Wheels Up to Arizona – Some parting thoughts!
by John Kincade
My guess is we are over Tennessee about now and we still have 3.5 hours until we see a touchdown in Phoenix. The anticipation level is quite high and the flight is pretty full. Lots of Eagles gear on display and at Gate A13 they blared the Eagles flight song over the speakers to get the travelers ready to revel. It was a perfect send off with everyone smiling and happy anticipating a fantastic week. I’ve got a lot of things racing through my head.
– After visiting Arizona earlier this season it’s such an amazing feeling to be going back! The October trip ended in victory when the Cardinals missed a game tying field goal as time ran out. It was very exciting. I want no such excitement on Sunday evening. If the Eagles are either waiting to kick or awaiting the outcome of one at the buzzer I’m most likely puking!
– Much like the Eagles playoff games vs the Giants and the 49ers there has been very little betting line movement. Rarely do you see 3 critical games where the line after 12 hours holds so firmly. That concerns me just a little. Everything I look at tells me the Eagles are the superior team. The current 1.5 point line in favor of Philly shows them very little respect. It could also be the immense respect that gamblers have for Patrick Mahomes. I believe the line should be at least Eagles -3.5
– I was informed today that Radio Row has been renamed “Media Row” in some publication by the Arizona Host Committee. There are as many podcasts as there are radio stations represented this time around. It shows you the ever evolving face of media. On demand programming matters. Thankfully between our app, website and You Tube we give you many ways to consume the daily content.
– The feeling I have as we departed Philadelphia was one of great confidence. After watching and then hearing much of the Media Night coverage I’m more convinced than ever that one of my fears won’t be realized. The Eagles don’t have the look of a young team that is just excited to be there. There were smiles and laughing, but there was a business like approach to media night that impressed me. Jalen Hurts is completely at ease and in charge. Nick Sirianni was ready for his close up and shared a stage with Andy Reid acting every bit his peer. I know, it doesn’t mean anything once the game kicks off but I have seen teams wide eyed at these events. It rarely turned out well.
– The storyline that keeps coming to my mind is one of “ball control”. The idea that keeping the ball away from the opponent is almost as important as scoring on every possession. Trying to limit the possessions of KC is easily one of the best strategies and the Eagles offense has the expertise and recent success to rely on it to work. If Patrick doesn’t have the ball he can’t beat you with it!
– Please join us the rest of the week from Phoenix! I wish we could have taken you along with us!
