Game 4 Thoughts

overall, a good win for the birds. they did have a bit of a slow start on the scoreboard, leaving 14 points on the ground in the first half, but the game was never in question.

- the packers defensive gameplan in the first half seemed to surprise big red a bit. unlike previous games where the eagles came out very aggressively and started passing deep immediately, the eagles opted for a ball control offense and came out running the ball and throwing underneath. unfortunately, the packers defensive gameplan was to play bump and run on the outside and jump the short routes with safeties and linebackers. the tv announcers credited the lack of offensive continuity to westbrook's absence, but it really looked like it was due to good defensive gameplanning to me. there were no receivers getting open and mcnabb had to fit the ball into some really tight spots. ultimately, the packers paid for their aggressive gameplan once two things happened: a) mcnabb started running in response to defenders turning their backs and b) big red adjusted and started throwing the ball over the top. andy should get some credit for his in-game adjustments and coaching tonight. that was a great effort by the fat [guy]. (you know what i want to call him...)

- how nice was it to see don take the game into his hands and run that ball when necessary. with his arm alone he is a very good QB. when you combine the legs and the arm, he is a great player.

- don looked inaccurate in the first half, but i thought a lot of that was him not being able to get comfortable due to the packers gameplan directly countering the eagles offensive script. no one was open in the first half. there were a couple of throws that he inexplicably threw into the ground in the first half, but i'd rather have him throw those than throw some patented brett favre jump balls. interestingly the announcers mentioned mcnabb's inaccuracy several times, but didn't discuss any inaccuracy on favre's part. i thought it strange considering that mcnabb had the better statistical day and especially considering he was throwing deep and favre was throwing short.

- true to form, "personal foul" harris got an early personal foul. even so, harris and woodson really played a great game. they are as physical a pair of cornerbacks as there is in the league and are both top flight players. once the eagles started picking on ahmad carroll the game changed. i'd have loved to see the birds pick up woodson in the offseason. he's not hyped like bailey, but he's a better player imo. in all fairness, he has been injury prone and he may have lost a step, but i've seen him shut down guys one on one (e.g. me-o and randy moss) that very few people shut down.

- the packers got a surprising amount of pressure on don and did a good job in the first half on run defense. anyone notice the pack blitzed on the birds first offensive series and ended up with LJ trying to block KGB one on one? predictably, LJ's ole block lead to the packers first sack.

- anyone else think andy held westbrook out to ensure that he'd be ready for next week's showdown with me-o? similarly, i suspect that lito could have played today if it was a critical game or a tough opponent.

- defense came out kind of flat with the d-line not getting any push. also, they're still getting killed on underneath routes. hopefully that will change once they get rod and lito back on the field and they are able to play a little more aggressively. where were the d-tackles today? seems like they didn't penetrate like past games. of course, the lajuan ramsey interception was entertaining though. he has a turning radius bigger than my minivan. for a while, i thought he was going to pull a jim marshall and run all the way into the eagles endzone.

- donte' was obviously hampered in the game even before he left with hamstring tightness. he didn't have his deep speed and wasn't able to run away from corners. i hope he stays out until he is ready to go at 100%.

- several huge hits tonight. two by dawkins, one by michael lewis, and one by considine. the packers receivers got a little gunshy after that. the announcers kept talking about the drops, but the late game drops were rooted in the big hits rather than just being drops imo.

- eagles caught a couple of breaks on the packers opening drive. first, koren robinson caught the ball on an opening kickoff that that looked like was going out of bounds. second, michael lewis got away with a hit on defenseless receiver after the pass tipped off his fingertips. they emphasized this as a penalty over the last two seasons, so i was surprised that this wasn't called.

it was another workmanlike effort, but still resulted in a good win. areas of concerns coming out of the game are:

- injuries - the birds absorbed freak's injury because of their depth, but it seems like the entire secondary is dinged and the wideout corps is not too healthy. i'm not enthusiastic about going into a matchup with the cowboys with hank baskett, greg lewis, and jason avant as the starters.

- o-line - still getting some inconsistent play here. dallas presents a good challenge next week and we'll get a chance to see how good the o-line really is. giving up 4 sacks against the packers is just not good enough.

- fumbles - one thing lost in the feel good buckhalter return is his penchant for putting the ball on the ground. don't forget that he has a history as a fumbler and has been benched in the past for fumbling. last night's multiple fumble game wasn't a shocker. ok, the first fumble wasn't totally buck's fault, but how come that never happens when westbrook is in the game? if westbrook doesn't stay healthy and buck and moats continue to fumble, we might end up with a full dose of reno mahe (who i'm starting to warm up on now that he's the 4th running back).