The Eagles take Arizona seriously - really

The Eagles take Arizona seriously - really
January 16
Philadelphia Inquirer columnist Bob Ford
"The Eagles are saying the right things this week about the Arizona Cardinals. If you look deeply into their eyes, there isn't even a glint of a hint of dishonesty when they say they are taking the Cardinals very, very seriously. And then they nod. Very, very seriously.It could be that when they get behind the tinted glass of their monster trucks and leave work, they turn up the music so no one can hear and scream, "All we have to do to get to the Super Bowl is beat the stinking Arizona Cardinals! Mwah-ha-ha-ha!"And could you blame them? I mean, really, the Arizona Cardinals? One of the most inept franchises in the history of the National Football League? A division champion by default in the tattered ruins of the NFC West? The Arizona Cardinals?Yes, those guys.That is not what they are saying, however, and it is true that any team with bruised toes from a season of unexpected stumbles shouldn't be taking anyone else lightly.You know the refrain. If you can't beat the Cincinnati Bengals . . . if you can't get one stinking yard against the Chicago Bears . . . if you can't slip past a broken and empty Washington Redskins team . . . yes, all of that.That was then, however. Now the Eagles are riding the wave of confidence they have built from the still water around their ankles after the Nov. 23 loss to Baltimore. The first rising tide came just days later - a 28-point win over the - that's right - Arizona Cardinals.Now the streak has reached six wins in the last seven games, including solid playoff victories over Minnesota and the defending champion New York Giants. The Eagles are being carried by their defense, but quarterback Donovan McNabb is healthy and the offense is dangerous as well. Against Arizona in November, McNabb threw four touchdown passes and had his second-highest passer rating of the season, behind only the season-opening rout of St. Louis.Still, what you get this week is what you expect to get, and what you should get. You just wonder if they really believe it."There is no time for looking past anybody," Brian Dawkins said. "We're on the road, in hostile environment. We're not looking at that last game and thinking the same thing is going to happen again. We understand it's going to be tough to win and we will have to have our A-game to do it.""
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