Well Phans, it was a tough night for us last night. Luckily even Mother Nature couldn't stop the Phils from downing the Dbacks, so at least something went right last night.
The Eagles game however, well it didn't go as planned to say the least. After last week's win and great defensive effort and wonderful series by Vick, I felt confident that we would pull out a W in Pittsburgh.
My confidence dipped however almost as soon as the game started. I watched the Steelers march down the field almost with ease as my windows were pelted with bead sized hail. I thought the weather was bad but the Eagles defense was worse. Within the first two Steelers possessions, both resulting in touchdowns, I saw blown coverage from the secondary, missed tackles and a defensive line that seemed unable to stop the run.
It absolutely shocked me to think that the defense that looked so good last week with picks, stops and everything couldn't even manage to run simple routes without losing their men and leaving the Steelers open to reach the endzone not once, not twice, but three times before the first half ended.
It wasn't just the defense though that played poorly, the offense did too. Vick went 5-12 for 47 yards but the glaring stat was that he only threw two more complete passes to his own team then he did to the Steelers defense. While arguably his number one receiver, Desean Jackson, caught 0 passes from Vick last night, Troy Palamalu did manage to grab one of Vick's three picks.
Now I know, I know it is "just preseason" but I don't think it is weird to somewhat worry about the Birds performance last night. I've heard so many reasons not to worry such as the players are still getting used to each other, they are still adapting the new coaches and schemes and of course it is still early and it is only preseason, but despite all this there are still obvious holes that cannot be overlooked.
So what did I learn from last night's game?
1. Eagles need to find someone who can stop the run.
2. Casey Matthews is a nice rookie, but certainly not his brother, at least not at this point in his career.
3. The Eagles will sorely miss MLB Stewart Bradley this season if they cannot find an adequate replacement.
4. Mike Kafta is a solid player who would make a good number two on most teams.
Finally, I also learned that the Eagles aren't exactly a dream team, not yet. But I do think last night's lost is the first step in getting this team to the playoffs. The so called "dream team" needed to be taken down a notch and be taught they aren't invincible. Last night was just that. It showed the players and us fans that more then just acquiring top notch free agents is what is needed to win a Superbowl. I'm sure the Eagles have the grit and determination and they certainly have the drive to win a Superbowl. They just need to put all of the pieces together and I think by the start of the regular season the needed meshing will have taken place and this team will be a force to be reckoned with.
So in typical football fashion I'm going to establish an Eagles Panic Meter with one being least amount of panic and 10 being most. After this week's loss I'll simply say two, just because it is preseason but at the same time 5 total turnovers may be some cause for concern.
seasons over!
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