Preseason Game 3: Two Thoughts

Eagles 31, Jaguars 24, Saturday, August 24, 2013

I'm not going to do a full game recap since it took so long for the game to broadcast - and me to have time to watch it - here in DC. For a detailed review, check out Iggles Blitz. For a more brief review, check out Bleeding Green Nation.

Observation One: Tommy Lawlor says not to panic, and I respect Tommy, but the biggest thing I took

Imaginary post-pick dialogue: "Srsly, Mike. WTF?"

away from the game was, "Bad Mike is back ALREADY?" Actually, of course, it's not Bad Mike - it's Inconsistent Mike Who Occasionally Makes Head-Smackingly Bad Decisions (Dude, why are you trying to throw the ball away WHILE JUMPING?!?!), which is, in some ways, worse. If he was just Bad Mike, the Chipster could just be all, "Whoops! First time head coaching in the pros here. I *meant* to say Nick Foles is the Philadelphia Eagles' starting quarterback for the 2013 season. My bad." I'm not panicking, Tommy. Really. Deep breaths.

Observation Two: I need to get to work on my annual preseason playoff predictions post, and I have NO idea what to say about the NFC East. I don't think RGIII is 100%, and I think there's a better than even chance Shanny throws away the 'Skins future getting him back on the field too quick, the preseason has not been kind to the Giants from an injury perspective, the Cowboys...no. Just no. And the Eagles are not going to be good this year. Maybe in the future, but not now. It's a puzzlement. 

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2010 Week 3 Recap

Eagles at Jaguars, Sunday, September 26, 2010
In attendance:  EVERYONE turned out for You-Two-Calm-Down-or-I'm-Turning-Off-the-TV Dad's birthday celebration:  Chef Spouse, Shoegal, Life-Long Eagles Fan Mom, Ex-Navycheese Head, Tall Drink of Water Cousin (and his wife and new baby),  Fellow Eagles Maniac, and the Queen Bee.  Full house!

Menu:  Ribs, mac and cheese, crudities, sweet potatoes, various dips (including the legendary guacamole), cookies, apple pie.  URP!

Stud of the week:  Trevor Laws, who recorded 6 tackles, a sack, and 2 deflected passes on a day when our D only allowed 3 points.

We DOMINATED.  We TOTALLY DOMINATED.  OK, it was a bad team, but still - good day for You-Two-Calm-Down-or-I'm-Turning-Off-the-TV Dad's birthday fete.  The offense was quite good, putting up 28 points, but the D played hard for the entire game.  After almost giving up a huge lead over the Lions last week (and watching what happened with the Redskins), that's huge.

Do you think the "QB controversy" talk will die down this week?  With McNabb coming home Sunday, probably not.  But the Vick decision looked pretty good this week.  He missed some open guys, and there were some really off passes, but he went 17/31 for almost 300 yards, 3 TD, and no picks (and a win), so I'm not gonna gripe too hard.  Other than the fact that he hangs onto the ball too long and takes sacks he doesn't need to.  Not only is getting sacked a bad thing in the whole "we need to get 10 yards for a first down" sense, it's also bad to subject your body to that kind of pounding.

Is Jeremy Maclin a TD machine?  Time will tell, but so far this season, yes.

I would like to see Brent Celek more involved - he is Mr. Earning Hard YAC - and Jason Avant - Mr. Sure Hands - too, and DeSean, I know you're amazing, but could you please pay attention to where the down markers are, donkey?  But seriously, not too much to complain about.   Also, maybe you and Celek should compare notes so you don't run the same route into each other.  Because he's way bigger than you, and running into him full speed will, sooner or later, not be a good thing.

Finally, how different is our D with and without Stewart Bradley?  No more concussions, young man.  We need you.

On to REDSKINS week and the return of DMac.

Around the rest of the NFL....

Man, I did BAD with my picks this week.  In my defense, there were a lot of upsets, but still, I did B-A-D this week.

Titans over Giants:  Who are a mess, by the way.  Apparently, some of the new players they've signed don't like Tom Coughlin much.  There's a shocker.  Yes, I thought it was funny when Brandon Jacobs threw his helmet into the stands last week (particularly when the guy who caught it wouldn't give it back), but things are not right in NY these days.

Bengals over Panthers:  Man, the AFC North is looking tough this year.  Poor Browns.  Also, poor Jimmy Clausen, who's going to get his ass kicked again next week against the Saints, too.

Steelers over Bucs:  Guys?  If you can win without Roethlisberger, which you clearly can (and which supports my theory that he's an average QB riding a stout defense), maybe you might want to think about making that permanent.  Not least of which because, as I've mentioned before, he's a misogynistic date rapist.  Just sayin'.

Pats over Bills:  Not only did Trent Edwards get benched BEFORE the game, he got cut today.  In other news, the continuing quality QB drought is reaching epic proportions.

Ravens over Browns:  Well, yes, but they may have lost Ray Rice in the process, which is bad.  What wasn't bad was Joe Flacco.  Then again, he was facing the Browns' secondary, which is going to make, well, Trent Edwards look like Dan Marino.

 Chiefs over 49ers:  I'm starting to think I was wrong about BOTH of these teams.
 
 Cowboys over Texans:  GODDAMNIT!

Vikings over Lions:  So maybe I was wrong about that whole "trap game" thing.  Looks like the Vikings remembered they have this guy?  You might have heard of him?  Adrian Peterson?  On the team?  I still think there's a very good chance Favre retires - again - after this year and McNabb becomes the Vikings' starting QB.

Falcons over Saints:  OMG!  In other news, the Saints are auditioning new kickers.  Also in other news, I would be SO happy if coaches would dump the punk move of "icing" kickers with a last second time out.  Which totally bit the Saints this week. Everyone? You're on notice!

Rams over Redskins:  OMG OMG OMG!  Donovan usually puts in at least one inexplicable clunker each year.   The Redskins always put in at least one inexplicable clunker each year.  This was bound to happen.  Still, definitely not confidence boosting as they look to coming to Philly next week.

Colts over Broncos:  Well, yes.  Kyle Orton versus Peyton Manning?  That truly is no contest.

Cardinals over Raiders:  Whatever. Now that the Raiders have decided to sit Jason Campbell - which, by the way, is clearly the right decision - I've really lost interest.  There was a really funny post at Hogs Haven, the Redskins Sports Blog Nation blog a few days ago.  It was a bunch of made up graphics on Redskins fan attitudes, 2009 versus 2010.  The first one was a pie chart of what people thought about Campbell in 2009, and there were slices for nice guy, too many systems to learn too fast, bad O-line, bad playcalling, bad receivers, etc.  The second graphic?  What people think of him now.  100% "he stinks."  Yeah, maybe.

Seahawks over Chargers:  What is going on with the Chargers this year?  I do not know, but they better pull it together or the Chiefs might just sneak off with the division.

Jets over Dolphins:  That was one hell of a game.  Too busy with Boardwalk Empire and Mad Men to catch it?  Keep an eye on NFL Replay - I am SURE it will be one of this week's choices.  

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2010 Week 3 Picks

Seriously, people, hold on to your hats. Jamal Jackson and Leonard Weaver are out for the season. Mike McGlynn's the center. The O-line is in turmoil. Stewart Bradley's recovering from a concussion.

Never fear! Mike Vick to the rescue - or Kevin Kolb - no, no Mike Vick. Definitely Mike Vick.  At least for the next 10 minutes.

One thing that's marked the Andy Reid era in Philly is certainty.  Agree with him or not, he always seems to know what he's doing.  Actually, he doesn't care whether or not you agree with him.  He prefers that you DON'T agree with him.

Well, the pundits have fallen in line and pretty much everyone's praising Reid's brilliance in promoting Vick to starter and benching K2. Brilliance, or recognition that we have serious problems on the O-line? Tomayto, tomahto.

All I know is that if Vick wants to keep his starting job, the team better win this week.

And I can't believe we're hanging the hopes of the franchise on someone who seems kind of unstable.  Oh DMac, I miss you so.

Pick?  Eagles - I was planning to spend this season laughing at our mis-steps while we tried to rebuild the team.  Guess that will have to wait until next year, because at least through the first two weeks, the NFC East looks like it's someone's for the taking.  Why not us?

Titans at Giants:  Titans.  Just a hunch, but I suspect Chris Johnson will have a big day.

Bengals at Panthers:  Bengals.  On the Always Pick the AFC rule alone.  But Ochocinco needs to get his ass in gear.  Less reality TV drama, more focus dude.

Steelers at Bucs:  The Bucs have had a (brief) Cinderella ride to get to 2-0.  It ends here.  Steelers.  Even with Charlie Batch under center.

Bills at Patriots:  Everyone's saying that Trent Edwards needs to play better or risk getting benched.  You know what's going to happen Monday?  Trent Edwards is going to get benched.  Patriots.

Browns at Ravens:  Eventually, the Browns might face a team they could conceivably beat.  But not this week.

49ers at Chiefs:  The Chiefs Cinderella start ends this week, too.  The 49ers are ripe to right their ship.  OK, I guess that Always Pick the AFC rule isn't in effect 100% of the time.

Cowboys at Texans:  The Cowboys totally need to win this game to keep their locker room - and fan base - from descending into absolute chaos.  Next stop?  Absolute chaos.  Texans.

Lions at Vikings:  The Vikings are, according to Favre, "desperate." Their answer?  Hank Baskett.  Wrong answer.   This has "trap game" written all over it.  Lions.

Falcons at Saints:  Matt Ryan's another QB who needs to pick it up, but I don't see the Saints losing to divisional rival The Dirty Birds at home.  Saints.

Redskins at Rams:  Skins.  Not only are they the new Team of Destiny, they're pretty good this year.  And the Rams aren't.  At all.

Colts at Broncos:  Colts.  Jeff Saturday's back, the O-line is working right again, Peyton's not getting hurried, and all is right in Indianapolis.

Raiders at Cardinals:  Worst Game of the Week.  What a mess.  Raiders, with new QB Bruce Gradkowski.

Chargers at Seahawks:  The Seahawks shocked the 49ers week one.  Think they can do it again?  Me neither.  Chargers.

Jets at Dolphins:  Game of the Week.  Get your popcorn!  Dolphins, but this is going to be a Battle Royale.

Packers at Bears:  There's 2-0, and then there's 2-0.  Packers

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Sunday Schedule: Sunday, September 26, 2010

Big week! You-Two-Calm-Down-or-I'm-Turning-Off-the-TV Dad and Life-Long Eagles Fan Mom are coming down from the Philly area for the weekend, AND Tall Drink of Water Cousin, his wife and their new little girl will be joining us. Also, Ex-Navy Cheesehead's back in town. It's ON, y'all!

1 pm: Cowboys/Texans (the Giants are also playing the Titans in this time slot, so that's likely to be the Supercast game)
4 pm: Eagles/Jags, featuring our new starting QB, David Akers. KIDDING! It's still Vick, at least as of the moment. (Supercast game will be Skins/Rams, which I predict will be a blowout)
8 pm: Jets/Dolphins
MNF: Packers/Bears

Menu: Next week is You-Two-Calm-Down-or-I'm-Turning-Off-the-TV Dad's birthday, so we're making ribs, baby! And apple pie (his favorite dessert). Life-Long Eagles Fan Mom is bringing down homemade mac&cheese. Thank God it's supposed to be a little cooler Sunday!

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Final Thoughts on the 2010 Preseason

I have come to an important realization:  it's damn hard to see preseason games. I pay a zillion dollars a year for the top-tier DirecTV Sunday Ticket package. Why can't I see my team's preseason games without having to try to catch them whenever they happen to air on NFL Replay? This year?  Caught the preseason opener against the Jaguars (recorded), caught part of the debacle against the Bengals (live), and missed the win over the Chiefs (which must've felt vaguely familiar to K2), and the loss to the Jets. Less than 50%.  Did I mention I pay an ass-load of money to DirecTV?

Moving on, OJ Simpson didn't get his Heisman yanked. Reggie Bush will. That's a travesty. At least they aren't going to post-award it to someone else.

Speaking of, the Matt Leinart (another Heisman contender in 2005) experiment seems to be officially over. He's been shipped off to the Texans to maybe not even make the 53 man roster. In other news, the Cardinals are screwed. Good luck on Dancing with the Stars, Kurt!

On to the possibility of an 18 game season:  I'm sure the owners and players love it. More money for everyone! Hooray!  The coaches must be freaking out - not only will they now have only 2 games to evaluate the rookies (not a problem for teams like the Skins that regularly trade away all their draft picks, but we had so many rookies this year, I'm pretty sure Andy Reid needed training camp AND all 4 preseason games just to learn their names), but it's hard enough to keep the key starters ambulatory through 16 games. Andy was quoted on philly.com as wishing they'd go back to 14 games (not that I can find it right now, of course).  Given the problems we've had staying healthy, I'm definitely feeling him.

Speaking of injury, Shoegal shot me a great link about the effects of injury on players over the long term.  It is sobering stuff.

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Eagles v. Jags Preseason Game Notes

Is that really the best way to hold the ball?

Sorry this is a little delayed - the game wasn't broadcast in my area and I had to hit it on NFL replay.

OK, we all know that that purpose of the preseason is to help the coaches figure out who gets cut v. relegated to the practice squad v. assigned to work their way up through special teams.  So let's not read too much into this.*  But starting with a win is nice.

Assuming K2 isn't a complete bust, we're plenty skilled on offense.  The guys are young and will need time to develop as a unit, but the amount of raw talent is astonishing, particularly after so many years of McNabb, Westbrook, and...well, there wasn't anybody else.  It was just those two.  Admittedly, our Red Zone woes continue, but both Kolb and Mike Vick were able to sustain drives.

(The Eagles Television Network flashed an interesting graphic mid-way through the 3rd quarter:  Eagles starting offense in 2008 v.  2010. The only repeats? Peanut and Nick Cole.  Wow.)

I've been more worried about the defense.  But the first team defensive showing gave me the warm fuzzies.   Two efficient 3-and-outs in a row.  Yeah, it was just the Jaguars, but still.  And Asante Samuel actually tackled a guy!  And, you know, STOPPED him. 

I definitely saw K2 make rookie mistakes, the biggest one being that he keeps keying on a particular receiver and then trying to force the pass, most egregiously missing a wide open Peanut in the end zone while trying to force it to Celek that led to our first offensive drive resulting in a field goal.  Celek's great - I particularly loved him bulling for more yards to pick up the 3rd and 9 on the second offensive possession of the night - but don't lock in before seeing what the defense is giving you, dude!  Fortunately for us, David Akers remains money, scoring over half Friday night's points.  But he still needs to grow back the 'stache.

K2 seems to have nice touch on the ball.  You didn't see many passes hitting guys square in the numbers and them just not able to hang onto it like happens with McNabb. But I did notice a few placement problems, where receivers had to turn back over an inside shoulder to get the ball when an outside placement would've hit them in stride (most notably to Peanut on the second offensive drive).

And did you notice?  They actually included running plays.  I imagine the following went down out at Lehigh sometime in the last week:

Andy Reid: "Wait! You meant we're allowed to RUN the BALL? Why didn't someone tell me sooner?"

As a result Shady had a good game.

Vick looks better too.  He had a sweet completion to rookie Riley Cooper for about 40 yards that was textbook pretty.  Then again, he also turned the ball over in the Red Zone (more Red Zone woes) on a fumble, and thank you Eldra Buckley for saving the 80 yard TD.  He seems to be getting his speed back - on the run that led to the first Eagles TD, it was obvious once he turned the corner that no one was going to catch him. Maybe that's why he was carrying the ball so oddly?  Yeah, just ask Peanut how showboating and, as a result, dropping the ball before you cross the goal line feels Mike.  On the other hand, on our last offensive series of the first half, he threw a dumb ass pick.  I guess Charles Scott was the intended receiver, but he wasn't even looking.  Vick had room to run and didn't, and he had TERRIBLE mechanics on the throw. So a very up and down night for our #2.

Speaking of #2, our second/third string defensive secondary got their asses handed to them.  Repeatedly.  By Luke McCown.  Back to worries about the defense - if we have a good first time but no depth, we'll be in trouble by mid-season, once guys start wearing down a bit.  I really wanted to smack Joselio Hansen - he got beat by the receiver, then he drew a penalty, and he didn't even stop the TD in the process.  REALLY?  Aren't you supposed to know better than that, buddy?

Still speaking of #2, Sav better watch his back - Ken Parrish was kicking off and punting and doing a damn fine job of both. 

Our kickoff coverage, however, could use some work.  Opening the second half, Parrish took a page out of David Akers's book and served as an excellent last line of defense, stopping the run back for a TD. So I'm yelling at the TV, and it was at that point that Chef Spouse came running into the living room to give me a big hug because The Snark yelling at the TV = football season!

Then we were pretty much down to the JV.  I do love me some Chad Hall.  When we were at training camp, he was the first player on the field and the last one to leave at all 3 of the practices we attended.  He's got a great backstory, and he wants it so bad, I can taste it.  I'll be keeping my fingers crossed for him until the final roster cuts on September 4.


One final note:  one of the places this blog is syndicated is Chicks in the Huddle.  We're currently conducting a short survey to help us make the site better, and if you complete it, you could win a $50 gift card to the NFL Shop.  So take 5 minutes and help a sister out.


*Unless, of course, you're a Redskins fan.  They killed the Bills in the their preseason opener, which means it's time to cue the Super Bowl talk here in DC. 

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2010 Preseason Schedule and the (total absence of) Trade Rumors

The 2010 Preseason schedules are out.

Eagles games include:

Date TBA versus the Jaguars
(Edited 4/9/2010 to add: date now set for August 13)
August 20 at the Bengals
Date TBD at the Chiefs
(Edited 4/9/2010 to add: date now set for August 27)
Date TBD versus the Jets
(Edited 4/9/2010 to add: date now set for September 2)

What does this tell us? Diddly. Also, we'll probably lose all the games, since if the past 11 preseasons have told us anything, it's the Big Red doesn't give a damn about winning preseason games.

Also, do you notice the complete lack of offseason trade rumors circulating on this blog? That's intentional. Know why? They're RUMORS. That change about every 10 seconds. And 99.758% of them are wrong.

Want a rumor? Here's one: Brian Dawkins will be hired as the new head coach of the Eagles next week. Also, Brian Westbrook will be color commentary on Sunday Night Football. Trent Cole's going to be playing for the Texans (Team of Destiny!). And Mike Vick will be the starting QB of the Indianapolis Colts. In the aftermath of his Dancing with the Stars experience, Ocho Cinco's quitting football to try to make it as a Vegas showgirl. You heard it here first.

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2009 Pre-season Schedule's Out!

It's ready. Looks like we're playing the Patriots and Jaguars at home, and the Colts and Jets away. First game will be on Chef Spouse's birthday, and it's in only 4 1/2 months. Can't get here soon enough!

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