A Stand To Save A Season

It was three plays to save a season. Yes, even if the Eagles had lost in Washington this weekend they would have had a chance to make the playoffs, but realistically, every member of the defense knew what was at stake.

With its back against its own end zone – and the wall – and the Redskins only seven yards away from all but putting the game out of reach, the Eagles defense had to make a stand.

Three plays to save a season.

Eventually, three plays turned to six. Six snaps from inside the 10-yard line. Six times the Redskins attacked the goal line, trying to put the game – and maybe the Eagles – away. Six times, the defense stood firm, setting up Philadelphia's dramatic 33-25 win on Sunday.

"When all of the odds are against you and you are still fighting, that's character. You develop that when nobody is looking," linebacker Takeo Spikes said. "When you look back at the film you'll see a whole lot of guys doing the little things right and that was the emphasis this week. Doing the little things."

When the Redskins got the ball back after a Donovan McNabb fumble with 8:03 remaining and two point lead, the Eagles defense hadn't been doing too many of the little things right.

Washington had physically imposed its will upon the Eagles for much of the afternoon, and when Clinton Portis gashed the defense twice to set up 1st and 10 from the Philadelphia 7-yard line, he moved past the 100-yard mark.

The Redskins were counting on him to get seven more, but the Eagles defense simply wouldn't allow it.

"I was proud of our goal line defense. I thought they did a heck of a job. You don't like being down there but if you are down there you really have to get it after them," head coach Andy Reid said.

First and goal from the seven. The Redskins tried a toss left to Portis that was strung out by defensive tackle Mike Patterson, gaining only one yard.

Second and goal from the 6-yard line. Portis bulls his way off of right tackle Todd Wade, but meets defensive end Trent Cole and defensive tackle Brodrick Bunkley after only a gain of 1 yard.

Third-and-goal from the 5-yard line. The Redskins tried their one and only pass of the entire series, and drew a defensive holding call which gave them a first down.

With a new set of downs and the ball on the 3-yard line, the Eagles defense had to do it all over again – with the pressure of a nasty running attack, a two-point deficit, a rapidly declining clock and a potential 3-6 record resting squarely on its shoulders.

"Everyone knew it. You could tell in guys' eyes," Bunkley said. "Even when they got the first down we knew that we could get back on the ball and make something happen and we did."

First and goal from the 3-yard line. Portis went off of left tackle Chris Samuels but is pulled down by Spikes and Darren Howard after only a gain of a yard. Timeout Eagles.

Second and goal from the 2-yard line. Howard and Jevon Kearse met Portis in the backfield for a loss of one. Timeout Eagles.

Third and goal from the 3-yard. A false start penalty on Chris Cooley was followed by a draw play that was snuffed out three yards short of the end zone by Spikes and cornerback Joselio Hanson. Third and final Eagles timeout.

Spikes said that he thought the timeouts, while called to leave as much time as possible for Donovan McNabb and the offense, actually helped the defense immensely.

"When you have a defense backed up against the goal you never want to give them a chance to breathe; get a chance to get together," he said. "We did, so we were able to kind of talk to each other and realize what was at hand."

What was at hand was a defining moment of the season so far. The Redskins settled for a 21-yard Shaun Suisham field goal. Two Brian Westbrook touchdowns later and the Eagles returned home to Philadelphia with a win, and hopefully much more.

"I hope that goal line stand will snowball for us," Spikes said. "I'm not just saying defensively but team-wise."

In the end, they could quite literally turn out to be, six plays to save a season.

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Eagles Beat Vikings 23-16

A Win is a Win:

This was not a dominating performance, or a very convincing win by any means. In the end though all that matters is that the Eagles leave Minnesota with a W. They have let a few of those get away this year, and this was a much needed win.

At the end of the year nobody asks who you beat, or how bad you beat them, they just ask how many games did you win. At this point the Eagles will take them any way they can get them.

Red Zone Improves:

The Eagles are scoring touch downs believe it or not.

The offense was not great, but much improved in the red zone. Some creative play calling helped out.

I loved the shovel pass to Westbrook. They play had great design, and it worked perfectly. Jason Avant lined up in the backfield between Westbrook, and Tapeh. Then Avant motioned to the slot, bringing the Vikings MLB with him. McNabb sold the fake very well, and Westbrook just waltzed into the end zone. Plays that are designed that well, usually tend to work. Give a lot of credit to Andy Reid, and Marty Morningweg for that one.

Later in the game the Eagles scored again when Brian Westrook went air born, and dived over the Vikings defensive line. Westbrook reminds me of Priest Holmes the way he does that jump.

Even though he did not have a great day on the ground, Westbrook was still a huge factor. So much that safety Darren Sharper got jacked up by Jason Avant paying such close attention to 36. Westbrook's two Red Zone scores were the difference in the game.

Hopefully the team can build off this, and do even better against Dallas.

Receivers Making Plays:

What a nice game for Reggie Brown. Reggie had a career high 8 receptions for 105 yards, including an acrobatic catch on the sidelines. Glad to see Reggie getting more involved.

Speaking of great catches, what about the one handed grab by Kevin Curtis? That was amazing. Curtis also had a great 30 yard catch and run on a slant.

The receivers were actually helping McNabb, and making his job easier.

Greg Lewis even made some nice catches. He was once covered by a linebacker. A mismatch Donovan, and Lewis easily exploited. Then Greg even scooped one off the turf. Making a low McNabb pass a positive play.

L.J. Smith was blanked, but expect him to get more involved as he feels more comfortable with his injury.

On Side Kick Lit Fire Under Defense:

Minnesota marched right down the field(with some help from Eagles penalties), and scored on their first possession of the game. Then Brad Childress called for a surprise onside kick. The play caught the Eagles off guard, and the Vikings recovered.

I think this play infuriated the Eagles defense, and from that point on they made sure the Vikings would not get in the end zone again.

The very first play of that Vikings drive, resulted in a huge sack from Trent Cole. Cole just blasted through the middle so fast, and made the most impressive sack I have seen all season.

This set the tempo for the rest of the game, and the other Eagles fed off of this.

Cole is playing at a pro bowl level. He has really emerged as one of the leagues best pass rushers. He finished the game with 2 sacks(9 for the season), and had several big tackles in run support. Right now Trent Cole is the best player on the defense, and other teams better start to double team him. Otherwise he will make them pay.

Holcomb is Lucky:

I know Kelly's first start ended badly, when he went head first into the turf on a Juqua Thomas sack. So how is he lucky? He is lucky to not be paralyzed. When you look at the replay, it is amazing that all he ended up with is some bruising on his vertebrates. I felt bad for Kelly, as he was finally getting another chance to prove himself, and left with an injury. He should be thanking God to still be walking.

Minnesota Loves Childress:

Run Defense Was Great:

NFL's leading rusher Adrian Peterson was pretty much held in check. The entire defense should be credited for this, but give extra props to Brodrick Bunkley, Mike Patterson, and Trent Cole. Cole had a few tackles for losses, and Bunkley was a force in the middle. He has not been getting much pressure on the QB, but he is making is tough to run up the middle.

Peterson did have a few good runs, but must of the game he was getting stuffed. He really had nowhere to go. Probably his best play, was when he literally jumped over the defensive line, floating in the air like Michael Jordan. I guess if you can't run through them, jump over them?

Kevin Kolb Era On Hold:

I really must vent a little here. I am sick of fans throwing five under the bus constantly. Did everybody forget that he is coming back from major knee reconstruction? You should have expected there were going to be some limitations with Donovan early on. Can everybody stop being so damn impatient, and actually back the best QB in Philadelphia Eagles history for once?

I understand that McNabb has been very inconsistent so far this year, but he will improve. You can already see that some of his mobility is starting to come back. McNabb had a few plays where he moved similar to the "old Donovan". Andy even called a QB draw in the game.

Kevin Kolb is a rookie from the University of Houston. He may be a great QB one day, but that day is not today. He is not ready, and he wont be ready realistically for a few years.

Football is like war. I would much rather go to battle with Donovan McNabb, than A.J. Feeley, or a rookie. How soon people forget all the great things that McNabb has done here. This team was in a Super Bowl with Donovan! You don't just bail on him because he's had a few rough games.

Also I wonder where all the Jeff Garcia lovers are now? The Bucs have lost two straight games, and Garcia was terrible against Jacksonville. Three INTs, including one returned for a TD.

Everybody needs to quit whining, and realize that McNabb is the man in Philadelphia. He is the captain of the ship, and the team will sink or swim with him.

Young Birds Making Names For Themselves

Trent Cole and Brodrick Bunkley have stepped forward on the Eagles defensive line with their play and they're developing reputations around the league. While they're stepping forward, veteran Jevon Kearse is stepping back.

The play of Brodrick Bunkley has been nothing short of outstanding all season. Bunkely has put away his joy stick, he’s one of the best Madden players on the team. Last year some of the guys thought he was more interested in the Madden game than the real one he was supposed to be playing.

Brodrick with the help of fellow defensive tackle, Mike Patterson who is mature beyond his years, has been focused on football and doing his job. There’s very little kidding around for Bunkley this year. He has beeen able to get consistent penetration against the run and pressure in the face of quarterbacks versus the pass. The key has been his focus. Now Bunkley is showing the quickness, power and explosiveness, which everybody saw at Florida State when he came out of school.

This big meat head is going to be a major help to the Eagles defensive backs and linebackers all year long. The importance of pressure in the face of the quarterback can’t be overemphasized. As I have written many times, penetration in the middle of an offensive line, makes both passing and running impossible.

..Continue reading at GCobb.com>>

Thoughts on the Pre Season

The pre-season is winding down, and I thought I would give some of my honest opinions about some players on the team. Outside of the two turnovers forced, the Eagles defense did almost nothing right against Pittsburgh. Jim Johnson's aggressive blitzes, seemed to get destroyed by screen plays. Overall I think the team has been average during the pre-season, and they need a lot of things to come together for this season to be a success.

Things that worry me:

Chris Gocong- He had a terrible game against the Steelers. He took bad angles, missed tackles, did not move well laterally, and just seemed very lost at linebacker. This is very disturbing to see, because he is expected to be a starter, and Jim Johnson has praised him all camp. Maybe he just had a bad game, and he can work some things out for the regular season, but right now he is making me very nervous. I also don't like the fact that his backup is a rookie. They could move Takeo Spikes to SAM, and possibly start Matt McCoy at WILL.

Sean Considine- Did anybody ever explain to Sean how to wrap up, and tackle? I keep seeing this guy jumping on opponents backs, and be taken for a ride. That was terrible, and so was that wimpy hit on tight end Heath Miller. It looked like he hurt himself, more than he did Miller. To his credit, he did have two nice blitzes, one that caused an interception, and the he tipped a pass on the other. I heard all this talk, of Sean bulking up, but it does not seem to make a difference on the field. Every time I even look at him out there, I remember Duece McAlister running him over in the playoffs.

Mike Patterson- Mike got pancaked on that Willie Parker touchdown run. A lot of guys were at fault for Parker to go untouched into the end zone, but it all starts up front, and you can't get pushed around that easily. They paid Patterson a lot of money last year, and I think they may have jumped the gun on this one. Not only has he been a liability against the run, but I have not seen much pressure on the QBs from him. Time to step it up.

Jeremy Bloom- After a good game at Baltimore, Bloom has not played well since. Reports are that he is slowed by a toe injury, and John Madden proclaimed that Bloom "did not belong on the field". Ouch. Rumor is that Andy Reid is fed up with Bloom, and he is on the way out. It was a very bad sign for him, to see Greg Lewis returning punts, and Correll Buckhalter returning kickoffs for the entire first half. Bloom had better do something great on Thursday, or he is out of here.

Deep Threat?- Where is it on this team? Kevin Curtis has looked fairly good so far, but he, and McNabb have not hooked up deep yet. I also have not seen Curtis get any big separation, on any of the deep routes he has run. Reggie Brown has had a very poor pre-season. It almost seems to me like he is disinterested. Jason Avant has done a good job, but he is a possession receiver. The only deep pass, has been that big play to Matt Schobel. I wonder if maybe losing Stallworth is a huge loss for this team. Even though he was injured some of the time, and caught only 37 balls, you always had to respect his speed on the outside. So far I have not seen anybody on the team show they can do that.

Shawn Andrews- How bad is this injury? Are the Eagles just taking the cautious approach? I definitely know that the offensive line has looked really bad without him. Scott Young has looked really bad, and Nick Cole did not seem much better. Right now if Andrews could not go, I would feel best with Max Jean-Gilles in his spot.

Things I am glad to see:

Donovan McNabb- Five is healthy. I don't care if he says he is 75%, or 85%, he looks fine to me. He is throwing fairly well, he is moving fairly well, and most importantly he seems to have no problem planting that right leg. It was also good to see him bounce right back up from getting hit. While the national media may focus in on Donovan's health being a major issue, I think there is nothing to worry about.

Brodrick Bunkley- Despite the defensive woes, Bunk has been impressive. He made yet another tackle for a loss, and got passed All Pro Guard Alan Faneca. I think now that he has his head on straight, we will start to see a big impact from Bunkley on this defensive line.

Takeo Spikes- Some People have ripped Takeo Spikes, but I think he has played really well. I've seen him shed blocks to make tackles, he forced a fumble at the goal line, and has been the best linebacker the Eagles have so far. It is also great to see that he looks 100% healthy, and is running full speed all over the field. I think Spikes is going to be a play maker for this team.

Young Guys Who Have Impressed:

Kevin Kolb- He has really come a long way in such a short time. The kid is accurate, seems very poised, makes smart decisions, goes through all of his reads well, and spreads the ball around. I have have come a full 180 with Kolb. At first I hated the pick, and did not understand. Now I see that whenever Donovan McNabb's time comes, they will have a good QB follow him. I would like to see Kolb connect with somebody deep, but really no receivers have been able to do that so far this pre-season.

Brent Celek- This guy seems for real. Every game he makes some nice grabs, and he has now been running with the first team offense. Celek has made the team, and should be rotating in every now and then with the starting unit this season. This pick falls into the Eagles history of taking risks on late round draft picks, on guys who have a lot of potential. Well this pick looks like it will be paying off big time. I wonder how this will affect L.J. Smith's contract negotiations. Will this be the leverage the Eagles need to get him signed, or is Celek good enough to make the front office just let Smith walk?

Punting Dual:

I am officially on the Sav Rocca bandwagon. The Aussie can just flat out boom the football. Dirk has played very well this pre-season, but Rocca has just been better. He barely even knows the rules, and he seems to be learning very fast. I heard that the winner of the punting job, will get all of the punting duties this Thursday. So if you see Sav out there, then you know he won. I feel bad for Dirk, because no matter how great he does, it seems like fans will hate him, if he wins this job. Andy Reid said it the other day, that no matter what Rocca will have a job in the NFL. If the Eagles cut him, somebody will definitely pick him up.

Birds Defense Rebuilt

Chris Gocong glanced at an old photo the other day and couldn't believe what he saw.

“I was at home and picked up last year's linebacker team photo,” Gocong said. “And it was unbelievable. I'm looking at guys and thinking, "Oh yeah, I remember him.' ''

Shawn Barber? Jason Short? Greg Richmond? Dhani Jones? Jeremiah Trotter?

Gone. All of them.

“And that was just last year,” Gocong said. “It just goes to show you how quickly things change in the NFL. Year to year and day to day.”

How quickly things change? With the Eagles' defense, change is constant.

None of last year's starting linebackers are starting anymore. Only one is still here.

No linebackers remain from the 2004 Super Bowl season.

Only one defensive lineman remains from 2004

And only four starters from the 2005 opening-day defense are still Eagles.

“That really is amazing,” defensive coordinator Jim Johnson said. “That is something.”

The 2004 Eagles weren't bad. They won 13 of their first 14 games to clinch the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoffs, they won the NFC Championship Game and they lost by three points to the Patriots in Super Bowl XXXIX in Jacksonville.

From that starting defense, only defensive backs Brian Dawkins, Lito Sheppard and Sheldon Brown and defensive end Jevon Kearse are still Eagles.

“It is pretty crazy,” said Quintin Mikell, now entering his fifth year with the Eagles as a backup safety. “I still consider myself a young guy and I look around and a lot the guys I came in with are gone.

“But that's how the league is now. Guys can make more money somewhere else and they're going to take it. The thing is, we have good schemes here, and you can find guys who fit the schemes. Not to be rude or negative, but we lost the Super Bowl, so obviously we needed to get better. If we won, maybe more of those guys would still be here.”

..Continue Reading at the Burlington Times>>

Run Defense is Key to Success

I think more than any other area, the Eagles run defense will decide how successful they are this year.

Here's an interesting article by Dave Spadaro of PhiladelphiaEagles.com about Jim Johnson and the Eagles run defense .

The Eagles will run the football well if they choose to do so. If they run it well they will destroy teams on the ground and in the air. McNabb has an outstanding group of young recievers, who I think will turn heads this year. I've got a lot of confidence in the Eagles offense. But the defense I'm not as sure about. They will destroy teams on 3rd down with their coverage and pass rush but they'll struggle if they can't stop the run, so I consider the run defense, the key to their season.

Jim doesn't plan on making any major changes when it comes to stopping the run. He's going to rely on bigger, better players doing a better job of executing their defensive assignments in order to stop opposing running games. Jim plans on rotating his defensive linemen and he'd better follow through with it. The run defense went into the tank when Johnson stopped rotating his smallish defensive line. If the Eagles defensive line unit gets tired, they'll get destroyed because they're undersized. Andy needs to look over Jim's shoulder and make sure he rotates that line each and every game.
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