TUESDAY TIDBITS: 'Come Gather 'Round People'

By TJ Troup 

Wild Card weekend is in the books, oh, Super Wild Card weekend is in the books, and there was plenty to digest. Some teams demonstrated they are healthy and strong, others not so much. 

We watched coaching decisions that made sense, and others that have been vilified, and may lead to unemployment? The Sean Payton sweepstakes continue! 

Have stated in the past that this upcoming weekend is my favorite weekend of football, and sure look forward to the four games.

Before detailing the rivalries, a quick shout out to Jack Silverstein a guest columnist, welcome Jack, and sure enjoyed the article. 

Always have an opinion; sometimes too strong an opinion on who should be voted into the Hall, but have not done very well in predicting. Understanding cornerback play is a rumor that has followed me for quite some time and having seen him play in person and many times on TV would relish hearing Albert Lewis's name announced to get a gold jacket. 

Coach of the year candidate Doug Pedersen will lead his Jaguars onto the field in a sea of red in Kansas City on Saturday, and though not a historical rivalry, an aspect that no doubt will be mentioned is the fact the two head coaches use to coach the Eagles. Twice the Bengals have beaten the Bills in the playoffs, and both years Cincinnati advanced to the SB. 

Probably won't be stated during the broadcast, but historically every team has a first victory. The first victory in Cincinnati Bengal history in 1968 came at the expense of Buffalo. The Bengals scored on defense in securing the win, Sam Hubbard are you listening? 

Two young quarterbacks that are on the verge of being listed as elite will get lots of attention, yet which team can crash the pass pocket? Philadelphia and New York have been pounding away at each other since the '30s, and no, did not attend any of those games, but beginning with the two fateful games in 1960 have paid attention to when these bitter rivals go toe to toe. NFL Films did a piece on "Greatest Rivalries" and some of the statements made by Pat Summerall still ring true. 

Four times these two teams have met in the playoffs, and the total points scored stands at Eagles 77, and Giants 78. The game in late December of '81 was the beginning of Dick Vermeil realizing maybe his Eagles time had come and gone?

Knew nothing about Parcells & Belichick then, but you might have heard both men went on to achieve plenty in their storied careers. The one play in this rivalry that stands out for me is not Concrete Charley delivering the open field hit on Mr. Gifford, it is my boy Jason Sehorn's incredible athletic interception in helping the G-Men win in the playoffs. 

Before discussing the final rivalry, want to explain the title of this narrative and its significance. Robert Allen Zimmerman will always be my favorite songwriter, and the first song by him that caught my attention was "The Times They Are a'Changing", he wrote this in 1963, and the words still ring true today. One of the final lines Dylan sings is "and the first now will later be last for the times they are a-changing". 

When we looked at the final standings in the NFC East at the close of the seasons 2019 & 2020 no one thought of these four teams as Super Bowl contenders. 

Why would we? A non-division record of 47-80-1 tells all. 

Now we have three teams from this division in the final eight still in contention for the silver trophy. 

Jeremy Renner and Sam Elliott did a superb job in the mini-documentary "A Tale of Two Cities" in 2015 on the play-off rivalry between Dallas and San Francisco, and here we are again. My question for all of you is, is this the best playoff rivalry in league history? 

If not, which one is better? 

When Dave Baker was intercepting LeBaron and Meredith passes the first time these two teams met in 1960 no one, and I mean NO ONE would ever believe these two teams would play in so many meaningful games. The last game at Kezar, the magic of Roger the Dodger's comeback in '72, Young vs. Aikman, and for me the big difference in playing surfaces...or simply put carpet vs. mud. Enjoy the games.