Eagles-Chiefs Thread

[Sgt PSN]

I thought Kolb showed a lot of poise and some elusiveness when needed.  There was one play where he was pretty much bottled up inside the pocket and next thing you know, he pops up out of the left side and runs for a 1st down.  Reminded me of Duce vs the Giants back in 98. 

I think just about any QB would have gotten happy feet last night as the game wore on too.  By mid-second quarter, he knew before every passing play that he was going to have to either get rid of it immediately or start running.  The o-line is going to be this team's biggest downfall this year and is probably the worst line they've had since Randall was under center. 

The defense, imo, isn't dramatically different than anything we've seen over the last 10 years.  It's small and fast in the front 7 and there's a hoyda in the defensive backfield who is afraid to tackle.  But with the o-line looking absolutely putrid, clock eating drives are going to be hard to come by.  You're going to see quick touchdowns and 3 and outs with this offense but not much in between.  The only way this defense is going to be effective is if they manage to create a lot of turnovers and get themselves off the field because I don't think the offense is going to give them much rest. 

One thing the defense has going for it though is that the special teams will give them plenty of short fields to defend, so offenses should be able to score quickly rather than beating them up for 75 yards at a time. 

[Munson]

I thought Kolb showed a lot of poise and some elusiveness when needed.  There was one play where he was pretty much bottled up inside the pocket and next thing you know, he pops up out of the left side and runs for a 1st down.  Reminded me of Duce vs the Giants back in 98. 

I think just about any QB would have gotten happy feet last night as the game wore on too.  By mid-second quarter, he knew before every passing play that he was going to have to either get rid of it immediately or start running.  The o-line is going to be this team's biggest downfall this year and is probably the worst line they've had since Randall was under center. 

The defense, imo, isn't dramatically different than anything we've seen over the last 10 years.  It's small and fast in the front 7 and there's a hoyda in the defensive backfield who is afraid to tackle.  But with the o-line looking absolutely putrid, clock eating drives are going to be hard to come by.  You're going to see quick touchdowns and 3 and outs with this offense but not much in between.  The only way this defense is going to be effective is if they manage to create a lot of turnovers and get themselves off the field because I don't think the offense is going to give them much rest. 

One thing the defense has going for it though is that the special teams will give them plenty of short fields to defend, so offenses should be able to score quickly rather than beating them up for 75 yards at a time. 

Blah, sounds like last year. Can't wait.

[Sgt PSN]

Pretty much.  Main difference will be that last year, the 3 and outs were primarily due to McNabb's inaccuracy.  This year, they will be because of Kolb's inexperience and/or because he's a little less mobile than McNabb. 

[mussa]

Reid is a mastermind of a coach. He will blow our minds once again week 1. Book it.

[Feva]

Reid is a mastermind of a coach. He will blow our minds once again week 1. Book it.

Last week 1 vs the Pack, Reid figured anyone could return punts and it cost them the game.  This time, he's figuring that anyone can play QB/RCB/C/RG and it'll cost them a season. Yay team.

[MDS]

youre telling me they are a donovan mcnabb away from winning the superbowl?

cause there are an enormous amount of problems with this team outside of the qb. in fact the qb isnt a problem, its a question mark. hes played 3 games in the nfl. give him some time my brotha.

[TexasEagle]

I don't remember any of Reids teams being this bad in preseason.

I can but the offensive line is even worse than usual. I'm not about to start fretting and fussing over preseason anything but the line is abysmal. They can't pick up a delayed blitz for shtein and *that's* been getting worse and worse over the years. I hope they're hiding some blocking schemes for the regular season because these dopes couldn't block a piece of wet tissue paper right now. I actually felt bad for Kolb last night the way he was getting clobbered back that. Shades of Aaron Roger's first year Packers line...

[The BIGSTUD]

they werent winning the super bowl this year even all of these things were better

lower your expectations and you wont get so mad

there is nothing to be disappointed about because there was nothing there anyway

I agree. Everything done this season should be geared toward going for it in 2011 or 2012. This is an experimental year. Wins and losses or playoffs/no playoffs is not important. What's important is development of Kolb, McCoy, Maclin, Cooper, Graham, Allen, and whoever else.

They basically started another "___ year plan" this offseason. Only this time it should only be about 3 years instead of 5 years. They won't admit it, but them blowing up half the roster is a direct admission of it.

[MDS]

realistically 2012 should be the next time you mention "eagles" and "super bowl" in the same sentence

[The BIGSTUD]

When free agency is back to normal, next free agency period you know Andy Reid will go out and sign the biggest name offensive lineman out there. I only hope that player isn't coming off a torn ACL.

I think the line could be solid if Jackson comes back and plays ok. But this team's RG spot might be the worst in the NFL. Andrews and MJG are both two of the worst RGs I've ever seen.

[PhillyPhreak54]

The OL was a contributing factor in Kolb's struggles.

However, he was off. There were times when he had no pressure and still was way off target.

I am still very skeptical on him and Shady.

[MDS]

so he didnt have good accuracy?

does....that happen to ring a bell?

[PhillyPhreak54]

Yeah but with McNabb it was known that he'd be off at times. But when the crowd who loved McNabb being run out of town point out Kolb's strengths and why he'll be better the leading reason is always "oh he's so accurate" or "he puts the ball where his receivers can do something with it".

Yeah, neither of those things happened the other night and it all wasn't because of the OL issues.

P

[PhillyPhreak54]

Phil Sheridan: Kolb is a work in progress
By Phil Sheridan
Inquirer Columnist
KANSAS CITY, Mo. - For months now, we've been hearing experts real and self-deluded talk about Kevin Kolb as if he were some kind of Magic Texan who would heal the sick and restore yards-after-catch to the lame.

Kolb will get the ball out quickly.

Kolb will be more accurate.

Kolb won't throw at receivers' feet like that other guy always did.

Kolb is a natural leader who will motivate his teammates.

It took a trip to the Show Me State to show what some of us suspected all along: Kolb is too much of a work in progress to be a sure thing. We just haven't seen enough of him. It's as ludicrous to anoint him the next Tom Brady as it is to consign him to the Bobby Hoying ash heap.

During Kolb's performance Friday night in Kansas City, Hoying's ears must have been ringing. Of course, given the Eagles' inability to protect him, Kolb's probably were, too.

But that's what being an NFL quarterback is. Anyone can look accurate and confident during seven-on-seven drills in training camp. Anyone can stand tall and wait for a receiver to come free when he's wearing the red, touch-me-not jersey.

The real test is how you handle yourself when there's someone in your face every other snap. And then it's how you bounce back in Week 7 after getting knocked around in Weeks 1 through 6, when you have to stand in against the blitz even though your ribs already are throbbing.

Whatever your stance on Donovan McNabb as a quarterback, he was one of the toughest players ever to wear an Eagles uniform. He missed time with serious injuries, of course, but he played hurt plenty of times. And McNabb was fearless, sometimes to his own detriment.

Kolb just hasn't been through it all yet. Friday night, faced with his first real taste of in-game adversity, he looked anything but Magic.

Let's get the disclaimers out of the way: It is the preseason. The Eagles were not running their full offense, and they did not game-plan for the Chiefs the way they would in the regular season. DeSean Jackson left the game after one play. Jeremy Maclin played as if he didn't want to be out there. The offensive line was not good enough, and the blitz pickups were worse.

All of that is true. It's also beside the point here. This isn't about the things Kolb couldn't control. It's about how he handled the things he could.

As Kolb himself said of the loss of Jackson: "That's the kind of stuff that's going to happen. We have to be able to move forward with the guys we've got. That wasn't the reason for the lack of execution or the details that we missed."

There were plenty of those missed details throughout the game. Kolb did in fact throw one pass at a receiver's feet. He threw a poorly placed out that was dangerously close to being picked off and taken back for a touchdown. By his own accounting, he didn't recognize a couple of blitzes and make the appropriate hot throws.

But the most worrisome sequence came late in Kolb's three-quarter stint. He'd been through a rough night, taking some hits, seeing some balls dropped, missing a couple of open throws - the works. Now the Eagles took over at their own 14-yard line.

On first down, Kolb felt pressured and took off. He ran out of bounds for a 1-yard loss, which counted as his fourth sack of the game. On second and 11, Kolb underthrew Jason Avant over the middle. Linebacker Demorrio Williams wasn't prepared for the gift and dropped an easy interception.

On third down, feeling pressure again, Kolb stepped up in the pocket and launched a pass that was equal parts poor decision and poor throw. Safety Kendrick Lewis waited under it as if it were a punt and returned the interception to the Eagles' 26-yard line.

Kolb is going to have to go through situations like this, learn from them, and then - if he's able - make better decisions. There's no way to simulate all this in practice, when the red jersey is on.

This brings up the question of what is fair to expect. Kolb is a first-year starter. He also turned 26 last week. At 26, McNabb took the Eagles to their second of four consecutive NFC championship games. So it's fair to expect more from Kolb than from a rookie QB, but how much more?

In a way, the experts who have been overselling Kolb aren't doing him any favors. He's nicer to the writers and gives better quotes than McNabb, and that's fine. He still has to prove he can cope with the pressure - on the field and off - of running an NFL offense. That's going to take some time, even for the Magic Texan.

 

Contact columnist Phil Sheridan at 215-854-2844 or psheridan@phillynews.com. Read his recent work at http://go.philly.com/philsheridan.

 

[ice grillin you]

I think the line could be solid if Jackson comes back and plays ok. But this team's RG spot might be the worst in the NFL. Andrews and MJG are both two of the worst RGs I've ever seen.

one day people will realize that jamal jackson isnt that good...yeah hes better than nik cole but to insinuate that hes some sort of savoir for the line is ridiculous...especially this year