Eagles pass messy first test
Eagles 31, Rams, 13
Eagles pass messy first test
Rich Hofmann, Daily News Sports Columnist
ST. LOUIS -- First weeks in the NFL season are, by their very nature, untidy. First weeks after off-seasons interrupted by lockouts, as it turns out, are something worse than untidy. But even amid the clutter of their 31-13 victory over the Rams on Sunday, it was possible to see why the Eagles entered this season with a realistic hope of making a long run into January.
Yes, the offensive line, tight ends and running backs had their hands more than full dealing with the blitzing pressure of the Rams' defense. Quarterback Michael Vick was hit too often. Especially early on, the whole operation left people filled with the same dread that they had been embracing all summer, a dread that multiplied when the team began switching everybody's position in the last 2 weeks.
But here is the thing: it did get better as the game went on. The same could be said for a run defense that was gashed for a 47-yard Steven Jackson touchdown on the Rams' first play from scrimmage. All of the summer's worst fears were realized in that moment, and in the next couple of drives -- but then, like the offensive line, it pulled itself together as the game wore on. Of course, it helped that Jackson suffered a quad injury on the game's second series.
DeSean Jackson? Yes, he dropped what should have been an 88-yard touchdown pass. But he also caught 6 balls for 102 yards and a touchdown.
Vick? Yes, he was hit too often. And, yes, he made some head-scratching throws. But he also countered the Rams' blitz with his legs, sometimes to devastating effect; 8 carries and 100 yards before a couple of clock-killing kneel-downs at the end of the game. And on the touchdown pass to Jackson in the third quarter, Vick made the kind of throw that pretty much nobody else in the NFL can make -- scrambling to his left, presssure in his face, falling backward, he still got the ball to Jackson accurately, on time and with enough oomph. It really was a beauty.
Shady McCoy was excellent running the ball -- 15 carries, 122 yards and a touchdown (plus another receiving TD). On the other side of the ball, the Eagles' front four pass rush was consistent and consistently punishing. They finished the game with five sacks, two by Jason Babin.
So it was all on display, the good and the bad, all of it wrapped around the general messiness of this partticular opening game. There was plenty of fuel for both the optimists and the skeptics to feed their arguments for another week. But in the end, the skeptics are trailing, 1-0.
Buy Eagles tickets - You're probably just joking about the Bednarik remark, but I'll bite. Matthews is overmatched and because of his sanctified name he will at least have the chance to prove it over and over again. In the end though, he'll be quietly demoted and eventually released (preferably, from the Eagle's point of view, after some injury so they have some convenient reason other than that he was never up to the task). The Eagles were playing with ten players on defense today, and the cornerstone of any team's game-plan to attack the Philly D going forward will be that revered name on his jersey, in the middle of the field, obscured though it is by the locks of a below average NFL football player and above average narcissist.
— auntesther - Haters here are hurting is confidence? If Matthews is reading these comments, then we are in more trouble with him than originally thought. — gob1234
- Just a quick note to let you know that I was told by the staff to stick around the home locker room and expect the call soon. Arizona already is looking for an NFL caliber QB and they know that I would be a huge improvement over the other #4.— Mike McMahon
- The game play was spotty, but I really can't blame them with all the new additions and lack of time to gel. However, it was good to see that they improved throughout the game.— verve
why is nobody talking about the real problem here?? mike vick played the air guitar!! TWICE!! he keeps that up hes a soup contract away from being a redskin lol— wcm65- You can tell Spags is from the Reid coaching tree. Dumb, he had Reid's dreamteam's number and changed directions. First with abandoning the run early in the game. They were getting huge chunks of yardage. Then going from no huddle to huddle and finally using the drop back coverage with 3 pass rushers. He let Reid off the hook.— Lets Eat
- We being seeing what you sayin in late December.— Lets Eat
- A win on the road in the NFL. Nuff said.— Frosty Peters
Comment removed.- You guys are clueless.
Winning by 18 points on the road is a good day. Some of you are really stupid.— sbdons1982 - Philly_Mile, a win is a win on any given Sunday, just look at the upsets today. There were plenty of people who picked the Eagles to lose today. And the Rams are not one of the worst teams in the league. If you had done your research, you would have known that many people picked the Rams to win their respected division this year. I am happy we won today. But I am not proud knowing the Eagles have a fan like in you in our fanbase. Shup up and cheer for your team to do well. Unbeliveable.— PhileaglyersFan
- Solomanium obviously was not in the same STL stadium I was this afternoon, or he would have seen a sloppy Eagles first quarter turn into a beat-down of the Rams. Nobody in the Edward Jones dome even knew Jackson was hurt; and the game was already over by the time Bradford got knocked out. So what's with all the hand-wringing and bed-wetting about Castillo? The game I watched featured five Eagles sacks--one for each DE, and two for the high-$ free-agent DE; and zero passing TDs or red-zone breakdowns. So, slow down on the Kleenex and maybe tweak the anti-anxiety meds, Solomanium...it'll be OK.— Eaglesfan in IL
- Shady is 4real.
— NewMick314 - I give Vick two or three games at most before he is sidelined.— RufusG
- The Eagles could easily have imploded after that dismal start, but this team showed character and persevered. There were many lessons to be learned and hopefully the coaching staff and players will be ready for the stronger opponents that lie ahead. In the meantime, I am happy that that they put one in the "W" column, something that is not easy to do in this competitive league; just look at the upsets today.— bigphilphan
