By now everyone has had a chance to sit back and digest the horrendous performance put forth by our beloved Eagles on Sunday. And even though Tuesday is a day late for Monday Morning Quaterbacking, you'll have to cut me some slack as I've been traveling and haven't been able to post anything. (For the two of you who actually read this blog, sorry for the delay).
As for the pathetic game against the Saints, I had the pleasure of actually watching the game in real-time on Sky Sports. One of the frustrations of American sports fans in London is the inability to watch the games you want to watch - baseball isn't available on telecats, and even if it were, it's only on at 1am GMT. And for NFL Football, Sky Sports broadcasts games on Sundays - but they seem to choose the games at random. Luckily for me, the game for week 2 was the Eagles/Saints matchup. I had a little freak out spaz session when I found out - You mean I don't have to settle for just the audio feed! - and my wife and I got decked out in Eagles green, only to have our hearts crushed by the team we love. And for stupid reason, too. Special teams and penalties. Football 101.
Say what you will about Kevin Kolb, but the kid looked sharp when his team was still in the game - before they basically handed the game away with mental errors and ridiculously stupid special teams penalties and plays. I don't blame Kolb at all. He drove the team 65 yards down the field in 43 seconds and set Akers up for an easy FG right before half time. Not bad. Yeah, he threw a costly interception in the 3rd quarter - badly telegraphing a pass - but that's only after Ellis Hobbs fumbled away the game in the kick off return and handed any momentum the Eagles were building right back into the hands of Drew Brees and the explosive Saints offense.
So what do I blame - I blame Special Teams and Penalties. Plain and simple. They lost those two battles and in turn lost the field position game. Let's have a look at exactly how bad the Eagles Special Teams were on Sunday. By my count, there were NINE (9!) total screw ups.
1.) 1st quarter - Right after the Saints drive down the field and score on their opening we drive, Sean Jones gets calle for holding on the kickoff. Result? The Eagles start from the 15, but still get a TD on the bomb to Jackson. Crisis averted, temporarily.
2.) 1st quarter - After the Eagles score and convert the extra point, the Eagles defense is able to the hold saints to a rare three and out. And then the punt. . . Desean jackson calls for a fair catch and the birds should have the ball on the 23, but Chris Clemons gets called for roughing - really stupid, stupid penalty, especially since it's a fair catch! Result - Instead of getting the ball at the 23, the Eagles start from their own 12 (definitely losing the field position battle). They're able to get a first down, but then they're forced to punt. . .which leads to more problems. . .
3.) 1st quarter- The eagles are set to punt (line of scrimmage is the 24, only 1 yard ahead of where the should have been before the Clemons penalty). Sav Rocca boots a 58 yard punt, pinning the Saints at their own 18. Pretty good, right? Wrong. Why? Because Hanson gets called for an ILLEGAL SHIFT. Result, the Eagles are sent back to the 19 and asked to punt again, which leads to even more problems. . .
4.) 1st quarter - In what's becoming a comedy of errors, Rocca punts the post-penalty-punt OUT OF BOUNDS. Result? Instead of starting from the 18 (where the first punt landed) the Saints start from their own 47. You can't give the Saints short field position like that. They capitalize with a FG and take the lead 10-7.
5, 6, 7.) 2nd Quarter- This a 3-for-one screw-up! After the Eagles defense intercepts Brees and sets up a game tying FG, the game looks like momentum can be shifting. The defense is able to hold Brees and company to another 3 and out, and the Saints are forced to punt to Desean Jackson with just 1:40 left in the half (score tied at 10-10). The Eagles, if their smart, could secure safe field position and play smart, secure football to escape the half in a tie and come out on the receiving end of the 3rd quarter kickoff. Things are looking up, but. . . Desean Jackson elects to return a FG from the 2 yard line instead of letting bounce into the end zone for a touchback (error #5). He's able to return the ball to the 33 yard line, but only after two illegal blocks by Weaver and Clemons (errors number 6 and 7). Result, instead of having the ball at the 20 yard line (where it would have been if Jackson doesn't touch it), the Eagles are forced to start from their own 3 yard line. The go three and out, hand the Saints great field position AGAIN, and in two plays Marques Colston is leaping for a TD. How quickly the tide turns. . .
8) 3rd Quarter - Kolb looked sharp at the end of the 1st half, moving the birds 65 yards down the field in 43 seconds and setting up a David Akers FG. The Eagles had some momentum coming into the 2nd half, and if they could take the lead with a smart opening drive. But. . .Ellis Hobbs fumbles the kickoff and kills the Eagles' mojo. Instead of the Eagles going down and taking control of the game, the Saints get the ball at the eagles 23. Three plays later the score is 24 - 13 and the game is quickly getting out of reach.
9.) 3rd quarter - With the score 31-13, the Eagles look to return a kickoff and try to get something - anything! - going. But of course there's a holding call on the Eagles, and the offense has to start from their own 6. Result - Same as usual: 3 and out, punt, Saints get short field and score. Saints lead 34-13.
What amazes me most about the game - aside from how badly they played on Special Teams, was how easy the Eagles made it for the Saints to score. As a result of Special Teams, penalties and turnovers, the Saints were handed amazing field position all day long. Just look at numbers:
The Saints received their ball at their own 35 (or better) FIVE TIMES! Of those five, they started in Eagles territory twice. And, oh yeah, they scored each of the five times.
For the Eagles part, they started at their own 35 (or better) just twice. And what did they do? Punted once, and scored a TD on the other.
Moral of the story: You can't make stupid mistakes against a team as offensively talented as the Saints. They will capitalize every time, and you will lose. Badly.
As for the pathetic game against the Saints, I had the pleasure of actually watching the game in real-time on Sky Sports. One of the frustrations of American sports fans in London is the inability to watch the games you want to watch - baseball isn't available on telecats, and even if it were, it's only on at 1am GMT. And for NFL Football, Sky Sports broadcasts games on Sundays - but they seem to choose the games at random. Luckily for me, the game for week 2 was the Eagles/Saints matchup. I had a little freak out spaz session when I found out - You mean I don't have to settle for just the audio feed! - and my wife and I got decked out in Eagles green, only to have our hearts crushed by the team we love. And for stupid reason, too. Special teams and penalties. Football 101.
Say what you will about Kevin Kolb, but the kid looked sharp when his team was still in the game - before they basically handed the game away with mental errors and ridiculously stupid special teams penalties and plays. I don't blame Kolb at all. He drove the team 65 yards down the field in 43 seconds and set Akers up for an easy FG right before half time. Not bad. Yeah, he threw a costly interception in the 3rd quarter - badly telegraphing a pass - but that's only after Ellis Hobbs fumbled away the game in the kick off return and handed any momentum the Eagles were building right back into the hands of Drew Brees and the explosive Saints offense.
So what do I blame - I blame Special Teams and Penalties. Plain and simple. They lost those two battles and in turn lost the field position game. Let's have a look at exactly how bad the Eagles Special Teams were on Sunday. By my count, there were NINE (9!) total screw ups.
1.) 1st quarter - Right after the Saints drive down the field and score on their opening we drive, Sean Jones gets calle for holding on the kickoff. Result? The Eagles start from the 15, but still get a TD on the bomb to Jackson. Crisis averted, temporarily.
2.) 1st quarter - After the Eagles score and convert the extra point, the Eagles defense is able to the hold saints to a rare three and out. And then the punt. . . Desean jackson calls for a fair catch and the birds should have the ball on the 23, but Chris Clemons gets called for roughing - really stupid, stupid penalty, especially since it's a fair catch! Result - Instead of getting the ball at the 23, the Eagles start from their own 12 (definitely losing the field position battle). They're able to get a first down, but then they're forced to punt. . .which leads to more problems. . .
3.) 1st quarter- The eagles are set to punt (line of scrimmage is the 24, only 1 yard ahead of where the should have been before the Clemons penalty). Sav Rocca boots a 58 yard punt, pinning the Saints at their own 18. Pretty good, right? Wrong. Why? Because Hanson gets called for an ILLEGAL SHIFT. Result, the Eagles are sent back to the 19 and asked to punt again, which leads to even more problems. . .
4.) 1st quarter - In what's becoming a comedy of errors, Rocca punts the post-penalty-punt OUT OF BOUNDS. Result? Instead of starting from the 18 (where the first punt landed) the Saints start from their own 47. You can't give the Saints short field position like that. They capitalize with a FG and take the lead 10-7.
5, 6, 7.) 2nd Quarter- This a 3-for-one screw-up! After the Eagles defense intercepts Brees and sets up a game tying FG, the game looks like momentum can be shifting. The defense is able to hold Brees and company to another 3 and out, and the Saints are forced to punt to Desean Jackson with just 1:40 left in the half (score tied at 10-10). The Eagles, if their smart, could secure safe field position and play smart, secure football to escape the half in a tie and come out on the receiving end of the 3rd quarter kickoff. Things are looking up, but. . . Desean Jackson elects to return a FG from the 2 yard line instead of letting bounce into the end zone for a touchback (error #5). He's able to return the ball to the 33 yard line, but only after two illegal blocks by Weaver and Clemons (errors number 6 and 7). Result, instead of having the ball at the 20 yard line (where it would have been if Jackson doesn't touch it), the Eagles are forced to start from their own 3 yard line. The go three and out, hand the Saints great field position AGAIN, and in two plays Marques Colston is leaping for a TD. How quickly the tide turns. . .
8) 3rd Quarter - Kolb looked sharp at the end of the 1st half, moving the birds 65 yards down the field in 43 seconds and setting up a David Akers FG. The Eagles had some momentum coming into the 2nd half, and if they could take the lead with a smart opening drive. But. . .Ellis Hobbs fumbles the kickoff and kills the Eagles' mojo. Instead of the Eagles going down and taking control of the game, the Saints get the ball at the eagles 23. Three plays later the score is 24 - 13 and the game is quickly getting out of reach.
9.) 3rd quarter - With the score 31-13, the Eagles look to return a kickoff and try to get something - anything! - going. But of course there's a holding call on the Eagles, and the offense has to start from their own 6. Result - Same as usual: 3 and out, punt, Saints get short field and score. Saints lead 34-13.
What amazes me most about the game - aside from how badly they played on Special Teams, was how easy the Eagles made it for the Saints to score. As a result of Special Teams, penalties and turnovers, the Saints were handed amazing field position all day long. Just look at numbers:
The Saints received their ball at their own 35 (or better) FIVE TIMES! Of those five, they started in Eagles territory twice. And, oh yeah, they scored each of the five times.
For the Eagles part, they started at their own 35 (or better) just twice. And what did they do? Punted once, and scored a TD on the other.
Moral of the story: You can't make stupid mistakes against a team as offensively talented as the Saints. They will capitalize every time, and you will lose. Badly.
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