So it goes when you don't run...
Run Andy Run: Intellectual Eagles Commentary
It is a blow to my ego to refer readers to Philly.com, but Rich Hoffman’s column in today’s paper pretty much sums up the Eagles.
http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/sports/12863551.htm
This team is good, not great. Last year’s dominance as a superior team is all but dead. The Birds can still return to the Super Bowl, but they’re equally as likely to go down in the first round.
Blind proponents may argue it’s just one loss, even a healthy loss that will encourage introspection over two weeks with the upcoming bye.
Wishful thinking, for sure. Yesterday’s beating was a methodical, gradual dominance from the line of scrimmage to special teams. Here are the major concerns:
DE: I loved the Kearse signing before last season, but he must be released after this year. Although he’s surely better than most DEs, Kearse was adequate at best last year, and has been awful at best this year, especially for $15 million per year. He may be a big name, and he remains impressively athletic, but he’s no more productive than Mike Mamula. Close by no sack. He’s getting pushed off the line of scrimmage, especially against the run. Never mind he went against a rookie OT. ND Kalu is also a lightweight. I have more sympathy for the DTs, for they are banged up and played merely one poor game. But the DEs have lacked pressure all season, against both the pass and run.
Despite an Izel Jenkins-like performance by Lito Sheppard, I blame the DE for most the secondary breakdowns. Without pressure, even the best secondary in the league will fail. Problems start upfront.
BIG PLAYS: Big-plays are also killing the Birds. In the past few seasons, they rarely gave up more than 30 yards. I don’t have the number off-hand, but there was an absurd statistics that last year the Birds never gave up a play more than 30 yards (or something like that). This year, they’re giving up big plays aplenty.
MCBAD: I’d like to call your attention to shameless network broadcasters who haven’t once directly criticized McBad since the Rush incident. Rush was correct: McBad is overrated. Obviously it’s not a race issue, but the bottom line persists: McBad is overrated. In the 4th quarter, Aikman said, “they couldn’t find open guys.” What a poor excuse for criticism. What does Aikman mean by “they?” It’s MCBAD. One player. And finding open guys wasn’t his problem. Hitting them has been his continuous problem. When he misfired a bomb to a wide-open Greg Lewis in the 1st quarter, there was no criticism whatsoever. Ditto last week when he overthrew two sure TDs against KC. Yesterday’s pass to 36 could’ve been caught, but it was still a poor pass, and a sure TD. McBad desperately needs surgery, and the combined stubbornness of Reid of McBad is bound to doom the season once the weather cools.
SPECIAL TEAMS: In the past five years, I cannot remember the Eagles giving up 15 to 30 yard punt returns. Forget Daunte Hall’s big play TD last week. That guy is automatic. But the Birds are consistently giving up 25 yards on field possession, and the punt is the most important play in football. I don’t blame coaching here. I blame a lack of talent/depth. Simenou and Bartrum are a far cry from Ike Reese and JR Reed.
HOPE: Optimism exists in a lesson from 2002, when Andy Reid had an equally brutal, week five loss in Jacksonville. It coerced him to revive the run game and the Birds, with a balanced offense, won nine of their next 10.
Stubborn Reid learned the same lesson in 2003, when the 3-3 Birds beat the Jets by running for 194 yards, prompting the Eagles to win eight straight with a balanced offense.
Why does Reid have to repeatedly learn the same lesson. Any viable coach (Fox, Parcells, Belichick) can easily stop this off-balanced offense. Yesterday’s loss is the result of weeks of Reid’s obsessive running attack.
I’m sorry to waste any space on this blog on baseball, but today is a joyous day in Philadelphia. I praise the Phillies for firing Ed Wade. I can now return to the ballpark.
It is a blow to my ego to refer readers to Philly.com, but Rich Hoffman’s column in today’s paper pretty much sums up the Eagles.
http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/sports/12863551.htm
This team is good, not great. Last year’s dominance as a superior team is all but dead. The Birds can still return to the Super Bowl, but they’re equally as likely to go down in the first round.
Blind proponents may argue it’s just one loss, even a healthy loss that will encourage introspection over two weeks with the upcoming bye.
Wishful thinking, for sure. Yesterday’s beating was a methodical, gradual dominance from the line of scrimmage to special teams. Here are the major concerns:
DE: I loved the Kearse signing before last season, but he must be released after this year. Although he’s surely better than most DEs, Kearse was adequate at best last year, and has been awful at best this year, especially for $15 million per year. He may be a big name, and he remains impressively athletic, but he’s no more productive than Mike Mamula. Close by no sack. He’s getting pushed off the line of scrimmage, especially against the run. Never mind he went against a rookie OT. ND Kalu is also a lightweight. I have more sympathy for the DTs, for they are banged up and played merely one poor game. But the DEs have lacked pressure all season, against both the pass and run.
Despite an Izel Jenkins-like performance by Lito Sheppard, I blame the DE for most the secondary breakdowns. Without pressure, even the best secondary in the league will fail. Problems start upfront.
BIG PLAYS: Big-plays are also killing the Birds. In the past few seasons, they rarely gave up more than 30 yards. I don’t have the number off-hand, but there was an absurd statistics that last year the Birds never gave up a play more than 30 yards (or something like that). This year, they’re giving up big plays aplenty.
MCBAD: I’d like to call your attention to shameless network broadcasters who haven’t once directly criticized McBad since the Rush incident. Rush was correct: McBad is overrated. Obviously it’s not a race issue, but the bottom line persists: McBad is overrated. In the 4th quarter, Aikman said, “they couldn’t find open guys.” What a poor excuse for criticism. What does Aikman mean by “they?” It’s MCBAD. One player. And finding open guys wasn’t his problem. Hitting them has been his continuous problem. When he misfired a bomb to a wide-open Greg Lewis in the 1st quarter, there was no criticism whatsoever. Ditto last week when he overthrew two sure TDs against KC. Yesterday’s pass to 36 could’ve been caught, but it was still a poor pass, and a sure TD. McBad desperately needs surgery, and the combined stubbornness of Reid of McBad is bound to doom the season once the weather cools.
SPECIAL TEAMS: In the past five years, I cannot remember the Eagles giving up 15 to 30 yard punt returns. Forget Daunte Hall’s big play TD last week. That guy is automatic. But the Birds are consistently giving up 25 yards on field possession, and the punt is the most important play in football. I don’t blame coaching here. I blame a lack of talent/depth. Simenou and Bartrum are a far cry from Ike Reese and JR Reed.
HOPE: Optimism exists in a lesson from 2002, when Andy Reid had an equally brutal, week five loss in Jacksonville. It coerced him to revive the run game and the Birds, with a balanced offense, won nine of their next 10.
Stubborn Reid learned the same lesson in 2003, when the 3-3 Birds beat the Jets by running for 194 yards, prompting the Eagles to win eight straight with a balanced offense.
Why does Reid have to repeatedly learn the same lesson. Any viable coach (Fox, Parcells, Belichick) can easily stop this off-balanced offense. Yesterday’s loss is the result of weeks of Reid’s obsessive running attack.
I’m sorry to waste any space on this blog on baseball, but today is a joyous day in Philadelphia. I praise the Phillies for firing Ed Wade. I can now return to the ballpark.
posted by Ellick at 1:04 AM
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