Eagles Preseason W versus Browns Not Exactly a Bounce Back
I’ve already seen last night’s Eagles preseason game against the Cleveland Browns called a “bounce back” for Philadelphia. While their regular players beat the Browns’ regulars, 17-0, I don’t understand that assessment at all.
Mike Vick completed 10 of 18 passes for 98 yards in a half. That sounds ok, but he certainly didn’t dazzle anyone. When the fact that LeSean McCoy caught 7 of those passes for 69 – several on “check down” passes – there was little to get excited about for Eagles fans.
In fact, at one point early in the first quarter color commentator Brian Baldinger suggested Vick should be taken out to preserve him because the offensive line was playing so poorly. Vick took a few big hits and was hurried a lot.
DeSean Jackson caught as many passes as he did when he was holding out. Zero.
The one real positive I saw offensively was that the Eagles did pound the ball a couple of times, including once for a touchdown, with Ronnie Brown. But even that doesn’t excite me because we already know Andy Reid won’t do that in the regular season.
Defensively, the Eagles did pitch a shutout into the fourth quarter. Asante Samuel had a nice interception, and it’s great that Mike Patterson is back playing after having a seizure in training camp and registered a sack. This is a guy who reportedly may need brain surgery after the season, according to the broadcast.
But they were playing the Cleveland Browns with Colt McCoy.
This wasn’t a regular season game. “A win is a win” doesn’t apply in the preseason. It’s more important to look at how they played.
The only way this was a “bounce back” game for the Eagles is because they were atrocious last week.
No one is suggesting hitting the panic button. Andy Reid never shows much in the preseason, and heavy rains before the game and at halftime likely made everybody more cautious than usual in preseason. The second half offered nothing of substance except that there were no injuries.
But so far, this is not what Eagles fans were dreaming about a few weeks ago.
An extra point. This season all touchdowns are automatically reviewed. Great idea. Last night, Reid challenged a TD by the Browns. Not only was this a penalty on the Eagles, but according to the broadcast it eliminates the possibility of a review. That makes zero sense, and, if true, I guarantee it will cause at least one controversy in the NFL this season. Just pick up the challenge flag.
Mike Vick completed 10 of 18 passes for 98 yards in a half. That sounds ok, but he certainly didn’t dazzle anyone. When the fact that LeSean McCoy caught 7 of those passes for 69 – several on “check down” passes – there was little to get excited about for Eagles fans.
In fact, at one point early in the first quarter color commentator Brian Baldinger suggested Vick should be taken out to preserve him because the offensive line was playing so poorly. Vick took a few big hits and was hurried a lot.
DeSean Jackson caught as many passes as he did when he was holding out. Zero.
The one real positive I saw offensively was that the Eagles did pound the ball a couple of times, including once for a touchdown, with Ronnie Brown. But even that doesn’t excite me because we already know Andy Reid won’t do that in the regular season.
Defensively, the Eagles did pitch a shutout into the fourth quarter. Asante Samuel had a nice interception, and it’s great that Mike Patterson is back playing after having a seizure in training camp and registered a sack. This is a guy who reportedly may need brain surgery after the season, according to the broadcast.
But they were playing the Cleveland Browns with Colt McCoy.
This wasn’t a regular season game. “A win is a win” doesn’t apply in the preseason. It’s more important to look at how they played.
The only way this was a “bounce back” game for the Eagles is because they were atrocious last week.
No one is suggesting hitting the panic button. Andy Reid never shows much in the preseason, and heavy rains before the game and at halftime likely made everybody more cautious than usual in preseason. The second half offered nothing of substance except that there were no injuries.
But so far, this is not what Eagles fans were dreaming about a few weeks ago.
An extra point. This season all touchdowns are automatically reviewed. Great idea. Last night, Reid challenged a TD by the Browns. Not only was this a penalty on the Eagles, but according to the broadcast it eliminates the possibility of a review. That makes zero sense, and, if true, I guarantee it will cause at least one controversy in the NFL this season. Just pick up the challenge flag.
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