For the second consecutive week, the Philadelphia Eagles led their opponent going into the 4th quarter, up 31-21 a week ago in Atlanta and 16-14 yesterday against the New York Giants. In those two games, they've been outscored 29-0 in the 4th quarter. Sure, Michael Vick wasn't able to play much in either final quarter, but what about the defense, especially that secondary that the Eagles' spent so much money on in the off-season revamping? I don't care if Vick is playing or not. Up ten at the end of three, having scored 31 points, should be good enough to win the game. Yesterday's loss is excusable, as Philly just led by 2 points at the end of three and a field goal by the G-Men would have proved enough for the victory. At worst, though, Philly should be 2-1.
The good? Philly moved the ball on the Giants pretty well throughout the course of the game. Tailback LeSean McCoy had another solid game, which included a few big runs. Michael Vick spread the ball around fairly efficiently and utilized his legs on a few occasions, but only as a last resort. The special teams was sound and the run defense played better than they had been, especially in their week one game against St. Louis. Also, Philly showed an ability to come back for the third straight week, having trailed 14-0, only to take the lead at the end of three by the score of 16-14.
The bad? The Eagles failed to score touchdowns, kicking three field goals. This was especially bad when Philly had the ball inside the Giants 1-yard line on a 2nd-and-goal and failed to score six. The Eagles were also stopped short on a critical 4th-and-1 in the early part of the 4th quarter. The secondary may be full of talent and improved from last season (not saying much), but they have not appeared to be very good in the early part of the season. To go with the very average front seven, this will prove to be disastrous for the Eagles if the secondary doesn't improve this year. Finally, the pass protection has been dreadful. I wonder if Michael Vick even wants to play next week, having suffered a concussion and a broken hand these past couple weeks, and a bruised butt, I have to imagine.
Now the big question is, will Michael Vick play next week? He did break his non-throwing hand, which is good news, but it's yet to be known if he'll start against the 49ers. Whether he plays or not, the Eagles have a lot to work on, from their pass protection to their red zone offense to their pass defense to their closing out games. My advice? Run LeSean McCoy early and often to hopefully take pressure off quarterback Michael Vick. In short-yardage situations, perhaps go to back-up bruiser Ronnie Brown. Also, short slants, outs, screens will help take pressure off Vick. When the defense takes pressure off, then fire one deep for Jackson or Maclin. Vick, like Jay Cutler of the Bears, is getting hit way too much and in not being the biggest quarterback in the league, cannot take so many hits for a game, let alone a season. Sports "analysts" talked about anything less than a Super Bowl would be a disappointment for Eagles' fans. The way they've played these first three weeks, I'd just hope for a Wild Card spot in the playoffs unless they can start putting things together and improve in the coming weeks. The only good news for them right now when it comes to the playoffs is that the NFC appears to be the second weakest conference in the NFC, only ahead of the West, with the North (Packers, Bears and Lions) and South (Saints, Buccaneers and Falcons) leading the way.
The good? Philly moved the ball on the Giants pretty well throughout the course of the game. Tailback LeSean McCoy had another solid game, which included a few big runs. Michael Vick spread the ball around fairly efficiently and utilized his legs on a few occasions, but only as a last resort. The special teams was sound and the run defense played better than they had been, especially in their week one game against St. Louis. Also, Philly showed an ability to come back for the third straight week, having trailed 14-0, only to take the lead at the end of three by the score of 16-14.
The bad? The Eagles failed to score touchdowns, kicking three field goals. This was especially bad when Philly had the ball inside the Giants 1-yard line on a 2nd-and-goal and failed to score six. The Eagles were also stopped short on a critical 4th-and-1 in the early part of the 4th quarter. The secondary may be full of talent and improved from last season (not saying much), but they have not appeared to be very good in the early part of the season. To go with the very average front seven, this will prove to be disastrous for the Eagles if the secondary doesn't improve this year. Finally, the pass protection has been dreadful. I wonder if Michael Vick even wants to play next week, having suffered a concussion and a broken hand these past couple weeks, and a bruised butt, I have to imagine.
Now the big question is, will Michael Vick play next week? He did break his non-throwing hand, which is good news, but it's yet to be known if he'll start against the 49ers. Whether he plays or not, the Eagles have a lot to work on, from their pass protection to their red zone offense to their pass defense to their closing out games. My advice? Run LeSean McCoy early and often to hopefully take pressure off quarterback Michael Vick. In short-yardage situations, perhaps go to back-up bruiser Ronnie Brown. Also, short slants, outs, screens will help take pressure off Vick. When the defense takes pressure off, then fire one deep for Jackson or Maclin. Vick, like Jay Cutler of the Bears, is getting hit way too much and in not being the biggest quarterback in the league, cannot take so many hits for a game, let alone a season. Sports "analysts" talked about anything less than a Super Bowl would be a disappointment for Eagles' fans. The way they've played these first three weeks, I'd just hope for a Wild Card spot in the playoffs unless they can start putting things together and improve in the coming weeks. The only good news for them right now when it comes to the playoffs is that the NFC appears to be the second weakest conference in the NFC, only ahead of the West, with the North (Packers, Bears and Lions) and South (Saints, Buccaneers and Falcons) leading the way.
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