Woulda-Coulda

Ah, what might have been. If quarterback Donovan McNabb hadn't fumbled on the Eagles' first series... If Rams cornerback Aeneas Williams hadn't intercepted the ball on their last drive...

"If they would have done it, they would have sealed a great sports year (in the city)," said Mark Stewart of Philadelphia, a 44-year-old insurance broker, as the Eagles season ended with a nail-biting 29-24 loss to the Rams in the NFC Championship Sunday.

For the first time in 20 years, Philadelphia's four major pro teams had winning seasons last year. Three coaches won coach-of-the-year honors, the fourth was runner-up, and Allen Iverson was the NBA's Most Valuable Player.

"You've got the '76ers going to the finals. You've got the Phillies almost going to the playoffs," Stewart said. "This would have been the diamond, because it's the Super Bowl."

Taryl Lewis, a 29-year-old barber from West Philadelphia who sported a McNabb jersey at a Center City bar Sunday night, said fans shouldn't take the loss hard. "It wasn't a tough loss, because we were the underdogs from the jump," said Lewis. "I don't think the city's going to be that upset."

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David Green, a 44-year-old hotel supervisor, said the city, and team owners, should be more patient after a playoff loss, instead of giving up. He wasn't giving up, even with the Eagles down 22-17 in the third quarter. "Everybody's excited, but everybody's a little bit leery, because of the history of the team and the history of the city. They find a way to give the game away," said Green, who played Division III football at Elizabeth City State University in North Carolina.

"If we don't make it this year, don't let things fall apart," he advised. "Philadelphia has that 'We've got to win right now mentality." He said team owners should pay the money necessary to keep franchise players in town.

Lewis was 8 when the Eagles last made it to the Super Bowl in 1981, losing to Oakland. And Stewart was a toddler when they last won it all in 1960. "It's so fun to be in a Super Bowl city. But Philly should be proud," said Stewart, a transplant from Maryland who still holds Redskins season tickets. "This is a learning experience for them."

(Copyright 2002 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

Author: WPVI-6