*The defense went with a big 3-4 look, with three down lineman and two stand-up rushers. Akeem Jordan dropped into coverage, and Ernie Sims and Nate Allen blitzed. Impossible to figure out which LBs were going to blitz, especially with Allen tacked on to that. Rodgers threw the ball into triple coverage for the pick. Here’s hoping we see that look again.
*Stewart Bradley has the speed to peel off and run with JerMichael Finley. That’s what makes hims so versatile. But he just can’t run into Finley when the ball’s in the air.
*Juqua Parker’s not dead yet, huh? Putting big pressure on opposite Trent Cole on multiple occasions. Three sacks in the first 16 minutes of the game…
Tough Loss: Breaking Down the Eagles Offense
*The Brent Celek motion-out-of-the-backfield play is going to be a big theme this season, isn’t it? But even before Celek’s supposed offensive pass interference, Kolb had two rushers in his face. How do you let two out of four rushers get to your quarterback?
*Then Kolb finally got some time to throw and forced one to Jackson that almost got picked off. Kolb wasn’t fabulous in this game, but (a) he only played a quarter and a half — during which time Aaron Rodgers wasn’t exactly lighting it up either, and (b) how do you expect a lot out of Kolb when he’s sacked on every third or fourth pass attempt?
*The Michael Vick quarterback draw play to pick up some field position yardage is something we didn’t see earlier. Although, if you keep running him up the gut, the Packers might see it coming later…
Packers at Eagles: The Big Question
It seems to me that, at the end of the day, Rodgers and the Packers are going to score points. Hopefully the revamped Eagles defense will have enough to keep the scoring from getting out of hand, but the biggest question mark going into the game is really:
Can Kevin Kolb and the offense keep up with the Packers’ high scoring attack?
Most fans seem upbeat about Kolb as we go into the season, despite his anemic preseason numbers. However, he’s going to have to light it up this Sunday — throwing his first touchdown of the year and more — if the Eagles want to win…
What is the Eagles' Most Glaring Personnel Blunder?
If 2007’s personnel blunder was not keeping veteran returner, 2008’s was not filling the fullback position. Rotating between overwhelmed running back Tony Hunt, undersized defensive tackle Dan Klecko, and mediocre fullback Kyle Eckel was uninspiring at best, and criminal at worst. Who’s surpised that Brian Westbrook began his decline so quickly that year?
Last year the mistake was less an arrogant oversight than a failure of any player to step up. When Brian Dawkins was allowed to walk in free agency, the Eagles expected either Quintin Demps or Sean Jones to fill the void. Eventually they had to revert to rookie cornerback Macho Harris at the last minute. Still, the position was hard to watch, especially as the linebacker corps in front of them imploded.
If each season seems to bring its own unique personnel mistake, what about 2010? Can we forcast the next blunder? …
The Curious Case of Macho Harris
So when Sean McDermott shifted Macho back once again to safety toward the end of camp, it would have been logical to conclude that Harris would end up as a second string player at that position. Getting cut loose entirely seemed like an unlikely proposition — his extensive playing time last season would certainly make him a positive contributor down the line.
But Macho was not only beat out for a job by rookie 7th round pick Kurt Coleman, but by a player who the Eagles had seen for a paltry three days, cornerback/returner Jorrick Calvin. How could a young player go so fast from starter to the waiver wire? Even Quintin Demps, who never even won the safety job in the first place, was kept on the roster for two full years as the Eagles hoped he would mature into a starter. Macho was a serviceable starter as a rookie. What’s the excuse for getting rid of him so early in his career? …
Kolb Watch: Week 1
Welcome to the Kolb Watch, where every week we’ll evaluate the performance of the new Eagles quarterback and what we can expect from him in the week ahead. Time to take out those tea leaves and those crystal balls — the regular season is here, and it won’t be a cakewalk for Kevin Kolb or the rest of the young Eagles team.
Recent Play: Last year in the preseason Donovan McNabb completed 60 percent of his passes, throwing for two touchdowns and one interception. His numbers for the rest of the year mirrored those stats perfectly. Kolb’s preseason this time around didn’t go nearly as well: he only completed 53 percent of his passes with no touchdowns, one interception, and five sacks. No one thinks that Kolb will do that poorly over the course of the year, but he needs to improve markedly if the team is going to win…
Eagles' Disastrous Pursuit of Injured Players
For a few years now the Eagles front office has argued that they can find good value in players coming off injured seasons. They have made free agent signings and draft picks that many regarded as possible steals, if the player could only rebound from a season-ending injury.
Perhaps this weekend’s release of tight end Cornelius Ingram and trade of guard Stacy Andrews proved once and for all that such a strategy is faulty.
Let’s look at all the injured players they’ve signed over the years…
Eagles Cuts Reveal Failure in Recent Drafts
The Eagles have always had a reputation for finding starters late in the draft. In 2005, it was Todd Herremans and Trent Cole. In 2006, they found Jason Avant, Omar Gaither, and Max Jean-Gilles. And in 2007, Brent Celek was a steal in the 5th round.
However, the 2008 and 2009 drafts didn’t produce the kind of late round starters that became routine in the middle of the decade. In fact, of their 14 picks made in the third round or later, the Eagles have zero starters to show for it. Zero. Zilch. Nada. Nothing.
And, worse than that, only three out of the 14 drafted players are even still with the team. The remaing three are in fringe places too…