CIN at PHI – 1st Half

Posted: December 13th, 2012 | Author: | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | 135 Comments »

The Thrilla in Philla will be starting in less than an hour.  I am beyond giddy.  Or something like that.

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Key question for tonight:  does Speedy Foles run for more yards or throw for more?  Or does he become the first guy in NFL history with 300 on the ground and in the air?  Never doubt St. Nick this close to Christmas.

I was out today and missed some questions.  I’ll answer them tonight or tomorrow morning.

_

  • Neil

    Tommy, you nearly gave me a heart attack posting this so much more early than usual. I’m still prepping for the game.

    • http://twitter.com/theguyotc the guy

      Ah, “prepping”. The problem with drinking enough to make Eagles games enjoyable is you tend to go blind first.

      • Neil

        My hat to you sir for this laugh.

  • brian

    I’m in Paris on business… any suggestions on where online I can listen to the radio broadcast of the game?

    (longtime lurker – love this blog and discussions!)

    • nicolajNN

      Not sure about listening only, but thefirstrow.eu will have a stream

      • brian

        Thanks!

    • http://www.facebook.com/ollivier.boguais Ollivier Boguais

      You should have say it before. We could have watch the game together….

      • brian

        Didn’t expect to still be awake – but have work to get done for tomorrow so wouldn’t be much fun! Thanks though!

  • Daz

    Foles to Cooper on the first play = the future is now?!

    • Daz

      my bad, the future can wait, let’s go back to fumbling…

  • http://twitter.com/corry_k Corry Henry

    Eh,that figures.

  • ceteris_paribus1776

    great start

  • lilmc

    Here we go.

  • ceteris_paribus1776

    holy ish this team can’t make plays for anything

  • Iskar36

    Well, that was a bad start…

  • Neil

    One possibility is that the dbs think it’s a good idea to try to rip the ball out rather than tackle because they practice against our offense.

  • bdbd20

    Good draft position awareness there by Maclin. Nice job of taking one for the team.

    • A Roy

      Replacing this defensive backfield cannot happen soon enough.

    • http://twitter.com/EaglesPride_ Aleandro green

      hahaha

  • ceteris_paribus1776

    to be honest, the only thing I’m looking for is the play of foles, Brown, Curry, and Graham. Other than that the rest of the young guys are vying to be role players i.e. kelly, marsh or going to start anyway in the case of Cox and Kendricks. I want to see if DE needs to be thought about this off-season and if Brown can bounce back and protect the ball. Obviously the play of Foles is vital

  • lilmc

    30 give aways this year!

  • BobSmith77

    Now outscoured 82-24 in the 1st quarter this year. Merrill was right with his ‘downright embarrassing’ call.

  • ceteris_paribus1776

    what an awful match-up Harbor on Hall

  • BobSmith77

    Booooo!!!!! I won’t mind seeing Aprile somewhere else next year either. Special teams have varied from below average to bad this year.

  • ceteris_paribus1776

    LOL. That’s all you can do with this team

  • DamonL86

    Wow just wow i think this team is checking out

  • shah8

    You can’t do smurfball.

    • shah8

      A drive has to have too many successful plays without more reliable intermediate plays.

  • http://twitter.com/corry_k Corry Henry

    Boo them. I demand all 17 fans in the stands boo them.

  • Arby1

    The #4 pick looks safe for another week!

  • http://twitter.com/theguyotc the guy

    Even if you think Nick Foles is, at best, a career backup, he’s still too good for this team.

  • BobSmith77

    How is it possible that this team in almost every game this year comes and is lethargic and plays in a haze in almost all 3 phases of the game?

  • P_P_K

    I’m glad this game is on Nat’l tv so I don’t have to explain my depression to my out-of-town buddies.

  • Eagles_Fan_in_San_Fran

    Has there ever been a collection of coaches as seemingly inept as these?

  • DamonL86

    I have a feeling we are gonna turn it around right here.

    • bdbd20

      No fears, that will go away

  • xeynon

    This ought to put to rest the fears of anyone who thinks Andy Reid can somehow save his job. This team is a disorganized, undisciplined mess just like the final Ray Rhodes and Rich Kotite teams. It’s clear that he’s lost the ability to run a tight ship.

    I’d like to see a Parcells-type hardass as the next coach, honestly. These guys are playing soft and stupid, and they need someone who will hold them accountable.

    • Eagles_Fan_in_San_Fran

      Mike Silver of Yahoo Sports just published a column today about how Reid still has this team playing hard – what a f-ing joke!

      • BobSmith77

        Saw that and kind of laughed. They played hard last week but guess he hadn’t watched the last couple of games before that one.

  • Noah D.

    If you don’t laugh, you’ll cry.

  • BobSmith77

    Bengals DL is already dominating the line so far.

  • http://twitter.com/theguyotc the guy

    If he thinks that wasn’t pass interference or holding, Mike Mayock needs to have his eyes checked.

  • http://twitter.com/daniel_suraci Daniel

    Is nnamdi in? I haven’t yelled at him yet!

  • BobSmith77

    You can’t stop Ben-Jarvus Ellis. You can only hope to contain him.

  • Iskar36

    Anderson may have just made the best play by one of our safeties all season. And I actually may not e joking.

  • bdbd20

    Colt Anderson = Quentin Mikell?

  • P_P_K

    Great play by Colt. Green usually brings those down.

  • http://twitter.com/daniel_suraci Daniel

    So allergic to the big play.

  • Iskar36

    Ryans still plays hard.

  • Iskar36

    And Damaris actually let that one go!

    • Arby1

      Maturity is a wonderful thing to witness.

  • 47_Ronin

    4-9 teams can’t get holding calls?!?!

  • eagles2zc

    Was that suppose to be a delayed handoff or just botched play?

  • shah8

    OL is CRAP, runblocking-wise

    • P_P_K

      Hey, don’t be insulting crap.

  • DamonL86

    Stellar run blocking

  • Iskar36

    Not a fan of Foles tossing it up like that off his back foot. Ended up nowhere near anyone, but still risky.

    • ceteris_paribus1776

      I think that was the point of the throw, to be nowhere near anyone…NFL QBs should be able to do that.

      • Iskar36

        Throw it out of bounds then, not in the field.

        • shah8

          had to be credible attempt, QB not out of hashes…

  • ceteris_paribus1776

    why to they insist on running the stretch with no athletes on the Oline?

  • Arby1

    It’s very quiet here. OK, I’ll go first: what’ya you guys think of those Golden Globe nominations? Anne Hathaway for best SUPPORTING actress? What’s up with that?!

    • Gary Root

      I’m a Homeland fan, but I don’t think it deserves any nominations this year. Besides Mandy Patinkin.

      • Arby1

        Haven’t seen it yet but it’s in my netflix queue. Looking forward.

    • Arby1

      “It’s very quiet in here” For some reason, the computer I’m on isn’t doing automatic updates, hence I thought comments dried up….

  • ceteris_paribus1776

    Riley Cooper — not the guy you want catching screens on 3rd and 11

  • Iskar36

    Seemed like an odd route by cooper there. Got himself off balance so he couldn’t turn and run up field

  • http://twitter.com/corry_k Corry Henry

    Better throw there and Maclin has 6.

  • eagles2zc

    Floated that ball. Good decision though

    • shah8

      clearly a set play, not a read.

      • ceteris_paribus1776

        has to read the safety and DB biting down. Otherwise it’s an INT. Just because a play is “designed” to go to a receiver doesn’t mean there isn’t a read involved. I think what you wanted to say was that it was an easy play to read.

        • shah8

          Well, I don’t really know the definitions–let’s just say that there was

          1) successful play
          2) eat a sack
          3) playground rules

          I meant that there wasn’t any other receivers truly ready for a ball.

  • Iskar36

    Good play by Foles on downfield throw. Could have thrown it a yard or two longer to lead maclin a but more but I like the improvement on that throw.

  • P_P_K

    Nick really sold that pump fake. I hope they try that again.

    • Arby1

      Are you kidding? Andy’s found a play that works, he run it 6 more times before the half.

      • P_P_K

        Oh, you mean like the shovel pass near the goal line.

        • Arby1

          At least Bryce Brown didn’t catch and pass…

  • ceteris_paribus1776

    Bobby April: overrated???

  • http://www.facebook.com/ollivier.boguais Ollivier Boguais

    Once again, I just love what Foles shows us tonight….

  • shah8

    Brandon Graham earning money…

  • BC1968

    THE EAGLES HAVE CAUSED A TURNOVER! THE EAGLES HAVE CAUSED A TURNOVER! I REPEAT, THE EAGLES HAVE CAUSED A TURNOVER!

    • http://twitter.com/corry_k Corry Henry

      Are we allowed to do that?

  • http://twitter.com/daniel_suraci Daniel

    Who needs Babin!?

    • Iskar36

      Who needs the wide 9 to create pressure.

  • ceteris_paribus1776

    encouraged by Graham’s recent play

  • P_P_K

    I’ve been enjoying the NFL commercials.

  • DamonL86

    enough of the outside runs

    • ceteris_paribus1776

      seriously, our Tackles are garbage on sealing the outside shoulder. They aren’t athletic enough

  • shah8

    Alright, I see successful pass plays. I also see that the middle of the OL isn’t doing too bad. What I want to see from Foles, truly, are more straight up reads and passes, particularly strong throws outside of the hashes. The stuff I’m seeing right now is not successfully sustainable over the long term.

    I do like the sack escape just now.

    • Iskar36

      Uh oh. Shah8 is starting to convert!

      • shah8

        Not really, but I don’t think much of Andy Dalton either. Laying an egg.

        • shah8

          And that sack he took? No, he’s Alex Smith of the future. Never really had the tools, and showing it these days. Caught the end of the Bengals Cowboys game. There was a lot of blame for receiver drops, but Dalton isn’t making too many good throws, and these receivers are working too hard to catch the passes.

  • ceteris_paribus1776

    Any doubt Vick would’ve fumbled there???

  • ceteris_paribus1776

    note: brown cannot run the shovel pass. carry on..;.

    • http://www.facebook.com/ollivier.boguais Ollivier Boguais

      I really want to see Foles with Shady on the field.

  • Iskar36

    Is it me or do nfl players seem to never understand that the shovel pass is in fact a pass?

    • TheRogerPodacter

      i would rather train my players to dive on the ball anytime they see it is on the ground. this way they recover it by instinct, rather than taking that half second to think about it.

      • Iskar36

        Oh I agree with that but still, they generally act so pumped up when they “recover” that ball and I have a hard time believing that it is acting.

        • TheRogerPodacter

          hahaha i gotta agree with that. lets just be happy that the guy didnt get up from the pile and run back to the other end zone lol

  • lilmc

    Graham- 2 Sacks and a holding call already.

    • shah8

      a second holding call, and a helmet, too!

      • lilmc

        Maybe Washburn was holding him back.

  • ceteris_paribus1776

    C’mon DRC. That should be an easy tackle

  • lilmc

    Dalton seems to go down pretty easily.

  • P_P_K

    Gotta’ like the way D is playing. Bengals are 1-6 in 3rd down conversions.

    • eagles2zc

      When did Anderson turn into a competent safety??

      • Daz

        Shhh! Don’t use words like competent and safety in the same sentence – you’ll jinx him!

      • Gary Root

        When we ditched the Wide 9, it seems to me

  • TheRogerPodacter

    where was this pass rush all season? oh right. that ‘wide 9′ thing…

  • http://twitter.com/corry_k Corry Henry

    Tate just Damaris’d that punt.

  • ceteris_paribus1776

    Foles’ pocket awareness is so much better than Vick’s. It’s not even close and he’s a rookie.

    • TheRogerPodacter

      right? its like he knows where the D’s rushers are and can take those little steps to avoid it.
      after seeing vick for so long, its almost strange to see lol

  • ceteris_paribus1776

    run D is still a bit suspect

  • Iskar36

    I’m completely blown away by how Anderson is playing. Not only is he not getting exposed, but he is making plays.

  • shah8

    Andy does deserve to be fired. The DL looks so much better!

    • Cal Setar

      Really solidifies the notion that Andy owes a lot of his early successes to JJ. When he’s had to have more of a hand in the defense, he’s made some truly awful decisions.

  • TheRogerPodacter

    i am absolutely shocked how well the DL is playing today. they are making Wash & Babin look like fools now.

    • P_P_K

      Trent looks like Trent again.

    • 47_Ronin

      No it looks like who ever thought Washburn would be a good hire is a fool

    • Iskar36

      It’s amazing to me that the wide 9 was supposed create more pressure at the expense of the LBers and we are seeing the dline create pressure while also having our LBs happier.

  • TheRogerPodacter

    “[The bengals] should have stepped on their throats” and put the eagles away.
    wow. thats intense…

  • DamonL86

    wow run up the middle what a concept

    • TheRogerPodacter

      we’re using the outside run to set up the inside run. hahah

  • http://twitter.com/daniel_suraci Daniel

    Oh look a run up the middle worked. Derp.

  • TheRogerPodacter

    woa woa woa what is this? 2 FB on the field at the same time!? madness.

    • TheRogerPodacter

      or maybe not…
      emil egwnangugugu (sp?) no idea.

  • DamonL86

    Terrible play calling

    • lilmc

      Agreed. That was awful.

    • http://twitter.com/corry_k Corry Henry

      yeah it was pretty bad.

    • TheRogerPodacter

      i wanted them to run the ball, but with no timeouts left, we had to pass. don’t really like the pass plays that were called, though…

    • 47_Ronin

      It would’ve been better on 1st down

  • Iskar36

    Disappointing in the redzone.

    • http://twitter.com/corry_k Corry Henry

      Extremely. should be 21-10 going into the half there.

  • 47_Ronin

    How come Marty doesn’t call a play for Cooper?

    • http://twitter.com/daniel_suraci Daniel

      Because he’s Marty. Weakest link.