A win over the Cowboys? You serious? Talk about something I didn’t expect. The way they played the last time the two teams met, if you had told me that they would win, yet score less than last time,
I’d tell you that you’re more stupid than the average Andy Reid play call. So, let’s look at the game:
What I liked:
-The fact that this time I have at least one entry into the “What I liked” part. Last time, there wasn’t a single good thing that I took from the Cowboys game.
-Brian Westbrook is greatness. He used to be thought of as a nice second-tier NFL back. He’s a top-three running back in the NFL. I got a couple of phone calls after the game saying that what he did at the end of the game was despicable and unsportsman like. Listen, when the Eagles had a one-point lead against the Redskins a few weeks ago, they let Westbrook score so they could get the ball right back. Westbrook remembered this. By kneeling down, he knew that with no timeouts, the Cowboys wouldn’t see the field again. Sure it’s an 11-point lead, but Tony Romo would have been given a chance to do something and you never know. Smart, smart play.
-I liked the play of the defensive line against the run. The Cowboys abandoned the run faster than Jessica Simpson will abandon Romo after his performance on Sunday. Julius Jones and Marion Barber simply didn’t have anywhere to go.
-The defense didn’t allow a TD to a team that hasn’t scored less than 24 points all year. They held Dallas to a pair of field goals. Wow.
-Donovan McNabb took off running a few times. He needs to do that more as he gets his legs back. People say that he can’t do it anymore. That’s nonsense. He can’t do it like he used to, but he’s not Drew Bledsoe. He still has some giddy up. The dart to Brent Celek at the end was huge.
-I noticed the linebackers on Sunday. Omar Gaither made some nice plays. Takeo Spikes got involved. Chris Gocong still doesn’t do it for me.
…and not so much:
-For a win, there was a lot I didn’t like. Let’s start with the refs not calling Ken Hamlin for a 15-yard penalty on the helmet-to-helmet his on Matt Schobel. You can bet he’ll get fined. And then calling Jamaal Jackson on the false start? That was garbage.
-Quinton Mikell really irritated me. You catch an interception nine yards deep in the end zone. I know you want to make a play. Just kneel on it. So, he runs it out and fumbles the ball. He missed a few tackles as well.
-Who is in charge of teaching tackling? Who thought it would be a good idea to try to tackle Barber and Jason Whitten high? These guys are monsters, get their legs. Anyone remember cornerback Pat Fischer? He played from 1961-1977 in the NFL and retired as having played the most games at corner than anyone in history. His tackling philosophy was to hit the guy low, lift, and take a leg with him. I’ve never seen anyone else do this. He figured if he took a leg with him, the guy would have to stop driving. Makes sense. I would love to see Sheldon Brown and Lito Sheppard take on this philosophy. Their tackling is suspect at times.
-Why are the Eagles throwing on second down when they are trying to run out the clock?
-How many times did they try to run Westbrook on the edge when DeMarcus Ware was hanging out on that side? There are two or three players in the NFL that can stop Westbrook going to the edge. Ware is one of them. I know they move him around a lot, but audible when you see where he is. The guy is a beast. He is a reason the Cowboys are better than the Eagles. They have Ware. The Eagles have Juqua Thomas.
-When discussing what has happened between now and the Eagles Super Bowl year, David Akers needs to be mentioned. He doesn’t stink, but he’s not Mr. Automatic anymore.
-Sav Rocca actually does stink. He was ok on Sunday, getting some good fair catches on the 10-yard line. But in general, there must be better players out there.
-As soon as Westbrook went out of the game and Tony Hunt got sent in on third down, I smelled trouble. “Oh no, blitz protection,” I thought. Sure enough, here comes Ware up the middle. Hunt missed the block completely.
-Who is to blame for the lack of depth on this team? That’s a rhetorical question. The personnel decisions on this team have been pretty bad lately. Drafting has been suspect, free agency has produced over-priced busts. Right guard Shawn Andrews left the game and here comes Max Jean-Gilles. Sure enough, Jay Ratliff owned him for a sack. If I have a pretty good grasp on Jean-Gilles, and if that was the real Winston Justice in that Giants game, the Eagles highly overrated their depth on the offensive line. The Eagles don’t have any starting-caliber backups. When was the last time that happened (thanks for that one, Frank)? It’s interesting, think about it.
-Did anyone see Sheppard on that interception return? He’s definitely hurt. He is much faster than that.
-I think I’ve had enough Jason Whitten for a while. He is elite and you can see how important a nice tight end can be to an offense. The Eagles had their third-string rookie in there. He did a good job, but I’d rather have Greg Olson. The Eagles could have drafted Olson, but it was more important to trade down and take a quarterback who won’t help this year. Oh and by the way, the going rate to jump into the first round in that draft was a future first rounder. The Patriots got one. The Cowboys got one. The Eagles got a second rounder. Way to negotiate.
-I don’t like Terrell Owens screaming on the sideline. I’m not anti-T.O. like a lot of people are. If you want to yell and scream, that’s fine, but you better catch everything thrown your way. You’re 12-2. Shut it.
-Speaking of wide receivers, when will the Eagles get some? Curtis is ok, but he’s a slot specialist. Reggie Brown is a #2 that needs better on the other side. Otherwise, he seems lost. Oh, and if you want to jump in the big Salvation Army bin, that’s fine with me. Either do it after you actually make a play, or just stay there. Donate yourself and give the Eagles the tax write off.
micahw@feverpitchmedia.com
