Finally, my section for the things I liked will be longer than the things I didn’t like. While the Eagles certainly weren’t perfect, there just isn’t much complaining you can do after a lambasting like that.
They ran, they threw, they sacked, they won. Big. So, on to what I did and didn’t like from Sunday’s 56-21 drubbing of the Lions.
What I liked:
-The memories invoked of 1995. Wild Card weekend of that year had the red-hot Detroit Lions coming to the Vet. Lomas Brown was running his mouth and the Eagles were supposed to be cooked by the end of the first quarter. There was only one problem: Quite the opposite happened. The game was out of reach almost as soon as it began, and the Eagles went to win a lopsided one. Great stuff.
-We’ll stick with this me liking Brian Westbrook thing. I am almost tempted not to write it anymore because I think it’s just implied.
-Donovan McNabb was razor sharp. A perfect passer rating told me that he was doing “a little extra.”
-While Detroit’s pass defense is a few inches short of a disgrace, the Eagles (and Kevin Curtis specifically) took advantage of it the way you are supposed to. Has an entire secondary ever been cut after a game?
-The pass rush was wonderful. Broderick Bunkley, Juqua Thomas and Trent Cole all deserve kudos for making Jon Kitna think he was being swallowed by cartoon characters all day. That was a reference to the uniforms. Did it work? Not so sure.
-The punt return game was marvelous. Any time they don’t fumble the ball I’ll give them credit.
-The offensive line got it done. Say what you want about Detroit’s defense, but they do have Shaun Rogers and Cory Redding on that d-line.
-The first half. They got on the Lions and stayed on them. Just when it seemed that Detroit may still climb back into the game, the Eagles closed the door. That’s what good teams do, and let’s hope the Eagles are in fact a good team this year.
-Quinten Mikell did a marvelous job in his start on Sunday. While I don’t know that I’d be thrilled if he was a starter, I love having him as a backup.
…And not so much:
-Can anyone cover Roy Williams? He’s a great receiver for sure, but he ran around untouched all day. His numbers would have been even nastier if not for a few drops.
-Will James. See previous item.
-Where is Reggie Brown? It’s an offensive free-for-all and he didn’t take part in it. Poor numbers again, I’d love to know what he’s doing out there.
-I love Buckhalter as much as the next guy, but can the Eagles please find someone else to return kicks? No explosion there. Then again, I should just be thankful that the kick returner isn’t turning the ball over.
-From where I was sitting at the Linc, Sav Rocca’s kicks looked bad. Lions’ punter Nick Harris was kicking beautiful spirals. Conversely, Rocca’s kicks reminded me of throwing the football around in the schoolyard as a kid. There was always one kid that could never just throw the ball, he always had to punt it….poorly. Someone always had to go get it out of the woods. This wasn’t a problem so much yesterday considering the situation, but at what point does this become an issue?
micahw@feverpitchmedia.com
