Eagles front office nabs DE Darrly Tapp

Wednesday March 17, 2010 • Leave a Comment 

After nesting up for the early part of the free agency period the Eagles front office woke up and spread it wings yesterday making a pair of moves that it hopes will help solidify two positions.

While he doesn’t bring the explosiveness or name value of Jullius Peppers, who signed with Chicago, Darryl Tapp looks to be a solid addition to the Eagles front four.

Tapp, who the Eagles acquired in a trade with Seattle for Chris Clemons and a fourth round pick, was a second round pick in 2006 and played in 65 games for the Seahawks.

Now Tapp will not provide nearly the sack production as Trent Cole, but he has been solid in his career against the run. Last year Tapp had 49 tackles to go with 2.5 sacks. Clemons never really fit into the Eagles system and was used as a reserve last season, finishing the year with 11 tackles and three sacks.

The other news coming out of Philadelphia was that the Eagles signed an offer sheet for Saints running back Mike Bell. With Reggie Bush and Pierre Thomas already in the fold for next year it would be a surprise for the Saints to match.

Bell had some success when given the opportunity in New Orleans and should be a nice compliment to LeSean McCoy. Bell rushed for 654 yards and five TDs last season, though he did average just 3.0 yards per carry.

By no means did the Eagles make themselves Super Bowl front runners with their actions on Tuesday, but they did fill in a couple of holes, which is a start. Not everything can be fixed in a draft so some action was needed. The thought by many is that the Eagles will turn their focus in the early stages of the draft to the safety position and look to add depth on the offensive and defensive lines, as well as linebacking core in the later rounds.

What will happen with the logjam at the quarterback position is anybody’s guess.

But at least for a day, the Eagles front office showed that they are, in fact, awake.



No moves for Flyers, how about Eagles?

Wednesday March 3, 2010 • 1 Comment 

Wiht the NHL trading dealine now oast us it’s time to tunr our focus to the FL free agent market, which opens up at 12:01 a.m. on Friday. There is not as much out there this season as the uncapped year has forced many would be unrestricted free agents to become restricted. That means if teams want to aqcuire any of these players they must be willing to fork over mega bucks as well as draft picks.

Not every deal will be so difficult though. Player with more than six years in the league have the right to become free agents, meaning there is still talent in the free agent market.

SI.com’s Don Banks recently chronicled the top 10 free agents and where they will – and should – land. The Eagles were mentioned for two high profile players, defensive end Julius Peppers and running back Darren Sproles.

Bellow are exceprts:

Julius Peppers, defensive end

Where he will sign: Washington — The Redskins are poised to come after the ex-Panthers franchise player with their go-to combination of Daniel Snyder’s private jet and a Brink’s truck, which seems to work every time. Washington has been signing the biggest available fish in free agency for so long now we really can’t remember when the Redskins weren’t the market setters.

The Bears have money to spend too, and with no picks in the first two rounds of the draft (see Jay Cutler and Gaines Adams trades), they’re motivated to make something happen in free agency. The Eagles may not match dollars with Washington or Chicago, but if Peppers wants to play for a winner, Philly offers an opportunity the Redskins and Bears can’t dangle or duplicate.

Where he should sign: New England — If Peppers is serious about wanting to approach greatness and try his hand rushing the passer as a 3-4 outside linebacker, his best shot to realize those goals is with the Patriots. New England won’t throw the biggest contract at Peppers, but Adalius Thomas aside, its biggest free-agent acquisitions usually prosper from the move to Foxboro.

Darren Sproles, running back

Where he will sign: Washington — The Chargers came to the conclusion that as a situational back, Sproles wasn’t worth the $7 million-plus price tag he was in line for if they tendered him as a restricted free agent. But Mike Shanahan covets him from his days competing against San Diego in the AFC West, and the Redskins have been known to overpay for skill players in free agency (Antwaan Randle El and Brandon Lloyd come to mind).

Where he should sign: Philadelphia — The Eagles are reportedly interested, and if so, Sproles would fill the third-down back/return man role quite nicely. With no Brian Westbrook around to throw the ball to any more, the Eagles would let Sproles inherit the same role he enjoyed his greatest success with in San Diego. The Eagles have LeSean McCoy to carry the rushing load, and Sproles would add yet another electrifying young playmaker in Philly.

I think most Eagles fans would be happy with each player coming to town. The Eagles have long been searching for a stud end to put on the opposite side of Trent Cole and Peppers would do the job. The issue there will be the money.
As for Sproles, he would be a great compliment to McCoy, and would give the Eagles another dangerous return man to go with their already stacked unit. This will be an interesting free agency for sure.



Brian Westbrook says we will not retire

Wednesday February 24, 2010 • 1 Comment 

Brian Westbrook made one thing clear yesterday: Just because his career as an Eagle is over, doesn’t mean his career in the NFL is as well.

Westbrook said that he will not be retiring and is looking forward to the next chapter of his playing career.

“My plan is not to retire,” Westbrook told the Associated Press. “My plan is to continue to play football. I’ve already started training for next season. That doesn’t necessarily mean there are teams that will pick me up … I’m going to put all my effort into [returning]. I will make a return to the NFL. It will just not be with the Philadelphia Eagles.”

You can read all of Westbrook’s comments in this article on philly.com.

Plagued by injuries throughout his career, Westbrook suffered a pair of head injuries last season that had many wondering if he would ever play again. Even when Westbrook did play last season he wasn’t himself.

The Eagles owed the veteran running back 7.5 million, a price much too high to pay someone on the downside of his career with major injury concerns. That’s led the team to make a move tha,t although unpopular by many of the fans, is the right one from a business sense.

This goes beyond business though. Westbrook said that he may have been willing to take a pay cut to stay with the team but was never approached about doing so. He was released before the topic ever came up. That tells me that the main purpose of this deal was to move past Westbrook and put LeSean McCoy in a full-time starting role.

McCoy certainly has big shoes to fill. It will interesting to see how McCoy’s stats will compare with Westbrook’s next year – wherever he ends up.



Making the case: Kevin Kolb for starter in 2010

Wednesday January 13, 2010 • 2 Comments 

Though his sample size was small (two games) and the defenses he faced weren’t the greatest (Chiefs and Saints), Kevin Kolb’s two performances as the starting quarterback for the Eagles this season should not be overlooked.

In that limited sample he became the first quarterback to pass for 300 yards or more in his first two NFL starts. That’s right, he did something that not even Peyton Manning, Joe Montana or Dan Marino can lay claim to.

Don’t get me wrong, I am not saying Kolb is the next great quarterback in the league, but he certainly looks capable of running an NFL offense.

The Eagles drafted Kolb with the 36th overall pick in the 2007 draft (traded with the Cowboys to get that pick). Next season he will enter the final year of his four-year rookie contract. That is the same year that McNabb’s contract is set to expire.

Needless to say, the Eagles are on the clock.

People who clamor for McNabb to remain the Eagles starting quarterback point to his incredibly strong arm and his ability to get the deep ball to DeSean Jackson. While Kolb may not have quite the rocket hanging off his shoulder, he showed the ability to throw – and put touch on – a 64-yard touchdown pass to Jackson against the Chiefs In the same game he had a nice intermediate route pass to Brent Celek that turned into a 35-yard score.

I understand that his best performance came against one of the worst defenses in the NFL, but Kolb has no control over the schedule. Who’s to say he couldn’t have doe the same against the Raiders when McNabb led the team to an awful 9-point showing?

The Eagles gave up a lot to draft Kolb, notably a first-round pick the rival Cowboys. There is no way Kolb and his agent would sign onto an extension in the last year of his contract if he is not promised a chance to at least compete for the starting job. That means the Eagles would risk losing Kolb next offseason without truly knowing how good he can be.

In addition, trading Kolb this offseason would likely net a value far less than the Eagles gave up. Though he is young and there are several teams in the market for a quarterback any packages for him would likely begin no higher than a third rounder.

The Eagles front office has done a great job stay competitive while also getting younger. Their receivers are young, they have a young running back n LeSean McCoy and there is plenty of youth on the defensive side of the ball. This team has a chance to grow and improve together.

All that is missing is a young, talented quarterback.

Kevin Kolb is that man.



Athlete of the Decade #2 Donovan McNabb

Wednesday December 30, 2009 • Leave a Comment 

Donovan McNabb was not a popular choice when he was selected in the 1999 draft with the #2 overall pick.  He played in nearby Syracuse, but for some reason Eagles fans had their hearts set on Ricky Williams.  It is somehow fitting that since that critical pick, the Eagles have ranked near the bottom of the league in average rush attempts per game, but have also been one of the most successful franchises in the league, largely in part to McNabb’s efforts from the quarterback position.

Andy Reid made no secret of the fact that he preferred a passing offense, as was evidenced when he introduced the West Coast Offense to this traditionally smash mouth, run it up the middle NFC East brawler of a franchise that had limited success under Rhodes, Kotite, Ryan, Campbell, Vermiel, and so forth, with the normal claim to fame being a dominant defense.  This was a team that was in the top ten in scoring only 6 times over the thirty years prior to McNabb, but has been in the top ten in scoring 6 times in the 10 years WITH McNabb, including setting new records for point production in 2002, 2008 and 2009.   Reid, with the help of  defensive guru Jim Johnson did not abandon the teams defensive roots, and has ranked in the top 5 league wide in points allowed five of the past ten seasons as well while making this upgrade to the offense.

McNabb has become the franchise leader in career wins, pass attempts, pass completions, passing yards, and passing touchdowns, passing notables such as Ron Jaworski and Randall Cunningham in the process.  Still, in this city, the toughest place on the planet to play professional sports, and being a starter at the toughest position, McNabb has never gotten the respect I feel he deserves.   This year may be the year he gets his revenge as he has led the Eagles to a mid season 6 game winning streak and now holds the chance to win at Dallas this wekeend and clinch the 6th NFC East division title in his 10 years behind center.

Ricky Williams ?  11,000 yards and 69 touchdowns, in 114 games rushing and receiving, certainly not bad for a running back in this league.

But McNabb ??  32,000+ yards passing with 240 touchdowns including passing and rushing, and the owner of the all time lowest interception ratio in league history. Even at 6′2″ and 240+ pounds, McNabb has been somewhat injury prone, only starting every game in 5 of his ten+ seasons, but this is not a conditioning issue, more his style of play. Simply put, McNabb leaves it all on the field.

Remember also, McNabb for the majority of his career has had little support. Until this year.  Only Terrell Owens in 2004 and Kevin Curtis in 2007, have reached 1,000 yards in a season, and only Owens had more than 10 touchdowns in a single year.  But McNabb still holds the yardage and touchdown records here.  In his draft class, he is third best behind Manning and Brady who had top receivers like Marvin Harrison and Randy Moss to throw to for years.

He rushes less now but still has over 3,000 career rushing yards and 25 touchdowns which ranks him in the top ten of quarterbacks all time.  More importantly, he led the team to 4 consecutive NFC East Championships and a Super Bowl.

He also created some of the most famous plays in Philadelphia sports history, including the now infamous 4th and 26 play against the Packers with 1:12 to play in the 2003 NFC championship game and no timeouts, when he scrambled for nearly 6 seconds before converting on a pass to Freddie Mitchell, and the nearly as famous 2002 game against the Cardinals that he finished with a broken leg and a 103.8 QB rating completing 20 of 25 for 255 yards and 4 touchdowns in the win.

McNabb has long been known to be as dangerous a passer when flushed from the pocket as anyone to play the game, and may actually be a better quarterback once he leaves the pocket, a fact that has frustrated and stymied many defenses since he arrived in the league.   He also seems to possess a 6th sense that tells him at times when a defender is appproaching, allowing him to create plays outside of the regular playbook.

Even if he never wins a Super Bowl, he will leave the team as the leader in nearly every statistic possible.

This may be the year for McNabb to finally get his ring.    He has 4 of the best recievers he has ever had playing at one time, DeSean Jackson has surpassed 1000 yards, has a league leading yards per catch average and could break the 10 touchdown barrier with one more long catch, Brent Celek is nearly as good with 875 yards and 8 touchdowns, and Jeremy Maclin and Jason Avant and Reggie Brown round out a very strong recieving corps.  McNabb also has the best support on the line of scrimmage he has seen in his career, with Westbrook, McCoy and Weaver combining for a powerful 1-2-3 punch the likes of which the team has never seen.  All three backs are also available for screens, which constitutes a large part of the Eagles playbook.

If the Eagles beat the Cowboys next week, they may carry the two seed in the NFC into the playoffs, get a bye, and a home game, and have only one real contest that will challenge them before going to the Super Bowl.   This may be McNabb’s best shot to get it done.  He is sore and has some hamstring pain and tightness, but overall, he is in the best shape of his career at this stage of a season with the strongest supporting cast behind him I can remember.

One thing is certain, if McNabb acheives the ultimate, bringing a Super Bowl trophy to Philadephia, the fans will have to finally accept his greatness and give him that respect he has sought since he entered the league.  And maybe then we can forget about Ricky Williams, and Michael Vick and the wildcat, and all the other distractions, and just enjoy a great champion quarterback for a change !



Vick redeems himself in return to Atlanta

Sunday December 6, 2009 • Leave a Comment 

The Eagles finally broke out of their fall doldrums and thoroughly dominated todays opponent.  They only led 13-0 at halftime, largely in part to penalties that called back several scores, and their own inability to finish drives.   Only a determined goal-line stand to close out the first half and keep it from being a one score game provided them with needed momentum as they came out in the second half with the first possession.

Michael Vick was welcomed back to Atlanta with a combination of applause and boos, then proceeded to silence his detractors by scoring his first touchdown of the year on a 5 yard plunge in the third quarter to give the Eagles a 20-0 lead.   Early in the fourth quarter he followed that up with his first long completion of the year with a 43 yard pass to Reggie Brown.

After contributing a mere 55 yards of offense through the first 9 games, he had 71 yards by early in the fourth quarter and then was handed the ball as the Eagles led 27-0 and Reid decided to sit McNabb for the remainder of the contest.  Shortly after that Vick completed his first touchdown pass of the season on a 5 yard pass to Brent Celek to stretch the lead to 34-0 as McNabb cheered him on from the bench.

McNabb looked fairly sharp, buoyed by the superlative running and catching of fullback Leonard Weaver including a 4 yard touchdown he retrieved off his shoelaces and a 59 yard catch and gallop on the ensuing drive.   The Eagles still had a little trouble putting it away, with 1 touchdown and 2 field goals on their first four possessions inside the 20, with Akers both setting a record for most consecutive field goals, followed by missing a field goal to break the Eagles consecutive streak of red zone possessions with a score this year.

The Eagles defense, particularly Trent Cole, harrassed Chris Redman all day long rendering him virtually ineffective.  The majority of his balls were tipped, batted down or nearly picked off.   Sheldon Brown put questions about his sore hamstring to rest with a 83 yard interception return for a touchdown on a 4th and 2 the Falcons tried after converting 2 of their first 3 fourth down attempts.  Jones followed shortly thereafter with his own interception and tip toe down the side line to put the Eagles in scoring position once again.

McNabb ended the day going 14-25 for 238 yards and a touchdown completing passes to 6 receivers in his 3 plus quarters of play and having 2 rushes for 17 yards, earning a QB rating of just over 100.

Vick lost the chance to play nearly a full quarter as he injured a thumb on a running play and was replaced by the equally capable Kerry Kolb.   The Eagles did not seem to care who was at quarterback position, just as they seemed not to care they were playing without many key players, including running back Brian Westbrook, Kevin Curtis, and DeSean Jackson.

4 Eagles shared running duty with a 4.0 or better yard per carry average, 3 guys suited up at QB, and Jeremy Maclin and Reggie Brown subbed for DeSean and Kevin catching the long balls and converting on third downs to keep drives alive.  Macho Harris showed great promise taking on one on one pass coverage assignments against Falcons tight end  Gonzalez with good results.  McCoy did not see significant action for the first time in a few weeks, but it seems that that is the norm with these Eagles; anytime a player is down and out, another previously unsung athlete steps in to fill his shoes.  It makes the Birds a truly tough team to scout, especially as the various players all bring a decidedly different playing style to the field.

I believe this all starts with the coaching staff, evident when McDonough stepped in to replace Jim Johnson after his unexpected and tragic death earlier this year.  The defense showed little if any disruption at the change and have gotten to be more and more asolid as a group as the season has developed.   The Eagles showed they understand the value in this coaching staff as well, announcing shortly before the game that they were very close to signing a significant contract extension with head coach Andy Reid; sources say this deal could be conclued within the week.

The Eagles defense nearly earned their first shutout of the season, before a late meaningless drive capped by a fluke double deflected pass resulted in a touchdown for the Falcons as time expired and they settled for a 34-7 victory.  This ran their record to 8-4 and put them in position to work their way into a tie with the Cowboys for the NFC East, if the Giants beat them later today.   Meanwhile the Redskins were beating the undefeated Saints with 2 minutes to go as the resiliant NFC East conference reared it’s head and showed why most years two or three of the best teams in the conference come from their ranks.  The Saints came back to tie it up, and the game was undecided at the time of this post.

It looks like the final four weeks are going to be a lot of fun to watch, and fiercely competative as well !



Eagles control their own destiny, notch 2nd win in a row.

Sunday November 29, 2009 • 1 Comment 

The Eagles dominated every single offensive and defensive category in todays game and in the process managed to just barely win.  They had more total plays of offense, more yards passing, more yards rushing, had better yards per pass and rush attempt, had more time of possession, better 4th down efficiency, allowed fewer turnovers, and barely escaped with a win !!

Yes they were not as good on third down, thanks to the Redskins being unnaturally good at that, but they did everything they could to give the Redskins the game until the 4th quarter, from the initial onsides kick they misplayed, allowing Washington to have a 24 yard field, quickly shortened to a 19 yard field with the 5 yard penalty, to repeatedly being called for offensive penalties that negated many of their better plays.

They had a touchdown called back that turned into a field goal, they brought Vick in every time the offense gained any momentum and he promptly disrupted the rhythm of the game, they had countless passes dropped including three in a row by Brett Celek, they lost DeSean Jackson after another touchdown catch due to injuries,  yet they won the game to go to 7-4 and put their fate in their own hands for the first time all season.  Jackson’s catch was his shortest of the year, a mere 35 yards.  This guy is clutch and the best reciever we have had in years, and I hope he is recovered in time for next weeks contest !

Simply put, if the Eagles win out, and beat the Giants and Cowboys in their final meetings, they win the division.

If they beat the Giants and Cowboys and win 1 of their other three remaining games, they will win at least the wild card.

A couple positive observations, the one two punch of McCoy and Weaver was productive for the second week in a row.   The halfback/fullback tandem rushed for 120 yards on 23 carries and Buckley came through with the first touchdown of his NFL career to pull the Eagles within 2.  Then McCoy performed a balancing act to tie the game up with the 2 point conversion allowing Akers to win it with his field goal on the ensuing drive as the Eagles scored 11 unanswered in the fourth quarter for the win.  Assante Samual overcame an average first half with 2 interceptions to keep the Eagles in the game.  And the Eagles finally appeared able to convert a third and short with their running game, a quality they had been seriously lacking over the past 6 weeks.

Through the first three quarters fans had to be worrying about the Eagles repeatedly driving the length of the field and having to settle for field goals.  A 90 yard 10 play drive for the tying touchdown followed by a 10 play drive for the go ahead field goal hopefully put some of these qualms to bed, at least until next week.

One can only hope Reid won’t overplay Vick in the reunion next week with his former team, the Atlanta Falcons.  I think enough has been seen this year to confirm the “Vick experiment” is a dismal failure, it is time to let McNabb run this team for the final 5 games, and if not satisfied with his judgement and performance, you have Kolb chomping at the bit to have a go at it next year, I repeat for the millionth time this year……WE DON’T NEED VICK !!!

OK, got it out of my system, for now, on to next week.  We dodged a serious bullet against the Redskins, hopefully we will fare better against the Falcons.



Bad outweighs the good again for Eagles

Monday November 16, 2009 • 3 Comments 

For the second straight week the Eagles suffered a defeat, this time to the San Diego Chargers, 31-23. There were a few positives from the game, mainly Jason Avant’s breakout eight-catch, 156 yards. However, the bad once again outweighed the good. Here is a brief look at what went wrong on Sunday.

-      Brian Westbrook’s season and career may be over. A second concussion in a month knocked Westbrook out of Sunday’s game. His season is almost certainly over and you have to start to wonder about his career. At some point an athlete has to start thinking about his health going forward and Westbrook may be at that point.

-      The Eagles first three trips into the red zone produced just three field goals. One of the trips included a 1st-and-goal at the one.

-      Donvan McNabb passed the ball 55 times. Yes, the Eagles were trailing and had to throw more late, but that doesn’t excuse running the ball just 13 times.

-     LeSean McCoy was on the field for only two plays in the first half. The guy is a weapon. Even when Westbrook was healthy, the Eagles needed to find a way to get him on the field more.

-      Just two sacks, and no interceptions or forced fumbles for the Eagles defense. The banged up unit put up little fight against Phillip Rivers and LaDainian Tomlinson.

-      In case you haven’t heard, the Eagles can’t cover tight ends. That continued as Antonio Gates racked up seven catches for 78 yards, His biggest catch came on a 3rd-and-6 on the Chargers 42 with 4:54 left. Gates made a 17-yard reception that se the Chargers up for a field goal and worked the clock down to virtually nothing.

 There is a sampling of why the Eagles last their second straight. Feel fee to add to it.



Wesbrook out tonight against Cowboys

Sunday November 8, 2009 • Leave a Comment 

Eagles running back Brian Westbrook will be inactive in tonight’s contest against the Dallas Cowboys. This is a big reversal from earlier in the week when Andy Reid said Westbrook was improving enough to start this week.

With Westbrook out, the workload will go to rookie LeSean McCoy, who has been impressive in two starts this season.  Leonard Weaver, who had a long touchdown run last week, will also see a larger role.

Not having Westbrook will be a big blow as the Eagles are facing a Cowboys team that has won three straight and is tied for first in the NCF East at 5-2.

Westbrook suffered a concussion two weeks ago in the Eagles 27-17 win over the Washington Redskins.



Westbrook ready to run wild on Cowboys

Wednesday November 4, 2009 • Leave a Comment 

Philadelphia Eagles coach Andy Reid announced today that running back Brian Westbrook should be able to play on Sunday when the Eagles host the Dallas Cowboys in NCF East action.

Westbrook suffered a head injury two weeks ago against the Redskins and missed the Eagles 40-17 beat down of the New York Giants last Sunday.

If he does indeed return, Westbrook will once again be the featured back meaning, LeSean McCoy goes back to being a change-of-pace runner.

McCoy played well filing in for Westbrook, breaking off a 66-yard touchdown run that helped seal the win.

The question is: Will Reid commit to the run again this week?

Sunday’s matchup is a big one as both teams are tied atop the division at 5-2. Having Westbrook healthy adds another weapon that will go against the Cowboys’ 10th ranked defense. Expect Dallas to come out firing after being eliminate from the playoffs – and embarrassed – 44-6, on the last day of the 2008 season.

Whether it is the Eagles who lead early or the Cowboys, the Birds cannot abandon the run, as they do so often.

Westbrook will be back, now he just needs Reid to call his number!



Westbrook won’t start against G-men

Sunday November 1, 2009 • 2 Comments 

The Eagles are about to go up against their primary NFC East competition and they will be doing it without Brian Westbrook, who is still feeling symptoms from last weeks concussion.

I applaud this move on the part of Reid, the coaching staff and Jeff Lurie.  While the Eagles have a much better record playing with their star running back over the past decade, they have a perfectly good replacement in McCoy.  It probably didn’t hurt that commish Goodell was recently involved in hearings regarding concussions and their long term effects on NFL players but I believe this would have been the decision no matter what.  The Eagles have a reputation for being conservative both in their play calling and personnel decisions.

What that means is that today’s game will essentially rest on the performance of Donovan McNabb and his two key receivers, Jackson and Macklin.  The Eagles need this win to keep their NFC East record undefeated.  A win will say a lot about how they match up the remainder of the year.  They beat the Giants twice last year, and rarely does one NFC East team go 3-0 or 0-3 against a direct competitor.  Even when a team is down and out, this division is so tough, to win three in a row is rarely done.  Add that to the fact that the Giants have lost 2 in a row after starting the year 5-0 and it is more improbable the Eagles can pull this off.

If Donovan brings his A game, the Eagles will win a close one, in the 30-29 scoring range.  If Donovan is ineffective the Giants can blow this one out.  The Eagles traditionally start slow, so it might be the second quarter before we see how this one will play out.  I personally think McNabb will pass for 300 yards and three touchdowns, Witherspoon will have 3-4 sacks and a takeaway and Assante Samuel will pick Eli twice as the defense steps up to help the Eagles win a close one in Philadelphia to set the stage for the second game being hosted in the city of brotherly love, World Series game 4 where the Phillies NEED the victory to have any hope of defending their title.



Brian Westbrook to be game-time decision

Thursday October 29, 2009 • 1 Comment 

Eagles running back Brian Westbrook will be a game-time decision for Sunday’s contest against the New York Giants, announced had coach Andy Reid on Wednesday.

Westbrook has not practiced all week after a head injury knocked him out of the Eagles 27-17 win over the Redskins on Monday Night Football.

The Eagles head trainer sad that Westbrook’s eyes cleared up soon after the play that knocked him out and that he remembers everything that happened. Right now he is still dealing with headaches, though.

If Westbrook can not go it will be LeSean McCoy that gets the start.

I think the Eagles should and will use caution on this one and give Westbrook the week off. The NFL is already taking heat from congress about concussions and other head injuries NFL players have suffered and the league, so you can bet the league will pressure teams to chose the safe-side of things.’

I think many fans would also be a little excited over the thought of McCoy starting against the Giants. The first-year back out of Pitt had an impressive preseason and has played well in spurts when Westbrook has been out. In his lone start against Kansas City, McCoy rushed for 84 yards on 20 touches with a touchdown

Facing a tough Giants defense, McCoy could make a big statement that he is in fact the Eagles future at the position.

DEPTH: The Eagles signed running back P.J. Hill off the Saints practice squad on Wednesday. Hill was signed by the Saints as a rookie free agent out of Wisconsin. He scored three touchdowns and had 128 yards on 26 touches in the preseason.



Eagles back with pack in NFC East race

Monday October 26, 2009 • 1 Comment 

The Eagles started their first MNF appearance of the season with a bang.  It came in the form of DeSean Jackson running virtually untouched for a 66 yard end around touchdown and 7-0 lead on the opening drive.  On Saturday I would have guessed this would be a close game but by gametime 8:42 EST Monday night it was obvious the Eagles had arrived in our nations capital with something to prove.

It seemed evident that Reid heard the criticisms as he came out running, with Westbrook, McCoy and Weaver all seeing action early.  Eagles fans held their collective breath when Westbrook went down early after a short gain.

Will Weatherspoon, playing in his first game after coming over from the St Louis Rams, picked off a tipped pass by Quinten Michel at the end of the first quarter and scored to make it 14-0.  On the Redskins next offensive possession the 2 defenders traded roles, with Weatherspoon stripping the ball and Michel recovering the fumble to give the Eagles offense the ball in Redskins territory.  That turnover led to an Akers field goal and a 17-0 Philadelphia lead.

The Redskins scored toward halftime, with quite a bit of help from the Eagles who committed 2 major penalties to help sustain the drive.  Then the Redskins forced the Eagles into a three and out and at 17-7 it seemed as if momentum had changed.  Then Antoine Randel El muffed the punt and the Eagles scored a quick field goal without gaining any offensive yards at all and it was back to a 20-7.

On the next drive McNabb broke two marks throwing his 200th touchdown and breaking 30,000 yards with a 58 yard bomb to DeSean Jackson for the 27-7 lead going into halftime.   This came on a 3rd and 23 and showcased exactly how capable McNabb is when he is in sync with his recievers.   DeSean became the first Eagle in 60 years to score on a 50+ yard pass and a 50+ yard rush in the same game.   Washington did recover enough to get a last second field goal and close to 27-10 going into halftime.

There was no scoring in the 2nd half until the game clock was down to 1:38 when the Redskins scored a basically meaningless touchdown after a fairly decent 78 yard drive.  The first 28 minutes of the half was the Eagles playing safe and protecting the lead, and the Redskins getting great field position but being so inept at all aspects of football they stopped themselves as frequently as the Eagles defense did.   Every few minutes another player went down and fortunately for Eagles fans most of the attrition was players in red and gold.  With the exception of Westbrook and his concussion early, the Eagles escaped tonights game relatively intact.

 Jason Campbell dropped back 48 times and got sacked 6 times and hit the ground 26 times overall.  The Redskins kept playing and trying to score til the end, but the Eagles also kept coming and harrassing Campbell like they were protecting a 3 point lead instead of a 17 point one.   The final score was 27-17 but the game was no where near that close at any time from the middle of the first quarter on. 

The win closed the NFC East front runners back into a pack, especially in light of New York’s loss yesterday.  Now the Eagles, Cowboys and Giants are all tied with 2 losses apiece, with the Giants having a half game lead overall by virtue of not having their bye week yet. 

Next Sunday the Eagles continue their quest for NFC East dominance when they face those NY Giants who now have a two game losing streak.  Next weeks game has gone from a traditional rivalry to potentially a contest to decide the NFC East leader at mid point of the season.  The Redskins may be done early as they play one of the toughest schedules in the conference for the rest of the season.

Next Sunday will be Philly/New York, in football and then in baseball as the Phillies face the Yankees after the Eagles-Giants  game 6 days from tonight.  If they both win their respective games, that will be a great night in Philadelphia sports history.



No McNabb, No Westbrook, No Problem !

Sunday September 27, 2009 • Leave a Comment 

The Eagles started off strong against the Kansas City Chiefs today, with LeSean McCoy having a strong first quarter and scoring his first NFL touchdown on the Eagles second possession for a 7-0 lead.  Kolb stood in there and completed several key throws and Vick looked to be largely ineffective in his limited snaps in wildcat.  Kolb hit DeSean Jackson for a 43 yard completion on the third offensive drive.  Kolb then leapt in for HIS first rushing TD as an Eagle to stake the Birds to a 14-0 lead.

The defense made up for their loss of concentration against the Saints by coming early and often against returning QB Matt Cassell.  Sheldon Brown and Assante Samuel did a good job of filling the holes left by Eagles defensive mainstay Brian Dawkins, and the defense in the first half looked as good as I have seen it in several years.  They held the Chiefs to 0 yards in the first quarter with ferocious pursuit of the ball and an unrelenting rush on Matt Cassell.  By the start of the second quarter, you could tell the Eagles D smelled the blood in the water !

The Chiefs used a trick play late in the first half to make their first foray deep into Eagles territory with a wide reciever pass thrown across the field for a 27 yard gain, Reid smartly called a timeout to allow him time to look at the play, which could have been a trapped ball, to see if it was worth throwing in the red flag to have it reviewed.  Bradley made a circus catch of a Cassel pass to cut the Eagles lead to 14-7.

DeSean Jackson quickly responded on the Eagles next play, going 64 yards for the touchdown.  21-7 Birds, just like that !

Brent Celek was equally effective at Tight End, and Kolb had Jeremy Maclin open for a TD right before halftime but he threw behind the rookie receiver and the Eagles had to settle for a FG to go into halftime with the 24-7 lead.

The throw to Macklin was one of the few throws the young QB did not connect on.  He came out in the second half throwing and looked strong in leading the Eagles down the field on their first possession of the second half.  The Birds only got 2 field goals on their next 4 drives  but extended thier lead and kept momentum on their side. The remainder of the second half was noteworthy only in that it was fairly uneventful.  Brent Celek sealed the deal with a 4th quarter 35 yard TD catch that put the game away at 34-7.

The Eagles starters played a solid game, no turnovers, no sacks allowed, no offensive penalties, no need for McNabb or Westbrook, no production from Michael Vick.  Kolb had another 300+ yard passing day, DeSean Jackson and Brent Celek both had solid receiving days, and McCoy had a solid day running.  I know they played the lowly Chiefs but the game was a surprising success.  The newer players all stepped up and improved on their game and the drama that is frequently evident on Sundays when the game should be relatively uneventful was not there.  Instead, these new Eagles did what they were supposed to do, when they were supposed to do it with a minimum of fuss.  The overall effect was one of confident performance and securing a victory that should have been a given, and for once, was.

One small glitch when Reid brought Garcia in for a series to wind up the game and he fumbled the exchange for the only turnover of the day. It resulted in a meaningless KC TD to close the game.  Kolb certainly appears to be ready with back to back 300 yard passing games to start his career in Philadelphia.



Brian Westbrook ready to run

Wednesday August 19, 2009 • Leave a Comment 

The most dangerous weapon in the Eagles arsenal says he will be at 100 percent when the regular season gets underway.

And no, this has nothing to do with Michael Vick.

Star running back Brian Westbrook spoke to the media for the first time this preseason on Wednesday and said that the bone spurs in his right ankle have been cleaned up and that he is ready to get going.

“My plan is to go out there,” Westbrook told the Eagles official web site, “Help this team get the playoffs, win some playoff games, and get to the Super Bowl. That’s our goal, that’s my goal as well, so I’m going to do everything I can to get back to that level of play.”

He also admitted he still has some rust to shake off after missing all of the offseason workouts prior to this week.

“I still want to continue working on my cuts; I still want to continue working on my balance, things like that,” Westbrook said to the web site. “It’s coming along. It’s one of those things where it’s a work in progress. I’m excited about being back though.”

For the Philadelphia’s sake, Westbrook needs to return to peak form and stay there throughout the season.

While there has been much buzz about rookie second-round pick LeSean McCoy, the running back from Pitt is still un-proven. McCoy figures to start the season as the primary backup to Westbrook, in part because of his impressive camp and in part to the lack of depth at the position.

Third on the depth chart is Lorenzo Booker, who saw little action a year ago. Booker came in with much fanfare as the Eagles brass talked about him playing alongside Westbrook in many formations. That never came to be and Booker finished the season with a meager 53 yards rushing on 20 carriers He was also inactive for six games.

Philadelphia decided against singing a veteran backup in the offseason, staying away from the likes of Dominick Rhodes and Warrick Dunn. The move should be a smart one if Westbrook remains healthy and McCoy proves to be as good as he has shown in the preseason. If Westbrook goes down for a prolonged period of time and McCoy takes a while to learn the nuances of the difficult West Coast offense, the Eagles chances of getting back to the NFC Championship game will be severely diminished.

For now Eagles fans should be excited by the prospect of Westbrook being at 100 percent by the September 13th opener against the Carolina Panthers. Westbrook has and will continue to be the biggest piece of the offensive puzzle.