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MONDAY NIGHT NOTES
DIVISION
RIVALS CLASH IN DALLAS It’s yet another in a long line of great NFL rivalries – the Dallas Cowboys against the Philadelphia Eagles. Add to that a sellout crowd at Texas Stadium, the bright lights of a primetime national television showdown, a first-place team and another looking to return to form, and all the ingredients are present this week for a memorable Monday evening. When the two teams conclude Week 10, the NFC East-leading Eagles (7-1) will look to bounce back after suffering their first loss of the season last Sunday, 27-3 to Pittsburgh. And a Monday night contest may be a good omen for the club. The Eagles are 7-1 (.875) under head coach ANDY REID on Monday nights, and 13-1 (.929) in primetime since Reid became the club’s head coach in 1999. "We’re a character football team and we hit a bump in the road last week," says Reid. "We’ll bounce back and come back strong. We’re very much looking forward to the opportunity we have on Monday night." The Cowboys also are looking to rebound, having dropped a 26-3 decision to Cincinnati in Week 9. They also can be heartened with the Monday night date on the schedule. A victory would tie them with the Miami Dolphins for the most MNF wins in history: The most appearances and victories on Monday Night Football:
A key for the Cowboys will be slowing down one of the Eagles’ most potent offensive threats, wide receiver TERRELL OWENS – whose first season in Philadelphia has been a memorable one. The big-play threat has nine touchdown receptions and is on track for 18, which would tie for the second most in a season in NFL history with MARK CLAYTON and STERLING SHARPE, trailing only JERRY RICE (22). Owens has been especially proficient at finding the end zone on Monday nights, totaling 12 touchdown receptions in his 17 career Monday games, including eight in his past six Monday-nighters. He also has a touchdown catch in six consecutive Monday games, and needs one to pass Rice for the longest such streak all-time. "He’s having fun right now," says Cowboys linebacker DEXTER COAKLEY
of Owens. "The only way to combat that is to stop him from getting into the
end zone." The all-time leaders in MNF games in consecutive games with a touchdown catch, and total touchdown receptions:
MONDAY NIGHT MUSINGS – PHILADELPHIA EAGLES AT DALLAS COWBOYS A LITTLE CLOSER TO HOME :For Marine Sergeant ANH NGUYEN and his Philadelphia pals, the 7-1 start by their hometown Eagles has been fun and brings them closer to home. Nguyen and his reserve unit are in Iraq, running humanitarian supply missions in Ramadi, about 20 miles west of Fallujah. While none of the soldiers has seen a game on television this year (the Eagles are sending game tapes to Nguyen and his buddies), they have been following the team’s fortunes closely over the internet. "We talk about them a lot and follow them as much as we can," says Nguyen. Nyguen was born in South Vietnam and moved to the United States when he was a baby. He attended William W. Bodine High School for International Affairs, and enlisted in the Marine Corps Reserves seven years ago because he felt he had been very fortunate in his life and wanted to pay America back. "Generally speaking, the people in Iraq want to support the U.S.," says Nguyen. "They want the same things in life that you and I or any human being wants -- to be safe and watch their kids grow. I know this because it’s my job to go out and talk to them. At the same time, they’re too afraid of the insurgents to do anything about it. We try and assess their general feelings and see what we can help them with." Nguyen has never been to an Eagles game and hopes to get a chance next season when he returns home in August.
A NEW GENERATION: This past May, Cowboys linebacker DAT NGUYEN was one of six Vietnamese-Americans to be given the Golden Torch Awards at the Vietnamese American National Gala in Washington, D.C. Hundreds of Vietnamese- Americans attended the black-tie dinner at the Capital Hilton. The recipients call themselves "The 1.5 Generation" – for the 1.5 million first-born Vietnamese-American young men and woman who have grown up in the United States since the fall of Saigon in 1975. The gala, the first of its kind, was a toast to the United States and meant to be a statement by these young men and women that they intend to stay and flourish in America.
ENGINEERING A CAREER AFTER FOOTBALL: Eagles defensive tackle DARWIN WALKER is a success on and off the field. Growing up in a family that owned a construction company in Walterboro, South Carolina, Darwin developed a passion for working at construction sites at a young age. It was during these 10-to-12-hour days in the summer that Darwin says he learned first-hand about teamwork and work ethic. After graduating from the University of Tennessee with a degree in civil engineering and passing the Fundamentals of Engineering examination, Walker co-founded Progressive Engineering, a civil and structural engineering firm in Knoxville, Tennessee. The company has accounted for more than $250 million worth of projects, and plans to open an office in Philadelphia soon. "Besides playing in the NFL, my company is one of the things I’m most proud of in my life," says Walker.
CROCODILE HUNTER 2: Cowboys rookie cornerback LANCE FRAZIER is an alligator enthusiast. Frazier first became enamored with the long-toothed animals when he was a Cub Scout in Delray Beach, Florida. He never was interested in learning how to build camp fires or tying knots, but rather in animals and, in particular, reptiles. Frazier visits reptile shows frequently, and is a big fan of the "Crocodile Hunter" TV show starring Australian STEVE IRWIN. Frazier plans on getting a pet alligator as soon as he gets some land close to a lake.
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