When your first drive ends in an interception, you know it is going to be a long game. And boy was it. Grossman earned his nickname InterceptasaurusRex.
I was incredibly nervous going into this game, knowing all too well from years past how it can turn out, but I did maintain a bit of my unabashed optimism. It's masochistic really.
Gross
23.7 QB rating says it all. Or not. I have been waiting for him to get benched since he was named the starter. I just wish it had come sooner in the game. I have listened to all the arguments for keeping him and I just cannot support them. At his absolute best, he is 50/50. At his worst, well, let's hope tomorrow is the worst we see this season and that all we see going forward is his overweight tuckus on the bench. I'm not optimistic about it, but a girl can dream.
Kyle the Wonder Kid
Who is responsible for him? The best call he made all game was the flea flicker. The worst call was keeping Grossman in long enough to lead that play. And what does he have against our running corps?
Injuries We Can't Afford
Ouch. Those are going to haunt us. Our O-line doesn't have the depth to lose two men. Shifting the tackles around, moving Brown back to the left should help, but we'll still need to put a QB who can move behind them, and that is not Rex. Cooley got rocked. I feel horrible for him having to go out again and I do think it could have been avoided.
Penalties
For the second week in a row, we have let penalties shift the momentum of the game to our detriment. We started the season strong as one of the most disciplined teams in the league and we need to get back to that place - fast. And we need to focus on making slightly lower, legal hits - no more 15-yard helmet to helmet calls, accidental or not.
Offensive Defense
Where was our defense in the first half? Did they forget it was Sunday and that they were facing a desperate division rival? They were late, sloppy and let both Vick and McCoy chew up too much turf. They were on the field a lot and our offense certainly wasn't providing any reprieve, but we need them to show up strong and they let us get four scores down before the half.
Defense Rides Again
The halftime trip to the locker room reminded the D where they were. Oh, hey, it's game day! They came out in the second half with more gusto and gave me what I've been waiting for all season - INTs courtesy of D. Hall and Atogwe. Of course, with Rex at the helm, both were wasted effort.
Beck!
I've been on the Beck Wagon since the pre-season. He is agile, thoughtful and can hit his targets. Yesterday he had a few wobbly tosses, but he was coming off the bench without any reps with our starters in over 5 weeks. You have to give the guy credit for playing as well as he did. I also loved what Cooley said this morning on the Junkies about his huddle style - how he really steps up as a leader and provides a strong presence on the field. With the injuries to the O-line, we need a QB who can move and is reliable out of the pocket. I hope to see him out there next Sunday, but I worry the Shannys are going to disappoint me... again.
Return of Tight Ends
It was nice to see the tight ends getting some love. We've got talent there, and talent there deep. When deep balls are dangerous, as they always are with Rex at the helm, they are sturdy, reliable options. Fred Davis, despite some drops, was one of the few offensive producers this week. And he should not have taken blame for any of those INTs. Rex has other options and should have exercised them instead of throwing bad balls. Watching Cooley go out was excruciating. And,yes, I blame Rex for that too. Even Sonny does.
Disappearance of the Run Game, Continued
The Eagles were shutting us down and then we got so far behind that we were forced to throw, but we really could've used some All-Torrain pushes in the second half. Not to mention that our passing game was giving the Eagles D a lot to celebrate. Seems to me our RBs were lined up to receive shovel passes more than they were lined up in the back field. Even if just to give us more time on the field and draw more time off the clock, we cannot simply abandon the run. Kyle, can you hear me?
I don't know what Mike will do on Wednesday, but I do know that sending Rex back in will be a very unpopular decision. And it is a decision I cannot support.
I was incredibly nervous going into this game, knowing all too well from years past how it can turn out, but I did maintain a bit of my unabashed optimism. It's masochistic really.
Gross
23.7 QB rating says it all. Or not. I have been waiting for him to get benched since he was named the starter. I just wish it had come sooner in the game. I have listened to all the arguments for keeping him and I just cannot support them. At his absolute best, he is 50/50. At his worst, well, let's hope tomorrow is the worst we see this season and that all we see going forward is his overweight tuckus on the bench. I'm not optimistic about it, but a girl can dream.
Kyle the Wonder Kid
Who is responsible for him? The best call he made all game was the flea flicker. The worst call was keeping Grossman in long enough to lead that play. And what does he have against our running corps?
Injuries We Can't Afford
Ouch. Those are going to haunt us. Our O-line doesn't have the depth to lose two men. Shifting the tackles around, moving Brown back to the left should help, but we'll still need to put a QB who can move behind them, and that is not Rex. Cooley got rocked. I feel horrible for him having to go out again and I do think it could have been avoided.
Penalties
For the second week in a row, we have let penalties shift the momentum of the game to our detriment. We started the season strong as one of the most disciplined teams in the league and we need to get back to that place - fast. And we need to focus on making slightly lower, legal hits - no more 15-yard helmet to helmet calls, accidental or not.
Offensive Defense
Where was our defense in the first half? Did they forget it was Sunday and that they were facing a desperate division rival? They were late, sloppy and let both Vick and McCoy chew up too much turf. They were on the field a lot and our offense certainly wasn't providing any reprieve, but we need them to show up strong and they let us get four scores down before the half.
Defense Rides Again
The halftime trip to the locker room reminded the D where they were. Oh, hey, it's game day! They came out in the second half with more gusto and gave me what I've been waiting for all season - INTs courtesy of D. Hall and Atogwe. Of course, with Rex at the helm, both were wasted effort.
Beck!
I've been on the Beck Wagon since the pre-season. He is agile, thoughtful and can hit his targets. Yesterday he had a few wobbly tosses, but he was coming off the bench without any reps with our starters in over 5 weeks. You have to give the guy credit for playing as well as he did. I also loved what Cooley said this morning on the Junkies about his huddle style - how he really steps up as a leader and provides a strong presence on the field. With the injuries to the O-line, we need a QB who can move and is reliable out of the pocket. I hope to see him out there next Sunday, but I worry the Shannys are going to disappoint me... again.
Return of Tight Ends
It was nice to see the tight ends getting some love. We've got talent there, and talent there deep. When deep balls are dangerous, as they always are with Rex at the helm, they are sturdy, reliable options. Fred Davis, despite some drops, was one of the few offensive producers this week. And he should not have taken blame for any of those INTs. Rex has other options and should have exercised them instead of throwing bad balls. Watching Cooley go out was excruciating. And,yes, I blame Rex for that too. Even Sonny does.
Disappearance of the Run Game, Continued
The Eagles were shutting us down and then we got so far behind that we were forced to throw, but we really could've used some All-Torrain pushes in the second half. Not to mention that our passing game was giving the Eagles D a lot to celebrate. Seems to me our RBs were lined up to receive shovel passes more than they were lined up in the back field. Even if just to give us more time on the field and draw more time off the clock, we cannot simply abandon the run. Kyle, can you hear me?
I don't know what Mike will do on Wednesday, but I do know that sending Rex back in will be a very unpopular decision. And it is a decision I cannot support.
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