Eagles-Cowboys Preview

Eagles-Cowboys Preview

By: Steve Johnson

QB- Both Tony Romo and Mike Vick are coming off Wins in their last games, Romo vs St. Louis, and Vick vs Washington. Vick is coming off a much needed bye week to get his offensive line healthy. Vick has hardly been the issue for the last place Eagle, while Romo has been much of the blame for the Cowboys 3 losses. If either Quarterback is given time, they will have a big game, but if the pressure is on it's hit or miss for both. Vick has been the more consistent Quarterback this year, and is waiting to have a breakout game on national television.
Advantage: Eagles

RB- Demarco Murray broke Emmitt Smith's rushing record last week going for 253 yards against the Rams, but that doesn't make him Emmitt Smith. The 253 yards was against the worst rushing defense in the league. Not to say Murray won't be a good player, but he is no Shady McCoy. This year McCoy has proved to be one of the better running backs in the league. He has three 100 yard games and 8 total touchdowns, compared to Murrays 1 Touchdown and his solo over 40 yard game.
Advantage: Eagles

WR/TE- Dez Bryant has yet to have a 100 yard game but both him and Miles Austin both have 4 touchdowns on the year, while Jeremy Maclin and DeSean Jackson have a combined 5 touchdowns. With that being said the Eagles top two Receivers have outgained the Cowboys top 2 receivers 945 yards to 662 yards. Add in Eagles 3rd WR Jason Avant, who has more yards than both Cowboys receivers, and the Eagles have the advantage.The Eagles have consistently moved the ball down the field but turnovers have killed them all year, if they can cut down on turnovers they could torch the cowboys secondary. The Eagles can man up with the Cowboys Receivers, the problem is stopping Tight End Jason Witten, who has scored in 3 straight games and is clearly superior to Eagles Tight End Brent Celek.
Advantage: Push

OL- The Eagles offensive line has been banged up all year but has been exceeding expectations and playing much better as of late. Right Tackle Todd Herremans has been the most consistent and one of the best players on the team. Getting Left Tackle Jason Peters back is huge, especially having to line up opposite of DeMarcus Ware. The Cowboys line is young and inexperienced and really are the key to this game. If the Cowboys line can't slow down the Eagles pass rush, it could force Romo into making mistakes.
Advantage: Eagles

DL- Jay Ratliff is one of the best nose tackles in the league, and Defense Coordinator Rob Ryan has Ratliff and Ends Kenyon Coleman and Jason Hatcher playing great, but they do not have half the talent the Eagles ends have. The Eagles get back a healthy Trent Cole, arguably one of the best pass rushers in the game today. Defensive Line coach Jim Washburn made adjustments in tightening his wide 9 formation to help out the Eagles weak linebackers, and it clearly made a difference shutting down the Redskins run game. Jason Babin is 5th in the league in sacks with 7.
Advantage: Eagles

LB- This position isn't even close, the Cowboys have one of the best linebacker corps in the league. Demarcus Ware is 2nd in the league in sacks with 8, and he might not even be playing the best out of this group. Second year man Sean Lee has been playing great, causing turnovers and shutting down opponents run game. The Eagles are inexperienced and don't have the awareness you expect from the linebacking position. Rookie Brian Rolle has played better than expected, and is an upgrade over Casey Matthews.
Advantage: Cowboys

DB- Everybody knows about the moves the Eagles made this offseason, but it's the moves the Cowboys didn't make that could make an impact in this game. The Cowboys needed help in the secondary and didn't make any moves. The Eagles however, signed two pro bowl caliber corners, capable of playing man coverage vs the Cowboys Receivers. The Eagles safeties have been playing better since benching Page. Kurt Coleman is coming off a 3 interception game, don't expect another one, but it did give this group and team loads of confidence.
Advantage: Eagles

Special Teams- The Cowboys have yet to find a permanent kick returner and the Eagles have yet to make a big play from theirs. Where the Cowboys have the advantage is in the kicking game. Dan Bailey has been automatic, Eagles kicker Alex Henrey has not. Dallas Punter Mat McBriar is a pro bowl caliber Punter, Eagles Punter Chas Henry is not.
Advantage: Cowboys

Prediction: Eagles 31, Cowboys 23
It's the Eagles vs Cowboys, on Sunday Night Football, on Halloween Eve, after a snowfall...in October. Expect strange things to occur.

Week 3 Random Obervations and Opinions

By: Mike Duncan

-                It is not time to panic/overreact.  The Andy Reid led Eagles are notorious for starting out slow(2-2 through 4 games five times in his 12 year tenure).  This is magnified this year by the lack of offseason camps  caused by the lockout as well as the abundance of new faces on the roster and coaching staff.  All this being said, there team deserves to be heavily criticized following two straight horrendous losses

-                Shady Mccoy is a complete stud.  His lateral movement and agility is as good as it gets.

-                Is it really surprising that the eagles have lost the past two games in which their star QB was knocked out for the 4^th quarters in close games? 

-                Any casual Eagles fan could have told you 5 weeks ago that Casey Mathews was not a starting caliber LB.  Surely NFl coaching staffs could have seen this also?  Why will it have taken 3 weeks for the staff to make a move?  Don’t expect Casey Mathews in the starting lineup vs San Francisco in week 4. 

  

-                Mike Vick was obviously not all the way back from his concussion.  He just didn’t look himself out there including an unwillingness to scramble, trying to spike the ball on 4^th down near halftime, multiple dropped snaps in both shotgun and under center, and what could be characterized as playing in a fog or daze. 

-                5 new starters on defense, a new DL coach and a new Defensive Coordinator; yet the same problems remain on defense: making stops in the redzone, LB play and the inability to make key stops late in the game.

 

-                The Eagles safeties are, at best, average.  It makes no sense to me that they should have two safeties on the field and have Rodgers-Cromartie on the sideline.  Surely Juan Castillo can come up with some type of defensive strategy to keep Cromartie, Samuel, and Nnamdi on the field at the same time on a majority of snaps. 

-                In the late 1^st/early second quarter the Eagles had a drive that started on their own 20 and ended on the Giants 2 yardline.  This drive included 8 straight runs to march up the field.  Facing a 2^nd and goal at the 2, the Eagles passed the ball the next two plays leading to a one yard loss and an incompletion ultimately leading to a field goal. 

-                Later in the game the eagles had 4 straight rushing attempts at the giants goaline and failed to score a td. 

-                At the end of the first half, the Eagles called their final timeout after a pass completion took them to the Giants 16 yardline.  Coming out of the TO, the Eagles had two false start penalties  before they could get a play off after the timeout.  They settled for a FG on that drive as well.

-                The last three points only highlight the fact that the Eagles redzone offense is extremely lacking.  Especially with a player as dynamic as Mike Vick. 

-                After failing to punch it in at the goaline on 4 straight plays, Andy Reid choose to kick a FG.  Why, after seeing the failed short yardage plays earlier and his apparent lack of faith in their short yardage game to go for it at the Giants 1 yardline,  would Andy Reid feel the need to go for it on 4^th and 1 at the Giants 45 yard line in the 4^th quarter while up 2 points?

  

-                Why wait till Mike Kafka comes into the game in the 4^th quarter to try to get the ball deep to Desean Jackson? 

-                One of the most important steps a coach can do to be successful in the NFL is to create schemes that are tailored to their players strengths and designed to hide their players weaknesses.  I don’t feel the Eagles coaches are doing a good enough job at this.  Especially on defense. 

-                When you have a player as explosive as Desean Jackson, you have to find ways to get the ball in his hands.  Where are the quick passes such as slants and screens to him that can utilize his speed and quickness.

-                Who is the leader on defense?

-                This team has too much talent to be playing this poor. 

-                Can Mike Vick stay healthy?

-                Where is the contribution from the past two eagles draft classes? 

-                If Mike Vick can stay healthy this is without question a playoff team.

Did I mention Shady Mccoy is a complete stud?

The NFL becoming "soft" is for the better of the game

Say what you want, you’re entitled to your opinion, but the NFL has become soft…and it’s for the good of the game. Ok tough guy, we get it, you’re old school, you think the players are softer than they were in the 70s. Well guess what they are and everyone knows that. But what you’re forgetting is that these players are not only bigger than they were 30-40 years ago, but they are much, much faster. The average player today is faster than the fastest player was 30 years ago, and he probably weighs 30 pounds more. The NFL is changing, and it’s making changes to protect the players you root for every Sunday. You can call these players whatever you want, it’s freedom of speech, but it does not make you tougher to question a player’s health after the hits they take. You’re watching in HD on your couch, drinking beer and eating wings and chips, but you’re tougher than the guys on the field right? Of course you are. The NFL is doing the right thing handing out fines to repeated offenders, aka “Dirty Players”. Dunta Robinson deserved that, because Jeremy Maclin did not. This isn’t an Eagles fan upset about Maclin getting hit. Maclin got right up, sat out one play, and continued to own Dunta Robinson. There is no place in the NFL for hits like that, after all it’s just a game. Maclin still held onto the ball, even after Robinson launched himself, using his helmet as a weapon…again. Robinson did the same thing last year knocking DeSean Jackson out of multiple games. Robinson was originally fined $50,000, but reduced to just $25,000 after his appeal. In a game where you players must react in milliseconds it is hard to not make a play on the ball or on the receiver. With the way the game has evolved, these players need to make it second nature not to lead with their helmets, just as the fans will have to learn that the game is changing for the better. These players aren't gladiators, they're people just like you and me. These are fathers, sons, brothers, husbands risking their lives for the entertainment of us. Without these safety changes being made, what is it going to take for fans to realize this is a good thing.  The NFL is preventing the ultimate loss, the death of a player on the field of play. The safety changes are worth it, for everyone.

Eagles-Falcons Post Game Coverage

By: Steve Johnson

Bright Spots:


Pass Rush
The Eagles defensive line dominated most of the game. Trent Cole had a field day with Sam Baker. Cullen Jenkins and Mike Patterson continued to blow up the pocket, and Jason Babin made a ton of great plays. They look like they tired down a little bit when Ryan started running a no huddle.

LeSean McCoy and Jeremy Maclin
Shady McCoy is becoming the real deal. Another great game. 18 Carries, 95 yards, 2 TDs
Jeremy Maclin 13 Rec, 171 yards, and 2 TDs
They got swagger
When asked by D Gunn post game if he think's the Eagles are better than the Falcons, they responded
"Yes, Yes, for sure. And we're gonna see them again, believe that" -Shady
"We're a better team than them, and I think they know that" - J Mac

Concerns:


Linebackers
They need to address this position. There are still guys out there that can make a larger impact than Casey Matthews. Turner was shut down other than one 61 yard run, but that's all it takes to change a game. Tony Gonzalez was Ryan's only difference maker, catching 7 balls for 83 yards and 2 TDs. This is the only real weak spot in the Eagles.

Safety
Where is Nate Allen, where is Jaiquawn Jarret? Why are the Eagles last 2 second round picks not starting. I see Allen on special teams. Is he still not 100%? I expect this position to get better with time, but I would prefer the changes to be made sooner rather than later. Unlike the Linebacker position, this can be addressed within the roster.

Mike Vick's health
I know this isn't as bad an injury as it gets, but it is some concern when the entire season rests on this man. Can Mike Vick stay healthy this season? Let's hope so. Apparently he is doing fine. He has a concussion, that will most likely keep him out next week vs New York.

Final Say
I think the Eagles played well. I think they are the better team than the Falcons, but that's the great thing about football. The weaknesses are clear on this team, but the good thing is, they can be corrected. This team is still young, and they still are not use to each other. Mike Vick needs to stay healthy and on the field. If he is in the game, the Eagles are unstoppable on offense. Next week the Giants come to town, they play Monday vs the Rams, a team the Eagles were clearly much more talented than. We'll see how talented the rival Giants are.