Here's the big news, I was not mugged or beat up, the Eagles fans were downright accommodating last night.
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The tradition continues, lifetime Eagles fan, season ticket holder and Curly R reader/lurker Wilbert Montgomery and I trekked to Philadelphia last night for game two, marking the 16th of the past 17 Eagles-Redskins games we have attended regardless of venue and 14th in a row for me, a streak dating back to 1999 and encompassing three stadiums. The weather was great, the food was good, the people were not too too mean and the Redskins won, not too shabby for a school night...
This being a Monday night game we had to get a move on early and wanted as much time as we could to tailgate and take it all in. We finally hit the road around 2:00 pm from Alexandria Virginia and after a bit of traffic to start with we rolled onto Packer Avenue in Philadelphia around 4:30 pm and then into our standard parking spot on South Lawrence Street.
How I know I am in Philadelphia, the Liberty Fish Company sign.
Wilbert Montgomery, enjoying a beer at our tailgate.
Well we are in the fishpacking section of town. From Packer Avenue down South Lawrence Street all the way to Pattison Avenue it's all seafood so a little dead fish in your tailgate is no big deal.
Wilbert Montgomery created a tailgate feast as always with Smokey Joe in tow. Monday it was steak and salmon and the fish didn't even com off the ground!
Hovering law enforcement helicopter number one directly overhead...
...and number two over the stadium though actually it's hovering the baseball stadium.
Your blogger reflected in Wilbert Montgomery's car window. One minute and 42 seconds, that is the interval between when I first donned my number 89 Santana Moss jersey and when I received my first obscene taunt, a new record.
Tailgating by the freeway entrances, love Philadelphia but hey the parking's free.
Wilbert Montgomery's sister's stepdaughter's 'friend' and Wilbert Montgomery's sister's stepdaughter. She was completely unprepared for the terrain and in refusing to pee on the ground between cars they were forced to enter the game more than an hour ahead of schedule.
Sunset over the chainlink in Philadelphia. You can almost feel the love.
A couple of in-motion flag pictures, lots of flagpoles at an Eagles game.
The crowd on the way in, I saw several of these Redskins number 17 Doug Williams jerseys. Jason Campbell is also number 17.
No, I'm not but thanks for asking. I take a picture of this tricked out RV every time I come to a game.
Wilbert Montgomery's sister and Wilbert Montgomery leading up to the gate.
Open to the public roughly translates into please don't start too many fights.
The facepainting booth, note the line. Gotta support the team.
We made our way in, got some beers (very reasonably priced Budweisers at $5.50 I might add) and made it to our seats, section 136, 10 yard line on Andy Reid's left. Unfortunately my digital camera is not excellent and many of the ensuing pics of gameday action are slightly blurred. Curly R apologizes for the inconvenience and headaches associated with viewing blurry images.
Here is the kicking unit practicing before the game. After so much turmoil in the kicking game over the past few seasons, John Hall, Ola Kimrin, Brett Conway etc etc the kicking game has gone surprisingly smoothly so far this season.
And an action shot of the Eagles Pep Band, the three guys in warmups and backwards hats that run out to midfield with wireless microphones and lead the faithful on a rousing go of Fly Eagles Fly, boy you never get tired of that thing do you:
Fly Eagles flyWhen they run out of things to say on the pregame call-in show on WIP or Howard Esskin smacks them down they just revert to this. That and the 'ass...hole' taunt directed at me with pointed finger are the good times. It's especially endearing when the fathers smack their small children in the head because they are not aggressively enough calling the guy in the Redskins jersey an asshole.
On the road to victory
Fly Eagles fly, score a touchdown one two three
Hit 'em low
Hit 'em high
And watch our Eagles fly
Fly Eagles fly
On the road to victory
E! A! G! L! E! S! EAGLES!
The famous Terry Farrell, Jr., Eagles superfan. Our seats are in his section, he's right on the rail and he is on TV every game and Wilbert Montgomery and I often are in the shot. He taunts me every time but he has a heart of gold and the feather boa and Eagles-themed Mardi Gras beads are fun. I also love that even a superfan, one that consistently rates cheers when he appears on the big screen, is not above getting shitfaced and getting kicked out of the game every now and again. I guess if I went to every game and had to perform at the level of a superfan every game I'd take the occasional night off too, we're not all Cal Ripken for christ sake.
The famous Eagles cheerleaders, I am quite familiar with them though I did not take many photos of them this year.
Perhaps has been a real dropoff in performance and appearance of these women, maybe I'm reacting to this story at Hog Heaven with newfound horndog pride at the Redskins cheerleaders whom I've known for years were the best in the league but whatever I referred to the Eagles' cheerleaders as the Philadelphia Muffintops all night.
I know that is totally undeserved because every one of these women is nearly perfect and a damn sight out of my league but whatever they were not doing it for me last night, maybe I was too sober facing a three hour drive back at midnight. Life is not supposed to intrude into football but OH WELL.
Air Swoop the low budget inflatable mascot made a pregame appearance in section 136. This is the suit that inflates on the inside and the wearer can do things like flip around and make him do all kinds of weebles wobble but they don't fall down antics but the downside is that the arms of the costume don't really extend so he has these little alligator arms and when he's preparing for a trick like flipping over or walking on his hands he hunches over little arms quivering and it looks a little like he's masturbating so I call him Air Swoop the Masturbating Mascot.
How'd you to like to wear this thing around all night. Wonder if Roger Goodell is testing him for HGH.
And here's my fave: the smoke from the opening ceremony fireworks (this was the Eagles' home opener and there was no shortage of theatrics) across the field looks like steam coming off Air Swoop's head, like he's been out there cheering hard in the frozen tundra of Lambeau Field.
Here's the giant American flag they always unfurl, carried out by servicemembers. Someone always falls under or loses their cover on it.
Boy those Philadelphians love America they just hate Washingtonians.
This is new, or rather a new one of these, the giant eagle head the players run out of, like so much predigested carrion to be fed to baby Eagles fans.
A blurred shot of Chris Cooley coming out, I have been worried that mr. moneyman Captain Chaos would have a new-contract dropoff in performance since he does not have to worry about financial stability in the near term and he yet may disappoint but for every dropped pass Monday night he had a touchdown as an offset.
They had new introduction graphics for the players. Donovan McNabb's nickname is now apparently Super 5.
Linebacker Takeo Spikes, playing in his first career Monday Night Football game. He had five tackles.
Cornerback Sheldon Brown, he only had one tackle playing the lead guy with Lito Sheppard out.
Safety Brian Dawkins. He left the game in the fourth quarter with a neck stinger.
Rocky Balboa. What is it with this town and Rocky? No Way Out was set in Washington and you don't see us getting all weepy over Kevin Costner.
6:23 left 2nd quarter Mike Sellers up the middle.
The Eagles 75th anniversary logo, pretty cool. The Eagles are one year younger than the Redskins but never changed cities or names. They were a 1933 expansion team.
Halftime stats. Note the Redskins doubling up the passing yards on the Eagles.
Donovan made a televised plea at halftime for people to please stop booing man, we're doing the best we can and that's not helping.
Second half action, a little inside baseball football: the camera dude covering the Eagles sideline had a cheat sheet with what looks like the Redskins coaches for lining up closeups. Damn liberal media, always looking to exploit the situation.
10:33 left 3rd quarter but before the Eagles could line up and send Brian Westbrook up the middle for two Andre Carter squatted down and took a shit right on the field I can't believe he didn't get ejected.
24 seconds left 4th quarter, Clinton Portis about to earn three yards.
14:17 left 4th quarter, Jason letting one go for Chris Cooley, a 9 yard gain. Chris is already turning back for the ball and Ladell Betts is pushing Sheldon Brown around the edge on a corner blitz. Good pickup, this play netted a first down.
Another dude that taunts me every time and remembers me, you could tell the fans just were not feeling it from their team, in the second half this guy started with the JOE GIBBS FUCKING SUCKS JEFF GORDON'S GONNA KICK TONY STEWART'S ASS JOE GIBBS RACING MY ASS right at me at which point I turned to Wilbert Montgomery and asked him to remind me where we were.
12:08 left 4th quarter, a big screen replay of Todd Yoder's 18 yard catch that put the Redskins at first and goal from the six. Clinton ran it in on the next play to put the Redskins up 20-9.
This was how the stats looked going into the fourth quarter, before Clinton scored the final touchdown. Clinton and Ladell were matching together what Brian Westbrook was doing on his own and Jason Campbell had 100 more passing yards than Dono.
The Philadelphia Muffintops. Lotta...buttledge going on down there. I know, it's terrible of me to say that.
10:50 left 4th quarter, that's LaRon Landry on top of Dono and Cornelius Griffin next to him after sacking him.
9:52 left 4th quarter, the Eagles huddling up before running a pass play to Jason Avant, man that guy catches everything you throw at him.
9:23 left 4th quarter, Brian Westbrook on a pass play about to get run out of bounds for a seven yard gain at the Redskins 16 by David Macklin and Rocky McIntosh.
Two plays later, 8:22 left 4th quarter, Brian Westbrook on another pass play for four yards to the Redskins 11 yard line, getting hammered by David Macklin, Carlos Rogers and Sean Taylor. The Eagles went to Brian five times on this 12 play drive that netted a field goal to trim the Redskins lead to 20-12. Plus, bonus Muffintops coverage, there's a good look at some sweet buttledge.
The real Swoop
2:58 left 4th quarter desperation time Eagles trail 20-12, fourth and five yards. Dammit if the Dono did not hit Reggie Brown on this play for 19 yards at which point I knew the Redskins would lose.
And then my camera batteries died.
Not pictured: the Philadelphia masses, all leaving their seats at once, huddling on the concourse with one eye on the game in case the Eagles scored and one foot out the gate, the final play with LaRon laying wood on Mormon Kevin Curtis, Jason Campbell's two kneeldowns and the Eagles fans leaving in disgust heaping boos onto the team, the relatively peaceful walk back to South Lawrence Street (lots of worst case scenarios playing out around us with fans worried if the Eagles will win a game), the rush out to the highway and the drive back to Alexandria, all three hours of it, arriving at Curly R worldwide headquarters at 2:49 am ET, Wilbert Montgomery collapsing on my couch, me collapsing in bed after waking up and annoying the missus.
A great game, a worthwhile trip and the stream continues. We will resume this rivalry and this streak 11 November 2007 at Redskins Stadium for the 17th of the past 18 and my 15th straight Eagles-Redskins game.
All photos by me.
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