As absurd as it may seem, the Philadelphia Eagles still have a chance to win the NFC East. Earlier in the season I found myself extremely annoyed with analysts saying things like, “the Eagles are officially done” week after week. It seemed obvious, but I would be lying if I said I thought it would be within the realm of possibility for Philly to still win the NFC East. However, if they win their final two games against the Cowboys and Redskins and the Giants lose to the Jets this weekend and beat Cowboys next weekend, the 8-8 Eagles would win the division because of their 5-1 NFC East record.
If phase one of the Eagles comeback plan includes intimidating their opponent’s owner, mission accomplished.
“Because it is the Eagles and after the butt-kicking they gave us up in Philadelphia, I’m scared,” Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said in an interview with KRLD-FM on Tuesday. “It’s that kind of feeling. The respect turns into being afraid of what they can do to you if you have some breakdowns out there, so you can put that scared there if you want to. I think sometimes I know I do my best when I’m scared.”
Jerry may not realize this, but he has no control over what happens this weekend. His team is already assembled and his coaching staff is in place. Unless we missed something, Jerruh isn’t going to throw on some pads and take the field. With that in mind, it doesn’t make a bit of difference if he does his “best” when scared or not.
As for the actual team, they should certainly feel a sense of urgency. The Eagles are coming off back-to-back wins and are confident playing against NFC East teams. They beat the Giants with Vince Young at quarterback and destroyed the Cowboys when Michael Vick was healthy. The Cowboys don’t need to be scared, but they need to understand the situation and take advantage of the fact that they control their own destiny.
