Philadelphia Eagles Fact or Fiction Week 15: Birds D Good Enough for Super Bowl
It's time for another week of fact or fiction. This time it will be the battle of featured columnists as Will Holt makes his second appearance on fact or fiction to take on yours truly, Darren Grossman.
Will losing Stewart Bradley have a huge impact on the Eagles? Is the Eagles defense good enough to win the Super Bowl? Does Vick Have a Chance at MVP? Hit begin slideshow and find out below.
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Well, let's begin.
1. Eagles First Round Bye?
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1. The Eagles win, coupled with a Bears loss, makes you confident the Eagles will get a first round bye in the playoffs.
Will Holt - Fiction: About a week ago I would have said this was a fact considering the Bears were traveling to Minnesota, hosting the New York Jets and closing out the season on the road against Green Bay. I actually thought those were three straight losses. But now they could be three straight wins given the poor situations each of those teams are in.
On the other side, I am still not convinced the Eagles are going to beat the New York Giants on Sunday. I think the Eagles have a great advantage in playing the Giants on a short week, but this will be their most difficult game of the year when you consider the Giants are playing with revenge in mind, the division title is on the line and the Eagles are playing a second-consecutive road game.
Darren Grossman - Fiction - The Eagles have to beat the Giants this week for this to be a fact. The Bears will lose another game and if the Eagles beat the Giants, they will likely win out. The Bears could go 1-2 down the stretch even if the Eagles lose this Sunday, but am I confident that they will get a first round bye? No. Optimistic maybe, but not confident.
Score: 1 for 1
2. Stewart Bradley's Loss Will Hurt Eagles?
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2. The loss of Stewart Bradley will have a huge impact on the Eagles defense.
Will Holt - Fact - It's not like I think the drop off from Stewart Bradley to the next guy in line is significant. But I do think the more exposure the backups get, the more we will see a play or two go against the Eagles. Over an extended period of time those plays will add up and it is going to bite the Eagles. Hopefully, Sean McDermott can make the necessary changes to hide some of the weaknesses of the backups. Who are we kidding though. McDermott doesn't seem to be that great of a coach and the weaknesses may be too glaring to cover up.
Darren Grossman - Fiction - Look, Stewart Bradley is terrible. He's slow, he's always out of position and he misses tackles all the time. Losing him might have a huge impact because we might actually replace him with someone who can tackle. Omar Gaither is awful but I like the rookie Chaney. He is faster and more athletic. Bradley is one of the worst MLB in the NFL so at worst, it won't hurt them much, at best, it might make them better.
Score: 1 for 2
3. Michael Vick Has No Chance at League MVP
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3. Michael Vick has no chance at league MVP due to the spectacular play of Tom Brady.
Will Holt - Fiction - You can't say he has "no chance." It may be a small chance or a remote chance, but it is still a chance nonetheless. Brady would need to struggle down the stretch while Vick plays unreal and locks up a bye for the Eagles. I don't think both are going to happen and in the end Brady will pick up the MVP award.
Darren Grossman - Fiction - I don't think he will win it, but he has a chance, especially if he plays well the last three games. Brady will get it because he is the NFL's golden boy and people would rather him win it than Vick. It's the same reason if you hit Tom Brady the way Vick got hit, you would get flagged every time. Vick deserves it but Brady deserves it too. Only one can win, and unfortunately, it will be Brady. I wouldn't rule out Rivers either though, he's had a great year for the Chargers and if they win that division, he will get some votes too.
Score: 2 for 3
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4. The Eagles Should Be Using Jerome Harrison for 5-10 Carries a Game.
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4. The Eagles should be using Jerome Harrison for 5-10 carries a game.
Will Holt - Fiction - I would use Harrison but maybe for only three to six carries. I know people probably think it is wise to give LeSean McCoy some breaks. I couldn't disagree more. McCoy needs to keep getting touches to get into a nice rhythm. His big-play abilities make him too valuable to lose touches to Harrison.
Darren Grossman - Fact - McCoy does not have to lose carries for Harrison to get the ball more, but Harrison can do some things and has made some nice runs when given the chance. He is a nice change of pace and he should get three to five regular carries plus some short yardage carries as he is good in short yardage situations. He is talented and they need to get him involved.
Score: 2 for 4
5. The Eagles Should Run the Ball More Down the Stretch.
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5. The Eagles should run the ball more down the stretch.
Will Holt - Fiction - I'm not a big believer in thinking you have to run the ball a certain percentage of the time. You play to your strengths and you take what the defense gives you. Do you think people in New England are complaining about the Patriots throwing the ball 40 times in a snow storm? The only logical argument against passing the ball is keeping Michael Vick healthy. By passing you do expose Vick to extra hits and we can all agree that could lead to a devastating injury.
Darren Grossman - Fact - While I see Mr. Holt's point about not having to run it a certain percentage of the time, it's not about a percentage. As the weather gets bad, you need to run the ball more. Also, running the ball opens up the passing game and gives Vick more opportunities. As Mr. Holt said, it also keeps him healthy. Plus we have a good back in McCoy and a second solid back in Harrison so there is no reason we should not be running the ball. When we play a team like New Orleans in the playoffs, do we really want to get in a shootout with them? I'd rather control the clock, pound the ball, and beat them by keeping Brees off the field. Run the ball, Andy, run the ball!
Score: 2 for 5
6. The Eagles Defense Is Good Enough to Win a Championship With.
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6. The Eagles defense is good enough to win a championship with.
Will Holt - Fiction - Worst. Defense. Ever. When commentators talk about the Eagles defense being one of the worst red zone defenses in the history of the game, you know you have a problem. There is zero heart, leadership and intensity.Who would you fear if you were an opposing offense? Can you imagine Tom Brady walking up to the line and looking at those 11 stiffs? His biggest problem might be deciding which wide open receiver to hit. This defense will cost this team in the playoffs and that's sad because the offense is clearly good enough to win a Super Bowl.
Darren Grossman - Fiction - I think Mr. Holt is a little extreme calling our 11 guys all stiffs. We have some talent like Trent Cole, Asante Samuel, Quintin Mikell and some others. However, this defense is not very good. I honestly think it is as much on Sean McDermott as the players but this defense looks awful at times. We were always a bend, don't break defense, and this year we seem to break more than we bend. If this team wins a championship, it will likely be because of our offense. We just have to hope the D is good enough to make a stop here or there.
Score: 3 for 6
Wait, it's not over, a BONUS QUESTION on the next slide!!!
BONUS: The Eagles Are The Favorite In The NFC?
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7. As of right now, the Eagles are the favorites in the NFC to get to the Super Bowl.
Will Holt - FICTION: As long as Atlanta has homefield advantage, the Falcons are the clear-cut favorite. Matt Ryan has lost at home once as a starting quarterback. Why would anyone think he is going to lose at home with the opportunity to help his team advance to the Super Bowl? Now if the Eagles somehow find a way to play at home in all of their playoff games, they would be the chalk.
Darren Grossman - FICTION - I think it's wide open and they have a good chance but so does Atlana and New Orleans. I still think New Orleans is beating Atlanta in a couple weeks so they could still win the division and get homefield. The defending champions are the team I fear the most in the NFC, I think the Eagles can beat Atlanta, as we already did that, plus Vick will play great against his old team. I am petrified of our defense trying to stop Drew Brees.
Score: 4 for 7
Well after a shaky start, Will and I AGREE more than we DISAGREE this week. Special thanks to Will Holt for joining me and thanks to all of you for reading. Did you enjoy FACT OR FICTION? Hit the LIKE button! Want to play FACT OR FICTION? Send me a message!
Thanks and GO EAGLES!!!!
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