Eagles flying on, crowned 2015 Atlantic Division Champions
After nine seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles, quarterback Rob Tribby had already been written off as a draft bust by sportswriters and fans alike. The 2006 #1 overall draft pick out of Purdue has done very little with very little over the years as the Eagles have managed just a handful of playoff appearances and no wins. At the beginning of this season, the Eagles coach Jeremiah Brown (pictured below) had put the veteran on notice, saying publically that he felt his team had, “turned a corner” when it came to the talent around Tribby and that he “expected more from the position” and that there “would be competition at the position between Tribby and new rookie Willy Russell.
Tribby would respond with the third best quarterback rating in the league behind perennial passing powerhouses Aaron Summers and Rob McMullen. The Eagles would battle their way through a very tough and competitive Atlantic Division going 9-7, but their offense was not the problem. Their defense at times could be porous, and they showed that tonight, as the Panthers quarterback: Mark “Breezy” Andrews gave them all they could handle in this quarterbacking duel.
Andrews came up in the alternate league, bouncing around Europe with London and then Paris before quarterbacking the Los Angeles Quakes in the last two years they were in the UFL. He began his NFL career in Quakes camp but was cut the third week of preseason, returning to the UFL to play with the Iowa Barnstormers for four seasons until that league was folded in the creation of the World American-Football League. Andrews spent 2013 on the San Diego Chargers practice squad, made the Saints as a back-up in 2014, and opened camp fourth on the depth chart with the Panthers at the beginning of this season. A stellar preseason won him the job moving forward in week one, and his position was never in doubt, posting a respectable 62% completion rating, over 1300 yards, 16 touchdowns and only four interceptions, all of which came in one game against the World Champion Jacksonville Jaguars.
If was as if both Rob Tribby and Breezy Andrews came into this Atlantic Championship with chips on their shoulders..as if they had something to prove..and prove it they did. Tribby led the troops down to open the game, going 8 for 8 on the opening drive and capping it off with a touchdown pass to Johnathon Boldon to strike first blood on the Cats.
Andrews and the Panthers would not be able to respond until the second quarter, going 7 for 8 and finishing it with a strike to Goldie Baldwin. The teams would trade field goals to close out the half and go into the break with the score tied at 10, and it looked as if it was going to be a shoot-out. But the Eagles' much maligned defense blanked the Panthers in the third, while Tribby led two long scoring drives to take a commanding 24-10 lead heading into the final frame.
Andrews would lead his boys back however, leading two scoring drives to open the fourth quarter and tie the game. Tribby would respond to retake the lead, but Andrews would lead another scoring drive late and attempt to go for two to win the game outright instead of look for overtime. They would not be successful. The Eagles would score again upon getting the ball back for a final score of Philadelphia 38, Carolina 30.
The Eagles will now face the winner of the Southeast Division Final between Jacksonville and Tennessee. The Eagles were blown out in Jacksonville 70-20, and also lost to Tennessee at home 26-13. They will have to go back to Jacksonville if the Jaguars are victorious, Tennessee would once again have to go to Lincoln Financial Field if the Titans manage to upset the Jags.