Warning: getimagesize(/home/moviehaw/public_html/wp-content/uploads/2007/01/akers1.jpg) [function.getimagesize]: failed to open stream: No such file or directory in /home/moviehaw/public_html/wp-content/themes/sofa_memento/functions.php on line 544
Last night’s 23-20 Philadelphia Eagles victory over the New York Giants will have plenty of storylines attached to it – the team finally managing the clock correctly, the continued resurgence of the team under Jeff Garcia, the reassertion that nobody quite knows what to make of this wild, rather pathetic NFC – but the most entertaining should be the return of The Bearded One, Koy Detmer, to the team. Like 2005′s resigning of Chad Lewis to fill a playoff-specific role, Detmer’s return showcases the calculating side of Andy Reid and the Iggle front office. In an eerie bit of precognition, considering Saturday night’s debacle in Seattle (go cry to Carrie, Romo), Reid acknowledged the importance of special teams – a strength in recent years for the Eagles – in close games. Having Detmer around to hold for David Akers was a crucial insurance policy, and last night’s ending feels all the more special because Detmer was brought in for just such an occasion. Like Lewis before him, Detmer will probably cash his last Eagles paycheck whenever these playoffs end, and Akers will spend the offseason getting used to another holder, but after an acrimonious year and a half, it’s nice to see a feel-good story coming from the Eagles’ brass.