Philadelphia Eagles Football Team

Former Philadelphia Eagle Dennis Franks pleaded guilty Thursday to selling cocaine he bought from associates of a huge cocaine ring, and authorities said many of his former teammates were involved. Franks, 34, admitted to a federal judge he sold cocaine between April 1981 and June 1983, after he left his post as captain of the Eagles' special teams.

Saturday was the coldest day in Dallas in 14 years. And the warmest. On the same day outside temperatures dipped to 13 degrees, the Dallas Cowboys rode a heat wave into the NFL playoffs, crushing the Philadelphia Eagles, 34-14, in a wild-card game at home. The Cowboys will play a divisional game at Minnesota a week from today. It was the first postseason victory by the Cowboys since the 1996 season, and the first ever for Dallas Coach Wade Phillips and quarterback Tony Romo.

Jerome Brown, star defensive lineman for the Philadelphia Eagles, was killed Thursday when the sports car he was driving skidded out of control after leaving a car dealership in his Florida hometown, police said. Brooksville Police Chief Ed Tincher said Brown's 12-year-old nephew also was killed in the single-car accident. The name of the passenger was not immediately released. The chief said further details on the accident would not be released until today.

Second of four breakdowns on the first round of the NFL playoffs: Big pressure on big men The Eagles have a robust assortment of speedy playmakers, but the guys who absolutely have to make plays on every snap are the big men up front. Stopping the Cowboys in the trenches has been a problem, as evidenced by the four sacks of Donovan McNabb in each of the last two meetings. Former USC standout Winston Justice , Philadelphia's right tackle, was overwhelmed Sunday by outside linebacker Anthony Spencer , who had two sacks, a hurry and forced a fumble.

The last football game of the weekend was played Monday night in Norman Braman's hometown. Son of a Philadelphia barber, Braman, 58, has risen in the last 46 years from water boy to owner of the Philadelphia Eagles. "My father emigrated from Poland and my mother from Romania," he said before the game. "There was no affluence in my family. Owning the Eagles is the ultimate fulfillment of every fantasy I ever had growing up in Philadelphia."

DeSean Jackson's remarkable ability to get behind players -- defensive backs, particularly -- has propelled the Philadelphia receiver to the Pro Bowl in only his second season. But Jackson has never been behind players quite the way he was on draft day in 2008, when he not only tumbled out of the first round, but saw six receivers selected in front of him in the second. It was a humbling, albeit brief, experience for the former California star who now chops defenders down to size on a weekly basis.

Jeff Thomason, project manager for a New Jersey construction firm, is using his remaining vacation days for this year to go to the Super Bowl. It's a good deal. He gets an expenses-paid trip to Jacksonville, Fla., a great seat in Alltel Stadium and a chance to win big money. Thomason, though, is not just going to the Super Bowl. He's going to play in it.

Jim McMahon will replace the slumping Randall Cunningham as the Philadelphia Eagles' starting quarterback Sunday against the Raiders in Philadelphia. "I talked to Randall," Coach Rich Kotite said. "I thought about it all night and I thought about it this morning, and I told him I would have Jim start this week. I want to back him off for a week."

Everyone around them is talking dynasty and where New England fits in the pantheon of great NFL teams, but the Patriots are clinging to the notion that they don't get their just due. The buzzword Tuesday during their portion of the media session was "disrespect." "Everyone wants to be respected," said Coach Bill Belichick, whose team has reached its third Super Bowl in four seasons. "It's kind of human nature.

It was a 97-yard kickoff return for a touchdown before many fans had parked their cars. It was an amazing, acrobatic, juggling interception, a ball picked off just before it hit the ground and returned for a touchdown. It was four quarters of smacking, whacking, pushing, shoving, totally discombobulating a young quarterback, Donovan McNabb, who has been compared to Michael Jordan but who was smacking his head in anger and frustration.

DeSean Jackson's remarkable ability to get behind players -- defensive backs, particularly -- has propelled the Philadelphia receiver to the Pro Bowl in only his second season. But Jackson has never been behind players quite the way he was on draft day in 2008, when he not only tumbled out of the first round, but saw six receivers selected in front of him in the second. It was a humbling, albeit brief, experience for the former California star who now chops defenders down to size on a weekly basis.

The Arizona Cardinals didn't open their retractable roof Sunday. They shattered their glass ceiling. The long-held belief that "Cardinals" and "Super Bowl" will never occupy the same sentence is over, laid to rest by Arizona's 32-25 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC championship game. This time, the punch line punched back. "We believe in ourselves, and we believe in each other, so really it doesn't matter what other people believe," Cardinals defensive end Bertrand Berry said.

When Vai Sikahema played for the Philadelphia Eagles, home games were so loud he could barely hear himself think. When he played for the Arizona Cardinals, he and his teammates used to joke that home games were so quiet they could actually hear their wives think. "The wives' section was right behind our bench," said Sikahema, a running back and returner for the Cardinals during their first three seasons in Arizona, when the team played at Sun Devil Stadium.

Tonight's home opener isn't just a beginning for the Dallas Cowboys. It's an ending too. With their glistening $1-billion-plus new stadium rapidly taking shape, the Cowboys play host to Philadelphia tonight in their final home opener at Texas Stadium, where they have played since 1971. As a parting present -- a house-cooling gift? -- the Eagles hope to supply the big D. Because it was defense that told the story in last season's series between these NFC East rivals. The Eagles lost at home to Dallas last November, 38-17, forcing only one turnover and never getting to Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo.

With two sons locked in a drug-induced spiral, and a judge having labeled his home a "drug emporium," Andy Reid faces what looks like an incredibly difficult decision: Should he stay or go? The second-worst thing he could do is stay on as coach of the Philadelphia Eagles. The worst thing he could do is step down.

PHILADELPHIA -- Remember when the quest for quarterback supremacy in the NFC East was a three-way battle among Philadelphia's Donovan McNabb, Dallas' Tony Romo and the New York Giants' Eli Manning? Well, make room for Jason Campbell. The third-year Washington quarterback, making only his third NFL start, outplayed McNabb and -- with the help of a stout defense -- held on for a 20-12 victory at Lincoln Financial Field.

Duce Staley ran toward the back of the end zone, took a lob pass from Donovan McNabb and finger-rolled it over the goal post. Everything worked for Staley and McNabb on Sunday, even their post-touchdown celebration. Staley had 146 yards rushing and one touchdown, and McNabb threw for three touchdowns, and ran for another to lead the Philadelphia Eagles to a 48-17 victory over the Minnesota Vikings.

The two-stoplight town of Blackville, S.C., is bracketed by a pair of billboards dedicated to hometown celebrity Troy Brown of the New England Patriots. There's one on Highway 78 and another on Highway 3. "No matter which way you're coming," his high school coach says, "you can't miss him." That applies to his football as well. Brown plays receiver and defensive back for the Patriots, and mixes in punt returns to boot. Brown says learning offense and defense "is not for everybody."

After all the long passes and big runs, all the mayhem at the Superdome on Saturday night, it made sense that the defining moment came down to Deuce McAllister. A handoff up the middle for five tough yards and a first down. That simple play allowed the New Orleans Saints to run out the clock on a raucous 27-24 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles in an NFC divisional playoff game.

They're no longer the gutty little occupants of the NFL's feel-good file. They're not sweet, not cuddly and, especially when it comes to opposing defenses, burn at least as many hearts as they warm. They are the New Orleans Saints -- in your face and in your end zone -- and they're two victories away from the Super Bowl. Look past them, and you might as well strap on ankle weights and try to chase down Reggie Bush, because you'll be gasping in a vapor trail.