4 Games in...

I like to break the NFL season down into 4-game segments. Let's take a look at what we know now that 4 games are in the books.


OVERALL TEAM

Can't really make any conclusive judgments. The Eagles have looked different in each game. There is no real trend to be found. The first game was a blowout of a poor team. Next up was a tough loss at Dallas, one of the best teams in the league. The Eagles rebounded with a home win in a defensive struggle with the Steelers. Brian Westbrook went down early in that game and his loss has greatly affected the last game and a half. Philly's defense was able to control the Steelers. Last week the Eagles lost at the Bears in a game where Westy would have really helped. The offense was able to move the ball, but several drives stalled at key moments, most notably the late drive where the Eagles could not punch the ball into the endzone.

The games have had different styles. You can't say the Eagles are a defensive juggernaut because of giving up 41 and 24 points in losses. You can't say the Eagles have a great offense with 15 and 20 points in 2 of the 4 games. The team lacks a personality right now.

The one trend we do see is the Eagles losing a pair of close games. Playing without Westy in Chicago really hurt, but that is when you need someone else to step up. No one made a huge play.

I feel like the Eagles are going to be a very good team. The offense needs to get into the endzone. FGs don't win games. The defense has had 3rd down breakdowns in the two losses. Dallas beat us with downfield throws. The Bears beat us with a mixture of screens and downfield throws. The pass defense has to tighten up in key situations. Our secondary is too good to get burned like that. One thing to remember is that the coaches and players are still figuring this thing out. Football is a game of adjustments.


PLAYERS

While you can't say anything too definitive about the team, there are some players who deserve comment. I'm not looking to talk about every good player, just some guys who have improved and/or impressed.

* Donovan McNabb - He's healthy (mostly) and is playing at a high level. McNabb has good numbers despite not having all of his projected starting skill players on the field in the same game.

* DeSean Jackson - Peanut is the real deal. I don't know how good he'll be, but we have finally found an impact WR. Jackson has the speed to make plays when he gets the ball. He also has the receiving skills to be a good WR. He's small, but tough. This is not a Todd Pinkston kind of player. Jackson has also shown his ability as a returner. He did have one muff against the Bears, but his speed and elusiveness make every return potentially a big play. I can't stress enough how impressed I am with this young man.

* Jason Avant - We hoped he would develop into a good slot receiver because of his ability to get open, work the middle of the field, and make tough catches. Check, check, and check. Avant doesn't have the big plays of Baskett or GLew, but he is steady and comes through on 3rd downs. Guys who move the chains allow the playmakers to do their thing. As Reggie and Kevin come back to the offense they will become the focus of the passing game. Avant will still be key on 3rd downs.

* Darren Howard - He reported to Lehigh in great shape. Eagles fans said "great, but call us when he actually does something in a game". Guess what? The phone is ringing. Darren has 2.5 sacks. He has a TFL and an INT. He is providing pressure from LDE, RDE, and RDT. Darren is offering impact off the bench. Can he keep this up for the whole year?

* Dan Klecko - Sacks by all of our backup DTs in 2007 - 1. Sacks by Klecko this year - 2. Dan is a good role player. He is getting pressure off the bench. He plays FB in some goal line sets. Excellent FA pickup.

* Omar Gaither - I wondered if WLB might be a top offseason priority in 2009. Omar is a solid player, but isn't a great fit at any one LB spot. We have not gotten good WLB play the last few years. That guy has to tackle well and make plays. I figured Omar would tackle, but could he be a playmaker. I especially got worried when he was super quiet in the preseason. Omar has been sensational the last two weeks. I hope he's not just "hot" and this level of play can continue. He has 16 tackles, 1.5 sacks, 2 TFLs, 2 PDs, and a FR. I'm cautiously optimistic.

* Stewart Bradley - The real deal at MLB. I'm not saying that Stew is a great player or anything like that, but he is the answer at MLB. He is an excellent run defender. He's a work in progress when it comes to coverage, but there is potential. He seems like a leader and I love the emotion and enthusiasm he plays with. Bradley is an excellent downhill player. Last year Gaither had 4 TFLs while starting the entire season at MLB. Bradley already has 5. He is big enough to run through blocks and make plays in the backfield. He can also shed blocks and tackle RBs just as they get to the 2nd level.

* Quintin Mikell - We are getting our best SS play since 2004. Mikell has some coverage issues at times. He struggles when covering WRs in certain packages. He plays the run very well and does a solid job in zone coverage. Q leads the team in tackles. He had an endzone pick against the Bears that kept points off the board. He's been an effective blitzer. I do think he'll play at this level all year. It always makes you happy when a guy moves from role player to starter and is able to take advantage of the opportunity by playing well. Because of his age, SS is a position that could be addressed next Draft.

* Asante Samuel - I'm impressed with our pricey offseason pickup. He has terrific hands and plays the ball very well. His tackling has been solid. He does give up some underneath catches, but makes up for that by being a playmaker. Sammie already has 2 INTs and 7 pass breakups this year.


MISC

* Run Defense - We lead the NFL in run D. I don't think this is a fluke. Teams average less than 3 yards a carry. Give credit to the entire front seven. The DTs are clogging the middle. The ends are chasing the ball. The LBs are getting penetration and tackling well. It also helps that Dawk and Q are excellent in run support.

* Sacks - The Eagles lead the NFL with 17 sacks. This total is boosted by a 9-sack game vs PIT. We didn't pressure Tony Romo at all in Week 2, but the other games have featured a good pass rush mixed with very effective blitzes.

* Running Game - This area needs help. We've only run for 354 yards. We only average 3.5 a carry. Not good. Losing Westy has hurt, but the OL and other RBs need to play better. We have enough talent to run the ball no matter who is on the field.

* Red Zone Offense - Looked pretty good after 2 weeks. We scored TDs in the first two games. Things slowed down vs PIT. Things got troubling in the loss at Chicago. We had no LJ Smith and no Westy. That hurt us big time. We also had poor execution. Donovan tripped on an OL. Avant couldn't catch a tough pass. There were multiple breakdowns on the late drive that stalled inches short of the goal line.

Many fans are furious that these are the same issues as last year. I'm concerned, but I think people are going a bit over the top. You take a starting WR, TE, OL, and RB away from an offense and it will have some issues. This isn't me making an excuse. That is reality. Reid and the coaching staff have to adjust. The players have to adjust. And get healthy. If the RZ struggles carry over to the next several games, then it is a flat out major problem.

Football is a game of trial and error. Coaches try different plays, different combinations of players until they find what works. The group that spent all offseason and spring working on RZ situations wasn't on the field the last 6 quarters. Let's see what happens this week and next week. We have enough talent on the field and on the sidelines that I feel the situation will be fixed. It absolutely is concerning and bears watching, but don't overreact to one game. On the flip side, one good game doesn't mean the problem is gone. We need to see how things shake out over the course of multiple games.

* Special Teams - A lot of fans wanted Rory Segrest fired in mid-August. The Eagles STs struggled for the first couple of weeks in the preseason. Our KOR unit is better. Our PR unit is better. Our punt unit is great. Our KO unit needs work... I think. We struggled against Felix Jones and gave up a long one to Devin Hester. Those guys are really good. Kickoff coverage overall needs work, but I do think the problem looked worse because we faced two dynamic guys.

I talked about David Akers the other day. He's adjusting to more leg strength this year. He had an off night in Chicago. Does he bounce back from that or is this another crappy year from 40+? We need more games before we know for sure. Akers is on probation. If this keeps up, he'll kick his way out of a job.

* 3 CB System - I'm not sure what to say. Rams WRs were a non-issue. TO burned us in the first half of the Dallas game, but the biggest play was caused by S Sean Considine getting burned. Other TD passes came against Safeties and Linebackers. Steelers WRs didn't have much of a chance to catch the ball with the pressure we brought. The Bears did have some luck throwing to WRs. That was disappointing. We haven't faced a whole lot of 3-WR sets so far. Other teams have had injured wideouts that limited what they could do. I'm not sure how many snaps Lito, Sheldon, and Asante have been on the field together. It hasn't been as much as we'd hoped from what I've seen.
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