Eagles Dominant, But Many Questions Still Unanswered

And just like that order has been restored in Philadelphia. . . As far as the Eagles are concerned, at least. Donovan McNabb, fresh off of his latest controversy-sparking comments regarding the treatment of black quarterbacks in the NFL, silenced critics and fans (many of whom booed upon hearing McNabb's name announced in the pre-game introductions) by completing 21 of his 26 pass attempts for 381 yards and 4 touchdowns, which netted him a perfect QB Rating of 158.3 (note: if anybody on this planet knows how to caculate the QB rating please let me know, for I am clueless). 3 of McNabb's TD throws went to Kevis Curtis, the "big-ticket" free agent receiver who, until today, had not put to rest the skepticism of his ability to be an outside receiver after playing in the slot and being the third or fourth option in St. Louis for the beginning of his career. Curtis put up single game career highs in receptions, with 11, and yards, with a gaudy 221. Brian Westbrook was a fantasy league all-star as well, today, complining 110 rushing yards on 14 carries, and 111 receiving yards on 5 catches, and racked up 3 touchdowns (2 rushing, 1 receiving). Tony Hunt also scored his first career touchdown with a goal-line handoff, and Correll Buckhalter scored in the same fashion. Not to be outdone, and despite allowing Jon Kitna to pass for 446 yards, the defense played exceptionally well, especially considering the high-powered potential of Detriot's offense and missing Pro Bowl defensive backs Lito Sheppard and Brian Dawkins. Quinton Mikell stepped in for Dawkins and played like Weapon-X himself, recording a sack and roaming the secondary with the skill and confidence one would expect from number 20. William James had the un-enviable task of covering Roy Williams and didn't play great, but Williams is an all-star and the D-Line provided enough pressure to ensure missing Sheppard wouldn't doom the Eagles to an 0-3 start. Leading the defensive line was Trent Cole, who notched 3 of the defense's 9 sacks. Juqua Thomas and Brodrick Bunkley also dragged Kitna down two times a piece. Thomas and Cole also forced fumbles, Thomas recovered his own and Quinton Mikell recovered Cole's, and Sean Considine made a spectacular play, intercepting a Kitna pass in the back of the endzone and dragging both feet to stay in bounds, to win the turnover battle 3-2. So after the subpar efforts in Green Bay and at home, on Monday Night Football, against Washington, the Eagles seemed to have returned to an elite level, and it is not yet time to burn our McNabb jerseys or hang Coach Reid by the wires of his headset. Yes, I was a part of the euphoria today, sincerely shouting "14-2!" while walking out of the Linc and through the patking lot between chants of "E-A-G-L-E-S EAGLES!" but as the excitement of today's 56-21 victory subsides, and players, coaches and fans begin preparing for a showdown with the 1-2 Giants in the Meadowlands, a sense of reality must set in.
While I hate to be the snowball that pelts Santa Claus, there are still plenty of questions about this team moving forward. 1) Will the offense continue to set the tone by running early, and fueling the passing game with effective play-action? I sure hope so. Westbrook averaged almost 8 yards per carry against Detroit and has been the only sort of consistency this offense has seen, both this season and last. Buckhalter also made use of his carries today, and rookie Tony Hunt scored. It's also good to see Thomas Tapeh getting involved a little each week, the fullback is a dying breed, but can be an effective part of this offense. History says that if Reid is in charge of this offense, which seemed to be the case in weeks one and two, McNabb will be dropping back more than anyone else thinks he should be, whether hes 100%, 85% or 60% healthy. If "Big Red" hands over the play-caling duties as he did last season and seemed to do today, balance will be restored and every faze of the offense will be better. If Westbrook's knee injury from week two or this week's rib injury limit Westbrook's availabitlity in anyway, expect an askew pass-run ratio reminiscent of 2005. 2) Are the wide receivers any good? After watching Brown, Curtis and company do their best impressions on Todd Pinkston and James Thrah from the 2003 NFC Championship game in the first two weeks of the season, the coaches decided it was time to find ways to force the wide-outs to get opened. Against Detroit, there was finally motion among the receivers, allowing them cleaner breaks off the line ensuring McNabb would not have to hold on to the ball waiting for anybody to break free. Screen and swing passes were called, not only to Westbrook, but to Curtis as well, allowing both to use their superior speed to get to the second and third levels and busting big gains. Play-action was also a factor, thanks to the offense's re-commitment to the run. If this continues the receivers should continue to produce. 3) Where is Reggie Brown (really an extension of question 2)? While Curtis exploded for a T.O.-like performance against the Lions, and Avant has been a consistent slot receiver through three weeks, Reggie Brown seems to be digressing in his development as a "stud" receiver, catching 2 balls today for 23 yards, bring his season totals to an underwhelming 5 receptions for 64 yards and no touchdowns. After the entire receiving corps failed to beat tight, press coverage over the first two weeks, the Lions, inexplicably, ran zone coverages almost exclusively, allowing McNabb and the offense to roll them over. That is, except Reggie Brown, who still seemed to have trouble finding open space in the wide-open plain that was Lincoln Financial Field, today. Brown has good speed and excels at breaking tackles and gaining yards after catch, and after over-coming a mid-season case of the drops last season, was a key part to the Eagles late NFC East winning charge. After today's performance, Kevin Curtis should be drawing a lot of double coverage and Brian Westbrook always draws a lot of defensive attention.Andy Reid has been criticized for never developing any of his drafted receivers into stars, and it seems his latest project has stalled out as well. With LJ Smith out recovering from surgery for an undetermined amount of time, Brown NEEDS to step up in a big way. 4) Will LJ Smith return to the line-up any time soon? Despite the holes in his game, Smith is a big, fast, difference making tight end who takes a lot of heat off of the receivers and running backs by drawing a lot of the defense's attention. His unique size and abilities require corners and saftetis in coverage, which leaves the outside receivers in single coverage, and many times leaves a linebacker to try and cover the ever speedy and allusive Westbrook. Tight ends are intrical to the success of McNabb and the offense, and while Schobel is a strong second option, he lacks the pure athleticism of Smith. Brent Celek will, in all likelihood, replace Smith next season, but a rookie has never excelled under Andy Reid, and somebody with so little experience cannot be expected to help carry an offense. The passing game's success over the course of this season depends on Smith's return. 5) Will this defense hold up? After being beaten down repeatedly last season both by opposing offenses, who gained 2,182 rushing yards, and a quick strike offense that rarely held the ball long enough to give its own defense a rest, the D is back and looking even better than its 2004 version. While the offense stumbled through the first two weeks, the defense has held opponents to only 71.7 rush yards per game, good enough for third best in the league, and 19 points per game, which is the fifth best in the league. If pass-rushing ends Cole, Thomas and Jevon Kearse hold up, along with young tackles Bunkley and Mike Patterson, the yes, this defense will be a force. If the line continues to create the pressure it did against Detroit (who gave up the most sacks in the league in 2006) it will free up Takeo Spikes and the linebacking corps to shut down the run, as well as give less time for receivers to break away from the corners, which will ensure fewer big plays from opposing receivers, and more big plays from the likes of Sheppard, Dawkins and Co. If the line does get worn down (often a product of unbalanced time of possession) the defense will be susceptible to back-breaking drives, much like the drives displayed by New Orleans in their two victories over the Eagles last season. 6) Finally, was McNabb's performance against the Lions an epiphany or aberration? Through two weeks McNabb could not have looked worse. His timing was way off, he was hesitant, he pissed off an entire city by playing the race card and his receivers really weren't doing him any favors. He was booed heavily in the home-opener and again during his introduction today. Then, McNabb seemed to return to prime form by torching the Detroit defense for nearly 400 yards. If this is the return of the Donovan who can make any throw then the offense could very well continue to put up Cincinnati-like stats, especially if it remains balanced. A healthy McNabb, confident in his and his targets' abilities equals, at the very least, an appearance in the NFC Championship. That is what history says. If McNabb has truly declined, and the performances from weeks 1 and 2 were a reflection of his age and laundry-list of injuries and not simply rust from being off for the past nine months, this will be a long season, and McNabb's last in Philly.
As you read this, please, do not lose faith. However, please take the incredible performance by our beloved Birds in stride. They are not as good as the appeared to be against the Lions. Nor are they as inept as they appeared against the Packers and 'Skins. There are 13 games left. The schedule gets no easier. This is going to be a hard fought season. Trips to all division rivals still await, as well as to Foxborough and New Orleans. The Bears and their punishing defense will come in to the Linc, as do the find-any-way-to-win Seattle Seahawks. The momentum and confidence built off of today's victory have poised the Eagles to dig themselves out of the 0-2 hole they have dug for themselves, just as they did in 2004. While stringing together nine straight victories may not be a feasable expectation, this team showed a lot today both in the way it came out firing and the way it continued to apply the pressure and finish the game, a characteristic the Eagles lacked last season, and will go a long way in determining the fate of this team. Heart will play a big role in the outcome of this Eagles team, but the questions posed above need answering, on the field. The answers of these questions will determine just how far the 2007 Philadelphia Eagles can go, and also just how much tenure is left on the McNabb/Reid era.