If I had to invent a word to describe tonight, I would call it "preseasony." No name guys coming out of nowhere for big games, sloppy coverage, missed blocks, penalties... all the stuff you'd expect from a game played entirely by second, third, and fourth stringers.
There's really no point in talking about the game itself, so after the jump I have some thoughts on specific players and some position battles. The good news is that preseason is over, roster cuts come this weekend, and we've got the real thing to look forward to in a little over a week's time.
First off, see ya Lorenzo Booker. Eldra Buckley will make the team as the 3rd RB on his special teams play alone.
Michael Vick... I suppose you could say this game was more about him than maybe any other player and Vick looked like a guy who hadn't played QB in two years. He made a few decent plays with his legs including converting a third and short, a TD from the wildcat on the goal line, and a 16 yard scramble. Athletically he's not at his peak right now, but he doesn't look that far off.
As for plays with his arm, again he looked he hadn't played in two years. The game seemed to be moving too quickly for him, but that's to be expected at this point. It certainly didn't help that the blocking in front of him was absolutely terrible. He's rusty and if you didn't expect that to be the case... then you should have.
I will say... could the WildVick formation be the answer to our short yardage woes? It worked tonight?
Kevin Kolb needs to play more. His problems are all the things guys develop by playing. Sensing when the blitz is coming, knowing where to go with it when you see pressure, having that mental "clock." That's all stuff that guys get by being in games. Problem is, he may not play again until next preseason. He was under pressure all night as well, which also made it tougher to evaluate. He does need to learn to deal with that pressure better, especially learning to not run backwards!
Yes, it was somewhat satisfying to watch Jeremy Maclin draw a big PI penalty on Lito Sheppard...
Jack Ikegwuonu... Up and down for him tonight. He had a pick and a nice return afterward, but got absolutely smoked by a guy for a TD late in the game.
Brandon Gibson. I don't know exactly who's spot he's competing for(Baskett or Brown) but he's done pretty much everything he could to make the team.
Babin had a sack. There's another guy who's done pretty much everything he could to earn a roster spot.
These backup o-lineman really struggled. The Jets did blitz quite a bit for preseason, but the second and third stringers certainly didn't handle it. Kolb and Vick were under pressure all night. The backs also did a pretty bad job picking up rushers.
Tony Curtis caught a TD pass in his Eagles debut. He had 4 catches for 40 yards.
Danny Amendola looked like a guy willing to do anything to win a job out there. He did a nice job on those sweep pitch plays they ran with Vick, he was aggressive on returns, and made two catches.
I'd be remiss is I didn't mention how bad Sav Rocca was tonight. He must have shanked two or three punts tonight. Not sure what happened with him, but he struggled.
Finally, way to go Danny Woodhead of the Jets. That guy worked his tail of tonight and had a great game. Ran for 158 yards and 2 TDs. Hopefully he wins himself a job.