The fact the Bears came into town and pulled out a win further illustrates to me that this team is just not good enough. Whether the Eagles won or lost this week wouldn’t make any difference in the grand scheme of things.
This team just doesn’t have enough good players, and I’m quickly beginning to sour on the coaching staff. I’ve supported Andy Reid for a long time – and rightfully so – because of his strong track record. As we saw in New York, the Yankees got rid of a manager that made the playoffs 12 years in a row. It just became time to mix things up. I’m not sure if the Eagles are at that point exactly, but I think it will be sooner rather than later.
I’m looking to the completion of the 2008 season. If they still aren’t getting it done with Donovan McNabb fully recovered, and the draft picks from the last few years aren’t developing, then I think Jeffrey Lurie has some serious thinking to do. And don’t forget to be careful what you wish for. Sure, it’s possible that they can find someone better than Reid, but it’s also possible that they take a turn for the worse. Getting rid of Reid is only a good idea if the next guy is better. I know that’s obvious, but I hear so many calling for Reid’s head, that we have to remember that it’s not like there are a bunch of Vince Lombardi’s out there.
So let’s look at the game:
What I Liked:
-Brian Westbrook is the only guy on this offense that strikes any fear into defenses.
-Matt Schobel scored a TD and was actually open on two other potentially big plays. McNabb missed him high both times.
-Sheldon Brown was actually torched by Devin Hester in the end zone, but he still recovered to break up a bad throw. His timing was perfect on a play that had the potential for a huge pass interference call. He broke up a couple of other plays and did a nice job.
-The first half running game was marvelous. They ran wherever they wanted early (with the notable exception of into the end zone).
-The defense did a pretty good job on Cedric Benson. Although then again, everyone pretty much has against him this year. I’m still baffled that the Bears made him the #4 overall pick in 2005. They already had Thomas Jones and other pressing needs.
…And not so much:
-That call on Will James was just superfluous. I’m not one to complain about refs, especially when there were so many other things the Eagles screwed up, but they were just atrocious. The Todd Herremans holding call was bad. The push-off call on
Greg Olsen was bad too.
-Not drafting Olsen. I think I saw him split out wide as often as I saw him lining up in the natural tight end position. Would the Eagles benefit from that kind of versatility? The Eagles could have drafted him at #26, but opted to trade down and pick up Kevin Kolb. Kolb has been such a tremendous help to the 2007 offense, I don’t know why I’m complaining. I know you need to look to the future in this league, but at what point do you look for immediate assistance?
-Reggie Brown needs lessons on how to catch a football. The dropped TD pass was inexcusable. Someone needs to drop off a highlight tape of former Detroit Lions’ WR Herman Moore in Brown’s locker. I loved watching Moore catch the ball. Feet on the ground with his hands out. I want to lock him in a room for a full day with that tape and a jugs machine.
-The Bears made adjustments for the second half to make running the football a little more difficult. The Eagles didn’t seem to make any changes in response. I’m not surprised.
-With three minutes on the clock, a four-point lead and a 1st and 10, what play do you call? A pass. Wow.
-Where is the pass rush from the front four? Bunkley busted through a few times, that was nice to see. But overall, the lack of a pass rush without the blitz is pretty amazing.
-I think we can all agree that the defense on the 97-yard drive was horrific (I’m running out of synonyms for “garbage.”). Does anyone remember the Packers/Broncos Super Bowl? If you’ve ever seen the NFL Films recap of that game, the Broncos defensive coordinator approaches head coach Mike Shanahan right before the Packers final drive. The Broncos had just taken the lead and he asked Shanahan what type of defense he’d like him to run. Shanahan told him to run what he’s been running the whole game and to keep doing what he was doing. As in, don’t go to a prevent. The Broncos stopped them and won a Super Bowl because of it. What was with the Eagles three-man rush? I’m no genius, but if Jevon Kearse is on the field at any point in a game, is he more valuable in coverage or in the pass rush? Why was he dropping into coverage? That drive wreaked of the 2001 Cardinals debacle and I think Griese-to-Muhammad will by synonymous with Plummer-to-Jenkins. Under two minutes to go with no timeouts and 97 yards to go…and they were able to work the middle of the field. Mind boggling.
-Someone needs to explain to me (perhaps the same person that can explain Darren Howard’s existence on this roster) the reasoning for the rule on the bad snap. Art McNalley, the NFL representative for officials, explained the call to PhiladelphiaEagles.com:
Can you clarify the false start penalty on the snap that wasn't handled by Bears quarterback Brian Griese? "If the ball is snapped in between the quarterback's legs, he has to be the one to get the ball. Under these circumstances, it has to be ruled a false start. If he's in shotgun and the pass is snapped over his head, clean play, pick it up, go ahead and go the other way, everything's fine. The fact that he's taking the snap direct from the center, goes through his legs, he's got to kill it right away, false start."
What is the intent of the rule? "I don't know what the intent of the rule is, but the ball has to be taken by the quarterback. If he doesn't handle the snap, then it's got to be a false start."
If the quarterback makes contact with the ball, is it then ruled a fumble or is it still a false start? "All I know is if the quarterback doesn't handle the snap, it's a false start."
So once the quarterback has possession, he can lose it, but the key point is that he never handled the snap? "That would be a fumble. Once he has possession."
Is this a new rule or new interpretation? "No, not at all."
I’m not claiming that the officials made the wrong call. Much like the tuck rule, the refs made the call according to the rules. Well, that has got to be the dumbest rule in the books. If a center snaps a ball that poorly, that should be a live ball. That’s a false start? Even McNalley doesn’t know the intent or reasoning for the rule. Does that tell you anything?
micahw@feverpitchmedia.com
