Pat's or Geno's?? The debate is as marvelous as the taste. The beauty is watching and listening to the locals climb into the sandwich consumption ring for preferential sparring. As unique and ingrained as each establishment, this NFL showdown needs its own annual celebration, and it should always be in Philly on or around Halloween. Somehow, some way this contest was meant for this particular holiday stage. Truth be told, the Thanksgiving Mainstay should be traded in for a little City of Brotherly Shove Trick or Treating between the Cowboys and Eagles. And make no bones about it, this game would not be the same in Texas. It MUST be played in Philly. There is no place quite like it, and there is no bigger, dedicated 'freak show' on the planet. It took a Cowboys' Diehard 5 years of early to mid 90's, in The Vet, to get the full flavor of this unique fandom. Like the famous cheese steak stands, the Philly experience is one of a kind.
Make no mistake, there was no bigger House of Horrors than this Dump. Haunted houses are an annual tradition, and every year there are new venues, decorations and Halloween creatures and creations. The beauty of this place was no one ever had to decorate or buy any candy for the event. All the delectables were collected on the field of play, be it in body bags or bounty bowls. The place came equipped with real rats and drunk tanks. You can't make this stuff up, and it was no place for the Faint of Heart. Or families. There are some places where you tread lightly and keep opposition loyalty tucked deep within. The 700 level was Bellevue for the masses, an asylum like no other. Wear opponent's colors into the bathrooms and subject yourself to becoming a human pinball machine. Survival trips and mountain climbing are soul enrichments, but a Broad Street quest would simply test the mettle.
Whether it's in the stands or transpiring on the field of play, a Freak Show is going to break out this time of year in Philly. To take absolutely nothing away from Lincoln Financial, The Vet was, well, The Vet. Strange things happened within its hallowed walls, and it was the only place in the NFL where the field and the parking lots were the exact same surface, complete with crevasses, potholes and seams that claimed Wendall Davis and small children in a single bound. The only thing needing to be claimed this Halloween is a victory. This is a 'statement' game. The Cowboys, should they decide to back up the bravado of their Defensive Coordinator, can place the deadly dagger in the backs of the 'We Had a Dream Team.' To the chagrin of many, the Rex Grossman ghastly display did not revive the Eagles. Their blemishes are as large as Andy Reid's mid-section. Keep Vick contained and in the pocket, and reduce the League-leading ground game to pedestrian numbers, and the Eagles can be had in their own trick bag. This really is the moment for the Cowboys to exorcise some demons, string together some very winnable games and take control of the NFC East.
DeMarco Murray's record-setting performance against the Rams was eerily similar to a 1993 Halloween display treat by one Emmitt Smith. Absent both the venue and the monsoon. Emmitt treated the Philly Faithful to a bag full of 237 yards as the Cowboys floated out of town with the last laugh. While Murray, Tanner and the Cowboys' offense don't need anywhere near that ground production to bring down The Scream Team, Philly can, and should, be run on. If pitting the #1 ground game (Eagles) against the top defense against the run (Cowboys), something has to give. The Boys in Blue need to send a holiday message, and their Lead Ghoul, Rob Ryan, should have enough tricks up his sleeve to make Sunday night a memorable, snow globe like scene.
It's time to leave Philly holding the bag.........
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