Breaking down the Eagles' 27-20 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs...
* Too many third-and- longs. Not enough production on first down. I agree- the Eagles didn't run the ball enough. Coach Pederson says "We gotta fix the run-game." Does he mean calling more run plays or does he mean the running backs and blocking?
A little of both. First you have to try and run the ball. The offensive line pass-blocked OK. Carson Wentz had time to throw the ball most of the afternoon. He was sacked six times, which is way too much. But to only run the ball 13 times all day is stupid. Having a running game opens up the pass, and makes play-action more effective. Defenses won't respect play-action if they know the Birds aren't running the ball.
Running the ball keeps the ball and controls the clock. It also keeps Wentz healthy, as he took 10 hits in the game, aside form the four quarterback scrambles.
Where was LaGarrette Blount? You signed him in the off-season, and he doesn't get one single carry? Doesn't Pederson trust his running backs? I like Darren Sproles, and need to see him used as a weapon on offensive as a part-time runner and receiver. I don't want to see him used as the primary back. He rarely fumbles, but Sproles coughed the ball up on a key punt return before the half. I'm not a big Smallwood fan. I agree with using Blount primarily as a short-yardage and goal-line guy. So, what to do?
Iv'e said it before- the Eagles will regret not selecting RB Delvin Cook ( who went to Minnesota) in the second round of the draft last spring.For now, and until the 2018 draft, what you see is what you get. But first and foremost, you have to at least try and run the ball.
* We got the wrong Kelce. Our Kelce, Jason, the center, is too small. We've known this for years, but he still anchors the offensive line. The Birds couldn't rush and were getting killed up the middle again. \\Meanwhile, the other Kelce, Travis, the tight end for the Chiefs, played well. He's an immature punk, taunting the Birds, but he can back it up. He's a lot like the Giants' old tight end, Jeremy Shockey. A real jackass but he could play. .I'm glad Andy Reid chewed his ass out after a unsportsmanlike penalty cost KC 15 yards on a kick-off.
* Speaking of Reid, he looks a lot thinner. And he again out-coached one of his assistants. Time management wasn't an issue yesterday. So, the good Andy was on display.
* I hope the Philly crowd at the Linc gives the birds the home-field advantage that Arrowhead gives the Chiefs. A sea of red in the stands. No wonder it's so tough to win out there. Since moving to the Linc from the Vet, the Eagles really haven't had a home-field advantage over the years.t the frenzied fans. It may be the stadium. And the corporate types who fill the lower stadium bowl rather than the 700-level type of beer-guzzling typical Philly fans.
Anyway, it would be nice if visiting teams were afraid to play in Philadelphia again.The team needs to win, which would help the intimidation factor. But I do believe the craod and the stadium have a lot to do with home-field advantage as well.
* The rookie kicker, Jake Elliot, had a mixed day in his first professional game. He made two field goals, and his kick-offs were OK. He succeeded on an onside-kick late in the game which gave Wentz one last chance to throw a Hail Mary bomb to hopefully tie the game. But Elliot missed a gimme 30-yard field goal a tthe end of the first half ( set-up by a circus-like catch by Todd Ertz). Making that FG would've made it 6-6 going into halftime, giving the Birds momentum for the second half ( the Eagles got the ball first in the second half).
There were veteran kickers on the market last week after Caleb Sturgis was injured. Instead, GM Howie Rossman plucked Elliot off the Cincinnati Bengals' practice squad. Kicker is still a concern, but things sure get a little easier this week at home against the Giants.
* All in all, the defensive played well. Turnovers , as usual, were the key and the defense didn't force any KC turnovers. The Birds limited the yards- after-the-catch. If the offense kept their end of the bargain the defense played well enough to win yesterday.
Vinny Curry whiffed on a big sack in the late 4th quarter. The p[lay kind of summed up Curry's entire career so far- almost. Curry hasn't justified the big contract extension he was given. He needs to step it up.
* Losing to KC at Arrowhead is no disgrace. Neither is splitting two road games to begin the season. If I had to win one of two, I'd rather win the division Washington contest. The Eagles went toe-to-toe with the Chiefs on their turf. it was a tied game into the 4th quarter. The Wentz interception started the snowball rolling downhill. The Eagles' offense could not put the Birds comfortably ahead in the first half when the Kansas City offense was scuffling.
It would've been great to start 2-0, as the Birds did last season. Then it was wins against lowly Cleveland and Chicago.So considering who the Eagles played- the Redskins and Chiefs on the road- starting the year 1-1 isn't the end of the world.
* So, the Eagles play their home opener next Sunday against the New York Giants. The fans will be pumped. Supposed to be a beautiful day. The G-men played at home tonight vs. the Lions. Hopefully they go 0-2, especially with Beckham Jr. A loss would put New York in a desparate mode next week. Who wants to dig out of an 0-3 start? The Eagles need to put the pressure on Eli Manning and force him into mistakes. But we will break-down the Philly-New York game later in the week.
* I watched the Fox pre-pre-game show before the Birds' game. Michael Vick was just OK with his analysis. Tony Gonzalez was an embarrassment, comparing KC QB Alex Smith to Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers. The rest of the crew were forgettable.
The regular Fox pre-game guys were their usual dopey selves. Jimmie Johnson wasn't there, a she was back in the Florida Keys, cleaning up after Hurricane Irma.
These shows try too hard to be funny. No one will compare to Frank Calliendo.
My NFL week 2 wrap-up is in the blog tomorrow. By the way, I survived in the Last Fan Standing pool, with Oakland destroying the hapless Jets.
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