Don Cockroft & the Eagles...

Don Cockroft, old Cleveland Stadium, January 1981. The Brownies had trouble all day with their place-kicking in that playoff game vs. the Raiders, but I have never blamed Cockroft, and neither has Sam Rutigliano (I don't think). The real culprit was holder Paul McDonald, the ex-SC QB and a big WIMP who refused to take off his scuba-diver gloves in the cold when it was time for the kicks. McDonald was fumbling the snaps all day because his slick gloves couldn't grip the snaps cleanly. Realzing that his holder was suddenly a huge liability in the cold weather, Rutigliano was going for the TD instead of the chip-shot FG at the end of the game, and then Mike Davis becomes part of Raider lore. All because of Paul McDonald, that bleeping wimp.

The Eagle loss really grated tonight, because Jim Johnson's defense dominated that game for the last three quarters. I am going to assume that shot McNabb took in the 1st Q negated his mobility and precluded him from scampering out of the pocket, where he has always been his most dangerous (and what Madden reminded us constantly tonight). If McNabb simply sits anchored in the pocket, he becomes like Trent Dilfer or someone like that, because mobility and the ability to improvise is what has set McNabb above the QB crowd for his entire career. Take that element away and McNabb is just another QB.

And what has happened to his feel for the game? The backwards swing pass to Westbrook was perhaps the worst play I saw of the weekend, it stopped a serious Eagle drive in the 3rd Q and simply should never have happened if McNabb was thinking at all. That's a Jake Plummer-type play, for gosh sakes. The early timeouts were also foolish in the 2nd half. And, remember, after one of those, the Eagles came back on the next play and were penalized for illegal procedure. I suspected at the time that those wasted time outs could come back to haunt them. Coupled with that unhurried dink-dink-dink drive at the end of the Super Bowl, with time wasting away, and I have to wonder what has happened to that swashbuckling QB we used to know named McNabb.

Give the Falcon defense some credit, but this is a game the Eagles should have won. Akers' two missed FGs were wide by a combined total of about 2 feet. Another 15 inches to the left on both kicks and the Eagles are setting up for a game-winning FG in the 4th Q instead of scurrying around cluelessly at the end, with mcNabb staying in the pocket, come hell or high water. But that's all history now.

Fitting for an overall abysmal TGS weekend to lose this one in a difficult manner tonight, I suppose. Should have known it was going to be a tough night when Trotter was tossed 45 minutes before kickoff. Thank goodness this weekend has ended. Next week can't come soon enough...