THINKS THE EAGLES STOLE ONE
Here are our grades for the Eagles-Cowboys game:
RUSHING OFFENSE
A week after calling just 5 run plays in the second half v. Redskins, Andy Reid wisely went with a more balanced approach vs. Cowboys. Ran it 18 times in the first half for 58 yards, including 9- and 16-yard runs by Correll Buckhalter and Brian Westbrook that set up the Eagles’ first score, and a QB sneak for a TD by Donovan McNabb. Grade: B-plus
PASSING OFFENSE
Donovan McNabb’s numbers were mode st (12-for-21, 175 yards). But he managed the game well and threw 2 touchdowns, one to Buckhalter and another to tight end Brent Celek. No interceptions for the fourth time in the last 5 games. Grade: B-plus
RUN DEFENSE
Eagles did another excellent job against the run, holding the Cowboys to 2.9 yards per carry in the first half when stopping the run still was still a priority. In their last 7 games, they’ve held opponents to 3.1 yards per carry. Grade: A
PASS DEFENSE
Tony Romo, who picked apart the Eagles in Week 2, completed just 21 of 39 passes and was sacked 3 times, 2 of which resulted in turnovers. Eagles were in his face most of the day. For the first time this season, he failed to throw a touchdown pass. Grade: A-plus
SPECIAL TEAMS
DeSean Jackson’s 21-yard first-quarter punt return kick-started the Eagles’ first scoring drive. Eagles’ kickoff coverage was a little bit shakey. They gave up 36- and 37-yard returns. David Akers hit 3 of 4 field goal attempts, including a 50-yarder at the end of the second quarter that pretty much made it game, set and match. Grade: B-minus
OVERALL
Oakland and Houston gave the Eagles second life, and this time, they didn’t blow it. Andy Reid came out with a well-thought-out, balanced offensive game plan, his quarterback managed the game well, and his defense held its fourth straight opponent to less than 15 points. Grade: A
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.
Paul Domowitch has been with the Daily News since 1982. He has spent most of his 27 years at 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 came to the Daily News from the Fort Worth (Tx.) Star-Telegram, where he covered some god-awful Texas Ranger baseball teams. His first beat at the Daily News actually wa s boxing, which he covered just long enough to lose two sports coats to blood spatter before moving on to football. Domo and his wife Shelley, a University of Oklahoma grad and very dangerous to be around following a Sooner loss, have been married 29 years and have raised 2 terrific daughters – Allison, 26, a lawyer and graduate of Boston University School of Law; and Amy, 23, who graduated from Clemson and works in marketing and sales for a professional baseball team.
