Our blog analyst Don Pardo says “This team needs an enema…”
I understand Don Pardo’s reference from the movie “Batman I” completely—
I could also apply another movie reference, comparing the 2011 Eagles to the big-budget flop “Heaven’s Gate”, filled with overpaid stars and fitted with a lousy script…
If football were a 3-period game, the Eagles would be 8-1…
But it is not…and we are not. 
Associated Press
From left to right, Arizona Cardinals’ Larry Fitzgerald, Early Doucet and Chansi Stuckey celebrate after Doucet’s touchdown in the second half of an NFL football game against the Philadelphia Eagles, Sunday, Nov. 13, 2011, in Philly…
It was the second consecutive win for the Cardinals (3-6) and snapped a road losing streak for them that dated to the 2010 season opener. “We exorcised a lot of demons,” Arizona coach Ken Whisenhunt said: “Winning on the East Coast, stopping them on the last drive defensively, being able to drive down and score offensively. All the things we haven’t been able to do, seems like we were able to do it.”
It was the type of game the Cardinals have founds ways to lose over the past 1 1/2 seasons. This time, the Eagles obliged and took over the part.
Cardinals quarterback John Skelton’s two interceptions led to 10 points for the Eagles, and kicker Jay Feely missed two field goals. But Skelton also passed for three touchdowns…and 300 yards.
The Cardinals defense yielded a touchdown on a short run over left guard by LeSean McCoy— after a Cards’ interception was nullified by penalty— but it held the Eagles to 123 yards passing and intercepted Michael Vick twice. It was the Cardinals who made clutch plays to win. The defense limited the damage from a late interception by Nnamdi Asomugha to a field goal and stopped the Eagles again on the final possession.
The Cards’ winning drive was 87 yards and included more offensive excitement for either team than the first three quarters of the game. There was a conversion on fourth down and a spectacular throw and over-the-head catch by Larry Fitzgerald (draped by rookie safety Jaiquawn Jarrett) that put the ball at the 1-yard line. There was a 4-yard loss on second down and then a touchdown pass to Early Doucet on third down. That put the Cardinals ahead 21-17 with four minutes remaining. Cornerback A.J. Jefferson sealed it with an interception of Vick with 33 seconds left.
It helped that the Cardinals’ best player, Larry Fitzgerald, had his best day of the season. He caught seven passes for 146 yards and two touchdowns.
Offensively, the fourth quarter belonged to Fitz and Skelton. Fitzgerald caught five passes for 94 yards, including two that had been tipped. His 37-yard, over-the-head catch against Jarrett would have been a career highlight video for most other receivers.
“John throws me that ball every single day after practice,” said Fitzgerald, who passed Roy Green to become the outright franchise leader in touchdowns. “We work on the over-the-shoulder, catch 10 on each side. He saw that I had favorable coverage, and he gave me a shot.”
Eagles cornerback Asante Samuel returned an interception 20 yards for a touchdown in the second quarter. Another Skelton pass sailed into Eagles’ cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha’s hands in the fourth quarter. The resulting field goal gave the Eagles a 17-14 lead with 5 minutes left.
“The defense was able to bail me out there, holding them to a field goal,” Skelton said. “You can’t dwell on the past. You can have three bad quarters, but ultimately when you are down to the nitty gritty of everything, you’ve got to be able to push that out of your mind and focus on the task at hand.”
Unlike the offense, the Cardinals defense was consistent throughout. The Eagles’ longest play was 29 yards, and quarterback Michael Vick looked uncomfortable all afternoon. It didn’t help that he was without receiver DeSean Jackson, who did not play because he missed a meeting Saturday…and the Saturday before.
Whisenhunt gambled on the go-ahead drive by going for the first down on fourth and 2. The Cardinals had three timeouts and the two-minute warning, but Whisenhunt liked his chances with a play designed to combat an expected blitz. The Eagles blitzed, and Skelton hit LaRod Stephens Howling in the flat for a 30-yard gain.
Two plays later, Skelton lofted the ball to Fitzgerald, who for some reason was covered by a rookie safety. It appeared Fitzgerald might have scored, but Whisenhunt didn’t challenge because the replay wasn’t clear.
Wells lost 4 yards on second down, and it looked like they might have to settle for a field-goal attempt. But on third down, Skelton tossed short to Doucet, who had come out of the backfield. He slipped a tackle and scored, giving the Cardinals a lead they didn’t relinquish.
Vick completed 16 of 34 passes for 128 yards, two interceptions and a quarterback rating of 32.5. When he wasn’t missing badly with his throws, his accurate ones were being dropped, resulting in just 15 first downs and 289 yards for what was once the top-ranked offense in the NFL.
On the huge play to Fitz that set up the winning TD, slot corner Joselio Hanson hinted that there might have been a mix-up on the coverage, which called for him to take the inside receiver and Asante Samuel to stay with Fitzgerald and receive help from Jarrett over the top.
“My man came into me and I picked him, and that left [Jarrett with Fitzgerald],” Hanson said. “I’ve got to look at the film. I was looking at my man, so I would think Asante would drop off. But I’ve got to look at the film and see what happened.”
“Obviously you can’t turn the football over as many times [two] as we did, have 11 penalties on top of that and be a disaster in the red zone like we were,” Reid said. “That’s my responsibility, and the way this team played is my responsibility. We have to make sure we get it corrected.”
Of Jackson’s benching, Reid added: “I thought it was the right thing to do. … He needs to step back and make sure that it doesn’t happen again. I’m not happy about it.” Unlike the rest of the inactive players, Jackson was not with the team on Sunday. Whether that was Jackson’s choice or Reid’s is unclear. What is fairly clear is that the incident was just the latest in a long line involving Jackson and perhaps a bunch of others.
It will go down as a demoralizing defeat for the Eagles and a reflection of a team and management in disarray… maybe not the worst team in the league, but increasingly becoming known as the worst big-budget movie ever made.
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