Eagles Forum, Talk about the Philadelphia Eagles in here. Options

[jwest]

You're preaching to the choir on the offensive balance issue, jwest. I fully concur with you on the issue. When your offense is balanced, the record shows you're tough to beat. When Andy sets his jaw on the passing game, you look like a different team.

That's the thing that worries me most about the matchup with Minnesota. Big Red is going to see that no one runs well against the Vikes and he'll develop a game plan that is pass-pass-pass and that's where things fall apart. Especially if the Vikes are able to control the clock with Adrian Peterson.

[nyyjones]

I really like your defense, and especially the DC. I'd be willing to bet he will come up with a plan to put this game in Jackson's hands, and not Peterson's.

[yerckson3420]

I though Maclin was a fantastic wr prospect and am suprised he was invisible until this week. What do phili fans know about him? Was this a little sparkle in a rookie season or should we start seeing a lot more of maclin now?

[jwest]

I think Maclin fell behind some with his holdout in camp, and there wasn't a whole lot of need to rush him into anything with the depth they have at WR. Now that Curtis is out, he's going to see more and more balls. I was surprised that he really overshadowed DeSean Jackson in this one and am intrigued to see (1) if Curtis regains his spot automatically when he's ready to return, and (2) how they'll split the balls between Jackson and Maclin in the meantime.

There's no doubting his talent and he'll just get better and better with experience. We could be looking at the next Rice-Taylor or Harrison-Wayne in Jackson-Maclin. (The talent is there, whether the QB position will have enough stability to produce that kind of duo is a question mark right now.)

[nyyjones]

I thought you guys were on your way when you beat my Giants...but you looked totally inept against the Cowboys. I even walked away from that game thinking Wade Phillips just might be a better coach than Andy "Red Flag" Reid. I think he's making a lot of questionable play calls, and his use of the challenge flag may be the worst in the league. Your banged up Oline doesn't help though.

[jwest]

Andy Reid is one of the best coaches in the league off the field, but he's a terrible gameday coach. If his gameplan doesn't work, he's lost. He has no concept of how to manage a clock or run a two-minute drill. The Eagles can play with a lead, but if they're behind (even a 3-0 deficit sends them into panic mode), they're doomed.

Worse yet is that the Eagles have a combo of Head Coach and starting QB who are the furthest things from "clutch."

Until one or more of them is gone, the Eagles will be who they are every year: a team who will likely make the playoffs and win a game or two and then fall on their faces.

[nyyjones]

Hey, jwest...just wanted to tell you I hope Westbrook fully recovers from his concussion problem. It seems obvious now, in hindsight, that even though he passed his medical tests, he probably should have had at least another week off. His original concussion was pretty bad. The hit he took in the Charger game didn't look that bad, so there must have still been a problem there.

[jwest]

The tests he's taking keep indicating a positive prognosis. It is good to see that the Eagles are being proactive with him and allowing him recovery time. Although I suspect it would be different if they didn't have McCoy backing him up.

[nyyjones]

The tests he's taking keep indicating a positive prognosis. It is good to see that the Eagles are being proactive with him and allowing him recovery time. Although I suspect it would be different if they didn't have McCoy backing him up.

It looks as if his injury has had a huge effect on the entire league, starting with the commissioner ordering all teams to independently meet with neurologists to come up with some type of guidelines for this type of thing, which is likely overdue. It might ultimately cause helmet design to be reevaluated too, in order to better protect the player's heads. McCoy is looking good. I liked him in school, and had hoped that the Chargers might somehow find a way to get him by trading down...but alas, you lucked out:)

[jwest]

Westbrook was back and showed no ill-effects from the concussion. He even took a pretty good shot from B-Dawk in the first half that he popped right up from.

Looks like the Eagles will have a lot of weapons heading into the playoffs. As long as their secondary can stay healthy, I think they've got as good a shot as anyone in the NFC.