1. Michael Vick’s fumbling problems are beyond ridiculous.
Michael Vick has fumbled six times in the past two games. Seven times this season. The NFL record for a season is 23 and I honestly wonder if he could break the record this season.
2. Michael Vick appears to be regressing to his old form.
Vick doesn’t appear to be near as accurate as he was in 2010. He’s fumbling much more. He’s unable to stay healthy. You almost have to wonder if the Eagles gave Vick his $100 million contract a little bit too early. After all, the second half of his 2010 season was a lot different from the first half.
3. LeSean McCoy continues to look like the best offensive player on the Eagles.
McCoy was my MVP pick for 2011. He scored four touchdowns in the first two games and rushed for 128 yards and added a fifth touchdown today. I actually wonder if he is more valuable to the Eagles than Vick, especially with Vick’s ridiculous fumbling problems recently.
4. DeSean Jackson’s big plays are absolutely no where to be found this season.
Jackson caught six passes for 102 yards in week one but he hasn’t shown up in weeks two or three. His big plays from last season? Non-existent in 2011. There’s nothing better than a 75-yard touchdown to change the momentum of a game. The Eagles sure could have used a big play this week. Or last week.
5. The offensive line has been disastrous with its false start penalties.
The Eagles had four false start penalties in today’s game: Kelce, Herremans, Peters, and Kelce. That’s unacceptable, especially when it’s the team’s first week at home. I still don’t know why Jamaal Jackson hasn’t been starting this season.
6. Casey Matthews doesn’t belong anywhere near the field.
Casey Matthews is terrible. He wouldn’t have been drafted if his last name wasn’t Matthews, and I have no idea why the Eagles insist on playing him. Demoting him from middle to weak-side linebacker was a start but moving him to the bench would complete the job. He might be my least favorite Eagles player since Mike McMahon in 2005.
7. Nnamdi Asomugha has looked very ordinary this season.
My biggest fear when the Eagles acquired Nnamdi Asomugha was that he really hasn’t been as good as people think over the past few seasons, but teams are just scared to throw to him because of his reputation. Asomugha was very disappointing in week 1 (a 31-yard completion and a 41-yard pass interference penalty) and he wasn’t much better today, whiffing on a tackle on Cruz’s 74-yard touchdown catch. He was also outjumped by Cruz on the jump ball by Manning in the fourth quarter.
8. Jason Babin has been an animal but his penalties are just atrocious.
Babin has been a beast this season. He has four sacks in just three games, putting him on pace for 21 this year. He also has five penalties, including an extremely costly fourth quarter penalty in today’s game that extended a Giants drive and led to the Eagles’ loss.
9. Kurt Coleman might be the most disappointing “average” starter on the Eagles.
I didn’t have All-Pro or Pro Bowl expectations for Coleman in 2011. But I did expect him to be an average starter at the worst. And he’s been absolutely brutal this year. He missed not one, but two tackles on Brandon Jacobs’ 40-yard touchdown catch, and he missed a tackle on Victor Cruz’s 74-yard touchdown. That’s three missed tackles today for a player who converted 100 percent of his tackle attempts last season.
10. It’s how you end, not how you start.
The Eagles are 1-2 and just an average football team this season. But although I’m extremely annoyed, I’m probably not quite as concerned as most fans. The NFL isn’t about how many games you win. When the Eagles get into the postseason, it won’t matter whether we won 12 or 10 games. It’s how you finish, and anymore, it’s just about whatever team enters the postseason the hottest–or even just who plays the best in the postseason.
*No. 2* I said that as soon as I saw it…how can a guy get 100 million after one season in which he faltered at the end…never doubted his ability, just questioned the quick trigger with a guy who is injury prone.