Eagles - Chargers Takeaways
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| On the plus side, we don't root for this |
> DE Dwight Freeney really should have stripped QB Michael Vick to end the Eagles' first drive
> S Nate Allen's reaction to a stiff arm is a face mask, and yes, we still have serious safety issues
> Chip Kelly's innovative ideas do not extend to stopping long field goals
> VIck to RB LeSean McCoy for 70 yards was just embarrassing for S Eric Weddle, and more evidence that McCoy is going to lead the world in yards from scrimmage this year, if he stays healthy
> I love an offense that gets to the line ASAP after a big gain
> TE James Casey blew four points on what was a disturbingly good call by the ref, and CB Shareef Wright's injury prevented a likely replay challenge fail
> It's nice that the Chargers pull RB Ryan Mathews as soon as he gets off a good run
> Watching Rivers "run" for a first down is always sad for all parties
> TE Antonio Gates roasted LB Mychal Kendricks, proving that experience can roast clueless youth
> Allen almost took out S Patrick Chung, which might be the only way for him to ensure job security
> Kelly needs to stop using his challenges on plays that don't result in a first down
> CB Brandon Boykin pinballing Rivers into RT DJ Fluker was funsies
> It was nice that we never got to see a replay of Woodhead juggling a third down catch out of bounds
> WR Eddie Royal's touchdown was even more for the Nate Allen Non-Highlight Reel
> WR DeSean Jackson was stupid open on a second and one fly route, and it looked a little careless that his feet weren't in bounds
> Vick's fumble with 13:03 left in the second quarter was all kinds of awful, and lucky to get out of bounds
> It's really nice to have coverage units where more than Colt Anderson gets to the returner
> Dan Dierdorf actually thinks that the crowd booing the opposing QB is wrong for some reason
> LB DeMeco Ryans tried to pop Woodhead's head off, which was fun
> The Chargers led by 10, but a couple of careless plays by the offense would have made this even
> CBS believes that the Chargers were "handling" the Eagle offense with 175 yards in a little more than a quarter, just before they went on a 4-play 75 yard strike in 80 seconds
> When Vick gets rid of the ball in 1-2 seconds, this offense is 5X better than when, well, they don't
> Vick to WR Riley Cooper for the touchdown was downright crafty, what with the backing up WR at the line
> I like that the defense has gotten into the act of random pictures, so they can at least be entertaining while they are inept
> Kendricks whiffing on Gates has just got to stop, really
> Finally, King Dunlap paid dividends for the Eagles with a holding call
> This defense is much more of what I expected, rather than the outfit that showed up in Washington
> Gates fumbling at the goal line is great luck, but also a great play by CB Brandon Boykin
> CB Cary Williams was flagged for DPI on a play where the replay showed no actual contact
> Mathews fumbled in the red zone as LB Trent Cole beat Dunlap, and that should be the end of Mathews today
> Jackson was embarrassingly open on another deep ball, but Vick can't get him the ball due to a heavy rush
> Alex Henery missed from 46, blowing what would have been a very nice suckout tie at the half, and that's more points left on the field
> Both teams wasted big opportunities and did not look like playoff teams, which is to say, they looked like what they probably are
> Giving up 248 yards of offense in the first half is, according to CBS, doing what San Diego wants to do
> Ryans ended WR Malcolm Floyd on a clean hit that ended in an ambulance ride, which is going to happen when your QB floats balls over the middle and gives the defense time to react
> WR Keenan Allen converts a third down as CBS freaks out over a declined PI on Williams, but after watching the 2012 Eagles, I'm thrilled just to see a CB close enough to commit PI
> If the pass rush doesn't get there on third and long, the defense does not get off the field
> When you drop eight guys into coverage and leave a guy wide open, that's just short bus special, and a 10-point Chargers lead
> Eddie Royal now has four touchdowns, two of them not on plays with Nate Allen on the field
> Vick to DJ has been open all damn day, and off by just enough to lose
> Eagle Fan is getting so attuned to offensive tempo that they boo any officiating delays
> Lane Johnson was called for a GAHHH flag, taking a cottony easy touchdown off the board
> Third and three with substitutions led to McCoy getting swarmed over, and another case of points being left on the field
> Henery connected from distance to make it 20-13, and that's 11 points -- the Casey drop, the Henery miss, and the Johnson flag -- that the offense has squandered
> Boykin's play on a third and five to get the defense off the field was downright revelatory, and the first actual Charger punt of the day
> Vick and DJ finally connected on the 61-yard touchdown that's been there for them all day to tie it up
> Chung's defensive holding call kept the team from getting off the field, and GAHHH
> The Chargers should just start every drive with third down, since they never seem to fail on that one
> S Earl Wolffe saved Chung from all kinds of highlight coverage
> Jim Johnson is turning over in his grave for the lack of effectiveness in these blitz packages
> Rivers did his level best to draw a penalty after the Chargers finally didn't convert a third down, but the refs kind of hate him too, so not so much
> With the game on the line, Vick still likes to keep it
> Every other QB in the NFL draws 15 for the shove out of bounds with nine minutes left in the fourth, which isn't to say it was deserved
> WR Jason Avant is so unfamiliar with the concept of run after catch, he went backwards
> TE Zach Ertz benefited from excellent blocking from DJ to get it down deep
> Vick scores on a keeper with a picture perfect block from McCoy, and for the first time today, the home team is ahead
> Just to be difficult, DJ gets a 15 yard unsportsmanlike flag to make the answering score easier
> Most of the people who live in Philadelphia had a chance to recover the Chargers fumble of the ensuing kickoff
> This defense would be really disturbing if Eddie Royal weren't the best WR in the NFL. Oh, wait, actually he's totally fungible? Damn.
> McCoy and Vick get first downs as if the game wasn't on the line on anything
> DJ's toe-tap down the sideline to get a first down was ballet
> Vick's laser to DJ for another deep cross was just a great throw, and why Vick will always have work
> On the next play, Vick and Celek both go down, because we can't have nice things
> Nick Foles comes in with 2:03 left and second and 10, and dear God, not the time for a fresh QB
> Kelly, of course, goes right for the end zone anyway, because he's ball-out aggro, but it's too far out of bounds for DJ
> Honestly, might have preferred something with more of a chance to gain yards there, rather than all or nothing
> Both men return for third and 10, but Avant can't make a play, and there are no flags
> Henery from 32 was worrisome but through, and it's on the defense to not lose
> San Diego drives, because this game was lost as soon as the Eagles didn't score a touchdown on that last drive
> I actually said, out loud, "How will they convert it? Little screen to Woodhead" five seconds before it happened, because this defense is just that predictably inept
> Dierdorf couldn't gather why the Eagles would call timeouts, and preserve a kickoff return, rather than just let the clock run down and lose that way
> Novak connects from 46 yards, and we all got to see Rivers yell woo
> Kelly's team really needs to work on the hook and ladder play more, but they will probably get many chances at that
> It's not easy to lose a game where your QB throws for 422 yards without a turnover, but this defense is just that special
> No one said rooting for a very flawed team wasn't going to be very frustrating from time to time, 8-8 was going to be, well, not 8-8
> And, well, no one else in the NFC East is going to be better than 1-1 either, and no one good got hurt today
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