The Eagles got rid of Derrick Burgess, who played only a few series against the Vikings, and signed seven-year veteran Bobby McCray.
The 6-6, 260-pound McCray is extremely long for a team such as the Eagles, who prefer sawed-off defensive ends.
McCray, 29, was a 2004 seventh-round draft choice out of Florida who spent four seasons with the Jaguars and two with the New Orleans Saints (2008-09). In 93 games, including 37 starts, McCray has 29 1-2 sacks.
McCray’s most productive season was 2006 when he notched 10 sacks for the Jaguars. He also topped the Saints with 6 sacks in 2008.

With Trevor Laws (ac sprain) banged-up and Jeff Owens (torn patella tendon) out for the season, the Eagles signed defensive tackle Jeremy Clark to a three-year contract.
Clark (6-3, 295) was signed by the Eagles as an undrafted free agent in 2007. He got 4.5 sacks playing college football at Alabama.
Clark also has been a member of the Redskins, Giants, Falcons, Cardinals and Cowboys. He has 6 tackles and half if a sack in 6 career games.

Former Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb obviously didn't like getting called on the carpet for critical remarks his agent made about the Redskins' coaching staff.
But McNabb seemed to endorse the criticism in a recent radio interviews (here's the transcript: http://tinyurl.com/2be6xa4).
McNabb still doesn't get that if he fully backs his agent, he is responsible for what the agent says. At the least McNabb could have backed up what the agent said. Instead he said the conversations he has with the agent and the Coach Shanahans, if you will, are man-to-man and privileged.
In a nutshell that's why McNabb never was the real leader he claimed to be during his tour with the Eagles. That's also why his act got so old even Andy Reid was tired of it.

The Eagles had to dispense an estimated injury report Wednesday, even though they didn't practice.
It's not much different than the run-around the media is used to.
To wit:

Out (Definitely Will Not Play)
LB Stewart Bradley (elbow), DT Jeff Owens (knee)
Did Not Participate In Practice
WR DeSean Jackson (foot), DT Trevor Laws (shoulder, chest), CB Asante Samuel (knee), QB Michael Vick (quadricep)
Full Participation in Practice
LB Keenan Clayton (hamstring), G Nick Cole (knee), TE Clay Harbor (abdomen), T Winston Justice (knee), DT Mike Patterson (knee)

Eagles quarterback Michael Vick, wide receiver DeSean Jackson, offensive tackle Jason Peters, cornerback Asante Samuel and kicker David Akers all made the NFC Pro Bowl squad.
All are starters.
In deference to last year, Jackson missed the cut at kick returner.
Devin Hester of the Bears made the squad as the kick returner.

There are two scenarios in which the Eagles could obtain the first-round bye they desperately need now that they've traded away part of the home field advantage for a full stadium via the infamous snow postponement.
In both cases the Eagles must beat the Vikings, and then on short rest, the Cowboys.

NFC No. 1 seed:
Eagles beat the Cowboys and the Vikings, and Packers beat the Bears, and Panthers beat the Falcons, and Buccaneers beat the Saints.

NFC No. 2 seed:
Eagles beat the Cowboys and the Vikings, and Packers beat the Bears.
Or Eagles beat the Cowboys and Vikings, and Panthers beat the Falcons, and Buccaneers beat the Saints.

The Eagles have clinched at least the No. 3 seed. At that spot they would open the playoffs against the Packers or the Giants, believe it or not.

Eagles president Joe Banner stuck up for Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter, who has gotten some blame in the decision to postpone the Eagles-Vikings game from Sunday night to Tuesday night.
The Eagles released a statement that blames the NFL for everything while conceding others had input in the league's decision to push the game back three days. In otherwords, it's a typical Eagles statement.
“People are free to have their opinions on whether or not last night’s Eagles game should have been postponed," Banner said. "That decision was ultimately made by the NFL. Any criticism of the Mayor, who was not involved in this decision, is completely unfair.”
Thanks, Joe, for reminding us of our constitutional right to freedom of expression. Almost slipped our minds.
But really, Joe, how is expressing an opinion about the Mayor unfair?
Please explain that.

The Eagles clinched their sixth NFC Division pennant under Andy Reid when the New York Giants surrendered Sunday to the Green Bay Packers.
With a 10-4 record, the Eagles are assured of at least one home game in the playoffs.
The Eagles still can get the No. 2 seed and a first-round playoff bye. But they must defeat the Minnesota Vikings (5-9) Tuesday night and the Dallas Cowboys (5-10) five days later, and cross their fingers the Chicago Bears (11-4) lose to the Packers. The Bears beat the New York Jets Sunday.
The Eagles also have a very slim chance of getting the top seed in the NFC. The Atlanta Falcons (12-2) would have to lose to New Orleans (10-4) and Carolina, though, while the Eagles win their last two games, Tampa Bay beats New Orleans and the Bears lose to the Packers.
The Giants still could get in the playoffs but will need help as the Packers also are 9-6 and own the head-to-head tiebreaker.

Andy Reid answered some questions about the postponement of the Eagles-Vikings game from Sunday night to Tuesday night at 8 o'clock.

Q: What challenges does the postponement present for you, your staff and your team?
A. “Listen, really, nothing. We’re OK with it. We’re organized and prepared for this, and we completely support what the league did from a safety standpoint for everybody. We got the guys out of the hotel and home, and they’ll come back for a walk through tomorrow and then to the hotel, and it will be just like a Saturday night before a Sunday game, just a normal Saturday night - Sunday schedule.”

Q. How tough will it be facing Dallas next week on a short week with so much potentially at stake?
A. “I don’t think it’s a problem. I think we’ll be all right. We’ve had Monday games, Sunday night games, we had a Thursday game, so we’ve been through a lot of this already, and that will help us. We’ll be fine.”

Q.What will the schedule be next week?
“We’ll be off Wednesday, then we’ll come back Thursday and do a little more (than a normal Thursday), then we’ll have a normal Friday, bring them to the hotel Saturday, and go Sunday.”

I'm just guessing most of the Eagles feel the same as DeSean Jackson, who on his Twitter account Sunday expressed just that. To wit:

"Wish we could b playn but not till tues!! Look at the fam in front of my house snow'n!! We cali folks http://plixi.com/p/65771170.

The Eagles are about to make a little more history.
With a blizzard forecast, the NFL has postponed the Eagles-Vikings game Sunday night at Lincoln Financial Field until Tuesday at 8 o'clock.
It would be the first NFL game on a Tuesday since the NFL-AFL merger.
The Eagles made the terse announcement with no further details at 12:28 p.m.
The drastic change in schedule is unlikely to please the Eagles' coaching staff that - in the thick of the playoff hunt- will have just four days to get ready for the regular season against the Dallas Cowboys.
Thankfully that game also is at Lincoln Financial Field.

Finally the Eagles got the attention of the NFL.
Giants LB Jonathan Goff was fined $7,500 for unnecessary roughness, having struck Eagles QB Mike Vick late and out of bounds last Sunday.
The Eagles lobbied for weeks to get the league to protect Vick, perhaps the most electric running QB in football.
On the other hand Eagles CB Dimitri Patterson was fined $7,500 for unnecessary roughness for his horse collar tackle of Hakim Nicks.

Check out the memorabilia soon to be available as previewed on an Eagles fan website.

The Eagles put rookie kick returner-cornerback Jorrick Calvin on injured reserve Thursday with a back injury.
Calvin will be evaluated further before a decision about surgery is made.
Earlier in the week the Eagles elevated Jamar Wall, who can play safety and cornerback, from the practice squad to the 53-man roster.
Calvin averaged 21.6 yards on 32 kickoff returns and 10.4 yards on 12 punt returns. He returned five kickoffs for 81 yards and one punt for nine yards in the 38-31 win over the New York Giants Sunday.
DeSean Jackson will return punts. The Eagles could use Jeremy Maclin or Chad Hall on kickoffs.
Calvin is the eighth Eagle to go on IR this season. Victor Abiamri is on the reserve/PUP list.

For a guy that didn't play Sunday, Winston Justice had no problem putting teammate Michael Vick under the microscope.
Before you could say, wait until Bill Belichick reads this to the Patriots before the Super Bowl, Justice wrote in a blog (http://tinyurl.com/2amsw9w) that no quarterback, not even Tom Brady or Peyton Manning, could have engineered such a comeback victory.
Justice also called it the most dramatic victory he's been a part of.

Vikings head coach Leslie Frazier says he's not thinking about leaving Brett Favre home this week.
But the way Frazier spoke Wednesday it sure sounds like the Vikings aren't counting on Favre to recover from a concussion sustained Monday night.
"We’ll see how he responds as the week goes on but right now we’re looking at Joe Webb potentially being our starter along with Patrick Ramsey backing him up," Frazier said on a conference call. "Rhett Bromar would be the third quarterback."
The Vikings signed Bromar earlier in the week.
Additionally Frazier said he would probably hold running back Adrian Peterson out of practice due to a thigh injury.
“He’s doing better," Frazier said. "It’s going to be a day-to-day deal with him and maybe even go right down to game time. He’s making progress. That thigh has been real sore."

Michael Vick, who threw for three touchdowns and ran for one last Sunday, was named NFC offfensive player of the week.
DeSean Jackson, whose dramatic 65-yard punt return with 12 seconds left beat the New York Giants, was not named NFC special teams player of the week.

The Eagles announced they have promoted S Jamar Wall and DT Jeff Owens from the practice squad to the active roster.
To make room on the 53-man roster, they have placed S Nate Allen on the Injured Reserve list (knee) and waived TE Garrett Mills.
The team also re-signed S Jamar Adams to the practice squad.
Wall (5-10, 202) has spent the last 11 weeks on the Eagles practice squad. Originally a sixth-round draft choice of the Dallas Cowboys in 2010, Wall was released prior to the start of the season, but was claimed by the Houston Texans and played in the season opener, logging one special teams tackle. He was released on 9/29/10 and signed to the Eagles practice squad the following day. The 22-year-old Wall played collegiately at Texas Tech, where he registered 186 tackles, nine interceptions, 34 pass breakups and two forced fumbles in 50 games (38 starts). He earned second-team All-Big 12 Conference honors following the 2007 and 2008 seasons.
Owens (6-1, 304) was originally a seventh-round draft choice of the Eagles in 2010 and has spent the entire season on the team's practice squad. Owens played collegiately at Georgia, where he was a defensive co-captain and started in 37 of 52 games and recorded 102 tackles, 5.5 sacks, 13 tackles for a loss and four quarterback hurries. He was one of just 11 players in the NCAA FBS ranks to receive 2009 Allstate American Football Coaches Association Good Works Team.
Adams (6-2, 212) spent one week on the Eagles practice squad after signing. He joined the league in 2008 as an undrafted free agent with the Seattle Seahawks, where he spent most of the 2008 and 2009 seasons on their practice squad, but also was promoted to the active roster twice, playing in seven career games and posting four special teams tackles.
The 24-year-old Adams played collegiately at Michigan, where he started 34 games and contributed 172 tackles, two sacks and four interceptions, earning second-team All-Big Ten honors following his senior season.
Wall wears jersey number 37 and Owens wears 64.

DeSean Jackson's triumphant return killing the Giants Sunday:

http://tinyurl.com/256a3nm

Andy Reid is flattered to hear that Eagles fans are enamored with the improbable comeback win over the New York Giants Sunday.
But Reid isn’t real happy with the deep hole the Eagles dug for themselves that necessitated scoring 28 straight points in the last 7:28 to defeat the Giants 38-31 at the New Meadowlands.
"I'm sure there were a lot of them who said they're stinking the place up and went out to get a ham sandwich," Reid said.
At any rate, the Eagles suffered another casualty.
Wide receiver Jason Avant sustained a concussion making the block that sprung DeSean Jackson for the game-winning touchdown.
“He felt fine coming home,” Reid said. “No headaches and the stuff you normally see. It doesn’t seem to be that bad.”
Additionally defensive tackle Mike Patterson is getting an MRI on a problematic knee.
Safety Nate Allen is done for the rest of the season with a ruptured Achilles’ tendon, paving the way for more snaps for Colt Anderson.
With a 10-4 record the Eagles need just one win over the Minnesota Vikings this Sunday night or versus the Dallas Cowboys the following week to clinch the NFC East pennant and a home game in the playoffs. Both of those games are at Lincoln Financial Field.
If the Eagles win out and the Chicago Bears (9-4) lose one of their three remaining games, the Eagles get the No. 2 seed and a playoff bye.
There is a 69 percent probability the Eagles will be the second seed in the playoffs according to Playoffstatus.com.
The Bears oppose the Vikings (5-8) tonight.

The Eagles are defending the way they have the past month.
That is to say with four safeties in third-and-long situations.
The difference is they're defending Eli Manning with four small safeties.
Linebacker-sized Keenan Clayton (6-1, 229), scratched with a sore hamstring, played safety before this week.
Now his role is being filled by Colt Anderson (5-10, 194).
And the Eagles may have to go to a more conventional defense because the Giants are going to run the ball now that they have a double-digits lead.

Cornerback Asante Samuel is back in the lineup after missing three games with a sprained medial collateral ligament.
With four picks of Eli Manning, Samuel's mere presence will have the Giants' quarterback thinking.
Additionally DeSean Jackson made good on his vow to be here for his teammates at the New Swamp Stadium. Jackson is nursing a sprained foot.
You're out of luck if you decided to play Eagles cornerback Brandon Hughes, linebackers Stewart Bradley (elbow) and Keenan Clayton (hamstring), offensive linemen Winston Justice (knee) and Austin Howard, tight end Garrett Mills and defensive end Derrick Burgess.
All were scratched.

#Eagles QB Mike Vick shares his celebrity with Philly fans at Sixers-Lakers game Friday ... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jbjm6eDpJ3k&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Michael Vick isn’t surprised his desire to own a dog when his probation expires in 2012 has gone viral.
Vick expected opposition as he spent 18 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to felony charges of running an interstate dog fighting operation, one in which animals reportedly were executed.
“I’m going to go through the proper channels,” Vick said Thursday. “When the time is right I will. My kids ask me every day if we can get a dog. When the proper time comes around, I’ll definitely do what I can. But as of right now I just can’t. Hopefully one day I get that opportunity; God will give me that opportunity.”
Whether or not that happens Vick wants to continue speaking to youth about making decisions on a voluntary basis as long as he’s asked.
“My thing is don’t become a product of your environment,” Vick said. “Let your environment become a product of you. And that’s what I try to do for them. Try to say it in the simplest form so they can understand it.”

The Eagles announced the inaugural members of the 2011 Season Ticket Holder Advisory Board have been selected. The announcement came just weeks after more than 800 season ticket holders submitted essays communicating ideas and suggestions for the upcoming season.
Of these applicants, 34 were chosen to form the Board which will give Eagles Season ticket holders a consistnt platform to share their ideas and suggestions with Eagles management. The Board will be integral in helping the Eagles to maximize customer service and develop new initiatives based on fan input.
The Advisory Board will meet bi-monthly to offer experiences, opinions, and ideas, helping to improve the overall fan experience of Eagles football at Lincoln Financial Field.  The Advisory Board meetings will provide the Eagles organization with a platform to explain processes and goals.
"The Season Ticket Holder Advisory Board will give fans a voice, allowing them to take ownership of ideas and initiatives and will provide an unfiltered way for our season ticket holders to speak directly with the organization," said Tim McDermott, Chief Marketing Officer of the Philadelphia.
Since unveiling the 2010-11 season ticket design featuring 14 true-life fans, the Eagles have been dedicated to bettering the fan experience through the launch of four new television shows, the celebration of the 1960 Championship team,  new game day experiences including The Eagles Drumline, Fan Vision, the Halftime Report, and interactive Fan Forums. The addition of this board will continue the Eagles commitment to increasing fan satisfaction.

The NFL caught up with Cowboys defender Anthony Spencer, billing him $12,500 for a helmet-to-helmet hit on Eagles quarterback Michael Vick Sunday night according to reports.
Spencer also was penalized for roughing the passer on the play. In other words, he got away with the hit on Vick out of bounds in front of the Eagles' bench.
The NFL declined comment until Friday.

Timing is everything when players and coaches fill out their Pro Bowl ballots.
That said, DeSean Jackson's NFC offensive player of the week honor for his career-high 210-yard Sunday couldn't have come at a better time.
Coaches and players, whose input counts two-thirds in the process, cast their ballots next week. That makes the Eagles game with the Giants Sunday the last chance to impress.

DeSean Jackson said on the T.Ocho Show Tuesday night his agent has spoken recently to the Eagles about a contract extension.
"It is what it is," Jackson said. "But they're going to have to do something because the way I'm out there putting it in, something's got to happen, baby."
Jackson is coming off a career-best 210-yard effort sparking the Eagles to victory over the Cowboys.
Jackson is earning $480,000 in base pay this season and $565,000 next.
While other teams have signed elite players despite uncertainty with the CBA that expires in March, the Eagles have stayed out of the conversation.
They also have another big contract to do with Michael Vick.

The Eagles have signed DE Derrick Burgess to a two-year deal and placed DE Brandon Graham on the Injured Reserve list (knee).

Noire in his second stint in Philadelphia, Burgess (6-2, 255) was originally a third round draft choice of the Eagles in 2001 and went on to rank second in the NFC in sacks (6) among all rookies in his first season with the team. After missing most of the next two campaigns with season-ending injuries, Burgess bounced back in 2004 to play in 12 games (11 starts) and led the club with three sacks in the postseason, including two of then-Falcons quarterback Michael Vick in the NFC Championship game. In total, Burgess played in 29 games (15 starts) with the Eagles, recording 96 tackles and 8.5 sacks. In addition, his four career sacks in six playoff games rank tied for first in Eagles postseason history with Hugh Douglas and Reggie White.

Burgess joined the Oakland Raiders in 2005 and went on to earn two consecutive Pro Bowl berths after registering back-to-back double-digit sack seasons (16 in 2005, 11 in 2006). In fact, his 16 sacks in 2005 led the NFL and set a Raiders single-season franchise record. Burgess appeared in 56 games (52 starts) in four seasons with Oakland (2005-08), posting 170 tackles, 38.5 sacks, five forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries. He was traded to the New England Patriots in 2009 and went on to play in all 16 games (six starts) that season, finishing with 35 tackles, five sacks, two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery. He spent the 2010 preseason with the Patriots but was released prior to the start of the regular season.

The 32-year-old Burgess has played in 101 career games (73 starts), amassing 301 tackles, 52 sacks, seven forced fumbles and five fumble recoveries. He also has 15 tackles, four sacks, and one forced fumble in seven playoff games.

The Greenbelt, MD, native starred collegiately at Mississippi, earning All-America and All-SEC honors as a senior after recording 60 tackles, 18 tackles for a loss and 9.5 sacks.

Follow @BobGrotz

Deion Sanders doesn't seem  to like the Eagles.
A couple of weeks ago Sanders called Pro Bowl defender Asante Samuel the best "off corner" in football. It was such an underhanded compliment , the NFL's interception leader called Sanders a "hater."
This past weekend Sanders implied Eagles Pro Bowl receiver DeSean Jackson should have been tackled before he turned upfield on his 91-yard TD catch-and-run.
Sanders, who always took risks playing corner, says Michael Jenkins was wrong trying to jump the route of Jackson and instead should have gone conservative.
''As a cornerback, you never risk a play of this magnitude at this time of the game," Sanders said. "Tight game, make the sure tackle. You know you're not going to get the pick; make the play."
Sanders obviously isn't paying close enough attention because Jackson has been doing this for two years now. Sanders in his prime would have been left in Jackson's vapor trail, just like those five Cowboys defenders Sunday, including such burners as Orlando Scandrick.

The Eagles-Vikings Dec. 26 at Lincoln Financial Field has been moved from 1 p.m. to 8:20 p.m. on NBC. This bodes well for the Birds as they're 5-0 in primetime games this season.
It also will be Brett Favre's last (really, really, really last) NFL game in Philadelphia. Unless he's put on injured reserve, Favre will trot onto the field here for the last time.
It's worth at least a program cover considering he's a first-ballot Pro Football Hall of Famer.

Linebacker Omar Gaither joined injured veterans Asante Samuel and Winston on the list of Eagles inactives for the Cowboys.
It was just the second healthy scratch of the season for Gaither.
Also scratched were cornerback Brandon Hughes, defensive lineman Daniel Te'o-Nesheim, offensive lineman Austin Howard and tight end Garrett Mills. Te'o-Nesheim had been active the past two games.
Mike Kafka was designated the third quarterback.

Michael Vick earns an $850,000 bonus for participating in 51 percent of the Eagles plays through nine games as the starting quarterback according to Charlie Casserly of the NFL Today on CBS.

Vick's start against the Cowboys tonight is his ninth at the position.

Vick gets another $1.9 million if he plays in 51 percent of the snaps in 11 games.

Vick is guaranteed $3.75 million in base pay this season and also received a $1.25 million roster bonus. His total compensation before incentives this season is $5.25 million.

On Sunday rookie defensive end Brandon Graham (6-2, 268) and the Eagles oppose one of the biggest offensive lines in the NFL.

It includes guard Leonard Davis (6-6, 365), who is so large you should take a look at him next to his monster truck to get a better perspective (http://tinyurl.com/3xe7ulw).

"That No. 70, I can’t believe how big that man is," Graham said. "He’s got to be 400 pounds. Got to be."

Graham takes on right offensive tackle Marc Colombo (6-8, 320). It's going to take a lot of quickness to get around him and Davis, on those occasions Graham squares up with the Big Man.

"You want to try to round around them and not get worn down," Graham said. "Because they're going to lean on you a lot”

The Eagles didn't know Michael Vick would be their starting quarterback until he made the most of his playing time.

But Cowboys defensive end DeMarcus Ware felt i was only a matter of time before Vick succeeded Kevin Kolb at the position.

"To be honest I knew something like this could happen," Ware said. "A guy like Michael Vick, you're not going to hold him down. Especially with the athleticism he has. Maybe last year he was a little rusty just coming into the season. Now he's gotten the reads, he knows what to do, he’s gotten good coaching from Andy Reid. He knows the offense. So now he knows a lot more. And a guy like him knowing everything with the offense and is able to read defenses really well, I mean the sky is the limit with him. He’s a totally different type of quarterback."

Oh, and Vick has the Pro Bowl vote of Ware.

"Oh yeah, oh yeah, he’ll get mine," Ware said.

Vote for Michael Vick, Asante Samuel and the rest of your favorite Eagles:

http://apps.facebook.com/probowlballotteams/contests/66512/entries/new?campaign=fb_pb_team&default_category_id=3120

Texans fan Taylor Gahm started a fundraising campaign to support Andre Johnson and have his fans help pay the $25,000 fine levied by the NFL.

Johnson reportedly will use the money to buy kids needy Christmas presents.

Now that makes sense; beat someone to a pulp in an NFL game on TV, endorse people to support the violence and take care of needy kids with blood money. That’s my two cents, at least.

 http://www.indiegogo.com/25for80

Courtesy of NFL Network, here's a preview http://tinyurl.com/23jo7fd of their interview for Thursday night in which Eagles quarterback Michael Vick goes through the events leading up to the shooting at his 30th birthday party.

It could have been the last party on the outside for Vick in quite awhile as he came close to blowing his probation and winding up back in jail.

"It could have been over," Vick told Deion Sanders. "There were 24 hours in that day and I shed 10 hours worth of tears. That changed me simply because it was strike 3, and I was running out of chances and opportunities. Honestly I was like, do the right thing. Do the right thing and stay out of the way. Come back to Philadelphia. Study some football. Do something different. Dedicate your life to change."

Eagles CB Asante Samuel (knee) and WR Riley Cooper (knee) are questionable for the Texans Thursday night at Lincoln Financial Field (8:20, Channel 17).

Defensive end Juqua Parker (hip) is out for the second straight game.

The good news is RB LeSean McCoy (shoulder), CB Jorrick Calvin (back), G Nick Cole (knee) and CB Trevard Lindley (knee) are probable.

Eagles WR DeSean Jackson must put aside all of his issues and play football, not games, to get to the next level.

Here's the short version courtesy of WIP 610 AM Radio: http://tinyurl.com/3x5yxwa