It’s a blessing in disguise to the fact that we lost the game against the Cowboys, and now we have to turn around and play them again in the first round of the playoffs.

I think it works to our advantage because it is very hard to beat a team twice in the same season yet alone two weeks in a row. Plus I love being the underdog; you can always come out and surprise people that way. Because they beat us up pretty good, the Cowboys confidence may be too high which could help us in this game.

It is a divisional rival and we definitely have revenge on our minds and we plan on playing our hearts out and winning the game that really counts, in the playoffs.

Personally, this season I have dealt with adversity, hoping that I would have started more games, but I did what the team needed me to do and stepped it up when I was called upon. Overall I have enjoyed the season, even through all of the ups and downs. It’s a part of playing football in the NFL and you just have to deal with it and do whatever you can to help the team win from week to week.

The second season is here and this is where we have to crank it up another notch and give it everything we have. Because if we don’t, the season will be over and we will all go home, and we definitely do not want that.

We still are taking it one game at a time and hopefully the team will play its heart out and come away with a victory and send the Cowboys home for the winter.

As far as the college bowl games, all that I really cared about is that Georgia won their game 44-21 against Texas A&M. That was a pleasurable game to watch.

Go Eagles!      

Max Jean-Gilles is an offensive lineman for the Philadelphia Eagles. His blog for www.playerpress.com runs at www.maxjeangilles62.com.

The game against the Giants this week was a great game for us. We started out strong and we never gave up.

Right now, I have a shoulder injury and I have not played the last couple of games. I am anxious to get back on the field and start playing again. It has been bothering me since a little bit since training camp, but I really injured it during the Saints game.

The Giants game was electric; it definitely had a playoff atmosphere to it. It almost felt like the Super Bowl. The Eagles fans were great and you could feel the electricity in the stadium. I haven’t felt that feeling for a long time and it was a great experience.

It was a big sports weekend in Philadelphia this weekend with us playing our biggest rivals the Giants, plus the Phillies and the Yankees in the World Series. The fans were pumped up, screaming and yelling, and going crazy and we gave them what they came to see with our big win against the Giants.

We have another big divisional game this weekend against the Cowboys. This game is also at home so I am sure that the fans will once again be pumped up for this game as well. I’m not sure which team the fans hate worse between the Giants or the Cowboys, I think it may be even. All I know is that Eagles fans don’t like either the Giants or the Cowboys very much at all. As a matter of fact, the fans probably hate the Giants and the Cowboys. So as a team, we want to get a win and give them what they want and send the fans home happy.  

All of my teammates are excited about the game and I am hoping that I can get back on the field and join them in the game. I am sure the electricity in the stadium will be just as intense as it was against the Giants.

A win against the Cowboys and two wins in a row against divisional opponents would be a huge step for us in the division and give us an edge to a Division Championship and possible home field advantage in the playoffs.

On my day off, I cleaned the house, nothing to get too excited about. It is starting to get cold in Philly and they are saying that there are possible snowstorms on Thursday. Being from Georgia, I’m not looking forward to snow.

This is a big week and hopefully we can get after the Cowboys and dominate them just as we did the Giants. I know the team is ready and raring to go, and we want to make a statement in the NFC East.

Go Eagles!   

Max Jean-Gilles is an offensive lineman for the Philadelphia Eagles. His blog for www.playerpress.com runs at www.maxjeangilles62.com.

So we beat up on the Bucs this past Sunday and it felt great.

The crowd was great and they loved every bit of the game, and the players and myself loved the energy that they give us during the game.

As a team we gave up 3 sacks this past weekend, but none of them were against me. I feel that I am improving with each start and getting better from game to game.

The bye week was great and I got to spend some quality time with my family and get away from the cold weather in Philly. Being from the south, cold weather just doesn’t agree with me. I’m used to the temperature being in the 80’s so when it dips into the 50’s along with the wind, that is cold for me.

During the winter up here in Philly when it is really cold, we wear specialized thermal underwear to keep us warm during the games. While you are actually playing, you don’t think about the cold and you are warm, but once you get to the sidelines, you feel it and get cold.

I know it is not really cold right now, especially for the local Philly fans. But it will be here soon enough and I’m just preparing myself for it.

We play the Raiders this week in Oakland, and even though they have not won yet, you can’t underestimate any team in the NFL because they can sneak up on you if you are not prepared and take them for granted.

They have some really good players on their team and you have to prepare for them even more then you would an undefeated team because they are very hungry and trying very hard to get that first win. Winless teams can be very dangerous because of this.

Rookie receiver Jeremy McLain broke out with a huge game against the Bucs. Donavan was back and he had a big game too. It was great game and we all had a good time. It’s all good when you win.

Now just getting ready for the long plane ride to Oakland on Friday to take on the Raiders and the Raider Nation!

Go Eagles!

I played the whole game against the Saints this last weekend.  My ankle is fully healed and it felt great. It was a shame we lost the game but we had a lot of turnovers and penalties and in order to win in this league you have top play practically perfect football.

I didn’t give up any sacks, no penalties were called against me in the game, and I opened up some nice holes on some pulls in the running game. I was very pleased with my game performance, I just wish we could have won the game. 

We are playing Chiefs at home this weekend and we have to come out and execute our game plan and play the game without penalties and turnovers. That will be the only way we can win the game. If we can do that and stick to the game plan, we will win the game.

It’s another home game so we want to play well for the home crowd, especially after how we played last week in front of our fans at home.

The Chiefs are a good team and you can never underestimate any opponent in the NFL regardless of past records. Any team can win on any given Sunday no matter what their record is.

As far as injuries, there were a couple of nicks and bruises, but besides that everyone is doing all right.  Donavan McNabb was running around the field and running a few sprints so he was feeling good, a lot better then last week. We don’t know yet if he is going to play this weeks game. We won’t know until Friday or Saturday depending on he feels.

Kevin Kolb did really well except for the turnovers, he managed the game pretty well and for the most part he threw the ball well. We got behind, which took us away from our running game so he had to throw the ball more then we had originally planned.

Michael Vick will be activated for this game and I am not sure how the coaches are going to get him into the game at some point. I am sure there will be a few wrinkles for Vick to make some plays in the game. Whatever plays they call, I’ll run the play to the best of my ability.

I’m just looking forward to the game on Sunday and getting back on track with a win.

It was the first game of the season and I was real happy with the outcome of the game. We beat the Panthers 38-10 in Carolina.

I mostly played on the field goal unit and banged up my knee a little bit but I will be fine and I have no doubt that I will be playing this Sunday without a problem.

The defense really stepped up in the game, and they made the offensive unit’s job real easy. The whole team played real fast and they played the game more like it was the last game of the season and not the first game. There was a ton of energy and as a team we were flying all over the place.

All of the rookies that played in the game played fast and did their job as well. When you are winning the game, it makes it real fun and the whole team played well during the entire game.

McNabb hurt his ribs on a touchdown run half way through the third quarter and did not play the rest of the game. Depending on how he feels Thursday or Friday, I expect that he would play this Sunday against the Saints.

We’ll be playing at home this week which will give us a big advantage because the home crowd will be jacked up it being the first home game and all. I am really looking forward to it. The energy of the fans at home games gets all of us all jacked up and give it our all. I think our defense will give Brees a lot harder of a time than the Lions defense did. I know it will be a challenge, but we’ll be up for it and ready for it.

Bringing Jeff Garcia back was a great move because he’s played with us before and knows the system so he will be able to step in and help us a lot if we need him too. He did help lead the team to the playoffs a couple of years ago.

I am expecting to get back on the field real soon and I am going through treatment right now and I should be fine and ready to go this week against the Saints.

Go Birds!    

I feel very excited about the upcoming 2009 season.

My ankle feels great, I am in top shape, and healthy right now so I am ready to go.

I have four years under my belt in the NFL now so I am more confident than I have ever been and I truly believe that I can be that shut down guard on the offensive line that the Eagles are looking for.

Despite the injuries that the Eagles have had on the offensive line this year, as a unit we still have enough depth on the roster to get the job done and be consistent from week to week this season.  Everyone on the line has played a lot of downs so we all have the experience necessary to succeed and help the team win games.

The preseason just flew by and right now, I would have to say that it was all a blur. This year as a whole went by pretty fast and everything including mini camps, OTA’s and training camp went by pretty fast too.

Now the season is here and we are getting ready to play the first game of the season against the Carolina Panthers this Sunday in North Carolina.

I just feel good. I have a great feeling that this is gonna be an exciting year for me and the Eagles.

The game of football is definitely mental and that is why we spend countless hours in the film rooms watching film.

About the preseason games so far, I feel that I have done fairly well in my time on the field. I have not given up any sacks yet and I have held my man down very well during the games.

There is no doubt that there are many different looks going on right now for the offensive line but we are a young unit and we are getting it done!  

I love the overall rush of being on the football field. It is the best high that there is.

Mike Vick is definitely a real down to earth guy and just wants to fit in with everyone else on the team. He is very smooth talking and very calm spirited. He introduced himself to everybody as a teammate and not as anything else or anyone else.

I feel that every person (and I stress person) deserves a second chance to prove him or herself after their mistakes and from their wrong doings. He loves the game of football and he definitely seems to be paying his debt to society. I am glad to have him as a teammate and happy that the Eagles organization gave him this chance to prove himself again.

This week should be very interesting because he is a great player and I am very excited to see his abilities on the field this Thursday against Jacksonville.

Everyone on the team was very excited when Coach Reid officially announced that we had signed Michael Vick in the locker room after the game on Thursday. Man, the news we got about signing Vick was great! I couldn't be more excited.

He is gonna be a tremendous impact to this offense. With all of this firepower I don't know how these defenses are gonna be able to contain our offense now. Defenses will not be able to key in on any single player on our offense now. It should be very exciting to watch.

I think the reaction of the team to Vick being on the squad was a very positive one. Donovan McNabb has actually been pushing for Vick to be an Eagle with the higher ups of the team, so contrary to popular belief with the media, there is absolutely no bad blood between the two quarterbacks. I think they are both looking very forward to working with each other and helping the team win games. 

As far as the game itself, I think that I played pretty good last night. It just felt so good to get back on the field. I haven't hit someone on the field since last December in the playoffs. It felt really good to get out there on the field and hit someone not wearing green again.

I made two simple mistakes in the game, but other than that, I think I played OK. And that is what the preseason is all about, learning from your mistakes and getting better.

I know as a team that we have a lot of injuries right now, but that's the name of the game. Now is a perfect time for the younger guys to step it up and fill that void and show these coaches that they have the talent and can play in the NFL. Injuries or not, and as much as you hate to see them, as a team you kind of need injuries in order to build competition and depth at each position.

So far training camp is going very well and better than expected.

Tuesday, I must say that it was a very interesting day. During practice tempers flared and a brawl broke out between the guys on the offensive line and the defensive backs.  These things will happen during training camp due to the aggressiveness and competitiveness that occurs between the two positions.

Some people may think that teammates fighting are a bad thing. But it really isn’t. It just shows the determination and drive that we all have to succeed and win and to always be on the top of our games. These things happen in the heat of the battle, and with the hard workouts and the summer heat, players get testy with each other and brawls are bound to happen during training camp.

But once it was over, we were all smiling and laughing with each other afterwards. It was more like when you get in a fight with your brother, it is intense while it is happening, but once it’s over, you come closer together and always have each other’s backs.

Training Camp has really seemed to have gotten a little easier this year than in the past because we practice in the morning and are pretty much free in the afternoons for the most part. This is a good thing because I have been trying to get a lot of rest and resting my body so that I am at 100%.

During my free time during training camp I love to play Madden 09 with my roommates, Nick Cole, Jamaal Jackson and Todd Herremans, and whoever else is wandering around and just happens to walk through the door LOL! And we are all just as competitive on Madden as we are on the actual football field, we hate to lose and we want to win!

And of course we all want to be the Eagles.