What happened?
The Eagles didn't look too sharp in the first preseason game, dropping it to the returning Tom Brady and the Patriots.
The Good:
Donovan McNabb didn't look all that bad, completing 11 or 18 passes for 103 yards.
LeSean McCoy looked sharp, picking up 55 yards on ten carries.
Leonard Weaver looked even better, catching a pass for ten yards and running the ball twice for eight yards.
Young Eldra Buckley was the best player on the field for the Eagles, scoring twice and picking up 79 total yards.
16 different Eagles caught passes.
No one got hurt too badly.
The Bad:
The offense didn't look sharp until the second half, when the New England second team was in.
The same goes for the defense.
The first team still looked like they needed to get some of their timing down.
The Ugly:
The offensive line needed a lot of work, as Donovan was running around and couldn't get comfortable for most of the time he was in.
The first team defense got picked apart by Tom Brady and the Patriots.
The Eagles committed eight penalties for 98 yards.
The Breakdown:
For the first preseason game, it wasn't all that bad. Yes, there were your typical timing issues and penalties, but I think those can get worked out in time. That being said, I'm still quite nervous about the offensive line and what's going to happen there, because the five supposed starters have yet to play a snap together, and some of that showed tonight.
The Eagles are hoping that Jason Peters can be the next big thing at left tackle. What they saw tonight was a guy that didn't know the counts and looked uncomfortable out there. By the time he left because of injury (nothing serious), he had let Donovan get under a ton of pressure. It's not what I'm used to out of the tackle position, and the Eagles are going to have to work with him to get his timing and blocking where it needs to be for the start of the season. It's going to have to be, because if it's not, it will be a problem. That being said, I like what the running game offered tonight. LeSean McCoy looked sharp, and I really like Leonard Weaver. I had forgotten what a good fullback looked like, but I remember now. Brian Westbrook is going to love running behind this guy, and McNabb has another safety valve.
It wasn't the best start to the preseason, as the Eagles are 0-1. Of course, it's still the preseason, so I'm not as concerned as I would be normally. There are still some things to work out and get at, but those can be taken care of in time. I still think the Eagles have one of the best teams in the NFC and can hang with anyone in the conference, but only if they can get that offensive line going like it can. That has to come before anything else right now.
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