Philly sports bar. Listen in, and if you go to see it, please let us know what you think!

Find out more about Big Fan at the movie’s official website.

We will be back again next week and talk about Michael Vick’s game debut for the Eagles after he plays in the preseason Jacksonville Jaguars game in Philly. Since he and Donovan McNabb are slated to play the first three quarters, we won’t have to wait for the regular season to find out how Coach Andy Reid plans to utilize Vick’s talents in our Offense.

Get in touch with us Big Fans:

Email: fans [at] EaglesFanCast.net

Voicemail Line: 1(856)335-3675

Follow on twitter: twitter.com/EaglesFanCast

Facebook: EFC Fan Page

MySpace: EaglesFanCast

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Todd: We got Michael Vick!!!!!
Chuck: LOLOL
Todd: Fkn seriously! On my kids.
Chuck: I hate you
Todd: Why?
Todd: I am sooooo not lying!!!!!!
Chuck: For me 2nd guessing my team for a second
Todd: You really do not believe!!!
Chuck: No
Todd: Really… Mortenson just said it ESP fkn N!!!!
Chuck: Holy f***ing sh**

A few things from this little exchange…

1. Todd was very excited about this news
2. I didn’t believe it at all
3. This was the reaction, or close to it, that swept through Philadelphia and Eagles fans all over the world.

Shortly after, Todd called me, and Eric called me (who heard it on the concourse at The Linc), and I started receiving texts from others.  Oh word spread quickly. I jumped on twitter to see the live reactions and participate in the conversation.  At first it was all anger.  I saw messages from fans denouncing their fandom.  I saw people denouncing the Eagles, I saw people denouncing the NFL, and I saw a lot of hatred for Michael Vick.  At a few times during the night, “Vick”, “Eagles” and other variations were the top trending topics on twitter.  I don’t recall ever seeing a sports-related topic get in the top ten trends.  It was instant mania.  Fans of our show wrote me asking me for my opinion.  Last night I didn’t have a solid one.  I was still in shock, and I didn’t know how to think about the whole thing.  Hell, I had all my barbs lined up for whatever team DID sign Vick, to be honest.

The Eagles making this move never crossed my mind.  First of all, Andy Reid has built a team of character players, always has.  Owner Jeff Lurie even talked about team and player character a few weeks ago!  Second of all, I figured the quarterback scheme was set.  With Donovan McNabb as the solid starter, future wunderkind Kevin Kolb as his backup, and reserve A.J. Feeley as the third string, I honestly didn’t think that would be shaken up.  Granted I’m not happy with this quarterback setup, except for McNabb.  Personally, Kolb has not impressed me, but as Eric has pointed out before, he’s inexperienced, and has been thrown into bad situations.  Feeley is definitely the weakest link of the three, and has not shown anything worthwhile since the 2002 season.  So the Eagles management made the decision to bring Vick in, that task is now done.  We, as fans, have to move on and accept it.

The arguments on both sides last night ranged from “Vick’s a scumbag, and I’ve lost respect for the Eagles and I will not be a fan any more!” to “Vick has done his time in prison, he has publicly repented, and the ASPCA has even agreed to his NFL reinstatement.”

Right now I’m still sorting it all out.   I’m very curious to also hear what Eric and Todd have to say about this.  Should this be this big a deal?  Obviously the news media and fans think so.

What I want to know is, what do YOU think?  Let us know in the comments below, or send us an email, or call us on our voicemail line.  We do this show as fans, so we want to hear your voice especially.  Bring it!

What we discussed:

• We talk about Tommy’s huge game-recording setup.
• Draft talk.  It’s why we’re here again this week!
• WR Jeremy Maclin is taken by the Eagles in the first round
• RB LeSean McCoy is the Eagles second round pick
• Is this Offense better than what was on the field in the NFC Championship?
• Denver Broncos running back situation
• Oakland Raiders draft of WR Darrius Heyward-Bey
• TE Cornelius Ingram is grabbed in the fifth round
• We talk about Sheldon Brown and signing the younger players to long term contracts
• Email from Evan in Maryland talking about being impressed with the Eagles front office, and he wants Sheldon Brown gone
• Tommy rounds out the rest of the Eagles Draft picks
• Is our Defense better than the NFC Championship Eagles team?
• We laugh a little bit at the Cowboys Draft day performance

Links:

• The Scouts Notebook
• Philadelphia Eagles Fan-Demonium
• Tommy’s Eagles Blog

Well, we’re waiting:

Email: fans [at] EaglesFanCast.net

Voicemail Line: 1(856)335-3675

Follow on twitter: twitter.com/EaglesFanCast

Facebook: EFC Fan Page

MySpace: EaglesFanCast

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We’re very happy we were able to talk to Jeff about the book months before it’s release, and gained a little behind-the-scenes look at the author himself and what went into the story.  I had said at the time that I would let our listeners and readers know when it was going to be released, and this is it.

Congratulations, Jeff, we’re looking forward to reading it ourselves.

The book is being published through Two Harbors Press, and you can obtain the book in many ways (I’ve listed a few below.)  I noticed that you could also get a signed copy through the book’s website as well.

• Making The Big Game website
• Amazon.com
• Barnes & Noble

Here’s the losses as of 7:00pm Friday (EST):

• Brian Dawkins to Denver Broncos
• Sean Considine to Jacksonville Jaguars
• LJ Smith to Atlanta Falcons
• Correll Buckhalter, also to the Denver Broncos

Staying?

• Hank Baskett

Acquired?

• Stacy Andrews (brother of our own Shawn) from the Bengals

More than some questionable calls on this list, don’t you think?  Dawkins is no longer an Eagle… how does THAT feel?  I’m scratching my head, and hoping that they start to make some sense very very soon.  So with Andrews coming, that means we’ll say goodbye to Runyan soon as well.  Not sure about you, but this is starting out rather odd to me. Hope things improve, because right now, I’m extremely bummed about losing Dawkins.

We’ll see.

Just click on the articles to see the full scans.  We don’t get to see this kind of thing up here, so thank you very much Karen!

By the way, just as a reminder, we won’t be recording our latest show until tomorrow night, Wednesday.  Sorry for the delay, but we just couldn’t schedule things for tonight.

This Eagles team is now playing at the level every fan KNEW they could play at.  This is why so many of us fans (including all three of us here on EFC) were calling for Andy Reid’s head earlier in the season.  THIS is what we expected from this talented group of players… and Reid changed that.

Programming Note: Because of scheduling conflicts -cough- Todd -cough- we won’t record Episode 49 until Wednesday evening.  So look for it late Wednesday or early Thursday morning.  I really wanted to do it last night, but getting all three of us together is not all that easy!  So please hang in there with us.

If you’ve found some other articles I’ve missed, I’d love to read them.  Enter them in a comment for the rest of us.

“Let’s Book Eagles for Tampa” on ESPN.com
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/columns/story?columnist=wojciechowski_gene&id=3825769&sportCat=nfl

Peter King’s Monday Morning Quarterback on SI.com
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/writers/peter_king/01/11/divisionals/index.html

“McNabb’s Message: Eagles Are For Real” on NYTimes.com
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/12/sports/football/12eagles.html?_r=1&ref=sports

“Eagles Beat Giants, 23-11, Advance to NFC Title Game” on Bleeding Green Nation
http://www.bleedinggreennation.com/2009/1/11/716977/eagles-beat-giants-23-11-a

“Not Just in Philly” on Bleed Eagles Green
http://www.bleedeaglesgreen.com/2009/01/not-just-in-philly.html

“Birds Beat Giants, Soar On To Arizona For NFC Championship” on The 700 Level
http://www.the700level.com/2009/01/philly-beats-ne.html

“Down Go the Champs! Eagles Advance to the NFC Championship” on Inside the Iggles
http://insidetheiggles.com/2009/01/11/down-go-the-champs-eagles-advance-to-nfc-championship/

“Big Win” on Tommy Lawlor’s Eagles Blitz
http://eaglesblitz.blogspot.com/2009/01/big-win.html

“Title Defense Falls Short As Eli, Offense Fall Short” on NYPost.com
But the best here is, the front page yelled: “Champs to Chumps”
http://www.nypost.com/seven/01122009/sports/giants/title_defense_ends_as_eli__offense_fall__149774.htm

“Stonewall Johnson’s Troops Carrying Eagles” on Philly.com by Rich Hoffman
http://www.philly.com/philly/hp/news_update/20090112_Rich_Hofmann__Stonewall_Johnson_s_troops_carrying_Eagles.html

“Suddenly, McNabb and Eagles Looking Super” on Philly.com by Phil Sheridan
http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/20090112_Phil_Sheridan__Suddenly__McNabb_and_Eagles_looking_Super.html

“Just Call NFC Championship the Disbelief Bowl” on MSNBC.com
http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/28609389/

“Eagles Beat Giants, 23-11, Advance to NFC Championship” on CBS3.com
http://cbs3.com/topstories/Eagles.Giants.buckhalter.2.905360.html

“McNabb, Eagles Beat Giants, Reach NFC Title Game” on Comcast Sportsnet
http://comcastsportsnet.stats.com/multisport/recap.asp?lg=NFL&g=20090111019

The Eagles coaching staff are responsible for how each player, as part of the bigger team, performs each and every day, and each and every game.  Andy Reid, as the Head Coach of the Philadelphia Eagles, is not just Donovan McNabb’s coach, he is personally responsible for each coach and each player as a result of his position.  After every game, Andy Reid sits down behind the microphone, whether it is win or loss, if he is asked about a negative aspect of that game, his response always falls to that he has to do a better job of managing the players or putting the players into a better position to turn that negative into a positive.  After a win, we blow that off as another “Reidism” and chuckle about it the following day.  After a loss, it angers us, and lately infuriates us because he is saying the same damn thing for the thousandth time.  Now, Reid doesn’t need to tell us anything.  He is required in his job description as a Head Coach in the NFL, to sit behind that microphone after each game.  At least that is my understanding.  So he sits there, vaguely answers the mostly-inane questions, and tells us little.  In all of those little press conferences for all these years, the ONLY thing we’ve learned about is injuries.  We do not know what Reid says in the locker room at Halftime, nor what is said on the sidelines, nor at practice.  So we interpret what we see from him, the other coaches, and the players.  We see the successes and failures, and read what we can into the production of this team, or lack thereof.

So approaching this game, we hear about how Reid went on a tirade at practice, trying to fire up his troops, throwing in threats about jobs no longer being secure.  I, for one, was happy that he actually did something and decided to rock the boat.  It gave me some hope that a new era in coaching was starting.  I figured if he addressed the players in this way, that he also addressed the rest of the coaching staff, and that he also looked in the mirror and dug down deep.  I hoped, and I believed again.  I expected more discipline going into Baltimore, I expected a change of tactic, I expected an energy and confidence.

I got it on Defense.

I did not get it from the Offense, nor from Andy Reid.

Donovan McNabb was again unsure to start the game.  That initial fumble was not his fault, but it got into his head.  You could see it.  Then he threw the first of two interceptions.  But how much help did he get?  His receivers could not get loose, the tight end was non-existent, the blocking was horrible, and most of the time McNabb was rushed.  Wait, wait… the icing on this cake?  The play calling was THE SAME!  Baltimore’s Defense was all over it, every damn play.  Hey, a third and short?  Pass.  Give your quarterback some confidence, change it up, make this Defense guess.
Then comes the beginning of the third quarter, and we see 2nd year quarterback Kevin Kolb come out there.  Andy Reid benches McNabb.  I’ve never been a McNabb basher, I’ve always liked him, but I liked this decision.  McNabb was now mentally a mess after last week’s performance and what he did in the first half.  I was all for letting him sit, breathe, reorganize himself, observe, then come back again next week.  It happens, and he needs a mental break.
But then I learned about HOW Reid benched McNabb.  He didn’t tell him.  Wait, wait, but he also didn’t tell his replacement?
This is how I pictured it in the locker room at the half: “Donovan, listen, you’ve had a tough two weeks.  You need a break.  Regroup now, and let’s finish this season on fire.  You can do this, I know it.  Right now you just need to take a seat.”  Then, “Kevin, I’m calling on you right now.  Get ready, in thirteen minutes you will go out of this locker room and lead this Offense.  Go get ready.  Warm up.  Talk to whoever you need to.  Turn this Offense around today, I know you can, now go.”

Am I just being idealistic?

Instead, Reid completely blindsides McNabb like some grammar school kid who was having an off day.  On top of it, he gave his second year quarterback absolutely NO preparation for what he was about to do.  None.  How can a coach on any level do that?  Not only did he send an unprepared player out on the field with an extremely uphill job to do, but he humiliated and probably killed all confidence in the leader of the team.  What kind of message did he really send to the team?  How much confidence did the rest of the team, both sides of the ball, lose in Head Coach Andy Reid after this move?  What kind of performance will he now get from players?

I’m absolutely amazed with what happened today.  Reid’s decision was one of the worst I’ve seen in a coach in this franchise… and that says a lot.

I cannot believe what has happened to this team.  Right now I have no hope for a turnaround.  I have no confidence in this coach.  It’s not just this loss.  Most of this post I had written during the week, but was not able to get it out there prior to the game.  As I started reading it after the game, I realized it was the same.  I think the only thing I would change is how I stated at the beginning how much I respect Andy Reid.  I’ve lost almost all of that now.  I know how that will change, but I do not think Reid can actually look into himself and make the change… so even that hope is not there.

I think that today has marked the beginning of some very dark times for this team.  Hell, I’m wrong quite often with this team and I really hope I am.  But as I see things now, what they now have to overcome is enormous.  I feel bad for McNabb at this juncture, and I’m going to hate to see him excel on another team.  But one thing is for sure in my mind… I no longer want Andy Reid as my Eagles coach.