Eagles 'Dream Team' Season Slowly Turning Into a Nightmare

For the third week in a row, the Philadelphia Eagles went into the fourth quarter of a game with a lead over their opponent. That is, until they coughed up the lead in that same quarter, for three consecutive losses! For some unknown reason, the Eagles have completely collapsed in the fourth quarter this season, leaving many of the Philly phaithful with plenty of questions, and hardly any direct answers.

So what is it that has this talented group of players on a losing streak? Some argue that the coaches aren't properly using the talent, while others argue that the talent is underachieving. Another argument is that the team is full of 'Prima Donna's' and there is too much ego on one team. Whatever the reasoning, THEY  NEED TO FIGURE IT OUT, AND QUICK!

Who would have thought that backup-quarterback Vince Young's utterance of the words 'dream team' would come back to haunt the Eagles. Wasn't this the team that many of the experts picked as Superbowl favorites? The Eagles don't have to worry about the dream team label any longer, as many have already written them off as irrelevant.

Being the 'phaitful phan' that I am, I believe that if the Eagles are going to turn it around, then they need to start by defeating a surprising 3-1 Buffalo Bills team on this upcoming Sunday.

Winning is for the Birds!!!

EAGLES: 31
BILLS: 28

NFL.com Game Preview HERE 

ESPN.com Preview HERE 

 

NFL Week 4 @ Parrot Lounge (Eagles vs 49ers)

This past Sunday Phunday was spent at the 'world famous' Parrot Lounge in Ft. Lauderdale Beach. This was a sports bar that I had admittedly been looking forward to the visit for some time.


I had heard of sports bars aimed towards supporting a specific sports team and/or city before, but I had never been to a sports bar that solely supported Philadelphia sports teams outside of an actual bar in Philadelphia, especially since the bar is located right in the 'stomping grounds' of the Miami Dolphins and Florida Marlins. Welcome to the Parrot Lounge.


The Parrot Lounge is fully decorated in everything Philadelphia sports. At the entrance, a banner flew above the front that read "Eagles country." It was soon after that I felt at home. Out of the 200 people (estimate) inside and outside, there wasn't a single person who wasn't donning at least one form of Philadelphia sports memorabilia.

The place was pretty much packed to capacity with 'phans', but of course, being around fellow 'phans' made it easy to get along with the other patrons. We sat outside to enjoy the beautiful day and watch the birds on the big screen out front. For me, they had an awesome selection of craft brewed beers, specifically of the IPA type.They had bucket specials available, but they were mostly were for your generic domestic beers. To compliment my beer, of course I had to have try a Parrot Lounge Philly cheesesteak, and it didn't disappoint!


Overall, this was 'hands down' the best Philly sports bar that I have been to in South Florida. Great atmosphere, great people, great food, great beer, and an all around great time. This lounge is everything that you want and more out of a bar that supports your Philadelphia Eagles, Phillies, Flyers, and 76ers.

 

GRADE: A+

The Parrot Lounge

911 Sunrise Lane
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33304

(954) 563-1493

 

Parrot Lounge Website HERE

Parrot Lounge Facebook Page HERE

Michael Vick Breaks His Hand... Or Not

As I said in the last post, The Eagles lost badly to the rival New York Giants. In the process, Vick, who had returned early from a mild concussion (suffered in the previous weeks game), was under pressure constantly in this game as well.

Vick led the Eagles out of a 14-0 hole to bring the score to 16-14 after the Eagles lousy first quarter. On a 23-yard pass play to wide receiver Jeremy Maclin, Vick took a late-hit from Giant's Chris Canty. On the play, Vick looked to grab his helmet as if he were in pain, but it was actually his hand (non-throwing) that was injured on the play. The hit drew no penalty flags.

After the game, Vick was highly critical of the refereeing, even to the point of stating that "the referees need to do their jobs," and "I don't know why I don't get the penalty flags that the other Quarterbacks do." 

Initially, Vick's hand was diagnosed with having been broken. But a CT scan on Monday showed that he only suffered a deep bone contusion. For the second week in a row, not only did Vick not finish the full four quarters, but his injuries have also been less than originally diagnosed, so for now Vick says that he will "100% start for the Eagles" in this weeks match-up against the San Francisco 49ers.

ESPN.com Analysis HERE

Reuters.com Article on Vick's Hand HERE

NFL Week 3 @ CJ's Draft House (Eagles vs Giants)

This week's Sunday Phunday excursion was spent at CJ's Draft House in Deerfield Beach. I had heard that the owners of this sports bar were themselves from Philadelphia, so they supposedly had a good local following of Philly Phans.

Upon arrival, the place was packed out and the hostess that was on staff told us that there would be at least a 20-minute wait. I expected that there would be some sort of a wait (being that we arrived after half-time), so I grabbed a beer at the bar and waited for a table to become available.

Being that this bar has a reputation of housing many "phans", the place was filled with Eagles gear and patrons donning Eagles Jerseys. While I was waiting, a group of phans told me that my friends and I could sit at their table and order food. I let the hostess know of the change, and we ended up eating with complete strangers, but it didn't feel like it!  It's funny how sports and commonality of a city can bring people together, even though I knew noone sitting beside me at the table.

The Eagles ended up losing the game; bad. But the camaraderie spent with strangers, food quality, service, and overall experience left this phan satisfied and already planing a future return to CJ's Draft House.

Overall Grade: A

CJ's Draft House
1825 West Hillsboro Boulevard
Deerfield Beach, FL 33442
(954) 428-9129

CJ's Website HERE

 

Mike Vick Practices For First Time Since Concussion

So, my prediction wasn't as exactly accurate per se. The Philadelphia Eagles fell to the Atlanta Falcons this past Sunday, with a final score of 35 - 31. For the time that he was in, Vick threw over 200 yards and two touchdowns. That is, until he slammed helmets with fellow teammate Todd Herremans and subsequently left the game with a mild concussion and a bitten tongue.

It's been four days since, and the question that is in everyone's mind is whether or not Vick will be able to play this Sunday's matchup against the New York Giants. According to Head Coach Andy Reid and Head Athletic trainer Rick Burkholder, Vick was immediately aware of his surroundings and barely failed cautionary concussion testing on the sidelines.

Today, Vick was cleared to practice with the team for the first time since Sunday's accident. It's unclear whether or not he has been medically cleared by an independent neurologist (now part of the NFL's mandatory concussion testing) or fully gone through 'impact testing'. As of right now, Vick is not officially listed on the team's injury report.

Although backup QB Mike Kafka performed well while Vick was on the sidelines; Philly phans better hope that Vick is able to get back on the field for Sunday's matchup with a hungry Giants team. He undoubtedly gives them the best chance to succeed.

NFL.com Analysis HERE

ESPN Analysis HERE

NFL Kickoff at Carolina Ale House

September 11, 2011 - I went to check out the Philadelphia Eagles game at the Carolina Ale House in Boynton Beach this past Sunday. It was not only the kickoff of the NFL season, but also the ten-year anniversary of the terrorist attacks on our country.

I had never been to the Carolina Ale House before, but found it to be a cozy/comfortable environment when going to watch a game and/or grab a bite to eat. I sat at the outside patio with a couple of friends, and of course posted up right in front of the Eagles' game. It was pretty hot outside, but the Carolina Ale House had plenty of fans with misters' to help with the temperature.

Our waitress didn't tell us about any specific 'deals' that they had going on (although she was very busy), but a quick glance at the company website reveals a couple of incentives to visit the Carolina Ale House, no matter the day of the week:  

• HOME OF THE $1.50 PBR DRAFTS & $1.99 ICE HOUSE !!!
All day, every day!

• $1.50 Mondays
$1.50 Pints and Bottles of Miller Lite, Coors Light, Icehouse, Yuengling & PBR, 7pm until close!

• Kid's Day
Kid's eat free on Tuesdays! Limit one free meal per adult entrée.

• Ladies' Night
Ladies drink free! 10pm to until close, every Thursday.

• 5 for $10.00 Buckets & $7.99 Pitchers
Miller Lite, Coors Light, Icehouse, & MGD 64

• 5 for $15 or $3.00 Pints
Heineken, Heineken light, Amstel Light and Dos Equis Lager

• $3.00 Captains & Smirnoff OR $5 doubles All day, every day!

Overall, I would definitely recommend the Carolina Ale House to anyone who wants to catch the game (preferably Eagles and Phillies) and/or enjoy a basket of wings, fries, or a burger. They offer a wide selection of draft and bottled beers, and a decent sized menu to fit most anyone's appetite. Although it comes with the territory, my only complaint would be the lack of table space for their outdoor patio. If you have a party larger than four people, you will have an interesting afternoon experimenting with ways of how your going to eat your food with your neighbor's elbow in your ribs. Other than that, enjoy and go check them out!

GRADE: B+

Carolina Ale House Home Page - Boynton Beach
365 N. Congress Avenue
Boynton Beach, FL 33426
(561) 735-7848