Guess which one is the real Andy Reid and which one is the impostor?

If you guessed the guy on the left holding the pizza take-out menu was the impostor, congratulations!  That clever character was spotted in the stands at FedEx Field on Monday night during the Philadelphia Eagles’ romp over the Washington Redskins.  Something tells me that even he could have been calling the plays off that pizza menu for Michael Vick and the Eagles’ offense on that night.

I wonder if this guy was also a giant among dwarfs at the age of 13?  Here is a look at the scene from Monday night.

After taking a look at this footage of a young 13-year-old Andy Reid tower over the other, normal-sized 13-year-old boys during a punt, pass and kick competition, I can’t help but wonder whether the 1996 movie “Jack” was inspired by the young Philadelphia Eagles head coach (in case you forgot what the movie “Jack” was all about, you can see the trailer below).

I couldn’t help but laugh for hours on end after seeing this clip.  It is no surprise to hear that Andy Reid was rather large as a child, but not even I expected this!  It is almost as if his parents altered his birth certificate by 8 years just so their child could win this damn competition.

Ahahahahaha! Yeah, I’d say this movie fits the description of Reid’s childhood…to a tee!!!

The big winners of the post season so far have been the Patriots. They already picked up Fred Taylor, Sam Baker (a relative unknown, but the Pats are great spotters of talent – do you remember that relative unknown Wes Welker?) and the 34th overall pick in the draft, and this week they focused on their weaknesses by upgrading their secondary with the acquirement of Shawn Springs and Leigh Bodden. I’ve said before that I’m a big Bodden fan and blame horrible Lions’ management for his down year and not the player, so the Pats have really stolen one here. Springs’ talent is too often hidden behind injury and an aging body.

They also added Joey Galloway who is enough of a deep threat to draw the attention of safeties and clear the middle of the field for Welker; the Pats don’t need an elite number 2, just enough to turn Randy Moss triple teams into doubles. Greedily the Patriots look set to sign one of the league’s premier rush experts, Julius Peppers. On paper he should fit into a 3-4 since he has the speed and technique to shed one-on-one blockers, but there is an element of doubt and he isn’t getting any younger; having said that these are minor criticisms of what is a serious upgrade to the meager New England pass rush of 2008.

The cost of all these moves? Aging Mike Vrabel would have been replaced in the draft anyway and Matt Cassell, who holds zero value to New England. They’re hard to like, but you have to admit that New England have dominated free agency. Entering the draft they can do whatever they want with their only priority being youth at linebacker, and may even take a shot on an elite runner like Knowshon Moreno or Chris Wells in the first.

In other moves the Ravens bizarrely put pen to paper with former Eagle LJ Smith; the guy can’t catch and isn’t a phenomenal blocker to make up for it, so what are the Ravens really doing? Remember when Todd Heap was good and they threw his way more than 35 times in a season? Baltimore management would cite his inability to stay healthy, but even when he was in the line-up he wasn’t used. LJ Smith is like Todd Heap but worst in every way, so I don’t get this move. Last week I heralded the free agency full back class at the top of which sat Leonard Weaver, well Weaver found a new home as an Eagle which was surprising since Brian Westbrook doesn’t necessarily need a conventional lead blocker. Sure he’ll love a talented blocker like Weaver in front of him, but Westbrook’s skills suit broken play and nifty cuts not driving between tackle and guard. Maybe Andy Reid will use him more as McNabb’s personal protector when Westbrook splits out on swing routes. Speaking of former Seahawks, Bobby Engram got a job as a Kansas City Chief: old and injury prone, I doubt he makes an impact.

Who’s Out

Matt ‘Coke’ Jones was cut by the Jags after mid season cocaine issues, and character problems combined with a possible suspension are a shame for a physically gifted player who could have done something in the league. Maybe he gets picked up, but it won’t be for a lot of money and he won’t be the focus of a team like he would have been in Jacksonville. Oh and when Carolina lose Peppers they’re getting an F for their off season effort. Do they know they are allowed to sign players as well as lose one of the most talented defensive linemen in the league? So much for consolidating on a promising season.

3 to Watch…

1) Bit of a selfish one here since I am a Browns fan, but the next week could be the difference between 2-14 or 9-7. Is Edwards on the block? Does Shaun Rogers get the release he wants? What role does Mangini have in the Cutler ordeal, and does Quinn become a Bronco? Donte Stallworth’s punishment?

2) I talked like it’s a done deal but Jerry Jones is just about crazy enough to hijack this deal from the Patriots, and make Peppers a Cowboy.

3) When speculating about Cutler’s future in a recent post, I mentioned the Browns and lo and behold they get involved. The other team I mentioned was the Eagles since McNabb for Cutler and a whole bunch of picks make a lot of sense for both sides. I’m just saying.

It seems that the global economic crisis has finally hit the junk food sector and now the precious chicken wing is in high demand.  Apparently, a major supplier of wings has recently filed for bankruptcy, causing a shortage of tasty tailgate fare.  This means that you will still be able to eat wings, but it might cost you a little bit more.

Although, the bankruptcy of the large chicken wing manufacturer has caused a majority of the shortage, we here at Total Pro Sports have found the real culprit, Andy Reid.  Yes, Philadelphia Eagles coach Andy Reid is the main reason why there is a shortage of wings.  Seriously, have you seen this guy lately, he looks like he must order wings by the truck load.

Remember, when you are at you local bar and a plate of wings is costing you substantially more, don’t blame the economy, blame Andy.

The game got away from the Philadelphia Eagles early, thanks to the play of Fitzgerald, who had three first half touchdown receptions. He finished the game with 9 receptions for 152 yards.  The Eagles managed to battle back and even had a slight lead late in the second half, but they couldn’t hold on and the game winning touchdown was scored by Cardinals rookie Tim Hightower.

The Arizona Cardinals will be representing the NFC in the Superbowl, for the first time in their franchises history.  The Cardinals are the Cinderella of this playoffs and the big ball is on February 1st.  I think that Cardinals making the Superbowl is great for the NFL, because it means there is hope for any team to make it to the Superbowl (except the Detroit Lions).

The team that lost the game, the Philadelphia Eagles, are left to wonder about the future of their team.  This season there has been more talk than ever about the possible departure of QB Donovan McNabb, who’s contract is about to expire.  Coach Andy Reid was on the hot seat prior to the teams playoff run, but thanks to his teams playoff run he may have saved his job.  However, Reid should focus this off season on his own personal conditioning because he looks like he is on a 10 Philly cheese steak-a-day diet.

The NFC Championship was a great game and the Cardinals deserved to win it.