Super Bowl thoughts
Jesse of the Avuncular Undergrad is right. I do think the Eagles are a very good football team. The problem is, unlike other years, I don't know just how good they are. I've only seen five of their games this year, so I've largely had to rely on the internet and my football-obsessed brother to get a sense of how good they are.
As far as I'm concerned, here are the key points about the Eagles:
- They don't give up a lot of points. Over the course of the regular season, they allowed, on average, 16.3 points each game. That average, however, includes the last two regular reason games, when head coach Andy Reid sat most of his key starters and the Eagles promptly gave up a total of 58 points. Throw out those two games and you're looking at 14.4 points allowed each game. They did even better in their first two playoff games, giving up 14 points against Minnesota and only 10 against Atlanta, explosive offenses both.
- They're tremendously well-coached. Andy Reid has won more games in the past five years than any coach in the NFL. You don't go to the NFC championship game four straight years by luck. Even the much (and deservedly) praised Bill Belichick only managed to lead the Patriots to a 9-7 season in 2002, barely missing the playoffs. The Eagles consistently win, and when they lose (like the debacle against the Steelers earlier this season), they make adjustments that get the job done.
- They don't turn the ball over very much. Their 16 turnovers were tied for fourth lowest in the league. The Patriots had 20.
- They have, perhaps, the best special teams in the game. Much of that comes from the leg of David Akers. Then again, the Patriots have a rather fine kicker in one Adam Vinatieri. But with Brian Westbrook likely returning punts for the Eagles in the Super Bowl, the Eagles' special teams units gain a slight edge over the Pats.
I'm not in any position to make a prediction about the outcome of the Super Bowl. But I can tell you that it's going to be a fantastic game between two great teams. What more can you ask for? Well, an Eagles victory, of course...
posted by Danny @ 9:38 AM
3 Comments
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3 Comments:
Hellll yeah! I'm in the main library at IU right now with my Eagles knit hat on. People keep talking trash saying who can beat a team who knocked out Pittsburgh and Indianapolis? But you know, dynamics change per team. This isn't symbolic logic. The transitivity property doesn't hold or anything like that. I'm looking forward to this weekend, and I hope to see Philly in celebration of its first mainstream sports championship in forever and a day. EAGLES!
Hey guess what this is my first time on my your blog Dan. Mom told me you mentioned an obsessed fan of the Eagles (that being me) and I thought I could drop some insight of what is going on in the states about the game and from someone living in the city of brotherly love (when the team is winning).
You're right about the defense. They have stepped up a lot. Pro-bowlers such as Jeremiah Trotter, Micheal Lewis and Brian Dawkins have provided stability in that aspect of the game.
A lot needs to be said for both the offensive and defensive lines also. A lot of the game depends on the battle in the trenches (if you're in England reading this don't pronounce those "t's"). If McNabb has time to throw, he is very dangerous downfield.
T.O. is another thing that EVERYONE IS TALKING ABOUT! I am a huge T.O. fan (as an eagles, I hated him at San Fran), but the numbers in the receiving game have been nearly identicle in the playoffs as the games in the regular season in which T.O. played. I know Atlanta and Minnesota (don't ya know) have terrible secondaries, but numbers don't lie. One thing T.O. does give the Eagles is the ups over the 5'10'' corners of the Pats.
You are right about the game. I can't predict it. It's going to be a dogfight. I wouldn't be surprised if it were decided on a feild goal. I like the Eagles intangibles and ability even the second stringers. They need to play a rough nose aggressive game to win against the Pats, and not let Reno Mahe touch the field.
Final Score - 20-17 ????????
Yeah, I always have my doubts about arguments that go along the lines of, "X beat Y and Z, so they're definitely going to beat P." Even if the Patriots are a better team than the Eagles (which is certainly the conventional wisdom), that doesn't mean that they would win every game played between the two teams. I think a better way of understanding the outcome of single games is the flip of a weighted coin.
I expect the Eagles to try to be explosive early and find the mismatches... and with both Brian Westbrook and Terrell Owens on the field, there are going to be some. This is where coaching will play a big role.
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