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Topic: EAGLES - NFC CHAMPIONSHIP ANALYSIS - THE EXORCISM (Read 300 times) |
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EAGLES - NFC CHAMPIONSHIP ANALYSIS - THE EXORCISM
« on: Jan 16th, 2004, 11:46am » |
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Two years ago the Eagles won their division, dispatched the Tampa Bay Bucs with relative ease in the Wild Card game, handled an overrated Chicago Bears team in the Divisional Play-off game, and moved onto the NFC Championship game with the St. Louis Rams. The Rams were a heavy favorite, but the Eagles hung tight and had a chance to win the game late in the fourth quarter. On a critical play, McNabb fired a pass to a rookie wideout named Freddie Mitchell. Mitchell ran the wrong pattern and allowed Aeneas Williams to intercept the ball, ending the Eagles chances that season.
Last year, the Eagles again won their division, this time securing a first-round bye. In the Divisional Play-off game, the Eagles soundly beat an upstart Atlanta Falcons club who, the week prior, had ended the Green Bay play-off mystique at Lambeau Field. The Eagles were favored to win the NFC Championship game (in the last-ever NFL game at Veterans Stadium) against the Tampa Bay Bucs, a team they had owned in recent history. On the opening kickoff, Brian Mitchell scampered 70 yards to set up an early TD by Duce Staley. The Eagles and their fans were exuberant, knowing that the Super Bowl was a reality. However, before long, Joe Jurevicius was galloping 71 yards after grabbing a short pass across the middle and Mike Alstott finished the drive with a short TD plunge. The Eagles were able to gather themselves a bit in the second half before Ronde Barber picked off a Donovan McNabb pass near the goal line and sprinted the 92 yards to paydirt to seal the deal.
The Eagles now return to the NFC Championship for their third year in a row. The Eagles have some demons to exorcise this year: demons of Championships past who continue to haunt the Eagles and their fans. However, this Eagles squad is different. They are not the wide-eyed bunch who lost two years ago. They are not the cocky overconfident bunch who lost last year. They are the experienced, focused bunch who continue to find ways to win with a team that has faced adversity at nearly every turn in 2003-2004. They are a team who may not be as talented as the previous two, but they have an insatiable hunger for a Super Bowl victory. Nothing less is acceptable for the team, or the fans.
Their opponents? The Carolina Panthers. A team who traveled below the radar of many during the 2003 season and surprised a talented (yet poorly coached) St. Louis Rams team a week ago. The Panthers boast the most talented and dominating defensive front four in the NFL. Of the four, however, only Brentson Buckner has play-off experience. They feature a bruising RB in Stephen Davis (who is still questionable for the game with a strained quad) and a speedy second-year back i DeShaun Foster. They have one of the rising stars of the NFL at WR in Steve Smith, a cocky player who walks his talk. Finally, they have the mystery man at QB in Jake Delhomme. He started the season on the bench, but has taken the reins and inspired the confidence of the rest of the team.
The Eagles met the Panthers during the regular season and came away with a 25-16 win on the road. However, Carolina kicker John Kasay self-destructed in the game, missing an extra point and three field goals. That game was played by two different Eagles and Panthers teams, so it bears little relevance now.
The Panthers are the better team at the line of attack. They should be able to control the time of possession and gain a good deal of yards on the ground, regardless of which back plays. The Eagles should be able to force Carolina to make some mistakes. Look for a back and forth game that will be decided in the fourth quarter.
PROJECTIONS:
QB: McNabb stepped up when it mattered last week and carried the team on his back with more than 100 rushing yards, a key TD to Pinkston on a broken play, and the legendary 4th and 26 completion to force overtime. He will be harrassed again this week and his ability to keep from turning the ball over will be key.
McNabb: 24-41 275 yards, 2 TDs, 8 carries-64 yards
RB: Admittedly, the Eagles ran less than they should have last weekend. Carolina may not give them the opportunity to run any more this week. Regardless, Duce Staley will be an important player for the Eagles offense. He will be called upon to block and serve as a safety-valve receiver for McNabb.
Staley: 7 carries-31 yards, 4 catches-37 yards, 1 TD
Buckhalter: 5 carries-11 yards, 1 catch-4 yards
WR: The unit has been a question mark the entire season, yet has come on of late with Todd Pinkston stringing together a nice series of games and Freddie Mitchell picking the team up with key receptions. The Carolina secondary has been very suspect this season and can be taken advantage of if McNabb gets the time to throw. (Watch for a possible Freddie Mitchell pass attempt off a reverse during the game.)
Pinkston: 4 catches-61 yards, 1 TD
Thrash: 5 catches-49 yards, 1 carry-11 yards
Mitchell: 3 catches-55 yards
TE: Lewis and Smith each had key grabs during the game last week and should serve a similar role this week.
Smith: 3 catches-47 yards
Lewis: 2 catches-18 yards
K: David Akers missed an early FG at the treacherous end of the stadium last week, but redeemed himself with two other FGs (at the same end of the stadium) to send the game into OT and to win it. Akers is clutch and won't be intimidated by the stage.
Akers: 3-3 XP, 2-3 FG (misses a long attempt at the end of the half)
Defense: Bend, but don't break has been the order of business for the Eagles. They continue to allow big games to opposing RBs, but keep them out of the endzone when it counts. Look for Davis/Foster to run well, only to be denied the endzone. The pass defense should be bolstered by the return of Troy Vincent.
Defense: 13 points allowed, 160 rush yards allowed, 200 pass yards allowed, 2 INTs, 1 FR, 1 sack
Final Score:
Panthers 13
Eagles 27
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| « Last Edit: Jan 16th, 2004, 11:47am by Philly » |
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UFF Primetime Prophet
# 29
Pay, I said pay attention, son.
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Re: EAGLES - NFC CHAMPIONSHIP ANALYSIS - THE EXORC
« Reply #6 on: Jan 19th, 2004, 10:20pm » |
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on Jan 19th, 2004, 8:51pm, DOLFAN wrote:The Eagles got slammed. Their offense is veru different w/o Westbrook. No excuses though they got spanked on both sides. The CAR DEF dominated.
Yes CAR is that good. I wont use Mcnabb and Westy as an excuse they woud have lost if Mcnabb was healthy the entire game. SD was not himself either.
This will be yet another great matchup in the SB!!! I will take Carolina and the points, just like i did against the PHI FEEBLES. |
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Easy for you to bash the Eagles when your Dolphins pull an even more embarrassing disappearing act every year. At least the Eagles wait until the NFC Championship game...
C'mon, of course the injuries hurt the team (and we're not just talking McNabb and Westbrook... we're talking Carlos Emmons, Jermane Mayberry, Troy Vincent - who clearly wasn't 100%, half of the D-line).
But that's not the reason the Eagles lost -- they should have won the game regardless. The problem is that the Eagles did not keep running the ball, despite averaging nearly 5 1/2 yards a carry against that "impenetrable" Panthers defensive front. But that is the M.O. for Andy Reid. Pass, pass, pass...
They got spanked on defense too? They gave up 101 passing yards! They gave up 14 total points! I'm not saying the defense couldn't have done better, they could have. But they did enough to win the game.
The real problem in the game was the receivers. All four interceptions could have been prevented. On the first INT, James Thrash did not turn around to locate the ball soon enough on a blitz. On the second, Todd Pinkston broke off his slant route (inexplicably). On the third, James Thrash had the ball jarred loose. On the final one, Duce Staley chose to break toward the endzone instead of sitting down in the middle where the ball was thrown. Then there were the dropped passes. Then there were the broken routes when the receivers got out-physicalled at the line of scrimmage. Unfortunately, Andy Reid chose to keep throwing the ball.
The only hope we have now is that Andy Reid finally realizes that (1) he needs to upgrade his receiving corps or (2) he needs to adjust his offensive philosophy and use the run to set up the pass, and not vice-versa.
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| « Last Edit: Jan 19th, 2004, 10:21pm by Philly » |
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. As an Steeler/Pittsburgh/Penn transplant that now lives in Indy I can certainly relate to the feeling. My beloved Steelers lost 3 Championship games in fair proximity of each other. The Colts were wacked yesterday as well. 
