Let's talk about the key people around the Eagles offense. Andy Reid created the playbook. Marty Mornhinweg is the playcaller. Donovan McNabb is the QB. Brian Westbrook is the workhorse offensive player. This is a dangerous combo and here's why.
Reid trained in the NFL under Mike Holmgren and knows the WCO inside-out. Andy spent time at BYU as a player and assistant. He was there under Lavelle Edwards and Norm Chow, a couple of great offensive minds. Unfortunately, they ran a pass happy offense. The Cougars had to do that back then. They were the biggest mid-major football power. Their best hope for success was to sling the ball around and create mismatches. That was wise thinking.
Andy brought that mentality to the NFL. It doesn't work as well. The talent here is a lot closer than most people realize. You don't need to out-scheme opponents as much as you need to out-execute them. Obviously you want an edge in gameplanning if possible, but the real key is for the players to block, run, pass, and catch correctly. The best coaches don't have great playbooks. They simply understand how to maximize talent. Dana Bible ran the offense for the first part of 1998 and did an unbelievably bad job. He was replaced by QB coach Bill Musgrave and things got immediately better. Same scheme. Musgrave called a better game and a little bit of success helped to give the guys some confidence. They played better and the offense got less awful. It still never got anywhere near mediocre, let alone good.
Mornhinweg was a QB in HS, college (Montana), and even for an AFL team. He likes to throw the ball. He also has strong ties to Mike Holmgren. Mike was an asst coach on Marty's HS team. Mike eventually brought him to the Packers as an asst in 1995. Marty was there for a couple of years before going to SF to run that offense. He then went to the Lions as head coach and failed miserably. His best year was 1998, when SF was #1 in Total Offense, as well as #1 in rushing and passing. That is a very rare feat.
We all know McNabb pretty well. He is a gifted player who is deadly on good days and highly erratic on bad ones. Consistency and efficiency are not his strengths. McNabb fell in love with big plays in 2004 and has been a changed man ever since. I swear the worst thing that ever happened to him was the fluke against Dallas where he scrambled for 14 seconds and then hit FredEx for a long gain down the field. McNabb to this day holds the ball longer than he should. I don't remember that being a problem prior to that game. Whether that is true or just a convenient spin on things is probably up for debate.
Westbrook is a gifted receiver. He's so good that for a few years he actually seemed like our best RB and WR. He isn't a physical runner, so he doesn't wear down defenses. He also has a tendency to get banged up which affects how Andy/Marty use him. They want Brian to get a lot of touches, but at times are hesitant to feed him running plays.
Let's sum this part up. You have a head coach who loves the passing game. The offensive coordinator is a former QB that loves to throw the ball. You have a QB who is a streaky passer and loves throwing the deep ball. You have a RB that is a gifted receiver. This leads to a pass heavy offense. There is no impetus to run the ball. No coach is a huge proponent of the running game. Because the QB isn't overly efficient the passing attack is hit and miss. When things start slowly the thinking is that the only way to get him and the offense going you must keep throwing the ball. This is like a gambler losing $50 and then betting $50 to make that back up. Or in business you might call that throwing good money after bad.
Things look great when the QB has a good day and the offense clicks. There is enough talent, good coaching, and good execution that the offense works most of the time. The Eagles haven't finished a season out of the Top 10 in yards since 2005. That group finished 19th, but only after TO was sent to Siberia and the best offensive players finished the year on IR (Pinky, Donovan, Westy, Tra). Had those guys stayed healthy I'm sure they would have been Top 10. The 2004 group obviously was highly ranked. The scoring offense is even better. I'm not adjusting for returns and defensive TDs. That makes things too complicated. The Eagles finishes since 2000:
The average finish of that decade is 9.7. That's pretty impressive when you factor in the lack of top skill players at times, McNabb missing games in multiple years, changeover on the team (players and coaches), and injuries to other key players (Pinky, Buck, LJ, Westy, Shawn, etc.).
The problem I have with the current configuration is that the offense, while explosive and productive, isn't reliable. You cannot count on big plays. You must be able to count on executing basic plays (slant, dig, out, post, etc.). We are far too up and down. It doesn't have to be that way.
The offense has excelled in a couple of seasons at a relatively balanced, ball control attack. McNabb struggled early in 2003 and then got hurt. Over the last 10 games of that year he was outstanding: 184 - 288 - 63.9% - 2,362 yds - 14 TDs - 5 INTs - 98.5 rating - 27.9 ppg. The team went 9-1. We won some tough games. We beat GB at Lambeau on a rainy MNF game. Donovan led us to victory late in the game. We won at Miami late in the year without Tra at LT. We beat the Panthers in Charlotte. They went to the SB that season. We put up 36 points in a December game with Dallas, who had the #1 defense in the league that year. Unfortunately Westy got hurt in the season finale and the team struggled to score points in the playoffs.
I mentioned us running a balanced attack. The key to the offense was the RBs. We had the 3-headed monster of Westy, Buck, and Duce Staley. They each had more than 96 carries, 463 yards, and 5 TDs. The trio ran for 1,618 yards and 20 TDs. They also were key to the passing attack. They totaled 83 catches, 847 yards, and 7 TDs. That is 4.8 yards per carry and 10.2 yards per reception.
2006 was another year that I very much enjoyed. The offense was explosive early in the year. It struggled around midseason. Against Tampa we lost because of turnovers. The next week vs JAX we played horrible and lost 13-6. That was the worst game of the year. Things picked back up, but then Donovan got hurt. Jeff Garcia took over the last 6 games and that offense was great to watch. The coaches passed less and focused more on Westy. Brian had 97 carries in the first 8 games. He then had 142 in the next 7 games. He sat out the final game vs ATL (meaningless thanks to a Dallas choke job at DET). We were 4-4 the first part of the year and then 5-2 down the stretch when Brian ran more (we also won the finale vs ATL). Offensive production was pretty consistent throughout the year, but the team got on a run as we ran more. That also happened in 2003. Hmmm.
Why would having a more balanced attack be so important? Yards and points were similar all year long. Running more means more of a ball control attack. That leads to sustained drives. That leads to consistency. And that proves important in tight situations. Garcia led us on 4th Quarter comebacks vs CAR and NYG that year. He then led us to a winning FG on the final play of the Wildcard game vs the Giants. Jeff had us on the move in New Orleans late in the game, but a Scott Young penalty undid a huge 4th down conversion and we lost the game. That is more late game success in 3 months than we've had in the 2 1/2 years since then.
Think back over the last few seasons. We've had chance after chance to win a game late. Drives invariably stall at midfield. A few have gone deep only to stall out inside the 10. Notice that in most of these games we needed a TD.
* 2009
OAK 13-9
* 2008
DAL 41-37
CHI 24-20
WAS 23-17
NYG 36-31
CIN 13-13
WAS 10-3
* 2007
GB 16-13
WAS 20-12
NYG 16-13 (McNabb drove us into FG range, but Akers missed a 57-yder)
* 2006
NYG 30-24, OT
The failure on these drives isn't just on McNabb. He's made some big plays in crunch time. The failure is on the offense in general, for not being prepared for these situations. You can't have a downfield, explosive passing style for 56 minutes a game and then expect to become a solid dink and dunk attack when it gets to crunch time.
Donovan is the QB and the leader. He gets the glory and the blame, fair or not. He also has the ball in his hands. With his talent and experience he needs to overcome problems and get us winning points in some game. I can excuse not doing it all the time, but the constant failures are a concern.
There have been some semi-successful late game items to discuss. We drove 74 yards for a TD late in the 2007 Bears game. That put us ahead. They went 3 and out. We got the ball back with about 3 minutes, but couldn't put together a drive to eat up the remaining clock. We pinned them deep with a punt. Then the Bears went 97 yards in less than 2 minutes to win the game. We scored a TD late vs Tampa in 2006 to go ahead. Westy caught a screen pass near midfield and went the distance for a TD. They followed that with a 62-yard FG to win the game. We trailed WAS 25-20 in 2007. McNabb hit Westy with a screen and 57 yards later we had a 26-25 lead. We added another TD to win the game.
We can execute in the 4th quarter, but not in the last couple of minutes. We can move the ball, but we can't sustain drives. On the few occasions when we have moved the ball we tend to stall out near the goal line. This is why I don't blame McNabb totally. He put us in position to score vs CHI last year. Poor blocking stopped Buck at the 1. Twice.
It didn't used to be this way. We used to be a very dangerous team late in games. McNabb had good success with comebacks:
2000 - we got late drives vs PIT, DAL to win
2001 - STL (down 17-3 in 4th, tied, lost in OT), NYG (pass to JT on MNF), NYG (scored last 10 pts in 4th Qtr to win)
2003 - NYJ (outscored them 10-0 in 4th to win 24-17), GB (GW drive on MNF 17-14), SF (pass to Pinky tied game, lost in OT), GB playoffs (came from down 17-7 in 4th, won in OT)
2004 - CLE (won in OT), DAL (TD with 1:57 left helped us win 12-7)
2005 - OAK (late FG)
As McNabb became more of a pocket passer and got away from running, he became less effective late in games. I can't stress enough now much the presence of TO and the downfield attack of 2004 changed things. Reid, Marty, and Donovan all fell in love with the big play. From 1999-2003 McNabb had 27 passes of 40 or more yards. He had 20 in 2004. That should illustrate just what a different season that was. Things haven't been the same since, both good and bad. I also have to mention that the NFL made a rule adjustment that year that opened up the passing game by getting officials to focus on DB/WR contact. Receivers were suddenly able to get a cleaner release than in the past. Big difference.
I guess the simple way to sum this up is that Andy and Marty bring out the worst in McNabb and that he brings out the worst in them. We have seen McNabb be an efficient QB. He had that great stretch in 2003. Just think back to the end of last year. We won 4 of 5 games late in the season. McNabb was efficient. He completed 64.3% of his passes. He threw 9 TDs and only 1 pick. Westy had 96 carries in that stretch. He only had 137 carries the rest of the entire season. Those results also show you that the coaches can adjust the offense.
Does the Reid/McNabb/Marty trio learn from that? Apparently not. The coaches go right back to a pass heavy attack, built on throwing deep. McNabb forgets about moving the chains and thinks about big plays. The offense is great when it works, but stalls out when a good secondary comes along and shuts down the big plays.
Last year it took the disasters vs Cincinnati and Baltimore to wake up/shake up our beloved trio and get them to adjust. Last week we had the humiliating loss at Oakland. Will that get their attention and lead to a change early in the season? We can only hope so.
We have as much offensive firepower as New Orleans. The difference is that their coach and QB understand that the running attack and short passes will help lead to the big plays. They build inside-out. Our trio wants the big stuff. Go score a bunch of points, then run the ball and throw the checkdowns. We're an outside-in offense.
I have concerns about whether the current offensive configuration can win a SB. We're good enough to win a lot of games, to even have postseason success. However, teams that win the Super Bowl must be able to win tight games. They must be able to play in a back and forth affair. We can hold a lead in a tight game, but comebacks are a major hurdle. The last two Super Bowls were won by late game TDs. We couldn't even come from behind to get to the SB.
Would things be different with Kevin Kolb at QB? Who knows. We have way too small a sample to make an accurate judgment. There is hope still for the current group. This is the most overall offensive talent we've ever had. If the offense can get into a good rhythm it could be absolutely deadly. We really need to see a close game where the offense is clicking to find out if the 2009 Eagles are going to be any different or just more of the same.
As my friend Shrub likes to say, all we can do now is "hide 'n watch".
_
The Eagles went on the road in the division and won. Don't overlook the importance of that. Last year the team only won 2 division games. Ditto for 2007. Coming off the loss at Oakland our primary focus was getting in the win column. Going to Washington to play a desperate football team that had beaten us 3 of the last 4 was hardly an easy task.
Well, we won.
As for style points...zero. The Eagles did not play well. Our offense didn't score a 2nd half point. We didn't have a snap in the Red Zone the whole game. The defense came up with sacks and turnovers, but let Washington go 2 of 3 in the Red Zone and make the game closer than it should have been. Missed tackles and penalties kept alive drives that should have been stopped.
Let's understand a couple of things. The Eagles won ugly, but that doesn't mean we're a bad team and that the end is near. When Dallas won ugly at Kansas City we could make fun of them, but ultimately had to give them credit for pulling out the W. The Steelers never put Detroit away. And so on. Good teams find a way to win even when they don't have their A-game.
While the offense was dysfunctional, we have to acknowledge the fact that WAS had a lot to do with our struggles. Anyone who wondered how good Albert Haynesworth is found out Monday night. Dude can play and he affects everyone around him. Amazing how much better Andre Carter is now, huh? Their D-line played really well. And London Fletcher is the friggin Energizer Bunny. I've been trying to tell that dude he's too old to be any good for the last 5 years, but he won't listen and keeps kicking the crap out of our guys. Last night he took out Westy (clean play). That was a huge moment in the game. Our offense was clicking up to that point. We were never the same. WAS probably would have kept control for the most part, but you can't ignore the loss of a player like Westy. With him, we ran 9 plays for 123 yards. Without him we ran 47 plays for 139 yards. Ouch. That's hard to believe.
The flip side of the situation is that you can't simply talk about the win without acknowledging our struggles. Teams that play good football will end up winning most of their games and going to the playoffs. Teams that "settle" for finding a way to win will get exposed at some point. We've got to become more consistent on offense. We just can't live and die with 60-yard TDs. Think about this stat. We have not had one single snap inside our opponents 15-yard line in the last 9 quarters. That isn't healthy for an offense.
I thought the gameplan early on was terrific. We threw the ball short and had a creative running game. The blockers got out and did their job. We moved the chains and set up the big run by DeSean. Great start. I couldn't have been happier. Good coaching, good execution. Westy got hurt and things went down hill. The 2nd half was when things got really bad. WAS limited us to only 60 yards of offense after halftime. Their defense played really well. We missed blocks and Donnie was only 5 of 11.
The good news is that it appears we're getting pretty close to having our top O-line back on the field. Todd played LG. Stacy Andrews is getting better and might be close to starting at RG. Winston Justice has now played pretty well for 6 weeks. That isn't a fluke. We need the guys up front to play well in order for us to really get going.
MISC
* Odd note. We jumped out to a 14-0 lead last year. We had a 68-yd TD by DeSean and a 9-yd TD by Westy. This year we had a 67-yd TD by DeSean and a 9-yd TD by Spoon.
* The offense was short, safe, and efficient early in the game. They mixed screens, runs, and Wildcat plays. Our screen game was good.
* Failure to convert on 3rd downs is killing us. We were 4 of 15. Donovan came up small when we needed him to make good throws a couple of times. Too often we seem to be in 3rd/long and teams can either blitz the heck out of us or rush 3 to 4 and drop everyone else deep.
* We used an interesting defensive twist. We played Bunk a yard off the ball. This was reminiscent of the Flex Defense that Tom Landry and Dallas used in their heyday. By lining up off the ball it changes the angles and flow of blocks. It also can affect the ability for Portis to do cutbacks. A blocker must really fire out to get Bunk and that lets the other guys see what is happening more clearly.
* We controlled Portis (14-43). The last time we played that well against him was 2004 when he had 37 yards on 17 carries.
* Points Off Turnovers: PHI 13
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QB
MCNABB --- Not his best game. Finished 15-25-156. Threw for 1 TD, no picks. Only threw a handful of balls beyond 10 yards. Struggled with accuracy. For some reason he had happy feet and threw the ball falling away or off balance quite a bit. WAS only sacked him once in the 1st half, but Donovan was never comfortable. The pressure was more constant after halftime so I can understand getting the ball out quickly at that time. I do give Donovan credit for playing safe. He didn't take any chances. We played with the lead for the entire game so that was smart. A dumb mistake could have led to a defensive TD and completely changed that game.
Made a sloppy throw to Celek on 3rd down on second drive. That stalled us out. Scrambled up the middle for a couple of yards. Threw a bad pass on 3rd/11 in scoring territory. He had Maclin wide open for a TD on the back side, but I don't expect any QB to see that for sure. My frustration was that Donnie had good blocking, DeSean was open and he still put the ball in the dirt. Best play came in the mid-3rd. Moved in the pocket and then over to his left. Threw just before he got to the LOS. Put good touch on the ball and hit Maclin for a gain of 20. Hit DeSean with a good throw on a crossing route that got 12 yards and moved the chains.
About the long TD. McNabb executed the play well. He kept his eyes right and sold the defense that the ball was going there. He immediately looked over to the far left and DeSean was wide open. Donovan underthrew the ball, but got enough on it to connect with DJax for the TD. Donovan didn't stride into the throw. He fell backward after letting it go and that kept it from being more on target.
VICK --- Actually threw a pass. Hit Celek for a short gain over the middle. Ran 3 times. Best one went to the outside and left and got us 9 yards.
RB
WESTY --- Started the game well, but took a nasty shot to the head on a run. Was going upfield and saw defenders closing in. Started to go down and hit London Fletcher's knee. Fletch is a tough, thick guy with natural power and that obviously got the best of Westy. It's a real shame he got hurt. Brian was running well 3-13 and could have made a huge difference for the offense.
MCCOY --- Okay game. Numbers weren't great, 14-37 & 5-30. Best run was a gain of 11 on 3rd/13. That was a quick hitter up the middle. Good on screens. Best one was a play to the left. Caught the ball and got upfield in a hurry. Wasn't hesitant. Wasn't able to catch a short pass that came his way. I couldn't tell if it was a pure drop or what happened. We got no replay. LeSean did catch a couple of checkdown throws. He had 19 touches against a tough, physical defense and didn't fumble.
We must drop swing passes to McCoy for a while. Either he doesn't run the routes with the correct angles or he's slow or McNabb isn't throwing them well. McCoy lost 5 yards on a swing, but got bailed out because of a facemask penalty. We've struggled with swing passes to him a few times this year.
Missed a block in pass pro that led to a sack. Made the correct read on the blitzer and went to get him. Dove for the guy. That doesn't work in the NFL. The worst guys are still athletic. You must put your facemask in his belly and stick with the block. Diving is for the Olympics.
BUCKLEY --- Got in a few snaps at RB. Made okay block in pass pro on 3rd Qtr pass play. Didn't control the blitzer cleanly, but slowed him enough that Donovan could make a good throw. We should have gotten Buckley some touches in the 4th. With Westy hurt, Eldra may have to play more. Why not get him the touches in a game where we're winning?
FB
WEAVER --- Ran 1 time for 1 yard. That was on 3rd/1, so Leonard Part 6 did his job. I wish we'd let him run more. Caught 1 pass, but got hit immediately. Blocked well throughout the game. We use him in a variety of ways because of all the creative running we do.
TE
CELEK --- Quiet night as a receiver. Had 3 catches for 8 yards. Best grab came on first 3rd down of the game. Just caught a short pass over the middle, but moved the chains. We needed that catch early in the game so that there was something positive for the offense. Ran a TE screen to him, but they played it perfectly and we lost yards.
Had a very good block on the second play of the game, an outside run to his side. Sealed Andre Carter and really stuck with the block. Made what should have been a good block of Andre Carter on a Vick run to his side. Shoved Carter to the inside as Vick executed the handoff. Then Celek released to the outside and was going to be a lead blocker. Nice design. Only problem is that Carter made a great play by getting up immediately and tackling Vick. We need to try that with DeSean. We kept Brent in to help with pass pro on a play. Big Al lined up at DE to his side. Brent went for a ride. Not a fun one. Peters came over to save the day. Brent did a good job on the long TD pass. He stayed in to block. WAS ran a stunt. He slowed down Big Al enough that Donnie was able to get the throw off.
SMITH --- Didn't play a ton. Only blocked.
WR
DESEAN --- Explosive night. Took a handoff on the fourth snap of the game and went around the left side for a 67-yard TD. The play suckered the defense on a fake run up the middle. The backside DE and the FS bit on the fake. That let D-Jax get wide and build up a head of steam. He hit the sideline and used an effective block from Maclin to get all the way in for the score. That was his only run of the night.
Caught 2 passes for 69 yards. The big play was a 57-yard TD. Used a double move to get wide open. Great fake. The DBs fell for it and DJax got behind them by about 10 yards. The ball was underthrown, but he got it and scored. Later caught a pass on a crossing route for the other catch of the day. Didn't exactly sell out to make a catch over the middle in the late 3rd. The throw was leading him straight to the MLB.
Back to the long TD. DeSean has got to get a serious lecture from someone about his celebrations. Score the friggin' TD and then celebrate. He started to have his fun at the 5-yard line on the long pass and a DB caught up to him. The guy tackled DeSean in the end zone and it looked like that was the play that got him hurt. Do not mess with the Football Gods. They will punish you. Just ask Leon Lett. I don't care how much dancing DJax does when he scores. Just make sure you get into the end zone and we have our 6 points first. Imagine if the DB had gotten there half a second quicker and really hurt Jackson. That would be a crushing blow to our team and season.
AVANT --- No catches. Only had 1 pass thrown his way. Solid job of blocking. Had a very good block on LB on 4th Qtr Wildcat run.
MACLIN --- Caught 5 passes for 53 yards. I was happy to see J-Mac catching short and intermediate passes. We can't just send him deep all the time. A couple of the catches were quick screens. Maclin made a real good play on the first quick screen because he had good blocking and room to run. The next play he caught the ball and turned into a deer in headlights. This is the NFL, son. You see the end zone up the field? Go that way. Fast. You won't be able to out-juke 11 pro defenders. Better to run for only a couple of yards than to lose a couple.
Hustled to block for Westy on the long TD run. Best catch came in the mid-3rd. Started downfield. Saw McNabb was on the move and came back to the ball. Caught the pass near the sideline and did a toe-tap to make sure he was in-bounds.
J-Mac's highlight didn't involve him making a catch. He pointed out to McNabb that he was wide open on a pass play where the ball went elsewhere. He wasn't jumping up and down and going crazy on the play. All that does is draw attention to you and tell the D they blew a coverage. Jeremy was smart. He let the right guys know about that in a calm manner on the sideline and it led to DeSean's long TD catch.
R. BROWN --- Played, but didn't have any catches.
OL
* We missed some blocking assignments in this game. I couldn't always tell who was supposed to make which block, but there were a handful of plays where defenders were unblocked on run plays and made easy tackles or TFLs. Can't have that.
PETERS --- Tale of two halves. Or is it cities? Played pretty well in the 1st half. Won his share of battles and gave Donovan solid protection. Much more inconsistent in the 2nd half. WAS's D-line outplayed our guys, including Jason. Gave up a sack in the 3rd Qtr. Dove at Carter to cut him, as if he expected the play to be a 3-step drop. McNabb didn't get the ball out quickly and paid for Jason's poor block attempt. Carter got a fair amount of pressure in the 2nd half. Jason did help out on Big Al on a play where he was being blocked by Celek.
JACKSON --- Had an excellent reach block on run to the left side. Got to the DT and stuck on him, creating a running lane of his right hip. Westy hit that area for a gain of 5. Had a good block on Fletcher on screen to Maclin. Made a poor block on a screen. Went to block a guy that Todd already dove at. JJ should have taken out Landry, who was right in front of him. Play could have been a huge gain if he makes that block.
TODD --- Looked pretty good until late. Had a good block in space on a screen to McCoy. Looked very good pulling and moving. I didn't see any evidence of a foot problem. Had a sloppy block on shotgun draw. Didn't control his defender and the guy was able to stop McCoy for a short gain. Made a good block on Wildcat run in the 4th. Pulled and took out a pursuing DT, allowing Vick to get the 1st down. Then things fell apart. Gave up a sack to Big Al in the 4th Qtr. That was a great rush by a huge, powerful man. Todd did his best, but was simply overmatched. Got called for holding late in the game on a run. Got called for holding on a pass. Like I said, pretty good for most of the game. Single blocking Big Al is tough when you're healthy and ready to go. It was a bit too much to ask from Todd in this game.
COLE --- Started at RG. Moved his DT off the line on a running play to the left side. Solid job on screen passes. Fell while trying to take out Fletcher on a 4th Qtr screen. Moved his DT off the ball on a 4th Qtr run.
JUSTICE --- Solid showing. Did a good job in pass pro. False start on 2nd drive. Had a small block on Maclin's screen early in the game. Got out in space and blocked a guy, but didn't really unload on him the way you'd like a bit OT to do in that situation. Had a good block on a Tackle Trap that sprung McCoy for his best run of the game. Almost committed a dumb block in the back penalty on a WR screen in the 3rd Qtr. Wanted to hit someone, but realized what he was about to do and let up. Got away with holding Carter on 4th Qtr pass.
STACY --- Split time with Cole at RG. Probably his best game yet. Did have a false start penalty in the 3rd. Just looks more comfortable out there. Moved around pretty well.
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DE
COLE --- Good game. Had a couple of sacks and a couple of TFLs. First sack came when he just beat Heyer off the edge. Got to the QB about the same time as Clemons. Got his 2nd sack early in the 4th Qtr. Drove Fred Davis backward and then dove and put Campbell down. Got a couple of holding calls on Heyer. Disrupted a screen pass and limited the gain on a 3rd/long play. Had one lowlight. Called for being offside on 3rd/3. We were using a 3-man DL and he was lined up as a LB. Was trying to sell WAS that he was coming and also trying to time his get-off just right. Didn't. I wasn't happy with that. Can't give a crew like that any gifts.
PARKER --- Quiet game. Only had 1 tackle and didn't get much pressure. Got some pressure on Campbell in the late 3rd when he was unblocked on a bootleg. Closed quickly, but not fast enough. Best play was when he beat Fred Davis to get pressure and force Campbell to step up in the pocket. That led to a sack.
CLEMONS --- Good game. Had 3 tackles, sack, and a TFL. Just missed a second sack. Flew off the edge late in the half and got to Campbell half a second after Cole. Got his sack late in the game when he flew off the edge and planted Campbell.
HOWARD --- Sort of a quiet game. Was called for an offside penalty and got away with at least one. Had a couple of tackles. One was nice and came on a run play to his side. Got off the block and brought Portis down at the line. Got a couple of big shots on Campbell late in the half. Came close to a sack late in the game, but Clemons beat him there.
BABIN --- Got to play since VA was hurt and missed the game. Had a sack and 2 TFLs. Victor had 1 sack and 1/2 a TFL for the whole year. Babin played DT and DE. First TFL came on a 3rd down when we used a 5-man DL. Babin lined up over the RG. He drove the guy back and then shed the block to get to Campbell, who had fumbled the snap and was down low trying to secure it. Jason looped around Dixon on run play and hit Portis for no gain. Very close to being a TFL. Got his sack on a blitz where the RT was confused on who to block. Babin came free and got Campbell to the ground. Babin drew a holding call on the RG in the late 3rd when he was about to get free on a pass play.
DT
PATTERSON --- Drew a call for holding. Sometimes DL do this on run plays. They pull an OL to let defenders have gaps to attack. I couldn't see Mike's hands very clearly on the play. The run went away from him and normally that isn't one that defenders will hold on. Strange. Had 4 tackles. Made a good tackle of Portis on a run near the GL. Got off his block and stopped the play for a short gain. Got pressure on 4th Qtr play near GL. Forced a throw away.
BUNKLEY --- Good game. Had a sack, 2 TFLs, and recovered a fumble. Was also in on 6 tackles. Worked his way to the ball on Portis first run of the night and held the play to a short gain. Got his first TFL on a play where he came off a block and got to Portis for a short loss. Got his sack in the late 3rd when the DEs forced Jason to move up in the pocket. Bunk hit him hard. Jason was slow to get up and get going after that shot. The fumble came in the 4th Qtr. WAS had an errant snap. Looked like C didn't think realize they were in the shotgun and the ball came out normal. Bunk saw it and got on the ball in a hurry. Showed great speed for a DT on a play where Jason rolled outside and Bunk chased him down. Jason got rid of the ball at the last second so it meant nothing, but it was impressive.
LAWS --- Had a couple of tackle assists. He's getting better against the run, but struggles with double teams.
DIXON --- Drove RT Mike Williams backward on a run play to the left side when Mike tried to reach block him. That play really gave you a feel for Dixon's power. Mike is over 350 and had no chance on the play. Dixon didn't make the tackle, but his presence took away a cutback lane. Disrupted an inside run play by driving his blocker backward. That opened a lane for a defender to shoot in and make the stop. Tackled Portis on a run up the middle. Just grabbed Clinton as he tried to go by. Minimal gain.
LB
JORDAN --- Tied for the team lead with 8 tackles (6 solos). Really laid the wood in this game. Came from the backside on a run play where Portis thought he had an opening and just floored him with a big shot from the side. Tried to jump a pass to Cooley in the flat. The ball was too high for either guy to catch. Tackled Randle-El after a short catch and knocked the ball out, but unfortunately his knee was down when it finally came loose. Our biggest hit of the game came when Jordan unloaded on FB Mike Sellers after a short catch. Sellers went flying backward and they didn't gain a yard on the play.
GOCONG --- Sort of a quiet night. Was in on 3 tackles. Blitzed off the edge on the first snap and hit Campbell hard, but right after the ball was out. Really planted him. Made a good stop of Cooley on the next play, a TE screen.
SPOON --- He sucks. Only 1 TD? Mark Simoneau, Levon Kirkland, and Barry Gardner would have each scored at least a pair. Spoon had a very impressive debut. He had 8 tackles, a sack, FF, INT, and scored a TD. I was very impressed with him in coverage. He did a solid job on Cooley when they were matched up. There was one pass over the middle where Spoon had been beaten, but he recovered very quickly and was right there. Fortunately for us the ball wasn't right there and it was an incomplete pass. His INT was a simple play, but it showed great awareness and good hands. How often have we seen a defender not find the ball in the air? How often have we seen guys drop easy passes? Spoon tracked the ball as it went up and came down. He made a smooth grab and then turned upfield for the short run into the end zone. The man is a playmaker. On the next series he blitzed up the middle. Timed it well and came unblocked. That's good. What happened next is what makes him special. Spoon showed excellent closing speed as he chased down Campbell and then he knocked the ball loose. He went for the ball, which not enough guys do. Even better, Spoon actually made the tackle. Had Campbell held on, he would have still been sacked. Chased down Moss on a catch and run play. Good to see that kind of range from our MIKE. Tackled Fred Davis after a short catch. No RAC yards. Missed a tackle of Cartwright on a run up the middle. Missed a tackle of Fred Davis in the late 3rd because he was trying to strip the ball. Had good coverage on the play. Tackled Campbell on QB scramble on 3rd/GL.
There was a sideline tackle where he took down a Skins player out of bounds. There was no flag initially. Then a flag came out. The refs had a conference and picked up the flag. The announcers thought it was a sure penalty. I didn't. Spoon tripped as he and the other guy were going out of bounds. That is what made them go to the ground. He didn't intentionally throw the player to the ground.
TROTTER --- Played on some run downs. Tried to blow up a goal line run. Timed it well, but the play went to the other side. Looked like he was moving around better.
CB
S BROWN --- Had 3 tackles. Came up quickly on underneath throws to get his receiver down. Prevented a TD with good coverage in the end zone. Had good inside-out coverage and didn't leave a good throwing angle for the QB. The ball was incomplete. Gambled on a slant ' go play. Left his WR wide open for an easy TD, but luckily Campbell was looking elsewhere.
SAMUEL --- Had 4 solo tackles. Made a clean stop of Cooley on the first Redskins play. If only Sammie had done that last week. Obviously the criticism got to him. Good to see. Be a ball hawk, but at least be a speed bump when you have to tackle. Gave up a TD to Devin Thomas. Bit hard on an underneath route and left Thomas open behind him. It is possible that he wasn't supposed to have that guy, but after watching the replay it sure looked like Sammie's guy. Brought down ARE in the open field late in the half. Also made a good tackle of ARE in the late 3rd after a short throw. Missed a tackle of Devin Thomas late in the game on 3rd/long that did let them move the chains on a scoring drive. No picks or PBUs.
HOBBS --- Sorta quiet game. Had a couple of tackles. Got run over by RT Mike Williams on a short pass in his area.
HANSON --- Pretty good game. MmmBop had 6 tackles. He covered Moss a few times and held his own. You can tell he's more quick than fast, but his effort and toughness make him effective in limited space. Did lose Moss on one pass and gave up some RAC yards.
S
MIKELL --- Solid game. Had 4 tackles, deflected a couple of passes, and recovered a fumble. Best moment came on a blitz up the middle. Got blocked, but kept his arms up and knocked the pass up into the air. Spoon got it and scored. Q recovered a fumble after Spoon stripped the ball from Campbell. It was good to see Q being nice to the new guy. You know how hard it can be for kids to switch schools in the middle of the year. Gave up a TD late in the game to Davis, but I'm not totally sure it was his fault. Played way inside, as if he expected held from another DB on the other side of Davis.
HARRIS --- Bit hard on early play fake and left Cooley wide open for short catch and good gain. Macho was being over-aggressive. Hurt his ankle on a tackle of Cartwright on a run up the middle. Left the game for a while. Only had 1 tackle. Still owes me a play.
DEMPS --- Got some PT in place of Harris. Had 1 tackle.
JONES --- Played some in place of Harris. Got a nice hit on TE after a short catch. Had 4 tackles in the game. Batted down a pass near the line when he blitzed and got his hand up. Had a gimme sack late in the game when he came free up the middle, but went too high. Jason ducked and got by him.
________________________________
SPECIAL TEAMS
ROCCA --- Had one bad shank. Pinned WAS at our 32. I'm pretty sure that's not good. Had a lousy average for the game, but 4 of 8 punts did pin WAS inside their 20.
AKERS --- Good game. 2 of 2, both from 40+. Kickoffs had good depth.
KOR ---
* Hobbs had returns of 18 and 19. They covered KOs pretty darn well.
PR ---
* DeSean fumbled his first PR. Didn't panic and was able to cleanly scoop it up and get out of bounds. He did have a 29-yard PR in the game. Came close to breaking it.
* Maclin returned a punt in the late 3rd. Only got a yard, but looked smooth at making the catch.
MISC STs ---
* The Redskins gave us an odd look on a punt early in the 2nd half. We had some blocking confusion and called a timeout. Reid was not happy. You could see him yelling at Ted Daisher.
* Gave up a long KOR on the run back after Akers FG.
* Macho was called for going at someone's knees. Costy penalty in KO coverage.
* Eldra Buckley made a good tackle in KO coverage.
* Sean Jones recovered a muffed punt.
* Quintin Demps called for holding on a PR. That helped to pin us back at our own 7.
* We had poor blocking on the first KOR. Hobbs didn't even make it to the 20.
The Giants come to town on Sunday for a big NFC East showdown with the Eagles. The Cowboys, Eagles, and Giants all have two losses so far. The loser of this game will drop back and then Dallas comes to town next week for another big game.
While New York and Philadelphia have good records, neither team is playing well right now. The teams are a combined 1-3 in the last two weeks. The lone win was the Eagles victory on Monday night, hardly a shining example of good football.
I think both teams have been hurt by playing such poor competition early. Teams like KC, OAK, and TB are really bad this year. If you win, what did your team really find out? Does that really get you ready for the next week? A loss...well we found out about that the hard way.
I think the Eagles and Giants are good teams. We just haven't seen them play well in the last couple of weeks. That puts a lot of pressure on them to go out and show something in this matchup. Winning is important to stay near the top of the division, but playing well would also be nice.
KNOW YOUR ENEMY
The Giants are 5-2. They opened the season with 5 straight wins, beating the little sisters of the poor. Then they went to New Orleans and got whipped. That was just the players having Saturday night fun, of course. The game...well, that was a whipping as well. The Giants got a major beatdown as the Saints offense was unstoppable. The final was 48-27. The Giants then shocked me by losing at home Sunday night to Arizona, 24-17.
Since they did play on Sunday night and we play them twice a year I'm not going to write about them at length. Quick stuff:
* The Red Zone has been somewhat of a problem. NY has had to settle for more FGs than they'd like. Lawrence Tynes is 7 of 9 on FGs of 20-29 yards. The averaged distance of his FGs is 32.8 yards. That tells you he's mostly kicking from the Red Zone.
* The fierce pass rush hasn't been so fierce. The Giants have 16 sacks in 7 games. That puts them on pace for 37 this year. Consider that they've played bad teams and almost always had the lead. Tuck, Osi, and Kiwi have combined for 9.5. That's not great, but the rest of the team isn't helping much.
* The passing attack is more big play than ever. They have a higher average yards per reception and higher average yards per pass attempt than us. 4 different guys have receptions of 40+. One is Bradshaw and his was a screen that he broke for a long gain.
* Surprisingly, 3rd/short situations have been a problem. You'd think that their O-line and a power runner like Jacobs would be virtually automatic. That hasn't been the case at all. I haven't seen enough of the plays to have a good feel for what the problem is. We stopped them twice in the playoff game last year on 4th/short.
PLAYERS
* WR Mario Manningham --- Young WR has gone from an afterthought to a productive player. He's put up good numbers, 28-439-4. Mario should be more polished than he is since this is his 2nd year. He runs sloppy routes at times. He has 7 dropped passes, including a TD from last week. 10 of his catches came in Week 2 vs Dallas.
* WR Hakeem Nicks --- I wanted the Eagles to take this guy in the 1st round. He's exactly what we need opposite of DJax...a tough, physical receiver. I'll watch the careers of him and Maclin closely to see who becomes the better player. Nicks is pretty hot right now. In the last 3 games he has 13 catches and 3 TDs.
* WR Steve Smith ---- He has emerged into a top flight WR. 45-594-4. He is sound, running crisp routes and making tough catches. He's also proven to be more athletic than I thought he would. Smith is deadly in the slot. He's very effective in the middle of the field. His production has slowed since defenses started paying him more attention. That just frees up Nicks and MM to make plays.
* RB Ahmad Bradshaw --- He was the #3 runner last year, but has become the #2 guy this year. He's got 40 less carries than Jacobs, but almost the same yardage. And he does have more TDs. Bradshaw is averaging 5.7 ypc. He is quick and elusive. Runs hard. Has pretty good vision. Makes good cuts. There is one area where he is struggling...pass protection. Bradshaw missed some assignment vs the Saints that really hurt the Giants. Bradshawn then struggled vs the Cards last week. He didn't run well. He caught one pass and lost 5 yards. He also lost a fumble. The Giants need him to get back to previous form to help their offense.
* WR Domenik Hixon --- He's gotten lost in the shuffle as a receiver, but got his job back as the KOR and PR a couple weeks back and has been terrific. He averages 29 yards per KOR and 14 yards per PR. Pretty good speed and he runs hard.
* Injured Guys --- The Giants have lost some pretty good players so far. S Kenny Phillips is done. CB Aaron Ross hasn't played. DT Chris Canty hasn't played, but he's getting close. LB Michael Boley has missed the last few games. Notice that all these guys are key defensive players.
* DE Justin Tuck --- He isn't putting up huge numbers, but this is the guy I fear. Osi has the big rep, but Tuck is the better player. He can play either side or inside. He can use quickness or power.
* Safety CC Brown --- He took over for Phillips. Productive defender who can hit and tackle. Not as gifted at coverage. He's 2nd on the team in tackles and has 3 FFs.
* CB Terrell Thomas --- He took over for Ross. Thomas is having a solid year. He leads the team with 2 picks and 8 pass break-ups. Big CB. Lacks ideal speed. Good blitzer.
* P Jeff Feagles --- I thought the fountain of youth was in the jungles of Florida, not the meadowlands of Jersey. Feagles is 237 years old, but continues to be a good punter. Almost half of his punts have been downed inside the 20. He doesn't have a great leg, but is accuracy and ball control are outstanding.
I decided to go back to last season to figure out what we should do vs the Giants. We lost 36-31 at midesason and then beat them late and in the playoffs. I remembered some part of those games, but actually went back and re-read my Game Reviews to get a better feel for things.
The wins were interesting. In the regular season the Eagles really fed the ball to Westy and the TEs. The game was played on a cold, windy afternoon so that made perfect sense. Wide receivers only caught a handful of passes. DeSean Jackson didn’t have a catch. The rematch in the playoffs was different. The Giants limited Westbrook’s effectiveness and Donovan completed 12 passes to his WRs.
Both games featured a short, safe passing attack. McNabb executed the attack very well. He was calm in the pocket and accurate with his throws. He came up big on third downs, helping us to convert 19 of 32 attempts. The skill players also had a huge hand in this. One of the keys to moving the ball effectively when you play "small ball” is getting yards after the catch. Running backs, tight ends, and wide receivers all came through in this department.
The pass protection was also outstanding. McNabb threw 70 passes in those games, but wasn’t sacked once. I remembered the line doing a good job, but was surprised to read that stat. I double-checked to make sure it was accurate. Not only did the line block well, but the coaches had a smart gameplan. They mixed in extra blockers. They focused on shorter pass routes. McNabb helped himself by getting the ball out quickly.
I’m interested to see what each coaching staff does this time around. The Eagles would be wise to have a similar plan, but the Giants will know that. The Giants need to get pressure on McNabb. If the defensive line can’t do that, they’ll have to blitz aggressively. The Giants also must tackle well to limit yards after the catch.
There are two main keys for the Eagles. The offensive line must control the line of scrimmage and McNabb must play well. That may seem like I’m oversimplifying things, but really those are the factors that decide games like this.
The line must create some running lanes so that the ground game is at least effective. That eases the pressure on McNabb and opens up some passing lanes. Misdirection plays and outside runs weren’t very successful last year because of the Giants attacking style of defense. Look for more straight-ahead power running. Hit a seam and you might come up with a good gain.
Pass protection will be crucial. Left tackle Jason Peters will have his hands full with Osi Umenyiora. Peters is a high quality blocker, but pure speed rushers are not his strength. I’m sure the coaches will have tight ends and backs chip on Umenyiora to slow him down. Right tackle Winston Justice has the very tough assignment of handling Justin Tuck. Umenyiora has the bigger reputation, but Tuck is the better player. He can beat you with quickness, power, and skill. He can line up on either side or at defensive tackle. Justice will face him most of the time. Justice has greatly exceeded my expectations this year. Sunday will be his biggest test. Control Tuck and we’ve got a chance to win.
McNabb must be on time and on target with his throws. He’s got to be calm and confident in the pocket. He has the weapons to move the ball and win this game, even if Westbrook isn’t able to go. Jackson is emerging as a great receiver. Jeremy Maclin seems to get better each week. I didn’t see him replacing Kevin Curtis this smoothly or quickly. Brent Celek leads the team in catches and should be a key weapon in this game. Slot receiver Jason Avant is due for a big game. He matches up well with Giants defensive backs. McNabb doesn’t have to win the game by himself. He needs to get the ball to his playmakers.
LeSean McCoy could very well start at running back. We need him to be ready. The biggest test will be how he handles pass protection. McCoy gave up a sack on Monday night with a sloppy block. The Giants are good blitzers. McCoy must know who to block and he must make the block. I’m not too worried about his running. I know some fans have concerns. McCoy only averages 3.7 yards per rush. He only has 1 TD and his long run is just 15 yards. These numbers will improve. Right now he’s thinking too much and not being instinctive. McCoy is very gifted. The more experience he gets, the more natural he will start to play. That’s when you’ll see his natural ability really start to shine. Better line play will also help matters.
Things would be a lot easier if we knew that Brian Westbrook would play. He suffered a nasty concussion last week and is going to be a game time decision. That means the offense can’t count on him. They’ve got to build a gameplan for the other players.
The Eagles defense gave up 36 points to the Giants in the first meeting last year. In the two subsequent games the Giants scored a total of 25 points, with seven coming on the return of a blocked field goal. Another seven came against a prevent defense late in the game. That sounds great, but we have to look inside the numbers.
I mentioned earlier that the weather in those games was cold and windy. That really affected Eli Manning. He only completed 28 passes in those two games combined. Manning has a solid arm, but isn’t strong enough to drive the ball through heavy wind on a regular basis. He also was hurt by drops in each of the games. Sunday isn’t projected to be a bitter, windy day. That means that Manning will likely be more effective as a passer. The Eagles can’t count on the Giants offense struggling the way it did last year in the two losses.
The Eagle defense certainly did have something to do with those problems. The defensive line played well against the run. The pass rush was okay, but inconsistent. Middle linebacker Stewart Bradley was the leading tackler in each game and really keyed the defense. We will miss him. Will Witherspoon was great on Monday night. He’ll need to come up big. Witherspoon must fight to get off blocks and to the ball. Akeem Jordan’s primary task will be to take on fullback Madison Hedgecock and limit his effectiveness as the lead blocker. Running back Brandon Jacobs isn’t nearly as effective when the guy in front of him gets stuffed by a linebacker. Chris Gocong has to help by setting the edge and forcing plays to stay inside or bounce way outside. Tackling is also critical. Stopping Jacobs takes multiple defenders. We must swarm to the ball.
Joining Jacobs in the backfield this year is Ahmad Bradshaw. He was the number three runner last year. He’s now got the backup job and is having a good season. He is quick and elusive, but also runs hard. Bradshaw isn’t strong in pass protection. You can bet the Eagles will test him with a variety of looks and blitzers.
The key member of the secondary is Quintin Mikell. He has to help in coverage, but must fly up in run support when he sees run action. This gets tricky when the Giants use play-action passes. Mikell must read his keys and make sure he’s coming up on run plays. The Giants have really improved their downfield passing attack. Manning is throwing the ball well right now and receivers Steve Smith and Hakeem Nicks are both having good years.
It sounds like Sean Jones will start at FS. This might be a game where he'll fit in well. Jones loves to hit. That will be needed against Jacobs and the Giants rushing attack. Jones does need to be sound in coverage. You don't want him trying to do too much and getting burned. Just do your job. Sean has a ton of talent. The coaches have brought him along slowly, partially due to the fact he didn't stand out in the spring or summer. We do need some plays from the FS spot. Maybe Jones will be the answer.
Both teams have solid kicking games and good returners. Domenik Hixon has given a major boost to the Giants return game since he took the job back from Sinorice Moss. The Eagles must contain Hixon.
Initially I was very nervous about this game. They have lost two games in a row and that makes them a desperate team. One rule in the NFL is that you never want to play desperate teams. The more I think about this game, the more excited I am to see what happens.
_
One of my favorite movies of all time is Midway. There is nothing great about the movie, but it is just utterly watchable. Charlton Heston overacts in a way that only he could and still do a good job with the role. The highlight of the movie comes when US bombers catch Japanese aircraft carriers exposed. They had no fighter cover to keep the bombers away. Even worse, the flight decks were full of planes loaded with bombs, ammo, and fuel. A major disaster ensues. I love the scene where they show the US Naval staff sitting on their ships listening to the pilots announce what they have found. There is a combination of shock and joy in the pilots voices. They simply can't believe what they're seeing.
I know Eagles players had that same feeling yesterday on a few plays. The Giants would line up with a particular defensive alignment. It was either exactly what we expected...or better. I bet McNabb and company were sitting there thinking "this is gonna be a TD." The TD pass to Celek was there for the taking even before the ball was snapped. The TD pass to DeSean was set up well. When the Giants zone blitzed on the play that made it even easier. The TD run by McCoy was the best moment. We had a bunch to the right. The Giants shifted that way just before the snap, leaving the backside wide open. I'm sure LeSean's eyes were huge as he saw that. We couldn't have asked for a better alignment by them. We did have to earn the scores by Maclin and Weaver.
Huge win for the Birds. After the Raiders game I said that we needed to see what happened so we could understand that game. 2 weeks later, we can see that the loss was a bad day and that's it. The Eagles responded well and now are 5-2. We are 2-0 in the NFC East. Last year we started 0-3 in the division before finishing 2-4 overall.
It was also good to have a win where all 3 phases of the game clicked and did so against quality competition. There are things to fix still, but there isn't one area of the team that struggled in such a way as to draw away from the overall success.
The gameplan was smart. First play was a screen pass to McCoy. Next up was an outside run to McCoy. Finally we had an inside run to Weaver that turned into a long TD. We fed the ball to the RBs. That let the OL build some confidence. It gave our RBs confidence as well. We actually tried to come out and play small ball, but the Giants wouldn't let us. They blew tackles and coverages and let us move up and down the field, almost with ease.
McNabb easily played his best game of the year. Great timing. The skill players made plays. Remember the days when a game without Westy meant disaster. The Giants gained 350 yards and scored 17 points. That might have been good enough to win in some past seasons. Back in 2007 we scored 16 points against them the whole year. The skill guys did their job and then some. We controlled the LOS on both sides of the ball.
The defense gave up 350 or so yards, but played well. They came up with 2 INTs and never let Eli get really comfortable. He got hot for a short while, but mainly throwing short passes. We controlled Jacobs and the run game. The back seven did a brilliant job in coverage. The Giants scored 17 points, but 10 of them came on short fields.
MISC
Points Off Turnovers: PHI 17 , NYG 10
* We got a lot of RAC yards. DeSean, Avant, Celek, McCoy all helped in this department.
* Jacobs got loose for 14 yards on his first run. We contained him for the rest of the game, 19 runs for 72 yards.
* 3rd down passes to Steve Smith got the best of us a couple of times.
* Eli will hold the ball to the last possible second, but still get rid of the ball. That's can be maddening.
* Had to waste a timeout on defense.
STANDOUT PLAYS
* 2nd/7 from NYG 41 --- We lined up in the Ace Formation (2 TE, 2 WR). This is a balanced look because there is no true strong side. The defense has no real idea where the ball is going. Weaver was lined up at RB. Prior to the snap McNabb was signaling to Weaver. He pointed to both sides, then tapped his left leg. The signal gets switched regularly so that you don't know if that means go to this side or the other. This time it meant go left, which Weaver did.
Brent Celek had a poor block on Tuck, but didn't give up. He occupied Tuck's backside arm. Tuck crashed down and got to the hole to make the tackle. He could only get one arm on Weaver because Celek was tugging at the other one. Celek didn't grab and hold it. That would have drawn a flag. He just didn't let Tuck bring it cleanly over to make the stop.
About the blocking...Justice started inside to make sure the DT didn't get penetration. Then Justice got on LB Danny Clark and blocked him. If Winston doesn't make that block the play is stopped for a 2 yard gain. Todd got on Antonio Pierce and took him for a ride. JJ walled off Barry Cofield and cleared him out of the play. Cole somehow got Robbins to the ground. Robbins might have slipped or tripped. Didn't look like anything dirty from Nick.
Weaver started left with his first step, then went up the middle. He ran through Tuck's attempted tackle. Once he was through the line he headed back to the left and turned on the jets. Don't laugh at that phrase. He showed good speed as he created separation from the defenders. Brown chased him down near the GL, but Weaver ran through the tackle attempt.
* 3rd/GL from the NYG 17 --- We lined up with 2 WRs to the right and DeSean to the far left. Celek was in-line, on the right side. The alignment may seem simple, but had a distinct purpose. DeSean had a CB on him. The S on that side had to cheat out further because DeSean was so far wide. That left a gap in the middle of the field. Celek went up the middle and found a nice big hole in the middle of the defense. Donovan put the ball up high where he could go get it. TD. The ball needed to be up high since a S was in trail coverage while playing a LB type role in that set. The OL did a good job. Todd had to control Kiwi, who had lined up at DT. Excellent design, execution, and blocking.
* 3rd/1 from the NYG 15 --- Vick came in at QB. 3 WR set. We put 2 to the right (wide side). Celek flexed out that way. Vick takes the shotgun snap. Celek charges in and blocks the DE to that side. Justice pulls and acts as the lead blocker. Maclin seals his DB and Vick has a clear lane to the far right. He runs untouched for 4 yards and moves the chains.
* 1st/10 from PHI 46 --- Donovan was in the shotgun. We had 2 WRs and 2 TEs. Alex Smith stayed in to block. Celek went out into the left flat. DeSean was split to the left, but was inside the numbers. Maclin was wide to the right. The OL + Smith and McCoy gave us 7 blockers. The Giants ran a zone blitz and had 4 guys coming. We had them easily blocked. DeSean ran a post corner and was wide open. He sold the route to CC Brown and that got Brown off balance. DeSean cut outside and Brown had no chance to recover. Donovan hit DJax downfield and Jackson hustled into the end zone this week. Great way to respond to the Giants TD.
* 1st/10 from NYG 23 --- Shotgun. TE right. 2 WRs right. Maclin left. Jeremy started to release outside, then stepped back inside and went up the field. This subtle move gave him inside position on the CB. Donovan threw the ball up high, where Maclin could go get it. Maclin looked back as he ran downfield and was able to see the ball. That let him go up and make a good play on it. TD. He showed good strength by making the grab with the DB all over his back. McNabb flinched on the play prior to throwing. I don't know if any defenders were affected by that.
* There were only 2 calls I really didn't like. We had 2nd/7 from their 34. Lined up in shotgun. We tried to run a draw play. The blew it up for a loss. Justice pulled from RT to the left side as if it were a tackle trap play. He did fine, but Osi is too quick for that play. Osi flew upfield and nailed McCoy. Moose Johnston blamed Peters for not making the block, but the design of the play sure made it look like he wasn't supposed to and that Osi was Winston's guy to hit. I didn't like the play because it is slow. We had success with quick hitters where we attacked the Giants. This play let them attack.
The other call had a similar feel. We had 1st/10 from their 40. We had a big lead and were running the ball well. Out of nowhere comes this slow developing play with a fake. The Giants blitz and sack McNabb, knocking the ball out. The DT recovers and takes off downfield. He gets it to Osi, who runs it back for a TD. Andy challenged the play. The officials ruled it a legit fumble, but noticed that from the DT to Osi was a forward pass. It's a little bit of an optical illusion that makes it look like a lateral. This led to a FG.
I don't want to complain too much because Andy/Marty did such a good job, but...don't stop yourself. We were running on them on that drive. It was eating away their soul (or whatever Giants players have). Then we get cute looking for a big play and they turn it into a disaster. I really wish we'd have stayed on the ground and pounded them.
MCNABB - Terrific game. We saw the good McNabb for the first time in a real game in 2009. Great timing. Here are the numbers, 17-23-240 & 3 TDs. Donovan spent some time during the week trying to figure out what was wrong with his throwing. Whatever he finally decided on ... he fixed it.
McNabb was confident in the pocket and made smart decisions. There were a few plays where I'd make a pre-snap read and Donovan would throw the ball right where I expected. He was aggressive, but not risky. He was accurate with his passes and gave his guys a chance to make things happen, especially on the Maclin TD.
3rd downs weren't a problem. We converted 6 of 11. I think we were 5 of 8 at one point. Donovan got the ball out quickly and decisively. That eliminated pass rush issues and gave his receivers a chance to do something with the ball after the catch.
Quick Notes:
* Key scramble late in 1st Qtr. 3rd/11. Ran up the middle for 14 yards.
* Terrible job on screen to open the 2nd Qtr. Forced the ball into a group. Can't do that, especially when we've got a lead and we're moving the ball. Donovan knows better than to make that throw.
* Had 2 batted passes on series inside RZ.
* Another batted pass deep in Giants terr. Happened 2 plays later again. Troublesome.
* On 2nd/GL from the 17 he made a very good throw to DeSean down the left side. The CB helped to break it up. DeSean had single coverage and that was the smart place to go with the ball. Everybody did their job well on the play, unfortunately including the DB.
* Caught his own pass. Threw a ball that Tuck was trying to pick off. Donovan stuck his hand in there to knock it away. The ball popped up and Donnie grabbed it and took off for a 1-yard gain. Good hands, lousy RAC skills. Not a wise decision to attempt that throw. We got lucky.
* Called an audible in the 3rd and that run gained us 7 yards.
* Made me nervous with a quick out pass to open 4th. I had visions of Roy Williams and 2005.
* Overthrew screen due to blitz late in the game. A better pass would have led to a good gain, but Donovan had a guy bearing down on him.
VICK - Only had one significant snap. Played QB on 3rd/1. Ran to his right and got good blocking. Gained 4 yards and moved the chains.
RB
MCCOY - Good game. Ran 11 times for 82 yards. Obviously 66 came on one play so he didn't have a great day aside from that run. LeSean did a pretty good job of running N-S, but he still hesitates more than you'd like. He's always looking for a big play. Focus on the 4-yard runs and the big plays will come. The long TD was a good run. LeSean hit the hole hard. Made one guy miss near the line. Turned on the speed and used a downfield block from Maclin to distract a defender. Then used a stutter-step about the 10 to keep the DB from tackling him. Had 2 receptions. Caught a screen on the first play from scrimmage. Got the play on the right side and went upfield for 16 yards. Did a pretty good job of reading his blocks on the play. Caught a screen in the 4th that was overthrown. Great effort to make the grab, but lost yards.
Had a solid day as a blocker. Good blitz P/U on PA pass to Celek. Good block of blitzer on 3rd Qtr pass. Went up high to take on the target. Needs to work on his chip blocks. Tuck got the best of him on one play. Later Tuck avoided a chip. LeSean needs to make contact, even if the DE tries to duck the hit. You have to land some shots on those guys when you get the chance.
BUCKLEY - Good game on STs. Got some carries late in the game. Had 2 runs for 6 yards. Call him ..."The Finisher".
FB
WEAVER - Huge game. Leonard Part 6 finally became a featured part of the offense. He had 8 carries for 75 yards. His biggest play was a 41-yard TD on the opening drive. He ran downhill on the play and then showed really good open field speed. We had good success running out of the Ace Formation. Even if a defender came free, Weaver would knock him back for a yard or two gain. Fed the ball to him on N-S plays. Weaver ran hard. He's got some running skills and will catch some defenders off guard with his speed.
4 words for Andy...Give us more Weaver.
TE
CELEK - Good game. Caught 4 passes for 61 yards and 1 TD. Blocking was solid. Caught an early TD only to have it wiped out by penalty. A couple of plays later he caught a 17-yard pass for the TD. Right down the middle, between the Safeties. Had a very good seal block on a DE on a run to his side. Brent had to get good position on the play. Did that with good footwork and then sealed the DE, giving Shady a clean edge. Flexed out left late in the half. Went upfield and Donovan hit him for a gain of 20. The throw was behind him, but Brent was able to adjust and bring it in. Had a very impressive play in the 4th Qtr. Caught a 3rd down pass 8 yards shy of the sticks. Fought through 2 tackles to get upfield and move the chains. Great effort. You'd think he was down big instead of up and simply trying to eat the clock.
SMITH - Got his first catch as a Bird. Solid job of blocking. Caught a pass in the right flat and turned upfield for a gain of 11. We went play-action to the left. Donovan wheeled and threw quickly to Smith, who was wide open. Alex then took off to get some RAC yards. Got into a couple of shoving matches with Giants defenders. I don't mind a TE getting feisty after some run blocking.
WR
DESEAN - Another game, another big play TD. Crazy. 3-78-1. The highlight was the 54-yard TD (covered up above). Caught a pass over the middle for a gain of 9 early on. Caught a pass on a crossing route in the late 3rd moved us from back deep out to the 25. Had a couple of good blocks in the game.
MACLIN - Solid game. 4-47-1. Caught a pass on a crossing route in the 2nd Qtr and just missed breaking it for a big play. Got tackled from behind or he might have been gone for a huge gain. Great TD catch late in the half. Got inside position on the CB and then went up aggressively and brought the ball in. Snagged a quick out in the early 4th. Excellent hands on the catch. Blocked well on a couple of plays, most notably LeSean's TD run.
AVANT - Caught 2 passes for 32 yards. Caught short pass on early 3rd down. Broke a tackle in the flat and turned upfield for 28 yards. That was Jason at his best. Had a short grab in the 2nd half. Did a solid job as a blocker. Had an okay block on early McCoy run. Came in motion to the formation and blocked Tuck. Didn't make a clean block, but it was good enough to let Shady get to the outside edge and turn upfield for a couple of yards. This is the modern crackback block. You hit the guy up high in a clean, safe way. Tuck made the tackle. In the old days Avant would have gone for Tuck's lower legs and put him on the ground. That would have bought us an extra couple of yards.
OL
* Stunts gave us problems more than a few times. The Giants have good D-linemen and our blockers are still getting used to each other.
PETERS - Up and down game. Got called for holding on early play that wiped out a TD pass. Osi got free to the inside. Jason stuck with the block. He recovered well, but then ended up hooking Osi and getting the flag. Had a sloppy block when trying to seal DT on outside run. Cofield made the tackle on the play. If Jason gets a better block, Shady might have gone a long way on the run. Had to settle for a yard or two. Cofield does deserve credit for getting off the block and hustling on the play. Got beaten by Osi for sack, FF. Jason hustled to get to the ball and didn't let the Giants recover. In his defense, Jason had knocked Osi deep. McNabb was in the pocket and then went backward, right into Osi's path. Most of that may seem bad, but Jason kept McNabb clean most of the game. Didn't have any standout run blocks.
TODD - Looked good once again. Moved around really well and didn't look rusty. Lost Osi on a stunt they ran. Didnt hurt us, though. Worked hard to stick with his rusher on a play where they ran a stunt/game. Gave Donnie time to get the pass off. Had a solid day on run plays.
JACKSON - Very good game. Had a good block on a run in the 3rd. Rode the DT wide and created a big cutback lane. Moved a DT on a Weaver run up the middle. Got good movement on that play. Sealed DT on McCoy's long TD run. We generally handled the Giants blitz well and Jamaal gets a lot of credit for that because he makes the line calls.
STACY - Good block of Pierce sealed a running lane for McCoy in the 3rd. Occupied Robbins on a run up the middle in the 3rd. Didn't move him, but kept him from making the tackle as Weaver ran by.
COLE - Started at RG and split time with Stacy. Best block came on the Weaver TD run.
JUSTICE - Another good game. Lost his man on a stunt and let Kiwi come free around the edge and flush McNabb on a 3rd down play. They tried a stunt on the next 3rd down and Justice handled it perfectly. Turned the DE over to Stacy at RG and then got on the DT looping wide and blocked him. Made a very good block on backside LB on run play. Weaver cut back and if he could have kept his feet he might have gone for a big gain right off Justice's hip. Had a good down block on run by McCoy in the 3rd Qtr. Blocked a LB on Weaver run up the middle. Tripped on the play, but still managed to get in the LB's way.
___________________________________
DE
COLE - Good game. All over the place. Had 4 solo tackles. Didn't get to Eli, but hit him a couple of times and got some pressure. Just missed sack in the 1st Qtr on 3rd/3. Beat the LT and hit Eli just a nano-second after the ball was gone. Got inside the TE's block on a run away from him and Trent hustled down the line to stop the RB for no gain. Flushed Eli with pressure on 3rd/long. Unfortunately he ran for the 1st. Slipped while near Manning on play where Clemons had flushed him or Trent might have gotten his sack. Flew off the edge late in the half and hit Eli in the middle of his motion. Almost forced a fumble, but we had to settle for an incomplete pass. The next play was a bad overthrow that we picked off. Pressure does have a residual effect. Hustled down the line to tackle Jacobs in the early 3rd for short gain. Drew holding call on Jacobs in the 2nd half.
PARKER - Had 1 tackle in the game according to the gamebook, but that's off. That came when they ran to his side in the late 2nd. Juqua got off his block and stopped Jacobs for only a few yards. Got good pressure on a 3rd Qtr pass. Came close to getting a sack, but couldn't get to Eli before the ball was gone. Helped to stuff a run play that came his way in the 3rd. Drove the RT into Eli in the 3rd and forced an incompletion. Tackled Jacobs on a run in the late 3rd. Hit Eli late in the game and forced an incompletion.
CLEMONS - Should have had a 1st Qtr sack. Used a good burst off the ball to get by the RT. Flushed Eli. Kept chasing on the play and just as he caught up and was about to bring him down, Babin came in low to make the tackle of Manning. Chris did all the work, but got nothing to show for it.
HOWARD - Quiet game. Made a good tackle of Bradshaw on running play. Held him to a gain of 4. Got some pressure up the middle late in the half, on the play where Eli overthrew his receiver and we picked the pass. Drew a holding call on Seubert on a screen pass late in the half.
BABIN - Good game. Had 3 solo tackles and a sack. Played both DE and DT. Just missed a sack in the 1st Qtr when he used a spin move to get off a block and Eli was right by him. Jason wasn't able to make the tackle. Chased down Jacobs from behind on a run and stopped him for a short gain. Got his sack when Clemons flushed Eli and chased him back to the line. Babin went low and tackled Eli. Called for horse collar tackle. Good effort to chase down Eli. Only grabbed the jersey. Looked lik a clean play to me. Had a TFL on a WR screen on the next play when he hustled out in pursuit.
DT
PATTERSON - Good game. Had 3 tackles and played solid run defense. Got a big hit on Eli on 1st Qtr pass. Got by his blocker and hit Manning half a second after he threw. That caused the ball to be high and incomplete. Got penetration on a 2nd Qtr run and hit Jacobs in the backfield, but couldn't wrap him up. Came free up the middle in the 3rd and hit Eli after the ball was out.
BUNKLEY - Solid game. Only had 1 tackle to show for it. Lined him up off the ball at times, but normally kept him right on the line. Came free to the outside on a stunt and flattened Eli on PA pass, but the ball was out. Clean, legal shot. That was our biggest hit on Manning. Also had our biggest hit on Jacobs. Hustled in pursuit of the ball. BJ was bouncing off tacklers when Bunk hit him from behind and knocked him back a step. Got to Eli on his TD throw in the 2nd Qtr, but the ball was gone by then.
LAWS - Showed good hustle on a run away from him. Got down the line and in on the stop of the runner. Had some nice snaps. Played in the Nickel a time or two.
DIXON - Maybe his most playing time yet. Not his best game, though. This was the best OL he's faced. Got moved off the ball a couple of times. Found out the hard way that you have to battle the Giants blockers on every second of every snap. Had a couple of solo tackles. Got his first NFL sack late in the game.
LB
JORDAN - Led the team with 7 tackles (6 solo). Was a real physical presence in the middle of the defense. Got run over by Jacobs on the first play, but Akeem didn't have his feet clearly under him and that's no way to try and take on Big Brandon. Stuffed an inside run by Bradshaw. Met him in the hole and stopped the play for minimal gain. Made a good tackle of Hixon on WR screen in the 2nd Qtr. That play had some potential if Akeem didn't make a clean stop. Made a good tackle of Jacobs on draw up the middle.
GOCONG - Only had 1 tackle, but played well. Helped to shut down Jacobs. Had to leave the game for a while due to injury. Blew up an early run by attacking a pulling G and stuffing him and the FB. That caused Jacobs to stop and re-direct. Attacked upfield on a run play and stuffed Jacobs for only a yard.
SPOON - Solid game. Had 6 tackles (5 solo). Was aggressive in taking on blockers on run plays. Got burned on an Eli scramble on 3rd/long. Spoon was a step too wide and the G cut him off, leaving Eli a huge void to run through up the middle. He did just that and moved the chains. Attacked into the backfield and took out a pulling OL. That let other guys stop Jacobs for a short gain. Blitzed outside on 3rd down and got pressure on Eli, but he got the ball away just before Spoon got there. Made a good stop on Jacobs on a run off right tackle. Had tight downfield coverage on Boss on pass play late in half. Batted pass on 3rd down play just after halftime. Leapt up to break up a downfield throw to Boss, but was unable to get quite that high. Great effort and good timing.
FUKOU - Came in ro replace injured Gocong for a few plays. Did okay on the runs he faced. Looked a bit confused when the Giants went to a spread set and he was out in space. Boss was in tight and went upfield for a TD. That wasn't his man, but Fukou could have helped on the play if he was more sure of himself.
TROT- Didn't play a lot. Tried to blow up a GL run by attacking upfield and diving into the backfield, but didn't hit anyone. They actually scored on that play.
CB
S BROWN - Good game. Had good downfield coverage on WR when throw came that way. The ball was wide. Sheldon tried to play it, but the pass bounced off his helmet and further out of bounds. Gave up long completion to Nicks. Let Hakeem get inside position. Went up to play the ball, but couldn't get to it. Moved inside to cover Smith in the slot at times. Had INT taken away by penalty when he was called for holding Smith. That was a good call. Sheldon got greedy with a jersey tug. Had tight coverage of Boss on 1st/GL pass in late 3rd. Eli had to throw the ball away. Broke up a pass in the 4th Qtr. Got a good jump on the ball. Got beaten by Moss in the 4th, but the ball was off target and incomplete.
SAMUEL - Good game. Had 2 tackles, INT, and FF. Picked off early pass. Read the route and jumped in front of Beckum. Took the ball down the left sideline to set up a TD for the offense. Great read, great break, and good hands on the play. Hit Nicks after short catch and knocked the ball out. Nicks got it back and went to the far side for a gain of 7 yds. Crazy play.
HOBBS - Didn't stand out in coverage. Had 3 tackles.
HANSON - Not his best game. Had 3 tackles, but struggled with Steve Smith in the slot. MmmBop got burned by Smith on early 3rd down. Played off him too much and left Steve wide open in the middle of the field. I do wonder if someone else screwed up. Hanson had outside technique, as if he expected Spoon or Sean to give him inside help. Lost Smith on another 3rd down and gave up a completion that moved the chains. Had tight downfield coverage on Smith on 4th down play in the 3rd Qtr. That helped to keep Steve from catching the pass.
S
MIKELL - Had 4 solo stops and played pretty well. I thought we'd need a huge game from him to shut them down. Not so. Had a chance to pick off Eli in the 1st Qtr on a downfield ball. Q made a good read and got to the ball, but simply couldn't hang on. Should have been a pretty easy pick. Later dropped a pass on an outside throw that was a tougher chance. Outstanding tackle of Steve Smith on 3rd down. Saw the short pass and broke quickly. Put him down cleanly and with force. Gave up TD to Boss. Was sloppy in coverage. Looked like Q got caught flat footed and Boss got behind him.
JONES - Got the start at FS in place of the injured Macho Harris. Good game. 2nd on the team with 6 tackles (5 solo). Made a physical tackle on the Giants second drive. Jacobs ran to his right and Jones came up to stop him. Sean hit him up high, almost always a dumb idea for a FS. Sean hit him hard enough to draw a stalemate and then slung Brandon to the ground. TFL late in the half when Jacobs caught a pass and stupidly ran E-W. Sean chased him down for a short loss. Called for PI on broken play. Got a good shot on Boss after catch down the seam. Got a good shot on Smith after catch over the middle. Tackled Bradshaw right at the line when he blitzed off the back side. Blitzed and pressured Eli into bad throw near the GL.
DEMPS - Good game. Had 2 tackles and picked off bad overthrow by Eli. The INT came late in the half. Demps was deep. He saw the pass sail and easily got to it to make the pick. Returned it about 10 yards. Demps made a good tackle of Jacobs on a screen pass out in space. Blitzed in the 3rd and did hit Eli.
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STs
ROCCA - Quiet, but successful day. Averaged 47.3 per punt. Put 2 of 3 punts inside the 20.
AKERS - 2 of 2 on FGs. Had an extra point blocked. Kickoffs weren't as deep as usual, but the coverage was outstanding.
KOR ---
* Hobbs had a good day. He averaged 29 yards per KOR. His long was 39. He set up a pair of TD drives with long returns. Really focused on holding the ball in traffic.
* Long KOR to start the game. Good blocking.
* Very good return late in the half put us out near midfield.
PR ---
* DeSean only had 1 return. That came late in the half and went 30 yards. He was one player away from breaking it for a TD. I have no idea why he didn't use the Romulan Cloaking Device to hide from that guy.
MISC STs ---
* Laws, Babin, and Buckley all had good blocks on the opening KOR that went 35 yards. We've struggled this year with blocking on returns. That wasn't the case at all today.
* The Giants blocked an extra point. There was penetration at RG, between Dorenbos and Cole. I think Nick was at fault, but it is hard to tell sometimes with STs blocking. The Giants blocked 2 of our FGs last year. Not good. We need to be tighter.
* Jordan made a good tackle in KO coverage.
* Demps and Hanson combined to make a good tackle of Dixon on long punt. Pinned them deep.
* Buckley had a good lead block for Hobbs on KOR late in the half that put us at the 45.
* Fokou recovered fumble on KO.
* Weaver made great tackle in KO coverage early in the 3rd Qtr.
* They kicked a ball short in the mid-3rd. Babin couldn't catch it and the Giants hustled down to recover it. Good job by them. We'll be working on fielding short KOs this week.
* Fokou called for holding on KOR at the end of the 3rd. That backed us up to the 10.
* Joe Mays played on STs. He got in on a tackle in KO coverage.
* NYG missed a 4th Qtr FG.
* Domenik Hixon was red hot as a RS, but had no luck in this game.
I wrote this last night: "Game tied at 13 early in 4th. Let's see what the Eagles are made of." The answer wasn't very pleasant. Dallas was able to make a couple of key plays on offense and they came up with key stops on defense. They won, 20-16.
We needed to see the Eagles play in a tight game. We've struggled in that area the previous 2 years. We were bad in 2007 and awful last year. Every team is different so I was curious about this group. Some people will point to the Oakland game, but I discard that because we were so god awful that day. Last night was a no-brainer. Dallas at Philly. Divison rivals. Tie game. Both teams playing okay. No excuses to be made. They came up with the big plays and we didn't. Now the focus becomes the next close game. We can right the ship with a win. Or we can find another way to lose and see that this truly is in fact a continuation of previous problems. At that point...I don't want to even think about that.
Frustrating game. We didn't get beat by a team that was clearly better than us. We didn't get thoroughly outplayed. We didn't play a bad game. We played a sloppy game and had too many critical mistakes. That is what cost us the game. For example:
* Sheldon Brown jumps on a pump fake and lets Miles Austin get behind him on 3rd/13. The play turns into a 49-yard TD. What the heck is Sheldon thinking? Play smart. I wrote about the danger that pump fakes posed in the preview. I hoped Sheldon would be smart enough not to get burned on 3rd/long.
* LeSean McCoy came up big for us on many plays, but he had some big mistakes as well. His failure to get upfield on 2nd/1 led to 3rd/1 and 4th/1. McCoy should have focused on moving the chains on 2nd/1. Instead he was dancing and looking for a lane. Get the friggin yard.
McCoy also dropped 2 passes. Both came under tough circumstances, but this is the NFL. You have to make plays when you get the chance.
* Asante Samuel got called for taunting when he got in a Cowboy's face. Asante was joking around with the guy, but the official doesn't know that. He threw the flag. Dumb.
* Jeremy Maclin had a rough night. He failed to catch an early pass and it bounced off his hands and was picked off. That led to Dallas' first TD. Maclin failed to look back on a pass that came his way early in the game. I don't know that he could have done much on the play, but you still want him looking for the ball. He later had a facemask penalty on a ball that was picked off on a throw to him.
* Moise Fokou went low on a block and drew a flag on Sheldon's return after an INT. That cost us about 50 yards of field position. He was also called for a penalty on Ellis Hobbs KOR for a TD.
* The coaches made a bonehead decision on a deep pass play in the 1st half. They kept in plenty of guys to block, but left Todd Herremans all alone on DeMarcus Ware. Maclin split the DBs and was wide open for a TD. McNabb saw him and was about to release the ball when Ware hit him from behind and the ball fell short on the throw. It is possible that a player blew his assignment. That simply shifts the blame from the coaches to a player. It doesn't erase the mistake.
* McNabb made an errant throw to DeSean on a crossing route. That play could have been a big gainer. Just put the ball behind him.
* We lined up to go for it on 4th down. A Cowboy jumped offside, but Jamaal Jackson didn't snap the ball. That would have been 5 free yards and a 1st down.
* Tracy White was running into place late in the half on a pass play that went for 64 yards and set Dallas up for a FG. White should have been covering the Crayton on the play or at least in that area.
Andy Reid didn't have his best night. Nor did the officials. I don't know that any call they did or didn't make was going to win us the game. As for Big Red, he challenged on 2 plays and both were very frustrating situations. McCoy caught a pass on 3rd/2 just beyond the sticks, but was coming back to the ball. Since he was untouched he didn't get credit for forward progress. I thought the refs gave us a bad spot, but it turned out to be generous. They reviewed it and didn't change the call. We should have lost a yard on that. We lined up to go for it and McNabb got Dallas to jump, but JJ didn't snap the ball. Then Jason flinched and we got the penalty and punted.
Should Reid have challenged that? As it turned out, no. I had questions even before the review. We were just inches shy. Why not save the challenge and go for it? Or punt, if you want to play it safe.
The next situation was 4th/inches. McNabb sneaked and the officials somehow concluded that he lost ground. Awful job of spotting the ball. I was emotional at the time and yelled for Andy to challenge. That was dumb on both our parts. The ref had shown that he wasn't inclined to change calls based on other challenges by both teams. Also, how do you adjust a spot in a pile? They talked about using landmarks, but that guy wanted no part of anything like that and let the call stand. That left us with no timeouts.
Late in the game we're at the Dallas 34. We have 4th/11. Andy opts to kick a FG instead of going for it. Very questionable decision on his part. As many have pointed out, the FG got you 3 points but still left you needing a TD to win. I have to think Andy was worried about the likelihood of converting 4th/11. Look at the 3 prior plays:
1/10 - incomplete pass to Celek
2/10 - incomplete pass to McCoy
3/10 - McNabb sacked for -1 yards
You couldn't take a timeout to set up a good play and talk about things. You had to call in something that would have netted 11 or more yards. Dallas was likely to blitz aggressively. It's doable, but not easy.
Andy also was showing faith that his defense could ge the ball back. That didn't happen and Dallas was able to seal the game. I know some people feel like this decision cost us the game. No way. There's no guarantee we get the 1st down if we go for it. There's no guarantee we score a TD if we do get the 1st. The game was decided by our barrage of mistakes. This was just one of many.
We did miss Westy. He might not have made the difference in winning and losing, but he would have helped the offense on a few key plays.
MISC
* Bad start on offense. We came out in the Shotgun and throwing. I didn't like that at all. Why not run early and let the guys get warmed up, then throw some?
* Dallas went Wildcat on 2nd series and the a couple of other times in the game.
* Points off Turnovers: DAL 10, PHI 0
They had the short field more than us. Their first TD drive was 37 yards. They also had a FG drive that started at our 42. Our best field position of the night was our own 36, on our final drive. We had to go the long field all night and it cost us.
* We gave a different look on defense. We didn't load up the line as much. We blitzed, but had the guys coming from the second level. Mixed results.
* WR screens were a problem.
______________________________
QB
MCNABB - Up and down game. Struggled in the 1st half (6-14-88). Got sacked 3 times and that didn't help matters. Started 0 of 4, but 2 of those were drops. Played better in the 2nd half. Got better protection and the skill players helped him out. Finished the game 16-30-227. Threw 1 TD and 2 INTs. The first pick wasn't his fault. The ball bounced off Maclin's hands. The second pick was a downfield pass that McNabb underthrew and the CB picked off. Made some good throws. Bullet to Avant on 3rd/long. Great job on screen pass. Had to fight off defender to have time to get the pass off. That was on McCoy's 45-yard play. Donovan made a terrific play on his TD pass. He started to run, then saw Celek come free and got him the ball.
The 4th Qtr - Donnie had 2 drives.
1 - 2-3-23 ... drive stalled when QB sneak failed
2 - 2-4-21 ... led us to FG
Clearly, he wasn't bad. At the same time, he wasn't able to make the critical plays that we needed to win the game. Romo hit Austin for the long TD in the 4th Qtr and later converted a critical 3rd down pass that sealed the game.
RB
MCCOY - 13 for 54. Best run came in the 2nd Qtr. Went up the middle. Spun off a tackler and bounced out wide for 17 yards. Showed a lot of promise in this game. Also had a 14-yard run. His best play was the 45-yard screen early in the 3rd Qtr. Showed a good burst on that. Caught a couple of other passes and looked solid as a receiver. Now for the bad stuff. Dropped 2 passes, both screens. One was a new play (I think). We'll call it the block and release screen. LeSean blocked Ware for about half a second and then released him. McCoy drifted into the left flat. Donovan got the ball to him, but LeSean dropped it. Gotta make that catch. Donovan did his part and took a big hit. It looked like there was room for McCoy to run. Stumbled while releasing on a screen to the right and dropped that pass.
Biggest problem came on a 2nd/1 play in the 4th Qtr. Got the handoff and headed right. Instead of running to move the chains, LeSean was looking for space to run. Dallas had guys in the area. LeSean hesitated at the line and was stopped for no gain. Had he just fired upfield and gotten the yard we would have had a new set of downs. Situational awareness is critical in football. When you need 1 yard in the 4th Qtr of a tight divisional game...go get the stinkin' yard. Forget about big plays.
Looked like he did a solid job in pass pro.
WEAVER - Solid game. Had 8 carries for 33 yards. Ran hard. Didn't break any big plays, but did his job. Had a solid night as a lead blocker. Converted a 3rd/1 on the final drive of the game.
TE
CELEK - Good game. Caught 3 passes for 39 yards, including our only TD. Drew a couple of flags in the game on guys trying to cover him. Had an impressive grab when he caught a ball near the sticks and took a big hit, but still fought to make sure he got the 1st down. Did a good job on his TD. Shoved off a defender and came open in the end zone.
SMITH - More involved in the offense as a blocker and receiver. Had an early 3rd/1 play designed for him, but McNabb was hurried and the ball was too high. Lined up wide left and caught a slant pass for 11 yards. Got beaten by Spencer while blocking on a pass play and that forced McNabb to hurry a throw.
WR
DESEAN - Only caught 2 passes, both in the 2nd half. One gained 20 yards, the other gained 9. Did a good job of blocking on run plays and screen passes.
AVANT - Caught 2 passes for 43 yards. Had gains of 20 and 23 yards. Made a brilliant catch down the left seam. Went up over the DB and plucked the ball. Fingertip catch. Solid game as a blocker.
MACLIN - I mentioned his night up above. Too many mistakes. Caught 3 passes for 44 yards. I was happy that he didn't lose focus because of the early problems and mentally check out. Maclin's best catch came late in the game when he went down to snag a pass on 3rd/long. At first I wasn't sure he actually got the ball. Replay showed it was a good catch.
OL
PETERS - Started off okay, then got hurt late in the 1st Qtr and missed most of the 2nd Qtr. We sure missed his presence. Ware was tough to slow down, let alone block with Jason out. Jason returned before the half and played pretty well despite his ankle issue. Used his power to control Ware on several rushes by pushing him around.
TODD - Solid game at LG. Got some push in the run game and held his own in pass pro. Got a subtle block on defender on Shady's long screen pass. Showed good hustle on that play to get over to that side and down the field. Shifted to LT for a while. Called for not being on the LOS on his first snap. Good block on Brooking on run that Shady broke outside. Struggled when trying to pass block Ware. Was able to make the initial block a few times, but then struggled to sustain the block. Rough shift at LT.
JACKSON - Good game. Excellent block of Ratliff on a run to the right. Drove him a step to the left. Good block on Bradie James on Weaver run up the middle. Made good line calls. The blitz wasn't a major factor in stopping us. Once we had our key guys back on the field we gave Donovan decent time to throw.
STACY - Bad game as a pass blocker. Struggled with Ratliff. Just couldn't handle his explosive ability. Got beaten for one sack and created another. While trying to block Ratliff on a pass play he shoved Jay twice, pushing him outside both times. This created a natural stunt and Jay looped around the outside and got to McNabb. Did better on runs. Got some push. Walled off Ratliff on a run up the middle.
COLE - Played both LG and RG. Had a good block on a Weaver run to his side.
JUSTICE - Good game. Called for false start penalty. Good effort on run plays. Would help on DL, then peel off and get LB. Bad block on a tackle trap play. Winston pulled and had the DL in his sights. Should have been an easy block, but Winston didn't hit the guy hard enough and slid right off him. If Justice hits the guy cleanly, Shady gets up the middle and we move the chains. Runyan was a master at this play. Justice has done it a few times this year. Winston was solid in pass pro.
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DE
COLE - Got a sack, had a TFL, and had 2 solo tackles, but was quieter than I hoped for. I wanted to see Trent in the backfield all night. Didn't happen. His sack came on a 3rd down when Trent got really low and blew by Flozell. Trent used his hands to keep Adams from blocking him. Hit Romo from behind. If only Trent could have knocked the ball out...
PARKER - Early sack on PA pass. Witten blocked passively, then released upfield. Juqua didn't buy the fake and went after Romo. Got him by the jersey and forced him to the ground. Missed a sack late in the half. That would have prevented a FG attempt. Had a couple of tackles.
CLEMONS - Quiet game. Timed a blitz well early in the game and came free up the middle. They threw a screen so Chris wasn't able to get to Tony. Helped chase down the ball on a WR screen late in the half.
BABIN - Good game. Came off the edge from LDE and just missed a sack of Romo. Used a good burst on that play. Lined up at DT and beat the LG with a good burst to get upfield and sack Romo. Also used his hands well.
HOWARD - Too quiet. Pressured Romo on a pass late in the half.
DT
PATTERSON - Good game. Had 3 tackles and was stout in the middle. Good pressure on early pass play. Beat Davis with a quick move. Just missed a sack. Got some pressure by beating the RG to the outside on Romo's INT. Solid game vs the run.
BUNKLEY - Only credited with 1 tackle. Made a terrific play vs run. Held his ground vs OL and then tackled Barber for only a gain of 1. Got a hand in Romo's face on the play where he threw the INT.
LAWS - Didn't stand out.
DIXON - Got regular playing time once again. Had 2 tackles. Hustled downfield on screen to Choice and helped make the stop. Made another tackle on a run play to the other side. Excellent pursuit.
LB
JORDAN - Good game prior to getting hurt in the 4th Qtr. Led the team with 6 solo tackles. Also had a PD. Broke up a screen pass to TE M Bennett. Blitzed off the edge and stopped the RB for no gain on a run up the middle.
WITHERSPOON - Tied for team lead with 6 solo tackles. Solid job on Dallas run game. Got beaten by Witten on early 3rd down. Subtle move by Jason got himself open. Hustled downfield to tackle Ogletree on WR screen. Got flattened by a blocker on short TD run. Made a good tackle of Witten on 3rd/10 to keep him short of the sticks. Had a TFL late in the game when he blitzed up the middle and got Barber down for a 4-yard loss.
FUKOU - Up and down game. Good tackle of Barber after catch and run. Drew a holding call on the FB when the guy threw him to the ground on a run play. Got suckered on an End Around. Fukou bit on the inside run fake and left a big void for the WR to run through. Should have been a TFL. Solid tackle of Barber on a run up the middle. I covered his major mistakes above. Critical blocking penalties.
WHITE - Played in the Nickel and also took over at WLB late in the game. Had a couple of tackles. Most notable moment was the play before the half when he bumped into Witherspoon prior to the snap and that made him late to covering Patrick Crayton. Turned into a gain of 64 yards.
CB
S BROWN - Good game except for one HUGE mistake. I covered it above. Had 3 tackles, an INT, and a couple of pass break-ups. The INT came on a play where Romo didn't step into his throw and the ball was underthrown. Sheldon made a good adjustment and then picked it off. Returned the ball into scoring territory, but that was negated by penalty. Played both RCB and LCB.
SAMUEL - Had 3 tackles and a couple of PBUs. Broke up early pass to Austin. Ball was errant or Sammie might have had a better play on it. Got away with PI on a pass into the end zone. Had Williams' arm tangled up. Tackled well for 2/3 of the game. Then took a knee to the head and wanted no part of making a tackle if anyone else was close enough to make the play. His tackling has improved a great deal in the last couple of weeks. We'll see how that shot to the head affects him moving forward.
HOBBS - Came in at CB when Asante left. Worst moment was a quick pass to Roy Williams. Ellis was playing off him and never came up and made a play. Roy should have been stopped for about 5 yards, but instead he turned it into a gain of 11.
HANSON - Only credited with 1 tackle. Seemed like he was more active than that. MmmBop did break up a pass in the end zone late in the half. He was half a step late in getting over to cover on the play, but recovered quickly and the ball hit him in the back.
S
MIKELL - Had 4 tackles. Blitzed off the edge and forced Romo to throw quickly on 3rd/long. Broke up a pass in the end zone late in the half. Got burned on the critical 3rd down at the end of the game. Witten caught a short pass to move the chains and seal the game. I don't know why Q wasn't more aggressive on the play. Let 'em beat you deep. Don't let 'em beat you short. Not his best game. With as many short throws and runs as they had I hoped Q would be more of a presence.
JONES - Started at FS. Had 5 tackles and a sack. The sack late in the half. Several guys were about to hit Romo, but Sean got there first. Looked like he took a bad angle on the TD pass to Austin. Sean was playing off the ball and should have been able to come over and stop him for a 20-yard gain or something like that. Instead he was too flat to the ball and Austin got behind everyone for the TD.
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SPECIAL TEAMS
ROCCA - Got lucky when bad punt hit short and took a good roll. Averaged 44.3 per punt. 2 of 3 ended up inside the 20.
AKERS - Great game. Nailed 3 long FGs (45, 48, 52). Had good depth on his KOs.
KOR ---
* Hobbs finally broke loose for a TD, but a penalty killed the return. Dallas covered well aside from that.
* Maclin ran a KO back 28 yards. Looked better than he did this summer when he was so hesitant and indecisive.
PR ---
* DeSean only got one return. Took that wide right for 9 yards.
MISC STs ---
* Big play. Dallas had 57-yd punt downed at our 2. Penalty for ineligible down field forced a re-kick and we got the ball at the 16. We drove down and kicked a FG. Without that penalty you have to wonder what might have happened.
* Joe Mays had a good tackle on KO coverage.
* Fokou was called for holding on Hobbs KOR TD.
* We covered KOs pretty well. Jones only got free on one (28 yards).
* We had to kickoff from the 15 due to a celebration penalty and Akers nailed the ball. That helped us to keep them from having great field position.
* Eldra Buckley flew down on the final KO and nailed Jones at the 11, but couldn't wrap him up. Great hustle, but you have to finish plays like that. Bad field position would have put extra pressure on Dallas.
We lost 31-23. That's now 2 losses in a row. Last week it was 4 points to Dallas. Now we lose by 8 to the Chargers. Both games have one common denominator: mistakes. If you could change a handful of plays from either game...we win. The problem is that you can't do that. You have to learn from mistakes and play better the next week. We didn't do that.
* Moise Fokou was called for a late hit penalty. Stupid play. Last week he had a pair of bonehead penalties which really cost us.
* Jeremy Maclin was called for offensive interference on a 3rd down where he made the catch to move the chains. Jeremy got his hands on the CB and didn't do much, but you can't be so blatant with extending your arms when trying to push off. Gotta be subtle. That penalty killed a drive. Jeremy also fielded a punt at the 5. Last week Maclin had some costly mistakes that hurt us.
* Sav Rocca shanked a punt when we were backed up near our goal line. That set up the Chargers at our 40 and led to their first TD. Earlier this year Sav had a shank in a similar situation.
* We had an offside penalty on 3rd/2. That's happened before this year. This one was real costly because the next play was a TD.
* Asante blew a coverage that led to a TD. Looked like he bit on a pump fake. Sheldon did the same darn thing last week and it cost us a TD. Ugh.
* Tracy White was called for an illegal block on a PR where DeSean had gotten to the SD 35-yard line. Blocking penalty cost us a TD last week.
These mistakes have nothing to do with lack of talent. These are mental errors. I'm sure the coaches have gone over these situations time after time. I don't understand why the players continue to screw up. Several of the mistakes were made by rookies. You understand that rookies are going to screw up. You just hope they play well enough to counter-balance the mistakes. As for veterans...harder to forgive them. They should know better. Either the coaches aren't harping on the mistakes enough or guys just aren't listenting. No matter what...they must find a solution. Penalties and unforced errors are killing us.
I didn't have a beef with the playcalling for the most part. The early Red Zone struggles were very frustrating. On the first trip we ran Weaver up the middle, threw an incomplete pass to Celek, and then ran Buckley up the middle. I love the fact they used Buckley, but why give him the ball on 3rd down. Eldra had 2 meaningless carries late in the Giants win. He hasn't had a touch since. He hasn't carried in a pressure situation...maybe since college. If you want to use him, give him the ball on 1st down and then again on 2nd down. Let him get a feel for things. Just throwing him out there on 3rd down was dumb. I'm sure they've practiced the play, but that isn't the same thing as running it live in a pressure situation.
What is wrong in the RZ? Combination of things: 1. Personnel 2. Playcalling 3. McNabb. We have smaller, quicker skill players. The RZ is a condensed space. Speed and quickness aren't as useful in there. Size and strength are more important. As far as plays...we tend to be a horizontal team in the RZ. That just doesn't work well. Our offense is vertical by design. We stretch the field and that creates good gaps for receivers. Down deep we can't do that. We need to run base plays and execute them precisely. I don't understand why we won't run a slant.
The McNabb comment is based on the last couple of years. Early in his career Donovan was a huge threat near the goal line. He ran for 6 TDs in 2000 and 2002. That threat put tremendous pressure on defenses. Donovan wasn't a great passer, but he didn't have to be. Play fakes were more effective. We've had RZ problems for 3 years now. Donovan has 3 rushing TDs in that time. Defenses don't have to worry about him as a runner. Now there is pressure on McNabb to throw the ball well. There are a couple of problems with this. Donovan doesn't often "throw guys open". He likes receivers to be open. In the RZ you need to anticipate what will happen. Donovan waits to see guys come free of coverage and then targets them.
Think about the best QBs in the league now. Brees, Brady, and Manning will take chances. They put the ball up there and let their receivers make plays for them. McNabb seems reticent to do this. He's given Maclin and Celek some chances, but too often Donovan wants to be perfect with his read and throw. That's impossible in the RZ.
The lack of a consistent running attack is also a major factor. Offensive linemen need to get into a rhythm. They can't spend most of a drive going backward in pass protection and then be expected to fire off the ball in the RZ and blow defenders off the ball when they are in a short yardage defense. This is one thing that I don't get about Marty and Andy. They either don't understand this or seem oblivious to it.
Settling for FGs instead of going for it...complicated subject. I wanted Andy to go for it on the first situation, but I also understand the George Blanda wisdom that the first points are the hardest. Make sure you get on the board. The next series we had to kick because it was 4th/7. The third FG situation was most annoying to me. We had 3rd/1 from the 7 and threw an incomplete pass to DJax. Even worse...the play was the rollout to the right. I cannot stand that damn thing. Why oh why???? We were down 21-6. The smart thing would have been to run up the middle. That either gets you the 1st or might set you up with 4th/inches. Down 15 you really need to score a TD.
The best argument for kicking is that we'd driven to the 7 from our 16 and getting no points would have been crushing. There is logic in that argument, but I think we screwed up starting with the 3rd down call.
I think Reid screwed up by not going for 2 after our first TD. We had just cut the lead to 28-15. Kick the extra point and it's 28-16. Doesn't do you any good really. Get the 2 and you're down 28-17. 11 points = FG + TD/2 pt conversion. Didn't affect us in the long run, but I thought we should have gone for 2.
I don't know what's wrong with the defense. 2 weeks in a row they couldn't get off the field. That is killing us. We're really banged up, but we still have enough talent to get the job done. Sean McDermott didn't have a good game. He tried to mix things up. He played Cole at LDE and Parker at RDE. I don't mind experimenting, but that should have ended at halftime. Wasn't working. We should have blitzed the LBs more. The guys were struggling off the ball. Let 'em make mistakes on the attack. San Diego did a great job of blocking in the game. I do want to give them credit. They handled our DTs and really blocked well on the edges. I'd like to have seen more of Abiamiri at LDE to help vs the run.
MISC
* How bad were penalties? Early in the 4th the ref went to explain a call. He started to signal offside on us then had to correct himself and call the illegal formation on SD. It was like he was so used to calling them on us that he didn't know what to do.
BROADCAST
Awful. Horrible. Or worse. I like Brian Billick. I think he does a very good job on the NFL Network with breaking down plays. I thought he was lousy yesterday. He made some boneheaded comments. Thom Brenneman was far worse. This is the genius who did the Florida bowl game last year and said "if you spend 10 minutes with Tim Tebow, you're life is better for it". He is a hyperbole machine. I actually turned off the volume and watched in silence for the 2nd half. Never done that before that I know of.
______________________________
OFFENSE
* Nickelback Steve Gregory blew up a trick play when he blitzed off the edge. We tried to run a double reverse, but he was in DeSean's path and threw off the timing. We lost 6 yards.
* Jammer looked like he got DeSean's facemask while tackling him on a 3rd down, but no call.
* Off tackle run to Westy on final drive of the half was an odd call.
QB
MCNABB - Strange game. Put up huge numbers, but they felt hollow. 35-55-450. 2 TDs, 1 INT.
Inconsistent in the 1st Qtr. Made some good throws, but also made some bad reads. Had a couple of costly mistakes. Got better in the 2nd Qtr. Led us on a couple of long drives even though we had to settle for FGs.
Really came alive in the 2nd half. Donovan took charge of the offense and we started moving up and down the field. The biggest thing for me is that we got into a rhythm. The blockers developed a flow. The receivers got open and caught the ball. McNabb dropped back and got the pass off in pretty quick fashion.
If you go back to the 2nd Qtr, 6 of our final 7 drives crossed into SD territory. 5 resulted in scores. One stalled due to an offensive PI penalty and the other was the final drive of the game. The offense got going. Can that carry over to Chicago????
STUFF
* Threw downfield to Reggie on 2nd/16. They had 3 DBs in the area. Wasted play.
* Made a horrible, horrible, horrible decision on 3rd/8 from about midfield. Threw deep to Reggie down the left side. Ball was incomplete. Avant had chipped on the RDE on the play, then released on a shallow cross. The Chargers D lost him completely. There wasn't anyone within 15 yards that I could see. Would have been an easy 1st down.
* Had Celek open on 2nd/GL from the 1. The play worked. McNabb was slow in getting the ball out and that made the throw tough and led to the incompletion. Donovan executed the fake well and Brent had a step on Jammer. There was room to work with. McNabb was too slow in making the throw and that killed the play. And we're only talking half a second slow. Not much. But that's the problem with the RZ. Can't hesitate at all.
* Had a terrific play before the half. Stood in the pocket as long as possible and fired a pass downfield to Reggie. Got hit by blitzer a half second after throwing the pass. Outstanding throw.
* Took a weird sack. Westy picked up a blitzing LB and knocked him to the ground. McNabb was in the pocket. He didn't see anyone open and started to run. He tripped over the LB for the sack. You never want the QB to watch rushers, but I'm not sure how Donnie didn't sense the guy was right there. Weird.
* Overthrew an open Weaver right at the GL. The next pass was almost picked off. LB dropped the ball. We scored on the drive, but those are the kind of RZ mistakes you can't have.
* Threw a strike to Celek on 4th/4.
* Good TD to Brent. Moved up in the pocket, but kept his eyes on the receivers. Good touch on the throw. Very catchable pass.
VICK - Okay throw to DJax on a deep crossing route. Ball was a bit behind the receiver, but it was very catchable. Drop.
RB
MCCOY - Only finished with 3 carries for 5 yards. Didn't see much action early in the game. Was on the field all down the stretch run. Did a solid job in pass pro from what I could tell. Also helped as a checkdown target. Caught 3 passes for 18 yards.
WESTY - Played about 2/3 of the game before leaving due to a concussion. Had a solid game up to that point. Was 6-28 as a runner. Effective on screens. Caught 2 of them for 26 yards. Best run of the day came on the shotgun draw to open the 2nd half. Went up the middle for 11.
Westy might be done for the year. There are 7 regular season games left. I'm sure we'd sit him for at least 3 weeks. Is it worth it to take a chance that he'll be ready to play at that point? Maybe. We'll see.
WEAVER - Quiet game. Had 2 carries for 2 yards. Was open for a TD pass, but McNabb overthrew him. Did a solid job on the few plays where he was the lead blocker.
TE
CELEK - Solid game. Caught 6 passes for 47 yards and a TD. Had a couple of key grabs. Made a big time catch on 4th/4. I couldn't tell if he had the ball or not initially so I didn't know whether to cheer or yell. Brent was in some traffic, but McNabb got him the ball and Brent made a good catch. Also caught a TD pass. We threw a TE screen to him on an early 3rd down, but the Chargers read it well. Brent wasn't able to get many RAC yards in this game.
SMITH - No passes came his way. Okay job of blocking.
WR
DESEAN - Caught 8 passes for 91. Got a lot of action early (5 catches in the 1st half). We forced the ball his way. I was happy to see that. Ran a very good route on the pass from Vick. The ball was behind him, but DJax still should have made that catch. Special players need to make special plays. Might have dropped a pass. McNabb threw a pass his way along the sideline. The view was obscured by the players on the sideline. The ball bounced off him and fell incomplete. Caught a short pass on 3rd/3 that moved the chains. Didn't have any highlight type plays but moved the chains on a consistent basis. Was involved in a double-reverse that went awry.
AVANT - Great game. 8 catches for 156 yards. Best catch came on the last play of the 3rd Qtr. We faced 3rd/18. Avant was covered near the right sideline, but Donovan took a chance and threw over there. Jason went up with one arm and essentially knocked the ball to himself. He used the hand to hit the ball and then brought it into his body and wrapped it up. Great, great catch. Longest play came early in the 3rd Qtr. Caught a pass over the middle. Shrugged off a hit by a DB and went down the right sideline for a gain of 58. Jason did a fantastic job of working down the seams and across the middle. Caught everything that was thrown his way. Also got good RAC yards.
MACLIN - Solid game. Had 6 grabs for 76 yards and a TD. Drew a PI call on Jammer in the end zone that set us up at the 1. Caught a pass on a short crossing route before the half. Fought to get out of bounds and secure the 1st down on the play. Caught a short TD in the early 4th. Ran a passive slant route and then tried to get lost. That worked, but it was an odd looking play. It looked as strange as it sounds. I don't recall any key drops. Hustled to get downfield and block for Avant on his long gain. Maclin caught a lot of intermediate passes.
BROWN - Best game of the year. Had 2 catches for 36 yards. Actually looked pretty good. Made a catch and run on the second drive of the game. That was a 3rd down play. Moved the chains. Made a good catch before the half on a downfield route. Had a good catch and run wiped out by a holding call in the 4th Qtr. We might need to use more 4 WR sets.
OL
We didn't run much. Pass blocks generally aren't noteworthy so I won't have as much to say about the guys. McNabb dropped back 57 times, but only got sacked twice. The pass protection was very good, by the OL and other blockers.
TODD - LT. Good game. Had one holding call in the 4th, but generally kept McNabb's backside clean. Got some help, but did most of his blocking on his own. Normally backup LTs stand out because they make so many mistakes. That wasn't the case with Todd. Uses his hands well. Really worked hard to stick with his blocks. Shawne Merriman had a very quiet game (1 tackle).
COLE - LG. Failed to get good push on 3rd/GL run to his side. Got upfield on a couple of screens, but didn't block anyone.
JACKSON - Got stood up and knocked back on the 1st/GL run. That one bad block killed the play. Weaver ran into JJ's back. If Jamaal gets a stalemate, he wins. Getting stood up and pushed back killed the play. Earl Campbell would have had no chance. Had a pair of good blocks to open the 2nd half. Controlled the NT on Westy's run up the middle for 11. Then had an even better block on the NT when we ran up the middle on 2nd/3. Good block on a screen to take out a DL who was chasing Westy from behind.
STACY - Played the whole game at RG. Because we faced a 3-4 front he didn't have a specific defender to block for much of the game. Helped with doubling the NT quite a bit, but I'm not sure the guys they rotate at NT necessarily needed to be doubled that much. Helped on a screen by diving at a LB and putting him on the ground. Looked like he was at fault for not picking up blitzing DB who sacked McNabb in the late 3rd. Stacy was doubling the NT on that play.
JUSTICE - Pretty good game. Had one great play. We had a 2nd/10 pass. Justice blocked DE Luis Castillo. Luis ended up on the ground and Justice then got a blitzing DB. Two guys, one play. McNabb had time to get the pass off and move the chains. Got driven back by good bull rush by #70.
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DEFENSE
* We didn't play the run well in this game. LT got to the edge too easily. There was confusion among the front seven on several plays.
* They ran a Wildcat play on the second drive and we looked confused. Howard didn't stay wide. Gocong didn't get wide. Easy seam for them to run in. Gain of 11.
* Motion hurt us on run plays. They motioned late and either had us outnumbered on a side or the guy would outflank our edge defender and let LT get wide.
* This was a poor game by Sean McDermott. He played Trent on the left side. That should have been scrapped at halftime when it was clear that it wasn't working. McDermott played the LBs off the ball. With a makeshift group I thought the smart thing would be to attack more often.
* Stopped them on 3rd/2. Huge play. Unfortunately we were called for being offside. They called it on Ramzee Robinson, but it looked like Juqua was the guy at fault. Next play was a TD pass.
DE
COLE - Started at LDE. I think McDermott was trying to throw off any blocking schemes they might have had set up for Trent. Instead the change worked against us. Trent had his quietest day of the year, 1 tackle. Chased Rivers on one play when he tried to rollout. Trent force a throw away. Got late pressure on Rivers in the mid-4th to flush him.
PARKER - Played mostly RDE. Didn't do much. Got a sack from LDE in the early 4th. Bull-rushed the RT and simply drove the guy backward. Got to the QB just before Trent did. Forced Rivers to throw the ball away on a 4th Qtr pass when he was flushed to Juqua's side. Had 3 tackles. Looked like it was him who jumped offside on 3rd/2.
CLEMONS - Way too quiet. Played, but didn't do anything of note.
BABIN - Played some LDE. Got pressure on Rivers on second drive, but couldn't get a good hit on him. Hurried the throw. Had 1 tackle. Moved around a bit on defense as McDermott tried some new things.
HOWARD - Got half a sack early in the game when he was at RDT. Beat the LG and then got by another blocker. Hit the QB at the same time as VA. Had 3 tackles.
VA- First game back from injury. Manhandled the RG on a pass play. Drove him back, got him off balance, and then got to Rivers. Only got half a sack as DH was there also. Got some pressure on Rivers on critical 3rd down late in the game, but was a step away from hitting him. Stood up on one 3rd down play as an ILB and blitzed. Got blocked. Didn't seem to play much LDE.
DT
PATTERSON - Not a great game. Slanted to the inside on 2nd/goal. SD ran right to the gap he vacated. Normally does a good job of eating up blocks, but still affecting the play. That wasn't happening on Sunday. Just got blocked.
BUNKLEY - Made a couple of tackles vs the run, but didn't have a good day. Was credited with 3 tackles. Didn't make any standout plays.
LAWS - Got some penetration. Got pressure on a pass play. Blew up a draw play and got a TFL. Had some good moments.
DIXON - Got driven off the ball on early run by double team. Chased Rivers out wide and forced a hurried throw. Disappointing game.
LB
WITHERSPOON - Played WLB. Had a quiet game - 3 tackles. Made a good tackle in space on a WR screen. Hustled to chase down Gates on play where he was wide open due to a blitz.
FOKOU - Starting SAM. 10 tackles, 7 solo. Hustled to the ball and tackled well most of the game. Missed early tackle of Gates on short pass. Cost us a couple of yards. Made a terrific stop of Sproles on 3rd/inches. Hit him in the backfield and stopped him for no gain.
GOCONG- Got his first ever NFL start at MLB. And it showed. Not good. Got burned on the TD pass to the FB. Chris took a couple of steps outside when he saw the FB pick up a blitzer. Then the FB released into the void created by Chris. Easy pass and catch. The play was set up when LT went in motion and lined up wide. That drew another LB out there and created space in the middle of the field. Struggled with reading plays and shedding blocks. You could see he's nothing close to a natural MLB. Chris was always thinking instead of just reacting and attacking. Credited with 4 tackles.
WHITE - Played in the Nickel. Made a good play to force out Sproles on a screen pass. Barely got him, but did push him out of bounds. Could have been a huge play.
CB
S BROWN - Not his best game. Beaten by Gates on slant pass for gain of 16. Got beaten by Floyd for catch down the sideline. Slipped on the play. That set up a TD. Gave up another catch and then hurt his hamstring. Had 1 tackle.
SAMUEL - Not a good game. Gave up TD to Naanee. Missed a tackle of LT on a run early in the 3rd Qtr. Should have been no gain. Instead it went for 7 yds. That's also the play where Fokou got the late hit penalty. A gain of 0 turned into a 22-yd play. Costly mistake. Only had 1 tackle. Controlled Vincent Jackson most of the game, but SD was able to throw on Samuel a couple of times to other guys.
PATTERSON - Did okay. Broke up a downfield pass to Gates. Beaten by Gates on 3rd/6 late in game. Made a good tackle of LT late in the game. Finished with 6 tackles. Started out in the slot and then moved outside when Sheldon got hurt.
ROBINSON- Called for critical offside penalty, but I thought it was Juqua.
S
MIKELL - Good game. Had 8 tackles and broke up 3 passes. Broke up early pass to Gates. Got a good break on the ball and then got a hand on it as Gates tried to make the catch. PBU on 3rd/3 on crossing route. Hit Jackson just as the ball got there. Dove for LT on his long TD run, but couldn't get him. Almost picked off a pass along the sideline in the mid-3rd. Dove for the ball and got hold of it, but couldn't completely control it. Would have been a huge play.
JONES - Started at FS. Quiet game. Had 5 tackles, but didn't stand out in coverage. Tried to break up a pass to Floyd over the middle, but wasn't able to get the ball cleanly. Tried for the pick. Should have focused on the break-up.
MACHO - Played in some packages. Good physical hit on Sproles on draw play. Unfortunately it was 15 yards downfield. Had 3 tackles and moved around pretty well.
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SPECIAL TEAMS
ROCCA - Didn't have a great day. Put 2 punts inside the 20, but hurt us with a bad kick. Shank from our end zone. Set them up at our 40. That led to their first TD.
AKERS - Nailed all 3 FGs and had a solid day on KOs.
KOR ---
* Maclin bobbled the first KO, but got control of it and took the ball out to the 24. Averaged only 18 yards on four KORs. Didn't look good at all.
* Macho took over the job and returned the last two. Had returns of 27 and 30 yards. Looked really good. Not the most talented guy, but he gets the ball and goes full speed upfield. No hesitation.
PR ---
* DeSean one very good return early on was nullified by penalty.
* Maclin took over in the 2nd Qtr. Fair caught a ball at the 5 after backpedaling for 15 yards. Sadly, they didn't have to punt after that.
MISC STs ---
* We did a good job on Sproles. His long KOR was 29 yards. His long PR was 8 yards.
* Joe Mays played his best game on STs. Made a good tackle of Sproles on 2nd KOR. Had 3 tackles.
* Ramzee Robinson made a good tackle in punt coverage. Nailed Sproles right at the 7-yd line.
* Penalty on Trot backed us inside the 10.
* Penalty on Tracy White nullified a good return by DJax. We should have started at their 35.
I wrote something on Donovan McNabb in response to some readers comments. It was supposed to be a paragraph, but grew long enough that it is worth posting here.
by Tommy Lawlor
11-17-09
Understanding and talking about Donovan McNabb is difficult. He's had a really unusual career. Early in his career Donovan was forced to put the team on his back. He did a great job of making plays, limiting mistakes, and doing whatever the team needed. He started to change in 2002. I've always attributed that to his natural progression (year 4) as well as the arrival of Antonio Freeman. Donovan suddenly had a gifted receiver who could make difficult catches. We also opened up the playbook because we had 3 solid receivers. Thrash looked good back then and Pinky was a player on the rise. There was hope for our receiving corps. I digress.
Donovan was great in the final 10 games of 2003. The offense featured our Triple Headed Monster at RB. The WRs were adequate. We had a pair of good TEs. Donovan was efficient and led us up and down the field every game. Then Westy got hurt in the finale and we sputtered in the playoffs.
The conference title games of the 2003 season featured brutal press coverage by NE and CAR. That drove the NFL to enforce contact rules more stringently, thus opening up the passing game around the league. Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, Daunte Culpepper, McNabb, and Drew Brees all had career years. That wasn't by accident. The change in rules had a profound effect.
Two other things changed Donovan. One was the arrival of Terrell Owens. All of a sudden Donovan had an outright weapon to throw to. The two of them formed a deadly duo. That year the offense went from efficient to explosive. We'd never seen anything like that. It was great at the time, but has somewhat haunted us ever since. The other event was a famous play against Dallas on MNF. Donovan scrambled for 14 seconds before firing a pass to FredEx for a 49-yard gain. That play really instilled in Donovan the belief that if he could wait long enough someone would get open and a big play would be there for the taking. The next 2 weeks we played the Skins and G-men. Donovan was sacked in each game while running around and trying to keep the play alive. He also fumbled on those sacks and we lost the ball.
Donovan seemed to be at the top of his game coming off the great '04 season. However, circumstances changed. Todd Pinkston got hurt in TC and missed the year. That took away a starter and guy who could stretch the field. Correll Buckhalter got hurt. We had a talented rookie named Ryan Moats, but he was struggling to learn the playbook. Suddenly Westy was our only real RB. We added Lamar Gordon, but the coaches weren't fully comfortable with him. Things got bad when TO went all TO on us.
You had Donovan without Pinky and with a belligerent TO. Rookie Reggie Brown was learning on the fly. Chad Lewis was gone. L.J. was solid, but still inconsistent. Westy was the only RB we trusted. He was somewhat fragile so that meant we wanted to be careful about overworking him. The pressure was on Donovan and the passing game to carry the team, but there weren't the weapons to make it work the same way.
Donovan quit running in 2004. He only had 41 runs in 15 games. In a full season with him healthy that number had been in the mid-80s. Donovan thought of himself as a pocket passer in 2004 and moving forward.
Complicating matters in 2005, McNabb took a huge shot to his chest in the season opener. He also was dealing with a sports hernia injury. He's not at 100%. He doesn't have a full array of weapons. He has little in the way of a running game. Donovan is convinced he's a pocket passer because of the success of 2004. Unfortunately the NFL relaxed on enforcing the pass defense rules. Receivers were back to fighting DBs to get off the ball.
Donovan hasn't been the same guy since the beginning of 2005. He's not the athletic QB we remember from the old days. He's not the elite pocket passer that he thinks he is from 2004. He had a chance to maybe develop into a top flight pocket passer, but the brutal circumstances of 2005 basically killed that idea. Also, physically gifted players like Donovan usually lack top fundamentals because they've been able to get the job done on sheer athleticism. His love of big plays from 2004 hurt him. He has the ability to be an efficient QB, but lacks the consistency to do it week to week, sometimes half to half or even drive to drive. Those old instincts kick in and he wants to go downfield.
Donovan used to be a great QB late in games. He would run if needed. He would make things happen. He came alive when the pressure was on. That stopped after 2004.
2005
* beat OAK late, but game was tied at 20 when he led us on a FG drive
* beat KC in a comeback, but game was tied entering the 4th Qtr and we got the lead
* lost at ATL 14-10
* lost at WAS 17-10
* beat SD 20-17, but it was on the return of a blocked FG by Matt Ware
* lost to Dallas 21-20...we had the lead when McNabb threw pick-six to Roy Williams
2006
* lost to NYG 30-24 in OT ... we had 24-7 lead ... no points in 4th Qtr
* beat DAL 38-24 ... McNabb hit Reggie on flea flicker for 40-yd TD to give us lead
* lost at NO 27-24 ... had 4th Qtr lead
* lost at TB 23-21 ... Westy had long TD off screen pass to give us late lead
* lost to JAX 13-6
* team proceeded to win several close games down the stretch with Garcia at QB
I won't go into all the struggles in close games of 2007 and 2008. We know them pretty well.
The point in all of this is that Donovan seems to have lost his mojo. He is still athletic enough to run, but won't do it. He has enough talent to be a solid game manager type QB, but prefers the long ball. Notice that in a couple of the '06 games he did connect for long plays to give us the lead. He just can't seem to lead us on a long drive to do that.
The long ball is great when it works. The problem is that you're going to have off days. That's when you must be able to move the chains and play down-to-down football. McNabb has trouble doing that.
He's not helped by the offense as run by Andy and Marty. As I've noted before, that trio seems to bring out the worst in each other.
I think one of the keys to judging McNabb is what your standard is. He used to be compared to Brady and Manning (rightfully so). Those guys continue to play at an elite level. Manning is better now than ever. Donovan is a descending player. If you compare him to Romo, Eli, and Campbell...McNabb is still a good player. He was an elite QB. He was an elite player. That is no longer the case. I don't have full confidence that he can win a Super Bowl, unless we get lucky enough to build a huge lead because of big plays and oddball TDs. Donovan just doesn't seem to have the ability to go toe-to-toe with a good QB. Rivers made clutch throw after clutch throw for SD on Sunday. Romo did that in the 4th the week before. Donovan hasn't shown that ability since the playoffs last year, but even then we always had the lead. Can he handle the pressure of playing from behind?
Quick note...I do love McNabb for what he's done for us Eagles fans. Don't ever think I'm anti-Donovan or anything like that. He has been a godsend for our franchise. I'm just trying to give you an honest opinion about what the situation is with him and the future. Guys don't tend to get back their mojo after they lose it.
RE: Reid
Andy Reid is a terrific head coach, but he's still a flawed guy. No doubt about that. I won't even get into the running game discussion. We just talk in circles because the normal world sees things one way and Andy sees it another.
I do think AR can win the SB, but I have serious doubts as to whether he and McNabb can get that done together. I think a more efficient QB would make a huge difference. I'd love to have seen the 2006 offense (Garcia at the helm) with the 2008 defense. That might have won the SB going away.
Andy is also guilty of relying on Donovan's ability too much. He lets that get him in the mindset that going for big plays is okay. We then face DAL or NYG and he plays small ball. The offense clicks a little better. The next week we're back to chucking it around the yard and playing inconsistently. I'm not sure why Andy can't see that correlation.
He is changing a bit each year. Andy used to coddle McNabb. That no longer happens. He really went after Donovan following the TB loss in '06 when Mcnabb threw the ball to LJ prior to the half and he was tackled. The clock ran out and we missed an easy chance to attempt a FG. Andy benched Donnie last year. That was unheard of a few years back.
Andy is now more vocal on the sidelines. He doesn't call plays anymore and you see him interacting with all our players. He is supportive, but also will get in a player's face. Coaches too. He was really on Ted Daisher a few weeks back for a mistake.
Andy changes a bit each year, save for the running game. That gives me hope that he could lead us to a title.
Donovan has been more of the same each of the last few years. I'd love for him to prove me wrong and start winning some close games. I would gladly eat crow. I'm just Doubting Thomas at this point.
_
Remember the movie Groundhog Day? Did it occur to anyone Sunday night that we were living that movie out? We're trapped in a loop playing the Bears in close games until we finally get it right and then we can move on. In 2007 we came from behind, but couldn't protect a lead. Last year we couldn't punch the ball in and lost 24-20.
This year we did score. We did hold the lead. We did win, 24-20. No word on if Andy did any ice sculpting or if we got to see Andi McDowell naked, though. I'll make some calls.
Big win. The Eagles get to 6-4. We're still in the hunt for the division title and a playoff berth. We'd be the #5 seed as of today (5-2 conference record is the key). The way we won the game was also important.
* We finally won a Sunday night game.
* We finally beat the Bears (had lost 2 straight games, both in painful fashion).
* We finally won a close game.
* Donovan finally led us on a 4th Qtr comeback. Last time he did this was ... years ago.
We didn't need big plays to win this game. We did get one long TD pass, but the game winning drive was workman-like. The longest play was 11 yards. That is huge for us. You can't count on long plays in the 4th Qtr (right Jay?). You must be able to move the ball down the field. We did it.
The offense piled up 377 yards, 24 points, and was clutch. We were 2 of 3 in the Red Zone. We played well on 3rd down. We ran the ball effectively. Late in the game we were able to get a 1st down and eat up some clock.
While the win was great, it wasn't flawless. There were some definite concerns. We had 3 turnovers. We got sloppy with penalties in the 2nd half (only 3 in the 1st, none real costly). Our tackling was uneven. At times we were real good, other times Bears were able to get upfield and move the chains. The pass rush was largely ineffective. We gave up a 72-yard run to a player in his first NFL game on his first NFL carry. Sav Rocca had a 16-yard punt that set up a short FG drive. We allowed a long KOR that set up a TD drive. You might have noticed a blown coverage or two...
Let's talk about them. The first one was a play-action pass. Q blitzed off the edge. Gocong had Olsen on the play. Chris bit on the play fake and let Olsen get a couple of steps on him. FS Sean Jones was slow to rotate over. Cutler overthrew the ball. The very next play was 3rd/2. Asante was playing the chains. The Bears guessed he might do that and threw a slant and go. Asante bit on the pump fake and left Hester wide open for a TD. Cutler overthrew the ball once again. They settled for a FG. People talk about those plays as if the Bears lost 14 points. No. The bad throws cost them 7 points. They did kick the FG so it was only really a net of 4 points lost. That is worlds different than 14 points.
As for the coverages...we got caught with our hands in the cookie jar. Our players are taught to be aggressive. Asante is one of the biggest chance-takers in the league. Sometimes it works. Other times he gets burned. You can't tell him to play it safe. That's not his game. Gocong was the more troubling of the two in my mind. He's got to think coverage first on that play. He knows Q is blitzing. Chris is a smart guy, but that was a dumb mistake on his part.
The other blown coverage came in the 4th Qtr. The Bears had 3rd/5 from their 30 with just under 4 minutes left in the game. We stacked guys all over the LOS. Cutler dropped back and WR Johnny Knox used a double move to get Sheldon to bite. Then Knox got behind him for what would have been the go-ahead TD. Cutler overthrew the ball. I think Sheldon has got to know better on this play. I always preach "situational awareness". With no S over the top, you need to stay back and break on the ball when you see it in the air. Sheldon got greedy and that almost cost us a long TD and possibly the game.
Several analysts have pointed out that Jay was throwing cautiously all night. Better to be too long than too short when throwing downfield so that the passes don't get picked off. Only throw to guys who are real open. That cost the Bears a couple of TDs. The flip side of that is that Jay's lack of aggression also limited our chances to pick the ball. Q dropped an easy pick after pushing Greg Olsen from behind. Sheldon almost made a great INT. Those weren't errant throws so much as good defensive plays. Jay basically played keep-away with our defense. That limited his mistakes as well as costing him TDs.
Don't let the concerns overshadow a good performance where we made clutch plays. A win like this can do a lot for our confidence in upcoming tight games. We knew the Eagles were good enough to blow teams out when things were clicking for us. What we needed to see was an ugly, gritty win where we had to deal with adversity and play from behind. Done and done.
MISC
* Lots of penalties on CHI. They had fewer penalties, but 18 more yards.
* Points off turnovers: CHI 3, PHI 0
______________________________
OFFENSE
* We threw several slants. Most worked well. Bowman did come up with a pick on one.
* Bears used a stunt to get pressure on 3rd/14. Bears stunted both DTs on 3rd/4 and got a sack.
* We had no luck with screen passes to McCoy. They covered him tightly.
* We had 8 drives of more than 5 plays. Only once did we go 3 & out.
* We ran very well out of 3-WR sets. This seems to suit McCoy's style of running.
* 12 men in huddle penalty. McNabb was slow to get off the field while Vick was running on. Problems like this frustrate the heck out of me. It was balanced by the fact we did have 2 good snaps with Vick this week.
* DeSean came in motion on 2nd play. Timing was off on the play. The backside DE crashed down and tackled Weaver on the run up the middle. If DeSean had timed it better the DE might have feared him having the ball and hesitated. Fakes must be properly executed to be effective.
* 3rd/1. First drive of game. Vick lined up in shotgun. We had 3 WRs. Weaver was the RB, to the right. Celek was lined up to the right. Celek blocked the DE out. Just had to wall him off. Justice caved in the DT and opened a big hole. Weaver was the lead blocker and Vick took off up the middle for 34 yards. He had to make one Safety miss and did that. Simple design, great execution.
* 2nd/10 from CHI 13. We line up in I-right. Avant is one WR and he comes in motion. At the snap he chips on DE Alex Brown. Avant then releases from the block and turns back to Donovan. WR screen. Todd gets a good block on Briggs. JJ goes downfield and takes out a defender. Nick Cole just runs. Avant gets the toss and flies into the end zone for the TD. Great play call. Great execution by the blockers, McNabb, and Avant.
* 1st/10 from CHI 48. We lined up I-right. DeSean was to the right, somewhat tight to the formation. Play fake. Celek stayed in to block. The RB, FB stayed in after the fake. DeSean flew upfield and just ran by everyone. There was a Safety close, but the pass was to the inside and DeSean was between the ball and him. Easy TD. DeSean actually had to slow down on the play.
* 3rd/6 from CHI 20. 3 WR set. Celek on the right side. McCoy lined up right in the backfield. One WR right. 2 WRs to the left. The Bears had 10 men on the LOS and played press. DeSean was in the slot. He beat the DB with a quick inside move and was open. McNabb fired the ball to him. The pass was a little off target, but Donovan was falling away as he threw it to avoid a rusher. DeSean was able to make the catch and get down to the 10. 1st down.
* 1st/Goal from the CHI 10. We lined up I-left. Brought the Z in motion to the right side. The Bears were in man coverage and brought the CB with him, leaving the left side of the field somewhat open. Peters was able to block the DE. Peters got moved back, but stuck with the block. Celek made a great block to somehow seal the LB to the outside. Todd got Briggs, coming from the backside. Weaver got part of the MLB and Shady then took the ball upfield for the TD. He made a good read just after getting the ball and went outside of Peters. That's where the running room was. The best part is that Shady did this at full speed. No hesitation.
QB
MCNABB - Good game. 23-32-244. 2 TDs, 1 INT. For those who don't excel at match, that is 72% completions. Didn't stretch the field much, but did use his WRs a lot. They had 18 catches. Made some clutch throws. Threw a good touch pass to Avant on the WR screen. Made several good throws on 3rd/long situations. Late in the game he played very well. Was 5 of 6 on the go-ahead drive. Also sneaked for a 1st down on 3rd/1. Hit DeSean with pass on 3rd/6 on the drive that got us down to the 10 and set up Shady's run.
MISC
* Again, slow to get pass off to Celek in the end zone. Initially I thought the play was just well covered. I watched it several times on replay. Donovan is patting the ball as Celek breaks outside. Donovan needs that ball up by his ear so he gets a quicker release. He also needs to anticipate that throw. The Bear DB had good coverage on the play, but looked like McNabb should have gotten that ball in there.
* Scrambled for 6 yards on 3rd/7. Got a facemask call on the play and moved us out near midfield with that.
* Made a good throw to Celek on the right side for a gain of 21 yards.
* Donnie got pressured on 3rd/14, but moved around in the pocket and got the throw off. 1st Down.
* Donovan failed to throw away an early screen pass that was covered. He was sacked and we had 2nd/15. Same situation arose later and he threw the ball away. We got a penalty for the OL being downfield, but that put us in 1st/15. Better. Plus, it saved Donnie taking a hit.
* Made a very good throw to Maclin on 3rd/15. Hit him with a quick throw and Maclin was able to fight for the 1st. RAC yards are golden.
* INT came on a slant to DeSean on the left side. CB played the route really well and made a good catch.
* His slant passes were a bit behind the receiver on at least 2 or 3 of the throws. They were low and catchable, though.
VICK - Good showing. Had a run of 34 yds up the middle on the first drive. Threw a pass on the 2nd drive. Made a poor read. Had Celek open in the flat. Looked upfield and didn't see anyone. Came back to Celek, but the defense was able to tackle him for no gain.
RB
MCCOY- Best game of his young career. 20-99. Had 1 TD. Ran more N-S than in other games. Only had 1 play where he ticked me off. We ran to the right. The OL got some push. McCoy was hesitant on reading where to run and ended up being tacked the the LDE, who he basically ran to. Nick Cole had opened a good hole inside. Only had 1 play where he got too creative. Started left, then reversed his field and went right. Was able to get 3 yards. Did fumble on a run up the middle. I was ready to a UFL team until they showed the replay. LeSean actually covered the ball prior to the hit. Tillman just got his hand in there and knocked it out. Gotta give credit to the defender on that play. First play after the fumble was a McCoy run. Great job by the coaches to show they had faith in him. McCoy responded by running well late in the game. Had 13 carries for 66 yards in the 2nd half. Showed some burst and some wiggle on his good runs. Looked like the guy we all wanted to see.
WEAVER - Caught a couple of short passes in the flat(2-12). Hurdled a tackler on one play. Didn't have any big plays as a runner, but did what we needed. Got upfield in a hurry and ran behind his pads. 3 carries for 9 yards. Good day as a lead blocker. We also lined him up as a stand-up TE in one set. Had him chip a DE, then release on a route. Ball went elsewhere. Had a strange false start penalty called on him. Did takeoff 1/2 a beat early, but the refs didn't kill the play. Shame, too. Weaver had a good block and McCoy gained 5 yards up the middle on the run.
BUCKLEY- Had one carry for 0 yards. Got to run inside the RZ on 1st/10. Had nowhere to run. I do like the fact we mixed him in.
TE
CELEK - Caught 4 passes for 35 yards. Struggled to get RAC yards. The Bears did a very good job of tackling him. Best catch was a gain of 21 on a play to the right side. Had some good blocks in the game. Didn't over power anyone, but showed good effort and technique. Helped in pass pro on a few plays. Good block on Ogunleye on the long TD to DJax.
SMITH - Didn't have any passes come his way. Okay as a blocker. Had some nice blocks in pass pro.
WR
DESEAN - Good game, 8-107-1. Caught a 48-yard TD. Also caught plenty of short and medium passes that kept the chains moving. Went low to scoop a pass on 3rd/14. Good catch. Got us the 1st down. I was nervous that the Bears would challenge the play, but the replay showed it was a legit catch. Had a long PR in the 2nd Qtr. Next play was a pass to him on a crossing route. Made a good catch, but then Peanut Tillman knocked the ball away and the Bears recovered it. Got one carry on an End Around. Used his speed to get wide and then tip-toed up the sideline for a gain of 10. Caught a ball on the right side. Tillman knocked it loose, but the ball rolled out of bounds. Caught a WR screen on the late TD drive and got 9 yards on the play.
AVANT - Solid game, 4-26-1. Scored 13-yard TD on the WR screen. That was a huge play for us. Had one seam pass come his way. That was in the 2nd Qtr. Jason was well covered and the ball was a bit off target. Had a great block on a run to his side while in the slot. Hit the DB and rode him wide. The guy fought to get loose, but Jason sustained the block. DB finally got loose, but ended up on the ground because he basically had to flail his way off the block. Made one mistake. Caught a short pass late in the game when we were trying to work the clock. Jason was fighting for the first and the DB was able to shove him out of bounds. Jason has to get on the ground and keep the clock moving. That 40 seconds could have been really costly.
MACLIN - 6-64. Made a good catch on a slant pass that was behind him a bit. Caught a ball from McNabb on 3rd/15 and was able to fight his way for the 1st down. Got up and signaled for the 1st down while yelling at the DB. I went through the roof. A lot of officials will call that taunting and it'll cost you 15 yards. Can't have stuff like that. Luckily no flag was thrown. Had a weird play on 3rd/long just after halftime. McNabb threw the pass his way, but Maclin fell as he was trying to catch it. They didn't have a good replay that showed why he fell. Caught a pass on the left side 7 yards upfield. Made a DB miss and got an additional 9 yards on the play.
BROWN - Played on offense. Only had 1 pass come his way. Miscommunication between him and McNabb led to an incompletion. Played quite a bit on STs. Did okay.
OL
PETERS - Pretty good game. Had a couple of big mistakes, but won most of his battles. Had a good downfield block on an early McCoy run. Had 2 penalties, one a false start and the other a tripping call. The trip eliminated a pass play that would have put us into scoring territory. That was against Alex Brown. Also got bull-rushed by Brown and driven back into McNabb. Completely shut down Gaines Adams when he faced him. Had a couple of really good blocks. One came on a stunt. Shoved Brown inside to Todd and then stuffed Harris when he looped wide. On another pass he pushed the DE inside to Todd and then picked off a blitzing DB.
TODD - Had a terrific block on Hillenmeyer on a run up the middle. Really moved him off the ball. Pulled and made a good trap block on a McCoy run in the early 4th. Really popped 94 and got him off balance. Did a good job on Tommie Harris when they went 1-on-1.
JACKSON - Pretty good game. Good block on the Vick run. Good block on McCoy run to the right side. Pushed the DT to the right, then peeled off and got a partial block on Briggs. McCoy got 7 yards on the run. Got a piece of Briggs on a run to the right that gained a few yards. Lance lined up close to the LOS, then flowed to the ball, and made the tackle. If JJ could have gotten him more solidly the play might have gone for 10+. Made one huge mistake. Didn't have anyone to block on 3rd Qtr pass. Moved back and looked around. Went left and then Briggs shot up the middle to easily sack Donovan. JJ should know better than that. Very good block on 94 on a run up the middle. Really drove the guy off the ball and created a running lane.
COLE - Key block on early run by McCoy. Got into the DT and stuck with him as the guy came down the line to make the play. LeSean was able to get upfield cleanly because Cole stuck with the block. That play resulted in a 1st down. Used a quick first step to move laterally and get good position on that play. Good block on a run to his side, but McCoy didn't hit the hole. Missed a block of Briggs on a run up the middle. Reached, but missed. Good block on Hillenmeyer on McCoy run up middle. That added almost 10 yards to the play.
JUSTICE - Had some terrific run blocks. Caved in the DT on early 3rd/1 run by Vick. Caved in the DT on a 3rd/short run where Vick handed off to McCoy. LeSean was able to run through that vacated area for the 1st. Good block on LB on run play to his side.
___________________________________
DEFENSE
* We did a fantastic job against WR screens. We covered them well, rallied to the ball, and tackled well.
* Passive on defense early on. Didn't stack the line and/or blitz a lot. That changed in the 2nd half.
* Sean McDermott came up with a great wrinkle. Bears had 3rd/9. We lined up in a standard 4-2-5 Nickel look. Before the snap we shifted. The DEs went back to ILB spots. The LBs move out to the edges. We rushed all 6 guys. Trent was coming up the middle. The C tried to cut him (dumb decision). Trent sidestepped the block and used his hands to stay upright. He got Cutler down for a big loss.
DE
COLE - Pretty good game. Had 5 tackles, sack, and a TFL. Got held by RB/FB when they tried to block him on pass play. Got pressure on 3rd down pass by Cutler and forced him to move and throw without getting set. Ball was off target. Drew a holding call on the TE on a run to his side. Got Culter's foot late in the half, but Jay was able to get away and get the pass off. TFL on run right after McCoy's fumble. That set the tone for that possession, where we forced a long FG attempt. Beat the OT inside and hit the RB for a loss. Hustled late in the game to tackle Forte on screen pass where he had to reverse his field. Trent took down Matt and a ref. Got pressure on the final pass play of the game. Somehow got between the LG and LT.
PARKER - Somewhat quiet. I thought Juqua could beat Chris Williams, but he was blocked most of the game. Had 1/2 a TFL on a run that came to his side in the 3rd Qtr. Fought off the block and got to Bell. Was in on 3 tackles.
CLEMONS - Quiet game. Was in place on a 3rd/short pass to Earl Bennett, but Sammie's hit spun Bennett and Chris missed him. That turned into a 1st. Should have been stopped short.
BABIN - Got regular snaps at LDE. Played an inside run well. Slanted inside and worked his way to the RB. Held the play to a short gain. Played an attempted bootleg well. Kept contain. Once he saw Jay freeze his feet, Jason went after him. Cutler got the pass off, but that was technically sound defense.
HOWARD - Another quiet game. Got some pressure on the final pass of the half. Cutler overthrew his receiver.
VA - Played some LDE, but a lot at DT. Great hustle on the 3rd down pass to Bennett. Chased Earl down from behind after he'd gotten away from several defenders. That tackle might have saved a TD. Bull-rushed on 3rd down pass and drove the RG back toward Cutler, helping to force an overthrow. Made a great hustle play on 3rd/12. Bears threw a screen to Forte and most guys had flown upfield. Victor chased the play down from behind and forced a long FG attempt.
DT
PATTERSON - Good game. Got penetration on a Forte run and blew up the play. Created a TFL. Hustled to tackle Forte on a run to the outside. Drove the RG back into Cutler on a pass and forced an errant throw.
BUNKLEY - Drew a holding call on a run play late in the half. Cris Collinsworth correctly pointed out that Bunk wasn't likely to make the play. Dumb decision by Kreutz. Blew up an inside run play late in the half. Stopped it for no gain. Hustled on late screen pass to keep Forte from getting much. Forced him to cut back.
LAWS - Quiet game on defense.
DIXON - Quiet game on defense. Did block a FG. More on that later.
LB
TROT - Got the start. Tackled Forte on the opening play for no gain. Good physical tackle. Gave us the Axeman celebration. Didn't play a whole lot more until the 2nd half. Got in on the tackle of Forte on the first snap of that half. Good play on run in the 3rd. Got off a block and tackled Forte for minimal gain. Hustled to chase Devin Hester out of bounds on a 3rd Qtr pass play. Think how absurd that sentence would have seemed 6 months ago. Good tackle of Bell on a run play. He started up the middle, then cut back. Trot was there to tackle him. Made a good tackle of Forte after a catch and run late in the game. Play got 7 yards, but Trot showed some speed in getting out there to make the tackle. Credited with 4 tackles.
WITHERSPOON - Good game. Had 6 tackles, TFL, and a PBU. Had a good, solid hit on Olsen after a catch. Had a TFL on Forte. Patt blew up the run and Spoon was able to swoop in for the tackle. Failed to tackle Bennett on short pass on 3rd down. Got an arm on him, but didn't tightly wrap up for some reason. Got called for illegal contact late in the half. Made a quick tackle of Olsen after short pass on final drive of the half. Had good coverage of Olsen on a 3rd down pass early in the 3rd Qtr. Ran right with him down the middle. Would have taken a really good throw to make the play. The tight coverage and some pressure on Jay led to an overthrow. Batted down a pass when he blitzed in the 2nd half. Covered Olsen tightly on some other pass plays. Greg caught 6 passes, but only gained 42 yards. Spoon gets a lot of credit for that.
GOCONG - Not his best game. Only 1 tackle. Didn't standout aside from stats either. Made a good tackle of the FB in the flat after a short catch. Got penetration on a 3rd Qtr run, but couldn't make the stop. Missed tackle of Forte on sneaky draw play in late 3rd. Looked weird for some reason. Got beaten for a TD by TE Kellen Davis in the late 3rd. Copy cat of earlier play to Olsen that was an overthrow. Chris read this perfectly, but was a step behind the TE when Cutler made a perfect throw. Was in the area when Forte caught the ball on the 2-point conversion. Not sure if Matt was his responsibility.
MAYS - Up and down game. Only credited with 1 tackle. Hustled on an early run to his left and got in on the stop. Tackled Forte on an early run up the middle. Got off his block and made a solid tackle. Play was actually a TFL. Missed a tackle of Forte on a draw play up the middle. Got blocked on the long run up the middle by Bell. Should have been right there to make the play. Got pressure on Cutler on a pass play where Jay moved outside. Joe attacked upfield, but Jay got the pass off in time. Got out wide on WR screen in the early 2nd. Made first contact and then Dimitri finished the play. Got caught looking in the backfield on a pass in the 3rd Qtr. Didn't bite on a fake or anything. Just got caught focusing on the QB instead of getting good depth on his pass drop. WR caught the ball over the middle for a nice gain.
WHITE - Played some in the Nickel. Only had one play of note, but it was HUGE. Got a hand on final pass of the game and it popped up in the air and we picked it off. Got in on a couple of tackles.
CB
S BROWN - Gutty performance. Broke up a pass late in the 1st half. Sheldon was playing trail technique on Hester. The ball was thrown with touch and that allowed Sheldon to break on it and knock it away with a hand. Good D. Jumped a pass in the 3rd Qtr and almost made a great pick. Couldn't get control of the ball and it came loose when he hit the ground. Great effort on the play. Would have been a terrific grab. Made a sloppy tackle attempt on Hester. Looked like his leg was bothering him, though. Made a great tackle late in the game. Got Bennett for only one yard after a quick throw and didn't let him get out of bounds.
SAMUEL - Weird game. Had some really nice tackles and aggressive plays. Also had some really poor attempts. Second play of the game was a run his way. Sammie literally fell down. He was trying to take out a pulling OL, but without making contact. Didn't really work. Flew upfield on a short pass to Olsen and tackled him. Held CHI to 3 yards. Aggressive tackle. Big on a pump fake on 3rd/2 and got beaten by Hester for what should have been a TD. Fortunately, the ball was overthrown. Broke up a pass to RB in the flat by hitting him as the ball got there. Good, physical play. Hustled downfield on Bell's long run to shove him out of bounds and save the TD. Went low on Olsen on another catch in the flat and forced him out of bounds. Made a poor tackle attempt on Earl Bennett on 3rd/short. Hit him with the shoulder, but didn't wrap up. Earl spun away and went upfield for the 1st and more. Asante left the game with a neck stinger.
D. PATTERSON - Had to take over at RCB for part of the game, LCB for another part. Called for illegal contact on 3rd down. That moved the chains. Had a TFL on WR screen early in the 2nd. Slipped while covering a WR at LCB. Gave up 9-yard completion to Bennett on the play. Came up and made a solid stop of TE Davis after short catch in the flat. Had good coverage on Hester on late pass play. Ended up incomplete. As a bonus, we got to see a wonderfully vibrant shot of Devin's rear region. I think the crack in the Liberty Bell wins that competition. Had tight coverage on Knox on the same drive. Held his own.
S
MIKELL - Good game. Led the team with 7 tackles. Had an interesting coverage play on an early pass. Was on Olsen in the right flat. Pushed him in the back and had the pass come right to him. Dropped the ball. Should have been an easy pick, maybe a pick-six. Got away with the push. Had tight coverage on Olsen in the end zone. Jay threw that way, but the ball was up high and incomplete. Flew off the edge to tackle Forte on a run up the middle. Blitzed off the edge and got 1/2 a TFL on a 3rd Qtr run play. Ran it down from behind. Good tackle of Forte on draw play that almost turned into a big gain. Step late on a blitz in the late 3rd on the play where Cutler hit Davis for the TD. Q flew upfield at the snap and gave excellent effort, but just missed getting there in time. Flew up quickly to tackle Olsen after a short pass.
JONES - Started at FS. Up and down game. Had 2 tackles. Took sloppy angles on several plays, both vs the run and in coverage. Looks out of place as a FS playing off the ball. Blitzed a couple of times. Made a diving attempt to pick off a pass in the 3rd Qtr. Cutler overthrew a receiver. Sean made a good attempt, but had too far to go. Picked off the final pass of the game after White deflected the ball.
MACHO - Played a lot on defense and did well. Had 4 solo tackles, TFL, and PBU. Saw a lot of time in the slot. Had a TFL on early screen to Hester. Hit him for a short loss and Devin staggered backward, then fell. Jumped an end zone pass to Olsen. The pass was too high. If the ball was lower Macho would have been able to play the ball and maybe pick it off. Tackled and hit well throughout the game. Got Hester down on a play over the middle. Rode Earl Bennett down to the ground after a short gain. Forced Cutler out of bounds on a play where he scrambled. Had okay coverage on WR on 3rd/4 late in the game. Blitz forced an errant throw.
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SPECIAL TEAMS
* We blocked a FG early in the 4th Qtr. Antonio Dixon lined up in the A gap between the LS and RG. He attacked upfield at the snap. LB Joe Mays was behind him pushing as hard as he could. Imagine trying to push 100 lbs of jello up a hill. It worked. Dixon got enough penetration that he was able to get a hand on the ball and block the kick.
ROCCA - Bad game. Had an awful shank that went just 16 yards. Unfortunately we weren't punting from their 17. The ball set CHI up near midfield and led to a short FG drive. Averaged on 33.8 per punt. Did help to limit Hester to 16 return yards on 3 attempts.
AKERS - 1 of 1 on FGs.
KOR ---
* Macho Harris - Good job. Averaged 25.2 yards per KOR. Got really belted on his final return of the night. LB Tim Shaw (former Penn Stater) really belted him, but Macho got right up.
PR ---
* DeSean - Almost broke off a TD. Danced after catching the ball and then saw a seam. Flew upfield and only had one real guy to deal with. Unfortunately it was a LB and he was able to get DeSean out. It helped that the return had been pinned along the sideline and there wasn't the whole field to use. Got 53 yards on the play.
MISC STs ---
* Fokou had good tackle on first KO.
* Q made a good tackle on KOR.
* Dorenbos got Hester after a punt pinned him along the sideline.
Big win. Last year we lost to WAS in a pair of close games, 23-17 and 10-3. We didn't get 300 yards of offense in either game. We scored only 1 offensive TD. Yesterday we piled up 381 yards and scored 27 offensive points...and we didn't have our A-game. We didn't have Brian Westbrook. We didn't have DeSean Jackson for most of the 2nd half. That's pretty impressive. WAS was missing a couple of guys, but they still had plenty of talent on the field.
The best part of yesterday is that we handled some adversity and put together another comeback win. That's now 2 in a row. I know some fans will argue that we shouldn't have been trailing, but I didn't hear those comments when the Saints made comebacks vs MIA and CAR. People just gave them credit for finding a way to win.
All too often we've seen Eagles teams that found ways to lose. Think about the last 2 weeks. We've needed long drives to tie or give us the lead. We haven't been helped by penalties or fluke plays. We marched for long TDs in both games. That's the sign of a clutch team. The offense is coming up big in critical situations. The defense has held leads in both games. Again, that's clutch. That kind of emotional resolve can be huge come playoff time.
Let's start off with the opening KO. We tried an onside kick. Great design and kick. Mays was overeager on the play. He flew up the field and the ball hit him before it went 10 yards. That touch also changed the path of the ball. It looked like Gocong and Macho had a great chance to recover if Mays didn't touch it. WAS got it and then had a short TD drive.
I wasn't a big fan of the kick. The criticism I've heard from a few people is that you save that play for a game where the opponent is the better team and you need to come up with some kind of help. That is perfectly logical. I think Reid was looking at this another way, also logical. He wanted to get the ball to the offense, go score, and get WAS down immediately. After last week's loss the Skins had to be emotionally vulnerable. Getting an onside kick and then scoring a TD would be a punch to the gut that could really stagger them. We've struggled with WAS recently. Throwing them for a loop could do us a lot of good. That line of thinking does make sense.
As I said earlier, I didn't like the kick. While there was great benefit to be had from getting it I didn't like the downside...we give them good to great field position and they have some confidence. That's exactly what happened. I don't think Reid was dumb for trying the kick. I just disagree with his decision.
The offense started great. We moved the ball really well the first few drives. Then we bogged down for much of the 2nd and 3rd Qtrs. Thankfully we came alive in the 4th and were able to pull off the victory. We ran the ball well in this game. That's very encouraging. The OL won the battle up front on a lot of plays. We didn't have any huge runs. We had consistent success.
The offense was hurt by some sloppy play. Dropped passes and penalties were an issue. That kind of stuff shouldn't be such a factor this late in the season. I'm sure the coaches are telling the players about these kinds of mistakes, but we continue to make them.
The defense didn't have a good overall day. WAS was given great field position twice. They beat us for a TD on the first occasion, but we held them to a FG the second time around. I was bothered by the fact they had 2 TD drives that covered 80 yards. We shouldn't be giving up long sustained drives to WAS. Give Jason Campbell credit for playing well. He had some really good plays. Still, we struggled at times. WAS converted 8 of their first 12 3rd down situations, many of them 3rd/long. We didn't get consistent pressure and our coverage was very sloppy.
The good news is that we stopped them on their last 5 3rd down situations. We got pressure on the final drive they had. We tightened our coverage and also tackled better in the 4th Qtr. We did come up with a couple of takeaways in the 1st half.
One thing I was surprised about was the lack of blitzing in the 1st half. I didn't think we attacked Jason all that much. Maybe the numbers will prove me wrong, but it sure seemed like we tried to rush 4 and then cover behind them. We were aggressive in the 4th Qtr. That led to some errant throws.
COACHING
Overall, I thought the staff did a good job. I liked the fact we're making Red Zone adjustments. We threw a play-action pass to Alex Smith. That's a trend breaker. We targeted Jason Avant on several pass plays. He wasn't able to score, but we're making him a key target in the RZ. That's smart. I liked the fact we used a jumbo package on the goal line and ran Buckley. He's not huge, but runs hard and doesn't hesitate. He could develop into a good role player for us.
Reid made a very wise decision late in the 1st half. We had the ball at the WAS 23 with :07 left. We could have tried to force another play into the end zone, but Reid smartly opted to go ahead and kick the FG. Play it safe and take the points. That gave us a 16-14 lead.
We also didn't waste any timeouts in the game. Andy called one to set up the 2-point play. I thought that was the right thing to do. That was a critical play. Get together, get organized, and make sure everyone knows what is going on. The play was then well executed and we scored.
McDermott didn't do anything that really got my attention in a big way. He did slide our LBs outside in a way that I don't think we've done much. He would then have the S come up into the box on the backside of the play at the last minute. The design was sound, but the players didn't execute that very well. We tackled sloppy and MLB play was not good.
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OFFENSE
* We opened the game with a no-huddle, spread look.
* Early on we ran to the 2-WR side on 3-WR plays.
* Chip block by McCoy put DE onto McNabb's scramble path and led to a sack. That's just bad luck.
* We ran 9 plays for 22 yards in the 3rd Qtr.
- Plays -
2nd/10 from PHI 32. 3 WR set, tight left. Jamaal made a good reach block on the DT to his left. Todd pulled to the left. Peters kicked out and took on a blitzing DB. Celek downblocked a DE and was able to seal him. Todd got Fletcher when he pulled and McCoy flew upfield for a gain of 19. Good blocking. Big hole.
1st/10 from WAS 28. Bunch set to the right. One WR out left. Weaver as the only RB. Nick Cole had a great seal block. He turned his DT and opened a big hole. Jamaal and Todd doubled the other DT. Weaver took the handoff and hit the gap between JJ and Nick. He ran through a tackle attempt from Fletcher and went over a DB. He got 18 yards on the run. Good speed for a big man. Great block by Cole.
3rd/5 from WAS 35. Shotgun, 4 WR set with McCoy set to the left. Both WRs on the left ran vertical routes. The guys on the other side were short or intermediate. Jason got beat to the inside by his DE. That flushed Donnie. He spun left and looked up and saw DeSean wide open. Pitch. Catch. TD. Busted coverage by WAS. The CB played up. The S took the inside receiver. That left DJax uncovered.
3rd/GL from WAS 1. Jumbo package. Celek to the left. King Dunlap as a TE to the right. Weaver as the FB, Buckley as the RB. Alex Smith in the backfield as an additional blocker. He was set to the right side. Jackson fired off the ball and went for a LB. Todd downblocked. He got his DT and pinched off Landry. Peters and Celek each pushed DEs outside. This created a hole to the left. Weaver was the lead blocker, but didn't do anything. There wasn't anyone directly in his path. Buckley took a step left and then fired upfield. TD.
2-point conversion play. We lined up in split backs, 3 WRs. Avant started in the backfield but went in motion out wide. That drew a defender out wide. It also told us this was man coverage. We ran the Shovel Pass. Justice got a good block on his DL. Todd pulled and got a DL coming upfield. Jamaal sealed the backside DT. Nick got a LB. Donnie got the ball to LeSean. This is where things got interesting. He was hit in the backfield. That got him off balance. He planted his left arm and spun his body around JJ and into the end zone. Great balance and effort on the play.
RZ Trips
#1
1/GL from 10. Pass over middle to Avant.
2/GL from 5. Vick run down to the 1.
3/GL from 1. PA pass to Smith. Incl.
4/GL from 6. Was at 1, but penalty wiped out TD and forced FG.
#2
2/2 from 13. McCoy run for 3, down to the 10.
1/GL from 10. Slant pass to Maclin. Drop.
2/GL from 10. Pass over middle to Avant.
3/GL from 5. Penalty.
3/GL from 10. Pass to Maclin. Down to 6. Had to settle for FG.
#3
3/2 from 16. McCoy run up middle for 3.
1/10 from 13. Weaver run to left for 12.
1/GL from 1. 12 men penalty on WAS.
1/GL from 1. Buckley up middle. 0.
2/GL from 1. Pass to Celek. Incomplete.
3/GL from 1. Buckley run right for TD.
#4 (intentionally conservative)
1/10 from 17. McCoy run loses 1 yard.
2/11 from 18. McCoy runs up middle for 5.
3/6 from 12. QB rollout loses 1 yard.
Game winning FG.
QB
MCNABB - Good start. Great finish. Up and down in-between. 21-35-260, TD, INT. We started with a no-huddle attack. Donovan was in rhythm and looked good. As the game went along the offense became stagnant and so did McNabb. There was a stretch where he seemed to throw every pass over the short middle. That drove me nuts. London Fletcher sat there and attacked anything that came near him. That just fed into his confidence and did nothing for us. In the 4th McNabb started working deep seam routes and throwing more to the outside. We started to move the ball.
Donovan made some terrific throws to Avant on the tying drive. He hit Maclin on a couple of plays on the go-ahead drive. Those 2 throws were as good as you could want from anyone. One pass was down the right sideline. Last year Donnie threw that pass to DeSean a lot. The throw had good touch and very good accuracy. All Mac had to do was reach up and catch it. Gain of 35. The other great throw came on 3rd/5. This time Mac was out left. Donovan put the ball low and outside. Perfect throw. Mac made the catch and the DB couldn't get to it. Clutch.
I have a couple of complaints. I wish Donnie would take off and run every now and then. That puts a lot of pressure on the defense. Red Zone passing still is an issue. Donovan is great if someone is wide open, but he isn't getting the ball out quickly enough when guys are about to come open.
* Sold fake well on long ball/trick play. He was almost too casual though and underthrew the pass.
* Good movement in pocket, throw to Avant on right side in the 1st half.
* Had at least 3 passes deflected.
* Improv flip to Celek on 3rd/4. Got us 3 yards.
* Held the ball too long on 4th Qtr pass and the ball was hit as he threw, then picked off.
VICK - Had a carry on 3rd/1. Went to the right side. Didn't have good blocking, but also ended up with his back turned. That's no way to fight for yards on 3rd/short. Got a snap in the early 4th. We tried a bootleg pass. Vick missed Celek on a short pass. Probably should have just run and used Celek to block for him.
RB
MCCOY - Good game. 17-76 on the ground. Caught 4 passes for 25 yards. . Game could have been even better. Still has a habit of hesitating on some runs. He is getting better. Very effective when he gets the ball and hits the hole. Good burst. Started to run left in the mid-2nd. There wasn't anything. Stopped and went to look back inside. Tackled for a short loss. Cannot hesitate. Caught a pass on 3rd/4 in the left flat and got upfield for the 1st. Good run late in the half on 2nd/2. Didn't have anything in front so he made a quick, decisive move to cut outside and then got upfield to get the 1st. Caught a pass over the middle and fought upfield for a gain of 8. Ran hard on 3rd/2 in the 4th. Got 2 1/2 on the play. No hesitation. Ran for 12 yards to open our go-ahead drive. Made one cut and then got upfield in a hurry. Almost broke the play for a long gain. Ran for 5 yards late in that drive. Reid was getting on him after the play. LeSean started right, then cut back. That was smart. He then got greedy and tried to go far left. A DB was able to bring him down. Had McCoy just planted his foot and fired upfield he might have gotten the 1st down or scored a TD.
We need to hire Charles De Mar to be Shady's special coach. Charles offered Lane Meyer some brilliant skiing advice in Better Off Dead, "Go that way, really fast. If something gets in your way, turn. "
WEAVER - Terrific game. Ran really well. Had an 18-yard run up the middle early in the game. Converted a 4th/1 with a short dive up the middle. Got us 1.1 yards. Caught a dump off throw and fought upfield for 4 yards. Great run in the 4th. We had a bunch set to the left. WAS seemed to think the play was going the other way. Leonard Part 6 took the handoff and headed to the left. He ran through one tackle attempt. Landry barely got him down, but Weaver was all the way to the 1 at that point. Gain of 12. Finished the game with 6 runs for 44 yards.
BUCKLEY - Saw a few snaps at RB. Had 2 carries for 1 yard, but did score a TD. Ran hard.
TE
CELEK - Summarizing Brent's game is tricky. That was maybe the best blocking game of his young career. He also caught 4 passes. Yet...there were some real lowlights. Had a couple of "drops". None were easy catches, but Brent should have had 'em. Caught a pass on the right side on the opening drive and got us 15 yards. Had a costly penalty on 4th/GL. Ran into a LB. Brent wanted to try and get open along the GL. He was trying to get position on the guy. Dumb. Didn't affect the play at all (we scored). Had some good seal blocks on the DE on runs to the outside. Caught a screen pass in the early 3rd and turned that into a gain of 6. Had back-to-back drops. One came on a short throw to the outside. Celek stood still with a defender near him. He should have drifted on the play to give McNabb a better angle. Donovan threw the ball wide so the defender couldn't get it. Brent reached for the ball, but couldn't make the grab. The next play was over the middle. The pass was on his back hip, but very catchable. Brent just couldn't make the catch. Ran a great route in the early 4th and was open down the seam, but couldn't make the catch. Good block on Weaver's run in the 4th. Sealed a LB and gave Weaver lots of room. Caught 4 passes for 35 yards.
SMITH - Had one pass thrown his way in the end zone, but it was off target. Good job as a run and pass blocker.
WR
DESEAN - Quiet day. Had a 35-yard TD catch. Was wide open on the play. Caught a short pass over the middle in the 3rd. Got 6 yards on 3rd/7. Couldn't fight for any RAC yards because London Fletcher flew up and unloaded on him. DeSean suffered a concussion and had to leave the game.
AVANT - Great game. 5-94. Caught a couple of short passes in the RZ in the 1st half. Also had a catch that went for 18 early on a drive. Did his best work in the 4th Qtr. Almost made a sensational catch down the seam on 1st down of TD drive in the 4th. Jason was tightly covered, but went up for the ball. He got his hands on it, but could not manage to keep control of the ball. The very next play was a throw to him down the right seam. Jason caught the ball at the 33. He dodge the tackle attempt of Landry and bounce the play to the sideline. He got 22 RAC yards. The total play covered 46 yards. Great effort. If only he were a hair faster. Rogers grabbed him by the facemask on the tackle, but there was no flag. The next play was a pass to him down the left seam. Jason went up high and snagged the ball. He was tackled immediately this time. Great effort, toughness. Got us 20 more yards.
MACLIN - Good game. 5-63. Got wide open for what should have been an 80-yard TD, but McNabb underthrew the ball and Justice was called for a penalty. Maclin sold the route well and then used his speed to get separation. What a waste. Had 3 solid, but non-descript catches. Made a couple of huge grabs on the go-ahead drive. Caught a 35-yard pass along the right sideline to get us into scoring position. The pass was perfect, but Mac did a good job of making the grab and getting both feet in. Caught a key 3rd down pass on the left side. The CB played off. Mac ran upfield and turned to look for the ball. The throw was low and outside, where it needed to be. Jeremy made a smooth catch. That moved the chains and helped us to eat up some more clock.
OL
PETERS - Solid game. Kept Andre Carter under control most of the game. Got a pancake block on Jarmon on run up the middle. Might have gotten away with holding on the play, but it was still impressive to see him put a DL on his butt. Made a short pull to his left to take on a LB on an outside run. Called for holding on a screen pass that went awry, but the Skins also had a penalty so they offset. Did a solid job of run blocking throughout the game.
TODD - Great block of McIntosh on run up the middle. Drove Rocky back 3 or 4 yards on the play. Good block on DT on run up the middle. Very good block on 3rd/2. He and JJ got on the DT together. Then Todd peeled off and got LB to prevent penetration from him. Got away with holding Landry on 1st/GL run. Could have been real costly. Landry lined up in the A-gap and tried to get penetration at the snap. Todd got a hand on him, but hooked him. Very good game.
JACKSON - Good game. Called for a penalty when he was upfield on a screen pass. Penetration by a DE caused a slight delay on the pass and JJ was eager to get upfield and mash on guys. Great block on 3rd/2 run. He and Todd initially doubled the DT, then JJ took full control. He didn't hold on the play despite having a tough angle. Kept control of the guy and gave Shady a good running lane up the middle. Helped us to control their DTs most of the game.
COLE - Good game as a run blocker, but had some issues in pass protection. Beaten by Daniels on pass play. That pressure flushed McNabb and led to sack. Beaten by Daniels on the next play. That led to incompletion. Should have drawn a holding call. Good block on DT on run up the middle late in the half. Very good block on 3rd/2 run in the 4th. Sealed his DT to give Shady a lane.
JUSTICE - Not his best game. Made a poor block on his DE on a run up the middle. That DE was able to crash inside and tackle McCoy. Got called for holding penalty on Phillip Daniels in the 2nd Qtr. We ran an elaborate fake and threw long. Justice had a good block initially, but for some odd reason he kept drifting wide and created an inside lane for the DE. He then held as the guy got free. Luckily that didn't wipe out an 80-yard TD. That might have sent me over the edge. Had a terrific block on a run play. Crashed down on the DT and opened a big hole. Had a false start penalty on 3rd/GL that moved us back to the 10. Andy wasn't happy and gave him a piece of his mind when Winston got to the sideline. Poor block on DE Chris Wilson let him get wide and then close in on McNabb. He hit the ball as it was thrown and the pass was picked. Did his best work on run plays.
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DEFENSE
* WAS was 8 of 12 on 3rd downs until late. We held them to 0 for 5 down the stretch. We gave up way too many 3rd/long conversions.
* WAS had several false start penalties. Our pressure was part of the reason behind that.
* One disturbing play came on 3rd/10 just after halftime. Fred Davis lined up on the left side and ran a shallow cross. No one had him (might have been zone coverage) and he caught the pass and then went down the right sideline for a gain of 29. He broke several tackles on the play and in fact we never put him on the ground. I'm not going to list all the guys at fault, but that was bad defense. You have to rally to the ball and tackle better than that. There wasn't a lack of effort. Several guys tried. We needed more guys to get to the ball and we needed someone to get there and get the job done. 3rd down is the money down in the NFL.
* 3rd/5 late in the game. We had a bunch of guys on the inside showing blitz. One of our guys was dangerously close to being offside on the play. Might have been. I was nervous Nellie for a minute after that play. Kept looking for the flag. The RT was called for holding on VA so the play would have been a do-over if they had thrown a flag on us.
DE
COLE - Very good game. Had a sack and 3 tackles. Got regular pressure. Was half a second late to Campbell late in the half. Luckily we picked that ball. Drew a holding call on run play late in half. Fought off attempted block on final play of half and sacked Campbell to end the 2nd Qtr. Really did a great job of using his hands to fight off blocks. Used a spin move to the outside to get off a block and to get in Campbell's face in the late 3rd and force a bad throw. Used a spin move to the inside on the next pass and hit Campbell again, also forcing an errant pass. Dove to tackle RB on a run to the outside, but couldn't wrap him up. Got Rock by his feet on the next play to slow him down and limit the play. Hit Campbell on 1st down throw on their final drive. Forced errant pass.
PARKER - Had 4 tackles and a TFL. Tackled RB for short gain on first play of game. Showed good awareness on the play and made a solid stop. Got a TFL on a run where Dixon blew up a run with penetration. Had a terrific play on 2nd/10 pass. TE tried to block him. JP threw the guy away and flew up the field after Jason. Forced an incompletion. Read a TE screen pass quickly and turned that play into a TFL. Used a good inside move to beat the RT and hit Jason right as he threw the ball in the early 3rd. Almost forced a pick on that play. LDT on final play. Used spin move to get off block and hit Jason. Spun him to the ground. Could have been called for penalty for that, but it didn't really affect the play.
CLEMONS - Played DE and the Joker. Good tackle of Randle-El after catch over the middle. LDE on the final series.
BABIN - Made a good read on early screen, but was half a second slow in getting turned to get in better position. Hustled downfield to make the tackle, but the RB had already gotten 1st down yardage. Had good coverage on RB on 3rd down pass in 2nd Qtr. Led to bad throw. Lost contain on a 3rd Qtr pass play and let Jason run wide and get a throw off. Drew a holding call on 3rd down pass with a good burst off the edge. RT had to hold him. Was in on a couple of tackles.
HOWARD - Way too quiet. Didn't stand out at all.
VA - Mainly played LDT in the Nickel/Dime. Looked like he was held on 3rd/long pass early in the 2nd Qtr, but got no call. Got penetration in the early 3rd and grabbed Campbell's leg, but couldn't hold on and Jason was able to scramble away. Beat the RG with a quick inside move and flushed Campbell on 3rd down, but dove and couldn't get to him. Came free up the middle on critical 3rd down in the mid 4th. RT had to grab him to slow VA down. Campbell fired off a short pass. That drew a holding call, but we refused the penalty.
DT
PATTERSON - Active game. Had 5 tackles. Got some pressure on a pass play with a quick inside move. Got off the block of the RG and tackled RB for no gain in early 3rd. Got off the RG and C on the next play to stop the RB on run up the middle. Made a good tackle of Jason on QB draw in the early 3rd. Tackled RB on run away from him. Limited the play to 2 yards.
BUNKLEY - We played Bunk off the ball quite a bit, as we did in the first game. Deflected a pass in mid 2nd. Flowed to the ball and tackled Cartwright for no gain to open the 2nd half. Got off a block and dove at RB's feet on run up the middle to limit play. Shed the block of the C and tackle RB up the middle for no gain. Hurt his ankle in the late 3rd and missed time. Returned in the mid 4th. Finished with 3 tackles.
LAWS - I didn't see him play on defense. Might have gotten in a play or two that I missed.
DIXON - Shot into the backfield on run play. Didn't see the RB had the ball or would have been an easy TFL. Juqua took care of business. Took over for Bunk after the injury. Held his own while in there.
LB
TROT - What happened? Looked so promising last week in the 2nd half. Not a good game this week. Had 2 tackles. Didn't seem to read plays well at all. Badly overran GL play where Campbell ran for the TD. Q and Spoon were outside. Trot flowed from the inside and ended up by them. There was a big cutback lane for Jason to hit. Trot should have been there waiting for him. Did get better as the game moved along. Made a good stop on 2nd/2 to hold the RB to no gain. Made a solid tackle on 3rd Qtr run. Flowed to his left, got to the RB and tackled him for short gain. Brought some emotion to the game, but I'd have settled for good LB play.
MAYS - Started at MLB. Sloppy early coverage on pass play. Took a false step inside, then failed to recover wide enough and ARE was able to catch a pass and set up a score. Burned for a TD in the 3rd. Had good coverage on Davis. Saw Jason scramble wide and Joe took off to get him. Jason was able to throw the ball to Davis for an easy TD. Can't leave your receiver until the guy is over the line.
WITHERSPOON - Led the team with 6 tackles. Solid game. Did a solid job of TE coverage. Good tackle of RB on draw in mid-2nd. Got outside and in good position on a run to his side, but Ganther made a good cut and ran through Spoon's tackle attempt. Tackled Sellers after he caught a pass in the flat. Had pretty good coverage on Davis on late pass. Forced a really tough throw.
GOCONG - Quiet game. Only had 1 tackle. WAS had us in the Nickel a decent amount, which kept Chris off the field. Didn't stand out when he was in there.
WHITE - Good game. Had 4 solo tackles, TFL. Played in the Nickel. Missed a tackle of RB on 3rd/long screen where they got the 1st. Tracy was chasing on the play so it wasn't an easy tackle. Good tackle of RB after short catch late in the half. Made a beautiful play in the late 3rd. Read a screen pass and flew up to get the RB just after the ball got there. TFL of 4 yards. Great open field tackle of RB on 3rd down pass in mid 4th.
CB
S BROWN - Solid game. Had 6 tackles, TFL. Blew up WR screen late in the half. Got the WR down for a loss. Burned by Thomas for downfield pass in the early 3rd. Campbell got out of the pocket and Sheldon had okay coverage. He mis-timed his jump and didn't get much height when he did go up. Good tackle of RB in the mid 4th.
SAMUEL - Big game. Had 2 picks and both led to FGs. Didn't tackle so well. Came up quickly on WR screen, but wouldn't wrap up. Only threw a shoulder. Slowed the WR down, but didn't come close to stopping him. Luckily the pursuit got the WR down for just a short gain. Burned by Kelly for long gain in early 2nd. Beat Sammie down the right sideline. Broke on a short pass to his side late in the half. Anticipated the throw and jumped the route. Fell to the ground after making the catch. I don't think he realized he'd not been downed by a Skin at that point. One of them got over soon enough. Really took a chance on the 2nd pick. Bailed on his guy and jumped an underneath route. Made a great catch. Bit on a pump fake in the early 3rd, but Q got over and covered the receiver after Sammie got beat. Had tight coverage on Davis in the end zone in the 4th and forced Campbell to throw the ball away.
PATTERSON - Didn't play much, if at all, on defense.
S
MIKELL - Pretty good game. Made a good, quick tackle of TE Davis after short catch. Had a chance to pick off a pass in the mid-1st when the ball bounced off Davis' hands, but Q couldn't make the diving grab. Blew an easy tackle on run play in the late 1st. McDermott had called the perfect defense. The RB had to cut back and there was Q waiting to get him for no gain. Ganther made a quick move and got Q off balance. 10 yard gain. Made an excellent play on a downfield throw in the early 3rd. Samuel got beat on a pump fake. Q got over to the receiver and had tight coverage. The throw wasn't great and Q almost made a terrific INT along the sideline. Unfortunately, he's got hands like a clock. Chased down RB on a run to the other side and made a good tackle, albeit downfield. Took out FB Sellers by going low on a play where he was the lead blocker. Knocked Mike out of the game. Clean play. Came up to get Rock down after short gain.
JONES - Started at FS. Hit and tackled with authority throughout the game. Made a good stop of Randle-El right at the goal line. They scored on the next play, but we made them earn it. Really belted a RB who was already held up. Sean hit the guy and he slammed into the ground and the ball came loose. Not a fumble, but it was a powerful hit. Showed good range on a pass in the late 3rd. Sheldon played underneath and turned over a WR to Sean on a downfield route. Sean read the play correctly and got over. The pass was way off target, but it was good to see him cover correctly on a deep ball. Finished the game with 4 tackles.
DEMPS - Finally got back on the field after dealing with an injury. Burned on 3rd down pass when he lined up out wide like a CB and the WR got open underneath him and moved the chains. Came free on blitz late in the game, but couldn't get to Jason. Had a couple of solo tackles. Credited with 1 PD.
MACHO - Played in the slot a lot. Made a real dumb error near the GL. Backed off the slot receiver and left Moss wide open for a short pass (TD). Macho seemed to be paying more attention to the outside receiver. Maybe he expected help, but he was right there with the slot guy. I don't know why he would think someone else would jump out there. Good tackle on Randle-El on final 3rd down. Got him by the feet and kept him just short of the chains. Had a couple of solo stops.
________________________________
SPECIAL TEAMS
ROCCA - Solid game. Generally pinned WAS near the sideline. Only 1 of 5 punts was inside the 20. Averaged 43.4 per punt.
AKERS - Good game. Nailed 3 FGs, including the game winner. Pretty good depth on his KOs.
KOR ---
* Macho had poor KOR numbers, but WAS did some strange stuff. The first kick was real shallow and he had to make a diving catch. Got tackled before he could get up and run. Macho had a great KOR in the 4th and got the ball to the 35, but penalty moved us back.
PR ---
* DeSean only ran one punt back. He took it 29 yards and almost broke it for a TD. A defender caught him by the foot just as DeSean was about to explode. He started on the right side and had to run around for a bit on the play to find a seam to attack up the field.
* Maclin took over for DJax after the injury. Jeremy had one return for -2 yards. Bryon Westbrook made a terrific tackle. Mac looks lost as a RS. Way too hesitant. Maybe Charles De Mar can coach him.
MISC STs ---
* Fokou got away with a hit out of bounds on the first real KO. There was a group of players headed out of bounds (us & them). He clearly hit out of bounds.
* Buckley had dumb penalty while covering punt. Tried to jump a guy and basically stomped on the guy as he was coming down. Dumb.
* Great coverage on first punt after halftime. Demps flew downfield and got the PR out for no gain.
* Dimitri Patterson called for holding on KOR in the 4th. Pinned us at the 10.
* Mays made a good tackle on KO after we tied the game.
* Fokou made a great tackle on final KO. Flew downfield and got returner for minimal gain.
We made a lot of mistakes in the game. Donovan was very sloppy with some throws. There were missed blocks and a couple of dropped passes. We had some costly penalties, on both sides of the ball. We dropped several INTs. The pass rush wasn't nearly what it needed to be. The good news is that all of this happened in a blowout victory.
I'm not really sure what to make of this game. We won 34-7, which is great. Atlanta played backups at several key positions and that really hurt them. At the same time, we weren't exactly full strength ourselves. I think not playing your A-game and still blowing someone out is a good thing. ATL did struggle, but we had a lot to do with that. We outplayed them on offense, defense, and STs.
I'm utterly disappointed by the blown shutout. We last held someone scoreless in November of 1996. That's ages ago. Andy Reid was an unknown assistant in Green Bay. Those Packers hadn't yet won a SB. Tom Brady was a Freshman at Michigan. Angelina Jolie was an unknown actress. No one had heard of the phrase "Y2K". I was still a year away from getting online. Ray Rhodes and Bobby Hoying had bright futures.
We've had a strong defense throughout the Andy Reid era, but we can't get a shutout. That frustrates the heck out of me. I was heartbroken at the end of yesterday's game. To let them score on the final play of the game was torturous. I wish they had kicked a FG on the drive prior to halftime. That way I could have enjoyed the 2nd half instead of sitting on pins and needles and hoping for the goose egg.
One other thing really upset me. Andy and Marty always talk about throwing to get a lead. Then we'll run. We were up 27-0 at the start of the 4th Qtr. The first play was a pass that was supposed to go downfield. Donovan got sacked. That really infuriated me. What if Donovan gets hurt? Dumb. Plus, at some point you just need to run the ball. With a 27-0 lead on Chris Redman and Jason Snelling you just run the ball and work the clock. We called timeout after the sack and put Vick in the game. We then let him throw deep. That worked. I wasn't upset with Vick throwing the ball. He's a backup QB and could use the reps. I'd prefer running the ball, but I understand letting backups come in and do some things. Thankfully on the next drive we ran on every snap.
I did not re-watch the final drive. It will drive me crazy. Maybe in a couple of days.
Big win for us. We're now 8-4 and tied for the NFC East lead. We have a great conference record that helps in some tiebreakers. After a couple of comebacks it was good to see a blowout win.
______________________________
OFFENSE
* The shotgun draw, which has been a good play this year, was completely ineffective. Shady's best runs recently came from the 3-WR, 1-TE set. We did very little of that. Odd.
* 2nd/5 in the RZ. Donovan rolled right. He did a great job of buying time and got on the edge. He threw to Celek in the end zone. Brent was able to make the grab. Donovan should have run. He could have gotten the 1st easily. Focus on moving the chains. Don't be afraid to run.
* 3rd/1 at the ATL 5. Vick at QB. 3 WRs. 2 split way wide. Avant comes in motion and stops behind LG. TE to the right. RB offset to the right. JJ gets a good block on DT. Nick pulls to the right and blocks a LB. Max gets upfield and blocks a LB. Justice and Celek combine to get the DE to the ground. Vick is able to take the snap and to to the right and then upfield into the end zone. TD.
* We had more than 100 RAC yards in the game. That's always a good sign.
QB
MCNABB - Pretty good game. 14-25-238, 1 TD and no picks. Struggled with some easy throws, but made up for them with good throws on later plays. Wasn't at his best, but still played well enough for us to win going away. Anyone who doubts whether McNabb ever audibles should watch this game. He made several adjustments at the line. The Falcons would bring a S down into the box late and you could see McNabb adjusting plays and/or alignments to make sure either the play made sense or we had the right protection.
MISC
* Made a terrible decision to throw the ball to Weaver on second drive of the game. Weaver was maybe a yard upfield. A DL almost picked off the ball. There were a couple of guys behind Weaver that would have tackled him immediately.
* Did a very good job on his TD throw. Ran to the right. A defender bit up, leaving Weaver wide open in the end zone.
* A good punt put us at our own 1-yard line. McNabb dropped back to pass and saw a huge void in the middle of the field. He took off and got us 17 yards. Great play. Easy gain and it got us out of bad field position. I really wish Donnie would be more decisive and run more like that.
* Made a terrible throw on 3rd/6 to Maclin on crossing route. JMac was wide open and had room to run. The ball was at his ankles and behind him. He couldn't make the catch. The first play of the next drive was also a shallow cross to Maclin. This time Donnie threw a good pass. Maclin got the ball 2 yards upfield, but on the move. He ran through the MLB's tackle attempt and added 54 RAC yards, mostly down the left sideline.
* Threw low and behind Avant on a 3rd down in the RZ, but Donovan was under extreme duress from a blitzer. I don't fault him on that play.
* Good throw to Maclin on a slant to open the 2nd half.
VICK - Best game of the year. The coaches mixed him into the game plan. Also helped that we had a good lead. First couple of plays were simple upfield runs. Vick got what he could, about 4 yards on each. He then came into the game on 3rd/1 from the ATL 5. I covered that play above. Ran for a short TD. Vick took over at QB in the early 4th. Badly underthrew Reggie on a deep ball, but Reggie was able to slow down and then go up for the ball. That got us inside the 10. 1st/GL was an option play with Vick pitching to Reggie. We lost yards. Next play was a pass where Vick scrambled for 5 yards and then took a big hit. Hurt his hand, but stayed in the game. Next play was a roll left, throw back to the right to the TE. Worked perfect and Vick hit Brent for a TD. Good RZ play.
Stats: 4 runs for 17 yards, TD. 2 of 2 throwing the ball for 48 yards, TD.
RB
MCCOY - Quiet game. 6 carries for 2 yards. Caught 3 passes for 24 yards. 2 of them were screens. The other catch was a short pass over the middle. Came close to breaking the catches for a big play, but couldn't quite do it. Didn't have much running room. The Falcons seemed to key on stopping McCoy and did a good job of that.
WEAVER - Great game. Helped as a runner, receiver, and blocker. Caught a short pass for a TD. Ran a standard arrow or angle route. Wasn't open. Defender bit up as McNabb moved around and that left Leonard Part 6 open. The ball was low and he was able to reach down and grab it. TD. Had a 59-yard catch and run late in the 1st Qtr. We ran a PA pass. Weaver went to the left and up the field. He got behind the LB and Donnie got the ball to him. The pass was a bit off target, but Leonard was able to extend for the ball with one arm. He got his left hand on it and then brought it into his body so he could secure the ball. That was at the 34-yard line. He then went across the field and down the right side to the ATL 25. 41 RAC yards on the play. Beautiful run in the early 2nd. Headed up the middle and then bent the play to the left. Used a good burst to get some separation. A Falcon got him by the foot or Leonard might have run for a long time. Still got 17 yards on the play. Good cutback run early in the 2nd half got him 12 more yards.
Had a couple of huge chip blocks. Really knocked the crap out of the DE.
BUCKLEY - Good game. Got the rock on a 4th/1 run up the middle. Had to deal with some penetration, but kept his legs going and twisted to find space and get the yard. Got to be the primary RB on our final drive. Looked good on that. Showed vision, patience, and burst. Tough dude. He didn't go down on first contact. Buckley was going to fight for every yard. Finished the game with 8 carries for 33 yards. I enjoyed watching him on the late drive. We moved the ball 30+ yards and ate up 5+ minutes off the clock. Eldra isn't exactly Marion Barber, but he did well in that situation.
TE
CELEK - Sloppy game as a blocker. Missed a block on early run and his DE was able to get McCoy for a loss. Wasn't lack of effort or anything like that. The DE used a good burst. Brent needs find a way to slow him down just a little so that McCoy can get upfield. Had a chance to catch a TD in the 1st Qtr. Adjusted his route as Donnie scrambled. Brent looked back for the ball and reached for it, but wasn't able to hang on. Looked like the LB might have got a hand on it. Got burned on a 1st Qtr run when LB Stephen Nicholas shot to the inside and tackled McCoy for a loss. Celek was trying to angle to block him to the inside. Bad luck. Nicholas got to McCoy in the backfield. Caught an 11-yard pass on 3rd/12 just after halftime. Most of the gain was RAC yards. Split a trio of defenders to get as close as he did to the 1st. Set up 4th/short, which we then converted. Very good block of Biermann on Vick's long pass to Reggie. Gave Mike plenty of time to throw. Did catch a TD from Vick on that drive.
SMITH - False start penalty on 3rd/1 proved costly. We didn't convert on 3rd/6 and then Akers missed the FG. Good trap block on Weaver's long run. Lined up right and then came left at the snap. Sealed the DE so he couldn't crash down and make the play. Great design, execution.
WR
BROWN - Solid game after an early mistake. Had a bad drop on 3rd/5 on the first drive. Came open over the middle. Donovan put the ball a bit behind Reggie, but still very catchable. Reggie had to make that grab. The drop forced us to settle for a FG. He did make up for it with a big catch on 3rd/13 on a later drive. Controlled the ball and got his toes down for a gain of 21. That helped to set up a TD. Blocked well on a couple of long plays. Had a nice catch on an underthrown deep ball from Vick. Reggie located the ball, adjusted, and went up to get it. Lost 3 yards on an option play near the GL.
AVANT - Another good showing. 3-36. Caught 3rd down pass on first drive to move the chains. Used a good route to get Chevis Jackson off balance and that left Jason wide open on the left side. Easy pitch and catch. Drew a flag on DB on 3rd down play to move the chains. Mis-timed his leap on a pass play to the right side. The ball was real high, but Jason jumped early and had no chance. He was wide open on the play and a decent throw would have meant an easy 1st down. Used a couple of really good fakes to get open on a PA pass. Donovan hit him for 15. The pass was low, but Avant made a smooth catch. Made a beautiful grab on the right side on the next play. Only got 8 yards. Jason had to fully extend for the ball, but was able to pluck it cleanly. Was robbed of a TD catch by a penalty on MJG.
MACLIN - Solid game. 4-83. The big catch was the shallow cross that he turned into a gain of 56. The other 3 grabs were short catches. Had one drop on a quick out. Wasn't going to get us a lot, but left us facing 3rd/10.
OL
PETERS - Solid game. Got help on Abraham, but also did a good job of blocking him. Got hurt in the early 2nd. Jason tried cut Abraham and might have taken a knee to the head. Castillo needs to tell Jason to stop the cut blocking. It has a high failure rate and now got him knocked out of a game.
TODD - Really good block on Weaver's good run. Controlled the DT and left a good running lane. Slid out to LT early in the 2nd. Good block on 4th/1 gave Buckley just enough room to wiggle for the 1st. Beaten by Biermann for a sack in the early 4th.
JACKSON - Good block on Vick run up the middle. He and Cole moved the DT off the ball, then JJ sealed a LB. Good block on Weaver's long run. Got to the MLB and sealed him so that Leonard had running room at the 2nd level.
MAX - Took over at LG after Peters' injury shift. Very costly penalty. We scored a TD on his first drive, but it was called back because Max got his hand on the DT's facemask and the guy's helmet came off. We ended up settling for a FG. Falcons sacked McNabb late in the half. Max and Justice doubled the DE to their side. They had the guy under control then Max turns elsewhere for some reason. The guy gets off the block and sacks McNabb. Max should have stuck with the block. Dumb.
COLE - Started at RG. Shifted over to LG later on. Real good blocks on a few run plays. Moved his DT off the ball on a McCoy run up the middle. Got thrown to the ground by DT on short run by GL.
JUSTICE - Let his guy hit McNabb on a 3rd down pass. Winston had him blocked initially, but the guy kept fighting and got off the block and hit Donnie just after the throw was out. Got beaten in pass pro a couple of times. Didn't stand out as a run blocker because we didn't go to his side very much.
___________________________________
DEFENSE
* We had a great GL stand before the half. The Falcons had 1st/GL from our 7. Snelling runs for 6, right up the middle. They went Wildcat with Snelling on 2nd down and we stuffed 'em. They ran Snelling on 3rd down and we stuffed him. Mike Smith passed on a FG and went for it on 4th/GL. We stopped that play, but they came close to scoring. That was important. The game was only 13-0 at that point. You never want to let a lesser team stay in the game if you can. Big, big series.
* One thing that bugged me and I'm sure anyone who saw the game was our coverage of Tony Gonzalez on some key situations. On 3rd/short or 4th/short we played off him and let him get a clean release. The Falcons threw to him a couple of times and were able to move the chains. We had good coverage on Tony most of the game. He caught 8 balls, but was targeted 13 times. We normally made him fight to get off the ball. I hated giving him a clean release on those short plays.
I get asked a lot why we play off WRs on some short situations? I don't know this officially, but I've we like our CBs to be able to play the ball. Putting the CBs 5 yards back gives them a chance to watch the WR and QB. That worked well yesterday. Sheldon's INT came on 4th/5. He was off the ball. He read the QB and then broke on the ball. 83-yd TD.
I can live with having the CBs off WRs. That does make sense. I didn't like staying off Tony. You aren't as likely to jump a pass to a TE. They're usually covered by a S or LB. Those guys aren't going to get the jump that a CB does. Plus, most TE routes happen in the middle of the field or close to the formation. The passes are in the air less and harder to pick.
DE
COLE - Pretty good game. Blew up a running play with penetration and created a TFL for someone. Hit Redman while he still had the ball. It came loose, but went forward, giving the impression of a forward pass. Ruled incompletion. Trent dominated the LT on the next play and destroyed Redman, but he had gotten the ball off. Disrupted another run with penetration. Laws made the stop for no gain. Chased down White after a short pass and helped with the tackle. Wasn't credited with any tackles in the gamebook.
PARKER - Had a pass deflection in the 1st Qtr when he got some penetration on a pass play. Got a sack, FF late in the 3rd. ATL recovered. Redman had started to run. Juqua got off his block and hit Redman, knocking the ball out.
CLEMONS - Quiet game. Called for PI while back in coverage. Had a TFL of Norwood on the final drive.
BABIN - Terrific blitz off the edge in mid-3rd Qtr. Went unblocked. Hesitated to make sure there wasn't a fake and then used good closing speed to hit Redman just as he threw the ball. Had 1 tackle in the game. Played some RDE late.
HOWARD - Good game. Deflected 2 passes. One came on a 3rd down and forced a punt. The first deflection came when he got penetration and then went up for the ball. The second came when he was blocked initially and then went up for the ball. Got his first sack in a while. Redman started to run up the middle and DH got off his block to make the tackle. Also had a TFL .
DT
PATTERSON - Strong game. Blew up an early run play to his side. Had a TFL on a run up the middle. Got off his block and the RB was right there to be taken down. Drove the RG backward on a run play and forced the RB to go wide. Stuffed Snelling on GL run up the middle.
BUNKLEY - Solid game. Had a couple of tackles. Showed good hustle on a run play. The ball went to his left and Bunk went down the LOS and tackled the guy from behind for minimal gain. Deflected a pass at the end of the 3rd Qtr.
LAWS - Got more PT in this game. Finished with a couple of tackles. No standout plays.
DIXON - Got good penetration on a couple of GL run plays. Really impacted 4th/GL as he force the RB to change his path. That let the LBs get there to make the stop. Dixon was credited with a TFL, but I think that was wrong. We're seeing good penetration from him recently, but he's got to show better awareness of the ball.
VA - Mainly the LDT in Nickel/Dime. Drove the RG back into Redman's face on pass play, but Chris was able to get the pass off. Did the same thing on the next 3rd down and caused an errant throw.
LB
TROT - Quiet game. Made one big play. Stuffed a run on 3rd/GL late in the half. Jumped over someone to get the runner as he got back to the line. Helped to blow up 4th/GL. Flew into the C just after the snap and knocked him a yard or so back. Credited with 3 tackles.
WITHERSPOON - Up and down. Missed tackle of Snelling on run up the middle. Got wide on an outside run and forced Norwood out after only 3 yards. Got RB by the foot on 4th/GL to stop him short of the end zone. More effective than pretty. Broke up a couple of passes. Really went up for one ball over the middle. Hit it and almost picked it off as it fell to the ground. Overran TG in space and missed the tackle. Credited with 3 tackles.
GOCONG - Played run well on first snap. Took on FB and slowed down RB. Trot was slow to get to runner. Sealed the deal on inside run in the 1st Qtr. Made a physical tackle of Gonzalez out in space after a short catch. Made a TD-saving tackle of Snelling late in the half. Blitzed up the middle in the 4th Qtr and forced a bad throw from Redman that was picked off. Finished with 2 solo stops.
WHITE - Led the team with 4 solo tackles. The bad news is that they all came on the final drive when ATL scored. Called for PI on the final play when they did score.
MAYS - Tackled Norwood on running play up the middle. Had 3 tackles and played a little bit better.
CB
S BROWN - Good game. Got called for a penalty in the early 2nd Qtr, but replay showed that White pushed him more than anything. Beaten by White down the left sideline. Made a good tackle of White after a short catch. That play had the potential to go a long way if SB misses. Big hit on Tony after a short catch. Sheldon launched into him and cleanly got a shoulder hit. That had to hurt Gonzalez. Got his hand on an intermediate pass in the early 4th. I think that caught Sheldon by complete surprise. He didn't seem to be trying to catch the ball. Picked off a pass on 4th down and ran it back 83 yards for a TD.
SAMUEL - Best tackling game of his Eagles career. Took out Norwood with a forceful shoulder tackle right at the LOS in the 1st Qtr. Gave up a completion to Roddy White over the middle, but got him down cleanly by wrapping up his feet from behind. Got a big hit on Roddy White after a short catch. Refs ruled it incomplete. They blew the whistles prematurely and ended the play. Replay clearly showed it was a fumble. We did recover. Unfortunately once the whistle blows that ends the play. Reid tried to challenge, but you can't do that. Sammie made a form tackle on Norwood on a run to his side. Finished with 3 solo tackles.
MACHO - Played mostly in the slot. Covered Tony Gonzalez quite a bit. Macho held his own. He battled Tony at the snap to keep him from getting a clean release. He used contact inside the 5-yard zone. Did get called for PI on a short pass. Not a clear-cut call, but star players get those calls. Had tight coverage on a 3rd down pass to Tony. The ball was off target and incomplete. Flew upfield to tackle White for a loss on a WR screen. Good play.
PATTERSON - Played some in the Nickel/Dime sets. Blitzed off the edge and got a little pressure on an early pass. Took Norwood out on a run play in the 4th.
POPE - Played on the final drive. I need to re-watch it to see how he played. Did have a couple of tackles.
S
MIKELL - Broke up a pass to TE in the end zone. Had 4 tackles. Solid, but somewhat quiet game.
JONES - Started at FS. Pretty good game. Lots of action. Had a TFL on a run play that Trent disrupted. Came over to knock Weems out of bounds on an End Around. Made a good tackle of Snelling on a run up the middle after Spoon missed him. Had poor coverage on a pass to White down the sideline. Sean looked to be coming upfield aggressively when he should have been moving wide to pick up White. He wasn't expected to go break up the pass, but should have been over there to make the tackle. Luckily, White lost his balance and went out of bounds. Sean got his hands on an overthrow down the middle, but couldn't hold on. Drew penalty for hitting TE in the end zone...defenseless receiver. The hit was up high. Blitzed off the edge and got a clean hit on Redman, but he was able to get the pass off. Picked off an errant pass from Redman to open the 4th Qtr.
DEMPS - Bad game. Blitzed and was called for H-to-H hit on QB. It wasn't dirty, but dumb. You know they're watching QBs like a hawk. Called for penalty when he dove at a player who was already on the ground. It was close, but dumb. Q had enough time to see the guy down and stop. Dropped a pick in the early 4th. Made a good read. Put his hands out, but could not make the grab. McDermott was all over Q for his performance.
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SPECIAL TEAMS
ROCCA - Only had 3 punts. Pinned ATL down at the 1-yard line late in the game.
AKERS - Hit 2 of 3 FGs. The miss was from less than 40. The ball started fine, but then bent outside. David puts a lot of english on his kicks and they do move quite a bit. Better than his last trip to the Georgia Dome. He missed 2 of 3 that day and we lost 14-10.
KOR ---
* One KO, one touchback.
PR ---
* Maclin - Had the best STs play of his young career. Returned the first punt 27 yards. Started left, then reversed his field and headed right. Got way wide and turned upfield. The P was able to come over and get JMac by the foot or it likely would have been a TD. Maclin hobbled off the field, but only missed a few plays. Still makes me nervous. Doesn't look smooth in catching the ball or the initial part of the return.
MISC STs ---
* Moise Fokou, Joe Mays, and Tracy White all played well in kick coverage. You love it when your LBs are making tackles or blowing up returns.
* Eldra Buckley forced a fumble in KO coverage. It was odd, though. His back was to the KOR. The guy ran into Buckley. Eldra's elbow knocked the ball out, but without any intent or it even swinging hard. White then recovered the ball.
* Dimitri P. downed punt a the 1 yard line with 5:27 left in the game. Great job.
Great game. Huge win. Sure, there were some sloppy mistakes and things to be concerned about, but the bottom line is that we won a tough road game with a lot on the line against a divisional rival that played with purpose. There were a couple of moments that reminded me of the late Dallas game from last year. The difference is that the Giants don't lay down when things go wrong. They have tough players and Tom Coughlin is a good coach. The Giants never gave up. They fought us all game long.
The Giants played great on one side of the ball. Their offense beat our defense. Thankfully our offense beat their D and our STs won their battle. Think back to the shootouts from last year. We lost to them (36-31) and Dallas (41-37). Both were prime time games. We had the lead in each game, but could not hang on. We also failed at midfield late in both games as we tried to drive for a winning score. We weren't perfect last night, but we showed a lot of toughness. That's huge as we approach the postseason. NFL teams are so evenly matched nowadays that the key to winning a Super Bowl is to be able to play in pressure situations. It used to be not allowing sacks. It used to be a strong running game. It used to be great defense. It used to be big plays in the passing game. Those factors can still be quite important, but I really think the ability to come up big in close games is the most important thing. We failed at this in 2007 and 2008. The '09 Eagles are different. We now have a clutch team. Remember the games of the past where the offense would disappear in the 4th Qtr? Or the pass rush would go away late? Our best drive yesterday was in the 4th Qtr and that is when we got the best pressure on Eli.
The offense didn't really do anything unusual. The Giants secondary is awful and got shredded with ease. Our guys ran free all night. We had very good pass protection and Donovan played well. We mixed in Mike Vick in the Red Zone and executed well. Suddenly adding him to the team back in August is starting to look like a good move.
The defense did not have a good night. We gave up 512 yards. That is insane. The good news is that everyone helped out. The DL didn't get pressure. The LBs were sloppy vs the run and pass. The DBs left guys open and then forgot to tackle on a regular basis. Ugh. Where were Darwin Walker, Mark Simoneau, and Sean Considine when we needed them? I kid of course. Our guys just had a bad night. Quintin Mikell has been very good since taking over at SS in 2007. He played possibly his worst game as a starter. I can't think of another where he struggled so much. I'm not trying to dismiss the game and say "don't worry about the defense", but I also think people must understand that this was as bad as it gets. Don't assume we'll be giving up 500 yards and 38 points to anyone else in the next 3 weeks.
Eli Manning was great. He made some really incredible throws. Collinsworth pointed out during the game that Sean McDermott had told them that every now and then Eli has a game where he is "on" and just makes great throw after great throw. We saw that Eli last night. We'd really shut him down for 3 straight games. It wasn't likely that we'd continue to control him that much.
The biggest issue of the night was tackling. That's the most fundamental element of defense, but it was not on display on Sunday night. Some tackles were missed due to effort. Some to technique. Some due to being out of position. Whatever the reason, the Giants were able to turn a pair of short passes into long TDs because multiple guys missed on each play. They got a ton of RAC yards in the game. Can't let a team move the ball like that. We were a little sloppy with our tackling vs WAS recently, but had a great game in ATL. This hasn't been a huge problem on the year. I hope that was a one-game disaster, but you can bet AR and Sean will make it a focal point of practice this week.
One oddball note to keep in mind in relation to worrying about the defense. We scored 30 1st half points (should have been 31). The Giants with all their yards had 31 points after 58 minutes of action. We did play solid defense for most of the late 3rd and 4th Qtr.
MISC
* Finally someone had more penalties than us, 7 to 6.
* Andy had 2 challenges. The first came on a sideline throw to Nicks. They ruled it a catch. The replay never really showed complete control of the ball, but the ref didn't overturn the call.
The other challenge was on Manningham on a TD catch late in the 4th. Mario was clearly out and the call was reversed. Excellent challenge.
* The officials didn't help us all that much in the game. They missed a couple of calls that might have really hurt us. Luckily we overcame them.
* Andy and the coordinators had good games. Sean had his guys in position to make tackles. He had guys behind those guys as a safety net. What do you do when both guys screw up?
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OFFENSE
* We only had 8 3rd down plays all night. Normally that is a half.
* Used one interesting formation. We had base personnel, but McCoy lined up in the slot to spread out the defense. We then ran Weaver for a good gain because only 6 guys were in the box. Excellent play.
* Good offensive balance.
* We were 3 of 5 in the Red Zone. One play was the kneel down at the end of the game. We were really 3 of 4. That was critical to us winning.
1st/GL from NYG 8. We lined up with 3 WRs, RB, TE. Celek was to the left. McNabb started to roll right, then stopped, wheeled back to the left, and threw a quick screen to Brent. Todd cut a defender and Jason was out wide. Brent was able to head straight upfield for the TD. Excellent play, execution.
2nd/GL from NYG 2. Vick lines up as WR and comes in motion toward the formation. Donovan tosses to him. Vick spins and heads back to his left. Donovan pulls like a lead blocker. All 5 OL are to the far right as a fake. Donovan gets a block and buys Vick time, as moves to the left. Vick sees Reggie open in the back of the end zone, but is slow to get the pass off. The ball is hit by a defender and Reggie is unable to catch the ball. Initially I was mad at Reggie for not catching the ball, but the replay showed the deflection. Vick needs to make a quicker read and get the pass off before guys can get in position to make a play. Vick also threw the pass behind Reggie. If he gets the throw out in front that could be an easy TD.
2nd/10 from PHI 42. We dropped back to pass. Osi blew by Peters and hit McNabb as he was about to throw. The ball went forward. Michael Boley almost caught the ball, but couldn't hang on. Players assumed it was a pass and no one picked up the ball. It was correctly ruled a fumble and marked at the 32, where it happened. Any number of Giants could have grabbed it, but didn't. Big non-play. Al Michaels and Cris Collinsworth talked about the play incessantly for the next 5 minutes and then kept bringing it up in the 2nd half. Drove me nuts.
1st/GL from NYG 2. Interesting formation. Avant and Reggie were split out wide. Celek stood up and was on the right. We had split backs with Weaver left and DJax on the right. Vick was in the shotgun. DeSean went right at the snap as if he was getting a pitch. Weaver headed left and cut a defender. Vick ran wide left. Todd pulled and hit a DB from the side. That sent the DB flying and a LB stumbled on him. Reggie got a good block and Vick was able to get just inside the pylon for the score.
1st/10 from PHI 40. 2 WR, 2 TE set. We had both WRs to the left. Both TEs to the right. Weaver was the lone runner and he was set right with Donnie in shotgun. Weaver and the OL gave Donovan great protection. DJax ran a post and blew by the Safety. Donovan pumped to get some defenders to bite. He then launched a strike to DeSean for the TD. Great blocking.
We ran a trick play on the final TD drive. McNabb was lined up out left. Vick was in the shotgun. He took the snap and gave it to McCoy, who ran left. He then gave the ball to McNabb. The goal was to throw the ball to Vick downfield. He was covered. McNabb then got the ball underneath to Celek. I didn't like this play at all, based on the situation. We had a good drive going. Why get cute? Too many moving parts for my taste on such a key drive. Plus, our offense was moving the ball with ease. Save the tricks for a time when you are trying to jump start something.
QB
MCNABB - Very good showing. 17-26-275. 2 TDs, 1 INT. Donovan was able to get big plays, but also lead us on sustained drives. He generally made good reads and good throws. Came up big on 3rd/20 late in the half. Dropped back and didn't see anyone open. Moved up in the pocket and then saw DeSean wide open downfield. Hit him for a gain of 44. Later hit Celek on 3rd/10 to set up a TD on that drive. Made a good read and throw on that play. We only had 3 3rd down conversions in the whole game, but those 2 let to crucial points. Had some miscommunication with Celek and threw a pass inside when Brent cut back out. That was picked off. Had one scramble where he ran for 6 yards. Made a great read on 3rd down after halftime and saw Reggie 1-on-1 with a Safety. Should have been an easy TD, but Donovan just put a hair too much on the ball and Brown couldn't quite get it. More loft or less distance and we'd have had 7 points. Forced a ball to DeSean on 3rd down late in the 3rd Qtr. It was out of bounds, but looked like a bad read. There were 2 DBs over there. Safe mistake, though.
Came up big on 4th Qtr TD drive. On 2nd down from our 12 McNabb moved up in the pocket and then hit DeSean on a crossing route for a gain of 20. That really jump started the drive. We had 2nd/7 near midfield. Donnie dropped back and scanned the field. Didn't see anyone open. Knew McCoy was his outlet to the left and got him the ball quickly. LeSean was able to get upfield and move the chains. We ran a trick play on the final TD drive. McNabb looked deep, but didn't force the ball. He got it to Celek for a gain of 4. Hit Weaver on a screen pass for 8 yards. Hit McCoy on a screen pass for 6 yards. Saw a blitz coming on on 2nd down and got the ball to Reggie on a crossing route. Reggie used his RAC skills to turn the short pass into a gain of 19. The throw was very impressive because he was falling away as the made it. A blitzer had come free up the middle. McNabb adjusted the run play on 2nd/GL from the 1. He saw the Giants pre-snap look and made a quick adjusment. Weaver ran left and we scored. Hit Avant on the right side on the 2-point conversion play.
VICK - Good game. Came through with some big plays. We used a run fake on the first drive and had Mike throw downfield. He hit DeSean for a gain of 32 and that play set up the first TD. Got the call on 3rd/3 early in the 2nd Qtr. Ran left. Had to fight off a LB, but still managed to get 5 on the play and move the chains. Had a 5-yard run on 1st/GL that moved us down to the 1 on the final scoring drive. Went upfield between the tackles. Tough run. Finished the game with 11 yards on the ground and a 32 yard completion.
RB
MCCOY - 10 carries for 28 yards. 4 catches for 26 yards. Not great numbers, but played pretty well. Ran for 11 yards on the first play. Had his best game as a dump-off receiver. That's an important role in the NFL. Caught a pass in the right flat and got upfield. Caught one in the left flat. He was wide open. Looked surprised and hesitated for a minute. I was yelling for him to get going upfield. He did and got the 1st. Had a good run for 6 yards on drive in the early 2nd. The play was designed to go outside, but LeSean saw a hole to the inside and cut upfield. Good read. Made Kiwi miss in the backfield and still got 6 yards on the play. Caught a dump-off pass on the final TD drive and got 10 yards on the play. Didn't hesitate. Caught a screen pass on the final TD drive and got 6 yards on the play.
WEAVER - Another good game. Ran downhill all game long. Looked like he was close to breaking a couple of runs for long gains. Finished with 9 carries for 33 yards. Got 10 yards on a run to the right side. Just hit the hole at full speed. Made a good cutback on a run that started up the middle. Bounced it outside right and got 5 yards. Made a good blitz pickup on pass play on 4th Qtr TD drive. Gave Donovan time to move and find a target. Came close to holding on the play, but didn't grab jersey or completely wrap the guy's waist. Busted off a run for 10 yards on the next play. Used a good burst to get upfield. Had a 3-yard run to the left where he tried to hurdle a defender. Caught a screen pass on that drive and got upfield for 8 yards. Scored a TD on the final drive to put us up 2 scores. Ran left and just plowed his way into the end zone.
TE
CELEK - Good game. 5-64 with a TD. Caught the ball well in traffic. Good block on opening run. Slowed Tuck enough that McCoy was able to cleanly get wide. Caught a pass in the early 2nd that got us 23 yards. Made a good adjustment on the play. Had to slow down for the ball and also held on as he was hit. Had a good block on Tuck on a Weaver run to the right side. Brent was able to get him sealed cleanly so that Len could get by outside. Good block on Osi on a McCoy run to his side. Celek had a DB all over him on 3rd/GL. Obvious PI call. Unfortunately the refs didn't throw the flag and we had to settle for a FG. Caught a 3rd down pass on final drive of the half to move the chains and set up a TD. Wide open on the play. Fought through a couple of tacklers to get down to the 2. Had a good block on Kiwi on the long TD pass to DeSean. Blocked him for a second or so, then released him and Brent went out into his pass route.
SMITH - We ran the TE trap once again and Alex had a very good block on Kiwi. Weaver ran right up that area for a good gain. Okay block on run to the right side. Had a good block on a McCoy run to his side. Got on LB and occupied hm enough for Shady to get wide.
WR
DESEAN - 6-178-1. Not too shabby. First catch was a pass from Vick for 32 yards. That put us down deep and set up a TD. Ran a dig route in the 2nd and was wide open for 16 yards. That set up a FG. Caught a pass for 44 yards on a corner route late in the half that moved the chains on 3rd/20. They reviewed the play to make sure he got both feet in. He did. Caught a 60-yard bomb in the 2nd half to put us back in front. Also had a 20-yard catch on the final TD drive that got us away from our own end zone.
AVANT - Quiet day. Had 2 passes come his way, but didn't catch any. Did catch a pass on the 2-point conversion play and got just inside the pylon. That doesn't count toward personal stats. Good game as a blocker.
BROWN - Took over when Maclin left the game with a foot injury. Reggie caught 2 passes for 31 yards. First grab was on the final drive of the half. Got a short throw on the left side and added 6 RAC yards. Caught a pass on a crossing route on the final TD drive. Got the ball just a few yards upfield. Was headed left, then reversed his field and got upfield for a total of 19 yards.
OL
PETERS - Solid game. Did get beaten by Osi for one sack, FF. Kept Osi under control most of the game. And Kiwi. Had a great block of a DT on a Vick run to his side. Jason downblocked and put the guy on his backside. Did a good job on the 60-yd TD to DeSean. Doubled the DT with Todd initially. Then picked up Kiwi after Brent let him go. Kiwi beat him with a good inside move to get Weaver for a loss on a run play. Made a good block on Weaver's TD run. Moved his defender off the ball.
TODD - Good game. Very good block on early Weaver run. Doubled on the DT and moved him off the ball, then went and got the LB. Weaver ran through that lane. Great block on LB on Weaver run to his side. Moved the guy completely out of the hole. Had a good block on screen to Weaver. The play went right and Todd wasn't going to get out in front so he picked off a DL chasing on the play. Put the guy on the ground. Pulled and made a good block on Vick's 1st/GL run. Had the key block on Weaver's TD run. Sealed a DL and gave Weaver a crease to hit.
JACKSON - Good game. Had a good block on Weaver run to the left. Blocked the DT and then passed him to Todd. JJ then picked off a defender coming from the backside. Had a very good block on Canty on Weaver run to the left. Controlled the middle of the line on runs and in pass pro.
COLE - Up and down. Quit on a block of Kiwi on a 3rd down pass for some reason. Thought he had help, obviously, but you have to make sure when blocking a guy coming up the middle. Turning him loose led to major pressure on McNabb. Had a weird play in the 2nd. Got beaten by Kiwi. Then Nick took off running like it was a screen pass. It wasn't a screen and I don't know what the hell he was doing. Pulled left on a Vick run and got enough of the LB that Mike was able to get by him for the 1st. Got beaten by DT on GL run. The guy went low and drove Nick into the backfield. Good block on late screen to Weaver. Got out in front and blocked a LB to give Leonard some running room.
JUSTICE - Good bounce-back game after some problems last week. Had a good pull and block on the opening run. Didn't kill his guy, but kept the LB from getting to McCoy. Got away with jumping early on our 2nd drive. He started to move just a hair before the snap so it wasn't obvious and there was no flag. Tuck got good push on Justice on 3rd Qtr pass and flushed McNabb from the pocket. Had a terrible block on the very next play. Tuck shed him and got McCoy for no gain. If Winston wins that battle LeSean has a real good chance to get the 1st. Had a solid day in pass pro. Kept Justin Tuck quiet for most of the game.
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DEFENSE
* On 4th/1 run in 1st Qtr we had Babin in at LDE. They ran his way and blocked him well enough to get 1.5 yards. Why not put VA in there since he's our best run stuffing DE? Very odd.
* 3rd/4 from PHI 32. Eli drops back and looks right. We get little pressure. He throws to Nicks. Asante has good coverage on the play, but isn't able to get to the ball. Asante also fails to make the tackle. Mikell is there to clean up, but also blows his tackle attempt. 62-yd TD.
* LT David Diehl got away with a false start on 1st/GL from the 6.
* The Giants TD drive late in the 1st half was mainly shotgun runs against our Nickel D. We had no answer.
* 3rd/GL from PHI 2. Jacobs ran right. A swarm of players got over there and stopped him. I watched the play at least a dozen times trying to see what really happened. Sheldon Brown was the key guy, believe it or not. He lined up at FS on the play. He came upfield and took on a pulling OL. Brown slowed him enough that Jacobs had to slow down and Trot was able to make a good initial stop. Then Darren and Sean cleaned up.
* The fight. Clemons shoved Diehl as Hanson was being tackled after the fumble. Clemons walked away and Diehl came over and threw something that looked like a punch into CC's back. It was an underhand kind of swing. As the players lined up to taunt each other Trent came over and took a couple of shots at Shaun O'Hara. I have no idea what Trent was thinking. The Giants must have been doing something in the game that got to him. I didn't see anything from the tape, but you never know what happens in close quarters on any given play. Very dumb move by Trent.
DE
COLE - Strange game. Had 6 tackles. Didn't get a ton of pressure, but still had impact. Had a huge play on the Giants opening drive. Hustled in pursuit of Jacobs on a run play away from him. Trent was able to knock the ball out as he tackled BJ from behind. Sheldon grabbed the ball and ran it back for a score. Had a hand in Eli's fumble. Used a good inside move to get pressure and flush Eli. The ball came loose as Eli went to the ground downfield. Spun off 2 blocks to get Jacobs for no gain on a run in the late 3rd. Stopped a 4th Qtr draw play for minimal gain. That forced a punt. Came upfield under control, located the ball, and then dipped inside to make the tackle. Earlier in the game Trent had been burned by draw plays. Hit Eli on pass play late in the game. Got there just as the ball was headed out.
PARKER - Okay game. Beat the RT to get pressure in the 2nd Qtr. Forced a quick throw. Just shoved the backup RT out of the way and crushed Eli to start the 2nd half. Got put on the ground by OT, Hedgecock on GL run, but Jacobs didn't have a good lane and was stopped. Had 1/2 a sack on pass play in late 3rd. Lined up at RDT and got pressure up the middle as Hanson flew off the edge and they met at the QB.
CLEMONS - Played both sides at DE and also The Joker.
BABIN - Played a lot at LDE. Got late pressure on the deep ball that Nicks dropped. Had to beat a double team to get there. Jumped offside on late drive. Hustled to tackle Bradshaw from behind on screen pass late in game. Played a lot of DT on that drive. Had a great play on the final drive. Lined up at LDE and flew off the ball. He got knocked to the ground. Jason then dove for Eli and got him by the leg. As Eli was falling he got the pass off. Maddening. Should have been a safety for us. Credited with a couple of tackles.
HOWARD - We normally put him at RDT in the Nickel/Dime sets. We moved him to LDT for most of this game. May have helped. Got 2 sacks. Got pressure on Manning on a 1st Qtr pass from RDE. Forced a hurried throw that Trot should have picked off. Used a good spin move to beat Snee and get a late sack of Eli. Had a strip sack of Eli that sealed the game for us. Hit him from behind and knocked the ball loose. We recovered.
DT
PATTERSON - Looked better on tape than when I watched the game live. Had 7 tackels. Got moved off the ball on 4th/1 run in the 1st Qtr by good double team. Made a good play vs Bradshaw run. Patt stood up his blocker and got free as Bradshaw started to go by. Patt grabbed him and limited the play to a couple of yards. Helped to stuff Bradshaw on a play that got no yards. Missed a tackle of Bradshaw on 3rd/1, but it was a tough play. Made a terrific play near the GL. Shoved his blocker back and stuffed Jacobs for no gain. Hustled to chase down Bradshaw on a screen pass.
BUNKLEY - Solid game with some good moments. Batted a pass into the air on early drive. It went way up, but no one was able to get to it and pick the pass off. Bunk was looking for the ball like his life depended on it. Handled a run right at him perfectly. Shed the block of O'Hara and tackled Bradshaw for no gain. Held his ground on GL draw to Bradshaw, but couldn't make tackle. Stopped a Jacobs run for little gain by standing up his blocker and fighting to get to the ball. Drove Seubert back into Eli's face, but Manning was still able to get the pass off on a 3rd Qtr RZ play. Got away with hands to the face on 2nd/GL play by NY in the 3rd Qtr. Got penetration on 4th/GL, but couldn't cleanly get Jacobs by the leg. Hustled in pursuit on the play where Eli fumbled. Bunk got a hand on his jersey, but the refs ruled Bunk didn't force him down.
DIXON - Had a couple of tackles. Drove Seubert into the backfield, which disrupted a run play. Made the tackle on a run in the late 1st. Dixon got blocked off the ball, but then got off the block and to the RB. Needs to keep his straight in his stance. He's becomes much tougher to block when he stays level. When he looks up and gets his butt too low his back is at an angle and he's easy to block. Guys can get under his pads and use leverage on him. Got blown off the ball on 4th/GL. Snee just ate his lunch and Jacobs scored.
VA - Played only DE. I thought we should have mixed him in at LDE because of his ability to play the run. Had a good tackle of Bradshaw on short pass late in the game.
LB
JORDAN - In and out of the lineup at MLB. Credited with a couple of tackles. Made a good tackle of Bradshaw for no gain.
WITHERSPOON - Up and down game. Had 6 tackles. Got Jacobs by the feet to limit a run to "only" 5 yards. Took out the FB in the backfield on a run, but no one got to BJ. Had trouble getting off blocks. Missed a tackle of Hixon on his short catch/long TD. Spoon should have had him easy for a small gain. Tried to wrap up, but Hixon ran through the attempt. Got penetration on a run play in the late 3rd and blew it up. Led to TFL. Had tight downfield coverage on Boss. Eli made a great pass and Kevin should have made the catch, but dropped it. Spoon had pretty good position, but Eli threw a terrific pass. Made a good tackle of Eli after a scramble up the middle.
GOCONG - Had 7 tackles. Helped to blow up a misdirection run play by getting to the runner right at the LOS. Hustled downfield to tackle Boss after his Trot tip-catch. Got off a Hedgecock block and tackled Jacobs, but it was 7 yards downfield. Came off the edge and tried to get to Jacobs on a RZ run, but could only reach for him. Drew a holding call when he got penetration and disrupted a run play while 69 was attached to his waist. Tackled the FB after a short catch in the flat.
TROTTER - Very up and down game. ackled well when he was unblocked or free on a play. Did more running around blocks that I can ever recall, though. Trot has always been a guy to attack blockers and try to punish them. He's one of the few LBs with enough power to do that.
Made a terrific play on the Giants second drive. Dropped back into coverage. Undercut the TE and was in perfect position to pick a pass. Unfortunately the ball hit him in the hands and that can only lead to bad things. Bounced off Trot's hands and right to Kevin Boss. The Giants only got a FG there, but you have to wonder if 2 turnovers in 2 drives wouldn't have really sunk them mentally. Had a TFL on Jacobs in the late 1st Qtr. Flowed to his left and then shot upfield to get BJ down for a loss. Overran a play and Jacobs was able to get upfield for 5 yards. On the field in a Nickel look on 3rd/1 (3 WRs for NYG). Engaged a blocker 1 yard off the line and couldn't get free for 10+ yards. The run went for 17. Got blocked on GL draw. Couldn't move the OL back or get off the block. Bradshaw scored right beside him. Made a good tackle of Steve Smith after short catch over middle. Went up the middle to tackle Jacobs on a RZ run play and whiffed. Missed a tackle of Nicks after short pass, but got lucky as Hakeem ran backward. Made a very good tackle of Bradshaw on draw play to end the 3rd Qtr. Stopped him for no gain.
WHITE - Didn't play a lot. We used Trot in the Nickel a lot because we feared the Giants ability to run from that set. Tracy blitzed on a late drive and came free up the middle. He got to Eli and was in the process of tackling him when Eli got the ball to Bradshaw at the last second. Great play by Eli.
CB
S BROWN - Up and down game. Had 7 tackles and a TFL. Burned by Steve Smith on early 3rd down. Made up for that on the next play. Scooped up a Brandon Jacobs fumble and returned it for a TD. The ball bounced off a foot and right up to Sheldon. Great awareness, hustle. Gave up an easy completion to Nicks and failed to make the tackle. Made a good tackle of Smith on 3rd down to keep him short of the sticks. Got beaten by Manningham for what should have been a 1st Qtr TD, but Mario ran a poor route and was only able to get one foot in. Got Bradshaw down for a TFL in the late 3rd.
Sheldon made one awful play. I'm really shocked by how dumb it was. Giants had 1/10 from our 28. Sheldon played off. Manningham ran by him and Sheldon was casual about that. He was more concerned with looking back at Eli. Mario had him beat by 3 to 5 yards and was open in the end zone. Eli hit him with a pass for the score. We challenged the play and it turned out that Mario got one foot in and the other was over the line by maybe half an inch. I cannot figure out what Sheldon was thinking. He cannot let a guy behind him in that situation. That isn't the kind of play where you expect Safety help. That is the corner's responsibility. It was critical that we not let the Giants score at that point. There was almost 2:30 left in the game. We needed to delay any TD until after the 2-minute warning, that way they couldn't use it as a defensive timeout. The Giants had 2 timeouts left. If they could also use the 2-minute warning they could then kick deep and play defense. That would have completely changed the game.
SAMUEL - Like so many, had an up and down game. Broke up an early pass that came his way. Had tight coverage on Smith on a throw in the end zone. Forced Eli to throw the ball away. Sammie read the play perfectly and ran the route as well as Smith. Had terrific downfield coverage on a pass to Nicks. Again, Sammie ran the route as well as the WR. He didn't get a hand on the ball, but luckily Nicks wasn't able to make the grab. Had good coverage on Nicks on a crossing route. Sammie was able to knock the ball out of his hands on the play. No catch. Bit on an underneath route and left Boss wide open on a downfield route. 23 yards. Had excellent coverage on Nicks on a throw along the sideline. Missed a tackle of Bradshaw out in space on late play. Ahmad did use a good move.
HANSON - First game back from suspension. Had some rusty moments. Got out of position on a cutback run by Bradshaw and let him get loose for 16 yards. Broke up a pass to Smith in the end zone. Was beaten initially, but recovered well and got one of Smith's arms so he couldn't make the catch. Made a good, quick tackle of Smith after short catch in RZ in 3rd Qtr. MmmBop flew in from the slot to get 1/2 a sack on 3rd down late in the 3rd Qtr. Had a sloppy night of tackling. Recovered the fumble at the end of the game. I was really hoping he run it back for a TD, but got tackled at the 10.
S
MIKELL - Bad game. Heck, might have been his worst game as a starter. On early drive he failed to tackle Boss after he caught a tipped pass. Q saw him on the ground and just assumed someone had touched him. Can't do that. Got called for illegal contact on 3rd/11 play where Nicks ran right by him and dropped a TD pass. That's a tough assignment for Q, but without that penalty our defense is off the field. Got called for IC on the next play, but I swear I didn't see anything when I watched the replay. Made a good tackle of Boss after short catch. Had coverage on Smith on a downfield pass. Steve was open, but the ball was a bit off target and Steve couldn't make the catch. Not ideal coverage. Had a bonehead play to open the 4th. Hit Boss clearly out of bounds and drew a flag. Didn't hit him hard, but that doesn't matter. Dumb. Had 6 tackles.
JONES - Led the team with 10 tackles. Made a good tackle of Nicks on a slant where he added some RAC yards. Had a very sloppy tackle of Boss on a downfield throw. Got him down, but barely. NY tried to throw to a Tackle eligible near the GL. Sean read the play well and had good position on the play, forcing a throwaway. Recovered Eli's fumble. That is now a hand in a turnover in consecutive games. Good sign. Terrible tackle attempt on Hixon's long TD. Saw him get free from Spoon and just sort of watched. Gave it a half-ass reach, but wouldn't have made the play in flag football. Horrible, horrible play. Very discouraging. Made a good stop of Bradshaw on late play. Ahmad got loose for 31 yards. Sean made sure to stay back and be there to force him out. That is what a FS is supposed to truly do. Prevent TDs.
DEMPS - The #3 Safety. Didn't have any tackles. Seemed okay in coverage.
________________________________
SPECIAL TEAMS
ROCCA - Averaged 41.8 per punt. Put 1 inside the 20.
AKERS - Hit 1 FG.
KOR ---
* Macho returned most of the KOs. He was okay. Lacked burst, but ran hard.
* Demps did get one in the 2nd half. He looked good and took it back 30 yards. That gave us a shot of energy after falling behind 31-30.
PR ---
* DeSean had a great PR for TD. He caught the ball at the 28, close to the sideline. He started left and then saw a pair of defenders. DJax went back a couple of steps and then circled back to the sideline. He turned on the burners and got cleanly up to midfield. He leaned inside to get the P leaning that way. Then DeSean stayed wide and flew by Feagles. TD.
MISC STs ---
* Eldra Buckley made a great tackle after the second KO. He got Hixon down at the 13. Eldra led us with 3 STs tackles.
* Tracy White made an excellent tackle in KO coverage.
* Dimitri Patterson forced a fumble on KOR late in the 2nd half. The Giants cleanly recovered. Good strip.
* We had an extra point blocked. Max got pushed back and Robbins got a hand on the ball. Max has to hold his ground better.
* We got completely hosed at the end of the half. Joe Mays knocked the ball away on the final KOR. Fokou recovered with :02 left but the refs let the clock run. That isn't a reviewable play so we couldn't do anything about it. The ball would have been at the NY 32. That is far from an automatic FG at Giants stadium, but you hate not getting the chance to at least try.
* Avant had a holding penalty that nullified a good PR by DJax.
The win wasn't pretty. I was hoping for a butt kicking. Then I watched CAR beat MIN on Sunday night. Then I thought about the Cards struggling with the Lions. I thought about the Packers blowing a late lead at PIT. I thought about the Saints loss. Suddenly, winning by 14 against a tough team felt pretty darn good.
We built a lead, but just when we were ready to really pull away SF made some plays and kept things close. Mike Singletary is a good coach and he's built a tough, physical team. After SF cut the deficit to 20-13, I saw Andy Reid shout something. It sounded like "Will no one rid me of this meddlesome opponent?". Immediately 4 Eagles game captains went to the cathedral at Canterbury. They quickly realized that they had misunderstood Reid's comment and returned to the game. We made enough plays to get the lead back to 14 points and held on for a quality win.
The team played pretty well overall. Donovan McNabb had an off day. He wasn't awful or anything like that, but he didn't have his A-game. The coaches helped him out by sticking with the run. That kept the offense relatively balanced and didn't put everything on his shoulders.
The offense gained 422 yards. We were 6 of 14 on 3rd downs and 3 of 5 in the Red Zone. I was happy with our running game. Weaver and McCoy combined for 26-100. LeSean had a TD. Those numbers weren't helped by long plays. Our best run was just 9 yards.
The defense had a strong bounce-back effort from last week. We held SF to 261 yards and 13 points. They were 0 for 11 on 3rd downs. We had 3 sacks and came up with 4 takeaways. Maybe most important was the fact that we tackled well. SF receivers got very few RAC yards. The Niners only had one drive that covered more than 50 yards and more than half of that drive came due to penalty yards. That wasn't great Eagles defense, but it was good.
I know Andy's decision to go for it on 4th down will be a hot topic. I thought it was a bad idea before the snap and an even worse idea after we were stopped short. The only thing I can guess is that Reid sensed the need to get something going. The team certainly wasn't flat, but there was an odd vibe to the game. The stadium wasn't full due to the weather. We only had a 7-3 lead at the time. It felt like Reid was trying to give a boost to the team. That play might have failed, but the thinking behind it might have worked. We scored on 3 of the next 4 drives. I didn't like the decision. I'm not trying to defend it. I just want to understand what Big Red was thinking and how the decision fits into the overall game.
On a weekend when so many teams found all sorts of ways to lose (NO, GB, MIN to name a few) it was good to see us fight off a tough team and come up with a win. We still haven't played a complete game, but that's okay. We could use it vs DEN, DAL, or in the playoffs.
We've now won 5 games in a row and we're 10-4. We remain on top of the NFC East. For some reason that makes me want to constantly check the NFL standings. We did clinch a playoff spot (8th time in 11 years). That's great. We still have work to do. The Vikings loss to Carolina keeps us in the hunt for the #2 seed in the NFC. That would be awesome to get. A week's rest can be huge in the playoffs. We can't get overconfident. As easily as we could go 12-4 we could also end up 10-6 and on the road in the Wildcard round. At least we don't need help to get into the postseason like last year. Life is so much easier when you control your own fate.
MISC
* 4th straight game with TD drive of 80 or more yards.
* We're number one in the league with 51 points on the opening drive.
______________________________
OFFENSE
* There was a bizarre incident late in the half. We had just completed a pass and were running up to spike the ball. Weaver got into a heated jaw-jacking session with a defender, 10 yards behind the line. 20 players are ready, but not those 2 jackasses. Reggie ran back and bumped Weaver to get his attention and force him to line up. He did and we spiked the ball with 5 seconds left in the half. I have no idea what Leonard was thinking. Andy made it clear that Leonard probably should never do that again if he values his life. We should have been able to spike the ball with 10 seconds left, which would have given us the ability for one throw into the end zone.
Donovan had to feel nuts in dealing with that situation. He got us to the line quickly. He looked back and saw Weaver. Donovan started yelling to him. He then saw Reggie run back and get his attention. Jason Peters tried to call a timeout, but Donovan told him to shut up and get back in his stance. Was I watching the Eagles offense or the sequel to Daddy Day Camp? I guess being a parent paid off.
* 1st/10 from SF 19. We lined up in the Ace formation (WR, TE to each side, Weaver as the only RB). Normally this is a run formation. We ran a pure pass play. No fakes. Donovan looked right as he dropped back. Didn't see anything good. He felt some pressure and decided to run to the left to get in the open. As he came toward the LOS Patrick Willis flew upfield. This left a big void in the defense. McNabb hit DeSean on a crossing route at the 5 and he was able to get in for the score. The threat of running created an easy passing TD. I've been critical of McNabb for not running enough in the past. He made the right call on this play because he had a defender closing in on him and a receiver wide open.
The play was simple, but well designed. Celek was on the right side. He ran upfield and that pushed the defense back. DJax lined up to his right and ran underneath Celek. The only defender close to Djax was Takeo Spikes. No contest.
Watching live I didn't appreciate what a good throw McNabb made. He was going left and had to hit a moving target with a touch pass. And he had to do all this with a stud LB charging at him.
* 2nd/10 from PHI 24. We lined up shotgun with split backs. Celek was standing and split out a couple of yards. Prior to the snap the RBs moved up to the LOS. They blocked at the snap. The WRs ran vertical routes. Celek ran a crossing route. The extra blockers gave him time to get open. Donovan hit him 20 yards upfield and on the move. Brent was able to turn upfield and get 23 more yards on the play.
* 3rd/10 from SF 29. We're in the shotgun with 3 WRs. Reggie and DeSean both start on the left side and go upfield. Reggie starts to cross the field about the 10. DJax goes into the end zone. Reggie was open, DeSean was covered. McNabb forced the ball to Jackson and it was picked off in the end zone. Dumb, dumb throw. Either go to Reggie or dump the ball to Weaver, who was wide open in the left flat. McNabb rarely makes decisions that bad. Very odd.
* 1st/10 from SF 11. Alex Smith and Justice doubled the DE to that side. They moved him off the ball. JJ and Cole doubled the NT. Celek blocked a LB. Weaver took the handoff and went upfield to the right. He ran hard and got 9 yards on the play. Power football.
* 3rd/short from SF 1. Peters and Todd got some push. JJ controlled the NT. Weaver lead McCoy on the play. Shady burrowed his way through the left side and into the end zone. Power football. Mike Singletary went nuts on the sideline. He thought he called timeout in time and the play shouldn't have counted. I'm not sure what he wanted to do. SF had a GL defense in place.
QB
MCNABB - Donnie was 21-36-306. He had 1 TD, 2 INTs. He also ran for a TD. Those numbers look okay, but McNabb had an off day. There were two main problems that I could see. McNabb forced the ball to DeSean. Donovan threw to him 10 times. The other WRs had 11 combined throws come their way. I have no problem with DJax being our primary target, but a few of those throws were really forced. Both of the INTs were passes to DJax that Donovan had no business throwing. The other problem was happy feet. McNabb would drop back and his feet were going up and down in a hurried fashion. He wasn't relaxed in the pocket. The blocking was fine, but McNabb was just anxious for some reason. The good news is that he played well enough for us to move the ball pretty well and score some points.
* Bought time on early drive by going to his left. Found DeSean wide open on a crossing route and hit him on the move. That turned into a 19-yd TD.
* Off target on second series. Forced the ball to Celek. Missed Avant on crossing route on 3rd down. Donovan hit him around the knees. If the ball is out front and waist high that could have been a good gain. Avant had room to run.
* Donovan looked confused / indecisive early on.
* Threw deep for Reggie on 3rd/7 down the left sideline. The ball was a foot or so too far out in front. You can see Donovan is used to Maclin and DeSean's speed.
* Had DJax come wide open on a post corner route at the 50, but McNabb didn't see him.
* He did run for a TD. That was huge. McNabb saw an opening to the left side and took off for an 8-yard score. He later had a long scramble wiped out by a holding call.
* Had at least 2 passes broken up at the line.
* Hit DeSean on a crossing route on 3rd down late in the half. DJax was able to turn upfield and get 39 yards on the play. Pure speed.
* First possession of the 3rd Qtr Donovan throws the ball across his body to DeSean. It was picked off by Dre Bly. If he wasn't there Dashon Goldson would have made the pick. Another forced throw. Dumb.
* Threw deep for DeSean, but was half a yard too far on the throw.
* Did a great job on the final "real" play of the game. Dropped back and then moved to his right. Saw Celek open and got him the ball. That gave us a 1st down and allowed us to kneel down and run out the clock.
VICK - Limited playing time. Took a shot to the thigh on a run and never returned to the game. Opened the game by going out on a pass route. Was merely a decoy, but you never know what they could be setting up for down the road. Ran left on 3rd/1, but was stopped short. Mike Lewis hit him in the thigh while making the tackle.
RB
MCCOY - Good game. 9-48-1. Ran the ball well. Had a spring in his step. I think Reid gave the ball more to Weaver because of the Niners propensity for forcing fumbles. McCoy seemed to hurt his foot or ankle at one point, but only left the game for one play. Had a good gain on a shotgun draw for about 6 yards. Blitz pickup on 3rd down let McNabb get the pass off, but the blitzer still got a shot on Donnie. McCoy has to be keep working on that. Had a good cutback run up the middle that netted him 5 yards. We ran a shovel pass to McCoy in the RZ, but SF played it well. Short gain. Caught an odd looking screen late in the half and got 10 yards on the play. Excellent run through traffic and he got out of bounds. Helped Cole double the NT on McNabb's deep ball to DeSean. Tackled for loss on screen in the 4th.
WEAVER - Strong game. 17 carries for 52 yards. That doesn't sound great, but it was exactly what we needed. Leonard Part 6 ran hard and secured the ball. Caught 2 passes for 18 yards. First play of the game was a screen to him. Got 6 on the play. Had a few more touches on the opening drive. Ran well to the left side. Caught a pass on the right. Had to go down and make a really tough catch due to a poor throw. The play was ruled incomplete, but Leonard got Andy to challenge the play and the call was reversed. One smart thing we did was run Leonard inside and outside. We don't want teams just stacking the box. We actually ran a toss play to the left side for a good gain. Busted a run wide to open the 4th. Looked like he had something, but then Willis flew over and drove him out of bounds for a short gain. Had a good run to the left side for 7 yards in the early 4th. Moved the chains. Blocked well in the game, as both FB and on pass plays.
We fed Leonard the ball late in the game. We got possession with 3:45 left and ran him 5 straight times. He had gains of 5, 4, 2, 0, and 3 yards. The 2 yard run on 3rd/short was impressive. Leonard fought up the middle as hard as he could on that play. His running forced SF to burn their timeouts and kept us moving.
TE
CELEK - Good game. 4-73. Drew a pass interference penalty on a drive early in the 2nd Qtr that moved us out away from the GL. A couple of plays later he caught an intermediate pass and turned it into a gain of 43. Caught a pass and got 10 yards. Unfortunately it was 3rd/12. Very good effort after the catch, as usual. Had a good block on run play late in the 3rd. Helped seal Spikes, then peeled off and blocked Willis. McCoy ran in that alley for 6 yards. Caught a pass on the final real play and got us 15 yards. That moved the chains and let us run out the clock.
SMITH - Solid game as a blocker. Caught one pass as well. That was a short throw to the left side. Tried to put a move on the defender, but it was Patrick Willis and that didn't work too well. We tried to run the TE trap, but there wasn't a person for him to block so Alex turned into a lead blocker. We got 3 on the play. That block works better on a 4-3 front.
WR
DESEAN - Another big game. 6-140-1. Passed the 1,000 yard mark for the season. Caught a pass to the right side that moved the chains on a scoring drive early in the 2nd Qtr. You could really see his speed on a 3rd down catch late in the half. Caught a shallow cross 4 1/2 yards upfield. Ran toward the sideline after spinning out of a tackle and then turned on the jets as he went up the field. Dove over a defender and got 35 RAC yards on the play. Low risk, high reward. Caught a short pass along the right sideline to move the chains. Caught a deep ball on 3rd/2 that went for 59 yards. Ran by the CB and S. Had to slow down for the pass and that allowed Mike Lewis to catch up and force him out of bounds. Got the ball on an EA in the 4th. Ran for 9 yards. Sure looked like he was tackled out of bounds, but there was no call. Andy was all over the official asking for the flag.
AVANT - Had a terrific block on Weaver run outside left. Jason crashed down and sealed a defender so Weaver could get outside cleanly. Drew a flag on a DB near the GL that got us a fresh set of downs. Got a good block on DeSean's long pass play before the half. Caught a pass on the right side late in the half that went for 21 yards and set up a short FG. Caught a pass over the middle in the early 4th. Added 10 RAC yards and moved the chains. Also kept the clock rolling. Finished with 3 catches for 44 yards.
BROWN - Quiet game. Caught 1 pass for 13 yards. May have run his route too close to DJax late in the half, allowing his DB to get over and help on Jackson. Moose Johnston made that point during the broadcast. They never showed a good replay to let us see that clearly. Only catch came on a risky throw to the left side. DB tipped the ball. Reggie grabbed it and added 10 RAC yards to move the chains.
CURTIS - Rusty showing in his comeback from injury. Caught one pass. Dropped one pass. On the one catch he did run backward. Good to see that habit didn't leave him. Got 7 yards and gave us a 1st down with the catch.
OL
* We didn't give up a sack. We rushed for 116 yards and 2 TDs. Good game by the OL.
PETERS - Good day in pass pro. SF ran a few stunts on his side. Jason showed good awareness and passed off one rusher as he went to the next. Good block on a Weaver run to the left. Jason rode the DE several yards wide. Pulled and got a block on DeSean's run, but couldn't get a good shot on the DB to clear him out of the way.
TODD - Good game. Had an excellent block on 4th/1. Cleared a nice hole. Unfortunately a LB scraped off his outside and got to Weaver in the backfield. Good block on McCoy screen late in the half. Had a sloppy block on Weaver run up the middle and Leonard got dropped for a short loss. Called for holding in the late 3rd. Good call. Costly penalty. Donovan had scrambled more than 20 yards on the play. Had an outstanding block on a Weaver run to his side. Cleared a defender out of the way and gave Weaver room to get the 1st.
JACKSON - Good game. Handled NT Aubrayo Franklin all game long. JJ did a good job of making blitz adjustments. SF tried some creative things, but Donovan mostly had a clean pocket. Excellent block on NT on McCoy run up the middle. JJ got him moved to the side to create a crease.
COLE - Good block on LB on McCoy run up the middle. Had a very good block on a draw play. Sealed his DT completely and gave McCoy good running room. Good block on McCoy screen late in the half. Had a very good block on Weaver run late in the game.
JUSTICE - Solid day of pass pro. Picked up blitzing Takeo Spikes on a play in the early 3rd. Wasn't able to make a good solid block. Kept his hand on Spikes, but didn't hold. Smart play. Made the tackle on Bly after Donovan's 2nd pick. Made a pretty good block of the DE to his side on a run that came that direction. Made a good cut block on a run to the opposite side. Made sure the backside DE wouldn't affect the play. Needs to teach Peters how to cut.
___________________________________
DEFENSE
* Used a 5-man DL on 3rd series for at least one play.
* SF had success running vs our Nickel. So did the Giants.
* Gore had runs of 12, 17, and 37 yards. We had guys in position on those plays. We're not getting beaten at the LOS as we have at times in the past. I will never forget watching PIT drive Darwin Walker more than 10 yards off the ball on a run play in 2004. The DTs eat up blocks to free the LBs. Right now the LBs aren't making enough plays vs the run.
* SF's RT was called for being downfield on a WR screen. I didn't notice it live, but he was guilty. He took off up the field when the ball was snapped. Odd.
* 1st/10 from SF 20. We blitzed Trot up the middle. SF ran the ball and the play wiped out that blitz perfectly. Spoon got blocked by an OL. Sean Jones was in position to make the tackle for a short gain, but whiffed. Q was caught flat-footed. He didn't seem to read the play well or simply lost sight of Gore. Whatever. Turned into a gain of 37.
* Smith ran a QB sneak on 4th/inches. He got a generous spot. Why couldn't we have had that official in Dallas a month ago?
DE
COLE - Solid game. Came up 3 tackles and 2 sacks. First sack came early in the 3rd. Used a good inside move and SF didn't block him. Trent hit Alex as he came off a play fake. Not a pleasant surprise for Smith. Hit Smith just after the ball was out on 4th down pass. 2nd sack came late in the game. VA flushed Smith and Trent was able to get off his block and put Alex on the ground.
PARKER - Good game. Hustled on an inside run play to tackle Gore from behind. Deflected a pass when he was unblocked off the edge. Went up high to block the throw. Dropped back into coverage on a zone blitz. Had underneath coverage on Vern Davis and forced Smith to put some air under the ball. Q was able to rotate over and pick the pass. Good tackle on Gore on run play that got spilled outside. Juqua shed his block and made the stop. Got good pressure from LDT on a pass late in the half. Thankfully Alex avoided the sack by throwing the ball to one of our LBs. Used a good spin move on the play. Came free on a stunt up the middle and hit Smith right as he was throwing the ball. Incomplete. Finished with 4 tackles and 2 PDs.
CLEMONS - Solid showing. Had a sack. Also got pressure on the play where Sammie picked off the pass. Used a great burst to beat the RT for his sack. Got into the backfield and dragged Smith down.
BABIN - Played mostly LDE. Threw the RT to the ground while going after the QB on an early 3rd down. Smith got the pass off, but I was impressed with Babin's strength. He looked like Reggie White as he got the guy off balance and slung him to the ground.
HOWARD - Played DE and DT. Didn't get much pressure. Came free on a couple of plays, but that was due to blitzes.
DT
PATTERSON - Pretty good game. Made a terrific play to open the 3rd Qtr. Split a double team and got Gore in the backfield for a loss. Clogged the middle on the next play as well. Disrupted another run play with penetration. Spilled it outside and limited the run to a couple of yards. Got into the backfield and got Gore for a loss in the late 3rd. Finished with 5 tackles and 2 TFLs.
BUNKLEY - Hustled to chase down Gore on screen pass and make the stop. Play had big potential. SF mainly ran away from his side. Bunk held his ground vs the run, but most of the plays went away from him. Only had the 1 tackle.
DIXON - Had a good stuff of a draw play. Shed his block and just engulfed the RB.
VA - Flushed Smith with good inside pressure on a pass play. Got pressure from RDT in the late 4th and forced a quick, errant throw. Got pressure on the next play and flushed Smith. Trent got the sack. Batted down one pass.
LB
JORDAN - Started at MLB, but split PT. Had 3 tackles. Blitzed up the middle a few times on first series. Dropped back on one play. Had pretty good coverage on Vern, but Smith made a really good throw for the connection. Hustled to help tackle Walker after catch and run. Got floored by OL on run play up the middle. Made a good tackle of Gore on a run to the right side. Stopped him for little gain.
TROT - Split time at MLB. Got burned on a run up the middle when he tried to go around a block. Flowed left and read the play, but left a nice hole up the middle. 12 yards. Blew up an inside run by attacking the FB and clogging the middle. Only credited with 1 tackle.
WITHERSPOON - Up and down game. Had 4 tackles. Got in the wrong gap on a run play in the Nickel D and gave up a solid gain up the middle. Came free on a blitz up the middle and just missed a sack. Stuffed the FB on a run up the middle and forced Gore to go wide. Limited gain. Made a clean tackle of Gore after he took a direct snap and went around the right side for a good gain. Made a sloppy tackle of Crabtree in space, but did get him down. Knocked a ball away from a receiver on a short pass in the flat.
FUKOU - Got the start at SAM. Unfortunately SF played a lot in 3-WR sets and that kept him on the bench more than half the game. Helped stuff Gore on a run up the middle early in the 3rd Qtr. Tackled Gore on a run that came right at him. Finished with just the 2 tackles.
WHITE - Picked off a pass late in the half. Alex was about to be sacked and just threw the ball up. Tracy made a clean catch and set up a FG. Came free on a blitz up the middle and forced Smith to throw the ball away.
GOCONG - I didn't see him on defense at all.
CB
S BROWN - Very good game. Broke up 3 passes. Also forced a key fumble. Got to Delanie Walker after a catch and run. Started to wrap him up and then went for the strip. Ball came out, we recovered. Tackled Gore on a run up the middle where he was on the loose. Chased down Gore and tackled him after 37 yd gain. Great hustle. Got hurt on the play. Went high to pick off a pass in the 4th, but Sean came over to play the ball and neither guy was able to get it. Would have been a real tough catch. Great coverage on the play. Came over and got a big shot on Vern Davis while Hason was in the process of tackling him. Broke up a pass near the end zone. Went up high and extended his arm to knock the ball away. Final line: 5 tackles, 3 PDs, 1 FF.
SAMUEL - Good game. Called for illegal contact on early pass play. Recovered a fumble after Sheldon knocked the ball loose from a receiver. Recovered loose ball on another play, but it was ruled an incomplete pass. Disrupted a WR screen by grabbing a receiver's leg and holding on for dear life. Jumped a route in the mid 2nd and picked off a pass. Weaved through traffic with the ball, but couldn't ever break free. Scared Frank Gore to the ground after a short catch late in the half. Frank is tough, but no one wants any part of Psycho Sammie the Human Hitting Machine. Missed a tackle of Morgan on 4th down. That created 20 additional RAC yards. Sammie lined up at RCB a few times when SF went to 1 WR sets. Got a big hit of Morgan after short catch on 3rd down. Put him to the ground with some authority. Could have been called helmet-to-helmet. (Does the phrase "helmet-to-helmet" sound like a weird love song to anyone else?) Scared Gore out of bounds after a short catch in the early 3rd. Final line: 4 tackles (only 1 miss), INT, and FR.
HANSON - Good game. Active. Had 4 tackles. Blitzed quite a bit. There were at least 2 plays where he was free off the edge and forced Smith to run right and throw the ball away. Had solid coverage on Walker and forced an overthrow. MmmBop had a poor tackle attempt on Crabtree on a crossing route early in the 3rd. If he gets him down cleanly SF might have punted. He forced him to the sideline, but Mike got enough yards to set up 4th/short and they went for it. Got a TFL on a WR screen in the mid-4th.
PATTERSON - #4 CB. Broke up an early 3rd down pass by getting to the receiver in a hurry and knocking the ball out. Refs ruled it incomplete. Had good coverage on Vern on a 3rd down and Smith overthrew him on the play.
S
MIKELL - Good game. Led the team with 5 solo tackles. Came down in run support and made a good tackle of Gore, but Frank still got 4 yards. INT on seam pass to Vern. Read the play came over and made a nice grab. Held on as he fell to the ground. Actually looked like the coverage was designed to trick Smith into throwing to Davis on that play. Q made 'em pay. Vern got an earful from Samurai Mike on the sideline about the fact he didn't try to break up the INT. Had solid coverage on Vern throughout the game. Blitzed off the edge and forced Smith to throw the ball away. Blitzed off the edge in the mid-4th and hit Smith just after the ball was out. Almost made a sensational pick off a Sheldon deflection. Got the ball, but couldn't get both feet in. Great effort.
JONES - Started at FS. Quiet game. Didn't have a solo tackle. Whiffed on Morgan and let him into the end zone in the mid-3rd. Looked like a pretty simple tackle. I don't know why Sean missed. Got called for pass interference late in the game. 44 yard penalty. Good call. Sean made contact with the WR and wasn't looking for the ball.
DEMPS - #3 S. Almost picked off an overthrow in the 2nd Qtr. Dove for the ball, but couldn't make a clean catch. Made a good tackle of Morgan after he got away from Asante on 4th down catch.
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SPECIAL TEAMS
ROCCA - Averaged 40.3 per punt. Had 1 touchback and one inside the 20. His best punt got called back due to penalty.
AKERS - Nailed 2 FGs. Kickoffs were odd. We experimented with some short kicks. I don't know if that was strictly due to the weather or if it is something we wanted to work on.
KOR ---
* Demps got his job back. Opened the game with a 48-yd return. Headed right, had good blocking, and showed a good burst. Took the next kick about 4 yards deep, but still ran it out. Only got to the 18. I'm not sure if he got benched because of that or was hurt. Macho replaced him.
* Macho got a KOR in the early 3rd and took the ball out to the 31.
* Weaver caught a short KO and returned it up to the 34.
PR ---
* DeSean only had one return. Got 6 yards on the play. FC one punt. Wisely let one bounce inside the 5 and roll in the end zone.
MISC STs ---
* Good blocking on the opening KOR. Alex Smith, Leonard Weaver, and Victor Abiamiri all had key blocks.
* Chris Clemons had a pair of STs tackles. One was on a KOR and Chris nailed the guy after he leapt in the air to get over someone on the ground.
* Tracy White made the tackle after our first punt.
* Sean Jones made a good stop in punt coverage.
* Poor KO coverage to start the 3rd Qtr. Gocong and Fokou missed tackles. Hanson got the guy out around midfield.
* We had a punt downed at the 1, but it was wiped out by a penalty. The next punt went into the end zone.
* We used a short, sky kick after our final TD. An up-man fumbled it and we almost got the ball, but another Niner was able to secure it.
Absolutely bizarre game. We got up 27-10 and looked great. Denver rallied to make the game close and then tied it. We stepped up in the 4th and won the game. I would have preferred a blowout, but a tight win probably was more helpful to us than a laugher would have been. We dominated more of the game than I realized. With 3:57 left in the 3rd the score was 27-10. Denver put up 14 points in a very short burst (about 3 minutes). Then things got back to even. Watching it live I felt like we got dominated in the 2nd half. Didn't actually happen.
Field position played a huge part in things. Denver had 8 possessions in the 2nd half. 6 of them started near midfield or deep in our territory. That meant our defense was always under pressure and we were constantly backed up on offense. I thought the guys responded pretty well overall. I am disappointed that the defense gave up TDs on both times the Broncos got the ball deep. We really needed to hold them to a FG on one of those (both would have been awesome). I was very encouraged by the D in the 4th Qtr. We really tightened things up.
You can look at this game any number of ways.
* We survived
* We choked after building a big lead
* We got lucky
* We won a key game
* We were clutch
The fact is that there is probably a little truth in each of those answers. Labels aside, I don't want to lose sight of the fact we beat a Broncos team playing for their postseason lives. The Saints lost to Tampa. The Vikings lost last Sunday to Carolina. This is the time of the year when anything can happen. We saw that when the Panthers demolished the Giants on Sunday. We withstood a furious comeback by Denver and found a way to win. I'm not thrilled with the way it happened, but we've talked about this Eagles team and the fact they are more clutch than other recent groups. Resiliency goes a long way this time of the year.
______________________________
OFFENSE
* Delayed blitz with an inside twist led to a sack, but it was wiped out by a defensive penalty.
* We had 7 offensive plays of more than 25 yards. DEN rarely gives up big plays. That's an impressive showing.
* We had more than 100 RAC yards. Huge. RAC yards are gold in our offense.
* 3rd/Goal from DEN 3. Shotgun. Celek on the right. Avant motions right. DeSean lined up right. Maclin far left. Celek took off straight up the field. DeSean headed inside, scraping off his back. This was a legal pick play. Celek never went after DeSean's DB. He just got in the way naturally. McNabb hit Jackson on the shallow cross (he was wide open). McNabb had to make the throw while falling away because a blitzer was free off the edge. Good throw, easy catch. TD.
* 3rd/4 from the DEN 47. Shotgun. Bunch right with DeSean, Celek, and Avant. DJax ran a shallow cross. Avant took off to the inside as well. Celek went upfield on a corner route. No defender stuck with him when he cut toward the sideline. Brent was wide open. He caught the ball at the 30 and motored in for the TD.
* Final plays of the half were ugly. Screen lost yards. Shovel pass worked okay. Then Donnie dropped the snap from Cole. The ball was hit by McCoy who was trying to get a blitzer, but I have to think it was partially a poor snap.
* 3rd Qtr Pass Int call got us 41 yards.
* 1st/10 from DEN 15. Avant lined up left. He went upfield, then cut across the middle. He stopped because a S from the backside was there in coverage. McNabb didn't appear to see the S at all and gunned the ball in there. The DB was unable to make a good play on the ball (it was a rocket) and it deflected off him. Avant grabbed it and fell into the end zone. TD. Perfect Red Zone execution just like we drew it up.
QB
MCNABB - Night and day game. Red hot in the 1st half. Was 15-19-242. Had a perfect rating of 153.8. Turned brutally cold after halftime. Was only 5 of 16. Threw an INT. His passes were off target. He looked indecisive and uncomfortable.
Donovan played well enough for us to win. He was more good than bad. I just hated to see him go so cold like that. A few people have pointed out that we should have run more to help him. We've had this dicussion plenty of times over the years. This is one case where things weren't so obvious.
We score a TD to go up 27-10 in the mid-3rd. All is pretty well at that point. The next possession is when we're pinned at our 1. There was a sloppy snap/exchange. We recovered but now faced 2nd/10. At this point I think the coaches decided to throw because they wanted to try to move the chains to help with field position. Donovan threw 2 bad passes. The next series we open with a screen pass. That is like a run for us. Unfortunately a DT knocks the ball down and now we're facing 2nd/long. Donovan drops back and is sacked. We throw in 3rd/long and there is another sack. The next couple of drives opened with run plays, but we only got 2 yards on each run. We turned back to the passing game to move the chains. I wish we had run the ball more in that period, but I don't think the coaches were unreasonable with the passing game the way they have been in the past.
One thing has to be pointed out in Donovan's defense. The Broncos make great halftime adjustments. They put the clamps on Peyton Manning a couple of weeks back after he started red hot. This wasn't a game where guys appeared to be wide open all through the 2nd half and Donnie was throwing worm burners. You have to give Denver credit for tightening their coverage.
The most important point of all is that Donovan did make a couple of huge plays in the 4th Qtr that helped us to win the game. His 27-yard scramble on 3rd/25 flipped the field. We finally had the field position advantage. That was huge in us kicking the winning FG. Also, he made a pretty good throw to Maclin on the final drive to put us in scoring position. It wasn't a great pass, but it was catchable and safe.
* Good throw to DJax for TD.
* Made a good throw to Celek on the left side. Donovan was under heavy pressure and put the ball out front so Brent could make a play on the ball.
* Made several good throws to DeSean on the sideline.
* Made an outstanding throw to Celek on the right side that turned into a gain of 34.
* Made an good throw to Celek on the right side on the long TD.
* INT came when he underthrew DeSean. Donovan had a ton of time on the play. Rather than throw the ball away or run he forced the pass. DeSean was somewhat open, but it required a good throw and Donovan pulled the string on it a bit.
* Hit Maclin on a shallow cross on 3rd down in the 4th. That came up 1 yard short
* Throw to Maclin late was funny. Like the announcers said, I thought Donovan woefully overthrew the underneath guy. Oops. Ball went right to Maclin.
*Ran a QB sneak on 3rd/1 and moved the chains.
Donovan finished 20-35-322 with 3 TDs and 1 INT.
RB
MCCOY - Solid game. 6 carries for 27 yards. Only had 1 catch, but it went for 39 yards. Caught a screen pass on the right side and turned upfield. Ran through Dawk's tackle attempt. Sidestepped 2 defenders and then cut the run back to the middle of the field. Finally got chased down from behind. Had a good block in pass pro on Dawk. Got just enough to get Dawk off balance and allow Donnie to get the pass out to Celek. Had a real good run in the 3rd Qtr. Headed right and used a good burst through the hole. Got 11 yards on the play. Ran hard, decisively. Had a great 3rd Qtr chip block that put the defender on the ground.
WEAVER - Quiet game. Had 7 carries for 20 yards. Ran hard, but didn't have much room to work with. Best run went to the right side. Leonard bounced the run out wide and got 5 yards. Had one pass thrown his way but it was off target.
WESTY - Westy came back and looked fine. He ran 9 times for 32 yards and caught a pair of passes. Started the game. Best run was a counter play that went to the right. Brian started off tackle, then bounced the run to the sideline. Got 9 on the play. Had Westy line up as the QB and take direct snap on a GL play. Ran left and got a couple of yards. Had running room, but a missed block on OLB limited the play. Used a good spin move in the 2nd Qtr to avoid a TFL and turn the play into a 7-yard gain. Lined up as a receiver a couple of times. Had passes thrown his way, but they were off target. Dawk should have been called for a penalty on one throw. He was all over Brian.
TE
CELEK - Great 1st half. 4 catches for 121 yards and a TD. First grab went for 31. Brent took off up the field with a LB all over him. McNabb put the ball out where Brent had a chance. He fought through the coverage and reached out to make a terrific grab. Used a good route to get Champ Bailey off balance and become open. Caught the pass and turned upfield for another 10 or so yards. Had a really good block on a run to his side, even though the play got a minimal gain. Caught a short pass in the right flat. Fought through one tackle to almost get the 1st down. Took a big hit from Dawk on the play. Had a good block on McCoy run to his side in the 3rd. Controlled the LB and gave LeSean the edge. Got beaten by Dumervil for sack. I can't imagine the plan was for him to block the NFL's leading sacker by himself on a normal pass play. Very weird.
Didn't have any throws come his way in the 2nd half. Without watching the coach's tape it is hard to know what happened. I'm sure Denver tightened their coverage of him, but no throws was surprising.
SMITH - Quiet game. We ran his TE trap play again, but it just doesn't work well against the 3-4. Didn't have a clear target to block.
WR
DESEAN - Somewhat quiet game. 4-33-1. Had a pair of deep balls thrown his way. One was an overthrow (first play of the game). The other deep ball was underthrown. DJax made a good adjustment and slowed down. Champ Bailey hit him and was called for PI. Caught a pass on the left sideline for a gain of 11. Had a good block on Bailey on a Westy run that came over to his side. Caught a pass on the right side and got 10 yards. Caught a pass on the right sideline for a gain of 9. We ran a Wildcat play with DJax as the QB on 3rd/1. The play was strung out and he lost 3 yards. Got wide open in the mid-2nd with a good move, but the ball was knocked down at the LOS.
AVANT - Solid game. 2-25-1. Had a huge block on McCoy's long screen play. Jason saw DL Ryan McBean in pursuit. Jason hurled himself into McBean and sent the guy flying through the air. I luv me sum #81. Ran a good route and got open near the goal line. Extended for the ball and made a terrific catch. The play was wiped out because the CB grabbed him and we took the automatic 1st down. Missed a block on Ayers on GL run play to Westy. Caught a pass on the left side for 10 yards on the final drive of the half. Great concentration to catch the deflected ball for a 15-yard TD.
BROWN - Made a diving catch to get 7 yards. Unfortunately it was 3rd/8.
MACLIN - Very good game. Injury? What injury? Maclin stepped up in a big way. He caught 6 passes for 92 yards. Caught a short pass over the middle late in the half and turned that into a gain of 21. Held the ball a little loose on the play, but covered it better in close traffic. Made a terrific catch on a short throw. Reached out with one hand to snag the ball and bring it into his body. Caught a slant to open the 2nd half and turned it into a gain of 25. Almost made a sensational catch on a downfield throw. Got behind the DB, but then saw the ball was underthrown. Adjusted and went up for it. Good effort, but wasn't able to get control of the ball. Did make a great catch late in the game. Caught a ball along the sideline. Had to extend for the ball and drag his toes. Showed great concentration, body control on the play. It was initially ruled incomplete, but then went to replay. My only concern was that the ball moved as he hit the ground. The official felt he controlled the ball and therefore it was a catch. That put us down at the 11 and set up the FG. Got 27 yards on the play.
OL
* The OL had a sloppy day. Part of that is on the injury to JJ and subsequent shift. Part is on the Broncos for being creative up front. Still, some sloppiness was just us. There was a 3rd Qtr play where Holliday got knocked to the ground. Todd and Jason both then went chasing after Dumervil. Vonnie was able to get up and sack McNabb. One of them has to know to stay on Holliday and keep him down.
PETERS - Sloppy start. Beaten by Ayers on opening drive. Ayers didn't get a sack, but rushed a throw. A couple of plays later Dumervil beat him. Elvis did get the sack and knocked the ball loose. DEN recovered. Peters had a good block initially, but Dumervil has very long arms and kept fighting until he got by Jason. Solid block of LB on McCoy run to the left. Good block of DE on 3rd Qtr run by Westy to his side.
TODD - Pulled on a Westy run to the right and had an ugly, but effective block on LB Robert Ayers. Missed a block in pass pro and the guy got big pressure on McNabb. Missed block of Dawk on shovel pass. Wasn't easy, but Todd should have gotten a piece of him.
JACKSON - Hurt his left leg while going back in pass protection. Had to leave the game. Had a good block on the NT on an early McCoy run up the middle.
COLE - Started at RG, but took over at C when JJ got hurt in the 1st Qtr. Had a good block on LB on McCoy run to his side. Seemed to screw up the snap on 1st down play at our own 1-yard line. He went early and McNabb didn't have the ball cleanly. That mistake threw off the whole series. We never looked comfortable. Nick looked rusty as the C. He had another snap that must have been slow. McCoy hit it as he was moving to pick up a blitzer. I've never seen Jamaal have an issue like that.
MAX - Came in at LG when Cole had to slide inside. Had a very good block on McCoy run to his side in the 3rd. Moved his guy off the ball and eventually put him on his back.
JUSTICE - Solid day in pass pro. Generally kept Donovan clean from his side. Had a good kick-out block of Dumervil on run to his side in the 3rd Qtr. Sealed LB inside on Weaver run to his side. I'm a bit curious why he didn't help Celek on Dumervil in the 4th. Winston looked inside, but the interior guys all had okay blocks. Celek was fighting for his life and gave up a sack. Got driven back into Donnie by Dumervil on the next play.
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DEFENSE
* We had to burn a timeout prior to the first 3rd down of the game.
* RT Tyler Polumbus got away with holding a few times.
* On the opening 3rd down for our defense Orton got pressured and threw the ball to his right. We picked up the ball and ran it back for a TD. No whistles blew. DEN challenged the call. They thought it was a forward pass. Mike Carey reviewed the play and ruled it was a forward pass. Controversial decision. Remember that the ball only needs to go forward one-inch to be a pass. Carey felt he saw the ball go forward. I didn't think the replay was obvious enough to overturn, but I won't go so far as to say it was a horrible call.
* We had them 3rd/22 in the mid 3rd Qtr. They threw a quick screen to Buck out left and he got 33 yards on the play. That one moment changed the game. We were up 17 and had momentum. If we force a punt I think we win going away.
* I don't know who was wrong on the Moreno TD catch. Both Spoon and Jordan went outside and left the middle wide open. Someone had that zone or Moreno in man coverage. Big mistake led to an easy score.
* There has been some question as to why the Eagles didn't blitz more. I can only guess, but I think the fact that Denver throws so many short passes is the key. Think about how many WR screens they threw. Blitzes wouldn't have affected most of those plays (if any). Against them, you're better to play off and focus on tackling. We did blitz on some 3rd downs where the situation called for a throw beyond the LOS.
DE
COLE - Good game. He was the opposite of McNabb. Trent was quiet early, but came alive in the 2nd half. Finished with 3 tackles, a sack, and 2 TFLs. Played NT in some 3-man DL sets in passing situations. Didn't get much pressure in the 1st half. Too quiet. Had a great TFL in the early 3rd. Drove his man back, shed the block, and tackled Moreno on a run to his side. Unfortunately he was called for a facemask penalty on the play. Hustled downfield on a short pass play to help on a tackle of Marshall. Got a sack to open the 4th. Orton was flushed by inside pressure and Trent was coming free off the edge. Got a TFL on the next play when he chased down a WR on a screen pass. Drew a holding call on the LT on the final Broncos play. There was some question whether it was a safety or not. Since the players engaged outside the end zone and that's basically when the holding began I think the refs made the correct call. It was close, though.
PARKER - Good game. Tossed TE out of the way on early 3rd down and closed in on Orton, forcing a bad throw. Got pressure on another pass play when he was blocked by the TE. Ran over the RT on 3rd/4 and knocked Orton to the ground for a sack. Deflected a couple of passes. Only credited with the 1 tackle, but he was regularly disruptive.
CLEMONS - Quiet game. Didn't play much DE. Was more of the Joker/LB. Deflected a pass.
BABIN - Quiet game. Played at LDE. Got held by the RT on the early TD pass to Gaffney. Used a good inside move on the play. Was held, but still managed to hit the QB as he was throwing the ball. Flew off the edge late in the half and drove the RT back toward the QB.
HOWARD - Played RDE in the 3-man DL looks. Got pressure on a pass play in the mid-2nd. Used a good spin move to come free up the middle and sack Orton in the mid-3rd Qtr. Drew an offside penalty in the early 4th, but it didn't hurt us. Drew a holding call on the RG on Broncos final drive. That negated a good pass play and backed them up further.
DT
PATTERSON - Active game. Had 5 tackles. Blew up an inside run play by tossing aside his blocker. Limited the run to no gain. Made a solid tackle of Marshall after a short pass. Good hustle by the big man. Got penetration on a pass play to open the 4th and that flushed Orton into a sack by Trent.
BUNKLEY - Controlled his area. Shed his block and tackled Moreno to open the 3rd Qtr. Got hurt on the play, but didn't miss a lot of time. Drove his blocker into the backfield to disrupt a 4th Qtr run play. Denver didn't seem too interested in testing Bunk.
DIXON - Clogged the middle on an inside run play. Was able to get off his block and make the tackle.
VA - Drove the LG straight back to Orton on 3rd down pass in the 4th Qtr. Unfortunately, Kyle was able to get the pass off. Got excellent pressure on 3rd down late in the game. Easily could have called holding on the LG. VA got to Orton just as he was releasing the ball.
LB
JORDAN - Solid game. Led the team with 6 tackles. Got out wide in the early 3rd and made a good tackle of Marshall after a short pass. Helped to break up a pass over the middle to the TE. Looked like he got sloppy in coverage in the mid-3rd and left Scheffler open for a good gain. Blitzed on the next play and forced Orton into intentional grounding. Made a good tackle of Marshall after a short pass. Held the play to no gain. Got him down with one arm. Came free up the middle and tackled the RB for minimal gain to open the Broncos final drive. Made a good tackle of Gaffney on short throw over the middle.
TROT - Started the game at MLB. Helped to stuff the opening running play. Helped to blow up run play on 3rd/1 by knocking the blocker backward.
WITHERSPOON - Made contact with WR Stokley on 3rd/1 pass over the middle. No call. The pass was inside of 5 yards. Didn't look like a call was warranted. Stokley went nuts and ran at an official. He swung his hand and accidentally made contact with the official and got ejected because of that. Helped to stop Hillis for no gain on 3rd/1. Very impressive play vs the run in the early 4th. Went and attacked the LT. Staggered him. The RB came that way and Spoon tackled him for only a short gain.
FOKOU - Started again at SAM. I was encouraged by Fokou. He played with energy, but was under control. He showed good recognition and awareness prior to the snap. You could see him making checks and adjustments with the other LBs. That's good stuff. Had 3 tackles. Chased down Moreno on run play from behind. Tackled Buck on a run that came his way. Seemed to do a solid job of holding the point. Blitzed off the edge in the mid-3rd and helped force Orton to throw the ball away. Flew off the edge and got the RB for a loss in the late 3rd. The stats guy gave credit to Akeem coming up the middle. `
WHITE - Good game as a role player. Almost picked off a deflected pass late in the half. Might have scored if he could have gotten the ball cleanly. Tackled Moreno for a loss on the final play of the half. Made a terrific open field tackle of Orton late in the game to force a punt. He's not on the field a lot, but that's good impact.
CB
S BROWN - Great tackle on Marshall after short catch in the 1st Qtr. Drove through him. Made an outstanding tackle of Marshall in the early 3rd. Limited the play to 2 yards. Hurt himself in the late 3rd Qtr. Some kind of lower leg injury. Went out for a couple of snaps, but came back. Missed a tackle of Brandon Lloyd on 3rd down pass. Tried to get him short of the sticks, but couldn't make a clean wrap. Froze on a quick pass to Gaffney inside the 10. I think Sheldon was trying to take away the outside and hoping the pursuit from the middle would get out there in a hurry. Gaffney was able to get in for the score because we had blitzed on the play. Broke up a downfield pass to Marshall in the early 4th. Read the play well.
SAMUEL - Good game. Had 5 tackles and an INT. Missed a tackle of Marshall in the early 3rd. Made a great pick on a downfield throw to Scheffler. Played him inside-out and went up for the ball and made a good catch. Caught the ball inside the 10 and then returned it out to midfield, but penalties killed us on that. Made a good tackle of Gaffney after a short throw to his side. Got Marshall to the ground after a quick pass in the 4th.
HANSON - Good game. Had 4 tackles and a TFL. Started slow, though. Missed a tackle of Gaffney at the 3 yard line that allowed Jabar to score a TD. Tried to wrap, but just didn't get the job done. Had a chance to pick off a batted ball in the Red Zone in the early 3rd, but couldn't cleanly get hold of it. That would have been a big play. Played WR screens well after the early part of the game. Started playing them outside-in. Had a TFL on Gaffney on 4th Qtr screen. Even when he didn't make the stop he forced the receiver back toward pursuit from the middle of the field.
PATTERSON - Great job on the return TD that was overturned. Dimitri hustled up to the line and then over to the ball. He didn't hesitate to pick it up and run the ball back. Had a quiet day outside of that play.
S
MIKELL - Made a terrific PBU on pass in the end zone. Reached around TE Tony Scheffler and knocked the ball away. Q read the route perfectly and made a good break on the ball. Tried to hit Gaffney on a play near the GL, but didn't land a clean shot and Jabar scored. Made a terrific tackle on a TE screen by going low and taking his legs out. That came on a 3rd down play and it gained no yards. Q was slow to get up. Made a good tackle in run support in the early 4th. Tried to break up a 3rd down pass to Gaffney late in the game, but just missed the ball. Finished with 5 tackles.
JONES - Didn't play much. I'm not sure why. Blitzed on a 3rd Qtr pass, but didn't get much pressure.
MACHO - Played FS most of the game. Had 3 tackles. Was back off the ball most of the time so he wasn't in the middle of the action. Had one big mistake. Hit Scheffler after Asante picked off pass intended for him. It was a good old school hit, but in the new NFL they over-protect receivers. The hit did come about a full second after the pick. That hit wiped out the 50-yard return and set us back near our own GL and eventually set up a TD for Denver. Didn't have any major coverage errors that I noticed.
________________________________
SPECIAL TEAMS
ROCCA - Up and down day. Averaged 43.4 on 5 punts. Had a mixture of rockets and shanks. We were backed up quite a bit in the 2nd half. A couple of times Sav hurt us with poor punts. Kicked a low 40-yder from our end zone that set up a short TD drive by them. Hit a 28 yder in the 4th that once again had them near midfield. Also mixed in punts of 49 and 60 yards. Didn't seem to have ideal hang time. On the punt from the end zone Sav seemed to hurry to get the ball out rather than trying to really nail it.
AKERS - Nailed the game winner. I think it was a 82-yder. Or 28. I get confused. Hit one other FG. Kickoffs were okay.
KOR ---
* Macho had a nightmare day as KOR. He fumbled twice, one being recovered by DEN. He also ran one out of the end zone and got tackled at our 11. Bad game. Macho carried the ball way too loosely on his returns. He failed to switch arms on the 2nd fumble and a defender was able to knock it out without needing a monster hit. The first fumble came when Darrell Reid, a great STer, landed a monster hit on Macho and the ball.
PR ---
* DeSean had a quiet day. Mitch Berger averaged just 35 yards per punt. Jackson totaled 17 yards on 3 returns.
MISC STs ---
* First KO was short, ugly - but by design.
* Good tackle by Tracy White on KO. McKinley got hurt and left the game.
* Joe Mays really popped Buck on a KOR. Buck then hobbled off the field.
* Tracy White had a facemask penalty on 4th Qtr punt that put Denver right back at midfield.
* VA recovered Macho's 2nd fumble on KOR. Great awareness by the big fella.
This is not my standard review. I wasn't going to spend hours going over the game and hours writing a lengthy review of such an awful game. I re-watched more than half of it. The 4th Qtr wasn't going to offer much of use.
Let's start with a simple look at what happened. The defense came out with a very conservative gameplan. The players didn't execute it well and Dallas was able to go up and down the field. The offense misfired. They had some good gains, but couldn't sustain drives. Special Teams didn't hurt us that much, but they also didn't offer any help.
Just like last game, field position was a major problem. We had 9 drives start at our 20 or worse. Combine that with the fact we only had 4 plays of 20 or more yards and we only had 1 drive go more than 50 yards and you can see why we got shut out.
OFFENSE
Obviously we didn't have good run pass balance. That had an awful lot to do with circumstances. We had 3 1st half drives prior to the 2-minute warning. We then threw on the final drive. In the 2nd half we were down 17-0 and that led to a pass-fest. We ended up with 42 pass plays and 8 called runs.
The passing game was highly inconsistent. Poor execution hurt us more than anything. There were big plays to be had. DeSean Jackson was wide open for a deep TD. Overthrow. Jeremy Maclin ran down the left side and went right past the CB. Underthrow. Maclin ran a crossing route and was wide open in the middle of the field for a huge gain. Pass was behind him. Brent Celek dropped a huge 3rd down throw. We missed some blocks that led to sacks or pressure.
The beauty of the passing game is that when it works you can get big chunks of yards and score points. The problem is that it takes good blocking, a good throw, proper route running, and a good catch in order to work. Any breakdowns can ruin a play. We saw that all game on Sunday.
QB --- McNabb put up okay numbers (20-36-223), but anyone who watched the game saw some huge mistakes from him. He started off okay, going 12-17-152 in the 1st half. We still didn't score any points. 2 drives stalled inside the Dallas 40. Another ended when the half ran out. The 2nd half was a disaster. We only gained 72 yards (just 16 in the 4th Qtr). McNabb was 8 of 19. This was very discouraging. In the last couple of 2nd halfs he is 13 of 38. Not good.
One thing that bugged me was that McNabb never looked "right". Normally he's loose and upbeat. He always looked tense in this game. The only time I saw him smile was when Weaver dropped a pass and Donovan was trying to encourage him. Reid mentioned in his press conference that maybe the team was too tight. This certainly could have been the case with McNabb.
Couple of highlights:
* Scrambled on early 3rd/7, then found Celek open for a big gain.
* Hit Maclin over the middle for a good gain.
* Threw a beautiful pass to DJax over the middle. Donnie got pressure from a blitzer, but hit DeSean on the move for a gain of 32.
RB --- There isn't much to say. We had 7 carries for 23 yards. The long run was 8 yards. The guys caught 6 passes for 25 yards. McCoy slipped on a screen. Weaver slipped on a run. Weaver dropped a pass. Our RBs didn't get enough touches, but they certainly didn't do much with what they had.
TE --- Brent Celek showed up ready to play. Mostly. He caught 7 passes for 96 yards. He tried giving life to the offense. Brent had gains of 25, 22, 18, and 17 yards. He had a critical drop on 3rd/2 on the opening drive of the 2nd half. That would have moved the chains and put us down around the 30.
WR --- Weird game. Our guys made some nice plays. Both Maclin and DeSean had catches of 30+ yards. Unfortunately drops were a problem. DeSean had a couple. Avant dropped a pass. Maclin had a lowlight play late in the game. Donovan threw a deep ball his way and Jeremy watched the FS coming over in coverage instead of looking for the ball. Can't have that. We did have WRs open for big plays/TDs a handful of times. Errant throws hurt us on those plays. I know some people think Maclin should have made the grab on the crossing throw where the ball was behind him. He was able to get his hands back there, but the ball had serious zip on it. The slo-mo replays made the pass look catchable, but I reviewed the pass several times and it would have been a really tough grab to make.
OL --- The OL did a good job of pass pro in the 1st half. Donovan had plenty of time to throw. He got sacked early due to a missed assignment. We didn't run block all that well, but also didn't run enough to let the guys get into rhythm. The pass protection got sloppy in the last 1 1/2 Qtrs when we were down 24-0 and had to pass on every play. Donovan was under regular pressure at that point.
Let's start with the "new guys". I thought Nick Cole and Max Jean-Gilles played fine in the 1st half. They blocked DL and picked up blitzers. Nick did have the one bad snap. He got the ball off, but it was low. Can't have mistakes like that. The whole line got sloppy after halftime. Max got called for a false start and hands to the face.
Jason Peters did a pretty good job on DeMarcus Ware. Peters kept him under control. Ware had 1 tackle and 1 QB hit. Jason didn't have a great game, though. He got called for a false start on 3rd/3, right on the edge of FG range. He got called for unnecessary roughness late in the half. He made a good block to drive a defender out of bounds, but then hit the guy while he was 5 yards out. DUMB. We might not have scored on the drive anyway, but that kind of stupidity killed any hope we had.
Todd Herremans got beat a couple of times in pass pro. Honestly, I didn't focus on him too much. He's a terrific run blocker, but with just a handful of runs that isn't going to show up. Winston Justice didn't have his best day. He had a poor block on an early run that caused the play to be stuffed. He also didn't pick up blitzer on opening 3rd down. That led to sack. It is possible that play was Weaver's fault, but it appeared to me that Justice screwed up. Either way, there was miscommunication between the two of them.
DEFENSE
As I said earlier, we had a very conservative gameplan in the 1st half. I can only speculate as to why. I find it hard to believe that Sean McDermott felt our guys would come out and play the Cowboys straight up and shut them down. We don't have that kind of a defense. The best guess I can come up with is that he wanted to save an elaborate gameplan for the rematch, whether that was this week or down the line. This is just a theory. I have no inside info. I'm not saying it was the right thing to do.
The front four got virtually no pressure in the 1st half and Romo picked us apart. We failed to hurry him or clamp down on his receivers. The biggest problems were Jason Witten and Patrick Crayton, guys working the middle of the field. Austin had a good day, but he was generally tightly covered.
Dallas did a good job of flooding zones. They would send 2 receivers at one DB and throw to the uncovered guy. This was most apparent on Crayton's TD. 2 WRs went at Sheldon. He jumped the underneath guy (making me want to pour lava on him) and that left Crayton wide open for an easy score.
I hated our run defense while watching the game, but changed my mind upon reviewing it. More than half the yards came on 3 runs. 2 of them were due to sloppy gap play. The long TD run by Jones was just a terrific call and execution by Dallas. I'm certainly not telling you that the run D was good. Take away the long gains (18, 32, and 49) and you have 26 carries for 83 yards. That's reasonable run defense. What we must now do is eliminate the long plays.
I was encouraged by the defense in the 2nd half. Before you call me a fool, a hack writer who lives only on sex appeal, or a delusional fool...hear me out. Think back to last year. We had a 27-3 halftime lead on Dallas. They laid down like dogs and we outscored them 17-3 in the 2nd half. In this game we trailed 17-0 at halftime. Our guys were embarrassed. They came out and played much better. We held Dallas to 7 points. They had 6 real drives after halftime. 2 were 3 & outs. One was a 4 play drive, but it actually lost yards. Dallas did have some success. They had the long run TD and 2 drives that covered 50+ yards.
What encouraged me was the spirit our guys showed. The defense got their butts kicked in the 1st half. They didn't quit. They got mad and played better. I give a lot of credit to Old Man Trotter. He got tired of seeing the Dallas kids playing in his grass so he went and did something about it. Trot had 7 solo tackles, most after halftime. His anger and enthusiasm spread to the other LBs. They started to play with emotion and energy. They showed some pride. We actually sacked Romo a couple of times and made him uncomfortable in the pocket.
DE --- Trent Cole played the run well. He finished with 3 tackles and was in on a couple of other piles. He made one bad mistake vs the run. Dallas ran Flip 90 at him, knowing how hard he likes to crash down inside vs the run. Trent bit on the fake and Jones ran right by him to get to the sideline. TD. Cole was non-existent as a pass rusher. Very disappointing. Juqua Parker got a sack, but didn't get pressure with any consistency. On the sack, Juqua had to get Romo to corkscrew himself into the ground before he could actually get to him. Jason Babin got quite a few snaps at LDE, but didn't get pressure. He got badly sealed on a run that came his way, giving a big running lane to the RB. Bad, bad day for this group.
DT --- Okay day. Patt had 4 tackles, a TFL, and a sack. He got blocked more than he should by Leonard Davis, but at least won a few battles. Bunk stuffed a Barber run up the middle. He batted a pass on the opening drive. Antonio Dixon played and had 1 tackle. The Nickel DTs (VA, Howard) didn't do a whole lot.
LB --- Up and down game. In the 1st half this group didn't play very well. Akeem Jordan stunk up the joint. He was over-aggressive and got out of position on early runs. He made a couple of tackles downfield, but the plays should have been stopped near the LOS. Akeem didn't look instinctive at all. He was awful on Barber's 32-yard run. Akeem attacked upfield, but not where the ball went. I don't know what the hell he was doing. He had 3 solo tackles, all in the 1st half.
Trotter took over late in the half and played most of the 2nd half (if not all). He took on OL and fought to get off blocks. He battled to get to the ball on edge runs. He barely tripped a RB on one run, but got enough to get the guy down. Without that tackle there was a lot of running room. Trot brought attitude and energy to the game. He got a couple of good hits on Cowboys. You could see that fire up the whole group.
Witherspoon had 6 tackles in the 1st half, but I didn't think he played all that well. He was solid in coverage, but his run defense was sloppy. He only added a couple of tackles in the 2nd half, but I thought he played better. Had one real good moment. Spoon saw Barber about to catch a screen. Spoon got there just after the ball and put Marion down with authority. That was impressive. Finished with 8 tackles, TFL, and PD.
Fokou was okay. He had 5 tackles on the day. His highlight was a good PBU on a downfield pass to Austin. That showed good range and awareness. He blitzed on one play and got called for a penalty when his hand hit Romo in the face. It wasn't intentional, but you have to keep your hands down when reaching for the QB. Like it or not, they call that stuff.
DB --- Some good moments, but also some big problems. We'll start with Samuel. He had a strange game. Sammie jumped several passes. One resulted in an INT. One led to a TD for them. The other a big play to Austin. Guys who take chances do get burned. The INT came when he jumped a short pass in the Red Zone. The ball went in the air and Hanson caught it. The TD came on a similar play. Sammie missed the ball and Witten got it. Short TD. As for the ball to Austin...that was a good try. I liked the aggressiveness. Sammie just missed the ball. We're talking 1/4 of a second faster and he might have made a clean pick. Instead, Miles took the ball away and turned upfield for a long gain. Asante did cover him tightly much of the game.
Sheldon didn't have a good day. He bit on a pump fake to an underneath receiver and left Crayton wide open behind him for a TD. That was too easy. Both losses this year have featured TD passes where Sheldon bit and got burned. He also had a very costly penalty on the opening drive. Sheldon had coverage of Austin outside. As Mile cut inside Sheldon grabbed his jersey from behind and tugged. Sometimes you get away with that. The play came on 3rd down and the flag moved the chains. A stop there could have completely changed the game. The worst thing is that I'm not sure the tug made a huge difference on the play. Hanson was flying over in coverage.
Speaking of Joselio Hanson...he had a poor game. He only had 1 tackle. That total would have been higher, but he couldn't catch up to Crayton to tackle him. Patrick showed why MmmBop is strictly meant to be a slot DB. He lacks the speed to keep up with fast WRs. Normally this isn't a problem in the slot, but Dallas cleared enough room in the middle of the field to burn Hanson a couple of times. Hanson did have our only takeaway. He picked a deflected ball in the Red Zone. That play showed great awareness.
Our Safeties made a lot of tackles (14), but didn't do anything special. Mikell and Macho offered little impact. Q came close to breaking up a pass to Witten, but missed the ball by an inch or so. He got blocked on the Flip 90 TD and couldn't make the play. Macho made a good stop of Barber on his long run to stop it from going all the way. Sean Jones played some and had 3 tackles.
SPECIAL TEAMS
P --- Solid day. Had a long punt of 61. Put 2 punts inside the 20.
K --- Akers missed a 53-yard FG. The ball had a lot of english on it and turned outside at the last moment to miss.
RS --- Maclin had 1 KOR. Thank god for touchbacks. DeSean was bottled up all day. He had 9 yards on 2 returns.
COACHING
Bad day. I'm not going to say too much about gameplans. I've already covered that stuff. Let's talk about some other issues. We had the ball at the Dallas 39 in the 2nd Qtr. We decided to punt. I can live with that. Rocca sees we're a man short. Rather than just taking the penalty and moving back 5 yards we burn a timeout. I'm not sure who called it. Dumb. We could have really used that timeout late in the half.
Let's talk about the final drive. We had the ball at our 20 with 1:04 left and 2 timeouts. First play is a pass to Celek for 17yards. That's great, but a penalty on Peters pushes us back to the 19. The next snap comes with :47 on the clock. We hit Avant for 8 yards. There is confusion on whether to use the timeout or not. We end up using it, but at the :28 mark. The drive lasted a few more plays, but never really came close to scoring territory. Normally we're quite good before the half, but there was a lot of confusion on this drive. Maybe it was McNabb. Maybe Marty. Maybe Reid. Ugly end to an ugly half.
Onto the 3rd Qtr...we have 3rd/2 from the Dallas 35. We're down 17-0. I'm personally hoping for a McNabb run. We must get some points. Have him run from a pass set. We drop back and throw a pass to Celek. He's open and the pass is on target, but Brent drops it. Now we have 4th/2. We go for the FG, but miss it. I understand that Reid wanted points. Kicking a long FG in a new stadium...was that the best idea? The design of the 3rd down play worked, but not the execution.
I know some people were in favor of pulling starters. I had no problem with Reid keeping the guys out there most of the way. I did wonder in the 4th if we shouldn't pull the guys. Someone asked Big Red about this in his PC and he had an odd reaction. I think he took that as "should you have benched Donovan" instead of simply resting the guys to avoid any injuries.
I know some of you think I'm nuts to go back and re-watch the game. I am. I do these things in order to see what went right and what went wrong. I also like to be able to refer back to them in a year or two when there is a question about how a guy played.
Your humble narrator put on the game on Sunday evening, hoping 24 hours of time away would make it less pulverizingly torturous. That didn't happen. I found myself yelling at the TV all over again. The Dallas Cowboys ate half of my soul on Saturday and had seconds on Sunday. I hope they all get food poisoning.
We all want to blame someone or group for the loss. McNabb. Reid. McDermott. The OL. The defense. The Bilderberg Group. You can make an argument in many ways and assess blame accordingly. Ultimately, this was a team failure.
* Our Pro Bowl FB had a ball stripped away by an ILB. That fumble led to a FG.
* Their backup TE beat our best Safety at the GL to get open and catch a short TD.
* Our best STer was a LB. Their best STer was a WR.
You getting the point? Dallas came out and beat us, man for man. They outplayed us. Even with a great gameplan and outstanding execution I'm not sure we win that game. They played faster, more physically, and just had the vibe of a team that wasn't getting beat. This isn't about heart or effort. It is about a team getting locked in like a laser and playing at a high level.
I wrote up some keys to the game the other day. 2 of them really stood out.
* Stars must shine
* Get there
The first one may sound obvious. Sometimes those points are the most important. What happened last year in the postseason? Asante Samuel had INTs in each win. One went for a TD, the other set up a short TD. DeSean Jackson made big plays in each game. His ability as a PR vs the Vikings was huge. McNabb made critical 3rd down conversions in each win. He kept the chains moving and then converted when we were in the Red Zone. Westy had the long screen pass to seal the win over MIN.
Think about Saturday. Samuel had a quiet game. McNabb stunk. Cole was blocked. DeSean was a non-factor as a PR and WR. Tough to win big games when your stars play more like flashlights.
"Get there" was another way of saying "finish plays". This cost us in the regular season finale. We came up just short a bunch of times in that game. The same held true this week. The best example clearly is the INT that Sean Jones almost got. If he makes that play it changes the game. We're likely to go up 10-7 or 14-7. We have some momentum. Instead the call is reversed and Dallas goes right back to work.
Most of the other instances involved getting to Romo. Trent Cole was half a step away on a 3rd down, but Romo got the ball out and moved the chains. On another 3rd down we got pressure, but only flushed Romo outside. He got the ball off and moved the chains. Right after the reversal on Sean's play we had someone dive at Felix Jones feet, but miss him. That run went for 12 and a facemask penalty added 15. We needed to finish plays and just didn't do it. Dallas did, time after time.
One more subtle thing has been critical in each loss to Dallas...field position. Probably close to 3/4 of our drives have started at or inside our own 20. That makes a huge difference in the game. We have to give Dallas credit. They're responsible for part of this. PK David Buehler gets his kickoffs so deep that a good amount of them are touchbacks. P Matt McBriar is very good and kept us pinned deep on Saturday night. He had 6 punts. 5 were downed inside the 20 and only 1 was a touchback.
Our offense/defense needed to help out the STs unit. That didn't happen. Last week we would move the ball, but the defense couldn't get a stop at all. This week the offense couldn't move the ball at all early on. The defense held Dallas a couple of times, but because the offense didn't move the ball those stops didn't help us out in the FP battle.
______________________________
OFFENSE
Bad, bad game. Many people are to blame. The coaches didn't seem to have a particularly strong gameplan. They didn't really adjust until halftime. The lack of a running game was frustrating. We didn't have consecutive running plays until the opening drive of the 3rd Qtr. The line had a rough day. We lost too many individual battles.
QB
MCNABB - There were many problems on offense. My biggest frustration still lies with Donovan McNabb. He had chances to make plays. He didn't. On the opening drive he threw a sloppy pass to the left sideline. That was incomplete. We had a short run. On 3rd down he dropped back. There was some pressure, but he had a pocket to work with. Jason Avant stayed in to block on Ware initially and then released into the flat. He was WIDE open. W-I-D-E. McNabb could have lobbed him the ball and Avant would have caught it and easily gotten the 1st down. Instead Donnie locked onto Maclin over the middle. He didn't seem to notice the Dallas LB that almost caught the ball. Punt.
On the second series we had 2nd/10 from the Dallas 24. We had McNabb drop back to pass. He had 4.5 seconds before a defender was even near him. Finally at the 5.5 second mark he threw the ball into the ground. That drew the flag for grounding and moved us right back to the 10-yard line. That play set me off for a couple of reasons. First, Jason Avant was open on a deep crossing route. He had a DB trailing him. Donovan was looking in that vicinity, but either failed to see him or wanted to go elsewhere. Avant would have caught that ball around the 40. Even if the drive stalls there we've flipped the field. The second best thing would have been Donovan just realizing that the play wasn't going to work as hoped and getting rid of the ball. That way we have 3rd/10 and we're still at the 24. The worst thing to do is ground the ball. We're then faced with 3rd/24 and we're pinned back at our 10. Those yards hurt us on the exchange of possessions. Dallas got the ball near midfield to start their next drive.
We score a TD on the Vick play on the next possession. Dallas then scores again and has a 14-7 lead. We get the ball at the 20. A pass int. call on Dallas moves us to the 30. This is good. We run for 6 yards. This is good. Just move the chains and lets see what happens. Donovan drops back to pass. He has 2 good options on this play. Reggie Brown is open on a crossing route. Also, the middle of the field is open for him to run. Donovan decides to pass. He puts the ball behind Reggie and the ball falls incomplete. Dallas has an effective blitz on 3rd down and we have to punt. Give them credit on that play.
I understand Donovan's thinking on the 2nd down play. Reggie was open. The pass would have gained us at least 10 yards. My frustration lies in the lack of situational awareness. Dallas is playing lights out on offense. We're struggling to move the ball. Donovan had to know he wasn't throwing the ball well at that point. His passes were very erratic. Run to get the sure 1st down. That buys the defense some rest and every 1st down gives the offense a bit more confidence. I'm not saying this with hindsight. I was yelling for him to run on Saturday. Passes can be off target. They can be dropped. Go get the 1st down in the most sure way possible.
Finished the game 19-37 for 230 yards. He had 1 TD and 1 INT. McNabb did do a good job of buying time in the pocket. His protection had some breakdowns. He just couldn't throw a good pass early on. Started 1 of 6 for 2 yards. Calling that not good is being generous.
VICK - Only played a handful of snaps, but delivered our only big play of the 1st half. Faked a run play and then dropped back. Made a good throw to hit Maclin along the sideline. Jeremy was able to turn upfield and take it all the way for a TD. Good fake, good pass. Vick then hurt us later in the half. He was running a zone read play. He made a good initial read and was going to give the ball to Weaver. For some reason he pulled the ball back and it fell to the ground. The worst part was watching Vick on the ground. The ball was out in front of him and he casually reached for it. What the hell, man? You don't pull that maneuver in mini-camp let alone the playoffs. Dallas got it and scored a TD.
RB
Underused. Our RBs combined for 14 touches. That just isn't going to get the job done. 10 of the touches were runs. We needed to have that many runs in the 1st half to keep Dallas honest. Didn't happen. McCoy did have an impressive 14-yard run to the right side.
McCoy's blocking needed to be better. He wasn't Ryan Moats bad, but he had too many plays where he just slowed the guy down. He's got to work on sustaining blocks so that McNabb has a clean pocket.
Westy didn't play very much. He drew a PI call on a Dallas DB in the first half. His only touch was a pass that he took for 27 yards in the 2nd half. Honestly, looked like he should have had a TD on that play. What happened to those wheels?
TE
Dallas did a good job on Celek. He caught 3 passes for 59 yards. He was open a couple of other times. Brent did an okay job as a blocker. Alex Smith caught a pass for 8 yards on 3rd/short.
WR
Good and bad. Jeremy Maclin had a very good game. He caught 7 balls for 146 yards, including the 76 yard TD from Vick. Maclin ran good routes. He didn't look like a rookie. DeSean had a long day. Dallas covered him well and held him to 3 catches for 14 yards. He did get open deep, but McNabb underthrew him. DeSean had to slow down for the ball and the DBs were able to break it up. Avant had 2 catches for 32 yards. He was open a handful of other times, but didn't get the ball to come his way.
OL
This was Jason Peters first ever playoff start. Same for Winston Justice and Max Jean-Gilles. Same for Nick Cole, as a Center. Those guys struggled.
Peters had a hard time with DeMarcus Ware. He got beat to the inside and outside. The sacks didn't come until the 2nd half when we were throwing all the time for sure. Justice was beaten by Anthony Spencer a couple of times. Max had a good block on Ware on Vick's TD. He missed a blitz pickup later and gave up an easy sack. Nick Cole missed a couple of blocks. He had another snap issue. Dallas used some stunts and twists. We didn't consistently pick them up well. Bad showing by the Big Sexies.
___________________________________
DEFENSE
You can't say they played well. We gave up 426 yards and 34 points. At the same time, I liked the style of play. Last week we were passive. This week we attacked. Individual breakdowns hurt us on a few blitzes, but at least Romo got hit. Last week he was basically untouched for 2 1/2 Qtrs. He was sacked twice in the 1st Qtr this week and took some shots.
The failure of the offense I think really hurt the defense. We have a very good offense, but our D is much more fragile. Dallas kept knocking on the door in the 1st Qtr. I think the defense desperately needed some help in the form of points or field position. Neither came and Dallas finally scored early in the 2nd Qtr. The dam broke and they put up 27 points in that period. Ugh.
The defense was especially bad on 3rd downs and in the RZ. Dallas was 6 of 9 on 3rd downs in the 1st half. That's awful. They were 3 of 6 in the RZ in the game, 3 of 4 in Goal to Go situations. That is bad defense in critical situations.
Penalties hurt us big time. Sheldon had a long PI call that set up 1st/GL at the 1. Mikell had a PI call that wiped out what would have been 3rd/20 late in the half. Samuel had some idiotic penalty that also helped that drive.
The scheme was basically fine, the execution was not. We had coverage breakdowns all game long. Guys either missed assignments or flat out got beat. This is true of all the DBs. Sheldon Brown and Joselio Hanson struggled the most.
While I liked most of what McDermott did I was bothered by how much we struggled with WR screens. Dallas seemed to run them different than the November game, but they ran them really well and gave us fits. You can bet WR screens will get covered at Lehigh over and over and over.
This is the basic 46 front. I don't know that I ever saw Jim Johnson run this front. The play worked. We got pressure on Romo. This is when the pass barely went forward and then Clemons thought it was a fumble and scooped it up. A sack or turnover would have been ideal, but it did help us get to the QB.
DE
I think Juqua Parker played the best of any of our DL. That's not a good sign. He was credited with 5 solo tackles and a TFL. Parker got pressure and forced the horrible throw on the Jones almost-INT. He flushed Romo with good inside move. Hustled wide to tackle Roy Williams on a screen. Drew a holding call when he used a good inside move late in the half.
Trent Cole played the run well, but was handled on pass plays. Trent did have a couple of TFLs. His best pass rush plays came on blitzes where he was free or blocked by someone other than Flozell. Jason Babin played both sides, but had a quiet game. He lost contain on one pass where Romo went outside. That hurt. Chris Clemons had an active game. We lined him up all over. He did have a sack.
DT
Up and down game. Patt and Bunk held their ground at times. They didn't control the middle of the line, though. They combined for 11 tackles, probably not a good sign. Our D does best when they do little and the LBs make most of the stops. Antonio Dixon had a TFL.
Nickel DTs Darren Howard and Victor Abiamiri were quiet. They failed to generate much pressure.
LB
Trot played his heart out last week. Apparently that was the last hurrah. He struggled this week. I love the fire he brings to the D, but Trot was out of position a lot and got blocked way too much. He only had one tackle in the game. Thanks for the memories.
Witherspoon had some good moments. He was aggressive vs blockers, whether FBs or OL. He had 6 tackles in the game. At SAM we platooned Fokou and Gocong. I thought it worked okay. Fokou had 3 stops. Gocong had 2. His highlight was a sack of Romo on a bootleg play. Chris was right there waiting when Tony wheeled his head around after the fake.
Akeem Jordan and Tracy White played some, but had quiet games.
CB
Long day. Samuel didn't make any plays. He slipped on a 3rd down and was beaten by Roy Williams. Brown gave up several completions. He was burned by multiple guys. The worst moment came in the 2nd Qtr when he had shifted to FS. For some reason Sheldon was focused on a play fake and let the WR get by him. Romo threw deep and Sheldon hit the guy as the ball came down. That set up 1st/GL. Dumb. Hanson got beaten in the slot by Austin and Crayton. Miles outmuscled him and Patrick ran by him. Hanson did cover Witten tightly on a few plays.
S
Q played the run pretty well. He had 6 tackles. He struggled in coverage. TE John Phillips beat him for a TD. Q was called for PI along the sideline late in the half. He seemed to get confused on a pass to Witten that set up 1st/GL. I'm not certain that play was his fault.
Macho started at FS. He had a couple of tackles. He got hurt on a KOR and Sean Jones took his place. Sean also had a couple of tackles. He just missed coming up with a huge INT. He also blitzed off the edge and forced a hurried throw.
________________________________
SPECIAL TEAMS
ROCCA - Sav had a good day. He averaged 51 yards per punt.
AKERS - Quiet day.
KOR ---
* Macho got hurt on a 15-yard KOR. Maclin replaced him. He had runs of 20, 21. Nothing special at all. Both times it looked like he had seams to hit.
PR ---
* DeSean was kept in check by McBriar's punts and the Dallas coverage unit.
MISC STs ---
* Joe Mays was strong in kick coverage. He was credited with 2 tackles.
* Dallas had an interesting wrinkle. They seemed to load up the line on punts. That made our gunners line up tight to the formation and hurt our punt coverage. Crayton averaged 19 yards per PR. Good coaching.
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