Sunday, August 23, 2009

Must Get Better

***

In the preseason opener the Patriots actually played with a sense of purpose. Tom Brady was edgy because he hadn't played in almost a year. Bill Belichick was on edge because his team missed the playoffs last year. Sure they went 11-5, but in Bill's world that means nothing if they don't get to the postseason.

In the 2nd game the Colts came out fired up. They had been really flat in their opener and Peyton Manning and Coach Jim Caldwell felt it important that the team come out sharp this time around. They did.

The Eagles have been sloppy in both games. Andy Reid used the word embarrassing after the Colts game. That's strong for Andy, especially after a preseason game. I wonder if Big Red will feel the need to push the guys this week.

The good news is that some guys should be coming back. Jason Peters should be the LT this week. That will (hopefully) help us out. He also needs the reps to get ready for the regular season. Stacy Andrews is slated to start at RG, finally. We need to see where he's at. Nick Cole struggled last week so getting Stacy in there should help.

Westy may actually play against the Jags. He won't see much action, if he does play. You just want him to get out there and get a few snaps to get loose.

In the end it doesn't matter who is on the field. The sloppiness has to stop. The mistakes are the kind you expect in a post-draft mini-camp. Players aren't sure where to lineup. Players are blowing coverages. Guys are dropping punts and kickoffs. Simple tackles are getting missed.

I don't see a lack of effort, just a lack of precision. Our TC had one of the earliest starts in the league. Maybe the guys are worn down. They've now had a couple of weeks back in Philly. They should have their legs back under them. The whole Vick thing has died down. The focus needs to be on playing well.

What you do in the preseason doesn't necessarily translate to the regular season, good or bad. It would just make me feel a whole lot better to see a good, crisp performance from the starters and key backups. We've had plenty of individuals play well in the first couple of games. Now we just need to see whole units do the same.

Thursday would be a good time to start. That's the game where the starters normally play the whole first half and a series or two in the 2nd half. A good showing against the Jags would definitely make me feel a lot better. And the set up is there. We started with the 2 best QBs in football and 2 of the best teams. Now we're at home against a middle of the pack team. If the Eagles can't play well in this situation the questions are gonna start flying about where this team really is.
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6 comments:

arby said...

Yes, and let's hope Rashad Jennings doesn't get 100 yards rushing on us...

Cliff said...

Umm... Jerry Falwell's prodigal son only has 5 carries for 9 yards this preseason. Why are we supposed to be worried?

arby said...

Breakout game against the team that passed on him....? vfunny cliff

Unknown said...

Didn't like every team pass on him though? I'd say the first game that he does well period would be a breakout game against a team that passed on him lol.

T_S_O_P said...

If and when Jennings does have a break out game, it will most definitely be against a team that passed on him as that list contains everyone on multiple occasions.

arby said...

Good points all but I was just being facetious. Tommy had at various points picked Jennings as our 2nd Rd pick in the last draft. We were all amazed that he dropped like a rock on draft day. Besides, who really runs for 100 yds in PS?? I guess I should make my tone a little more obvious.