- First of all, great day. Easy win (and I'll take those any day). The Titans bullied the Giants, and the Giants responded with something like 14 personal fouls out of frustration (I lost count). The Redskins lost to the Rams. Repeat - The Rams. Unfortunately, the Texans that I saw Weeks 1 and 2 decided not to show up today, and let the Cowboys get off the shnide. But... 3 out of 4... not too shabby.
- I actually thought Michael Vick started slowly today. He missed a few receivers early that were wide open. But man, once he gets going, you just sit back and enjoy. He's a better player than he was before his incarceration. Far better. I know it was just the Jags, but when you peek around the rest of the NFC, you'd have to say the Eagles are serious contenders.
- DeSean Jackson is the best punt returner in the NFL, by a wide margin. Not to oversimplify it, but if you have a guy that does something better than anyone else on the planet, you just let him do it. I want him returning punts. Jorrick Calvin looks like he has some talent, but he can't be fielding balls at the 5 with a guy in his face. This isn't the Sun Belt conference, Jorrick.
- LeSean McCoy needs to get the ball more. He had 11 carries in a game the Eagles led the whole way. That's plain ridiculous. I understand that the Jags have a horrendous pass D, the Eagles were looking to exploit it, and exploit it they did. But can we get some balance guys? Just a little balance is all I ask, and the passing game will open up that much more.
- The Redskins lost to the Rams. I'll repeat... The Redskins lost to the Rams. Say it with me... The Redskins... lost... to the Rams.
- Fox hired Mike Pereira to give in-game commentary on controversial officiating calls. Pereira is of course the NFL's former head of officials. His commentary (paraphrased) on Reid's challenge on the bad spot on 4th and 1 went something like this (they cut away from the game for this, mind you)... "Gee guys, that's close. I'm not quite sure if he got over the line or not. His knee might be down. I can't tell. I guess we'll find out in a second." Thanks Mike. I can get that level of commentary from my wife.
- OK, now for the announcers. I can forgive stuff like when Ron Pitts called Jason Avant "Joseph Avant." It's a 3-hour game, and you're going to slip up every once in a while. However, I can't forgive comments like the following gem from Pitts... "You hear a lot about unsung heros, but Jeremy Maclin is a sung hero." That of course prompted the following text message from my buddy, SR... "A rare ‘sung hero' reference." Those two guys have to be the worst announcer duo in the NFL. Come on Fox, we're the Eagles - Don't give us this junk.
- Make fun of me all you want for this, but I enjoyed watching Kolb cheering on the sidelines. Give the guy credit - He waits 3 years for his chance, throws 10 passes, the backup plays phenomenal football, and he's back on the sideline holding the clipboard... And he's the biggest Vick cheerleader in the building. Great attitude.
- Trivia - Who has given up 9 turnovers and 2 safeties in 3 weeks of football so far? Give up? The Giants offense! Yay!
- Another play call nitpick - On 4th and 1, can we maybe try to get the ball in the hands of one of the many great weapons on this offense instead of dialing up a sweep to Mike Bell?
- Dimitri Patterson and Riley Cooper are fantastic gunners on the punt coverage team. They get down the field very quickly and if they don't make the play, they are at the very least slowing down the returner for the rest of the troops to clean up. With the way Sav Rocca is punting (his one semi-shank aside today), I'll be surprised if the Eagles aren't the best punt coverage team in the NFL when this thing is all over.
- Darryl Tapp... Let's keep this guy activated. He was completely invisible in camp and preseason, deactivated Weeks 1 and 2, and he steps right in and gets pressure all day, including a sack. Maybe he's just a gamer? I sure hope so, because that trade was looking really crappy before 4pm today. Maybe it wasn't so bad.
- Did I mention that the Redskins lost to the Rams?
- I was getting thoroughly disgusted with Asante Samuel today. Usually, his poor tackling is just awful technique more than it is a lack of effort. But I counted at least 4 plays today in which he had no interest in getting involved in a tackle. It's so frustrating to watch. And then... he jumps a route and makes a pick and makes you forget all of that. Great player, and opposing QB's hate facing him - He's a legitimate regular Pro Bowl player. He could be a Hall of Famer if he were a tougher player.
- Trent Cole... 2 more sacks, 8 tackles. Ho hum.
- Trevor Laws had a fantastic camp, and I've been telling everyone and their mother that I expected him to have a good season. He had a great game today - Was extremely active, hit Garrard several times, came up with a sack, and almost had a second one. It would be a huge lift to the defense if Laws can give consistent play all season as a 3rd DT.
- DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin combined for 9 catches, 236 yards, 3 TD. Just FYI, that's 26 yards per catch.
- Oh, and this...
| NFC EAST | |||
| W | L | GB | |
| Eagles | 2 | 1 | x |
| Redskins | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| Giants | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| Cowboys | 1 | 2 | 1 |
Anyone else have any random thoughts from Week 3?