What a disastrous game for the Philadelphia Eagles. I am left with tons of questions. The Eagles fell to the New York Giants 29-16 in their home opener. The crowd was stunned and so am I.
I am sticking to my guns on this one: why did coach Andy Reid start Michael Vick today? Vick looked clearly out of sorts. He was hit hard many times and ended up leaving the game with a broken hand. The reason you sit Vick is very simple…….Andy Reid and offensive coordinator, Marty Mornhinweg’s game plan was LeSean McCoy.
The Eagles went rush heavy today employing McCoy to provide the ground work of the Eagles strategy. The plan worked for the most part. McCoy compiled 24 carries for 128 yds and looked like a beast. When the Eagles were in the red-zone, they dialed up fullback Owen Schmitt. Twice. Really? Oh, they also called the quarterback sneak with a guy whose is 6′ 200lbs, coming off a concussion. Really?
After two long drives, the Birds settled for field goals. Absolute momentum killers. One of them the Eagles barely got off. Rookie kicker, Alex Henry, showed some moxie.
Let me get back to the Vick point. I am no doctor. I am no coach. I use the eyeball test. Vick did not look right to me, especially after he took the first big hit. I saw him put his hands around his helmet clearly at one point in the game. Where is Vince Young? Can I get an update? Vick finished the game 16/23 176 yds and one interception. If your game plan was ground based (36 attempts, not including Vick’s 7), why do you have your $100 million starter, coming off a concussion out there? Is Mike Kafka not capable of handing the ball off?
I am equally perplexed by how out coached Eagles defensive coordinator Juan Castillo was. Coach Castillo is in his first year at the helm after the Eagles moved him from his former job as the offensive line coach. Today, he looked like a rookie coach. Coach Castillo has all-pro personnel. Coach Castillo has a terrific pass rush and a great secondary. Giant’s offensive coordinator, Kevin Gilbride, out-classed Castillo all game.
NFL football is a chess match. The defensive coordinator’s job is to put his people in the right position. Period. Juan Castillo proved he has a long way to go before he successfully implements this concept. Period. There is no way a defense, with the calibre of players the Eagles have, should allow Giants quarterback, Eli Manning, four touchdown passes. No way.
I know some readers will question why I am not calling out the players. Trust me, it is not completely on the coach. The tackling needs drastic improvement. Nate Allen cannot play in this league. The same for Casey Matthews. I have said this before and all Allen and Matthews do is prove my point.
The Eagles are 1-2. That is a reality. Who knows how long Michael Vick will be out? That is a reality. The Eagles defense has given up 77 points in three games. That is a reality. The Dream Team is not a reality.
I hope the national media calls out Andy Reid and Juan Castillo. That maybe a pipe dream.
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I agree with you on the Castillo argument. This guy is clearly not ready to be Defensive coordinator and this is now the second time Andy Reid has chosen poorly for the coordinator job. Let me also say, I think this wide 9 crap is just that crap. Yes it fits Babin’s and Cole’s style but we don’t have the guys capable of stopping the run to make this an effective scheme. It’s too risky without guys that can block up those gaps. Again, that falls on Andy Reid. If they were going to make the switch to this defensive strategy, they should have made absolutely certain they had the proper personel to pull it off. Giving up these massive run plays each week is getting tiresome and somthing needs to be done before the season is completely lost.
As far as Vick goes, I think it was the right call to start him over Kafka. Kafka is not a starting caliber QB, plain and simple. He’s a poor mans Kolb and that’s not a good thing. If Vince Young were ready, that would be a different story, but for whatever reason, young seems to have fallen off the face of the planet. They need to figure out what’s up with him, and get him game ready, because I think overall, if his mental situation is straightened out, he may just be a better option than Vick, who is proving to be a little too fragile to be relied on week in and week out. Young at least is built like a mac truck.
Lastly, another thing that is driving me up a wall is Andy Reids play calling. Why in the world did he risk his tiny lead by going for it on 4th and 2 at mid field. That was a horrible decision, especially with our shaky defense. You just knew if they didn’t get it, the Giants were going to easily be able to turn around and at least score a field goal without much effort. That’s a bad risk when you are in the lead with very little time left. Just like not challenging that play last week, I think these dumb decisions are starting to pile up and it’s incredibly frustrating.
Are you confident in Andy Reid? Me, no. I am frustrated. Where is Vince Young? So, the Eagles have a $5 million third string quarterback? There is no way in hell this team should be 1-2.
where is vince young he is the one that call this the dream team and he is nowhere to be found. need a new dc and head coach and off. line. very bad defense can’t tackle.
Where is Vince Young, Mike should have been taking it easy and getting ready for the later games. It certainly would have quailed/quiet the desire to further harm him which I believe are cheap shots. They take it easy on the veteran qb and try to kill Mike. Unbelievable. Takes all the enjoyment out of the game. Play the game fair. Defense sucks except for maybe two or three players Samuels being one. I also agree that DeSean should be earning better pay. He is talented and should be appreciated.