Rough Draft

The David Akers Show

If you saw the opening kickoff (any one of the three) you never would have guessed that David Akers would kick a game winning field goal in the final minute of the game.

After the opening kick, Akers crumbled to the ground holding his right leg. He had pulled his right hamstring partway through last week's game, but apparently he had been doing ok in practice. He finally got up and got off the field, but then had to come back on and kick off again because one of the Eagles was offsides. He kicked off again, this time not putting much into it and again dropped to the ground holding his leg. And then rather unbelievably, the Eagles were offsides again. This time Mike Bartrum kicked off but it went out of bounds before reaching the 40 yrd line so the Raiders got the ball at the 50 yard line. It took the Raiders less than three minutes to get a touchdown. Wow, that is so not the way to start off a game.

The whole Eagles team looked off the entire first quarter, like a whole different team from last week. Part way through the second quarter, the Eagles defense really picked up and didn't allow another touchdown until late in the fourth quarter. McNabb was off the entire game (probably due to chest and groin injuries) and made some wildly inaccurate passes and missed wide open receivers several times.

In the second quarter McNabb eventually got in a little groove and connected with Westbrook a couple times which lead to Westbrook's 18 yard touchdown run. Linebacker Mark Simoneau attempted the extra point, but didn't get enough lift on the ball and it hit his own lineman in the back of the head. He's now 1 for 2 on extra points on the year.

McNabb got a little better in the second half, and lead the Eagles to two touchdowns in the third quarter. Akers came on and successfully kicked the extra points (if barely) and pretty much fell to the ground after each one.

With Akers not doing kickoffs, the Raiders were consistently getting amazing field position, but the Eagles defense managed to shut them out in the third quarter. However, late in the fourth quarter the Raiders tied the game at 20 a piece.

The Eagles quickly drove down into what normally would have been field goal range, but they had to keep trying to get a touchdown. Eventually with less than 30 seconds left the Eagles got inside the 10 yard line and Akers came on to attempt the game winning field goal. And he made it! Simply amazing! I don't think there is a tougher kicker in the league.

Other Notes:

• The game was riddled with penalties (13 for Oakland, 10 for Philadelphia). Though I think Oakland's penalties tended to be much worse for them. There were several scoring drives of the Eagles that were kept alive by Oakland penalties.

• The Eagles run defense was superb, holding the Raiders to under 30 yards rushing

• The Eagles offensive line provided amazing protection for McNabb. If Mcnabb hadn't been injured, he almost certainly would have had a repeat performance of last week

• Did I mention David Akers is the man?

They're Back

The Eagles started the 2005 NFL season with a rough loss (14-10) to the Atlanta Falcons last Monday Night. McNabb took a hard hit to his chest in the first quarter and didn't seem himself the rest of the game. The team as a whole just didn't seem to be clicking, and my confidence in a repeat trip to the Super Bowl dropped.

Fortunately, that loss on Monday night seems to have brought the team together and the Eagles routed the 49ers 42-3 today. McNabb was on fire today and threw 5 touchdown passes to 4 different players. The two TDs to Owens were 68 and 42 yards. The other three TD throws were all under 10 yards. McNabb didn't look at all bothered by his bruised sternum and threw a number of very difficult passes incredibly accurately.

Other highlights of the game included linebacker Mark Simoneau successfully kicking an extra point after David Akers injured his hamstring, tightend LJ Smith having 9 receptions for 119 yards and 11 Eagles players catching passes. The Eagles defense was also quite solid with 3 interceptions and only giving up 3 points.

Obviously routing the young 49ers team isn't something you can read too much into, but regardless the Eagles looked extremely sharp. Also of note is Owens did not show boat at all. He really didn't do any kind of crazy celebration on either of his touchdown catches. This is especially surprising given the 49ers are his former team, and some of the 49ers players tried stirring things up with various comments about Owens throughout the week. Clearly, Owens' various on-field antics and off-field dramas can be distracting for the, but you have to respect his shear abilities and the fact of the matter is the Eagles need a stand out receiver such as Owens if they're going to be successful.

Super Bowl Bound

W00t! The Eagles are headed to Jacksonville for Super Bowl XXXIX. The 4th time was a charm and the Eagles finally win an NFC Championship game by beating the Atlanta Falcons 27-10.

The Eagles defense played an awesome game. Atlanta was one of the top rated rushing teams in the NFL and the Eagles held them to 99 rush yards. Vick was held to 26 rush yards on 4 attempts, most of which was in the first half. The Eagles defense put Vick under pressure all day and sacked him 4 times. Also of note is that both of the Falcons scoring drives were kept alive by penalties against the Eagles. One was a penalty on third down that gave the Falcons an automatic first, and the other penalty negated an Eagles interception.

Jeremiah Trotter is arguably the biggest factor in the Eagles greatly improved run defense. Reid moved him to middle linebacker following the Eagles loss to the Steelers in which they gave up 200+ rush yards. After that the Eagles held opponents under 100 yards rushing 5 out of the next 6 games.

The Eagles offense looked pretty good today as well, putting up 27 points against the Falcons. Westbrook was quiet in the first half, but they got him the ball constantly in the second half, and he delivered. There were a couple drives that the Eagles could have scored on and put the Falcons out of game even sooner. McNabb played pretty well, but overthrew open receivers several times. I think it says a lot about the Eagles offense that they made it to the Super Bowl even without Terrell Owens. He was undeniably a huge reason for the Eagles success throughout the season, but the other Eagles receivers, especially Greg Lewis and Freddie MItchell really stepped up in his absence.

The Eagles goal this year was not just to get to the Super Bowl, but to win it. So as McNabb said to the Philadelphia fans at the ceremony for NFC Championship trophy following the game, "Enjoy this now, but we're not done. We'll be bringing something else back for you."

Eagles vs Packers

The Eagles continued to show their dominance of the NFC by beating the Packers 47-17 on Sunday. McNabb put up some of his best numbers ever throwing for 464 yards and 5 touchdowns. He completed 32 of 43 passes, including starting the game 14 for 14. Westbrook had a big game, but more so as a receiver out of the backfield than a running back. He had 12 rushes for 38 yards, but 11 receptions for 156 yards and 3 receiving touchdowns. Of the top 4 teams in the NFC (Eagles, Falcons, Packers, Vikings) the Eagles were the only team to win on Sunday. The Eagles now lead the Falcons by 2 games for home field advantage. It's pretty clear the road to the Super Bowl is going through Philadelphia again, and this time the playoffs won't end there for the Eagles. The most important thing for them now is to stay healthy and not lose their focus since the best teams left on their schedule are the Rams and Bengals, both of whom are only at .500.

Eagles vs Giants

The Eagles clinched the NFC East for the 4th straight year with a 27-6 victory over the G-men. The game was pretty sloppy eariy on due to heavy rains right before game time. Both McNabb and Eli Manning had some balls slip out of their hand. Owens was shutout in the first half, but had 4 receptions for 61 yards in the second half. Pinkston was the goto guy in the first half, with several long receptions. In his second game back from injury, Brian Westbrook had both a rushing and receiving touchdown. The Eagles defense played well, and didn't allow a touchdown for the second straight week. They put lots of pressure on Manning and forced a pair of interceptions. Next week the Eagles play the Packers, who are fighting with Minnesota for first place in the NFC North. This will be the Eagles most challenging opponent since their loss to the Steelers. And any game with Brett Favre is always exciting.

Eagles vs Cowboys

The Eagles got back to their winning ways this week with a 49-21 victory over the Cowboys. They say everything's bigger in Texas and that was certainly true of the Eagles stats. McNabb passed for 345 yards and 4 touchdowns, two of which were 59 yard TD passes. Lito Sheppard returned an interception 101 yards for a touchdown. Owens caught 3 touchdowns, one of which was a 10 yard pass that he broke for another 50 yards and turned into a touchdown. Of course that also meant he had 3 touchdown dances, but none of them we too over the top. The play of the game was late in the second quarter when McNabb dropped back, just broke away from one tackler, ran to the right side of the field, then all the way back to left side of the field before finally throwing a 60 yard pass to Freddie Mitchell. An amazing 14.1 seconds elapsed between the time the ball was snapped and the point McNabb finally threw the ball. All in all a solid game. And hats off to Andy Reid. The Eagles are 15-1 in the last 16 games following a loss. In my mind he's been the best coach in the NFL over the last 3 years. Up next is another divisional opponent in the Redskins.

Eagles vs Browns

The Eagles managed to stay undefeated this week, if barely, with their 34-31 overtime win against the Browns. Unfortunately the game wasn't on here, so I had to rely on ESPN and NFL.com "live" updates and IM messages from Jacob and Jeff to find out how the game was going. I have to say I didn't expect the Browns to put up such a fight, but a couple days ago Jeff predicted the game would go into overtime (of course he also said the Browns would win). The Eagles' next game is against Baltimore. The Eagles' defense won't have to face Jamal Lewis since he'll still be suspended, but their replacement running back, Chester Taylor, ran well against the Bills this week.

Eagles vs Panthers

The Eagles got a redemption of sorts last week beating the Panthers 30-8. The Panthers beat the Eagles in the NFC Championship Game last season 14-3. Once again the game wasn't on here, but according the the recap despite the 30 points, the Eagles didn't have a great offensive game. McNabb did not throw a touchdown pass, one of the Eagles' touchdowns was an interception return by Lito Sheppard, and the final touchdown was a 42 yd run by Brian Westbrook when they were just trying to run out the clock. But obviously the defense played really well and they still got a solid victory.

Eagles vs Bears

The Eagles beat the Bears 19-9 in Chicago today. The game wasn't on here, so I don't have much to say. All the highlights and game summaries I've read and seen indicate the game wasn't nearly as close as the score indicates. The Eagles are 4-0, with all four wins being by 10 or more points. The Eagles have a bye week next week, and then play Carolina at home. The Eagles are at the top of their game. Hopefully the bye week doesn't disrupt their momentum.

Eagles vs Lions

The Eagles solidly defeated the Detriot Lions 30-13. The Eagles came in expecting to win, but they didn't treat the Lions lightly. It's so weird seeing an Eagles offense completing 20+ yard passes almost every series and using the shotgun formation. Once again, the defense played a solid game and put lots of pressure on Joey Harrington, the Lions QB. The amusing play for the game was when the Eagles long snapper, Bartrum as put in as a tight end and caught a touchdown pass. Then after the catch, he got down like he was going to snap the ball, and another Eagles player came up behind him and Bartrum snapped the ball about 20 yards down the field. They got penalized 15 yards on the kickoff for taunting (apparently only due to the second player being a part of it), but it was still amusing. Next week, the Eagles play the Bears in Chicago. Chicago has lost to both Minnesota and the Lions this season, so the Eagles should definitely come out on top, and hopefully have another terrific offensive performance.

Eagles vs Vikings

Huzzah, another win for the Eagles. This week a 27-16 victory over the Vikings. The Owens vs Moss matchup certainly did not turn out as big as the media made it out to be. Each did have a touchdown, though Owens' should have been ruled an incomplete pass. I was really happy with how well the Eagles' defense played. They kept the running game contained and had constant pressure on Culpepper. Unfortunately the Eagles didn't have many sacks because a 263 pound quick and nimble quarterback is a bitch to bring down. The Eagles' corners covered the receivers well though, so when Culpepper was rushed the best he could do was dump the ball for a short gain. The most entertaining play of the game was in the first half when McNabb passed to Freddie Mitchell who was behind the line of scrimmage. It was an option play for Mitchell, but he was swarmed pretty quickly and the receivers were covered, so he ended up passing to McNabb! Sadly, McNabb was not an eligible receiver, though if he had taken the snap from the shotgun position he would have been.

Next up for the Eagles are the rather surprising 2-0 Lions. Granted their wins have been against the Bears and Texans. Nonetheless, Andy Reid is smart enough not to the Eagles underestimate the Lions and I fully expect an Eagles victory.

Eagles vs Giants

Yesterday marked the start of the 2004 NFL season and from what I saw in the highlights and stats the Eagles played a tremendous game in their 31-17 victory over the Giants. Clearly their offense was in much better gear than opening day last year when they were shut out by the Bucs.

Obviously, the big story was Terrell Owens and his 3 touchdown receptions. This is perhaps especially impressive given that Eagles' receivers only had 5 touchdown catches all last season (there were about a dozen touchdown catches by running backs though). Owens is as well known for his on-field outbursts as he is for his ability to play the game. When I first heard the Eagles had signed him, I wasn't exactly elated and feared his attitude was going to hurt the Eagles more than his play making abilities would help. But I know Andy Reid isn't going to put up with any shit and it's also clear Owens wants to be in Philly. Will he be able to get the Eagles into the Super Bowl this year? Only time will tell, but I'm starting to believe he is going to be a great help to McNabb and the Eagles.

Living in the Bay Area, it's probably going to be pretty hard to catch the Eagles' games as San Francisco and Oakland games will obviously get preference on the cable stations. Next week though, the Eagles play the Vikings on Monday night. McNabb and Owens vs Culpepper and Moss, should be a fun game to watch.

NFC Divisional Playoff: Eagles vs Packers

Yesterday's NFC Divisional Playoff Game between the Eagles and Packers was very exciting indeed. The Eagles won 20-17 on a David Akers' field goal in overtime which was made possible by Brian Dawkins' interception of an errant Brett Favre pass.

The Eagles were down 14-0 early in the first half, with one of the Packers' touchdowns being the result of a McNabb fumble. However the Eagles were able to cut it to 14-7 by halftime, thanks to a 45 yard pass to Pinkston on one of their drives in the second quarter which set up Duce Staley's 7 yard touchdown catch.

At the beginning of the 4th quarter, the Eagles tied on the game with one of the greatest touchdown's I have ever seen. McNabb was nearly sacked by no less than 3 players and managed to get a perfect pass off to Todd Pinkston who was standing right on the front corner of the endzone and was able to catch the ball and keep his feet inbounds.

Shortly after that the Packers managed a field goal and took a 17-14 lead. The teams traded punts for several possessions and eventually the Eagles got the ball with just over 2 minutes left and with only a single timeout this was going to be their last scoring opportunity. After a couple sacks the Eagles were looking at a 4th and 26th but they were able to convert the first down with a 28 yard pass to Freddie Mitchell. Eventually they got into field goal range, and David Akers kicked a 37 yard field goal to tie the game (he has missed a field goal from about the same distance earlier in the game).

The Eagles won the coin toss in overtime, but couldn't get any offense and were forced to punt. It was on this first possession by Green Bay in OT that Favre was picked off and the Eagles drove for the game-winning field goal.

A couple other key plays from the game, were the Eagles stopping the Packers on a 4th and goal from the 1 in the first half and the Packers decision to punt the ball with just over 2 minutes left on a 4th and 1.

Overall the Eagles played a very high quality game, especially given the many key players they have lost to injury the last couple weeks of the season. Once again McNabb showed why he is such a great quarterback by taking the game into his own hands by running the ball when he had the chance and making several perfect throws in clutch situations.

Next week they play the Carolina Panthers in the NFC Championship game. I haven't followed the Panthers that much this year, but I see no reason the Eagles can't beat them, and finally advance to the Super Bowl after losing the NFC Championship game the last 2 seasons.

Home Field Advantage: Eagles

The Eagles beat the Redskins 31-7 on Saturday and Detroit beat St. Louis today, meaning the Eagles get a bye week next week and home field advantage throughout the rest of the playoffs. After the Eagles lost to San Francisco last week in overtime, they needed to this week and have St. Louis lose in order to secure home field advantage. Thankfully Detroit pulled through with a 30-20 come from behind victory over St. Louis. Apparently there's something good in Michigan besides Lynn. ;) The other plus is the Eagles go into the playoffs after a big win over the Redskins, while St. Louis enters after a disappointing loss.

While I'm glad the Eagles got home field advantage, it isn't everything. They lost at home in the NFC Championship game last year to the Bucs. Overall though, I'm quite happy with the Eagles' prospects of making it to the Super Bowl this year. At the end of last season, I thought that was going to be their last really good chance for a couple seasons. They lost several key players defensively, including lineman Hugh Douglas who is one of the best in the league. There was also some doubt as to whether Duce Staley would be back, fortunately he was.

The one sore spot for the Eagles as they enter the playoffs is that they will probably be without key playmaker Brian Westbrook. The Eagles have been using 3 running backs all season, so they are still strong at that position, but throughout the season it seemed as though Westbrook was the one who came through with the most big plays in crucial situations.

Overall, the Eagles are a very strong team and they have as good a chance of making to the Super Bowl as they have the last 2 years. Hopefully this will be the year they finally make it to the Super Bowl, and if they do, I think they have an excellent chance of winning it.

Eagles vs Cowboys

I'm a few days late in posting this, especially since the game was even on here in
Cleveland, but at any rate, the Eagles solidly beat the Cowboys last Sunday 36-10. With that the Eagles pretty well solidified their position at the top of the NFC East, and they also currently have home field advantage through the playoffs. The Eagles' offense continues to be successful using the 3 running back scheme of Staley, Westbrook, and Buckhalter. The weakest part of the Eagles' right now seems to be their run defense. With the other premier team in the NFC being St. Louis, with Marshal Faulk, that could be a problem come playoff time. However, the Browns were able to contain Faulk fairly well last Monday night, so hopefully the Eagles can do the same should they meet in the playoffs. The next game for the Eagles is against Miami on Monday night. That means I'll get to hear Madden's words of wisdom, woohoo!

Eagles vs Panthers

The combination of the Eagles' 25-16 victory over the Panthers and a Cowboys' loss put the Eagles in first place in both the NFC East and in the conference. The Eagles played another solid game, both offensively and defensively. This week, they play the Cowboys, and a victory by the Eagles should ensure them the NFC East title. From the TV schedule it looks like the game will actually be televised here in Cleveland, so I'll actually get to watch my first Eagles game in several weeks.

Eagles vs Saints

The Eagles won their sixth straight game on Sunday and moved to 8-3 on the year by beating the Saints 33-20. Once again the game wasn't on in Cleveland, but it sounds like McNabb played well and Brian Westbrook continues to be a crucial part of the Eagles' offense. The Eagles play the Panthers (also 8-3) this coming Sunday and the following week have their most crucial game of the season against Dallas. The game against Dallas will likely determine the winner of the NFC East.

Eagles vs Giants

The game wasn't shown on TV here in Cleveland today, but I'm happy to report the Eagles beat the Giants 28-10. McNabb had over 300 yards passing, Brian Westbrook had 3 touchdowns, and Pro Bowl cornerback Brian Dawkins played his first game since he got injured in Week 1. From what I read on ESPN.com the Eagles played a very solid game. The Cowboys were shutout by the Patriots today, so the Eagles and Cowboys are now tied for first place in the NFC East. If the Eagles play the rest of the season the way they played today, they have a very good chance of being the number one seed in the NFC for the second straight season. How many people thought that would even be possible, after the Eagles' dismal 0-2 start?

Eagles vs Packers

Another week, another 2nd half come from behind victory for the Eagles. McNabb's touchdown pass to Todd Pinkston in the final minute of the game gave the Eagles the 17-14 victory. Overall, a sloppy game by both teams, perhaps partially due to the cold rainy weather they were playing in. The Packers fumbled at least 5 times, though the Eagles only recovered it once. Once again the Eagles' offense was far from spectacular, but they came together when they needed to. The way they are playing now, I wouldn't predict a third straight trip to the NFC championship game, but they should be able to win the NFC East.

Eagles vs Jets

The Eagles beat the Jets 24-17 on Sunday and are now just one game behind the Cowboys for first place in the NFC East. For the first time this season, the Eagles offense looked sharp. Andy Reid mixed the run and the pass well, including using all 3 Eagles running backs. Buckhalter ran for 2 touchdowns. McNabb passed well and was able to get some balls to his wideouts and just looked a lot more confident on the field. The only bad thing about their offense was pass protection, as evidenced by McNabb getting sacked 5 times. The Eagles' pass coverage was a little disappointing, since there were several plays, including the flea flicker during the first quarter, where the Jets receivers were wide open. Overall though, the Eagles looked sharp and it looks like once again Andy Reid has been able to pull his team together and get them back on the winning track.

Eagles vs Giants

Thank you Brian Westbrook. Thanks to his punt return for a touchdown with under 2 minutes left in the game, the Eagles pulled out a 14-10 victory against the Giants. Westbrook was also responsible for the Eagles' other touchdown. He ran the ball in for a score early in the first quarter. Neither team played a very good game. Once again the Eagles' offense was paltry. McNabb was off (possibly due to his injured thumb) and Eagles' receivers had at least 6 dropped balls. McNabb also got sacked several times and was under pressure from the defense a lot more than usual. At some point late in the 4th quarter Fox showed a stat saying the Eagles hadn't been in the Giants territory since sometime with about 3 minutes left in the first quarter. If Washington loses to Buffalo, the Eagles will be in second place in the NFC East, only behind the 5-1 Cowboys. Hopefully, the late game victory will spark the Eagles and things might *finally* fall into place for their offense. They've played 6 games and none of their wide receivers have a touchdown reception.

One other note, Bobby Taylor played his first game since getting injured in the season opener against Tampa Bay. He played very well, and was responsible for breaking up the Giants pass on 4th down, as they were trying to score the winning touchdown at the end of the game.

Eagles vs Cowboys

The Eagles lost a somewhat crucial game to the Cowboys last Sunday 23-21. Had the Eagles won they would have been tied for first place in the division with the Cowboys. Instead the Eagles are tied for last, and sub 500 again at 2-3. The game wasn't on here in Cleveland, but I've read a few summaries of the game. Apparently the Eagles started the game with an onside kick, something they did a few years ago on opening day to the Cowboys. That time the Eagles recovered the kick, unfortunately on Sunday, the Cowboys returned the kick for a touchdown. Despite that the Eagles were able to comeback and held a 21-20 lead with less than 2 minutes left. The Cowboys kicked a field goal to make it 23-21, but there was still enough time for the Eagles to come back. Unfortunately, before they got in field goal range McNabb fumbled and the Cowboys recovered the ball. The Eagles are still suffering from a lot of injuries. Even McNabb was playing with a bruised right hand that he got when they played the Bills. The NFC East is still wide open, so it's not over for the Eagles by a long shot. They have another crucial division game against the Giants this coming week. Hopefully the Eagles will be able to start pulling things together and looking like the team that has gone to the NFC championship game the last 2 seasons.

Eagles vs Redskins

The Eagles played the Washington Redskins this week (the Eagles' first inter-division game of the season) and held on for a 27-25 victory. Once again the Eagles were without Vincent, Taylor, and Dawkins on defense. Fortunately for the the Eagles, the Redskins passing game was pretty bad. Lots of bad throws and dropped passes. The most important overthrow being on the 2 point conversion attempt by the Redskins at the end of the game, which would have sent it into overtime. The Eagles offense looked good in the first quarter and through most of the second quarter, but after that, they couldn't get a lot of good drives going. This also marked the Eagles' first win at their new stadium. Next week, they play at Dallas, who is currently leading the NFC East with a 3-1 record.

Eagles vs Bills

The Eagles returned from their bye week, apparently found their offense, and got their first win of the season by beating the Bills 23-13. This was the first Eagles game that wasn't televised here in Cleveland. So I had to use the NFL score ticker while watching the Browns game and then checking ESPN.com after the Browns game was over. From the sounds of it, the Eagles almost blew a 16-0 lead, but a 60+ yard touchdown by Brian Westbrook towards the end of the game sealed the win. It looks like the Eagles defense did a good job of stopping Buffalo, especially given that Pro Bowlers Brian Dawkins and Bobby Taylor did not play, and Troy Vincent got injured early in the game, and did not return. Next week the Eagles play the Redskins (this will be the Eagles first game of the season against a divisional opponent) and hopefully their offense will continue to improve and they'll get some starters back on defense.

Take Me Out To The Ballgame

Jeff's parents took Jeff, Phil, and I to an Indians game at Jacob's Field on Sunday. It was the first MLB game I've been to in about 5 years. The Indians lost to the Red Sox 2-0. Pedro Martinez pitched for the Red Sox, and a rookie, Cliff Lee, pitched for the Indians. It wasn't a very offensive game, as the score indicates. The Indians couldn't seem to get a man on base with less than 2 outs all game. They did manage to get the bases loaded in the bottom of the 7th, but it was with 2 outs, and they didn't end up scoring. After the game, we ate at Fuddrucker's in Tower City and got 10% off by showing our tickets to the game.

Eagles vs Patriots

I'm a little late in posting this, but the Eagles suffered a 31-10 loss to the Patriots. With Safety Brian Dawkins and Cornerback Bobby Taylor (each arguably one of the best players at their respective positions in the NFL) it's no surprise that Tom Brady and the Patriots had a good day passing the ball. Once again though, it was the Eagles offense which disappointed. The entire Eagles offense just seemed completely out of sync. This is the Eagles first 0-2 start since Andy Reid started coaching them 4 seasons ago. The Eagles have a bye week this week, so hopefully they can get things turned around.

Monday Night Football - Eagles vs Bucs

Last night's game wasn't a pretty one for the Eagles, they lost to the Bucs 17-0 in their first game of the season and the first game at the new Lincoln Financial Field. The Eagles offenese looked particulary sluggish and out of sync. I was pretty happy with what I saw from their defense though. I was worried about it after they lost Hugh Douglas and Blaine Bishop in the offseason. The Eagles play New England next week and then have their bye week. I wasn't happy to see they had their bye week so early, but it looks like they might need it to get the offense back together.