Day 1 in the Books

Posted: January 6th, 2019 | Author: | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | Comments Off on Day 1 in the Books

The Colts dominated the Texans. Dallas held off Seattle.

What did we learn?

The Cowboys and Seahawks played an ugly game. There was lots of good defense, but the offenses were painfully conservative. Neither team gave off the vibe that they were serious threats to win the Super Bowl. Can run-first offenses really win in this NFL?

Dallas lost WR Allen Hurns for the year with a gruesome injury. Slot receiver Cole Beasley is dealing with a nagging ankle injury. It will be interesting to see how they do in a game where the other team actually tries to score points.

Frank Reich had the Colts ready to go and they got up 21-0 quickly. They got a bit sloppy after that, but Houston’s offense was a mess. You could really see the difference in coaching in the game. Frank Reich clearly is a good head coach who knows how to get the most out of his talent. Bill O’Brien, who I thought highly of at Penn State, didn’t have a good game. Part of that was due to poor play by QB Deshaun Watson. There is no question that Watson is a major talent, but he stunk up the joint on Saturday.

Watching those games made me feel better about the Eagles.

Doug Pederson is the right kind of coach. He’s aggressive. He coaches to win. The “playing not to lose” mentality isn’t the way to have postseason success.

Nick Foles gives the Eagles the right kind of QB. He can play it safe with short, quick throws, but also will take chances downfield. He’s a legitimate pocket passer. Going up against the Bears defense will be his biggest challenge of the season.

The Eagles might be catching a break in regard to injuries.

Burton had a good year for the Bears, going 54-569-6. For an offense that isn’t exactly loaded with playmakers, losing an athletic pass-catching like Burton would hurt.

*****

Great stat.

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