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Fictional champions -- The Philly blog (4:12 update)

Art

By Art
in The Stadium

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Art

Art

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Click HERE to view Skins at Eagles Pre-Game Photos

So, Sol and I are in the press box getting set up. That means the blog begins.

2:45 p.m., Saturday -- In Philly after a slightly delayed flight. Best looking passenger set on this flight of any. Seriously, I was wondering if some modeling conference was in Philly. Better was a high number of military men and women on the plane for Veteran's Day. Northwest announces the day and the passengers and thanks them for their service. The plane actually applauds. It was nice. On departure a number of other military folks and people were waiting and clapping as they exited. Good start to the trip.

2:50 p.m., Saturday -- While waiting for my bag, I get a call from Jason with the team. He told me about giving the ExtremeSkins fans seeing the team off and on the return Redskins gear. But, it fell through, so he was picking up the stuff himself to drop off. I told him to contact Huly as she's our "guy".

3:15 p.m., Saturday -- I arrive at the Enterprise car rental facility to the inspiration of the title of this blog. What do I see? Yep. A Rocky Balboa cardboard cut out. THAT is what Philly is. A fictional champion city. Let's keep it that way :).

3:35 p.m., Saturday -- I quickly discover driving that Mapquest has never visited Philadelphia. Seriously, it's ridiculous. Interstate 95 is a big damn road. It ought be possible to find a north entry ramp. But, no worries, I was taking another route. Philly has the shortest entrance merge areas I've ever seen. You have to drive aggressively even when no one is on the road just not to die running into a concrete barrier. Then, I get downtown and I think I'm close. Go straight toward the art museum, only, to go toward that it's a left. Slight right on Ben Franklin. Save it's a sharp right. Then, go around Logan Circle. My God, that was the most frightening thing I've ever done. I don't care WHAT it looks like. Do NOT put a fountain in the middle of a road. Idiots. There are what appears to be 85 entrances into this circle from various points. The circle, mind, is like 200 yards through. So, I can see my hotel, but can't figure out how to get there without killing everyone. And then, some moron is skateboarding. I'm about to go nuts.

4:10 p.m., Saturday -- I make it safely to the Four Seasons and up to my room. Not as nice as the hotel in Indy, but, now as a regular at the Four Seasons, I appreciate the consistency of the chain :).

7 p.m., Saturday -- Team has arrived. At the hotel bar, run into Jason from the team. He thanks me for getting him on to Huly for the clothes. I tell him if Gibbs keeps talking about the send off and return fans out there for the team, he's going to need a bigger box of stuff. Run into Sonny and ask him if we'll win by 20 or 30. He laughs and says he'll take anything at all.

7:30 p.m., Saturday -- Guys head over to a nearby bar for dinner. I head up to change then join them. I'm in Redskins sweats and a Redskins top. As I'm about to change, I think, "No way. I'm taking the streets of Philly JUST like this." Tell the guys at the bar I'm looking to see how tough Philly is :). Inform Bram he's the talent, so I won't let him get hurt. I actually head out to find a little pub to eat at. The Philly myth. I don't even get a single comment from anyone. Of course, I've got more time.

8:45 p.m., Saturday -- Reading Eragon in the room when Sol calls to say he's getting close. I tell him I couldn't find the hotel with mapquest, so I'm not braving the road to find the train station. Take a cab.

9:45 p.m., Saturday -- Sol is in the house. We meet downstairs for ****tails. On the way down I am riding with Coach Danny Smith. I wish him luck and he just thanks me. A big wedding is taking place, so we cozy up in a little chair, table area in the back of the lobby. This turns out to be good fortune as the team is breaking out of meetings right next to us. Portis always eating. Kids around getting autographs. Of course, they have NO IDEA who they are getting autographs from, which is funny. One mom approaches a player and asks if he knows Bruce Smith. Now, she picked David Patten, so, he just might, but, that's the wrong person, I think, to say you like :).

10:15 p.m., Saturday -- By now just about everyone has left. The kids are losing interest and miss the big dog coaches. Buges heads out with a nod to us. Williams too. The best is when Gibbs comes out. He's actually beyond us when he hears us wish him luck. He turns around, walks back to us. I think he slightly recognizes I'm the guy who hangs around and is with Extremeskins. He thanks us and gives us his little testimonial about devoting life to Christ. Now, he didn't tell us this, it's actually a pamphlet he gives us.

10:30 p.m., Saturday -- Head back out into Philly looking for cheaper food for Sol who just got to pay for my $14 Martini as I went upstairs for my wallet. Marcus Washington gets on the elevator with me. I tell him I'm from ExtremeSkins and thank him for the chat. He smiles and says he likes doing it. I wish him luck, but tell him, "No more of that 'Walk it out' song. It's killing me." He laughs. About 10 times with the defense on the field they played that at FedEx. He says that's the song right there. He's a fan of the song. Sol and I enjoy the finest of late night fried food dining. Wrap up around 11:45 and head back to the hotel.

8 a.m., Sunday -- Up and feeling good. Next week the up will accompany a bad feeling, as what happens in Tampa must not be spoken of :).

9 a.m. -- I iron up and walk down two rooms to Sol and head down to get the car. It's muggy, hazy and sticky outside. Very light drizzle and supposed to get worse. Chat with Larry Michael and Jason from the team again. I recite to Jason my story from Dallas last year when the hot blonde hotel chick thought I was a player and was coming on to me. I only told the story because Casey Rabach just walked out and I would have said I was him. Ahh, the memories.

9:20 a.m. -- In the Tahoe. Karl Swanson is impressed with my wheels. I get the big car to haul bodies to various places but it hasn't been needed lately since we're right downtown so much. Driving to the stadium. I will now, grudgingly, give Eagles fans credit. The place is PACKED already in the parking lot. They have more RVs than cars. Tents are out. Tailgating underway. This is like KC. These guys do it right and better than most other stadiums I've seen. Hell, better than any other. Major props to Philly fans. They arrive early and party well and hard. The Linc is a nice looking place from the outside.

9:30 a.m. -- The WTEM crew is pulling in the lot in front of us. They drove from D.C. this morning. What fun is that :0. I tell them the team flew up and they couldn't believe it. Bram is in the front of the security line and confirms it for them.

9:45 a.m. -- Philly press box and, man, this is a nice stadium. Probably the best I've seen. The press box is spacious and open. Our seats are not too high up. The room is already ready, where most places it's not. It's a sharp place. The big screens are amazing. You could snap 10 of the screens we have in FedEx on one of these. Philly is well funded here. They have a huge crew. Eagles TV has a massive crew. They have Snapple :). The PR folks handing out materials are already going to every seat. High quality organization and performance in the back end. I have to help the WTEM folks get on line, but I'm a giver.

10 a.m. -- The highly professional Jason LaCanfora rolls in. Comments, professionally, to the WTEM guys something about them being the "WTEM meat crew." Speaks loudly so he can be heard by all, even while I'm trying so hard to work :). Apparently Jason would also like a little extra money, as would we all. He is my teacher of professional behavior and I enjoy his lessons.

10:30 a.m. -- Food's out. Ok, here Philly is middle of the pack. The cheese steak looks horrid. Liquid cheese in a meat soup. I won't even try it. I do the pasta and sausage though. Average. The cold pretzels are worth it. Going to have another of those. I didn't hook up with the guys last night because the place they were was PACKED and I was under dressed in Redskins gear. They had a good time as I understand it. Chat with Larry at the table. Vinny Cerrato heads over and sits. Talking about college football.

11:15 a.m. -- Several Eagles and Redskins players are out on the field getting warmed up.

11:34 a.m. -- Gary Fitzgerald, the hardest working man in the organization, arrives after doing some work. I only mention this cause he's a converted Philly fan and has much better taste now.

11:39 a.m. -- Inactives are Campbell, Rumph, Doughty, Molinaro, Whitley, Boschetti, Patten and Montgomery. Moss is active. This is good.

Noon -- Head down to the sidelines. Philly, like Washington, has entirely too many folks on the field in pregame. Anyone with a pulse gets pre-game sideline passes, making my hard earned stuff seem less amazing :). This is a beautiful field. It's a great place to watch a game. Frost continues to be the finest pregame directional kicker who ever lived. Novak often appears to have no idea where the ball is going off his foot.

12:15 p.m. -- One Al Saunders is creeping around two feet behind Sol and I. I offer him congrats and he cozies up next to us telling us we have the right colors on. He shakes my hand and stands with us for a moment, talking about about how nice the stadium is. He then goes over to Donny Warren.

12:40 p.m. -- Drizzles start. Wind is picking up. It's almost sure to get nasty. Oh, and, hey, it's the Levitra Eagles here too as they have the ad on their inflatable tunnel to run through.

12:52 p.m. -- The press box is completely quiet. You can't hear the National Anthem. It's really got a different feel being so disconnected from the sounds of the game.

3-0 Eagles -- Offensively I would have liked us to do the flea flicker on them :). Why is everyone we play more loose than us. Let's go. Defense has to start creating turnovers. We should have been off the field in that drive if Washington makes the play. That's what missing on our NO. 30 defense right now. Eagles fans are doing their Eagle cheer. One of them can almost spell E-A-G-L-E-S with his hands, which is an accomplishment as I'm sure he can't otherwise read or spell. Redskin fan coming up the stands has the entire sections he's around heckling him. Pretty funny.

Second drive -- How come they are able to get so many guys running totally free when they blitz? Whatever they are doing, we should do it to :). We need to take advantage of the opportunities we get and that's twice we haven't because they are getting clean runs at the QB. I'd like to see the old shotgun maybe, but we fumbled one last week and it's bad weather.

10-0 Eagles -- A double move happens when you have no pressure. Again, I'm ok with playing soft, but, when you aren't covering the deep pass anyway, why do it. Taylor bit and got burnt. Not a good sign.

17-0 Eagles -- Lucky bounces give a touchdown, but, it shouldn't have happened save on third and 15 you allow a guy 20 yards wide open. This is a horrible feeling when they get the luck and they are taking all the chances. Now another late hit by Taylor. The wheels are coming off. Fortunately, the professional impartiality of Jason LaCanfora offers the season should have been over last week, that it was such a joke and, of course, that's just reality. That's almost like cheering, only in reverse. I guess it's only bad to make comments if you LIKE the thing you see.

17-3 FINALLY -- Wow, points. We're moving the ball ok. We just lack the ability to consistently convert. Part of the reason is when we go for it on third down, we take the quick play. Philly takes the long developing play. We need to keep blitzing -- which we finally did the last series -- on defense and get air under the ball every series. And, of course, let's figure it out if there are three guys on Moss, throw elsewhere.

Halftime update -- Things are picking up some. Williams is finally blitzing a little and it's stopping Philly. The offense can move the ball, but, unfortunately, can't complete drives. Brunell and McNabb are having a hard time getting accuracy out there. The Eagles are playing excellent coverage so most of the time you see the ball going to someone covered it's because everyone is. Our game plan is clear. Control the clock and wear the down. We're about 10 minutes more than them in TOP. To come back in this we need to continue this style and we can't panic because we're down 14 or 17. Maybe we can down 21 :). It's a hard way to play for sure.

20-3 Philly -- The Redskins needed a break. Had one. The officials took it away. Awful call and apparently obviously bad. Then something strange happened. The defense rose up and made a stop. This is the kind of thing a team can use to its advantage. This offensive series is key. To me, if we score a touchdown, we'll win this game. Wait. They are doing a rekick.

Dumb rule update -- What an idiotic rule. Holy jeez. Ok, it's a field goal. We were able to figure out the guard wasn't a real receiver. Was hoping for a block, but, in the end would have preferred just to call that one over.

27-3 and feeling blue -- The Eagles are jumping routes because they can since we won't do a double move, mostly out of fear I think that we'll give up a sack. We are blitzing and creating more pressure now, but we're not jumping routes because they have thrown several doubles in to beat us. It's over, of course. Right now is when I bring in Campbell. Bad weather, on the road in a romp. Now would be experience. But, not to be.

Short pass kings -- On a number of these swings, screens and short passes, the FIRST option is there. It's frustrating because you don't know if Saunders simply does it to do it, or does it to protect Brunell since that's what Brunell can do. In any case, it's somewhat frustrating going three and out backward with short passes when you can do it with long passes and at least make it fun.

Bad tackling, early train -- It's not fun watching this last drive. The Redskins are just not the team we've seen the last two years. It is confused, lacks leadership and can't take advantage of breaks with any consistency. Sol has an early train to possibly catch so we'll probably just break out from the box instead of going down. We've been out fought in this and that is tougher to take than losing. There's a lot wrong with us. I'm pretty sure finding the answers shouldn't be quite so hard, but, maybe that it is is the most telling thing of all. If Saunders can't call first-option deep routes because of the line or Brunell, maybe the answer is to replace one or both. We can't replace the line until the offseason. And, maybe it's not them. We can replace Brunell, but there's no guarantee anything will change, though, one suspects with a young gun you have to call more down the field. The middle passes that worked against Dallas didn't even get tried here. Maybe it's just Saunders being too cute or in love with how diverse his system and playcalling is.

It's ok to be depressed and wonder what's happening and one shouldn't be surprised if things look better as the season winds down. The surprise is how off everything has been to THIS point.

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hail2skins

hail2skins

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Glad Art and Company are enjoying the stadium. The Linc is a great venue. I've been to the past 3 (only, for the matter) Skins-Eagles games played at the Linc; unfortunately, my relative couldn't get tix this year......I might be in a better spot at home today, given the weather. Lets hope for a victory!

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RckandRoll

RckandRoll

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How's the weather up there now? Bring back a cheesesteak for me, please? Wrap it, freeze it and I'll pay you. Promise!

Man you DO know a genuine Philly cheesesteak uses velveeta cheese and not provalone do ya? I love them things!!! Only really good thing that ever came outta Phillly that I know of .... Put me down fer one too!

Weather report! Gotta have! Please Art??

:helmet::eaglesuck:helmet:

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bubba9497

bubba9497

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12:15 p.m. -- One Al Saunders is creeping around two feet behind Sol and I. I offer him congrats and he cozies up next to us telling us we have the right colors on. He shakes my hand and stands with us for a moment, talking about about how nice the stadium is. He then goes over to Donny Warren.

that's cool

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