A Character Win

The Season is just three weeks old and already the Eagles have played three of those games that good teams play.

The first week's demolition of the Rams was the Taking Care of Business Game.  Bad team, home game, Eagles dominated the way they needed to.

Last week against Dallas, we saw the Good Loss.  Up-and-coming team plays a hard-fought struggle against the class of the league, comes up a bit short, but proves it belongs in the conversation.

Today ... well, today we saw the Character Win.  The Eagles had every reason to fold in this game.  Tough, AFC opponent.  Short week to prepare.  Injuries to key performers like Westbrook, McNabb (for awhile), Andrews and the guys who were already hurt. 

This is a game that the Eagles teams of the last few years would have found a way to lose.  A missed field goal.  That final killer turnover.  Maybe the true gut punch -- the end of game "we can't get off the field" drive. 

But not this team.  The defense today was nothing short of dominating.  If they played somewhat passively against the Cowboys, today they attacked, attacked, attacked. 

Roethlisberger was shot by half time.  You could see the look in his eyes.  The way he lost faith in his linemen to keep him clean.  The Eagles defense destroyed his will.

Tonight and tomorrow, everyone's going to say that this game suggests the Eagles' defense has reclaimed the form of earlier this decade.  That may be true.  But today's effort reminded me far more of those truly dominating teams back in the late 80, early 90s that made pummelling the quarterback, the first, second and third priority and figured everything else would take care of itself.

A word about Brian Dawkins before we get to some other, darker subjects.  What a warrior.  That last, flying leap of a sack -- which could only have come from Dawk -- was the play that finally iced a game that was still within reach.  Seven tackles, a sack, a forced fumble and what I am guessing was one impassioned pre-game speech to his defensive teammates ...  Yeah, let's keep this guy around a little longer.

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And now, the scary parts:

• No word on this point re: the severity of Westbrook's injury.
• On the Eagles' first two drives, they managed 129 yards of offense and looked like they could  move at will.  From that point on, Philadelphia managed only 131 more yards.  Westbrook went out in the middle of the second drive, but once Pittsburgh realized he was done, things changed rapidly for this Eagles' offense.
• Tony Hunt took a vicious helmet-to-helmet shot on the play that knocked him out of the game, but that's two in a row he's started and not finished.
• Reggie Brown still looks nothing close to full speed.

Without Westbrook, this offense still isn't scaring anyone.  And a pretty good defense is coming to town next week.

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Reed making that 53-yard field goal -- his career long -- after CBS showed the "1/4 since 2005 on kicks over 50 yards" graphics was the least surprising thing I've ever seen.  No one misses kicks against the Eagles.

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Finally, and I put this here because I didn't want to end on a bad note, how f-ing good is Sav Rocca?  With all due credit to the work of the defense, Rocca's 64, 54 and 37 (down to the 7) yard punts in the 4th quarter were the Eagles offense.  If he doesn't flip the field position and pin the Steelers deep, there's no safety, no free kick, and maybe no gimme field goal. 

Game ball to the punter, in this one.

Comments

[mdesantis]

Their is no question in my mind the Eagles and the Cowboys are the two greatest teams in the History of the NFL....no question. The Eagles have the greatest history in pro sports and will win the Super Bowl. Dallas is the only legit contender we have to play this year, NYG stink they almost lost to the Bungles, they are a total fluke.

[mdesantis]

The Eagles are the greatest sports franchise ever. We will win the SB and never lose another game in history. We are the best NFL franchise ever, easily.

[Saltzie]

One time I was playing Madden (as the eagles, of course) and the opponents offensive lineman went down. Due to crazy depth chart stuff, they brought in their punter to play guard. I STILL never had a game like the Eagles D line.

[Paul]

What did I say last week? JJ comes up with an amazing blitz package and the Eagle defense completely dominates. Seriously, can anyone name the last game the Eagles beat a really good opponent without decent pressure by the D?

Great win though, I'll be keeping my fingers crossed till that MRI comes in tomorrow.

[MetroG]

What a game. Gritty, gutty teams like Baltimore and Chicago have been winning games with their defense for years. Why couldn't ur beloved Birds do the same thing for once? Today the embattled pass rush gave 1000% percent and they avenged their fallen warrior Brian Westbrook.

And let's give some props to Buck, because if he isn't the best overall backup in the league, well then I don't know what!!

[Eric]

Pittsburgh's offensive line has been suspect for years, especially after Jeff Hartings retired. Pittsburgh is a good 11-5 team from last year, but I think they were being overrated as being the best in the AFC. However, this still proves the Eagles deserve consideration in the top 5.

[Eagles Fan in San Fran]

WOW - I wish I could've seen that game, rather than just follow it via the Internet! I am so glad that the D was able to carry it through - at 12-6, I just had this sinking feeling soemthing bad was going to happen and Pitt would walk away with a 13-12 win. That would have been a devastating loss with the injuries incurred.
Speaking of which:
1) Westbrook reportedly hobbled out on crutches, with an inflatable protective boot on. That's obviously NOT a good sign. Looks like we're going to find out if Booker's any good or not.
2) Hunt's concussion. Do we have a FB on the practice squad or is Klecko "Plan B"?
3) DMac's "chest contusion." I hope this isn't one of those "bruised sternum" injuries where it hurts to breathe in deeply. That really did in Steve McNair one year as a season-long "lingering injury".

[Pat]

Westbrook being on crutches isn't a good sign or a bad sign. We know he at least sprained his ankle. In no way, shape, or form would it be good for the Eagles to let him move that joint.

[Dan]

I'm not sure I'd characterize this as a "character win."

The DEFENSE dictated what Pittsburgh could do, {precious little} but usually the Defense dictated what Pittsburgh was not going to be permitted to do.

So I don't see the "character" issue present.

I saw an exceptional defensive scheme, executed to perfection, which threw that fraud Big Ben into utter and supreme confusion.

Just compare Big Ben's reads to those Romo made last week.

One guy could read defensive complexity, and though it got to him, -------- he worked around it.

Whereas Big Ben wanted to go off some place and write in his journal or something.

If I was a Pittsburgh Steeler groupie, ------------ I'd be pretty livid with the QB's performance against a top-notch defense.

JJ and the boys brought their "A-Game" today.

Big Ben brought what?

Mental confusion, indecision, poor execution, interspersed with weird faces, {which didn't help his cause...}.

Big Ben was a big joke.

And recall too how many were denouncing and decrying Dawkins just days ago.

What did Dawkins do today?

Force the issue in the endzone, where he made Big Ben look like a big doofus.

The AFC?

Brady is gone for the year, {getting help in his recovery efforts by a hot model}.

Since Brady is gone, ------------ forget about the AFC.

The AFC is the junior circuit.

The team that's going to do it is going to emerge from NFL CENTRAL, which is now the NFC East!