Week 16 NFL Live Blog

I'll be around today more than I was last week. Actually, outside of the Eagles game, I'll probably be around for most of the day/night. So enjoy the game, and remember, go Eagles!

Sean McDermott Gets His Thom Brennaman On When Discussing B-Dawk

There are certain words, phrases, and expressions that hold true in life, but at the same time, should never be uttered in a public forum. These are the types of things that you tell your friends or family when discussing a person, yet should not be said in public situations. The phrase, I am talking about is "You're a better person for spending time with such-and-such a person".

When discussing Brian Dawkins, Sean McDermott decided to follow that route, channel his inner Thom Brennaman and said "You're a better person for being around Brian Dawkins". From Philly Inquirer Staffwriter Bob Brookover

"I thought he had a heck of a year last year," he said yesterday. "I think he was the first or second most productive player on defense for us last year and, as Brian Dawkins has done over the course of his career here, when we were making our stretch run last year, he was in the zone as they say. He was putting together back-to-back games that were as good as any safety in the league at that time.

"It was sick. There were times I was just hands off with him. Just like any guy who is in a groove, you just give him what he needs and let him go."

When Dawkins left as a free agent, McDermott was saddened by the news.

"We had a special relationship," McDermott said. "How often do you coach a guy that is older than you are? He embraced me when I was one of the youngest position coaches in the NFL. We grew together and we developed a lot of trust in one another, at least from my perspective.

"With the impact that Brian has had on this city and this organization, you hate to see the business side of it be the reason for the separation. Because of the way this organization has embraced Brian and the way Brian has embraced this organization and this city, you hated to see that relationship come to an end."

McDermott, who is five months and eight days younger than Dawkins, said he called the safety shortly after he signed with Denver, but it was only to say thank you.

"I told him I appreciated everything that he'd done for me," McDermott said. "He's been a positive influence on my life. You're a better person for being around Brian Dawkins."

Okay, maybe that is true and maybe that's not, but I do have a basic problem with such a statement that goes well beyond the obvious and the laughable.

And maybe McDermott is right about Brian Dawkins and maybe what Thom Brennaman says about Brennaman is true and that you really are a better person by spending 15-20 minutes with Tebow, I can't tell you for sure, I can't give my opinion of Tebow or Dawkins like that, I've never met them, but my problem is that there are other people out there like that. You know, everydays joes and janes who go above and beyond anything ever asked of them in helping people out and improving their lives and inspiring people that never get the public credit that they ever deserve. Of course, we are talking about athletes and everything they do gets more attention than everyday people, that's not news.

I guess my beef all comes down to the fact that I can honestly say I have met someone that changed and positively affected my life in a short time, and it bothers me that the glorifying of these athletes almost takes away from all she does and all that everyone like her does.

Your Week 16 NFL Schedule

Well that was one ugly MNF blowout. In fact, I must say, that it was the ugliest Monday Night Football game since the 2009 Redskins last played on Monday Night Football.

Moving on, only 2 more weeks of football to go! There is a mass jumble in the AFC of 7-7 teams chasing 2 8-6 teams that is sure to come down to the wire, meanwhile, in the NFC, the Eagles have clinched and the battle for positioning has begun. For the longest time, it looked impossible that anyone would catch the Saints as the #1 seed and the Vikings as the #2 seed, and while the Vikings have little to no chance of catching the Saints, the Eagles are 1-game behind the Vikings and because of mathematic formulas and algorithms beyond my comprehension, the Eagles own the tie-breaker over Minnesota. Therefore 2 Eagles wins plus 1 Vikings loss (or 2 Vikings losses plus 1 or 2 Eagles wins) would result in the Philadelphia Eagles getting a first round bye. And that, my friends, would be huge for this Eagles team. (all times eastern)

Christmas Night Football
San Diego Chargers @ Tennessee Titans 8:20 (NFL Network - Bob Papa and Matt Millen)

Map of who gets what Fox game.

Carolina Panthers @ New York Giants 1:00 (Fox - Joe Buck and Troy Aikman)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ New Orleans Saints 1:00 (Fox - Kenny Albert, Daryl Johnston, and Tony Siragusa)
Seattle Seahawks @ Green Bay Packers 1:00 (Fox - Thom Brennaman and Brian Billick)

St. Louis Rams @ Arizona Cardinals 4:05 (Fox - Sam Rosen and Tim Ryan)
Detroit Lions @ San Francisco 49ers 4:05 (Fox - Dick Stockton and Charles Davis)

Map of who gets what CBS early game.

Baltimore Ravens @ Pittsburgh Steelers 1:00 (CBS - Dick Enberg and Dan Fouts)
Jacksonville Jaguars @ New England Patriots 1:00 (CBS - Kevin Harlan and Solomon Wilcots)
Kansas City Chiefs @ Cincinnati Bengals 1:00 (CBS - Gus Johnson and Steve Tasker)
Houston Texans @ Miami Dolphins 1:00 (CBS - Ian Eagle and Rich Gannon)
Buffalo Bills @ Atlanta Falcons 1:00 (CBS - Bill Macatee and Steve Beuerlein)
Oakland Raiders @ Cleveland Browns 1:00 (CBS - Don Criqui and Randy Cross)

Map of who gets what CBS late game

Denver Broncos @ Philadelphia Eagles 4:15 (CBS - Jim Nantz and Phil Simms)
New York Jets @ Indianapolis Colts 4:15 (CBS - Greg Gumbel and Dan Dierdorf)

Sunday Night Football
Dallas Cowboys @ Washington Redskins 8:20 (NBC - Al Michaels and Cris Collinsworth)

Monday Night Football
Minnesota Vikings @ Chicago Bears 8:30 (ESPN - Mike Tirico, Ron Jaworski, and Jon Gruden)

As hard as it is to believe, the Colts are 14-0 and have not once gotten Jim Nantz and Phil Simms on one of their games. And on their 2 appearances on Fox, they got Brennaman/Billick and Rosen/Ryan, respectively. The only time they got any lead team was when they were on Sunday Night Football 3 times and Monday Night Football once. Simply incredible that CBS continues to worship New England and Pittsburgh when one of the teams they cover regularly not named New England or Pittsburgh is currently going unbeaten. The counter to that argument, though, is who on earth have the Colts played? Their biggest match-ups, including the battle with New England have all been their primetime games, so I almost can't blame them, but at the same time, they went out of their way a lot in 2007 to make sure Nantz and Simms got Pats games and you know that Fox would go out of their way to send Buck and Aikman to any Fox game the Cowboys played if the Cowboys were unbeaten. I must say, though, that despite the playoff race, if the Colts have a chance to go for 16-0 next week, I don't see how Nantz and Simms don't get the job, even if it is a game against the Buffalo Bills.

Eagles Commandment: Thou Shall Not Criticize The Eagles' Organization For Not Re-Signing Brian Dawkins

I'm pretty sure the Eagles' organization is taking this Brian Dawkins' thing a wee bit too far. And when I say a wee bit too far, I mean the Eagles' Front Office is quickly turning into some sort of Stalinist regime; firing employees for criticizing the not-resigning of Brian Dawkins. And when I say criticizing the Eagles, I mean he put up his criticism as his Facebook status! Seriously, the man was fired for something he said on Facebook! Inquirer Columnist John Gonzales has the story.

It's not personal. It's business. That was the cold cop-out the Eagles used when Brian Dawkins signed with Denver. But you can't fully appreciate how heartless the organization actually is until you learn how it apparently treated Dan Leone.

For the last six years, Leone was one of the team's many game-day stadium employees at Lincoln Financial Field. For longer than that - for his entire life - he's been a fan of the franchise.

Leone grew up in the shadow of Veterans Stadium in a red-brick rowhouse near 10th and Oregon. As a kid, he'd walk over to see his beloved Birds play. The trip was never easy. Leone has a neurological disorder called transverse myelitis. Because it causes muscle fatigue and limits the range of motion in his limbs, Leone was sometimes forced to use crutches as a child.

When he grew older and the Linc opened, Leone crossed his fingers and filled out an application. The Eagles hired him almost immediately. He was ecstatic. Leone called his friends and family and gushed about going to work for the team he's always loved. He couldn't have been happier if he'd been named the Eagles' starting quarterback.

On game days, Leone served as the west gate chief. The gig required Leone to hustle to different areas of the stadium as needed. That was tough. His left leg is weaker than his right, and standing for too long gives him severe pain in his right knee and hip because that's where he shifts all his weight. While on duty, he sometimes needed a wheelchair to get around.

"They had me running all over the place like a nut, but I didn't care," Leone said. "I was so proud to work for them. It was my dream."

Last week, the Eagles fired Leone.

Like a lot of Philadelphians, Leone was upset when Dawkins became a Bronco. So he did what a 32-year-old does these days: He vented on Facebook. "Dan is [expletive] devastated about Dawkins signing with Denver. . .Dam Eagles R Retarted!!"

It was a rash, stupid thing to do, and Leone regretted it almost instantly.

"I shouldn't have put it up there," Leone said. "I was ticked off, and I let my emotions go, but I didn't offend any one person or target a specific individual. I was just upset that we lost such a great guy. Dawkins was one of my favorite players. I made a mistake."

Less than two days after posting the Dawkins remarks, Leone said, he was contacted by Leonard Bonacci, the team's director of event operations. According to Leone, Bonacci said they needed to talk about Leone's Facebook page, and Leone agreed. Leone - who deleted the comment - figured that the two would sit down and that he could apologize to Bonacci in person. But Leone said Bonacci never got back to him after that.

Two days later, Leone said, he received a call from Rachel Vitagliano, the team's guest services manager. Leone said she fired him over the phone. The conversation lasted less than 10 minutes.

No warning. No suspension. No face-to-face meeting. Just a quick call to tell Leone he'd been terminated.

"I tried putting in my case to Rachel," Leone said. "I told her I worked there for six years. I did whatever they asked. I only missed one Eagles game the entire time I worked there, and that was because I'm a Mummer. I told her it was my dream to work for the Eagles and that I'd never do anything like that again."

Leone said Vitagliano didn't want to hear it. He said that she told him he couldn't be trusted, that the post made the team look bad, and that the only way to resolve the situation was to fire him.

"I apologized for it," Leone said. "I apologized 20 million times. I never bad-mouthed the organization before. I made one mistake and they terminate me? And they couldn't even bring me into the office to talk to me? They had to do it over the phone? At least look me in the eye. To get done dirty like this, I can't believe it. I'm devastated."

Messages left for Bonacci and Vitagliano weren't returned. Through a representative, the Eagles said, "The only information we can share is that Dan was a seasonal game-day employee and not a full-time member of the Eagles staff."

It's anyone's guess what that means. Perhaps the franchise thinks hourly-wage workers are disposable and, therefore, don't deserve consideration. At the very least, it appears the Birds don't think workers like Leone deserve a second chance.

The truly remarkable part about all this is that Leone isn't bitter, and he doesn't want revenge. He simply wants to be part of the team again.

"If they called me right now and told me to come back to work, I would," Leone said. "I'm not holding any grudges. I just want to do my job."

The way the Eagles appeared to have treated Leone seems so cruel and merciless, and they should be ashamed of themselves for it. Then again, how can you feel shame when you don't feel anything at all?

All I can say is wow. I love the Eagles players, but damn, the people in their Front Office can be such douche bags that it is not even funny.

"Dan is [expletive] devastated about Dawkins signing with Denver. . .Dam Eagles R Retarted!!" Can you imagine being fired for saying that? I mean, if my college had a rule where everyone who criticized anything about them was punished, I would be kicked out of school if they saw what I said about their food. For example, my current Facebook status, "Justin is fairly certain he just ate powdered potatoes." I love my college, but the food is, in fact, disgusting. And don't even get me started on some of the things that I post in order to allude to the one regret I have in life when I am thinking about it (2-year anniversary of that day coming up, thank goodness I'll have March Madness to keep me occupied that day). But back to the point, to no longer have a means of income for something you say on your Facebook status is just flat-out wrong.

Maybe there's a story to it that we don't know, but hopefully the publicity that this story is getting will convince the Eagles to re-hire the man.

A Reason To Never Work For The Eagles (Keith's Sports Journal)

The Eagles Have Signed Dawkins (Likely) Replacement

And his name is Sean Jones from the Cleveland Browns. I don't watch many Browns' games so I've hardly heard of him, but the stuff I am reading about him looks good. Believe it or not, I might actually like this signing. Way to go Andy, you're 2 for 30,000 this off-season! From CSN Philly

Sean Jones agreed to a one-year deal with the Eagles on Friday. The 27-year-old has spent the last four seasons with the Cleveland Browns, who selected him in the second round of the 2004 draft.

In the last three seasons, the 6-foot-1, 220-pound Jones has 14 interceptions, third in the league among safeties in that span behind Baltimore's Ed Reed and St. Louis' Oshiomogho Atogwe.

Jones missed a month last season recovering from arthroscopic surgery on his right knee; he initially experienced swelling in the knee during the preseason, rested and played the season opener before being sidelined for the next four games.

In 12 games Jones had 69 tackles and four picks – one of which came against the Eagles, when he intercepted DeSean Jackson.

It sounds like the guy has some potential, let's hope he can get the job done!

Brian Dawkins Update

It appears that rumors are conflicting abound as to what is going on with Brian Dawkins. The Dawkins agreement was an agreement in principle only yesterday. Supposedly nothing has been signed, yet, nor has anything been confirmed yet by the NFL, NFL Network, and ESPN. I had read a report there was supposed to a press conference at 10:00 AM this morning (I would assume MT. time, but regardless, it's now past 10 AM everywhere in the country except Alaska and Hawaii), but I have not seen any confirmation that anything has happened. On that note, Consider this your Brian Dawkins live blog of the day. I'll update you as soon as I get word.

Now if you'll excuse me for a bit, I'm going to finish watching Villanova choke to Georgetown and the subsequent declaration by ESPN's analysts that they still have a chance.

2:12 PM: Villanova showed up to the Wachovia Center in the physical sense only. Their heads were not in the game at all as Georgetown beat them 56-54.

2:37 PM: It's official. Dawkins to the Broncos. 5-years, $17 million. It's a shame that the Eagles were only willing to offer him a 1-year deal, as reported by the NFL-Network.

2:47 PM: The news du jour: The Patriots have traded Matt Cassel and Mike Vrabel to the Chiefs for a 2nd round draft pick. Good deal for the Chiefs; time will tell how good the deal is for New England (i.e. How will Tom Brady play when he comes back?)

Please Excuse Me While I Go To Philly And Burn Down The Linc

Okay, I am officially nauseous. This is seriously one of the worst days in recent Eagles memory. Seriously. I was working on the updates when I stumbled upon a very disheartening link to the Sporting News. Please be false. Please be false. Please be false. SOMEBODY PLEASE TELL ME THAT THE PHILADELPHIA EAGLES DID NOT JUST LET BRIAN DAWKINS GO TO THE DENVER BRONCOS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

After 13 years with the Eagles, safety Brian Dawkins will have a new home.

David White of the San Francisco Chronicle reports that Dawkins has agreed to terms with the Broncos.

Dawkins, 35, had said during the season that he thought he'd work out a deal to end his career in Philly. It could still happen, but only after a stint with the Broncos.

Words can't describe how I feel right now. Okay, they can, but there are so many that it's impossible to contain them. There are times when I make fun of the Eagles and mock yell at the Eagles for not making certain moves in free agency (see below post). But this....this is taking it to a whole new level, one that I was not prepared to be taken to when I woke up this morning. I was prepared for the typical Andy Reid not getting the big-name wide receiver, but this....all I can say is that I'm more disappointed, upset, angry, and disheartened now then I was when the Eagles lost to the Cards in the NFC Title game. This is the first time something sports related as ever brought tears to my eyes...

We'll miss you Brian Dawkins, and don't worry, you'll come home soon enough. I just know you will.



"You belong with me, now swallowed in the sea". Truer words were never spoken.

Eagles' Free Agency This Off-Season Has Gotten Instantly Boring

Well, this was certainly a rather anticlimatic way for the Eagles' hopes this free agency to fade away.

To recap everything that has happened in the past few days:

Panthers have tagged Julius Peppers and re-signed Jordan Gross, both of whom were considered Eagles prospects.

Antonio Bryant has been tagged; he had an outside shot of being an Eagle.

Joselio Hanson has signed a 5-year deal. That will mean bye-bye Lito. If only we would have traded him this time last year, he might have been worth something other than a 6th round draft pick.

The Eagles plan on resigning Tra Thomas and Brian Dawkins.

The only drama left this off-season is will the Eagles get a wide receiver, even after Tom Heckert has said that they will not pursue one. The good news is that Anquan Boldin has publically stated that if he does not get a new contract by this Tuesday that he wants out of Arizona.

Unless the Eagles do sign one of these receivers, it looks like any and all big moves the Eagles will make will come in this year's draft. They have the salary cap room to make a big move, the question is, will they take advantage of it?