Die Hard Sports Fan

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 look at how the Eagles Defense will do against the Rams Offense.  Although the Rams Offense is no longer the “Greatest Show on Turf”, they still pose a threat when clicking on all cylinders.

The Rams running game is the biggest threat against the Eagles Defense.  RB Steven Jackson has returned from his summer hold out and is a fierce runner who is hard to tackle, and can be a dangerous receiver out of the backfield on swing/screen passes.  It will be interesting to see if he is ready to carry a full work load after his hold out.  Jackson should have a somewhat productive game, with hopes of helping keeping the Rams Defense off the field, and keeping QB Marc Bulger from being hit more than necessary.

The Rams Offensive Line is headed by OT Orlando Pace who is coming off injuries and may be hindered by his health status.  This could benefit the Eagles Defensive Line.  If Pace and the rest of the Offensive Line can give Bulger time, it could mean a decent day for WR Tory Holt.  The Rams will need another Receiver to step up and take the place of WR Isaac Bruce, who is now with the SF 49ers.  Former Titans WR Drew Bennett could help take the pressure off of Holt as I look for Eagles CBs Asante Samuel, Sheldon Brown, and Lito Sheppard to frustrate Tory Holt as much as possible. 

To be successful at shutting down the Rams offense, the Eagles must do two things:

• Get a consistent pass rush on Bulger and rattle him early, making him have thoughts of getting hit on every passing play. 
• Eagles LBs Chris Gocong, Stewart Bradley, and Omar Gaither must step up and provide nice support to the Defensive Line against the run and keeping Jackson in check. 

If the Eagles can do these two things consistently, the Rams should be held under 20 points.  Bulger, Jackson, and Holt will make some nice plays, but it will not be enough to break the Eagles Defense nor lead the Rams to a victory.  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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