- The Titans are winners. Chris Johnson aside, they may not look like much on paper, but they battle the crap out of you for 4 quarters. I've now seen them beat 3 NFC East opponents (the Eagles, Giants, and Cowboys), and although they often look ugly in their wins, they... you know... win. That's a serious contender in the AFC that the Eagles lost to today.
- Juan Uribe and Kenny Britt - Thanks for ruining my weekend.
- The NFC is garbage this season. Pure garbage. The Jets, Patriots, Steelers, Ravens, Colts and Titans are better teams right now than any other team in the NFC.
- Good time for the bye. The return of Jason Peters will be enormous after the bye, assuming he will return. I've never known the Eagles to employ several 2-man and 3-man patterns in their passing game. They had quite a few today. That's because they were giving a ton of help to King Dunlap, and others. The return of Peters will also mark the return of the "real Eagles passing game." Peters is easily one of the most important players on this team, despite his foibles. On the "No $h!%" front, DeSean Jackson's return (again, assuming he's ready) will be huge too.
- I was really looking forward to the Giants/Cowboys game tomorrow night. It's win-win. If the Cowboys lose, they're done-zo. If the Giants lose, the Eagles remain tied atop the NFC East. But after an Eagles loss, it's nowhere near as fun.
- When the Eagles return from their bye, Michael Vick will be the QB. Vick, when he has played, has been the best player in the NFL this season. Sorry for the hyperbole, but he has. It's a no-brainer decision. That said, even despite today's performance, Kevin Kolb has been excellent overall in his 3 starts since Vick got hurt. Good job in relief, KK. Much more to come in the future..
"Good Eagles" and "Bad Eagles" after the jump...
- Good Eagles:
Antonio Dixon - Looked dominant at times. Was getting a big push into the Titans backfield for much of the first half. Very encouraging day for him. When Brodrick Bunkley returns, Dixon should take away some of his snaps.
Riley Cooper - The play that he made on that flea flicker that should have been a pick was incredible. He even got a rare fired-up point from Big Red (followed by Andy's trademark post-celebratory cough) on that one. Also, congrats on his first NFL TD. I thought Riley should have gotten more looks today than he did.
Moise Fokou - Second good start in a row for Fokou today. Tough, physical player, and hasn't been making the mistakes that marred his rookie season. Was around the football all day.
David Akers - 4/4 on FG attempts, and his kickoffs were going 5+ yards deep into the endzone all day. The Titans' punt returner, Marc Mariani, is a really good one, and Akers completely shut him down today.
Ernie Sims - Like Fokou, Ernie was everywhere today, and delivered several big shots to Chris Johnson, who was mostly ineffective today.
Quintin Mikell - A pick and a sack/fumble. Good game for Mikell on a day in which the rest of the secondary was downright awful.
Sav Rocca - Crushed a 63 yarder, and also pinned the Titans back at their own 5.Never a good sign when the punter makes a "good" list.
- Bad Eagles:
Brent Celek - Come on, Brent. With DeSean Jackson out, the Eagles needed Celek to step up. He didn't. 2 catches, 8 yards. Was 2009 a mirage? I'm beginning to wonder.
Ellis Hobbs - Hobbs has been very good so far this season. Today he was completely over-matched by Kenny Britt.
Nate Allen - Allen has been very good so far this season. Today he was completely over-matched by Kenny Britt.
Asante Samuel - Had a pick... great. Was fantastic in coverage... great. All of that is wonderful, and the primary job of the corner is to cover receivers, which he does... very well. But his tackling is completely inexcusable. Be a football player, Asante. Your effort on tackling is disgusting, and I'm sick of watching it.
The entire OL - Give the Titans credit here, too. They're all quick, they can all play, and they come at you for 60 minutes. The Eagles' OL wasn't up to the task today by any stretch. Special recognition to Mike McGlynn, who messed up his assignment that led to the turning point of the game, the fumbled handoff inside the Titans' 5 yard line.
Kevin Kolb - Kolb wasn't sharp today. Didn't really get a lot of help from his receivers, OL, or running game though, either. Still deserves a mention.
Jorrick Calvin - Loved his kick return into Titans territory, but the muffed punt that didn't allow the offense the chance to tie the game late can't happen.
Sean McDermott - Uninspired today.