* 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?
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Eagles VS Cowboys Game 2....The Destruction
Same situation but different scenarios for week 17. A week ago, the Philadelphia Eagles needed the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to lose to the San Diego Chargers in order to control their own destiny in the NFC playoff race, but the Eagles failed to live up to their end of the bargain, losing on the road to the Washington Redskins. This past Sunday, losses by either the Minnesota Vikings or the Chicago Bears (or even both of them) and then another loss by Tampa Bay would allow the Eagles another shot to get in. And when the Bears lost to the Houston Texans and the Buccaneers dropped their fourth straight game to the woeful Oakland Raiders, it made the Eagles and Dallas Cowboys game a “Win and Get In” situation.
And the Eagles didn’t ask for control…they took it away with force.
After an opening first quarter with the score at 3-3, the score was never close once after that point, as the Eagles posted 24 points in the second quarter and 17 in the third quarter on their way to a through 44-6 dismantling of the Cowboys, avenging a loss in week two on Monday Night Football in Irving. The funny thing is that the two touchdowns the team did score in the second half came from their defense with two fumble recoveries out of a total five forced turnovers.
At the end of the day, the Eagles qualified for the playoffs, entering in at the #6 spot with a 9-6-1 record and will face a team that the Eagles should know very well, that being Brad Childress and the NFC North champion Minnesota Vikings. The day and time for that match will be determined by Tuesday, from what we do know is that if the Eagles are going to do it, they are going to have to replicate the Pittsburgh Steelers of 2005 or the New York Giants of 2007 and win them all on the road.
Quarterbacks: Wow, I think someone needs to thumb through the record books for this season, because I can’t remember the last time Donovan McNabb had as few pass attempts as he did. Sure, McNabb had some scrambles and sneaks, but the defense was a big reason for that with their two touchdowns in the 3rd quarter. McNabb completed 12 of 21 passes (57%) for 175 yards and two touchdowns through the air, posting a 116.2 QB rating. And on the ground, McNabb scrambled three times for four yards, including a 1-yard touchdown keep to give us the lead, once and for all. And even on the sideline, there seemed to be no problems as expressed by the “Media” between him and anyone else. Later on, Kevin Kolb made the scene and, luckily, was not implored to throw the ball, but he did get on the board with two kneel downs to end the game.
McNabb Grade: A (95%)
Running Backs & Full Backs: There were a total 23 carries between our top two runners, Brian Westbrook and Correll Buckhalter, but it was the latter who got less carries but did more with his attempts. In fact, Buckhalter was the versatile one this game, not Westbrook, as Buckhalter jammed for 63 yards on ten carries, including a run good for 33-yards because apparently the “Great” Dallas defense must have been taking tackling lessons from Cleveland and Denver. Buckhalter also caught three passes for 59 yards and a touchdown from four yards out, totaling 122 yards on 13 touches (9.4 yards per) and a touchdown. Westbrook had 13 carries for 50 yards and two receptions for 12 yards, totaling 15 touches for 62 yards and a VERY questionable fumble. Kyle Eckel posted eight carries for 22 yards rushing, most of which came in the fourth quarter.
Unit Grade: A (95%)
Wide Receivers: Due to the lack of pass attempts, and on top of that the running backs hauling in five of the 12 receptions, passes were hard to come by for these guys. In fact, it was so hard that only three guys here caught a pass, as DeSean Jackson, who had four drops a week ago in Landover, had two receptions for 46 yards, including 34-yards on a nice inside route. Reggie Brown and Kevin Curtis, the latter of whom missed the Redskins game, both had one reception.
Unit Grade: B (83%)
Tight End: Yeah, notice the “S” is missing off of that one, because we only had one tight end making a statement, and no, it wasn’t the overpaid LJ Smith because apparently he was “injured.” Brent Celek co-led the team with three receptions for 30 yards, including a 1-yard touchdown reception with 13 seconds to the half. Also, it should be made mention of that Matt Schobel was in the game, but if anyone saw him anywhere, please feel free to tell me.
Unit Grade: B+ (89%)
Offensive Line: Back in week two, the Eagles offensive line allowed five sacks to the Cowboys, and there must have been at least a dozen more times where McNabb had to fight off pressure in order to avoid taking another sack. But this time, Dallas managed only one sack and one quarterback hurry, both from Bradie James, and sack artist DeMarcus Ware, who came into the game with 20 of them, left with zero. The line allowed the actual runners on the team 4.3 yards a carry (we won’t include the two quarterbacks) and committed no fouls (although Philadelphia committed NONE as a team). For the season, the line, which has again seen three starting right guards, going from Shawn Andrews to Max Jean-Gilles to Nick Cole, allowed only 23 sacks on Kevin and Donovan. That is five less then they did in 2006 and a very sharp decrease of 26 from last year.
Unit Grade: A+ (98%)
Defensive Line: One would have to be quick to forgive Tony Romo, because if he felt as if he was stuck in some never ending horror movie where he kept getting sliced and diced instead of sacked and pressured, then it would be understandable. Despite missing Victor Abiamiri due to what I would assume was some sort of injury, seven of the linemen still enjoyed the mayhem they created, starting with Darren Howard who had three tackles, a sack, a tackle for a loss, a QB hurry, and one pass defense. Juqua Parker also had three tackles along with a pass defense, and Chris Clemons had easily his best game as an Eagle, posting two solo tackles, two sacks, two QB hurries, a tackle for a loss, a forced fumble, and a recovered fumble from Brian Dawkins off of Romo which he took for a touchdown. Both starting tackles Broderick Bunkley and Mike Patterson had two total tackles (one solo and one assist) and backup tackle Trevor Laws recovered his first fumble of the season, the one that Clemons forced. Trent Cole didn’t get a tackle but was always entering the backfield and had one pass defense. In all, the line piled up three sacks, three QB hurries, and helped to hold Dallas to 87 yards rushing on 19 carries. Of course, the actual runners of Marion Barber and Tashard Choice averaged 4.3 yards a run.
Unit Grade: A (95%)
Linebackers: Jason Witten, who has traditionally killed the Eagles, made seven catches again but was held to only 50 yards, thanks in large part to Akeem Jordan. Jordan, who had five more tackles then the rest of the linebackers put together and four more then Dallas’s leading tackler (James had seven), Jordan had 11 tackles for the game, including two of them for a loss. Both Chris Gocong and Stewart Bradley pitched in two tackles and Bradley had a “pass defense” right in front of Witten which was a dropped interception. Also making an appearance at linebacker was Omar Gaither, who lost his job at WILL to Jordan back before the Ravens game, had a tackle for a loss, and Tracey White had one tackle.
Unit Grade: A- (90%)
Secondary: If Brian Dawkins is not back in midnight green again in 2009, it better be for a DAMN good reason, like he chooses to retire, and not because we can’t re-sign him. In traditional rise up and take charge fashion, the crazy man who leads the fans in our fight song chant after scores from the sideline had five tackles, two forced fumbles, a sack, a tackle for a loss, and a QB hurry. Quintin Mikell had four tackles and two pass defenses, and was in prime position for another interception, much like he was in Landover, but failed to get it. Quintin Demps pitched in two tackles after Dawkins left the game in the third quarter, and Joselio Hanson had one tackle, a tackle for a loss on Roy E. Williams, a pass defense, and a 96-yard fumble recovery for a touchdown, which Dawkins forced on Barber. Both Sean Considine and Asante Samuel had one tackle, and Sheldon Brown intercepted his first pass of the season, and his first in 19 games, and had three additional pass defenses. All toll, Dallas had 233 passing yards, but only 191 of them came from Romo and, later, Brooks Bollinger, as Witten had a 42-yard pass to Terrell Owens. Speaking of, Owens himself was the only consistent receiver, posting six receptions and 103 yards, while “Superstar” Williams had two receptions for four yards.
Unit Grade: A- (90%)
Special Teams: Every looked really good here, for a change. David Akers booted three field goals, and while he did miss one, it was way late when we were up 44-3 anyway, and he drilled a 50-yard field goal after special teams’ forced the fumble prior to the half on Adam “Pacman” Jones. Sav Rocca got back to more charted land as he punted three times (twice in the fourth quarter) and netted 41.3 a kick, thanks in large part to Jones being held to two yards a punt return on two tries. Together, the team of Jones and Miles Austin averaged only 20.4 yards a kick return and Jones fumbled one away prior to the half, with Demps on the hit and Gaither on the recovery. Jackson even got some breathing room on punts, averaging 12 yards a return on two tries, including 21-yard on one. But, I wish the same could be said for Demps on kick returns, as he averaged only 11 yards a return on two.
Coverage Grade: A+ (98%)
Akers Grade: A (95%)
Rocca Grade: A- (90%)
Coaching: First of all, I would like to say again that we committed not ONE penalty in this game, so the staff gets a huge spike in the grading scale for that. Defensively, the team did allow a few big pass plays here and there, but whatever it was that Dallas picked up, the defense turned it upside down with a fumble, or a sack, or an interception, so props for remedying those situations are in order. Special teams was nearly flawless, outside of weak kick return blocking and one meaningless missed field goal by Akers. But to be honest, I am shocked at the offense once again, as it seemed to take a decided 180 from last week when he went pass heavy. The team “ran” the ball 36 times, although only 31 should count, and we attempted 22 passes with the one time McNabb was sacked. And it’s not like only one back did all the work, because Westbrook and Buckhalter split the main handoffs 13-10. Finding a balance like this through the playoffs could see this team going further then anyone could possibly imagine.
Offensive Grade: A+ (98%)
Defensive Grade: A (95%)
Special Teams Grade: A- (90%)
Ripper’s Three Game Balls:
3. Joselio Hanson: Huge open field tackle on a much bigger receiver (Williams) and the longer of the two fumble recoveries for a touchdown
2. Brian Dawkins: Massive game again from the “Old Guy”: appears to be playing again like he did in December of 2006 when he was defensive player of the month.
1. Chris Clemons: In my opinion, played the best game of his career here: two sacks, a forced and recovered fumble, and a touchdown spelled domination.
Honorable Mention: Correll Buckhalter, Sheldon Brown, Darren Howard, Quintin Demps, and Donovan McNabb
Stats and Numbers of Interest:
-Since 2000, the Cowboys are 0-9 in season finales. This even includes the 2007 season, when they finished 13-3.
-Tony Romo is now 5-8 in the month of December, and 0-2 in the month of January.
-The Cowboys first field goal sustained 8:15 off the clock: that drive eclipsed the amount of time they held the ball in the final three quarters (4:06, 8:05, and 7:24).
-The nagging and complaining about the red zone offense seemed to find a resolution, as the team had three red zone attempts and made the end zone every time, and they even succeeded every time from “goal-to-go” yardage. In addition, the team managed to complete 50% of their third down tries (7-of-14).
-With his game today, DeSean Jackson led all rookies this season with 898 receiving yards, and also had 62 receptions as well.
-The difference of 38 points is the biggest margin of victory for either team since 1961, when the Eagles defeated the Cowboys 43-7 (36 points).
Well guys, I don’t know what was more fun…making the playoffs or trumping the Cowboys in order to get in. But, once again, had Houston and Oakland not won, then we wouldn’t be getting in, even with this game that we had. So I thank them two teams, and am looking forward to our wildcard match in the Metrodome next weekend, whenever it might occur.
And the Eagles didn’t ask for control…they took it away with force.
After an opening first quarter with the score at 3-3, the score was never close once after that point, as the Eagles posted 24 points in the second quarter and 17 in the third quarter on their way to a through 44-6 dismantling of the Cowboys, avenging a loss in week two on Monday Night Football in Irving. The funny thing is that the two touchdowns the team did score in the second half came from their defense with two fumble recoveries out of a total five forced turnovers.
At the end of the day, the Eagles qualified for the playoffs, entering in at the #6 spot with a 9-6-1 record and will face a team that the Eagles should know very well, that being Brad Childress and the NFC North champion Minnesota Vikings. The day and time for that match will be determined by Tuesday, from what we do know is that if the Eagles are going to do it, they are going to have to replicate the Pittsburgh Steelers of 2005 or the New York Giants of 2007 and win them all on the road.
Quarterbacks: Wow, I think someone needs to thumb through the record books for this season, because I can’t remember the last time Donovan McNabb had as few pass attempts as he did. Sure, McNabb had some scrambles and sneaks, but the defense was a big reason for that with their two touchdowns in the 3rd quarter. McNabb completed 12 of 21 passes (57%) for 175 yards and two touchdowns through the air, posting a 116.2 QB rating. And on the ground, McNabb scrambled three times for four yards, including a 1-yard touchdown keep to give us the lead, once and for all. And even on the sideline, there seemed to be no problems as expressed by the “Media” between him and anyone else. Later on, Kevin Kolb made the scene and, luckily, was not implored to throw the ball, but he did get on the board with two kneel downs to end the game.
McNabb Grade: A (95%)
Running Backs & Full Backs: There were a total 23 carries between our top two runners, Brian Westbrook and Correll Buckhalter, but it was the latter who got less carries but did more with his attempts. In fact, Buckhalter was the versatile one this game, not Westbrook, as Buckhalter jammed for 63 yards on ten carries, including a run good for 33-yards because apparently the “Great” Dallas defense must have been taking tackling lessons from Cleveland and Denver. Buckhalter also caught three passes for 59 yards and a touchdown from four yards out, totaling 122 yards on 13 touches (9.4 yards per) and a touchdown. Westbrook had 13 carries for 50 yards and two receptions for 12 yards, totaling 15 touches for 62 yards and a VERY questionable fumble. Kyle Eckel posted eight carries for 22 yards rushing, most of which came in the fourth quarter.
Unit Grade: A (95%)
Wide Receivers: Due to the lack of pass attempts, and on top of that the running backs hauling in five of the 12 receptions, passes were hard to come by for these guys. In fact, it was so hard that only three guys here caught a pass, as DeSean Jackson, who had four drops a week ago in Landover, had two receptions for 46 yards, including 34-yards on a nice inside route. Reggie Brown and Kevin Curtis, the latter of whom missed the Redskins game, both had one reception.
Unit Grade: B (83%)
Tight End: Yeah, notice the “S” is missing off of that one, because we only had one tight end making a statement, and no, it wasn’t the overpaid LJ Smith because apparently he was “injured.” Brent Celek co-led the team with three receptions for 30 yards, including a 1-yard touchdown reception with 13 seconds to the half. Also, it should be made mention of that Matt Schobel was in the game, but if anyone saw him anywhere, please feel free to tell me.
Unit Grade: B+ (89%)
Offensive Line: Back in week two, the Eagles offensive line allowed five sacks to the Cowboys, and there must have been at least a dozen more times where McNabb had to fight off pressure in order to avoid taking another sack. But this time, Dallas managed only one sack and one quarterback hurry, both from Bradie James, and sack artist DeMarcus Ware, who came into the game with 20 of them, left with zero. The line allowed the actual runners on the team 4.3 yards a carry (we won’t include the two quarterbacks) and committed no fouls (although Philadelphia committed NONE as a team). For the season, the line, which has again seen three starting right guards, going from Shawn Andrews to Max Jean-Gilles to Nick Cole, allowed only 23 sacks on Kevin and Donovan. That is five less then they did in 2006 and a very sharp decrease of 26 from last year.
Unit Grade: A+ (98%)
Defensive Line: One would have to be quick to forgive Tony Romo, because if he felt as if he was stuck in some never ending horror movie where he kept getting sliced and diced instead of sacked and pressured, then it would be understandable. Despite missing Victor Abiamiri due to what I would assume was some sort of injury, seven of the linemen still enjoyed the mayhem they created, starting with Darren Howard who had three tackles, a sack, a tackle for a loss, a QB hurry, and one pass defense. Juqua Parker also had three tackles along with a pass defense, and Chris Clemons had easily his best game as an Eagle, posting two solo tackles, two sacks, two QB hurries, a tackle for a loss, a forced fumble, and a recovered fumble from Brian Dawkins off of Romo which he took for a touchdown. Both starting tackles Broderick Bunkley and Mike Patterson had two total tackles (one solo and one assist) and backup tackle Trevor Laws recovered his first fumble of the season, the one that Clemons forced. Trent Cole didn’t get a tackle but was always entering the backfield and had one pass defense. In all, the line piled up three sacks, three QB hurries, and helped to hold Dallas to 87 yards rushing on 19 carries. Of course, the actual runners of Marion Barber and Tashard Choice averaged 4.3 yards a run.
Unit Grade: A (95%)
Linebackers: Jason Witten, who has traditionally killed the Eagles, made seven catches again but was held to only 50 yards, thanks in large part to Akeem Jordan. Jordan, who had five more tackles then the rest of the linebackers put together and four more then Dallas’s leading tackler (James had seven), Jordan had 11 tackles for the game, including two of them for a loss. Both Chris Gocong and Stewart Bradley pitched in two tackles and Bradley had a “pass defense” right in front of Witten which was a dropped interception. Also making an appearance at linebacker was Omar Gaither, who lost his job at WILL to Jordan back before the Ravens game, had a tackle for a loss, and Tracey White had one tackle.
Unit Grade: A- (90%)
Secondary: If Brian Dawkins is not back in midnight green again in 2009, it better be for a DAMN good reason, like he chooses to retire, and not because we can’t re-sign him. In traditional rise up and take charge fashion, the crazy man who leads the fans in our fight song chant after scores from the sideline had five tackles, two forced fumbles, a sack, a tackle for a loss, and a QB hurry. Quintin Mikell had four tackles and two pass defenses, and was in prime position for another interception, much like he was in Landover, but failed to get it. Quintin Demps pitched in two tackles after Dawkins left the game in the third quarter, and Joselio Hanson had one tackle, a tackle for a loss on Roy E. Williams, a pass defense, and a 96-yard fumble recovery for a touchdown, which Dawkins forced on Barber. Both Sean Considine and Asante Samuel had one tackle, and Sheldon Brown intercepted his first pass of the season, and his first in 19 games, and had three additional pass defenses. All toll, Dallas had 233 passing yards, but only 191 of them came from Romo and, later, Brooks Bollinger, as Witten had a 42-yard pass to Terrell Owens. Speaking of, Owens himself was the only consistent receiver, posting six receptions and 103 yards, while “Superstar” Williams had two receptions for four yards.
Unit Grade: A- (90%)
Special Teams: Every looked really good here, for a change. David Akers booted three field goals, and while he did miss one, it was way late when we were up 44-3 anyway, and he drilled a 50-yard field goal after special teams’ forced the fumble prior to the half on Adam “Pacman” Jones. Sav Rocca got back to more charted land as he punted three times (twice in the fourth quarter) and netted 41.3 a kick, thanks in large part to Jones being held to two yards a punt return on two tries. Together, the team of Jones and Miles Austin averaged only 20.4 yards a kick return and Jones fumbled one away prior to the half, with Demps on the hit and Gaither on the recovery. Jackson even got some breathing room on punts, averaging 12 yards a return on two tries, including 21-yard on one. But, I wish the same could be said for Demps on kick returns, as he averaged only 11 yards a return on two.
Coverage Grade: A+ (98%)
Akers Grade: A (95%)
Rocca Grade: A- (90%)
Coaching: First of all, I would like to say again that we committed not ONE penalty in this game, so the staff gets a huge spike in the grading scale for that. Defensively, the team did allow a few big pass plays here and there, but whatever it was that Dallas picked up, the defense turned it upside down with a fumble, or a sack, or an interception, so props for remedying those situations are in order. Special teams was nearly flawless, outside of weak kick return blocking and one meaningless missed field goal by Akers. But to be honest, I am shocked at the offense once again, as it seemed to take a decided 180 from last week when he went pass heavy. The team “ran” the ball 36 times, although only 31 should count, and we attempted 22 passes with the one time McNabb was sacked. And it’s not like only one back did all the work, because Westbrook and Buckhalter split the main handoffs 13-10. Finding a balance like this through the playoffs could see this team going further then anyone could possibly imagine.
Offensive Grade: A+ (98%)
Defensive Grade: A (95%)
Special Teams Grade: A- (90%)
Ripper’s Three Game Balls:
3. Joselio Hanson: Huge open field tackle on a much bigger receiver (Williams) and the longer of the two fumble recoveries for a touchdown
2. Brian Dawkins: Massive game again from the “Old Guy”: appears to be playing again like he did in December of 2006 when he was defensive player of the month.
1. Chris Clemons: In my opinion, played the best game of his career here: two sacks, a forced and recovered fumble, and a touchdown spelled domination.
Honorable Mention: Correll Buckhalter, Sheldon Brown, Darren Howard, Quintin Demps, and Donovan McNabb
Stats and Numbers of Interest:
-Since 2000, the Cowboys are 0-9 in season finales. This even includes the 2007 season, when they finished 13-3.
-Tony Romo is now 5-8 in the month of December, and 0-2 in the month of January.
-The Cowboys first field goal sustained 8:15 off the clock: that drive eclipsed the amount of time they held the ball in the final three quarters (4:06, 8:05, and 7:24).
-The nagging and complaining about the red zone offense seemed to find a resolution, as the team had three red zone attempts and made the end zone every time, and they even succeeded every time from “goal-to-go” yardage. In addition, the team managed to complete 50% of their third down tries (7-of-14).
-With his game today, DeSean Jackson led all rookies this season with 898 receiving yards, and also had 62 receptions as well.
-The difference of 38 points is the biggest margin of victory for either team since 1961, when the Eagles defeated the Cowboys 43-7 (36 points).
Well guys, I don’t know what was more fun…making the playoffs or trumping the Cowboys in order to get in. But, once again, had Houston and Oakland not won, then we wouldn’t be getting in, even with this game that we had. So I thank them two teams, and am looking forward to our wildcard match in the Metrodome next weekend, whenever it might occur.
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Eagles Ve Redskins Game 2 Review
The situation was perfect for the Philadelphia Eagles: two AFC teams lent helping hands to gun down two of the Eagles’ main advisories in the wildcard race, as the Baltimore Ravens beat the Dallas Cowboys on Saturday Night 33-24, and then on Sunday afternoon, the San Diego Chargers beat the Buccaneers in Tampa Bay 41-24 to drop two teams closer to Philadelphia. And, going into the late afternoon game which was changed due to flex scheduling, all the Eagles had to do was get revenge on a team who had beaten them at home in week five. After all, the Eagles went to the Meadowlands and beat the Giants, so why not the Redskins in Fed-Ex?
And then, well, the offense turned Pre-Cardinals game again.
In a game that would have pushed the Eagles alone into the 6th spot in the NFC, the offense came out flat and stayed that way, save for one long pass on a field goal drive and the final drive of the game which came a yard short of the end zone with the clock running down from four seconds. The end result was a 10-3 Redskins victory and a season sweep of the Eagles by Washington. And realistically speaking, the Eagles can STILL make it in the playoffs, but the following things need to happen in week 17:
A) Eagles need to avenge a week two loss to the Cowboys with a victory at Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday.
B) In a revelation befitting to the “one team has nothing to play for and the other does” quota, the Oakland Raiders need to beat the Buccaneers in Tampa Bay, which would take them from well endowed in the playoffs at 9-3, to 9-7 on the season.
C) Then, the Eagles record of 9-6-1 would trump the matching 9-7 records possessed by Dallas and Tampa Bay.
But, somehow, I can’t see Oakland winning on the road, and I don’t think that Sundays in January will have any events for the team, unless it’s watching the game at home from the couch.
Quarterbacks: There were not a lot of things out of the realm of reality that could have went wrong in this game for Donovan McNabb, except for throwing an interception (which could have been the case at least three times). If he wasn’t throwing the ball behind receivers, he was throwing them to ones who were covered and getting killed, or receivers would drop passes. For the game, McNabb was 26 of 46 (56.2%) for 230 yards, no touchdowns, no interceptions, and a 70 QB rating. In addition, McNabb kept the ball and rolled out twice for eight yards and, on a sack, fumbled the ball for the game’s only turnover. I understand that the receiver drops were not his fault, but a lot of passes were being forced that either were incomplete or he was pitching them to targets who weren’t even remotely open by an inch.
McNabb Grade: C- (70%)
Running and Fullbacks: Remember when Andy Reid said that if we didn’t run for at least three yards a carry that he would abandon the run? Well, I’d hate to tell him this, but we averaged 3.9 rushing as a team and yet the ball was only taken 16 times and, of course, only 14 count because McNabb kept it twice on a rollout. Brian Westbrook was hobbled a little bit later on but took the ball 12 times for 45 yards and also caught six passes for 71 yards, including a 47-yard reception which led to our one and only field goal. DeSean Jackson had one rush for seven yards and had another which was negated by a holding call on Reggie Brown, and more disappointing was the one carry Correll Buckhalter got for two yards, while he had two receptions for 18 yards. And if it hadn’t been for one reception by Dan Klecko for two yards, I would have never known he was out there, same with Kyle Eckel.
Unit Grade: B (83%)
Wide Receivers: The loss of Kevin Curtis and Hank Baskett to injuries for this game is NO EXCUSE for a PATHETIC eight drops, six of them coming from this unit. Brown, who saw his first action in three weeks due to the injuries to the two mentioned out front, had four receptions for 47 yards, including the one at the goal line which ended the game, and contributed one drop. Both Jason Avant and Jackson had two receptions each, and while Avant had one drop on the game, NO ONE beat Jackson, who was credited with FOUR drops, including one where he beat DeAngelo Hall on the sideline and on the final drive in the end zone. And despite the injuries and receiver shortage, Greg Lewis had only one catch.
Unit Grade: D- (60%)
Tight Ends: Yes, LJ Smith DID lead the team with seven receptions, but he only averaged seven yards a catch, he dropped two passes, and completely missed on his blocking assignment on 3rd and goal at the 3, which forced us to go for the field goal. Brent Celek had one catch for eight yards and in my mind he could have been tagged with a drop but he didn’t get it.
Unit Grade: D- (60%)
Offensive line: The battle between Jon Runyan and Jason Taylor was often a struggle for Runyan, as Taylor had both of their sacks and the forced fumble along with a QB hurry. Tra Thomas held Andre Carter in check for the most part, although he still had two QB hurries. The line was not called for a penalty, but rarely was there a push up the middle for any runner who was lucky enough to get the ball. Still, aside from Taylor, the line did pretty well.
Unit Grade: B (85%)
Defensive line: Havoc was created by the defensive line, mostly by the defensive ends, and Jason Campbell could not step back without fear of getting smashed. Again arguably the best defensive player on the field, Trent Cole posted eight tackles to lead the line, along with a sack, a QB hurry, and a tackle for a loss. Mike Patterson had seven tackles on the game, all against the run and was a vital clog in the middle against Clinton Portis and Laddell Betts. Broderick Bunkley had four tackles along with a pass defense while rookie Trevor Laws had two tackles in the rotation behind Broderick and Mike. Victor Abiamiri had two tackles in the end rotation and also posted a sack, a tackle for a loss, and a forced fumble (which makes no sense because I remember Troy Aikman saying Campbell “Dropped the ball,” and he is NEVER wrong). Darren Howard had one tackle, two QB hurries, a pass defense, and a sack and would have had two if Chris Clemons, who had one tackle himself, wasn’t called for being “off sides.” Juqua Parker chipped in a pass defense as well, and Washington ran for 122 yards on 32 carries, although their 3.8 run per carry is awfully deferred by 14 yards a scramble for Campbell.
Unit Grade: A (95%)
Linebackers: The unit saw plenty of action against the run and in the form of passes out of the backfield and to the tight end. Stewart Bradley led the team with ten total tackles while Akeem Jordan had seven tackles and a tackle for a loss (three yards on Portis). Chris Gocong though was the busiest of the three all-around as he had six tackles, two pass defenses, and a tackle for a loss (two yards on Portis).
Unit Grade: A (93%)
Secondary: On 18 completed passes, Campbell only had 144 yards (127 after sacks) and no one receiver had a dominating effect in the game (Betts and Santana Moss had five receptions and 43 yards for Betts) but regardless the secondary still had two miscues. For one was Quintin Mikell who while he led the unit with six tackles and one QB hurry on a mad blitz, had a “pass defense” which should have been an “interception” in the end zone, leading to Washington’s 3-0 lead. Another was in the 4th quarter at 11:29 on a pass intended for Devin Thomas when Asante Samuel, who had four tackles for the game, dropped a sure handed interception, simply making THAT a pass defense. Brian Dawkins, attending his seventh pro bowl in February, had five tackles and a pass defense, while both Sheldon Brown and Joselio Hanson had three tackles each, and Quintin Demps had one on defense.
Unit Grade: B+ (89%)
Special Teams: Sub par overall, to be nice. David Akers made his one and only field kick, but Sav Rocca only averaged 39.8 a kick, and some sloppy punt coverage saw his net fall to 34.3 a kick on eight of them. Jackson had one punt return for seven yards and Demps had one kick return for 18 yards, while our coverage teams held Rock Cartwright to one kick return for 20 yards but Antwan Randle-El had 13.3 yards a punt return and a long of 36 yards. The X-factor was Ryan Plackemeier, who averaged 40 a punt and 34.1 net but put FIVE inside the 20-yard line.
Akers Grade: A (93%)
Rocca Grade: C+ (78%)
Coverage and Blocking Grade: D+ (68%)
Coaching: There is really nothing I can say about the defense, except for them two dropped interceptions. Special teams was not very good, especially covering punts and coverage for our own when we did get a shot. And, well, why am I not surprised that the old ways came back to life in this one? And by that I mean the totally titular play-calling again. All toll, we had 48 pass attempts including the two sacks, and 16 carries (again, if you count that McNabb scrambling was pass attempts, then 50-14). And I understand that passing might have been the best thing to do with Westbrook hobbled, but come on, we have TWO OTHER RUNNERS, and all the passes that were either missed, dropped, or nearly intercepted and we keep going at it. That is a poor job by the play caller, and I would be willing to bet 50 dollars that this imbalance means Andy is back on the signals again.
Unit Grade - Defense: A (95%)
Unit Grade - Special Teams: C (75%)
Unit Grade - Offense: D (65%)
Ripper’s Three Game Balls:
3. Chris Gocong: Very good game against run and pass.
2. Darren Howard: Should have had two sacks thanks to Clemons.
1. Trent Cole: Monster game again from a guy snubbed of the pro bowl.
Honorable Mention: Ryan Plackemeier (first Non-Eagle) and Victor Abiamiri
Stats and Numbers of Interest:
-Only two times did the Eagles manage to post net yard drives of 20 or more yards, 76 on a drive for the field goal, and 90 yards on the final drive which ended the game at the 1-yard line.
-Despite holding the ball for 33:14, nearly 1/3 of Washington’s time came in the 2nd quarter, when they held it for 11:12, managing only the field goal.
-Despite only scoring three points, the Eagles actually had more offense (275 to 249) but their 3rd down percentage collapsed again: where as over the last three wins they were 33 of 50 (60%) they were 3-of-14 in the game for 21%.
Well, even though every possible scenario exists for the Eagles to still make the playoffs, it becomes less likely if the offense that showed up in Landover comes home and shows up for the Cowboys. All this and NOW we have to hope that Oakland can beat Tampa Bay?
I think I will be going back to that “off-season thread” within the week with a full-on off-season landscape.
And then, well, the offense turned Pre-Cardinals game again.
In a game that would have pushed the Eagles alone into the 6th spot in the NFC, the offense came out flat and stayed that way, save for one long pass on a field goal drive and the final drive of the game which came a yard short of the end zone with the clock running down from four seconds. The end result was a 10-3 Redskins victory and a season sweep of the Eagles by Washington. And realistically speaking, the Eagles can STILL make it in the playoffs, but the following things need to happen in week 17:
A) Eagles need to avenge a week two loss to the Cowboys with a victory at Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday.
B) In a revelation befitting to the “one team has nothing to play for and the other does” quota, the Oakland Raiders need to beat the Buccaneers in Tampa Bay, which would take them from well endowed in the playoffs at 9-3, to 9-7 on the season.
C) Then, the Eagles record of 9-6-1 would trump the matching 9-7 records possessed by Dallas and Tampa Bay.
But, somehow, I can’t see Oakland winning on the road, and I don’t think that Sundays in January will have any events for the team, unless it’s watching the game at home from the couch.
Quarterbacks: There were not a lot of things out of the realm of reality that could have went wrong in this game for Donovan McNabb, except for throwing an interception (which could have been the case at least three times). If he wasn’t throwing the ball behind receivers, he was throwing them to ones who were covered and getting killed, or receivers would drop passes. For the game, McNabb was 26 of 46 (56.2%) for 230 yards, no touchdowns, no interceptions, and a 70 QB rating. In addition, McNabb kept the ball and rolled out twice for eight yards and, on a sack, fumbled the ball for the game’s only turnover. I understand that the receiver drops were not his fault, but a lot of passes were being forced that either were incomplete or he was pitching them to targets who weren’t even remotely open by an inch.
McNabb Grade: C- (70%)
Running and Fullbacks: Remember when Andy Reid said that if we didn’t run for at least three yards a carry that he would abandon the run? Well, I’d hate to tell him this, but we averaged 3.9 rushing as a team and yet the ball was only taken 16 times and, of course, only 14 count because McNabb kept it twice on a rollout. Brian Westbrook was hobbled a little bit later on but took the ball 12 times for 45 yards and also caught six passes for 71 yards, including a 47-yard reception which led to our one and only field goal. DeSean Jackson had one rush for seven yards and had another which was negated by a holding call on Reggie Brown, and more disappointing was the one carry Correll Buckhalter got for two yards, while he had two receptions for 18 yards. And if it hadn’t been for one reception by Dan Klecko for two yards, I would have never known he was out there, same with Kyle Eckel.
Unit Grade: B (83%)
Wide Receivers: The loss of Kevin Curtis and Hank Baskett to injuries for this game is NO EXCUSE for a PATHETIC eight drops, six of them coming from this unit. Brown, who saw his first action in three weeks due to the injuries to the two mentioned out front, had four receptions for 47 yards, including the one at the goal line which ended the game, and contributed one drop. Both Jason Avant and Jackson had two receptions each, and while Avant had one drop on the game, NO ONE beat Jackson, who was credited with FOUR drops, including one where he beat DeAngelo Hall on the sideline and on the final drive in the end zone. And despite the injuries and receiver shortage, Greg Lewis had only one catch.
Unit Grade: D- (60%)
Tight Ends: Yes, LJ Smith DID lead the team with seven receptions, but he only averaged seven yards a catch, he dropped two passes, and completely missed on his blocking assignment on 3rd and goal at the 3, which forced us to go for the field goal. Brent Celek had one catch for eight yards and in my mind he could have been tagged with a drop but he didn’t get it.
Unit Grade: D- (60%)
Offensive line: The battle between Jon Runyan and Jason Taylor was often a struggle for Runyan, as Taylor had both of their sacks and the forced fumble along with a QB hurry. Tra Thomas held Andre Carter in check for the most part, although he still had two QB hurries. The line was not called for a penalty, but rarely was there a push up the middle for any runner who was lucky enough to get the ball. Still, aside from Taylor, the line did pretty well.
Unit Grade: B (85%)
Defensive line: Havoc was created by the defensive line, mostly by the defensive ends, and Jason Campbell could not step back without fear of getting smashed. Again arguably the best defensive player on the field, Trent Cole posted eight tackles to lead the line, along with a sack, a QB hurry, and a tackle for a loss. Mike Patterson had seven tackles on the game, all against the run and was a vital clog in the middle against Clinton Portis and Laddell Betts. Broderick Bunkley had four tackles along with a pass defense while rookie Trevor Laws had two tackles in the rotation behind Broderick and Mike. Victor Abiamiri had two tackles in the end rotation and also posted a sack, a tackle for a loss, and a forced fumble (which makes no sense because I remember Troy Aikman saying Campbell “Dropped the ball,” and he is NEVER wrong). Darren Howard had one tackle, two QB hurries, a pass defense, and a sack and would have had two if Chris Clemons, who had one tackle himself, wasn’t called for being “off sides.” Juqua Parker chipped in a pass defense as well, and Washington ran for 122 yards on 32 carries, although their 3.8 run per carry is awfully deferred by 14 yards a scramble for Campbell.
Unit Grade: A (95%)
Linebackers: The unit saw plenty of action against the run and in the form of passes out of the backfield and to the tight end. Stewart Bradley led the team with ten total tackles while Akeem Jordan had seven tackles and a tackle for a loss (three yards on Portis). Chris Gocong though was the busiest of the three all-around as he had six tackles, two pass defenses, and a tackle for a loss (two yards on Portis).
Unit Grade: A (93%)
Secondary: On 18 completed passes, Campbell only had 144 yards (127 after sacks) and no one receiver had a dominating effect in the game (Betts and Santana Moss had five receptions and 43 yards for Betts) but regardless the secondary still had two miscues. For one was Quintin Mikell who while he led the unit with six tackles and one QB hurry on a mad blitz, had a “pass defense” which should have been an “interception” in the end zone, leading to Washington’s 3-0 lead. Another was in the 4th quarter at 11:29 on a pass intended for Devin Thomas when Asante Samuel, who had four tackles for the game, dropped a sure handed interception, simply making THAT a pass defense. Brian Dawkins, attending his seventh pro bowl in February, had five tackles and a pass defense, while both Sheldon Brown and Joselio Hanson had three tackles each, and Quintin Demps had one on defense.
Unit Grade: B+ (89%)
Special Teams: Sub par overall, to be nice. David Akers made his one and only field kick, but Sav Rocca only averaged 39.8 a kick, and some sloppy punt coverage saw his net fall to 34.3 a kick on eight of them. Jackson had one punt return for seven yards and Demps had one kick return for 18 yards, while our coverage teams held Rock Cartwright to one kick return for 20 yards but Antwan Randle-El had 13.3 yards a punt return and a long of 36 yards. The X-factor was Ryan Plackemeier, who averaged 40 a punt and 34.1 net but put FIVE inside the 20-yard line.
Akers Grade: A (93%)
Rocca Grade: C+ (78%)
Coverage and Blocking Grade: D+ (68%)
Coaching: There is really nothing I can say about the defense, except for them two dropped interceptions. Special teams was not very good, especially covering punts and coverage for our own when we did get a shot. And, well, why am I not surprised that the old ways came back to life in this one? And by that I mean the totally titular play-calling again. All toll, we had 48 pass attempts including the two sacks, and 16 carries (again, if you count that McNabb scrambling was pass attempts, then 50-14). And I understand that passing might have been the best thing to do with Westbrook hobbled, but come on, we have TWO OTHER RUNNERS, and all the passes that were either missed, dropped, or nearly intercepted and we keep going at it. That is a poor job by the play caller, and I would be willing to bet 50 dollars that this imbalance means Andy is back on the signals again.
Unit Grade - Defense: A (95%)
Unit Grade - Special Teams: C (75%)
Unit Grade - Offense: D (65%)
Ripper’s Three Game Balls:
3. Chris Gocong: Very good game against run and pass.
2. Darren Howard: Should have had two sacks thanks to Clemons.
1. Trent Cole: Monster game again from a guy snubbed of the pro bowl.
Honorable Mention: Ryan Plackemeier (first Non-Eagle) and Victor Abiamiri
Stats and Numbers of Interest:
-Only two times did the Eagles manage to post net yard drives of 20 or more yards, 76 on a drive for the field goal, and 90 yards on the final drive which ended the game at the 1-yard line.
-Despite holding the ball for 33:14, nearly 1/3 of Washington’s time came in the 2nd quarter, when they held it for 11:12, managing only the field goal.
-Despite only scoring three points, the Eagles actually had more offense (275 to 249) but their 3rd down percentage collapsed again: where as over the last three wins they were 33 of 50 (60%) they were 3-of-14 in the game for 21%.
Well, even though every possible scenario exists for the Eagles to still make the playoffs, it becomes less likely if the offense that showed up in Landover comes home and shows up for the Cowboys. All this and NOW we have to hope that Oakland can beat Tampa Bay?
I think I will be going back to that “off-season thread” within the week with a full-on off-season landscape.
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Eagles Vs Browns Review
On primetime games, the Philadelphia Eagles have not faired too well, going back to the end of the 2006 season. They lost every game they played in the spotlight in 2007, and had lost every game leading up to Thanksgiving this year when they played the Arizona Cardinals. So, against a team that had a 2-0 record on Monday Night, having defeated the New York Giants and the Buffalo Bills on ESPN, you would think there would be some level of concern. And you also must factor in that the opposing team, the Cleveland Browns, were 4-9 and had nothing to fight for anymore, having been eliminated from playoff contention for at least two weeks.
Oh wait I’m sorry, we were playing the BROWNS…silly me!
Clearly a franchise in turmoil from the ground up, the Browns played like it as the Eagles kept the picture on the playoffs sharpened with a 30-10 victory in the Monday Night Main Event. And you must consider two more things before looking at that final score and thinking that is impressive as is:
A) The Eagles squandered two very good red zone opportunities to score touchdowns and if they had hit, the score would have been 44-10.
B) The Browns only touchdown of the game came with nine minutes left in the game, due to Kevin Kolb being picked off by Brandon McDonald. Combining the scenarios from A and B, the score SHOULD have been 44-3.
As is, the victory makes the Eagles 8-5-1 but does nothing for their playoff positioning, because Atlanta and Dallas both won on Sunday, and with the Falcons beating the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, that now makes three teams who possess 9-5 records, a half game ahead of the Eagles. The only redeeming quality about the weekend were losses by the New Orleans Saints and the Washington Redskins eliminated the former team, and the latter might as well be eliminated.
Quarterbacks: As I had figured, we would see more of Donovan McNabb throwing the ball, and while his attempts went up from seven the week before, it was the deadly accuracy and that laser pass he displayed that wrecked the already crappy Browns secondary. In conditions overcast and then turning to rain, McNabb hit 26 of 35 passes (74.3%) for 290 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception. And in his defense, while the pass was a little under where Hank Baskett should have been, an argument for McDonald getting the interception could have been Baskett gave up on it. But it was his only bad pass, which is FAR more then we can say about anyone else who “tried” to throw the ball. Kolb, who appeared for the last ten minutes of the game when we WERE up 30-3, gift wrapped the Browns only touchdown to snap their long 240+ minute touchdown-less drought, and was 0-for-2 with the interception. And in a well placed call but poorly executed throw, DeSean Jackson tried to throw the ball from the Wildcat, but was picked off by Sean Jones.
Donovan Grade: A (93%)
Any other “Thrower’s Grade: F (50%)
Running Backs & Fullbacks: In the Giants win, Brian Westbrook had 31 carries by himself. And in this game, we ran the ball 31 times again, but this time you would be hard pressed to find out that it wasn’t ALL Westbrook this time around. Correll Buckhalter, who missed the last two games due to a knee injury suffered in Baltimore, led the team with 55 yards on six carries, including a 27-yard run which set up the last touchdown we scored off of Ken Dorsey’s second interception. Westbrook had 16 carries for 53 yards and also three receptions for 14 yards, and Kyle Eckel, seeing all of his work running when Kolb joined the game, had nine carries for 28 yards, averaging barely three yards a carry. Dan Klecko had one catch for six yards, and a few impressive truck blocks.
Unit Grade: B+ (88%)
Wide Receivers: Every game there is someone new who creates an ethic mismatch for the defense (after all, pass distribution, which has been our offensive trademark, will do that for you) and this game it was the Jason Avant show. Avant co-led the team with five receptions and posted 101 yards, including a David Blaine approved magic trick where he was locked up with Cornerback Eric Wright and still made the catch. Jackson had five receptions as well for 77 yards, and Kevin Curtis had four receptions for 45 yards, also beating Wright, only this time cleanly in 1-on-1 coverage in the end zone. Hank Baskett had three receptions for 15 yards but 14 on one catch, while we had a Greg Lewis sighting, none the less in the end zone as he caught one there from 10-yards out.
Unit Grade: A- (90%)
Tight Ends: If it hadn’t been for run blocking, I would have forgotten LJ Smith and Brent Celek were even there. Both of them had two receptions, Celek had the first one of the game for a yard, and Smith caught one for 11 yards.
Unit Grade: B (85%)
Offensive Line: It is understandable that interior lines are going to struggle against Shaun “Big Baby” Rogers, but the fact that Rogers only had three tackles and a pass defense should bring some recognition to the interior three, more so Jamaal Jackson and Nick Cole. The Browns did get two sacks from linebackers Willie McGinest and Kameron Wimbley, but that is as much McNabb’s fault for dancing as it is the ethic mismatch the 3-4 defense presents. And the Eagles’ only penalty of the game was on Tra Thomas for getting a head start on the play. By the way, did you notice that not only did Mike McGlynn get in for I believe was Tra, but they were actually playing Winston Justice at right tackle for Jon Runyan?
Unit Grade: A- (90%)
Oh wait I’m sorry, we were playing the BROWNS…silly me!
Clearly a franchise in turmoil from the ground up, the Browns played like it as the Eagles kept the picture on the playoffs sharpened with a 30-10 victory in the Monday Night Main Event. And you must consider two more things before looking at that final score and thinking that is impressive as is:
A) The Eagles squandered two very good red zone opportunities to score touchdowns and if they had hit, the score would have been 44-10.
B) The Browns only touchdown of the game came with nine minutes left in the game, due to Kevin Kolb being picked off by Brandon McDonald. Combining the scenarios from A and B, the score SHOULD have been 44-3.
As is, the victory makes the Eagles 8-5-1 but does nothing for their playoff positioning, because Atlanta and Dallas both won on Sunday, and with the Falcons beating the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, that now makes three teams who possess 9-5 records, a half game ahead of the Eagles. The only redeeming quality about the weekend were losses by the New Orleans Saints and the Washington Redskins eliminated the former team, and the latter might as well be eliminated.
Quarterbacks: As I had figured, we would see more of Donovan McNabb throwing the ball, and while his attempts went up from seven the week before, it was the deadly accuracy and that laser pass he displayed that wrecked the already crappy Browns secondary. In conditions overcast and then turning to rain, McNabb hit 26 of 35 passes (74.3%) for 290 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception. And in his defense, while the pass was a little under where Hank Baskett should have been, an argument for McDonald getting the interception could have been Baskett gave up on it. But it was his only bad pass, which is FAR more then we can say about anyone else who “tried” to throw the ball. Kolb, who appeared for the last ten minutes of the game when we WERE up 30-3, gift wrapped the Browns only touchdown to snap their long 240+ minute touchdown-less drought, and was 0-for-2 with the interception. And in a well placed call but poorly executed throw, DeSean Jackson tried to throw the ball from the Wildcat, but was picked off by Sean Jones.
Donovan Grade: A (93%)
Any other “Thrower’s Grade: F (50%)
Running Backs & Fullbacks: In the Giants win, Brian Westbrook had 31 carries by himself. And in this game, we ran the ball 31 times again, but this time you would be hard pressed to find out that it wasn’t ALL Westbrook this time around. Correll Buckhalter, who missed the last two games due to a knee injury suffered in Baltimore, led the team with 55 yards on six carries, including a 27-yard run which set up the last touchdown we scored off of Ken Dorsey’s second interception. Westbrook had 16 carries for 53 yards and also three receptions for 14 yards, and Kyle Eckel, seeing all of his work running when Kolb joined the game, had nine carries for 28 yards, averaging barely three yards a carry. Dan Klecko had one catch for six yards, and a few impressive truck blocks.
Unit Grade: B+ (88%)
Wide Receivers: Every game there is someone new who creates an ethic mismatch for the defense (after all, pass distribution, which has been our offensive trademark, will do that for you) and this game it was the Jason Avant show. Avant co-led the team with five receptions and posted 101 yards, including a David Blaine approved magic trick where he was locked up with Cornerback Eric Wright and still made the catch. Jackson had five receptions as well for 77 yards, and Kevin Curtis had four receptions for 45 yards, also beating Wright, only this time cleanly in 1-on-1 coverage in the end zone. Hank Baskett had three receptions for 15 yards but 14 on one catch, while we had a Greg Lewis sighting, none the less in the end zone as he caught one there from 10-yards out.
Unit Grade: A- (90%)
Tight Ends: If it hadn’t been for run blocking, I would have forgotten LJ Smith and Brent Celek were even there. Both of them had two receptions, Celek had the first one of the game for a yard, and Smith caught one for 11 yards.
Unit Grade: B (85%)
Offensive Line: It is understandable that interior lines are going to struggle against Shaun “Big Baby” Rogers, but the fact that Rogers only had three tackles and a pass defense should bring some recognition to the interior three, more so Jamaal Jackson and Nick Cole. The Browns did get two sacks from linebackers Willie McGinest and Kameron Wimbley, but that is as much McNabb’s fault for dancing as it is the ethic mismatch the 3-4 defense presents. And the Eagles’ only penalty of the game was on Tra Thomas for getting a head start on the play. By the way, did you notice that not only did Mike McGlynn get in for I believe was Tra, but they were actually playing Winston Justice at right tackle for Jon Runyan?
Unit Grade: A- (90%)
Defensive Line: Despite only punching out one sack up front, it appeared as if Trent Cole was paying way more visits to Dorsey then he would have liked. Cole led the front line with four tackles, three QB hurries, and the lone sack while Juqua Parker and Broderick Bunkley had two tackles each, the former with one hurry as well. Trevor Laws and Victor Abiamiri each had one tackle each, while Darren Howard and Chris Clemons, without a tackle, were still around the ball. Oh, and here is one for you: the “Great” Jamal Lewis had 32 yards rushing and the team had 57 total.
Unit Grade: B (85%)
Linebackers: While the Browns employ four linebackers (Wimbley, McGinest, Andra Davis, and D’Qwell Jackson) not one of them was as good as Stewart Bradley was. Bradley led the team with six tackles, three of them for a loss including a hit on Lewis where he went right through Ex-Eagle center Hank Fraley and one where he blew up Josh Cribbs on a running play, and an interception with Dorsey treating him like a Browns tight end. Akeem Jordan had five tackles while Chris Gocong had three tackles but is more revered for his penalty which was not when he shoved Jason Wright down as he was leaving the backfield.
Unit Grade: A- (90%)
Secondary: Braylon Edwards was an ethic mismatch for whoever he was up against, and Darnell Dinkins dropped a pass as he was wide open, which could have made the game 7-7 early on. But other then that, pass coverage was pretty much air tight, leaving Dorsey to only 156 yards passing and 139 after two sacks. Sheldon Brown led the secondary with five tackles while Brian Dawkins had four, including taking a page from Stewart’s book and blowing up Cribbs on a wildcat run. Quintin Demps, Quintin Mikell, and Asante Samuel had one tackle each, Demps had a sack late in the game when subbed in, Samuel had an interception for a touchdown, his first as an Eagle, and both Brown and Joselio Hanson dropped sure interceptions. But the big question is, what happened to Lito Sheppard? Did someone forget to tell him there was a game or what?
Unit Rating: A (93%)
Special Teams: Well, seeing no blocked field goals was a good thing, as David Akers hit all three field goals and all three extra points for 12 total, while Sav Rocca was only needed to punt twice, both times in the 4th quarter, putting one inside the 20. Demps had three kick returns and averaged 29 yards a return, including a 39-yard return on the second drive, while fancy man Jackson averaged one yard on three punt returns. Coverage, meanwhile, held the dangerous Cribbs to 21 yards a kick return, and kept him with no punt returns as well.
Coverage grade: A+ (98%)
Akers and returns grade: A- (90%)
Rocca Grade: B- (80%)
Coaching: Plenty of blitzes were brought, and while they only got to Ken twice, it was pretty obvious he was rattled by it. Special teams was very good all around, except for a shank punt by Rocca on the second kick in the final quarter. On offense, we attempted 40 passes (although 37 of them were from McNabb, three from other “good” sources) and we ran the ball 31 times. But I can see why the pass was called a little bit more, because a lot of them were beating the Browns every which way but straight. I am just surprised that Buckhalter actually got six carries in his first game back in three weeks.
Coaching Grade: A (93%)
Ripper’s Three Game Balls:
3. Stewart Bradley: Led defense in tackles and was wide open on his interception.
2. Asante Samuel: First touchdown as an Eagle came after Jackson was picked off in the end zone to negate his mistake.
1. Donovan McNabb: Aerodynamic and laser like passes too much for the Browns: made only one mistake before the half with pick.
Honorable Mentions: Jason Avant and Trent Cole
Numbers and Stats of Interest:
-Two of our most beloved veterans reached game milestones by starting on Monday Night: Dawkins bypassed Harold Carmichael on the all-time list for most games played as an Eagle with 181 games. Also, Runyan played in his 200th career game between Philadelphia and Tennessee, and started his 190th straight game.
-For the third straight game, the Eagles completed over 60% of their third down conversions, hitting 11-of-17 for 64%. Also, the Eagles held the ball for over 35 minutes for the third straight game, posting up 37:08 in T.O.P.
-But, once again, the red zone offense was horrible. The team was 2-of-7 (28%) in the red zone, settling for three field goals and were picked off twice. Worse yet was the goal-to-goal situations, going 1-of-4 for 25%.
The Eagles took care of business by beating down a team that had nothing left to lose, being 4-9 previously. But the next two games are pivotal for the Eagles, and getting a helping hand in only one mere loss by either Atlanta or Tampa Bay will leave the sixth spot wide open with their names on it. If the Eagles can play the game that has won them three straight contests, then getting revenge for early seasons losses to the Redskins and Cowboys will be eminent.
Unit Grade: B (85%)
Linebackers: While the Browns employ four linebackers (Wimbley, McGinest, Andra Davis, and D’Qwell Jackson) not one of them was as good as Stewart Bradley was. Bradley led the team with six tackles, three of them for a loss including a hit on Lewis where he went right through Ex-Eagle center Hank Fraley and one where he blew up Josh Cribbs on a running play, and an interception with Dorsey treating him like a Browns tight end. Akeem Jordan had five tackles while Chris Gocong had three tackles but is more revered for his penalty which was not when he shoved Jason Wright down as he was leaving the backfield.
Unit Grade: A- (90%)
Secondary: Braylon Edwards was an ethic mismatch for whoever he was up against, and Darnell Dinkins dropped a pass as he was wide open, which could have made the game 7-7 early on. But other then that, pass coverage was pretty much air tight, leaving Dorsey to only 156 yards passing and 139 after two sacks. Sheldon Brown led the secondary with five tackles while Brian Dawkins had four, including taking a page from Stewart’s book and blowing up Cribbs on a wildcat run. Quintin Demps, Quintin Mikell, and Asante Samuel had one tackle each, Demps had a sack late in the game when subbed in, Samuel had an interception for a touchdown, his first as an Eagle, and both Brown and Joselio Hanson dropped sure interceptions. But the big question is, what happened to Lito Sheppard? Did someone forget to tell him there was a game or what?
Unit Rating: A (93%)
Special Teams: Well, seeing no blocked field goals was a good thing, as David Akers hit all three field goals and all three extra points for 12 total, while Sav Rocca was only needed to punt twice, both times in the 4th quarter, putting one inside the 20. Demps had three kick returns and averaged 29 yards a return, including a 39-yard return on the second drive, while fancy man Jackson averaged one yard on three punt returns. Coverage, meanwhile, held the dangerous Cribbs to 21 yards a kick return, and kept him with no punt returns as well.
Coverage grade: A+ (98%)
Akers and returns grade: A- (90%)
Rocca Grade: B- (80%)
Coaching: Plenty of blitzes were brought, and while they only got to Ken twice, it was pretty obvious he was rattled by it. Special teams was very good all around, except for a shank punt by Rocca on the second kick in the final quarter. On offense, we attempted 40 passes (although 37 of them were from McNabb, three from other “good” sources) and we ran the ball 31 times. But I can see why the pass was called a little bit more, because a lot of them were beating the Browns every which way but straight. I am just surprised that Buckhalter actually got six carries in his first game back in three weeks.
Coaching Grade: A (93%)
Ripper’s Three Game Balls:
3. Stewart Bradley: Led defense in tackles and was wide open on his interception.
2. Asante Samuel: First touchdown as an Eagle came after Jackson was picked off in the end zone to negate his mistake.
1. Donovan McNabb: Aerodynamic and laser like passes too much for the Browns: made only one mistake before the half with pick.
Honorable Mentions: Jason Avant and Trent Cole
Numbers and Stats of Interest:
-Two of our most beloved veterans reached game milestones by starting on Monday Night: Dawkins bypassed Harold Carmichael on the all-time list for most games played as an Eagle with 181 games. Also, Runyan played in his 200th career game between Philadelphia and Tennessee, and started his 190th straight game.
-For the third straight game, the Eagles completed over 60% of their third down conversions, hitting 11-of-17 for 64%. Also, the Eagles held the ball for over 35 minutes for the third straight game, posting up 37:08 in T.O.P.
-But, once again, the red zone offense was horrible. The team was 2-of-7 (28%) in the red zone, settling for three field goals and were picked off twice. Worse yet was the goal-to-goal situations, going 1-of-4 for 25%.
The Eagles took care of business by beating down a team that had nothing left to lose, being 4-9 previously. But the next two games are pivotal for the Eagles, and getting a helping hand in only one mere loss by either Atlanta or Tampa Bay will leave the sixth spot wide open with their names on it. If the Eagles can play the game that has won them three straight contests, then getting revenge for early seasons losses to the Redskins and Cowboys will be eminent.
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Eagles Vs Cardinals Review
Thanksgiving is a holiday that, with the vast commercial and marketing appeal of Christmas, is usually overlooked once Halloween is over. Dating back to what is now the Massachusetts, Maine, and Vermont bordering states and with the Pilgrims and the Indians sharing feasts together, it has become a tradition of giving thanks and being with your loved ones. It is also a day of football: traditionally, both the Detroit Lions and Dallas Cowboys always host games on this day. But starting a year ago, an idea was given to the NFL to host another game on the NFL Network at 8:00 PM. This year, the Philadelphia Eagles hosted the Arizona Cardinals on this day. And as a person, I am always grateful and thinking of those less fortunate during this time.
But as an Eagles fan, I am thankful for this BIG win.
The Eagles offense returned in powerful fashion, putting on a clinic against the 10th ranked Cardinals defense with a season high 48 points en route to a 48-20 victory over the visiting red birds. The Eagles got stoic efforts from both Brian Westbrook and Donovan McNabb, a man many fans had started to turn on after the past two games, and the play calling was finally balanced enough to levy power to both the left and the right sides. The defense also broke down potential MVP Kurt Warner with three interceptions, and they did it without pro bowl cornerback Asante Samuel, who was suffering from a neck injury. Joselio Hanson and Lito Sheppard did not miss many beats at all in his absence, and the pressure was non-stop, despite the defense not being able to sack Warner.
Quarterbacks: Knowing that he was under pressure to perform after being benched for the first time in his career, be it high school, college, or pros, McNabb delivered with a timely and well managed offensive attack. And the best part of it was that the offense DID NOT rely solely on him and his arm, unlike the past three weeks. McNabb completed 27 of 39 passes (69.2%) for 260 yards and four touchdowns. McNabb also put his good footwork to use and ran the ball four times for 24 yards, and while the process might not evoke anything from 2002 (the year in which he broke his ankle, came back, and still beat the same team) there is no denying that his mobility has gotten much better this season as it has went along. Kevin Kolb even got into the game later on, to hand the ball off and take two kneel downs under the two minute warning to finish the clock off.
Unit Grade: A (95%)
Running Backs & Fullbacks: Multiple jokes were made up in the booth between radio announcers Merrill Reese and Mike Quick as to what the Eagles did with Westbrook between Sunday and Thursday, if they sent to a spa every day or sent him to a resort (no mention of Tony Romo though). Whatever it was that they did, it worked masterfully, as Westbrook hacked and slashed his way through the line and defenders unlike any one game this year outside the Falcons game, as he picked up 110 yards rushing on 22 carries for a neat five yards an average and two touchdowns. On top of that, Westbrook also caught three passes for 20 yards and two more touchdowns, so overall he had 25 touches for 130 yards and four touchdowns. For the first time since the bye week when we signed him, Kyle Eckel made his Eagles debut and became Correll Buckhalter if you will, as he ran the ball six times for 27 yards, most of which all came in the 4th quarter. What’s strange about the use of Eckel is that he was subbed in at running back despite being a fullback by trade, but another former Patriot was already there in Dan Klecko. Lorenzo Booker, also active for the first time in weeks, ran four times for 21 yards, while DeSean Jackson had one wildcat run for six yards.
Unit Grade: A (95%)
Wide Receivers: Jackson was looked at as a prolific return man, but a very good quality often missed in him is his route running and pass catching skills. This is further evidenced with him being the most consistent receiver on the team week in and week out, logging six receptions for 76 yards and a touchdown. Both Kevin Curtis and the big man Hank Baskett grabbed five receptions, Curtis going for 59 yards and Baskett for 42 yards, while Jason Avant caught four passes for 25 yards and a touchdown as well. Noticeable in production absence was Reggie Brown, who had no catches but was out there for some plays, and noticeable in complete absence was Greg Lewis. Perhaps a lot of this has to do with recent dumb penalties he has committed on special teams over the past three weeks.
Unit Grade: A (95%)
Tight Ends: It’s usually a good day when four receivers get at least four grabs each, that means we are spreading the ball around. But when LJ Smith gets involved, including spinning off the longest offensive play of the game for the Eagles, you KNOW a lot of good things are going on. Smith caught three passes for 32 yards, including one for 25-yards, and Brent Celek had one reception for six yards. Deactivated again was Matt Schobel, a person that I am sure is not on the cheap.
Unit Grade: B+ (88%)
Offensive Line: The line has not looked this good overall since the first game of the year, opening up holes and pass blocking, and it also comes at the expense of a backup center having to be the third right guard on the season. Prior to the half, Max Jean-Gilles was injured and what preliminarily was being called a broken ankle, turned out to be a fractured ankle and torn ligaments in his knee. Not only will this injury sideline MJG for the remainder of the season, but it is an injury he is expected to take up to NINE months to rehab from. For the second half, Nick Cole took over at right guard, and he didn’t miss a beat, knowing the system and played left guard and center for the team. Only one time did the Cardinals get to a running back for a loss, and only one time did they sack McNabb. Only two penalties were levied to the line, a holding call on Jamaal Jackson and false start on Tra Thomas. But 186 yards rushing with a backup center at right guard looks really good to me.
Unit Grade: A+ (98%)
Defensive Line: As stated out front, no one got a sack on Warner, but the line helped to put a lot of pressure on him and force some errant throws in the form of drops and interceptions. Trent Cole, Darren Howard, Juqua Parker, and Mike Patterson all had one tackle each while Howard had a forced fumble the Cardinals recovered, with Cole providing two QB hurries and Howard and Parker one each. The lack of tackles is a direct result of Arizona’s inability to run the ball, or even have a remote interest in such an activity, with a total of ten carries for 25 yards.
Unit Grade: B (85%)
Linebackers: Whether he knows it or not, Stewart Bradley indirectly set the tone for the game. While he only had two tackles, he had the big pass defense that ended up in the hands of Joselio Hanson on the first Cardinals drive of the game. Akeem Jordan had three tackles and a recovered fumble forced from Anquan Boldin from Brian Dawkins, and Chris Gocong had one tackle. And aside from two freak receptions by Leonard Pope and Tim Hightower, coverage was pretty solid.
Unit Grade: B+ (88%)
Secondary: Considering that Warner is a well known gunslinger, being down Samuel was not an ideal situation for the Eagles to be in. But despite that, the unit held the most proficient passer in the NFL to 235 yards, and while he had three touchdowns, he was picked off three times. Quintin Mikell had six tackles to lead the team with an interception while Brian Dawkins had five tackles, a forced fumble to Jordan, and a beautiful center field interception on 4th and one for Arizona. Hanson, the man of the hour on the time clock, had four tackles and the first interception of the game, while Sheldon brown had three tackles, as did Lito Sheppard. Quintin Demps, who also saw extended time on defense, had one tackle there and a couple of spots where he was matched up against both Boldin and Steve Breaston with measurable success against the two.
Unit Grade: A- (90%)
Special Teams: Except for Jackson’s miscalculated error on a punt return, the entire special teams unit was impressive. David Akers kept busy with two field goals kicked and six extra points made for 12 points while Sav Rocca got back to strong punting form, only needed three times averaging 45.7 a kick and 42.7 net with two of them inside the 20. Demps, the only saving grace a week ago from a shutout, had 24 yards an average on four kick returns and Jackson averaged three yards a punt return, mainly due to former Eagle punter Dirk Johnson not being able to tell the side of his foot from his shoe front. Coverage teams were sharp too, holding dynamic return men JJ Arrington to 21 yards a kick return on EIGHT returns, and Breaston to four yards on two punt returns.
Unit Grade - All Facets: A+ (98%)
Coaching: I don’t know how long it has been since I can say this, but I have NO complaints with ANY coach on the team! I thought the defensive improvements in the wake of Samuel’s injury were stellar, and special teams played very well. And on top of that, the balanced play calling from the very first drive was not something I expected. Now Andy, Marty…is it TOO much to ask to consistently do this?
Unit Grade - All Facets: A (95%)
Ripper’s Three Game Balls:
3. Brian Dawkins: Weapon X played brilliantly again with his two turnovers and huge hammering hits on Cardinal receivers.
2. Donovan McNabb: Brilliant all around game from the man many fans were quick to crucify for the team’s failures.
1. Brian Westbrook: I’ve said it before and will say it again, when you get the man the ball, at 75% he is better then many backs are at 100%.
Honorable Mention: Joselio Hanson and Quintin Mikell
Numbers and Stats of Interest:
-With his interception in the 4th quarter, Dawkins tied the franchise record for most interceptions in a career with the Eagles. Along with Bill Bradley and Eric Allen, Dawkins now had 34 interceptions all time.
-The Eagles came into the game with an all-time record of 4-0 on Thanksgiving: the win tonight gives them a 5-0 mark all time now.
-Brian Westbrook, with four touchdowns on the game, was one away from breaking the record for most touchdowns in a game by an Eagle.
-David Akers eclipsed the 1,000 career point mark with his second field goal in the fourth quarter of the win. He now has 1,004 career points.
-The Eagles made better then usual in the red zone, entering seven times and walking away with six touchdowns. In addition, from the goal-to-go situations, they were a perfect five of five. Also, third downs were better executed, as the team went 10/14, good for 71%.
-The failure to pick up a sack in the game marks only the second time all year that the Eagles were held without a sack in a game.
Time will tell just how far this win will go to helping our own personal playoff picture. Now with ten days off until the next game at the Meadowlands, some players on the mend can take time to heal up and return for our second match of the year with the Giants on December 7th.
But as an Eagles fan, I am thankful for this BIG win.
The Eagles offense returned in powerful fashion, putting on a clinic against the 10th ranked Cardinals defense with a season high 48 points en route to a 48-20 victory over the visiting red birds. The Eagles got stoic efforts from both Brian Westbrook and Donovan McNabb, a man many fans had started to turn on after the past two games, and the play calling was finally balanced enough to levy power to both the left and the right sides. The defense also broke down potential MVP Kurt Warner with three interceptions, and they did it without pro bowl cornerback Asante Samuel, who was suffering from a neck injury. Joselio Hanson and Lito Sheppard did not miss many beats at all in his absence, and the pressure was non-stop, despite the defense not being able to sack Warner.
Quarterbacks: Knowing that he was under pressure to perform after being benched for the first time in his career, be it high school, college, or pros, McNabb delivered with a timely and well managed offensive attack. And the best part of it was that the offense DID NOT rely solely on him and his arm, unlike the past three weeks. McNabb completed 27 of 39 passes (69.2%) for 260 yards and four touchdowns. McNabb also put his good footwork to use and ran the ball four times for 24 yards, and while the process might not evoke anything from 2002 (the year in which he broke his ankle, came back, and still beat the same team) there is no denying that his mobility has gotten much better this season as it has went along. Kevin Kolb even got into the game later on, to hand the ball off and take two kneel downs under the two minute warning to finish the clock off.
Unit Grade: A (95%)
Running Backs & Fullbacks: Multiple jokes were made up in the booth between radio announcers Merrill Reese and Mike Quick as to what the Eagles did with Westbrook between Sunday and Thursday, if they sent to a spa every day or sent him to a resort (no mention of Tony Romo though). Whatever it was that they did, it worked masterfully, as Westbrook hacked and slashed his way through the line and defenders unlike any one game this year outside the Falcons game, as he picked up 110 yards rushing on 22 carries for a neat five yards an average and two touchdowns. On top of that, Westbrook also caught three passes for 20 yards and two more touchdowns, so overall he had 25 touches for 130 yards and four touchdowns. For the first time since the bye week when we signed him, Kyle Eckel made his Eagles debut and became Correll Buckhalter if you will, as he ran the ball six times for 27 yards, most of which all came in the 4th quarter. What’s strange about the use of Eckel is that he was subbed in at running back despite being a fullback by trade, but another former Patriot was already there in Dan Klecko. Lorenzo Booker, also active for the first time in weeks, ran four times for 21 yards, while DeSean Jackson had one wildcat run for six yards.
Unit Grade: A (95%)
Wide Receivers: Jackson was looked at as a prolific return man, but a very good quality often missed in him is his route running and pass catching skills. This is further evidenced with him being the most consistent receiver on the team week in and week out, logging six receptions for 76 yards and a touchdown. Both Kevin Curtis and the big man Hank Baskett grabbed five receptions, Curtis going for 59 yards and Baskett for 42 yards, while Jason Avant caught four passes for 25 yards and a touchdown as well. Noticeable in production absence was Reggie Brown, who had no catches but was out there for some plays, and noticeable in complete absence was Greg Lewis. Perhaps a lot of this has to do with recent dumb penalties he has committed on special teams over the past three weeks.
Unit Grade: A (95%)
Tight Ends: It’s usually a good day when four receivers get at least four grabs each, that means we are spreading the ball around. But when LJ Smith gets involved, including spinning off the longest offensive play of the game for the Eagles, you KNOW a lot of good things are going on. Smith caught three passes for 32 yards, including one for 25-yards, and Brent Celek had one reception for six yards. Deactivated again was Matt Schobel, a person that I am sure is not on the cheap.
Unit Grade: B+ (88%)
Offensive Line: The line has not looked this good overall since the first game of the year, opening up holes and pass blocking, and it also comes at the expense of a backup center having to be the third right guard on the season. Prior to the half, Max Jean-Gilles was injured and what preliminarily was being called a broken ankle, turned out to be a fractured ankle and torn ligaments in his knee. Not only will this injury sideline MJG for the remainder of the season, but it is an injury he is expected to take up to NINE months to rehab from. For the second half, Nick Cole took over at right guard, and he didn’t miss a beat, knowing the system and played left guard and center for the team. Only one time did the Cardinals get to a running back for a loss, and only one time did they sack McNabb. Only two penalties were levied to the line, a holding call on Jamaal Jackson and false start on Tra Thomas. But 186 yards rushing with a backup center at right guard looks really good to me.
Unit Grade: A+ (98%)
Defensive Line: As stated out front, no one got a sack on Warner, but the line helped to put a lot of pressure on him and force some errant throws in the form of drops and interceptions. Trent Cole, Darren Howard, Juqua Parker, and Mike Patterson all had one tackle each while Howard had a forced fumble the Cardinals recovered, with Cole providing two QB hurries and Howard and Parker one each. The lack of tackles is a direct result of Arizona’s inability to run the ball, or even have a remote interest in such an activity, with a total of ten carries for 25 yards.
Unit Grade: B (85%)
Linebackers: Whether he knows it or not, Stewart Bradley indirectly set the tone for the game. While he only had two tackles, he had the big pass defense that ended up in the hands of Joselio Hanson on the first Cardinals drive of the game. Akeem Jordan had three tackles and a recovered fumble forced from Anquan Boldin from Brian Dawkins, and Chris Gocong had one tackle. And aside from two freak receptions by Leonard Pope and Tim Hightower, coverage was pretty solid.
Unit Grade: B+ (88%)
Secondary: Considering that Warner is a well known gunslinger, being down Samuel was not an ideal situation for the Eagles to be in. But despite that, the unit held the most proficient passer in the NFL to 235 yards, and while he had three touchdowns, he was picked off three times. Quintin Mikell had six tackles to lead the team with an interception while Brian Dawkins had five tackles, a forced fumble to Jordan, and a beautiful center field interception on 4th and one for Arizona. Hanson, the man of the hour on the time clock, had four tackles and the first interception of the game, while Sheldon brown had three tackles, as did Lito Sheppard. Quintin Demps, who also saw extended time on defense, had one tackle there and a couple of spots where he was matched up against both Boldin and Steve Breaston with measurable success against the two.
Unit Grade: A- (90%)
Special Teams: Except for Jackson’s miscalculated error on a punt return, the entire special teams unit was impressive. David Akers kept busy with two field goals kicked and six extra points made for 12 points while Sav Rocca got back to strong punting form, only needed three times averaging 45.7 a kick and 42.7 net with two of them inside the 20. Demps, the only saving grace a week ago from a shutout, had 24 yards an average on four kick returns and Jackson averaged three yards a punt return, mainly due to former Eagle punter Dirk Johnson not being able to tell the side of his foot from his shoe front. Coverage teams were sharp too, holding dynamic return men JJ Arrington to 21 yards a kick return on EIGHT returns, and Breaston to four yards on two punt returns.
Unit Grade - All Facets: A+ (98%)
Coaching: I don’t know how long it has been since I can say this, but I have NO complaints with ANY coach on the team! I thought the defensive improvements in the wake of Samuel’s injury were stellar, and special teams played very well. And on top of that, the balanced play calling from the very first drive was not something I expected. Now Andy, Marty…is it TOO much to ask to consistently do this?
Unit Grade - All Facets: A (95%)
Ripper’s Three Game Balls:
3. Brian Dawkins: Weapon X played brilliantly again with his two turnovers and huge hammering hits on Cardinal receivers.
2. Donovan McNabb: Brilliant all around game from the man many fans were quick to crucify for the team’s failures.
1. Brian Westbrook: I’ve said it before and will say it again, when you get the man the ball, at 75% he is better then many backs are at 100%.
Honorable Mention: Joselio Hanson and Quintin Mikell
Numbers and Stats of Interest:
-With his interception in the 4th quarter, Dawkins tied the franchise record for most interceptions in a career with the Eagles. Along with Bill Bradley and Eric Allen, Dawkins now had 34 interceptions all time.
-The Eagles came into the game with an all-time record of 4-0 on Thanksgiving: the win tonight gives them a 5-0 mark all time now.
-Brian Westbrook, with four touchdowns on the game, was one away from breaking the record for most touchdowns in a game by an Eagle.
-David Akers eclipsed the 1,000 career point mark with his second field goal in the fourth quarter of the win. He now has 1,004 career points.
-The Eagles made better then usual in the red zone, entering seven times and walking away with six touchdowns. In addition, from the goal-to-go situations, they were a perfect five of five. Also, third downs were better executed, as the team went 10/14, good for 71%.
-The failure to pick up a sack in the game marks only the second time all year that the Eagles were held without a sack in a game.
Time will tell just how far this win will go to helping our own personal playoff picture. Now with ten days off until the next game at the Meadowlands, some players on the mend can take time to heal up and return for our second match of the year with the Giants on December 7th.
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Eagles VS Ravens Review
The possibility of losing, with teams ahead of them in the wildcard race and in tow beside or behind them, was one that the Philadelphia Eagles could not possibly stand to face. Heading into enemy territory to face the Baltimore Ravens, a team with an inside track on the wildcard picture in the AFC, the Eagles needed to beat the team that their former special team’s coach and secondary coach for a year had went to fill a head coaching vacancy. And like with Steve Spaguolo, who went to the New York Giants as a defensive coordinator, John Harabaugh has a one up knowing what to expect from the ever predictable Andy Reid.
It comes as no surprise, then, the end result of it all.
In one of the most lopsided and absurd losses this side of 2005, the Eagles managed to lose the football game in every possible facet. The Ravens defense scored more points then the Eagles offense did (7-0) the Eagles suffered their first blocked punt of the year, and again the defense was put on the spot, allowing three touchdowns on the game, two of them well earned and another not so much. The end result was a score of 36-7 Ravens and a further burial in the basement of the NFC East with every rival of ours winning on Sunday. And while the Eagles mathematically remain alive for the division title, the Giants at 10-1 would have to drop all five and we would have to win all five and finish up 10-5-1. Worse yet, ahead of the Eagles in the 5th spot is Tampa Bay at 8-3, Atlanta, Dallas, and Washington are all 7-4 in the 6th spot, Minnesota is now 6-5 with Chicago, and tomorrow night, Green Bay and New Orleans, both 5-5 teams, will play each other.
Quarterbacks: For the first time in his career, Donovan McNabb was pulled from the game and benched after the half. Yes, you heard me right, the coaching half of the “10-Year Odd Couple” pairing put the quarterback half on the bench for Kevin Kolb in the final 30 minutes. But a number to know here is 12.5, and that is the average of the two and their QB rating COMBINED. Kolb had a slight lead in the rating department for his half, completing 10 of 23 passes (43.5%) for 73 yards and two interceptions, including one in the end zone which Ravens safety Ed Reed took 108-yards for a touchdown, for a 15.3 QB rating. McNabb completed eight of 18 passes (44.4%) for 59 yards with two interceptions, a fumble, and was sacked twice with a 13.2 QB rating. Neither quarterback was impressive, and if the season is shot as I have it figured as, the question is who starts from here out then?
Unit Grade: F (50%)
Running & Full Backs: Well, the good news is that the team averaged over four yards a carry as a team running the ball, but the bad news is that we STILL only ran the ball 21 times (as opposed to 43 pass attempts). But I guess with the way Brian Westbrook was running the ball when he was in there, I can understand why. Westbrook, having claimed to be banged up yet again and questionable, ran the ball 14 times for 39 yards and caught two passes for minus five yards, totaling only 16 touches for 34 yards. It might just be my opinion, but either the injuries are taking a toll because he is shy about hitting the holes, or he is really missing Shawn Andrews THAT much. But with Correll Buckhalter averaging eight yards a carry (two for 16 yards on the game) it leads me to believe it is the former for Westbrook. Kolb ran the ball three times for 12 yards, DeSean Jackson had one direct snap for 12 yards, and McNabb had one roll out for seven yards. And everyone’s favorite tackle-turned-fullback Dan Klecko had two catches for 18 yards, which I am sure is a career high for offensive output for him. I am still strongly of the belief that if the injuries are bothering Westbrook so much, then on such a short week, he should sit out the Thursday game, we activate Lorenzo Booker, and him and Buckhalter do the running (when we do it of course).
Unit Grade: B- (80%)
Wide-outs & Tight Ends: Both of these are back together after the lack of production on the game. Jackson led the unit with five receptions for 47 yards and was also the fault of McNabb’s first interception while Brent Celek pulled in three catches for 26 yards, most of them from Kolb. Both Jason Avant and Kevin Curtis had two receptions each while our two tallest targets, LJ Smith and Hank Baskett, had one reception each. To me, the interception by McNabb to Fabian Washington is the only one a receiver can be blamed for (Jackson).
Unit Grade: C- (70%)
Offensive Line: Truly a mixed bag for this unit today. While they helped to average over four yards a carry rushing, they also allowed five tackles for a loss on backs as well, gave up five QB hurries and two sacks, 1.5 of them to linebacker Jarrett Johnson and a half to Trevor Pryce. And in rare fashion, every offensive lineman was tagged with at least ONE penalty EXCEPT for Todd Herremans: Jon Runyan was called for a hold (extremely questionable) and unnecessary roughness, Jamaal Jackson and Tra Thomas for holding, and Max Jean-Gilles for a false start. Like with the quarterbacks and offense as a whole, not very disciplined.
Unit Grade: C+ (78%)
Defensive Line: You would be hard pressed to find another unit on this team that, no matter what the situation is or what the score is, will continue to play regardless and play well. Trent Cole led the unit and finished second on the team with eight tackles with a sack worth 13 yards, a tackle for a loss, and a QB hurry while his bookend in crime Juqua Parker had six tackles and one for a loss. Mike Patterson had five tackles and one for a loss while Darren Howard provided three tackles and two QB hurries off the bench while Broderick Bunkley, who got injured and returned, had three tackles and so did Victor Abiamiri, alongside a sack, a QB hurry, and a tackle for a loss. Trevor Laws, our top pick in the 2008 draft, saw his most extensive action this year with Bunkley down, logging one tackle for a loss.
Unit Grade: A (93%)
Linebackers: In extremely odd fashion, Reid decided to bench Omar Gaither and start Akeem Jordan at WILL, citing the speed of Ray Rice and Willis McGahee for such a change. And from a statistical stand point it looked alright, but it did nothing from a playmaking stand point, as Jordan led the team with nine tackles and also had two tackles for a loss. Chris Gocong posted six tackles, instrumental vs. the run as well while Stewart Bradley had three tackles and a pass defense. And as far as I could tell, even with Jordan in at D and Tracy White and Tank Daniels getting numbers on teams, Gaither was nowhere to be found period.
Unit Grade: B- (80%)
Secondary: The Ravens managed 110 yards on the ground on 40 carries, limiting their pass attempts to only 26 (I know, the polar opposite of the Eagles) so not a lot was made of back here, except for one freak touchdown pass. Sheldon Brown led the unit with seven tackles and had a pass defense while Quintin Mikell had six tackles, a sack, a tackle for a loss, and a forced fumble which, by the time it was all said and done, cost the Ravens 23 yards since they picked it back up. Brian Dawkins had two tackles while Joselio Hanson had one tackle, a QB hurry, and a pass defense. Asante Samuel, despite getting injured twice and coming back once, had one tackle and did pretty well on Derrick Mason, but Lito Sheppard got burned alive by Mark Clayton on a 53-yard touchdown pass, and Sean Considine was had by Daniel Wilcox on a 1-yard touchdown pass.
Unit Grade - All not named Lito or Sean: B (85%)
Unit Grade - Lito and Sean: C- (70%)
Special Teams: Talk about a terrible time to have your first blocked punt of the season, how about being down 13-7 at your own four yard line? That’s what happened to Sav Rocca thanks to blown coverage by Gocong and Considine, he averaged 48.5 a boot (41.6 with the block counted) with two inside the twenty and one touchback, while David Akers only got to hit an extra point. In somewhat of a joyous and celebratory occasion, a very rare kick return touchdown was posted by Quintin Demps, as he kept us from being shutout in this game with a 100-yard return just short of the half, and averaged 44.3 yards a return on four, and the team averaged 29.3 with short returns by Avant, Klecko, and Abiamiri. Jackson averaged six yards a punt return, and the Eagles held Yamon Figurs to 7.5 yards a punt return and the Ravens to 19.5 yards a kick return as a whole unit. And after seeing yet another dumb penalty by Greg Lewis (like one previous when he ran over a return man against the Giants) I question his existence in life, let alone on this team.
Unit Grade - Kick return and coverage: A+ (100%)
Unit Grade - Punt return and coverage: B (85%)
Unit Grade - Rocca: C (75%)
Unit Grade - Punt blocking: D (65%)
Coaching: Again another game where the defense is left out to dry…why am I not surprised by this revelation? The punt block was bad, and punting overall wasn’t that stellar (again) but coverage for kicks was very good and our kick returns were excellent for a change. But about Andy Reid and Marty Moron, I think my accompanying video review of the game in the smack shake part of the site best speaks to the way I feel about them two and Andy’s bone headed calls, including benching Donovan in a must have game and not allowing him to find his bearing once again. I said a week ago that I was plain out pissed with him, and while that might still be the case, I am ready to mark him off as perhaps the most senile and predictable point in his career and is obviously becoming a joke of a coach. And considering we’ve seen the likes of Rich Kotite and Ray Rhodes lately, that is saying a hell of a lot. Furthermore, Marty Moron is no Brad Childress, and is only proving that with his lack of input and inept attitude.
Unit Grade - Defense: A (93%)
Unit Grade - Special Teams: B (85%)
Unit Grade - Offense: F (55%)
Unit Grade - Head Coach: F- (35%)
Ripper’s Three Game Balls:
3. Trent Cole: A sack and seven tackles on the game: non-stop motor and effort.
2. Quintin Mikell: Six tackles and the forced fumble on a sack.
1. Quintin Demps: Saved us from being shutout with his 100-yard kick return for a touchdown, and provided a wallop of a tackle on a Yamon punt return.
Numbers and Stats of Interest:
-Heading into the game, the Ravens were one of two teams the Eagles were undefeated against, going 1-0-1 against them: obviously now we are 1-1-1.
-In the last two games, McNabb has incurred seven turnovers (five interceptions and two fumbles) the most over any two game stretch in his career.
-The 30 minutes Kolb was in for surpassed his previous outings combined.
-Again, on third down the team only managed to go 3-of-13 for 23% while missing their one and only red zone chance due to a Kolb interception.
Well, many have been telling us that this loss to Baltimore broke our playoff hopes in half, and while we still are mathematically alive, I cannot see the team digging out of this hole, not with three division games left and an 0-3 mark in it this year. Another loss, and I will officially be looking to the off-season.
It comes as no surprise, then, the end result of it all.
In one of the most lopsided and absurd losses this side of 2005, the Eagles managed to lose the football game in every possible facet. The Ravens defense scored more points then the Eagles offense did (7-0) the Eagles suffered their first blocked punt of the year, and again the defense was put on the spot, allowing three touchdowns on the game, two of them well earned and another not so much. The end result was a score of 36-7 Ravens and a further burial in the basement of the NFC East with every rival of ours winning on Sunday. And while the Eagles mathematically remain alive for the division title, the Giants at 10-1 would have to drop all five and we would have to win all five and finish up 10-5-1. Worse yet, ahead of the Eagles in the 5th spot is Tampa Bay at 8-3, Atlanta, Dallas, and Washington are all 7-4 in the 6th spot, Minnesota is now 6-5 with Chicago, and tomorrow night, Green Bay and New Orleans, both 5-5 teams, will play each other.
Quarterbacks: For the first time in his career, Donovan McNabb was pulled from the game and benched after the half. Yes, you heard me right, the coaching half of the “10-Year Odd Couple” pairing put the quarterback half on the bench for Kevin Kolb in the final 30 minutes. But a number to know here is 12.5, and that is the average of the two and their QB rating COMBINED. Kolb had a slight lead in the rating department for his half, completing 10 of 23 passes (43.5%) for 73 yards and two interceptions, including one in the end zone which Ravens safety Ed Reed took 108-yards for a touchdown, for a 15.3 QB rating. McNabb completed eight of 18 passes (44.4%) for 59 yards with two interceptions, a fumble, and was sacked twice with a 13.2 QB rating. Neither quarterback was impressive, and if the season is shot as I have it figured as, the question is who starts from here out then?
Unit Grade: F (50%)
Running & Full Backs: Well, the good news is that the team averaged over four yards a carry as a team running the ball, but the bad news is that we STILL only ran the ball 21 times (as opposed to 43 pass attempts). But I guess with the way Brian Westbrook was running the ball when he was in there, I can understand why. Westbrook, having claimed to be banged up yet again and questionable, ran the ball 14 times for 39 yards and caught two passes for minus five yards, totaling only 16 touches for 34 yards. It might just be my opinion, but either the injuries are taking a toll because he is shy about hitting the holes, or he is really missing Shawn Andrews THAT much. But with Correll Buckhalter averaging eight yards a carry (two for 16 yards on the game) it leads me to believe it is the former for Westbrook. Kolb ran the ball three times for 12 yards, DeSean Jackson had one direct snap for 12 yards, and McNabb had one roll out for seven yards. And everyone’s favorite tackle-turned-fullback Dan Klecko had two catches for 18 yards, which I am sure is a career high for offensive output for him. I am still strongly of the belief that if the injuries are bothering Westbrook so much, then on such a short week, he should sit out the Thursday game, we activate Lorenzo Booker, and him and Buckhalter do the running (when we do it of course).
Unit Grade: B- (80%)
Wide-outs & Tight Ends: Both of these are back together after the lack of production on the game. Jackson led the unit with five receptions for 47 yards and was also the fault of McNabb’s first interception while Brent Celek pulled in three catches for 26 yards, most of them from Kolb. Both Jason Avant and Kevin Curtis had two receptions each while our two tallest targets, LJ Smith and Hank Baskett, had one reception each. To me, the interception by McNabb to Fabian Washington is the only one a receiver can be blamed for (Jackson).
Unit Grade: C- (70%)
Offensive Line: Truly a mixed bag for this unit today. While they helped to average over four yards a carry rushing, they also allowed five tackles for a loss on backs as well, gave up five QB hurries and two sacks, 1.5 of them to linebacker Jarrett Johnson and a half to Trevor Pryce. And in rare fashion, every offensive lineman was tagged with at least ONE penalty EXCEPT for Todd Herremans: Jon Runyan was called for a hold (extremely questionable) and unnecessary roughness, Jamaal Jackson and Tra Thomas for holding, and Max Jean-Gilles for a false start. Like with the quarterbacks and offense as a whole, not very disciplined.
Unit Grade: C+ (78%)
Defensive Line: You would be hard pressed to find another unit on this team that, no matter what the situation is or what the score is, will continue to play regardless and play well. Trent Cole led the unit and finished second on the team with eight tackles with a sack worth 13 yards, a tackle for a loss, and a QB hurry while his bookend in crime Juqua Parker had six tackles and one for a loss. Mike Patterson had five tackles and one for a loss while Darren Howard provided three tackles and two QB hurries off the bench while Broderick Bunkley, who got injured and returned, had three tackles and so did Victor Abiamiri, alongside a sack, a QB hurry, and a tackle for a loss. Trevor Laws, our top pick in the 2008 draft, saw his most extensive action this year with Bunkley down, logging one tackle for a loss.
Unit Grade: A (93%)
Linebackers: In extremely odd fashion, Reid decided to bench Omar Gaither and start Akeem Jordan at WILL, citing the speed of Ray Rice and Willis McGahee for such a change. And from a statistical stand point it looked alright, but it did nothing from a playmaking stand point, as Jordan led the team with nine tackles and also had two tackles for a loss. Chris Gocong posted six tackles, instrumental vs. the run as well while Stewart Bradley had three tackles and a pass defense. And as far as I could tell, even with Jordan in at D and Tracy White and Tank Daniels getting numbers on teams, Gaither was nowhere to be found period.
Unit Grade: B- (80%)
Secondary: The Ravens managed 110 yards on the ground on 40 carries, limiting their pass attempts to only 26 (I know, the polar opposite of the Eagles) so not a lot was made of back here, except for one freak touchdown pass. Sheldon Brown led the unit with seven tackles and had a pass defense while Quintin Mikell had six tackles, a sack, a tackle for a loss, and a forced fumble which, by the time it was all said and done, cost the Ravens 23 yards since they picked it back up. Brian Dawkins had two tackles while Joselio Hanson had one tackle, a QB hurry, and a pass defense. Asante Samuel, despite getting injured twice and coming back once, had one tackle and did pretty well on Derrick Mason, but Lito Sheppard got burned alive by Mark Clayton on a 53-yard touchdown pass, and Sean Considine was had by Daniel Wilcox on a 1-yard touchdown pass.
Unit Grade - All not named Lito or Sean: B (85%)
Unit Grade - Lito and Sean: C- (70%)
Special Teams: Talk about a terrible time to have your first blocked punt of the season, how about being down 13-7 at your own four yard line? That’s what happened to Sav Rocca thanks to blown coverage by Gocong and Considine, he averaged 48.5 a boot (41.6 with the block counted) with two inside the twenty and one touchback, while David Akers only got to hit an extra point. In somewhat of a joyous and celebratory occasion, a very rare kick return touchdown was posted by Quintin Demps, as he kept us from being shutout in this game with a 100-yard return just short of the half, and averaged 44.3 yards a return on four, and the team averaged 29.3 with short returns by Avant, Klecko, and Abiamiri. Jackson averaged six yards a punt return, and the Eagles held Yamon Figurs to 7.5 yards a punt return and the Ravens to 19.5 yards a kick return as a whole unit. And after seeing yet another dumb penalty by Greg Lewis (like one previous when he ran over a return man against the Giants) I question his existence in life, let alone on this team.
Unit Grade - Kick return and coverage: A+ (100%)
Unit Grade - Punt return and coverage: B (85%)
Unit Grade - Rocca: C (75%)
Unit Grade - Punt blocking: D (65%)
Coaching: Again another game where the defense is left out to dry…why am I not surprised by this revelation? The punt block was bad, and punting overall wasn’t that stellar (again) but coverage for kicks was very good and our kick returns were excellent for a change. But about Andy Reid and Marty Moron, I think my accompanying video review of the game in the smack shake part of the site best speaks to the way I feel about them two and Andy’s bone headed calls, including benching Donovan in a must have game and not allowing him to find his bearing once again. I said a week ago that I was plain out pissed with him, and while that might still be the case, I am ready to mark him off as perhaps the most senile and predictable point in his career and is obviously becoming a joke of a coach. And considering we’ve seen the likes of Rich Kotite and Ray Rhodes lately, that is saying a hell of a lot. Furthermore, Marty Moron is no Brad Childress, and is only proving that with his lack of input and inept attitude.
Unit Grade - Defense: A (93%)
Unit Grade - Special Teams: B (85%)
Unit Grade - Offense: F (55%)
Unit Grade - Head Coach: F- (35%)
Ripper’s Three Game Balls:
3. Trent Cole: A sack and seven tackles on the game: non-stop motor and effort.
2. Quintin Mikell: Six tackles and the forced fumble on a sack.
1. Quintin Demps: Saved us from being shutout with his 100-yard kick return for a touchdown, and provided a wallop of a tackle on a Yamon punt return.
Numbers and Stats of Interest:
-Heading into the game, the Ravens were one of two teams the Eagles were undefeated against, going 1-0-1 against them: obviously now we are 1-1-1.
-In the last two games, McNabb has incurred seven turnovers (five interceptions and two fumbles) the most over any two game stretch in his career.
-The 30 minutes Kolb was in for surpassed his previous outings combined.
-Again, on third down the team only managed to go 3-of-13 for 23% while missing their one and only red zone chance due to a Kolb interception.
Well, many have been telling us that this loss to Baltimore broke our playoff hopes in half, and while we still are mathematically alive, I cannot see the team digging out of this hole, not with three division games left and an 0-3 mark in it this year. Another loss, and I will officially be looking to the off-season.
Monday, November 17, 2008
Eagles Vs Bengals Review
One thing I have learned in the NFL season of 2008 is that nothing can be taken for granted, and nothing is ever perceived as certain. Reeling from a loss to the defending Superbowl Champion New York Giants and knowing that a pair of six win opponents await followed again by the Giants, many fans felt as if the Bengals game was a pushover. Many were looking forward to playing the Ravens and Cardinals instead of playing the team that lie right in front of them instead.
Therein was the biggest problem.
First, is was unbelievable that the Bengals would keep the game close with the Eagles. Then, it was unbelievable that the Bengals actually held a ten point lead in the third quarter. Then it was unbelievable that the game was actually going into overtime. Then finally, it was unbelievable that the two teams would actually not be able to decide a winner VIA overtime, as the game ended up tied 13-13. The tie effectively leaves the Eagles in the basement, as the Dallas Cowboys defeat of the Washington Redskins 14-10 pulls the teams into a 6-4 quandary, and the Giants smashing of our next opponent on Sunday, 30-10, moves them to 9-1.
Quarterbacks: Chopped into wood and thrown into the fire by his own head coach, Donovan McNabb looked like his usual unspectacular self to start the game, but unlike weeks past, he never seemed to find a consistent, white hot groove at any time. McNabb attempted a whopping 58 passes (and 60 when you include the two times he was sacked) and completed only 28 of them (48.3%) for 339 yards with one touchdown, three interceptions, a lost fumble, and a mere 50.9 QB rating. Now I know that McNabb is smart enough to realize that he can call an audible when he sees something he doesn’t like, but why would they keep giving him the pass when he was hit and lost a fumble and three interceptions on top of that?
McNabb Grade: C (75%)
Running and Full Backs: All I have to say about the lack of respect to your running game when the Bengals had the 22nd best run defense is this: 18 carries. That is all the more that we ran the ball all game, even with 33:46 of total possession INCLUDING overtime. Brian Westbrook had 14 carries for 60 yards and had three receptions for 11 yards, totaling 17 touches for 71 yards and no touchdowns. Correll Buckhalter had one carry for three yards but his lone reception was the 2nd longest play of the game at 44 yards, while McNabb had two yards rushing on a 4th and inches situation in the final quarter of regulation. In his hand off duty, DeSean Jackson had two carries for three yards and Dan Klecko had a catch for eight yards.
Unit Grade: B (85% due in large part to getting screwed in play calling)
Wide Receivers: It is hard to believe that McNabb missed 30 passes during the game, but some timely and costly mistakes came from this unit. Kevin Curtis led the team with seven catches for 64 yards but also tipped an interception and dropped two passes, while Jackson had four catches for 66 yards. Jason Avant had three catches for 32 yards while Hank “My new wife is a former girlfriend of Hugh Heffner’s” Baskett caught two passes for 74 yards, one of which went 57 yards and set up our only touchdown, while Reggie Brown caught the first completion of the game for a HUGE gain of zero yards! Something I find post-humorous is that Greg Lewis was listed as being subbed in, but he appeared nowhere to my knowledge.
Unit Grade: C (75%)
Tight End: Coming complete with his own cheering section (after all, he did go to school at Cincinnati) Brent Celek was ready to take on the Bengals and his own teammate LJ Smith. Both of them caught three passes while Celek had 25 yards to Smith’s 15, but LJ had the team’s only touchdown. That Smith actually got open in the end zone without finding a pitfall again is a minor victory in its own right.
Unit Grade: B- (80%)
Offensive line: When you do simple math, you can look at the fact that McNabb was sacked once for every 30 times he dropped back, which is pretty solid, but the numbers are deceiving. Despite only allowing two sacks, the line still allowed for three different linemen to knock down passes at the line of scrimmage and five quarterback hurries and four tackles for a loss on runs. However, the Eagles DID get Westbrook up at 4.3 yards a run and 3.8 as a team, and if they would have been released on the run, I think it would have been much better. But as it is, it was just another day for the big men up front with yet again NO penalties called on them, even though the consummate whole of the team got flagged eight times.
Unit Grade: B (85%)
Defensive Line: Another Cincinnati alumni came back to haunt the pro team in the city something terrible. Trent Cole was an absolute destructive force, pacing the team for one quarter of their eight sacks with two of them along with two hurries and two tackles for a loss combined with ten total tackles. Both Broderick Bunkley and Juqua Parker had six tackles each with Bunkley posting a sack, a tackle for a loss, a QB hurry, and a pass defense as well. Darren Howard again tightened his lead on the team’s sack race with two more, along with five tackles, three tackles for a loss, two QB hurries, and the games only turnover on a recovered fumble. Chris Clemons also chipped in a sack with a tackle for a loss and a QB hurry while Victor Abiamiri and Mike Patterson had two assisted tackles with Vic logging a pass defense, and Trevor Laws had one assist tackle. The guys up front made life for Ryan Fitzpatrick a living hell and were a BIG reason as to why the Bengals averaged 1.9 yards rushing as a team (30 carries for 56 yards).
Unit Grade: A+ (98%)
Linebackers: Fooled by a few miscues on pitches to halfbacks, the linebackers still did a very good job against the run and looked strong once again. Stewart Bradley, one week removed from a career high 14 tackles against the Giants, had 12 more against the Bengals (10 solo and 2 assist) with two tackles for a loss and a forced fumble while Omar Gaither came in with six tackles. Chris Gocong checked in with three tackles as well, while backups Akeem Jordan and Tracy White each had a tackle on special teams.
Unit Grade: A- (90%)
Secondary: It appeared that, no matter where he lined up, that TJ Houshmandzadeh proved an ethic mismatch for any corner, totaling 41% of his team’s receptions (12 catches) and 57% of their yards (149 yards) and their only touchdown of the game. Joselio Hanson had the most active game of anyone back there, whether for better or worse, as he led with six tackles, recorded a sack with a tackle for a loss and a QB hurry but was also the one who was lined up against “Who’s Your Daddy” on his touchdown catch. Sheldon Brown had five total tackles with two QB hurries, one of which led to a roughing the passer call, a tackle for a loss, and a sack while Quintin Mikell had five tackles (all assisted) with a pass defense. Asante Samuel had four solo tackles and a whopping FOUR pass defenses, two of which easily should have been picked off while both Brian Dawkins and Lito Sheppard have four tackles apiece, Dawkins with a tackle for a loss and Sheppard with a forced fumble. Allowing a mediocre quarterback like Fitzpatrick to pass for 261 yards is not good, but then again, TJ was the bigger detriment, considering Chris Henry had like 700 drops and Chad “Ocho Stinko” Johnson was quiet.
Unit Grade: B- (82%)
Special Teams: What a bad time for Sav Rocca to regress and show us his 2007 inconsistent side again. Rocca punted ten times but only averaged 36.2 yards a punt prior to his net, which was a woeful 31.1 yards a kick with none pinned in and one kick in the end zone. David Akers was solid again, hitting his two field goal tries and one extra point attempt, but once again, punt return blocking and kick blocking both were terrible. On four returns, Quintin Demps averaged a meager 17.5 yards a return, and Jackson averaged 7.2 yards on six punt returns, while coverage allowed Glenn Holt 24.3 yards a kick return and 7.8 yards a punt return between Antonio Chatman and TJ. Sean Considine led with four tackles, two assist and two solo.
Akers Grade: A- (90%)
Coverage Grade: B- (80%)
Returns Grade: C (75%)
Rocca Grade: C- (70%)
Coaching: First off start with some good: the defense, even though they gave up 261 yards passing but netted 226 after the eight sacks for 35 yards, giving up a total net of 282 yards despite being out there 41:44 of total game time is quite impressive. That said, the offense and special teams take a heavy hit in this game for the tie. And as you are about to see in my video about Andy and the offense exclusive to the “Smack Shack” forum of the site, I do not like the way things are going. Just when we thought that the days of 60-40 or even 65-35 pass-run ratios were gone, the ugliness only begins today: out of 78 total offensive plays, the team threw the ball 60 times, including sacks and ran the ball only 18 times! So, to save you the dividing as I have already done it, that is 77-23 pass-run. And this is remembering that Cincinnati had the 22nd WORST RUN DEFENSE in the NFL, NOT the pass defense. This is totally asinine and absurd and there is NO EXCUSE at all for this type of offensive play calling. This is something I would expect if Bozo and Doink the Clown family were calling the damn offense but…oh wait, you know what? That is pretty close to the case anyway, isn’t it?
Defense Grade: A (95%)
Special Teams Grade: C+ (78%)
Offense and Coach Grade: F- (40%)
Ripper’s Three Game Balls:
3. Stewart Bradley: Becoming the pulse and leader of the defense.
2. Darren Howard: Continues to impress off of the bench as #3 defensive end.
1. Trent Cole: Raised some almighty Cain returning to the city where he played college ball at.
Honorable Mention: Broderick Bunkley, Sheldon Brown, Asante Samuel, and Joselio Hanson (Heck, how about the whole D?)
Numbers and Stats of Interest:
-The last tie in NFL history came in 2002, the Eagles last tie came oddly enough 11 years ago to the day of the Bengals game. Even more odd was that we tied the team we are due to face next Sunday, the Ravens, 10-10.
-Due to a valiant goal line stand thanks to Donovan’s fumble, the defense stopped the Bengals lone red zone attempt, while the Eagles were 1-of-2 with a touchdown from 4-yards but one field goal. But once again, the 3rd down percentage was horrid, finishing up 3-of-18 for 17%.
-The Eagles were penalized eight times for 60 yards, the most amount of yellow flags thrown against the Eagles in one game this season.
I got one more thing to say before I sign off: as stated, McNabb missed 30 passes for the game, and 14 of these misses were pass defenses by the Bengals. And despite throwing three interceptions, against a more competent team like, say, the Ravens, we would be burned alive on the mistakes.
So then, have I told you how much Andy and Marty have pissed me?
Therein was the biggest problem.
First, is was unbelievable that the Bengals would keep the game close with the Eagles. Then, it was unbelievable that the Bengals actually held a ten point lead in the third quarter. Then it was unbelievable that the game was actually going into overtime. Then finally, it was unbelievable that the two teams would actually not be able to decide a winner VIA overtime, as the game ended up tied 13-13. The tie effectively leaves the Eagles in the basement, as the Dallas Cowboys defeat of the Washington Redskins 14-10 pulls the teams into a 6-4 quandary, and the Giants smashing of our next opponent on Sunday, 30-10, moves them to 9-1.
Quarterbacks: Chopped into wood and thrown into the fire by his own head coach, Donovan McNabb looked like his usual unspectacular self to start the game, but unlike weeks past, he never seemed to find a consistent, white hot groove at any time. McNabb attempted a whopping 58 passes (and 60 when you include the two times he was sacked) and completed only 28 of them (48.3%) for 339 yards with one touchdown, three interceptions, a lost fumble, and a mere 50.9 QB rating. Now I know that McNabb is smart enough to realize that he can call an audible when he sees something he doesn’t like, but why would they keep giving him the pass when he was hit and lost a fumble and three interceptions on top of that?
McNabb Grade: C (75%)
Running and Full Backs: All I have to say about the lack of respect to your running game when the Bengals had the 22nd best run defense is this: 18 carries. That is all the more that we ran the ball all game, even with 33:46 of total possession INCLUDING overtime. Brian Westbrook had 14 carries for 60 yards and had three receptions for 11 yards, totaling 17 touches for 71 yards and no touchdowns. Correll Buckhalter had one carry for three yards but his lone reception was the 2nd longest play of the game at 44 yards, while McNabb had two yards rushing on a 4th and inches situation in the final quarter of regulation. In his hand off duty, DeSean Jackson had two carries for three yards and Dan Klecko had a catch for eight yards.
Unit Grade: B (85% due in large part to getting screwed in play calling)
Wide Receivers: It is hard to believe that McNabb missed 30 passes during the game, but some timely and costly mistakes came from this unit. Kevin Curtis led the team with seven catches for 64 yards but also tipped an interception and dropped two passes, while Jackson had four catches for 66 yards. Jason Avant had three catches for 32 yards while Hank “My new wife is a former girlfriend of Hugh Heffner’s” Baskett caught two passes for 74 yards, one of which went 57 yards and set up our only touchdown, while Reggie Brown caught the first completion of the game for a HUGE gain of zero yards! Something I find post-humorous is that Greg Lewis was listed as being subbed in, but he appeared nowhere to my knowledge.
Unit Grade: C (75%)
Tight End: Coming complete with his own cheering section (after all, he did go to school at Cincinnati) Brent Celek was ready to take on the Bengals and his own teammate LJ Smith. Both of them caught three passes while Celek had 25 yards to Smith’s 15, but LJ had the team’s only touchdown. That Smith actually got open in the end zone without finding a pitfall again is a minor victory in its own right.
Unit Grade: B- (80%)
Offensive line: When you do simple math, you can look at the fact that McNabb was sacked once for every 30 times he dropped back, which is pretty solid, but the numbers are deceiving. Despite only allowing two sacks, the line still allowed for three different linemen to knock down passes at the line of scrimmage and five quarterback hurries and four tackles for a loss on runs. However, the Eagles DID get Westbrook up at 4.3 yards a run and 3.8 as a team, and if they would have been released on the run, I think it would have been much better. But as it is, it was just another day for the big men up front with yet again NO penalties called on them, even though the consummate whole of the team got flagged eight times.
Unit Grade: B (85%)
Defensive Line: Another Cincinnati alumni came back to haunt the pro team in the city something terrible. Trent Cole was an absolute destructive force, pacing the team for one quarter of their eight sacks with two of them along with two hurries and two tackles for a loss combined with ten total tackles. Both Broderick Bunkley and Juqua Parker had six tackles each with Bunkley posting a sack, a tackle for a loss, a QB hurry, and a pass defense as well. Darren Howard again tightened his lead on the team’s sack race with two more, along with five tackles, three tackles for a loss, two QB hurries, and the games only turnover on a recovered fumble. Chris Clemons also chipped in a sack with a tackle for a loss and a QB hurry while Victor Abiamiri and Mike Patterson had two assisted tackles with Vic logging a pass defense, and Trevor Laws had one assist tackle. The guys up front made life for Ryan Fitzpatrick a living hell and were a BIG reason as to why the Bengals averaged 1.9 yards rushing as a team (30 carries for 56 yards).
Unit Grade: A+ (98%)
Linebackers: Fooled by a few miscues on pitches to halfbacks, the linebackers still did a very good job against the run and looked strong once again. Stewart Bradley, one week removed from a career high 14 tackles against the Giants, had 12 more against the Bengals (10 solo and 2 assist) with two tackles for a loss and a forced fumble while Omar Gaither came in with six tackles. Chris Gocong checked in with three tackles as well, while backups Akeem Jordan and Tracy White each had a tackle on special teams.
Unit Grade: A- (90%)
Secondary: It appeared that, no matter where he lined up, that TJ Houshmandzadeh proved an ethic mismatch for any corner, totaling 41% of his team’s receptions (12 catches) and 57% of their yards (149 yards) and their only touchdown of the game. Joselio Hanson had the most active game of anyone back there, whether for better or worse, as he led with six tackles, recorded a sack with a tackle for a loss and a QB hurry but was also the one who was lined up against “Who’s Your Daddy” on his touchdown catch. Sheldon Brown had five total tackles with two QB hurries, one of which led to a roughing the passer call, a tackle for a loss, and a sack while Quintin Mikell had five tackles (all assisted) with a pass defense. Asante Samuel had four solo tackles and a whopping FOUR pass defenses, two of which easily should have been picked off while both Brian Dawkins and Lito Sheppard have four tackles apiece, Dawkins with a tackle for a loss and Sheppard with a forced fumble. Allowing a mediocre quarterback like Fitzpatrick to pass for 261 yards is not good, but then again, TJ was the bigger detriment, considering Chris Henry had like 700 drops and Chad “Ocho Stinko” Johnson was quiet.
Unit Grade: B- (82%)
Special Teams: What a bad time for Sav Rocca to regress and show us his 2007 inconsistent side again. Rocca punted ten times but only averaged 36.2 yards a punt prior to his net, which was a woeful 31.1 yards a kick with none pinned in and one kick in the end zone. David Akers was solid again, hitting his two field goal tries and one extra point attempt, but once again, punt return blocking and kick blocking both were terrible. On four returns, Quintin Demps averaged a meager 17.5 yards a return, and Jackson averaged 7.2 yards on six punt returns, while coverage allowed Glenn Holt 24.3 yards a kick return and 7.8 yards a punt return between Antonio Chatman and TJ. Sean Considine led with four tackles, two assist and two solo.
Akers Grade: A- (90%)
Coverage Grade: B- (80%)
Returns Grade: C (75%)
Rocca Grade: C- (70%)
Coaching: First off start with some good: the defense, even though they gave up 261 yards passing but netted 226 after the eight sacks for 35 yards, giving up a total net of 282 yards despite being out there 41:44 of total game time is quite impressive. That said, the offense and special teams take a heavy hit in this game for the tie. And as you are about to see in my video about Andy and the offense exclusive to the “Smack Shack” forum of the site, I do not like the way things are going. Just when we thought that the days of 60-40 or even 65-35 pass-run ratios were gone, the ugliness only begins today: out of 78 total offensive plays, the team threw the ball 60 times, including sacks and ran the ball only 18 times! So, to save you the dividing as I have already done it, that is 77-23 pass-run. And this is remembering that Cincinnati had the 22nd WORST RUN DEFENSE in the NFL, NOT the pass defense. This is totally asinine and absurd and there is NO EXCUSE at all for this type of offensive play calling. This is something I would expect if Bozo and Doink the Clown family were calling the damn offense but…oh wait, you know what? That is pretty close to the case anyway, isn’t it?
Defense Grade: A (95%)
Special Teams Grade: C+ (78%)
Offense and Coach Grade: F- (40%)
Ripper’s Three Game Balls:
3. Stewart Bradley: Becoming the pulse and leader of the defense.
2. Darren Howard: Continues to impress off of the bench as #3 defensive end.
1. Trent Cole: Raised some almighty Cain returning to the city where he played college ball at.
Honorable Mention: Broderick Bunkley, Sheldon Brown, Asante Samuel, and Joselio Hanson (Heck, how about the whole D?)
Numbers and Stats of Interest:
-The last tie in NFL history came in 2002, the Eagles last tie came oddly enough 11 years ago to the day of the Bengals game. Even more odd was that we tied the team we are due to face next Sunday, the Ravens, 10-10.
-Due to a valiant goal line stand thanks to Donovan’s fumble, the defense stopped the Bengals lone red zone attempt, while the Eagles were 1-of-2 with a touchdown from 4-yards but one field goal. But once again, the 3rd down percentage was horrid, finishing up 3-of-18 for 17%.
-The Eagles were penalized eight times for 60 yards, the most amount of yellow flags thrown against the Eagles in one game this season.
I got one more thing to say before I sign off: as stated, McNabb missed 30 passes for the game, and 14 of these misses were pass defenses by the Bengals. And despite throwing three interceptions, against a more competent team like, say, the Ravens, we would be burned alive on the mistakes.
So then, have I told you how much Andy and Marty have pissed me?
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