• March 28, 2024

Eagles Put Together Solid Win Over Cowboys, But It’s Too Little, Too Late

The Eagles took it to the Cowboys yesterday, but they did it against an inexperienced third-string quarterback, Stephen McGee and backup running back, Sammy Morris.  Once the Giants won their game against the Jets, Dallas removed Felix Jones from the contest and shut down Tony Romo who had injured his hand when hit by Jason Babin.

You can best believe that Andy Reid is going to be back for season number 14.  I might as well get it all out because defensive coordinator Juan Castillo will likely return with him.  I think Reid is a good coach, but he’s had a miserable year.  If Castillo were the team’s linebacker coach this year and Reid had hired an experienced defensive coordinator, the team would probably be in the playoffs.

Since when do you waste seasons while you let members of the coaching staff learn their job.  This was definitely a major mistake which would 90% of the coaches in the league their jobs.  The door to the NFC East division-championship was wide open this season.  A decent performance by the defense would have given the Eagles the championship.

I don’t seen any reason we should celebrate the fact that Castillo is learning his job because we know that the season was wasted for no good reason.

McGee was over-matched.  If Romo had played the entire game, the Eagles defense could have been seriously-tested.  Dallas doesn’t have a running game, but they do have quite a few receivers who can make it happen.  Unfortunately for the Cowboys yesterday, they didn’t have a healthy quarterback to get those receivers the football.

As I expected, the Cowboys defense was stacked to stop LeSean McCoy and they did a good job of it.  Fortunately the Birds passing game was ready to take advantage of the situation.

I loved the way the Eagles got out of the gates, offensively.  Michael Vick was sharp and so was the offense on the first drive.  Vick completed the drive with an excellent throw to the back shoulder of Brent Celek.  He threw the ball to the only spot it could have been thrown.

Vick played fairly well for the entire game, but I’ve seen him play better.  The fact that he didn’t turn the ball over was his most important stat. The lefthander completed 18 out of 32 passes for 293 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions.

Celek caught two passes for 52 yards and that included 13-yard touchdown.  His 39-yard catch and run later in the game was a thing of beauty.  He caught the football then showed remarkable speed for a guy his size and he ran away from the Cowboys safeties.

DeSean Jackson played the way he could have and should have played all season long.  The Eagles shouldn’t have asked him to play the entire season without a contract. Jackson led the Birds receivers with five catches for 90 yards.

Jeremy Maclin had a quality performance with five catches for 72 yards and a touchdown.  He seems to be healthy again and past that hamstring problem.  He’ll be asked to step his game up another notch or two next year if Jackson goes elsewhere.

Jason Avant made the kind of mistake which has plagued the Birds all season long.  He tried to score a touchdown in the first half and made the mistake of tossing the ball across the pylon and out of the end zone.  He wound up costing the Eagles an easy scoring opportunity that could have hurt them severely in a close game.

GCOBB

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tonto5
tonto5
December 25, 2011 5:55 pm

I wonder how many coaches out there would have had this Eagle’s team(with their philosophy and game decision making) 11-4 record, or atleast like the teams that always go to playoffs(Patriots, Steelers, Ravens, Packers) Last 5 years we did not make playoffs twice and we squeeked in twice….Nothing against

tonto5
tonto5
December 25, 2011 5:57 pm

Andy, Merry Christmas to him and everyone. There has to be coaches out there from college or assistant NFL that would be winning

Stevo
Stevo
December 25, 2011 11:53 pm

DC

Starting MLB with anger issues.

FS who smashes all who touch the ball.

A player issued system that issues strick fines on any player that misses a tackle.

Juan becomes cordinator of back pats and hours andy spends at the nova.

13-3.

jott1972
jott1972
December 26, 2011 10:29 am

Reid will draft OG DeCastro from Stanford to play LG in round 1

Juan will be back for his 2nd tour of duty and Reid will pronounce him ready for the NFL…. Vick will go down week 8 for the year and the Eagles finishe 8-8 in Reid’s last season as Eagles head coach… another waste of a season.

paulman
paulman
December 26, 2011 10:49 am

OG DeCastro’s a very good player, but Eagles won’t select him..
A scenario that very well could happen is that Current LG Evan Mathis will test Free-agnecy and probably a team will overpay for him.. The Eagles will offed Mathis a solid 3 Year Deal, but Mathis’s wants more and will leave in Free-Agency.
If Eagle lose Mathis, then they may shift Herreman back to LG and have W Justice and K Dunlap battle it out for the Starter’s spot come Camp time..
Dunlap is also a Free-Agent but is probably more vaulalbe to the Eagles since he plays both OT positions and even played OG in a game or two.. I think Eagles Sign dunlap and let Mathis walk

EricT
EricT
December 26, 2011 6:30 pm

Did I miss something on Jackson’s contract? The man was under contract and that’s the way it works. Teams can release players because the players agree to it in their contract — it’s really that simple and it should be. You are paid to perform at a professional level. If you can’t, see ya – bye, and let the next one have a crack.

DeSean will be back next season with either a new contract or the franchise tag. There’s no way the Eagles want to face him two times a year in the NFC East.

paulman
paulman
December 26, 2011 7:56 pm

D-Jax, if no deal is struck after the Season will becomes a Free-Agent will move out West to the 49ers or SD Chargers.. he does not care for the East Coast that much and for the Philly local media at all per his close associates..He’s a goner
Eagles will make him a 1 time 3 year- $25-$30 Million Deal, if he does not accept, but they will not Franchise, they will let him walk and move forward for that’s how it goes in the NFL..

Rocko
Rocko
December 26, 2011 8:55 pm

A 1 time 30 million dollar deal would give him 10 mil a year. I think that’s fair enough (now I’m waiting for all the Desean Haters to say he isn’t worth that much and start spilling their garbage) in 5….4….3…2…1…

schiller
schiller
December 26, 2011 9:10 pm

rocko – do you think Djax would take that deal? I bet he’d want more than a ‘fair deal’. I think he wants to make Larry Fitz and Arod look like poor poor people. I want them to keep him, and for him to be happy. But I’ve seen nothing to convince me that his ego has balanced out to reality.

paulman
paulman
December 26, 2011 9:21 pm

I would offer 3 Year Deal for $30 Million Total,
Base Salary of $7 in 2012, $7.5 in 12013 and $8 Million in 2014 totaling $22.5
Pay him a $3.5 Million Signing Roster Bonus March 1st for 2012 and a $2 Million Roster Bonus each in 2013 and 2014 totaling $30 Million

If he balks or refuses, let him walk, forget about the Franchise Tag and use it on a player like LG Evan Mathis who you want to keep to solidify the OL

There are lots of WR who could be availalbe in Free-Agnecy
(Vince Jackson,Derrick Bowes, Marquis Colston, Robert Meachem, Braylon Edwards, etc,etc)

Rocko
Rocko
December 26, 2011 9:44 pm

I’m speaking from djax standpoint because he’s a young fiery kid who would prolly get tired of the FO shanannagans after 3 years and would be ready to move on to another team with a good contract offer waiting for him. I wouldn’t be to worried about Jackson’s Ego because championship teams have playmakers with big egos. We need the biggest egomaniacs playing for this football team Sheila. You best believe the packers, Saints, Steelers, Patriots, 49ers and ravens have the biggest egomaniacs playing for them: ie Harrison, ray lewis, A Rogers, and even the Harbaugh brothers, Tomlin and belicheck have big egos. EGO’S WINS CHAMPIONSHIPS.

schiller
schiller
December 26, 2011 9:52 pm

Paul – franchise Mathis? Pay mathis the average of the top 5 OL salaries? Or even OG salaries (is it that specific for OL men?)? That’s silly budy.

paulman
paulman
December 26, 2011 9:59 pm

I think with D-Jax’s small size and with already having a couple concussions,
I would not go longer than a 3 Year Deal for I am not too sure he will last much beyond that anyways… Also giving him a 3 Year Deal with a pass-happy Offfense which will continue to allow him to put up big numbers, possible Pro-Bopwl Appearances and then he could be a Free-Agent 3 years from now at still a relatively young age 28 and still have 1 big contract out there to receive if he were to stay healthy and productive..

Not to change gears,
What do the Eagles do about the Back-Up QB positon for 2012.. Does anyone think they offer VY a back-up type of contract.. I think it’s safe to assume that Vick is going to miss 3-4 games every Season due to the style he plays and having a competent Back-up QB is probably a little more important to have on the Eagles than maybe some other teams.. Look at Teams like the Bears/KC Chiefs whose seasons went down in flames once losing their Starters.. or a Team like the Raiders who ended up trading 2 # 1 Draft Picks for a 33 Year Old Carson Palmer which has not paid off when origianl Starter Jason Campbell went down..
JAson Campbell is a Free-Agent in 2012 fyi…

schiller
schiller
December 26, 2011 10:00 pm

Rock – I don’t think the saints are full of big ego players at all. I don’t think Rodgers plays like he has a big ego at all. He doesn’t fumble the ball during a premature celebration or get penalties for stupid celebrations, or take plays off or get in contract squables. I don’t see the egos on the 9ers either. I don’t even see the pats playing with big egos (I hate them though).

Egos do win championships – but usually somewhat mature egos. Djax still thinks he’s ‘king of the hill’ from college. It’s one thing to have or be an ego, it’s another to let it hurt your play/professionalism.

Guys who play with a showboating ego before they accomplish great things – see Djax – usually don’t win championships….see TO, 85, Randy Moss…. I hope djax bunks the trend….but

And coaches are a whole different thing. Sure NFL coaches have egos – they are also executives. They ARE bosses. Djax is a teammate, an employee.

And Egos do NOT win championships – that’s one of the dumbest things I’ve ever heard. Maybe unselfish egos, but not ‘egos’. Man, every champion ever would laugh at you for such a statement!

paulman
paulman
December 26, 2011 10:11 pm

It’s Position Specific Schiller, an OG is not paid nearly as High as OT and specifically LT which is the Higest Average Salary.among OL
When looking at the Roster and who is a Free-Agent, the only ones I beleive the Eagles are interested in Retaining outside of D-JAx would be Mathis or Dunlap..
I don’t see the Eagles interested in retaining VY, Steve Smith, R Brown, J Jackson, M Fokou or J Parker at a “Franchise Tag #”, I am not saying the Eagles ouldn’t offer any o these players back-up type of contracts since that what they are on the Eagles
I think it goes back again if Coach AR, and Mudd return (which I beleive they do) then you have to think about solidifying that OL and if they lose Mathis, then you have to most likely have to shift RT Herremans back to LG which leaves open the RT position again and it was a revolving door last Summer, By signing or even tagging Mathis (and maybe you have to overpa a little) you in essence lock down both LG and RT which also allows the EAgles to go ahead and maybe trade OT Justice for a 5th Round Pick since the EAgles wouldn’t need him..

paulman
paulman
December 26, 2011 10:18 pm

I agree about the stupid EGO comment about winning Championships..
The Packers are probably one of the classiest organizations around.. You see WR Jennings, Nelson,Driver catching balls, do they spin the ball, do they use a 1st-down sign after every catch.. Yes they do the lambeau leap, but that’ tradiotion for every Packer play to do once socring a TD whether it’s a RB,QB,FB,Wr,TE or a DB picking off a pass for a TD…
Has anyone notice that Celek has stopped doing that first-down wave crap and all of a sudden he’s playing better ball like he used to 2-3 Years ago..
All Professional Athletes have an ego, or they would have achieved the level of success to even get to play in the NFL, but act like yuou been there before, and let’s wait until you team ghas won something first before mouthing off.. The Eagles never really had this problem before D-Jax arrived, now they have a few players who like to showboat a little more than is needed and in some cases if has hurt the team

Stevo
Stevo
December 26, 2011 10:55 pm

Bla bla bla egos’s- djax is not T.O. Boys. He does good things in the community and he wants to win. As I’ve said from day 1- can’t blame the man, he wants to be paid, wants to protect himself until he is. Can’t blame the birds- want to pay him at a fair price.

Pman- djax is not leaving the birds. The eagles are NOT tagging mathis. And the phillies will win more than 85 games last season.

paulman
paulman
December 27, 2011 12:06 am

If D-Jax is not signed by the Eagles by the end of January, then he will test Free-Agency and be a goner via Free-Agency..
Phils will win approx 90-92 Games and still get bounced out in the 1st Round Their Championship Window is closing fast I am afraid and or all these great teams over the last 5-6 Seasons and only 1 WS Championship to show for it is a real disappointment too.. Philly Teams just cannot live up to the hype & expectations when they are the favorites to win in any Sport. .It’s the Philly Choke syndrome..