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Bucs' New Battle Cry: Fly, Eagles, Fly

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By MARTIN FENNELLY | The Tampa Tribune

Published: December 23, 2008

TAMPA - Fly, Eagles, Fly.

That's the fight song atop the cloak of darkness that has settled over what was once a season of light for the Bucs.

They're pulling for the team they've loved to hate.

It's that out of hand, this Bucs collapse. It's that out of the Bucs' hands.

Yes, they have to beat the Raiders on Sunday. Then they have to sit, stand or pace as the Cowboys play the Bucs' new bestest friend: The Eagles.

Yes, the Eagles.

If Philadelphia wins, the Bucs have their shabby playoff berth. If the Cowpokes win, The Great Bucs Buckle of 2008 enters the pantheon.

Everybody wear green!

And meet Derrick Brooks, Eagles fan.

"Dig yourself a hole, man, you do things you've never done before."

The hole is so dark and deep it's 6 feet deep. It's so dark and deep that Donovan McNabb, Brian Westbrook are Bucs heroes. It's so dark and deep that Brooks, one of the Bucs who blew up Veterans Stadium before it was actually blown up, can only root, root, root with carnivore Eagles fans.

There's irony here.

"Throw in the Raiders irony, too," Bucs coach Jon Gruden said.

Deep in the Raiders bunker, Al Davis, aged madman, is feeding grain to his winged monkeys, telling them they can beat Gruden and Lane Kiffin's dad.

We're a long way from the Bucs' last win against the Raiders. It came with Roman numerals and a trophy.

What can you do?

"Beat Oakland and pull for Philly," Warrick Dunn said.

Pull for Philly?

"I never thought I'd say that," Dunn said.

On Monday Dunn talked about how at least the Bucs would be playing Sunday at 1, the same as Dallas and Philadelphia ... a Bucs public relations assistant broke the news:

"The league has flexed the Dallas-Philly game to 4:15."

"Wow," Dunn said.

The Bucs might have been flexed right out of existence.

"Now if we win, then Philly knows they're not going to get in," Dunn said.

It's true. If the Bucs win, the Eagles are eliminated. But don't count out pure blood hatred of Dallas to fuel Philly. If the Eagles' playoff hopes were dashed, the best consolation would be dashing through the Cowboys.

Hey, look at the Chargers. After smashing the Bucs, they still needed the Bills to upset the Broncos to keep San Diego hopes alive. The Bills did it. Maybe anything can happen, and will this Sunday.

It's pathetic, it's oh, so sorry that it has come to this. After a 9-3 start, the Bucs need help. Destiny is community property.

What can you do?

The Bucs are doing it.

Fly, Eagles, Fly.

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