Nnamdi Asomugha – rough day at the office – photo by Pete Lerro – contrastphotography.com

Anyone who thought the 2011 Eagles were a “Dream Team” might want to check the water they’ve been drinking.

After watching the New York Football Giants smack the Birds around for 60 minutes en route to a 29-16 win over the heavily favored home team, the Eagles can only hope to wake up and to find out yesterday was a dream.

Unfortunately for the Eagles and their fans, yesterday’s game was for real.

With a receiving corps Paul Aufiero would have a hard time naming, Eli Manning picked apart the Eagles vaunted secondary for four touchdown passes – on just 16 completions – and 254 yards to hand the Birds (1-2) the demoralizing defeat.

“My compliments to the Giants,” a terse Andy Reid said after the game. “They did a nice job. Obviously we didn’t have enough big plays offensively, and they hit too many on us defensively. We have to go back around and make sure we evaluate every situation and get better.”

Reid was asked if he will make wholesale defensive changes after giving up so many big plays.

“We’ll see,” is all the head coach would say.

The Eagles first drive started on their 41-yard line. Showing a diversified menu of plays, the Birds marched confidently to the Giants 19-yard line only to have a Mike Vick pass bounce of his intended receiver, Steve Smith, and into the hands of Giants defensive back Aaron Ross who returned it to the Giants 27.

From there Big Blue looked like a playoff contender moving the ball with buoyancy and scored on a six-play, 73-yard drive that culminated with a 40-yard strike to running back Brandon Jacobs who waltzed into the end zone.

It was a dazzling display of play calling by the Giants to challenge the changes the Eagles coaches made at linebacker. There were no defenders near Jacobs wheel route.

The Eagles next drive fizzled at their own 41-yard line and the Giants struck again.

On the third play of their next drive Manning hit Victor Cruz for a 74-yard catch and barrel to go up 14-0. Cruz benefited when Eagle defenders Kurt Coleman and Nnamdi Asomugha collided trying to tackle him. Asomugha had just whiffed on tackling Cruz.

The first quarter ended with the Giants owning an improbable two-touchdown lead and all the momentum in the world.

Giants Pro Bowl guard Chris Snee said he was inspired by the run by Cruz.

“I love it,” the veteran blocker said. “Any time you see the back of our guy’s jersey running towards the end zone, it’s great. You just have to line up and kick and extra point. Your one-on-one battles are over for a few minutes.”

The Eagles would soon grab it back scoring three times to head to the locker room trailing just 14-13.

The Eagles first score came at the end of a 77-yard drive that stalled at the three.

Alex Henery made his first field goal as an Eagle at home with a 21-yard chip shot. The three-pointer capped a 15-play drive that saw the Eagles run the ball 10 times.

After the Giants next drive stalled and the Birds took over on downs, Vick led his team on a seven-play, 71-yard drive that ended with a LeSean McCoy 11-yard TD run to make the score 14-10 with 1:35 left in the half.

The Eagles defense dominated the Giants on their next possession, Reid managed the clock well and the Eagles were able to squeeze in a 38-yard field goal as the clock expired. 

What happened in the third quarter probably decided the game.

The Eagles looked like poetry-in-motion for 88 yards then turn into Howard, Fein and Howard for the final three plays.

Reid was masterful for most of the 14-play drive that took up almost nine minutes of the clock.

Then for some reason – with a first and goal from the two – the coach decided to ram the ball through the middle of the line four consecutive times: twice by Vick and twice by fullback Owen Schmitt.

The Eagles had to settle for a field goal and a shaky 16-14 lead.

When asked if his standout running back (McCoy rushed for 128 yards on 24 carries for the day) was okay on the goal line series that featured the two carries by Schmitt, Reid would only reply, “yes.”

The Giants winning drive came in the fourth quarter after Vick had to leave the game with a broken non-throwing hand.

Manning hit Cruz with a 28-yard pass into coverage, but the UMass grad came up with the score just over the goal line.

Reid decided to go with Mike Kafka when Vick’s hand was too injured to return. The second–year signal caller’s first pass was intercepted by Ross – his second of the day – and Manning drove the Giants to another TD when he hit Ahmad Bradshaw with a, 18-yard TD pass.

While Eagles players and fans basked in the replay glory of last year’s “Miracle at the Meadowlands” Giants players – their fans and in some cases family – seethed while waiting for this day.

Snee was asked if beating the Eagles was that special.

“Anytime you beat these guys (it is special),” Snee said. “The last thing my five-year old said to me before I left for the stadium was, ‘Dad, you know these guys have beaten you six times in a row.’ I said ‘thanks Cooper, I know that.'”

Finally, Dad will have the last word.