Here's my PE.com article:
http://www.philadelphiaeagles.com/news/Story.asp?story_id=16646
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Monday, November 10, 2008
Giant Disaster...That Almost Wasn't
I don't know what to say after watching the Eagles lose to the NY Giants, 36-31. I don't know that I've ever been more confused after a game.
The Eagles got completely out-played. They got out-coached. They got no breaks from the zebras. And yet the Eagles had the ball near midfield late in the game with a chance to go down and score the go-ahead TD.
How the hell did that happen?
Red Zone offense, largely a problem this year, was great. We were 4 out of 5 in the RZ and 3 for 3 on goal-to-go situations. David Akers was busy kicking extra points instead of field goals. That was the main reason we kept the game close. The Giants couldn't put us away because they had to settle for FGs on a few drives.
The defense was terrible. No two ways about it. They came up with a couple of takeaways, but that was hardly enough. The Giants converted 7 of 15 3rd down attempts, as well as their only 4th down try. They ran at will (219 yards). They piled up 401 yards. They won the time of possession battle by about 2 weeks.
Don't try to blame one player or position. It was a group effort. The guys stunk as a group. Give them some credit for unity. There wasn't a lack of effort. The guys did play hard. It was just futile effort.
About that final drive...
We moved from our 14 to our 43 pretty smoothly. We faced 3rd/3. Donovan didn't rush a play prior to the 2-minute warning. The coaches had some time to think about what they wanted to do. We needed 3 yards and had 2 downs. The decision was to run a toss play on 3rd down. Westy got the ball and ran for a couple of yards. He got out of bounds. That stopped the clock and left the team with 4th/1. What to do...
The Eagles had 2 options as I saw it. They could spread the Giants out and run a QB draw or they could roll Donovan out and give him a run/pass option. Instead Andy/Marty decided to run to the right side from a standard I-formation.
HORRIBLE CALL!!!!
We lack a good FB. We lack a dominant blocker at TE. Our Pro Bowl RG is busy rehabbing his back/soul. Our RT is so old that he played for the Houston Oilers. Westy had run for 25 yards all night. What F'ing part of that told Andy and Marty that the way to go was running from the base offense?
We ran right and the Giants destroyed the play. No gain. Game over.
Did I mention that was a horrible call?
Here's my problem. Who the heck am I supposed to be mad at? The offense scored 31 points against the Giants, a top notch defense. The defense struggled all game long, but did stop the Giants when they had to late in the game and get the ball back for the offense.
Painful game no matter how you look at it or who you blame.
We fall to 5-4 and 0-3 in the division. Not good.
We have a Top 10 defense, but think about the games within the division. Our defense has been awful:
41 points to Dallas
36 points to NY
23 points to Washington
We've given up 100 points to teams in the NFC East. That's horrible. Sure, it is the best division in the NFL, but you can't allow 33+ a game and expect to win.
All 3 teams have run on us. We controlled Dallas for the most part, but Barber got yards in the 2nd half...when they were needed.
Dallas - 68 rushing yards
Washington - 203
NY - 219 rushing yards
That is 490 yards in 3 division games.
We have Brian Westbrook on offense, an elite RB. How's he done in the division games?
Dallas - 58 yards
Washington - 33 yards
NY - 26 yards
Westy has a total of 114 rushing yards in 3 division games (our most important games). He did hurt his ribs in the Washington game, but you can still see that simply isn't enough carries. He's our best player on offense, but isn't getting the ball in a way that reflects that. I know he's versatile, but he also isn't piling up big numbers as a receiver in division games.
I don't know what the hell all of this means.
We're 0-3 in NFC East games. We've been physically dominated in 2 of the 3 games, but probably should have won all 3 games. Yes, that is as confusing as it sounds. We're not a good team. We're not a bad team. We're stuck in the middle.
Next up is the Bengals. We have to forget about the NFC East at this point and concentrate on winning games and getting into position to get a Wildcard berth. If some miracle scenario puts us back in the NFC East hunt...great. Not likely. Sorta like my proposal to Megan Fox.
2008 is shaping up to be one of the more confusing seasons in recent memory. We have too much talent to write the team off, but too many mistakes and bad games to make me believe in the team.
We wasted a big opportunity tonight.
_
The Eagles got completely out-played. They got out-coached. They got no breaks from the zebras. And yet the Eagles had the ball near midfield late in the game with a chance to go down and score the go-ahead TD.
How the hell did that happen?
Red Zone offense, largely a problem this year, was great. We were 4 out of 5 in the RZ and 3 for 3 on goal-to-go situations. David Akers was busy kicking extra points instead of field goals. That was the main reason we kept the game close. The Giants couldn't put us away because they had to settle for FGs on a few drives.
The defense was terrible. No two ways about it. They came up with a couple of takeaways, but that was hardly enough. The Giants converted 7 of 15 3rd down attempts, as well as their only 4th down try. They ran at will (219 yards). They piled up 401 yards. They won the time of possession battle by about 2 weeks.
Don't try to blame one player or position. It was a group effort. The guys stunk as a group. Give them some credit for unity. There wasn't a lack of effort. The guys did play hard. It was just futile effort.
About that final drive...
We moved from our 14 to our 43 pretty smoothly. We faced 3rd/3. Donovan didn't rush a play prior to the 2-minute warning. The coaches had some time to think about what they wanted to do. We needed 3 yards and had 2 downs. The decision was to run a toss play on 3rd down. Westy got the ball and ran for a couple of yards. He got out of bounds. That stopped the clock and left the team with 4th/1. What to do...
The Eagles had 2 options as I saw it. They could spread the Giants out and run a QB draw or they could roll Donovan out and give him a run/pass option. Instead Andy/Marty decided to run to the right side from a standard I-formation.
HORRIBLE CALL!!!!
We lack a good FB. We lack a dominant blocker at TE. Our Pro Bowl RG is busy rehabbing his back/soul. Our RT is so old that he played for the Houston Oilers. Westy had run for 25 yards all night. What F'ing part of that told Andy and Marty that the way to go was running from the base offense?
We ran right and the Giants destroyed the play. No gain. Game over.
Did I mention that was a horrible call?
Here's my problem. Who the heck am I supposed to be mad at? The offense scored 31 points against the Giants, a top notch defense. The defense struggled all game long, but did stop the Giants when they had to late in the game and get the ball back for the offense.
Painful game no matter how you look at it or who you blame.
We fall to 5-4 and 0-3 in the division. Not good.
We have a Top 10 defense, but think about the games within the division. Our defense has been awful:
41 points to Dallas
36 points to NY
23 points to Washington
We've given up 100 points to teams in the NFC East. That's horrible. Sure, it is the best division in the NFL, but you can't allow 33+ a game and expect to win.
All 3 teams have run on us. We controlled Dallas for the most part, but Barber got yards in the 2nd half...when they were needed.
Dallas - 68 rushing yards
Washington - 203
NY - 219 rushing yards
That is 490 yards in 3 division games.
We have Brian Westbrook on offense, an elite RB. How's he done in the division games?
Dallas - 58 yards
Washington - 33 yards
NY - 26 yards
Westy has a total of 114 rushing yards in 3 division games (our most important games). He did hurt his ribs in the Washington game, but you can still see that simply isn't enough carries. He's our best player on offense, but isn't getting the ball in a way that reflects that. I know he's versatile, but he also isn't piling up big numbers as a receiver in division games.
I don't know what the hell all of this means.
We're 0-3 in NFC East games. We've been physically dominated in 2 of the 3 games, but probably should have won all 3 games. Yes, that is as confusing as it sounds. We're not a good team. We're not a bad team. We're stuck in the middle.
Next up is the Bengals. We have to forget about the NFC East at this point and concentrate on winning games and getting into position to get a Wildcard berth. If some miracle scenario puts us back in the NFC East hunt...great. Not likely. Sorta like my proposal to Megan Fox.
2008 is shaping up to be one of the more confusing seasons in recent memory. We have too much talent to write the team off, but too many mistakes and bad games to make me believe in the team.
We wasted a big opportunity tonight.
_
Sunday, November 9, 2008
Gameday Thoughts
A few players missed practice in the middle of the week, but it sounds like everyone will be fine for the game. The only key piece missing is still OG Shawn Andrews. This is a good injury situation for a key November game.
Everything is set up for the Eagles to come away with a big win. They're at home. The Giants have won 3 straight regular season games at The Linc, but this team is more talented and balanced than the last few years. Last year being at home wasn't a good thing at all (3-5), but this season we're 3-1 at The Linc. The Eagles have outscored opponents 97-46 at home this year. The Eagles are as healthy as you can be midseason. And everyone is playing relatively well. No player is in the middle of a major slump.
The Giants are coming off a big win against a division rival. If the Gmen were ever going to be complacent (even a bit), this would be the time. Eli isn't as good on the road is he is at home. He also hasn't produced a big game this year against a good defense. He played pretty well against the Steelers, but throwing for 199 yards and 1 TD isn't exactly a big game. The Giants are also going to be missing a few guys. CB Kevin Dockery, LB Gerris Wilkinson, and S James Butler are supposed to miss the game. Butler has played well this year. Rookie Kenny Phillips will take his place. Kenny has more raw talent, but Butler is experienced and is having a good year.
I think the real key to the game will be the Eagles ability to throw the ball down the field. They must come up with some big plays. Expect a mixture of spread sets and max protection. DeSean Jackson and Kevin Curtis must come up big in this game. The Giants don't have the fastest secondary and you have to punish them for that. Easier said than done, of course. Getting a guy open and getting good protection on the same play isn't all that easy. When that happens, McNabb must get the ball to his receivers.
The Eagles D must get pressure on Eli. He will force throws at times and has been known to fumble on occasion. Hit him and you have a chance to come up with turnovers. Let them run and give Eli time to throw and the Giants will methodically control the game.
No matter what happens, don't expect a blowout. Eagles-Giants games normally come down to the 4th Qtr, quite a few times to the final possession. I still have nightmares about the 2001 game where the Eagles were trying to clinch the NFC East title. The Giants trailed by 3 with a couple of seconds left and 70+ yards to go. They thew a pass over the middle and the receiver flipped the ball to a player coming across from the other direction. He took the ball down the sideline until we caught him inside the 10 yard line. My heart was in my throat. We won, but that was the longest few seconds in my life. I'm sure Giants fans feel the same about Westy's punt return in 2003, although that also came out in our favor.
Don't expect a pretty game, but you will see a physical, competitive affair that will bring out the best and worst in each team. The Giants have been the better team to this point in the season, but the Eagles have a great chance to win this game.
_
Everything is set up for the Eagles to come away with a big win. They're at home. The Giants have won 3 straight regular season games at The Linc, but this team is more talented and balanced than the last few years. Last year being at home wasn't a good thing at all (3-5), but this season we're 3-1 at The Linc. The Eagles have outscored opponents 97-46 at home this year. The Eagles are as healthy as you can be midseason. And everyone is playing relatively well. No player is in the middle of a major slump.
The Giants are coming off a big win against a division rival. If the Gmen were ever going to be complacent (even a bit), this would be the time. Eli isn't as good on the road is he is at home. He also hasn't produced a big game this year against a good defense. He played pretty well against the Steelers, but throwing for 199 yards and 1 TD isn't exactly a big game. The Giants are also going to be missing a few guys. CB Kevin Dockery, LB Gerris Wilkinson, and S James Butler are supposed to miss the game. Butler has played well this year. Rookie Kenny Phillips will take his place. Kenny has more raw talent, but Butler is experienced and is having a good year.
I think the real key to the game will be the Eagles ability to throw the ball down the field. They must come up with some big plays. Expect a mixture of spread sets and max protection. DeSean Jackson and Kevin Curtis must come up big in this game. The Giants don't have the fastest secondary and you have to punish them for that. Easier said than done, of course. Getting a guy open and getting good protection on the same play isn't all that easy. When that happens, McNabb must get the ball to his receivers.
The Eagles D must get pressure on Eli. He will force throws at times and has been known to fumble on occasion. Hit him and you have a chance to come up with turnovers. Let them run and give Eli time to throw and the Giants will methodically control the game.
No matter what happens, don't expect a blowout. Eagles-Giants games normally come down to the 4th Qtr, quite a few times to the final possession. I still have nightmares about the 2001 game where the Eagles were trying to clinch the NFC East title. The Giants trailed by 3 with a couple of seconds left and 70+ yards to go. They thew a pass over the middle and the receiver flipped the ball to a player coming across from the other direction. He took the ball down the sideline until we caught him inside the 10 yard line. My heart was in my throat. We won, but that was the longest few seconds in my life. I'm sure Giants fans feel the same about Westy's punt return in 2003, although that also came out in our favor.
Don't expect a pretty game, but you will see a physical, competitive affair that will bring out the best and worst in each team. The Giants have been the better team to this point in the season, but the Eagles have a great chance to win this game.
_
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
What to do at TE
Brent Celek had a great game against Seattle. He caught 6 passes for 131 yards and provided multiple big plays. LJ Smith missed the game because he had suffered a concussion in the previous game. The question now is whether Celek's game should earn him another start. Andy Reid went out of his way in a recent press conference to speak highly of LJ. That would indicate that he feels Smith should still be the starter.
I have mixed feelings on the subject. Smith has never lived up to his full potential. He has the ability to be a very good TE. He'll make some big plays, but will also drop the occasional pass. His blocking is sloppy at times. He disappears from the offense on occasion, but in his defense it is hard to say how much of that is him and how much is simply Donovan throwing the ball to other guys.
I hoped coming into the season that Brent would play well and show the potential to be a starter in the future. He was very quiet for the first 6 games. That all changed on Sunday. His 131 yards top what Smith has done all year long (12 catches for 106 yards). LJ's long play is only 21 yards. Celek had gains of 27, 39, and 44 yards against Seattle.
Andy pointed out that teams focus more on LJ than the Seahawks did Celek. That is a valid statement. Brent was mostly an afterthought coming into the game. Now that he's shown some big play ability teams will have to pay him more attention.
The biggest reason that I'm hesitant to push Celek into the starting role is what happens in the Red Zone. Brent has 30 career catches and only 1 TD. LJ has a couple of TDs this year.
I was highly encouraged by Brent's game last week. He needs to build off that. I do think Reid and Marty need to play him more and call some plays for him. Let's see if Brent can have another good game. If he starts to consistently make plays, then he should be the starter. It is pretty clear that LJ is only hear until the season is over. Brent is playing for his future, as well as the present. Sunday was a good sign, but we have to be careful about making too much of it. One game is nice, but we need to see more.
_______________
New PE.com article is posted.
http://www.philadelphiaeagles.com/news/Story.asp?story_id=16601
Some early thoughts on the Giants/Eagles game.
_
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Detailed Game Review - win at Seattle
http://www.scoutsnotebook.com/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&p=9077#9077
Couple of highlights:
* Celek had a great game...6 catches for 131 yards.
* Bunkley had another terrific game. He's becoming a real force in the middle.
* Kevin Curtis looked good.
* All 3 LBs played well. If these guys get on a roll it will be a big help to the defense.
* David Akers was 4 of 4 and even hit a 42-yd FG. That's more like it, Dave.
_
Couple of highlights:
* Celek had a great game...6 catches for 131 yards.
* Bunkley had another terrific game. He's becoming a real force in the middle.
* Kevin Curtis looked good.
* All 3 LBs played well. If these guys get on a roll it will be a big help to the defense.
* David Akers was 4 of 4 and even hit a 42-yd FG. That's more like it, Dave.
_
Monday, November 3, 2008
My PE.com article on the game
http://www.philadelphiaeagles.com/news/Story.asp?story_id=16572
Good win. Still some flaws to be worked on, but at least the team is winning and feels like it is headed in the right direction.
_
Good win. Still some flaws to be worked on, but at least the team is winning and feels like it is headed in the right direction.
_
Sunday, November 2, 2008
Gameday Thoughts
You have a healthy Eagles team on a 2-game winning streak playing at Seattle against a banged up, struggling Seahawks team. The Eagles have to win this game. Forget about what it means in the standings. I'm talking about the Eagles needing to beat teams that they are clearly better than.
The Eagles got off to a slow start. They already blew their opportunity to have a down game. They need to win in Seattle. Even more than that, they really need to play well and win comfortably. This game should be decided by the late 3rd or early 4th quarter.
That may seem like an unfair standard to hold the Eagles to. The standard mantra is "a win is a win". There's a lot of truth in that, but this Eagles team has to show us something. They have to put together a complete game. We haven't seen that since the season opener. And clearly that result had an awful lot to do with the dysfuctional Rams.
I'm not saying the Eagles need to dominated and win by 28 points or something crazy like that. They need to get up by at least a couple of TDs and retain control of the game. Last week they had a 20-7 lead in the 4th Qtr, but then let the Falcons get right back in it. That can't happen this week.
The 2-game winning streak has built a little bit of momentum for the Eagles. Now they have to build off that. Winning isn't enough. They have to win the right way and build some confidence that they are a good team. Put teams away when you have the advantage.
A bit part of putting teams away is scoring TDs in the Red Zone. The Eagles failed to do that last week when up 17-7 and near the goal line. Had they punched it in the lead would have been 24-7, a 3-possession advantage. That would have meant "game over". 20-7 gave the Falcons hope and they made it a game. I was very nervous when they cut the lead to 20-14. I was off the charts nervous when they stuffed us and we punted the ball back to them. The ball bounced our way, so to speak, and we won 27-14.
I don't know what to say about the Red Zone issues. I hope we continue to feed the ball to Westy when we get down there. He lacks the size and power to push the pile, but he has the ability to go over the top, find a small crevice up the middle, or possibly bounce a run outside. We need the OL to win the battle up front more than they have in the RZ. Keep running the ball and I think good things will happen.
MISC NOTES
* The last two games vs SEA involved our backup QBs facing Matt Hasselbeck. This time their backup faces Donovan McNabb.
* Watch Trent Cole vs Walter Jones. That matchup will be frustrating to Eagles fans because Jones is likely to win most of the time, but we know Trent is going to give it everything he's got.
* Let's see if Brod Bunkley can have another strong game. He's played quite well the last 5 quarters. Don't stop, big man. Keep it going.
* We ran for 192 yards last week. Don't stop, Big Red. Keep it going.
_
The Eagles got off to a slow start. They already blew their opportunity to have a down game. They need to win in Seattle. Even more than that, they really need to play well and win comfortably. This game should be decided by the late 3rd or early 4th quarter.
That may seem like an unfair standard to hold the Eagles to. The standard mantra is "a win is a win". There's a lot of truth in that, but this Eagles team has to show us something. They have to put together a complete game. We haven't seen that since the season opener. And clearly that result had an awful lot to do with the dysfuctional Rams.
I'm not saying the Eagles need to dominated and win by 28 points or something crazy like that. They need to get up by at least a couple of TDs and retain control of the game. Last week they had a 20-7 lead in the 4th Qtr, but then let the Falcons get right back in it. That can't happen this week.
The 2-game winning streak has built a little bit of momentum for the Eagles. Now they have to build off that. Winning isn't enough. They have to win the right way and build some confidence that they are a good team. Put teams away when you have the advantage.
A bit part of putting teams away is scoring TDs in the Red Zone. The Eagles failed to do that last week when up 17-7 and near the goal line. Had they punched it in the lead would have been 24-7, a 3-possession advantage. That would have meant "game over". 20-7 gave the Falcons hope and they made it a game. I was very nervous when they cut the lead to 20-14. I was off the charts nervous when they stuffed us and we punted the ball back to them. The ball bounced our way, so to speak, and we won 27-14.
I don't know what to say about the Red Zone issues. I hope we continue to feed the ball to Westy when we get down there. He lacks the size and power to push the pile, but he has the ability to go over the top, find a small crevice up the middle, or possibly bounce a run outside. We need the OL to win the battle up front more than they have in the RZ. Keep running the ball and I think good things will happen.
MISC NOTES
* The last two games vs SEA involved our backup QBs facing Matt Hasselbeck. This time their backup faces Donovan McNabb.
* Watch Trent Cole vs Walter Jones. That matchup will be frustrating to Eagles fans because Jones is likely to win most of the time, but we know Trent is going to give it everything he's got.
* Let's see if Brod Bunkley can have another strong game. He's played quite well the last 5 quarters. Don't stop, big man. Keep it going.
* We ran for 192 yards last week. Don't stop, Big Red. Keep it going.
_
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