Yet another twist in an Eagles season full of turns

In that context, the first Tuesday NFL game since 1946 makes perfect sense. Especially once you bring the Minnesota Vikings to town. For every unexpected but brilliant turn the Eagles have had, the Vikings have gone through a miserable one.

There was the desperate courtship of Brett Favre; the public feud between the quarterback and coach Brad Childress; the acquisition and quick, sour departure of Randy Moss; and then the firing of Childress. Injuries dropped not only Favre but backup Tarvaris Jackson. The Vikings' home dome collapsed under heavy snow, a fitting metaphor. Their star running back, Adrian Peterson, was hurt when he collided with his quarterback on a handoff. Stadium problems forced the team to play its last two home games in Detroit one week and then at the University of Minnesota's outdoor stadium on a frigid Monday night.

All this after the Vikings began the season as Super Bowl hopefuls, while the Eagles were supposed to be a team in transition.

I wrote about the incredible events of the Eagles' season in a short column that ran in Sunday's Inquirer, before the latest twist. If I had known the Eagles were about to be part of something else highly unusual, the piece might have waited another week. But then, that would imply there was something about this season that we could see coming.