It wasn’t all pretty, but at least Michael Vick showed that he probably still has what it takes to play professional football in the NFL.  Vick got his 1st taste of live NFL action when he appeared in the Eagles 3rd pre-season game on Thursday night against the Jaguars.  The Eagles used Vick as a quarterback and wide receiver in a few different sets.  Vick completed all 4 of his passes for 19 yards and he also had 1 rush for 1 yard.  Nothing great, but nothing bad.

Although it initially appeared that Eagles Quarterback Donovan McNabb was upset that Vick saw quarterback action so early in the game, the 2 could be seen joking on the sidelines in the 2nd half.  McNabb completed 21 of 36 passes for 244 yards, with 1 touchdown and 1 interception – good for a 76.6 passer rating.  Can’t complain too much with a night like that.

Vick will be able to play in the Eagles final pre-season contest next week against the Jets in New Jersey.  After that, his return in an NFL regular season game will be at the discretion of NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell.  It will be interesting to see how much game action Vick sees when it counts during the regular season.  We predict a heavy dose of D-Mac with limited action from Vick early on…

Michael Vick and the Philadelphia Eagles agreed on a 1-year deal that will pay the controversial quarterback $1.6 million for the 2009 NFL schedule.  None of the money is guaranteed, so if Vick does not make the Eagles roster, the Eagles don’t owe him a dime. The Eagles will also have a club option for 2010 that would pay Vick $5.2 million.  Vick has not played in the NFL since 2006.  Vick served 18 months of a 23 month sentence in federal prison, finishing out the rest of his sentence under house arrest.

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has suspended Vick indefinitely, but he can participate in all pre-season workouts and the final 2 pre-season games.  He will not be allowed to participate in a regular season game until Week 6, but he can participate in all other respects during that time.

Eagles Head Coach Andy Reid was at the morning news conference, as was former Indianapolis Colts Head Coach, Tony Dungy, who has served as a mentor for Vick during his recent struggles.

Vick had this to say about the opportunity:  “I’ve done some terrible things, I made a horrible mistake.  And now I want to be part of the solution and not the problem…  For the life of me, I can’t understand why I was involved in such pointless activity.  Why did I risk so much at the pinnacle of my career?… There was a point in my life where I felt it was wrong and I knew it was wrong.  To this day I have to live with that shame and that embarrassment.”

Should be interesting to see how all of this plays out.  Eagles fans are tough to win over and are never satisfied.  I’m sure there will be some funny signs and outlandish protests once Vicks get into camp and starts playing in games…

WOW – - show Albert the money!

The Washington Redskins – playing in the toughest division in the NFL with the New York Giants, Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles – signed the biggest name in free agency to a lucrative 7-year, $100 million deal.  Albert Haynesworth, an All-Pro Defensive Tackle who played for the Tennessee Titans for the first 7 years of his pro career, signed the long-term deal with the Redskins which included an NFL-record $41 million fully guaranteed signing bonus.  Although Haynesworth only has 24 career sacks, 14.5 of those have come in the last 2 NLF seasons, with a career high 8.5 sacks in 2008.  During the 2008 NFL season, Haynesworth also had 75 tackles, 22 quarterback pressures, four forced fumbles and 7 tackles for losses.  The 27-year old lineman is 6-foot-6 and 320 pounds, so he has had his share of injury problems in his career – he hasn’t played in all 16 games in a season since his rookie 2002 season.  Haynewsworth has also been known to take a play off here or there, but those concerns were not enough to prevent Redskins Owner Dan Snyder from loosening those purse strings to land the big man in the middle.

Snyder didn’t stop there.  He also re-signed free agent cornerback DeAngelo Hall to a 6-year, $54 deal.  The Redskins acquired Hall after the Oakland Raiders released him during the course of the 2008 NFL season and he had 25 tackles and 2 interceptions in the Redskins’ final 7 games.  Hall passed Carlos Rogers on the depth chart and even started the last 4 games of the season.  Hall’s deal includes a $22.5 guaranteed signing bonus – this after the 25-year old earned a whopping $24 million signing bonus from the Raiders in the off-season preceding the 2008 NFL season.

The Redskins’ moves will send shivers down the spines of NFC East opponents.  Now the likes of Eli Manning, Tony Romo and Donovan McNabb will have to deal with the Haynesworth Affect in the middle of the defensive line twice each year.  You better believe that those 3 teams are already watching film and coming up with counter-measures to try to offset the havoc Haynesworth tends to create for other team’s offensive units.

You couldn’t ask for a better start to your NFL playoffs Sunday with the opening battle between 2 relentless teams. In the end – - the Arizona Cardinals defeated the Philadelphia Eagles 32-25 on Sunday afternoon to win the NFC Championship and advance to Super Bowl XLIII on February 1, 2009 in Tampa Bay, Florida. This is truly an historic game for the Arizona Cardinals organization. The Cardinals had never made it to the Super Bowl in franchise history and had not played in a conference championship game since 1948. Their 3 playoff victories this season already surpasses the total number of playoff victories recorded by the organization since playoffs began in 1933. The Cardinals are the first team to advance to a Super Bowl with only 9 wins in a regular season since the Rams did so back in 1979 (the Rams lost to the Steelers that year). With a total of 12 victories right now, it is the winning-est season for the Cardinals in franchise history.

It was an incredible game to watch as each team’s future Hall of Fame quarterback was at his best for “most” of the contest. First Arizona’s winning quarterback Kurt Warner – 21 of 28 for 279 yards and 4 touchdowns. Warner and the Cardinals exploded for 24 1st half points to take a commanding 24-6 halftime lead. Warner connected with stud wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald on touchdown passes of 9 yards, 62 yards and 1 yard to set an NFC Championship Game record. The Cardinals looked like they knew exactly what the Eagles defense was going to do each and every play, and they took advantage of it. But then came the 2nd half. The Cardinals and Warner seemed to play a little bit stiff and the offense couldn’t generate anything consistent. That ineptitude allowed the Eagles to claw their way back into the game.

Second, Philadelphia’s losing quarterback Donovan McNabb – 28 of 47 for 375 yards, 3 touchdowns, 1 interception. The Eagles offense looked bewildered in the 1st half. The Eagles managed only 2 field goals in the 1st half and found themselves trailing the Cardinals 24-6 at halftime. But then came the 2nd half. McNabb and the eagles scored 19 unanswered points in the 3rd and 4th quarters and found themselves with a 25-24 lead with just under 11 minutes to play in the game. McNabb hit Brent Celek with 2 touchdown passes in the 3rd quarter, but after the 2nd one, the Eagles David Akers missed the PAT which kept the score at 24-19. Some analysts questioned whether Eagles Head Coach Andy Reid should have gone for the 2-point conversion at this point to cut the Cardinals lead to 3 points. But since the Eagles had not gone for a 2-point conversion once during the regular season (Reid and his staff is known for not “chasing that point all game long” if you don’t make the 2-point conversion), it was not surprising that Reid sent out Akers for the extra point attempt. After McNabb connected with DeSean Jackson on an acrobatic 62-yard touchdown pass in which Jackson had to tip the ball in the air a few times before he corralled it in for the score, the Eagles were forced to go for 2 points to try to push the lead from 1 point to 2 points. The McNabb pass to Brian Westbrook failed and were stuck at 25-24.

Up until this point, the Cardinals offense had practically nothing to show for itself in the 2nd half. The Cardinals gained only 9 yards in the 3rd quarter, and had its only drive in the 4th quarter stall once they got into Steelers territory. With 10:45 left, the Cardinals now found themselves trailing for the 1st time in the game, with their backs up against the wall. But they found a way to come through in the clutch. Warner orchestrated a 14-play, 72-yard drive that took almost 8 minutes off the clock. The Cardinals converted an all-important 4th and 1 at midfield, which kept the drive alive for the Cardinals. Just a few plays later, Warner connected with Tim Hightower on a 9-yard screen pass and run which gave the Cardinals a 5-point lead. Warner’s 2-point conversion pass to Ben Patrick upped the lead to 7 points and the rest was history. Warner has now probably earned himself a spot in the Hall of Fame. Warner has played in 3 NFC Championship Games, and he has won all 3. Warner was the NFL’s MVP twice in 1999 and 2001 and each year he led his team to the Super Bowl. And now he finds himself back in the big game 8 years later.

On the other side of the ball, McNabb, Reid and the Eagles must be sorely disappointed. Five NFC Championship Games in the last 8 years, and only one trip to the Super Bowl. It doesn’t get any worse than that (except maybe for the 4 straight Super Bowl losses suffered by the Buffalo Bills from 1989 through 1991).

The Pittsburgh-Arizona Super Bowl match-up is an interesting one. Cardinals Head Coach Ken Whisenhunt was the Steelers Offensive Coordinator when the Steelers won the Super Bowl in 2006. After Bill Cowher retired following the 2006-7 NFL season, the Rooney family and the Steelers elected to go outside the organization and hire Mike Tomlin as the Head Coach. Whisenhunt saw this as a snub by the Steelers, and he decided to leave to take the Arizona Cardinals Head Coach position. Fellow long-time Steelers assistant Russ Grimm also left the Steelers and is now Whisenhunt’s top assistant in Arizona. In taking the Steelers to a Super Bowl appearance in just his 2nd year, Tomlin is doing something that Chuck Noll and Bill Cowher couldn’t do for the Steelers organization. Whisenhunt is also taking his team to the Super Bowl in only his 2nd year as Head Coach. Either way, we will have a bright, new head coach earn his 1st Super Bowl win, and that is good for football. May the best team win…

The NFL’s Conference Championship Games are this Sunday. Are you ready to find out who is going to make it to the big game on February 1st? Here are the match-ups:

NFC – Philadelphia Eagles at Arizona Cardinals, Sunday, January 18th at 3:00 PM EST

AFC – Baltimore Ravens at Pittsburgh Steelers, Sunday, January 18th at 6:30 PM EST

I’m going with the all-Pennsylvania Super Bowl. The Phillies just won the World Series in October 2008, so why not another team from Philly (or Pittsburgh – aren’t all Pennsylvania cities the same anyway?) winning the Super Bowl in February 2009?

Check out the ESPN crew’s picks here. Everyone likes the Steelers at home, but the group is divided in the NFC.

The Steelers won both contests against the Ravens during the regular season. Although both games were close, I’m looking for the Steelers Willie Parker to run wild on a tired Ravens defense and numerous mistakes from the Raven’s rookie QB Joe Flacco who will end up losing the game for Baltimore.

Philadelphia’s defense is just playing too well right now. While Arizona has played well at home and found a resurgent running game with Edgerrin James, I don’t think they have what it takes to put up enough points to win the game. Eagles QB Donovan McNabb and RB Bryan Westbrook each emerged from the Giants Divisional Playoff victory with no significant injuries, and that means the 2 will be ready to go off in Phoenix. Look for a 31-17 victory for the Eagles and a 2nd shot at the NFL title for McNabb.

Good luck – stay warm – and enjoy some exciting NFL action this weekend!

The Philadelphia Eagles had done it during the regular season – handing the Giants their only home loss at the Meadowlands during the 2008-9 NFL season. But could they do it on the big stage, in front of a national audience in the NFL divisional playoffs? Of course they could.

The Eagles defeated the Giants 23-11 with a dominating defensive performance and an offense that did just enough to send the Eagles to within 1 victory of the Super Bowl. First the defense – the Eagles held the Giants to just over 300 yards and only 16 first downs. While the Giants did have their chances, the Eagles held the Giants to just 3 field goals and only 3 points in the 2nd half. On 2 consecutive possessions in the 4th quarter, when the Giants needed just a yard or 2 to keep drives going on 4th down, the Eagles front line surge prevented the Giants from gaining any yards at all, solidifying the road victory. Eli Manning had an awful day – 15 of 29 passing, 169 yards, 2 interceptions, 0 touchdowns. His 40.7 passer rating a clear indication that the Giants passing attack is much much different without a playmaker like Plaxico Burress lining up to stretch the field. Brandon Jacobs did manage 92 yards rushing on 19 carries and Derrick Ward added 12 rushes for 46 yards, but the Giants could never seem to do enough to advance to pay-dirt.

Although Donovan McNabb didn’t have a great statistical game, he did enough with the chances given to the Eagles offense. McNabb completed only 22 of 40 passes for 217 yards. He had 1 touchdown pass to Brent Celek which increased the Eagles lead to 9 points on the 1st play of the 4th quarter. He also rushed for a touchdown in the 1st quarter which gave the Eagles their first lead of the game at 7-3. But he did throw 2 interceptions, which brought his passer rating down to 58.0. The Giants defense also kept Bryan Westbrook in check – 18 carries for 36 yards and 2 catches for 10 yards. Westbrook was the big difference in the Eagles win over the Giants in December, so the Giants did do a good job of containing him in the playoffs.

At the end of the day, though, it was the Eagles defense and an efficient McNabb that made all the difference on this cold January Sunday. McNabb has now led his team to 5 NFC Championship Games in the last 8 years. The other 3 seasons, McNabb was either hurt or dealing with the Terrell Owens saga which divided the team midway through the season. For a player who was benched by his coach at halftime of an embarrassing defeat in Baltimore on November 23rd and who has endured much criticism from the Philadelphia media and fans alike, McNabb continues to perform at a high level each and every year. He is this generation’s John Elway (at least until Elway won his 2 Super Bowls in his last 2 years with the Broncos). McNabb has led his Eagles to only 1 Super Bowl during those 5 NFC Championship Games and the Eagles ended up losing that Super Bowl back in 2004 to the New England Patriots.

Next up for the Eagles is the NFC Championship Game against the Arizona Cardinals on the road in Phoenix. Can the Eagles win 3 road games in a row like the Giants did last year to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl? Only time will tell. But if Donovan McNabb has anything to say about it, I’d put my money on McNabb and the Eagles stifling defense. We’ll get to see McNabb on the NFL’s biggest stage for a 2nd time, and maybe this will be the year that McNabb and the Eagles get that elusive NFL Championship. Hey, the Phillies won the World Series in October 2008 – why can’t the Eagles win the Super Bowl in February 2009?

Coming into this year’s playoffs, the Arizona Cardinals had won 2 playoff games in franchise history. After Saturday, the Cardinals had doubled their win total and find themselves hosting the NFC Championship Game on Sunday in Phoenix. How did it happen?

The Cardinals defense has stepped up as of late, and were able to shut down the Atlanta Falcons’ rushing attack in last week’s 30-24 wild card win. And the Cardinals defense showed up big once again on Saturday, forcing 5 Jake Delhomme interceptions and one Delhomme fumble. Although Delhomme has been known to have “off nights” (including a 3-interception game against Tampa Bay and a 4-interception game against the lowly Raiders during the 2008 regular season), none came close to how poorly he played in front of the hometown crowd on Saturday night.

After the Panthers scored on a 9-yard rushing touchdown by Jonathan Stewart on the game’s opening drive, the Cardinals rattled off 33 unanswered points to take control of the game. Kurt Warner threw 2 touchdown passes in the 1st half – 1 to Tim Hightower and 1 to Larry Fitzgerald, Neil Rackers kicked 2 field goals and Edgerrin James added a 4-yard rushing touchdown to give the Cardinals a 27-7 halftime lead. The Cardinals didn’t look back, adding 2 more Neil Rackers field goals in the 2nd half to increase the lead to 33-7. A late Delhomme touchdown pass to Steve Smith just wasn’t enough to will the Panthers back to victory.

Delhomme finished the day an atrocious 17 of 34 for 205 yards. He had 5 interceptions, 1 fumble and 1 touchdown pass, good for a 39.1 passer rating. Because of the turnovers, the Panthers could never get the running game going after the initial drive. DeAngelo Williams finished the game with 12 carries for 63 yards. Jonathan Stewart only had 2 other rushing attempts after he his 9-yard touchdown run. Steve Smith only touched the ball twice – once on a 35-yard pass play and once on the touchdown pass with just 50 seconds left in the game. All in all, Delhomme cost the Panthers the game.

The Cardinals offense was up to the task. The offensive line gave Kurt warner plenty of time to pass the ball – and as we all know, if Warner has time to throw, he will eat you alive. Warner completed 21 of 32 passes for 220 yards. He had 2 touchdowns and 1 interception, good for a 93.2 passer rating. Larry Fitzgerald led the Cardinals receiving corp with 8 catches for a whopping 166 yards, including 1 touchdown reception. The Cardinals aerial attack opened up the door for the running game. Edgerrin James rushed the ball 20 times for 57 yards and 1 touchdown, while Tim Hightower rushed for 76 yards on 17 carries.

The Arizona Cardinals will now host the NFC Championship Game against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday. In the only meeting between the 2 teams in 2008, the Eagles crushed the Cardinals 48-20 in Philadelphia on Thanksgiving Day. Although the teams are different now, the Eagles will likely be favored on the road come Sunday afternoon. Will the Eagles or Cardinals make it 3 in a row – stay tuned football fans…