Posted on 10/05/2003 6:02:10 PM PDT by litany_of_lies
Eagles 27, Skins 25
PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- The Philadelphia Eagles wouldn't let the Washington Redskins pull out another close victory.
Patrick Ramsey overthrew Laveranues Coles on a 2-point conversion with 13 seconds left, and the Eagles beat the Redskins 27-25 on Sunday.
Ramsey rallied Washington from an 11-point deficit in the final 3:10, connecting with Darnerien McCants on a 32-yard touchdown pass in the final seconds.
But under pressure from Brandon Whiting, Ramsey hurried his throw to Coles in the corner of the end zone and the ball sailed over Coles' head.
After John Hall's fourth field goal, a 53-yarder, cut it to 27-19, the Redskins' Bryan Johnson recovered an onside kick at Washington's 43 with 1:13 left. Ramsey then drove the Redskins 57 yards in five plays.
Defensive end N.D. Kalu returned an interception 15 yards for a go-ahead TD and Brian Westbrook had a 19-yard TD run for the Eagles.
The Eagles (2-2) won for the first time at Lincoln Financial Field after opening the season with consecutive losses at their new stadium.
Washington (3-2) fell to 1-7 against NFC East teams under Steve Spurrier. All the Redskins' games have been decided by three points or less.
Playing without three Pro Bowl players in their secondary, the Eagles held Coles and Rod Gardner to just five catches combined in the first 57 minutes. Free safety Brian Dawkins (foot) and cornerback Bobby Taylor (foot) missed their third straight games. And cornerback Troy Vincent sat out with a hamstring injury.
Donovan McNabb completed 16 of 30 passes for 157 yards and his first TD of the season. He was intercepted twice. Ramsey finished 25-of-50 for 271 yards, one TD, two interceptions and one TD rushing.
This was McNabb's first game since conservative commentator Rush Limbaugh made comments about him that ignited a weeklong firestorm. Limbaugh said on last week's ESPN's "Sunday NFL Countdown" that McNabb was overrated because the media wanted to see a black quarterback succeed.
McNabb said he did not mind criticism of his performance but was upset that Limbaugh made race an issue. The remarks forced Limbaugh to resign from the show.
Kalu, a former Redskin, broke a 13-all tie with his first career interception and TD late in the third quarter.
On a second-and-9, Ramsey's arm was hit by Eagles tackle Darwin Walker as he threw and the ball sailed up in the air. Kalu caught it at the 15, eluded an offensive lineman and rumbled untouched into the end zone.
Westbrook then put Eagles ahead by 11 with his TD run with 3:10 left. The Eagles drove 70 yards, holding the ball for 5:39. McNabb ran 6 yards on third-and-5 to keep the drive alive.
McNabb connected with fullback Jon Ritchie on a 4-yard TD pass for a 10-0 lead early in the second quarter. Roderick Hood intercepted a pass from Ramsey and returned it to Washington's 18, setting up the score.
Ramsey's 1-yard TD run made it 10-7 with 5:56 left in the first half. Former Eagle Jeremiah Trotter set up the score, intercepting McNabb and returning it 21 yards to the 1. On third down, Ramsey leaped over the top for the TD.
David Akers' 36-yard field goal late in the first half gave the Eagles a 13-7 lead. Akers gave the Eagles a 3-0 lead on a 52-yard FG in the first quarter.
Hall's 48-yard FG late in the first half cut Philadelphia's lead to 13-10. Hall hit a 45-yarder midway through the third to tie it at 13. His 37-yarder cut it to 20-16 in the fourth.
McNabb had just 19 yards rushing. He scrambled 54 yards to Washington's 10 on the Eagles' first possession, but a holding penalty on tight end Chad Lewis negated the play.
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McNabb was totally inaccurate on passes over 5 yards all day. It reminded me of that arthritis drug commerical wherein the graying athlete is trying to throw the football through the tire hung from the tree. I think the arthritic guy was more accurate than was McNabb on Sunday.
What wrath would that be?
Well, the number 24 is in every baseball park as a retired number never to be worn again by anyone as if Jackie Robinson was the greatest to ever play the game. He was good but not so good as to be deified.
FWIW, I don't have a problem with that (I think it's really #42).
Jackie R did more to move professional sports, especially baseball, from the Jim Crow era to modernity than anybody else. If he fails, he sets back the civil rights movement bigtime, maybe to the point where the late-50s/early 60s civil rights movement doesn't succeed. It think he was THAT important.
Also, Jackie R was a pretty conservative guy politically. Jesse Jackson would be denouncing him if Jackie were alive today.
Doubly right on what his success meant.
However, that does not warrant retiring a number. Only stellar play deserves a retired number and then only for the team for which he played, not the entire sport.
The Eagles offense has been suspect for years and so has McNabb's QB play.
If you agree he belongs in the Hall of Fame based on his on-field achievements (a 10-season career batting average of .311, his above-average fielding [can't find stats], and his legendary ability to disrupt opposing pitchers is enough for me), we're just going to have to agree to disagree about whether his breaking the color barrier is enough justification to eternally retire his number for all teams.
Now let's get on to important stuff, like whether 10-year pros from Japan should get Rookie of the Year awards.
Sure...but my point remains, that just because the Eagles made it to the championship is not proof of his being the best Quarterback - especially not when we have had several middling QBs make it to championships on the back of an excellent defense. Dilfer was a very good role-player - essentially, just don't blow the game by making a silly turnover. Dilfer was functionally not a QB at all, and he wasn't required to be for his team to succeed. McNabb is clearly better than that...but there are several QBs in each conference that are better QBs than McNabb.
You are also correct that the Eagles Defense was not the completely dominating thing that the Ravens was. That just means they needed more of an offense to compliment them. The Eagles defense was the core of the Eagles team, with the offense an occasional supporting cast. The Eagles offense didn't need to dominate, or even be exceptional - all it had to do was not blow things, be occassionally successful, and take advantage when the defense handed them a plum as they did with yesterdays 18 yeard touchdown "drive".
As you describe, Pro-Bowl selection is hardly objective, nor is it neccessarily even a reflection of what it claims to be due to the factors you cite. On the other hand, McNabb DOES bring more to the game than his middling statistics would suggest...I just don't think the case can be well made that he is a top-tier QB, at least yet.
All of this is getting off the point. McNabb is not, nor has he been a top-tier QB, so why has he been presented as such and honored as such? Is it implausible that he has been getting more than his fair share of attention and praise because of media cheerleading? What other reasons might there be for this?
I never liked Collingsworth. His suit always looked funny with those diapers on under his pants.
McNabb's a looser,,just look as his stats.
Disagree
10 year pros from Japan should only receive Lookie of the Year honors.
It has become so overa rated and so boring.
Haven't seen anything exiciting in the lock step NFL in years.
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