Die Hard Sports Fan

The Eagles and Bears fought out a tough, competitive game with the Bears doing a better job of taking opportunity of some turnovers and earning the win.

1^st Quarter

The Eagles received the ball first to open the game.  The Eagles went 3 and out and were forced to punt after being sacked on 3^rd down by Bears Safety Daniel Manning.  On the Bears’ first offensive possession, they marched right down the field ending the drive with a Touchdown strike to Tight End Greg Olsen, who beat Eagles LB Chris Gocong in the endzone.

On the Eagles next possession, QB Donovan McNabb came out on fire, standing tall in the pocket, hitting rookie WR DeSean Jackson on multiple big plays including a 22 yard TD making the score 7-7.  Jackson also had a big run on a reverse, helping set up the Eagles’ first TD.

2^nd Quarter

On a Bears’ possession, they were forced to punt.  A Bears’ 38 yard punt was muffed by DeSean Jackson at the Eagles 24 yard line.  2 Plays later, Bears QB Kyle Orton found WR Marty Booker open in the end zone for a 23-yard Touchdown breaking the tie.  The Bears led 14-7.

The Eagles offense responded on their next possession by marching down the field.  WR Reggie Brown had multiple catches helping to get The Eagles down into The Bears’ Red Zone.  RB Correll Buckhalter then took a screen pass from McNabb 19 yards down to the Bears 1 yard line.  Buckhalter then took the next carry and plunged into the end-zone making the score 14-14.

On another possession, The Bears capped off a 60 yard drive with a 20 yard TD to KR/WR Devin Hester where The Bears took the lead 21-14 at half-time. 

3^rd Quarter

The Bears received the ball to start the 3^rd quarter and were forced to punt after a few plays.  The Bears punted the ball down inside the Eagles 10 yard line where McNabb through a costly interception with RB Correll Buckhalter getting hurt during the interception return.

Inside the Eagles 20 yard line, on the 2^nd play after the turnover, Bears QB Kyle Orton forced an ill-advised pass into the end-zone and right into the arms of Eagles Safety Quintin Mikell.  The Eagles defense gave the Eagles offense back the ball where the score still remained Bears 21, Eagles 14.

On the next possession, the Eagles went 3 and out and P Sav Rocca sent a booming punt deep into Bears’ territory where KR Devin Hester let it go over his head where he finally scooped up the ball and ran backwards, being downed at his own 4 yard line.

The Eagles defense stuffed the Bears down at the Bears goal-line forcing the Bears 3 and out.  On 1^st down, McNabb missed on an attempted pass to WR Greg Lewis.  With 3^rd string RB Lorenzo Booker in for injured RB Correll Buckhalter, Booker was creamed for a 3 yard loss on a screen play.  The Eagles failed to convert on 3^rd down with a pass to TE Brent Celek.  On 4^th down, K David Akers missed by dinking the upright of the goal post, giving the Bears back the ball with decent field position.

On the first play of the Bears’ next possession, Eagles DE Trent Cole sacked and stripped QB Kyle Orton forcing a fumble recovered by LB Omar Gaither who returned it to the Bears 28 yard line.

Almost giving up on the running game, the Eagles moved the ball inside the red zone, sometimes using 4 receivers in the formation.  On 2^nd down and 4 from the Bears 10, McNabb and the Eagles tried some trickery with a shovel pass to WR Jason Avant who took the ball down to the Bears’ 2 while picking up the first down.  On first down, McNabb rolled right, miss-firing on a pass in the end-zone to WR Hank Baskett.  On 2^nd down, McNabb tripped coming out from center and lost 4 yards.  With 3^rd and goal, The Eagles threw an incomplete pass in the end zone, bringing out K David Akers for another field goal attempt.  The Eagles cut the lead to 21-17 after Akers hit the 24 yard field goal.

The Bears responded with a Devin Hester kick return all the way to mid-field with a 51 yard kick return.  The Bears squandered the good field position, ending the 3 and out with a sack by Eagles DE J. Parker.

Upon the next Eagles possession, Eagles RB Correll Buckhalter returned to the Eagles backfield, carrying on first down for no gain.  The Eagles were unproductive, going 3 and out on this possession as well.  The Eagles were forced to punt and on the Bears very next offensive play, Bears RB Kevin Jones fumbled the ball, with it recovered by Eagles LB Stewart Bradley.

4^th Quarter

The Eagles ended the 3^rd quarter with a nifty reverse run to WR DeSean Jackson, who took the ball down to the Bears 15-yard line.  McNabb was sacked on the 1^st play of the 4^th quarter, by Bears LB H. Hillenmeyer.  The Eagles failed again to take advantage of the turnover and were forced for a David Akers field goal, cutting the Bears’ lead to 1 point at 21-20.

The Bears responded with finally their 1^st down of the 2^nd half and moved the ball down to the Eagles 24-yard line.  They stalled there and settled for a 41-yard field goal by K Robbie Gould.  The score was now 24-20, in the Bears’ favor.

The Eagles responded by marching down the field with a nice mix of runs by Buckhalter and pass plays by McNabb.  With 3:40 left in the game, the Eagles offense ran out of gas after calling a time out to discuss the next play.  On a crucial 4^th and goal from the 1, Buckhalter was stuffed by the Bears and their swarming defense, turning over the ball back to the Bears.

Taking the ball at their own 1-yard line, The Bears successfully moved the ball, gaining 1^st downs and making The Eagles burn up their time-outs.   The Eagles were successful in forcing the Bears to punt, but it was too little, too late.  The Eagles got the ball back with 17 seconds left after a DeSean Jackson punt return.  The Eagles ran one last play to WR Reggie Brown.  Brown didn’t get out of bounds and the game ended with the Bears winning 24-20.

Wrap-Up

• Bears QB Kyle Orton threw 3 first-half TD passes for a career high.
• Eagles WR DeSean Jackson caught his first NFL TD in his career.
• Eagles RB Brian Westbrook, TE L.J. Smith, and OG Shawn Andrews did not play.
• The Eagles Defense held RB Brian Forte to just 43 yards rushing, however, Forte also had 42 yards receiving.

NFL.com Game Center post game is attached.

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

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There are many tangibles that make this game between The Philadelphia Eagles and The Chicago Bears an interesting match-up.  Will Eagles RB Brian Westbrook play?  Will Eagles QB Donovan McNabb play?  Can you imagine the Eagles high flying offense without both of its two key pieces?  Which Chicago Bears defense will show up Sunday night?  Will it be the Bears defense that went to Indy and squashed the high octane Colts offense?  Or will it be the Bears defense that last week gave up huge passing yards last week to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at home?  We won’t know until Sunday night but let’s take a peak at how the Eagles offense could match-up against the Bears defense:

The Eagles offensive line will have to set the tone for the game.  The Bears have talented players who function well in their aggressive scheme.  The key offensively for the Eagles will to be to try to neutralize DT Tommie Harris, DE Alex Brown, LB Lance Briggs, and MLB Brian Urlacher.  When these four players are in their groove; making plays, being disruptive, and swarming the ball; the rest of the Bears defense feeds off of them and makes plays.  If the Eagles can keep these guys off balance more times than not, then they will have opportunities to move the ball down field, keeping the Bears defense and the field, and wearing them down.

Assuming Westbrook does not play but McNabb does, the Eagles will have to rely more on the pass.  Backup RB Correll Buckhalter is a solid replacement for Westbrook.  He will be able to get his nose in there and run hard for some extra yards after contact, but he doesn’t have the speed and skill-set to be a threat the way Westbrook would be against the Bears.  I expect the Eagles to come out trying to mix up the run and pass, keeping the Bears defense honest, and then open up the passing game and try to take advantage of the Bears defense the way Tampa Bay’s passing attack did last week.

With that thought process, the Eagles receivers and tight ends will need to be consistent and not have one of those games where they are looking over their shoulders, dropping key passes and making constant mistakes.  The Bears have a very underrated but talented player in CB Charles Tillman.  I would expect the Eagles to come to the line of scrimmage, find where Tillman is, and throw to whoever he is not covering.  I also expect the Eagles to game plan around the thought process that the Bears will bring the heat with some blitz packages that might make McNabb have to look for the hot read and get rid of the ball quickly.  If the Eagles can get the right match-ups and pick up on the Bears’ blitz, it could mean a big play or two for DeSean Jackson or maybe even Tight End L.J. Smith down the middle of the field. 

Last week, Tampa was successful passing the ball, taking advantage of open space that was there because the Bears were using blitz packages.  Quick hitters and quick slant plays might be the best way for the Eagles to beat the Bears aggressive style of play and help bring our record to 3-1.  Tomorrow, we will take a peak at how the Eagles defense matches up against QB Kyle Orton, RB Matt Forte, and the rest of the Bears offense.

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

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Feel free to rip me a new one in the comments section if you don’t agree but I think this is the perfect time for the Eagles to make a trade.  After 3 weeks, the Eagles have proven that they are a contender.  Unfortunately, in the NFC, the Cowboys, Giants, and Packers also proved they are contenders.  Worse, the Cowboys and Giants are in the same division as the Eagles, the NFC East.  Therefore, every game means something more this year than ever and the window of opportunity is wide open.  With the AFC so far looking like the lower of the two conferences, if the Eagles can make a move, they can further position themselves to win the Super Bowl.

Next year, the Eagles have two first round picks.  One was acquired last year in a draft deal with the Carolina Panthers.  Assuming major injuries can be avoided, the Eagles have the core of players and talent to win now.  There’s no point in keeping both of these two number one picks for next year.  Those picks can certainly help them in the future but it cannot help us win the Super Bowl this year. 

Hurry up and make the phone call to Detroit Lions GM Matt Millen before he is fired.  The Lions have been known to make some bad trades in the past (see Denver trading RB Tatum Bell and OT George Foster for CB Dre Bly as an example).  WR Roy Williams is struggling in Detroit’s new offensive scheme.  He can become a free agent at the end of the season.  With the Lions starting the season 0-3, they might as well blow up the team and get value for what they have now before they lose Williams and get nothing in return.  They would be crazy not too.  Offer a number one pick to Detroit for WR Roy Williams; conditional on him signing a long-term and cap-friendly contract with the Birds.

Yes, I know, receivers take time to learn the West Coast Offense.  Don’t tell rookie sensation WR DeSean Jackson that.  Let’s see how Roy Williams fits in.  Heck, use him as a decoy and let him run fly routes all game long.  Yes, I know, Head Coach Andy Reid insists we are fine with our current core of receivers and he does not value the receiver position as highly as other positions.  Hello Coach Reid.  The one year we had a stud receiver, we lost the Super Bowl by three points!  QB Donovan McNabb had his best year that season.  Can you imagine Roy Williams lining up with a healthy Kevin Curtis, DeSean Jackson, and any other combination of Reggie Brown, Hank Baskett, or Jason Avant?  The formation possibilities would be endless.  Reid could scheme and confuse opposing defenses by sending RB Brian Westbrook in motion, out of the backfield.  Having all these weapons on the field at all times makes it easier for others including Tight End L.J. Smith.  Having all these receiving threats would open up running lanes for Westbrook as the opposing defenses would have to further respect the pass.  It would give McNabb more choices and make the offense more of a threat.  In theory, a better offense gives us a better defense as they would not have that added pressure of keeping opposing offensive teams’ scoring down as they had to do this past Sunday against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

There’s no time like the present.  How much longer will the likes of Jon Runyan, Tra Thomas, and Brian Dawkins be around, playing at a high level?  McNabb could be gone after this season.  This city and the fans deserve a championship.  This core group of players on this current team deserves a chance at the Super Bowl.  It is now up to Reid and the front office to pull the trigger and make the move.  After all, half the time, number one picks wind up as busts.  The upside of the trade is worth the risk.  Do it.

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

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The Eagles Defense earned the victory against the Pittsburgh Steelers.  In a physical, defensive battle, the Steelers could not find a way to protect QB Ben Roethlisberger from the ever attacking Eagles Defense.

1^st Quarter

The Eagles won the coin toss and QB Donovan McNabb moved the offense down the field.  FB Tony Hunt caught a ball out in the flat and tried turning it up field.  Hunt was knocked silly on the play, suffering a concussion.  Worse, he fumbled the ball and the Steelers were awarded possession after a challenge review indicating a fumble.

Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger then successfully lead the Steelers offense downfield and settled for a 37-yard field goal to earn a 3-0 Steelers lead.

2^nd Quarter

During the next Eagles offensive possession, RB Brian Westbrook went wide left on a running play and tried hurdling over OT Tra Thomas to avoid stepping on him.  When Westbrook came down, he landed awkwardly, spraining his ankle.  Westbrook limped off the field and did not return to the game.  X-Rays did not show anything broken and he will have an MRI on Monday.  A few plays later, McNabb found backup RB Correll Buckhalter open for a 20-yard TD pass.  It was McNabb’s 176^th TD pass, a new Eagles franchise record.  The Eagles lead 7-3.

On Pittsburgh’s next offensive possession, the Eagles defense turned up the heat and shut down RB Willie Parker and the Steelers Offense.  Roethlisberger was sacked 3 times and also fumbled where the ball was recovered by Philadelphia.

The Eagles immediately went to work, mixing it up with the pass and some run.  They marched down to the Steelers’ 14 yard-line where they settled for a 31-yard David Akers field goal making the score 10-3.

The next possession for the Steelers was similar to the last one where the Eagles defense was flying around the field, causing constant pressure.  After being sacked 2 more times, Roethlisberger was intercepted by Eagles CB Asante Samuel, giving the Eagles offense back the football.

After 2 plays, it was third down and McNabb dropped back to pass.  Backup RB Lorenzo Booker missed a crucial block to protect McNabb and he forced a ball into coverage.  It was intercepted by Steelers CB Bryan McFadden, giving the Steelers great field position, at the Eagles 49-yard line.  The Steelers then took the ball forward and settled for a 53-yard field goal by K Jeff Reed, making the score 10-6 right before half-time.

3^rd Quarter

After the Steelers Offense came out and was forced to punt, surprisingly the Eagles offense was lead out onto the field by backup QB Kevin Kolb.  It was reported that McNabb was in the locker room with a chest injury.  Kolb’s first pass was intercepted by Steelers Safety Troy Polamalu.

The Steelers were unsuccessful on their next possession and were forced to punt.  Kolb started the offensive drive, but McNabb replaced him, coming back in on a 2^nd and 2 play.  The Eagles drive stalled a few plays later where P Sav Rocca dropped the ball nicely to the Steelers’ 10 yard-line.  The Eagles and Steelers then finished the 3^rd quarter by trading possessions, punting the ball back and forth to each other after each team failing to move the ball on offense.

4^th Quarter

A few more possessions were traded back and forth as the Eagles defense was too much for the Steelers and their offensive line.  The Eagles offense also had trouble in the early stages of the 4^th quarter moving the ball. 

After a 54-yard punt by Rocca, placing the Steelers at their own 6-yard line, the Steelers were shut down trying to move the ball out from their goal-line.  On 3^rd down, Roethlisberger was pressured in his end zone and flagged for intentional grounding, giving the Eagles a Safety and increasing their lead to 12-6.

The Eagles received the Steelers’ free kick at the Eagles’ 39-yard line but were unsuccessful in moving the ball.  On the Steelers next possession, Roethlisberger was hit by a Eagles Safety Brian Dawkins who forced the fumble and recovered the ball as well.  The Eagles settled for a field goal, extending their lead to 15-6.

The Steelers took the ball back but Roethlisberger left the game with a hand injury.  Backup QB Byron Leftwhich replaced him and was unsuccessful in leading the Steelers to a score.  The Eagles got the ball back, took a knee and ran out the clock, winning this physical battle over The Keystone State, 15-6.

Wrap Up 

The Eagles Defense forced 9 sacks, 1 Safety, and 3 Turnovers against the Steelers.

Besides injuries to Hunt, McNabb, and Westbrook, TE L.J. Smith suffered a back injury.

The Eagles Defense held RB Willie Parker to just 20 yards rushing.

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

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Week 3 of the NFL Season brings us an interesting match-up of our Philadelphia Eagles hosting The Pittsburgh Steelers. Let’s take a peak into how The Birds Offense matches up versus that Steel Curtain Defense. The Eagles Offense comes off a tale of two stories from Monday night. In the first half against the Cowboys, their offense was almost unstoppable. In the second half, and more specifically in the end of the fourth quarter, it was not as productive. Now the Eagles have a short week to game plan for one of the AFC’s most dangerous teams; the Steelers. It is my opinion that the Eagles will need to throw the ball to beat the Steelers. As much as I get frustrated with Head Coach Andy Reid and his pass happy philosophy, I have to give him this one. I think the Steelers will game plan to shadow RB Brian Westbrook and force QB Donovan McNabb to air it out and beat the Steelers. The Eagles will need to spread the ball around consistently to all receivers. McNabb will need time, protection, and throwing lanes to step into as the Steelers can bring heat with their Linebackers as well as Safety Troy Polamalu. Eagles Receivers DeSean Jackson and hopefully an available Reggie Brown must have a solid, productive game. If McNabb is given time, protection, and passing lanes consistently, I believe the receiving core will have solid games as I am not confident that the Steelers Cornerbacks can keep up with the Eagles spreading the ball around the field. This would be a nice game for Tight End L.J. Smith to earn his paycheck and be a constant, down the middle of the field target for McNabb. One thing that worries me is if Eagles Guard Shawn Andrews is unable to play at 100% due to the injury he suffered on Monday. It all starts up front and teams that have solid lines have done well versus the Steelers. Not having the Eagles best offensive lineman is a huge plus for the Steelers and I am sure they will game plan to exploit his replacement in Max Jean-Gilles. There’s no doubt about it, the Steelers have a tough and stingy defense. The Eagles offense might as well get used to playing versus these types of defense as the Chicago Bears and the Washington Redskins are next on the schedule. Sunday’s performance will be a nice indicator on how things are to come and hopefully the outcome of this Sunday and in the future is of our Eagles’ Offense flying high. With that said, “E-A-G-L-E-S!! EAGLES!!”

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It has been over 24 hours now since the Philadelphia Eagles lost to the Dallas Cowboys.  The more time goes by, the harder I am taking this loss.  After the game was over, I felt a disappointment just because how it ended.  Now, I feel more than disappointment.  Its not anger but its definitely something worthy of feeling like I got kicked in the you know what.

With a few minutes left in the game and the Eagles Offense being led onto the field, I had a false sense of hope and promise where I envisioned Donovan McNabb marching the offense down the field as John Elway has done so many times for the Broncos in his career.  I could see it right then and there; with McNabb running the 2-minute drill and leading the Eagles to victory over the hated Cowboys and making the 70,000 plus fans go home with their hearts in their hands.  It never happened, obviously.  Instead, a different Donovan McNabb led the team to failed attempts to bring our team back. 

The first three quarters and #5 was his old self.  Moving around in the pocket, throwing tight rope passes to his receivers down field, spreading it around with no bias.   McNabb was successful during the first three quarters without his two top receivers and with someone that was trying to impersonate franchise Tight End, L.J. Smith.  McNabb was the smiling, happy McNabb.  The quarterback playing for the Eagles last night during the first three quarters was the same quarterback who lead our beloved team to the Super Bowl just a few years ago.

The fourth quarter was a different story.  McNabb looked distant, almost confused at times.  The quarterback out there sporting #5 in green had trouble handing off the ball in the most crucial times.  He missed a wide open Bryan Westbrook on a huge third down play that might have changed the outcome of the game if the ball was thrown correctly.  This quarterback, playing for the Eagles in the fourth quarter against Dallas took sacks that our offense could not afford to let happen. 

After the game, McNabb took it like a man and took full responsibility for the cause of the turnover late in the game when he mishandled a simple handoff on a fake reverse.  “My bad” with the pat to his chest is what I pictured when hearing him talk after the game.  I don’t know what happened to him as I am guessing he was flat out exhausted and ran out of juice.  The Eagles loss was not his fault.  The defense gave up huge plays at the most inopportune times.  LB Stewart Bradley was toasted for a TD reception by RB Marion Barber.  Safety Brian Dawkins was out of place at times.  Why Safety Sean Considine is on the field is beyond me.  Special Teams was almost putrid at times including giving up a touchdown to rookie RB Felix Jones.  L.J. Smith disappeared last night.  (Can we go back to the draft and take Cowboys TE Jason Witten and let Dallas draft L.J. Smith?).  WR Greg Lewis didn’t come up with a sideline pass where it was a catch he had to make.    No one with any football understanding can solely pin last night’s loss on McNabb.

McNabb is a good quarterback.  It was a moment like last night where he could have showed the national audience that he wants to be a great quarterback.  He can make plays that very few others can make.  He is greatly appreciated here by this blogger and I will miss him tremendously when his days run out as a member of the Eagles.  I just wonder what it will take to get him over the hump and catapult him into the next echelon of quarterbacks.

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

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It is Tuesday, the first day after all of week 1’s games are over.  Today is that “in-between” day.  Do we Die Hard Eagles Fans continue to enjoy Sunday’s dominating victory over the Rams or do we shift focus, and look ahead to our week 2 opponent, the dreaded Dallas Cowboys?  For this Die Hard Eagles fan, it is a no brainer and here’s why:

The Eagles victory on Sunday was awesome.  Watching McNabb basically have a perfect game where the Offensive Line kept him clean and untouched was more than I expected.  The Defense was all over the place, shutting down all major weapons of the Rams.  The Special Teams were exciting.  Every time the Rams punted, I could not wait to see what DeSean Jackson had in store.  Our punt coverage was supreme.  David Akers was booming the ball on kickoffs.  You could have not scripted a better opening day result for our beloved birds.

With that all said, it was against the Rams, at home, in our house.  Injuries plagued the Rams up and down their roster, on both sides of the ball.  The good news is we beat them and put them away the way we should have.  We didn’t play down to their level which was a possibility.  It was a gift from the NFL schedule makers and we took full advantage of it.  Now, it is time to move on, and although we should appreciate our accomplishment on Sunday, we now need to focus on what could quite possibly be the biggest week 2 match-up in a long time. 

The Cowboys and The Eagles could be the two finest teams in the NFC.  Other teams in the NFC such as the Panthers, Saints, and Giants could argue that point, but it is a safe statement to make.  Although pre-season predictions are worthless, it was this Die Hard Eagles Fan’s prediction that the Birds face the Cowboys in the NFC Championship game come playoff time.  It is time to put week 1 to rest and shift all energies and focus towards a very exciting Monday Night game capping off week 2 of the 2008 season.

Both teams have high expectations.  “America’s Team” is a sexy favorite from the NFC and is full of stars across both the offense and defense.  On paper, there is no reason why they won’t be representing the NFC in the Super Bowl.  Although this game will not decide everything in the NFC nor anything specifically between The Cowboys and The Eagles, it will be used as a good barometer as to judge how good both teams are and if each is worthy of my pre-season prediction.

This game has it all, making Monday feel like a year away, including the following:

• The bright lights of Monday Night Football. 
• The heated rivalry of two NFC East division members.
• Former Eagles WR Terrell Owens lined up against CBs Sheldon Brown, Asante Samuel, and Lito Shephard. 
• QB Tony Romo versus QB Donovan McNabb. 
• Top Tight End Jason Witten versus a questionable but up and coming Eagles Linebacking core.
• Hopefully nice camera shots of Jessica Simpson in the stands
• RB Brian Westbrook versus a speedy Cowboys Defense
• Hard running Marion Barber versus an Eagles rotation of Defensive Linemen.
• TE L.J. Smith versus S Roy Williams
• Punt Returners DeSean Jackson and “Pac-man” Jones

I have one message for Terrell Owens.  This game cannot get here soon enough and I will most definitely be bringing my popcorn.  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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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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