Sunday, November 26, 2006

No more crotch left to kick


By Steven Lienert

Now I know what a prisoner on death row feels like on the night of his execution.

As the 1 o'clock games wind down and I begin to prepare myself for football slaughter later on this evening, I can only think of what another lost season this has become.

Eagles fans have taken more shots to the gut than Rocky did while training for his second fight with Apollo.

First, the Giants come back from about as dead as a team can be to beat the Birds in the home opener. Then the Saints bleed us dry before kicking a game-winning field goal. And that's not even mentioning Matt Bryant's kick that, last I checked, is still flying.

Sixty-two yards? The guy didn't drive that far when he left his house for the stadium earlier that morning.

Against Jacksonville, the Eagles decided to go on their bye week a week too soon. Thanks.

Four games, all within the Eagles' grasp, all resulting in defeats.

Like that death row inmate awaiting the gas chamber or electric chair or, in the case of Eagles' fans, death by Peyton Manning, I can only help but think what could have been, even with Donovan McNabb going out for the season.

Let's say the Birds went 3-1 in those four aforementioned contests. Let's say one of those wins was over the Giants -- the Jacksonville loss was a loss anyway you cut it.

Instead of 5-5, the Eagles are 8-2, two games ahead of the Giants and Cowboys with wins over both. Even with McNabb out, all hope would not have been lost. Two more wins over the final six games not only gets you into the playoffs, but gets you a home game.

Sure, they would have been dead meat, even if they would have won that first playoff game. But there would still be hope. There would still be optimism. There wouldn't be griping about getting rid of the coach.

No, the Eagles' season was lost far before McNabb got bumped out-of-bounds against Tennessee. Bryant's kick, their lethargy against the Jags and the failure to step on the Giants' throat cost the Eagles a chance at the postseason.

For the next six weeks, Eagles fans are sheep being led to the slaughter.

Thus begins the winter of our discontent.

Steve Lienert can be reached at stevelienert@hotmail.com

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

welcome back

Anonymous said...

Go back into hibernation.

Anonymous said...

Lienert is prophetic

Anonymous said...

It hurts more than apendicitis at the Sports Network...

Anonymous said...

Lienert rocks!

Anonymous said...

There might be no more crotch left to kick, but there might be some crotch left to lick.