Young Guns: The New Triple Alliance

I know most of us were not too worried about the Kansas City Chiefs coming to town yesterday. I mean come on, really. We were supposed to be shaking in our boots by a team that traded for Mr. High Profile QB Cassel, "The Next Tom Brady", who only scored 10 points in he debut against the Oakland Raiders the previous week? This Chiefs offense, led by a coach who literally took a cheap shot at the offensive coordinator during training camp, managed less than 200 total yards against the 2009 version of the "Defeated Lions" of last year.

What did happen yesterday was the rest of the NFL got to see the great young talent that the Eagles have in store for the rest of the season, and hopefully a few years to come. The injury report came out shortly before kickoff with QB Donovan McNabb (rib), RB Brian Westbrook (ankle), and WR Kevin Curtis (groin/hamstring) listed as out. What does that mean? All that means is rookie QB Kevin Kolb had another career game (21-37, 237 yds, 2 td, 1 rushing td and zero turnovers), rookie RB LeSean McCoy continued to impress (84 yds rushing, 1 td), second year wide out DeSean Jackson took in a career game (134 yds, 1 td), which included his second consecutive 100 yd game, and let's not forget about third year TE Brent Celek's 110 yd game which included an awesome touchdown catch from Kolb that looked like it was threaded straight through the needle.

I honestly think Reggie Brown's days are numbered, as are the number of touches that Brian Westbrook will see if or when he returns. First round pick Jeremy Macklin played very well and Jackson and Jason Avant continued to contribute successfully. When Kevin Curtis returns, the only time Brown will see is bench time or time for his to cash in his frequent flyer miles to another city. Westbrook might also be sharing time. With his constant injury/rest needed for his knees and the impressive start McCoy has had, a shared spotlight may be of interest for all involved. B-West has continuously had difficulties with his knees and this could be a way to rest him up week in and week out.

When the dust settles from Sunday's stampede, Coach Andy Reid will have some tough choices to make as to which pistols to put in his holster for the Buccaneers.

Donovan Who?

With an impressive win Sunday against the Kansas City Chiefs, QB Kevin Kolb has raised some eyebrows. What should Andy Reid do when, and if, Donovan McNabb returns against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on October 11th? Kolb had a very impressive game against the Chiefs today. He threw for 327 yards and a big, fat ZERO - turnovers that is. He also reenacted the Paul Revere ride and declared it a victory: "Two (TDs) if by 'air' and one (TD) if by 'land.' "

One feature of Kolb's game that really impressed me was his pinpoint accuracy. The 50+ yard touchdown to DeSean Jackson was with precision, as was one pass in particular to another one of his best friends today, Brent Celek. The receivers were probably not really expecting this, as they usually have to be quite on their toes when Donovan launches some air missiles or lame ducks. Whatever medicine the doctor ordered to calm Kevin Kolb down, Donovan had better order a season long supply should he recover from his rib injury.

Even with last week's loss, Kevin Kolb becomes the first rookie QB, not just Eagle, but first rookie QB to throw for 300+ yds in his first two games. Not too bad for someone who showed nothing last year against the Ravens in the game Donovan was benched, a mediocre run of the offense at the end of week 1. That game was just cleaning up the mess that the Panthers left at the doorstep.

Andy Reid will have some tough decisions to make when the Eagles host the Bucs. Not just at QB, but at running back and wide receiver too.

Do You Spell Desperate . . . T - R - O - T - T - E - R ?

I heard on the drive home last night that the Philadelphia Eagles worked out former Eagles middle linebacker Jeremiah Trotter. I realize that the Eagles are a little thin at linebacker, but it worries me as an Eagles fan to "take a look at" someone who has not been on an active roster for an entire season, is 32 years of age, and was released because they (the Eagles) were worried about his ability to "keep up with the plays, day in and day out."

Don't get me wrong. I love "The Axeman." I have met him personally and talked with him on his "Axeman" talk show he used to broadcast from Glassboro during his tenure in Philly. He is a very honest and classy guy, however is that what we need.

I agree we need a leader on defense. The loss of Brian Dawkins was huge. Sheldon Brown is being an imbecile with his Jason mask and thankfully his pockets are $10,000 for it. It didn't look too bad with Stewart Bradley there anchoring the defense. Then during preseason he ripped his ACL and we were left to think, "What now?" Omar Gaither, the heir aparent to Trotter but didn't live up to the expectations, didn't fair too well last week and Joe Mays has done squat as well.

I guess what I am saying is Jeremiah Trotter is a bit aged, but what else do we have? We sadly need a leader on defense beings we are so young. Trotter could bring that presence into the locker room that the defense really needs or maybe even special teams for that matter. I don't know what the answer is. But what I do know is that when we have gotten to the point where we are search "Jeremiah Trotter" + "Eagles" + "2009," I think we need to beat teams 50-48!

Kolb Is The Man

When Donovan McNabb was down on his back in the end zone week one against the Panthers, the cameras immediately panned to the Phillies front office box and there was Michael Vick. Was he licking his chops? Was he thinking "This may be my shot?" Who really knows, but let's take a look at the stats to see if he is even ready to take a snap as QB for the Eagles.
The team lining up opposite the Eagles this week are the (0-2) Kansas City Chiefs. As to which Eagles QB should call the signals, let's take a look at each one.

First, Kevin Kolb. Last week he did fare rather well considering his defense didn't show up and the special teams were far from being special. They fumbled all over the place, gave up field position time and time again, and had more penalties then the team did last week and the last playoff game combined. His stats were solid (31-51, 391 yds, 2 td, 3 int). Two of the three interceptions were ones that were of desperation and not thinking clearly. He was forced to put the team on his shoulders after they failed to find their way out of the tunnel for the second half.
The Chiefs' defense is ranked right in the middle, overall 18th out of 32. They are giving up 201 yards in the air in the first two weeks against the Ravens and Raiders, neither of which are passing teams. That should bode well for Kolb.

Andy Reid has said that Kolb will go if Donovan can't. Well if Kolb can't for some reason, what about next in line Jeff Garcia. Well first of all he played extremely well against the Chiefs last year throwing for 331 yds, 1 td, 1 int, and 72.1% completion. In Philly, Garcia has a nice 4-9 at the Linc with an average of 312 yds, 2 td, 0.5 int per game. Not to mention he is very familiar with Andy Reid and the offense. Names have changed on the jerseys, but the plays haven't.
Michael Vick. Who knows? The only real action he has seen lately is against teams' 2nd and 3rd string teams with less ability that a top defensive first string team. True, adrenalin will be pumping when he gets in, but I would rather send someone out there that runs on skill, not emotion.

Who knows. Hopefully Donovan heals quickly, takes two weeks off here and comes back ready for the Bucaneers at home on October 11.

Shawn Andrews - The Other "Shady" Eagle

The whole thing with Shawn Andrews just boggles my mind. I remember watching Daily News Live on Comcast about two weeks ago and one of the questions posed by host Michael Barkan was, "What is the over under on the number of games Shawn Andrews will play?" My first instinct would be to have stated four games. But much to my surprise, Marcus Hayes, a contributing editor to the Philadelphia Daily News stated that back in the green room the guests posed the same question and not one of them took any number other than "0".



It seems that LeSean McCoy is not the only person on the Eagles roster that should be mentioned in the same breath with the nickname "Shady". I say this because not all the pieces seem to fit together. Last year, Shawn "Shady" Andrews played the first two games of the season before "injuring his back." I am not one to doubt the severity of back pain. I myself suffer from herniated discs. However, there are reports that he had participated social games of physical activities (i.e. playing backyard football) that make you think twice about Shawn's injury. This all comes after sitting out mini camp and almost all of preseason dealing with depression. Again, I am not one to judge someone on how they feel, but according to statements from Andrews himself, this stems from being picked on as a child, loss of a father figure, homesickness, and other things. I can't believe that this would just pop up for a guy in his late 20s.



This all comes only one year after signing a 7 year, $40 million contract. He got his $10.5 million dollar contact up front, played 1+ years and is still collecting. So what did the Eagles do? They sought to replace their "aging" bookend offensive lineman, Jon Runyan and Tra Thomas, with Shawn Andrews' brother Stacy (6 years $39.8 million) and acquired Shawn's college roommate (Jason Peters 6 years $60.657 million) to make Shawn "more comfortable". First of all, if you were replacing aging guards to protect Donovan McNabb, why would you sign Stacy Andrews who came off of season ending surgery from week 15 of 2008? Jon Runyan is a bit older, but had the same procedure done and knows the system. True Jason Peters is a one time pro bowl tackle, however he and Stacy Andrews both missed preseason time and each have missed a game already. Stacy Andrews even admitted that getting into camp late because of injury hasn't allowed him to "know the full system yet." Come on, we are talking meaningful games. There are only 16 of them.



The Eagles insist Shawn's back injury is legit, however too many things don't add up. Having to surround him with "comfortable" people and situations sends up a red flag for me. What about you?

Who Is To Blame?

After a Week 1 thrashing of the Carolina Panthers, the Eagles were flying high off the success mainly their energetic defense that produced seven turnovers and helped produce 17 points off turnovers. Trent Cole was a monster on defense that exploded right through the line and forced a fumble for a touchdown and sacked Jake Delhomme another time. He tackled everyone and everything in sight and that caused Delhomme to seek other options of throwing. Once Delhomme went to the outside, Sheldon "Give Me More Money" Brown picked up two interceptions, one being a shoestring catch stalling a Carolina drive.

As for the offense, Donovan was consistent throwing for two touchdowns and running for one. But it was that one touchdown run that caused problems for this past week. While diving into the end zone, a Carolina defender gave McNabb a shot to the ribs, cracking a right rib that left Donovan "doubtful" all week. As it was, McNabb was not suited up and Kevin Kolb took the reigns for Sunday.

If you take a look at Kolb's overall stats Sunday (31-51, 391 yds, 2 TDs and 3INTs) it wasn't as bad as the interceptions would leave you to believe. His last pass was a last resort past high in the sky for an interception and on the drive before, he threw a misguided weak missile that Darren Sharpen took to pay dirt. In the first half, Kolb made the throws necessary to keep the Eagles within reach. He had DeSean Jackson catching a 71 yd touchdown early, "Shady" McCoy averaging 4.4 yds/carry and Brian Westbrook looking like Brian Westbrook.

Then came the second half. Kick off returner Ellis Hobbs fumbled the opening kickoff of the second half and gave the Saints the ball on the 2 to walk right in. The Eagles then took over and went three and out twice in a row, while Pro Bowl QB Drew Brees found the endzone twice. The Eagles "D" was MIA pretty much all afternoon.

Even though Jim Jackson is no longer with us, his style is what the Eagles succeed with: intensity, ferociousness, and a chip on their shoulder. For a team known for that to not blitz until 2:30 left in the first half (not first quarter, but half), the Eagles officially gave into the Drew Brees persona.

Therefore, I conclude that the Kevin Kolb, and not even Andy Reid are to blame for the Week 2 demolition, but rather the absence of the defense and their pride.