Eagles get back in the win column against the Skins

That was much more of what we expected from the Eagles.  Just like they did against the Niners, the Eagles had a 20-3 lead at halftime and allowed their opponent to crawl back; this time, however, they didn't let their inferior opponent come all the way back as they held on to win, 20-13.  Here are my thoughts on the game:

-That is the defense we thought the Eagles had.  They made strong tackles, forced turnovers, stopped the run, shut down the Redskins wide receivers and put pressure on the Redskins QB's throughout the game.  Sure, they were still unable to cover the tight end but you can't expect them to fix everything in one week.  While the Redskins offense isn't exactly a juggernaut, holding your opponent to just 13 points is an impressive feat in the NFL.

-The Eagles safeties came to play today.  While the safety position has been a revolving door of mediocrity for the Eagles this season, Kurt Coleman and Nate Allen both had big games for the Birds.  Coleman especially had a career day, picking off Rex Grossman three times.  If the Eagles can get play like this from their safeties, their defense will continue to shine.

-I've been calling for it every week and the Eagles finally listened: LeSean McCoy got a boatload of touches (28 carries and 2 catches) and proved once against that he is a beast.  Good things happen when they give Shady the ball so I can never understand why he ever has fewer than 20 touches in a game.  He is the most consistent weapon the Eagles have and the offense needs to be run through him at all times.  Plus, he hilariously popped Andy Reid in the gut near the end of the game.

-Michael Vick played a better game this week, making only one truly terrible pass that was picked off.  Much had been made about how the offensive line was going to struggle to hold up against the Redskins pass rush but Vick has just enough time to make plays with his arm and his feet.  Of course, he did get knocked out of the game briefly with what looked like a possible concussion, but he thankfully turned out okay.

-The Vince Young era started out brutally with a lame duck interception on his first pass.  For the guy that coined the "dream team" moniker, Young looks like a nightmare.  Pray for good health for Mike Vick.

-The bye week comes next for the Eagles, who can rest up, get their offensive line healthy and prepare for three very winnable games against the Cowboys, Bears and Cardinals.  Looking further down the schedule, the Eagles really only play two "good" teams, the Patriots and the Jets.  A playoff run isn't that ridiculous of a notion.  Yeah, I got sucked back in already.

Eagles look broken in loss to Giants

Well, that was embarrassing.  Here are some of my thoughts on the Eagles terrible performance against the Giants:

-The offense wasn't pretty but the defense deserves most of the blame for this loss.  The Giants are not a good offensive team and they were playing with a makeshift wide receiver group and they still managed to put up 29 points. Not all of the blame goes to the linebackers, either, as top players like Nnamdi Asomugha got uncharacteristically burned.  While the defensive line is still creating a lot of pressure, the rest of the D is broken.  Juan Castillo may be in over his head.

-Even before he hurt his hand, Michael Vick did not look right.  It's hard to blame him with the way he was getting hit early and often.  It will be a miracle if he makes it through this season without a serious injury.  He broke his non-throwing hand so I would have to guess he will be able to make the start next week.

-Mike Kafka did not look good this time around, throwing a pair of picks.  Should Vick not be able to go, we could see our first Vince Young start.

-LeSean McCoy is an absolute beast.  Just when the offense looked lost, McCoy took the rock and carried the team on his back and got the Eagles back in the game.  His 128 yards on the ground were the lone bright spot for the Birds.

-Casey Matthews and Kurt Coleman both made terrible plays that led to long Giants touchdowns in the first half.  Coleman was benched for his missed tackle in favor of Nate Allen, who quickly got abused by Ahmad Bradshaw.  Matthews should have also been benched for completely biting on a play fake and letting Brandon Jacobs rumble down the sideline.  Perhaps the Eagles will shake up the linebackers yet again next week or perhaps they will finally sit the rookie down.

-Playcalling is always an issue with Andy Reid but I'm still trying to figure out why Owen Schmitt got a pair of goalline carries.  The Giants couldn't stop McCoy so they give the ball to the fullback twice in a must-score situation?  Doesn't make any sense.

-Steve Smith has to be pissed for how he played against his former team.  That gift interception and only two catches better leave a sour taste in his mouth.

The Eagles really aren't a good football team right now.  They get a weak Niners team next week and if they don't show some life, you can probably already kiss the playoffs goodbye.

The positives and negatives from the Eagles third preseason game

Now that's more like it. A week after looking lackluster, the Eagles bounced back in their third preseason game, beating the Browns 24-14. I don't have time to get too in depth on the game but here are some of the positives and negatives I noticed:



Positives:



Secondary: Yeah, these guys are pretty good. From Asante Samuel's pick to DRC's blocked field goal to Nnamdi covering like glue and drawing a penalty, is there nothing they can't do?



Special Teams: Two fumble recoveries on punts and a blocked field goal, their second of the preseason, means Bobby April has plenty to smile about tonight.



Running backs: This group is stacked. With LeSean McCoy catching everything in sight, Ronnie Brown looking like the best backup in the league and Dion Lewis looking like a dynamic threat, the Eagles have a ton of weapons in the backfield. Heck, even the quarterbacks are good running backs on this team.



Kurt Coleman: A great game and a big hit mean he could be targeted to start at safety in Week 1.



Negatives:



The offensive line: Rookies Danny Watkins and Jason Kelce were a nightmare from the start, letting the Browns D-line have free shots at Michael Vick. They shaped up as the game went on but the Eagles, and Vick specifically, will be in serious trouble if they don't improve quickly. I think its time to give Jamaal Jackson his job back.



Wide Receivers: The running game was working and so were the dump-offs to McCoy so the receivers were a complete non-entity tonight, with none picking up more than 2 catches. This group really just needs to get healthy and the line needs to give Vick more time to look downfield.

The positives and negatives from the Eagles first preseason game

Eagles football is back! With one preseason game in the books, the Eagles are undefeated, squeaking by the Ravens 13-6. Wins and losses are meaningless in preseason but the Eagles certainly looked like the better team when the starters were on the field. Here are some of the positives and negatives that I noticed from the Eagles first preseason game:



Positives:



First team offense: Nothing to complain about for the first team as they drove right down the field for a touchdown on their only drive. Michael Vick was solid, completing 4 of 6 passes to the backup receiving group of Jason Avant, Chad Hall and Riley Cooper. I would have liked to see them run the ball more with LeSean McCoy but we all know that isn't how the Eagles offense works.



First team defense: The Ravens did move the ball on the Eagles first team defense but they still looked great. We got our first look at the defensive line rotation, which is crazy deep, and the secondary had the Ravens receivers covered for the most part. The linebackers are fairly weak but the combination of a strong pass rush and a lockdown secondary should make the Eagles an elite defense.



Chad Hall: He took advantage of the extra playing time with the starting wideouts sitting, catching 5 balls for 82 yards. With the signing of Steve Smith, Hall will have a tough time making the team but more nights like this one will force the Birds to keep him.



Riley Cooper: Catch of the game for Cooper, who made a nice grab on the opening drive. He might get lost in the shuffle at wideout this year but Cooper can play and will make the occasional big catch this season.



Darryl Tapp: Two sacks on the night for Tapp, who should be a great contributor in the defensive line rotation. He will have one job this season: get the quarterback. He should do just fine.



Alex Henery: With the David Akers era over, its important that Henery is successful early on. He was perfect tonight, hitting a pair of field goals, and also showed off a strong leg on kickoffs. Can't ask for anything more than that.



Negatives:



Playing time for the first team: Its still early but I'd like to have seen more out of the first team offense and defense than just one drive. All of the free agents and rookies need more than a handful of plays to gel together, especially the offensive line. I know, its only the first preseason game, there is still plenty of time.



Brent Celek: Even though he had a touchdown, Celek still had a drop on a play that was negated due to a Ravens penalty. If Celek is going to have more drop problems this season the Eagles better start thinking about alternative plans at tight end. I'm not sure Clay Harbor or Donald Lee is the answer, though Lee had a couple of nice catches.



Austin Howard: The Ravens had only one sack in the game and Howard was burned on the play as well as on a few others. Howard probably isn't in jeopardy of losing his backup LT spot but he will need to step it up in the next game.



Kurt Coleman: Not a great day for a guy that is fighting for a starting spot. While rookie Jaiquawn Jarrett had a nice interception, Coleman got burned on two big plays early on. It will only be a matter of time before Jarrett leaps over him on the depth chart.

(Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)

Eagles lose final preseason game

The Eagles wrapped up their preseason tonight with a loss against the Jets, 21-17. Normally with preseason games, I like to run down some of the positives and negatives from both sides of the ball. Since no one really cares about the final preseason game because none of the starters play, I won't be doing that this time. With roster cuts coming by Saturday, the game was important for several players on the bubble, like Moise Fokou, Kelley Washington and Chad Hall, but it's difficult to drum up much excitement for a game where not even Michael Vick plays more than a quarter.

Clearly, the player of the game was Kurt Coleman, who had a pair of long fumble return touchdowns. Coleman looks like he's going to be a late-round draft steal and definitely has a roster spot locked up. Mike Kafka also deserves some recognition for how ridiculously awful he was, going 9 for 27 for 76 yards passing and an interception. Good thing he's the third string quarterback.

Now, who else is ready for the REAL games to start? Bring on the Packers!
(Photo by Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images)