The 9-4 Giants looked terrible and the 5-8 Eagles managed to be worse. Sure, I wanted the Eagles to win, but I wasn’t devastated when they lost.
It just means a better draft pick. I apologize if you deluded yourself into thinking that the Eagles could have made the playoffs had they won on Sunday. This team isn’t good enough to do anything anyway. Might as well have a better draft pick come April. I’m annoyed, so let’s take a look at the game:
What I liked:
-Brian Westbrook is an unmitigated stud. I don’t know what else to say. He’s even a superb blocker, which tends to get overlooked. Anyone that thinks he isn’t a first-tier back in this league isn’t watching enough of the Eagles. He is patient, tough, explosive, smart… just about everything you’d want in a back.
-Quinton Mikell is a nice safety. I like Q. He makes plays. He can blitz and, for a safety, he can cover.
-I loved the first drive. Talk about a hot knife through butter. Every play moved the ball. The Giants had no clue how to stop any of it.
-I liked Akers effort on the 57 yarder at the end of the game. He got a hold of that ball on a sloppy field. It would have been good from 60+ yards easily. Sadly, it hit the upright. Welcome to 2007 Eagles football.
-I thought the o-line did a marvelous job against the run and the pass. Donovan McNabb’s sacks were the result of other things, not terrible blocking.
-I liked the Eagles going for it on 4th and inches in the first half, despite Darryl Johnston disagreeing. McNabb is a big boy, just sneak it. QB sneaks are tough to stop when you have a player like McNabb. Johnston crowed about how it was a high-risk and low-reward play. Darryl, the Eagles are 5-7….who cares?
-Brian Dawkins made a great play to stop Reuben Droughns at the one-yard line. And then the defense showed up and made a goal-line stand. Well done.
-Trent Cole made an appearance! Maybe I’m being harsh, but Cole had one hurry in all of November. That’s it. It was good to see him being active again.
-Mike Patterson is a very nice player. I didn’t realize that he leads the entire NFL in tackles by a defensive tackle. I really like him paired with Broderick Bunkley. It’s the ends that I’d like to be better.
-I liked that there were no INT’s this week. Rag on McNabb if you like, he doesn’t throw many picks. I also liked that he looks to have some spring in his step. McNabb is getting better right now, people. Not worse. His scrambling reminded me of Donovan past.
-I thought Jevon Kearse was brilliant. Simply dominant. I’m kidding, which leads me too…
…And not so much:
-Of all the nasty talk about McNabb, where are the complaints about Lito Sheppard? He has been a disgrace in 2007. Either hurt or stinking. Or both. As if it wasn’t bad enough that a badly injured Plaxico Burress was schooling him all over the field (and to be fair, Sheldon Brown struggled with him as usual as well), he couldn’t stop committing penalties too. Thanks, Lito. When is someone going to come out and say how bad he’s been?
-The penalties in general were very annoying. This team has been good as of late in not committing penalties. Well, not on Sunday. Too many stupid penalties. The Eagles are not good enough to overcome stupid mistakes.
-Speaking of penalties, the Eagles got hosed a few times. Now, the bottom line is that if they played remotely well during this game, they could have endured the poor calls. But they didn’t, so it made the calls look worse. On 4th and 6, Jason Avant got tackled by Antonio Pierce before he caught the ball. No call. Sam Madison was stopping Westbrook from getting up to the line in the no-huddle situation. No call. C’mon now.
-Burress is hurt. He can’t run. Why was he having a field day on the Eagles?
-I’m so sick of McNabb not having anywhere to go with the football. A.J. Feeley was decisive and got rid of the ball….to the other team. McNabb didn’t trust his receivers and held on to the ball, scrambling for his life. Pick your poison. The bottom line is that these receivers are like much of the team: Not good enough. I hate this nonsense of people complaining about Donovan holding the ball too long. Then they complain about Feeley’s picks. Which do you want? No on is open and helping the QB make plays.
-Reggie Brown seems disinterested. I know I’m inferring too much based on watching the game, but he seems like he’d rather be doing something else.
-What do the linebackers on the Philadelphia Eagles actually do? I see a play here or there, but overall, they just don’t make big plays. I wonder what Stewart Bradley can do.
-McNabb took a sack near the sideline. You have to throw that ball away.
-Can anyone tell me why they would run the ball on 3rd and 5 at the end of the game on a crucial drive? I know they were having success and it was two-down territory, but are you serious?
-I don’t like the fact that this team (with McNabb) isn’t far from being a winning team. The NFC stinks. The Seahawks aren’t that good. Neither are the Giants. Neither are most of the teams. It doesn’t take much to turn these pathetic, close losses into wins. Andy Reid and Co. need to improve this roster.
micahw@feverpitchmedia.com
