Where to Vick Threats Come From?

March 12th, 2013 Rocky

Just caught this article on USA Today about Vick’s book signings having to be canceled due to death threats. One of the quoted threats was “I would go there to slit your throat knowing how you treat animals.”

I’m not quite sure what the logic is there. So, because you’re made that someone mistreated animals, you would kill a human? People are stupid. Don’t get me wrong. I love dogs and I’m not down with dog fighting, but c’mon people.  If you want to kill someone then either you’re a psychopath yourself or maybe a racist. Look deep down and figure out where all that rage is coming from.

If you’re a Philly fan, it just doesn’t make sense to hate Vick. Since he’s come here, he’s conducted himself well, he’s given up his body over and over for the team. He’s a competitor. Sure, he’s turned the ball over, and it looks like his career is on the down side now, but that’s no reason to hate the guy with a passion. The dog thing–I don’t see him running any fighting rings these days, do you? So just calm down people…enough already, seriously.

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Spring Is Here–Fresh Starts with the Phils 2013 Season and the Eagles Draft

March 12th, 2013 Rocky

Well after a disappointing 2012 Phils season, two horrible Eagles seasons, a stumbling Flyers team, and the Sixers mess, we’re finally back to the beginning of a new season.

It’s hard to imagine that it can get worse than where we’re at in Philly right now, so my hopes are high for the Phillies to make a comeback in 2013. Our players are healthy this time around. We’ve filled a few holes. We’ve gotten a little younger. Doc’s got his fastball moving better this spring. It should be a good year. Plus we have to remember that we finished off the final third of the season pretty well to scrape back to .500. Not sure if that was fool’s gold, but even if so, I’m believing for now. What else have we got to hold onto at the moment?

In the meantime, another fresh start is on the horizon with NFL draft day just around the corner. Who should the Birds take?

I’m not a fan of taking a quarterback here. Sure, Vick will probably only be here another year or two max, and we’re not sure if Foles is the answer. But we do know that Foles can play a little and has shown some potential, so he’s worth a shot at this point. Better to spend the picks on both sides of the line, shore up some holes, and try to just build a solid, young, athletic team.

I’m not buying into big names this year. We’ve seen how that pans out. Plus, big names have to start small. No one would have been chompin at the bit to get Victor Cruz before he was known. Not everyone comes in like Andrew Luck and RG3. The Birds missed out on Ray Lewis when he was in the draft (We took Jermane Mayberry at pick 25 and the Ravens got Lewis with the next pick). Not saying that this year has another Ray Lewis, but the front office needs to steer away from big-name hype and go for solid players. Is Geno Smith a solid player, or is it just because there aren’t many QBs this year that people keep wanting to believe in him? I think the latter. Lets get some linemen and build for a couple years from now.

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Eagles-Cowboys Is Dead: Eagles-Giants Is the New Rivalry

November 11th, 2012 Rocky

With the Eagles-Cowboys game just a few hours away, I’m feeling kind of flat. When I was growing up, playing the Cowboys was always an exciting week. They had the talent obviously and they were in our division, but they had a couple of loudmouth and annoying players (Deion, Michael Irvin) that made it worse.  And then there were so many kids my age riding the Cowboys that it made me hate them even more.  Even though the Cowboys often got the best of us, we always gave them a hard time.

But these days, I find myself hating the Giants more.  I especially can’t stand Eli, who is really smug for an average quarterback. Yes, I said it–average.  He has a better offensive line these days, but I’d love to see him try to play QB with the Eagles offensive line. And Eli inevitably throws just some horrendous balls, and more of them should be picked off–and I think they will be.  Plus now we have Victor Cruz and that stupid salsa.  I mean it’s not as bad as the Ray Lewis dance, but at least I can respect Ray Lewis. Every time we play the Giants I want to see some big hits on Eli and Cruz. The fact that the Giants managed to win the Super Bowl last year–which I still have trouble believing given the team’s rather weak defense–makes them more hatable to me than the Cowboys.

So at least for me, even though I still can’t stand either team, I think the Eagles-Giants rivalry has now surpassed the Eagles-Cowboys rivalry. With the Eagles and Cowboys coming into today’s game looking like a couple of hopeless causes, there’s just not much to get excited about.

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Missed Opportunities: Eagles Wasted Chances

November 11th, 2012 Rocky

It’s been too depressing to write the past few weeks. After the Eagles squandered the fourth-quarter lead against the Lions, we were 3-3 going into the bye. That wasn’t horrible, except that we had just lost two winnable games in a row.

Close Losses Come Back to Haunt You

The Lions game goes without saying, but people quickly forget that we had that Steelers game.  If Vick hasn’t fumbled at the goal line we might have taken that game.  But instead of going into the bye at 5-1 we went in at 500.  Even if we accept the tough loss against the Steelers, we really needed to pull out that Lions game, and there was no excuse for that loss.

Two Embarrassing Weeks Against the NFC South

Eagles-Falcons

Anyway, with Reid’s success after the bye and being at home, I thought we had a good shot to beat the Falcons. Even though they came into that game undefeated, I still can’t really believe in the Falcons. The only time I’ve really seen them play this year, aside from against the Eagles, was the Monday night game against Denver early in the season. They made Peyton look bad, but it was his first game back, so I didn’t put as much stock into the disguised defensive schemes that Gruden was raving about all night. Also, the Falcons have had some really shaky wins against questionable teams. Granted, the Eagles few win over Cleveland was shaky as well, but the win against the Giants was solid and although we got some help at the end of the Ravens game, it was still a strong showing and a victory against a still-good team. I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Falcons split their final four games, but in any case back to the Eagles.

Eagles-Saints

So we all know how embarrassing the past couple weeks have been.  The worst part is that the Eagles continue to shoot themselves in the talons.  Shady tore up the Saints with at least three big runs in the first half. Heck even Bryce Brown had a couple great runs, and Vick was getting a few years on the ground as well. But then the same old story. We get in the red zone and we’re throwing the ball nonstop. Between turnovers, penalties, and screw-ups, the Eagles have managed to sink to 30th in the league in scoring TDs in the red zone: at 37.04%, the Birds are only ahead of Cleveland and Kansas City (The Saints, by the way, lead the league with an incredible 72% TD rate in the red zone).

The Eagles Are a Mess

Simply put, the Eagles continue to be a mess.  They were a mess all of last year, but we thought that the correctable mistakes–picks, fumbles, penalties, poor play calling, execution–would make some progress.  But it really doesn’t seem like much progress has been made in any of those areas.  This is just a sloppy football team.

And that is really what is so frustrating.  This team could be better.  The talent is there. But we just continue to hurt ourselves. There are some things we can’t do much about.  The offensive line is hurting, but the replacements are still pathetic. But that’s only part of the problem.  If you know that your offensive line stinks, get Vick to roll out more.  He’s getting hit on his 3- and 5-step drops, so start bootlegging him out. Run the ball more (novel idea!). The D line is getting in fast, so give the ball to your super talented back and let him find the holes. Establish the run, and if it’s working, stick with it. Why we got so pass heavy in the second half against the Saints still boggles my mind. We were tearing them to shreds on the ground. Even if you only get 3.4 years per carry, that’s still a first down every time.

Looking Forward

On the plus side, regardless of the real concerns that we should have (especially after the Falcons blowout), I still think our defense is solid.  To counter the poor red-zone offense, we are actually fourth in the league at preventing touchdowns in the red zone (only behind Chicago, Miami, and Baltimore).  We finally managed a couple sacks last week, and in general the pressure seemed better. To me that was a good sign because against lesser quarterbacks, that pressure will have more of an effect.

We really need this Cowboys game, but it’s hard to have much confidence as a fan at this point.  The Eagles just look like a complete mess out there, and the Cowboys, although they also cause themselves problems to lose games, at least look like they are close to turning things around at times. The Birds seem like they just have miles to go…

 

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Vick Fumbles Cost Eagles Win at Pittsburgh

October 14th, 2012 Rocky

I hate criticizing Vick. It’s not just that he adds an intangible dynamic to the field that drives defenses nuts, but you can tell by the way that he carriers himself that he has a burning desire to win. Despite the hits and struggles, you always know you’re going to get every ounce of him on the field. And just like the days with Randall, the offense is simply more fun to watch when he’s running circles around defenders, frustrating defensive ends, and just draining their resolve. I’m a fan.

Vick’s Fumbles

But even Vick will be the first to tell you that the fumbles are inexcusable–at least not four in one game. For me last week’s lost against the Steelers was huge.  We had that game, and despite all the blame we can put on Reid for not mixing things up enough, we do have to look at Vick’s four fumbles (yes, I said four). One was ruled down and one called back, but the fact is he put the ball on the ground four times, and in two or three of those cases it wasn’t really excusable. The worst of course was the fumble in the end zone at first and goal. Now I don’t have a problem using Vick in that situation. Actually it was a good play–just hold on to the ball for dear life when you pass that line of scrimmage.

Changing Vick? Forget About It

Unlike some others who talk about training Vick to be a pocket passer, I’d rather just see him do what he does best. Break a few early runs forward to keep the defense guessing all game long.  The Eagles did this well against the Giants. Actually, the Eagles did a lot of things right against the Giants. The 2012 Eagles have so many weapons on offense it’s borderline ridiculous. So why are we in the basement in terms of scoring points?

More Balance = More Victories

It’s not just the Vick fumbles (and we have to call him out–he knows it more than anyone), but we need more balance on the offense. It’s not even just that we need to reach a certain percentage of runs to passes or a certain number of touches for Shady–although there are certainly numbers that Reid should strive for.  But it’s about mixing up the offense in ways that will actually surprise the other team. I’m not talking about a play-action deep pass on the first play of the game. I’m talking about running Vick a bit early, running Shady more early, and mixing in some screens and more passes to Celek.  That will keep the secondary honest and open up DeSean for longer routes. And let’s be honest, we haven’t seen enough of DeSean either, partially, I think, because the defense hasn’t had enough to worry about to get burned by him.

Karma

In any case, I guess it was a bit of karma that we lost with a closing field goal after squeaking out that win against the Giants. And maybe the loss against the Steelers will be the motivation the Eagles need to finally break out and start to get the kind of convincing wins they need to prove to the league that they are a real force to fear. Aside from improving the turnovers (which alone would turn our season from good to great), mixing up the offensive plays will really get Philly fans excited.

Lack of Sacks

One last change that needs to happen is that we simply need to get more sacks. Through Week 3 we only had 7.0 sacks.  So how many do we have going into Week 6? 7.0 sacks. That’s right–the Eagles have zero sacks in the past two games. Yes, we’ve had plenty of great pressure on the quarterback, but for a team that was tied for first in sacks last season, it doesn’t look good that we’re only better than the Jets, Raiders, and Jaguars through 5 weeks this year.

One moment that stuck out to me last week was a play that Babin had–but not pressure on the quarterback. I can’t even remember what the play was. I think he tracked down an open-field tackle or something. I remember it being a good play, but I also remember thinking it was strange to see him jumping around celebrating so much. At times you almost forget he’s on the field this year. That celebration was more of a reminder of his lack of sack production than anything else. And of course it’s not just Babin, it’s everybody. We also need to work on more blitzes to keep offenses honest.

Mix Things Up to Reach Elite

se. Mix things up and confuse the other teams a bit. If you are too predictable on offense or defense in the NFL, your success won’t last very long. The Eagles are on the cusp of being truly great this year. The offense is putting up yards but not points. The defense is mostly stifling but lacks that final bit of pressure to completely shut teams down.

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Another Tough Win for the Eagles–Top Giants 19-17

October 7th, 2012 Rocky

The Eagles toughed out a 19-17 win over their long-time division rival NY Giants in Week 4. As Philly fans we are quick to complain, and there were some shaky pieces to the game, notably special teams. But it’s time to start getting positive. The Eagles are sitting at 3-1. And what is the difference between this year and last year? We’re winning the close games.

Many fans are quick to point out that we could easily be 1-3 or even 0-4, but one of the biggest differences between good and bad teams (aside from the commonly cited turnover ratio), is the ability to win those close games that come down to the wire, no matter who the opponent is.

Think back to last year’s disaster season for a moment. Remember all of the blown fourth-quarter leads and the agonizing losses by a few points? Aside from the Patriots game and the embarrassing Thursday-night loss to the Seahawks that same week, all of the Eagles losses were decided by one score.

Want some more positives from last week? First, we rushed the ball more, and not only that, Reid stuck with the run even after the rush attack has essentially no success in the first half. Shady got 23 touches for 123 yards, most of those yards in the second half. Another plus for me, perhaps even bigger than Shady running more, is that Vick was getting back to his instinct of running forward rather than sideways and backwards. He had very few of those forced passes that killed us in the first few weeks. He saw openings and took them, grabbing 5 or 6 yards a pop. And as a bonus, he even managed to get out of bounds and avoid hits on a few of those runs.

The best benefit of Week 4? We wiped that goofy, smug smile off Eli’s mug. Any time you can send Eli home with an embarrassing performance is just icing on the cake. Where was Eli’s fourth-quarter comeback? People are quick to point to the offensive pass interference call, but let’s not forget that Eli’s last drive (actually couple of drives) was terrible. His passes all over the place. The only reason they were even close to field-goal range is because he got a couple of lucky pass-interference calls in his favor. And as usual, Eli through at least 2 interception balls that hit our corners in the hands and they just managed to drop them. I know that dropped interceptions happen every game, but Eli seems to get multiple freebies every week. I hope the Browns give them a run this week.

In any case, the Birds have some tough games ahead. We still have the Steelers, Falcons, Niners, and then some mid-range teams (and we play a few teams coming off the bye). And although the Saints have struggled, no one really expects them to keep that up all year. Their defense is pretty battered up, but that will be no walk in the park either.

Week 5′s game against the Steelers is huge for the Eagles. Sure, all indicators point to a Steelers win. They’re playing at home, coming off the bye, have their big names back and are otherwise healthy, and going 1-3 would be devastating for them. My instinct is to tell me that this will be a hard-fought, 24-21 type of game with the Eagles coming up short. But this year the Birds are starting to generate a different feeling. At the end of the game you just never know when Vick and the offense will break some plays and turn the score around.

The first thing is that we really have to tighten up our kick- and punt-return coverage (and we do have a couple cover guys back this week). I’m not saying we have to be best in the league, but let’s at least not look like the worst. We simply can’t let the Steelers start at the 40 all game long.

The other key, I think, is that we have to run the ball early like last week. The Steelers aren’t stopping the run as much as they were last year. How much of that is due to missing their big names and how much is due to other factors, such as aging players, is unclear. Regardless, we have to keep mixing things up early to open up the field. And just because their big names are back, doesn’t mean they’ll have a sharp game. A lot of times it takes a game to get back into rhythm, so maybe we can take advantage of a little rustiness on their side.

In the end, we really need the field to open up a bit by running early, because our offense certainly isn’t going to win this game on a physical level or by playing into their strong pass defense from the start. If we can keep them honest we can give DeSean that step he needs to break a couple big plays.

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Disgraceful Week 3 Showing Against the Cardinals

September 29th, 2012 Rocky

I would prefer not to even write about the Eagles no show against the Cardinals in Week 3, but there are some important points to consider as we move forward.

Beyond Vick’s Turnovers

The first drive looked incredibly sharp until we screwed it up in the red zone.  We know about Vick’s turnovers, which are getting ridiculous, but then again how many quarterbacks would perform well under that kind of pressure.

Duckin’ DeSean

But there was something else early on that not too many people have been talking about.  DeSean Jackson basically had a touchdown catch–that is, if he hadn’t flinched so bad that he almost took himself down a couple of yards short.

It looks even worse on the slow-motion replay, but this is no exaggeration. With a little bit of courage he was in the end zone.  Now I do understand that DeSean isn’t even close to big and that he was on a slant over the middle, but it’s not a good sign early on that he’s so afraid.  He hasn’t been hit too bad yet this year to be flinching like that.

Continued Woes Up Front

My second point is of course about the offensive line. This is really a shame because aside from this, the Birds have such a strong team this year. We can’t even evaluate our offense because Vick has no time to throw.

People are quick to point out how many quarterbacks have higher QB ratings than Vick (most of them), but how many would be right down there with Vick with that kind of pressure? The top 5 quarterbacks in terms of QB Rating are Matt Ryan, Big Ben, Kolb (of all people), Andy Dalton, and Christian Ponder.  How many of those names would be deep down in the list with more pressure?  Except for Big Ben and to a lesser extent Ryan, I think the other three would be buried.

Overcoming Our Deficiencies

1. Reading Defenses?

Now maybe if Vick’s strength was quickly reading defenses and unloading the ball we could survive a bit. Unfortunately, we know that’s not the case, so let’s move on.

2. QB Scrambles

Another way we could survive is by letting Vick use his instincts to scramble and run, keeping the defense more honest.  But between Reid and all of the press on how Vick hasn’t learned to slide, now Vick’s instincts aren’t to run. He still scrambles, but he’s now staying parallel in the background. This is a really bad sign for the Eagles.

3. Balancing the Offense

The third way that we could survive is by handing the ball off to Shady more, and we all know how that is going. Even though Shady’s touches have gone up a bit since Week 1, the offense is still unbalanced, particularly because we come out passing almost every week. Mix it up a little early on so Vick has more of a chance.

If a couple of these things don’t start to change, it’s going to be a grueling season moving on, especially given the tough schedule coming up.

Defense Not Off the Hook for Week 3

Our defense wasn’t too hot either this week.  Even if we take away the 7 points from the pick 6 at the end of the half, that’s still 20 points against Kolb and the Cardinals.  Granted, our D was on the field way too long and Fitzgerald is a beast, but we’re still not quite seeing some of the pressure on the QB that we did last year.

Through the first three games, we only have 7.0 sacks (compared to our opponents’ 9.0).  We have also only forced 2 fumbles and recovered 1.  We do have 5 picks, which is a nice start.  But the biggest red flag for me is the lack of sacks.  Now we did play a couple of good offensive lines with the Ravens and Cardinals, so we’ll have to see how this progresses.

Bottom line: We were out-muscled and out-played in almost every aspect of the game. Vick not running forward, DeSean ducking down at the 2, and our O-line letting Vick get manhandled all day (including a blind-sider to finish off one of the worst first halves by any team so far this season) were insults to injury.

Looking Forward to Week 4

Game 4 against the Giants is unpredictable (then again, when can we predict the Eagles these days?). To me the game comes down to whether our offensive line can step up a bit, whether Vick is willing to run forward more, and whether we can hit a couple deep balls against the Giants secondary.  I think the Giants have an edge on us at the line, so the difference is going to be whether Vick gets a couple big runs and throws.

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Eagles with Convincing Win over the Ravens–Even if Fans Can’t Accept It

September 23rd, 2012 Rocky

All week I’ve been listening to pessimistic Eagles fans calling into the local radio stations. The main focus was on the turnovers, and particularly Michael Vick’s turnovers.

Since I’m late with my Week 2 report, I’m going to keep it short. The Ravens are still one of the strongest teams in football.  Even if you don’t put them in the top five, they’d have to be close.  The Eagles beat them in a somewhat messy but hard-fought game.  And in the process, the Birds had nearly 500 yards of total offense and they put up 24 points against a still tenacious defense.

This Was a Good Win

We shouldn’t take anything away from this victory.  The Eagles won–and they looked better than they did against the Browns. It wasn’t perfect, but it was definitely an improvement from Week 1. And the bottom line is that it was a W against a good team.

The Turnovers Will Go Down

Remember, if anything, our turnovers will get better. For one thing, Shady isn’t going to keep losing a fumble per game. And even though Vick has started off rough, he’s got two games under his belt now and some of the rustiness is wearing off.  Even when he threw that pick in the end zone at the end of the first drive, remember that the entire drive was sharp as anything. The Eagles offense simply dominated the Ravens D on that drive and on a few others, making them look like school kids against pros at times.  Obviously, that wasn’t the case all game, but the Eagles offense is going to be a force to be reckoned with all year, just like last year.

The negativity that I constantly hear about Vick on the radio and in conversations with fans is getting ridiculous. He’s got a ton of talent and he’s a fighter. The biggest problem with Vick right now is that he’s got it in his head that he has to play safer and throw more.  That is not going to protect him.

Would You Rather Have Vick Hurt Passing or Vick Hurt Running?

Vick gets hit behind the line of scrimmage so much that he might be safer in the open field. Accept it–Vick can (and probably will) get hurt in the pocket or backfield just as easily as he can get hurt running forward.  Personally, I’d rather see him take those runs like he always has.  At least that way his interception numbers should go down a bit and he can break some big plays and keep defenses guessing. If he gets hurt, I’d rather him get hurt trying to make a big running play than because he got pounded 15 or 20 times in the backfield trying to throw the ball too much.

Looking Forward to Week 3

And in Week 3 against the Cardinals we’re going to see another true test of this. King Dunlap hasn’t looked great, but he’s out with an injury, so now the Eagles have an even bigger hole at left guard than before.  And the Cardinals have shown that their defense is for real this year.  Hopefully Vick will break to his left more this week, but in any case, he will be on the run.

 

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Vick Very Rusty as Eagles Squeak by Browns

September 9th, 2012 Rocky
Column Image for 2012 Eagles Week 1 Report

2012 Eagles Week 1 Report

Get That Rust off Your Shoulder

Michael Vick went 29/56 for 317 yards in the season opener versus Cleveland, but in the process he threw 4 interceptions and had a quarterback rating of just 51.0, according to ESPN’s box score.

Adding an uncharacteristic fumble by McCoy, the Eagles had 5 turnovers–not what Eagles fans want to see against one of the worst teams from 2011.  And Vick almost topped it off with a fifth interception in the Eagles final drive. Lucky for us, that ball was dropped, but Vick’s rustiness was apparent from start to finish.

So how did the Eagles even manage to squeak out a 17-16 win?

Terrible Opponent

For those of you who were fortunate enough to miss this mess of a game, we can thank Cleveland’s rookie starter Brandon Weedon for stinking more than Vick. Weedon through 4 interceptions of his own, and would have had 5 but Cromartie was so surprised to be thrown the ball that he barely missed a pick hat trick for the day.  Even when Weedon wasn’t throwing it to the Eagles secondary, he looked horrendous, throwing for just 188 yards with a dismal 5.1 quarterback rating. Some of his passes bounced into the turf what seemed miles from any receiver. Even his completed passes looked clumsy.

Still, Solid Defensive Effort by the Birds

Give much of the credit to the Eagles defensive line, which put steady pressure on the Browns offense throughout the game. They only had two sacks (one for Babin and one for Cox), but they had Weedon rattled on most plays.  On top of that, the Eagles had clearly prepared for Trent Richardson, who they held to just 39 yards on 19 attempts.

Key Questions Starting to Be Answered

DeMeco Ryans

More good news for the Eagles was the solid play of DeMeco Ryans, who had 5 tackles, including a couple of big ones. He also seemed in position and was moving well.  Although the Eagles weren’t playing a tough offense, the early positive signs help ease the preseason questions surrounding Ryans.

Eagles’ Secondary

Other big questions surrounding the Eagles involved the secondary and left offensive tackle.  With respect to the former, Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and Nate Allen came out strong. Each had a pair of picks, and Cromartie almost had a third.  Nnamdi Asomugha also stepped up with a huge hustle play to prevent a touchdown in the second half.  Whether the Eagles secondary will hold up against better offenses will only tell in the next few weeks.

Left Tackle

The Eagles have gone with King Dunlap to fill the painful hole left by Peters at left tackle. Dunlap has beastly size, but on several plays in the first half, he seemed to lose his leverage. He was often caught standing straight up, and despite having height and weight advantage, was run through. Hopefully as the season goes on his positioning and technique will improve.

Looming Questions

Still Not Enough Love for Shady

Although the Eagles came away with a win today, there are several alarming signs for Eagles fans. First, McCoy only had 20 touches, despite the clear struggles of Vick. It looks like the constant cries to give the ball to Shady more have not been heard. He ran for a buck ten, averaging 5.5 yards per carry (and the average could have easily been higher but at least one long run was called back).

Personally, I love how Michael Vick plays. He brings an intensity and potential for big plays. But McCoy is a bona fide star as well. He should be getting 25+ touches in a normal game, but when Vick is struggling, that’s even more reason to use him. Reid finally did shift in this direction in the final drive, but it was almost too little too late, leading to plenty of Fire Andy Reid chants on Twitter throughout the game.

Red-Zone Struggles

Another continuing question is the Eagles red-zone offense. Although the Eagles were barely even near the red zone today, it was nerve wracking to watch them when they were. In the final drive, Vick made a nice pass to Celek for a solid gain, and after the near pick in the end zone, made a safe pass for the winning touchdown. Those two plays looked so effortless, that it only makes you wonder why the Eagles continue to force long, risky passes instead of using their tight ends and running backs more.

Looking Forward to Week 2

The bottom line is that the Eagles pulled out a win, which is important because we lost a lot of those close games last year. The defense was solid but of course wasn’t tested very much, at least in the passing game. The offense was simply sloppy. Except for McCoy and a mostly solid game by Maclin (96 yards but a couple of key mistakes), it’s hard to see how the Eagles will manage much at all next week against the Ravens’ stingy defense.

Of course, it’s not too surprising that Vick was making mistakes–when you don’t play in the preseason, the first few games become your preseason. Hopefully he can get that rust off his shoulders by getting in plenty of reps this week.

But it’s not just that some of his throws were mechanically questionable (a couple of shaky sidearm attempts were especially notable). Most alarming was that Vick was throwing into double and triple coverage throughout the game, throwing across his body, and forcing too many passes. If he doesn’t sharpen up soon, it’s going to be a long game next week.

 

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Why the Union Lost to the Dynamo

June 30th, 2012 Rocky

The Union just went down 2-1 in a tough loss to the Houston Dynamo tonight. I was on Twitter for most of the second half, and I couldn’t help but notice the fan vision that was going on.

I am victim of this thinking too. It’s easy to see the game through the lens of your own team. We see all of the missed calls and calls that don’t go our way. But for whatever reason tonight I was able to keep a clear head, and it was pretty easy to see the two reasons why the Union lost this game.

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