Iggles Blog - Philadelphia Eagles Blog

Rocca Report

In response to a query from the comments, Sav Rocca really seems to be settling in as the Eagles punter:

First quarter, first drive -- 42 yard punt from Eagles' 49-yard-line -- Pretty much a perfect punt, nice and high, but the coverage team didn't do a great job getting downfield and there was a 12-yard return.  Not Sav's fault.

Third quarter, second drive -- 40-yard punt form the Eagles' 34-yard-line -- Not his best effort, five yard return.

Fourth quarter, first drive -- Booming 64-yard punt, 17-yard return.

Fourth quarter, third drive -- Another booming punt, 65 yards to the Minn one-yard-line, eight yard return.  A great job pinning the Vikings on their last-chance drive.

Rocca also had a fantastic punt last week that pinned the Bears all the way back at the three-yard-line for their last drive.  It looked like the play that would put the game away.  Not so much.

What a Shot

No, wasn't much impressed with the game.  But yes, was very, very impressed by the one-handed grab made my Kevin Curtis down the sideline.  This shot of the catch is almost as good as the play:

(AP)

Same Game, Different Result

Never has such a huge win actually meant so little.

The only thing the Eagles accomplished today -- other than not beating themselves -- was paying the cover charge for the portion of the season that actually matters. 

Sure, it was a nice win.  It was certainly a lot better than losing.  But color me unimpressed that the Eagles managed to beat a crappy, one-dimensional team by seven whole points, while making so many of the same mistakes that have killed them all year:

• Stupid penalties:
  • Unecessary roughness (late hit) on Quintin Mikell
  • Offsides that extended the Vikings' first drive by Sheldon Brown
  • Offsides by JT to give the Vikes another chance at 3rd and long
  • Offsides on a kickoff
  • Unnecessary roughness on special teams, a truly stupid play by Matt McCoy
• Key drops -- Both Curtis and Celek in the first quarter
• Missed opportunities in the red zone -- The Eagles scored all five times they entered the red zone, but it was two TDs and three field goals.  Those field goals came from the three, eight and 10 yards lines.  Ouch.

Add in no big plays by the defense and an inability to close out the game, giving the other team one last shot at a game-winning drive, and I'd say we've pretty much see this show before.

Now they get to face a red-hot Dallas team coming off its bye.  The good news is that the game still matters.  That bad news is that that might not matter. 

Three Crazy Thoughts

What would happen if the Eagles drafted guys who could actually get on the field?

Can the Eagles really lose to their own fourth-string quarterback?

Am I crazy for thinking the Redskins actually have a chance in this game?  I think it's going to be a lot closer than everybody thinks, and the Skins might even win.

Bad Week for Tony Hunt

PSU gets stomped by Ohio State and Tony gets benched for the Vikings.

Ok, This Is Crazy, But...

One thing that's been interesting about all the discussion of what ails the Eagles is that not once has anyone mentioned the words: "Tom Heckert."  It's an illustration of how Andy Reid is so much the focal point of this franchise that we can question the talent on the field without any criticism of the team's nominal general manager. 

Along those lines, here's an interesting rumor from PFT:

In response to reports that Bill Parcells might be interested in heading to the Fins as the new General Manager of the team, a league source tells us that there are rumors on the NFL grapevine that Eagles G.M. Tom Heckert could be headed back to Miami.

Heckert spent 10 years with the Dolphins before joining the Eagles, and we're told that he remains close to Dolphins owner Wayne Huizenga.

Under one of the theories making the rounds, Fins president Brian Weidmeier would be hired for the same job by the Packers, and Heckert would become the President/G.M. of the Dolphins.

Even if you give that rumor the usual 40 percent PFT truth discount, it's still interesting.  One possibility is that Heckert wants to take the next logical career step by going to a place where he's really going to be "the guy" and not just a member of a somewhat opaque decision-making team.  However, it's also possible that all of that is true and maybe the folks at the NovaCare Complex aren't exactly thrilled with his recent body of work...

If Heckert were to leave, the question would be what happens to the scouting staff.  I remember reading an article a year or so ago about how the Eagles GM finally had in place a team stocked with all "his" guys.  It would be interesting to see where those loyalties lie.

Of course, I've buried the more interesting -- and therefore far less likely -- piece of that PFT bit:

As to Parcells, it's been no secret that he'd be willing to return to the NFL as a G.M. With the Dallas Cowboys attempting to undermine his contribution to the development of the team that currently has the inside track to the NFC title, the fire likely will start burning again for the guy who has never been able to fully extinguish it.

And if Heckert is the guy who lands in Miami, why not Parcells to Philly? In our view, he's been going out of his way to suck up to the organization and the fans during his Monday night appearances on ESPN, and our guess is that he'd love to pull the reverse T.O.

Importantly, this would be "wild speculation" rather than "rumor," but at some level it makes some sense.  Parcells and Reid have tons of mutual respect going back for years.  If they could co-exist, it would certainly be the shot in the arm needed by a franchise that seems to be stuck in neutral.  And Parcells' legacy as a talent evaluator is pretty strong.  Even if they couldn't pull off a full-on hire, I'd love to see Parcells brought in on a consulting basis to do some disinterested evaluations of the Eagles current roster and needs. 

And it would also be fun to see how long it took the Andy-haters to start calling for Parcells to move from his desk to the sideline.  My guess is about five minutes.

Vikings Game Preview

For as long as I've been doing this blog, my operating principle in picking the games has been to take a look at what the other team does well, match it up with what the Eagles do poorly, and try to figure out how our guys could lose.

This approach has worked pretty well in the past, like just last week when I noted that the Eagles should be able to contain the Bears offense all day but I was particularly worried about how they'd do if they got into a situation at the end of the game where Griese had to drive 97 yards with no timeouts and a non-functioning helmet radio after stinking up the joint for the first 58 minutes of the game.

What can I say, I'm just that good.

However, in the ABC (After Bears Choke) era, I'm throwing my previous assumptions out the window.  The most important question is no longer, "Is there a way the Eagles can lose?"  It's now, "Is there a way they can win?"

Vegas seems to think there is, because even on the road the Eagles are ever so slight favorites.  It should, however, be noted that Vegas has been wrong about the Eagles almost as many times this season as I have.

Whether or not you think the Eagles can win this game probably comes down to how you feel about McNabb.  The defense has been solid this year, but hasn't been making the kind of game-changing plays that win games, rather than just keep you in them.  And as great as Brian Westbrook is, no one really runs against the Vikings.  Many teams don't even try.

So this one's on the quarterback. 

The thing about McNabb is that he really hasn't been that bad this year, despite his occasional struggles.  His numbers are better than any of the pre-TO years.  He hasn't been the one losing these games. 

Unfortunately, he hasn't been the one winning them either.  In almost every game this season (not against NYG) there have been a couple of plays he could have made to change the result, but just didn't.  And we've already discussed the whole leadership issue way too much around here this week.   

But when you're just looking at on-field performance, the fact remains that it's hard to put too much of that on McNabb.  If you're looking for the real culprits, Phil Sheridan does a pretty convincing round-up today in his piece calling out the Eagles' wide receivers:

First, the Eagles' passing game struggled because cornerbacks were jamming their wide receivers hard at the line of scrimmage, throwing off the timing.

Now we hear the Eagles can't get the ball down the field because defenses are playing soft, forcing Donovan McNabb to check down to Brian Westbrook or, gulp, Thomas Tapeh.

Too hard, too soft. Maybe, if the Eagles are lucky, the Minnesota Vikings will play them just right on Sunday.

And...

"We like to dictate," Eagles offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg said yesterday. "When we call some of our [downfield passing] shots, there are some times when it's just simply taken away."

So why aren't defenses taking away Randy Moss and Marvin Harrison, Donté Stallworth and Reggie Wayne? Why is it Tony Romo keeps finding Terrell Owens downfield? Are we to believe NFL defensive coaches go to great lengths to contain Kevin Curtis and Reggie Brown, but haven't figured out that Moss and Owens and Harrison are dangerous?

Amen.

Again, I don't want to scapegoat one guy for what's been a team-wide malaise, but if you're just looking at production it's hard to find a guy on the team who's been more disappointing than Reggie Brown.  It's not just that he hasn't made the leap -- it's that he's going backwards.  Through six games, Brown has 17 catches for 214 yards and no touchdowns.  Through six games last year, Greg Lewis had 12 catches for 198 yards and two TDs. 

Which is to say that if Reggie were the team's number four wide receiver, Brownie would be doing a heckuva job.

One of the issues with the Eagles' plan to lock up young players with long-term deals is that it puts you into an uncomfortable situation if those guys aren't playing that well.  If Brown were just a guy three years into his rookie deal, the pressure would be squarely on him to get things turned around.  But when they've got you locked up through 2014, then the pressure is on the team to realize its investment.

It's like that old saying goes, if you owe the bank a little money, they own you, but if you owe the bank a lot of money, you own them.

I understand why Reid believes he's got the right approach to winning.  By staying calm, keeping things in-house and avoiding panic moves, Andy's steered this team through plenty of troubled times and has a great deal of success to show for it. 

I just wonder what happens when "no finger-pointing" becomes "no consequences."  Jim Johnson certainly has no trouble ripping a guy off the field if he screws up.  Maybe things should work a little bit more that way on the offensive side too.  The next time an Eagles receiver drops a sure completion -- and I'm sure we won't need to wait long -- yank his butt and get someone else in there.  Like it would hurt to occasionally get the 6-4 high-jumper on the field when the story all year has been the Eagles receivers not winning their physical match-ups.

Heck, maybe Andy could even kick a little ass on the sidelines for a change.  The fire on this team has to come from someone.  Might as well be the coach.

The other issue the Eagles need to address if they're going to start winning some ballgames is the whole problem of playing tentative football.  I can't see Reid calling for a game-opening onsides kick against either his old assistant or the Cowboys (ouch), but something needs to be done to shake this stuff up.  Kicking away from Hester all last game may have worked out strategically (I don't think it did -- they gave up too much field position all game) but it definitely sent a terrible message to the team: "We don't think you guys are good enough to get the job done so we're just going to play it safe."

I was certain we were going to see the flea-flicker last week, given how focused the Bears were on stopping Westbrook.  Maybe this is the week that crazy Andy comes out to play again.  Go a little deeper in the playbook, throw a halfback pass, try something strange on special teams -- do SOMETHING so that other teams don't already know everything you ever plan to do all game.

I'm getting the wrap-it-up sign from the guy stage right and the music is starting to play, so I'll try to bring this most rambling of previews to a close.  Yes, I realize that once again I barely talked about the Vikings.  That's because I still can't shake the feeling that the problems for the Eagles all season have been mostly home-grown.  If they can't get out of their own way, it barely matters who the opponent is.

One way or the other, I just don't see this game being close.  I truly believe this team is in a very, very precarious position right now.  Facing a dominating running game and a stifling run defense, this might be the game when the team just packs it in.  If they don't come out playing smart and aggressive football, they're going to get rolled.  Half-time adjustments won't matter.  If that happens, in a must-win game against a mediocre at best opponent, we're officially starting the clock on not just Andy Reid, but also a lot of these players.

And yet, I don't think that's going to happen.  Yes, fool me this many times and I'm a !#$@& idiot, but I think the Eagles are going to dominate this one from start to finish.  I expect an inspired defensive effort that shuts down a one-dimensional offense and a lot of points against a poor pass defense.

Then next week we get to find out if the transformation was for real or just a one-week blip in a long season of discontent.

Pretty Much

It's going to be hard to top Les Bowen's game preview today:

IT'S TIME TO COIN a new saying: "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. Fool me three or four times, I must be a *&*%#$ idiot."

So Many Questions

The problem with the Eagles from here on out is that we can no longer trust them.  I've calmed down significantly in the 72 hours since the Bears game, so I'll take a wide berth on the friend's-skanky-tramp-cheating-girlfriend metaphors and just say that after the Chicago game, I've lost faith in this team.  No matter how well they play in the future, there's always going to be that nagging doubt in the back of my mind.  The one that says, "Yes, but we've seen stretches of good play before and where did that get you?"

That sounds far more melodramatic than I mean it to, but I'm struggling with my two-expletives-per-post limit these days and there's a fair amount of self-censoring taking place.  Messes with the flow.

But the fact remains that I don't believe in these guys any more.  Maybe I'm wrong not to, but that doesn't matter.  The Bears loss changed everything.

And yet... and yet, it shouldn't have.  The signs have been there awhile now.  It was just one year ago this week that I wrote this:

"Good teams find ways to win.  Bad teams find ways to lose.  Puzzlingly, this Eagles team does both.

This is clearly a talented team.  The offense looks awesome for long stretches.  The defense is adequate and improving.  And if they ever run out of foot-bullets they're going to be hard to beat. 

But all this is obvious to anyone who's been watching these guys all year.  The more interesting question is why.  Why does this team keep self-destructing?  And what can they do to stop it?

Unfortunately, I'm all out of answers right now."

Sound familiar?  And what did I blame last year?  "Youth," "lack of fire" and "poor situational coaching."

That sounds about right too. 

Stupid Jeff Garcia and his stupid catalytic effect he bestows just by playing for whatever stupid franchise he's currently a part of. 

Frankly, I'm a little surprised by how upset I've gotten about this team this week.  A couple of weeks ago -- after the crappy Giants loss, not to be confused with the Packers debacle, the anemic showing against the Redskins or the gutless fold-up job against the Bears -- I had actually convinced myself that my relative calm wasn't a delusional sense that things weren't that bad, but rather newfound perspective that came from impending fatherhood or general old age.

Yeah, not so much.  Delusional pretty much covers it. 

I don't even know what to think any more.  Is it poor talent (broadly)?  Lack of playmakers?  Scheme?  Coaching?  Experience?  Attitude?  Leadership?  Karma for the vats of beer and truckloads of snowballs dumped onto opposing fans?

Shit shit shit.

Oops, one too many.

Like Looking Into a Mirror

In some ways, the Vikings and Eagles are mirror images of each other.  Consider:

Vikings fans are annoyed that Brad Childress doesn't allow Adrian Peterson to run the ball more, preferring instead to not overload the rookie by sharing his carries with Chester Taylor.

Eagles fans wish Andy Reid would spread the ball around more, in an effort to keep Westbrook healthy by giving some of his slug-it-out carries to Buckhalter and Hunt.

.

Vikings fans have given up on their quarterback of the future, Tarvaris Jackson, believing that the team has the talent to win right away with a veteran QB.

Eagles fans are edging towards the exit of the Donovan McNabb experience and casting plaintive looks in the direction of their quarterback of the future, Kevin Kolb.

.

The Vikings may be a team on the rise.

The Eagles, well, I can't even say it.

------

Of course, there are lots of ways in which the teams are pretty similar.  Namely, that they both suck.

No, I haven't gotten over the Chicago game yet.  More later.