There were a host of errant plays on special teams that contributed to the Eagles' 48-22 loss to New Orleans today at Lincoln Financial Field.
But one mistake-filled play stood out not just because it came at an inopportune time, but because player and position coach could not agree on exactly what happened and whether it was a wise decision.
The score was tied at 10 and the Eagles had just forced the Saints to punt with just under two minutes left before the half. Punter Thomas Morstead walloped a 60-yard kick that drove DeSean Jackson back to his 2-yard line. It appeared the football would carry into the end zone, but rather than jump out of the way, Jackson fielded the punt.
"That ball was kicked deep and he lost track of where he was," special-teams coordinator Ted Daisher said. "He should have let that ball go."
The speedy Jackson ran parallel to the goal line and looked as if he was going to be tackled when both Leonard Weaver and Chris Clemons clipped Saints players. Jackson darted for 31 yards, but both his blockers were called for illegal blocks above the waist. Rather than start their next drive on the 20 (with a touchback) or on the 33 (where Jackson was stopped), the Eagles started from their own 3.
"I knew where I was," said Jackson, who had an 85-yard punt return for a touchdown last week. "That had nothing to do with me catching the ball on the 2. I had a little bit of leeway from the coverage. It was a great return. Unfortunately, a couple of guys on the team were called" for penalties.
The Eagles went three-and-out on the ensuing drive and the Saints responded with a touchdown for a 17-10 lead. The Eagles squeaked in a field goal just before the break, but the game really turned on the first play of the second half. Predictably, it came on special teams.
Ellis Hobbs gathered the Saints' kickoff at the 2 - almost exactly where Jackson fielded his punt return - and charged ahead 20 yards. But Malcolm Jenkins swatted the football from his grasp and the Saints recovered.
"He just tomahawked the ball," Hobbs said. "I had it tight, he just made a good play and I didn't."
New Orleans scored a touchdown three plays later to stretch its lead to 24-13. On the Eagles' next drive, a Kevin Kolb interception gave the Saints great field possession and they capitalized with another score. The rout was on.
Hobbs, who would rebound with a 63-yard return later in the game, explained the returners' risk-reward tendencies.
"The reason why we're out there and the reason why we're known as we are is because we take risks," he said. "To [Jackson], it could have been easy just to let that ball go. Maybe it would have been a smart decision. But he can also make a play out of that. To have the guts to do something like that takes a lot."
But there was more to the Eagles' special-teams futility. In the first quarter, Clemons took an personal-foul penalty on a punt return that backed the Eagles to their 12-yard line. And Joselio Hanson was called for an illegal shift that brought back a 58-yard punt from Sav Rocca.
Forced to do it again, Rocca shanked a kick out of bounds for 34 yards. The third-year punter blasted a punt 55 yards on his next try, but it flew into the end zone for a touchback and a 35-yard net. His next two punts went 49 and 61 yards, but his last one sailed quickly out of bounds – this time covering just 26 yards.
"I'm not concerned about anything," Rocca said.
Even if the Eagles bring in another punter to try out?
"If they do that, then so be it," Rocca said.
Said coach Andy Reid: "We'll see. I have trust in Sav that he'll get that right."
And what about Daisher, who came back to the Eagles in the off-season after heading Cleveland's special teams?
"We all have a piece of the pie," Reid said.
Said Daisher: "You never change. You never blink. You never think twice. We did pretty good on special teams the last two years in Cleveland - top five in the league. We're not going to change anything. We're just going to work and get better."
Contact staff writer Jeff McLane at 215-854-4745 or jmclane@phillynews.com.
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