Eagles make good with second chance

I can’t believe I am getting to write this column!

Not only did the Eagles make the playoffs, they embarrassed the Dallas Cowboys, and officially extended the Cowboys’ streak of seasons without a playoff victory to 12.

I woke up Sunday morning (it was really 12:30 in the afternoon because my three-month-old English bulldog actually allowed me to sleep in), and I planned to watch the key games of the afternoon, but I was not optimistic about the Eagles’ chances.

I believed the Eagles would beat the Cowboys, I just didn’t think that Tampa Bay and Chicago would lose to make the Eagles’ win mean something. It was just the latest in a long string of times this season where I left the Eagles for dead. In fact, it wasn’t even the last time of the day, as I audibly declared the season was over when the Buccaneers took a 24-14 lead over the Raiders in the fourth quarter of their game.

However, thanks to some late-game heroics by Raiders running back Michael Bush and Levittown-native Steve Slaton of the Texans, the Eagles were given a second chance to control their destiny, and they sure made the most of it.

As a team, the Eagles played the most complete game of their season when it mattered most, and Dallas played the sloppiest game of the season when it mattered most.

With a 44-6 beat-down of the Cowboys, the Eagles showed the type of heart and talent that we thought we would see all season. In fact, they played better than any of us could have imagined by scoring touchdowns each time they made it into the red zone, forcing five turnovers, and scoring twice on defense.

The key on Sunday was that the Eagles veteran leaders were not going to be sent home unhappy, while the Cowboys showed that they are a team with a ton of talent, but without a player who will step up to stop the bleeding.

For the Eagles, Brian Dawkins forced two fumbles, Donovan McNabb was a part of three touchdowns, and aging offensive tackles Jon Runyan and Tra Thomas held the Cowboys to just one sack. On the other side, Tony Romo turned the ball over three times, and Terrell Owens did almost nothing until the game was completely out of reach.

Looking ahead, I would not confidently pick the Eagles to win the Super Bowl. Can they do it? Most definitely. Will they do it? Probably not, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they did. The Eagles defense can shut down any team, and the offense can put up points in bunches, but we have yet to see them do it four games in a row.

The only team that I would feel confident picking to win it all is the Indianapolis Colts. The Colts have no real flaws, and have been unstoppable since starting the season 3-4. The other 11 teams all have serious flaws that could hold them back in the next five weeks, but only Atlanta or Minnesota winning it all would shock me at this point.

I guess that’s what makes the playoffs so much fun.

Prediction: Eagles beat the Vikings 27-17, and head to the Meadowlands for a second-round battle with the Giants.

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Quick observations:

* Andy Reid is a forgiving coach. He will forgive dropped passes, but apparently, based on L.J. Smith’s vanishing act against the Cowboys, he does not forgive poor execution. DeSean Jackson, who dropped two key passes in the fourth quarter against the Washington Redskins, played his normal role against the Cowboys.However, Smith wasn’t even dressed for what will probably be his last game as an Eagle, and my guess is that his drops last week weren’t the culprit. I believe that his missed block near the goal line on the wide receiver screen to Brian Westbrook is the reason that Brent Celek saw serious playing time this week.

* The Eagles set a franchise record with 416 points scored this year, and Donovan McNabb broke his own franchise record for passing yards. The offense works, but it is inconsistent.

* Do you think Sav Rocca thought about setting up two yards further back on David Akers’ field goal to end the first half? After two blocks on field goals at the end of the first half of games this season, I would have set up further back to make sure this kick wasn’t blocked.

* Did Joselio Hanson mock the Cowboys by doing Deion Sanders’ touchdown dance after his 96-yard fumble return in the third quarter?

* Did you notice that Donovan McNabb did the Ronde Barber “point to the name on his back” after the touchdown pass to Correll Buckhalter? I did, and I loved it!

* Roy E. Williams averaged less than 20 yards per game since joining the Cowboys in a trade that cost them their first-, third- and sixth-round draft picks in the upcoming draft.

* All three members of the Andy Reid coaching tree are in the playoffs this year, as Brad Childress led the Vikings to the NFC North title, and John Harbaugh led the Baltimore Ravens to a wild card spot in the AFC.

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Like the “On the Edge” Blog? Hear more of my opinions about Philadelphia sports every Friday at 3:30 p.m. on WBCB 1490 AM during the Coffee with Kahuna show, where, this week, we will talk about the Eagles chances in the first round of the playoffs against the Minnesota Vikings.