Jan 10, 2009 4:40 pm US/Eastern
CBS3.com Smack Talk: Eagles vs. Giants
PHILADELPHIA (CBS 3) ―
The Philadelphia Eagles and New York Giants are set to battle this Sunday in an NFC Divisional Playoff game. It will be the third time this year that the rivals have squared off, with each team winning once.
While the battle between the two teams is always heated, so is the clash between Eagles and Giants fans. CBS3.com (Philly) Web Producer Steve Beck and WCBSTV.com (New York) Producer Chris Messinger have taken their smack talk to the information superhighway.
Check out what the die-hard Eagles fan (Beck) and die-hard Giants fan (Messinger) had to say.
Beck:
I know it is coming, so let's get it out the way now … you guys have a ring from last year and a whole lot more overall. Heck, the Eagles' organization has the same amount of Super Bowl rings as I do -- none! With that being out of the way, let's move on.
As much as I hate to say this, this year's Eagles are last year's Giants -- a team that is getting hot at the right time. The D is on fire, allowing an average of only 10.8 points over the past 5 games. Eli will spend more time on his back Sunday than Plexi-Glass on the police blotter.
Jacobs is banged up and certainly will not be 100-percent. And let's not get started on your wide outs; is Toomer collecting Social Security yet?
With all this being said, we handled you in your own stadium about a month ago and we will do the same this weekend. Also, if not for dumb play-calling in the 1st matchup, we should have swept you this year!
Messinger:
If I denied feeling a bit nervous I'd be lying. The Eagles are playing well. But for the sake of being reasonable, let's not get carried away. The Giants of last year struggled initially as they tried to utilize new pieces in a brand new scheme. It took them awhile to establish their identity as a team, and when they did, well the rest is left to history. If you're looking for jewelry to wear I invite you to start rooting for the G-Men, who since 86' have won a fistful of bling!
The only thing the Eagles of last year have in common with the Giants' improbable run is they'd be a Wildcard team winning on the road. I'm actually encouraged people are doubting the Giants again. It's a role they play much better than as the favorites. When it comes time to looking in the mirror and checking themselves, they perform at their best. They like proving skeptics wrong, including overzealous fans from Philadelphia.
Jacobs WAS banged up. But the healing powers of time and medical treatment have refreshed and strengthened the powerful back. There isn't a linebacker, safety or corner he hasn't salivated over. Dawkins, who makes Toomer look like a prepubescent teen, might want to start ordering pamphlets for retirement homes in Florida.
This might surprise you, but I'm happy for Donovan McNabb, who I've actually defended against critics who say he's not a big game player. I'm always left speechless however when they remind me of the time he threw up on the field in the Super Bowl. Too much Campbell Soup perhaps?
Beck:
Momentum --- only 8 words long, but it means so much in sports and especially football. The Eagles have that 8 letter word on their side.
The Birds have won 5 out of their last 6 games, including last week's playoff win against the Vikings. The Giants have lost 3 out of 4, including a loss to those same Vikings.
You can make the argument that the Giants took that Vikings game lightly with everything clinched, but do you really want your team to essentially have 3 weeks off???
McNabb has never really embraced the Eagles fan base and he will certainly use that chip on his shoulder as extra motivation this weekend.
Messinger: Sure, the Eagles have momentum, but as crucial a role it plays in sports, it's equally unpredictable and deceiving. If this was college basketball and some Cinderella was trying on glass slippers, I'd say yeah, momentum is important. But this is the NFL and the Giants are champions.
If Manning were to have gotten hurt in the second half of a meaningless game against the Vikings, Coughlin might be out of a job for being an idiot. The Vikings were essentially playing for their postseason lives. I wouldn't look too much into a game we lost by 1 point. Plus you know how important rest is, especially late in the season.
The Eagles have been playing with their backs against the wall for weeks now. The Giants of last year took it to another level in Week 17 when they nearly beat the Pats. Then they won 3 straight to get to the Super Bowl. They had nothing to lose. You could say the Eagles have nothing to lose as well, but they've played under tremendous pressure for 6 games in a row now. I'd be concerned they won't have the stamina to endure 4 quarters of smash-mouth football. I can't help but imagine an injured animal (an eagle), with that crazed look in its eyes, infected perhaps with rabies, fighting a predator with sheer rage, until it wears out, literally, and drops dead at the feet of its superior opponent: The Giants!
Beck: One more word to throw at you -- hungry. The entire Eagles team, for one reason or another, is hungry.
McNabb is hungry to prove his doubters wrong. The Eagles D is hungry to feast on Eli all afternoon. Andy Reid is hungry to prove he deserves at least one more season at the driver's seat of the Eagles.
I think the Eagles are the hungrier team this weekend. The Giants seem like a complacent team that has lost its hunger.
With all this being said and all the smack talk out of the way, the Eagles beat the Giants 24-17 to advance to the NFL Championship Game!
Messinger: The Eagles aren't hungry, they're starving, and as they should be, considering their track record in big games.
But that's neither here nor there. Quite frankly both teams are hungry, which should be expected of these power franchises and NFC East rivals.
Now that I think of it, I'm not concerned about your team's appetite. It's very conceivable the Eagles could be totally reconstructed after their defeat on Sunday. McNabb could be shown the door for never having embraced the Eagles' fan base. Andy Reid coached a team to 4 straight NFC championship games without winning a Super Bowl – let's face it, his time is up.
The Giants have yet to sack McNabb in two games this season. I know, I know, shocking considering our ability to get after quarterbacks. Don't you think the trend is bound to change?
If you truly believe the Giants seem complacent then you never quite understood what makes them special. They are well coached – disciplined, focused, mature and ready to repeat. It starts Sunday versus your Eagles, 27-20.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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