So much for time off. The Eagles get back into action this week against the winless Tampa Bay Buccaneers. This game will be a cakewalk. The Eagles are much better talent-wise and the Bucs are starting a very young quarterback. There is no way they'll win. To quote Vizzini from "The Princess Bride," it would be "inconceivable."
There was a similar situation back in Week 7 of the 2006 season. We had the better team and Tampa had the young quarterback playing. So what happened? Tampa won. Ronde Barber ran back two interceptions for touchdowns and Matt Bryant kicked a 62-yard field goal at the end of the game. The final score was 23-21. That was a shattering loss. There is just no way you give up two pick-sixes to the defense and then lose on the third-longest kick in the history of pro football. That would be … inconceivable.
That's the magic of the NFL. You never know what it going to happen in a game. One team gets sloppy and the other one makes some clutch plays and suddenly the obvious outcome is out the door. The Eagles face a situation this Sunday where they should win. That was also the case against Kansas City. The Eagles played at a high level from the beginning and put that game out of reach. That's what good teams should do when playing lesser opponents.
In the past, we've seen some Eagles teams that played down to the competition. Last year's game in Cincinnati was torturous. If this year's Eagles want to be a good team all year long they should go out and win solidly against Tampa. Be the bully. Go score points early and completely shut down their offense.
I watched the Bucs loss to Washington last Sunday. That had to be a very frustrating game for Redskins fans. They were clearly more talented, but didn't play like it and kept Tampa in the game until the end. I was pulling hard for the Bucs to win the game, but they were just too fragile. They needed everything to go right. Unfortunately, it didn't and they lost.
The Bucs have undergone a lot of change in the last couple of years. Monte Kiffin no longer runs the defense. Tampa no longer uses the Tampa 2. How weird is that? Jon Gruden and Jeff Garcia are gone from the offense.
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The Bucs do have some good pieces in place, but they lack the signature players that made them so good for a decade. Young guys like defensive end Gaines Adams, middle linebacker Barrett Ruud, and safety Tanard Jackson have the potential to develop into top-shelf defenders. Guard Davin Joseph is a talented, athletic blocker. When healthy, Cadillac Williams is a good running back, with both power and speed. Veteran pass catchers Kellen Winslow, Jr. and Antonio Bryant can be major playmakers at times.
Tampa is in the middle of rebuilding. They are working with a pair of young quarterbacks in Josh Johnson and Josh Freeman. Johnson started last week and will lead the offense against us. He is talented, but is only a second-year player and is only making his second start. Johnson came from a small college, San Diego (not to be confused with San Diego State), and his transition to the pro game is a work in progress. He played well last week for most of the game, but was really playing the role of game manager. He only threw for 106 yards. Wide receivers caught just five passes. Running backs had six catches. Young quarterbacks like to throw to running backs because those are shorter, safer passes. Johnson threw for one touchdown. He was picked off once and fumbled on the Bucs' final drive of the game. I came away impressed with his potential, but Johnson has got to be more aggressive as a passer. He can't be reluctant to throw out wide or downfield. He is a good athlete. Johnson ran seven times for 41 yards. That's something we'll have to account for.
The Tampa defense has been dreadful this year. They are 31st in the league in yards allowed. I'm not sure if they got better last week or the Washington offense is so bad that the Bucs just looked better. Tampa came up with four takeaways, including three interceptions by cornerback Aqib Talib. Linebackers Geno Hayes and Quincy Black played well, really flying to the ball. I was also impressed with rookie defensive tackle Roy Miller. There are two major problems for Tampa, covering receivers and making good tackles in the open field.
Jackson missed the first four games due to a suspension. Getting him back will make a major difference. He is a good tackler. A lot of fans don't appreciate the importance of a good tackler in the middle of the field. Brian Dawkins would save us at least one touchdown a year where he would tackle a runner or receiver who appeared headed to the end zone. Dawkins made a huge tackle late in Denver's win last week that prevented a touchdown and had a major impact on the outcome of the game. Quintin Mikell is a very good open field tackler. Macho Harris looks to be the same. He made a very good stop on Jeremy Shockey in the open field a couple of weeks back that forced a punt. Tampa players have done a horrible job of tackling players this year and that has led to them getting burned by a lot of big plays.
Even with Jackson's return I think Jason Avant and DeSean Jackson could have big games on Sunday. Both guys have good RAC ability and work the middle of the field well. Jackson has four consecutive games with long touchdowns if you go back to the playoffs. I won't be surprised if that streak gets extended. Avant lacks explosive speed, but is a tough guy to tackle.
The man getting them the ball will be Donovan McNabb. He will not be at 100 percent, but McNabb feels good enough to play and wants to get back on the field. I know some fans wonder if that is the smart thing. Some people feel it would be prudent to err on the side of caution. There is logic to that, but McNabb needs to get on the field. He needs to get going so that he will be in midseason form when NFC East games start in a couple of weeks. You don't want a rusty quarterback playing in those matchups. That would be playing with fire.
You can bet that McNabb and Andy Reid feel comfortable with the situation or it wouldn't happen. Reid isn't about to rush his star quarterback's return from an injury. Kevin Kolb could easily start if needed. Reid must think, as I do, that McNabb needs the game experience to get ready for the critical months of November and December. I'm sure Kolb will be ready to take over if McNabb's injury bothers him in a noticeable way. Reid also has Michael Vick at his disposal. He's now been an Eagle for almost two months and should have a pretty good feel for the playbook. If we can get a lead in this game it would be smart to get Vick some playing time as a conventional quarterback, as well as having him run some of the Wildcat package.
I normally want Reid to come out running with Brian Westbrook and LeSean McCoy. Not this week. Opposing passers have a rating of more than 100 against Tampa. This is a team to attack through the air. It will be interesting to see what kind of effect Brent Celek's hot start has. Will defenses start to focus on him and leave holes in the deeper areas? Or will teams figure that Celek is the lesser of two evils and let him have his catches? When you face a team with enough weapons you do sort of have to pick your poison.
Sean McDermott and the defense need to come out aggressive from the start and never let up. You rattle young quarterbacks with pressure. In two of the first three games we've stacked the line of scrimmage with defenders and really attacked. I'm sure that is what the Bucs are planning for. The thing we have to be careful with is Johnson's ability to scramble.
When you play man coverage that forces defenders to focus on the receivers they are chasing all over the field. Quarterbacks can then take off running and have a second or two before any of the back seven players know they're on the run. McDermott can use zone coverages most of the time or he can choose a player to spy on Johnson. Either way, his running has to be accounted for.
The thing we're all most interested to see is Jeremiah Trotter's return to the Eagles (and the NFL). Trotter sat out last year and was a seldom-used role player with Tampa in 2007. Apparently that time off and some surgery were just what the doctor ordered. Trotter looked really good in his workouts for the Eagles. That's how he got the job.
Listen, I know we were all skeptical when we initially heard that Trotter was getting a look. That seemed – inconceivable (""I don't think you know what that word means.""). I was shocked when we heard that the initial workout went well. It went so well that the team did another workout and brought an offensive player for him to cover and go up against. Trotter was even better.
I'm sure some people think this is borderline crazy. We'll see. It isn't like the Eagles had James Willis, Byron Evans, Britt Hager, and Mike Richenbach out there with him. The team didn't invite all former MIKE linebackers to give it a go. Trotter is only 32. He left the league because he couldn't run anymore. He sold Reid on the notion of a workout and then Trotter showed enough to get his foot back in the door. Wild story.
What can we expect from the Axeman? He will give us a physical presence in the middle of the defense. Beyond that I have no idea. He looked about 132 years old at times in the playoff loss to the Saints at the end of the 2006 season. I hope that his legs are in a lot better shape and that Trotter is able to look like the guy that played so well as recently as 2004 and 2005. McDermott will platoon Trotter and Omar Gaither, trying to get the best out of each player. You can be sure the Bucs will try to exploit each guy's weakness. They will run at Gaither and go outside when Trotter is in the game.
If the pass rush can fluster Johnson and the back part of the defense is able to tackle well Tampa will have a hard time sustaining drives and scoring points. The two X-factors are field position and turnovers. We need to keep them pinned back as much as possible. McNabb has to be smart and accurate with his throws. McCoy and the other skill players need to hold the ball tightly when defenders close in. I don't see the Bucs winning this game without some help from the Eagles.
I enjoyed the bye week, but I'm itching to see the guys in action again, especially that crazy old guy wearing No. 54.
