It wasn't as bad as it looked

The Philadelphia Eagles lost there second of three preseason games Sunday night, 27-13, to the Pittsburgh Steelers. And being the third preseason game, it was supposed to be a dress rehearshal for the regular season opener. And by most accounts, it was am ugly performance - the second such one this preseason (game one in Baltimore). However, considering the things you really wanted to see from the first team gearing up for the opener in Green Bay, things weren't as bad as they looked.

Before the weekend leading up to the game, the Eagles released Jeremiah Trotter, one of the best linebackers in team history and a fan favorite. In the objective eyes of the team, Trotter had lost a step (or two or three) and was too much of a liability in the passing game. He was getting exposed too often by teams that made him move as much as possible. So the team made the switch to Omar Gaither, a quicker but smaller linebacker, to play the middle. So, naturally, the biggest question mark going into Sunday's game was how would the Birds do against the run - the Achilles' Heel of last year's team. And to be honest here, there run defense was not too bad.

Yes, the Steelers gained 398 yards of offense in the game, but only 76 of those yards came on the ground. Starting running back, Willie Parker, gained just 32 yards on 10 carries. And, yes, Parker scored on an 18 yard run untouched, but considering the problems this team had against the run last season, they really did perform quite well Sunday night.

What killed the Eagles was the passing game; and not even the straight, drop back and pass, passing game. It was screens, dump-offs, and plays off of a Roethlisberger scramble that grounded the Birds. This was certainly a little troubling, especially considering the fact that Gaither was supposed to help in the "mis-direction" game, but these were problems that can be fixed by scheme and practice. Getting run over, play after play, is usually a result of losing man on man battles - something that is much more likely to be a sign of lack of skill than lack of preparation. This was Gaither's first start at MIKE, and Chris Gocong's, 3rd start at SAM. These guys still have plenty of room to grow, and the defense should get better as they get better.

As far as the offense goes, there is no need to be worried here, even though in two of three games the first teamers have done little worth writing home about. The one thing we have seen, is a McNabb who appears to have absolutely no lingering effects from ACL reconstruction surgery. And don't get worried about the running game. The offensive line is one of the best in the league, and Brian Westbrook has pulled an "L.T.," and barely played in preseason.

The Eagles' offense is going to be productive this season. Do not let a slow preseason from them fool you; this unit is one of the best in the league. The concerns are the same as last season, and they are all on defense. The run defense put in a very good performance against Pittsburgh, and most of the negatives from Sunday night are completely fixable problems. Yes, things looked ugly, but as they say, looks aren't everything.