EAGLES: Packers End Eagles Season

Another Eagles season and another heartbreaking finish. This is really starting to get old in Philadelphia.

Back in training camp when the Eagles were preparing for a season of questions behind Kevin Kolb, many fans never thought the ‘Birds would have been in this position. However, just halfway through week one, Michael Vick brought a new sense of hope to the city of Philadelphia. He brought the Eagles from a rebuilding year to a contending year. Fifteen weeks later, the Eagles faced off against the Green Bay Packers at Lincoln Financial Field.

And that’s all she wrote.

For the third straight week, the Eagles were outplayed and outcoached. You could sense it in Lincoln Financial Field, as fans showed a cautious optimism that quickly turned to cautious pessimism due to the blitzing Packers defense and the relentless Green Bay offense.

Offensively, Marty Mornhinweg’s Eagles seemed utterly shocked by the aggressive blitzing scheme of Don Caper’s Packers. They quickly abandoned the run and put all the pressure on Michael Vick to carry the team on his back. Vick, who was often given less than four seconds to get rid of the football, faced many ups and downs offensive but eventually found himself in a position to win the game.

After a 28-yard pass to DeSean Jackson with less than a minute to play, the Eagles quickly rushed to the line of scrimmage. Facing a 1^st and 10 with 27 seconds remaining, many thought Vick would spike the ball and set up a play to the end zone. However, head coach Andy Reid advised No. 7 to go for the end zone and elected for a 4-go route, sending all receivers to the end zone. The play call is going to be debated until training camp next year, considering it cost the Eagles season and a potential come from behind win that echoed the Miracle in the Meadowlands a month before. Vick, who “went out swinging”, went for the end zone to Riley Cooper in single coverage. We all know where it went from there, as Tramon Williams used his positioning to intercept the pass and end the Eagles highly touted playoff run.

While it was the play that ended the season, it was not the sole reason for the Eagles loss. The Packers came to play at the Linc for the second time this season, and the Eagles came out flat for the second meeting. Between missed field goals, third down conversions, and a creative offensive scheme, the Eagles were fortunate enough to even be in a position to win the game.

For the second straight year, the Eagles failed to show up in the NFC Wildcard game. They have lost their last three playoff games, and sorry Eagles fans, there is no more Donovan McNabb to blame. Michael Vick, the replacement Eagles fans were looking for, also failed to do it. Now what changes do the Eagles need to make? I have a long list to come, but for now let’s look at the final report card of the season.

Quarterback: B –

Michael Vick dished out his second consecutive sub-80 passer rating and completed just 20-36 passes. For the seventh straight game, Vick tossed a an interception, and this one to Tramon Williams topped them all. He was criticized during the Vikings game for his lack of preparation and being unable to properly read defensive schemes. Vick was given an extra week off to prepare for the Packers, but still didn’t look 100 percent out there. He clearly seemed bothered by his leg contusion and failed to create any offensive consistency.

Fun fact: for the second time this season, the Eagles offense lost the football game despite winning the turnover battle. The only other loss occurred in the opening week against none other than the Green Bay Packers.

Why Shady did not touch the ball more is beyond me

Running backs: C+

One of the biggest problems I had with the game was that LeSean McCoy was not properly involved in the offense. Coming into the game, the Eagles offense averaged over 140 yards per game on the ground, but were held to just 84 against the Packers. McCoy has proven as much as anyone that he deserves to see more looks. He only had 12 carries on the night and most of them came early in the game. Granted he didn’t have the most productive yards per carry average (3.8), but everyone knows that Shady is always poised to break a big run. The Packers run stopping was the weakest part of their offense, yet Mornhinweg refused to make any changes and spice up the play call.

Wide Receivers: C

It certainly didn’t help that DeSean Jackson spent most of the game on the sidelines. He finished the contest with just two catches and the other Eagles receivers didn’t pull their weight to make up for the missing Pro-Bowler. Even though Jason Avant scored a touchdown, he also dropped a crucial pass on third down late in the game. Is it me or is it that Avant, the guy who was supposed to have some of the best hands in the league, seems to drop passes at the worst times?

Offensive Line: D –

The most crucial part of the Eagles success failed to show up on Sunday. The offensive line has been the Eagles biggest question mark all season and needed to hold their own against the highly aggressive Packers defense. However, they looked terrified on the line. Winston Justice tallied four penalties and miraculously managed to get two penalties on one play. Clay Matthews and B.J. Raji made Michael Vick’s day that much harder and it was quickly apparent on the opening play when Matthews sacked Vick for a loss.

If the Eagles want to have any success on offense next year (pending Michael Vick’s status), they are going to need to invest in some offensive linemen. Winston Justice, King Dunlap, and Nick Cole all showed that they can’t contain opposing defenses.

Defensive Line/Linebackers: F

I expected the front seven to have some trouble covering receivers over the middle, but never did I think the Packers would dominate the inside game. Rookie James Starks looked like Barry Sanders against the ‘Birds. He rushed for 123 yards, which was 22 yards more than he had all season for the Green and Gold. It was quite obvious that the Eagles overlooked the running game and focused solely on stopping the Packers passing game that ranked top-5 in the NFL.

Even worse than the run-stopping was the Eagles failure to stop Green Bay on third down. Led by Aaron Rodgers, the Packers were 7-9 on third down conversions in the first half. One their three scoring drives, Green Bay was 7-7 on third downs. This simply cannot happen defensively, especially when most of those conversions came on plays of more than five yards.

Donald Driver killed the Eagles on third down

Finally, the front seven did a terrible job getting to the quarterback. The Eagles only hit Rodgers twice, both resulting in sacks. When you give Aaron Rodgers all day to throw the ball, he is going to make you pay. The Eagles experienced that firsthand on Sunday night. Philadelphia’s “enforcer”, Ernie Sims, ran around the field aimlessly. He only had two tackles on the night, which is quite pathetic considering how many plays went over the middle.

Secondary: C

The Eagles secondary did a great job preventing the long ball, but still struggled when it mattered on big plays. Aaron Rodgers was 5-5 with three touchdown passes in the red zone, which is something the secondary has failed to improve on all season. On third downs, Rodgers completed 6-8 passes, all of which went for first downs.

Special Teams: F

David Akers, the longest tenured Eagle and one of the hardest workers, could not have picked a worse time to collapse. Granted there are reports that there have been some family issues, but that is no excuse when you are a professional football player, especially a kicker. Akers was having a career year, missing just two field goals heading into the game. However, No. 2 missed two gimmes that proved to be the difference maker. Is he the sole reason for the Eagles loss? No. But it certainly would have been nice to have those six points.

Gerard Lawson was absolutely terrible. Not only did he fail as the Eagles kick returner (averaged just 18 yards per return) but he also was called for a holding penalty on DeSean Jackson’s punt return at the end of the game. I have a feeling we won’t be seeing much more from Mr. Lawson.

As difficult as it is to not have a team to truly cheer for in the next month, the Eagles had one heck of an impressive season. Taking into account all of the drama that came with the quarterbacks and the injuries to the defense, it was quite impressive that the Eagles showed such signs of dominance in 2010. Even though most of us aren’t numb to this pain of losing and coming up short in big games, we still have a lot to be thankful for. There’s no need to call for the end of Andy Reid or Michael Vick because if I was a betting man, I would say there’s a bright future for both of them coming soon.

EAGLES: Sloppy Loss to Bears Brings Eagles Down From Cloud Nine

There are two things that Eagles learned at Soldier Field on Sunday. First is that Michael Vick is human and last week was not a fluke. Second, the ‘Birds are still too vulnerable to be considered the best team in the NFC because of their inconsistent defensive play.

The Bears are a good team simply because they grind games out with their defense, but the Eagles have been dominant in the last couple of weeks. That being said, I still pinned this as a potential loss for the Eagles coming into the game. They had just played three tough games, including two divisional games that were on prime time television. However it’s one thing to lose, but it’s another thing to lose when nothing seems to go right.

The Bears were more prepared in every facet of the game. Their defense bombarded Vick and didn’t give him any time in the first half. On offense, Jay Cutler, who is known as one of the most inconsistent quarterbacks and is usually good for at least one turnover a game, threw for 247 yards and four touchdowns. Let’s be honest, Jay Cutler is not a quarterback that should have a 146 passer rating against the Eagles, who coming into the game had forced the most turnovers in the NFL. Despite a late surge from the Eagles in the second half, they fell to 7-4 on the season after a sub-par outing in the Windy City.

To the report card:

Quarterback: B –

On paper, it looked like a solid outing for No. 7. He finished with 333 yards passing, two touchdowns and his first interception since being released from jail two years ago. However, in the first half Vick was clueless on the field. The offensive line didn’t give him a chance to do what he does best (run) and he missed a couple of big passes. He couldn’t get anything going in the red zone all game. The interception he threw at the end of the second half when the Eagles were down by one point was careless. Granted it was tipped, but he also was throwing into triple coverage.

The second half was the Michael Vick that Eagles fans have grown to enjoy watching. His pass to Celek was an unbelievably thrown ball that he somehow fit in between four defenders. At least he ended on a positive note.

Running back: B

Can someone tell me why Eldra Buckley was in at running back on the third play of the game? What happened to that Jerome Harrison guy that rushed for 100 yards in his debut? LeSean McCoy averaged 5.3 yards per carry, but still on gets 10 carries the entire game. Even though the Eagles were playing catch up for most of the game, McCoy needs more touches. I love that he had eight receptions for 67 yards, but he has changed games with his ground game too.

Receivers: B –

Brent Celek jumped back into the receiving mix Sunday

Where in the world was DeSean Jackson on Sunday? He was targeted five times on that afternoon but only hauled in two passes for 27 yards. Slot receiver Jason Avant led all receivers with eight catches for 83 yards and Jeremy Maclin caught his seventh touchdown of the season in the first half. Maclin did a great job getting open against the zone defense and was able to find a seam between the safety and linebacker Brian Urlacher.

I would like to formally welcome Brent Celek back to the 2010 roster. He scored his first touchdown since week five and finished the game with 50 yards. Maybe he read my blog post earlier this week.

Offensive Line: D

I don’t even know what to say anymore about the Eagles offensive line. They were completely dominated by Julius Peppers and the Chicago Bears front seven. The biggest problem for the offensive line all season has been defending the blitz, however Chicago dominated them at the line of scrimmage. Instead of rushing guys from the secondary, they kept their safeties back to defend DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin. Even the legs of Michael Vick couldn’t make the offensive line look better on Sunday. They were just pathetic.

Defensive Line/Linebackers: C –

At some point in this season, someone not named Trent Cole is going to need to step up in the Eagles front seven. Cole was an absolute animal, compiling two sacks and three tackles for losses. The Eagles as a whole had four sacks (Brandon Graham and Mike Patterson both had one), but still could have done a better job getting to Jay Cutler. Bears running back Matt Forte, who coming into the game only had one other game this season over 100 yards, rushed for 117 yards on 14 carries (8.4 yards per carry). This was the most yards the Eagles have given up to an opposing running back all season.

Matt Forte proved to be a bit of a problem for the Eagles defense

Secondary: D +

It was games like this one that makes us realize just how much the Eagles need Asante Samuel in the secondary. Not only does he lead in the NFL in interceptions, but he also brings a veteran presence to the defense that is necessary for such a young team like the Eagles. At one point in a nickel situation, the Eagles had three inexperienced defenders in Nate Allen, Dmitri Patterson and Trevard Lindley all on the field at once. Add that to a pathetic effort by Joselio Hanson and you have a recipe for disaster. As I mentioned earlier, there is no reason that Jay Cutler should throw for four touchdowns against the Eagles. And there’s also no reason that the eagles should be torched by Devin Hester, Johnny Knox and Jay Bennett.

Special Teams: B

David Akers was one of the main reasons the Eagles stayed in the game against Chicago. He was 4-4 on the afternoon and made a great 45-yard field goal in the first half. It was great to see some production from DeSean Jackson when he returned a punt for 35-yards that sparked an Eagles drive. Defending wise, the Eagles let up a big return from Devin Hester that eventually led to a Greg Olsen touchdown in the second half.

It wasn’t even a situation where the Eagles beat themselves. In reality, they just were not as prepared as Chicago and it showed when the Eagles were unable to capitalize on their red zone opportunities (5 trips: 1 TD and 4 FG’s). The ‘Birds only had three penalties on Sunday, which is vast improvement from the 11 penalties they had against the Giants a week ago. It’s not going to be a loss that defines the season, but it is still very important for the Eagles to bounce back against the Texans. They only have three days rest before they play on Thursday night at the Linc, so it’s important that they all have short memory spans to forget about the sloppy play in Chicago.

EAGLES: Eagles hold on to beat 49ers on road

It seems like the motto of “a win is a win” is starting to get redundant for the Eagles during the 2010 season. All three of their wins have come against three mediocre or sub-par teams in football, whose combined record is 4-11. Not to mention that all three of those wins came on the road.

For the most part, the Eagles played one of their better games of the year last night in San Francisco. Kevin Kolb made his best start of the season (which isn’t saying much), going 21 of 31 for 253 yards and a touchdown. His 103.3 passer rating was one of the best of his career and he showed glimpses of what he can offer the Eagles organization. LeSean McCoy, who was questionable coming into the game with a cracked rib, continued his brilliance of the 2010 season by rushing for 92 yards and a score on top of 46 yards receiving. Despite a banged up defense, they forced a total of five turnovers en route to protecting an Eagles lead that reached 17 at one point.

Even though these numbers seem good on paper, it doesn’t excuse the Eagles for allowing the game to get within three points. Any time a defense can force five turnovers, your QB have a 103.3 passer rating, and you are playing an 0-5 team, the game should be a blowout. The Eagles had several opportunities to make the game out of reach, but once again allowed big plays on both special teams and over the middle in the passing game.

This week’s grades:

Quarterback: A –

Kolb breaks two tackles before throwing a TD pass to Brent Celek

Kolb made a couple of great plays against the 49ers. The best play of his career came on his only touchdown pass when he tip toed to avoid two potential sacks and threw across his body the Brent Celek who fell into the end zone. He went an impressive 12-14 for 123 yards and a score in the first half and seemed to be in rhythm. After last week against Washington, he was mainly criticized for failing to take any risks to move the ball downfield. However, he responded this week with four passes over 20 yards, including a nice connection with Jeremy Maclin in the second half.

This was an attempted statement game by Kevin Kolb. However having a game like this only actually hinders Kolb’s future. Andy Reid already stated that Michael Vick will be the starter when he is healthy again, which means back to the bench for Kolb until Vick either gets hurt or starts throwing the ball backwards. Because let’s be honest, I don’t think Andy Reid can afford to flip flop again and announce Kolb the starter—he is now stuck with Vick.

The real question here is whether or not Kolb’s performance justifies anything for his future with the franchise. The Inquirer’s Rich Hoffman made an interesting point after the game when he wrote, “But now the dilemma is plain. If Vick plays well enough to allow the Eagles to make a long playoff run, it is hard to believe they wouldn’t re-sign him, in which case Kolb is going to have to be traded. But if Vick doesn’t play well enough, then the Eagles have just wasted what should have been Kolb’s season of development.”

But don’t worry, Andy always has a way of shocking fans so who knows what’s next.

Running back: A

As I have been saying all year, LeSean McCoy has proven that he has what it takes to be a No. 1 back in the NFL. He was questionable coming into the game and was the Eagles most valuable player on offense for the second consecutive week. I knew he was shifty, but that 29-yard touchdown where he dodged about four different 49ers was truly remarkable.

Wide Receivers: B

The Eagles wide receiver core did a good job picking apart the San Fran secondary and made a lot of crucial catches on Sunday night. Jeremy Maclin led all receivers with 95 yards, which was mostly due to his great catch on Kolb’s bomb. However, it’s quite obvious that Kevin Kolb and DeSean Jackson are struggling to make a connection. Even though Jackson left the game with an injury, he was held to just 2 catches for 24 yards. Despite catching the first Eagles touchdown, Brent Celek dropped a couple of passes that are not characteristic of the tight end.

Offensive line: D –

What else is there more to say about this group? It’s almost like they get worse every time they get on the field. Jason Peters injured his knee during the game and was replaced by King Dunlap, the largest waste of space in Eagles history. Standing at 6-foot-9 and weighing in at 330 pounds, you would think that not a single sole in the NFL would get around him, right? That was not the case as Dunlap was embarrassed (almost as embarrassed as Winston Justice was against the Giants in 2007). Todd Herremans also played terribly, committing a bad holding penalty that brought the Eagles back after a big gain.

Defensive Line/Linebackers: C

If I were grading strictly on run defense, I would have given the front seven an A minus. After giving up 169 rushing yards to Clinton Portis and Ryan Torain last week, they held Frank Gore to a mere 2.6 yards per carry on the night. However, the linebackers continue to struggle in pass coverage. It is evident that Stewart Bradley is still feeling the effects of his knee and head injuries because he does not look like the same Bradley of old. Vernon Davis, who the Eagles continuously struggle against every time these teams play, had five receptions for 104 yards and a touchdown late in the game to bring it within three points. I almost forgot that Moise Fokou played last night, as he only had two tackles and failed to make any impact in his first start of the season.

Secondary: D+

Dmitri Patterson grabbed his first interception of the year

Don’t believe the hype about the turnovers committed by the Eagles secondary. Quintin Mikell picked up a fumble for a touchdown and Trevard Linley and Dmitri Patterson both had interceptions; however the secondary was probably the main reason the 49ers came back in the game. After shutting down Alex Smith for three quarters, the team completely collapsed in the fourth and allowed Smith to go 11 of 15 for two touchdowns.

Special Teams: D –

There was nothing really good to say about the special teams. David Akers knocked down two of his three field goals, but that was overshadowed by pathetic return coverage. Ted Ginn had kick returns of 44 and 61 yards during the game, both of which resulted in touchdowns for San Fran. Offensively, it seemed like Ellis Hobbs didn’t make any effort to dodge people on his kick returns and DeSean’s habit of running east to west too often resulted in poor punt returns.

 

Don’t be fooled by the fact that Philadelphia is 3-2 and tied atop the NFC East. There are still a lot of improvements that need to be made before I am sold that this team is a contender. For one, they need to beat someone other than the Lions and 49ers. Secondly, the offensive line needs to show the slightest bit of improvement. Finally, the defense and special teams cannot give up the big plays to opposing teams. The next two weeks against Atlanta and Tennessee could prove to be the most important stretch of the season heading into the bye week. If the Eagles can get situated for those two games, there might be potential.

EAGLES: McNabb’s Return to Philly Highlighted by Poor Play and Injuries

Just when you think everything is starting to fall into place, it all ends up backfiring. The Eagles, who were coming off of one of their best all-around performances in the last few years against the Jaguars last week, completely collapsed when the Redskins came to town on Sunday. There was really only one positive to take away from the game, and that was the fact that the Eagles fans did the right thing and gave Donovan McNabb a standing ovation when he came out of the tunnel.

Four key Eagles players suffered injuries. Starting quarterback and the MVP of the NFC coming into Sunday, Michael Vick, was hit near the goal line after a 25-yard scramble and ended up damaging cartilage in his upper rib cage. Running back LeSean McCoy, who has been the Eagles most consistent offensive player this season, reportedly cracked one of his rib cages and is listed as day-to-day heading into next weekend’s matchup with the Giants. Finally, cornerback Asante Samuel and wide receiver Riley Cooper both suffered concussions and will be monitored accordingly. If you didn’t notice how hard the Redskins hit on television, then just look at the Eagles injury report.

McNabb came away with a win in his first game back at the Linc

The Eagles got off to a terrible start against the Redskins. Donovan McNabb led the maroon and gold to two touchdowns and a field goal on their first three drives of the game. The Eagles defense looked terrible and couldn’t contain Washington’s offense for a majority of the first half. If the defense was bad, the offense was horrendous. With Vick going down early in the game and LeSean McCoy battling an injury the whole game, the Eagles were left in the hands of once-starter Kevin Kolb. Every time he gets on the field it seems like he further digs his own grave. Even though he was thrown into a very tough position in a game with a lot of emotions, Kolb failed to get anything going for the Eagles offense. I’ll save the analysis for the grades.

Andy Reid: F +

To this moment I still can’t figure out what happened at the end of the first half when the Eagles were penalized for a delay of game. Reid said that he “goofed” and didn’t realize that the actual spot of the ball was a foot or so behind his original planned spot. Because of that, he scrambled to call a play and the Eagles were then called for a delay of game that forced them into a field goal instead of a potential game-changing touchdown. As Matt Mosley of ESPN.com writes, “I’m always amazed that a man who’s so revered by his peers in the profession can appear so clueless at critical moments.” Mosley couldn’t have put it any better.

Time and time again we find Reid looking clueless on the sidelines and failing to make necessary adjustments at halftime. Both the Eagles offense and defense looked terrible for most of the afternoon, yet Reid didn’t seem to make many changes throughout the game. I don’t know what goes on in his head sometimes.

Quarterback: C –

After filling in for Vick, Kevin Kolb completed 63 percent of his passes for 201 yards and a touchdown (also had an interception on the hail mary to end the game). On the surface that seems like more an a sufficient outing for a backup quarterback filling in for a starter. However, what those numbers don’t show are Kolb’s unwillingness to move the offense down the field.

He couldn’t connect on either of his bombs down the field. He was efficient in his short passing, however 20 of his 27 passes were for five yards or less. On pass attempts over six yards, he was a mere 2 for 8. Those are not the type of pass attempts and conservative play that is going to effeiciently run an explosive Eagles offense. With the talent of Jackson, Maclin, McCoy and Celek, a conservative offense just doesn’t seem to fit. I understand that he wants to be smart and limit turnovers, but these wide receivers need to be able to run free and get space from their receivers. Defenses, just like the Redskins, can easily adjust to a conservative offense under a conservative quarterback. Case point: taking risks wins football games.

Running backs: B+

LeSean McCoy was the best offensive player for the Eagles on Sunday night. He rushed for 64 yards on 16 carries and led all receivers with 12 receptions for 110 yards. A lot of his receiving success had to do with Kolb’s “short-passing” but it was still very impressive to see Shady play that well with an injury most of the game. His only fault of the game came when he fumbled in the Redskin’s zone that would have led to at least three points for the ‘Birds.

McCoy was one of the only bright spots in the Eagles offense

Wide Receivers: D

DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin, one of the best 1-2 wide receiver tandems in the NFL, only accounted for 4 catches for 34 yards combined. Tight end Brent Celek scored his first touchdown of the season in the fourth quarter, but still continues to remain quiet.

Isn’t it also ironic that Jason Avant, the same Jason Avant that only dropped ONE pass all of training camp, was the one who dropped the hail mary pass on the last play of the game.

Offensive Line: D

Penalties were the main fault by the Eagles offensive line. Jason Peters and Todd Herremans both committed crucial false start penalties. The unit only allowed one sack, but still has yet to string together a complete game together this season.

Defensive line/Linebackers: D +

The Redskins ran all over the Eagles front seven on Sunday. Second year running back Ryan Torain rushed for 70 yards and a touchdown and Clinton Portis added another 55 yards on the ground. There is no excuse for allowing that many yards on the ground, especially to a second year no-namer from Arizona State. Reid’s plan of a speedy and undersized defensive line has not proven to work out because they are getting overpowered by opposing offensive lines. They aren’t getting nearly enough pressure on the quarterback and are not making plays in the backfield.

In the second half the front seven did a lot better of a job, but a lot of that had to do with Washington’s plan to sit back and make the Eagles earn a win. Head coach Mike Shanahan played a very conservative offense after the Redskins jumped out to an early lead, relying on his defense to win them the game.

Rarely do Eagles fans see Jason Avant miss a catch. This was the wrong time for it

Secondary: B –

Even though McNabb only threw the ball 19 times, the secondary did a pretty solid job defending. He only completed 8 of those passes, including a touchdown where tight end Chris Cooley burned the secondary and caught a ball over the top. It was, however, great to see Nate Allen with another interception. He is the only consistent thing this defense has going for them except for Trent Cole.

Special Teams: C +

The Eagles defending of the special teams continues to struggle. Brandon Banks returned a punt for 53 yards, which is something that cannot happen. Offensively, the Eagles had a pretty solid outing from both their kick and punt returners. David Akers was two-for-two and Rocca continues to kick the hell out of the ball.

With the loss, the Eagles are .500 sit in a three-way tie with the Redskins and Giants atop the NFC East. Michael Vick most likely won’t be back until after the Eagles bye week and the uncertainty of the offense and defense leaves many Eagles fans worried about the future. Kevin Kolb is back to being the starter for now and we find ourselves back to square one heading into San Francisco this upcoming weekend.

EAGLES: ‘Birds Survive in Win Over Lions

After watching Sunday’s 35-32 win over the Lions, there’s only one thing I can say: I’m glad I’m not head coach Andy Reid.

While on the surface the impressive performance by Michael Vick was good for the team– giving them their first win of the season–it went about as badly as possible in convincing the team and fans that Kevin Kolb is still the go-to guy. I still believe it and I stand by my previous post about why Kolb is the right guy for the job, but according to Sports Nation yesterday, over 70 percent of fans believe that the Eagles should start Michael Vick this upcoming week against Jacksonville. However Reid is sticking by his prized possession and going with a healthy Kolb in week three, a decision that Vick rightfully accepted (on the surface and to the media at least).

The Eagles first win of the season was much more of a story than Michael Vick’s first start since December 31, 2006. It was a story of rookie Jahvid Best, who torched the Eagles for 232 all purpose yards (78 on the ground and 154 in the air). It was a story of a struggling offensive line and a still developing defense that forced the offense to be in tip top shape against one of the least successful franchises since the days of Barry Sanders. Before I delve too deep into analysis, let’s hand out the second report card of the season.

QB: A –

Vick has been waiting for this opportunity since he joined the Eagles last season

As I mentioned earlier, Vick stepped up in ways that many advocates for hoping for and many haters were cringing about. He dropped back over 50 times during the game and completed over 60 percent of his passes for 284 yards and two touchdowns. The 284 passing yards is the fifth-most yards he’s thrown for in a game since he joined the NFL in 2001. He also recorded 37 yards on the ground.

I still have a problem with how Vick misses passes. While he does make some passes that most quarterbacks cannot make, he does tend to miss badly. Lucky for him none of them turned into interceptions on Sunday, but I still feel he needs to improve his passing and make it more consistent.

On a completely separate note, did anyone happen to see Donovan McNabb’s performance? He went 28 of 48 for 426 yards and a touchdown. The Redskins should have improved to 2-0 on the season but a missed field goal in the closing seconds cost them the game. In his effort, McNabb passed Hall of Famer Steve Young (33,124) and Phil Simms (33,462) for 20th place on the NFL’s all-time passing list. But no, he’s still not a good fit as an Eagles starter…right Andy?

RB: A

This was the breakout game from LeSean McCoy that the coaching staff and Eagles fans have been waiting for since he was the primary back last season. If anything, Shady proved that he deserves at least 20 carries a game. Why not give it to him? I can’t remember the last time the Eagles consistently gave a running back 20 carries a game since the Duce Staley era. The best teams in the league function with a dynamic running game that helps balance their offense. McCoy had 16 carries for 120 yards and three touchdowns. It was his performance, not Vicks that enabled the Eagles to prevail on the road in Detroit. Case point: give Shady the ball.

WR: B+

It’s a beautiful feeling to see the DeSean Jackson of last year. With his speed, all the Eagles quarterbacks need to do is get him the ball in the open field and let him make people miss. Vick did just that in the first quarter and it resulted in a 45 yard touchdown. On the day, Jackson finished with 135 yards receiving and a touchdown.

Eight different receivers were incorporated into the Eagles offense on Sunday. Outside of Jackson, Jason Avant was second in yards with 33 on the afternoon. Jeremy Maclin hauled in his second touchdown of the season but only finished with three catches for 26 yards. My big concern for the receiving game is in tight end Brent Celek. In his first two games, Celek only has 5 receptions for 57 yards. He was expected to be one of the most prolific receiving tight ends in the league this season, but has failed to make much of an impact thus far in 2010.

Offensive Line: C -

LeSean McCoy proved that he can be a No. 1 option

When a defense has five sacks on Michael Vick, that’s like saying a defense would have had 10 sacks against Kevin Kolb. The Lions defensive line, led by Kyle Vanden Bosch and Ndamukong Suh, embarrassed the offensive line this past weekend. Once Jason Peters went down with a knee and ankle injury, the Eagles were forced to have King Dunlap guard one of the best in the game. He held his own for a little, but Vanden Bosch still managed 1.5 sacks and two tackles for losses in the game. Suh added a sack, two tackles for losses, and led all tacklers with eight.

The revolving door Eagles offensive line continues to cripple the Eagles high powered offense. The ‘Birds were able to get away with it on Sunday because they were playing the Lions, but that won’t happen come divisional play. With Jackson out for the year and the rest of the starters dealing with nagging injuries, this part of the team is a big concern moving forward. If they don’t get healthy and continue to get worked by opposing defensive lines, the Eagles need to make a move to improve their line or Kevin Kolb might have some more concussion problems to deal with.

Defensive Line/Linebackers: C -

The Eagles front seven gave up 109 rushing yards in the first half alone. To make matters worse, the Eagles defense as a whole has given up 59 yards in the first two games this season, the most in the NFL. Without Stewart Bradley in the mix, it’s amazing how much the run defense changes. Detroit finished with 115 on the ground, but only ran the ball nine times in the second half. It will be a beautiful sight to see No. 55 back on the field this week.

Secondary: C+

The Eagles saw the back of Jahvid Best's jersey all too often on Sunday

Outside of the 75-yard touchdown to Jahvid Best, the secondary didn’t play too horribly on Sunday. Shaun Hill (who threw for 335 yards) did torch them in the last five minutes of the game, going 10-12 and throwing a touchdown to Calvin Johnson to bring the game within three. Safety Nate Allen notched his second interception of the season, becoming the first Eagle with two interceptions in his first two games since Brenard Wilson in 1979. Joselio Hanson also made a great play on the ball to prevent the Lions from a first down that would have prolonged the game and took years away from the lives of many Eagles fans.

Special Teams: C

Sav Rocca had another monster game for the Eagles, averaging over 48 yards per punt and landing two within the 20-yard line. However, the rest of the special teams was pretty pathetic. Rookie Kurt Coleman was called for back-to-back penalties on punt plays. Both Ellis Hobbs (averaged only 19 yards per kickoff) and DeSean Jackson (only 5 yards per punt return) had sub-par outings. That’s the second straight game the Eagles have failed to make any significant impact on kick and punt returns.

All eyes and pressure is now on Kevin Kolb. Even though I foresee Reid sticking with Kolb regardless, there is a lot of pressure on No. 4 to get the job done. Not only does he have a microscope for being the heir to Donovan McNabb, he now has to prove that he is a better fit than Michael Vick as the starting quarterback for the Eagles. Luckily for Kolb, he is playing the 0-2 Jacksonville Jaguars who just gave up 38 points to the San Diego Chargers and finished the game with six turnovers.

EAGLES: A Day at Lehigh

This morning, fellow Philly Phour writer Alex Cohen and I ventured to Lehigh to spend the day watching the Philadelphia Eagles partake in training camp. It was an early rise to ensure that we could get a good view of the main field, but it was certainly worth every second of it. I make an attempt to go to training camp every year and I can never get over great the atmosphere is day in and day out.

We arrived to the field about fifteen minutes before the start of the 8:15 practice. Soon we learned that we were on the later end of arriving, as there were close to 3,000 fans in attendance to watch the morning practice. We ended up standing along the front fence, practically ten yards from some of the players on the field. The thing that makes training camp so special for fans is that while it’s taken very seriously, all of the players seem so relaxed. Most of them constantly interact with the fans and aren’t afraid to pump up the crowd or give them a thumbs up. The fans entusiasm is felt by the players, in turn creating a great environment for the dedicated ‘Birds fans that made the trip on a Monday morning.

Analysis on Practice:

Practiced opened up with indidivual drills by positions. The quarterbacks and wide receivers worked together for awhile before the team moved into 7 vs. 7′s. From the beginning, it was was not hard to see a connection between Kevin Kolb and Jeremy Maclin. They clearly have something special working there and it was fun to watch them gel together so well. Michael Vick was a bit streaky on the day. His biggest problem is that he can make a 50-yard pass and then miss the next receiver by five yards on a simple route. Kafka seemed to have a similar problem with consistency.

Riley Cooper runs an out route in practice

The most interesting aspect of Monday’s practice was at the receiving positions. As I mentioned, Maclin looked sharper than every on both his route running and catching abilities. DeSean Jackson did not participate in camp, but I noticed him running on he open practice field alongside linebacker Stewart Bradley. Jason Avant also seemed to make no mistakes and looked comfortable being the second receiver with Jackson out. As I predicted, the fourth spot is going to be one heck of a battle. Hank Baskett didn’t seem to make many mistakes, but also didn’t really open eyes and make himself noticeable on the field. Riley Cooper, the rookie from Florida who has been hyped by the media, had a very hot and cold day. He dropped a total of three passes alone in the morning practice and heard a lot of criticism from the fans. He seemed to struggle making that burst that could get him past the cornerbacks and give him separation. Instead he seemed to take too many steps and rely too heavily on his 6-foot-4 frame to make catches. At the same time, the catches he makes are quite acrobatic and his size enables him to make catches that most wide receivers couldn’t dream of making. The big surprise at wide receiver came from Kelly Washington, who was acquired in the offseason. He has good experience in the NFL, which is something rare with this Eagles offense, and it was apparent in his playmaking on Monday. He made a couple of crowd-pleasing grabs and didn’t drop a single pass all day.

At tight end it was rookie Clay Harbor that stole the show. Brent Celek played well in the morning session, but left early due to dehydration problems. He came back for the afternoon practice and didn’t seem to lose a step. Coming into today, I was under the impression that Cornelius Ingram was far and away the favorie to be the second tight end. After watching Ingram drop a ball from five yards away, attention soon turned towards the rookie from Missouri State. Harbor caught almost everything his way, including the best catch of the day when he sprawled out and dove over the middle during the 7 vs. 7 drills. Watch out Ingram, the rookie is coming for you.

Not much to update about the running game. They only got a few looks during the scrimmage and after the initial burst there wasn’t much hitting. McCoy and Weaver both made solid catches and did a great job interacting with the fans and getting them excited about training camp. J.J. Arrington took a big hit in the middle of the morning practice when it looked like he was lost on the field. Charles Scott seems to throws his arms at the ball rather than cradling it for a catch, but he makes up for it with his powerful running. He is very stocky and his low center of gravity could be vital for third down plays (barring he makes the team, which seems like a long shot as a rookie).

Winston Justice, LeSean McCoy, Leonard Weaver, Brent Celek and Jeremy Maclin

The offensive line seemed to struggle the most at practice. Granted most of my attention was paid to the young offensive and defensive players, but based on the scrimmage plays there is a lot of work to be done. Left guard Todd Herremans didn’t put pads on but worked out on the side with Jamaal Jackson. Right guard Stacy Andrews left during practice with a shoulder injury that is only listed as day-to-day. With both of them banged up, Max Jean-Gilles and Mike McGlynn stepped in with the first team. It seemed like almost all of the offensive lineman struggled against the defensive line in the one on one drills. During the scrimmages, defensive coordinator Sean McDermott opened the floodgates and blitzed almost every other play. If Kolb/Vick/Kafka weren’t wearing the red jerseys, there would have been a lot of hitting going on. Tackle Winston Justice had back to back false starts, in turn forcing Andy Reid to give him the axe and sub him out for King Dunlap. The offensive line was one of the biggest question marks coming into the season and health is a big concern right now.

The defensive line was highlighted by performances by rookie Brandon Graham and Trent Cole. Graham doesn’t ever seem to stop moving and seems eager to play every snap possible. His additional fifteen pounds he added since the draft make him a big threat on top of his speed off the line. Cole was relatively quiet but added good pressure during the scrimmages.

At linebacker, Omar Gaither filled in at middle linebacker with the first team defense. He intercepted a Michael Vick pass during the afternoon practice and did a great job covering the tight end. Akeem Jordan started at strong side linebacker for the second straight day instead of Moises Fokou. He did a solid job all day and Fokou quickly found himself in the backround as the favorite to start come opening day. Ernie Sims also made a few good plays on the ball. He is not a very tall guy, but he is speedy and shifty (Andy Reid’s favorite type of build for his defensive players). One thing that the offense exploited all day was the quick eight-to-ten yard passes. The linebackers seemed a step too slow and Kolb did a great job hitting his receivers on out routes and flag routes over the middle. Seeing as the linebackers biggest problem in the past has been covering the tight end, I still think the Eagles linebacker core needs to work on closing off the middle of the field.

Even though the receivers made some great plays, I thought the secondary was the strongest group on the field Monday (exactly what you all want to hear I’m sure). Ellis Hobbs struggled a bit covering Maclin, but he always had a hand in there and held great coverage throughout the day. Joselio Hanson also practiced with the first team and broke up a few pass plays. The biggest surprise of the day came from Macho Harris, who Reid and McDermott converted from safety heading into training camp. Harris made a ton of plays in the morning practice and the fans let him hear it. If he continues to progress, he could give Hanson a run for his money during Nickel packages.

7 vs. 7 drills

At safety, both Quintin Mikell and rookie Nate Allen worked well patrolling the backfield. Mikell blitzed a few times, one of which would have resulted in a sack if there were pads involved in the afternoon practice. Allen seems very comfortable with the first team and it’s exciting to see how far he has come in such a short amount of time.

Finally, there wasn’t much exciting action from special teams during either practice. They ended the afternoon practice with David Akers practicing inside field goals, but most of the special teams work was on the second field. Similar to Leonard Weaver, Akers does a great job interacting with the fans and even spent a few minutes throwing balls into the crowd before the afternoon practice.

Overall, Monday showed a lot of promise. Even though the Eagles are far from game ready, the first team offense and defense look pretty solid considering the number of injuries that have kept both sides from a full lineup. It’s always exciting to be at training camp and be able to watch the team improve firsthand and I look forward to being there in the near future.

Player of the Day: Kevin Kolb

He didn’t miss a pass until the middle of the afternoon practice. Enough said. He continues to improve every day and the fans are quickly becoming lovers of No. 4. He does a superb job finding his receivers on out routes and is very melodic with his delivery. The main concern I have right now is his skill throwing the long ball. Kolb only threw two balls longer than 25 yards on Monday.

Players to Watch: Clay Harbor, Kelly Washington, Macho Harris
All three of these guys were in the background heading into training camp. Harbor played twice as well as Ingram today, Washington was up there with Maclin and Avant, and Harris outplaed all cornerbacks all day. They are all struggling to make the 53-man roster and things should get interesting in the coming weeks.

Injury Update:
Did not practice: WR DeSean Jackson, LB Stewart Bradley, CB Asante Samuel, RB Mike Bell, DE Victor Abiamiri
Taken off: CB Macho Harris (Hamstring-DTD), DT Anthony Dixon (concussion), TE Brent Celek (dehydration by returned), Stacy Andrews (shoulder)

List of Tweets (most recent at the top)

What a great day at #Eagles training camp… I could do this every day
Ending practice with some field goals. Caps off a great day in Lehigh #Eagles
Things seemed a little too perfect with the lack of injuries today…the injury bug is always present in Lehigh #Eagles
Its Anthony Dixon, the DT…all play had to be stopped #Eagles
Defensive player collapses from dehydration..waiting to see the number #Eagles
Macho Harris limping of the field #Eagles
Just to give you a taste of how big King Dunlap really is #Eagles http://twitpic.com/2b1onv
Vick to Cooper for a 55 yard bomb…Looks like Cooper woke up for the afternoon practice #Eagles
Vick throws his second int of the day. Gaither makes a great play to come up with it #Eagles
First bad pass by Kolb all day. He’s about 49 of 50. I’ll take those odds #Eagles
7v7 drills with the first team offense #Eagles http://twitpic.com/2b1g29
Vick struggling with back to back throws against the defense…no hitting but still hearing helmets hit hard
Hobbs and Hanson starting at corner with the first team #Eagles
Ingram playing with second team even though Harbor outplayed him in the morning #Eagles
6000 people here for the morning session…only about half that now. Probably because they aren’t in full pads #Eagles
Riley Cooper brings in a pass http://twitpic.com/2b19ud
Charles scott makes catching a ball seem like a chore but man can he run through people #Eagles
Another fan favorite David Akers throwing some balls into the stands with the fans…longest tenured Eagle showing some love #Eagles
Weather dropped about ten degrees now that its overcast…some players starting to come put now for the afternoon practice #Eagles
@EaglesInsider Thanks for having us on fan forum today. Loved talking Birds…check out our blog http://thephillyphour.wordpress.com
Phillies writer @alexmcohen and I just got interviewed by Eagles writer Dave Spadaro…will be on @ThePhillyPhour later on
Philly football lovin in the parking lot in between practices http://twitpic.com/2azwsz
Heart of the #Eagles offense http://twitpic.com/2azp6t
Vick talking with Dave Spadaro http://twitpic.com/2azi01
Morning practice ending early…maybe Andy was getting hungry #Eagles
I asked Ellis Hobbs how many kick returns he was going to return for TDs: “I don’t predict, I just do”
Weaver cracking jokes with the fans…hes having fun out here #Eagles
Winston Justice subbed off for a false start…the defense is loving it #Eagles
Riley Cooper drops his third pass of the day…ironic enough all from Vick #Eagles
When I thought Riley Cooper was big, King Dunlap doesn’t even look human #Eagles
Man Kolb is clicking on all cylinders…him and Maclin work well together #Eagles
Mikell rushes the line and blocks a Vick pass. Going to need that pressure this year #Eagles
DeSean Jackson and Stewart Bradley running in no pads on the other practice field #Eagles Gaither starting at middle linebacker with the first team… Akeem jordan over fokou again. Sims on the weak side
Kolb has those ten and out passes down perfectly…something mcnabb never seemed to nail #Eagles
@movingthechains washington is making riley cooper look silly out there…on the fence in my black maclin jersey, feel free to come talk
Ellis hobbs gives a thumbs up @alexmcohen for feeling healthy and ready
No stewart bradley or asante samuel today
Vick is throwing a better long ball than a short one. Completed another long bomb after a ball that should have been picked off
Vick throws a perfect 30 yard bomb to Maclin much to the fans liking…fans are loving Weaver too
Andy Reid making an appearance from the breakfast table. Maybe he and Haynesworth should start conditioning together
Cooper and Ingram highlight the second team
Avant, maclin and baskett with first team. Cole with a botched snap that Vick can’t handle