Man Up: Avant's toughness sparks offense
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Man Up: Avant's toughness sparks offense
Sheil Kapadia, Philly.com
Here's the player-by-player breakdown of the Eagles' offensive performance against the Redskins:
Donovan McNabb - He looked out of sync at times, but McNabb was at his best when it mattered most, going 5-for-8 for 115 yards on the team's final two drives, leading the Eagles to a comeback victory for the second straight week. His best throw was probably the 6-yard pass to Jeremy Maclin that picked up a first down on the game-winning drive. Had that ball been off even a little bit, it would have been batted down. His 35-yard toss to Maclin late was also a beauty. Overall, McNabb completed 21 of 35 passes for 260 yards, a touchdown and an interception. He does not look comfortable down near the goal line when he rolls out and looks for a tight end or receiver in the corner of the end zone. Nice job by McNabb to escape pressure and find DeSean Jackson for the first-half touchdown.
Michael Vick - He wasn't a factor and wasn't the answer in short yardage, even though he did a good job in those situations last week. Vick had a 4-yard run down near the goal line, but couldn't pick up the first on a 3rd-and-1 later in the quarter, in what was a very awkward-looking run. He attempted a pass once again but couldn't connect with Brent Celek.
LeSean McCoy - A really impressive effort. Fun to watch this guy improve on a weekly basis. Seventeen carries for 76 yards and four catches for 25. His standout play was the shovel pass on the 2-point conversion. McCoy tripped over Todd Herremans at the 3, but somehow stayed on his feet and found the end zone. As a blocker, McCoy didn't have to do a ton, but he did miss one in the fourth, allowing a linebacker to hit McNabb, who was still able to complete a 20-yard pass to Jason Avant.
Leonard Weaver - Six carries for 44 yards. Probably should have gotten the ball more. Weaver had a nice 18-yard run in the first and gained 12 yards on a fourth-quarter carry to set up the Eagles' touchdown. He also picked up a first down on 4th-and-inches. Not sure why he's not the guy in every short-yardage/goal-line situation.
Eldra Buckley - He curiously got a couple carries down near the goal line in the fourth quarter. Buckley was stuffed on first down but got in two plays later for the touchdown.
Winston Justice - After getting the contract extension, Justice had some miscues we haven't seen all season. He was called for holding in the second quarter and false started at a bad time when the Eagles had a 3rd-and-goal from the 5 late in the second. In protection, he had some trouble with Philip Daniels in the first half, and Chris Wilson beat Justice to get to McNabb and force the interception in the second half. He had some good moments in the run game, although it was not the dominant performance we saw a week ago.
Nick Cole - He struggled throughout in pass protection. He was beat by Daniels in the second, which led to Andre Carter's sack of McNabb. Cole was pretty good as a run blocker, making a nice block on a 6-yard McCoy run in the first and doing a good job on Weaver’s 18-yard carry.
Jamaal Jackson - He had his ups and downs. Jackson did a good job on Weaver's 18-yard run early, and also on a couple McCoy runs in the fourth quarter. But he couldn't block a Redskins linebacker on Buckley's failed goal-line run in the fourth and was beat on another play that got stuffed in the second.
Todd Herremans - He was probably the Eagles' most impressive offensive lineman. Herremans was very good in the run game, making key blocks on a 19-yard run by McCoy and an 18-yard carry by Weaver. He was also a factor on Buckley's touchdown run in the fourth. Just a great job throughout from Herremans.
Jason Peters - He turned in an OK performance, although Peters struggled at times with Redskins rookie Brian Orakpo, who lined up all over the place. Like the rest of the linemen, he played very well late as the Eagles had success on the ground in the fourth quarter. Peters' holding call in the fourth was offset by a Redskins penalty.
Brent Celek - I think I caught the play where he got injured. Celek caught a ball over the middle early in the third quarter, and then was hit. The ball popped loose, but he held on. After that, we saw him really struggle, although give Celek credit for his toughness. Even though he was injured, he made a nice block on a linebacker during Weaver's 12-yard run that set up the touchdown. Early in the game, he was flagged for a questionable pass interference call, which negated a touchdown to Jackson.
Alex Smith - Don't have anything to say about him, other than that he was on the field. If Celek misses next week's game against the Falcons, he'll be asked to step up.
DeSean Jackson - I'm sure he was surprised to be so wide open on the 35-yard touchdown. And that 29-yard punt return was ridiculous. Jackson should never call for a fair catch again. Now we wait and see how things go with his health.
Jason Avant - A long-time MTC favorite, Avant came up with a huge 46-yard catch in the fourth quarter to spark the sputtering offense. After making the grab, he absorbed a blow from LaRon Landry before picking up about 20 extra yards. On the very next play, McNabb went back to Avant for 20 yards. Avant caught the ball with both hands in the air and then shifted it to his right hand so he could brace himself for the fall. And did you see him try to tell Andy Reid he could stay in the game after he was banged-up on the play? Avant's the perfect slot receiver for this city and this fan base.
Jeremy Maclin - Big-time plays during the Eagles' game-winning drive. The most important part about that is McNabb and Maclin have formed a trust. He caught a 35-yarder down the sideline and then got open to convert a 3rd-and-5. Maclin may have to take on an even bigger role next week if Jackson is out. Overall, five catches for 94 yards.
Reggie Brown - McNabb complimented his blocking. Brown was on the field opposite Maclin after Jackson went out, but he did not have a catch.
Again, enough to win (and almost enough to lose) from McNabb. Did it not appear he was unwilling to run even when it looked like lanes were opening after nobody was open and he held the ball? I thought it was his arm strength & scrambling that was an advantage over Kolb. But he short through a bomb to a wide open Maclin, didn't scramble and was his typical off target on slants. Unless he leads them far in the playoffs again, this could be a very interesting offseason.- Apt name Kid because your analysis sucks.— brannigan73
Celek's PI wasn't very questionable. He made the moves for a block and that's going to get it called, just like it did last night on Baltimore.- Sheil, Justice was not beat by Chris Wilson. He blocked Wilson but McNabb held on to the ball to long which gave Wilson time to loop around and get to McNabb.— soulman386
- I have been saying it since last year, Avant is the man, should ALWAYS be on the field. Best hands on the team, maybe one of the top sets of hands in the league, great blocker downfield, runs precise routes, and the kicker? McNabb always looks to him when the Eagles need a play. LOVE the guy and wish the Eagles would use him even more. Love his toughness, his attitude, and his play.— cgrant
Jason Avant is a pleasure to watch. The effort he puts out there is beyond anything we've ever seen from the likes of Mr 'Look for the flag before footballs' (Kevin Curtis), Mr. 'Please don't hit me' (Pinkston), Mr. 'Stone Hands' (Thrash), Mr. 'Take a Play or Several off' (Stallworth) or Mr. 'I have pictures of you and you know what, coach'(Greg Lewis). Lock him up long term before another team gets wise to his abilities and swoops in on him when he's available!— dpcoz- Agree that Jason Avant is the man. Week in and week out they talk about the young Eagles, yet never mention his name. How long has he been in the NFL? 4 years. He is the best of the youngsters in my opijion. No respect for the former Wolverine.— rockinrob
- Why is it questionable that Buckley gets goalline carries? He has more power than McCoy, hits the hole WAY harder, and is quicker than Weaver? He's the ideal goalline back. His first carry he ran hard, there was just no hole at all. His second carry he scored with room to spare. He is the solution to our goalline woes.— BroadcastingWisdom
Comment removed.- Buckley's family is on today I see.— Captain
- This team might not go far in the playoffs this season(due to injuries and such), but they have plenty of pieces to be successful for years to come.
- How many drops were there? Celek dropped two or three straight in the third quarter, and regardless of if his thumb is sprained or not, he has to make those catches. If his thumb is too hurt to make the catches, someone else needs to be in there. And NO, I do not think Alex Smith is worthwhile as a backup and/or blocking tight end.— The Reddgie
- Why do we have REGGIE BROWN on this team?— phillyboymike7
- why is Kevin Curtis still on the team? He hasn't caught a cold let alone a pass in two seasons. It seems as if he gets hurt on the way to the last preseason game and just collects a paycheck from then on. He's a waste!— forjustice20
- I forgot the Eagles had Curtis. Kevin, right?— vladamir
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