It's Not About Style Points

Fans in Philadelphia have, shall we say, high expectations.  Sometimes this manifests itself unfairly, such as when the Eagles take care of business and put up a seven-point win over an inferior opponent ... but we're not satisfied.  We wanted the blowout.  We wanted to add to the highlight reel.  We wanted style points.

"A Super Bowl caliber team would have ..." 

Blah blah.

That's not what we saw today, though.  It's not just that we let a big early lead slip away and had to grind one out against a team whose entire offense seemed to consist of wide receiver screens.  If there are lingering misgivings about what just transpired, they're not style-motivated.  They're real concerns:

What's the status of Jamaal Jackson?  Nick Cole is a stop-gap at best.  He seemed to have trouble with Donovan's cadence -- which is weird for a guy who's been playing -- as the team piled up three false starts after JJ left.  All of them seemed somehow snap-related, as multiple guys were moving before the ball. 

The Broncos also jammed the heck out of the line of scrimmage in the second half.  For whatever reason, it worked.  Donovan never seemed comfortable back there and really didn't have much time to find guys (although more on that in a bit).  We need JJ back and healthy for this run.  The post-season bye may just have become even more crucial.

Nice jinx, by the way.

Bubble gum, duct tape and baling wire.  That's what seems to be holding this defense together these days (Cole = gum, Sheldon = tape, wire = the good half of Asante combined with the two DTs on run downs).

At no point does this defense really seem to be in control of the events taking place on the field.  They're more just along for the ride.

Eight seconds, men, eight seconds.

Still don't have a Plan B.  When the offense works, it really works.  When it doesn't, it's hard to watch.

The Eagles still don't have a second pitch on offense.  Oh sure, sometimes they can run the ball a little.  Just like sometimes Cole Hamels knows where his curveball's going.  Most of the time, though, it's either the McNabb show or nothing.

With a healthy half-time lead and the return of Brian Westbrook, today seemed like a good day to try to get something else going.

Nope, just keep firing.

I'm a little worried about the offense's next six quarters.  Is there precedent for a second PTGSOPBP in one season?  Can a bye soak up those last two quarters?  Because when those things start, they always look just like today's second half.

Who returns kicks?  Two fumbles and a terrible decision to take the ball out of the end zone early.  Tough day for Macho, and that's even with giving him the benefit of the doubt on the unnecessary roughness penalty.  (Which was a good call, by the way, even if it was horribly defended by Phil Simms and seemed somehow plucked out of mid-air by Carey's crew.)

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Does any of this mean the Eagles can't win the Super Bowl this year?  Nah, of course not.  Not with New Orleans leaking oil badly and Indianapolis thumbing its nose at the lesser football gods.  This is a darn good team.  And while the existence of their issues is a concern, the experience they're getting overcoming those issues is hugely valuable.

This is a scarred team, yes, but they've also been hardened by what they've gone through the past couple months.  This team won't stop fighting.

Contrast that with the Giants, perhaps.