[Photo by SUNNYDAYZ87]
BY MIKE WOLVERTON SPORTS GUY Today’s Eagles game got really boring in the 2nd half. The good kind of boring. As in no drama, no uncertainty, complete control. An Eagles win seemed so secure, but then you’d look at the scoreboard and see 24-13 and realize that the Rams were still within reach, even though it felt like it was over. This game reminded me of last year’s Week 2 contest at Detroit (Vick’s first start). On the road, in a dome, against a poor but improving team. If you remember that game from last year, you’ll recall that the Eagles let the Lions hang around and stay in the game, until eventually Detroit almost pulled it out. Now compare that to the Rams game and you’ll see a much more composed, confident team. The Eagles were the big brother, holding their little bro at arm’s length as the Rams flailed away. It was an inauspicious start for the defense under new coordinator Juan Castillo, as St. Louis running back Steven Jackson ripped through them for a 47-yard touchdown on the Rams’ first play. But the defense only gave up six points the rest of the way. Perhaps things would have been different had Jackson not left the game soon after with an injury. But probably not. And there will be tougher opponents than Saint Louis. But the Eagles did exactly what they were supposed to do in Week 1, and that’s all you can ask.
Here’s what else we learned in Week 1:
–It might have been the Eagles’ system making Donovan McNabb look good for 11 years. McNabb’s first pass as a Viking was intercepted, and he finished with 39 passing yards. Thirty-nine! Awful.
–Peyton Manning is a key player for Indianapolis
–The Browns are not “up and coming”
–If the NFC West played the AFC South in a round-robin tournament, no one would win a game.
–It was good to see A.J. Feeley get in the game…for the other team!
–Kevin Kolb is no Michael Vick. But he did help the Cardinals scrape out a win
–The Falcons are overrated. The Chiefs suck and I think I just overrated them
–Michael Vick seems mostly unfazed by the big pass rush he’s likely to face most of the year. Vick just drops back, lets the first wave of the rush come at him, dodges them and then attacks. The Eagles may not need a good offensive line to succeed.
–The Panthers may not be down for long…#1 overall pick Cam Newton became the first quarterback in league history to throw for over 400 yards in his first game, a close loss to the Cardinals. Or maybe Arizona’s defense is a disaster.
–The Cowboys are the biggest threat in the NFC East, and they’re still a bunch of chokers.
–I can’t wait for Week 2