MVN - Most Valuable Network

Westbrook, Andrews Selected to Pro Bowl

While the Eagles may not be represented by ten players like their 2004 team, or eleven players like the Dallas Cowboys, it was good news to hear of two deserving players rewarded with a trip to Hawaii.

Eagles right guard Shawn “The Big Kid” Andrews and running back Brian “I Am the Best Player Alive” Westbrook were the Eagles two representatives. I am looking to patent the above nickname for Mr. Westbrook. I will let you know how that goes.

Westbrook leads the NFL with 1,896 yards from scrimmage and 94 first downs, is 5th in the NFL with 1,191 rushing yards, and leads all running backs in receptions, receiving yards, and receiving TDs. He also leads all running backs in AWESOME-ness. Had Westbrook been snubbed a second year in a row with those type of numbers, I would have boycotted the NFL forever. Okay, maybe not, but I wouldn’t watch the Pro Bowl! Well, nobody watches the Pro Bowl. I would have been really mad, let’s leave it at that.

The Eagles knew they had a Pro Bowl caliber offensive lineman when they drafted Shawn Andrews 12th overall in 2004, and the self proclaimed “Big Kid” is turning into one of the best right guards in the league. Andrews was an alternate in the 2005 Pro Bowl, and named a starter in 2006, but did not play due to a neck injury.

A notable Eagles snub was defensive end Trent Cole. While many Eagles fans are having fits about this, I don’t see how Cole could have made it. Yes, he is second in the NFC with 12.5 sacks, but who would you replace with him? The three defensive ends on the NFC squad are Patrick Kerney, Aaron Kampman, and Osi Umenyiora. Kerney leads the NFC with 13.5 sacks, while Kampman and Umenyiora are tied with 12. Kampman is the best defensive player on the second best team in the NFC and no Eagles fans need reminding of Umenyiora’s 6 sacks and two forced fumbles against them earlier this year. Simply put, not enough room for T-Cole.

Other Eagles news…

• Takeo Spikes was placed on Injured Reserve today with a torn rotator cuff.
• Starting in place of Spikes is undrafted rookie Akeem Jordan. Jordan was promoted from the Eagles practice squad when the team released Matt McCoy in late October.

Lastly, this whole Donovan McNabb story/non-story with Pam Oliver is pathetic. This guy just cannot catch a break. No athlete in any sport has had more problems with out of context quotes or unfair criticism in recent memory than Donovan. He has done so much for this franchise and this city, and we so often forget that.

Earlier this year when A.J. Feeley almost led the Eagles to a victory over the Patriots, the first thing I thought after the game was “Oh great, now we get to hear a week of McNabb-bashing.” I have always been a Donovan McNabb guy and I understand that many fans and well-educated observers do not share my views. However, Feeley or Kevin Kolb are not the answer for this city of immediate gratification.

Everyone is calling out for some playing time for Kolb, but what if he doesn’t impress? He has an enormous amount of potential and can move around very well, but playing at the University of Houston or against Baltimore Ravens third-stringers is a bit different than playing in front of 70,000 drunk, green-clad Philadelphia Eagles fans on a Sunday afternoon. We want a winner now. We want to see our beloved Eagles back to where they almost were in 2004. But we also want change. Well, with change comes growing pains and I do not see any way that Kevin Kolb will do a better job of leading this team back to the playoffs in the next two years than Donovan McNabb.

Being a starting quarterback in a big market is a pressure that none of us could imagine, so I think it’s time to wake up and appreciate Donovan for what he is. He does not have Peyton Manning’s arm or Tom Brady’s precision, and I get as aggravated with his passes to a wide receiver’s feet as you do. But he led the Eagles to four straight NFC championship games as well as a Super Bowl, and represents the best chance this city has at seeing our first champion since 1983. He deserves more support than what he has been getting from the media and fans. End of rant. Thank you for listening.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, December 19th, 2007 at 11:00 pm and is filed under News & Notes. 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.