IS GLAD SPRING TRAINING IS FINALLY HERE
RUSH OFFENSE
Forced to play run-and-shoot with the Saints, the Eagles ran the ball just 21 times for 85 yards. Forty-five of those yards came on seven runs out of the Wildcat formation. Just three of Brian Westbrook’s 13 rushing attempts went for more than 5 yards. Grade: C-plus
PASS OFFENSE
Kevin Kolb threw three interceptions, but two of them came in end-of-the-game desperation. The killer was the first one early in the second half when Saints linebacker Scott Shanle picked off his sideline throw for DeSean Jackson with the Eagles down only 11. It set up a short Saints scoring drive. Grade: C-plus
RUN DEFENSE
The Eagles gave up 133 rushing yards, including 47 on an early-fourth-quarter Saints scoring drive that ended any hopes of a comeback. Two of the defense’s surest tacklers – strong safety Quintin Mikell and cornerback Sheldon Brown – whiffed on Reggie’s Bush’s 19-yard cutback run for a TD. Grade: C-minus
PASS DEFENSE
The Eagles had no answers for Drew Brees, who threw for 311 yards and three TDs. They couldn’t get pressure on him because of his uncanny ability to get the ball out quickly, and their inconsistent tackling gave the Saints’ receivers too many yards after the catch. Brees was 9-for-11 for 131 yards on third down. Grade: D
SPECIAL TEAMS
Aside from a 63-yard kickoff return by Ellis Hobbs and a 61-yard punt by Sav Rocca, special teams were a disaster. Every time they stepped on the field, they seemed to commit a penalty. And Hobbs’ fumbled kickoff return to open the second half was a backbreaker. Grade: F
OVERALL
Turnovers, special-teams penalties and too many missed tackles on defense cost the Eagles any hope of getting off to a 2-0 start. Grade: D
*
To read our post about Kevin Kolb's day, click here.
To read Andy Reid's take on the loss and a Brian Westbrook update, click here
To read Les Bowen's report on the game as it happened, click here
Les
Bowen has covered the Eagles for the Daily News
since 2002.
Before that, he spent nearly 13 years covering the Flyers. It took Les
only a few seasons after the switch to figure out that there was no
penalty box at the Linc, and that the time really wasn't his, despite
what Andy Reid kept saying. Les came to Philadelphia and the Daily News
from Charlotte in 1983. In the intervening years, he has pretty much
lost track of NASCAR, and his accent. He, his wife Barbara, and their
two sons live in Haddon Township, New Jersey.
E-mail Les at bowenl@phillynews.com
and follow
him on Twitter.
Paul
Domowitch has been with the Daily News since 1982.
He has spent most of his nearly 3 decades with the paper covering the
Eagles and pro football. For the last 10 years, he’s been a
selector for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. A native of Wilkes-Barre
and a graduate of Wilkes University, Domo started his career in Texas,
working first for the Midland Reporter-Telegram (1976-78), and then for
the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, where he covered some god-awful Texas
Ranger baseball teams. His first beat at the Daily News actually was
boxing, which he covered just long enough to lose 2 sports coats to
blood spatter before moving on to football. Domo and his wife Shelley,
a University of Oklahoma grad who still hasn’t gotten over
that Fiesta Bowl loss to Boise State 5 years ago, have 2 terrific
daughters -- Allison, 28, who is an attorney in South Jersey, and Amy,
25, who works in administration for a professional baseball team.
E-mail Domo at PDomo@aol.com and follow
him on Twitter.
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