Eagles Pull a 180 on Panthers

The Philadelphia Eagles, coming off of a 29-3 loss to the Baltimore Ravens in their first preseason game, beat the Carolina Panthers 27-10 Friday night. It was a complete turnaround in all phases of the game. But just like against Baltimore, when it feelings of panic had to be tempered, the fact that it is preseason can not be forgotten. It also should be noted that quality of competition differed quite a bit from the first game to Friday night. But, never the less, the Eagles team that showed up Friday looked very good, and more importantly, restored the hope of a Super Bowl caliber season.
The biggest difference was obviously the addition of Donovan McNabb back into the starting lineup. It has been mentioned a number on times on this blog that this writer has complete confidence in McNabb, his ability to overcome this injury, and his potential for an MVP-type season. And Friday night, McNabb showed everyone else those same things. One by one, questions were answered. Will the offense be conservative with him in their until he gets his feet underneath him? The answer was an emphatic no. He opened the Eagles' first drive with a 27 yard strike to who else but newcomer, Kevin Curtis. McNabb has made it a habit the last dew seasons to gel early and often with his newest toys on offense. He then completed a 16 yard pass to Jason Avant. Overall, in about one quarter of play, Number Five completed 6 of 9 passes for 128 yards. In addition to those first two passes, he also threw a NFL films-style perfect pass to tight end Matt Schoebl for 58 yards. All of that was great, but how would his newly constructed knee hold up when a live rush forces him out of the pocket? That was answered the first time his protection broke down. McNabb scrambled right and threw a pass on the run. Granted, the pass was low and incomplete, but McNabb showed everyone he can still preform his Houdini act if needed. The final question: How would he handle the eventual sack? The answer: just fine. McNabb succumbed to the pass rush towards the end of his playing time, and arose unscathed. McNabb essentially showed on Friday night that his biggest obstacle won't be overcoming the injury itself, but the 9 months of rust that the injury caused.
The offense wasn't the only unit that needed to improve. And they weren't the only unit that did improve. The defense, victims of an all too familiar opening drive touchdown in Baltimore, forced Carolina into two straight three and outs to start the game. And McNabb wasn't the only starter to make an emphatic return to the lineup. Lito Sheppard made his presence felt by returning a Jake Delhomme interception 40 yards for a touchdown. Now whether that was Lito returning to Pro Bowl form, or Jake Delhomme proving that his Super Bowl season was indeed the aberration (and not the last couple seasons like everyone in the Panther's organization will tell you) remains to be seen. But it's hard to not be encouraged by what the defense did, especially in response to their opening game performance.
In the case of McNabb, only one more hurdle needs to be passed: How will his knee hold up in the days following action? Especially when he starts the season and puts it through a full game's worth of punishment. It will likely swell up initially. But if it gets severe, or is causing McNabb to miss practice time when the season rolls around, that might pose a problem. But other than that, it looks like the question mark can be removed from the Eagles' most important position (and it probably shouldn't have been there from the beginning). The Eagles' offense will be fine this season. In fact, they will be much better than fine. If there are real concerns on this team, they are on the defensive side of the ball. Improvements have been made this offseason, and through two preseason games, the results have been mixed. With a number of young and new players, it is understandable to expect the defense to be a bit of a work in progress. The next preseason game is usually used as the dress rehearshal for the regular season. And the opponent, the Pittsburgh Steelers, should be a good test. So, we should have a better idea of what the Eagles actually are after next Sunday. But it's important to remember that we have a real idea of what the 2007 Eagles are until about October (if not later).

No Time to get Raven Mad

There were two ways to start this post, depending on how the Eagles did in their first preseason game: "I know it's just preseason, but...." and "Thank God it's just preseason." A 29-3 loss later, and both of those statements can apply. It's always important to not put too much stock in a preseason performance, but on the other hand, the games may be a sign of things to come; both good and bad. In this case, fans hope it is not a sign of things to come, because those "things" would definitely be of the "bad" variety.
As they say, "I've got good news and I've got bad news." Let's start with the bad news. The Eagles defense looked shockingly similar to the much-maligned unit of last season; particularly in a few specific areas. Areas that were supposed to be strengthened. The Eagles were still unable to get consistent pressure on the quarterback. To be successful this year, they will have to get pressure on the quarterback without blitzing. They certainly didn't show an ability to do that last night. The Eagles again gave up a long sustaining drive that netted points to start the game. And a big reason for that is another one of the problems that plagued them last year: They are unable to get off the field on third down. Baltimore's first drive last night with the first team offense against the first team defense: 12 plays, 93 yards, and a touchdown with 3 third down conversions of 6 yards or more; including the touchdown pass. It's pretty simple for the Bird's defense this season: make teams punt and give the ball back to your offense.
There was only one glaring concern on the offensive side of the ball: the offensive line. The unit that is supposed to be the main strength of the team seemed lost against the Raven's. There were no running lanes for the backs and the quarterbacks were consistently on the run; if they were even standing. Poor QB, Kevin Kolb, in his first NFL action ever, was slammed on his first two snaps (one of them being roughing the passer, and the other being a 16 yard loss).
Those are the negatives. And before anyone goes jumping off the Ben Franklin Bridge, here are the positives. First, take a look at who was not in the game: Donovan McNabb, LJ Smith, Shawn Andrews, Brian Dawkins, and Lito Sheppard to name the big guys. Those are all key guys, and both sides of the ball are going to struggle without those guys, even for a couple series. And while the defense had it's struggles, they did seem to tackle better. Chris Gocong, a big question mark going into the season, looked much more solid against the run than Dhani Jones last season. Takeo Spikes looks healthy, and that's all you can ask for from a veteran like him in preseason. Offensively, Brian Westbrook is still making people look silly when he gets in open space, and Jeremy Bloom looks like he can really add something to the return game.
Obviously, in a 29-3 loss, the negatives are going to outnumber the positives. But this statement can not be uttered to one self enough in preseason, for bad as well as good performances: "It is only preseason." The Eagles do not game plan teams in preseason. So, it's a little understandable when a team that blitzes in waves like the Ravens, a young offensive line is going to have trouble picking them up. And Jim Johnson is not going to dial up all his creative defensive schemes in the preseason either. So, it really is impossible to get a full team diagnosis in the preseason, especially after one game. Just look at last year: The Oakland Raiders went 4-1 in route to a league worst 2-14 regular season record. And what did those eventual Super Bowl Champions do in the preseason? 1-3. Go figure.