Posted on 01/24/2005 6:26:36 AM PST by Dr. Scarpetta
The Eagles' faithful suffered through three consecutive losses in the conference championship game, and when their football team made it to the Super Bowl on Sunday for the first time in more than 20 years, they erupted in joy.
"I've been to all the championship games, and this, I can't explain," said Easton resident Felipe Garcia as he sniffed back tears. "It's priceless. We deserve it."
Garcia was one of about 200 Lehigh Valley residents who rode one of four Trans Bridge Lines buses to the landmark game at Lincoln Financial Field.
"This was history today," said Jack Trimble of Bethlehem Township. "It was long overdue."
Fans counted down the seconds as the game clock expired to a thunderous cheer. Strangers high-fived outside the stadium as cars blared their horns.
Bethlehem Township resident Pat Wagner was there. He hasn't missed a game in the past four years.
"Finally, we won something," Wagner said. "It was awesome. There isn't much else to say."
Snowfall from the previous day and a half didn't affect the bus tour. The group traveled in style. One busload consumed six pizzas and an unspecified number of cases of beer while watching a DVD of Super Bowl highlights.
Wagner is following the Eagles to Jacksonville, but he won't be traveling quite as luxuriously. He will be one of 40 people crammed into two recreational vehicles.
"It only sleeps about five, so I'll be sleeping on the kitchen counter," Wagner said. "Go Birds!"
Wagner's sister, Julie, was "sick as a dog" but braved the frigid temperatures and made the trip.
"I'm proud of them," Julie Wagner said of the Eagles. "Finally, they broke the curse, or whatever it was."
Fans wore layers of clothing to brace themselves from the fierce winds and low temperature.
"It was very cold, but the energy kept us warm," said Scott Wolbach of Walnutport. His 9-year-old son stood on his seat for the entire game and postgame celebration.
"There was all kinds of fireworks and confetti flying around," Scott Wolbach said.
What a change from the past two years.
"I didn't eat solid food for a week the first year," said Denny Snyder of Macungie, who was referring to his diet after the Eagles lost the NFC Championship Game to Tampa Bay in 2003.
Garcia said he was offered $1,000 for his pair of tickets, but he turned down the offer and has no regrets. The longtime fan in the green and white wig said he's going to frame one of the ticket stubs and hang it on the wall in his garage.
"I cried at halftime," Garcia said. "I cried at the end of the game. I had a great feeling inside me that they were going to win this game."
PAIN?? You think you know PAIN??? Try being a Cleveland fan!! You've had many Celtics Championships, Bobby Orr, Patriots Super Bowls and even a Red Sox Title since our last win in 1964. The Cavaliers have never even made the NBA Finals, and we've been around since 1970. Yes, we made the World Serious twice in the Nineties -- then we became the first team in history to lose after leading going into the 9th inning of Game Seven.
You have no idea what real pain is.
The quality wins quotient gets paraded out here more often than the Gaelic Column of Pipes & Drums.Why not? The quality wins quotient cuts a nifty jib, looks good in a kilt and can blow its own horn with the best of them.
The quality wins quotient is now an eye-popping 9-1 in the playoffs, though it did suffer its first setback with Atlanta’s 27-10 loss to Philly in the NFC title game.
The quality wins quotient was hardly surprised in that game, however. In fact, the match-up of Atlanta and Philly featured the narrowest quality wins differential of any playoff pairing this year.
Both teams entered the game with 2-1 records against quality opponents*. Atlanta got the nod from the quality wins quotient by virtue of a slightly better point differential. The Falcons outscored their three quality opponents by an average of 4.0 points per game. Philly had outscored its quality opponents by 3.7 points per game. But that most narrow of advantages for Atlanta was not enough to overcome a desperate 14-3 Philly squad playing at home and in its fourth consecutive conference title game.
While the NFC title contest featured the narrowest quality wins margin of any playoff pairing this year, Super Bowl XXXIX features one of the greatest disparities.
• New England is 9-1 against quality opponents (and 19-1 over the past two seasons)
• Philly is 3-1 against quality opponents
• New England has outscored its 10 quality opponents by an average of 11.0 PPG (25.8-14.8)
• Philly has outscored its four quality opponents by an average of 7.0 PPG (23.0-16.0)
• New England’s quality opponents posted a combined record of 116-56 (.674)
• Philly’s quality opponents posted a combined record of 47-22 (.681).
A number of readers disagree with our definition of quality wins. So, too, do some in the media. Bob Neumeier of sports radio WEEI 850 in Boston, for example, believes that more credence should be placed on scoring differential.
After all, Seattle qualifies as a quality team by our definition with its 9-8 record this year. But Seattle surrendered more points (400) than it scored (390). Using the point-differential methodology, Seattle would not qualify as a quality team.
It’s certainly a legitimate argument. During the Patriots "5th Quarter" postgame show Sunday night, Neumeier posted the results of his quality wins methodology and showed very positive results. But we’ll stand by our deceptively simple formula. It’s 9-1 straight up in the playoffs; 8-2 against the spread (Atlanta failed to cover against Philly and Pittsburgh failed to cover against the Jets); and accurately called for a historic three straight victories by road underdogs on wildcard weekend.
Bottom line: the quality wins quotient has been deadly accurate in the postseason and calls for a sizable victory by New England in Super Bowl XXXIX. So kick back and enjoy the show. There will be a bigger parade in two weeks.
if the Patriots DO beat the Eagles, it won't be because they shared your naive dismissive attitude about the game.
You might very well be WRONG again in predicting a loss for the Eagles in the Superbowl.
Enjoy the next couple of weeks in the sun.
and HERE comes the cognitive dissonance. keep telling us we're going to lose 40 times in a row, then tell us how smart you are when we finally do. you're about as willing to give the eagles credit at the dems are to bush.
If the Eagles beat the Pats, I'll be the first to congratulate them. But I doubt it will happen.
You might very well be WRONG again in predicting a loss for the Eagles in the Superbowl.Ohh sure, I MIGHT be wrong.
But since I'm a betting man, I seriously doubt that the Eagles can stop the Pats.
We have too many weapons for you.
Famous last words.
I'm not a Patriots fan and surely not an Eagles fan. However, I will be a Pats fan for however long it takes for them to dispatch the Eagles in two weeks.
I seriously doubt that the Eagles can stop the Pats. We have too many weapons for you.You do understand, yes, that what I say has no bearing on the mental concentration the Pats will have regarding their last foe of the year.Famous last words
I can be as over-confident as I damn well please, and won't have a lick of influence on Belichick, Brady, Bruschi, Branch, Brown, Bethal etc., etc.
The Patriots don't get over-confident. They focus and destroy.
I'm a Pats fan and I live in Jacksonville, home of Super Bowl XXXIX. The Red Sox are World Champs. Bush is President. Tomorrow is my birthday. I'm engaged to be married later this year.
God is listenting and life is wonderful.
"I'm not a Patriots fan and surely not an Eagles fan. However, I will be a Pats fan for however long it takes for them to dispatch the Eagles in two weeks."
Of course last week you were a Falcons fan, the week before a Vikings fan...if I'm the Patriots I'm not exactly thrilled to have you on the bandwagon!
So you think I'm the kiss of death to Iggles opponents? I'm sure I wasn't the only one in that position yesterday. And I'm sure there will be a lot of us in two weeks. So you can start a list and have a mass mailing to those of us who don't pull or care for the Iggles. If they win, that is.
What does that mean? Who are you supporting in the Super Bowl?
Owl_Eagle
”Guns Before Butter.”
Owl_Eagle
”Guns Before Butter.”
The Philadelphia Eagles and the New England Patriots may have the two most obnoxious fan bases in the NFL.
Patriots fans already have two Super Bowl titles in the past three years, plus a Red Sox World Series from last year. If the Pats win another, their heads may explode.
Eagles fans:
1. Are jerks (cheering when Michael Irvin broke his neck)
2. Are bandwagoners (witness the ripping of Reid and McNabb last year after NFC title game loss number three)
3. Are not very bright
For point #3, let me take you back about five years or so. "With the third pick in the 1999 NFL Draft, the Philadelphia Eagles select Donovan McNabb of Syracuse University." "BOOOOOOOO! BOOOOOOOOOO! I can't believe we didn't pick Ricky Williams! BOOOOOOOOOO!"
"Philadelphia Eagles and their fans have a date with dynasty."
Yeah............In court. LOL!
You sound like Michael Moore talking about Christians who went to see The Passion of the Christ.
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