Eagles - Falcons Notes

> Coming into this game, it was billed as the return of Michael Vick... and that billing seemed silly at best, given how Vick has been nothing more than a sideshow for the laundry this year. Today, he was still a sideshow, but when you crush a team this badly, the sideshows are everything.

> Jeremy Maclin actually had a strong punt return in the first quarter, the first time this year that he's done that well. Of course, he then hobbled off at the end of the play. It's never easy with this franchise, and they'll need health (and luck) if they are going to win a playoff game or two.

> Falcon Fan gave an extremely varied reaction to Vick as he came on the field, almost as if the crowd had been juiced. If it were my laundry, he'd have gotten nothing but the boos; it's not as if the memories were all good even on the field, and the off the field stuff is unprecedented for its destructiveness.

> The previously cursed Reggie Brown, who has been nothing but a puzzle as to why he's still on the roster, had a drop that would have gotten a first down in the red zone... and then he makes a great catch on a third and fifteen for another red zone first down. I'd still rather have Hank Baskett.

> Just as I was about to bitch about weak tackling from the kickoff coverage units, they pick up a fumble. This also leads to Tony Siragusa discussing the best technique for carrying the ball, seeing how he did that so much in his career.

> On a third and ten, Macho Harris and Tony Gonzalez got tangled up, leading to a defensive PI and first down. I'm not saying that Harris felt guilty about the play, but he was protesting the call before the flag came. The drive ended on two negative runs and a deflected pass, and the defense looked like it had some swagger.

> You can watch a lot of football before you see a 59-yard slant to a fullback, with a one handed catch to boot. Wow, Leonard Weaver, wow. It's also kind of astounding that on a team with DeSean Jackson, that is Don's longest pass of the year.

> Akers, with the Fox heads going hard about his streak, missed from 38, also snapping the Eagles streak of scoring in the red zone. I think Fox just spooged from breaking both streaks, really.

> McNabb missed on a couple of open wideouts (Jason Avant, then Maclin), stopping a drive that changed field position... and also ended with Jason Peters limping off. The man's got to stop going that, really. It's not a good habit.

> Second drive of the day stopped on a deflected ball by the defense, and it's not an overstatement to say that the first twenty minutes of this game were defined by the Eagles defensive line. Good times.

> Some reasonable work on TE Tony Gonzalez, other than a couple of fourth down conversions. Kudos to Harris, who looks like the first guy to play the position in years who seems to want to cover the TE.

> What, exactly, should S Quinten Demps do on a blitz on Chris Redman when he gets there half a second after the ball is released? He's shorter than the QB. He's got to get his hands up to try to deflect the ball. So how, really, does he avoid the "head to head" penalty call? Should he just stop running if it's not absolutely certain that he's going to get there? Seriously, at some point we need to just put flags on people, take off the helmets, and call it a day. (And on the very next play, S Sean Jones gets a "defenseless receiver" penalty for daring to hit a man in the air in the end zone. Had the WR pulled in the ball, he'd be making the play he has to make, but I suppose Jones should know what will happen two seconds before it happens.)

I get that player safety is important, and everyone is worried about concussions. But is this still football?

> Atlanta coach Mike Smith makes a You Crap appearance to end the half by testing a dominating defensive line, and I'll say no more about it here... other than, well, thanks, Mike. Much obliged!

> I liked the Weaver signing in the off-season, but man, I'm loving it now. Then again, I don't have LeSean McCoy on my roto team.

> On fourth and 1 from the Falcons 45, RB Eldra Buckley makes it on second effort, and that's a big play to keep the drive alive. I kind of hate the stone cold back being your short yardage guy, though.

> A third and one from the five brings in Vick again, and he gets his first touchdown of the season on an inside run with pretty fantastic blocking from the interior of the line. Vick bobbled the ball before turning it upfield, and that probably helped, since it gave the line a little more time to smack heads. What's more telling than the run, really, was the sideline reaction from his teammates, who reacted as if Vick just cured cancer. I doubt he's more than a one year rental here, but there's no doubt that he's a part of this team. 20-0 Eagles.

> On a third and 9, Redman made a play to convert, and for the second time today, Demps was nicked for a marginal 15 yard call. In general, you don't do well with a defense that is rarely penalized; it speaks to a team that isn't athletic or aggressive. But it also doesn't help to give up yards, and the lack of an obvious grounding call on a 3rd and 2 also rankles, especially when the subsequent fourth down is converted on a throw to Gonzalez.

> On the third fourth down attempt of the game, this one a fourth and five from the Eagles 23, Redman threw a terrible TAInt to CB Sheldon Brown, and that's about as easy a defensive touchdown as you will see at this level. Night night, Falcons; it's 27-0 Green. And on some level, it's really not even that close.

> The next Falcons' drive ended on a Jones pick of a wounded duck due to QB pressure, and if Reid really wanted to rub it in now, he'd have Vick play the rest of the game. The defense has got this one well in hand... and so he does, to the chants of the crowd. The ex-Falcon connected with Brown on a 44-yarder that was actually behind the play, but what the hey, it's fun time for everyone but McNabb's fantasy owners. Which would be me. The drive caps off with a throwback screen to Celek, and this would be piling on if it weren't for the old team circumstances. 34-0 Green.

> The last quarter is thrilling if you are an Eldra Buckley fan, enjoy listening to Fox heads talk about other games, or like seeing the best punt of Sav Rocca's life -- a truly clutch shot that was downed at the one. Atlanta scored on the last play of the game on a tipped ball, and I suppose that mattered to some fantasy honk, but no one else.

I spent the time hating fantasy football, where I needed a win in two head to head leagues, and stupidly left Santonio Holmes on my bench, because clearly the Steelers were just going to run the ball all game, and The Asomugha Effect would stop any big #1 WR shenanigans. Just. Kill. Me.

As for the laundry, they move to 8-4, have the lead in the wild-card race, and could be tied for first in the division if the Giants beat the Cowboys in the late game. They've had worse days, really. And so has Vick.