RON CORTES / Staff photographer
Eagles' DeSean Jackson tries hurdling Saints on a Wildcat play.
- Reid optimistic that Westbrook can regain old form
- Les Bowen: Eagles fans: Get used to Wildcat strikes
- John Smallwood: Eagles coach Reid softens criticism after loss to Saints
- Eagles Notebook: Eagles QB McNabb says rib injury improving
- Hasselbeck likely out with a broken rib
- Coldhearted in Buffalo
- Colts keep coming back, beat Dolphins
- Eagletarian
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Les Bowen: Eagles fans: Get used to Wildcat strikes
Actually, I didn't mind the way the Eagles used the Wildcat on Sunday. I thought they took a little pressure off Kevin Kolb to make plays in the first half of his first start by snapping to DeSean Jackson, Brian Westbrook and Jeremy Maclin. And the main thing was, it worked; except for an overly complicated flea-flickerish play, and a Westbrook pass to Leonard Weaver, foiled by pass-rush pressure on BWest, the Wildcat plays moved the ball.
There were postgame critics, however, including backup quarterback Jeff Garcia, quoted in an Inquirer column. Garcia seems to think the quarterbacks should quarterback. Lots of other observers agree, and they might be particularly apprehensive this week against Kansas City, with Michael Vick finally eligible. Andy Reid could veer into full Inspector Gadget mode.
I went into the coach's Monday news conference hoping to get a better fix on that possibility; I think other reporters might have had similar intentions. We were stiff-armed, though, by an uncommonly peevish, feisty Andy. Usually, the day after an Eagles loss, the dynamic is reversed - Reid sits, stoic, repeating over and over that he has to do a better job, while questioners vent and prod indelicately for explanations of breakdowns the coach has no intention of providing.
"Whatever term you want to give the thing, it averaged 5.7 yards per carry and was very productive," Reid said, cutting off a question that was going to be about whether we might see the Wildcat more, with Vick in the mix. "I think we had five first downs with it, and we ran it - do you remember how many times we ran it?"
Several reporters helpfully answered, "nine," which was the number of times guys who aren't quarterbacks on the roster took snaps. Turned out, Reid had a reason for asking.
"Yeah, it was 12 times," he said, in what can only be described as a bit of snarkiness. Reid didn't explain; apparently, he was counting unconventional plays in which Kolb still took the snap, such as that option toss to LeSean McCoy. "There were some good things from it. There were a couple of good things from it," Reid said.
No argument here, coach. Even if you're looking for one.
SI.com's Peter King reported that the Eagles have a 10-play package for Vick against the Chiefs, although Reid certainly wasn't about to let the local media in on that. Kolb seemed to indicate yesterday that with Vick, we will see the Wildcat in full flower, passing and running.
"There's more of a pass threat. That's the one thing we can bring to the table that other people can't, is that we have a true quarterback running it, from here on out," Kolb said. "I look forward to seeing him back there."
Who Knew?
That Asante Samuel could hit someone hard enough to need treatment for a stinger?
Samuel might not have intended as much contact as he made with Reggie Bush, who tried to hurdle the Birds' Pro Bowl corner. For much of the game, Samuel's tackling technique in the open field seemed modeled on that maneuver Mr. Spock used to perform, where he squeezed the bad guy's shoulder with two fingers and knocked him out.
Developing Storylines
-- As along as the Eagles seem able to run effectively only from the Wildcat, this year is going to look too much like last year in the red zone. They were 1-for-5 Sunday, the lone TD being that amazing Jason Avant fourth-down catch.
-- Channel 10's Vai Sikahema made a really good point Sunday night about Ellis Hobbs' fumble of the second-half kickoff. After giving Hobbs his props for being a faster returner than Sikahema was, Vai noted that when a returner runs into traffic and has to stop, he must anticipate that he's about to be hit from behind. Hobbs didn't.
-- The Eagles only had 10 defenders on the field when they held the Saints to a 3-yard gain on third-and-goal from the 8, late in the first quarter. I'm not sure, but I think if New Orleans had scored a TD, the 11th guy would have been allowed to come out of the penalty box.
-- Shady McCoy really needs to work on ball security.
-- Veteran Chris Clemons has special-teams penalties in both games so far. "Yeah, we'll get that worked out," Andy Reid said.
Obscure Stat
Donovan McNabb has 27 300-yard passing games to his credit, but in only one of them did he surpass the 391 yards Kevin Kolb recorded Sunday, which was the 12th-most passing yardage in Eagles history. Other than DMac, Randall Cunningham beat 391 three times, Ron Jaworski once, Sonny Jurgensen five times, and Bobby Thomason once.
Extra Point
Kevin Kolb said he watched the tape of his first start yesterday and came away feeling perhaps a little better about himself than in his postgame news conference, in which the backup said he "killed myself and killed the team" with turnovers.
Kolb passed a bit of a test, in that Andy Reid made it clear that Kolb will start again against Kansas City if Donovan McNabb's rib isn't ready. Nobody
really thought Reid would go to rusty Michael Vick right now, but he certainly could have gone to Jeff Garcia, if Reid had agreed with Kolb's bleak postgame assessment.
"You just realize you're a few plays away from playing a strong game," Kolb said, as his parents, Roy and Lanell, awaited their flight back home to Texas, and Kolb contemplated perhaps a less harried, more routine week of preparation.
Kolb said he "went and spent time with my family" Sunday night; he and his wife Whitney have a 9-month old daughter, Kamryn.
"I told them as soon as I got home, 'Hey, no football, don't even turn on the Cowboys-Giants game.' I just needed to clear my thoughts for a second. Sure, you come back in the next morning with a different perspective on things, still upset about the loss, the turnovers, and the miscues, but [believing] that the things are all fixable, and we're playing again next Sunday.
