More Good Than Bad, But It's Still Going To Be Ugly

Clinton Portis ran for 137 yards. Jason Campbell completed 68% of his passes for 215 yards and 3 touchdowns. James Thrash (yes, THAT James Thrash) caught 5 balls for 85 yards and 2 TDs. Washington won the time of possession battle. The Eagles lost 2 fumbles. Kevin Curtis recorded 20 receiving yards and no TDs. Trent Cole was held sackless for the second consecutive week. But somehow, someway The Philadelphia Eagles managed to beat the Washington Redskins on Sunday, 33-25. McNabb, fighting innacuracy and shoulder soreness, managed to corale the troops and put up 20 points in the fourth quarter en route to a come-from-behind, possibly season saving victory. The key play was a Donovan McNabb screen pass over the middle to Brian Westbrook, who proceded to out run every Washington defender, with the help of Jon Runyan and Shawn Andrews, to the goal line in true season-saving-punt-return-against-the-Giants fashion. There were some other positive signs as well. Despite the aformentioned struggles, McNabb was able to connect on 20 of 28 passes for 251 yards and 4 TDs. LJ Smith finally seems to be making progress, as he was able to contribute for a larger part of the game than has been the case in previous weeks, and finished the day with 4 catches for 49 yards and his first touchdown of the season. Although the defense gave up big yards and allowed James Thrash to be productive for the first time... ever, the D came up big when it had to and forced and recovered two fourth quarter fumbles, and held Washington to field goals on two drives that each ended inside the Eagles 5-yard line. And the special teams didn't turn the ball over or give up a TD, a victory for the unit.
But Washington didn't exactly play as if they were interested in making their week 11 showdown in Dallas worth a share of the NFC East lead. The 'Skins committed 11 penalties, contributing to each of the Eagles scoring drives, as well as stalling their own. Washington tight end Chris Cooley got called for a false start on 3rd & goal from the Eagles' 2, on a play in which Philly was not able to substitute their goal-line package creating great confusion which could have easily lead to a Washington TD had Cooley not flinched. The Redskins also fumbled twice and missed an extra point in the first quarter, which lead coach Joe Gibbs to opt for a 2-point conversion mid-way through the second quarter, and the subsequent failure erased even more points off the board.
This season, one cannot harp on the negative, though. Especially in victory. Maybe McNabb did miss open receiver after open receiver. Maybe the defense did give up nearly 160 rushing yards. Maybe James Thrash (yes, again, THAT James Thrash) did make our secondary look like swiss cheese. But at this point all that matters is the final score, 33-25 good guys. Reggie Brown made 5 catches and scored his first TD of the year. Westbrook racked up 183 total yards and 3 scores. Quintin Mikell, starting his first game at strong saftey, recorded 8 tackles and forced a fumble (oh Sean Considine, we hardly knew thee...). All positive signs for a team looking toward the future. And make no mistake about it, this team is looking toward the future. Of course, nobody in the organization will admit to this, as they should not, but why then, would the Philadelphia Eagles use their first draft pick to add a quarterback, if the focus is on the here and now?
The truth is, this season is going to be a struggle. After next week's game against Miami every game will be a struggle. Yes, I know the cliche`, every game is a struggle. But I do not see how the Eagles, with their current level of play, can be anything but the underdog in the remaining games. At New England, Seattle, NY Giants, at Dallas, at New Orleans and Buffalo. The defence is wearing down more every week. McNabb, although he is obviously making great strides in recovering from last year's ACL tear, takes more hits every week, and complained of shoulder stiffness coming into the second half against Washington. Westbrook seems to be running on all cylinders right now, but we all know how his Pro Bowl-caliber seasons can turn into injured reserve-disappointments rather quickly.
More than anything, the remaining seven games will be a proving ground for every player on this roster, as I do not believe this is a secure job on this team, besides Shawn Andrews and (a healthy) Brian Westbrook. Can McNabb lead this team back to respectability, and is he worth the investment, going forward? If not, is it time to get Kevin Kolb a few snaps? Are Reggie Brown and Kevin Curtis the outside receivers this team needs, and are they worth their long-term contracts? How many more seasons can Jon Runyan play through at his size and age? Is William Thomas coming back, and if he isn't, than is Winston Justice better than he played a month ago in the Meadowlands? How much have Jason Avant and Hank Baskett developed in their second season? Can Jevon Kearse justify his salary with at least one solid game? Ditto Darren Howard. Is Trent Cole an every-down end? How good are Brodrick Bunkley and Mike Patterson? Is Omar Gaither a middle linebacker? Is Chris Gocong a linebacker, period? How many more games can Brian Dawkins give the Eagles everything he has without giving up the ability to walk? Do we have a suitable replacement at either safety position?
The remaining seven games will produce answers. If the majority of the answers to these questions are "yes" then re-building in the post-McNabb era will not be as painful as projected. If "no" then there could be several gloomy seasons followed by blown high draft picks ahead. Here's to hoping for the former.