Read More: Michael Vick (QB – PHI), Cullen Jenkins (DT – PHI), Philadelphia Eagles, Buffalo Bills, Washington Redskins

There are numerous reasons why the Philadelphia Eagles have failed to meet expectations through the first five games of the 2011 NFL season. The bar might have been set unrealistically high for Philadelphia — both by fans and the media, but also themselves — but I don’t think anybody foresaw the Eagles starting out 1-4 and looking so shaky in the process. Michael Vick naturally receives the lion’s share of attention — in good times and in bad — but it’s really the defense that has proven to be the problem for Philadelphia thus far.

The Eagles have given up 132 points so far, tied with Carolina for the most in the NFC. A big part of the struggles has been their inability to stop the run. The Eagles have allowed 140.2 yards per game on the ground, the 28th most in the league. One big reason why the front-seven has struggled is the prolonged triceps injury bothering defensive tackle Cullen Jenkins. The free-agent acquisition suffered the injury during Philly’s Week 3 loss to the Eagles. He’s undeniably been outstanding getting after the quarterback — his five sacks are tied for fourth most in the league. Doing his part to help stop the run has been a tougher task for him and the rest of the Eagles’ defense.

After returning to practice on Thursday on a limited basis, Jenkins is confident he’ll play against Washington. He’s also confident that the Eagles defense will build upon the momentum they established in the second half of their Week 5 loss to the Buffalo Bills. After getting torched in the first half, the Eagles allowed a mere field goal to Buffalo’s high powered offense in the final 30 minutes.

“People are getting a lot more comfortable in their assignments. Because of that, they’re starting to play fast,” Jenkins said. “That second half that we played out there is something we can’t forget. If we can learn from that and carry it over, use it as a standard of what things should be, we’ll be all right.”

Eagles players held a players-only meeting this week knowing their season is on the brink. Since the playoff format was extended to 12 teams in 1990, four teams have made the playoffs after starting 1-4. The Eagles will try to become the fifth beginning Sunday afternoon in D.C.

Read More: Kansas City Chiefs, Philadelphia Eagles

If you haven’t seen the full Philadelphia Eagles 2011 schedule, we’ve got it right here. If you have, the next question is obviously, “how tough is it?”

That’s probably tougher to figure out this year than any other given that we haven’t even had free agency yet. So we really don’t know what a lot of these teams are going to look like come September. However, if we go on 2010 records, the Eagles’ strength of schedule is pretty average.

In fact, they’re tied for 15th among the 32 NFL clubs with an opponents’ winning percentage of .504.

The toughest schedules in the league fall to the two worst teams in the league last year, Carolina and Buffalo. Their opponent’s winning percentages are .555 and .535 respectively. Amongst the contenders, the Jets, Colts & Chiefs have the toughest road with opponents winning 52% of their games in 2010.

The “easiest” schedules in the league go to San Francisco, Baltimore & Arizona. The NFC West teams all have relatively easy schedules due to the fact that ya know… they get to play each other six times.

Bethlehem native and former Philadelphia Eagles great Chuck Bednarik’s condition has been upgraded from serious to fair today, according to St. Luke’s-Fountain Hill, where Bednarik remains hospitalized.

Bednarik, 85, established himself as an icon in the Lehigh Valley more than half a century ago for his contributions to the Eagles’ 1949 and 1960 NFL championship squads. He lives in Upper Saucon Township with his wife, Emma.

Bednarik was taken to the hospital originally on Wednesday because of shortness of breath and dizziness.

Before landing in the Hall of Fame in 1967, Bednarik attended Liberty High School and then went off to fly bombing missions over Europe in World War II. It wasn’t until after the war that he began his college career at Penn.

In his NFL days, Bednarik was best known for being the league’s last true two-way player, playing both offense and defense. He was a center and middle linebacker for most of his career, but had stopped playing defense before the start of the 1960 season, which remains the last in which the Eagles captured a league title.

However, he was asked to help out at outside linebacker because of extensive injuries to teammates in 1960. Because of that, he starred in and was the controversial subject of one of the most brutal plays in league history. It was marked by a famous photograph that forever shows him hovering in celebration over New York Giants running back Frank Gifford, knocked unconscious by Bednarik moments earlier to seal an Eagles’ victory during the season.

Bednarik has maintained since that day that he wasn’t celebrating the hit and hadn’t even realized at the time that Gifford had been knocked out.

“We were leading the game,” Bednarik said of the hit in a previous interview with The Morning Call, “and Gifford ran a down-and-in route. After he caught the ball, he took two or three steps and I waffled him chest high. His head snapped back and the ball popped loose. It was retrieved by Chuck Weber, and when I saw that, I turned around with a clenched fist and hollered, ‘This [expletive] game is over!’ “

Nevertheless, Gifford wasn’t able to play football again until 1962, Bednarik’s last year in the game.

If anything, Bednarik was overqualified for the brutality of yesterday’s NFL when he entered the league in 1949.

“I was already a killer,” he said of his 30 bombing missions.

On three prior occasions, we’ve provided a snapshot of the labor dispute by pressing pause and taking a look at 10 issues and/or dynamics arising from the situation.

Though the latest look came only four days ago, enough has changed since Friday to justify a fresh assessment of the situation.

1.  Brace yourself for another possible extension.

As of Friday, when the two sides had agreed to a 24-hour extension of the expiration of the labor deal and then agreed on a seven-day extension, the prevailing thought was that the deal would get done, if at all, before the following Friday.  Now, there’s talk (as Ross Tucker of Sirius NFL Radio pointed out during a Tuesday visit with PFT Live) of another extension.

Though most NFL observers would prefer that the two sides reach an agreement not on an extension but on an agreement, the next best thing to a full-blown deal is more time to reach one.  Of course, they likely wouldn’t need it if they’d spent more time last week at the bargaining table — and if they’d devoted more than four hours Monday to the negotiations.

At some point, the extensions will have to end.  For now, though, it continues to make sense to keep talking.  Especially since the alternative remains litigating.

2.  The lockout already has started.

In January, NFL outside counsel Bob Batterman explained that the league’s options as of March 4 were simple — lock out the players or declare impasse and impose the terms of the last, best offer.  The other alternative, of course, was to extend the deadline so that talks can continue.  And that’s precisely what happened.

So what’s really going on right now?  As best we can tell, it’s a lockout without a lockout being declared.

March 4 has come and gone, and free agency hasn’t started.  All business has come to a halt.

Yes, the lockout has begun.  The only thing that has been delayed is the date on which the storm of litigation may commence.

3.  League, union need to reach a deal on financial information.

The league and the union continue to stare at each other regarding the question of whether the books will be opened.  Despite optimism that an agreement regarding financial disclosure will be made, multiple reports indicate that the union wants audited financial statements, and that the league will give only more limited information regarding profits.

For months, we believed that the union should drop its persistent request for financial information because the NFL never would open the books, and because the union had no vehicle for forcing them to do so.  In the wake of last week’s ruling in the “lockout insurance” case, however, we realized that the NFLPA can’t — and shouldn’t — accept the league’s claims regarding reduced profits and other financial challenges at face value.

Really, how can the league justify demanding financial concessions in the absence of proof that concessions are necessary?  If the numbers support the league’s position, the union will realize that.  If the union chooses to scoff at the numbers or otherwise refuse to acknowledge their validity, then the union will bear the blame for the deal not being finalized.

The challenge becomes identifying the specific amount of information that needs to be disclosed.  Do the players need complete, audited financial statements, or is something less than that necessary.  Whether the parties can reach an accord on this point will determine whether they can strike a broader deal.

4.  League needs to be sure the owners don’t see the numbers.

Given the manner in which NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith scoffed at significant reductions in the Packers’ profits (Green Bay is publicly traded, making their financial information available by law), the league surely is concerned that nothing the union sees will persuade the union to make financial concessions.  Moreover, the owners likely aren’t thrilled with the prospect of having the NFLPA micromanage expenditures made by the various teams, especially if the records show six-figure salaries being paid to family members who make only cameo appearances in the workplace.

But there’s a bigger problem.  As we’ve mentioned more than a few times over the past few years, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones doesn’t want Patriots owner Robert Kraft to know how much money Jones is making, and how he’s spending it.  In turn, Kraft doesn’t want Redskins owner Daniel Snyder to know Kraft’s business.  And Snyder doesn’t want Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie to know Snyder’s business.  And so on.

It’s more than petty rivalries and jealousies.  When it comes to the issue of revenue sharing, proof that certain low-earning teams are highly profitable undermines the case for revamping the current system.  Thus, once the books are open, steps must be taken to ensure that each owner doesn’t get his hands on the financial information relating to the other 31 teams.

5.  The union makes a wise P.R. move on financials.

Isn’t it odd that reports have emerged regarding the union’s retention of auditors and other financial experts to assess financial information that the league has yet to agree to provide?  It’s definitely odd, and it may be brilliant.

With the owners still reluctant to surrender comprehensive financial information, there’s nothing like a little old-fashioned public pressure to get them to finally do it.  And so with the union now ready to receive and analyze the information and with the public now assuming that the information will be coming, the league has two choices — give the information or risk the P.R. fallout that comes from continuing to insist on givebacks without giving any financial data to the union.

If that’s what the union is doing, there’s a chance that the tactic could backfire.  But with the NFL apparently reluctant to see the litigation option unfold, the risk of the worst-case scenario could be low — and the reward will be great, if the financial information is provided.

For now, the reward is limited.  NFL Network and the Associated Press have reported that Browns linebacker Scott Fujita, a member of the Executive Committee, said the information provided to date “hasn’t been sufficient,” and Colts center Jeff Saturday, another member of the Executive Committee, said that the outside experts would “judge how help the material” the NFL is offering would be.

Thus, more information is coming.  The question is whether it will be enough.

6.  Whatever happened to the vow of silence?

The union’s announcement of the hiring of a firm to review financial information and the decision of members of the Executive Committee to comment publicly on the financial information that has been or will be disclosed represents the clearest proof yet that the vow of silence taken by both sides at the outset of mediation has gone out the window.

The cracks first appeared last week, when reports began to emerge regarding the dynamics in the room at mediation.  Clearly, someone has been talking, whether on the league side, the union side, or both.

To date, the parties have refrained for disclosing many specifics regarding the issues that the parties are tackling.  With the exception of multiple reports pegging the financial divide at $750 million to $800 million per year, there hasn’t been anything specific.

Still, one or both of the parties has violated mediator George Cohen’s directive, and we’ve got a feeling it will only get worse as further progress toward a deal is made.

7.  18 games could still be coming.

When the league identified an 18-game regular season as the primary tool for growing the pie after shrinking the union’s cut of it, the proposal didn’t quite have its intended impact.  Plenty of players spoke out about the idea, and the league has struggled to reconcile in persuasive fashion a desire to grow the pie with the task of enhancing player safety.

Given the estimates of $500 million per year flowing from a shift in the season from four preseason games and 16 regular-season games to two and 18, there’s a growing sense that 18 eventually will happen.  But the union should insist on real reductions in contact during the offseason, training camp, preseason, and in-season practice, while still permitting enough contact to allow the wheat to be separated from the weaklings.

The union also should push the league to find other ways to expand the pie, including the marketing of a full-season Thursday night package, the addition of two teams per conference to the playoff field (and in turn the elimination of the postseason bye), and expansion, not relocation, by two teams in Los Angeles, along with the $2 billion in new money that would go along with it.

8.  Litigation wouldn’t necessarily delay the start of the season.

Some believe that decertification by the union and the storm of litigation that would go along with it inevitably would prevent the season from starting on time.  We see it differently.

Promptly upon decertifying, the union would file a motion to prevent the league from locking out a non-union workforce.  Since the NFL doesn’t consist of one business but 32 separate ones, the league would be committing a clear violation of antitrust law by deciding collectively to shut down.  It’s an easy decision for a court to reach, and it would be a shock if the league is permitted to proceed with this specific type of a lockout.

Though it’s possible that the appeals process could linger into September or beyond, the injunction preventing the league from locking out a non-union workforce would likely remain in effect pending appeal (as in the StarCaps case), which means that football would continue while the other legal skirmishes play out.

In other words, litigation may not be so bad for the fans, after all.

9.  The league should consider a world without rules.

The decertification strategy, if successful, eventually would force the NFL’s franchises to impose common rules for the draft, free agency, salary cap, and other player acquisition and retention devices.  Once the league’s team adopt such measures, the stage would be set for an antitrust action challenging the decision of 32 businesses to apply across-the-board rules.

But what if the league decides to let the 32 separate businesses operate that way?  There would be no draft; NFL teams would recruit players like colleges do.  Players would sign contracts and become free agents once those contracts expire.  With no minimum salaries, owners could pay as much — or as little — as they want for any and all players, limited only by the minimum wage.

The question becomes whether such an approach would screw up the competitive balance of the league.  When considering that several franchises hovering well below what would have been the salary floor for 2010 had successful seasons, teams may realize that overspending for a football team carries little or no guarantee of success on the field.

Though the league surely would never do it, a commitment to the same fiscal discipline that was seen in 2010 would prevent a situation in which only a handful of teams have a chance of winning the Super Bowl — and in which a handful of franchises would never be competitive.

10.  Squeezing the spread between the cap and the floor could help.

Despite the fact that the absence of a salary cap and a salary floor prompted most teams to tighten the belt (and, in turn, to use the money not spent on players as a partial lockout fund), it’s likely that a salary cap will return — along with a salary floor.

And when the cap and the floor return, one way to ensure that the players get as much of their slice of the pie was possible will be to shrink the spread between the spending minimum and the spending maximum.

Prior to 2006, teams consistently found themselves bumping up against the maximum, often using the concept of “cash over cap” to spend more than the limit in a given year, and to pay the piper later.  From 2006 to 2009, fewer and fewer teams had cap issues, and more moved toward the spending minimum.

Pulling the top and the bottom together will result in fewer teams cutting corners, and it will place more money in the players’ pockets.

The Philadelphia Eagles are considered one of the Redskins’ biggest rival. But for some reason, they share players like jeans in a house of teenage girls. There are tons of players who’s resume’s include stops in both Philadelphia and Washington.

We might be able to add another name to that list this offseason, and it’s one that could scare Redskins fans when they face the Eagles this year. According to Bill Barnwell at ESPN, Clinton Portis, who was just cut by the Redskins this week, would make a lot of sense for the Eagles.

Turn Portis into a devastating part-time back. He’s young enough to make a recovery — he doesn’t turn 30 until Sept. 1 — and unlike backs that rely on breakaway speed in their youth and age poorly, Portis’ mix of skills should sustain a second act for his career. He’s an intelligent runner, makes sure cuts at the line of scrimmage and no back in the league is better in pass protection. A pass-happy team like the Philadelphia Eagles or New England Patriots could easily find a role where Portis could contribute.

This all relies, of course, on Portis’ ability to stay healthy. Which is the main reason he isn’t in Washington anymore. But if he can stay healthy over the course of a season, and the team that brings him in could reduce his workload significantly (two things that I believe are connected), I think we all know that Portis can still be an impact player in this league. I just hope it isn’t for one of the Redskins’ rivals.

Updated Feb 28, 2011 6:25 PM ET

One of the least reported stories about the possible NFL player lockout is how the younger players will be able to earn money without football.

Players only get paid their yearly salary during the 17-week regular season.

They won’t receive workout bonuses, sometimes as high as $500,000, if there’s a work stoppage until training camps start. Offseason workouts generally start in March and end sometime in June. Roster bonuses that become due won’t be paid until there’s a new collective bargaining agreement.

In no surprise, players have been borrowing money.

According to Phillysportsdaily.com, Philadelphia Eagles defensive Brandon Graham has been approached by some of his teammates for some cash.

“100K,” said Graham, who just finished his first season in the league, when asked how much is the most players have asked to borrow from him.

“They try not to make it awkward, ” he said. “They’ll come to you like they’re joking, but they’re serious. They’re trying to feel you out, to see what you’ll say.”

Graham has yet to give any teammates money.

“I’ll be like, ‘What are you going to do with it, other than blow it?’ I don’t want to be beefing with guys on my team because they owe me money,” Graham said.

The Philadelphia Eagles have placed the franchise tag on Pro Bowl quarterback Michael Vick.

Vick led the Eagles to a 10-6 record and the NFC East title after replacing an injured Kevin Kolb in Week 1. Despite missing three games with an injury, Vick had his best season.

The team’s website reported that the Eagles used the exclusive franchise tag on Vick, meaning he can’t negotiate with any other team. By applying the franchise tag, a team must pay a player the average of the top five salaries at his position.

The Eagles also placed the transition tag on Pro Bowl kicker David Akers.

Colts: Peyton Manning, the only four-time MVP in league history, has been given the exclusive franchise tag, a move that could cost the Colts $23 million next season.

Labor update: Both sides in the NFL’s labor talks are trying to spread the word by putting their positions in writing, and everyone’s getting in on the act — from Hall of Fame players Jack Youngblood and Bruce Smith, to commissioner Roger Goodell, to mayors of league cities. In a letter obtained by The Associated Press, Youngblood and Smith asked NFL owners to promise not to lock out players even if a new collective bargaining agreement isn’t reached by the time the current one expires at the end of the day March 3. Mayors or city officials from at least five sites of NFL teams have written letters to the league or a club official to argue against a lockout.

Goodell, meanwhile, indicated in an op-ed piece that the 2011 regular season could be in jeopardy if the league and union don’t start “serious negotiations” toward a new CBA soon.

Chargers: The team placed the non-exclusive franchise tag on wide receiver Vincent Jackson. Jackson, a Pro Bowler in 2009, can negotiate with other teams. If he receives an offer, the Chargers can either match the other club’s offer or receive two first-round draft choices as compensation.

• Wide receiver Legedu Naanee faces charges of public intoxication and resisting arrest after police say he ignored officers’ orders to stay away from a weekend homicide scene in Indianapolis.

  Jets: The team placed the franchise tag on playmaking linebacker David Harris, the first time the team has used the designation since 2006.

  Seating mess: The NFL upped the ante again for the 400 fans displaced by problems with temporary seats at the Super Bowl. Spokesman Brian McCarthy said the league e-mailed all the fans to offer either $5,000 or reimbursement for “actual documented” Super Bowl expenses, whichever figure is higher.

  Ravens: Defensive tackle Haloti Ngata received the franchise player tag from the Ravens, who ultimately hope to sign the Pro Bowl star to a lengthy contract.

  Etc.: A federal appeals court in Richmond, Va., has upheld former Carolina Panthers wide receiver Rae Carruth’s conviction for plotting to kill his pregnant girlfriend. A three-judge panel of the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that statements and written notes by Cherica Adams after she was shot didn’t substantially affect the jury’s verdict. The 24-year-old Adams died weeks after she was shot in 1999.

PHILADELPHIA — The Philadelphia Eagles have placed their franchise tag on quarterback Michael Vick, according to Philly.com.

Under the rules of the expiring collective bargaining agreement, the franchise tag ensures that Vick will receive a one-year contract for the average of the five highest-paid players at the position throughout the league.

The franchise tag also gives the two sides an opportunity to work out a long- term contract, if they choose to do so.

Vick threw for 3,018 yards and 21 touchdowns, while being intercepted six times, in helping lead Philadelphia to the 2010 NFC East division title in his first season as a starter since 2006. The former incarcerated star and Comeback Player of the Year earned a starting nod in this year’s Pro Bowl.

The Eagles have also reportedly placed the transition tag on kicker David Akers, which will give the team the right to match an offer from any other club around the league.

The transition tag also requires the Eagles to tender a one-year offer to the 12-year veteran for the average of the ten highest-paid kickers and punters throughout the NFL.

Akers was 32-for-38 in field goal tries and made all 47 PAT attempts en route to 143 points last season. The Pro Bowl kicker is the all-time franchise leader in games played, points and field goals.

PHILADELPHIA – ESPN is reporting Tuesday morning that the Philadelphia Eagles will be applying the franchise tag to quarterback Michael Vick today.

It was reported last month that the Eagles would soon place the franchise tag on Vick and look to deal backup quarterback Kevin Kolb.

Because of the uncertainty over the expiring collective bargaining agreement, the Eagles basically have to tag Vick even if they decide to sign him to a long- term deal.

ESPN “NFL Insider” Adam Shefter wrote, “Vick made $5.25 million in 2010 but would make an estimated $20 million — the average salary for the five highest-paid quarterbacks in the league — if he is designated the Eagles’ franchise player.”

Vick recently received the Associated Press’ 2010 NFL Comeback Player of the Year award. In the 12-year history of the honor, no player has returned from jail to earn it.

Vick received 29.5 votes, easily beating out Seattle receiver Mike Williams, who got just eight from a nationwide panel of media members who regularly cover the league.

Vick is the first Eagle to ever win the award, and his comeback has been pretty remarkable considering that two years ago he was serving time in a federal prison.

After taking over for Kolb in week one, Vick went on to throw 21 touchdown passes and rush for 9 more, leading the Birds to a division title, and he was runner-up to Tom Brady in the Most Valuable Player voting.

February 10, 2011 – Arena Football League (AFL) Philadelphia Soul

PHILADELPHIA (February 10, 2011) – The Philadelphia Soul coaching staff had Philadelphia Eagles’ special teams coordinator Bobby April help assess the kicking talent at open tryouts on January 29. The Soul caught up with April afterward to discuss Arena Football and the importance of having a trusted kicker. April has spent 19 seasons as a special teams coach in the NFL with six franchises, the Atlanta Falcons (1991-93), Pittsburgh Steelers (1994-95), New Orleans Saints (1996-99), St. Louis Rams (2001-03), Buffalo Bills (2004-09), and the Philadelphia Eagles (2010-present).

Q: Are you and your family Arena Football fans

BA: My son loves the game. We lived in New Orleans, he went to school in New Orleans, and so he used to follow the VooDoo, he just loves it.

Q: What is the most important aspect of special teams in the AFL

BA: I would say the kicker is critical because there is so much kicking that happens. The deal with the shorter field I don’t quite know, I don’t know all the rules and everything, but I would imagine that this is a really tough job. You have to have a really skilled guy with the goal posts tighter, the ability to play the ball off the net, and the onsides game is really critical, you have to have a good onside kicker. I think there are different talents with placing the ball and real accuracy in this league is paramount.

Q: Will you be watching the Soul this year

BA: I need to watch it a little bit more, but I’m really excited about it because I haven’t had the opportunity, and like I said my son just loves the game. I’m going to come over here and watch a few, in fact, I’m going to come to training camp and watch some of it.

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The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Michael Vick was chosen the National Football League’s Comeback Player of the Year in his second season after serving a federal prison term for his participation in a dog-fighting ring.

Vick, 30, who was elevated to starting quarterback in the second week of the season, scored 30 touchdowns in 12 games. He led the Eagles to a 10-6 regular season and first place in the National Football Conference East division. Philadelphia lost to the Green Bay Packers in the opening round of the playoffs.

“I’m thankful I have an opportunity to play in this league again,” Vick said in a televised interview from Dallas where the Packers play the Pittsburgh Steelers today in the Super Bowl. “I just want to go out and play football.”

Vick received 29.5 votes from the 50 media representatives who regularly cover the NFL. Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Mike Williams was second with eight points. The Associated Press compiled the ballots.

Vick completed 62.6 percent of his passes for 3,018 yards and 21 touchdowns, all career highs. He also rushed for 676 yards and nine touchdowns. Vick’s 6.7 yards per rush were best in the league among players with at least 100 attempts.

Once the highest-paid player in the league when he was with the Atlanta Falcons, Vick was described as “cruel and reprehensible” by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell for participating a ring in which dogs that lost fights were drowned, hanged, shot or electrocuted.

In April 2007, he took part in the killing of eight animals, one of which was dispatched by slamming it into the ground, his criminal indictment said.

Three months after his release in May 2009, he signed a two-year deal with the Eagles, and after serving a league- imposed suspension, returned to the field for the first time since 2006.

“I’ve come a long way,” Vick said. “I hate to live in the past. I want to go forward. Everything happens for a reason.”

To contact the reporter on this story: Nancy Kercheval in Washington at nkercheval@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Michael Sillup at msillup@bloomberg.net

You might have heard that the Philadelphia Eagles gave up 31 touchdown passes this season. Quarterbacks loved getting into the red zone against the Eagles, where they completed 65 percent of their passes and threw for 22 TDs.

The Eagles have a Pro Bowler in Asante Samuel, but they had disastrous results at right cornerback with Ellis Hobbs and Dimitri Patterson getting burned on a consistent basis. I never understood the plan to go with Hobbs as the starter. And it ultimately backfired. Patterson had his moments, but he finally had to be yanked (briefly) from the starting lineup late in the season.

Enter Nnamdi Asomugha, one of the most coveted free agents in the league this offseason. Paul Domowitch of the Daily News believes the Eagles have to make a play for Asomugha if they want to have any chance at being better against the pass in 2011.

“You also would have the best damn cornerback tandem in the league, even if one of the two doesn’t like to tackle much,” writes Domowitch. “Samuel is the league’s best ballhawk. Has 36 interceptions in the last 5 years. Asomugha only has 11 career interceptions in eight seasons. But that’s mainly because quarterbacks stay away from his side of the field. He is a true shutdown corner. He was targeted just 33 times this season and gave up only 13 completions for 205 yards. I repeat, 13 completions.”

Patterson was targeted 77 times and gave up 44 completions for 620 yards and five touchdowns. Signing Asomugha would change this defense dramatically, and that’s why I agree that it needs to happen — if free agency ever begins.

Last year, the Philadelphia Eagles (10-6) were one and done in the playoffs. Andy Reid’s team can redeem themselves starting Sunday when the Eagles host Green Bay Packers (10-6) at the Linc.This will be a rematch of Green Bay’s 27-20 victory at Philadelphia in Week 1, in which both teams suffered key injuries in that game. The Packers lost running back Ryan Grant for the season, while the Eagles lost center Jamaal Jackson and fullback Leonard Weaver for the year.But the most noteworthy injury was the concussion to quarterback Kevin Kolb, who was injured on a hit by Clay Matthews. That opened the door for Michael Vick.

He never looked back.”It’s exciting,” Vick said. “Obviously, this is a very intense time, but this is what you play for. This is why you play so hard in the regular season and try to accumulate as many wins as you can, so you can play in the postseason.”The Eagles have been running the ball well late in the season with McCoy and Vick sharing the load, but Vick has been taking some major hits lately. McCoy wants to give him a break by doing most of the work on the ground, and has an offensive game plan that might do the trick.”Run the ball a little bit, get him [Vick] out, roll out more, get him out of the pocket more, play fakes, try to help him take less hits,” offered McCoy. “I’m going to run the ball more. This type of defense, a 3-4, they [Packers] kind of invite you to run the ball.”The Eagles can’t forget about another offensive weapon that could help Vick in the long run — WR DeSean Jackson.Jackson can score anytime he touches the ball from anywhere on the field.The problem for the Eagles is they don’t have much success when opponents shut Jackson down. The Eagles were 10-4 in games Jackson played this season. The Pro Bowl wide receiver had just 11 catches for 107 yards and no touchdowns in the four losses.Guess who the Green Bay Packers will focus on stopping when they play Philadelphia?Yes, the Packers have to contain Vick, but he’s the quarterback and there’s no way to keep the ball out of his hands. So, they’ll try to take away Vick’s main target instead.”He’s a gamebreaker,” Packers cornerback Charles Woodson said of Jackson. “He’s done it his whole career, and he can do it from anywhere on the field. He’s a guy that, if he gets his hands on the ball, he can get it to the end zone from anywhere. He has that type of speed. So, he’ll be a tough challenge for us.”Jackson finished the season with 47 catches for 1,056 yards and six touchdowns. He led the NFL with an average of 22.5 yards per reception. In Philadelphia’s 10 wins, Jackson averaged 3.6 catches and 94.9 yards.Vick is quite aware that getting the ball to Jackson is crucial. He’s thrown deep passes to Jackson on the game’s opening play a couple times and connected for big plays. Jackson had an 88-yard scoring catch against Washington on Nov. 15, and a 60-yard reception against Dallas on Dec. 12.”When he’s involved in the game, our chances go up of scoring more points and moving the ball down the field, so you’ve got to get the ball into his hands,” Vick said. “If the defense does a good job of taking him away, then we’ve got to find other ways to get it done.”There were times Vick and Jackson just missed. Sometimes a wide-open Jackson ends up waving his arms for the ball, but Vick doesn’t have time to throw or simply misfires. Sometimes Jackson cuts a route short or doesn’t make an adjustment and Vick has to set the young receiver straight.”They all always feel like they’re open,” Vick said of wide receivers. “They all want the ball. They work hard. Watching practice, it’s like they’re on the track team. You want to reward those guys.”It’s tough. One thing you can’t do in this league is force the ball to anybody. You’ll have balls all over the place, you’ll have incomplete passes, you’ll have interceptions obviously, so you’ve just got to play within the system and let the coaches put the plays together that get him the ball. And that’s what we do a good job of here.”

Jackson – generously listed at 5-foot-10 and 175 pounds – is one of the smaller players in the league. He’s sustained two concussions in the past two seasons, and it’s not uncommon to see him shy away from hits or the middle of the field.In a 31-26 loss at Chicago on Nov. 28, Jackson short-armed a pass in traffic on what should’ve been a touchdown. It ended up being a costly non-catch. Jackson got an earful from coach Andy Reid after the game, and sat quietly at his locker for a while afterward.Vick took charge, telling reporters he would make sure Jackson was in the right frame of mind and then giving him a pep talk. In Philadelphia’s next game, Vick hit Jackson for a 30-yard gain on the first play.”It’s really not about me, man,” Jackson said. “We’ve just got to play team ball. It can’t be individual ball. Everybody has to play as a whole. We need all 11 guys out there playing together as one. As long as we can do that, as you could see in the past, it’s really hard for us to be stopped. As long as everybody’s on the same path to go out there and do what we want to do, I think we’ll be all right.”Jackson is a dangerous punt returner, too. His 65-yard return on the final play capped an incredible comeback and lifted the Eagles to a 38-31 win over the New York Giants on Dec. 19.”He’s in a class all by himself,” Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers said of his fellow Cal alum, “with the talent he’s got.”The Packers have not won a road playoff game in 12 years.

PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania (AFP) – The NFL postponed the Philadelphia Eagles’ home game against Minnesota from Sunday night to Tuesday because of an expected blizzard.

The NFL made the move on Sunday afternoon, before any snow had fallen but amid forecasts for perhaps more than a foot of snow in Philadelphia.

The game, with the Eagles chasing a playoff berth, will become the first NFL contest to be played on a Tuesday since 1946.

“We are urging all Philadelphians, please be careful, please be safe,” Philadelphia mayor Michael Nutter said as he declared a snow emergency as of Sunday afternoon.

NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said the league decided to postpone the game to insure that the stadium, parking lots and other infrastructure can be cleared of snow and made safe for fans and workers.

“Due to public safety concerns in light of today’s snow emergency in Philadelphia, tonight’s Vikings-Eagles game has been postponed,” Aiello said.

“Because of the uncertainty of the extent of tonight’s storm and its aftermath, the game will be played on Tuesday night at 8 p.m. This will allow sufficient time to ensure that roads, parking lots and the stadium are fully cleared.

“The National Weather Service states that a winter storm warning in Philadelphia remains in effect until 1 pm on Monday.”

Eagles coach Andy Reid said he thought the league made the right move.

“We’re OK with it,” he said. “We’re organized and prepared for this, and we completely support what the league did from a safety standpoint for everybody. We got the guys out of the hotel and home, and they’ll come back for a walkthrough tomorrow and then to the hotel, and it will be just like a Saturday night before a Sunday game, just a normal Saturday night-Sunday schedule.”

The Vikings had already had two home games affected by severe winter weather this season.

Their game against the New York Giants on December 12 was postponed a day after Minneapolis got 15 inches of snow. It was then moved to Detroit when the Metrodome’s air-supported roof collapsed in several places under the weight of snow.

The Vikings’ game against Chicago the following week was played at the University of Minnesota’s outdoor stadium because of the damaged roof.