How are them Eagles doing?
They lost by 4 to a team that was 13-3 last season in their home opener as arguably the best home team in the entire league over the last four years. And the Eagles lost their star QB for the entire fourth quarter.
I’d say they’re doing okay.
So you’re comfy with the Cockroach starting for the next few games?
If Vick misses a game, it’ll be the only one he misses. He was alert on the sidelines and didn’t lose consciousness/memory so I think he’ll be okay. The Eagles can win a game with VY or Kafka. Keep in mind the Eagles lost 14 points on two flukey turnovers, one of which would have been reversed if Reid were competent. Then again nobody got to see the ball hit the ground on that interception because the TV crew didn’t show a single replay of the ball before the next play snapped.
The Eagles badly outplayed the Falcons the entire game and had Vick not gotten hurt, the Falcons were about to give up. Vick going down was the biggest momentum play of the game.
Wow, sounds a lot like the Cowboys-Jets to me… 
Maybe. The Cowboys should have won that game. The Eagles should have won this game. I think the similarities end there, though.
Turnovers because of someone coming right up the middle (punt, Vick’s fumble #2), injury of a star player changing the game (Bryant, Vick), opponent was good last year (Atlanta 13-3, Jets lost AFC Championship)…
It should be illegal for any single offense to have Vick, Maclin, Landry and Jackson. Jeez that’s a lot of speed and talent. I’m somewhat heartened to see Vick may have a weak spot. Maybe it was his return to Atlanta but last night seemed like one of the more violent games I’ve seen in awhile. Not just hard fought but played in a way that could have led to a lot of injuries.
That TD catch by Gonzales was one of the prettiest I’ve seen in a long time. Still got skills.
What “flukey turnovers”?
The Eagles “badly outplayed the Falcons the entire game”? You do know the Eagles were behind twice before the fourth quarter, right? Including 21-10?
Much as I’d like to see the Redskins finish second, I don’t think it’s the way to bet. The good news is that the Redskins are now 2-0; the bad news is that the teams they’ve played aren’t very good. But the other good news is that they’re beating the teams they can beat, and looking reasonably good doing so.
If a not-very-good team is trying to improve, winning the games they really ought to win is the first step in the right direction. Maybe there’s hope for this clown show yet.
You mean the 21-10 that came just after the Falcons scored a TD after an interception that wasn’t? Yeah, they were down, because of a flukey fumble return on a blown handoff (happens all the time!) and an interception that Andy Reid couldn’t challenge because NBC completely failed to provide a replay in time. NBC has since apologized. That’s what caused the Eagles to trail those two times. Flukey.
What wasn’t a fluke was the momentum/confidence the Falcons gained when Vick went out and they suddenly realized they had a chance. They dominated from that point on, partly because the Eagles defense lost their confidence and faltered, and partly from the Eagles being stuck with their 3rd string QB they didn’t trust enough to run regular plays.
I think the Eagles take that game eight or nine times out of ten. Against a really good team on the road.
Good on the Giants for faking injuries like sissy soccer players because they don’t have the fortitude to stop the mighty Rams’ no huddle offense. Well done guys. And what convincing performances! They sure have a lot of source material for how it should look.
Never seen a Falcons game, huh?
Mike Vick’s performance in that game was overhyped. Yes he left, but we’ve been without our equally important center (you didn’t hear us bitching). Kafka scored on the drive he left; the dropped pass wasn’t his fault either and Vick couldn’t have placed it any better. Philly had two touchdowns stemming from an interception at Atlanta’s 36 and a botched punch at Atlanta’s 20.
Meanwhile, Matt Ryan leads 2 consecutive 80+ yard drives against Philly’s defense (which Mike Vick does not play for) to win the game. Matt Ryan thrives in the 4th with the no huddle - you’d know that if you had ever seen a Falcons game (see the 49ers, Ravens, Saints, TB, and GB games last year).
Also, don’t forget about the BLATANTLY OBVIOUS helmet-to-helmet hit on Ryan in the 1st that didn’t get called and the roughing the passer call on Abraham that was completely bogus.
The Falcons played their signature game which is analogous to the Homer Simpson strategy: get the crap kicked out of you for 3 quarters and then fight back in the 4th when they’re exhausted.
I don’t think the word “equally” means what you think it means. Because I can tell you that there isn’t a single center in the league as important to a team as Michael Vick is to the Eagles. Though you’re right, I didn’t hear any bitching at all from Falcons’ fans about their center being gone. That may be because Atlanta has the worst collective fans in their respective sports and so nobody can ever hear them.
He certainly figured it out quickly, and the no huddle was a big part of that. I expect the Eagles will see a lot more no huddle going forward to prevent them from rotating D-Line players in. The Eagles D-Line was destroying the Falcons all game until the Falcons switched to the no huddle and the Eagles tired out.
This is a good time to point out that Matt Ryan, in his career, is actually worse in the 4th than in the 1st quarter, and he’s not statistically much different in the 4th than he is in the 2nd or 3rd. Just thought I’d throw that out there.
And no, Michael Vick does not play for the defense, not technically. But had he been in the game for the Eagles final or penultimate drives, I find it hard to believe they don’t end up with points (since three of their prior four drives with him ended with touchdowns). This goes along with the whole “Peyton Manning doesn’t play defense so how do you explain the Colts being so bad?!” thoughtless meme that’s going around. Vick and Peyton don’t play defense, but they significantly affect their defense by helping their teams sustain drives which gives their defenses time to rest. The very best friend to a defense is a good offense. The Eagles’ D isn’t so tired in the 4th if Vick is in and can sustain a drive.
Tough game, lots of injuries. For the Eagles to escape there without losing someone for a significant amount of time to the Falcons assassination attempts is a victory in itself.
And now Domenik Hixon is done for year with a torn ACL, his second in two seasons. I don’t think the Giants have a lot of depth at WR. Manningham has a concussion. Tough week to have your top three WRs out or nursing injuries.
Atlanta had the one of the best offensive lines last year and that was in large part because of Todd McClure who had knee surgery prior to the season. Without him, we’ve allowed what? 10 sacks? Matt Ryan was sacked 23 total times last year.
He’s coming back this weekend, much to the relief of everyone.
As for fans, hehe. 69,608 attended. Lincoln Financial Field doesn’t even hold 69,608 fans. Let’s not also forget we set a NFL record for decibel level during a game last year.
Cite?
Kafka, statistically, performed just as well as Michael Vick. Damn near won you the game, too. Kafka went 4 plays into his first drive by himself; much like Vick did in his, second as well. Yeah, Mike Vick was really doing it for the defense! Kafka did nothing!
Unless you’re attributing some sort of aura to Mike Vick that gives the defense +5 strength.
As a fan that saw him rise and fall in Atlanta, get used to Mike Vick shutting down in the 4th and completely quitting (but you already knew that from last year’s playoffs). Hope you can finally get a Super Bowl before his body quits producing.
Assassination attempts? Is this your first Eagles-Falcons game, too? This rivalry has been heated since the 2002 playoffs. Did you forget the pregame fight before the season opener in 2005?
The Atlanta line was pretty good last year. But I would think if McClure was so good that he’d be rated in the top ten at Scouts Inc, right? (he’s t-12th) Or made a Pro Bowl? Or an All Pro team?
No, even if he was in the top 10, or top 5, or top 3, that still means he’s far less important to his team than Michael Vick is to his. Or any QB. Jeff Saturday has been very highly rated for years and he’s doing squat for Kerry Collins.
Sounds apocryphal to me, the Atlanta Falcons own website doesn’t even back up that silly claim. I’m sure the Seahawks fans are louder even without the added boost of a dome. Since they’re so loud they caused an earthquake.
Silly rabbit. Okay, I’ll play along.
Matt Ryan career numbers:
Quarter 1: 228/357 63.8% 2717yds 7.61YpA 16TD 6INT (2.67:1)
Quarter 2: 282/482 58.5% 3211yds 6.66YpA 26TD 13INT (2:1)
Quarter 3: 197/317 62.1% 2224yds 7.02YpA 10TD 7INT (1.43:1)
Quarter 4: 223/369 60.4% 2392yds 6.48YpA 18TD 11INT (1.64:1)
He’s by far the best in the first quarter. And from what I can see, there’s an argument to be made that Matt Ryan is statistically the worst in the 4th quarter than in any other quarter. Those numbers are per ESPN.com, by the way.
It’s time to just admit you didn’t watch the game.
Kafka’s first drive (where he took over for Vick) was entirely on the back of LeSean McCoy. He gained every single yard and scored the touchdown.His second drive went 4 plays for 28 yards (less than 3 minutes) and 19 were from McCoy’s run. This is where I remind you that Vick had scored a touchdown on 75% of his drives before getting hurt. Give him a 75% chance to score on this drive and Philly wins the game. Kafka’s numbers were very good, he looked great, but his numbers are heavily skewed because of a single long pass.
To even hint that Kafka had the same effect on the game, and that the game didn’t significantly change when Vick went down, is bizarre enough to be lunacy. It’s ridiculous.
Yeah he was awful last year in the 4th for Philly! So awful!!
Vick 4th Qtr 2010: 59/100 (59%) 853yds 8.53YpA 6TD 0INT 106.8 QB Rating
Or how about when the game was within 7pts in the 4th where he completed 69% of his passes for almost 11 YpA and a 138.7 QB Rating. And none of that counts his running (6 YpCarry, 4 TDs in 4th Qtr)
What a fucking quitter.
You’re in over your head.
The Eagles are going to switch up their LB group as they’ve apparently seen enough so far. They’re going to move Jamar Chaney to MIKE, Casey Matthews to WILL, and Moise Fokou to SAM.
The Eagles, generally, aren’t relying too much on their current rookies because the lockout shortened their time with the playbook and steepened their learning curve. Their top three picks aren’t playing at all really. This could be considered a complete disaster of a draft for that reason, but I think they’re letting them season in practice before bringing them in.
Casey Matthews is one of the exceptions. He was named a starter on day one. He’s supposed to have superior instincts if limited physically. I was hoping he’d develop into a Zach Thomas type, and he still may, but his instincts have been sorely lacking. He’s never around the ball, never in the right gap, never shedding a block. I don’t think he’s bad, I just think he’s overwhelmed and undercoached.
I don’t think this change will really solve any problems, and the problems are significant… but there’s a small chance it could. Chaney was excellent in his time in the middle late last season. He probably should have been there all along. Fokou has experience at SAM and should be much better there. And Matthews’ biggest problem right now is shedding blocks, and he won’t see as many on the weakside. The timing in strange, but it’s mostly welcome in Eagles Nation.
Aww, someone doesn’t know how situational stats work, which encompass all games, whether leading by two touchdowns or trailing by as many.
In 2010, Matt Ryan lead 6 game winning drives in the 4th quarter. His passer rating? 94.42. Completion rating? 66%. YPA? 7.01.
So, yes, he truly is clutch in the 4th quarter and definitely when it counts. 8 4th quarter comebacks, 13 game winning drives.
Try again, sir.
Oh, and further research, since 2008, he and Ben Roethlisberger are tied for most game winning drives at 13 a piece.