The last time the New England Patriots faced quarterbak A.J. Feeley, he was QB-ing the Miami Dolphins. His performance was unforgettable, leading his underdog Dolphins to an improbable come-from-behind victory in the final two minutes of a Monday nighter in Miami.
"I remember getting banged up a little bit," Feeley said of that game. "It was kind of an exciting time. It was one of the highlights for me playing down there."
Chances are, he'll be starting for the Eagles on Sunday because of Philly QB Donovan McNabb's injured ankle (McNabb didn't practice Thursday). How does Feeley plan to attack the undefeated Pats?
"It's about being efficient, hanging onto the ball and not making turnovers, and scoring when you're in the red zone," Feeley said in a USA TODAY story.
You can count Philly RB Brian Westbrook as another Eagle who claims he isn't afraid of the perfect-to-this-point Patriots.
“We’re not intimidated by the team,” he told New England media during a conference call this week.
"We respect what they've done. We've seen that they've been able to put up a lot of points throughout the season. As a football player, you don't go into the game intimidated. We respect what they've done, we respect the fact that they've scored a lot of points, and it's up to us to neutralize their scoring ability and put some points on the board ourselves."
Back on the New England side, it hasn't happened all year, but should a Patriots game come down to a field goal, kicker Stephen Gostkowski told The Boston Globe he's more than ready for the challenge. That's because he faces so much pressure in practice from head coach Bill Belichick.
"Bill puts plenty of pressure on me in practice," Gostkowski revealed in today's story. One of the methods Belichick employs is throwing his whistle at his kicker while he's lining up to kick.
"He does it to distract me," the kicker explained. "It's helpful, actually. He's trying to break my concentration."
QUICK HITS
Various news and notes about Eagles players and their injuries can be found in the Philadelphia Daily News.
On Sports Illustrated's website, one NFL writer says he's "fascinated by" and "actually kind of enjoying" New England's record-setting scoring pace this season.
*The Sporting News* takes a similar approach in a column this week.
