* How much will the decisions made on the offensive line impact the way the rest of the roster? There is so much versatility on that line there are numerous possibilities. Could he Eagles really carry only three reserves? Do you need a reserve tackle? Is there one good enough on this roster that could truly be considered one of the 53 most talented players on the team? If they decide to keep 9 or 10 guys here...it could mean that Macho will have MAKE this team want to keep 5 corners...or he might have to win the back-up free safety job to get a spot. There might not be any room left for a 6th defensive end which could mean that our former 3rd round draft pick, Bryan Smith is sent packing without ever taking a snap in a real game.
* Thinking about Bryan Smith there also made me think about something else...if Victor Abiamiri beats up Juqua Parker for the starting left end spot and Bryan Smith lights it up in camp and pre-season, is the 30 something Juqua Parker cut? If the Eagles keep 9 or 10 offensive line, one of them is going to have to go. Do the Eagles give up on a third round pick so soon? Do they send a very able and talented veteran out the door? Questions, questions, questions...
* Last year, the Eagles carried six wide recievers (Jackson, Curtis, Brown, Avant, Baskett, Brown and Lewis)...do they do the same this year? Last year they didn't know Jackson was going to be the player he ended up being...Reggie Brown doesn't have a gig on special teams, but he might be the third best wide out behind Jackson and Curtis until Maclin matures in the system. Could this be the demise of Reggie Brown, or will he hang on at the expense of Hank Baskett, the other wide out with only a one year tender keeping him an Eagle?
* Last year, the Eagles brought in Dan Klecko to play fullback. Kimo went down...Montae Reagor went down...and Klecko was converted back to defensive tackle as an emergency...he started the season as a defensive tackle, played well and then was pushed back into fullback. How much do the Eagles really like him at defensive tackle? Was he just a break glass in case of emergency guy on that line? The Eagles want four defensive tackles that they can rotate in...they have three with Bunk, Patterson and Laws...do they view Klecko as an everydown guy that they can rotate in on 1st and 2nd downs if they wanted to? Can the more stout Amon Gordon show HE can be a that guy for the Eagles? If he does, it could mean the end for Dan Klecko in Philadelphia.
* Say the Eagles end up really liking Jack Ikegwuonu...but they have four with Brown, Samuel, Hanson and Hobbs..and Macho they think Macho can play both corner and safety ontop of ability in the return game...do they put Ike on IR again to keep him around next year when Brown's departure makes the picture not quite as crowded? Or if they like him so much, do they feel comfortable moving Sheldon Brown before the season starts to keep the younger, happier prospect?
* Say Hobbs makes the roster...which he most likely will...and the Eagles trade Brown next season..do they franchis Hobbs to work a long term deal out or do they cause major ripples by resigning him this year with Brown still in the locker room? If we let Hobbs become a free agent...Ike doesn't make the roster this year..and Brown gets traded...that leaves us with only Samuel, Hanson and Macho Harris at the end of this year. I would imagine that that isn't an ideal circumstance for the Eagles..even worse is if Macho doesn't make the numbers crunch this year. We could go from having one of the best cornerback units in the NFL from top to bottom one year to a bunch of question marks the very next year.
* When Moise Fokou was drafted...no one talked about it. There was a conference all with every other draft pick with the media...except Moise. Even with all the pub our draft has gotten the Eagles, not one mention in all the articles I have read of Moise Fokou. Not one picture of him arriving to the Novacare Complex for the first...not even a glimpse of him in the background of any photos taken at mini-camp...nothing. The forgotten draft pick. Tom Heckertt mentioned him in a post draft interview though. Heckertt says they will try him at both WILL and SAM...if he can pick up the SAM position atleast, added in with the reputation he made for himself on special teams in Maryland...isn't he kind of a Dark Horse to make the team? Tank Daniels and Tracy White were both late season additions...Daniels brought in after being waived by the Giants at the expense of Rocky Boiman and Tracy White was brought in while the season was well underway when the team decided to end the Tony Hunt project. I wouldn't exactly claim that either of those two are locks to make this roster.
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Eagles moves and the rumor mill rolls on
Well, free agency is three weeks into the open market, and some big names have moved early on. The Eagles picked up two dandies in Tackle Stacey Andrews and Safety Sean Jones. But the team doesn’t appear to be content with just that.
Rumors have abound that the team is fully interested in Running Back and Full Back hybrid Leonard Weaver. His addition to the team would be of high value, since he could be a short distance runner (goal line runner) and is a proven fullback. Will the team pay out the money he would want remains to be seen. The team has also been talking to Ex-Cowboys safety Keith Davis, who started in place of an injured Roy Williams for the Cowboys in 2008. He is also a special teams ace: his signing could cancel out the loss of Sean Considine, who made his name there in 2008.
But the biggest name flying around isn’t even a free agent: that would be Arizona Cardinals receiver Anquan Boldin. Boldin, who lobbied for a trade last year prior to the start of the season through his agent. But now Arizona appears content on shopping him around, and rumor has it a 1st, 3rd, and 6th round picks would be what Arizona would ask for, AKA Roy E. Williams compensation (from the Cowboys and Lions trade in week six last year).
Will it happen? Well, only two gentlemen know for sure. There names are Tom Heckert and Rod Graves, the GM’s of both clubs. Until then, all us Eagles fans can do is sit back and guess at what happens. Does the front office have one huge trick up it’s sleeve, or is this all just a big hoax? Stay tuned for the next episode of, “As The Eagles World Turns.”
Thursday, February 12, 2009
What I Want This Offseason
Well it's another long offseason again. But once again full of promise. The Eagles finished last season 9-6-1. They could have easily been 11-5 or better. Here is what I feel we should do.... or attempt to do this offseason.
1. Resign the following players: Brian Dawkins, Jon Runyan, Joselio Hanson, Sean Considine, Hank Baskett and Nick Cole.
Dawkins and Hanson were key parts of a great secondary last season. Considine was great on Special Teams. He can be replaced, but we lose his experience with the team.
Runyan is the rock of the OL. His health will play a key role on whether we resign him or not. Nick Cole filled in well last season when Herremans was benched for a game, then when Max went down with injury.
Baskett is an underused WR. His size makes him a very attractive target. He should be a red zone threat.
2. Free Agent Pickups: T.J. Houshmandzadeh, Vernon Carey, Corey Ivy, Owen Daniels
Houshmandzadeh gives the Eagles their big play WR. He might cost some money, but would be well worth it. With Jackson, Curtis, Baskett and Avant, the Eagles would have a fast, dangerous WR unit. Maybe their best ever.
Carey is a mauler and would fit in well, taking William Thomas' place.
Ivy is a vet who can flat out play. He help the Raven secondary be one of the best. Adding him would offset not signing Hanson and trading/cutting Lito Sheppard
Daniels would be the best signing of all. A good young TE that will work well with McNabb. But as an RFA, he would cost money and picks. But again, the addition would be tremendous.
Cut: AJ Feeley, Winston Justice, Greg Lewis, Matt Schobel
Feeley is a valuable backup, but won't see much playing time behind Kolb. Justice won't see the field either, being beaten out by a rookie. Lewis is a in a numbers game. And Schobel has played OK, but not the TE we hoped he would be.
Trade: Lito Sheppard and Reggie Brown
Sheppard complained all season long about being a backup. Yet when he played, he didn't show much. And he was inactive for a couple games down the stretch. He is still a good player. But would be better somewhere else.
Brown might fetch us a 4th round pick. A change of scenery may be what he might need also. He's not a bad WR. He just hasn't realized his full potential yet.
As for the draft, I am not making any predictions yet. I do know I would like for the Eagles to draft RB LeShean McCoy and TE Brandon Pettigrew in the first. This is assming we do not sign a RB or TE in Free Agency. After the first round, I would take the BPA. The Eagles have a solid team right now. They just need a few tweaks here and there.
1. Resign the following players: Brian Dawkins, Jon Runyan, Joselio Hanson, Sean Considine, Hank Baskett and Nick Cole.
Dawkins and Hanson were key parts of a great secondary last season. Considine was great on Special Teams. He can be replaced, but we lose his experience with the team.
Runyan is the rock of the OL. His health will play a key role on whether we resign him or not. Nick Cole filled in well last season when Herremans was benched for a game, then when Max went down with injury.
Baskett is an underused WR. His size makes him a very attractive target. He should be a red zone threat.
2. Free Agent Pickups: T.J. Houshmandzadeh, Vernon Carey, Corey Ivy, Owen Daniels
Houshmandzadeh gives the Eagles their big play WR. He might cost some money, but would be well worth it. With Jackson, Curtis, Baskett and Avant, the Eagles would have a fast, dangerous WR unit. Maybe their best ever.
Carey is a mauler and would fit in well, taking William Thomas' place.
Ivy is a vet who can flat out play. He help the Raven secondary be one of the best. Adding him would offset not signing Hanson and trading/cutting Lito Sheppard
Daniels would be the best signing of all. A good young TE that will work well with McNabb. But as an RFA, he would cost money and picks. But again, the addition would be tremendous.
Cut: AJ Feeley, Winston Justice, Greg Lewis, Matt Schobel
Feeley is a valuable backup, but won't see much playing time behind Kolb. Justice won't see the field either, being beaten out by a rookie. Lewis is a in a numbers game. And Schobel has played OK, but not the TE we hoped he would be.
Trade: Lito Sheppard and Reggie Brown
Sheppard complained all season long about being a backup. Yet when he played, he didn't show much. And he was inactive for a couple games down the stretch. He is still a good player. But would be better somewhere else.
Brown might fetch us a 4th round pick. A change of scenery may be what he might need also. He's not a bad WR. He just hasn't realized his full potential yet.
As for the draft, I am not making any predictions yet. I do know I would like for the Eagles to draft RB LeShean McCoy and TE Brandon Pettigrew in the first. This is assming we do not sign a RB or TE in Free Agency. After the first round, I would take the BPA. The Eagles have a solid team right now. They just need a few tweaks here and there.
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Eagles End Season
Well what a rollercoaster ride the Eagles had this year. Starting with a total domination of the Rams the Eagles showed they would be a force to contend with The feeling of a great season ended with a devastating loss to the rival Cowboys in week two. Week three brought sweet revenge though. What was supposed to be a close game turned into a blowout for the Eagles over the Super Bowl bound Steelers. The Defense played the most complete game I've ever seen them play.
A few up and down weeks came and wenk. We had some quality wins, but bitter losses. No team actually beat the Eagles until the Ravens did in week 12. The Eagles beat themselves with turnovers and inconsistency on the offense. The defense played welll most of the season.
That week 12 loss to the Ravens looked like te end of the season. But the Eagles rebounded and won all but one of their remaining games. The biggest one being a total dismantling of the Cowboys. That win put them in the playoffs, where they went on the road to eat the Vikings and Giants. Then a close game in Arizona ended the season.
There is one thing we need most next year. CONSISTENCY! The Eagles have the talent, they just need consistency. Free Agency will be coming up soon. There are some players the Eagles could acquire to be more competitive. The draft will also yield some talent. With three picks in the top 53, the Eagles should be able to take some players that fit into the mold of this team.
Looking back, there are some games I would love to se the Eagles replay. Both games against Washington were winnable. But inconsistency and poor playcalling led to two defeats. The Bengals tie should have been a win. But the way the offense played, I was just happy for the tie and not a loss. And the Bears..... two years in a row we had a heartbreaking loss. Maybe soon we will find a way to beat them.
They say there is always next year. I don't want to wait until next year. The Eagles have squandered too many opportunities over the past decade to win a Super Bowl. The time is now to win.
A few up and down weeks came and wenk. We had some quality wins, but bitter losses. No team actually beat the Eagles until the Ravens did in week 12. The Eagles beat themselves with turnovers and inconsistency on the offense. The defense played welll most of the season.
That week 12 loss to the Ravens looked like te end of the season. But the Eagles rebounded and won all but one of their remaining games. The biggest one being a total dismantling of the Cowboys. That win put them in the playoffs, where they went on the road to eat the Vikings and Giants. Then a close game in Arizona ended the season.
There is one thing we need most next year. CONSISTENCY! The Eagles have the talent, they just need consistency. Free Agency will be coming up soon. There are some players the Eagles could acquire to be more competitive. The draft will also yield some talent. With three picks in the top 53, the Eagles should be able to take some players that fit into the mold of this team.
Looking back, there are some games I would love to se the Eagles replay. Both games against Washington were winnable. But inconsistency and poor playcalling led to two defeats. The Bengals tie should have been a win. But the way the offense played, I was just happy for the tie and not a loss. And the Bears..... two years in a row we had a heartbreaking loss. Maybe soon we will find a way to beat them.
They say there is always next year. I don't want to wait until next year. The Eagles have squandered too many opportunities over the past decade to win a Super Bowl. The time is now to win.
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Divisional Game: Eagles Beat Giants ..... Again
The situation and surroundings were ones that the teams were used to, on their own. Being on the road in the playoffs…the Eagles have done that before. Going to the Meadowlands…you bet they have done that before. But adding the two elements together under one hat provided for far more excitement then just that of any ole playoff game…this was a division rivalry match up in the playoffs! As it was during the season, the Eagles lost at home to the Giants, the defending Superbowl Champions from SB 42, but they got their revenge nearly a month later at the Giants’ house. But the question was, could lightning strike at the same stadium twice for the Eagles, this time looking to stamp their ticket for the NFC championship game? Would the Arizona Cardinals, who pulled off a stunning upset of the Carolina Panthers in Charlotte the night before 33-13, be going to New Jersey, or would their new stadium be hosting their first NFC title match?
Well, they did host the Superbowl last year, you know?
Despite being out gained on offense (the Giants had 307 yards to Philly’s 276) the defense harassed pro bowl quarterback Eli Manning into two of the team’s three turnovers and allowed not a single touchdown. In turn, the offense converted two red zone touchdowns from a yard out as they defeated the Giants for the second time this year on the road with a 23-11 victory. The victory puts the Eagles on the road against the equally as hot Cardinals in Glendale in a rematch of a Thanksgiving day hammering by the Eagles, 48-20. What is most strange about this match up is the seeding of the two teams: the Cardinals were #4 entering and the Eagles were #6, further proving that the season means nothing as the 12 combatants start over seemingly at 0-0.
Quarterbacks: Not much can be said about Donovan McNabb one way or the other. Up for debate would be the two interceptions (as to who’s fault the one to Kevin Dockery could be pinned on) but twice he was able to dig us out of 3rd and very long situations (15 and 20 yards). Even with the wind swirling around the Meadowlands and a few choice drops (see Kevin Curtis, sideline, 3rd quarter) McNabb was 22 of 40 (55%) for 217 yards with a passing touchdown and two interceptions for a 58 QB rating. But hey, it could always be worse right…I mean, just ask Eli Manning about that one. In addition, McNabb kept the ball five times for 16 yards, including a 1-yard QB sneak right up the gut for our first touchdown of the game. He also cost the team a safety with an intentional grounding call in the end zone, but that call, to me anyway, seemed just a bit “iffy.” And don’t forget, during the football off-season, if you need a directory assistant, switchboard operator, or a phone yes man, give ole Donny Mac a “ring” any time!
McNabb Grade: B- (81%)
Running Backs: Devoid of much fullback usage so we will go with this title today. Well, actually, we were devoid of much running either: including McNabb, who ran for 3.2 yards a scramble, the team ran 28 times for 59 yards, a measly 2.1 yards a carry. It’s pretty obvious that the running game has been keyed on, and blocking is not exactly what we have hoped for either, going hand in hand for a trip down “Catastrophe Circle.” Brian Westbrook was a non factor overall, running the ball 18 times for 36 yards and had two catches for only 10 yards. Receiving wise, Correll Buckhalter would fair somewhat better, posting three receptions for 19 yards but he would run five times for seven yards, including one run for six yards. Sightings of Dan Klecko were rarer then usual, except for when we scored in the red zone.
Unit Grade: C (75%)
Wide Receivers: Three receivers were featured and all three caught the passes, even though Reggie Brown and Hank Baskett were allegedly out there. DeSean Jackson, who oddly enough never got a receiver reverse, caught four passes for 81 yards, including a beautiful 48-yard grab down the sideline and short of a touchdown in the 4th quarter. Jason Avant was “Mister 3rd down” nearly reliving “4th and 26” with a 3rd down and 20 reception for 21 yards, totaling 43 yards on four grabs. Curtis, who had a brilliant pass right in his grasp only to drop it, had four catches for 40 yards. I rarely if ever saw Brown, and Baskett was rarely looked at. Also, Greg Lewis was deactivated for the game, allowing Victor Abiamiri to get back in.
Unit grade for those who caught passes: A (93%)
Tight Ends: Returning to the lineup was LJ Smith, but Brent Celek still would not repent. Celek had three receptions for only 12 yards, but one was a 1-yard floating touchdown reception. More over, Celek has improved his abilities has a chip blocker and a stand in blocker for running. Smith had two receptions for 12 yards in his first action this post season, missing the Vikings game for some reason or another. Smith was also flagged for a false start, the only one on offense all day.
Unit Grade: B (85%)
Offensive Line: At times, the offensive line struggled a good bit (see the six tackles for a loss, four QB hurries, whenever else they felt like running McNabb over) but at times they also seemed to be top notch (allowed no sacks, gave McNabb plenty of time to throw the ball on occasions). One flag was thrown for the unit, as Todd Herremans, who many Eagles fans felt could be on the pro bowl team or even an All-Pro left guard, was called for holding. But the tackles, Jon Runyan and Tra Thomas, did a great job against Mathias Kiwanuka (no tackles) and Justin Tuck (five tackles, but only one hurry). And keep in mind one thing: Runyan continues to play through a knee injury, and he was never exactly the most agile tackle to begin with. Overall, the effort was passable, but the middle three need to start getting a running push for whoever is carrying the ball.
Tackles Grade: A (95%)
Interior Grade: B- (80%)
Defensive line: Not only does Victor Abiamiri have a stand out name, but in his first playoff game as an Eagle, he made a stand out play as well. Abiamiri, who had three tackles for the game, picked up a fumble late to definitively ice the game after Steve Smith forgot how to turn and hold onto the ball in sequence. Key against the run were Trent Cole, who had six tackles and a pass defense, and Broderick Bunkley who had arguably his best game in a good while, posting five tackles but two very key tackles, with Mike Patterson on 4th and inches on a Manning sneak, and with Stewart Bradley on a 4th and two Brandon Jacobs run. Speaking of Big Mike, he had three tackles including his co-stop with his defensive tackle in crime, while Darren Howard had one tackle and a QB hurry. Both Chris Clemons and Juqua Parker had one tackle each as well, with Clemons adding a pass defense. Trevor Laws, getting in with the rotation at tackle, had one assist tackle. Despite Jacobs running for 92 yards on 19 carries, he had 24 yards on a run and rarely won a battle up the middle against Mike and Broderick, and Derrick Ward had 46 yards, but again, 14 of them on a single run.
Bunkley Grade: A+ (98%)
Unit Grade: A- (90%)
Linebackers: The question going into the game was, “Would Stewart Bradley be up to the task of stopping Jacobs and crew?” And while it was a give and take situation all day, Bradley more then won his fair share of battles, leading all defensive players (yes, including pudgy Antonio Pierce) with 11 tackles, playing clog in the middle and outside when he wasn’t getting knocked around by Madison Hedgecock. Chris Gocong, who keeps improving as the weeks go by against the run, posted eight tackles as well although five were in assist, and Akeem Jordan had one assist tackle on the game. Yeah, either the Giants were THAT worried about him, or he was THAT invisible and out of the picture, take your pick. Tank Daniels chipped in two tackles on special teams, while Omar Gaither and Tracey White had one each.
Bradley Grade: A (95%)
Gocong Grade: A- (90%)
Secondary: I don’t think there has been a game recently played by the Eagles that Brian Dawkins hasn’t been everywhere at once, and today you didn’t have to worry about him taking a vacation. Dawkins finished up second on the team with ten tackles and his safety partner in crime, Quintin Mikell, had a marvelous game. Mikell had six tackles, two pass defenses, an interception, and a tackle on special teams…oh, and he even missed a series in the 3rd quarter due to a knee issue. Asante Samuel AKA “Mr. Playoffs” managed to keep that moniker alive with four tackles and another interception this week, although he didn’t find the house (he did find the 2-yard line though) and a pass defense as well…oh, and no football where his crotch should be either! Both Joselio Hanson and Quintin Demps had two tackles on defense and one on special teams but Hanson was guilty on the one BIG play the Giants did manage passing to Dominick Hixon for 34-yards. Sheldon Brown had one tackle, and Sean Considine, who played for Mikell when he was in the locker room, had one pass defense, a teams tackle, and one dumb blocking penalty on punt returns. As a direct result of the pass rush even without a sack, Manning only mustered 169 passing yards and didn’t even come close to a touchdown pass, making life for the secondary that much easier.
Samuel & Mikell Grade: A+ (98%)
Dawkins Grade: A- (91%)
Others Grade: B (85%)
Special Teams: From the get go, David Akers knew he was going to get hands on and be ace all day. On the opening kick off, he kept Ahmad Bradshaw from scoring a touchdown by pushing him out at the Eagles 35, and he nailed three field goals and two extra points for 11 accounted points. Not bad for a guy who “struggled” at the Meadowlands (going in, he was 11-of-22 all time on field goal tries). Sav Rocca punted to a 42 yard average and 40 yard net, but was helped also not only by coverage, but the Giants taking three dumb penalties on punt returns, two in one sequence. Demps had a better day on kick returns unlike in Minnesota, averaging 27 yards a return on four tries and 46 for a long, starting off the 3rd quarter. Jackson didn’t get a punt return, but Jeff Feagles only had to punt twice, while Hixon had 2.7 yards a punt return on three, and Bradshaw had 30 yards a kick return, but 65 yards on the opening play of the game.
Akers Grade: A (95%)
Punt coverage grade: A- (90%)
Kick blocking and Rocca grade: B+ (88%)
Kick coverage grade: C+ (78%)
Coaching: There was certainly a lot of bending but no breaking by the defense, but they also managed three turnovers…all this while Jimmy Johnson was sitting up in the press box! Special teams, except for covering Bradshaw on kicks, looked solid overall otherwise. And a devotion to the running game, despite mediocre and less then desired results, needs to be kept. In a situation where it isn’t working, clearly passing the ball is the best way to go, but an offensive imbalance cannot be maintained, because we know what happens when things get lopsided.
Defense Grade: A (93%)
Special Teams Grade: B+ (88%)
Offense Grade: B- (80%)
Ripper’s Three Game Balls
3. Broderick Bunkley: If Avant is my slated “Mister 3rd down” on offense, then Bunkley is my “Mister 4th down” for the defense!
2. Asante Samuel: Now we know WHY we gave Samuel the money we gave him early: the guy makes plays in the PLAYOFFS!
1. Quintin Mikell: An incredible showing by arguably the most underrated defensive player on the team, outside the man in the #3 spot.
Honorable Mention: Stewart Bradley, DeSean Jackson, and David Akers
Stats and Numbers of Interest:
-With his three field goals on the game, Akers broke the playoff record for most consecutive field goals made. The previous record was 16, set by Morten Anderson: Akers now has made 18 in a row.
-With his interception in the first quarter, Samuel tied former teammate in New England Rodney Harrison for the lead amongst active players with seven interceptions in the playoffs.
-Including the playoffs and season, Dawkins has now played in his 200th game as a member of the Eagles.
-Despite taking an early 7-3 lead and then a 7-5 lead, the first four drives by the Eagles offense only managed to net minus four yards.
-This marks the 5th time in the past eight seasons that the Eagles will be going to the NFC title match, but only the second time they will be on the road.
-No playoff game has EVER ended with the score of 23-11...until now!
-As a general playoff note, three teams won over the weekend on the road. The thing they had in common…all three teams are named after birds. Baltimore won, Arizona, won, and then Philadelphia won.
-In addition, while both number one seeds in the AFC and NFC were eliminated (Tennessee and New York) both losing teams out gained the winning team on offense, but lost the turnover battle.
As the excitement and the anxiety stemming from the Giants victory comes to a head, take a moment to step back and look at the big picture which is now the NFC title game. How many people REALLY thought that, with teams like Carolina and New York being 12-4 and made out to be unstoppable and teams like Arizona and Philadelphia chastised for not being “worthy of the playoffs”, that the NFC title game would be between the Eagles and the Cardinals? And better yet…the game is in Glendale? Stay tuned, on “As the Pete Rozelle Smiles down at the lack of Parody in the NFL” continues in a weeks time!
Well, they did host the Superbowl last year, you know?
Despite being out gained on offense (the Giants had 307 yards to Philly’s 276) the defense harassed pro bowl quarterback Eli Manning into two of the team’s three turnovers and allowed not a single touchdown. In turn, the offense converted two red zone touchdowns from a yard out as they defeated the Giants for the second time this year on the road with a 23-11 victory. The victory puts the Eagles on the road against the equally as hot Cardinals in Glendale in a rematch of a Thanksgiving day hammering by the Eagles, 48-20. What is most strange about this match up is the seeding of the two teams: the Cardinals were #4 entering and the Eagles were #6, further proving that the season means nothing as the 12 combatants start over seemingly at 0-0.
Quarterbacks: Not much can be said about Donovan McNabb one way or the other. Up for debate would be the two interceptions (as to who’s fault the one to Kevin Dockery could be pinned on) but twice he was able to dig us out of 3rd and very long situations (15 and 20 yards). Even with the wind swirling around the Meadowlands and a few choice drops (see Kevin Curtis, sideline, 3rd quarter) McNabb was 22 of 40 (55%) for 217 yards with a passing touchdown and two interceptions for a 58 QB rating. But hey, it could always be worse right…I mean, just ask Eli Manning about that one. In addition, McNabb kept the ball five times for 16 yards, including a 1-yard QB sneak right up the gut for our first touchdown of the game. He also cost the team a safety with an intentional grounding call in the end zone, but that call, to me anyway, seemed just a bit “iffy.” And don’t forget, during the football off-season, if you need a directory assistant, switchboard operator, or a phone yes man, give ole Donny Mac a “ring” any time!
McNabb Grade: B- (81%)
Running Backs: Devoid of much fullback usage so we will go with this title today. Well, actually, we were devoid of much running either: including McNabb, who ran for 3.2 yards a scramble, the team ran 28 times for 59 yards, a measly 2.1 yards a carry. It’s pretty obvious that the running game has been keyed on, and blocking is not exactly what we have hoped for either, going hand in hand for a trip down “Catastrophe Circle.” Brian Westbrook was a non factor overall, running the ball 18 times for 36 yards and had two catches for only 10 yards. Receiving wise, Correll Buckhalter would fair somewhat better, posting three receptions for 19 yards but he would run five times for seven yards, including one run for six yards. Sightings of Dan Klecko were rarer then usual, except for when we scored in the red zone.
Unit Grade: C (75%)
Wide Receivers: Three receivers were featured and all three caught the passes, even though Reggie Brown and Hank Baskett were allegedly out there. DeSean Jackson, who oddly enough never got a receiver reverse, caught four passes for 81 yards, including a beautiful 48-yard grab down the sideline and short of a touchdown in the 4th quarter. Jason Avant was “Mister 3rd down” nearly reliving “4th and 26” with a 3rd down and 20 reception for 21 yards, totaling 43 yards on four grabs. Curtis, who had a brilliant pass right in his grasp only to drop it, had four catches for 40 yards. I rarely if ever saw Brown, and Baskett was rarely looked at. Also, Greg Lewis was deactivated for the game, allowing Victor Abiamiri to get back in.
Unit grade for those who caught passes: A (93%)
Tight Ends: Returning to the lineup was LJ Smith, but Brent Celek still would not repent. Celek had three receptions for only 12 yards, but one was a 1-yard floating touchdown reception. More over, Celek has improved his abilities has a chip blocker and a stand in blocker for running. Smith had two receptions for 12 yards in his first action this post season, missing the Vikings game for some reason or another. Smith was also flagged for a false start, the only one on offense all day.
Unit Grade: B (85%)
Offensive Line: At times, the offensive line struggled a good bit (see the six tackles for a loss, four QB hurries, whenever else they felt like running McNabb over) but at times they also seemed to be top notch (allowed no sacks, gave McNabb plenty of time to throw the ball on occasions). One flag was thrown for the unit, as Todd Herremans, who many Eagles fans felt could be on the pro bowl team or even an All-Pro left guard, was called for holding. But the tackles, Jon Runyan and Tra Thomas, did a great job against Mathias Kiwanuka (no tackles) and Justin Tuck (five tackles, but only one hurry). And keep in mind one thing: Runyan continues to play through a knee injury, and he was never exactly the most agile tackle to begin with. Overall, the effort was passable, but the middle three need to start getting a running push for whoever is carrying the ball.
Tackles Grade: A (95%)
Interior Grade: B- (80%)
Defensive line: Not only does Victor Abiamiri have a stand out name, but in his first playoff game as an Eagle, he made a stand out play as well. Abiamiri, who had three tackles for the game, picked up a fumble late to definitively ice the game after Steve Smith forgot how to turn and hold onto the ball in sequence. Key against the run were Trent Cole, who had six tackles and a pass defense, and Broderick Bunkley who had arguably his best game in a good while, posting five tackles but two very key tackles, with Mike Patterson on 4th and inches on a Manning sneak, and with Stewart Bradley on a 4th and two Brandon Jacobs run. Speaking of Big Mike, he had three tackles including his co-stop with his defensive tackle in crime, while Darren Howard had one tackle and a QB hurry. Both Chris Clemons and Juqua Parker had one tackle each as well, with Clemons adding a pass defense. Trevor Laws, getting in with the rotation at tackle, had one assist tackle. Despite Jacobs running for 92 yards on 19 carries, he had 24 yards on a run and rarely won a battle up the middle against Mike and Broderick, and Derrick Ward had 46 yards, but again, 14 of them on a single run.
Bunkley Grade: A+ (98%)
Unit Grade: A- (90%)
Linebackers: The question going into the game was, “Would Stewart Bradley be up to the task of stopping Jacobs and crew?” And while it was a give and take situation all day, Bradley more then won his fair share of battles, leading all defensive players (yes, including pudgy Antonio Pierce) with 11 tackles, playing clog in the middle and outside when he wasn’t getting knocked around by Madison Hedgecock. Chris Gocong, who keeps improving as the weeks go by against the run, posted eight tackles as well although five were in assist, and Akeem Jordan had one assist tackle on the game. Yeah, either the Giants were THAT worried about him, or he was THAT invisible and out of the picture, take your pick. Tank Daniels chipped in two tackles on special teams, while Omar Gaither and Tracey White had one each.
Bradley Grade: A (95%)
Gocong Grade: A- (90%)
Secondary: I don’t think there has been a game recently played by the Eagles that Brian Dawkins hasn’t been everywhere at once, and today you didn’t have to worry about him taking a vacation. Dawkins finished up second on the team with ten tackles and his safety partner in crime, Quintin Mikell, had a marvelous game. Mikell had six tackles, two pass defenses, an interception, and a tackle on special teams…oh, and he even missed a series in the 3rd quarter due to a knee issue. Asante Samuel AKA “Mr. Playoffs” managed to keep that moniker alive with four tackles and another interception this week, although he didn’t find the house (he did find the 2-yard line though) and a pass defense as well…oh, and no football where his crotch should be either! Both Joselio Hanson and Quintin Demps had two tackles on defense and one on special teams but Hanson was guilty on the one BIG play the Giants did manage passing to Dominick Hixon for 34-yards. Sheldon Brown had one tackle, and Sean Considine, who played for Mikell when he was in the locker room, had one pass defense, a teams tackle, and one dumb blocking penalty on punt returns. As a direct result of the pass rush even without a sack, Manning only mustered 169 passing yards and didn’t even come close to a touchdown pass, making life for the secondary that much easier.
Samuel & Mikell Grade: A+ (98%)
Dawkins Grade: A- (91%)
Others Grade: B (85%)
Special Teams: From the get go, David Akers knew he was going to get hands on and be ace all day. On the opening kick off, he kept Ahmad Bradshaw from scoring a touchdown by pushing him out at the Eagles 35, and he nailed three field goals and two extra points for 11 accounted points. Not bad for a guy who “struggled” at the Meadowlands (going in, he was 11-of-22 all time on field goal tries). Sav Rocca punted to a 42 yard average and 40 yard net, but was helped also not only by coverage, but the Giants taking three dumb penalties on punt returns, two in one sequence. Demps had a better day on kick returns unlike in Minnesota, averaging 27 yards a return on four tries and 46 for a long, starting off the 3rd quarter. Jackson didn’t get a punt return, but Jeff Feagles only had to punt twice, while Hixon had 2.7 yards a punt return on three, and Bradshaw had 30 yards a kick return, but 65 yards on the opening play of the game.
Akers Grade: A (95%)
Punt coverage grade: A- (90%)
Kick blocking and Rocca grade: B+ (88%)
Kick coverage grade: C+ (78%)
Coaching: There was certainly a lot of bending but no breaking by the defense, but they also managed three turnovers…all this while Jimmy Johnson was sitting up in the press box! Special teams, except for covering Bradshaw on kicks, looked solid overall otherwise. And a devotion to the running game, despite mediocre and less then desired results, needs to be kept. In a situation where it isn’t working, clearly passing the ball is the best way to go, but an offensive imbalance cannot be maintained, because we know what happens when things get lopsided.
Defense Grade: A (93%)
Special Teams Grade: B+ (88%)
Offense Grade: B- (80%)
Ripper’s Three Game Balls
3. Broderick Bunkley: If Avant is my slated “Mister 3rd down” on offense, then Bunkley is my “Mister 4th down” for the defense!
2. Asante Samuel: Now we know WHY we gave Samuel the money we gave him early: the guy makes plays in the PLAYOFFS!
1. Quintin Mikell: An incredible showing by arguably the most underrated defensive player on the team, outside the man in the #3 spot.
Honorable Mention: Stewart Bradley, DeSean Jackson, and David Akers
Stats and Numbers of Interest:
-With his three field goals on the game, Akers broke the playoff record for most consecutive field goals made. The previous record was 16, set by Morten Anderson: Akers now has made 18 in a row.
-With his interception in the first quarter, Samuel tied former teammate in New England Rodney Harrison for the lead amongst active players with seven interceptions in the playoffs.
-Including the playoffs and season, Dawkins has now played in his 200th game as a member of the Eagles.
-Despite taking an early 7-3 lead and then a 7-5 lead, the first four drives by the Eagles offense only managed to net minus four yards.
-This marks the 5th time in the past eight seasons that the Eagles will be going to the NFC title match, but only the second time they will be on the road.
-No playoff game has EVER ended with the score of 23-11...until now!
-As a general playoff note, three teams won over the weekend on the road. The thing they had in common…all three teams are named after birds. Baltimore won, Arizona, won, and then Philadelphia won.
-In addition, while both number one seeds in the AFC and NFC were eliminated (Tennessee and New York) both losing teams out gained the winning team on offense, but lost the turnover battle.
As the excitement and the anxiety stemming from the Giants victory comes to a head, take a moment to step back and look at the big picture which is now the NFC title game. How many people REALLY thought that, with teams like Carolina and New York being 12-4 and made out to be unstoppable and teams like Arizona and Philadelphia chastised for not being “worthy of the playoffs”, that the NFC title game would be between the Eagles and the Cardinals? And better yet…the game is in Glendale? Stay tuned, on “As the Pete Rozelle Smiles down at the lack of Parody in the NFL” continues in a weeks time!
Monday, January 5, 2009
WildCard Win VS Vikings
Once you have entered the playoffs, the situation becomes much more simplified then during the season: if you win you go on, and if you lose, then you take a spot on the couch with the 20 teams who couldn’t cut it. As wildcard weekend came to a close, conveniently, with the Philadelphia Eagles and Minnesota Vikings, four teams were eliminated from the equation. On Saturday, the teams unworthy of being in the playoffs due to winning weak West divisions (San Diego Chargers in the AFC and the Arizona Cardinals in the NFC) eliminated the 12-4 Indianapolis Colts and the 11-5 Atlanta Falcons, respectively. In the early game on Sunday, the Baltimore Ravens ridiculed the host Miami Dolphins to resoundingly defeat them and move on, thus leaving the NFC’s 6th and 3rd seeds to do battle. And it would be the first playoff match between Brad Childress and his mentor Andy Reid.
And like their first season match in 2007, Andy won this one as well.
Every unit, from the offense to defense and special teams, contributed yards and points to the cause, and the Eagles outscored the Vikings in two quarters and held the Nordic Fins scoreless in every quarter except the second, as the Eagles defeated the Vikings 26-14. The offense accumulated 350 net yards and a touchdown, the defense supplied two turnovers and a touchdown off an interception, and special teams punched out 109 punt return yards against the worst coverage unit in the NFL and 12 points off of field goals. The team’s wildcard victory sets up a return to familiar territory, as they will be going to the Meadowlands for the second time this season to face the NFC’s top seed, the New York Giants, next Sunday at 1:00 PM. In their season match there this year, the Eagles defeated the Giants 20-14 on Sunday, December 7th. The loss would also stand as the only smudge on an otherwise perfect home record for the Giants, finishing 7-1.
Quarterbacks: Having many receivers and ball catchers has never been a problem for Donovan McNabb, and it certainly wasn’t a problem today either, as he nailed eight different targets. Despite being on the run more often then not, McNabb still managed to complete 23 of 34 passes (67.6%) for 300 yards with a touchdown, an interception, a lost fumble, and a 92.8 QB rating. The turnovers in question are certainly up for debate as to who is to blame: the interception it looked like his intended receiver Kevin Curtis gave up on it, and the forced fumble by Vikings End Jared Allen occurred when Tra Thomas forgot how to block him on the blindside. Despite these miscues and the fact that he was sacked three times, McNabb still was deadly accurate when given time, and even then, when he made his own time.
McNabb Grade: B (85%)
Running Backs: For the first 53:23 of the game, Brian Westbrook was held very much in check, not only running the ball but also receiving as well. But then all it took was one screen pass dump off, and that changed not only the complexion of the game but his impact on it as well. On the ground, Westbrook ran the ball 20 times for 38 yards and managed only a long of ten yards, and he had three receptions for 83 yards, including 71 on the only offensive touchdown of the game. Correll Buckhalter had two carries on the game, both back-to-back in the 1st quarter, for 27 yards and zero yards, while DeSean Jackson, a star on punt returns, had one receiver reverse for two yards. More incorporating of Buckhalter would be nice next week, but I was surprised to see Westbrook even got 20 carries for as bad as it was going for the most part on the ground.
Unit Grade: B- (80%)
Wide Receivers: As though it seems to be the norm to see every receiver spotted at least one pass on the game, the Eagles got two receivers who seemed to play a bigger hand in the numbers. Jason Avant led the unit with five receptions for 47 yards, including three catches on third down, while Curtis had four receptions for 49 yards. Rarely used Reggie Brown had two receptions for 17 yards while Jackson had one reception which was a dandy, going for 34 yards, while Hank Baskett had one reception for seven yards and could have had another later on if he hadn’t timed his jump wrong. It should be noted that in pre-game warm ups, that Greg Lewis somehow hurt his foot and while he did play, he wasn’t used much.
Unit Grade: B (83%)
Tight Ends: Statistically speaking, Brent Celek had the second best day of his young career (aside from the Seahawks game in week nine) as he caught six passes for 56 yards, filling in again for that human franchise tag, LJ Smith. It should also be noted that Celek appeared to be a much more reliable chip blocker on Allen then Thomas was an upright blocker on said end. And you would be shocked, oh yeah SHOCKED I tell you, to know we had a Matt freaking Schobel sighting, as he caught one pass for seven yards.
Celek Grade: A- (90%)
Offensive Line: Well, it’s pretty obvious you know when someone is outmatched, and it wasn’t like Winston Justice was out there against Allen. Jared ended up with three tackles, two sacks, two tackles for a loss, two QB hurries, a pass defense, and a forced fumble when he just walked right around Thomas. Not very good for someone who wants to be re-signed this off-season. But don’t fear, because while Jon Runyan didn’t allow Bryan Robison, the backup to the injured Ray Edwards any sacks, he did get two hurries and one of them was when Runyan ran him right into McNabb, forcing the errant throw to Baskett. And both Jamaal Jackson and Nick Cole were flagged, Jackson for holding which was declined and Cole for a false start. So, I guess the lone clean linemen was Todd Herremans, who was matched up against Kevin Williams. The guys are going to have to do a better job not only pass blocking, but run blocking against the Giants.
Herremans Grade: B+ (88%)
Runyan, Jackson, Cole Grade: C- (79%)
Thomas Grade: D+ (68%)
Defensive Line: It’s rare that a defensive lineman leads everyone in tackles, but it is extremely rare when the lineman goes into double digits in tackles. But such was life for Trent Cole, who was like Allen was for Thomas up against Vikings tackle Bryant McKinnie sans the sacks, as Cole had 13 tackles (seven solo and six assist) and one tackle for a loss. Mike Patterson was as equally as active up against Anthony Herrera, who was in for Ex-Eagle Artis Hicks, as he had six tackles and one for a loss, and Juqua Parker had three tackles and a tackle for a loss and recovered a fumble when Vikings center Matt Birk and QB Tavarias Jackson had a goof in their communications. Chris Clemons had one tackle and a pass defense, but auspicious by their absence from the stat sheet were Broderick Bunkley and Darren Howard. Trevor Laws had a penalty for being off-sides (how that happens on a tackle is beyond me) and Cole was off-sides as well. The line was a huge hand in limiting the Vikings offense to 148 rushing yards, and I say limiting because while Adrian Peterson had 83 yards rushing on the day, he had 40 on one lucky run, thus severely ballooning their numbers. In addition, there was at least four times during the game that the Vikings COULD have been flagged for holding but weren’t.
Unit Grade: B+ (88%)
Linebackers: It might appear as if Stewart Bradley leads this group, but make no mistake, Chris Gocong is just as impressive when he gets his chances too. Bradley led the unit with six tackles, a QB hurry, and a pass defense while Gocong had four tackles, one for a loss, and also a tackle on special teams. But their newest partner at WILL, Akeem Jordan, had a sub par game: while he did have four tackles, he whiffed the first tackle which could have prevented Peterson from running for the 40-yard touchdown and also had a very stupid roughing the passer penalty late in the game when the score was still 23-14. Tank Daniels had two assist tackles on defense and one tackle on special teams.
Bradley & Gocong Grade: A (93%)
Jordan Grade: C (75%)
Secondary: One is younger and one is older, but the safety duo of Quintin Mikell and Brian Dawkins have to be one of the most underrated duos in the league, and it is a shame that they didn’t get to team up fulltime until this year. Mikell had eight tackles and a pass defense which, likewise with week 16 and 17, should have been intercepted but the ball fell to the turf instead. Dawkins had six tackles, had the team’s only sack, a pass defense, and a forced fumble on Jackson which recovered by the quarterback. Sheldon Brown had four tackles and had two pass defenses, one of which went right in and out of his hands in front of receiver Bernard Berrian. The continuously demoted Lito Sheppard had two tackles while Joselio Hanson had one tackle. Asante Samuel, who was questionable with a hip injury, had one tackle and an interception for “pick six”, which was aided in large part due to Clemons doing his impersonation of the Great Khali “Tree Slam” on Jackson at the goal line. The continuous pressure and coverage schemes proved to be a nightmare for Jackson, who was held to 42.9% completion percentage and 164 yards passing.
Unit Grade: A (95%)
Special Teams: An outstanding effort from every corner of special teams except for one area. David Akers was the early game MVP prior to someone finally scoring a touchdown in a white jersey, as he nailed four field goals and two extra points, totaling 14 of the 26 team points. Sav Rocca turned back to his good punting self as he booted four punts, all inside the 20-yard line, and averaged 44.3 a punt and 44 yards net, due to outstanding coverage which allowed only one punt return for a yard by Berrian. Jackson was outstanding on punt returns, averaging 21.8 yards a return on five and hitting out on a 62-yard return on his first attempt in the game. Kick coverage allowed Maurice Hicks and Peterson only 21.9 yards a return, but by the same token, our coverage for Quintin Demps and his own returns were horrible, averaging 15.7 yards a return on three and maxing out at 19-yards.
Akers Grade: A+ (100%)
Rocca, Jackson, punt coverage Grade: A+ (98%)
Kick Blocking and returns Grade: C- (70%)
Coaching: A very solid outing by the defense up against the offense of the Vikings, outside of the one drive which put them at 14 points…yeah, that first drive for a touchdown was very fluky. Special Teams was great except for our inability to get anything going on kick returns, whether for lack of blocking, return ability, or both. And without going into detail and running down numbers for the offense, I will say that the trust in running the ball, even when it was obvious that we weren’t moving, is something we need to keep doing. We ran the ball 23 times, and while we only averaged 2.9 yards a run as a team, that was up against the league’s best run defense THREE YEARS IN A ROW, despite the fact that they were without Pat Williams and Edwards. It’s been a pretty notable occurrence that when we cannot run the ball we give up on it, and we really cannot afford to do that especially when we are ahead, which we were after we made it 9-7 in the second quarter.
Special Teams Grade: A (95% - Yes even with the kicks being bad)
Defensive Grade: A (93%)
Offensive Grade: B (85%)
Ripper’s Three Game Balls:
3. DeSean Jackson: Was huge on punt returns: had a total of 145 multipurpose yards, but 109 on punt returns and only 36 on offense.
2. Asante Samuel: Pick six on his interception ties him for 2nd most in post-season history: not bad for having a “bad hip”.
1. David Akers: Struck early and often when the offense couldn’t do it: struck from anywhere and anywhere and hit all four tries.
Honorable Mention: Brian Dawkins, Donovan McNabb, and Trent Cole (I’ll be honest, it was a pretty tough call this week as who to leave off and include here)
Stats and Numbers of Interest:
-The Eagles are now 2-0 all-time against the Vikings in the playoffs: both wins were the first of which propelled them to their two Superbowl appearances, for the 1980 and 2004 seasons.
-Andy Reid improved his playoff record to 9-6, the most wins and appearances of any one coach in Eagles history. In addition, he is now 2-0 against his former pupil Brad Childress.
-Minnesota was not flagged for a penalty until the 4th quarter when Berrian was called for a false start @ 7:31. However, three times the Vikings were flagged on their game ending drive after the Eagles made it 26-14, including two false starts on Ryan Cook and a holding call on Herrera.
One game down, and two more to go until we make our way to Tampa Bay. We have won in the Meadowlands during the season, but will that matter when the Eagles meet up with the well rested Giants?
And like their first season match in 2007, Andy won this one as well.
Every unit, from the offense to defense and special teams, contributed yards and points to the cause, and the Eagles outscored the Vikings in two quarters and held the Nordic Fins scoreless in every quarter except the second, as the Eagles defeated the Vikings 26-14. The offense accumulated 350 net yards and a touchdown, the defense supplied two turnovers and a touchdown off an interception, and special teams punched out 109 punt return yards against the worst coverage unit in the NFL and 12 points off of field goals. The team’s wildcard victory sets up a return to familiar territory, as they will be going to the Meadowlands for the second time this season to face the NFC’s top seed, the New York Giants, next Sunday at 1:00 PM. In their season match there this year, the Eagles defeated the Giants 20-14 on Sunday, December 7th. The loss would also stand as the only smudge on an otherwise perfect home record for the Giants, finishing 7-1.
Quarterbacks: Having many receivers and ball catchers has never been a problem for Donovan McNabb, and it certainly wasn’t a problem today either, as he nailed eight different targets. Despite being on the run more often then not, McNabb still managed to complete 23 of 34 passes (67.6%) for 300 yards with a touchdown, an interception, a lost fumble, and a 92.8 QB rating. The turnovers in question are certainly up for debate as to who is to blame: the interception it looked like his intended receiver Kevin Curtis gave up on it, and the forced fumble by Vikings End Jared Allen occurred when Tra Thomas forgot how to block him on the blindside. Despite these miscues and the fact that he was sacked three times, McNabb still was deadly accurate when given time, and even then, when he made his own time.
McNabb Grade: B (85%)
Running Backs: For the first 53:23 of the game, Brian Westbrook was held very much in check, not only running the ball but also receiving as well. But then all it took was one screen pass dump off, and that changed not only the complexion of the game but his impact on it as well. On the ground, Westbrook ran the ball 20 times for 38 yards and managed only a long of ten yards, and he had three receptions for 83 yards, including 71 on the only offensive touchdown of the game. Correll Buckhalter had two carries on the game, both back-to-back in the 1st quarter, for 27 yards and zero yards, while DeSean Jackson, a star on punt returns, had one receiver reverse for two yards. More incorporating of Buckhalter would be nice next week, but I was surprised to see Westbrook even got 20 carries for as bad as it was going for the most part on the ground.
Unit Grade: B- (80%)
Wide Receivers: As though it seems to be the norm to see every receiver spotted at least one pass on the game, the Eagles got two receivers who seemed to play a bigger hand in the numbers. Jason Avant led the unit with five receptions for 47 yards, including three catches on third down, while Curtis had four receptions for 49 yards. Rarely used Reggie Brown had two receptions for 17 yards while Jackson had one reception which was a dandy, going for 34 yards, while Hank Baskett had one reception for seven yards and could have had another later on if he hadn’t timed his jump wrong. It should be noted that in pre-game warm ups, that Greg Lewis somehow hurt his foot and while he did play, he wasn’t used much.
Unit Grade: B (83%)
Tight Ends: Statistically speaking, Brent Celek had the second best day of his young career (aside from the Seahawks game in week nine) as he caught six passes for 56 yards, filling in again for that human franchise tag, LJ Smith. It should also be noted that Celek appeared to be a much more reliable chip blocker on Allen then Thomas was an upright blocker on said end. And you would be shocked, oh yeah SHOCKED I tell you, to know we had a Matt freaking Schobel sighting, as he caught one pass for seven yards.
Celek Grade: A- (90%)
Offensive Line: Well, it’s pretty obvious you know when someone is outmatched, and it wasn’t like Winston Justice was out there against Allen. Jared ended up with three tackles, two sacks, two tackles for a loss, two QB hurries, a pass defense, and a forced fumble when he just walked right around Thomas. Not very good for someone who wants to be re-signed this off-season. But don’t fear, because while Jon Runyan didn’t allow Bryan Robison, the backup to the injured Ray Edwards any sacks, he did get two hurries and one of them was when Runyan ran him right into McNabb, forcing the errant throw to Baskett. And both Jamaal Jackson and Nick Cole were flagged, Jackson for holding which was declined and Cole for a false start. So, I guess the lone clean linemen was Todd Herremans, who was matched up against Kevin Williams. The guys are going to have to do a better job not only pass blocking, but run blocking against the Giants.
Herremans Grade: B+ (88%)
Runyan, Jackson, Cole Grade: C- (79%)
Thomas Grade: D+ (68%)
Defensive Line: It’s rare that a defensive lineman leads everyone in tackles, but it is extremely rare when the lineman goes into double digits in tackles. But such was life for Trent Cole, who was like Allen was for Thomas up against Vikings tackle Bryant McKinnie sans the sacks, as Cole had 13 tackles (seven solo and six assist) and one tackle for a loss. Mike Patterson was as equally as active up against Anthony Herrera, who was in for Ex-Eagle Artis Hicks, as he had six tackles and one for a loss, and Juqua Parker had three tackles and a tackle for a loss and recovered a fumble when Vikings center Matt Birk and QB Tavarias Jackson had a goof in their communications. Chris Clemons had one tackle and a pass defense, but auspicious by their absence from the stat sheet were Broderick Bunkley and Darren Howard. Trevor Laws had a penalty for being off-sides (how that happens on a tackle is beyond me) and Cole was off-sides as well. The line was a huge hand in limiting the Vikings offense to 148 rushing yards, and I say limiting because while Adrian Peterson had 83 yards rushing on the day, he had 40 on one lucky run, thus severely ballooning their numbers. In addition, there was at least four times during the game that the Vikings COULD have been flagged for holding but weren’t.
Unit Grade: B+ (88%)
Linebackers: It might appear as if Stewart Bradley leads this group, but make no mistake, Chris Gocong is just as impressive when he gets his chances too. Bradley led the unit with six tackles, a QB hurry, and a pass defense while Gocong had four tackles, one for a loss, and also a tackle on special teams. But their newest partner at WILL, Akeem Jordan, had a sub par game: while he did have four tackles, he whiffed the first tackle which could have prevented Peterson from running for the 40-yard touchdown and also had a very stupid roughing the passer penalty late in the game when the score was still 23-14. Tank Daniels had two assist tackles on defense and one tackle on special teams.
Bradley & Gocong Grade: A (93%)
Jordan Grade: C (75%)
Secondary: One is younger and one is older, but the safety duo of Quintin Mikell and Brian Dawkins have to be one of the most underrated duos in the league, and it is a shame that they didn’t get to team up fulltime until this year. Mikell had eight tackles and a pass defense which, likewise with week 16 and 17, should have been intercepted but the ball fell to the turf instead. Dawkins had six tackles, had the team’s only sack, a pass defense, and a forced fumble on Jackson which recovered by the quarterback. Sheldon Brown had four tackles and had two pass defenses, one of which went right in and out of his hands in front of receiver Bernard Berrian. The continuously demoted Lito Sheppard had two tackles while Joselio Hanson had one tackle. Asante Samuel, who was questionable with a hip injury, had one tackle and an interception for “pick six”, which was aided in large part due to Clemons doing his impersonation of the Great Khali “Tree Slam” on Jackson at the goal line. The continuous pressure and coverage schemes proved to be a nightmare for Jackson, who was held to 42.9% completion percentage and 164 yards passing.
Unit Grade: A (95%)
Special Teams: An outstanding effort from every corner of special teams except for one area. David Akers was the early game MVP prior to someone finally scoring a touchdown in a white jersey, as he nailed four field goals and two extra points, totaling 14 of the 26 team points. Sav Rocca turned back to his good punting self as he booted four punts, all inside the 20-yard line, and averaged 44.3 a punt and 44 yards net, due to outstanding coverage which allowed only one punt return for a yard by Berrian. Jackson was outstanding on punt returns, averaging 21.8 yards a return on five and hitting out on a 62-yard return on his first attempt in the game. Kick coverage allowed Maurice Hicks and Peterson only 21.9 yards a return, but by the same token, our coverage for Quintin Demps and his own returns were horrible, averaging 15.7 yards a return on three and maxing out at 19-yards.
Akers Grade: A+ (100%)
Rocca, Jackson, punt coverage Grade: A+ (98%)
Kick Blocking and returns Grade: C- (70%)
Coaching: A very solid outing by the defense up against the offense of the Vikings, outside of the one drive which put them at 14 points…yeah, that first drive for a touchdown was very fluky. Special Teams was great except for our inability to get anything going on kick returns, whether for lack of blocking, return ability, or both. And without going into detail and running down numbers for the offense, I will say that the trust in running the ball, even when it was obvious that we weren’t moving, is something we need to keep doing. We ran the ball 23 times, and while we only averaged 2.9 yards a run as a team, that was up against the league’s best run defense THREE YEARS IN A ROW, despite the fact that they were without Pat Williams and Edwards. It’s been a pretty notable occurrence that when we cannot run the ball we give up on it, and we really cannot afford to do that especially when we are ahead, which we were after we made it 9-7 in the second quarter.
Special Teams Grade: A (95% - Yes even with the kicks being bad)
Defensive Grade: A (93%)
Offensive Grade: B (85%)
Ripper’s Three Game Balls:
3. DeSean Jackson: Was huge on punt returns: had a total of 145 multipurpose yards, but 109 on punt returns and only 36 on offense.
2. Asante Samuel: Pick six on his interception ties him for 2nd most in post-season history: not bad for having a “bad hip”.
1. David Akers: Struck early and often when the offense couldn’t do it: struck from anywhere and anywhere and hit all four tries.
Honorable Mention: Brian Dawkins, Donovan McNabb, and Trent Cole (I’ll be honest, it was a pretty tough call this week as who to leave off and include here)
Stats and Numbers of Interest:
-The Eagles are now 2-0 all-time against the Vikings in the playoffs: both wins were the first of which propelled them to their two Superbowl appearances, for the 1980 and 2004 seasons.
-Andy Reid improved his playoff record to 9-6, the most wins and appearances of any one coach in Eagles history. In addition, he is now 2-0 against his former pupil Brad Childress.
-Minnesota was not flagged for a penalty until the 4th quarter when Berrian was called for a false start @ 7:31. However, three times the Vikings were flagged on their game ending drive after the Eagles made it 26-14, including two false starts on Ryan Cook and a holding call on Herrera.
One game down, and two more to go until we make our way to Tampa Bay. We have won in the Meadowlands during the season, but will that matter when the Eagles meet up with the well rested Giants?
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