Buy tickets online
Bob Ford
Eagles really will need running game Sunday
The subject of the Eagles' running game, when it comes up every 10 minutes or so, is never just about the Eagles' running game anymore.
Contact columnist Bob Ford at 215-854-5842 or bford@phillynews.com. Read his recent work at http://go.philly.com/bobford.
Whether the Eagles run the ball enough, whether they utilize Brian Westbrook properly, whether they ignore the run and throw the ball regardless of opponent or field conditions, has become a referendum on Andy Reid's ability to make game-day adjustments necessary to win.
It is as if everything else Reid has done, everything else that has gotten the Eagles to Sunday's conference semifinal game with the New York Giants, is distilled to the dissection of a run-pass balance that will never be consistently balanced in Reid's offensive scheme.
Even the coach, who is usually oblivious to anything being said outside the NovaCare bunker, has grown tired of the discussion. When someone brings up how much the Eagles ran or did not run in a certain game, he presses his lips together and tries very hard not to bark like a dog.
The fan blogs, chat rooms, and a few outlets of mainstream misleaders have taken to patting themselves on the back because Reid has "changed," allegedly in response to outside complaints after the Cincinnati and Baltimore disasters. He has grudgingly learned he must stick with the run, even when it isn't working (now, there's a great idea), and will promise to listen closely to and adopt the views of the populace in the future.
Of course, nothing could be further from the truth. That was on display Dec. 21 when Reid called 48 passing plays and 14 running plays - including two runs at the end of the first half just to kill the clock - and the Eagles were very nearly shut out by the Redskins.
But since then, he's changed back, right? The Eagles did run a lot against Dallas, but that's what happens when you lead by 24-3 at halftime. And the Eagles did run a moderate amount in the wild-card win over the Vikings, although mostly in the second half and mostly without success. When Westbrook caught a screen pass that went for a touchdown midway through the fourth quarter, the Eagles had run 50 plays, of which 32 had been passes. That's not really balance, is it?
In Reid's version of the West Coast offense, little passes - flares, screens, pop passes to the tight end - serve the same function as running plays in other offenses. They have a low risk of turnover, keep the defense on its heels a little and generate yardage. Reid believes in the philosophy and isn't going to be changing it any time soon.
With the possible exception of this Sunday.
Win or lose, there is going to be a lot of talk about the running game after the Eagles play the Giants. And for once, the talk might even make a lot of sense this time.
The forecast is calling for a typically windy afternoon on the New Jersey swamp. Giants Stadium is a lousy place to play under the best of conditions, and a cold and blustery January day is just about the worst.
In the two previous games against the Giants this season, the team that ran the ball effectively won the game. When the Giants outlasted the Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field, the Giants controlled the clock and rolled up 219 rushing yards. When the Eagles beat the Giants at the Meadowlands four weeks later, the trend was reversed. The Eagles ran 42 times, with Westbrook carrying 33 times for 133 yards.
Unless Reid rediscovers Correll Buckhalter, stopping the Eagles' running game means stopping Westbrook. Stopping that of the Giants means stopping Brandon Jacobs and Derrick Ward, each of whom gained more than 1,000 yards this season, and keeping an eye on Ahmad Bradshaw as well.
It's a considerable task, but the books are balanced somewhat because Donovan McNabb is considered more of a deep passing threat than Eli Manning, who is operating without top wide receiver Plaxico Burress. Whether that holds true remains to be seen.
Reid wouldn't comment yesterday on whether he expected Sunday's game to be a ground battle, or speculate on whether the Eagles might have to run the ball more (or less) against the Giants. No surprise there.
Reid said he was confident in the running game. "I think, the latter part of the season, we've done better with it," he said. "I have faith that, if and when we need that, that we can bank on it. The same way with the pass game."
In all likelihood, there will be no "if" about needing the running game on Sunday. The Eagles will need it as the wind swirls and the Giants' defense comes looking for McNabb. They will need it to grind out yards and prevent turnovers. They will need it.
And by Sunday night, depending on the final score, everyone will know whether it was there when they needed it. Even Andy Reid.
Contact columnist Bob Ford at 215-854-5842 or bford@phillynews.com. Read his recent work at http://go.philly.com/bobford.
