A Few Thoughts on the NFC Championship Game

• It was a fun run while it lasted, and it went a hell of a lot longer than anyone thought it would when the Eagles were 5-5-1 - me included.
• For all of Troy Aikman's gushing, the Cardinals' second touchdown was not a case of poetic Warner throw to poetic Fitzgerald catch. It was a horribly underthrown ball, and the only reason Fitzgerald caught it was that the corner fell down trying to turn around and come back to it. Of such things, though, are legends made.
• David Akers kicked like he owed someone money. You don't expect the guy running a 19 straight postseason field goal streak to miss a PAT. The Eagles wouldn't have gotten there without him, but, man, he was hard to watch.
• Yes, the Eagles got hosed on two critical non-calls for pass interference, including the last play of their penultimate drive. That being said, if Donovan McNabb could have thrown the ball in the same zip code as his receivers at any point, none of that would have mattered and the Eagles would have won by 20. The Cardinals defense clearly could not cover the Eagles' receivers, who time and again were wide open with daylight in front of them, and time and again McNabb failed to deliver the ball. Look, I'm not a McNabb basher - I think he's a classy guy, and a really good quarterback, and I'd rather have him running da Boids than just about anyone else not named "Brady". But we've seen it time and again now - when he gets excited, he muscles up and overthrows his motion to disastrous effect. It's the same thing that happens when a pitcher reaches back for that extra mile or two per hour on his fastball. He might get it, but the pitch flattens out and goes bye-bye. In McNabb's case, the ball either nose-dives into the turf short or sails ten yards too far, when touch is what's needed.
• Nice to see that Sean Considine is upholding the standard for Eagles safeties established by Wes Hopkins and Andre Waters.
• Ah well. Like I said, it was fun when it lasted.