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When that lucky stiff who had tickets to the Eagles game boasts today that he knew all along the Birds were a mortal lock, don't believe him.
From the conspicuous lack of chants as fans filed in, to the cold silence that
swept across the stadium as the Packers raced to a 14-0 lead, the Eagles faithful
at Lincoln Financial Field were braced for the worst yesterday.
But by the end, by the time quarterback Donovan McNabb had stolen victory from "destiny" and the Green Bay Packers, it seemed that maybe, perhaps, Eagles fans were finally ready to believe. Again. Tickets
"We're going all the way to the Super Bowl. This is better than being drunk,"
said Joe Moore, 61, of Conshohocken, shortly before he was bowled over by a
pair of revelers exiting the game.
To get there, the Eagles will have to beat the Carolina Panthers in the NFC
championship game at the Linc, at 6:45 p.m. Sunday. In each of the last two
years, the Eagles' season has ended in that game - one agonizing step short
of the Super Bowl.
The jubilant end aside, several fans said much of yesterday's game felt like
a slow death.
It wasn't just the play on the field that was spooking them. Ghosts from the
last two playoff losses had even the staunchest fans expecting defeat as early
as the second quarter.
Matt Ryan, 34, was among those watching the game on a television inside the
stadium concourse - as though the gruesome scene on the field would be too difficult
to confront from the stands.
"It's eerie," Ryan, of Wayne, said of the tailgating scene before
the game began. "You're walking into the parking lot, and everyone was
just quiet."
Other fans nearby nervously smoked cigarettes as they watched the game unfold.
"Eagles fans, they love you when you're winning, they hate you when you're
losing," Ryan said. "Well, guess what, we're losing. But you've got
to back your team."
One fan taking the Broad Street subway to the game was already fretting that
the Eagles were becoming the "Red Sox of football."
For many, the emotional scars from last year's debacle against the Tampa Bay
Buccaneers run especially deep.
"Ever since then, I'm just living for the day, keeping my expectations
down some," said Linda Wilson of Woodbury, Gloucester County.
For Elaine Ernst, of Cherry Hill, the game "was like a death in the family.
It was just sad, sad, sad."
Rugged-looking Chris Murphy of Winslow, Camden County, wept when Tampa ended
the Eagles season.
"It was heartbreaking. It killed us, it killed us," Murphy said. He
said he was depressed for days.
"Me, I was angry. Very angry. I was mad. I wanted to hurt somebody,"
said Southwest Philadelphia resident Bill Lennox, 20, of that game.
Still, Lennox has to be counted among the true believers. Before halftime, he
boldly pronounced "this game is already won," even though the Birds
were down 14-7.
As the fourth quarter began and the Eagles started to catch up with the Packers,
small signs of optimism began to creep back into the stadium. The cheering grew
louder. Gloved hands clapped together more quickly. Dare they hope again?
Seeking some sort of control over the drama playing out on the field below,
Tim O'Brien, a 22-year-old bartender from Allentown, put his faith in a lucky
beer. If the beer expired before the game was over, O'Brien was convinced, so
too would the Eagles' season.
He nursed it through overtime, presenting it to friends like a communion chalice.
As Eagles placekicker David Akers lined up to kick the winning field goal, O'Brien
simultaneously poured out the remaining beer as a sacrifice.
"I can't even put it into words," he said moments after the Eagles
had won. "Next week. Same place, same time - yeah!"