As expected the Eagles got their asses kicked on national television last night. Because it was late game, I only made to about the middle of the third quarter, which is probably a lot longer than most fans lasted.
Peyton Manning didn't even have to do any of his magic night, as it was the rookie Joseph Addai whose 24 carries for 171 yards, and four touchdowns (tying a NFL rookie and club rookie record) led the way for the Colts. Manning and his stud receivers really weren't much of a factor and Manning's numbers were really low for him, (14-20, 183 yards, 1 TD, 1 Int).
On paper Jeff Garcia had a pretty good game, 19/23, 140 yards and 2 touchdowns, but in the end the Colts just dominated the Eagles.
Indianapolis dominated the game from the kickoff on. The Eagles defense specifically the interior line and linebackers kept missing tackles, and were getting thrown all over the field. I have a feeling that the team will be practicing in pads again this week, although that didn't seem to help this week.
The Eagles need some serious help on defense, this is mostly the same defense that was so revered two years ago, and sent 4-5 guys to the Probowl. They have a lot of young players locked into to long term deals, but the linebackers are where they need the most help. Dhanni Jones should be gone, Matt McCoy, is still young and will probably get better, Jeremiah Trotter, is okay, but he is not as effective as he should be in the middle. Even the secondary looks like crap. Sheldon Brown and Lito Sheppard have been disappointing this year, although Lito has come up with a few big plays this year, they are both getting burnt on passing routes, and missing tackles. This may be the last year for Brian Dawkins, even though he has one year left on his deal after this season. Although they may keep him around just for his leadership. Sean Considine continues to impress me at Strong Safety and has solidified his starting role.
Heck even Akers is having an off year, he missed a 36 yarder early in the game, but long snapper Mike Bartrum snapped it a little high (his second time in as many weeks) and Dirk Johnson, did a great job getting the ball down. Overall Akers has been disappointing overall.
On the positive side, Brian Westbrook had another phenomenal game rushing for 124 yards on 20 carries, and grabbing 46 yards on 7 receptions. He is one of the best draft picks the Eagles have had in the last few years.
Next week the Panthers come to town, in another prime time game, Monday night.
Its going to be a long rest of the season.
--gfo
No comments:
Post a Comment