Eagles-Bengals Up-Down Drill
Philly.com, Inquirer, and Daily News coverage of the Eagles
Eagles-Bengals Up-Down Drill
The highs and lows from the Eagles' 34-13 loss to the Bengals on Thursday night:
Nick Foles
↓ The rookie quarterback was OK for most of his fifth start, but when the Eagles defense forced another punt in the third quarter, Foles went deep and was intercepted. He underthrew Jeremy Maclin and the Bengals’ Leon Hall picked him off. It was Foles’ first interception in four games.
Tommy Brasher
↑ Whatever he’s teaching, it was working. The Eagles defensive line was ferocious almost the entire game.
Brandon Graham
↑ Since being named the starting left defensive end, Brandon Graham has recorded 4 sacks and forced a fumble. While the Eagles had many reasons for getting rid of Jason Babin, the most important may have been getting more snaps to their 2010 first-round pick.
Jake Scott
↑ All three of the Eagles interior linemen took turns blocking the great Geno Atkins, but Scott spent a good deal of the first half fending off the defensive tackle. He performed well. Atkins didn’t record even a tackle before the break.
Bryce Brown
↓ Another fumble? Really? And stop bouncing it outside. Please. The rookie has some great natural ability, but his instincts aren’t great. He needs to take a LeSean McCoy course on the cutback.
Riley Cooper
↑ The third-year wide receiver has done a commendable job filling in for the injured DeSean Jackson. Cooper has been an asset inside the red zone. All three of his red zone catches have been for touchdowns – the latest an 11-yard grab in the second quarter.
Bobby April
↓ April is an amiable fella, but his three-year reign as special teams coordinator has been much less than what was expected. The latest snafu on special teams came when Clay Harbor ran onto the field just before the snap and Matt McBriar’s punt was blocked by his own teammate – Marvin McNutt.
Trent Cole
↑ There were shades of the old Cole Thursday night. The veteran defensive end recorded his first solo sack since Week 2 – yes, Week 2 – and make a strong stop against the run to open the second half. Whether it was the wide-nine holding him back or not it was nice to see the old Cole if only for one game.
Dallas Reynolds
↓ The Eagles had first and goal at the Bengals 2 just before the half, but a Reynolds false start pushed the Birds back. The Eagles center twitched before he snapped the football. The Eagles advanced to the one, but had to settle for an Alex Henery 20-yard field goal on the drive.
Fletcher Cox
↑ The rookie recorded his fifth and a half sacks of the season on successive plays in the third quarter. Four and a half of Cox’ sacks have come in the last six games. The Eagles rookie defensive tackle deserves to be on any all-rookie team by the end of the year.
Mychal Kendricks
↓ The rookie linebacker made some nice plays Thursday night, but he was juked by Andy Dalton on his 11-yard scramble for a touchdown in the third quarter. Open field tackles are tough, but Kendricks shouldn't look that bad against an immobile quarterback.
Andy Reid
↓ 34 turnovers. 34 turnovers! The Patriots have only 9, albeit with one less game. But, still. That is some bad coaching. Reid was once a very good coach. He hasn't been one in two seasons.
Say what you want about Donovan McNabb, but he didn't give the ball away.— p-diddy
Why did Reid go from being a pretty good coach (albeit not a championship winner) to a stinko one, which as McLane correctly notes he is now? This is not a brand-new thought, but you don't lose a child the way Reid did without it having a strong impact on everything you do. Faced with questions of life and death, perhaps Reid -- somewhere down beneath that stolid exterior -- just doesn't believe football is as all-important in the grand scheme of things as he once did. If that's the case, he definitely should take a year or two off after the Eagles fire him. I don't see this guy returning to the NFL just like that.- Pathetic on every level. Sickening to watch.— bhamss12
- So I guesscI missed it, but which fumbles were credited to Andy Reid? I'm certain he preaches & teaches BALL PROTECTION, so how is he held accountable? The stupidity of the Philly media & Dirty 30-type fans never ceases to amaze me! Yes, Andy's stint here is finished, but NO Andy is NOT responsible for the turnovers!
This is another example of Journalistic Malpractice!— TruthTeller01 - Looks like this team does have sojme talent and maybe needs some direction and not a coach who takes "responsibvility" for ALL of their mistakes. I see the value in not calling players out in the press and keeping some stuff in house, but every rule has exceptions and sometimes you have to send a message. Oh, and your use of "Really?" sounds like a 14 year old gorl.— EagleEye61
