Fowl Flying

The Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys are tied for the NFC East division lead. New York (Giants) hosts the Eagles next week after sweeping the Cowboys at home this season. The Giants downed Dallas 31-24 in the final game at Giants Stadium between the two teams. Philadelphia beat the Atlanta Falcons on the road 34-7 in Michael Vick’s return to Atlanta as an Eagles quarterback. The Giants are 7-5 behind the 8-3 Cowboys and Eagles. Atlanta fell to 6-6 and sit two games behind the Eagles in the NFC wildcard standings. The Falcons weren’t exactly flying against the soaring Eagles. The game was magnified by the enormous playoff implications and Vick’s return. The second half was essentially non-competitive after two scores separated the conference rivals in the first. Atlanta nearly missed being shutout in their own building. Mike Smith’s team scored on the final play of the game to avoid the first 0-fer since the 2004 season.
Vick put up a pair of touchdowns for the Eagles. It was the first time the former Falcon danced into the end zone since 2006. The Philadelphia backup signal caller rushed from five yards out in the third quarter to give the visiting birds a 20-0 lead. Vick padded the Eagles’ lead on a five yard touchdown pass to tight end, Brent Celek. It was the final Philadelphia score of the day, giving the NFC East leaders a 34-0 advantage with 2:17 remaining. Atlanta quarterback, Chris Redman, completed a three yard touchdown pass to Roddy White for the Falcons only score of the game. The touchdown came after Atlanta drove the length of the field on 13 plays. Redman was filling in for last season’s darling quarterback, Matt Ryan. He was coming off a week in which he navigated the Falcons to a last-second win a week ago. Sunday was not his day. Redman finished 23-of-44 with 235 yards through the air. He was picked off twice by the stingy Eagles defense. Cornerback Sheldon Brown returned a Redman miscue 83 yards for a Philadelphia touchdown.
Vick vexed his former team and even with a missed David Ackers field goal in the first quarter, the Eagles seized every opportunity in Sunday’s blitzing of the birds. Donovan McNabb threw a touchdown pass to go along with a 238 yard afternoon. The former Syracuse standout connected with Leonard Weaver for the Eagles first touchdown. Weaver caught five passes, including the four yard grab to give the Eagles a 10-0 lead to end the first quarter. Akers drilled his second field goal in the second quarter. The 33 yarder was booted 1:18 before the half. Redman was successful in finding tight end, Tony Gonzalez, but the Falcons porous offensive line couldn’t protect him long enough to sustain a substantial drive. Redman and the offense struggled to get in sync. The Falcons also did not capitalize on two crucial Philadelphia penalties before halftime. Without their franchise quarterback, it was hard to find touchdowns but they had their chances. Facing a fourth-and-two at the Eagles two yard line, Jason Snelling was stuffed before crossing the goal line. The Falcons turned the ball over on downs with .21 left in the second quarter.
Atlanta was minus five offensive stars but the Eagles had a few key players on the sidelines. Philadelphia overcame their injuries to make plays happen on the field. The reeling Falcons were too loose in the secondary. The defense failed to cover Celek or stop Jeremy Maclin from snagging McNabb flicks. McNabb completed four consecutive passes on the opening drive of the third quarter. He hit Jason Avant for 15 and 8 yards, LeSean McCoy for another 8 and Maclin for 7 before Vick’s touchdown run. Maclin landed 83 yards on four receptions. Celek had only a pair of receptions but scored a touchdown. Weaver fronted the Eagles with 37 yards rushing and made a brilliant one-handed catch for a 59 yard reception. Vick sprinted and sharply shook off tackles for his current team the way he used to do in Atlanta. Number 7 went 2-for-2 in passing and scrambled for 17 yards on four runs. Vick was triumphant in his return to the Georgia Dome, much to the chagrin of faithful Falcons fans. The three time Pro Bowler heard the boos but was also showered with adoring cheers. Andy Reid let third string quarterback, Kevin Kolb, finish out the game. That’s how bad things were for the fumbling Falcons. White’s 15th career 100 yard receiving day and Gonzalez breaking the team’s single-season reception mark did little to deflect the sting from the decisive blowout loss. Their playoff chances were dealt an incredible blow yesterday. Atlanta has four games remaining to right the ship. These fighting Falcons can do it if they find ways to convert third and fourth downs, get healthy on offense and seriously begin putting up points.

Parting Points: Happy Birthday to the one and only, Tino Martinez!

Squeeze Stops Skid

The New York football Giants improved to 6-4 and just barely ended a four game losing skid Sunday in East Rutherford. New York outlasted the Atlanta Falcons 34-31 in overtime after surrendering a 14 point lead with six minutes left in the fourth quarter. Lawrence Tynes’ game-winning 36 yard field goal helped squeeze out the Giants’ first win since October 11th.
Quarterback, Eli Manning, had a career day but the Giants didn’t charge out of their bye week in glorious fashion at home. Manning tossed an interception on New York’s opening drive after a false start penalty and quarterback sack. Brent Grimes grabbed the pick for the Falcons and returned it for nine yards. Manning endured his ninth career 300 yard passing day, but just his first in Giants Stadium. Atlanta’s Matt Ryan threw two touchdowns and completed 26 of 49 passes, but the Falcons went three-and-out on their initial possession. New York was the only team lighting up the scoreboard in the first. Tynes legged a 39 yard field goal to put the home team up by three. The Big Blue kicker shanked a 31 yarder in the second quarter, and Atlanta scored on a seven yard run by Jason Snelling. The Falcon fullback was filling in for running back, Michael Turner. Snelling finished with 76 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
New York made it a three point game again seven minutes before halftime. Rookie receiver, Hakeem Nicks, hauled in a 30 yard pass before tight end, Kevin Boss scored down the right sideline. The Giants increased their lead a few minutes later. Falcons kicker, Jason Elam, missed a field goal and Big Blue tackle, Justin Tuck forced a fumble. Osi Umenyiora recovered the fumble that gave the Giants the ball at the Atlanta 34 yard line with a minute remaining. It took six plays for Manning to find Boss in the end zone again. Boss’ second snag, this time from four yards out, provided the home team a ten point halftime advantage.
Atlanta opened the second half with another Snelling score. Domenik Hixon returned the kickoff 19 yards to the New York 26 yard line. Atlanta’s defense was called for holding and pass interference following Manning’s 51 yard toss to Steve Smith. Brandon Jacobs, the stocky running back, restored New York’s ten point lead by scoring from two yards off Atlanta’s right defensive end. Ryan orchestrated a seven minute Atlanta drive with his team down 24-14. The Falcons settled for three points when Ryan failed to connect with Michael Jenkins and Tony Gonzalez. Elam’s kick from 25 yards was good just before the final quarter. New York fullback, Madison Hedgecock, started the fourth quarter on the right foot. Hedgecock caught a three yard pass from Manning with 12:16 left in the game. The 31-17 Giants lead appeared to be secure, but without defensive captain Antonio Peirce in the game, New York couldn’t hold the high flying Falcons.
Ryan hauled a touchdown to Eric Weems on a second down from the Giants four yard line with just over six minutes in regulation. It was Weems’ only reception of the game. The second year signal caller then marched the Falcons 76 yards on 12 plays. The end result was a Gonzalez touchdown reception for 11 yards, and a tie ball game in front of a stunned and shivering Meadowlands crowd. The Giants went three-and-out with .28 ticks on the clock to send the game into overtime. After winning the coin toss, New York broke the 31-31 tie when Tynes notched the final field goal. The final drive was highlighted by Mario Manningham’s 29 yard catch. Manningham is making tremendous strides for Big Blue this season. The former Michigan standout has four touchdowns and close to 500 yards in his sophomore season. He lead all players with 126 yards Sunday. Boss had five receptions and two touchdowns with 76 yards for the Giants. Gonzalez finished with 86 yards and Jenkins topped 76 to lead Atlanta receivers. Jacobs pounded out under 40 yards on the ground, but scored one touchdown. The running back did hurt his knee during the contest. The Giants are going to need a healthy Jacobs if the hope to be an explosive team in December. Tom Coughlin wasn’t so committed to the run during the first half. The Giants passed 24 times and ran only 13 in the first two quarters. It was nice to see Aaron Ross and Chase Blackburn make their season debuts. The defense needs to step up big time without Pierce in the mix. Sunday was a huge game for New York. It was just as critical for the Falcons, who fell to 5-5. The Giants will need at least three to four wins in their final six games to have a chance at the playoffs. Manning needs to be a controlled and efficient passer in order for New York to turn their season around. He began Sunday what could be the start of something good for the 2009 Giants.

Parting Points: Monday music- Backstreet Boys’ “As Long As You Love Me”
The Cowboys SO did not deserve to win yesterday after the Redskins outplayed them the entire game.
Congrats to the near-unanimous AL MVP, Joe Mauer.

Peyton's Place Perfect

The New Orleans Saints remained one of two perfect NFL teams by downing the Atlanta Falcons 35-27 in Monday night football. Head coach, Sean Payton, watched his team triumph over a sloppy offensive game to defeat their neighborly rivals. Saints quarterback, Drew Brees, was responsible for 308 passing yards and two scores. His exactness and resistance to pressure is astounding, and Brees has the ability to throw into double and triple coverage. It rarely leads to interceptions. However, Brees was picked off twice in the winning effort Monday, as New Orleans overcame four team turnovers. The 7-0 Saints outscored Atlanta 21-0 in the second quarter after falling behind early in the first. Michael Turner rushed for 151 yards for Atlanta, including a 13 yard scamper to open the game. Pierre Thomas answered by reaching the end zone from 22 yards out after an 80 yard, ten play Saints drive. Thomas’ extraordinary ball-handling was put on temporary hold in the final quarter. The Falcons defense stripped Thomas on a third and one play. Stephen Nichols’ fumble recovery was challenged but the ruling was upheld, handing Atlanta the ball. Thomas zoomed into the end zone when the Saints regained possession clinging to a four point lead. The one yard screen pass from Brees put New Orleans on top 35-24 with 3:03 left in regulation. The Falcons Matt Ryan had three more chances to lead Atlanta down the field. The Falcons came up empty on fourth and ten when Ryan’s pass to Roddy White was incomplete. Following a three and out by the Saints, Ryan found Tony Gonzalez and Michael Jenkins to secure two more first downs. Atlanta fell short of the endzone, settling for three points on Jason Elam’s 40 yard field goal. The Falcons recovered the onside kick with .28 seconds left in the game. Ryan was intercepted by Darren Sharper at the New Orleans 49 yard line to preserve the home team’s undefeated season.
John Carney missed a third quarter 37 yard field goal and his field goal leg was a nonfactor for the Saints, who did the majority of their scoring in the second quarter. Brees was 25 for 33 through the air, and New Orleans massacred the Falcons just before the half. The New Orleans signal caller hit Marques Coltson with an 18 yard pass to even the score at 14-14 in the second quarter. Former Heisman Trophy winner, Reggie Bush, scored on a one-yard rush to give the Saints their first lead of the night. Jabari Green intercepted Ryan and returned the ball 48 yards for a touchdown with under a minute left in the half. The Saints headed to the locker room ahead by two scores. The fighting Falcons would not give up. Atlanta scored the only points by any team in the third quarter on a 68 yarder from Ryan to White. The three play drive pulled the Falcons to within seven points, and the defense held New Orleans scoreless through the rest of the third quarter. Elam legged a 25 yard field goal after a 70 yard 6:45 Falcons drive to open the fourth. The Saints held strong and ran out the clock, setting up Thomas’ second touchdown. The Falcons never recaptured the lead and finished with their third loss of 2009.
Winning has become a mere formality for the gritty Saints. Their defense is a force in stopping the Falcons in the Superdome last night. Payton’s Saints are 7-0 for the first time in the club’s 43 year history. The big-play, tenacious defense was superb even after allowing the Falcons to gain 442 yards. The Saints fended off nine passes and recorded three sacks and interceptions. Sharper and Tracy Porter prevented potential fourth quarter gains by Atlanta. The Saints defensive backfield is one of the best in the NFL. New Orleans has scored six defensive touchdowns this year. The underrated unit has tallied at least two turnovers in each of their first seven contests. New Orleans pressures quarterbacks into making errant throws. The offense is able to capitalize on the opportunities afforded by the stout defense. Payton is quickly fortifying the Saints and cementing his place in the NFL coaching circles with a perfect season.

Parting Points: “Lay aside immaturity and walk in the way of insight”
Everybody should pick up the Foo Fighters’ greatest hits album out today. They are arguably one of the best rock bands of the last decade.
The Phillies sure figured out A.J. Burnett last night. Philadelphia jumped on Burnett early in the count and attacked pitches out of the zone with success. I hope Pettitte’s reputation as a big game playoff pitcher is vindicated tomorrow night.
If I have to see Chase Utley leave the yard one more time this week, I am going to be sick.