Eagles Vs. Washington: Knee Jerk Reactions
By Andrew Porter
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – (Deep breath) That was incredible!
It's so hard to describe what I was feeling and thinking while watching that game, but I'm going to try.
- The Eagles ran 53 (most by an NFL team since 1998) plays in the first half.
- The Eagles had a 26-7 halftime lead (Eagles high point total for a game last year---26)
- The Eagles had 21 first downs to the Redskins 3 in the first half...
- ...and 322 total yards to the Redskins 75 in the first half.
- The Eagles finished with 443 yards of total offense.
- RGIII was talking to himself, Redskins head coach Mike Shanahan's mouth was on the floor, and Redskins defensive coordinator Jim Haslett looked sick in the booth. I couldn't get enough of seeing those guys.
- Chip Kelly was in the zone, especially in the first half---scurrying up and down the sideline, fist-pumping, smiling, interacting with players, and just having fun.
- Michael Vick missed a couple of open receivers in the first quarter and the Vick haters were out and about on the Twitterverse, especially early on last night...
- ...BUT, we never expected Vick to be Peyton Manning-like accurate, did we?
- That "lateral" pass-fumbled-touchdown thing was devastating. I wanted to punch a wall.
- Still not sure if that was a forward pass or not, but it may have, in a weird way, motivated the Eagles?
- Vick, and the offense recovered brilliantly after that.
- Vick ran the offense smoothly.
- He made fast, precise, quick and dare I say....SMART decisions?!?
- Vick finished the game 15/25, for 203 yards, and 2 TDs through the air...
- ...and added 9 carries for 54 yards and another TD, on the ground
- Was he perfect? No. He still made suspect decisions, throwing the ball while he was falling down, forcing a couple passes, missing open receivers early, and taking a ton of hits...
- ...but he is dangerous in this offense and that much is obvious (see his 36-yard run in the 4th quarter).
- Cross our fingers he can stay healthy.
- Most importantly, he was having fun again out there---his cadence and demeanor was energetic and excited. You can tell the Eagles are having fun, and Chip, Vick are the helm of that.
"I just like what we do. I feel confident and comfortable with everything that Coach Kelly calls. We sit down and go through the game plan and make sure that everyone knows what we're trying to do. It don't get any better than that. We just have to keep working and continue working our tempo and doing things fast and making sure we're on top of everything", Vick said.
"I had a lot of fun tonight, and I think our guys had a lot of fun," said Kelly after the game.
"I felt like a kid in a sandbox," Desean Jackson (7 rec, 104 yards, 1 TD)
- It was Jackson's 16th 100-yard receiving game
- He also got into a heated tussle with DeAngelo Hall, in which Kelly had to remove Jackson from the game for a play or two to let him regain his composure.
- I kinda think D-Jac is at his best when he's jawing with the opposition.
- Eagles wide receivers not named DeSean Jackson, combined for 4 catches for 27 yards...
- ...two of those catches came from Jason Avant, who had a costly fumble, but made a spectacular play to get a tough first down, and also showed leadership in calming down Jackson when he was getting into it with Hall...
- ...and the other two of those four catches came from Riley Cooper, who is clearly not a number two NFL receiver; he doesn't do anything particular well
- LeSean McCoy rushed 31 times, one shy of his career high, for 184 yards (including a 34-yard touchdown).
- 178 of those yards came inside the tackle, on quick, shifty cuts by Shady.
- The Eagles ran the ball 49 times (most since 1997) and threw the ball 25 times.
- The Redskins ran the ball 18 times and threw the ball 49 times.
- Not sure that has ever happened in the Andy Re---never mind. I won't even bring him into this.
- Eagles defensive coordinator, Billy Davis, did an incredible job scheming unique and creative blitzes all night, and the defense was superb.
- The Eagles had three sacks (one each from DeMeco Ryans, Fletcher Cox, and Cary Williams).
- The Eagles won the important turnover battle, three to two, something many expected to be a problem this season.
- Speaking of Mr. Sconces himself, Williams, who caused countless problems throughout the summer and quickly became easy to dislike, was the Eagles best player in the secondary.
- Williams had a ridiculous, full-extended diving interception in the third quarter and broke up a RGIII pass on the Redskins second to last drive of the game, on a mammoth 4th and 15 play.
- This Eagles best overall defensive player was Mychal Kendricks, and I don't think it's even debatable.
- Kendricks lead the Eagles in total and solo tackles, with 10 and six respectively.
- He also was tied for the team lead in tackles for loss, with one, and QB hits, with two. He was everywhere!
- Trent Cole had a ball game, as well, as he showed promise in the 3-4, getting penetration and making plays throughout the game (4 tackles, 3 solo, 1 TFL, 2 QB hits).
- On the flip side, Patrick Chung (ugly play when he mistimed his jump on the Redskins final TD pass) and Jordan Poyer, were two guys who looked suspect in the secondary.
- Dave Fipp's special teams unit gets an A+.
- The kickoff coverage was near perfect, K Alex Henery nailed a 48-yard field goal, and P Donnie Jones, was super impressive.
- Jones had six punts, averaged 42.3 yards per punt, including a 61-yarder. He pinned Washington inside the 20 on four out of Jones' six punts.
- After an Eagles (Vick to Celek) TD midway through the second quarter, Chris Polk made a particularly nice play on kick coverage worth noting, tackling the Redskins kick returned at their own 9-yard line.
- Every player on the Eagles active roster saw game action, except Nick Foles.
It's only one game, so let's not get crazy, but should we book our Super Bowl trip the Met Life today or tomorrow?
On a serious note, that had to be one of the most exciting football games I have ever watched, and if you're an Eagles fan and you're not excited for the future of Eagles football with Chip Kelly, than I don't want to know you.
Andrew Porter is the Audio Roadshow Coordinator for SportsRadio WIP, editor and writer for The School Philly, and a contributing sports blogger for CBS Philly. You can follow him on Twitter @And_Porter.
