PORTLAND, Ore. - Two penalty kick goals by former Timbers forward Matt Taylor lifted Hollywood United of the U.S. Adult Soccer Association to a 3-2 win over the Portland Timbers at PGE Park on Tuesday to eliminate the Timbers from the 2008 U.S. Open Cup.
The Timbers maintained a lead for much of the match on goals by forward Chris Brown and midfielder Arsene Oka, and out-shot Hollywood United 18-15. But a missed penalty kick attempt by Timbers forward Takayuki Suzuki proved to be the difference as Hollywood United’s Earl Alexander scored the game-winning goal in second half stoppage time.
Portland continues a busy schedule as it faces the Atlanta Silverbacks in a regular-season match on Thursday at PGE Park and then Italy’s Juventus Primavera comes to the Rose City for an exhibition match on Saturday presented by Peroni Italy.
The Timbers took a 1-0 lead in the 32nd minute on a free kick by Brown. Following a foul on Oka, Brown cracked a low shot from 25 yards out just off the inside of a four-man wall and inside the left post for the one-goal advantage.
Portland out-shot Hollywood United 12-4 in the first half, including a 30 yard curling free kick by midfielder Kiki Lara in the 24th minute that was pulled out of the air by Hollywood United goalkeeper Javier Barragan. Earlier in the half, Brown and forward Chris Bagley teamed up for a dangerous chance from 15 yards out, but a reaction save by Barragan kept the Timbers off the board.
Just before halftime, Portland defender Tim Karalexis was called for a foul inside the penalty area awarding Hollywood United a penalty kick opportunity. Taylor slotted home the attempt past a diving effort from Timbers goalkeeper Jordan James to tie the match at 1-1.
The Timbers escaped a chance by Hollywood United set up by Taylor in the 19th minute. He brought down the ball left side of the field and dished the ball off to Hollywood United captain Derk Droze for a shot near the penalty spot. He double clutched on his shot allowing James to make one of his four saves on the night knocking the ball wide and out of play.

oursportscentral.com


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Eight races into the Craftsman Truck Series season, Bill Davis Racing finally got a win. Just not from a truck accustomed to Victory Lane. Scott Speed took the checkered flag at Dover, not Johnny Benson or Mike Skinner, the duo who combined for nine BDR wins in 2007. The veterans have had a slower start to the season, most notably Skinner, the toast of the truck world at this time a year ago.
One-third of the way through the 2007 season, Skinner and the No. 5 Toyota Tundra were laying waste to the series. He had won three races in a row, at California, Atlanta and Martinsville, and had strung together six consecutive poles from Atlanta to Dover. He had led 38 percent of the laps in eight races, 505 in all. It would be another two months before he would finish a race outside the top eight.
Best of all, Skinner was atop the points, 77 clear of Ron Hornaday.
But now, those gaudy numbers are a distant memory. In 2008, Skinner has no wins, one pole and seven total laps led. He has more 29th-place finishes (two, at Daytona and Martinsville) than top-3s (one, a third at Atlanta) and three qualifying efforts of 12th or worse after never starting below ninth last year. He is seventh in points, 67 behind leader Rick Crawford.
“It’s amazing. Last year was one of those years we could not do anything wrong,” Skinner said. “We’d have a mediocre piece and end up winning the race, or we’d have a real good piece and end up finishing in the top 5. Up until Homestead [where the championship was lost to Hornaday], it was pretty awesome. Now … we can’t do anything right.
“The differential between us and the guys that are beating us is huge, whereas last year, whenever we got beat, it was by a hair. Very rarely did we get smoked like we’re getting by a couple of our competitors now.”

sports.espn.go.com


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Revision 3 is building a television empire online.
Hyperfast-paced pop culture newscast Epic-Fu, hosted by whip-smart Zadi Diaz, joins the geek elite at Revision3, home to Martin Sargent’s web celeb talk show Internet Superstar, Kevin Rose’s Diggnation and Veronica Belmont’s product bonanza Tekzilla.
Revision3 announced the partnership Friday, and it sounds like not much about the hit show will change — a smart move, so as not to turn off its stable of loyal followers. The show pulls views ranging from 70,000 to 100,000 per episode, and a good portion of those viewers hang out in-between episodes on the show’s online community site, Mix.
Epic-Fu plans to bump up its production schedule to twice a week. The show could even be coming to prime time, NewTeeVee reports, as Diaz and show producer Steve Woolf are in talks with a major broadcast TV network that has been sniffing around for syndication rights.
Watch the latest episode above, as Diaz gets into the fine art of online mixtapes, Rock Band hits and prosthetics art sculptures.
Zadi - You’re the best! Too damn bad we’re on opposite coasts. Would be fun to hang with you for an hour or so.
Keep up the great work!

blog.wired.com


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Aureole

WORLD SPORTS at 1330 GMT

on Saturday. BC-EU-SPT-SOC–ENGLISH ROUNDUP. Expected by 1700 GMT. By Rob Harris.
LIVERPOOL-TERRIFIC TORRES: Benitez predicts tougher second year for Torres
LIVERPOOL, England _ The Kid passed his test with flying colors. Foreign strikers notoriously struggle to adapt quickly to the Premier League, but Liverpool striker Fernando Torres has scored 23 league goals in his first season in England. But it will be harder next season, Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez has warned. BC-EU-SPT-SOC–LIVERPOOL-TERRIFIC TORRES. Has moved. By Rob Harris.
SPANISH PREVIEW: Madrid to celebrate league title at home
MADRID, Spain _ For Real Madrid, it doesn’t get any better than this. Madrid will celebrate a record 31st Spanish league title on Wednesday in front of its home fans when it hosts longtime rival FC Barcelona. BC-EU-SPT-SOC–SPANISH PREVIEW. Has moved. By Paul Logothetis.
GERMAN PREVIEW: Bayern looking ahead to next season and Champions League
BERLIN _ The ease with which Bayern Munich won the Bundesliga title exposed the gap between the German championship and the other top leagues in Europe. But the 4-0 humiliating loss at Zenit St. Petersburg in the UEFA Cup semifinals got the front office wondering what it needs to do to make the team more competitive in Europe. BC-EU-SPT-SOC–GERMAN PREVIEW. Has moved. By Nesha Starcevic.
_ MILAN, Italy _ BC-EU-SPT-SOC–AC MILAN-FLAMINI. Has moved.
_ SAO PAULO, Brazil _ BC-LA-SPT-SOC–RONALDO-PROSTITUTES. Has moved. By Alan Clendenning.
_ BARCELONA, Spain BC-EU-SPT-SOC–BARCELONA-MILITO. Has moved.
_ ZAGREB, Croatia _ BC-EU-SPT-SOC–CROATIA-BILIC. Has moved.
_ MEXICO CITY _ BC-LA-SPT-SOC–MEXICAN ROUNDUP. By Carlos Rodriguez.
_ brUSSELS, Belgium _ BC-EU-SPT-SOC–BELGIUM-VERCAUTEREN. Has moved.
ROME MASTERS: Ninth-seeded Gasquet upset by qualifier Horna at Rome Masters
ROME _ The Rome Masters begins with an upset when ninth-seeded Richard Gasquet is beaten by Peruvian qualifier Luis Horna 6-4, 6-1 in the first match on center court. Guillermo Canas meets Italian wild card Gianluca Naso with a matchup against top-ranked Roger Federer at stake. BC-EU-SPT-TEN–ROME MASTERS. Has moved, will be updated. By Andrew Dampf.

pr-inside.com


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announced today that its television stations held major giving campaigns in 2007 in their local communities that helped raise more than $25 million in cash donations, collect 457,000 toys for needy children, and gather 3.5 million pounds of food. Many of the campaigns were supported by televised and online promotional air time provided by Belo owned stations valued at more than $18 million.
"People gave generously last year to help those in our local communities," said Dunia Shive, Belo’s president and Chief Executive Officer. "Our television stations are proud to assist so many individuals and families through these campaigns. These efforts reflect Belo’s commitment to addressing critical community needs through worthwhile charitable causes, while also providing quality journalism to the communities we serve."
A summary of the many fundraising campaigns, by market, follows below: Belo Television Station 2007 Community Impact Campaigns WFAA-TV:WFAA collected 75,000 toys, valued at more thanDallas/Fort Worth$750,000 as part of its 38th annual Santa’s Helpers Toy Drive. The toys were distributed to more than 50,000 children in the North Texas area. As part of the campaign, more than $104,000 was raised through cash and online donations to purchase additional toys. WFAA annually sponsors approximately 75 nonprofit organizations in the Dallas/Fort Worth area by producing and airing PSA’s to promote their community events. The station aired more than 12,000 PSA’s for a total of more than $6 million in donated air time. KHOU-TV:KHOU is involved in two programs that help fill theHouston pantries of Houston area food banks. In 2007, the 20th Annual Spirit of Texas Food Drive collected a total of 305,671 pounds of food and $340,057 in monetary donations. KHOU also held the 1st Annual Souper Bowl of Caring Food Drive, which collected 1.6 million pounds of food. In addition, the station held the Spirit of Texas Blood Drive, which generated 1,873 pints of blood. During the holidays, KHOU organized the Spirit of Texas Toy Drive and collected 37,000 toys and more than $365,000 for the Salvation Army. KING-TV, KONG-TV,KING held the "Home Team Harvest" Food DriveNorthWest Cable News: supporting the Northwest Harvest Food Bank andSeattle/Tacomacollected 189,249 pounds of food and $150,000. The station also held an on-air campaign called Northwest Response to help victims of natural disasters such as the California wildfires and the Washington state flooding, collecting more than $555,000. During the holidays the Regence Toy Drive collected more than 5,000 toys and $1,000 in cash to benefit the Boys & Girls Clubs in the area. KTVK, KASW-TV:KTVK collected more than 90,000 bottles of water,Phoenix 250,000 hats and $50,000 for the Salvation Army’s Project Hope program, which provides for the Valley’s homeless during the summer months. The station raised $1.5 million for the Muscular Dystrophy Association of Arizona during the MDA Telethon. KTVK joined The Salvation Army in a one-day turkey drive, collecting 1,200 turkeys and raising $61,500 for area families. As part of its Annual Christmas Angel program, the stations collected clothes and 163,300 toys for 54,000 children. In partnership with a statewide grocer, they held the Arizona’s Family Food Drive collecting $130,000 for local food banks. KMOV-TV:The Variety Club Telethon produced by KMOV raisedSt. Louis more than $3 million for the St. Louis Variety Club, which benefits disabled and disadvantaged children. KMOV also participated in Home for Hope where KMOV provided the equivalent of $30,000 of in-kind support to build a home for a local family through Habitat for Humanity. More than $150,000 was raised for Forest Park Forever, a St. Louis charity whose mission is to restore the beauty of the 132-year-old Forest Park. Sponsored by KMOV, the March of Dimes golf tournament raised $10,000 and the Thanksgiving Day Parade raised $5,000 for St. Louis Crisis Nursery and Gateway Homeless Services. Additionally, KMOV’s Kids Caring 4 Kids, a toy and food drive, collected 20,000 toys, 55,000 food items and $7,800 in cash donations. KGW-TV: The Fourth Annual KGW Northwest NewsChannel 8 GreatPortlandFood Drive generated more than one million pounds of food for 894 hunger-relief agencies across Oregon and Southwest Washington. KGW supported the Portland Race for the Cure event, one of the largest in the country, by airing more than 300 PSA’s. More than 60,000 people participated in the event, raising $2 million for the Oregon and Southwest Washington Komen Foundation affiliate. WCNC-TV:WCNC held the Loaves & Fishes Food Drive andCharlotte collected 84 tons of food, which benefited the non-profit organization that provides groceries to families in crisis. The WCNC Blood Drive collected 351 units of blood for the American Red Cross. The station also collected 2,200 school supplies for children in the area through Pack the Truck, which benefits A Child’s Place. Also, the WCNC Magical Toy Drive, which benefits The Salvation Army collected 6,200 toys for children. KENS-TV:KENS collected 481 units of blood through the KENSSan AntonioBlood Drive that is held each January. KENS sponsored the Diabetes Expo and donated $78,500 of air time and collected $281,000 for research. KENS also helped raise $65,000 for college scholarships by sponsoring the Poteet Strawberry Festival. KENS sponsors the March of Dimes Walk America and helped raise $750,000 for the March of Dimes services and research. For the San Antonio Sports Foundation, KENS sponsored and promoted the Duck N’Dodgeball Tournament and the Valero Go Kids Challenge. Combined air time value was $149,000 and 52,500 children participated. The station also helped raise more than $50,000 for the Kids Sports Network at the Annual Bruce Bowen Golf Tournament. KENS contributed more than $68,000 in air time, and also provided an unusual auction item of Weatherman for the Day at the Cattle Baron’s Gala, which raised $393,000 for the American Cancer Society. WVEC-TV:WVEC joined the Urban League of Hampton Roads toHampton/Norfolk sponsor Oscar Night Virginia, which raised more than $50,000. WVEC also sponsored Taste of Hampton Roads, an event that raised more than $130,000 for the Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia. WVEC teamed up with Farm Fresh Grocery Stores for a special campaign that raised $700,000 for cancer treatment programs at the Children’s Hospital of the King’s Daughters. More than $100,000 was raised during the Tool Box Bash, an event to raise funds for the South Hampton Roads Habitat for Humanity. WVEC joined Golden Corral restaurants for a special event to raise money for the Children’s Hospital of the King’s Daughters, which raised more than $43,000. Tastefully Yours, the Peninsula Foodbank’s fundraising event, brought in more than $90,000. WVEC promoted the event on news broadcasts and with public affairs interviews. WVEC joined six other organizations for the Write Stuff school supply collection drive. More than $88,400 worth of school supplies was donated serving nearly 3,000 children. The station also sponsored two walks in 2007 benefiting the Alzheimer’s Association in Hampton Roads, raising more than $150,000 combined. WVEC also sponsored Fantasy Shopping Night at the MacArthur Center Mall to benefit the Children’s Hospital of the King’s Daughters, which raised more than $20,000. Again, partnering with Golden Corral restaurants for Military Appreciation Night, WVEC raised more than $73,000 for the Disabled American Veterans and served 11,500 complimentary meals to retired and active duty military. WVEC and the American Red Cross sponsored the Jingle Bell Blood Drive, which collected 720 pints of blood. This year the Angel Tree helped close to 19,300 children in Hampton Roads with gifts valuing $480,700. WWL-TV: WWL’s Eye on Crime Prevention campaign included airNew Orleanstime value of $275,000. The station made great strides with its partnership with United Way and aired a half-hour show and a number of PSA’s which is valued at $110,000. A+ Athletes is an ongoing program that awards students who are outstanding in their high school sports and academic efforts. WWL holds a banquet for the students and features each of them in their own 60 second commercial. The air time schedule for all the spots is worth $120,000. The Hurricane Katrina Special was a four-hour remembrance of the storm. Along with this event, PSA’s focused specifically on dealing with the effects of the storm including spots that raised money to repair local landmarks and fought hunger and homelessness worth more than $50,000 in air time. In its 20th year, WWL continued its commitment to the New Orleans City Park Celebration in the Oaks fundraiser by airing event information and PSA’s requesting donations. Backed by air time worth $225,000, the annual event broke records by attracting 70,000 visitors and bringing in $300,000 in cash. A new campaign, entitled The Spirit of Giving, was a partnership with the Volunteers of America. The program raised donations to support people with disabilities as well as families in crisis. An air time schedule worth $15,000 helped bring in more than $60,000 in donations, the organization’s best fundraiser to date. WHAS-TV:WHAS Crusade for Children raised nearly $5.5Louisville million throughout the entire year to support 201 grants to 164 agencies serving thousands of children with special needs in Kentucky and Indiana. WHAS also raised $570,000 to fight breast cancer by sponsoring the Louisville Affiliate of Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure. KVUE-TV:KVUE celebrated breast cancer survivors in theAustin largest 5K race in Austin and 22,000 participants came together and raised more than $1.5 million for the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure. KVUE made low-cost mammograms available to women who might not otherwise be served. In the heat of the summer, Austin’s Humane Society faced an unexpected air conditioning issue. KVUE asked viewers to help and in total more than $200,000 was raised to buy the animals a new air conditioner. KVUE’s Habitat for Humanity built a house for a family for the holidays and saluted 10 outstanding volunteers who work daily to make our community a better place to be. KVUE’s efforts for children included collecting school supplies for nearly 40,000 children, 30,000 warm winter coats and raised $1 million for March of Dimes WalkAmerica. Throughout the year KVUE supported family events, the ballet and museum art collections that enrich all our lives, in total raising more than $3 million for the community. KMSB-TV, KTTU-TV:KMSB and KTTU were the exclusive TV sponsors of theTucson, AZ NAMI Walk for Mental Illness. More than $50,000 was raised to support education, outreach and prevention programs. Ducky Derby raised nearly $50,000 for Arizona Lung Association programs and services in Tucson. KMSB was the exclusive TV sponsor of the Fantasy Home Tour, which raised $2,500 for Casa de los Ninos crisis nursery programs. The stations sponsored the Tucson Kiwanis Club Reading Seed car show, which raised $50,000 to enable the continuation of this volunteer reading/education program. KMSB and KTTU were the exclusive TV sponsors of the Tucson Police Foundation’s Cops & Rodders car show. The stations also were the TV sponsors of the Tucson Firefighter’s Chili Cookoff, on behalf of the Tucson Firefighters’ Association’s Adopt a Family program where more than $50,000 was raised for food, clothes, toys and assistance for more than 1,000 families. KMSB-KTTU participated in the NAB’s Project Roadblock campaign resulting in no local DUI-related fatalities between Christmas and New Year’s Day in Southern Arizona. KTVB:KTVB kicked off 2007 with an online and TV charityBoiseauction that raised $250,000 for Special Olympics Idaho and the Boys & Girls Club of Nampa. In partnership with Neighborhood Housing Services nearly 100 homes were painted and repaired for low income senior citizens and the disabled. Through KTVB’s 7-7-7 Celebration and the Polar Bear Challenge, more than $85,000 was raised for the local Make-a-Wish Foundation granting 14 wishes for terminally ill Idaho children. Also KTVB helped raise $68,000 for the Learning Lab to combat adult illiteracy, $150,000 for the Idaho Food Bank and $18,000 for Boys & Girls Clubs of Ada County. In partnership with the Operation Wish Book campaign more than 24,000 books were collected and distributed to low-income children. KTVB’s Christmas Campaign entitled "Season of Hope," in partnership with Regence Blue Shield, collected more than 100,000 pounds of food for the Salvation Army Food Pantry, 80,000 toys for Toys 4 Tots, and created awareness of the Project Share program, which provides winter heating assistance for Idaho’s low income families. About Belo Corp.

earthtimes.org


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annual Looptopia. Looptopia 2008 returns to Chicago ’ s Loop in a 2 day event beginning on Friday, May 2 through Saturday, May 3, 2008. Described as being “ America ’ s premier dusk-until-dawn artistic and cultural celebration ” , the free event promises to have something for everyone, featuring musical and dance performances, theater acts, visual art and more.
“ The Chicago Loop Alliance has generated a huge buzz around the City surrounding this dynamic and exciting event, “ said Tom McKay, general manager and vice president of RCN Chicago. “ With last year ’ s attendance at the inaugural celebration topping more than 200,000, RCN was excited to join in the festivities by becoming a key sponsor for 2008. And, we ’ re really thrilled that we ’ ll be bringing the sights and sounds of the all-night extravaganza to our customers. ”
RCN will be filming at different locations throughout the event, interviewing artists, performers and spectators. After the event, RCN will air the ½ hour shows on RCN TV, Channel 4, and will include them on its Video ON DEMAND (VOD).
McKay continued, “ Given the busy lifestyles of our customers, we thought it would be a great idea to bring the excitement and diversity of artistic talent right into the homes of our customers through VOD, where they can experience the photography, architecture, music and dance exhibits from their own couch … at whatever time that fits their schedule.
From performances by renowned circus troupes to creative works displayed on the south bank of the Chicago River at Wabash and Wacker, the event pledges to interest visitors of all ages. Area retails will be adding to the celebration with extended hours and special deals.
Event participation for Looptopia is free; however, wristbands will be required after midnight for attendance at late night programming venues. For complete details about featured activities, visit www.looptopia.com.

earthtimes.org


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Two area state legislators pitched plans today they said could accelerate the budget process and stimulate the state’s economy.
State Sen. Matt Murphy, R-27th, of Palatine, and state Sen. Carole Pankau, R-23rd, of Roselle, explained plans to reform Medicaid expenses and stimulate the economy at a meeting with Pioneer Press reporters and editors. Both plans are revenue neutral, they said.
The cost of Medicaid and funding pensions are slowing budget negotiations as the May 30 legislative session deadline approaches, Pankau said.
“These are the things we need to focus on if we are going to start moving ahead,” she said.
Medicaid provides medical care for low income families without insurance, and Pankau described it as the fastest growing part of the state budget, spending that exceeds the amount spent on education for elementary and secondary education. And because the state is so late in paying its bills, fewer doctors are accepting Medicaid patients.
The Republican plan would limit any new Medicaid services, Pankau said.
The legislation seeks to establish benchmarks for health care providers to receive state reimbursements and require the Department of Health Care and Family Services to use two consecutive pay stubs to verify Medicaid eligibility.
In addition, the bills would require families to meet new asset standards and meet citizenship requirements for the state’s All Kids program.
Murphy’s stimulus package would give residents a break on the state’s gasoline sales tax resulting in $400 to $500 a year in savings, Murphy said.
His plan would reduce the tax to 2.25 percent, or 16 cents a gallon.
In addition, the Republican package would remove the 5 percent utility tax on manufacturers, speed up the state’s business certification and licensing process — to stimulate interest in ethanol production facilities in Illinois — restore the federal depreciation schedule and abolish the Illinois Health Facilities Planning Board.

pioneerlocal.com


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Aline

Tax rebate checks are in the mail

The check really is in the mail for property owners waiting for their tax rebate checks.
That’s according to Morgan County Auditor Brenda Adams, who said all of Morgan County’s property tax rebate checks were mailed March 25.
“I’m sure some people should already have theirs,” Adams said Friday morning.
While most Morgan County residents have eagerly anticipated getting the rebate checks, part of a plan passed by the Indiana General Assembly last year to give some property tax relief, Adams said some people called into her office, apparently unaware about the rebate checks.
“They just wanted to know if they could cash them,” Adams said, noting that some people were confusing the rebate checks with their federal or state income tax refunds.
“But nobody wanted to give anything back,” she said.
Morgan County, however, is not even close to being the last county to mail out their tax rebate checks.
Income tax rules on refunds, rebates
Jodie Reynolds, spokesperson for the Internal Revenue Service for Indiana and Kentucky, provided rules for including tax refunds and rebates on income tax returns.
According to IRS Publication 17, Chapter 12, “Recoveries: A recovery is a return of an amount you deducted or took a credit for in an earlier year. The most common recoveries are refunds, reimbursements, and rebates of deductions itemized on Schedule A (Form 1040). You also may have recoveries of non-itemized deductions (such as payments on previously deducted bad debts) and recoveries of items for which you previously claimed a tax credit.
“Tax benefit rule: You must include a recovery in your income in the year you receive it up to the amount by which the deduction or credit you took for the recovered amount reduced your tax in the earlier year.”
Angie Dvorak, legislative director of the Association of Indiana Counties, said as of Feb. 15, less than half of Indiana’s counties had sent out their tax rebate checks.

reporter-times.com


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In 2008, the Philadelphia Eagles face perhaps their last chance to shoot for a Super Bowl in the Donovan McNabb era. Over the last few years, the Eagles schedule seems to suggest some easy wins in the first half of the season, and some very tough games in the second half. But slower starts and big finishes have been the Eagles traditional pattern. In the coming NFL season, the Eagles face a tough beginning and a tough end to their schedule.
On Opening Day, the Eagles open at home against the Rams, a team that the Eagles can easily beat. More difficult match ups in the coming weeks include a Monday Night game at Dallas in Week 2, a home game against the Steelers in Week 3, and a Sunday night game at Chicago in Week 4. Games on October 12′th at San Francisco and October 26′th vs Atlanta could provide a relief. The Eagles close out the first half of the schedule visiting the always tough Seattle Seahawks in Week 9.
In the second half of the schedule, the Eagles host the Super Bowl champion Giants on a Sunday night during Week 10, and visit them in Week 14. Weeks 11 and 12 have the Eagles facing AFC doormats Cincinnati and Baltimore, followed by a very rare Thanksgiving Day home game against Arizona. To end the season, the Eagles once again close out with games against NFC East foes, as they visit the Redskins on December 21’st and host Dallas on the final week.
The Eagles schedules features at least six to eight games they should be able to win against inferior competition. Their six games against NFC East rivals can go either way, as always. The Week 2 and 3 games against Dallas and Pittsburgh can establish the Eagles as a legitimate contender, or set the stage for another year where they struggle at .500. The Eagles have struggled to reach fast starts over the last few years, but with their window of opportunity almost slammed shut, starting off right will be very important. Still, other than the Steelers, no other AFC powerhouse team is in the Eagles schedule, and they are capable of beating any team in the NFC at any given time.

associatedcontent.com


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