Duke Men's B-ball: A Down Year

This past week on "Around the Horn," two panelists were asked if Duke's loss to Marquette was a big deal. For me, not really. I'm sure X-Man is delighted (Temple fan), but this year's Duke team is Duke only because of the name on the front of the jerseys.

Duke shot 38% and had 16 turnovers, and were out-rebounded 29-28. Not going to win too many games with those stats.

Let's see - they start two forwards and three guards. The only guys with any muscle appear to be McRoberts and Nelson. Paulus is still slow, recovering from his ankle injury, and as a result, he's going to have a bundle of TO's. Thomas looks pretty good, but like Henderson and Scheyer, he looks really thin. Carolina is going to eat these guys for lunch. We're looking at 9-11 losses this year, and they're lucky they have Duke on their jerseys to squeak into the NCAA field.

-P

UNC 45, Duke 44

Double ugh. Duke just finds ways to lose. This time, a blocked extra point (kicking hasn't really been a point for this time, has it?). The good thing is, no more losses this year.

Season record: 0-12. ACC record: 0-8.

Georgia Tech 49, Duke 21

Ugh.

Next loss: November 25 vs. UNC

Boston College 28, Duke 7

Ugh x 2. Even Temple and Stanford have 1 win each. Duke's down with Florida International now.

Next loss: at Georgia Tech, November 18.

Navy 38, Duke 13

Ugh. Next loss: at Boston College, November 11.

In the Cards

Congrats to St. Louis, which finally won after years of underachieving under Tony LaRussa. Never thought I'd see them win while Genius Tony was manager.

Funny thing - St. Louis hadn't won a World Series since 1982's Brewfest. Philly hasn't won since 1980. Yet Phillies fans consider those ancient times compared to St. Louis fans, who seem to enjoy the game more and bitch less.

Vanderbilt 45, Duke 28

Vandy rolled up 516 net yards of offense as the Commodores cruised to an easy win at Wallace Wade. Duke averaged just 3.9 yards per pass, while Vandy averagd 9.6.

Next loss: November 4, vs. Navy.


Hey, at least Temple won.

Title IX: Past its Prime?

Two recent articles highlight the problems of title IX:

From ESPN:
Can male athletes sue now?

And from the NYT:

In the middle of the meet, back here on the James Madison campus, the university had announced it was eliminating men's cross country and track, along with eight other, mostly men'’s, sports to comply with Title IX, the federal gender-equity law.

"“Title IX was created in 1972 to prevent sex discrimination, and it was needed,"” Jennifer Chapman, a senior on the womenÂ’s cross-country team, which is not being eliminated, said four days later as she led a protest rally of 400 students on campus. "“But look what'’s happening now. We rode the bus home from Pennsylvania for four hours, 14 guys and 19 girls all crying together. How is that supposed to have been Title IX'’s intent?"”...

...Jacob Torok, a sophomore swimmer, sat in the convocation center last month as officials announced the sports that would be terminated. Eight months earlier, as a freshman at the University of New Hampshire, Torok had received similar news when officials there did away with the men'’s swimming team in a wave of Title IX-related cuts.

"“This time, I thought I was having a nightmare and I'’d wake up,"” said Torok, who spurned scholarship offers from two other universities when he transferred to James Madison. "“But now I wonder how this can keep happening."”

-------------------------
It should be noted that James Madison and New Hampshire don't have Division I football teams (they field Division I-AA teams). They don't have 90,000 fannies in the seats on Saturdays, not do they have 120 players on their full rosters. It also means no weekly games on TV, unless they get a local channel or CN8 once in a while.

Apparently Title IX means women's sports are staying because they have rights, but men's sports get the shaft "just to comply."

Psycho Babble

And we forgot to mention Fox canning broadcaster Steve Lyons for on-air comments he made during the Tigers-A's series.

From MSNBC:

Fox baseball broadcaster Steve Lyons has been fired for making a racially insensitive comment directed at colleague Lou PiniellaÂ’s Hispanic heritage on the air during Game 3 of the American League championship series.

“If I offended anybody, I’m truly sorry,” Lyons said in a phone interview. “But my comment about Lou taking my wallet was a joke and in no way racially motivated.”

You might perceive it that way at home if you had listened to this (from the NYT):

Piniella said that expecting similar production would be “like finding a wallet on a Friday night and looking for one on Sunday and Monday, too.” Four minutes later, they had moved to different subjects and Piniella said something in Spanish. “The bilingual Lou Piniella,” Brennaman said.

Lyons said: “Lou’s habla-ing some Español there, and I’m still looking for my wallet. I don’t understand him, and I don’t want to sit close to him now.” The three laughed and continued calling the game.

The Dodgers did not fire Lyons from their broadcast team, which should prove interesting in their offseason. Plenty of other ex-players to choose from out there. Yes, Lyons is outspoken. But there's a difference between being outspoken and saying stuff in a locker room, and saying stuff to a nationwide TV audience. Dumbass.

How about those (ex) Phillies?

Scott Rolen homered in last night's 7-1 Cardinals win in game 1 of the World Series, and later scored again on an interference call. Placido Polanco (profiled here) has played well for the Tigers. The story mentions he didn't get much playing time because of Chase Utley. The real reason he didn't stay was the Phillies couldn't afford to bench 3B David Bell, Rolen's replacement, since his salary was too high. The irony was that Bell was dumped to Milwaukee this year. Don't forget RP Todd Jones, who played well for the Tigers this year.

Miami 20, Duke 15

Against a Miami squad missing quite a few players following the Miami-FIU brawl, Duke almost pulled the upset. Thad Lewis was intercepted by Miami and time ran out. Earlier, Duke had pulled to within 20-15 but their 2-point conversion failed. This proved costly later as the Devils had to score a TD to win.

Duke outagined Miami in total yards, 373-334, and held Miami to just 37 rushing yards. And for the second straight week, Duke scored on a safety.

Next loss: October 28 vs. Vanderbilt

Florida State 51, Duke 24

Since we were off last week, a double dipping of Duke losses. The first:

Florida State gave Duke a whoopin by 26. The Devils scored almost as many points (24) as they had previously all season (27), but a loss is still a loss. Duke gave up 478 yards. FSU averaged 7.8 yards per rush, while Duke managed just 1.5.

Even when Duke did something good, they paid. After John Talley returned an interception 46 yards for a TD, the extra point was blocked and run back for a safety by FSU's Patrick Robinson. Ugh.

Next loss: October 21 vs. Miami

Flyers Fry Clarkie, Hitch

According to ESPN, Flyers' GM Bobby Clarke resigned and coach Ken Hitchcock was fired earlier today. The Flyers are 1-6-1 and Team President Ed Snider was furious at the slow start, waiving three players after Philadelphia's 9-1 loss to Buffalo.

Ouch. I always thought Snider had Clarke's back, but this time he didn't. And with Comcast shopping for buyers for the Sixers, the Flyers will become Snider's super-duper priority once again. I take pity on whomever lands the new GM job.

Yankees Lose! Yankees lose! Yankees lose!

Did I mention the Yankees lost? No? Lots of off-season changes coming for both the Yanks and Sawx. Hopefully if Joe Torre gets canned, the Phillies will come to their senses, fire Charlie "what's a double switch" Manuel and grab Joe.

Buck O'Neil RIP

Buck O'Neil dies at 94. Joe Posnaski of the Kansas City Star with the obit.

What a positive attitude. What a man. It's a shame he wasn't voted into the Hall of Fame, but I'm sure that error will be corrected soon.

-P

Alabama 30, Duke 14

Duke had a 14-10 haftime lead (I know, we were shocked when we saw the ESPN bottom line scroll), but got blown away in the 2nd half.

Next loss: October 14 vs. Florida State

Virginia 37, Duke 0

Time slipped away, so 2 posts in 1 day on the Dukies. No offense, no defense.

Next loss: at Alabama, October 7.

Notre Dame: Down and Out

I still find it distasteful that a network (NBC) has tied itself to one team/one sport (Notre Dame football). Looking at MSNBC.com this morning, I see a lot of crow but still plenty of attitude. Good luck with that BCS bid, guys.

The AT&T Battle of the Corps

Texas A & M (the fake corps) defeated Army (the real corps) 28-24. One of these teams has guys going to Iraq next year, and the other team is from Texas.

Virginia Tech 36, Duke 0

Virginia Tech throttled Duke today in Blacksburg, VA. The only bright spots for Duke were on defense, with one interception and two blocked extra points.

Next Loss: September 30 vs. Virginia

Wake Forest 14, Duke 13

Duke blew leads of 10-0 and 13-7 en route to losing to the Demon Deacons in Winston-Salem. A FG attempt with 9 seconds left by Joe Surgan was blocked by Wake Forest. Devils FR QB Thaddeus Lewis was 21-32 for 305 yards and 1 TD.

Next Loss: September 16 at Virginia Tech

Red Sox West (it's not who you think)

While the Dodgers have been referred to "Red Sox West" due to the presence of manager Grady Little, P Derek Lowe and 1B Nomar Garciaparra, it's really San Diego who holds that title. The proof is in the Padres (with their Red Sox years in parentheses):

P David Wells (2005-2006)
P Alan Embree (2002, 2003-2005)
P Rudy Seanez (2003, 2006)
P Cla Meredith (2005-2006 split majors/minors)
P Scott Cassidy (2005 split majors/minors)
OF Dave Roberts (2004)
INF Mark Bellhorn (2004-2005)
INF Todd Walker (2003)
SS Manny Alexander (2000)
C Josh "no more knuckleballs" Bard (2006)

2006 Red Sox: RIP

ESPN called this a few weeks back, right after the latest Boston Massacre, but with the latest health issues with David Ortiz (heart palpatations) and Jon Lester (cancer), it's over. Curt Schilling (14-7, 4.13 ERA) and Josh Beckett (14-10, 5.11 ERA) remain the aces, but have been getting rocked lately. Tim Wakefield and Matt Clement are still injured, and while Jonathan Papelbon will return to action soon, it's pretty much irrelevant.

What really sucks is the fact that the Phillies (the Phillies!) might actually win the NL wild card, while Boston has no shot of winning the AL wild card or the AL East.

What about that Duke rape case?

From Slate: Stuart Taylor Jr. on the slowly unraveling Duke rape case, and how the NYT is squarely in the prosecution's lap.

Richmond 13, Duke 0

And so, another losing season begins. To think this was a gimme game. Richmond won its first game over a Division I-A opponent (yes, Duke football is still classified in that level, though I can't see why after this game) since beating Carolina in 1978.

Next loss: September 9 at Wake Forest

Top 25 Coaches Poll: Go Duke!

The USA Today/Coaches preseason top 25 poll has some familiar teams at the top: 1. Ohio State, 2. Texas and 3. Notre Dame/USC (tie).

Some moron gave Duke a vote. I think all polls should be made public to see who commits frauds like this.

Duke suspended its starting QB (Zack Asack) one year for academic fraud, so they have two young guys at the most important position on the field. Soph QB/WR Marcus Jones now gets the call full time at QB. Frosh Thaddeus Lewis is the backup. Both are mobile....but Top 25 caliber? Nyet.

Eddie Griffin - I'm sorry, did I disturb your concentration?

Somwhow we forgot to mention Eddie Griffin of the Timberwolves and his car accident. Keep BOTH hands on the wheel, buddy!

Just how white is your paper's sports desk?

Recently, Richard Lapchick, the brains behind the University of Central FloridaÂ’s Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport, released his report on American newspapers'’ progress toward racial and gender diversification of the employees who produce sports sections. The Associated Press Sports Editors, a group that represents most of the country'’s daily newspapers, commissioned the study. David Aldridge of the Philadelphia Inquirer gives his breakdown and analysis:

Out of more than 300 newspapers surveyed, 288 - 90 percent - had white male sports editors.

Only 15 sports editors (4.7 percent) were white women.

Nine (2.8 percent) were Latino men.

Five (1.6 percent) were African American men.

Not one Asian man, African American woman or Latina woman.

Out of 513 assistant sports editors, 402 (78.4 percent) were white men. There were 44 white women assistant editors (8.6 percent), 22 African American men (4.3 percent), 15 Latino men (2.9 percent), 13 Latina women (2.5 percent), six Asian men (1.2 percent), five African American women (0.97 percent), and two Asian women (0.39 percent).

Of all sports reporters, 79 percent were white males, compared with 10.3 percent women.

And of 298 sports columnists - generally the most influential and desired writing positions in any section - 249 (83.6 percent) were white males, compared with 22 African American columnists (7.4 percent), 19 white women (6.4 percent), three Latino men (1 percent) and two Asian men (0.67 percent).

There was one African American woman...

No one is saying that all white men think the same, any more than all black men do. But the crushing lack of racial and gender diversity in and behind the sports pages makes it far less likely that you will have decisions on stories, and coverage of same, that reflect different backgrounds, and different points of view.

Who, for example, is more likely to communicate better with the almost 40 percent of baseball players in the majors who are Latino - a white male with little or no command of Spanish, or a reporter of Latino descent who is fluent in Spanish, and more familiar with Latino customs and history? (Yes, anyone can learn Spanish. How many do?)

Jason Whitlock of the Kansas City Star tackles the issue, too:

When I was in college, I was the only black person working at the school newspaper. The editors at the Ball State Daily News asked me to help them recruit other black students to write for the paper. I tried. We tried. We begged. We failed to entice anyone....

The solution to diversity in the sports world is twofold: 1. Minorities need to single-mindedly prepare for the opportunities that are available, because the opportunities are available; 2. The power structure and decision makers need to accept that true diversity is difficult, and they need to do a better job of cultivating, retaining and supporting the talented and passionate minority journalists they employ.

Don'’t expect an overnight success story. Black people have refused to confront and combat the destructive elements of the hip-hop culture, which has undermined our youth'’s willingness to prepare for the freedom we enjoy today.

And the white power structure has two obstacles: 1. It has grown comfortable with having high-profile, token minority employees; 2. It'’s reluctant to deal with the inevitable and healthy conflict created by diverse people expressing opinions passionately.

Wakefield on the DL. Who's that other pitcher they didn't need?

Tim Wakefield goes on the DL with a broken rib. Ouch. When I first viewed the article, it was right next to an ad featuring Bronson Arroyo of the Reds. Double Ouch. - P

Zidane loses his head, France loses to Italy

Italy won its fourth World Cup, beating France in penalty kicks after a 1-all tie in regulation and two scoreless overtimes. Zidane, playing his last international match, was red-carded in the second overtime after head-butting Italian defender Marco Materazzi. Not sure whether Materazzi made reference to Zidane, his girlfriend/wife/other, his mother or his dog, but that's no excuse. Several adjectives were used to describe Zidane going into today's final: clever...crafty...wily. Add one more: stupid. France was not only a man down, but minus one of its best players.

Adding to France's misery was super striker Thierry Henry going down with cramps, and all of a sudden France was without two of its best penalty shooters once the second overtime ended.

Kudos to Italy, which played a good game and was not distracted once the penalty showdown arrived.

World Cup: Italy falters, France gets a head's up

Italy tied the US 1-1 yesterday, as the US again failed to score a goal. Italy scored an own goal in the first half. Oops. Bruce Arena is coaching in his last World Cup for the US.

France's Thierry Henry missed a header and a kick off a corner, but scored earlier for France as they tied South Korea 1-1 today. Henry's Arsenal teammate Patrick Vieira had a goal overruled in the 32nd minute.

And ssssshh! Brazil went on to the 2nd round after quietly dispatching Australia 2-0.

Border Patrol - National Guard?

From the desert sand of Iraq to the desert sand of Arizona? That's the plan that President Bush will propose, but not if Governor Ahnold has his way. Talk about no rest for the weary.

Not-so-hidden Minutemen

Recently it was disclosed that the Federal Government had provided Mexican officials with detailed information on the location and operations of the Minutemen along the border. What happens if a Mexican citizen is apprehended by anyone on our side of the border after crossing illegally?

From National Review:

If the detainee does assert his consular-notification rights, the U.S. must advise the consulate of the fact of the arrest, pass along any communications the detainee addresses to his consulate, and allow representatives of the consulate to visit with the detainee.

That'’s it. If the foreign government is determined to educate itself about the case, it must do so by interviewing the arrestee (just like a defense lawyer) or by open source information (just like a reporter or any person curious enough to check the public record). It has no claim on investigative or intelligence information maintained by the United States government. Of course, our government may decide to share more information with the foreign government; but if it does, that is a function of choice, not a requirement of law.

The reasons for all this should be obvious. Americans themselves are not entitled to intelligence and investigative information from their own government, so foreigners clearly have no legal basis to demand it.

More to the point, though, let'’s say the U.S. arrests a terrorist from a rogue nation that happens to be a Vienna signatory. Would anyone seriously contend that our government should provide, say, Iran with background intelligence about the case? Of course not. We want to comply with our obligations to notify foreign governments about the arrests—after all, that is our best assurance that foreign governments will reciprocally comply and notify our government when Americans are arrested in their jurisdictions. We do not, however, owe them more than that.

However, it seems our government is providing much, much more than that. Hence the irony: on the one hand, the US Government spends millions of dollars a year on Border Operations (including building additional fences), yet bends over backwards to assist the government of the nation whose people flee it daily. Is it to convince Mexico that we're not all vigilantes? Too late - they already have that impression. On the other hand, I'd expect Mexico to bitch and moan about the Minutemen - any country that publishes pamphlets on how to safely (and illegally) cross into the US wouldn't hesitate to suddenly defend its citizens if they get caught.

-X

A Day Withour Republicans

Somewhat of an oldie but goodie by now, DailyKos with "A Day Without Republicans."

Duke is gone

LSU upset Duke 62-54 in the South Regional semifinals tonight. The main culprit: J.J. Redick, who shot just 3-18 from the field. Sheldon Williams had a good night with 23 points and 12 boards, but he and Josh McRoberts (9 points/8 boards) were the few bright spots for a team expected to get to the Final Four.

The numbers pretty much tell the story:

28% FG overall
5-24 from three-land

In the last 8 minutes:
1 FG made (a three)
+
13 FG missed
+
4 FT made
+
4 turnovers
=
7 points scored

The difference between Duke and Carolina?

Duke scored 7 points in the last 8 minutes tonight.
Carolina once scored 8 points in the last 17 seconds to force OT (see Davis, Walter, 1974).

Another disappointment. Sigh.

NFL moves: TO in Big D, Adam V to Indy, Garcia to Philly

Terrell Owens [w]rapped up his stay in Philadelphia with a little ditty on his web site aimed at the Eagles, soon after his release from Philly and subsequent signing with Dallas. Good luck to Jerry Jones - he'll need it. And Drew Bledsoe should start taking some herbal green tea to prepare for the turbulent months ahead. "Ha ha - that's funny."

Adam Vinatieri, who was not stuck with the Patriots' franchise tag again, signed with the Colts. Reminds me somewhat of Johnny Damon going to the Yankees. We'll miss you in Foxboro, Adam. Another similarity to the Damon signing: the loss of Vinatieri hurts NE two ways: they lost a clutch kicker, and he signed with a conference rival. Chances are the Pats won't have a knee-jerk reaction by signing Mike Vanderjagt, the departed "idiot" kicker. After all, if they wouldn't pay big money to their own guy in the prime of his career, why would they pay it to someone else?

Jeff Garcia signed with the Eagles, meaning that Mike McMahon's days with the Iggles are over. What a disaster that turned out to be. And the fact that last year Andy Reid went with McMahon over Koy Detmer spoke volumes for Detmer's future, too. See ya, Koy. Garcia may be an old, bald guy who throws INTs as well as McNabb, but he also can learn how to hold for kickers.

Free Agent Moves

Culpepper traded to Miami (interesting move)....Brees signs with New Orleans (I'm sure he's going to donate his signing bonus to Katrina refugees, right?)....Dallas releases Keyshawn Johnson (to make room for T.O., perhaps?).

Duke. ACC Champs. Again.

Almost forgot. Duke beat Boston College for their 7th ACC Tournament title in the last 8 years. Ho hum.

Eagles: Open for Business, Few Customers

Ex-Eagle Shawn Barber signed with his former team last week, the only significant signing the team has made this off-season. Of the free agents on the market that the Eagles were rumored to be interested in, none chose Philly:

WR Reggie Wayne stayed in Indianapolis with the Colts, who signed Wayne to a multi-year deal.

C LeCharles Bentley of the Saints went to Cleveland:
"He only had one team on his mind - the Cleveland Browns," said Jonathan Feinsod, one of the agents representing Bentley. "He's from Cleveland, he went to Ohio State, and that's where he wanted to play. I heard the rumors about the Eagles, but I don't know where they came from."

OL Steve Hutchinson, signed to an offer sheet by the Vikings, will go there or stay with Seattle if the Seahawks match Minnesota's offer.

WR/PR Antwaan Randle El reportedly will go to Washington.

WR Joe Jurevicius went to Cleveland.

T Jon Runyan is basically gone...hopefully not to Dallas.

So where does this leave the Eagles? Going nowhere fast. They will likely take a look at QB Jeff Garcia, though Garcia still wants to start, as does ex-Bengal Jon Kitna. Josh McCown of the Cardinals also looks appealing, since his days in Tempe may be limited by starter Kurt Warner. WR Eric Moulds will also be discussed.

So far, a disappointing beginning for a team known for lightning strikes in Free Agency. When you're 6-10, you're more than just "one player away."

Darby Baseball

Since we're based in Philadelphia, here's a story from ESPN about our neighbor to the Southwest: Darby, PA...home of a largely forgotten Negro League team.

Buck O'Neil - Shafted Again

Buck O'Neil gets shafted by the Baseball Hall of Fame. Again. Joe Posnanski of the Kansas City Star with details...

...and Joe's follow-up story in the aftermath.

All I can say is Buck has a lot of class, even if he isn't in this year's class.

Patrick Ewing and Cameron Crazies (not!)

Yesterday's Sports Reporters on ESPN featured the usual apocryphal Cameron Crazie story, voiced in passing by Howard Bryant as he described how tough it is for teams to play in Cameron Indoor Stadium:

Remember Duke fans holding up signs saying 'Ewing Can't Read This'?

Key word: apocryphal.

Let's see. Ewing played at Georgetown from '81-'82 through '84-'85. A little check of the Duke media guide shows that Duke did not play Georgetown at home, at GU, or at a neutral site (meaning the two schools did not play at all) between 1932 and 1989. Meaning: it never happened.

The crazies have done enough distasteful, crude and vulgar things over the years. Don't keep bringing up an imaginary event when there's so much reality to choose from. Oh, I'm sorry. That would have meant doing a little research. But that's why they call them reporters, not journalists.

-P

Harry the K - LA + Wheels = Blah

According to Paul Hagen in today's Daily News, Larry Andersen (who in the opinion of many has developed a good on-air rapport with Harry Kalas) will be moved to radio coverage and will no longer be part of the TV crew. Andersen will be replaced by Chris Wheeler, who will pair with Kalas for the first and last three innings. Since Kalas and Wheeler get along professionally but have a frosty off-air relationship, speculation has begun on whether the Phils are nudging Kalas toward retirement after 2006. An unpleasant work environment would be one step in that direction.

Mind you, this is a trial balloon. But also keep in mind teams are increasingly punishing critical broadcasters (Steve Stone with the Cubs and Jon Miller with the Orioles come to mind. Stone stayed with the Cubs, but Miller was not offered a new contract by owner Peter Angelos several years ago, after Angelos questioned Miller's critical comments about Orioles players, plus Miller's take on umpire calls that benefited the team but appeared to be incorrect.)

Not-so-Super Bowl

The refs made some borderline calls. The Seahawks had poor clock management and dropped balls that could have helped. The Steelers played poorly but had enough big plays to win. Big Ben did NOT score on one of those big plays.

Pats, Colts self-destruct

So much for the Pats-Colts matchup in this year's AFC Championship Game. On Saturday, the Pats had 5 turnovers, resulting in oh, about 21 Denver points. On Sunday, the Colts spottedthe Steelers a 21-3 lead before coming-so-agonizingly-close to sending the game to OT. Mike Vanderjagt's 46-yard field goal attempt was wider right than most FSU wide rights. You can't blame everything on the idiot liquored-up kicker, though. Peyton Manning was off most of the day, until the Colts' 4th quarter comeback. All in all, not a good weekend. Not looking forward to Broncos-Steelers since WE DON'T CARE.

The Rooney "Rule" - Still a Joke

ESPN's Gene Wojciechowski on why the Rooney Rule - mandating interviews of minority candidates for head coaching positions - is still a sham. On the plus side, Herm Edwards was just recycled. Previously recycled: Ray Rhodes (Philadelphia and Green Bay) and Tony Dungy (Tampa Bay and Indianapolis). Here's hoping Art Shell will get a courtesy call about the Raiders' open position, one with which he is intimately familiar.

6-10: A Lost Season

Date Opponent Time/Result Away Home
Sep 12 @Atlanta Lost 10-14
Sep 18 San Francisco Won 42-3
Sep 25 Oakland Won 23-20
Oct 2 @Kansas City Won 37-31
Oct 9 @Dallas Lost 10-33
Week 6 BYE
Oct 23 San Diego Won 20-17
Oct 30 @Denver Lost 21-49
Nov 6 @Washington Lost 10-17
Nov 14 Dallas Lost 20-21
Nov 20 @N.Y. Giants Lost 17-27
Nov 27 Green Bay Won 19-14
Dec 5 Seattle Lost 0-42
Dec 11 N.Y. Giants Lost 23-26
Dec 18 @St. Louis Won 17-16
Dec 24 @Arizona Lost 21-27
Jan 1 Washington Lost 20-31

6 wins: 5 were by 7 points or fewer.
10 losses: 5 were by 7 points or fewer.

So what's the Rx? Get McNabb healthy enough to scramble. Get him a veteran to throw to. And get some pass rushers.