Spring Break
Eagles Just Miss Out On Newest Miracle
New England Sports
Chris Brodeur
Issue date: 11/28/07 Section: Sports
Legendary sportscaster Al Michaels ("Do you believe in miracles?") was 7 minutes, 20 seconds away from narrating another monumental upset on Sunday night when the mighty New England Patriots awoke from a three-and-a-half quarter nap and Philadelphia Eagles quarterback A.J. Feeley came crashing back down to earth.
It might seem far-fetched to compare the recent regular season match up of the Patriots and the Eagles to a sporting event of such magnitude as the U.S. hockey team's unlikely triumph over the Soviet Union in the 1980 Winter Olympics, but had the Eagles held on, their victory would easily rank as one of this century's most unforeseen; the Patriots were projected by Vegas oddsmakers to win by an NFL-record 23.5 points.
Like most of America, I expected to watch the Pats obliterate a McNabb-less Philly team with a .500 record in the downtrodden NFC. They were, after all, playing in front of the home crowd at Gillette Stadium against a team with lifelong back-up Feeley at the helm, a formula for almost certain admission into the ill-fated blowout club of New England opponents - a group that adds new members weekly. When Asante Samuel zipped into the end zone untouched after snatching away Feeley's second pass of the game, it looked like the inevitable rout was on less than two minutes into the action. But that's where the similarities to 1980's "Miracle" began, in the form of an early score for the heavily favored juggernaut against the seemingly overmatched upstarts.
Sure, one game was played on ice and the other on the gridiron, but minor details aside, there are parallels that can be drawn from the two games that transcend the obvious issue of conflicting sports landscapes. Michaels, of course, had the call for both. The Soviets jumped ahead in their game in similar fashion to the Samuel touchdown, scoring the first goal midway through the first period to quiet a frenzied pack of home fans. But it was Patriots fans that were silenced when Feeley and the Eagles responded with a score of their own, marching promptly down the field for a 77-yard drive capped by a Brian Westbrook run. Feeley struck again early in the second to even the score again with a gorgeous touchdown pass to Greg Lewis. Unfazed by two early deficits, Feeley looked the part of the college hockey players representing our country in Lake Placid, oblivious to the insane odds working against them.
It might seem far-fetched to compare the recent regular season match up of the Patriots and the Eagles to a sporting event of such magnitude as the U.S. hockey team's unlikely triumph over the Soviet Union in the 1980 Winter Olympics, but had the Eagles held on, their victory would easily rank as one of this century's most unforeseen; the Patriots were projected by Vegas oddsmakers to win by an NFL-record 23.5 points.
Like most of America, I expected to watch the Pats obliterate a McNabb-less Philly team with a .500 record in the downtrodden NFC. They were, after all, playing in front of the home crowd at Gillette Stadium against a team with lifelong back-up Feeley at the helm, a formula for almost certain admission into the ill-fated blowout club of New England opponents - a group that adds new members weekly. When Asante Samuel zipped into the end zone untouched after snatching away Feeley's second pass of the game, it looked like the inevitable rout was on less than two minutes into the action. But that's where the similarities to 1980's "Miracle" began, in the form of an early score for the heavily favored juggernaut against the seemingly overmatched upstarts.
Sure, one game was played on ice and the other on the gridiron, but minor details aside, there are parallels that can be drawn from the two games that transcend the obvious issue of conflicting sports landscapes. Michaels, of course, had the call for both. The Soviets jumped ahead in their game in similar fashion to the Samuel touchdown, scoring the first goal midway through the first period to quiet a frenzied pack of home fans. But it was Patriots fans that were silenced when Feeley and the Eagles responded with a score of their own, marching promptly down the field for a 77-yard drive capped by a Brian Westbrook run. Feeley struck again early in the second to even the score again with a gorgeous touchdown pass to Greg Lewis. Unfazed by two early deficits, Feeley looked the part of the college hockey players representing our country in Lake Placid, oblivious to the insane odds working against them.
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