Sunday, September 30, 2012

Eagles, Giants scratches



Halftime prop for Dawkins (the ice sculpture)
The Eagles scratched offensive tackle King Dunlap (hamstring), linebacker Akeem Jordan (hamstring), wide receiver Riley Cooper (collarbone), offensive lineman Nate Menkin, running back Dion Lewis,  safety Colt Anderson (knee) and defensive end Vinny Curry.

Quarterback Trent Edwards was active.

Hakeem Nicks (knee), cornerback Jayron Hosely, linebacker Keith Rivers, offensive tackle David Diehl, defensive end Adewale Ojomo and tight end Adrien Robinson.

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Here's Stephanie, a Dawkins fan almost since birth

Stephanie, lifelong Dawkins fan.
A lot of Brian Dawkins jerseys tonight in and around Lincoln Financial Field.

Program.
You would think Dawkins was having his No. 20 retired.

On my way to yet another Dawkins news conference, this one formally retiring the numeral.

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Eagles have (+) recent history w/ref Winter

Big Guy can't sleep through this game.
Ron Winter's crew officiates Eagles-Giants tonight at Lincoln Financial Field.

The Eagles have a good recent history with Winter.

Last year the Eagles defeated Miami, 26-10, with Winter  refereeing the game.

In 2010 the Eagles defeated the Giants, 27-17, at Lincoln Financial Field with Winter presiding over the game.


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Eagles have chance to beat Giants but ...



Will be rocking tonight.

OFFENSE: The Giants put points on the board, control the clock and generally make it tough for the other offense to get into a rhythm. Check: Giants.

DEFENSE: Except for a blown coverage on a Larry Fitzgerald TD the Eagles defenders played well enough to win last week. Check: Eagles.

SPECIAL TEAMS: Punter Mat McBriar debuts for the Eagles, who also have issues with longsnapper Jon Dorenbos (sprained ankle). The Giants have fewer issues. Check: Giants.


COACHING: Andy Reid has beaten the Giants in seven of the last eight games. A lot of it was with a different staff. Tom Coughlin is as good as it gets on game days. Check: Giants.

INTANGIBLES: Lincoln Financial Field was huge for the Eagles in their win over the Ravens. Check: Eagles.

ANALYSIS: Anyone think Michael Vick is playing better than Eli Manning right now? Eagles have a shot if Vick plays turnover-free and the defense gets pressure on Manning. Combining those elements has been difficult.

THE PICK: Make it Giants 24, Eagles 20.

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Friday, September 28, 2012

Dunlap, Jordan out vs. Giants

Longsnapper Jon Dorenbos practiced on a limited basis Friday according to the Eagles and is listed questionable for the Sunday night game with the Giants.

Eagles Injury Report
Out: OT King Dunlap (hamstring), LB Akeem Jordan (hamstring)
Questionable:  S Colt Anderson (knee), WR Riley Cooper (collarbone), LS Jon Dorenbos (ankle)

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The Brian Dawkins poster

Here's a pretty good guess of what the Brian Dawkins commemorative poster looks like.

Dawkins is a big fan of Wolverine, the Marvel comics cartoon character.

The posters will be distributed to fans attending the Eagles-Giants game Sunday night at Lincoln Financial Field, in the background along with the Center Center Philadelphia skyline.

The Eagles are retiring Dawkins' No. 20.

There will be plenty of video highlights and a pregame ceremony for Dawkins open to fans (www.PhiladelphiaEagles.com).

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It's free to fans attending the Eagles-Giants game Sunday night at Lincoln Financial Field.

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Thursday, September 27, 2012

Vick glad to see 'regular refs' back

Starting over with new officials.


Players anticipated the return of the regular officials hours before the NFL ended its lockout.

All things considered, Eagles quarterback Michael Vick is welcoming them back.

“It’s great to have the regular refs back,” Vick said. “Nothing against the replacement officials. They did the best job they could. You’ve got to understand that this is the NFL and things can become a little crazy and a little different. It happens fast and if you’re not used to it it’s hard to adjust. So I take my hat off to them. They did the best they could.”
The regular officials, if you will, go back to work tonight when the Cleveland Browns take on the Baltimore Ravens. The NFL Referees Association union begins voting on the eight-year contract Friday.
With agreements reached on pay, pension and the NFL’s initiative to begin hiring full time officials, the voting is a formality. Compensation for the officials jumps from an average of $149,000 from last season to $173,000 in 2013. The NFLRA pensions are intact through 2016. After that they shift to a 401k program with a partial match.

Vick and the Eagles get the regular officials when they take on the New York Giants Sunday night at Lincoln Financial Field.

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Wednesday, September 26, 2012

Cox sits out practice with migraine

Cox's migraine flared up in desert

Wide receiver Jeremy Maclin returned to practice Wednesday and barring a setback with his hip pointer, intends to play Sunday night against the Giants.

Defensive tackle Fletcher Cox suffered a recurrence of the migraine headache issue that sidelined him for a good portion of the previous game against the Cardinals.

The Wednesday practice report:

Did not practice:
DT Fletcher Cox (migraine)
S Colt Anderson (knee)
LS Jon Dorenbos (ankle)
T King Dunlap (hamstring)
LB Akeem Jordan (hamstring)

Full practice:
LB Jamar Chaney (knee)
WR Riley Cooper (collarbone)
DE Brandon Graham (ankle)
LB Mychal Kendricks (bicep)
WR Jeremy Maclin (hip)
RB LeSean McCoy (rib)

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