Screw A-Wall. From now on, I want to be addressed as A.J.?no, not like the Backstreet Boy or Mateen Cleaves' big man at Michigan State (A.J. "Hermione" Granger), but instead like Mr. A.J. Feeley: (now) backup quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles. For those of you who did not witness Sunday night's game between Philly and New England, this might seem like a strange request. And for those of you who were lucky enough to witness the epic clash, it still might seem like a strange request. But not to me, not to the 71 percent of Eagles fans that in a recent poll conducted by the Philadelphia Enquirer thought that Feeley ought to take the reins as starting quarterback again this week in place of the fragile Donovan McNabb?it makes perfect sense to us.
Coming into Sunday Night Football, the Eagles were 5-5 and still very much alive in the NFC playoff picture, despite yet another inconsistent first 10 games of the season. In a rematch of Super Bowl XXXIX, Philly was set to tango with the Patriots (10-0), who had arguably played better football through the first ten games than any other team in NFL history that had cheated against the Jets in week one (yup, I'm still bitter). And it might have been an enticing affair, had McNabb not been scratched from the starting lineup courtesy of a bum ankle and thumb (a bit of a more legitimate excuse than feeling sick during the final drive of the Super Bowl, wouldn't you say?). So with the only Eagles quarterback who had any hope of spoiling New England's perfect season on the bench, I opted to spend my first night back from Thanksgiving break getting ahead, watching "Apocalypse Now" for my English class a week in advance. That's how much faith I had in A.J. Feeley. Or, I guess, how much faith I didn't have in the Eagles quarterback who was making his first start in nearly three years.
The movie was fantastic, but I had brought along my laptop to utilize Gamecast on ESPN.com just to periodically keep me updated on the score (which is exactly what I did last night when the Packers played the Cowboys in the first meeting of two 10-1 teams since 1990?and I couldn't watch it; YAY, NFL Network!).
On his very first drive, Feeley dropped back to pass and found a wide-open Asante Samuel, who took the interception back 40 yards for an early Patriot touchdown, a harbinger to a game that had the potential to be more embarrassing than walking around campus with a bagged lunch in hand (I know from experience, dude). I then shut down my computer and un-paused the movie?another Sunday, another trouncing set to be delivered by the Patriots.
I finished "Apocalypse Now", and decided to give my buddy a call. It was pretty early and I figured he was still probably watching the slaughter-fest, basking in all of Brady/Moss/Welker/everyone who wears that uniform's glory. He told me to come on over. When I arrived at the apartment in the tower, he opened the door for me and we hugged it out, inevitably asking each other how our respective breaks were en route to the TV room. What I then saw on the screen ignited an instant ecstasy within me. The score was 21-17...Eagles. Saigon.
I soon learned that Philly head coach Andy Reid had dug back into his bag of tricks and pulled out yet another successful, anachronistic onside kick, but more importantly, that A.J. Feeley was somehow keeping the Eagles in the game. Scratch that?winning the game for the Eagles.
Had I not witnessed the game from then on out, and had solely been keeping track of the score online, I honestly would have thought that rookie quarterback Kevin Kolb?who showed tremendous upside in the preseason, and who was thought of by many to be the eventual heir to McNabb's throne?had replaced Feeley after an abysmal start. Instead, it was A.J. himself, who somehow had managed to overcome the horrid beginning to his evening in New England, and had rebounded to give the Eagles a four-point lead with just over three minutes remaining in the first half.
Patriots fans more than anyone would have remembered Feeley's last famous start?December 20, 2004 for the then 2-11 Dolphins on Monday Night Football in Miami ironically, against visiting 12-1 New England. Feeley threw for only one score that night, but it proved to be the clincher at the tail-end of an 11-point comeback in the final three minutes, on a fourth and 10 miracle toss to Derrius Thompson in the endzone, that gave the 'Phins a thrilling 29-28 upset victory of the soon-to-be Super Bowl Champs. Was it to be déjà vu all over again?
The Pats took the lead into halftime on a Jabar Gaffney touchdown catch from Tom Brady to close out the half to put a slight dent in everyone but New England's hopes.
I can't say that I was confident that Feeley would come back out of the locker room and replicate what was a nearly flawless first half?his performance probably had been just an aberration. But I had been wrong before (remember when I said iPods would flop?). And sure enough, A.J. did all he could to prove me, and again, probably everyone else watching, wrong, making completion after completion keeping up with the invincible Patriots who were three touchdown favorites coming into the game.
Feeley was a magician with the ball all night long, making countless pinpoint passes, and spreading the love all over the field to teammates Greg Lewis, L.J. Smith, Reggie Brown, Hank Baskett, and even Kevin "White Lightning" Curtis. Finally, the journeyman quarterback found Lewis over the middle on another perfect pass for the go-ahead score, putting Philly up 28-24 with 1:34 remaining in the third quarter. Was it really 2004?
Midway through the fourth quarter, Tom Brady rallied his troops once again en route to a Laurence Maroney touchdown run to give the Pats a 31-28 lead. Now, it was Feeley's turn, and after the ensuing kickoff Feeley was set to embark on what was probably the most important drive of his career. And for some reason, he didn't let up. He continued to stay poised in the pocket, stretching the field and moving the Eagles to within field goal range. Feeley's precision was becoming so irritating to my buddy that when I told him an inside joke, he politely, but frustratingly shot it down with a "Not now." Finally, on second and four, Reid and his underdog Eagles went for it all, sending Curtis on a deep fade route down the right sideline. Feeley dropped back, and realized immediately that it was a dead play. He tried to overthrow everyone and the endzone, but under-threw it instead, hitting Asante Samuel in stride one more time for his second interception, and thus solidifying A.J.'s defeat.
Feeley threw one more pick with under 15 seconds to go, well in his own territory in one last desperate attempt to hand New England its first loss. He didn't get the full recognition the next day for throwing for a career-high 345 yards and three scores, nor did he win the game. But A.J. Feeley single-handedly gave the 2007 New England Patriots and their fans their biggest scare of the year, and almost put an end to their perfect season. For the non-sports fan, it may have appeared that a hybrid of actors, Ryan Reynolds and Dan Aykroyd was under center for the Eagles, but rest assured, it was A.J. Feeley?the career third-string quarterback who's married to the gorgeous Heather Mitts (please use Google image if you don't know who she is); almost a hero, nay?a legend, whose performance Sunday night will not be soon forgotten.
After the game Feeley was nearly in tears as he faced the media: "I went into the game expecting the unexpected," he said. Most of us didn't. But luckily, we got it anyway.