| Jean-Luc Nicolas. 17th September, 2006 - 10:17 pm
 The article I was in the process of writing as soon as Donovan McNabb hit Reggie Brown for a 23-yard touchdown, was one of how the Eagles were the class of the NFC East, if not the entire NFC.
With Donte Stallworth, Reggie Brown, L.J. Smith and the other six players who caught passes on Sunday, this system is much more suited to the skill set of McNabb than the Terrell Owens’ ‘give me the damn ball’ system of 2004 and 2005. Discarding the obvious headaches of Owens, the Eagles offense is more formidable now than they were back then.
What happened to that 24-7 lead is rather obvious. A few fluke plays, a costly fumble by Brian Westbrook and conservative play calling by Andy Reid led to the overtime loss.
Instead of going up two games over the Giants and the loser of the Redskins/Cowboys game, they are 1-1 and the foot that they could have had on the helmets of the NFC East is back on the ground.
But the situation is far from dire because there are several signs that this Eagles’ team is capable of something special.
McNabb looks as good as he ever has in his previous seven seasons. He threw for 350 yards on 27-45, with a fair amount of those 17 incompletions being balls that were badly dropped.
Stallworth, acquired via trade from the Saints late in the preseason, is finally showing the promise that made him the 13th overall selection in the 2002 draft. He is not even 26 yet and is making the most out of his second chance.
Smith made a case on Sunday for being one of the best possession tight ends in the game. His ability to get open and be sure-handed, is the perfect complement for McNabb when he is flushed out of the pocket when Stallworth and Brown are covered. He moves the chains, as evidenced by his 111 yards in his 7 catches.
What is most interesting though, is how effective the Eagles looked in the no huddle offense. McNabb is one of the most intelligent quarterbacks in the league and has great improvisational skills. Keeping the defense from substituting, wears down linemen like Michael Strahan, who was clearly running on fumes for most of the game.
Was a huge opportunity squandered in this overtime loss? Obviously it was, but they next travel to San Francisco and then host Green Bay, which should set them up with a 3-1 record heading into the big return of Terrell Owens.
Week 2 last season saw an embarrassment of the 49ers and all things seemed to be gelling perfectly for the Eagles; this year the record shows a stumble, but the game tape shows a team that is actually much better positioned to compete for a Super Bowl.
nicolasjeanluc@yahoo.com |
