I’m very concerned about tomorrow night’s football game between the Eagles and the Texans. The Birds defense had better play much better than they did against the Bears because tomorrow night they’ll face the leading rusher in the NFL.
They’ll try to find a way to shut down Houston running back Arian Foster immediately or this could be a disaster. They can’t let the Texans have a run or pass option.
Foster is averaging 5.1 yards per rushing attempt and 104 yards per game. If he gets those numbers against the Birds tomorrow, the Eagles could easily lose this football game. If the Houston running game gets going, then quarterback Matt Schaub will be able to run play action passes and throw will little pass rush pressure in his face.
The Birds defense may have to go to battle without Pro Bowl cornerback Asante Samuel. The league leader in interceptions with seven is still listed as questionable today with a knee sprain with the battle versus the Houston Texans only 31 hours away. That’s not good news.
We have seen enough of nickel back Joselio Hanson at the cornerback position. Imagine him matched up on Andre Johnson in a one-on-one situation with the game on the line. That’s a nightmare.
If he can’t get the job done again this week, we will get a long look at rookie cornerback Trevard Lindley. Lindley has a tremendous combination of size and speed, but he doesn’t have the experience and knowledge of the game which a veteran like Johnson possesses.
Defensive end Juqua Thomas won’t play tomorrow night and he’s also probably punching his ticket out of town next year. You know how the Eagles feel about a 32-year old who is missing games.
Thomas’ absence will mean rookie Brandon Graham will play most of the night. He’s got to do a good job versus the Texans running game, then beat his block and put pressure on Schaub when he reads pass.
Rookie wide receiver Riley Cooper, who is also nursing a knee injury may not play as well.
We’ll see how he does on the grass and with the cold in his bones. Run blitz them early.It’s December…like Christmas lights…we come out.
The more I keep reading G’s columns about this game, the more scary it gets.
I hope the Eagles D plays with passion and re- learns how to tackle and cover in such a short time
I am not as concerned for the Offense as much even though the O-line is bad.
Are you guys getting nervous like I am here?
No….theres the SPCA and other dog shelters that can help you feel more secure.What do the Eagles do in games they need too step up in the reg. season? i still feel good about this team. Two of the top 5 d’s in the league back too back. And our offense did enough too stop them. Not too mention the Giants offense can be viewed as equally as explosive.Sante and the Eags are playing possum.My thoughts.
Yeah, you can read too much about our opponents. I was concerned about the colts and giants too, but still believed in our boys. We have a good team. We didn’t paly very well last week on the road. We are back home, our coach just got pissed off and some players were embarrassed. Yeah the Texans have some good players, and have been playing much better as of late, but like Erock said, if your scared go buy a dog. I believe the birds will come out strong and put this team away.
I was one of the few not too worried about the Colts/Giants due to their injuries and the fact that I thought both teams were a little overrated and the Eagles got them a good time
My feeling on Houston Texans is entirely different, they are relatively healthy, and after a good start and then followed by a mid-season slump, they have fallen off the radar to most fans and the NFL in general.But make no mistake,this is very talented Team whose Offense rivals the Packers,Saints,Falcons,Patriots when clicking offense who can both run the ball and pass the ball and have lots of weapons… I think the 1st Quarter will be very telling and i f the Eagle can get up on them early, I think they can lay the hammer down on them.. If the Texans are in this game at Halftime,then watch out, they have scored a lot of points in the 2nd half (they have given up a lot of points too). Eagles D will need their best effort and remember, whoever loses this game is done for, as far as playoff are concerned according to Paulmans rankings.. This is a must-game
Word Greenfan…word.Not scared of no warm weather 5-6 team.RUSTY SMITH!!!!THATS WHO THEY JUST BEAT. WTF is Rusty Smith? Paulman..dotn tell me about how he is a VERY good solid strong armed qb. Thats who they just beat 20-0.WOW!!! Come too my city!!! My fans are gonna be nutso and you wont hear your check-offs in our place.And like i said..this Foster dude is gonna be on grass…cold weather….we’ll see.32ND RANKED DEFENSE!!!
Thursday home teams have a huge advantage over the visitors. Houston only had one practice day (Tues). They’ve lost their last 3 on the road, whilst the Birds are 4-1 at home. This game all Birds, though they might not cover the 9.
And Vinnie got the odds down…book it man!!!
One thing about the eagles, defense especially is that they usually follow up a poor performance with a dominating one. I’m not saying this will be like that especially with the injuries but it wouldn’t surprise me either. We will see.
I agree with you Vinnie. Traveling on a very short week to the east coast is a big factor.
yeahyeahyeah, they play with passion and they know how to tackle, sometimes they just have bad technique. It was a bad defensive performance, but don’t overstate it to the point where it seems like they haven’t done anything good all year long.