Monday, November 26, 2012

Eagles - Panthers Takeaways

Weak effort, weaker team
> DeSean Jackson bettered his last game on the first play, which didn't get a first down

> Bryce Brown kept the crowd from booing for the first minute of play, which makes him this year's MVP

> Jeremy Maclin bettered his last game, yada yada yada

> Brent Celek held on after contact and celebrated like he had never done that before, which, well, might be true

> Nick Foles really should have been picked in the red zone on several instances, but the Panthers then remembered they were coached by old friend Sean McDermott

> The Eagles scored first in the only way know how -- disappointingly

> I've heard louder Eagle crowds in preseason, in the fourth quarter, then the first quarter of this game tonight

> It was nice of the Eagles to put Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie on WR Steve Smith, so that we weren't reminded of how terrible CB Nnamdi Asomugha is quite so much

> Someone named Gary Brandige got more open than any anonymous white man has ever been, for a touchdown, on yet another LB/S failure

> Prolonged exposure to Mat McBriar is making me unrealistically nostalgic for Sav Rocca

> The longer I watched Todd Bowles' defense, the more I'm convinced that Juan Castillo was the best coach on this team

> The Brandon LaFell touchdown was like Carolina was playing 11 on 7, and gave us our first shot of the night of Eagle Fans wearing brown paper bags

> Foles is seriously trying to get Celek killed, which might be, finally, a positive aspect to his play

> Brown is doing what he can to remain in the NFL more than 1.5 years from now, which is more than we can say for 90% of the roster

> Dion Lewis actually had a touch, just in time for DeSean Jackson to escape to the locker room

> Unlike the Eagles, Jeffrey Lurie showed up tonight, and showed about as much interest in tackling

> I liked Coach For Way Too Much Of The Rest Of Your Life Andy Reid settling for the figgie try down 14-3, since it gave K Alex Henery a chance to break the emptiest record in franchise history

> For a guy who shows up on any number of highlight reels for the offense, opponents really seem to dislike S Kurt Coleman

> Howard Mudd's scheme makes sure that the Eagles can only hire castoffs from a handful of teams, which seems like a bit of a flaw, really

> Brown's first touchdown was downright manly, and made me open my eyes in something approaching shock or interest, which is to say, it was borderline miraculous

> You have to admire Reid's ability to take the positive taste away from the Brown score by going for two and putting it in the hands of Foles and the offensive line (FAIL)

> Derek Landri reminded everyone that he's on the roster, and that big plays from the DT are, in fact, possible

> PR Jamaris Johnson had a really nice return of a really terrible punt, which added to whole preseason feel of this game

> The Eagles actually called running plays in this game, on third and short, even, which shows that Reid has given up and has no faith at all in Foles

> Foles might be the most INT-friendly QB I've ever seen, and I watched Bobby Hoying, who would give you a pick if you just looked mean

> Panthers QB Cam Newton converted a third down by running at half speed

> The Carolina STs are so bad, they made the Eagles look competent

> DE Trent Cole was held, allowing Newton to scramble for 14 and a first without first making Cole look old, small and slow

> Newton's leap for a touchdown was physically impressive, and in its own special way, indicative of a short NFL career

> Fletcher Cox got hurt, just in case you still wanted some reason to watch this team

> The best shotgun snaps to Foles tonight were intercepted by Brown

> Brown set a new rookie rushing record, taking Corell Buckhalter off the books; sadly, this means that his career is doomed to suffer multiple horrific knee injuries

> On cue, Brown then fumbled, which was a big play, seeing how the Eagles were getting very close to Figgie Number Four

> Newton made Vinnie Curry whiff on the first noteworthy play of his regular season career, which is all you can hope for from a second round pick in the Reid Era, really

> Eventually, someone will just throw the ball 50 yards downfield, twice a quarter, to puling WRs and average 200 yards a game in penalty yardage

> Mike Patterson got a big sack on Newton, which is a nice end to his career

> Brown's second fumble of the night was surprising, in that it reminded Eagles Fans that they could, actually, still be disappointed

> Brandon Boykin and Coleman each missed Newton in space, which is kind of hard, given that he's twice their size

> Mychal Kendricks successfully covered Steve Smith on a big third down in the red zone, prompting Smith's immediate retirement

> On fourth and inches from the Panther 40 with 8:53 left, down two points, with a 6'-5" QB, Reid went for a slow developing run that, surprise surprise, did not work

> There is no truth to the rumor that when the opposition needs a big play, they just look to see where Asomugha and Coleman are lined up, and throw it that way

> You don't often see third and nine shovel passes work, but that's just how special this defense is

> On three straight plays, the Eagle defense was offsides, which is hard to do at the Pop Warner level, really

> Newton ran in another touchdown while professionally avoiding a fit of the giggles

> Graham Gano, just brought in on the strength of his Redskins Kicker Pedigree, missed the PAT to keep this a one possession game

> Brandon Boykin's big return and subsequent fumble made me laugh out loud, but more importantly, it helps to secure a better draft pick, and further ensures Reid gets out of town

> Kendricks held for a first down at the four minute mark, just to ruin any good feeling you might have about him, either

> On third and four with the last chance to make the game meaningful, the Eagle DBs picked each other for the kitten-soft first down

> Eagle Fan doesn't even care enough about this team to chant for Reid's removal, throw batteries, or remain in the stadium during winnable games

> The fact that this team will be in prime time again next week is proof, not that you needed it, that the national media hates Philly Fan

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