Die Hard Sports Fan

A good test comes for the Eagles Offense this Monday as they head to Dallas to take on the Dallas Cowboys.  Many questions loom for The Birds’ Offense.  Can the Offensive Line give McNabb enough time to let his receivers get open?  Can the Eagles sustain enough of a rushing attack to eat up the clock and keep the Cowboys’ high octane offense off the field?  Will the Eagles receivers replicate anything near their production from last week’s game against the Rams?  Will Head Coach Andy Reid bring his “A Game” play calling to win such a big game (no onside kick to open the game please!)?

Donovan McNabb was on fire last week against the Rams.  He had nice throwing lanes to step into and release an accurate ball.  The Cowboys defense is much better than the Rams in all aspects.  The Eagles Offensive Line will need to contain dangerous players such as DeMarcus Ware, Chris Canty, Anthony Spencer, and Marcus Spears in order to be productive.  There are no doubt these players will make plays; it’s just a matter of the quantity of plays made.  The Eagles OL needs to keep the big plays made by the Dallas defense to a minimum.  Aging Tackles Jon Runyan and Tra Thomas could have trouble with the younger and quicker Dallas Defense.  That could be a problem for McNabb.  He will need to be the “calm, and at peace McNabb”, not the “pumped up, throwing the ball over receivers’ heads McNabb”.  I would expect the Eagles to counter the aggressiveness of the Cowboys front seven by calling various types of screens and passes to Brian Westbrook and the other running backs.  An early benefit from this strategy would be to get McNabb into a rhythm and confident as he makes a few completions to guys out of the back field. 

If there was ever a game where the Eagles receivers and tight ends needed to step it up a notch, this would be the game.  Having receivers successfully get open and who can help move the chain is a must for this game.  I don’t see the Eagles receivers playing at the level they did last week against the Rams.  I think the Eagles’ wide-outs took the Rams by surprise but Dallas will be more mindful of their playmaking ability.  First, the Dallas front seven should do a better job of throwing off the timing of the Eagles offense.  Next, the Cowboys have better depth and talent at the Secondary positions although there are weaknesses such as the pass coverage ability of Safety Roy Williams. 

This game has me nervous.  I have to be honest.  In my opinion, it is critical that the Eagles get some points on the board the first drive or two, setting the tone for the game as if saying, “Here we are, and we aren’t going to back down”.  Brian Westbrook must have a great game both rushing and receiving.  Having him involved early and often will help keep the Cowboys Defense on their toes instead of pressing forward, trying to get to McNabb.  Andy Reid and the coaching staff must create mismatches and confusion so that Westbrook and the rest of the offense can open up the field and move the ball consistently.  The Eagles should be able to move the ball and score on occasion.  The question remains is if it will be enough to beat the Dallas Cowboys. 

With that said, “E-A-G-L-E-S!!  EAGLES!!”

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Where do I start?  How about with a nice video clip of my favorite hitting CB in the NFL, Sheldon Brown:

With that covered, let’s take a look back at yesterday’s great victory as our Philadelphia Eagles (1-0) now head to Dallas to face the Dallas Cowboys (1-0).

Offense:  McNabb was simply spectacular.  He started the season in fine fashion, on par with helping me be correct with my prediction that he will throw for 4000 yards and pass for 30 TDs.  1 game down, 15 to go with that prediction… He was on fire, completing 21 of 33 passes, lighting up the Rams Defense with 361 yards passing and 3 1^st half TDs.  He did well stepping up in the pocket and avoiding the rush, throwing spreading the ball nicely to his weapons. 

Very quietly, Westbrook had a nice game.  He had the TD reception in the first half and then really picked up steam running the ball in the second half, later adding a rushing TD as well.  There were points in the game where I was wondering if Reid and company forgot about running the ball, but those thoughts quickly disappeared each time the Eagles lead grew by another 7 points.

The receivers stepped up and gave McNabb what he needed.  Consistent players making the catches to keep the chains moving, or in Hank Baskett’s case, to add 7 points to the score when he hauled in a 90 yarder from McNabb shortly before half-time.  What was impressive to me, but probably not much noticeable was the receivers’ down the field blocking.  Whether blocking for each other after a reception, or for Westbrook on running plays, numerous times I looked up and saw the receivers blocking well.  Additionally, I was pleased to see LJ Smith play with at a level that I hope to see from him consistently.  LJ finished with 5 catches, which is a nice amount to receive from your West Coast Offense Tight End.

The Eagles Offensive Line had a great game as a total unit.  They kept McNabb’s uniform clean as #5 was not sacked at all.  They provided very good push upfront giving Westbrook time to hit the gap and average solid numbers.

Defense:  The Eagles frustrated and confused Rams QB Marc Bulger and the rest of their offense all day.  Bulger nor RB Steven Jackson got into a rhythm and the score shows that obviously.  Most impressive was the fact that the Eagles defense basically shut out WR Torry Holt who was held to just 1 catch for a whopping 9 yards.  The Eagles rotation on the defensive line did a solid job at containing Jackson as well as pressuring Bulger.  DE/DT/LS Darren Howard didn’t a lot of tackles, but he did create some pressure, which helps me get over the fact we kept him and cut Jerome McDougle.  The linebackers were steady.  MLB Stewart Bradley handled himself well in a year where the Eagles linebackers really need to step up and contribute better than in past years.

The Eagles secondary were most impressive.  Asante Samuels could have easily had two or three interceptions.  One would have been returned the other way for a TD.  Samuels, along with Sheldon Brown and Lito Sheppard were all over the field, as if the Rams were only sending out one eligible receiver with the Eagles covering him with 11 men.  Safeties Brian Dawkins and Quintin Mikell played solid support coverage against the run and held their ground in the passing game.

Special Teams:  Wow!  Night and day is the comparison here for this year’s season opener versus last year’s loss versus Green Bay.  I don’t want to remind Die Hard Eagles fans but last year, all the Eagles had to do was fair catch a punt and the game was their’s to win, but Greg Lewis (and not Brian Westbrook) didn’t and well, I will move on….

Punt Returner and Rookie Sensation DeSean Jackson was a breath of fresh air and brings a very much needed threat that the opposing teams will now have to game plan for.  What Jackson also does is makes the offense and defense better simply by giving the Eagles better field position.  He helps the offense by not making them have to work as hard if they have a smaller field to play with.  He helps the defense assuming the offense is productive off of where he gives them better field position.  Sunday, he was dazzling and came up on fire for his rookie debut.  Besides catching over 100 yards, he also returned 8 punts for 97 yards including an exciting 60 yarder that made me hold my breath, not wanting to jinx anything by saying he was going to score.  When something like a 60 yard punt return happens for the Eagles, I am used to something bad occurring immediately right after it, such as a penalty negating the return. 

Another Rookie bringing hope to the Eagles’ Special Teams was Quintin Demps.  Demps made two special plays on punt coverage that won’t show up in the stats today but made a huge impression on me.  On one punt, he made a head’s up play, jumping into the end-zone and batting the ball back into play for the other Eagles to down the ball.  It was most impressive.

Even Punter Sav Rocca did well.  I cringe every time he is back there to punt, I must be honest.  I was a Dirk Johnson guy last pre-season.  Rocca only had to punt 4 times, but averaged a nice 41.5 yards.    

So in conclusion, the Eagles did exactly everything (except a shut out!) that we Die Hard Eagles fans needed after waiting so many months for the season to start.  They demolished the Rams and beat the Rams in every portion of the game.  I don’t know about you, but I was nervous after every play, when the score was 31-0 and 38-0 and the Eagles still had first string players in there.  I got to exhale after Westbrook and company were safely on the bench but that leads me to a question for Andy Reid.  With the game obviously out of hand, even before it got to 31-0, what would have been the harm of starting to pull the 1^st stringers and give the younger guys some reps and experience versus the Rams’ first string players?  If this is McNabb’s final year (which I hope it is not), then getting Kevin Kolb in there before the 4^th quarter would have been wise to me for more than just keeping McNabb safe and healthy, ready for another day, specifically next week versus those Dallas Cowboys.

With that said, “E-A-G-L-E-S!!  EAGLES!!”

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FLY EAGLES FLY!! The Eagles dominated every where, on offense, on defense, and yes, even special teams:

1^st Quarter:

McNabb started the game with an off target pass, but immediately settled down and led the Eagles to two straight touchdowns and their first two possessions. WR Jason Avant had a nice 3^rd down catch good for a 1^st down on his first reception of the 2008 season. TE LJ Smith showed what a nice Red Zone threat he can be with his first TD of the season.

On Defense, the Eagles looked strong right from the beginning. CB Asante Samuel and DE Darren Howard stood out with helping shut down the Rams offense.

2^nd Quarter:

The Eagles actually had to punt for the first time of the game into the 2^nd Quarter. The Rams QB Marc Bulger continued to look out of rhythm as the Eagles defense continued to frustrate him. RB Steven Jackson was basically taken out of the game, strategy wise with the Eagles jumping on the Rams early, 14-0. Quintin Demps stood out on special teams during punt coverage where he made two terrific plays downing a punt. CB Sheldon Brown put such a solid hit on Steven Jackson that it hurt me more than Jackson. Ouch! WR Hank Baskett scored on a huge 90 yard pass play as the Rams defense looked dazed and confused.

3^rd Quarter:

CB Asante Samuel “almost” scored more points than the Rams Offense did. He had a nice play where he broke on the ball and dropped a sure interception return for a TD. Rookie sensation DeSean Jackson was absolutely brilliant on a punt return, setting up an Eagles TD. FB Tony Hunt lined up as the half-back with DT Dan Klecko leading the way as the FB with Hunt punching it in for a TD.

4^th Quarter:

At 31-0, I was wondering why both the Eagles and the Rams still had their star players in. After the Eagles took a 38-0 lead, McNabb and the starters gave way to the 2^nd string so youngsters Kevin Kolb and company could get some reps in and give the starters a rest. The Rams finally put points on the board with a 46 yard field goal with 9 minutes left in the game.

The NFL.com Game Center: Post Game is attached.

Wrap Up:

• The Eagles had not one but two WRs over 100 yards receiving (DeSean Jackson & Hank Baskett).
• Westbrook had two TDs, one receiving and one rushing.
• Eagles Head Coach Andy Reid is now 4-6 on opening day games.
• The Eagles now travel to face the Dallas Cowboys next week on Monday Night Football.

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Today, we will take a sneak peak preview into how the Eagles Offense will do versus the Rams Defense. Tomorrow, we will see how the Eagles Defense will match up against QB Marc Bulger and the rest of the Rams Offense.

I will start this preview by predicting a nice offensive game by the Eagles on Sunday. Although there is a chance that Head Coach Andy Reid might want to hold the offense back a little bit in hopes of catching next week’s opponent, the Dallas Cowboys off guard, I am predicting the Birds offense to take off and be soaring high against a Rams defense that received a tough draw for the opening game of the 2008 NFL season.

In 2007, the Rams Defense gave up the 2^nd most points in the NFL. With the exception of 1^st round draft pick Chris Long, they really did not do much to try and prevent 2007’s numbers from repeating. A 2007 Defense who was 20^th against the run and 21^st against the pass is a tasty recipe for an Eagles offensive explosion.

Everything offensively for the Eagles this week starts up front. The Rams have a decent Defensive Line headed by DE Leonard Little and DT Adam Carriker. I look for the Eagles Offensive Line to do more than decent job against this unit, giving Westbrook nice lanes to run through, as well as giving McNabb time to distribute the ball evenly to the Receivers. I also expect McNabb to be successful on getting balls to Westbrook and Booker out of the backfield. I do not see the Rams being able to consistently stop the Eagles offense. I like Rams LB Will Witherspoon to be all over the field, making tackles, but many of them coming after nice gains from the Eagles offense.

Although the Eagles Wide Receivers are nothing to be afraid of, with a healthy McNabb standing tall in the pocket and having plenty of time, Rams CBs Tye Hill and Fakhir Brown will be too inconsistent in shutting down the Eagles passing game. Even without WR Kevin Curtis, Reggie Brown and DeSean Jackson should each at least have 4-5 catches. Brown will be testing his latest injury, so that could limit his productivity. TE L.J. Smith could have some nice production down the middle of the field. The Rams showed during the off-season that they were not comfortable with their Secondary by drafting now injured CB Justin King and signing free agent CB Ricky Manning Jr (yes, that one from the NFC Title game versus Carolina a few years ago). Therefore, I look for the Eagles to pick on the weakness of the Rams Secondary and move the ball down the field often, potentially scoring over 30 points. With that said, “E-A-G-L-E-S!! EAGLES!!”

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Donovan McNabb says he understands how difficult it is to make it back to the Super Bowl after playing in one, according to Ohm Youngmisuk of the New York Daily News.  After McNabb led the Eagles to the Super Bowl in 2005, Youngmisuk reminds us of how McNabb watched Terrell Owens, another Drew Rosenhaus client, shred the Eagles with his contract demands and ego.  We all know the story.  T.O. did just about everything wrong until he eventually got suspended by Andy Reid.  The Giants have their own problems with Plaxico Burress and Jeremy Shockey.  Donovan had this to say about the Giants…

It is something that won’t die down depending on how everyone handles it. I don’t know if it will tear them apart. They have enough guys in the locker room that they won’t have to worry about it. But when people start taking sides, that is when it becomes a problem. That was definitely a major problem with what happened to us.

A lot of people learned from my situation and know how to handle it differently. I tried to do the right things. When it comes to business situations, it’s tough. I think the Giants will try to keep it low-key and keep it under wraps. I am anxious to see how it all plays out.

Plax is one of the top wide receivers in the NFL. He wants to be paid and all these wide receivers are getting new contracts.

As usual, McNabb fielded the questions with class so it’s no wonder that the Eagles kept him and let Owens walk.  Donovan already went to three NFC Championship games without T.O.  I can only hope that Big Blue will own the division for three more years.

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