Eagles Win!!! Eagles Win!!!
Posted: August 16th, 2013 | Author: Tommy Lawlor | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | 119 Comments »Chip Kelly gets his first fake win in the NFL. I’m sure he’ll be celebrating tonight with champagne and Chips Ahoy!
Winning is fun, but largely irrelevant in the preseason. The key is style. How did the team play? The Eagles got better from the opener, but still have a long way to go. The offense had 2 turnovers (I’m not counting Vick’s desperation throw late in the half). There were missed assignments from blockers that led to sloppy plays. The defense had some coverage issues, unless WR David Gettis has turned into Jerry Rice. The tackling was improved and the defense got some pressure on Cam Newton.
The up-tempo offense is going to be fun to watch. The Eagles have blockers, skill players and apparently good QBs. Kelly mixes the run and pass and does a good job of keeping the defense off balance. The Eagles ran 69 plays for 401 yards. You may wonder how I can praise the offense so much on a night when they only scored 14 points, but the starters scored the TDs. It was the backups that were shutout.
Both QBs played well. Nick Foles had the one awful INT in the Red Zone. He admitted after the game that he was trying to throw the ball away and just didn’t put enough on it. I’d rather hear that than to find out he was trying to make something happen. I prefer bad passes to dumb decisions. Foles was efficient for the most part and ran for a TD. He did bobble 2 snaps. He admitted that he was taking his eyes off the ball to look at the defense.
Mike Vick had another great game. He threw the ball well and finally started running. My one concern with him is that Vick took a couple of shots when he was running and he got up slowly after the second one. He failed to slide on the one run, choosing instead to dive. That will drive Chip Kelly nuts. The other run he was trying to score so contact was inevitable.
I’ll write more about the QBs this weekend, but Vick should be the leader right now.
LeSean McCoy was great. Man, it is easy to forget just how good he can be. His cuts in the open field were simply dynamic. Chris Polk played much better than last week. The Eagles have 3 good looking RBs.
Zach Ertz was impressive as a pass catcher. He was 2-36. Damaris Johnson took a couple of big hits and showed that small guys can still be tough guys. Riley Cooper was good as a receiver and blocker. Quiet day for Shepard and Momah. Derek Carrier finally showed some of his potential, making a terrific catch and run (that was wiped out by a penalty).
The starting OL was terrific, although Lane Johnson did give up a sack. He had poor technique on the play and didn’t get his hands cleanly on the rusher. For much of the game, the Eagles seemed to control the LOS. Allen Barbre has really impressed at LT. I don’t think you want him as your full-time starter, but the guy has more than held his own in 2 preseason games. He’s already outplayed Demetress Bell.
D-line got better tonight. Fletcher Cox played better. Cedric Thornton had a good game. The backups were good, again. This is looking like one of the strongest areas on the team. Vinny Curry played well as a DE and DT. Bennie Logan really caught my eye. I didn’t see Antonio Dixon until late in the game and he didn’t impress.
I was hoping for more from Trent Cole. He was better than last week, but he’s just not doing much. Brandon Graham had a really nice TFL. Chris McCoy looked to have a solid game.
The ILBs played a lot better. Mychal Kendricks really stood out. He shot gaps and blew up plays and pressured the QB. Jake Knott and Emmanuel Acho impressed again.
The secondary was up and down. I liked Bradley Fletcher and Patrick Chung. Fletcher has to lead the NFL in tightly contested catches allowed. Poor guy is all over WRs, but the ball still gets in there. Chung was active and aggressive. As a reader said, it seems awfully weird to see #23 running to the ball and aggressively wanting to make tackles. DRC didn’t do a lot of that over the last 2 years. Cary Williams got picked on a lot, but was also covering Steve Smith a lot. Nate Allen had a quiet game from what I could tell. That isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Brandon Boykin had a chance for 2 INTs, but wasn’t able to make either one. Earl Wolff blew up a run play by hitting the FB and then the RB.
STs was mostly outstanding. Alex Henery missed a 44-yd FG, but it is hard to judge him with a backup LS. There were a couple of punts where Carolina got pressure. I’m assuming slow snaps were part of the problem. The long KOR for the Panthers was just 13 yds. The Eagles had an 18-yd PR and a 41-yd KOR. Damaris Johnson and Brandon Boykin were very inconsistent as rookies, but look to have improved greatly.
One thing we have to keep in mind is that the Panthers broke Training Camp 2 days ago and then hit the road to play the Eagles. Very often teams will play poorly after breaking camp. The Eagles did this for years. While the Eagles played well and looked impressive at times, we don’t want to make too much of this. Tonight’s game was just another step in the process of building a winning team.
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Here are Jimmy Bama’s initial thoughts.
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Just rewatched the first half. Loved how Johnson blocked to the second level. Loved McCoy. Loved the tempo. The halftime score could almost as easily have been 28-6. I don’t yet know what the overall team will be like, but there will be games where this offense will score 50, it seems.
I was really impressed watching the game tonight and thought that the defense looked so much better then last week.
How much of this is because Tom Brady wasn’t here?
I mentioned on Twitter tonight: “After watching the last 2 games, I can safely say Tom Brady is better than Jimmy Clausen.”
Brady against a team with new players/coaches/schemes…that’s just asking for trouble.
Why do you insist on compare Tom Brady with pickles?
Claussen are my favorite pickles.
Tom Brady is a robot that is for sure.
Also last week was the first these players played together in a brand new scheme and Davis even said they just played some really vanilla look defense to help them out.
It drove me nuts that Vick didn’t slide on those 2 plays. He’s playing so well, can’t afford an injury in the preseason! Also risking fumbles!
Old habits die hard.
He should adopt the Brandon Boykin rule, if he doesn’t slide he has to do 50 pushups.
1000
Seems like just another coach who is going to accept the unacceptable to me. I was hoping accountability would change around here. His refusal to slide makes me insane. like I just better shut up…
OK,, so you found something bad to say,, “he is now disrespecting his lineman”. Please ,, admit it ,, Mike Vick is verrryy good.
What are you talking about… he just did head first slides.
Have to mention that Dixon’s feet first slide and pop right back up was impressive.
#OldBaseballSkills
Or he just knew how to fall on his butt
He never learns. That’s Vick. He’ll always do what Vick thinks he should do.
The stupidity is maddening. ruined the entire game for me. Should have been a fun night, but he hasn’t learned anything, and it’s a damn shame because he was been playing well.
Watching Foles and Dixon slide, then seeing Vick dive head first in between 2 defenders, who were inches away from delivering the same exact hit Vick tore his rib cartilage on against the redskins really messed up my mode last night…..same Ol Vick.
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He will dive head first ATleast twice a game, that means his ribs and back need to hold up ATleast 32 times from Grown men jumping on top of him, trying to injure him..I don’t like his odds of staying healthy…
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Sad how he is working so hard to do better, yet he is incapable of doing something so simple. If Vick would just slide, his odds of lasting 16 games would improve dramatically,not to mention the 15 yard penalties he would draw because Defenders would never expect him to slide. If he would have slid every time last night, I would be so pumped about Vick right now. if you are uncapable of doing something so simple that is in his. The franchise and the city’s best interest, I wonder what else he is incapable of doing. Not having the ability to do something important, makes you limited. Being limited is never a good thing
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He is playing so well, yet he has to spoil it by being stupid. Sorry, but I don’t know what else to call refusal to protect yourself other than stupid….If anyone has a better word to call it, please let me know and I will gladly edit this post..but I don’t know how else to describe it, other than stupidity
One thing I went to mention about Henery. I haven’t seen a kick off from him this season that hasn’t gone at least 5 yards deep in the end zone. I’m not necessarily paying as much attention to KOs later in the game, but that’s my general impression.
Something changed to help give Henery more distance from last season.
I’m gonna go with a coaching staff that actually cares about special teams
Thought Sheppard looked good on ST today, had the great tackle on the kick off, got to think that helps his chances of making the team or PS
Did anybody see the Vick’s post game press conference? He had some very insightful comments about how Chip has helped give him his confidence back. I can’t remember the exact statements, but you could tell Chip has worked to encourage Mike after the disaster that was the last two seasons.
Never heard Vick talk like this since Kelly’s been coach. Nice insightful thoughts he shared.
Didn’t like the part when Mike said he read all the criticism and he let it get to him last year. Bro, you play QB in Philly, can’t let that stuff get you. Unless you win a Super Bowl, you’ll always be criticized (maybe even if you do that too!), comes with the territory.
Not trying to be “Debbie Downer”, but I recall the defensive line playing “lights out” last pre-season also, only to have it not translate to very many pressures/TFLs/ or sacks during the regular season.
Just sayin’…
I am hopeful about this squad, but I’m reserving judgment until I see some more consistency in the regular season. There are several seeds of hope I think can blossom.
I wish our 3rd game was against the Steelers and not the Jaguars. It would be nice to get a shot versus a legitimate QB before we get to the regular season.
The most important thing to notice is that our 2nd string DL >>>>>>>> other teams 2nd strong OL, something that is often true.
Looking at the schedule tho, no team we face outside the Broncos have same kind of OL and QB combination as the Pats. Most of the teams either have the good QB (Packers) or the good OL (Vikings), but not a combination.
my thoughts on tonight’s game
http://download.lardlad.com/sounds/season17/fog8.mp3
Pfft… so much for being “unbiased” in the QB competition. How many pairs of sunglasses were you wearing tonight Tommy?
I just got home from the game and have a few observations to report back to the class. First, preseason games are fun to attend. I could never afford to sit in seats where the players look like real people during the regular season.
So, for my vantage point:
-We looked big up front across the board. I like seeing that.
-This is definitely preseason. A lot of the same stuff repeated in various combinations. It didn’t seem particularly tailored for the situation.
-The play calling technique was interesting when they were going quickly. Someone would step forward and hold her Pom poms out to the sides, then start dancing and the others would join in… wait, you thought all that was about the players? Oh.
Seriously, however quick Shady looked on TV, it was faster. There was an audible gasp from the crowd. In my humble opinion, Chung and Wolff are our starters. I was disappointed Chip didn’t make better use of the opportunities to end the half and game. It looked like they were running the sandlot, everybody go deep play from the time they got the ball with :30 seconds. I would have preferred a more focused attempt to get into field goal range. And why Keneally down to end the game? There isn’t anyone on the bottom of the roster you want to see in the two-minute drill?
And I didn’t want them to resign Vick, but he needs to be given the chance to start now. He earned it. Foles looks good, but Vick looks better.
How did my boy Trash Can look?
Cylindrical.
Deep and well rounded.
He looked a little sloppy last night. Honestly, I think he may have lost a place on the sideline to Cooler, who seemed to be in the middle of everything.
“Foles looks good, Vick looks better” pretty much sums up the best possible outcome of this competition. If he can kick his bad habits of the past, I’m on board to give Vick the chance to consistently play within the system. If he confounds Kelly’s playcalls and tries to ‘create’ too often, Kelly has a credible backup that can run the offense to bench Vick for. Win/win in my opinion.
How do you feel about the refusal to slide? Should that be tolerated? is it really too much to ask from the guy?…
Also, calling the defense apparently involves holding up cards. One of the cards has a number on it, the other a Philly icon. I saw The Fresh Prince of Bel Air, complete with high top fade and one-side-buckled bibs and Rocky on two of the cards. No joke.
On the playground is where he spent most of his days.
They showed the cards on TV: Rocky, Papale, Cheesesteak, Jaws….
some cards also had players on it. i saw Dawk on one, but they didn’t mention it on TV
also, some cards were just a solid color. i saw a solid red card at some point.
Even if our D lets us down late in some games, I can say I’m genuinely excited to watch the Iggles for the first time since about mid-season 2011. Even at the start of last season I had a sense of foreboding without Peters. This offense looks like it’s going to be really creative, and nothing gets me hyped for the season than seeing Shady break ~5 defenders’ ankles in one run. Why isn’t September here yet???
Because time.
Also there was a play where Damaris was returning a kick with two defenders right in front of him. He made a cut that made both guys fall.
It was beautiful. There will be a lot of defenders with ankle injuries this year.
Overall a good game, most of the good stuff has been mentioned, so here are some criticisms and questions going forward:
* Carolina receivers were not only open on the 10-15 yard routes, they were wide open much of the time. Back seven need to tighten up on coverage, especially in zones.
* Clearly Trent Cole should be traded for value to a 4-3 team.
* We are running absolutely no screen game to the backs (traditional screens) which have always been a big part of Shady’s game. Plenty of WR screens, though.
* Is it required by the NFL that the officials just make up a couple of penalties on the Eagles each game? A completely phantom hold, and the “non-football move” were ridiculous calls. Are they putting Kelly through the wringer to see how he’s going to respond?
* Chip needs to change the defensive depth chart for next week. Curry needs to start. Nate Allen isn’t useful, and should be replaced. Graham should get lots of snaps in the nickel, and that probably should be Trent Cole’s role, too.
* Vick has won theQB job, on the condition he learns how to slide feet first.
* Can they get Boykin more snaps on D? At whose expense?
* Felix Jones needs to be the #4 back.
* We need to figure out how to keep 5 tight ends.
* I’d sure love to see some plays that don’t start with “fake the inside or outside read”
* I’d also love to see a few deeper crossing routes completed, but maybe the offense doesn’t use those routes.
Can anyone explain what the ref thought he saw on the “non-football move penalty”? Never seen that penalty before.
I’m not sure if you meant you would not have Felix as one of your top 3 backs, but I have him as the 5th back after Tucker who’s been playing pretty well in the preseason.
I have him behind Tucker, too. I meant #5.
Yep, me too. Barkley’s timeout sure seemed to be because he was unable to explain to Jones what the play was and where he was supposed to line up.
“Can anyone explain what the ref thought he saw on the “non-football move penalty”? Never seen that penalty before.”
No idea, consider bltizing LBs do similar stuff all the time to force a false start or confuse on a blitz.
Most likely the linebacker yelled something simulating a snap count as he ran up to fake the blitz.
It was a corner, and he retreated from press coverage to zone, but moved quickly. Is it a penalty if he yells when he does it? If so, very lame rule.
Yes it is. The sudden movement and sound is considered an offense to draw the offense into a false start.
Yea but…..CBs bail right before the snap all the time. Didn’t see anything penalty worthy.
I’m not saying that was the issue, I’m saying the corner most likely yelled something simulating a snap count simultaneously.
absolutely. that penalty is more along the lines of simulating the snap (count?). i don’t really see what the ‘non football move’ part is about. i dunno, maybe it was just announced funny or the rules changed a bit to group these sort of things together and now its not perfectly clear to us.
There was nothing to see visually, he must have said something.
But the call was a delay of game for doing a non-football move. When it sure looked like a football move. I propose we remove all rules that contain the word football move.
I used to never have a question what was a catch. Now I can watch a replay a dozen times and have no clue if it is a catch or not. If you have to wait until you do a football move when playing backyard football, when I play football these days even my football moves don’t look like football moves.
I feel like Cole is one of those players that by mid-season he has the concepts down and starts to tear it open albeit being an average starter in the first 6 games. I wanna give him a chance, dont trade him.
Oh, and just for fun, a mid-preseason 53 man roster
QB-3-Vick, Foles, Barkley
TE-4-Celek, Casey, Ertz, Carrier
WR-5-Jackson, Cooper, Johnson, Avant, Salas
RB-4-McCoy, Brown, Polk, Tucker
OLINE-9-Peters, Mathis, Kelce, Herremans, Johnson, Barbre, Kelly, Tennant, Watkins
DLINE-7-Curry, Square, Cox, Thornton, Logan, Sopoaga, TCole (situational)
OLB-4-Barwin, Graham, McCoy, not in camp
ILB-4-Ryans, Kendrick, Acho, Knott
CB-5-Fletcher, Boykin, Williams, Hughes, Marsh
S-5-Wolff, Chung, Phillips, Anderson, Allen
LS-Dorenbos
K-Henry
P-Jones
I’m least sure about Tennant/Watkins in the line, Tucker versus a 6th WR or 5th TE (Harbor as hybrid?), Marsh/Allen/Matthews on D (2 of 3 make the team).
Comments?
PS Tucker for Shepp
It will be either Vandevelde or Reynolds over Tennant/Watkins as we need a center
Right now I think we go 3 RB and 5 TE.
I think they will list Cole as an OLB for sure and then have a guy like Geathers as the 7th DL.
I think Whitley makes it over Marsh right now and it is really doubtful that Phillips makes it safety (health?), so either only 4 of them or one of Sims or Coleman makes the team (think Coleman)
Tennant has been playing some center I think, although I may be mistaken. After I re-watch the game tape (or read Tommy’s DGR) I think I’ll have a better idea on the o-line backups.
I really hope we find a way to keep Tucker–I’d keep him over Harbor.
I’m ambivalent about Marsh versus Whitley…Marsh has more size, but I think it will come down to which corner plays better on special teams, and Marsh has been good on teams in the first two games.
Phillips has the most talent of the safeties, but if he can’t stay healthy I’d think Coleman would get the last safety slot, or someone not-on-team at this point.
I would like to find a way to keep Tennant,Watkins,Barbre,Kelly, and one of the backup centers(no clue which is better)
Do you think Tennant has a shot over Renyolds or Vandervelde?
I think the Special Teams tackle by Sheppard gives him a shot to make the WR list. Maybe make it over Marsh or Phillips. That spot is more developmental and ST. Phillips has no long term potential, and if the injury is too much for him to get over this year, cut the losses.
Maybe put Matthews in place of the fictional OLB.
You think Carrier makes the team over Harbor?
From my first look at the game last night I thought Tennant played really well. I could be wrong; I’ll have to check the film. 🙂 I also think he plays some center, but I could have mixed up numbers.
I think Carrier is too good to slip through to the practice squad, and too much of an athletic freak. So I think Chip finds a way to keep him–either Harbor gets cut, we keep 5 tight ends, or one of the other TE’s (Celek?) gets traded.
Regarding Matthews, he didn’t play last night, and he was decent in game 1, but I think they want to go 4/4 at the linebacker position. I don’t think either Chaney or Matthews has played as well as both Acho and Knott have, but Chaney and Matthews have faced allegedly better competition, so it might be closer than it looks. Acho and/or Knott might make it through to the PS, so they may try to slip them through and keep Matthews that way. BTW, if TCole stays at linebacker the fictional OLB goes away.
i dont think tennant will make the team. we need a backup at C so either Reynolds, Vandy or someone we pick up before the season starts will take that spot.
just my 2c.
Quiet day for Shepard
Offensively maybe, on ST however
From Sheil.
* Nice job by Russell Shepard on kickoff coverage, tackling the Panthers’ returner at the 11.
That is 2 straight weeks where he has flashed on the coverage teams.
Am I the only one worried that Bryce Brown didn’t get any carries? Is he injured, did I miss something?!
Just saw that BB was inactive. What was the reason though?!
Quad
Cheers!
Quad strain
I was really encouraged by Kendricks’ play today.He looked like that LB we draft, that was good in all 3 phases of the game.
Also like what I saw out of Chung, Wolff, Knott and Acho. Knott might start breathing down Ryans neck sooner than we anticipated.
I agree that Kendricks’ play was promising! As I said in the gameday thread last night Chung is our best tackler, hands down. Hopefully we will see Wolff finally with the starters against the Jags, because I honestly don’t wanna see Nate Allen on the field any more, unless it’s for celebrating the Super Bowl victory..
It’s only a preseason game, but if they kept losing in the preseason the doubts about a college coach and his system would linger. The most important thing about this game, as interviews have confirmed, is that it got the players behind Kelly.
The progress the defense made from one game to the next was substantial, and they are at a point that I feared would only come in late October.
At times on offense I found myself saying “save that play for the regular season” but there are other plays and options and many of those will be repeated. Kelly wanted to get it into the defenses heads that Foles will run the ball if he’s not spied.
Watching offensive players in midnight green run the ball on first, second, and third down was a sight we’ve waited 16 years for, but the day has come, going from a system that didn’t wear out defenses with the run game to one that does so in state of the art fashion.
Another point. Avant is going no where. He is mr 100 hands and might actually break 1000 yards this year if he keeps it up (if we take into account he have only played 3 quarters, he is on the way for 1800 yards this pre season)
I am with Reuben Frank saying that CK should appoint Vick the starter this week:
http://www.csnphilly.com/football-philadelphia-eagles/instant-analysis-vick-deserves-be-starting-qb
Vick’s responded well to the competition this TC, I’d rather keep his feet to the fire as long as possible. No reason to risk complacency before we have to.
Is it wrong to hope that Jamie Dukes and Warren Sapp both fall off the face of the Earth prior to Kelly (probably) naming Vick the starter?
I’m really encouraged by what this team is doing on offense. Sounds like everyone has bought in and they are going to be very exciting to watch. It was also incredible to see us hold onto the ball on a drive that ate up much of the first quarter even though it ended in a turnover. Chip’s offense just seems to be much better balanced than Reid’s. And this is not only from a run vs. pass perspective but also from a short vs. intermediate vs. deep pass perspective. They should be extremely hard to defend as long as they stop shooting themselves in the foot.
The MSM is definitely a negative to Vick winning.
I’m Angry that Wolff didn’t start with Chung last night. Nate Allen has been given every single ooportunity to win this job and he hasn’t done a damn thing out there….He pulled up and didn’t unleash the boom on that WR who didn’t make the catch? Of course he didn’t. it’s Nate Allen. I know it would have probably resulted in a penalty in today’s NFL, but I’d give anything to see Nate get a damn Penalty, do something!!!!!!
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I don’t know if Wolff is ready to play with starters, but I rather find out in the preseason, before just throwing him in the fire in September cause Nate can’t do anything..
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Chunger was flying around hitting people…just imagine what Eagles football would look like with two safeties that will actually tackle someone..
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Wolff took on that FB like a Star Veteran, Collided, rolled off of the FB, made the tackle on the ball carrier…Nate Allen probably hasn’t done that once in 4 years!!, lol Nate Allen vs. A Fullback? Comical!
So in your blind hatred, you are made that he actually made the perfect right decision?
as if that’s our only problem with Allen…Blind hatred? We talking about Nate Allen? that’s laughable..Optimism regarding Nate Allen would make one blind…not hating the wimp!!
I think our Talent level is sufficient for year 1 in a new era….Hope that talentless talk gets put to bed…Our Talent looked like we should have won by 40 last night….time to clean some stuff up, develope the young ins, and start Geling..
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Cary Williams is my new favorite Eagle. I don’t care if he gets burned. he fights, He Tackles, and it’s been too long since I seen that. think the other players out there don’t notice Carry getting fired up, not backing down from Steve smith? finally someone who will bring some type of toughness. Chunger and Cary bring what was sorely missing…
Here is the best thought of the night: The offense looked really good. We get Jason Peters back. He makes a difference.
When Foles threw the pick, I thought Vick won the job.
The other big shocker play was Russel Sheppard making the ST tackle. That may have won him a job. It seems like he is behind Salas, and so he is competing with Poyer, Harbor or a LB for that last spot. Being a solid ST gunner goes a long way for a bubble WR making the team.
Why didn’t Boykin have to do 100 pushups?
Chip has a handle on the clock! He can actually do clock management! Sounds easy, but it is amazing how many coaches do not get it. He used his timeouts at the right time at the end of the half to give themselves a chance of scoring.
Normally those turnovers don’t bother me, but 3 by the starters? With that being the nemesis of our team last year, those numbers are hard to ignore. Turnovers and injuries are the only things that will place Vick on the bench, throwing it up for grabs is not a habit he should be developing.
The Vick INT was on a Hail Mary to end the half…that’s not a bad habit, that’s trying to make a play. Not even a real INT in my book.
i’m on the fence with it…
on one hand, the half is about to end so there is very little risk for the reward of more points.
on the other hand, it is probably more likely that it is intercepted and now the D has a chance to run it back for a TD the other direction.
i’d say its more or less a toss up…
that said, its preseason – this is the time to see what your guys can do so you absolutely make the throw!
Vick needs to learn not to try to make a play and risk an interception.
If it wasn’t what killed us and very nearly put him out of a career (seriously, if he gets cut this last offseason he is probably done). Trying to make a play when none were there. Not a good habit.
Lets say that the ball slipped through the 4 defenders and our guy got the ball. What does that really accomplish? It only encourages destructive behavior.
I vehemently disagree with you. But I guess that is a good thing. Since we’re both Eagles fans.
It was the end of the half. Granted, I’d rather the pass ended up in the endzone. This was not Vick taking an risk that’ll kill momentum nor was it a time where Carolina had time to make a drive. The odds Carolina returns a Hail Mary are slim. He’s showed solid decision making throughout the preseason. This offense is night and day compared with this time a year ago.
I don’t have a problem with making a play at the end of the half. If there were a couple minutes left in the clock? I’d agree with you. Completely different scenarios.
My problem was with the handling of the 35 seconds before the int. I wanted to see a few focused plays to pick up yards and get out of bounds to get into position to kick a field goal or put a throw into the endzone. Either the play calling or the execution was much too casual for my taste.
My Dad was with me. He was sure we brought back Chad Hall. Not a good sign for Nick Miller.
I think Miller is already better than Hall…he’s a bit faster, just as quick, and bigger.
Andy Reid isn’t here anymore, so scrappy, unathletic underdogs no longer have a realistic shot at making the squad. Bad news for the Nick Miller’s of the world.
i didn’t tune in until late in the game, but i heard Nick Miller’s name called quite a few times there. i think he’s a stretch to make the roster, but i wouldn’t quite put him in the same group as Chad Hall or Jeremy Bloom haha
I don’t think Kelly is going to disregard Vicks INT. I would have to think that Kelly would prefer he toss it away there. Throwing up a pass like that is almost always going to be picked, and it gives the other team an opportunity to score.
I think that’s a great point. There was a greater chance of that INT being returned for a pick-6 than it resulting in a TD. Heaves like that are just silly, but at the same time, should detract from Vick’s performance in the least bit.
I agree, it shouldn’t take away from his night, it’s just something Kelly will get on him about.
There’s usually at least 1 hail mary that is successful each year. CK wont fault Vick for that. hail marys returned for touchdowns are just as unlikely that we score the touchdown. Low Risk, high reward.
I’m not trying to be overzealous and proclaim this offense unstoppable, but how do you stop it? How do you stop a defense that adjusts to your weakness every play? It just seems too good to be true right now. I’m still waiting for the eventually bump int he road that grinds this bandwagon to a halt.
nice quote from shady! though part of me doesn’t want to read this stuff out of fear of getting too excited about the team. lol
just wondering why people say “Vick needs to learn how to slide”???? Vick was told to slide in Atlanta. He didn’t listen. AR told Vick to slide. He didn’t listen. Chip told him to slide. He didn’t listen. Now people say he needs to slide feet first???? SMH!!!!!
You make an interesting point. I used to coach JV HIgh School girls’ softball at a small school where about half the kids who tried out hadn’t played a lot of softball (but were decent athletes). It took me about a week to teach these 13/14 year olds to slide properly. It’s not rocket science. If a coach were to go to Vick and say, “The job is yours, but the first time you do one of those head-first tumbles at the end of a run where you could have slid, you’re coming out of the game,” my bet is that Vick learns to slide in about a day. Chip has the power to make him slide–Vick not sliding is showing everybody he doesn’t really care, or that he cares more about his “macho” image than he does about doing what’s right for the team.
Considering how many coaches have insisted on teaching Vick how to slide (they even brought in the Braves baserunning coach in Atlanta to teach him), I don’t think it is as simple as you make it out to be. I don’t know what it is that prevents Vick from sliding, but clearly he has a mental block when it comes to sliding feet first.
He got concussed last year sliding head first, still doing it. Last night it looked like he took a knee to the chops, fighting for extra yds. Was a little slow getting up. He’s hes own worst enemy by taking unnecessary hits. Guess he can’t help himself. Good thing we have two QB’s that can move the ship.
how can you not be encouraged by this offensive? wow. They are still learning. As someone mentioned — “no rb screens” — they may get to that, we’re still not seeing the whole offensive package. Defense — is and always will be — a work in progress. I think it’s coming clear that we don’t have the talent.
I’m a Foles supporter AND I think his “flaws” are over blown. However, I do think Vick is in the lead(and I’m OK with that). My ONLY caution(and will be my future “told you so”) is — Vick will ALWAYS BE VICK. My only hope with Vick is this — I play 3rd base and not SS because SS gives me too much time to think about the play. 3rd base, you react. Vick in this hurry up offense seems to get him to “react” instead off of thinking(over thinking – if you will). Maybe this offense is good for Vick?
Did Clay H. play WR? If so, how did he do?
I agree with someone that said WR’s were wide open.
I thought I remembered reading that our FG guy was missing a lot of FG in practice. Now he’s missed a 44 yarder. Should we be concerned?
I didn’t see the whole game yet — how did Mesean do? I do get why Chip likes big WR’s. DJ is no blocker. That was clear in the limited plays I was able to see.
I believe that Chip is a very inteliigent coach. He thinks outside the box and he is not scared to try something new or abandon something that is not working.
I personallu had hoped that Foles would win the job. It does not seem to be happening. He has shown promise, but Vick is clearly playing better by simply not making boneheaded tunrovers. That being said, Vick is still Vick, and those plays will come……guaranteed. The one thing I am confident in is Kelly not becoming seduced by Vick. Many a coach in the NFL has been seduced by Vick’s speed, beauftiful throws and electrifying plays and tried to forget the rookie mistakes he inevitably makes. I think Chip is looking at this with a very grounded opinion. If Vick plays like he is now, he is a good NFL QB and a perfect fit for the offense. If/When Vick regresses to his norm, Chip will hesitate to yank him. After all, Chip wants to win games-now and in the future. Along those same lines, he truly believes that he can find plenty of QBs that he can coach up to be his point guard.
Which brings me to my next point….Chip will need viable backups, regardless of who is starter. With the way these guys are running around, Vick, Foles, Barkley or any other Qb is going to be hurt. We saw it last night, Vick already slow to get up and hurting. Foles took some big shots, both in the pocket and out of the pocket. I think that secretly, Chips knows he will lose some QBs to periodic injuries and he wants a stable of guys who know his system and can run his offense. He doesn’t want to advertise that fact and his concessions, because that is definitely “thinking outside the NFL norm”. Normally your QB is the most important guy on a team. However, with Chip, the scheme/offense is paramount. The QB is a cog in the wheel that has many other replaceable cogs.
Two questions:
1. Am I the only one who saw a lot of low snaps? My attention was drawn to it after the Foles bobbles, and it seemed that there were a bunch of low snaps to all of the quarterbacks. Seemed to very slightly disrupt the QBs’ timing.
2. Is it a preseason rule where out of bounds doesn’t stop the clock? There were several plays on the sideline towards the end of the first half, where DJax caught the outside pass and went out of bounds. Clock never stopped. It happened twice in a row and I’m POSITIVE he went OOB. Is this some secret rule no one ever talks about?
On the plus side, I did finally learn what a pick was in the NFL. Never understood the details of how that penalty was called. Pretty simple to understand now (the offensive player cannot initiate contact on a block).
The clock only stop when out of bounds in the last few minutes of each half.
But this was on the last drive, so it was within the last minute. Again, do they change this rule for preseason?
If the receiver backs up to go OB he gets his forward progress and the clock still runs. I know that was the call on the first pass to DJ, I thought the clock stopped on the second one.
I still see Vick taking unnecessary hits. I just don’t get why Vick has not learned how to slide feet first–it would save him injuries, and extend his career. I can see Vick starting week one and–pick your week–being injured by week five. That doesn’t help the program.
Unless he completely implodes in the third preseason game, Vick has won the starting job, but I’m glad Foles has also looked decent because there’s no way he’s going to stay healthy enough to start 16 games even with a much-improved O-line. He’s just too reckless.
So….what if Vick plays well, and we are headed for the playoffs. And in week 14 he gets hurt for the rest of the year..tHen Foles has to close the season and lead us into the playoffs? If Vick is going to get hurt, I would much rather prefer not taking valuable game time away from Foles. If Foles starts in September, he should be a much better QB by week 14, then he would be if he sits on the bench and becomes the starter in week 14…..I don’t get how refusing to slide is going to be tolerated Again…It’s the nightmare that never ends…If he were to care enough, be responsible enough, and smart enough to protect himself, while playing how he has played these two weeks….I would be so excited right now. Instead, I’m worried
I just re-watched the second Q. From the time of Vick’s first scramble run forward he played poorly–ran a QB draw and took a hit, missed DJ open on a free play, took a sack, threw the jump-ball INT. I still think Foles’ stupid INT gives Vick the “win” in yesterday’s competition, but it was closer than I first thought.
omg, please stop. Vick had a perfect QB rating until the hail marry throw at the end of the half. Foles has been good, but Vick has out performed him significantly in both games
Tommy, I think you’re a bit harsh on Dixon. He hadn’t played for a couple weeks and was rusty, but you could see the difference at NT, he’s a big body and is hard to move when he sets his feet. Square simply isn’t viable at NT, and lacks the athleticism for DE. Let’s see how Dixon looks next week when he gets a full week of practice under his belt.
The guy I’m worried about is Sopoaga, I know it’s preseason and he’s a 10 year veteran, but I’d like to see him flash a play or two, his play declined in SF over the last couple years, and you have to wonder how much he has left. Which is why I’d bet on them going with 7 DL.
I guess it’s because I’ve been a Foles backer all along, but there’s something I don’t get about everyone crowning Vick (and you’re welcome to read that in Denny Green voice if you like)….don’t get me wrong, Vick has played better than I would have ever expected him to, and he HAS outplayed Foles. However, if you take away the under-thrown attempt at a throw-away (which was damn ugly, I’ll concede), the difference in their performance levels wasn’t huge. Foles has played quite well.
The difference is that one guy is a twelve-year vet who suddenly decided that he loves the game again, and is playing at his best level ever, albeit while continuing to expose his injury-prone self to unneccessary hits. The other is a 2nd year player with 6 NFL starts under his belt. If the competition is even reasonably close and you’re a first-year coach basically rebuilding a team for the long-term, how can you go with a guy that’s nearing the end of his career rather than the 24-year old?
Because Vick gives us the best chance to win. I still don’t remember seeing Foles complete a pass over 15 yards in either pre season game. Vick is clearly the better QB, its just his turnovers that have been the issue. If he continues to make good decisions and not turn the ball over he should be our starter
The amount of Vick bashers is still hilarious on here…
The amount of Vick supporters is still hilarious on here…
What impressed me the most is the way the offense was at the line of scrimmage – every play – ready to go. Hoping the nightmare of that AR 2 minute drill of watching EVERYONE walk to the ball like they had all day. If there’s a definitive spot where we can say “yes, that is improved” is the OL getting to the LOS. Baby steps 🙂 …
How did Geathers do last night?