Outsports
Ring Of Honor

Advertise on Outsports.com

Discuss these columns and the Super Bowl

By Cyd Zeigler

Should any of us be surprised that Susan Lucci grew up just across the river from Philadelphia in Garden City, N.J.? 

I remember how excited some people would get every time the Emmys rolled around. This, they would say, was Lucci’s year. The "All My Children" star had been nominated for a Best Daytime Actress Emmy 11 times and had never won. This, on her 12th try, would be it. She’d break the curse and win the award. To her, just being nominated wasn’t enough anymore – she was too hungry to be denied. 

But, she didn’t win it that 12^th time. Or the 13^th. Not the 14^th or 15^th, either. On the 16^th, people figured she had to win it. Nope. Nor on the 17^th. And still not the 18^th. The 19^th time she was nominated, she finally won the Emmy – at that point, shocking everyone. 

Philadelphia is the Susan Lucci of sports. Just when you think the old bat has been there too many times to lose another one, she’ll choke it away just to remind you that, no, this is not just a fluke. 

The whole area is infected! 

Lucci’s first nomination was in 1978. That was the same year the Philadelphia Eagles ended a 15-year drought of playoff-less football. It was also the year the Eagles started a new tradition in Philadelphia – losing in the playoffs.  

It could be said the Eagles are even sadder sacks than Poor Ms. Lucci. The Italian-American actress ended her drought in 1999; the Eagles started their best string of choke jobs not soon after. 

Maybe the Eagles should take the field in pumps and push-up bras; it finally worked for Lucci; what the Eagles have been doing in their cleats and pads obviously hasn’t worked since 1960. 

Susan Lucci at least won the big one once, which is more than the Eagles can say about Super Bowls.

It’s simply charming to hear the Eagles fans crow about how their team is going to win. It’s a delightful little sideshow, raising the hopes of an entire city. It’s kind of like watching a 5-year-old at the county fair try to toss the tiny plastic ring onto the bottle: you so want him to win that big stuffed teddy bear, but you know he really has no idea how to do it. 

It’s just too bad that this Eagles’ playoff run will end like the rest of the city’s raised hopes in the last year – the choke jobs of Philadelphia’s Smarty Jones, the St. Joe’s men’s basketball team and even these very Eagles – with sad faces stuffing their mouths with those growingly annoying cheese steaks. 

Meanwhile, Boston has found its stride, and the stuff in the water that brought championships this year to the Boston Red Sox and these New England Patriots isn’t going to suddenly dry up in the Quabbin Reservoir. 

Still, it’s entertaining to watch the media circus that is swirling around Philadelphia. 

The media attention of the past week has been indicative of why the Patriots will win. While the press has been focusing on the Eagles' first trip to the Super Bowl in a really long time (I was 9), and Terrell Owens' ankle and whether or not he'll play, the Patriots have been quietly working, studying, planning in Foxboro, protected from the prying press by mountains of snow and two previous Super Bowl victories. 

Luckily for New England, Philadelphia, like Lucci each those 18 years of misery, is the story.  

I vividly remember the last time a team repeated. The Denver Broncos were a solid team and were solid favorites, hoping to win their second Super Bowl in a row. Leading up to the game, the media focused on the Atlanta Falcons, the Dirty Birds, Jamal Anderson and Dan Reeves' rematch with his old team. People (like myself) got completely fooled by watching sports reporters convince themselves that somehow the lesser team from the NFC had a chance-in-hell of winning the game. 

We all know how that one came out. 

It’s the way the Patriots want it. While they use “disrespect” as motivation, they don’t really want to be the story. While the Eagles would be happy with two weeks of hype and a ring, the Patriots want more. For them, it’s about history. It’s about taking their place with the ‘70s Steelers, ‘80s 49ers and ‘90s Cowboys. 

Just in case the Patriots needed more motivation, they received a lovely gem from Eagles second-string-wide-receiver-come-starter-thank-you-very-much-T-O Freddie Mitchell this past week who called out the Patriots’ cornerbacks and safety.  

Seems they’re not too bright in Philadelphia, either. 

The Patriots are the best team in football. They may be the best team in American professional sports. No other group of men are as selfless, as motivated and as committed to one another and the ultimate goal as this Patriots team.  

Even if I hadn’t grown up on Cape Cod, I’d be a fan of this team. How could you not? They are special – and you just can’t say that about any other group of players (I really can’t call any of the other franchises a “team” in comparison to the Patriots) in the NFL. 

Some people claim that a quarterback can’t be considered great if he hasn’t won a Super Bowl. Those people miss the mantra behind the New England Patriots: the Super Bowl isn’t the measure of a man, it’s the measure of a team. It’s those same people who see all of the Pro Bowlers on the Eagles and figure they’re they better team. But a team isn’t the collective talent on the roster, it’s how a group of people play together. 

And none play better than the Patriots. 

How fitting that the Eagles’ preseason should start with a 24-6 shellacking from the New England Patriots; their postseason will end pretty much the same way. 

And when the final ticks of the clock have expired and Bill Belichick has become the first coach ever to win three Super Bowls in four years, Joe In Philly will change his discussion board publicly displayed name – for two weeks – to “Susan Lucci in Philly.” Just a little reminder that yes, my dear, the Susan Lucci curse is for real. 

New England 31, Philadelphia 6. David Patten should be the MVP, but it will go to Tom Brady.

Cyd Zeigler is co-founder of Outsports and grew up on Cape Cod as a Patriots fan.

Cyd Will Be Wrong Once Again

By Joe Guckin

Once upon a time, there was a team that reached a championship game for the first time in many years. They faced an opponent that was seemingly more talented, had won that game in the recent past, and had the home-field advantage. Thus they were a prohibitive underdog in that game. Not only did many experts pick against them, but a lot of people didn’t even think it would be competitive. 

As it turned out, the game was much closer than the so-called experts imagined. Despite the loss of key players on defense due to injuries they actually led the game at halftime, and it took a last-minute interception to finally vanquish them. 

You might remember it. Jan. 27, 2001. NFC Championship game. Rams 29, Eagles 24. St. Louis was supposed to be unbeatable, but indeed they were beaten a week later by the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl. The Rams haven’t been the same since. 

Now we head towards Super Bowl … umm … oh yeah, XXXIX. You know, next year’s SB XL will be easier to remember, but on the other hand it will be ripe for constant media references to it being extra large. Oh, brother. Plus the game is in…brrrrrr…Detroit. But I digress.

New England is now the seemingly unbeatable team and people are piling on to award them the victory in advance, including one Cyd Zeigler, who calls the game 31-6 for his beloved Pats over the Eagles. Allow me, however, to remind you of two of his previous picks: Falcons 27, Eagles 17 (later revised downward to 13) and Vikings 27, Eagles 16. Both picks went horribly, horribly wrong for him. 

I also ask you, when thinking about predictions, to think about one of the co-champions of this year’s Outsports NFL Pick 'Em game. We don’t need to name him, but let’s just say it wasn’t Cyd, not by a long shot. This same person told you in an Outsports article in 2002 not to count out the Eagles after Donovan McNabb’s broken ankle put him out for the rest of the regular season and many thought they’d lose the NFC East to the Giants. The Birds ended up winning five in a row to put the division on ice. Ok, it was me. I’m bragging. Sue me. 

Boston fans have become as obnoxious as Yankees fans.

So this seems to be a good point for a goofy wager. If the politicians can do it, why can’t we? My proposal is this: Sometime after the Eagles win, at a public venue – perhaps the next Outsports Convention – I want to see Cyd, dressed in Eagles garb, sing the Eagles Fight Song. Perhaps it can be captured on video and posted on the Web for all to see. 

Here are some more things to ponder. Unlike that title game against the Rams, this year’s Eagles aren’t hurting on defense. With Jeremiah Trotter starting at linebacker, the defense is now stalling their opponents’ running attack – witness the lack of production from Atlanta’s DVD backfield (Dunn, Vick, Duckett) in the NFC title game (the one where Cyd’s prediction went horribly, horribly wrong).

The Birds can also rely on three Pro Bowl starters in their secondary. That, along with the pass rush bolstered by Jevon Kearse, should help keep the Patriots’ passing game in check. And while there’s a lot of talk about the genius of the New England coaching and defensive schemes, Andy Reid and defensive coordinator Jim Johnson aren’t exactly slouches. There’s a reason the Eagles are undefeated in their first game after a bye week during the Reid era. The Pats shouldn’t expect to put huge numbers on the scoreboard. 

So it’s up to the Eagles to put enough points on the board. Overlooked in the hype over Peyton Manning, McNabb became the first quarterback to throw more than 30 touchdown passes and fewer than 10 interceptions in a season. He’s been more accurate a passer than ever before and, if need be, can still run it himself. He is helped by an offensive line that is giving him plenty of time to make plays, and by Brian Westbrook. He’s quicker, more versatile and more dangerous than any back the Eagles have had in years. He adds a dimension to the offense that the Eagles haven’t had in their previous playoff runs. 

The X factor is the man you all know and love, Terrell Owens. As I write this, the word is that he will practice with the team during the week leading up to the game, and he ran and cut on the Eagles’ indoor practice field the last two days. If he suffers no setbacks he’ll be used as the third wide receiver. If he shows any kind of speed and ability to get open the Pats’ defense will have to pay close attention to him, which will help the other receivers (including Westbrook, who lines up as a receiver at times). 

The moral of this fairy tale (no pun intended): Underestimate the Eagles at your own risk.  

Besides, aren’t you all sick of the Boston fans and how they’re all shiny happy people now? They’ve had two Super Bowl wins in three years and saw the Curse of the Red Sox finally broken. The people of Boston are now officially like Yankees fans – they’ve had too much winning for their own good.

Championship parades are always more fun when there are long-suffering fans who finally get to celebrate, and heaven knows we’re suffering in Philadelphia. No city with teams in the four major pro sports leagues – well, three major leagues and the NHL – has gone longer without a championship. On Super Bowl Sunday it will be 21 years, 8 months and 6 days since the 76ers won the NBA championship. It’s time for this drought to end. 

Eagles 20, Patriots 16. 

And we’ll live happily ever after.

Joe Guckin's handle on the Outsports Discussion Board is "Joe in Philly," which tells all you need to know about his loyalties.

Discuss these columns and the Super Bowl