he basically regurgitated everything I have been saying
http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/sports ... 609559.htm
Les Bowen | Eagles running away from run againby Les Bowen
THE EAGLES' defense is all over the place right now, capable of generating great pass-rush pressure, just as capable of giving up yards and points in big, messy, hard-to-digest chunks.
Injuries, obviously, are a big factor in this inconsistency. But so are some of the offensive decisions.
You might have heard somewhere, just a time or two, that if the Eagles' offense had been able to manage one more crucial first down in the late going of that horrific meltdown loss to the Giants a little more than a week ago, it could have kept a patched-together defensive backfield on the sideline and won the game.
Jim Johnson's defense ran into the same troubles Sunday in San Francisco. This time, on top of a cornerback injury - Rod Hood had to leave the game again with that heel problem that first cropped up against the Giants - Johnson's safeties started going down; first Sean Considine to a hip flexor, then Brian Dawkins to a concussion. That one-linebacker dime package Johnson has come to like so much had to be totally abandoned.
To avoid disaster, the defense again needed a little help from the offense. And that was exactly what it got, a little help. One second-half scoring drive, five plays, 80 yards, lasting all of 2 minutes, 25 seconds. A clock-eating, grind-it-out sequence with a big lead in the second half? Fans haven't seen one of those since the opener.
The Eagles are back to throwing the ball twice as much as they run it, very much like last season. In addition to not helping the defense, this situation isn't going to help Donovan McNabb stay healthy. McNabb took some hits in San Francisco, really for the first time this season. He was sacked three times.
There was one third-quarter sack that was especially notable, in that it helped fuel the 49ers' comeback attempt. San Francisco had just scored its first touchdown of the game, making it 31-10. Dawkins suffered his concussion on the scoring play.
The Eagles got the ball on their 17. A dump pass to Correll Buckhalter lost a yard. A Matt Schobel false start made it second-and-16 from the 11. Buckhalter ran for 2 yards. It was third-and-14, from the 13. Maybe a run into the line would gain a few yards and allow Dirk Johnson to punt the ball into 49ers territory. But of course, the Eagles did not run. McNabb took a full drop, was hit at the 2, and was dragged into the end zone. The Birds were fortunate to avoid a safety. Johnson punted from the back of the end zone, San Francisco took over at the Eagles' 43, and five plays later it was 31-17.
The Eagles ran for 150 yards Sunday, a misleading stat in that 71 of those yards came on one play, the Brian Westbrook touchdown gallop. Subtract two kneel-downs and they managed just 16 called running plays, to 33 passes attempted. Yes, they probably want to take it easy with Westbrook's knee, but Buckhalter seems stuck in Sunday's five-carry range. Ryan Moats actually got the ball Sunday, for the first time this season, running all of twice, for 16 yards.
Good teams run effectively with the lead, which gives the defense a break and makes a comeback impossible. The Eagles haven't shown that they know how to do that, or that Reid understands the importance of doing that.
http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/sports ... 609559.htm
Les Bowen | Eagles running away from run againby Les Bowen
THE EAGLES' defense is all over the place right now, capable of generating great pass-rush pressure, just as capable of giving up yards and points in big, messy, hard-to-digest chunks.
Injuries, obviously, are a big factor in this inconsistency. But so are some of the offensive decisions.
You might have heard somewhere, just a time or two, that if the Eagles' offense had been able to manage one more crucial first down in the late going of that horrific meltdown loss to the Giants a little more than a week ago, it could have kept a patched-together defensive backfield on the sideline and won the game.
Jim Johnson's defense ran into the same troubles Sunday in San Francisco. This time, on top of a cornerback injury - Rod Hood had to leave the game again with that heel problem that first cropped up against the Giants - Johnson's safeties started going down; first Sean Considine to a hip flexor, then Brian Dawkins to a concussion. That one-linebacker dime package Johnson has come to like so much had to be totally abandoned.
To avoid disaster, the defense again needed a little help from the offense. And that was exactly what it got, a little help. One second-half scoring drive, five plays, 80 yards, lasting all of 2 minutes, 25 seconds. A clock-eating, grind-it-out sequence with a big lead in the second half? Fans haven't seen one of those since the opener.
The Eagles are back to throwing the ball twice as much as they run it, very much like last season. In addition to not helping the defense, this situation isn't going to help Donovan McNabb stay healthy. McNabb took some hits in San Francisco, really for the first time this season. He was sacked three times.
There was one third-quarter sack that was especially notable, in that it helped fuel the 49ers' comeback attempt. San Francisco had just scored its first touchdown of the game, making it 31-10. Dawkins suffered his concussion on the scoring play.
The Eagles got the ball on their 17. A dump pass to Correll Buckhalter lost a yard. A Matt Schobel false start made it second-and-16 from the 11. Buckhalter ran for 2 yards. It was third-and-14, from the 13. Maybe a run into the line would gain a few yards and allow Dirk Johnson to punt the ball into 49ers territory. But of course, the Eagles did not run. McNabb took a full drop, was hit at the 2, and was dragged into the end zone. The Birds were fortunate to avoid a safety. Johnson punted from the back of the end zone, San Francisco took over at the Eagles' 43, and five plays later it was 31-17.
The Eagles ran for 150 yards Sunday, a misleading stat in that 71 of those yards came on one play, the Brian Westbrook touchdown gallop. Subtract two kneel-downs and they managed just 16 called running plays, to 33 passes attempted. Yes, they probably want to take it easy with Westbrook's knee, but Buckhalter seems stuck in Sunday's five-carry range. Ryan Moats actually got the ball Sunday, for the first time this season, running all of twice, for 16 yards.
Good teams run effectively with the lead, which gives the defense a break and makes a comeback impossible. The Eagles haven't shown that they know how to do that, or that Reid understands the importance of doing that.
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