Eagles Hangover, Week 2: No Discipline
Kevin Kolb wasn't the reason why the Eagles got their asses kicked. Neither was the Wildcat. Both of those aspects of the game were working for the Birds, regardless of what any of the talking heads in print journalism will say. Criticizing the Wildcat is plain ignorant, since the Eagles moved the ball pretty well every time they lined up in that formation. Could it be that the dinosaurs in the papers will do nothing short of going all William Randolph Hearst-precipitating-the-Spanish-American-War to badmouth the formation so it goes away? I mean, all I heard this offseason was that the Wildcat was a fad and would go away this year, yet the Eagles ran it effectively when they could run it, and Miami would have ridden it to a win last night if Ted Ginn, Jr. wasn't a woman.
Hell, I'll even say that the defense, which only unraveled after getting backed into a corner on two straight short fields to start the second half, didn't cost us the game yesterday. Yeah, you would have liked to have gotten a hold there and came out giving up 10 rather than 14, but for crying out, if you give Drew Brees a short field, he's getting 7. If you give him a short field twice in a row, he's getting 14. There aren't many defenses in this league, especially with the rule changes over hte last decade favoring aerial offenses, that can stop the Saints offense when its clicking. You want to talk about the team not giving Kolb help? How about Ellis Hobbs and Kolb not giving the defense any help to start the second half?
No, what cost the Eagles the game yesterday was discipline, or should I say lack thereof. This is nothing new for an Andy Reid-coached team. Sure, he's an offensive whiz, but how many times do you see players on the team take a stupid block-in-the-back penalty on a punt, or an illegal formation penalty or even worse, a false start penalty AT HOME? Reid is the definition of booksmart. He can design offenses, he knows talent vis a vis personnel and he knows how to hire smart assistants. However, he fails at the nuances of the game, instilling discipline, managing the clock, taking smart challenges. This combination of ineptitude reared its head Sunday, as the Birds took really awful special teams penalties on seemingly every return in the first half. Add that to the fact that DeSean Jackson not only fielded a punt inside his own 5, but reversed field and ended up with WORSE field position, well, it just stinks.
Then, to open the second half... well, I just won't talk about it. Too painful.
The plain truth is that this is hardly a new problem. It's been a huge problem for the team in its entire tenure under Reid and is probably a bigger reason why we haven't won a Super Bowl than "McNabb choking in the big game" (I'll give you the Sehorn game and the Super Bowl, but remember, McNabb wasn't the one who couldn't stop Marshall Faulk, McNabb wasn't the one who couldn't chase down Joe Jurevicius, McNabb wasn't the one who deflected passes to Ricky Manning, Jr. and McNabb wasn't the one who gave up 34 to a Cards team that couldn't score a lick on the same defensive unit on Thanksgiving). If this team continues to take stupid penatlies that cost them on field position among other things, they're not going to do much of anything, and they may get a reputation and start getting calls based on it, if they aren't already.
Hell, I'll even say that the defense, which only unraveled after getting backed into a corner on two straight short fields to start the second half, didn't cost us the game yesterday. Yeah, you would have liked to have gotten a hold there and came out giving up 10 rather than 14, but for crying out, if you give Drew Brees a short field, he's getting 7. If you give him a short field twice in a row, he's getting 14. There aren't many defenses in this league, especially with the rule changes over hte last decade favoring aerial offenses, that can stop the Saints offense when its clicking. You want to talk about the team not giving Kolb help? How about Ellis Hobbs and Kolb not giving the defense any help to start the second half?
No, what cost the Eagles the game yesterday was discipline, or should I say lack thereof. This is nothing new for an Andy Reid-coached team. Sure, he's an offensive whiz, but how many times do you see players on the team take a stupid block-in-the-back penalty on a punt, or an illegal formation penalty or even worse, a false start penalty AT HOME? Reid is the definition of booksmart. He can design offenses, he knows talent vis a vis personnel and he knows how to hire smart assistants. However, he fails at the nuances of the game, instilling discipline, managing the clock, taking smart challenges. This combination of ineptitude reared its head Sunday, as the Birds took really awful special teams penalties on seemingly every return in the first half. Add that to the fact that DeSean Jackson not only fielded a punt inside his own 5, but reversed field and ended up with WORSE field position, well, it just stinks.
Then, to open the second half... well, I just won't talk about it. Too painful.
The plain truth is that this is hardly a new problem. It's been a huge problem for the team in its entire tenure under Reid and is probably a bigger reason why we haven't won a Super Bowl than "McNabb choking in the big game" (I'll give you the Sehorn game and the Super Bowl, but remember, McNabb wasn't the one who couldn't stop Marshall Faulk, McNabb wasn't the one who couldn't chase down Joe Jurevicius, McNabb wasn't the one who deflected passes to Ricky Manning, Jr. and McNabb wasn't the one who gave up 34 to a Cards team that couldn't score a lick on the same defensive unit on Thanksgiving). If this team continues to take stupid penatlies that cost them on field position among other things, they're not going to do much of anything, and they may get a reputation and start getting calls based on it, if they aren't already.