Eagles Chat: Was the Lion-slayer the real McNabb?
He played like a Hall of Famer, says the Inquirer's Bob Brookover.
Bob Brookover: Hi everyone and welcome. Fire away when ready.
Peter: Andy Reid's teams have a poor record going into a bye ... Giants looked good in second half vs. Redskins. ... Should we worry?
Bob Brookover: The circumstances never seem to matter when the Eagles play the Giants. It's almost always a tough game and I don't think this will be any different.
Phils Phan: who cares about the eagles? the phillies own this town right now!!!!! i am pumped up.
Bob Brookover: I hope somebody cares or I'm going to be out of work soon. Or worse, I'll be back on the baseball beat and traveling 28 weeks a year. Please support the Brookover Foundation.
Peter: The McNabb-Curtis Connection, was that just a fluke? Will we see that again? Think McNabb not wearing a brace was a big factor in his improvement?
Bob Brookover: I think you'll see more of the McNabb-Curtis connection. It's not a fluke. Curtis is a good player. We've seen that since training camp. In this offense, though, the ball gets spread around and there are going to be some weeks when Curtis is the leading receiver, some weeks Reggie Brown, some weeks Westbrook and some weeks Jason Avant. I know the Eagles' coaching staff really wanted McNabb to take the brace off, but they didn't want to push him to do it. He certainly looked like a Hall of Famer with it off. We'll see what happens from here.
Bob Brookover: Not getting a lot of questions here. I think it's all the Phillies’ fault. Anyway, I'll leave this open and check back periodically to see if anybody is interested in the Eagles-Giants game.
David: What do you make of the injuries to Westbrook, Sheppard and Dawkins? Will they be nagging nuisances all season, or are they expected to heal at some point soon?
Bob Brookover: I think Westbrook is going to have some kind of nagging injury the remainder of the season because that's the nature of the position. Running backs are always getting hit at high speed. I think when Sheppard returns, he'll be pretty much healed from his knee injury. Dawkins' stinger injury could be a lingering one. It's basically nerve damage and that's not good for a football player.
Harve C: I think it's great Curtis stepped up last week and had a good game. That being said I still worry about the Eagle receivers in press coverage. What adjustments are they making to handle this, and what's the real reason behind not re-signing Stallworth?
Bob Brookover: I think Curtis and Reggie Brown will be fine in press coverage. Remember, every team doesn't have the cornerbacks to press coverage. The Packers did. The Lions didn't. I think the problems of the first two weeks were more on McNabb than the receivers. The quarterback needed to get his confidence and swagger back and it looked like he did that against the Lions. As for Stallworth, the Eagles had the same fears as everybody else in the NFL, including the Patriots, who essentially gave him a one-year deal with options. They were most worried about his hamstring injuries, which kept him out of four games last year. They weren't particularly happy with him after he practiced all week before the 49ers game, then said he couldn't play the day of the game.
Where's Reggie?: Umm. Where is Reggie Brown. Is he still on the team? and is westbrook going to play this week?
Bob Brookover: At the moment, I think Reggie is at practice with his teammates. Reggie is going to have his good games. As I pointed out in today's story, there was a four-game stretch last year where he caught six passes for 75 yards. He still led the team in receiving TDs and receiving yards. I'll be surprised if Westbrook doesn't play, especially with the bye week looming.
DZ: At the risk of coming across as naive, do you agree that the Eagles (possibly along with Dallas) are the team to beat in the NFC? Their talent, depth, experience and coaching are second to none in the weak NFC. Even the schedule is working out for them, as the games with Chicago and New Orleans suddenly don't look so tough any more (although the revitalized and healthy NYG offensive line will make Sunday's game difficult). Do you agree?
Bob Brookover: I don't think that's a naive opinion at all, DZ. When McNabb is right, he's still the best QB in the NFC and there's not a better RB in the NFC than Westbrook. I've said from the beginning that the defense is going to be key and I still believe that. I also think Seattle is a dangerous team in the NFC.
Lionel: Do you think McNabb is mentally back or do you think that the Lions didn't really present that much of a challenge to him? Who is the real McNabb, the first two games or at Detroit?
Bob Brookover: Great question, Lionel. I think McNabb is mentally back even though the Lions obviously didn't present much of a challenge. Any time a professional athlete is struggling with confidence, a performance like that can really change the mindset. I'll be surprised if McNabb doesn't come out Sunday night and have a second straight strong game.
Rushing Away: Last Sunday's game was the only time since last season's regular season games with the Giants that the Eagles mounted a fierce pass rush. Do you see this as a turn for the better or an anomaly?
Bob Brookover: I thought the Eagles had a pretty good pass rush in Green Bay, too. They didn't have a great one against Washington, but the Redskins decided to max protect and did a good job of handling the Eagles' blitz packages. I think the Eagles are more susceptible to scrambling quarterbacks that have the ability to keep their eyes focused downfield. Eli Manning is more of a pocket passer and I think the Eagles will get pressure on him.
Lionel: Concerning the Giants game, they have a new back taking over with the injury to Brandon named Ward. I'm told he's 4th in the NFC rushing. Does he pose problems for the Eagles since they have a rep for being gashed by unknown backs the past couple years?
Bob Brookover: Derrick Ward, who the Giants got off the Jets practice squad a few years ago, has done an outstanding job filling in for the injured Brandon Jacobs. The Eagles, so far, have done a good job stopping the run, primarily because their two tackles -- Bunkley and Patterson -- are playing well. I wouldn't worry about what unknown backs have done in the past because that really doesn't have anything to do with this game. But Ward has made the most of his opportunity and the Giants' run scheme has had success against the Eagles before.
Dallas4Real?!?: Michaels/Madden were singing the praises of Jason Garrett last week for moving TO around. While Romo did a good job of avoiding the rush, to me it seemed like Dallas succeeded only once the Bears' defense lost players to injury and the Bears' offense started to turn the ball over. The secondary is still weak, and the offense has only 1 WR threat. Am I missing something here??
Bob Brookover: I think it would be a mistake to assume that the Cowboys aren't talented. They have some real playmakers and Romo has an elusiveness that makes him dangerous. That said, they are much like every other team in the NFC in that they have some holes. The defense that I watched play against the Giants wasn't real good and since then they haven't really been tested too much by bad offensive teams in Miami and Chicago. I think the Cowboys are good and maybe good enough to win the NFC East, but I don't think they are a great team by any means.
Bob Brookover: After a slow start, we did pretty well. Thanks for participating everyone and enjoy the games -- Phillies and Eagles -- this weekend.
Peter: Andy Reid's teams have a poor record going into a bye ... Giants looked good in second half vs. Redskins. ... Should we worry?
Bob Brookover: The circumstances never seem to matter when the Eagles play the Giants. It's almost always a tough game and I don't think this will be any different.
Phils Phan: who cares about the eagles? the phillies own this town right now!!!!! i am pumped up.
Bob Brookover: I hope somebody cares or I'm going to be out of work soon. Or worse, I'll be back on the baseball beat and traveling 28 weeks a year. Please support the Brookover Foundation.
Peter: The McNabb-Curtis Connection, was that just a fluke? Will we see that again? Think McNabb not wearing a brace was a big factor in his improvement?
Bob Brookover: I think you'll see more of the McNabb-Curtis connection. It's not a fluke. Curtis is a good player. We've seen that since training camp. In this offense, though, the ball gets spread around and there are going to be some weeks when Curtis is the leading receiver, some weeks Reggie Brown, some weeks Westbrook and some weeks Jason Avant. I know the Eagles' coaching staff really wanted McNabb to take the brace off, but they didn't want to push him to do it. He certainly looked like a Hall of Famer with it off. We'll see what happens from here.
Bob Brookover: Not getting a lot of questions here. I think it's all the Phillies’ fault. Anyway, I'll leave this open and check back periodically to see if anybody is interested in the Eagles-Giants game.
David: What do you make of the injuries to Westbrook, Sheppard and Dawkins? Will they be nagging nuisances all season, or are they expected to heal at some point soon?
Bob Brookover: I think Westbrook is going to have some kind of nagging injury the remainder of the season because that's the nature of the position. Running backs are always getting hit at high speed. I think when Sheppard returns, he'll be pretty much healed from his knee injury. Dawkins' stinger injury could be a lingering one. It's basically nerve damage and that's not good for a football player.
Harve C: I think it's great Curtis stepped up last week and had a good game. That being said I still worry about the Eagle receivers in press coverage. What adjustments are they making to handle this, and what's the real reason behind not re-signing Stallworth?
Bob Brookover: I think Curtis and Reggie Brown will be fine in press coverage. Remember, every team doesn't have the cornerbacks to press coverage. The Packers did. The Lions didn't. I think the problems of the first two weeks were more on McNabb than the receivers. The quarterback needed to get his confidence and swagger back and it looked like he did that against the Lions. As for Stallworth, the Eagles had the same fears as everybody else in the NFL, including the Patriots, who essentially gave him a one-year deal with options. They were most worried about his hamstring injuries, which kept him out of four games last year. They weren't particularly happy with him after he practiced all week before the 49ers game, then said he couldn't play the day of the game.
Where's Reggie?: Umm. Where is Reggie Brown. Is he still on the team? and is westbrook going to play this week?
Bob Brookover: At the moment, I think Reggie is at practice with his teammates. Reggie is going to have his good games. As I pointed out in today's story, there was a four-game stretch last year where he caught six passes for 75 yards. He still led the team in receiving TDs and receiving yards. I'll be surprised if Westbrook doesn't play, especially with the bye week looming.
DZ: At the risk of coming across as naive, do you agree that the Eagles (possibly along with Dallas) are the team to beat in the NFC? Their talent, depth, experience and coaching are second to none in the weak NFC. Even the schedule is working out for them, as the games with Chicago and New Orleans suddenly don't look so tough any more (although the revitalized and healthy NYG offensive line will make Sunday's game difficult). Do you agree?
Bob Brookover: I don't think that's a naive opinion at all, DZ. When McNabb is right, he's still the best QB in the NFC and there's not a better RB in the NFC than Westbrook. I've said from the beginning that the defense is going to be key and I still believe that. I also think Seattle is a dangerous team in the NFC.
Lionel: Do you think McNabb is mentally back or do you think that the Lions didn't really present that much of a challenge to him? Who is the real McNabb, the first two games or at Detroit?
Bob Brookover: Great question, Lionel. I think McNabb is mentally back even though the Lions obviously didn't present much of a challenge. Any time a professional athlete is struggling with confidence, a performance like that can really change the mindset. I'll be surprised if McNabb doesn't come out Sunday night and have a second straight strong game.
Rushing Away: Last Sunday's game was the only time since last season's regular season games with the Giants that the Eagles mounted a fierce pass rush. Do you see this as a turn for the better or an anomaly?
Bob Brookover: I thought the Eagles had a pretty good pass rush in Green Bay, too. They didn't have a great one against Washington, but the Redskins decided to max protect and did a good job of handling the Eagles' blitz packages. I think the Eagles are more susceptible to scrambling quarterbacks that have the ability to keep their eyes focused downfield. Eli Manning is more of a pocket passer and I think the Eagles will get pressure on him.
Lionel: Concerning the Giants game, they have a new back taking over with the injury to Brandon named Ward. I'm told he's 4th in the NFC rushing. Does he pose problems for the Eagles since they have a rep for being gashed by unknown backs the past couple years?
Bob Brookover: Derrick Ward, who the Giants got off the Jets practice squad a few years ago, has done an outstanding job filling in for the injured Brandon Jacobs. The Eagles, so far, have done a good job stopping the run, primarily because their two tackles -- Bunkley and Patterson -- are playing well. I wouldn't worry about what unknown backs have done in the past because that really doesn't have anything to do with this game. But Ward has made the most of his opportunity and the Giants' run scheme has had success against the Eagles before.
Dallas4Real?!?: Michaels/Madden were singing the praises of Jason Garrett last week for moving TO around. While Romo did a good job of avoiding the rush, to me it seemed like Dallas succeeded only once the Bears' defense lost players to injury and the Bears' offense started to turn the ball over. The secondary is still weak, and the offense has only 1 WR threat. Am I missing something here??
Bob Brookover: I think it would be a mistake to assume that the Cowboys aren't talented. They have some real playmakers and Romo has an elusiveness that makes him dangerous. That said, they are much like every other team in the NFC in that they have some holes. The defense that I watched play against the Giants wasn't real good and since then they haven't really been tested too much by bad offensive teams in Miami and Chicago. I think the Cowboys are good and maybe good enough to win the NFC East, but I don't think they are a great team by any means.
Bob Brookover: After a slow start, we did pretty well. Thanks for participating everyone and enjoy the games -- Phillies and Eagles -- this weekend.
