Eagles run/pass ratio won't change with Kolb
For better or worse, they'll still be throwing.
Eagles run/pass ratio won't change with Kolb
Rich Hofmann, Daily News Sports Columnist
Donovan McNabb made a funny at his introduction-to-Washington press conference on Tuesday when he said the Redskins would run a more balanced offense than the Eagles did. He said, "...the things they were able to do with that offense (under coach Mike Shanahan in Denver). Obviously that starts with the run game. Probably a lot of you who came from Philly don't know much about that part, the run game. We will run the ball here. We've got three solid running backs that are very effective and have done well with their given teams."
Nobody has the energy to re-have the run/pass debate today. The truth is, Reid did change a bit last season and threw a more balanced attack out there, with pretty good success. But this much can be said: for all of the people who think that Andy Reid is going to run the ball a lot more and try to protect Kevin Kolb somehow, well, it isn't happening.
That is the conspiracy theory: that Reid did a disservice to McNabb all of these years by not giving him enough weapons and by not running the ball enough, and that he will protect Kolb by comparison. The numbers, though, suggest otherwise.
It's a small sample, true enough. But if there was any time that Reid was going to protect Kolb, it was when he was pressed into service after McNabb broke a rib in last year's season opener. And, well, you decide.
In Kolb's two starts, he threw the ball 64.2 percent of the time.
In McNabb's 14 starts, they threw the ball 58.1 percent of the time.
Yes, they threw more with Kolb; heaven help us.
Why is Andy never held accountable for his awful play calling? You need balance to win IMO and he refused to do it. He mumbles that he needs to do a better job of that during EVERY press conference but never changes. Reid needs to go, sooner rather than later.— Tar Heel 1- Whether we pass more or less with Kolb, the real key is to try to keep our offense on the field for more than 3-5 plays at a time, even when we aren't scoring. Nobody ever talked about how, with very few exceptions, McNabb's style was quick score (GREAT!) or 3 & out. That plays right into any teams game plan with our smallish defense. Watch any great NFL team and their ball control & TOP are way high. That's a huge key to winning in the NFL. It takes a very cerebral QB to manage the offense like that and McNabb it aint.— ItsOnLikeDK
Comment removed.- Kolb already has proven in two games, one against the SUPER BOWL CHAMPION SAINTS, that he is an accurate GUNSLINGER. Pass, pass, pass, and then use the pass to set up the run. Bill Walsh did this with the Niner's with Montana and Young. Of course those teams had running backs like Craig, and Rathman, but their passing did nothing but help the run game. It will and can work with McCoy and Weaver.— thomasg
- For all the outcry about Reid throwing the ball too much you'd think his "Hall of Fame" quarterback would have compiled more than two 400-yd passing games and at least one 4,000-yd season somewhere during his NFL career. Is it ideal to mix in the run to keep defenses off balance? Sure. Is it necessary? Well, the Saints would disagree after beating Indy with a 68-32 pass-run ratio...
- Comment removed.
- Reid likes to throw the ball. End of story.— JimG
- Critics always said Steve Smith was too small to go over the middle
- Cazptain Philadelphia the giant was a run first pass second team that beat the patriots in the sb eli manning isnt a pass first qb he wont loose the game passing but he damn sure needs the run game lol...— DJ_Bootleggah
- McNabb is 33 years old with a wife and kids Maclin, D-Jax and Celek are all early twenty-somethings. McNabb is not going to hang out with a bunch on young guys who want to get drunk and laid every night. Is that hard to understand? Do any of you over thirty-somethings routinely hang out with twenty year old kids from your workplace?— Nothing but the truth
- "That is the conspiracy theory: that Reid did a disservice to McNabb all of these years by not giving him enough weapons and by not running the ball enough." A conspiracy theory is the man on the grassy knoll, Roswell, the government orchestrating 911, basically things that cannot be backed up by facts. The fact that Reid didn't run the ball much and didn't surround McNabb with many weapons for most of his career is pretty much true. I don't think anyone claims it was some secret plan to keep McNabb from succeeding. No, it's simply a very good coach with a flawed philosophy that kept him from getting past the next step. All I'm asking is for an understanding the meaning of words. That shouldn't be too much to ask from a guy who makes a living as a writer. Oh, you are right. Reid won't change, hence the reason why he'll never hoist that trophy. He's basically the Dan reeves of his generation.— Hemingway
- It's a team game. Offense and defense... did Mcnabb play on both sides of the ball. He is the all time in almost every Eagle offensive category for QB. Wait and see what Kolb does. Most of the comments make no sense and writers have to write about something.— BBAX
- The thing that gets me is that Kolb is going to start off his career with Maclin, D-Jax, Celek, McCoy, Weaver, Avant and Ingram while McNabb had to play with Torrance Small, Charles Johnson, Chad Lewis (who could catch but lack speed) and Darnell Aurty. I remember when we picked up a retired over the hill Chris Warren and thought that was a big move. All these years you hoped that they would give him solid weapons throughout the offense and once they did.....they shipped him off. People all around the country knows this just ask around. People around the NFL, ex-teammates, other sport athletes can not fathom how you trade a franchise QB who never gets into any trouble, has an amazing win-loss record, puts up points and most importantly wants to stay. If you took a world poll on this subject 99.9% would say that the Eagles did McNabb a disservice. That's like having Jeff Gordon drive a a Yugo for most of his career than once his team gets a decent car they switch drivers. The least the Eagles could have done was let him play out his last season. We all saw how the defense dropped once Dawkins left then we go and repeat the same thing but on offense. Now the offense is going to let it all hang out having fun just like our defense had so much fun without any accountability last year.— Nothing but the truth
- The ratio has more to do with game management and situations then strategy. The whole league threw 56% of the time so I don't know what McNabb is complaining about. If the Redskins go 4-12 again, and I don't know why they won't. McNabb will throw 58% of the time. If they go 13-3, he will probably throw 50% of the time. The Eagles will actually run more with Kolb- mark my words- for no other reason that he will complete more short, first-down passes that put them in running situations. 2nd down is Andy's running down and McNabb got them in too many 2nd and longs.— jtj06
- Okay, here's my thought and I'd like some feedback. I have a pretty good amount of education in statistics and some pretty fair number crunching ability. I have devised my own formula for rating a QB. Here are last years results (I didn't run everyone, just a sampling). Favre 61.2 Rodgers 54.4 Brees 44.7 Rivers 42.6 Peyton 26.8 Brady 26.4 McNabb 25.5 Warner 21.55 Kolb 15.95 Russell 1.84 Russell 1.94— suf
