Eagle Eye Observations: Week 3

Blowout victories are fun, aren’t they? The Eagles were never really threatened by the Chiefs yesterday. Several things caught the attention of the Eagle Eye. Let’s get to them:

• I hate to begin with a downer, but what was the deal with the run blocking? Not good. Shady got stuffed on at least three short yardage runs. With the exception of a couple long runs, both the left and right sides were manhandled by the Chiefs 3-4 alignment. McCoy was to blame on a couple plays by not following his blockers, but there didn’t seem to be many holes opened up. On the bright side, the line kept Kolb‘s jersey clean by allowing zero sacks.

• The Wildwhatever was stagnant. Vick didn’t do much of anything. The main problem appeared to be the Chiefs recognizing whenever Vick was in the game, it was going to be a running play. The direct snaps to McCoy were the most effective, as they were a couple weeks ago when Westy took them. I realize this is a work in progress, but the Eagles don’t need to run gimmicks. Their base offense has moved the ball in all three games.

• Kolb promised he’d take care of the turnovers and he didn’t disappoint. He threw a few wild passes, but 24/34, 327, 2 TD, 0 INT and a rushing touchdown topped his performance a week ago. It’s obvious he can run this offense very efficiently. Granted, the Saints and Chiefs don’t offer much in the way of dominant defense; however, anyone who still believes Kolb is a bust is wearing blinders. See what happens when a guy gets all the practice snaps. I bet a few teams will place a call to Tom Heckert regarding Kolb during the bye week.

• Brent Celek has turned into a monster. He currently sits third in the NFL with 22 receptions. Kolb hit him repeatedly the last two weeks. He gets open and is tough for one man to bring down. On the flip-side, he is absorbing some big hits. I hope he can make it through the season. By the way, where the hell is Alex Smith?

• DeSean leads the league with a 21.6 ypc average among receivers with ten or more catches. You wanted a number one wideout? Well, the Birds have one. End of story.

• Trent Cole may have only 2.5 sacks in the first three games, but the dude is ballin’ like never before. He has spent a lot of time in the opposing backfield. I’d still like to see him fine tune is pass rushing repertoire, but his motor is always revved.

• How good was the defense? 196 total yards; 97 net yards passing; 0-11 on third down conversions.

• Only three penalties for 20 yards. Better. However, two of those were on special teams. Fokou with an illegal block which negated a nice return by DeSean, and an offsides on Buckley. Daisher has to keep cracking the whip on this bunch.

• The offense was 2/3 in the red zone and 2/2 in goal-to-go chances.

• Brodrick Bunkley is a friggin’ wall inside. Larry Johnson must have collided with him at least six times. Bunk will probably never make a Pro Bowl, but he has become one of the league’s best run defenders.

• Hmm. I wonder if it’s a coincidence that Gaither played his ass off the same week Jeremiah Trotter showed up for a workout. Nine total tackles, a sack and a tackle for loss. He also overran Jamal Charles and was late filling the gap on a long LJ run. Overall, I thought he played well. Can he do it against the Giants and Cowboys? We shall see.

• Is Juqua Parker Mr. September or what? He added another sack and was constantly harassing Matt Cassel.

• Sean Jones and Joe Mays were excellent in kickoff coverage. They were in on at least two stops each.

• Maclin still has a ways to go. Four catches for 33 yards is respectable. I like his hands, but his route running is far from polished. He would have had a touchdown if Kolb wasn’t off target.

• Wherefore art thou screen pass? Have they even attempted one this season? This has been a staple play during the Reid era. Westbrook might not be ready to take one the distance, but what about Shady? At least try a couple.

• McDermott utilized a lot of substitutions along the defensive line. Dixon and Laws were on the field for several snaps. This should pay off as the season progresses, provided the backups continue to perform.

• Chris Gocong‘s forced fumble was huge. I’ve been hard on the guy, but he’s doing his best to change my tune.

• Remember all the worries about the offensive line being able to pass protect? Well, they have allowed three sacks in three games. Elite defenses await, but so far, so good.

• How does 1150 total yards and 94 points in three games sound? I’m no mathematician, but that seems pretty good.

• Reggie Brown was active and did nothing.

Hallelujah, the bye week is here! If any team needed a mini vacation, it’s the Birds. Hopefully, McNabb, Westy, Curtis and Herremans can get themselves right in the next two weeks. Home to the Bucs, at the Raiders and at the Redskins on Monday night looks favorable on paper.

But these are our beloved Birds. Just when we start feeling frisky about their prospects, they drop a clunker. That being said, I’m pleased to be sitting at 2-1. If this team can get and stay relatively healthy, they could be special.

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