Seriously?

I've been completely out of the loop since the moment the Eagles game ended on Saturday.  Until this morning, I hadn't read one news account, blog post or message board item about the game.  I was a blank slate.

I actually considered writing something from that perspective, just to see how it would stack up against a discussion that's moved along by three days.  Then I decided that would be a really good way to look kind of dumb.

So now I've looked around a bit and I think I'm up to speed.  So here's point #1: Andy Reid was right to punt that ball.  Rich Hofmann has a great look at the percentages today that makes it clear that converting 4th-and-15 is a long, long shot.  He focuses on the limitations of Jeff Garcia, but it's also clear that this is not a 4th-and-15 kind of receiving corps.  Stallworth is fast, but in that situation you prefer "big" and "veteran." 

Regardless, it's clearly a coin flip situation.  Neither option was particularly good.  Sometimes life is like that.

But here's the thing.  I grant that I haven't had time to do a thorough search, but I've not seen one person yet who has criticized the decisions Jim Johnson made after Reid decided to punt the ball.  The front four had been pounded all day, the guys were clearly gassed and yet Johnson decided to play it safe with his base defense for three plays?

I was out of town, so I didn't record this game, but at the time it was happening I was screaming at the television.  Why were our linebackers not stacking the line?  Why didn't we have Bunkley on the field, who for all his apparent issues, is really friggin' big and young and fresh?  Brees is a good quarterback, so clearly you have to at least be aware of the chance that he might pass, but that's why you pay the guys in the secondary. 

I don't want to be too hard on Johnson.  It's not his fault that he has to game-plan around some clearly limited pieces every week.  I really don't think the problems with the Eagles' run defense have much to do with his scheme.  And the bottom line is that the players and coaches did a great job salvaging what looked to be a lost season.

But if you want to jump all over a coaching decision, at least pick the right one. 

Comments

[bake]

Ok it's clear you don't read comments from some of your blogs then, cause I completely agreed with you.
The Eagles were getting in the backfield don't forget, and on two of Reggie Bush's great runs, he should've been stopped for a loss. That's besides the point, but I just say that because maybe Jim Johnson figured they could get in the backfield and disrupt again. If they aren't making the tackles, what does it matter anyway?
Having said that, I didn't take credit for bringing up the "why didn't the Eagles stack the line" but I did think it while I was watching the closing moments of the game. I posted it earlier and said I agreed with you.
Thank You...lol

[bake]

I've watched some of Daily News Postgame after the game. Picked up the Inquirer at my mom's yesterday and just read one column, the Bob Ford one.
Everything I posted or video logged on youtube was said before I really read anything, except for what Didinger and the guys talked about. Didinger, Hebron and Barkann and good, actually Didinger is great, but that Mayor, as far as football goes, is clueless and funny to look at because he looks like he's in a daze half the time.

[bake]

Here's part one of how I started my video log yesterday, there's 3 parts, I thought my best moments were in part 3, because I was the most entertaining, but my thoughts on the game are mostly in the first vid. The 3rd is mostly dedicated to Cowboys fans and the blonde at the game.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K0iE4x6vr_0

[bake]

Sorry I video logged that on sunday morning, not yesterday, I'm losing track of days