The City of Brotherly Shove

Most of you who know me know that I have absolutely no love for Philadelphia. In fact, you might have heard me say more than a few times that there are very few redeemable things, besides the cheese steak, Rocky Balboa and my friend Matt Lynskey (one of the best guys I know), that have ever come out of Philly. I don't necessarily dislike the team, per se, and I think Andy Reid is a solid coach. But as far as the fans and the people of the city, they live in a cauldron of hate. They hate their mothers, their fathers, their sisters, their brothers, they person sitting next to them on the city bus, they hate the people they work with, etc. They live to hate. I mean, the Eagles fans once threw battery filled snow balls at Santa...Santa! If they will do that to jolly ole St. Nick, where do they stop? And if you're the QB for the Eagles and you throw 3 TDs and 1 pick, the fans will boo you for throwing that interception rather than cheer you for throwing 3 TDs. They live play by play and it's definitely a "what have you done for me lately (as in the most recent play)" city.

It really seems they hate no city more than Dallas and no team more than the Cowboys. The only time Philadelphians tolerate each other is when they galvanize in the Vet, or now the Link, against America's Team. I remember in the late 90's, when Dallas was playing in Philly, Micheal Irvin was hit by a Philly defender and lay motionless on the turf for several minutes. He ended up being lifted onto a stretcher, loaded into an ambulance and taken to the hospital...motionless the whole time. And the sorry fans of Philly cheered. They actually cheered that someone might have just been paralyzed right in front of them. They loved it. I don't think I have ever exhibited worse behavior by a group of fans than that. It's no wonder why the Eagles stadium actually has a judge and a jail inside of it.

Dallas has beaten Philadelphia only 1 time, in Philly, since 2000 (only 3 times total in that span). So needless to say, the Eagles fans have had a lot to cheer about lately. There really is not another game that I dread more than when Dallas plays Philly in Philly. Every year, it just seems they are filled with venom when Dallas comes to town. And the team feeds off that which usually produces good results for the Eagles. However, I sense an ill wind blowing in the face of all those mullet headed, pizza-stained-shirt-wearing Eagles fans.

This year, the Eagles have been up and down every week. You never quite know which team is going to show up. They hang 50+ points on Detroit one week and then get man handled by the Giants the next week. Currently, they are last in the NFC East and even though they have won 2 of their last 3 games, if they have any hope of getting back into the race, they really can't afford to loose this weekend.

However, the Cowboys are returning from some much needed rest on their bye week. And this Dallas team is much different than the Dallas teams from recent years. They have more weapons on offense, they have an offensively minded offensive coordinator, they now have a QB that is half Jedi knight, and their defense can create turnovers and pressure the QB more than in recent years. And even though Philly needs the game more than Dallas does and the game is being played at night, I think Dallas does what it needs to do to win. I don't know how they will do it but someone for Dallas will make enough plays on offense and defense to come out of Philly victorious weather it be by 1 point or 10 points. And even if Philly does loose, the witch won't be dead just yet...but she will be well on her way.