Posted on Mon, Sep. 8, 2008
After Darren Howard and Mike Patterson met in the St. Louis Rams' backfield to make a sandwich out of quarterback Marc Bulger on the Eagles' first defensive series, Howard leaped off the ground and patted his heart, a gesture he learned by watching Fred Sanford on
Sanford and Son reruns.
"I like those golden-oldie TV shows," Howard said after the Eagles ripped St. Louis, 38-3.
Howard and Patterson were given a half-sack each on a day in which the Eagles had four sacks, along with four hurries, in a dominating performance by the defense, which rarely gave Bulger time to breathe, let alone throw the ball.
"I think the first time he dropped back to pass, we had people all over him," Howard said. "Any quarterback in the league, if you get pressure on them, you're going to throw them off. They'll be throwing off their back foot. It can mess up their mechanics. I think we succeeded in doing that."
Off balance and constantly hurried, Bulger threw for only 158 yards and ended the game with a paltry 72.3 quarterback rating. Steven Jackson, one of the league's top running backs, was limited to 40 yards on 14 carries. The Rams were 0 for 11 on third-down conversions. The last time the Eagles blanked an opponent on third-down conversions was Dec. 21, 2002, when the Cowboys went 0 for 12.
And by the time the Rams crossed midfield for the second time, the score was 38-0.
Aside from the defensive line's pressuring Bulger - Dan Klecko had a sack - the young trio of linebackers also played well. Stewart Bradley, Omar Gaither and Chris Gocong started only their third game together. Bradley had a sack and led the team with eight tackles. Gaither said it felt as if the three of them had been playing together for years.
"We had great chemistry between me, Stew and Chris," Gaither said. "Stew had a great game. You couldn't ask more of him. He's a smart player, and I'm sure we'll get that all year from him. We had great communication, and everything flowed real smoothly."
The only thing the defense didn't come away with was what defensive coordinator Jim Johnson had been preaching during the entire preseason - takeaways. The Eagles forced only 19 turnovers last year, among the lowest in the league. There may be no statistic that correlates to winning as accurately as turnovers.
Asante Samuel, the cornerback signed during the off-season for his ball-hawking skills, almost had two interceptions.
"It's something he [Johnson] talked about all off-season," Howard said. "We didn't get any steals. Even if we do a thousand things right, that's one thing he's been harping on. So, of course, he's going to say something about it. We had our opportunities. We just didn't get the ball.
"Sometimes the offense isn't going to be as hot as it was today, and we'll have to pick up the slack and get some turnovers."
Action Jackson
According to the Elias Sports Bureau, DeSean Jackson's 203 all-purpose yards (106 receiving yards and 97 punt return yards) were the most for an Eagles rookie in his debut.
The otherwise obscure Ken Keller posted the team's previous high of 192 at Los Angeles on Sept. 30, 1956.
Jackson's 106 receiving yards were the second-highest total for a rookie debut in team history behind Don Looney, who had 115 yards on 8 receptions Sept. 15, 1940
at Green Bay.
These Guys Are Catching On
With Kevin Curtis and Reggie Brown sidelined, the Eagles' receiving corps was a question mark entering the opener.
Instead, three players gained at least 100 yards receiving for the first time since December 1960 (Tommy McDonald, Pete Retzlaff and Tim Brown).
Here is the trio that broke the century mark:
DeSean Jackson
6 catches, 106 yards.
Greg Lewis
5 catches, 104 yards.
Hank Baskett
2 catches, 102 yards; caught a 90-yard TD that tied for seventh-longest pass in team history.
Contact staff writer Ray Parrillo at 215-854-2743 or rparrillo@phillynews.com.
email this
print this
reprint or license this
Buy tickets online
REGIONAL SCOREBOARD
today's