Eagles, Penn State schedules are soft

I'm sure it's just a coincidence, since football schedules are composed well in advance.

But the folks who put together both the Eagles and the Penn State schedules did all of us a favor. While the Phillies are playing games that count, both of your favorite football teams have been in what amounts to an extended exhibition schedule.

Both the Birds and the Nits have played one real game and, interestingly enough, both lost - the Eagles to New Orleans and Penn State to Iowa.

But nearly everything else has been an Eastern Illinois or a Bay of Pigs.

(Lest you think I'm exaggerating, consider these numbers: The Eagles averaged 9.5 yards per play yesterday when Donovan McNabb was on the field, and Penn State averaged 7.9 yards per play on Saturday no matter who was on the field.)

Happily, Penn State's exhibition season has ended.

Unfortunately the Eagles have two more. I know, they play their next two games on the road, which usually means a tiny bit of apprehension. The old football saw holds: "You always have a chance when you're at home."

The road games, however, are at Oakland and at Washington. The Raiders were roasted by the Giants, 44-7, yesterday and the Redskins lost to previously winless Carolina, 20-17.

So it looks like two more exhibitions for the Birds, setting up a showdown against the Giants on Nov. 1 between teams that might be a combined 12-1 or 11-2. (The Giants visit New Orleans on Sunday.)

So hang in there. By November, we'll be seeing some real football.

Name of the week. Did you catch the name of Eastern Illinois' star linebacker? Nick Nasti. Now that is a football name.

Quote of the week. Denver coach Josh McDaniels, who maintained all of last week that playing his former boss, New England's Bill Belichick, was just another game:

"I lied."

(But he was smiling when he said it.)

For the record. Kurt Warner's 302-yard performance against Houston sent him past 13,000 yards passing with Arizona, making him the second quarterback to do so with two different teams. (The first was St. Louis.) The other QB was Fran Tarkenton (Minnesota and the Giants).