The way the Washington Redskins are playing right now, Andy, Maurice, and Robin Gibb may as well be coaching the team.

After keeping the game close through the first half and making my prediction of a closer game than most people thought it would be look good, the Redskins pretty much self-destructed and let the Eagles run away to a final score of 28-6.

The Eagles showed they can still dominate teams much worse than they and remained one of three elite teams in the NFL. The upcoming game against Green Bay in two weeks could provide their only serious challenge for the rest of the season. Next up are the Jekyll and Hyde New York Football Giants, and if the defense can keep Tiki Barber under control, the Eagles should cruise to a 10-1 record and clinch the NFC East in November.

Cory Lidle.

I guess paying half as much as Kevin Millwood for twice the contract is a good deal for the Phillies. I guess. Of course, that depends on which Cory Lidle shows up every fifth day.

Now, if the Phillies plan on signing Eric Milton or an almost comparable veteran pitcher (one who throws ground balls instead – Derek Lowe or Brad Radke, perhaps?), that would potentially waste Ryan Madson’s talents in the bullpen. Yes, he was good in that role, but doesn’t it make more sense to try and get seven innings out of him rather than one or two?

As for this rumor about a 10-year, $155 million offer to Carlos Beltran: If Ed Wade is dumb enough to hand agent/vampire Scott Boras exactly what he wants, then the Phillies deserve their horrible fate as the Texas Rangers East. (Incidentally, I don’t believe it.)

Charlie Manuel has also filled out his coaching staff for next season, and since I know next to nothing about any of them or their qualifications, all I can say is that at least they’re not Kerrigan, Gross, and Vukovich.

The Eagles rebounded from their terrible loss to the Steelers last week by pummeling the Cowboys 49-21 last night in a game that featured a play so astounding, Donovan McNabb may as well start writing his ESPY acceptance speech now.

The offense came back from the dead and took advantage of a poorly skilled and seemingly lazy Dallas defense, becoming the first team ever to score four touchdowns on the Cowboys in one quarter.

It’s hard to find fault in a 28-point victory, but allowing 21 points to the obviously wretched Cowboys is a good place to start. All those missed tackles and blown coverages in the first half against a better team (and they will play better teams in the playoffs) could have spelled trouble.

All in all, it was a very nice job of roughing up the Cowboys, though hardly a return to the glory days of Buddy Ryan, when humiliating Dallas was the No. 1 priority. (I was at the infamous “Bounty Bowl” – best Thanksgiving ever.)

Next up is a Washington Redskins team with an offense that makes Vinny Testaverde and the Cowboys look like Dan Fouts and the Chargers by comparison. However, the Redskins’ defense is nothing to sneeze at and this is a game the Eagles need to take seriously, because Washington is the kind of team the Eagles could easily play down to.

The Incredibles

Written and Directed by Brad Bird

Featuring the voices of Craig T. Nelson, Holly Hunter, Samuel L. Jackson, Jason Lee

Synopsis

A family of superheroes emerges from a witness relocation program to battle a new villain with a special ax to grind.

Review

Brad Bird, an outsider to Pixar Animation Studios who once directed The Simpsons and the hugely underrated The Iron Giant, has produced a movie far and away better than any of Pixar’s previous films, which frankly puts it in the running for the greatest animated film of all time. Instead of satirizing every possible superhero cliché, Bird takes The Incredibles in unexpected directions by infusing it with serious action, comedy, and drama from a variety of influences, especially a heavy dose of the James Bond films. The result is a first-rate action-adventure film on par with any of the best superhero movies, live-action or otherwise.

Grade: A

I (Heart) Huckabees

Directed by David O. Russell

Starring Dustin Hoffman, Isabelle Huppert, Jude Law, Jason Schwarztman, Lily Tomlin, Mark Wahlberg, Naomi Watts

Synopsis

A liberal crusader hires an existential detective agency to find the meaning behind some strange coincidences in his life.

Review

Is everything in the universe connected? Is nothing related to anything? What does it mean? Is there any meaning at all? Is there a point to asking these kinds of questions? Is there any comedy to be had in it? While the answers to most of those questions will likely never be found, the answer to that last question is a resounding yes. David O. Russell and co-screenwriter Jeff Baena have taken the usual litany of “what’s it all about”-type questions we ask ourselves when life gets too aggravating, stressful, or just plain bizarre and given them to a truly unique set of characters who under any other circumstances would have nothing to do with each other. But maybe that’s the essence of the universe in a nutshell? Or maybe it’s just meaningless coincidence? Here we go again.



Grade: B+