It was anything but a pretty start to the season for the Philadelphia Eagles and in particular - their offense, as with a late touchdown pass from Michael Vick to Clay Harbor, they were able to triumph over the Browns in Cleveland by the final count of 17-16. In the game, Philly turned the ball over five times, including four interceptions by Vick and were penalized 12 times for 110 yards.
In the end, Philly has to be happy with the victory, but will need to improve a great deal, especially in the crispness of their offense if they want to have a shot at beating Baltimore at home next week. It's quite something to turn the ball over five times, commit over 100 yards in penalties and be able to win a game on the road.
Quarterback Michael Vick played only 12 snaps in the pre-season and it showed. He was as rusty as meteorologists are wrong. He did wind up throwing for 317 yards and 2 touchdowns to go along with 32 yards rushing. The offensive line committed more penalties than Gene Simmons has groupies. In conjunction with that, the big uglies up front provided less protection for their quarterback than a toilet paper roll as a condom. Vick was pressured, hit, sacked and hit again...and again...and again...
But for how rusty Vick was and how atrocious the offensive line played, I think the playcalling was worst of all. Vick hardly played in the pre-season, so he was bound to be rusty. He got pressured early and often, which led to turnovers. He got knocked around behind the line like a pinata by a man on speed and steroids. What could lighten up the pressure? An effective running game and screen passes. The running game went largely neglected, though, and not for a lack of success in the off-chance standout tailback, LeSean McCoy, did get the ball. McCoy ran the ball 20 times for 110 yards (5.5 avg.). For the game, Philly ran the ball 30 times for 150 yards (5.0 avg.). But, no, Vick was called on to throw 56 passes. The guy got hurt twice in the pre-season, was getting hit time and time again, yet was told to drop back 56+ times to throw the ball, while Pro Bowl tailback, McCoy, only carried the ball 20 times. If Philly wants to protect their quarterback and be a potential playoff-caliber team, they're going to need to run a more balanced offense and protect Vick better.
A bright spot for the Eagles was their defense. Cleveland gained a total of just 210 yards, including only 111 through the air and converted just 12 first downs. They were only 2 for 13 on third-down conversions. Browns' quarterback, Brandon Weeden, completed 12 of 35 pass attempts for 118 yards and 4 interceptions - a quarterback rating of 5.1. Starting tailback, Tony Richardson, gained 39 yards on 19 carries (2.1 avg.). So while the offense sputtered, the defense more than made up for it.
Like last year, the Eagles have started their season 1-0. With a win at home against Baltimore next week, they'll be a game up on where they were at last season and 2-0 against the AFC. They'll need to work out a number of kinks on offense, though, if they want to accomplish that feat. If they thought Cleveland's defense was tough, they'll receive a rude awakening against the Raven's stout defense.
In the end, Philly has to be happy with the victory, but will need to improve a great deal, especially in the crispness of their offense if they want to have a shot at beating Baltimore at home next week. It's quite something to turn the ball over five times, commit over 100 yards in penalties and be able to win a game on the road.
Quarterback Michael Vick played only 12 snaps in the pre-season and it showed. He was as rusty as meteorologists are wrong. He did wind up throwing for 317 yards and 2 touchdowns to go along with 32 yards rushing. The offensive line committed more penalties than Gene Simmons has groupies. In conjunction with that, the big uglies up front provided less protection for their quarterback than a toilet paper roll as a condom. Vick was pressured, hit, sacked and hit again...and again...and again...
But for how rusty Vick was and how atrocious the offensive line played, I think the playcalling was worst of all. Vick hardly played in the pre-season, so he was bound to be rusty. He got pressured early and often, which led to turnovers. He got knocked around behind the line like a pinata by a man on speed and steroids. What could lighten up the pressure? An effective running game and screen passes. The running game went largely neglected, though, and not for a lack of success in the off-chance standout tailback, LeSean McCoy, did get the ball. McCoy ran the ball 20 times for 110 yards (5.5 avg.). For the game, Philly ran the ball 30 times for 150 yards (5.0 avg.). But, no, Vick was called on to throw 56 passes. The guy got hurt twice in the pre-season, was getting hit time and time again, yet was told to drop back 56+ times to throw the ball, while Pro Bowl tailback, McCoy, only carried the ball 20 times. If Philly wants to protect their quarterback and be a potential playoff-caliber team, they're going to need to run a more balanced offense and protect Vick better.
A bright spot for the Eagles was their defense. Cleveland gained a total of just 210 yards, including only 111 through the air and converted just 12 first downs. They were only 2 for 13 on third-down conversions. Browns' quarterback, Brandon Weeden, completed 12 of 35 pass attempts for 118 yards and 4 interceptions - a quarterback rating of 5.1. Starting tailback, Tony Richardson, gained 39 yards on 19 carries (2.1 avg.). So while the offense sputtered, the defense more than made up for it.
Like last year, the Eagles have started their season 1-0. With a win at home against Baltimore next week, they'll be a game up on where they were at last season and 2-0 against the AFC. They'll need to work out a number of kinks on offense, though, if they want to accomplish that feat. If they thought Cleveland's defense was tough, they'll receive a rude awakening against the Raven's stout defense.
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