EAGLES MUST COMPLETE THE DEAL

The Philadelphia Eagles of the last decade are one of the best teams in sports history that have received so little love from their fans and most NFL fans in general. Now Eagles fans are quite crazy (they booed Santa Claus), but you would think Andy Reid was Matt Millen and Donovan McNabb was Ryan Leaf by the way they treat their team sometimes. Just seven weeks ago it appeared the Reid/McNabb era was coming to an end. The fans would have received their wish and Kevin Kolb and an unproven coordinator would have been called in to run the show next season.

However, when the Eagles square off against the Cardinals in the desert this upcoming Sunday it will be their fifth NFC Championship Game appearance since the 2001 season. They are also 7-0 (McNabb 6-0) in opening playoff games during their run. The tandem of Donovan McNabb and Andy Reid has been highly successful, and despite the rival Giants winning the Super Bowl last year, the Eagles have been the better NFC East team. Just ask Buffalo Bills fans how much success means if you don't complete the deal and cap off your run with a Super Bowl championship. On the flip side, you can ask Peyton Manning just how much different his life is now that he finally won a Super Bowl two years ago.

Now is the time for the Eagles finally to win their Super Bowl. The path has been somewhat paved for them now that they have cleared the Giants hurdle and seen three of the top four teams fall. The Arizona Cardinals took full advantage of six Carolina turnovers to advance, but if the Eagles can't beat the Cards here, they will never win a title. They've already beaten them by four touchdowns this year. The best team in the final four is the Pittsburgh Steelers, but the Eagles beat their offensive line and Ben Roethlisberger like a drum in Week 3. As for the Baltimore Ravens, you don't think that McNabb would love to get back at them for causing him the most embarrassing moment of his career? And that game was only 10-7 Ravens when McNabb was pulled for Kevin Kolb.

If the Eagles can figure out a way to win two more games, this team's decade will be remembered forever in Philadelphia. This franchise is buried in a division where the other three teams have done nothing but win. The Cowboys have five titles and the Giants and Redskins have three. No other division has more combined titles, and that the fact they haven't contributed to that count has been a torn in the Eagles side forever. As for next year, don't think that a very deep Giants team and a very talented Cowboys team won't be back as extreme obstacles. A win here would greatly trump the Phillies championship and would cement Reid and McNabb as a heroic duo in Philly, but should they leave their fans at the alter yet again, the most they've done is bought themselves one more year of fans calling for their heads. I believe Reid is one of the best coaches in the game, and McNabb is much better than he is given credit for. However, it is all about the bling, and for their sake they better close the deal.

Pat Morgan