Eagles Come Back For Victory, As Foles Passes Another Test
BREAKING NEWS, Eagles, General News, News Sunday, December 9th, 2012
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.
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Posted by GarryCobb
on Dec 9 2012. Filed under BREAKING NEWS, Eagles, General News, News.
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Larrwd. Changing your name to Larrwdthevictor with your dogged pursuit of enlightening all of us morons on how bad or lucky Foles is. Stop hiding behind trying to keep it real and root for the QB who is currently starting or you are the same as Vinnie who roots for Eagle’s players to fail.
For everyone else, let’s see if the Birds can spoil some playoff hopes for other teams.
RT777, Great work with the Patriots Passing Stats,
They use a majority of their PAssing game (Routes 10 Yards or less) as their Running game so when everyone says theey PAss70% to 30% of the Time, it’s all relative..
Do you have these Stats for the Eagles Offense..
I bet when Vick was playing, the majority of the Eagles Pass Attempts were 10 Yards-15 Yards or longer which is a more all-in, higher-risk/higher reward type of Offense
Pats Offense is geared to stay on the field, wear down a Defense, consume time and finish with Scoring TD’s (which is the key.. 7 Points and not 3 Points which has been an issue with the Eagles for years and years) and then take deep shots once a Defense is pooped out and have Safeties biting on shorter routes..
Eagles Offense is a big-play, all or nothing type of Offense and when it’s clicking (like against the Redskins that memorable MNF Football game in 2010, then it’s a beauty to watch, but the reality is that Teams and Defensense have made adjustments over the years against the stale and predictiabl AR/MM Offense so once the big plays are taken away from the Eagles Offense, they are just not able to execute consistently long drives with getting 4-6-8 yards a play.. They were tyoo undisciplined inPlay-Calling, In executing and ledf by a QB who strength is not managing a game but nickel and diming down the field and taking what the Defense gives you and in a nut shell, this is what has occurred with the Eagles Offense since D-Jax/Maclin arrived and it has gotten less productive with each passing season since..
AR did that for years! and you hammered him for it!
he only became big play when he fell in love with vick.
Eagles offense showed a glimmer of that type of offense last Sunday with foles, avant cooper and to some degree maclin, bit djax is a bad fit fir this toy of offense
Andy wanted to develop this type of offense with kolb, but Lurie told him he had to start Vick, bad decision, put the franchise back 2-3 years, did you see how happy reed was after buc victory, Andy finally playing his quarterback, never was Vick, I don’t even think it was mcnabb either
The more I read your posts the more I become convinced that you don’t know what the f$%k you are talking about
do any of us – but every Monday morning we know that Lurie and the rest of the former bum cheap penny pinching tight pocket owners don’t either since 1960
Before this year Ben Roethlisberger only missed three games due to injury, in 7 years. He was suspended for four games, that’s not an injury. Plus, Ben gets hit in the pocket trying to pass the ball. He don’t get hit when he’s moving at top speed like RG-III. I have nothing against RG-III, but it looks like opposing safeties hate him…
I beg to Differ HAC
It’s when AR & MM fell in love with D-Jax & then Vick..
some one once posted Atlanta’s CB Dante Robinson ended that plan with one hit to the jaw a couple years ago
paulman, andy reid never fell in love with vick, he was told to start him, Reid wanted to develop his quarterback, Kevin Kolb, after Vick lit up the Lions, Lurie told Andy to start Vick, right after Andy told everyone in a press conference that Kolb will start when he returns, in fact he got angry about it, then the next day or so, he reverses himself in a soft, apologetic voice, wake up
That’s Bull Jake,
Owner Lurie has very limited Football Knowledge on who can do what and how, he’s never been the type of Owner to tell Coach AR on who to play
I believe Coach AR sensed that Kolb just didn’t have it as simple as that
so that when Vick filled in for him and played well, he stayed with the hot hand that was Vick in October of 2010 and stucl with Vick in hoping he could develop him as a Pocket Passer which most of us knew was not going to happen.. It was, what it was, but if Coach AR was so high with Kolb, then why what is so common knowledge around the NFL that Coachr AR was going to trade him to get him out of Town..
and thereafter he didn’t have much of a choice since Vick had that 6 game stretch and most thought Vick was the answer, turned out tobe “fools gold”, Vinnie adamant all along Vick was a mistake, may hve been all alone with that
I bet though Andy now upset that he won’t be able to develop his quarterback Foles
The Eagles have decided to not to reduce the salary of defensive tackle Mike Patterson after his placement on the non-football illness list.
Patterson, who began the season on the non-football illness list after surgery to repair a tangle of blood vessels in his brain, had a provision in his contract that automatically reduces his pay for any week that he is on the NFI list. But the provision was implemented to protect the team in the event that Patterson couldn’t play due to the brain condition.
Since returning to the field, Patterson contracted viral pneumonia, which unlike the brain condition arguably was connected to practicing and playing in the elements.
“After a day of reflection, the Eagles and [G.M.] Howie Roseman decided to treat Mike like the high-character player that he is,” agent Peter Schaffer tells PFT. “They’re doing it because they believe that players who have done what Mike has done for the franchise should be rewarded. They always had Mike’s best interests at heart. So they renegotiated his contract to remove the provision that automatically dropped his pay.”
Schaffer emphasized that the outcome reflects not animosity between himself, the Eagles, and Patterson, but the existence of a strong working relationship that allowed the parties to find a solution when it otherwise appeared that the team’s hands were tied. The Eagles promptly sought and obtained league approval to revise the contract, allowing the Eagles to pay Patterson the extra $150,000 that otherwise would have been removed from his 2012 compensation over the final three weeks of the season.
It was the right thing to do, and it was wise for the parties to find a way to work it out. It’s also a positive sign that the Eagles have the kind of flexibility under Roseman that would keep them from clinging to an unreasonable position simply because the franchise doesn’t want to admit that perhaps there’s a better path.
Should have been released medically or placed on the IR for the entire 2012
Another Wasted Roster Position and a poor Example of Roster Management by the Eagles once again, as I stated back in June..
Pattersonn will not figure in Future plans and will be gone after this Season
wonder if Patterson and his agent are playing the medical card once again for him to receive a “Medical Settlement” instead of a flate out release..
As the wheels keep a churning at NovaCare.. See this is what happens to an organizxation when not making decisive and half-assed Personnel Decision.. They stuck with the Andrew Sisters too long, Abriami,Kevin Curtis and this season Demetress Bell, and others.. Once you setermine that the Player cannot be productive or ever a legitiemate shot at being a Starter, then you cut the chord and move on.. Unless your a back-up QB,Return Specialists or simply a SPecial Teams Demon..
Back-up OL, DL, Secondary, WR, QB are a dime a dozen and all around the waiver wires or practice squads…
GM Roseman is proving to be very poor at “Roster Management” and worse than when AR and Heckert did, when they were handlign it themselves in my opinion,,,
Paulman, Im with you on the Patterson thing. All i keep hearing on the radio is how could they do this to a guy like Mike Patterson..and then you got his agent talking him up like he is Warren Sapp or something…Fact is, Patterson and his agent has been stealing money from the Eagles since the day he was drafted…He has been a major disappointment IMO based upon where he was drafted. He gets paid millions a year, one of the highest paid players on the defense year in and year out and he has been nothing special…Seriously, can anyone tell me when we actually won a game because of Mike Patterson? Not trying to sound like an asshole but sorry if I dont feel the compassion for the guy. I just didn’t get what the big deal is. The NFL is a cut throat business period. It was his choice, just like it is all these players choices, to risk their bodies everyday for the NFL lifestyle. The eagles didn’t force Mike Patterson to play football this year. This country is getting so damn soft these days.
Again, look at the Roster and certain players that have had strong Ties to Coach AR are one-by-one, they getting moved out..
I expect QB Vick, OL Todd Herremans, LB Akeem Jordan, S Kurt Coleman
LB MAtthews to be on the cutting blocks as well just like Juselio Hanson, Antonio Dixon, were this Summer ..
Kevin Curtis? He was one of the better FA signings by the birds. Even if it was rather short lived.
Kevin Curtis got no balls…since the surgery that is.
Curtis had 1 1/2 good Seasons iwth his final 2 Seasons pretty Average
It was only deemed a Good Signing for he was a 2nd Tier Player that they did not way overpay for like lots of other Free-Agent Signings..