With the Eagles traveling to Washington to face the Donovan McNabb-led (for now) Redskins on Monday, it was ironic to see such a McNabb-esque performance yesterday from Michael Vick.
The quarterback threw almost 30 times, completing just below 60 percent of his passes, executing in the short game and launching deep bombs like few other players can. He took a few sacks, but also was masterful at evading the rush in the backfield to extend the play and find receivers downfield. He refused to make a big interception mistake, and even broke free of the containment a few times to get big first downs with his legs.
In a game where Andy Reid largely abandoned the Wildcat package and option running plays due to concerns about Vick re-injuring his ribs, we saw what a few years back would have been a typical great game from McNabb — only now we’re getting it from #7 rather than #5…
Maybe Bobby April Isn't a Genius
In the offseason Eagles fans were excited by the addition of a new special teams coach Bobby April. He was hailed as perhaps the best special teams coordinator in the league, an upgrade from Ted Daisher — even after the Eagles had the number two unit in the league last year, according to Football Outsiders.
Unfortunately, things haven’t gone quite so swimmingly and people are starting to question April’s coaching skills. But could we just have expected too much in his first year?
Let’s check out the Football Outsiders DVOA rating for special teams at each of the organizations April has coached at since 1994: …
Why Not Randy Moss in Midnight Green?
Some decisions, according to Andy Reid, are simple. For example, when you’re “in a situation where [you’ve] got an ex-superstar that now has regained his abilities,” that’s pretty obvious that you have to go out on a limb and have him start for your football team. Even if that guy isn’t the best public face, or is the best option long term — winning right now is the priority.
That’s what Reid said just a few weeks back when he promoted Michael Vick to starting quarterback over Kevin Kolb. Locker room schism, please. Future be damned. Public relations people too. Reid laughs in the face of danger, especially when he can win with someone who the rest of the NFL has written off.
So, by that same logic, why not claim Randy Moss off of waivers? …
Can Vick Inject Life Back Into the Eagles Rushing Attack?
Last week, we examined LeSean McCoy’s rapid rise and comparable numbers to Brian Westbrook through the first five games of 2010. However, while most of the focus over this bye week is on the quarterback controversy, McCoy has followed up his brilliant opening with two straight lackluster rushing performances.
As always, the question is why? Is he wearing down from all the carries? Are defenses keying in on him?
Looking first at McCoy’s workload, week by week, we can see that he’s catching more passes and getting more rushing opportunties over the last 4 weeks: …
Chronic Defensive Meltdowns? Cool It.
No one enjoyed the Eagles collapse late in the game on Sunday (except Kenny Britt, I suppose). It was brutal in its historic ineptitude.
But I’ve already seen, in multiple locations, this notion that the Eagles have been chronically bad late in the game. Is that a real trend or just the delusional musings of a couple of reactionary fans? Turns out, it depends how you look at it.
Start with average scoring by quarter — the Eagles and their opponents — through week seven’s fiasco: …
Riding the Hot Hand: Vick or Kolb?
The question of who to start as quarterback never gets answered in Philadelphia. Six months ago it was “McNabb or Kolb;” now we’ve moved on to “Kolb or Vick.”
Six weeks into the season, we’ve seen great play from both Kevin Kolb and Michael Vick. And while Kolb is still likely the long term franchise QB, it’s no longer clear who gives the Eagles the best chance to win on any given Sunday. The question may be moot this weekend when Vick likely will not have recovered fully from his rib injury, but after the Eagles’ by in week eight, head coach Andy Reid will have to make a choice.
Perhaps we can get a leg up on this decision by examining how well the two quarterbacks have done so far …
Is LeSean McCoy Progressing Faster Than Brian Westbrook?
Does that mean McCoy has progressed a year faster than his predecessor? Not necessarily. First of all, McCoy was coming from the advantage of a big time college football at the University of Pittsburgh. Westbrook, on the other hand, was making the leap to the NFL from D1-AA at Villanova. He was fighting an uphill battle to even make it in this league.
Second, we don’t know that Westbrook couldn’t have taken on a bigger load earlier like McCoy did. #36 entered the league when the Eagles already had two capable backs in Duce Staley and Correll Buckhalter. Andy Reid didn’t need to rush him along like he did with McCoy.
So, all that aside, what if we do want to compare the early Westbrook years with what we’re seeing from McCoy? Ultimately I think you have to compare Westbrook’s 2004 season, his first as “the man,” to McCoy’s 2010. And looking at the actual numbers, you can see a pretty obvious trend…
Nate Allen's Quietly Historic Rookie Start
Before the season there was plenty of idle speculation about the Eagles first round pick, Brandon Graham, and whether he might capture the defensive rookie of the year award. Unfortunately, while Graham has shown tremendous promise, he hasn’t been any kind of immediately dominant force.
However, much more quietly, the Eagles second round pick, Nate Allen, has proven he deserves to be in the conversation for best defensive rookie — if not the best rookie safety in recent NFL history.
You might be shocked by this statement. Has Allen really been that good? Actually, through the first five weeks, he’s put up disruptive numbers that match or better almost every other rookie safety of the last 30 years…