MVN - Most Valuable Network

Eagles Back on Endangered List

    That sound you heard was the wheels falling off. 

    Per last week’s column, “Nothing short of the complete and utter destruction of the concept of the Philadelphia Eagles, New York Giants, and Washington Redskins should be accepted.”  Well, one team is down.

    Sunday night, Dallas did more than record just the second victory in the last nine trips up north; the Cowboys dominated Philadelphia in every facet of the game and completely removed them from the NFC East race.  At 7-1, the Cowboys sit atop the division and travel to New York, where the 6-2 Giants await, hoping to avenge their opening night 45-35 loss in Texas Stadium.  That preview, however, is a few days away.

     Now, it is time to discuss the magnitude with which Sunday night’s game will impact Dallas and Philadelphia over the remaining season.

     First of all, this loss demonstrated that the Eagles are in desperate need of multiple impact players on offense, for Brian Westbrook simply cannot continue to carry the entire team anymore.  As great a player as he is, no man alive could succeed against a defense that is solely focused on clobbering him every time he touches the football.  From the beginning of the game, the Cowboys dedicated all 11 men to stopping Westbrook; they defied anyone else to beat them with the ball.

     And no one could.

     Even down by 21 just after halftime, Donovan McNabb continued to force the ball to Westbrook, showing he has absolutely no confidence in any of his other running backs or receivers.  In the NFL, most teams–especially Dallas–are simply too good to be beaten by one man (except, apparently, Norv Turner’s Chargers).  And when a team’s offense is stagnant, the defense must take up the slack and try to score on its own.  Unfortunately for the Eagles, this defense is not as good as those that took them to four consecutive NFC Championship games.  This defense is older, slower, and hurt.  Also, the NFL is beginning to figure out a high percentage of defensive coordinator Jim Johnson’s blitz schemes.

     As the quarter-stadium of people who stayed until the glorious end saw, Philadelphia is a terrible football team, and, with McNabb possibly gone next year, no one capable of aiding Westbrook, and an aging defense, football fans are in for a tough few years.  How ’bout them Temple Owls?

     The conference-leading Cowboys, however, have firmly entrenched themselves at the pinnacle of the NFC and represent the antithesis of the Eagles.

     On offense, Dallas has more quick strike weapons than the Soviet Union during the Cold War.  Any man on the field, be it Terrell Owens, Marion Barber, Jason Witten, Patrick Crayton, or even Julius Jones, has the potential to score each time he touches the football.  With Tony Romo showing an ability to dissect each defense and simply get the ball to whoever is open, the Cowboys just have too many threats to cover on every single play.  The Cowboys know this, and when one of these players does break open, Romo is ready, and points go on the board.

     Hopefully, every one had an opportunity to observe Witten’s play Sunday.  In just 60 minutes, he showed how he has become the best tight end in the NFL.  Although he has earned his three Pro Bowl trips primarily for his receiving skills–and deservedly so, as he is one of just 10 tight ends in NFL history to record three consecutive 60-catch seasons–he is also one of the premier blockers in the game.  He put several Eagle defenders on their butts throughout the night, and most of Dallas’ big plays came right after the announcer said, “…and what a block by Jason Witten.”  Without doubt, Witten is the best tight end, and one of the top ten players overall, in the National Football League.

     The offensive line also deserves recognition, as this unit has finally showed that it can play an entire game at an elite level.  Flozell Adams and Leonard Davis were spectacular creating holes for Jones and Barber, and the line did not allow a sack, allowing Romo to throw the football at his leisure.

     Defensively, Terrence Newman and Anthony Henry grow stronger each week, Ken Hamlin continues to play great when he’s not getting beaten outside Seattle nightclubs, and the front seven show an ability to rush the passer that has been missing in these parts for quite some time.  Against the Eagles, the Cowboys gave future opponents even more reason to worry when they discarded their usual 3-4 scheme and played the entire game in 4-3 or nickel coverage in order to contain Westbrook around the edges of the line.

     On special teams, Mat McBriar continues to be the league’s best punter, and kicker Nick Folk’s .875 field goal percentage leads all rookies. 

     As if the rest of the conference wasn’t already far enough behind, the Cowboys are only getting better.  Terry Glenn continues to rehab his knee injury, and the team is hopeful he can play this year.  With Henry back, Glenn is the only significant injury, and the defense gets another boost with the activation of Tank Johnson from his eight-game suspension.

     With so many of Dallas’ core players young and under contact, and a recent string of solid drafts (2008: Mike Hart?), the Cowboys are set up for a decade of dominance in the division.  As for the Eagles?  At least if everyone leaves after three quarters, there will be no one around to boo them during the fourth.

     The concept of the Eagles was vanquished.  New York is next.

      Brian Smith can be reached at blsmith@mail.utexas.edu

      Listen to Brian talk sports every Tuesday 9-11 a.m CST only at KVRX.ORG. 

This entry was posted on Monday, November 5th, 2007 at 10:41 pm and is filed under The Cowboy Roundup. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.