Reply #5: you won't be wearing the bunny suit

[Beaverhausen]

http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/3363116

Why the Eagles will win Super Bowl XXXIX
Daryl Johnston / FOX Sports
Posted: 13 hours ago


This year's Super Bowl matchup could (or should) have happened twice already, in 2001 and 2003.

And I really think this year's playoffs have followed historical trends. Other than seeing the first 8-8 teams to win a playoff game (a dubious point impugning the quality of teams that were beaten: Seattle and Green Bay), everything after that has fallen into place. Marty Schottenheimer goes one-and-out again. Peyton Manning can't beat the Patriots. A dome team gets outside in the elements and struggles. The running game is again more important than passing in the championship round.
This year's playoffs began with history being rewritten, and now it will finish with something that's also never happened before. The Eagles will win the Super Bowl, and here's why:



Andy Reid has dumped the conservative approach
I talked to Eagles coach Andy Reid and offensive coordinator Brad Childress before the regular season, and they said they were going to make a conscious effort throughout this entire season to be more aggressive. And they have been. Examples have been throwing to Greg Lewis into the wind against Atlanta in the NFC championship game and sticking with the downfield passing in the playoff game against Minnesota, even with a lead. Those are some things they did not do in the past.

I think Reid took a lot of criticism about being too conservative after losing the NFC championship game to Carolina last year. A lot of people said, "Well, they couldn't be aggressive since they couldn't get off press coverage." But I think there are other ways to do it.

Last year when the team wasn't healthy, Reid tried to tighten the fences, and to me he should have gone the other way and opened it up instead of trying to close it down. The problem with playing it close to the vest, it only takes one or two mistakes to totally derail everything that you've done.



Pats haven't faced elusive QB like McNabb
When the Patriots have faced Indy's Peyton Manning, they've been able to focus on covering the wide receivers, because the defense doesn't have to worry at all about Manning running for a potentially game-changing play to keep a drive alive.

With Terrell Owens likely out, or at least limited with his injury, I think you're going to see more scrambling from McNabb. It doesn't have to be the Michael Vick-type of 45-yard run. It could be a 10-yard scramble on third-and-9 that creates more opportunities. The Patriots are going to have to play better than they did against Indianapolis because of McNabb's presence as a scrambler.

Do the Pats elect to spy him and have one guy assigned to make sure McNabb does break a long one? Well, here's the thing, T.O. or no T.O., Philly has a lot of guys that can get out on routes and become pass-catchers. And will the Patriots be willing to commit a guy to McNabb and take a chance on being a man short in the secondary?


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