Heard in the Cheap Seats

In this game, there is no shortage of so-called intangibles.  Kurt Warner’s postseason experience.  The Cardinals home-field advantage.  The supposed “nobody respects us” attitude of the Cardinals.The post-benching play of Donovan McNabb.  The Eagles as the “it” team and media darling of this postseason.

Should I stop?  This list could drag on for the entire post and we still wouldn’t come up with a conclusive answer.  The reason being-these are intangibles.  But when you look back through the history of the game, the teams with the right mix of talent and intangibles seem to be the ones that emerge victorious.  If that weren’t the case, teams like the Dallas Cowboys would be hoisting the Lombardi trophy every season based on sheer talent alone.  Experience tells us that is not the case. 

Look no further than the most recent Super Bowl champions for proof that the team with the most talent does not always bring home the hardware.  Few would debate that the Patriots were the most talented team on the field last year but they were left without the ultimate prize.  Why?  They ran up against the buzz saw that was the New York Giants.  With a defense playing out of its mind and a quarterback that put his regular seaon woes in the rearview mirror, the Giants were able to rise to the occasion.

So who will rise to the occasion this Sunday?  Will the Cardinals represent their city and namesake and rise from the ashes as Pheonix does (in this case the NFC West) to make a trip to the Super Bowl.  Or will the Eagles find one last opportunity to end the heartache that has plagued this legion of diehard fans?

Well, in holding to tradition, we won’t tip our hand, but suffice it to say that the Eagles veteran leadership and momentum should be enough to outweigh the home-field advantageand “us against the world” mentatlity of the Cardinals.  When it comes to intangibles, the Eagles hold the edge.

ADVANTAGE: EAGLES