Save the Celebration for when it Really Counts

Okay, first off, I'm a bit of a curmudgeon. I will openly admit that. Some see pessimism as a negative world view, but I merely categorize it as a necessary checkpoint for properly managing expectations. Because if you expect that things are going to go the way you want them to for the most part, you're expecting incorrectly.

This is why, as an Eagles fan, I'm trying to maintain some modicum of perspective regarding Philadelphia's highly improbably 38-31 come-from-behind win over the N.Y. Giants at the Meadowlands yesterday, a game that was crucially important for both teams coming in with a 9-4 record and tied for first place in the NFC East Division standings. Oh, and this makes it a season sweep for the Birds over the Giants, and marks the sixth consecutive victory for Philly over New York. Oh, and this is the second Eagles-Giants game in a row where the G-Men looked for all the world like they had it all wrapped up, only to piss it away in the final moments. Oh, and the Giants held a 31-10 lead with just under 8 minutes remaining, and the Eagles capped off this seemingly fictional comeback with a DeSean Jackson 65-yard punt return with less than 10 seconds on the clock when all that New York's punter had to do was kick the Godforsaken football out of bounds.

Sounds like it must feel pretty damn good to be an Eagles fan right now, huh? Okay. Fine. It feels pretty good. TODAY it does.

I would argue that by tomorrow, it shouldn't feel so great anymore, because the Birds haven't won anything in the 2010-11 season yet. Haven't clinched the division title, haven't even clinched a playoff spot. Yes, the last two games will be played within the comfortable confines of The Linc, against Minnesota and then Dallas (which is playing much better since the Wade Phillips firing). But if the Giants beat the Packers in Green Bay next Sunday, they're in the playoffs. And I don't know about any other Eagles fans, but as I live and breathe, I want NO part of the New York football Giants a third time this year, and you shouldn't either.

Look, I recognize that it's nice to be able to enjoy the kind of moment that occurred yesterday. You don't get them often, no matter who you root for. But I would hate to think the team, and the fans, and pretty much everyone pulling for the boys in green, are lulling themselves into some false sense of confidence or security, only to be brought back to reality in the form of some unexpected thrashing in the next couple of weeks, or by the Gods, in the playoffs (let's make it there first).

As a follow-up to that point, does anyone else feel like DeSean Jackson is just pissing off the karma Gods to no end with his endzone chicanery at this point? Can someone bring this guy back down to earth? I know he's an incredibly, immensely talented player, and the Eagles are lucky to have him (they probably wouldn't be in this position right now without him). But does he really think that passing off his antics as "entertainment" is really an appropriate way to explain his behavior? Really DeSean? Do you think the mostly Giants-partisan fanbase at that game in the Meadowlands yesterday was "entertained" by your unnecessary glide across the one-inch line as one last "eff you" before waltzing into the end zone? Do you think the Dallas fans were "entertained" by your 'falling backwards' across the goal line in that road victory over the Cowboys? Do you not think all of this is going to come crashing down horribly someday in the form of some gut-wrenching disappointment the likes of which Philadelphia sports fans have never experienced? Again, call me a pessimist if you like, but the touchdown taunting B.S. can't possibly mean good things for the Birds in the long run. It just can't.

Name me the last time a memorable Super Bowl winning team or athlete bookmarked his/their accomplishment in the game of all games with some cocky gesture that still stands out today? Yeah, I can't think of that time either.

Okay, so, in review, the Eagles are a phenomenally talented team ... offensively. The defense has a LOT of holes in it (one of the last in the league statistically in red-zone situations), and the never-ending injuries on both sides of the ball aren't helping. Andy Reid still makes me want to jump through the screen and strangle him at times, like when he pocketed the red challenge flag yesterday on that OBVIOUSLY horrible call when Jackson was clearly down before the ball came out, then it was ruled a fumble and the Giants recovered. But if Michael Vick, Jackson and the rest of the offense can continue to bail out the rest of this team's inadequacies with mind-bending, incomprehensible heroics on offense (and occasionally on special teams), then God Bless. But do NOT fool yourselves, Eagles fans, into thinking this is somehow a well-rounded, powerhouse football team. Because it's not. The smoke-and-mirrors stuff they're pulling in most of their wins is highly impressive, I'll grant you that. But it feels like it's only a matter of time until the many weaknesses of the 2010-11 Eagles are exposed in the most embarrasing of ways.

Let's put it this way ... if the Eagles played that hated team from up north in Foxboro right now, it would be UGGGGLY. Did anyone see that Sunday night game against the Packers? You know, the one that we all thought would be over about halfway through the second quarter because Aaron Rodgers wasn't starting for Green Bay? Did you guys see Matt Flynn, who has less NFL experience than most third-string QBs in the league, fearlessly drive his team down the field against that Pats defense for four straight quarters, with a chance to win the game until the final ticks elapsed off the clock? Yeah, I saw it too, and also couldn't believe it. But New England found a way to win. Like they always do. Now THAT is a complete football team.

Birds fans, enjoy that "Miracle at the Meadowlands - Part Deux" that you saw yesterday. It might just be the pinnacle of the Eagles' 2010-11 season. I hope I'm wrong. But I don't think I will be unless a lot of stuff is corrected over the next few weeks. At least they are in the driver's seat for a division title and a shot at the No. 2 overall seed in the NFC. They can't blame anyone else if things don't turn out how they want.