Forget Sandy, let's talk about Andy.
Andy, there won't be much in the way of fireworks hailin' over the Linc on Sunday. With a nod of the head to my man Bruce Springsteen, I'm hoping Reid takes his advice, and quits this scene, too.
That scene would be Andy's propensity to throw the ball all over the place. That might not be the best plan for Sunday's game against the unbeaten Falcond. That's because Hurricane Sandy is expected to just be starting to flex her muscles on Sunday. The weather is going to be fairly miserable, wet and windy. That's not conducive to an aerial attack.
So Reid and his brother in arms, Marty Mornhinweg, have the perfect excuse to feed the rock to the forgotten man for the Eagles, running back LeSean 'Shady' McCoy.
Will Reid do it? I kind of doubt it. Remember, Andy is smarter than all the rest of us. My guess is he doesn't veer far from his plan for every game, which is to focus heavily on the pass.
Much has been made of the fact that Reid is 13-0 coming off the bye in his stint as boss of the Birds. The Falcons are also coming off the bye week, and are equally good on this week.
In a homecoming for Exton native Matt Ryan, the Eagles will likely show him a few new looks under new defensive coordinator after the sacking of Juan Castillo. What the Eagles have been unable to do is collect much in the way of sacks and pressure on the quarterback. Getting in Ryan's face would go a long way to increasing their fortunes on Sunday.
One thing's for certain: This game will be for the Birds, at least one variety of them will get a huge win. I'll stick with the Eagles to make Reid a perfect 14-0 and push the Birds back into the playoff hunt.
The Pick: Make it Eagles 29, Falcons 17. With a big dose of McCoy, the Eagles offense comes alive just in time to rumble over Atlanta as the first effects of Hurricane Sandy wash over the Linc.
Last Week: I should have stuck with my gut. As I pointed out, Reid's team never play well going into the bye week, and the feeble effort against the Lions was proof of that as they blew a 10-point lead with 5 minutes left. It was the second straight week they had coughed up a late lead, and it cost Castillo his job. I thought the Eagles would struggle mightily but still prevail. They came within five minutes of doing just that.
Season Record: The Eagles are now a thoroughly mediocre 3-3, while my stumble leaves me at 4-2. The Birds still have not comfortably put a team away. Their three wins have come by a total of less than five points. I think they'll end that streak Sunday. To lose this game would only light a fire under the Nick Foles bandwagon.
Game by Game: Eagles 17, Browns 16 (My Pick: Eagles 27, Browns 13)
Eagles 24, Ravens 23 (My Pick: Eagles 24, Ravens 23 - On the Money!)
Cardinals 27, Eagles 6 (My Pick: Eagles 29, Cardinals 13)
Eagles 19, Giants 17 (My Pick: Eagles 19, Giants 17 - On the Money!)
Steelers 16, Eagles 14 (My Pick: Steelers 24, Eagles 16.)
Lions 26, Eagles 23 (My pick: Eagles 19, Lions 17
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