Better Than Last Week, At Any Rate

The Eagles' offense is clearly broken right now.  They can't run the ball, the passing attack is impotent and the Wildcat is no longer working.

I have my theory for what the biggest problem is, as outlined in last week's video rewind.  Tonight was more of the same.  Opportunities downfield are being missed and Checkdown Charlie has entered the building. 

Donovan's not the only problem, of course.  The offensive line is still a work in progress, which would be fine if we weren't about to start the real schedule next week.  And when your backs average fewer than three yards a carry, you define one-dimensional.

The silver lining?  We made it through the annual McNabb slump with a 1-1 record, better than last year's tie and a loss.  If McNabb can get himself turned around this week, on schedule, we should be ok.

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It's funny.  This offense used to be, "Just keep it close and Donovan will make a play for us."  Then that role was played by Westbrook. 

Now it's a guy who either hurt his foot while dancing or did it beforehand and decided to dance anyway. 

Kids.

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As for the defense, I can't totally figure these guys out.  I wonder if this a truly dominant defense, or more of a bullying one, in that it picks on the weak and defenseless, but won't love matching up against someone its own size.

This is more just a general impression than anything else.  And it's definitely a questionable assertion.  We won't really know how the Eagles play against good offenses until we see a few more of them.

But this defense seem to do really well when we get a bit of a lead and can go nuts with the pressure packages and formations with 27 guys in the box, linemen playing safety, and safeties rushing the passer.  I wonder how much of the mental havoc we're causing means we're winning by confusion and lack of poise, more than straight-up beating the other guy. 

And if we're afraid to pull the same stunts against a veteran guy like Drew Brees, where does that leave us?

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That Will Witherspoon fellow seems like a heck of a pick-up, though, doesn't he?  Say hello to your leading tackler, who also picked up a sack, an interception, a pass defensed and a forced fumble.

We should do more of these in-season trades.

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Sloppy, undisciplined and inept, the Redskins were everything the Raiders were supposed to be.  I really don't see how you keep Jim Zorn as the coach of this bunch.  He could be the NFL's version of Mother Teresa, and you'd still have to axe him for being in charge of that sorry lot.

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It's possible to make way too much of next week's Giants game.  I'm pretty sure we'll do that around here, in fact.  But it's hard to deny that we've played one good team so far this year and got the snot knocked out of us for our efforts. 

Let the real season begin.