This was an up and down affair between the Eagles and the Bucs, with the Birds winning on the game’s last play. It was a fun game after a very slow start, with both offenses doing nothing early, then going up and down the field later on.
Rookie quarterback Nick Foles showed tremendous composure with the game on the line in the win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He was playing against the worst secondary in the NFL, but you credit him with taking advantage of it.
The fact that he told the coaches what play he liked on the final play of the game says it all. One of his biggest strengths of Foles is that he understands the game and he has a good feel for the game. The young man is able to walk to the line of scrimmage and grasp what he’s looking at and possibly change the play to a better play.
The touchdown run took forever but he got there. It wasn’t the only time that Foles used his legs to take advantage of open areas. He took off for a key first down on the final touchdown drive. He isn’t going to be scaring anybody with his speed, but he is athletic enough to take advantage of scrambling opportunities.
Foles does a great job of keeping his eyes downfield on scrambles and that helped him create big plays to Jason Avant, Jeremy Maclin and a touchdown throw to Clay Harbor.
I’m not ready to say that Foles is the Eagles answer at the quarterback position, but he has gotten better in each of the last few games. Remember he threw a pass that should have been picked off on the last drive. He’s been very fortunate about sure interceptions being dropped, so let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Remember if he’s throwing sure interceptions against the worst secondary in the league will he be able to lead a team against a good pass rush and an excellent secondary. The jury is still out on the young man.
There are certain things which he has proven to us.
He’s proven that unlike Kevin Kolb he’s got the body to withstand the pounding a quarterback must take in the NFL. Foles will stand in there with a pass rusher in his face, take the pounding and deliver the football without blinking.
He’s proven that unlike Michael Vick, he understands the NFL passing game thoroughly. He can change the wrong play into the right play at the line of scrimmage, then execute the play. You can send Foles to the line of scrimmage with three plays and he can call the right one then execute it. He does meet the necessary requirements on the understanding level.
Bryce Brown was shut down by the Bucs defense. He couldn’t get outside of the Bucs contain because they were attacking him as he went down the line of scrimmage. Tampa Bay’s secondary does a great job of supporting the defense front on run plays, but they’re awful against the pass.
Brent Celek was knocked out of the game on the second play and it opened up opportunity for Clay Harbor and he took advantage of it. Harbor has been improving as a receiver and as a blocker behind the scenes all season long. He consistently got open against the Bucs and he caught the football. I see a bright future for this young man.
His touchdown was a key play which set up the come back win. He can beat any linebacker in the league who tries to cover him. The youngster made a great one-handed catch on another play. He’s shown he can catch the football despite getting pounded, which is a must for a good tight end.
Jeremy Maclin made the catch to win it all, but he struggled to get open for much of the game. I will give him credit for stepping up with the game on the line. He caught 9 catches for 104 yards and a touchdown, despite a slow start.
Despite the winning touchdown catch, I don’t think he showed us that he can be a number one receiver. There were too many times when he was covered like a blanket when Foles was looking for somebody to get the ball to. If he aspires to be a number one, he’s got to get open against double-teams, which DeSean Jackson did often. Maclin hasn’t shown us that he can be a number one receiver.
Jason Avant had one of the best days of his career. His one handed catch may have been the best catch of 2012 in the NFL. His catch down the middle on fourth down was a game saver and set up the winning touchdown. He made 7 catches for 122 yards.
Avant did a nice job on a number of scrambles of heading downfield and getting open for Foles. It’s not an accident that he and Foles did a good together because both of them understand the passing game. The veteran wide receiver is a calming influence for a young quarterback and has always been willing to do whatever it took to help the team win. He’s not a personal stats guy.
How did LB Jendricks look at the WILL Position
And Safety Colt Anderson and the DE Curry, Graham & Hunt
How does Special Teams Coach Booby April manage to stay employed
Irrelevant.
Paul…you want to talk speial teams???
Com’on….this was best game last 3 years……hope…….future….
the secondary, spec teams, etc….they’ll be fixed over the next 2 yrs…..untill then, enjoy the hope you saw today
Kendricks looked better than he had in the last few weeks. Anderson played well enough to earn another start over the dreck there is currently.. D-line not so good. Martin rushed for 128 yards and very little pressure on Freeman.
kendricks should have been at the will weaks ago. he’s a playmaker. good games from fletcher cox and COLT ANDERSON!! wow he shot in the backfield a few times.feels good to see good safety play. nicky foles looks promising, but like i said we still need a OT in the first round.Nate allen and nnamdi are still liabilities, hopefully the new coach recognizes this going forward.
Congrats to Nick Foles his 32-51 381 yard passing day rivals Bobby Hoyings 4th NFL start vs Cincinnati in 1997 when he passed for 313 yards and 4 tds. I still have that Hoying jersey somewhere. grrrrrr.
Wow is this deja vu? Bobby Hoying 3rd round pick also. Im looking at 1997 Mike Vick i mean Rodney Peete replaced midway through season by Bobby Hoying I mean Nick Foles. Bobby Hoying lights up NFL in 4th start. Fans go crazy! Fans buy every Bobby Hoying jersey in Deleware Valley. Next year Bobby Hoying starting QB for Eagles. Eagles find out he cant play and get #2 pick in draft and select franchise QB Donovan McNabb. I definetly will wait this time to buy a jersey just in case 🙂
Vinnie,
I only brought up how the Defense looked for many of us posted about
Foles great performance already and wanted G’s take on the Defense
Since the Eagles did limit the Bucs high-scoring Offense for most of the game
(Until the muffed punt)
ha…Paulman, you can’t talk defense with Vinnie….he’s only open for one subject of conversation…
I can’t believe how Brown’s performance was such a failure after his first 2 games
The coaching staff couldn’t make any adjustments to the game plan at half time to get him at least some yards
Foles would have had a more impressive game if play fakes could have been effective
The bucs werent goign to let brown beat them .. The bucs can easily shut down desean and maclin because they never go over the middle.. so the were going to make the eagles have to win with avant and harbor..
Except for Maclin was 9-104 with a TD.
G,
Foles was sacked 6 times and hit quite a bit, under constant duress. He was given no running game, and I’m talking none. Bad secondary or not, he was missing his top WR, RB, and TE. As for 1 near interception, find me one QB in the NFL that doesn’t throw at least 1 near interception in a game. You keep harping on this, but Foles has not turned the ball over in 3 straight games.
@ Kevin Kolb4sb he wasnt given any running game because stopping the run was the bucs key focal point. Lets not reach and just let him progress as he’s been..
And congrats to Andy Reid who came sooooo close to a perfect game.
We all know he’s working his way to a game where he calles 100% passes.
This one, with 61 called passes and 13 runs (82%) was his closest yet!
On top of the win, almost a perfect “Reid”. Cool.
That formula is gonna get this kid killed. The Bucs secondary is worst in the league. With protection Foles could have passed for 500 yards. They have got to be more balanced starting Thursday night.
I dont know about this being the best game in the past 3 years…But it was a good game. After watching Foles get hit behind that O Line and seeing him respond in the end, I definitely gained some respect for the kid. That’s the type of game I give him credit and what I called paying some dues. Win or lose yesterday, he played well…But still I am not ready to jump through the roof just yet nor is the Eagles front office. What could an awful performance against the Bengals do? Be positive but be patient some of you probably fall in love easily. First taste of “puddin” you had probably turned out to be your wife…
Vinniemysister, what’s your take on the O Line, and how did you feel about the sacks Foles took? Did he make the Line look better? or was the O Line just simply horrid, like they’ve been the majority of this season?
Real talk, you have to see something special, seven minutes, down 11, back to back touchdown drives, last one with no timeouts, that’s big time, big time franchise quarterback stuff
Even with the pourous line Foles still managed to get the ball off 51x of his 61 dropbacks…84%…and, seeing that 2 of the throws were beautiful throw aways and 1 was a spike…he was again able to get off almost 90% of the pass plays called. Pretty impressive.
What did I see?
Poise.
Intelligence – the 2 throw-aways in the 2nd to keep team in FG range were $$. I’ve read he constantly audibles throughout the game, modified the 2nd last play and then chose the final one.
Very very positive. WIll be fun watching this kid develop through next year.
Oh, and BTW…..who was it that said he couldn’t see “it”….whatever “it” was (couldn’t be defined)….he just knew Foles did not have….”it” Was that you Bigion? Did you see “it” yesterday……..
And last week Songs you asked how Foles would hold up passing the ball 75-80% of the time. Well?
Vinnie I saw some of it yesterday like not losing his composure and not getting happy feet, now let’s build on this. I still don’t think he’s the answer long term and I still hope I’m wrong.
“He was playing against the worst secondary in the NFL, but you credit him with taking advantage of it.”
Hey, man, thanks for the great compliment for the young guy!…But, wait, I thought the Eagle secondary was the worst?
You know, I have to crack up when I read all these ‘fantasy football’ critics and ‘keyboard warriors’ analyze the Eagles performance with a microscope…Most have NEVER played a competitive sport in their whole lives!
I have been a musician/performer for almost 35 years, so I have a little experience reading/inter acting with ‘critics’ and ‘journalists’…Most have no clue, as they would sh*t themselves if they ever had to get up on stage in front of ONE person, let alone a hundred or thousands, nor can they ‘create’ anything.
So, while I myself understand the problems with the Birds coaching, administration an players, I just have to laugh at many critics’.
Now this is G.Cobb posting here, so his opinion carries more weight with me, as he knows what putting it on the line…But G has been hanging with the WIP sleaze balls so long, he might be picking up their tricks.
To Frank
Cool to hear that you are a musician, what instrument and type of music do you play if you don’t mind me asking.. My Father is life-long Jazz Musician and plays the Upright Bass among the Sax,Flute and played in th Philly/AC area for years .. He lives in Florida now and is 81 Years old and still plays, and teaches down in the Sarasota,FL area now..
He used to play in the house band for the old “Mike Douglas Show”which was taped at the the KYW Studio’s as well the “Tom Jones Variety Show” House band which were done up in NYC..
Unfortunately, I never had the Natural “Musical Ear” and was more into School & Sports as a kid as opposing to playing an instrument, but someday will learn the guitar/piano ..
The bucs are literally 32nd in the NFL?
In terms of total yrds given up…yes they are 32…..but NO is lower than them yrds/play and TDs given up.
TB is 4th in the league in interceptions though.
So vinnie… the Oline was bad then?
Of course the oline is pretty bad…though not as bad as before) and as I’ve stated 50,000 times it must be fixed over the next couple of seasons…
But first…always first….quarterback. Hopefully we’ve got that one down…though I need to see 12-16 games before I make any judgements on the QBs performance. As good as he was yesterday (and we all do realize that was the best QB performance the Birds have had since the former superstar’s MNF game – no seriously…look it up…try and find one that was better) I still expect a 4 int disaster at some point moving forward….happens to all rooks.
Vinnie how is you saying I need to see him play 12-16 games before you pass judgement any different from me saying I don’t think he’s the answer but I hope I’m wrong?
really? 11 games? You were on Kolb’s nutz the way he walked out of the locker room before his first start. Why change now?
hate vick and wanted anyone if it meant vick gone
This is why I like Vinnie, brutal honesty
Oline is bad, the Bucs secondary was worse, the Qb understood that if he could remain up right he would have receivers open. Does that sense?
Sis, it was a simple question…no need for you to start campaigning.
very few veteran nfl quarterbacks can do what nick foles did yesterday, the most impressive was perhaps telling the coaches what play he wanted to win the game, then going out there and executing the play, winning the game, theres no talkin around it, it was the best quarterback performance by an eagles quarterback since jaworski, randall, with the exception of mike vick’s win at the meadowlands, they both put their teams on their back and won the game
Jake most NFL Qb’s could pull off what Foles did yesterday with the exception to that dreck Arizona calls Qb’s. And for calling that play, great maybe he should call all the plays.
MM and AR asked 7 on the game winning drives earlier this season, what play he wanted to run as well…This is part of the way they coach…I’m sure they’ve asked McNabb in the past what play he wanted to run as well…Wasn’t because they felt differently about Foles, lets just be clear on that.
the point is the poise, the confidence he has as a rookie, when was the last time a quarterback in the nfl directed two touchdown drives less than 11 on the clock, last drive with no timeouts, maybe elii manning, the number of quarterbacks that can do, did this is very small, biglion you must not watch a lot of football if you think many in the nfl do this, there are very, very few, those who have done it have “it”
You must not watch many games either, Andrew Luck has done it twice already this year.
And I guarantee you can find guys no longer in the league who flamed out that have done it as well.
have to also give credit to the defense…hadn’t they held, there would of been no shot..again another revelation to how football is a team sport.
I like Foles but I would aslo like to point out that many of you were talking about how Kolb was the first rookie to throw 3oo yards bla bla bla.
I really liked what I had seen in Foles last night and I really hope he is the guy.
The bigger key will be who the guy calling the shots is.
Vinnie is right about the QB making the coach WHEN the QB is a HOF’er. Most in the NFL are not and so you need to have a good coach who knows balance…..and around and around we go.
The other issue here is how this team could easily have folded up after the botched punt. Here’s a team who, with that fumble, the missed 31 yrder, and the false start on the 53 yrder gave the Bucks a 13 pt swing….for a team that had lost so many in a row, they could have folded, but didn’t.
Young kids showed a bit of character.
And I agree, Foles showed poise, and clearly a knowledge of the playbook that I’m quite sure the former superstar never had. The modifying of the 2nd last play to a post because of the coverage + the audible to Cooper last week on his TD + selecting and then executing the final TD play + Reid saying yesterday that Foles is audibling and changing plays constantly…tells me this kid is pretty smart.
I’ll take smarts over speed and arm strength any day of the week…oh wait, he has good arm strength too. And he’s 6’5″.
Lots of positives at this point.
Im just trying to figure out something here..
In the preseason all we heard was “Oh, well its just a preseason game against a bunch of back ups he cant play well against starters”
Now im hearing
” He only did good because Tampa is bad against the pass”
When will the excuses stop?
Excuses?
Im pretty sure we are all on board with the kid. There are some here that would like to…. you know….. watch him play a few games before we give him the old Vinnie/Kolb treatment.
If tyrann mathieu (LSU) is available in the 2nd round do you select him if you are the Eagles? I say yes. Just wanted you guys opinion. Paulman? daggolden? Stevo? Vinnie?
This kid is a great talent, if your looking for a playmaker he’s your guy, but the character issues scare me and he freelances too much in looking for the big play.
Honey Badger? I don’t know….I’d probably stay away.
I think new coach is going to come in and drop a lot of older “dead weight” players (already begun) Try to build a new culture….do you bring in guys with questionable pasts? Not sure.
He’s also 5′ 9″….thought we agreed no more smurfs.
E.S. I dont watch college football. I dont have time. I am a youth minister 60 hours a week. A father- all day every day. And a Seminary student-lots of hours. I pay attention to the college game in Dec and Jan although…. if Andy Reid found a way to come back next year I would prolly just move over to college for a few years.
That’s impressive Stevo, I hear you I’m on the youth council at my Church in Florida as well as a full time dad, don’t know how you find time for Seminary school good luck my man.
good work Big. yea… fun but nutz.
Stevo- you are a busy dude, but try to find some time to watch the rivalry week games in mid to late November in college football. Decades of history in some of these matchups.
what are you watching biglion, stop with all your bullshitting here, the only drive by Luck that compares is the one two weeks ago, that was rare, yesterdays was field goals with time remaining, bring some cred here for a change, foles marched his team down the filed twice in eleven minutes, last drive with no timeouts, then beautiful back to back passes to win the game, can’t remember a better played game by an eagles quarterback save vick’s game at the meadowlands
Luck did the same thing against Green Bay earlier down 2 scores in the 4th or don’t you watch the games? Foles played great stop trying to put him in the HOF. Hell it was harder to do what Kirk Cousins did yesterday then what Foles did. Do you know who he is Jake?
On LSU’s Natthieu
He’s listed as 5 9″ but many reports have him a shade under 5 8″
I stay far away from him, Eagles need 6′ + CB’s who are Physical
(Like the Seahawks, 49ers and the Packers have)
Eagles current CB’s gave size but no toughness
Matthieu will most likely go in the 4th Round due to his Character issues and lack of size and I can see a Team taking a chance with him as a Punt Returnnan and a Nickel Back, but that’s about it
as I said weeks ago the future of this organization is bright.
Foles
cox
Kendrick’s
curry
Boykin
new coaching staff
maybe a thunder lightning running Attack next year.
stud o lineman,dt or the lb from nd next year
I’m a big fan of last years draft.
yesterday was just awesome to see & feel as an eagles Fan.
unreal how this kid is making cooper and harbor like they belong in the nfl
love this teams future
Hey Mhenski,
On a side note, How’s the Baby and Mommy doing..
Hope all are healthy and well.. Congrats and Happy Holidays to your growing family.. ..
appreciate it paul. our daughter was born nov 15. everyone’s happy & healthy. happy holidays
amen!! Peace to you and many many blessings on your future. I have 2 daughters and 1 baby on the way…. your life is changed forever.. trust me.
Billion yo are a pure bulshitter, cousins made two passes and ran a quarterback draw to tie the game, he played all of about thirty seconds, he made clutch plays, but to say what he did was harder than what foles did, you sling shit, no facts,
And the green bay game was one score, do some homework.
Got better things to do, they were down 17 that game just not in the 4th okay, anyway what Foles did yesterday was outstanding its just not as unheard of as you think. Yes I do think what Cousins did was more impressive coming in cold in that situation and then winning in OT with no preparation.
Riley cooper and Jason avant are the two best wideouts on this team, not even close
You’re a moron.
Speaking of Cousins and the Skins……I’m getting less and less concerned about RGIII on the Redskins.
Guy is only going to have a 3 year career the way Shanahan is running him into the ground. A concussion and a sprained knee already and the season isn’t even over yet.
Cooper and Avant…and maclin….look how impressive our WRs can suddenly look when they have an actual QB and not a glorified pinball at the helm…..
I know… that McNabb guy over in philly has a broken leg, a few broken ribs and his bell has been rung too many times in only a few seasons, I bet he’s out of football soon.
Speaking of Cousins isn’t he the reason why Foles transferred?
Actually, it was the when Keith Nichol transferred from Oklahoma that Foles transferred out. Then he would be competing against 2 other dudes instead of one. Cousins eventually won the job, but he was never really competing head to head against Foles, because Hoyer was the QB through the 2008 season.
Thanks bugsy
How’s that for homework Jake.
I agree with Vinnie noway RGIII has a career playing the way he does.
agreed. BUT…. they are doing this because there Oline is still a work in progress and their D is too. This is HOW you win in the NFL. U take what u got and you make something of it. I think you will see the skins build off this in the off season and use this style less.
Rg plays under controls boys and his accuracy is really spectacular to watch. He really is unreal and shanahan hasn’t even opened up his passing play book in its entirety yet.
Rg has a very bright future.
Mathieu has been an impact player since day one for LSU. Mathieu compiled 57 tackles with 8.5 tackles for a loss, 4.5 sacks, five forced fumbles, two interceptions, seven passes broken up and two interceptions as a freshman in 2010. He was one of the best defensive players in college football as a sophomore. He was a finalist for the Heisman Trophy, having had a massive impact for LSU. Mathieu led LSU in tackles with 76 and also had 7.5 tackles for a loss, 1.5 sacks, six forced fumbles, two interceptions and nine passes broken up. Additionally, he served as a punt returner in 2011, averaging 16 yards per return with two brought back for touchdowns.
Tyrann Mathieu we said the same about Vontez Burfict and he is having a good season as a Bengal. You cant ignore the fact that this guy was a Heisman finalist. He plays bigger than his size. He would be great as a free safety.
Vinnie I don’t think that’s going to be his offense going forward. I think this is like Stevo said let’s win now and tinker later. Hopefully he doesn’t kill him before then, I’m with you I hate that offense it will do him no favors as his career progresses.
True statement @mhenski
A very bright 3 year future. Short term success over long term success. Mistake. Kid is getting hammered every third play.
He’s 22 yr old 200lb qb who has already torn his ACL, had at least 1 concussion in the NFL, and now sprained his knee.
Shanahan and the stupid pistol offense might win now, but the kid is going to get pounded into the turf before he ever gets his career going.
honestly vin… i dont get it…
when Vick was getting killed on every play you were clear that the Big boys win games no matter the coaches or Oline. With Rg3 you cry that they dont help him. You see how crazy this is right?
not really. its not about “helping” anyone. I don;t think RGIII needs to be “helped”…but I think not running a pro offence is going to hurt him long term. Both phisically because he;s getting pounded, but also not developing the mental aspects as he should.
Wsh O calls for RGIII to run 7 or 8x a game on purpose. That means 7 or 8 more hits a game – on purpose. That’s fine for college, but not NFL.
That’s different than calling 50 passes and how you guys think that “dosn’t help” a qb.
Vinnie, isn’t shanahan playing to his qbs strength, if he flames out, he flames out, but he’s playing well and his game