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        the Gridiron >> the Red Zone >>  EAGLES....................Week 11 Analysis
        
(Message started by: Philly on Nov 14^th, 2003, 5:17pm)

Title: EAGLES....................Week 11 Analysis
Post by Philly on Nov 14^th, 2003, 5:17pm

I'm a bit nervous about this game. Sure, the Giants are in trouble. They're without Jeremy Shockey. Ralph Brown (who opposing teams love to pick on) is injured. Ike Hilliard is hobbled. They're coming off an embarrassing loss to an inept Falcons squad. There's no reason why the Eagles should lose this game -- which is exactly why I'm nervous.

The Eagles will be playing the game without John Welbourn at OG (he's expected to miss 3 games at this point). The interior offensive line was already hurt with the loss of Jermane Mayberry -- and backup Bobbie Williams has not played well. Now backup-backup Artis Hicks will step in and there could be an enormous amount of pressure on the interior line, collapsing the pocket very quickly. Brian Westbrook ran the ball a couple times last week, and may see a few more carries this week with Correll Buckhalter suffering a rib injury. Expect more Duce this week than the other two.

Bobby Taylor remains out in the secondary and Brian Dawkins could see some time, but is still questionable. The D-line takes another hit as Darwin Walker is also questionable for the game. The injuries continue to pile up.

This will probably be yet another ugly Eagles-Giants game. The Eagles will struggle to score and the Giants will make too many mistakes. I think the Eagles sneak out a close win with a late FG by Akers.

QB:
McNabb has played better, but has really only had one really successful drive all season, the one to win the game against the Pack on Monday night. He will play another uninspiring game this week.
McNabb: 22-37 for 215 yards, 0 TD, 1 INT, 6 carries-48 yards

RB:
Two banged up RBs (Westbrook and Buckhalter) should each see some time, though I expect Duce (who is healthy) to carry the load this week.
Staley: 22 carries-128 yards, 1 TD, 4 catches-33 yards
Westbrook: 3 carries-9 yards, 1 catch-7 yards
Buckhalter: 2 carries-8 yards

WR:
McNabb still hasn't found a receiver he can count on with any confidence. Look for a smattering of catches for each.
Thrash: 3 catches-34 yards
Pinkston: 4 catches-44 yards
Mitchell: 3 catches-19 yards

TE:
Smith dropped a couple catchable balls last week under the scrutiny of a national MNF audience. Look for a more relaxed Smith this weekend.
Smith: 5 catches-47 yards
Lewis: 1 catch-11 yards

K:
Akers is a solid start this week and could kick the game-winner late.
Akers: 1-1 XP, 3-3 FG

Defense:
The Pack ran all over the Eagles, so look for the Giants to try it with Tiki and Dorsey. The passing game might be limited a bit with only Toomer a healthy threat.
Defense: 13 points allowed, 140 rush yards allowed, 145 pass yards allowed, 2 INTs, 2 FR, 3 sacks

FINAL SCORE:
Eagles 16
Giants 13

Title: Re: EAGLES....................Week 11 Analysis
Post by captainpurple on Nov 14^th, 2003, 7:15pm

Great insight! I agree it will be an ugly game. If anyone scores, I'm afraid it will be NYG, so here's to a low scoring one! [smiley=cheers.gif]

Title: Re: EAGLES....................Week 11 Analysis
Post by DirkDiggler on Nov 15^th, 2003, 11:59am

Great job as always!

I do think you may be VERY optimistic about Duce's numbers. The Eagles offense has been pretty crappy this year and I don't see that changing.

Also, I see you think Smith will re-emerge. Is he really going to do anything this week? He was absent in the game against the Packers.

Title: Re: EAGLES....................Week 11 Analysis
Post by Philly on Nov 15^th, 2003, 12:43pm

They threw to Smith a couple time early in the game and he dropped the passes. He actually has good hands, so that shouldn't be a concern long-term. I think McNabb will have to throw the ball some and the WRs can't get open, so those passes will have to go to TEs and RBs.

As for Duce... I think he'll have a big game IF he gets those carries. He's healthy and helped the Eagles win last week against the Pack. Regardless of his status with the management (i.e., GM Andy Reid), he's the best RB they have available right now and they need to keep winning games to catch the Cowboys. I may be a little bit optimistic with the numbers, but I see him busting a couple 20-yarders during the game.

Title: Re: EAGLES....................Week 11 Analysis
Post by Philly on Nov 15^th, 2003, 1:19pm

Injury update:

Brian Dawkins practiced successfully on Friday and expects to return to the playing field on Sunday. He probably won't play the whole game, but will see action. Backup Clinton Hart also practiced and is listed as probable.

Bobby Taylor is not expected to play (despite KFFL indicating that he is starting this weekend) as he continues to rest his injured foot.

Darwin Walker will play, but look for Brandon Whiting to move in to DT and spell him some more as DE Jerome McDougle gets more comfortable in live game action.

Buckhalter and Westbrook both practiced on Friday, yet remain on the injury report. I imagine Duce will get the bulk of the work, but Westbrook will definitely get some time. Buck could come in a couple times too.

Title: Re: EAGLES....................Week 11 Analysis
Post by BarnabyWilde on Nov 15^th, 2003, 11:29pm

I have had too much to do this week with work and gearing up for vacation, I did not get a Giants update this week. I would go along with Philly that this will be a low scoring ugly game...

Title: Re: EAGLES....................Week 11 Analysis
Post by Philly on Nov 18^th, 2003, 9:28am

on 11/14/03 at 17:17:44, Philly wrote:

Actual: 24-30 for 314 yards, 2 TDs, 0 INT, 4 carries-0 yards
Well, I certainly didn't expect this, even against a depleted Giants secondary. Anyway, I guess I can "officially" say that McNabb is back. He had a much better game plan to work with this week and, for the most part, his passes looked crisp and precise. The WRs helped a lot by not dropping many balls.

Quote:

Actual:
Staley: 3 carries-12 yards, 1 catch-38 yards
Westbrook: 9 carries-48 yards, 1 TD, 5 catches-60 yards, 2 TDs
Buckhalter: 5 carries-2 yards, 1 TD, 1 catch-27 yards
I really didn't think Westbrook would be ready so soon after his injury, but he looked good. The guy has a nose for the endzone. He's played in 9 games (started only 4 of them) and scored 7 TDs! Buckhalter again got a goal-line carry early in the game. He seems to be the goal-line vulture of the three. Staley disappeared again despite some solid play. As long as Westbrook is healthy, he seems to be the only sure start among the RBs.

Quote:

Actual:
Thrash: 6 catches-48 yards
Pinkston: 2 catches-22 yards
Mitchell: 4 catches-60 yards
Thrash seems to be the guy McNabb trusts the most, but Mitchell is the guy who is getting open and is the biggest threat. Pinkston is having a horrendous year -- interesting how his production went straight down once his pay went up.

Quote:

TE:
Smith dropped a couple catchable balls last week under the scrutiny of a national MNF audience. Look for a more relaxed Smith this weekend.
Smith: 5 catches-47 yards
Lewis: 1 catch-11 yards

Actual:
Smith: 2 catches-29 yards
Lewis: 2 catches-16 yards, 1 hurdled DB
Smith continued to look good, although his numbers were probably hampered by a mild concussion he suffered in the first half.

Quote:

K:
Akers is a solid start this week and could kick the game-winner late.
Akers: 1-1 XP, 3-3 FG

Actual: 4-4 XP
Well, he seemed like a solid start in what had all the markings of an ugly, low-scoring, typical Eagles-Giants game. He didn't get any FG chances, but hit plenty of XPs.

Quote:

Actual: 10 points allowed, 109 rush yards allowed, 268 pass yards allowed, 1 INT, 3 sacks
The defense played very well. Tiki got some yards, but couldn't do much with them (although he still had decent fantasy numbers). Collins was playing catch-up and padded his passing yards a bit because of it. The Eagles stopped the Giants when they needed to (including 4 attempts at a TD from the 1 yard line). Jerome McDougle has been playing the past two games, but has not been contributing much to the effort. Just his presence, however, allows some of the other guys (Whiting, Kalu, Coleman) to get a breather and stay fresher.

Quote:

FINAL SCORE:
Eagles 16
Giants 13

Actual:
Eagles 28
Giants 10
I'm surprised the Giants went down so easily. One of their hallmarks has been their ability to play big when their backs are against the wall. That they played this poorly speaks volumes about the character of the team and coaching. The Eagles have faced all sorts of adversity during the early parts of the season, yet have weathered it and are now 7-3 and control their own destiny in the NFC.