Do you remember the Miracle in the New Meadowlands? Do you remember the heart in which the 2010 Philadelphia Eagles played with? Do you remember The Michael Vick Experience?
It’s 2012 now. Both the Philadelphia Eagles and NY Giants are 2-1. The Giants are the defending Superbowl Champions and are hot coming off of two straight wins after losing their home opener to the Dallas Cowboys. The Eagles are coming off an 8-8 season and an embarrassing loss to the Arizona Cardinals, where the only points scored by the team came off of two field goals by Alex Henery. The confidence they Eagles played with in 2010 is hard to muster. The heart the team was chanting about in the video above is barely beating. And Andy Reid, in his day-after press conference, is now questioning whether or not Michael Vick is his starter.
First of all, I just want to pay my respects to the greatest Eagle of my generation, Brian Dawkins. He will be welcomed to Lincoln Financial Field this Sunday night and will have his number 20 retired in a ceremonious fashion. Congratulations B-Dawk! You will always remain a Philadelphia Eagle!
And now to the matter at hand: the Sunday Night Prime Time matchup against the NFC East Division rivals – Eagles vs. Giants.
First of all, let’s talk about the injuries. The Giants will see the return of 2 key players: Hakeem Nicks and Ahmad Bradshaw. The Eagles will have Jeremy Maclin back, but they are still without King Dunlap at Left Tackle and Jason Kelce at Center. Since last November, the Eagles are 7-0 in games in which they’ve had Maclin’s services and are 0-3 in games Maclin has missed.
Here are some of the keys to the game:
1) Limiting Turnovers – Yes! I said it for the third week in a row! It’s pretty important considering the Eagles lead the league with 12 turnovers – 9 caused by Michael Vick alone! Turnovers are so important to the game that they seem to have caused a quarterback controversy. It’s not all Vick’s fault though. He’s playing behind a very inexperienced and shaky offensive line. At the same time, Michael Vick has to lead this team to victory with as few turnovers as possible. The focus for the Eagles on offense will be giving Vick enough time to distribute the ball to his various weapons, especially against the Giant’s defensive line that features Osi Umenyiora, Justin Tuck, and Jason Pierre Paul. The plus side is that the turnovers have been cut down from 5 in the first game against the Browns, to 4 against the Ravens, and 3 against the Cardinals.
2) Run the Ball – Andy Reid and Marty Mornhinweg have to call a better game than what they did against the Cardinals last week! 5 rushing plays in the first half; 13 total against the Cardinals. LeSean McCoy needs the ball this week, and the Eagles simply cannot wait until late in the game to start giving it to him. McCoy has a history against the Giants, having topped the 100-yard rushing mark in three of his last four games against the Giants. It’s also a personal rivalry for McCoy, who has clashed with Giants defensive end Osi Umenyiora, most recently calling him a ballerina. Also, the Giants have allowed 6.51 yards per play on defense, which ranks 31st in the entire league.
3) Utilize Brent Celek – Corey Webster and second-year man Prince Amukamara man the outside corner spots, and they’ll have to contend with Jackson and Maclin deep. This could be another opportunity for tight end Brent Celek, the team’s leading receiver this season, to make a big impact.
What worries me about the Giants?
1) Their Offense – Eli Manning already has 1,011 passing yards in the first three weeks of the season to lead the league. And he has a healthy receiving core that features Hakeem Nicks, Victor Cruz, and their new tight end, Martellus Bennett. At running back, Ahmad Bradshaw returns, and Giants head coach, Tom Coughlin, will look to utilize his three-headed monsters the way he did back in 2007. The Giants backup running-backs – Andre Brown, who had a career day rushing for 113 yards and two touchdowns against Carolina, and first-round draft pick David Wilson. The Eagles defense needs to return to its form from the first two games this season and shut down this offense.
2) Jason Pierre Paul – The Eagles had their chance to draft this phenom, but passed up their opportunity for Brandon Graham, who in his third year, is trying to shake the label of “1st round bust.” JPP had 16.5 sacks in 2011 and has picked up right where he left off with 1.5 sacks in the 2012 season. No excuses here; the offensive line has to game plan really hard for this guy!
The outcome?
This is a tough one. The Giants are giving me heartburn, and there’s not enough Pepto to get me through until Monday morning. I’m going to be realistic and say that if the Eagles manage to limit the turnovers and drive down the field, they should win in a shootout. If they continue to commit turnovers and repeat last week’s performance, not only will the Eagles lose against the Giants, but don’t be surprised to see Andy Reid bench Michael Vick for rookie Nick Foles. Vick has been put on notice.
Time’s yours . . .
Original Story:
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Philly...
|
September 26, 2012
