The 2001 Philadelphia Eagles: My Favorite Team Of All Time.

Many people look at the 2000 season as the beginning of the so-called "Super Century" for the Philadelphia Eagles. But I look at the 2001 season as the team that made Eagles fans realize the potential of this team.

Unlike the 2000 team, the '01 Eagles did as expected, they played solid defense, utilized the athleticism of Donovan McNabb, all en route to winning their first NFC East title in 13 years.

Here's my tale of the 2001 Eagles.

Week one is here, I'm ten years old. I always followed the Eagles closely, but occasionally watched an entire game. Usually I would watch a couple of quarters then go outside and play football and pretend to be Brian Dawkins and rush in just in time for the closing minutes of the fourth quarter.

But there is something different about this year. watching my Eagles fight valiantly with the St. Louis Rams, who boasted the leagues top offense, an offense I regard as the greatest of all-time.

The Eagles fought back from a 14-point deficit in the fourth quarter to tie the game, only to fall to the mighty Rams  20-17 in overtime. But it was then, when the entire league took notice, that these Eagles were a team to be reckoned with.

Two days later, tradegy struck the nation. The horrific terrorist attacks of September 11th caused an entire week's worth of NFL games to be canceled.

When the league resumed play, the Eagles returned by decimating the Seattle Seahawks on the road, 27-3. The following week, the Eagles returned home to roll over the Dallas Cowboys 40-18. The defense again wreaking havoc all over the field.

Three weeks later, the Eagles battled the Giants on Monday Night Football. They had lost their previous nine games to Big Blue. I was rarely allowed to stay up and watch the Monday Night games. But on this occasion I was given a free pass by my father.

I sat on the edge of my seat all night long, watching my team go toe-to-toe with the defending Conference Champions. Late in the fourth quarter with the Eagles trailing 9-3, Donovan McNabb rolled to his right, and hit a diving James Thrash in the corner of the end zone for the go-ahead touchdown.

My entire house exploded. Me, my dad and my uncle went absolutely berserk. The Eagles forced a turnover on the Giants final drive to seal the deal and defeat their turnpike rivals for the first time since 1996. I remember not sleeping for nights due to that game.

There were many memorable moments in that 2001 season. There was the decimation of the Vikings in week nine, where Duce Staley ran for a season high-146 yards. then you have the grind it out victory over Washington in week 14.

That pivotal week 14 game happened to be the Sunday where all of my dad's brothers were over to watch the game. So there I was, in the middle of it all , amidst the screaming, as McNabb struggled through one of his worst games of the season, throwing three interceptions.

But it was one play that made this game one to never forget for me. A fake end-around by Donovan McNabb that turned into a 62-yard touchdown bomb to emerging star Todd Pinkston (we all remember him don't we?). That play sent everyone in to a frenzy. Five grown men and a measly four foot, three inch kid, screaming at a TV.

If you can not tell by now, my family is responsibly for my fanhood, rabid Philly fans they are.

The Eagles most gut-wrenching victory came against those hated Giants - again. What pops into my mind when thinking about that game, was what my dad said to my prior to the game, "If the Eagles don't win this game, there is a good chance they don't make the playoffs buddy, so i don't wanna see any tears this time."

In the 2001 Playoffs, when the Eagles were bounced by the Giants 20-10 at the Meadowlands, I was crushed, it was my first memory of the Eagles being in the Playoffs. A memory I've tried to erase from the mind.

But this time, there were no tears needed, this time the Eagles would be the one deflating the Giants balloon. The Eagles fought tooth and nail with the Giants and took a 24-21 lead with time left for one play from the Giants.

Tiki Barber took a pass across the middle, and proceeded to pitch it to receiver Ron Dixon on a hook and lateral play (the first time I had ever seen this play). Dixon proceeded to burst down the sideline, headed towards the end zone, I felt my hearth leap in to my throat, praying he would trip or fall.

But, an Eagles defender, whose name slips my mind right now, miraculously brought Dixon down at the seven yard line, the clock reads...zero minutes, zero seconds. I did not even cheer, I sat in shock, my Eagles had won their first division title in 13 years and were headed to the playoffs.

Ahh, the playoffs. A time we Eagles fans would become quite familiar with. The Eagles were again, playing the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Again, they were coming to the Vet. And again, the Eagles dominated.

Damon Moore intercepted two passes, one he returned 59-yards to seal the deal and give the Eagles a 31-9 lead. For me, there was no satisfaction, the Eagles had done the same thing the year before. I was already looking forward to Chicago the following week.

Chicago. A team I already hated. I don't know why, really. Maybe it was because my 5th grade math teacher was a Bears fan? And I hated math? Who knows?

I will always remember that game, a blizzard in Newark, Delaware. Schools are out for a week, and I got to watch my Eagles walk in to Chicago and stun the Monsters of the Midway and send there fans home crying.

McNabb had a tremendous day in his welcome home game. Throwing two touchdowns and rushing for one more. The defense rendered the Bears rushing attack powerless, and shut the offense out in the second half, en route to a 33-19 win, sending the Birds' to their first NFC Title game since 1980.

That was where the ride would come to a screeching and disappointing halt,

Again, the Eagles were pitted against the Rams, and the Greatest Show on Turf. Again, the Eagles fought valiantly, stunning the St. Louis crowd by taking a 17-13 lead going into the half.

We were holding an Eagles party at my uncles house that day, so it was a frenzy around the TV. Again, me the squirt sitting on the floor, watching nervously. The Rams took a 29-24 lead late in the fourth.

With the game being simulcast on the radio, I heard a call that I will never forget, a pretty insignificant call, but one I'll remember,"The Eagles letting it all go, they are giving it everything they've got." Merrill Reese summed it up the best. The Rams were just too damn good.

Fourth down, seven yards to go, 55 of the longest yards to take the lead. McNabb avoided a near sack and tried to hit rookie Freddie Mitchell across the middle, but the pass was behind him, and it fell into the waiting hands of Rams cornerback Aeneas Williams.

Ballgame.

You could hear a pin drop in that house. Absolute silence. There was anger, heartbreak and all kinds of disappointment. For me, there was no heartbreak, there was no anger. I guess it was because I was so new to this, the Playoffs.

But the Eagles had pushed a team of that caliber in the Rams, who were heavy favorites to win the Super Bowl, to the brink. A young talented team who nearly shocked the world, lost. Sure, there was disappointment. How else would you feel if your favorite team came a couple of defensive stops or a dropped pass away from the Super Bowl?

But for most of the fans, including me, there was utter optimism. We all saw the potential this group had. Sure, it took three more tries, but they finally reached that promised land, only to have the door slammed in their faces.

But in time, it will come, that day will come. That day where the men in green will stand atop that hallowed ground, and hoist that great trophy, signifying them as Champions.