RIP Steve Van Buren

Thoughts and prayers out to the family of one of the best running back to ever play in Philadelphia and one of the best to ever play the game.  RIP Steve Van Buren. Steve played in a time when there were only 12 games per season and he still has the numbers to put him in the top 5 of eagles RBs. Also, he played in a time when football players weren't making $10+ million a year.

RIP Steve - it has been a tough month for Eagles Nation.

What to Watch For Eagles @ Browns 7:30

Don’t expect to see much from the starters on either side tonight.  We will be seeing these teams square up again two weeks from now and neither team is going to want to show their opponents their game plan.

The Browns are an improving team that plays in a tough division.  They are all in on the offensive side of the ball this season- using 2 first round picks on QB Brandon Weeden and RB Trent Richardson.  The Eagles pass rush should give Weeden or ex starting QB Colt McCoy a tough time tonight. I think we will see 3+ sacks from the Eagles D line.  Richardson will remain on the sideline hoping to be ready to go for the start of the season. Just because it’s going to be a wash game, does not mean there isn’t plenty to watch for. I am going to comment on just a few of them.

Nick Foles

Nick will get the start tonight and get up to a half of snaps, as Mike Kafka is still out with an injured hand. Foles has looked great in the first two games, throwing for a combined 331 yards and 4 TDs.  Foles has completed 63.15% of his passes and is leading the league in preseason passer rating through the first 2 games. He has looked strong, confident and poised in the pocket, all things that former Eagles QB, and current Cardinals QB, Kevin Kolb has not. Each time Vick takes off, heading for the End Zone on third down, Eagles fans will be praying that Nick Foles can be the strong, pocket passer, that we will need step in if Vick cracks another rib.  

Eagles Backup RBs

I am interested to see if the Eagles give some of their young RBs a big workload tonight. The Browns ranked 30^th in run defense last year and used their 1^st round picks on offense in the 2012 Draft.  It seems like it is going to be a long season for the Browns Defense- the Eagles should have no problem on the ground tonight. Look for a nice mix of 2^nd year guy, Dion Lewis, rookie RB Bryce Brown, and undrafted rookie RB Chris Polk. With Shady in the starting spot, it seems like Lewis with be the RB2 – but will the Eagles keep 4 backs on the 53 man roster? The talent and potential is there and all four of these guys will make the team, but what will the depth chart look like come September 9^th.

Special Teams

As with any team, the special teams are crucial to the Eagles success. It is essential to many of the guys on this roster and whether or not they will have a job come September 9^th. Don’t be surprised to see the Eagles punting on 4^th and inches (not that you should ever be surprised about that as an Eagles fan!), and kick returns coming from 6 yards deep in the end zone. Another player to watch is 2^nd year safety Jaiquawn Jarrett.  Jarrett, a local guy from Temple, was selected in the second round of the 2011 Draft to be one of the many players who would replace Eagles Hall of Fame Safety Brian Dawkins. Thus far he has come up very short of expectations and is now at risk of being cut after just one year in the NFL. Look for him to get some action at Safety and in the Special teams as he continues to seek out a place where he fits in on this roster.

Demetress Bell vs. King Dunlap    

 Who will win over the start Left Tackle job protecting Mike Vick’s strong side? This is an ongoing battle through camp and it will be interesting to see who wins the starting job with All Pro LT Jason Peters likely being out with a torn Achilles.  I think that Bell will ultimately get the starting job but Dunlap isn’t going down without a fight. Tomorrow morning will have a much clearer answer. 

Prediction:

Eagles win big 27-10 setting the tone for Week 1.   

The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly

What do we take away from last night’s preseason game against the Pats? Well a few notes before I get into it -   

·         The Patriots played essentially none of their starters, so it is difficult to judge the Eagle’s first team players.  There is mental focus that is not all there when you are playing a preseason game, not to mention, one where your opponent is seemingly throwing in the towel before the game even starts.

·         Preseason games get coaches to focus on pieces of the game.  Coaches would like to see how the defense can play in cover 2, certain blitz packages or in press coverage.  These are usually not put into place to win the game per say, but more to gauge the most effective game plans for the regular season. This again makes preseason games often seem like something they are not.   

The Good

The Eagles defensive line had another outstanding evening. 2 sacks were recorded but the line was causing havoc to any QB the Patriots put in the huddle. The Patriots were also held to only 61 yards on the ground (averaging 2.1 yards per carry) with their first team RBs playing much of the 1^st half. The effective pass rush also led to an INT - which was called back on a roughing the passer flag (see: “The Ugly”)

The Eagles continue to look strong in the second half and do what they need to in order to win the game. I know I know – “it’s the second or third team players!” I get that, but this Eagles team blew numerous second half leads a season ago, which cost this team 4+ wins. Any improvement is good in this guy’s eyes.   

Nick Foles – Could this young QB be the future of this franchise? Vick’s health concerns are well documented and Foles could see some legitimate time this season as the #2 QB (which Andy Reid will soon name him).  He has shown strength, confidence, IQ, and the ability to win a game- qualities that most rookie QBs do not have.   I’m not calling for Nick to be the starter, but Reid is a quarterback coach at heart and with (hopefully) a few more years out of Vick – this kid could be the future come 2014.

The Bad

Cue the broken record! The LBs looked very weak last night. DeMeco Ryans, the Eagles cure to the cancer that has plagued this defense last season has not shown up in either of the preseason games.  He hasn’t been unable to run down the RBs on the outside and continues to the get pushed around in the middle. I don’t have a good feeling about this one.  The LB’s continue to get pounded against the screen which has been brutal to the eagles, especially on third down. As with any blitz heavy team the screen will catch up to you at times but a 20 yard gain by Shane Vereen on 3^rd down deep in eagles territory can be the difference between a win and a loss in Metlife stadium come week 17.

The Ugly

The penalties are still burning in my mind hours after this game.  These were not 1^st and 10 false starts, these are 3^rd down flags, INT’s voided because of flags, 1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd team flags! Flags on flags on flags! Yes these are replacement refs, but there is a good chance we will see these refs come the regular season, so we better get used to it! I can give a pass to the illegal substitution penalties since it seems like there are 275 players on the sidelines, but FOUR roughing calls!?!?! Yes, that was not a typo – the eagles committed 4 unnecessary roughing calls last night. Three on defense, one of which was on a third-down interception by Rodgers-Cromartie

that would have put the Eagles on the Patriots 30 yard line in the 1^st quarter. Instead Fletcher Cox hit Ryan Mallot late causing 15 extra yards and a first down- later leading to a touchdown (after an 3^rd and 7 defensive holding gave the Pats another 1^st down later in the drive).  The Eagles totaled 16 penalties for a total of 131 yards to the Patriots 7 for 60 yards.  Is this going to continue to be an issue in the regular season? Better not be if the Eagles plan on winning games.

Bottom Line

The bottom line is that the Eagles do not click. Lucky for them, these games are meaningless. Looking back to the last 4 games of the 2011 campaign, when this team is on, they can be the team to beat.  Eagles fans everywhere are hoping that they can get these bumps and bruises worked out and can figure out a way to get off the field on 3^rd downs. As of right now, this Eagles fan is skeptical, but still optimistic that this Eagles team will be special.

Next game: Eagles @ Browns Friday August 24^th 7:30 PM

 Don’t expect much on Friday as the neither team is likely to tip their hand as they will face off in a week 1 matchup. “What to watch for” post coming soon!