Monday Morning Thoughts on the Eagles

1. Their defense is, obviously, playing extremely well. It is amazing that no one talks about the job linebackers Stewart Bradley and Chris Gocong have done this year. (Well, Peter King did have Bradley on his All-Pro team...but no one else mentions him.) And other than Troy Aikman, who has given Brodrick Bunkley his due this year?!? They have multiple DBs (none of whom is named Lito Shepperd) who can cover. They get a strong pass rush off the edge (and up the gut from heretofore bonus bust Darren Howard). And no one blitzes better than defensive coordinator Jim Johnson.

2. Winning without Brian Westbrook is A-M-A-Z-I-N-G! We'll say it again. The man is not healthy. Not when he catches the ball in space and gets taken down by a linebacker. The days of needing a healthy Westbrook to win are, apparently, gone (knock on wood).

3. That crap Donovan McNabb pulled on the Giants' sideline was, just that -- crap. If T.O. or Ocho Cinco did it, they would be destroyed (destroyed!) in the press.

4. Kevin Curtis, though a different type of player, is becoming the Poor Man's Wes Welker for the Eagles. Good things happen when he touches the ball.

5. Now that Andy Reid and, of course, Cheapskate Owner Jeff Laurie have the Playoff Beard thing going on, we found it comical to see that penny pinching team president Joe Banner's face was smooth and clean yesterday. People in Philly suspect the geeky Banner is incapable of growing facial hair.

6. The two fourth down stops by Mike Patterson will go down in Eagles history as truly HUGE plays. On both, he stood up Alice Manning and then bulldogged her to the turf.

Non-Eagles Quickies:

1. Nice that three days after beating undefeated North Carolina, Coach Albert led his Boston College Eagles to defeat against...wait for it...mighty Harvard! And having lost again last night (at Wake Forest), apparently beating UNC is not that difficult to do. Go get 'em, Albert!

2. Lost in the Eagles' hoopla is the fact the 76ers have won four games in a row, the most impressive of which was yesterday's 15 point win at Atlanta (22-14). Elton Who?!?