Top 10 Eagles Bucs Notes

10) The best way to keep a bad team around is with turnovers. The second best way is penalties. In the first 20 minutes of this game, the Eagles had six flags, including multiple first downs on defense, including a killer of a phantom unnecessary roughness call (the refs called it on Macho Harris for burying the wideout on a scramble, just ridiculous) that gave the Bucs extra snaps. Driving me even more crazy was that the third down conversion came after one of those snapped at zero plays. Just maddening.

9) Don't let the final score fool you: Josh Johnson is an NFL quarterback. He might not be a starter, but he's not hopeless, and if the Bucs receivers were any good, he'd have been in this game longer today.

8) The Bucs are winless, but not hopeless. Had they simply made a few plays in the red zone, this game would have been a lot closer; the Eagles offense was highly dependent on big plays, and the Bucs actually won time of possession going away.

7) The WR Du Jour for the Eagles was Jeremy Maclin, who looked dramatically better than any game I've seen him play before today. And while the Bucs are bad on giving up big plays, there's still something to be said for the WR getting clear on deep balls, and making adjustments on balls in the air. He might not be that great, but he's become officially more interesting than Kevin Curtis.

6) The Eagles were stout against the run today, and it's hard not to make the obvious cause and effect that Jeremiah Trotter makes all the difference.

5) Brent Celek continues to look like the player that Eagle Fan has hoped for. He had 4 catches for 58 yards today, including a hurdle move on a deep ball that made the stadium wet. Eagle Fan has been talking about how the club could have had Tony Gonzalez for a second round pick last year, which wound up being Maclin. Sometimes, the trades you don't make...

4) Because I pay too much attention to such things, David Akers with a nice day, inclduing clear sailing on a 44-yarder. His kickoffs have been reaching the end zone more than in past years, too.

3) Also, note that punter Sav Rocca absolutely destroyed the Bucs with a coffin corner kick with three minutes left in the game. Just clutch. And by clutch, I mean, not.

2) Let's not say this too loudly, for fear that lightning will strike me for my lack of respect... but, um, Brian Westbrook really didn't look that great today. His entire career has been spent looking great coming off an injury, but not so much today (6 carries for 18 yards, 2 catches for 17 yards, and a touchdown on a carry to keep his fantasy owners off the ledge).

1) If he keeps having games like today (1 for 3 for a yard, 4 carries for 10 yards, one actually worthwhile play on an 11-yard scramble), Michael Vick's BET show is going to be canceled for lack of interest. Seriously, there's no reason for a team to prepare for him at this point, since he's not accurate downfield and not terribly elusive with the ball in his hands. If the Eagles really need to run Line of Scrimmage Punt Return this much, let's at least run it with DeSean Jackson and LeSean McCoy.