Eagles Perch

Westbrook Misses Practice

Ben Zubak — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 19:28:06 +0000

Eagles RB/Concussion Victim Brian Westbrook missed practice today, and is listed as questionable for this Sunday's game with the Dallas Cowboys. However, Andy Reid suggested that he would indeed play after getting two days of practice on Friday and Saturday. The Eagles have done this before with the oft-injured running back. Westbrook is expected to split carries with rookie LeSean McCoy.

Showdown with the Cowboys

Ben Zubak — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 20:12:33 +0000

Brian Westbrook returned to practice today, medically cleared and "good to go" for this weekend's matchup with the Dallas Cowboys. Kevin Curtis, Victor Abiamiri, and Chris Gocong all missed practice today.

This game is for first place in the NFC East so maybe it's good that Westbrook isn't getting as many carries as in years past. I mean, he looks fast and his quickness is still there, but he's still 30 years old and the grind of a full NFL season can't be easy. We are going to need Westbrook out there and healthy for the final 8 games, looking quick and making defenders miss, or we're going to have a tough time making a deep playoff run.

What Does This Win Mean?

Ben Zubak — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 20:51:02 +0000

Most of us are pretty happy with the Eagles win over the Giants. I know I am. But what does a win like that mean? I think the answer may surprise you.
First off, we are now first place in the division, which is good. The stakes are higher now with each coming game, and our schedule isn't easy. As we all know, up next is a visit from the Dallas Cowboys, who aren't a great team, but division games always scare me. After that is road trip to San Diego and Chicago. San Diego is a team like us that can score on any play. We've done a good job against them in the past, but that was when they were a run-first team. Phillip Rivers has evolved into a really scary quarterback. We had trouble with Chicago when Kyle Orton or Rex Grossman was the quarterback, let alone Jay Cutler.
Don't misunderstand me, I like our chances. We need to become a more consistent football team. We're never going to be the Colts or Saints, but we can't go from losing to the Raiders to trouncing the Giants. We have to find our identity, and our offensive line gelling is helping us tremendously. We are now the team to beat and that comes with a lot of responsibility, including a target on our back. Donovan McNabb played well this past weekend, but I am not convinced he is back to being an elite quarterback. We are on our way, but I don't think we're quite there yet.

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Injury Update

Ben Zubak — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 18:53:08 +0000

As we know by now, Brian Westbrook suffered a concussion during this past Monday's game against the Redskins. He is unlikely to play this weekend against the Giants but Coach Reid isn't totally ruling him out. The Eagles placed MLB Omar Gaither on injured reserve this week after his foot injury, so they signed running back P.J. Hill from the Saints practice squad. DeSean Jackson, Victor Abiamiri, Dimitri Patterson, and Kevin Curtis were all held out of practice, but most of them are likely to play this weekend.

Eagles – Redskins Review

Ben Zubak — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 19:16:09 +0000

Now before we get all excited, keep in mind this wasn't a great game. The Eagles jumped out in front early and the Redskins just couldn't recover, but it wasn't for lack of trying. The Washington franchise as a whole seems to be out of whack. This doesn't excuse us for our poor play. Things we need to change asap after the jump.The shotgun formation. Abolished. Please. Donovan McNabb has played his entire professional career under center (except the rare shotgun plays, please don't correct me). His timing is (mostly) down to a science. When you put him in shotgun in situations that don't call for it he is even less accurate than usual. His passes were all over the place last night and he never got truly comfortable with the receivers. Even that bomb to DeSean Jackson was underthrown. Please let's get rid of this now, and the Wildcat nonsense isn't really working. Stop that as well. Please.

Jackson and Maclin are looking really good, huh? 5 catches for 53 yards for Maclin is a solid day. He didn't have the flash that Jackson had with his two big plays, but if Maclin wasn't blocking downfield, Jackson doesn't score on that reverse at the beginning.

How great is it having Todd Herremans back? That left side dominated almost the entire game. Westbrook was running really well until London Fletcher knocked him out of the game with a patented Ric Flair knee-to-head move. The ref didn't see it because he was distracted by the Iron Sheik.

The defense played like I expected. What I didn't expect was a stat line like the one Will Witherspoon had. I knew he was athletic, and I know he's a savvy veteran. But 8 tackles, 1 sack, 1 forced fumble, 1 INT returned for a TD?! Wow! Stewart Bradley wasn't that kind of playmaker! We'll see how he is the rest of the way but that was a heck of a debut for that man. The defense had 6 sacks on the night, including 2 for Trent Cole. He is on pace for 14 sacks on the year! Besides Quintin Mikell the defense backs were pretty quiet last night. They allowed too many passes over the middle (and yes that's just as much a fault of the linebackers). We got a gift with Chris Cooley being out, and Fred Davis had a great day against us. That's not good.

Overall we played alright. Andy Reid has too many wrinkles in his gameplan. The simple West Coast offense is gone and now we have a quick strike, big play offense. That is good, but I doubt it nets us a Lombardi trophy in February.

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Injury Report: Monday Night

Ben Zubak — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 20:14:56 +0000

For the upcoming game tonight versus the Washington Redskins, we have a very big injury report. 4 Eagles are listed as 'out': Victor Abiamiri, Kevin Curtis, Omar Gaither, and Dimitri Patterson. Gaither is out for the year (hence the Will Witherspoon trade), and Curtis had his knee scoped (a minor surgery, as per Andy Reid). Jason Peters, Todd Herremans, and Max Jean-Gilles are 'questionable' but all 3 should play. There are a ton of 'probable' players like Jeremy Maclin, Donovan McNabb, Nick Cole, Brian Westbrook, Antonio Dixon, Sheldon Brown, Brodrick Bunkley, and Will Witherspoon (they all will play).

The Redskins' list of injuries is much shorter, Chris Samuels is out for the year and could possibly be forced to retire due to a neck injury. Albert Haynesworth and Clinton Portis are questionable but are likely to play. This is bad news for our middle linebackers Jeremiah Trotter and Will Witherspoon. Trotter is still getting up to game speed but knows the system. Witherspoon, on the other hand, is quick and ready but isn't familiar with the system yet.

I'd expect to see a fair number of players get more time than usual. Watch for Reggie Brown, Antonio Dixon, and Jason Babin to get extended looks because of injuries. We need good play up front to disrupt Jason Campbell. Campbell is an average quarterback so far this year, but we all know he plays much better against the Eagles. I for one am not taking this game very lightly and after the Raiders debacle last week, neither should the Eagles.

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3 & OUT

Victor Valles — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 19:21:07 +0000

Has anyone seen or heard from the Tennessee Titans this year? In 2008, this team cruised to an NFL-best 13-3 regular season record, only to get bounced in the divisional round by the S.D. Chargers. Apparently they are not as solid as they were in '08. This year the team has started 0-6. At present, this team is on pace to post a -304 point differential. I refuse to believe that Albert Haynesworth is that much of a difference maker; after all, the Redskins are only 2-4. Jeff Fisher may not be the coaching stud that I billed him as earlier in the year. After 15 seasons in Houston/Tennessee, Fisher has only posted a +.500 record 6 times. That's really not so good.

In my divisional breakdown, I predicted that the AFC West could be wrapped up by mid-season. That prediction is well on its way to materializing. The only glitch is the team I picked. The Broncos have opened up a 3.5 game lead on the Chargers; including divisional wins at San Diego and at Oakland. If this team can get wins in their next two games (at Baltimore, vs. Pittsburgh), then they can start printing playoff tickets.

San Francisco head coach Mike Singletary has gone on record announcing that holdout receiver Michael Crabtree could START this week against Houston. It's week 7; this guy just ended his holdout. But he's an amazing physical specimen, has been studying the playbook, and has been working hard. I wouldn't be surprised to see a big immediate impact. Expect Shaun Hill's numbers to improve with Crabtree opposite Isaac Bruce. Crabtree may give the Niners the ability to pull away from the Cardinals and Seahawks.

Salute To The Champs

Ben Zubak — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 19:19:38 +0000

Hats off to the other Philadelphia team, the Phillies. They who are headed to their second consecutive World Series. I would be remiss if I didn't mention this historic feat. It couldn't be with a better group of guys, either. Speaking of a great group of guys (and girls), head over to the Courier Post's Red Phever for more!

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Injury Woes

Ben Zubak — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 18:22:05 +0000

It was just announced that MLB Omar Gaither will miss the rest of the season with a Lisfranc foot sprain. This injury will require surgery. We missed Gaither last game versus the Raiders when Jeremiah Trotter was burned by Zach Miller for a long TD. Trotter will improve, and Will Witherspoon will help as well, but Omar Gaither knew the defense and was ready to go.

In other news, Kevin Curtis got a second opinion on his knee today. This news does not bode well for his return. He has missed the last 3 games and really hasn't been himself since the injury last season. Jeremy Maclin is getting comfortable in his role as the second receiver but having a proven veteran like Curtis was a much needed safety blanket (to me).

What Will Witherspoon Means To You

Ben Zubak — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 18:46:44 +0000

So Andy Reid has put newest Eagle Will Witherspoon in the starting lineup in the middle. Omar Gaither is out (I assume) and Will is in. Will Witherspoon was drafted in 2002 by the Carolina Panthers. He started as a rookie and didn't leave the starting lineup until 2006 when he was picked up by the Rams. He is known for his closing speed and pursuit. His stats aren't amazing, but they're solid and he'll rake up the tackles for Philadelphia. 19 career sacks and 8 career interceptions say he's usually in the right place to make a play and that's really what we need.

This means that Jeremiah Trotter will play sparingly until he shows he's ready. Don't get me wrong, he's looked really good out there on running plays, and really bad on passing plays. This will, however, create an interesting dilemma for the offseason. Stewart Bradley is the unquestioned leader of this defense and he will be the starter next year. That leaves Jeremiah Trotter, Omar Gaither, and now Will Witherspoon to fight for a backup job? I'll be interested to see what we decide to do for next season... But nevermind that, we're talking about this season! Will Witherspoon will be an asset for us moving forward. He should be much better over the middle, which is essential for us playing in the NFC East with all those great tight ends. He can also play the run, and together with our run-stuffing defensive line, we should be fine against the run too.

In conclusion, look for our new #50 to be around the ball a lot, especially this Monday Night against the Redskins. Washington's passing game isn't great, so look to see a lot of Clinton Portis and Ladell Betts.

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