What happened?
The Eagles played their first team offense and defense for the first quarter, and looked very good before squeaking out a win on a David Akers field goal with nine minutes to play in the fourth quarter.
The Good:
Kevin Kolb started his first preseason game as the number one quarterback, and looked good. He completed six of 11 passes for 95 yards. He also picked up 15 yards on the ground on two scrambles.
Michael Vick for most of the second quarter was solid. He completed 11 of 17 passes for 119 yards, and also rushed the ball six times for 50 yards and a touchdown.
DeSean Jackson was outstanding while he was in the game. He caught two passes for 47 yards and had a 17 yard rushing gain as well.
Jeremy Maclin picked up two catches for 32 yards.
Eldra Buckley had a good second half, rushing for 17 yards on four carries and catching two passes for 24 yards.
Riley Cooper made an impact in his first preseason game, catching three passes for 61 yards, including a 46 yard bomb in the second quarter.
The first team defense looked great as a unit. They held the Jaguars without a first down. Maurice Jones-Drew ended up with six total yards, and David Garrard looked flustered out there.
The Eagles held the ball on offense for over 40 minutes.
David Akers was 5-5 in field goal attempts.
The Bad:
Michael Vick had his poor moments as well. He fumbled twice, losing one of them, and also threw an interception in the second quarter that led to a Jacksonville field goal.
The Eagles managed to get into the red zone on their first five drives...and only got one touchdown out of those.
The offensive line struggled at times, forcing Kevin Kolb and Michael Vick to scramble.
The Ugly:
Did anyone else see the second team secondary? They made Luke McCown look like a superstar quarterback. Even Joselio Hanson looked lost out there for a lot of the game. Jacksonville's three touchdowns all came on passes of 30 or more yards.
The Breakdown:
Well, it was only the first preseason game of the year, but Kevin Kolb looked comfortable as the starting quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles. All you had to do was see his first pass of the game to know what the difference is between him and Donovan McNabb. Instead of the pass being behind DeSean Jackson or at his feet, Kolb managed to hit Jackson in stride, and the wideout took it for a 21 yard gain. The first team offense looked excellent in the two and a half drives that they were in, and the second team offense, led by Michael Vick, was solid through the first quarter.
There were a few problems, though. Kolb was great in getting the Eagles down into the red zone, but he struggled a bit when they got down there. He also locked in on a single receiver at times, and was lucky that at least one of the passes wasn't picked off. That will decrease with more starting time, and other than that Kolb was very good. He even broke two scrambles when the pressure got to him, and all in all, there was nothing to complain about on his end. LeSean McCoy could have done a little bit more, but it was the first preseason game, so I'm not going to complain much about the first team offense. They got points in both drives that they were on the field, so it was a success.
Even better was the first team offense. In his first game back from injury, Stewart Bradley looked good, and Ernie Sims was around the ball while he was in there as well. The Eagles kept Maurice Jones-Drew from recording a single rushing yard, and held him to six receiving yards on the night. It was exactly what people wanted to see from the Eagles on defense, and they looked good. The first team forced the Jaguars to go three and out on both of their drives that they took part in, and then the second team took over.
The second team defense had some issues, especially in the secondary. Joselio Hanson got beat on a double move by Troy Williamson and gave up a 73 yard touchdown, and Luke McCown had a field day against the Eagles in the second and third quarter. After seeing open field tackles by Ellis Hobbs and Asante Samuel on the first two drives, the second team secondary couldn't live up to those expectations. Hanson is supposed to be competing for a starting job, not getting burned by a wide receiver who washed out in Minnesota and was almost gone in Jacksonville, too. Brandon Graham looked ok in his first game, playing with the first and second team defense. He got pressure on the quarterback, but also needs to learn to play his position a bit better in the NFL. That will come in time, but for what I saw last night, he's going to be good.
Look, it was the first preseason game of the year. It doesn't mean much. Most of the players that were playing in the second half won't have a job next week, but some of them will. Riley Cooper looks like someone that the Eagles are going to keep around for a while, and Chad Hall is someone that is willing to do anything to make this team, and the way he's going, he will. Sure, it's preseason, and it's very, very early, but a win is a win, and seeing what I saw last night makes me very happy.
Showing posts with label It's Only Preseason. Show all posts
Showing posts with label It's Only Preseason. Show all posts
Saturday, August 14, 2010
Friday, August 28, 2009
Eagles Aftermath: Eagles-33, Jaguars-32
What happened?
Aside from the noise about Michael Vick's debut, the Eagles looked decidedly average against the Jaguars last night, with their backups pulling out a last second win.
The Good:
Jason Avant caught five passes in the first half for 92 yards.
Donovan McNabb was decent, completing 21 of 36 passes for 244 yards and a touchdown. He also threw an interception, and was charged with a fumble.
Despite the score, the first team defense looked very sharp last night. Asante Samuel was on top of things all night, making several nice tackles and grabbing an interception. He looked like he might be developing into that leader the Eagles need on defense.
Kevin Kolb honestly didn't look bad. He completed ten of 18 passes for just over 100 yards and a touchdown, and moved the Eagles down the field for the game winning field goal. Of course, he also got called for intentional grounding in the end zone on his first play, but what are you going to do?
There were no serious injuries.
The Bad:
The running game was nonexistant. LeSean McCoy led the team with 31 yards on 11 carries.
The Eagles committed eight penalties.
They also turned the ball over three times, and had a safety called against them.
The Ugly:
One of those turnovers was a 92 yard fumble return on a backwards pass from McNabb to McCoy in the second quarter.
Did I mention the running game already?
The Breakdown:
You'll notice that I didn't mention Michael Vick at all, aside from the opening statement. That's because I wasn't disappointed, or too thrilled, with his debut last night. The crowd gave him a nice hand, and he didn't look bad, but something seemed a bit off about switching quarterbacks like that. Andy's always been a coach that likes to be "cute" on the field, and I think that's what Vick is for him. It's a chance for him to be even more cute on offense. The only problem is that is can break up a good rhythm on a drive, and Vick doesn't know the system that well yet. That much was obvious last night. He still doesn't fully have his sea legs back yet, and it's understandable. More knowledge will come in time, and I'm sure Andy's got all kinds of fun plays drawn up...but I need the offense to look better before it gets cute.
There were a few glaring problems last night that I saw. The first one was the lack of a running game. LeSean McCoy just couldn't get anything going and looked off all night. If your leading runner only picks up 31 yards, then he's not cutting it. The running game should always either set up or compliment the passing game, and without it, defenses can pin their ears back and go after the quarterback. It was the same problem the Eagles had last season at times, and it looked like the same old story last night.
The other issue stems directly from the lack of a running game, and that's Andy's inability to call something other than a pass from inside the ten yard line. The Eagles had this problem last year, too. Their offense is great when they have a lot of room to work with, but once the field gets crunched down, it doesn't work so well. This is why they need a good running game, or at least someone to keep the defense honest. The first team got two shots inside the ten in the first half, and didn't run the ball once. The first time ended with a horrid looking backwards pass from McNabb to McCoy that Jacksonville returned for a touchdown. I'm not blaming McNabb for that, as far as I'm concerned, McCoy should have either caught that ball or fallen on it, just to be safe. You have to play until the whistle, kid. The second time, McNabb threw three straight passes, and the Eagles had to settle for a David Akers field goal. Yes, there was little time on the clock, but a single run couldn't have hurt. It would have been something to keep the defense honest.
At least the first team defense looked better last night. Asante Samuel was all over the field, and looked like the guy that could take charge of this defense this season. He knocked out a Jacksonville receiver at the one yard line, but Torry Holt picked up the fumble and scored. It was a great hit, but again, Asante needed to finish that play. Don't celebrate the hit until you grab the ball. He made up for it with an interception later in the first half, and overall the defense was impressive. They kept Maurice Jones-Drew under wraps for most of the first half, and had David Garrard under pressure with several nice looking blitzes. If you were just looking at the stats, you would have thought the Eagles had won in a blowout, but mistakes by the offense kept the game close.
Luckily, it's still just preseason, and these things can be worked out. However, there's only one game left before they count, and if the Eagles make these same mistakes against Carolina, then there's going to be some issues.
Aside from the noise about Michael Vick's debut, the Eagles looked decidedly average against the Jaguars last night, with their backups pulling out a last second win.
The Good:
Jason Avant caught five passes in the first half for 92 yards.
Donovan McNabb was decent, completing 21 of 36 passes for 244 yards and a touchdown. He also threw an interception, and was charged with a fumble.
Despite the score, the first team defense looked very sharp last night. Asante Samuel was on top of things all night, making several nice tackles and grabbing an interception. He looked like he might be developing into that leader the Eagles need on defense.
Kevin Kolb honestly didn't look bad. He completed ten of 18 passes for just over 100 yards and a touchdown, and moved the Eagles down the field for the game winning field goal. Of course, he also got called for intentional grounding in the end zone on his first play, but what are you going to do?
There were no serious injuries.
The Bad:
The running game was nonexistant. LeSean McCoy led the team with 31 yards on 11 carries.
The Eagles committed eight penalties.
They also turned the ball over three times, and had a safety called against them.
The Ugly:
One of those turnovers was a 92 yard fumble return on a backwards pass from McNabb to McCoy in the second quarter.
Did I mention the running game already?
The Breakdown:
You'll notice that I didn't mention Michael Vick at all, aside from the opening statement. That's because I wasn't disappointed, or too thrilled, with his debut last night. The crowd gave him a nice hand, and he didn't look bad, but something seemed a bit off about switching quarterbacks like that. Andy's always been a coach that likes to be "cute" on the field, and I think that's what Vick is for him. It's a chance for him to be even more cute on offense. The only problem is that is can break up a good rhythm on a drive, and Vick doesn't know the system that well yet. That much was obvious last night. He still doesn't fully have his sea legs back yet, and it's understandable. More knowledge will come in time, and I'm sure Andy's got all kinds of fun plays drawn up...but I need the offense to look better before it gets cute.
There were a few glaring problems last night that I saw. The first one was the lack of a running game. LeSean McCoy just couldn't get anything going and looked off all night. If your leading runner only picks up 31 yards, then he's not cutting it. The running game should always either set up or compliment the passing game, and without it, defenses can pin their ears back and go after the quarterback. It was the same problem the Eagles had last season at times, and it looked like the same old story last night.
The other issue stems directly from the lack of a running game, and that's Andy's inability to call something other than a pass from inside the ten yard line. The Eagles had this problem last year, too. Their offense is great when they have a lot of room to work with, but once the field gets crunched down, it doesn't work so well. This is why they need a good running game, or at least someone to keep the defense honest. The first team got two shots inside the ten in the first half, and didn't run the ball once. The first time ended with a horrid looking backwards pass from McNabb to McCoy that Jacksonville returned for a touchdown. I'm not blaming McNabb for that, as far as I'm concerned, McCoy should have either caught that ball or fallen on it, just to be safe. You have to play until the whistle, kid. The second time, McNabb threw three straight passes, and the Eagles had to settle for a David Akers field goal. Yes, there was little time on the clock, but a single run couldn't have hurt. It would have been something to keep the defense honest.
At least the first team defense looked better last night. Asante Samuel was all over the field, and looked like the guy that could take charge of this defense this season. He knocked out a Jacksonville receiver at the one yard line, but Torry Holt picked up the fumble and scored. It was a great hit, but again, Asante needed to finish that play. Don't celebrate the hit until you grab the ball. He made up for it with an interception later in the first half, and overall the defense was impressive. They kept Maurice Jones-Drew under wraps for most of the first half, and had David Garrard under pressure with several nice looking blitzes. If you were just looking at the stats, you would have thought the Eagles had won in a blowout, but mistakes by the offense kept the game close.
Luckily, it's still just preseason, and these things can be worked out. However, there's only one game left before they count, and if the Eagles make these same mistakes against Carolina, then there's going to be some issues.
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Eagles Aftermath: 27-25 Patriots Win
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.
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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