The Eagles' Good, Bad & Ugly
PHILADELPHIA, PA (CBS) — There was a lot to like, some things to dislike, and some downright concerns that surfaced from the Eagles' 36-10 preseason victory on Sunday against the Indianapolis Colts. Above all, the Eagles' rookies and second-year players really shined in this team's formative stage.
"The one thing you don't know about any of those guys is what they are going to be like until you get them into a game and that's the encouraging thing," Chip Kelly said. "Sometimes the guys stand out in practice. That's been history and all of a sudden you get in the game and they are not the same player, and then other guys that were not so good standing out in practice, stand out in the game. Before getting a chance to look at the film, some of those guys, I thought, really stepped up and made some plays.
"Eric Rowe had a big fumble caused on one of those receptions on the crossing route, came in from behind and did a great job of stripping him. Nelson [WR Nelson Agholor] made a big catch on their bench and turned it into a touchdown and then had another catch. We are excited about those guys. It's just one step for us, but we feel like we've got a lot of really good film to teach off of with officials, legitimate down and distance, all those things; a lot of good situations that we can get in the meeting room with those guys when they come back on Tuesday and really start to grow this team."
The Good
Rookie Nelson Agholor was targeted five times, caught three passes for 57 yards, including a 34-yard touchdown. "All I know is that Nelson balled today," Eagles receiver Jordan Matthews said. "I am proud of him. He makes it look easy. Like I said, when you practice fast and you're as fast as him, the game is going to slow down a lot quicker."
After the game, while walking down to the locker room, another former No. 17, Harold Carmichael, seemed impressed. Asked what it was like to see someone else wear No. 17, Carmichael said, "He wore it well."
Rookie cornerback Eric Rowe forced a fumble and had three tackles.
Second-year tailback Kenjon Barner had two touchdowns in the first half, one a 92-yard punt return.
"I don't even think about what I did to help myself," Barner said. "My job is, when the coaches give me an opportunity, I have to go out and capitalize. I want to put myself in a position to succeed. Our room is stacked and you have to find a way to fit in somehow. Whether it's special teams or catching the ball, you have to find a way. I'm not thinking how much my performance helped me today, my job is to perform."
"If he continues to perform like that, we have to fit him in," Kelly said about Barner. "We are going to find a way to keep the best 53 players here but when you get an opportunity to do something, you step up and do it. It's not a, well, if I had my chance ‑‑ everybody gets their chance. A lot of guys played a lot of football today. If he continues to play like that then he's going to put himself in the mix."
Second-year safety Ed Reynolds had two interceptions and a tackle on special teams.
"I thought he showed up today," Kelly said about Reynolds. "He showed up, not only two interceptions but had a big tackle on the kickoff return after that late in the game. I think he's a guy that's pushing to make the 53‑man roster and I'm happy for him right now. Part of it—we put a big emphasis on how you play in the game. It's not just our training sessions. It's how do you play when it's live full go and let's go. And I thought Ed did a nice job and put himself in a pretty good situation coming out of game one. We'll see how he grows from here."
Rookie receiver and Roxborough High grad Rasheed Bailey has two catches for 23 yards, including a spectacular one-handed grab from Tim Tebow.
"He's been really good," Kelly said of Bailey. "That's the one thing about Rasheed, he's got outstanding hands. He may not be as fast as some of those other guys, but I think he's a really good route runner. You talk about the jump that he made coming from Roxborough High School [in Philadelphia] and playing at Del-Val [Delaware Valley University], and then all of a sudden he's playing in the Linc [Lincoln Financial Field] against the Indianapolis Colts. That's a pretty big jump for anybody.
"I was anxious to see what his response would be. If there was any kid or any player on our team that could be a little starry-eyed, it would have been him, but he wasn't. He was out there, it was all about business, wanted to make plays and made a nice catch on our sideline on a key out route and then that catch he made coming down on the seam ball from Timmy. I thought Tim put it in the only place he could put it, because it was pretty good coverage, but for him to come up with it was a big time catch on his part."
Second-year linebacker Marcus Smith played well. He made a tackle and covered well. Asked why Smith looks like a different player from a year ago, Kelly said, "Birthdate. He's a year older. I think it's not all new for him. I think he's been there, done that. This isn't his first preseason game and this isn't his first training camp. I just think there's kind of a calming sense around him. He's got a better grasp of what we are trying to do and he's really showed up in our training sessions and he showed up today. We are encouraged with his growth. I think there's just a different ‑‑ he's carrying himself in a different manner. He was excited about going out and playing in a football game today. We are excited to see where this goes."
The Bad
Tim Tebow looked rusty. Kelly said he liked the way Tebow threw the ball, but the former Heisman Trophy winner was erratic. He overthrew receivers.
"I liked how Timmy threw it," Kelly said. "That's the big concern with everybody coming in, is has he really changed? I think he's sequencing better. He's got his feet underneath him. When the guys ran the right routes and he had the opportunity to throw the football, I thought he threw the ball really well."
Second-year cornerback Jaylen Watkins whiffed badly on the Josh Robinson's 9-yard touchdown in the third quarter.
The Ugly
Second-year kicker Cody Parkey was a Pro Bowler last year, but he missed an extra point and a 34-yard field goal on Sunday.
"Obviously that's all me," Parkey said. "I missed the kicks. That just shows why we do the preseason—to get some kicks under your belt, to get some plays under your belt and feel good and natural going into the first game."
Kelly didn't feel Parkey's misses (he also missed a few in practice) were any cause for concern, saying, "No, we are not. I mean, he was an All‑Pro Bowl kicker last year. In his first exhibition game, he missed an extra point and a field goal. He's hit three from 40, too. I wouldn't push the panic button right now. He made a mistake in practice? I mean, let's not go crazy now. He's a pretty good kicker. Hey, he's a Pro Bowler. I've seen Pro Bowlers miss kicks. I've seen Adam [Colts K Adam Vinatieri] –Adam is a Hall of Fame kicker—I've seen him miss kicks before, too. Let's not hit the panic button on Cody right now. We are in the first preseason game."