On Wednesday it looked like for sure that McNabb was heading to St. Louis to reunite with Rams coach, Steve Spagnuolo, for the Rams 2nd round pick in 2010 (33rd overall) and FS Oshiomogho Atogwe. On the surface this looks like such a steal for the Eagles and would allow for Kevin Kolb to be the number one guy with Michael Vick as the backup. Sources have said that McNabb is willing to sign an extension with the Rams, which may have some truth to it because of his past relationships with some of the Rams coaches. A report in the Philadelphia Inquirer had said that McNabb is not willing to sign an extension with either the Oakland Raiders or the Buffalo Bills because he wants to play for a contender. Call me crazy but I am pretty sure the Rams have not been a contender since Kurt Warner last threw a pass in St. Louis.

Last night, Profootballtalk.com reported a trade that would bring in CB Nnamdi Asomugha of the Oakland Raiders for McNabb and Asante Samuel. I honestly don’t see this happening because I don’t think McNabb will resign there and this doesn’t appear to be a good deal for the Birds. McNabb has also been recently linked to the Bills, Seahawks, Vikings, Cardinals, Browns and yes even the Redskins.

Today, a report said the Eagles want a top 42 pick in the upcoming draft. Note that the Rams own the 33rd pick, Browns hold the 37th pick, Raiders hold the 39th pick and the Bills have the 41st pick. Time will tell if the Eagles are looking for multiple picks or a player packaged along with draft pick. Rumors will continue to fly until a deal is actually made.

However, let’s not forget that is McNabb who holds all of the power to any type of trade that is going to occur. If the Eagles want much in return, than McNabb must extend his contract. Last year the Eagles chose to give McNabb a raise in pay instead of extending the years on his current contract. One thing McNabb must consider is that this will more than likely be his last major contract in his NFL career. Another is that an NFL lockout is looming and McNabb is not going to want to be without a contract heading into a potential lockout. The Eagles have made it pretty evident that they are moving towards youth over experience with the recent departures of Chris Clemons, Darren Howard, Brian Westbrook, and Reggie Brown. McNabb is currently the longest tenured Eagle on the roster.

Donovan, I appreciate your time and effort because you have truly turned around this organization but this city is thirsty for a Super Bowl and you just don’t seem to be apart of the equation anymore. I am tired of winning the silver medal. I believe we will see a deal done quickly and that the Eagles are evaluating the best possible scenario for both themselves and for McNabb.

If you were the GM of the Eagles, what would you do? And if McNabb is traded, what will be his legacy?

Positives:
Winning a close game – For the second straight week the Eagles were able to win a game in the fourth quarter. Sure it’s nice to blow teams out of the water and not have to worry about losing towards the end of the game but these close games show character. They show the team can step up under pressure and do what they need to do.

Asante Samuel – We’ll ignore his tackling for the time being and focus on his turnovers yesterday. He always seems to have a knack for finding the ball and was able to do so on two occasions yesterday. Timely turnovers are always very nice to have and it was good to see Asante step up. Some of the other things he does on the field can really bother you but the turnovers make up for it.

Jeremy Maclin – Maclin had five receptions and was the second most targeted receiver on Sunday. He had a real clutch catch in yesterday’s game when the team needed to make a play. This kid is really going to have to take his game to a higher level if DeSean Jackson is going to miss serious time. I liked the way he played on Sunday and want to see him continue being more productive.

LeSean McCoy – Shady is now the Eagles number one threat on the ground with Brian Westbrook out. He played well last week against the Bears and played well against the Redskins this week as well. Not only did he average 4.5 yards per carry on the ground, but he caught a few nice balls out of the backfield. I don’t know if he’ll ever be the kind of receiver BWest was out of the backfield but it’s something I’d like to see him really improve upon.

Negatives:
Onside kick – Why? Dumb. This wasn’t no pickle juice game. You’re facing a team whose two biggest offensive playmakers aren’t playing. Kick it to them, play good defense, and force them to punt. Does Andy look like a hero if they recover the kick and score right away? Maybe, but they didn’t. So now he looks like an idiot. I totally disagree with that call.

Red zone defense – The Eagles defense tends to usually be bend but don’t break. They allow teams to march down the field on them then seem to really tighten up when teams enter the red zone and force them to field goals. This was not so much the case on Sunday. I don’t think giving up three touchdowns to a team with three wins and two of their top players injured is a good sign. This defense scares me and they’re really going to have to play at a higher level if they want to make the playoffs.

Injuries – They just keep piling up. You can’t really get mad at the players for this but it is very frustrating when a team cannot stay healthy, especially when they are in the thick of the playoff hunt. DeSean Jackson is the Eagles biggest asset on offense right now. It will be interesting to see how they do without him. They didn’t look half bad without him in Sunday’s game but I don’t know how they’ll fare without him an entire game. It will also be interesting to see if Brent Celek plays. His hand injury appears to be more serious than we first thought. Broderick Bunkley would also be a huge loss so I’m interested to see how serious his injury is.

Play calling – You’re pissing a lot of people off Andy. The run/pass was pretty balanced but the plays themselves were not all that great. This redzone nonsense is so frustrating. Why can’t we pound Leonard Weaver? Why do we have to play action to the tight end on second down every time? I think some players stepped up and made plays on that last touchdown series despite some bad play calling. My hat goes off to the players for their efforts there.

I’m going to stop there with the negatives and just be happy with the win. What positives and negatives did you see on Sunday?

With that being said it is a wonder how the Eagles came back to win this game. They must still work on their short yardage situations. This win was huge to stay in contention for the division, with the Cowboys winning on Thanksgiving. You have to give McNabb credit for coming back to win the game. It was an ugly win which has become the norm for this team. But again any win you can get is huge, especially during this time of year. The Eagle improve to a record of 7-4.

UPDATE: Check out more in-depth analysis of Sunday’s game.

What are your initial thoughts on today’s game?

Please review the questions and provide your answers in the comments section!

1. What do the Eagles need to do different than the first time the teams met this year?

2. Our defense is pretty banged up right now. What concerns you most about the state of the defense?

3. DeSean Jackson had two huge plays against the Redskins in the last meeting and will probably see a lot of attention. Who do you see stepping up on offense if Jackson is shut down on the day?

4. With a 6-4 record at this point, do you think the Eagles will make the playoffs this year?

5. What will the final score be?

Ladell Betts went down for the Redskins last week, but Rock Cartwright stepped in and played quite well for them. He ended up wit 140 yards on 20 touches. Cartwright is very versatile player and can make both plans running and catching the ball. I think he posses more of a threat out of the backfield so I hope our linebackers see him coming out of the backfield early and can make plays on him.

I think one of the real keys to this game will be how well the defensive line can play. They are the only group on the defense that hasn’t been surrounded by a bunch of drama. There are a ton of questions surrounding the linebackers and secondary so if the line can play solid football it will make it easier on everyone else.

Just like any week, you’d love to see the Eagles come out and establish a run game early. You might think they try this because of the success they had last week but you never know. We’d all love to see it and it would help control the tempo of the game. After his fumble last week, I’m sure the Redskins defense will try to attack the ball when it’s in LeSean McCoy’s hands so he better wrap it up.

There was a Michael Vick sighting last week and I think that might help his chances to see some more snaps. Personally, I want to see them spread the ball when inside the 25 yard line and let him run the wildcat. It would also be nice to see them try to hit one of those pass plays down the field like they missed against the Chargers when DeSean dropped the ball.

Overall, they beat the Redskins last time they played but they can’t afford to play the same way they did when they last saw each other. My personal key to the game is the defensive line, what is yours?

BirdsFan.com: These two teams have already met this year, what do you think the biggest difference is for the Redskins between then and now?

RiggosRag.com: Confidence. The Redskins now have had two games in a row where they’ve outplayed their opponent. Granted they only won ONE of those two games, but really both games were more convincing than any of the other Redskins performances this season, including their wins over St. Louis and Tampa Bay. They’ve gotten their act together, at least a little. I’m not saying that the Redskins are now suddenly good; I’m saying that they’re no longer competing with the Browns for the “Crappiest team in the league” award. They’ve gone from very, very bad to just bad. With hard work and dedication, they might strive to reach “average” in a week or two.

Of course, Oakland is a bad team too, and look at what they did to Philly.

BF: As a Redskins fan, what do you think the biggest difference is in the Eagles since the last time we’ve played?

RR: The Eagles are very bipolar. They’ll look inept one week and then destroy a good team the next. Last time the Redskins played the Eagles, the Eagles looked decent. With luck, we’ll see the inept team come out this weekend.

BF: Sunday’s 7-6 loss to Dallas has to be a real heartbreaker. What do you think contributed most to this loss?

RR: Most? Poor coaching and lack of depth in key positions. But if you want to look at specific events and decisions that contributed to the loss, I’d have to say missing that first 39 yard field goal at the half. That one really came back to haunt us. If the Redskins had made that figgie, everything else would have been so much simpler. But since they missed it, they went for a 50 yard field goal late in the 4th and whiffed it and gave up great field position. Some people argue that maybe they shouldn’t have gone for the field goal. I’m not sure that would have mattered. Anyone who saw that game knows damn well that the Cowboys could have gotten another 20 yards on that last drive. They were marching down the field with impunity, so punting wouldn’t have helped much. Of course, I suppose they could have gone all Bill Belichick and gone for it on 4th and 2. The problem with that is, this is the Redskins and with Jim Zorn coaching, he invariably calls for a stretch play on 4th down and short. And it never works. So we’d be exactly where we were except people would now be yelling at Zorn for going for it when he could have won with a simple field goal.

No, I think that for the Redskins to beat Dallas in that stadium, they needed to be up by more than one score. They missed that chance when they whiffed on the field goals (twice) and they lost the game because of it. It’s that simple.

BF: You guys entered the game Sunday without Clinton Portis and lost Ladell Betts during the game. Will either play against the Eagles? If not, do you think Rock Cartwright can shoulder the load without them?

RR: Betts is out for the year with a torn MCL and ACL. Portis is reportedly out for this week’s game as well. Knowing Jim Zorn, Portis has been assigned Aroma Therapy treatment for his concussion. You are going to face the fearsome might of Rock Cartwright! I think he did fine against the Cowboys and he’ll do fine against the Eagles. Portis wasn’t exactly tearing it up this season before he went down. Betts looked good before the injury but the performance of the offensive line is far more critical than the Betts versus Cartwright issue (or even Cartwright versus Portis for that matter).

BF: We hear a lot about the Redskins possibly making plans to bring in a new quarterback. What are your thoughts on Jason Campbell and do you think his time is just about up in Washington?

RR: Jason Campbell is erratic. He’s like McNabb without the upside. He’s not very accurate and he fumbles the ball constantly for some reason. He doesn’t make great reads. At his best, he’s average to slightly above average in the NFL. At his worst, he’s downright awful. His worst quality in my mind is that he’s anti-clutch. The moment the team needs him to make a play to win the game, that’s when he falls apart. Once a game gets out of reach, he’ll start doing miraculous things and get some great garbage time touchdowns…until the game starts getting competitive again in which case he’ll figure out a way to lose the game. He plays just well enough to avoid looking terrible when he loses.

Can he have success on another team? Maybe. If the situation is right and the team doesn’t need to rely on him too much, he would be all right. With better pass protection and lots of good wide receivers, I’m sure he could enjoy some success. But it won’t be because of him so much as it will be because of the talent that surrounds him. I don’t know if the Redskins broke him or if he was never going to make it, but he’s never going to be a top quarterback in the NFL.

BF: What didn’t the Redskins do against the Eagles the last time they played each other that you think they will have more success at this time around?

RR: The Redskins will definitely need to block, pass, run, catch, and tackle better than they did last game. It would also help if they could shore up special teams a little. Seriously, they need to shut down the big plays; the defense really let the Redskins down last time and that was a bit uncharacteristic of them.

What the Redskins need most, however, is help from the Eagles. McNabb is their greatest asset and their greatest weakness. If he’s on he’s great. If he’s having a crappy day, he’s wretched. And when he’s wretched in Philly, you fans become an asset to us, because you’ll turn on McNabb quite happily and suddenly it’s a Home Field DISADVANTAGE as the boos come out. If the Redskins are going to win, it’s going to be with help from you Eagles fans and with help from Mister McNabb and Mister Andy Reid.

BF: What is the Redskins biggest weakness that you think the Eagles may have the opportunity to exploit?

RR: Their head coach is in over his head and lacks the support of his owner and GM. He’s predictable. The Redskins are going for it on 4th down? Oh gee, look! It’s a stretch play! Everyone in the freaking stadium knows what’s going to be called and it never works. And time outs? Who needs them! It’s not like they could be handy at the end of the game or anything. Watch the game and every time they show Zorn’s face you’ll see that befuddled and slightly constipated look he gets on game day. The man is lost.

BF: If you were making the offensive and defensive game plan for the Redskins, what would you be focusing on doing?

RR: Shooting myself. Seriously though, the defensive line is fine. I wouldn’t really change anything except maybe make Haynesworth do some serious cardio until he can stay in the game for three consecutive plays without needing to be hooked up to an oxygen tank for the rest of the quarter. Keep McNabb pressured so he has an off day. Don’t let the big plays have time to develop.

The offensive line is showing some signs of improvement as well. They beat up the Denver defense, especially on running plays. They held up reasonably well against a big Dallas line. For the piecemeal talent that the Redskins have out there on the field, I’d be pretty happy with what they’ve given us over the last two weeks. So whatever they’ve been doing, I’d keep doing it.

BF: Here’s a fun one. What are your thoughts on Dan Snyder? I know a lot of fans absolutely hate this guys guts. I’d love to hear you weigh in on this one.

RR: I don’t hate Dan Snyder. I hate that he won’t hire an experienced General Manager and that he wants to try to run the team like his own personal fantasy football team. Dan Snyder is a lot better than many team owners out there (I’m looking at you, Browns and Raiders fans). He’s willing to pay money to field a competitive team, and that’s absolutely a critical component to any winning team; he just doesn’t know how to put the money to good use and he won’t stay the hell away and let football guys make football decisions. The real problem is that he hasn’t been demonstrating a capacity to learn from his previous mistakes. Also, it doesn’t help that one of the things he *IS* good at is finding new sources of revenue for the team, generally by fleecing the fans somehow. There are also some minor insults to fans like the lack of simple amenities at the stadium (no constant scoreboard to show other games that are playing; lack of porta-potty’s for the tailgaters; no signs allowed in the stadium, etc). High prices, poor service, and a crappy product is going to get any fan base pissed off. He can have two out of the three, but all three is too much for even the most devoted fan base to swallow.

We’ll see what happens this offseason. If Vinny Cerrato still has a job with the Redskins, I think the team will lose a lot of fans. At least for a little while. A big name signing in the offseason isn’t going to cut it this time. Some real change needs to happen.

BF: What do you think will be the overall outcome of the game on Sunday?

RR: I think it’s entirely up to the Eagles. They are the better team this year, period. If the Eagles play well they’re going to win. If they come out and McNabb has a rough night like he occasionally does, then the Redskins could pull out an upset. I doubt it’ll happen though. Though it pains me to say it, I have to predict: Eagles over Redskins 21-10. My only solace is knowing that in our loss, would help you usurp Dallas as division leader, which is a marginally more tolerable situation for us Redskins fans.

As of today, the Cowboys sit on top of the division at 7-3, followed by the Eagles and Giants at 6-4, and the Redskins at 3-7. Let’s take a closer look at each team individually and my overall predictions.

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Dallas Cowboys (7-3)

The Cowboys barely pulled out a win against the lowly Redskins this past Sunday. This was an all around ugly game and neither team looked like it wanted to win. The Cowboys scored on a late Tony Romo touchdown pass to Patrick Crayton to win 7-6. This team has shown that they are very inconsistent and have scored a combined 14 points in the last two weeks. Defenses appear to have figured out Miles Austin and the three-headed monster running game has not been anything spectacular. The defense has become the Cowboys best asset this season and they will have to rely on this to make any sort of late season run.

Remaining Games: OAK, @ NYG, SD, @ NO, @ WAS, PHI

Prediction: Outside of OAK and WAS, this is a pretty tough schedule. Cowboys have struggled in December games and Romo has not won the big game in December and January. I think the Cowboys can pull off 4 victories in their final 6 games. This will put them at 10-6.

Result: Wild Card birth

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Philadelphia Eagles (6-4)

This team has been night and day. One week they look as though they can compete for a Super Bowl and the next they don’t even look like a playoff team. Having lost the past two weeks, the Eagles were in a “must win” situation Sunday night against the struggling Chicago Bears. They were able to handle business and squeak out a 24-20 win on Sunday night. Again, it wasn’t the prettiest win, but they finally got the job done in the red zone and put together a Sunday night victory. The Eagles have the most talented offense in the division, but have been inconsistent in the red zone. Like many teams, the Eagles have been hurt with the injury bug, especially on defense. In order to make a run, this team must rely on their talent on both sides of the ball because they lack the veteran leadership they had last year.

Remaining Games: WAS, @ ATL, @ NYG, SF, DEN, @ DAL

Prediction: Although this team has been up and down all season, one thing remains: This team wins in December. Look for this trend to continue. Out of the three contenders in the division, the Birds have the easiest remaining schedule due to the recent struggles of the Broncos. I think the Eagles continue with their winning ways in December and reel off 5 wins in the final 6 games. That Dallas game at the end of the season will clinch the division for the Eagles at a record of 11-5.

Result: NFC East Champions

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New York Giants (6-4)

This team started off so strong and looked poised for another Super Bowl run. These hopes quickly disappeared as the G-Men went on a 4 game losing skid. Coming off a much needed bye week, the Giants took on the Atlanta Falcons on what was considered a “must win” situation to stay in the hunt for the division. While it looked as if the Giants may lose their 5th game in row, they were able to pull out a win in overtime to improve to 6-4. Coming into the season, the Giants were thought to have the best line on both sides of the ball in the division. Their defensive line which has been the team’s number one strength over the past few years has struggled somewhat this season. The offense has really improved without Plax, but the Giants need to improve their running game.

Remaining Games: @ DEN, DAL, PHI, @ WAS, CAR, @ MIN

Prediction: This team is really struggling at the wrong time. They did not look too impressive against the Falcons and I am not sure if they have enough to get to the playoffs this year. If they can beat the Broncos they should get 4 more wins and put them at 10-6. However, I think they lose to Broncos and wind up going 3-3 in the final 6 games. This would leave them at an overall record at 9-7.

Result: Out of the playoffs

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Washington Redskins (3-7)

Once again Mr. Snyder made a big splash in free agency by acquiring DT Albert Haynesworth. Not sure when the spending spree will end in Washington but these acquisitions never seem to go according to plan. With the team sitting at 3-7, the ‘Skins will be watching the playoffs from home again this season. Jason Campbell and the offense have struggled mightily this season. I expect big changes in the offseason for this team and it has to start with the coach, Jim Zorn. With a pretty decent QB class coming out of the draft, I look for this team to take a top quarterback. The Redskins will be playing spoiler the rest of the season. If this team wants to compete anytime soon, serious changes must be made on both sides of the ball. The defense has been decent this season but the offense has sputtered all season. This is not a good football team, and they appear to have already booked their offseason vacation plans.

Remaining Games: @ PHI, NO, @ OAK, NYG, DAL, @ SD

Prediction: Do not expect much from this team during the final 6 games. Injuries are mounting on offense and with the team knowing a coaching change is on the horizon this team will just give up. Expect them to fight but let’s be honest this team is not very good. I expect 1-2 victories depending on if SD has the division locked going into the final week. I will give the ‘Skins 2 more wins which finishes this miserable season at 5-11.

Result: Out of the playoffs.

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How do you see the rest of the season playing out?

Positives:
Will Witherspoon – What a great debut for this guy. An interception for a touchdown and a forced fumble. We all heard that this guy could make plays and he showed it immediately. His run defense isn’t the greatest but when you make plays like you did, you tend to overlook it. It wasn’t terrible, but you can tell the guy’s natural position is not in the middle. Overall, I was pleased with how he played.

DeSean Jackson – We’ve come to expect big plays out of this guy and he just seems to consistently deliver. His big play ability is just nuts. I definitely didn’t expect him to go the distance on that end around but that is just the type of talent he is. His double move for that second touchdown was also very nice.

Defensive pressure – These guys were getting to Jason Campbell all night and you could tell that towards the end when he was getting knocked down, he just didn’t want to get back up. Trent Cole has been a monster all year and recorded two sacks last night while the defense as a whole recorded six. Sean McDermott decided to blitz the hell out of Campbell and it was pretty effective. If Campbell didn’t duck Sean Jones when he came through the middle, he may not have finished that game. This is exactly the type of pressure the defense needs to get on Eli Manning next week, because we all know when he starts to get rattled he makes dumb mistakes.

Negatives:
Offensive line – For the second week in a row I was disappointed with the play of the line. Their protection just wasn’t to the level that it needs to be and they really need to get it together as they’re facing a really talented front seven next week.

Donovan McNabb – He just hasn’t looked crisp lately. He only completed 15 passes last night and showed us a lot of his throwing the ball into the ground tendencies. I think the guy can play at a very high level, he just isn’t right now. It may have to do with the lack of protection he’s getting, but I feel like even when he gets protection, he’s not delivering the ball very well. He needs to tighten it up.

Brian Westbrook – He obviously wasn’t trying to get hurt, but the fact that this guy can’t seem to ever stay healthy is extremely frustrating. If it’s not one thing, it seems to be another. Westbrook is the type of player the Eagles can’t afford to lose right now, especially with the upcoming schedule they have.

LeSean McCoy – He was kind of catapulted into a larger role than expecting due to the injury to Westbrook but he’s not playing at the level he needs to be playing at. Again, he was missing blocking assignments and scaring me to death with the way he was carrying the football. If he continues to carry the ball like that, he is going to turn it over. It’s that simple. The coaching staff really needs to emphasize ball protection with him before he makes a big mistake.

Michael Vick – Does anyone else feel like this is just a giant waste of time? The guy hasn’t done anything. I know he doesn’t get a ton of opportunities each game, but when they do put him in I am starting to question myself why. Sure it was nice to see him complete a five yard pass and a nine yard run, but it just seems like who cares. I hope they have something up their sleeve with this guy and can get me back supporting the move, but right now it just seems dumb.

Tight end coverage – It aggravates me that I have to list this every week but here we are again. Chris Cooley came out on the first series and immediately started catching balls then had to leave the game due to injury. This seemed like it would be beneficial for the Birds but sure enough his replacement, Fred Davis, enters the game and just keeps up the pace. I don’t even know what to say anymore.

Offensive production – You score on two 50+ yard plays but other than that can only put up two field goals against the Washington Redskins? That’s just sad. They were terrible on third downs again going just 4-15. They just aren’t executing at the level they should be. They have so many weapons on this team and just can’t seem to get it together.

I feel like I’ve been ranting a lot here but despite winning the game, that was not a very good effort put up by the Eagles. It isn’t the kind of confidence you’re looking for going into a matchup with the team who is on top of your division. The Eagles have a short week now and need to look at a lot of film and figure out how they can execute at a higher level.

After coming out hot and scoring on their first possession, the Eagles offense quickly cooled off and continued a lot of the struggles that they showed last week against the Raiders. The defense played pretty stoutly, scoring a touchdown, forcing turnovers, and chasing Jason Campbell around the field all night.

Donovan McNabb hooked up with Jackson to record his 200th career touchdown pass of his career, but overall his performance was sub par. Brian Westbrook was lost early in the game due to a concussion and after the first quarter, it wasn’t the most exciting game to watch.

However, a win is a win and that’s the most important thing. We will break the game down in more detail tomorrow, but until then we will enjoy the win and look forward to a big matchup with the Giants.

It is still early in the season but this is a game the Eagles really need to win. They’ve been dealing with a lot of poor teams and have entered the part of their schedule where they are transitioning into playing harder teams. Washington isn’t a great team but it is a division opponent so it is especially important to get a win here.

Last week’s effort against Oakland was atrocious and made many question the abilities of the team. A win will serve as some sort of redemption. Andy Reid and his coaching staff need to call a much better game than last week, and the players need to execute at a much higher level. They need to come out and put points on the board early and then maintain the lead.

No one wants to see a repeat of last week and a nice win will help to put it out of our memory.