WHAT the hell was that?!
EAGLES 18 – Browns 18
Passing: QB Tanner McKee (10/18 – 55.5% – 147 – 1 – 0)
Rushing: RB Trey Sermon (5 – 54 – 10.8 – 1 – 1)
Receiving: TE Tyree Jackson (2 – 41 – 20.5 – 0)
Defensive Leader: MLB Nakobe Dean (3 –0.0 – 0 – 1)
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The broad strokes are usually covered by lots of other publications and podcasts. You can go a hundred places and read the same four or five bullet points, mentioned in ninety-seven of those places. Stats aside, what about the Four Things you came here to review, right? Let’s see if we scored a HIT or a MISS on the areas I discussed.
1) Play the Starters: On Defense, only three of our presumed starters, Dean, DT Jordan Davis (no stats), SS 1A Terrelle Edmunds (4 tackles) opened the game. Dean forced a fumble inside the five yard line, which was recovered by SS 1B K’Von Wallace (7 tackles), stopping Cleveland’s first offensive drive.
No starters appeared on Offense, unless you happen to be in the camp that thinks RB Kenneth Gainwell (2 – 6 – 3.0 – 0 – 0) should start over RB D’Andre Swift. Swift didn’t even dress. (Throat clear) Not hard to read those tea leaves is it? MISS
2) Be the Aggressors: That’s a big ol’ nope-a-rooni on that one, good buddy. We sent no messages in this one. Tooth-rattling hits and savage blocks were nowhere to be seen, on a night where we surrendered 6 sacks, and saw Gainwell tackled in our end zone for a safety. The Defensive Line tried to bring heat, but they were too often hung out to dry, by loose and toothless coverage. MISS
3) Better QB Play: QB Marcus Mariota (9/17 – 52.9% – 86 – 0 – 1) looked awful. Trying to force himself to be a pocket passer (he only ran once, for 5 yards), he was totally out of his element. He lacks the accuracy, timing, mechanics, familiarity with the system, and read-skills needed, to be 1-2-3 dropback guy.
Tanner McKee got the ball out with more urgency than Mariota. He put the ball in some tight windows, hitting receivers in the hands. This week, he also did a much better job of not being a statue behind his Offensive Line. Those are ALL improvements on last week, and that’s all you want out of a rookie third stringer.
That said, while he looked fine as a rookie going against third stringers, anyone suggesting that he be elevated over Mariota, needs to have their blood sugar checked. There is too much McKee doesn’t know about the NFL, to put him one injury away from having to guide this franchise. Unforced error: Not playing QB Ian Book. HIT
4) More Defense: Tighter pass coverage and more contested balls, were the hopes. While this week’s completion percentage allowed (51%) was better than last week’s (61.2%), it still felt like opposing receivers gashed us for first downs, at will. Statistically the improvement looks great on paper, but anyone who actually witnessed that travesty, will tell you otherwise. MISS
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Who Looked Good:
QB Tanner McKee: (See above) – There are gives and takes to judging his situation, so instead of guesstimating, let’s just look at what was produced. Several of his passes that found hands, were dropped. So he should have been 13/18 (72.2%) or 14/18 (77.7%).
TE Brady Russell: (1 – 22 – 22.0 – 1) – Whether catching a TD, making a block, or making a tackle on Special Teams, Russell was pumped to be out there. Even doing the dirty work. The numbers don’t favor him sticking, but guys like him are necessary.
LB Zach Cunningham: (7 – 0.0 – 0 – 0) – Yet again he was where he needed to be, in order to make stops. He’s a seasoned pro, and teams are running vanilla packages right now. So for him, this is shooting fish on dry land.
Who Looked Bad:
QB Marcus Mariota: (See above) – He looks like the product of years of bad coaching, because that’s exactly what he is. Then again so was Micheal Vick when he first got here. Remember when people thought Jeff Garcia was washed up, after his stints in Detroit and Cleveland? Then he came here, got better coaching, and people put him on t-shirts. So relax. Mariota has NEVER been in better hands. Pro OR college.
RB Kenneth Gainwell: (See above) – It wasn’t THAT, he was tackled in the end zone for a safety. It was HOW, he was tackled in the end zone for a safety. He looked small. Helpless. Unable to defend himself. He was dead on contact. Kenneth will gain well if you block a nice hole for him, but he cannot force an issue on his own.
DC Sean Desai – Poor tackling. Coverage didn’t help the pass rush. We spent the night re-acting, instead of dictating the action. The Defense never gave the impression of evolving or learning. The knock on Jonathan Gannon, whom Desai replaced, was that he wouldn’t make adjustments. With the Desai, the question is: Can he make them?
On The Whole:
This game has me worried about the season. Not because of what happened on the field, but because of what didn’t. Remember being the underdog? Remember the “rent being due every day”? Remember when our players were hungry dogs? Take an honest look fellow fans. These Eagles don’t look hungry. They look very, VERY comfortable.
I’m sure the arguers against playing starters will point to the loss of CB Zech MacPhearson, DT Moro Ojomo, and WR Tyrie Cleveland as the reason starters don’t even suit up. Which would make sense if injuries were based on use; as in X number of snaps, automatically equals an injury. However, that’s not how it works.
Football players have said for decades, there is no way to get in football shape, besides playing football. I can tell you firsthand, that is an ironclad fact. The only way to shake off the rust of not playing, is to play. Period. There is no substitute for football. It’s why you see football players accomplish feats that other athletes don’t even attempt. Not preparing right, feels like we’re setting ourselves up for failure.
This preseason has the feel of Rocky III, where Rock was training in the hotel, pausing to pose for pictures, and turning his prep into a mockery.
And he was subsequently dismissed in humiliating fashion, by Clubber Lang.
See anything familiar?
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