A lot of positives in last night’s game… but a few disturbing trends when all the 1’s were in play in the first half…
Danny Watkins (RG) helps QB Mike Vick celebrate after Vick’s 2nd quarter run around right end for a score…
I’ll say this for the Birds: good vibes out there, good team fellowship and camaraderie… and a little bit of egg on Andy’s face when he learned firsthand you can’t challenge a TD call anymore… it’s automatically reviewed by the booth…and if you do challenge the TD, you are rewarded with a 15-yard unsportsmanlike penalty and a forfeit of the TD review decision… oops!
But at least Andy Reid got to rest most of his starters after a nice 17-0 halftime lead— all except Casey Matthews at MLB…
Torrential rains that turned the turf into a bog just before halftime undoubtedly had something to do with Reid’s decision, but quarterback Michael Vick and company were also efficient and effective enough to justify going with the backups for the entire second half.
“It was great to be able to get back out there with the guys and play with a different mind-set,” Vick said. “We wanted to put on a good performance.”
Vick delivered an inconsistent performance against the Browns, partly due to a lack of reliable protection from a revamped offensive line. Rookie center Jason Kelce and right guard Danny Watkins both struggled to protect the quarterback. At other times, Vick had trouble finding an open receiver.
But despite the troubles, he guided the offense to a pair of touchdowns and a field goal in five possessions. Vick completed 10-of-18 passes for 98 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions and rushed for 24 yards and an 8-yard touchdown on four carries.
Running back LeSean McCoy was Vick’s favorite receiver, catching seven passes for 69 yards.
“You can’t be a greedy offense,” McCoy said. “Sometimes you need to take what the defense is giving you. They gave us some stuff underneath and we took that. I think as we get more into game planning and scouting, we’ll have more room for different things. Right now I think we look pretty good.”
I don’t want to be a jerk about it, but I stated in this forum a few days ago that the Eagles were going to rely more on underneath stuff for the most part in the early going of the new season, in an attempt to maximize time of possession and minimize turnovers and exposure of their still-evolving defense…
Running back Ronnie Brown opened the scoring with a 13-yard run after Eagles long snapper Jon Dorenbos hustled downfield and recovered a muffed punt by Browns returner Jordan Norwood. In the second quarter, Eagles rookie place-kicker Alex Henery booted a 37-yard field goal , his third of the preseason without a miss, to up the lead to 10-0. Vick then added his QB-keeper TD around the right end…
“The defense gave us good field position and we took advantage of it and put some points on the board,” McCoy said. “Right now, it’s all about coming together and gelling together and getting the job done.”
The starting defense bounced back from last week’s loss at Pittsburgh with a fairly solid performance led by defensive tackle Mike Patterson and cornerbacks Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and Asante Samuel. Cullen Jenkins and Darryl Tapp got some major pressures on Colt McCoy, too.
Patterson made his preseason debut after suffering a seizure on the practice field on Aug. 3 and being diagnosed with an arteriovenous malformation (AVM). The seven-year veteran started and made an immediate impact, dropping Browns quarterback Colt McCoy for a five-yard sack on Cleveland’s second series.
“I was a little bit nervous at first,” Patterson said. “I had to get that feeling back. It feels good being out here with the fellas and feeding off the energy.”
Rodgers-Cromartie showed his prowess on special teams by sprinting into the backfield from the outside and blocking Browns place-kicker Phil Dawson’s 33-yard field goal attempt. Samuel opened the second quarter with an interception, Colt McCoy’s first in three preseason games.
“I just hid a little bit, saw the ball in the air and I do what I do – go get the ball,” Samuel said. “We’re looking pretty good. We still have a lot of work to do and it was a good showing out here. We held the team in the first half to zero points. That’s a pretty good showing.”
The Other QB’s: Vince Young replaced Vick after halftime and solidified his status as the Eagles’ No. 2 quarterback while playing almost the entire second half. Young used his speed to score on a 10-yard run in his first series. He also completed 9-of-12 passes for 58 yards.
Mike Kafka mopped up and did not throw a pass.
The new guys: (1), Kelce struggled mightily as the starting center. He was beaten twice, called for a holding penalty and botched a center-quarterback exchange; (2), Rodgers-Cromartie may be a factor on special teams this season after blocking a field goal in the first quarter; (3), Ronnie Brown proved that he can be a factor in the offense with his TD run in the first quarter.
The good things: (1), Patterson made a strong preseason debut with a sack on the Eagles’ second defensive series; (2), Samuel foiled another Browns drive with an interception and 13-yard return; (3), The Eagles punt coverage unit recovered two Browns’ muffs.
The bad things: (1), Vick was under constant pressure; (2), Wide receiver DeSean Jackson was a non-factor; (3), The offensive line committed three penalties in the first half.
What they said: Vick, on the offensive line: “They did well. I’m proud of those guys. We can always improve, starting with me.”
The other team: The Browns struggled on offense, defense and special teams. Quarterback Colt McCoy made his first serious mistake of the preseason on a telegraphed throw resulting in Samuel’s second-quarter interception.
Vick threw an interception that was negated by a questionable roughing-the-passer penalty on Browns middle linebacker D’Qwell Jackson in the second quarter. Replays indicated Jackson delivered a legal hit.
Torrential rains kept most of the fans from returning to their seats after halftime.
The Eagles reported no injuries during the game.
The Eagles are off today then are scheduled to practice at the NovaCare Complex on Saturday.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
