The Day After...
It is so true that in the NFL... every Monday is different. Emotions are different, wins and losses are different, and the Monday morning quarterbacks are different. This week surely didn't stray far from that script as the Eagles fell to the Saints 27-24 in the raucous environment of the Louisiana SuperDome. Considering the way things started for the Birds, it probably could have been a whole lot worse. Then again, it could have been a whole lot better.
After an early Jon Carney field goal, the Saints marched (pun intended) right back down the field. Joe Horn, who had not caught a touchdown pass yet on the season, was on the receiving end of a 14 yard touchdown to put New Orleans in front 10-0. The SuperDome was on fire, and Donovan McNabb and the Eagles offense, to this point, was not. It looked like it was going to be a very long day after one quarter of play, but things did take a turn for the better in the second stanza.
David Akers drilled a 47 yard field goal to cut the Saints lead to 10-3, but New Orleans was poised for more. After a big defensive stop by Philadelphia, it was a punt for the Saints. Dexter Wynn went back to receive the kick from punter Steven Weatherford. As the ball came down, Ryan Moats ran into Wynn, causing the ball to hit Wynn's upper leg. Terrence Copper recovered it for the Saints down at the 19 yard line. This play was actually quite controversial, as it appeared that Moats was pushed into Wynn from behind by Copper on the play. Nonetheless, it was Saints ball at the Eagles 19 yard line, and they were knocking on the doorstep once again.
It didn't take long for them to convert. On third down, Drew Bress audibled the play at the line and threw a quick slant pass to Marques Colston as he cut across the middle. The rookie from Hofstra flew his way into the endzone to put the Saints back ahead by two scores. It was beginning to look like that "letdown game" for Andy Reid, who was 5-5 in his tenure after playing the Cowboys going into this game.
This was a game that author Charles Dickens would have loved. Only this time around, it was a tale of two halves. Donovan McNabb looked like a changed man coming out of the locker room, as his passes had some extra zip on them. On the third play from scrimmage in the 2nd half, McNabb completed a laser pass to receiver Reggie Brown. Brown scampered the rest of the way, breaking tackles to the paydirt, cutting the Saints lead to 17-10.
After a 3-and-out from the Saints, the Eagles took over at their own 24. L.J. Smith made a great grab near the turf and scrambled 29 yards, setting the Eagles up at the Saints' 47 yard line. It was actually a broken down pass play in which the Saints brought pressure on the offensive line. As McNabb went to just throw the ball in the general direction of the ground, Smith scooped it up and turned nothing into something. The Eagles continued driving down the field, and appeared to have a sure pass interference call neglected by the referees. It appeared that safety Mike McKenzie had torn down the left shoulder pad of Hank Baskett and brought him to the ground. One can only wonder what was said in those pre-season meetings by Roger Goodell to the referees. Nonetheless, that's another story for another day. After the correct call was made on a Josh Bullocks pass interference penalty, McNabb found Smith once more for a 4 yard touchdown to tie the game at 17-17. To say the least, the SuperDome crowd was stunned.
New Orleans took over once again, but it would not be for long. After a disputed intentional grounding penalty on Drew Brees, the Saints quarterback threw a costly interception that was tipped by Juqua Thomas and into the waiting arms of defensive end Darwin Walker. On the first play of the fourth quarter, it was the McNabb to Brown connection again as the Eagles wrapped up their scoring for the day with 21 straight points on the Saints. It was really a Murphy's Law second half for the Saints, who saw a 14-point lead evaporate quickly.
And before going any further, how could I not mention the names Reggie Bush and Deuce McAllister in this article? My mistake, truly. Although the scoring was done by Horn and Colston, the game was really paced by Bush and McAllister. Despite leaving with what was an apparent hamstring injury, McAllister returned in the third quarter and still put up respectable numbers. Meanwhile, the Heisman trophy winner was as good as advertised for the Saints. It looks as if Bush could have a Brian Westbrook type of career, catching passes out of the backfield and getting involved in the running game. Even when he simply touched the ball on punt returns, it was exciting. Kid's got some talent.
Nonetheless, the Saints went back to work trailing 24-17 and feeling the heat from the coaches and fans. They got a bit of a gift as Michael Lewis slipped on his pass coverage, allowing Joe Horn to get past him and into the endzone. For Horn, it was his second touchdown catch of the game, this time a 48 yard grab.
As the Eagles punted the ball away at the 8:40 mark of the fourth, they had to believe they would be getting another chance. That notion was quickly put to rest by the dynamic New Orleans offense and the ridiculously ignorant penalty by the Eagles defense. On 3rd down and long, Trent Cole sacked Brees back at the 42 yard line. Ah, but please bring out the telestrator and let's count 'em up. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12... men on the field. Defensive coordinator Jim Johnson appeared to be lashing out most of his frustration on rookie linebacker Omar Gaither, who may have been in the wrong place in the wrong time.
Also, due to the fact that the Eagles had trouble getting the plays in on time to McNabb and had to burn two timeouts early in the 2nd half, they had just one timeout remaining. They used that at the 2:22 mark. The Saints picked up another first down, and simply ran the clock down. It was a slow, painful death for the Eagles as they could do nothing but watch Jon Carney kick a game-winning 31 field goal as time expired. Hey, in the NFL, there's always next week...
It is so true that in the NFL... every Monday is different. Emotions are different, wins and losses are different, and the Monday morning quarterbacks are different. This week surely didn't stray far from that script as the Eagles fell to the Saints 27-24 in the raucous environment of the Louisiana SuperDome. Considering the way things started for the Birds, it probably could have been a whole lot worse. Then again, it could have been a whole lot better.
After an early Jon Carney field goal, the Saints marched (pun intended) right back down the field. Joe Horn, who had not caught a touchdown pass yet on the season, was on the receiving end of a 14 yard touchdown to put New Orleans in front 10-0. The SuperDome was on fire, and Donovan McNabb and the Eagles offense, to this point, was not. It looked like it was going to be a very long day after one quarter of play, but things did take a turn for the better in the second stanza.David Akers drilled a 47 yard field goal to cut the Saints lead to 10-3, but New Orleans was poised for more. After a big defensive stop by Philadelphia, it was a punt for the Saints. Dexter Wynn went back to receive the kick from punter Steven Weatherford. As the ball came down, Ryan Moats ran into Wynn, causing the ball to hit Wynn's upper leg. Terrence Copper recovered it for the Saints down at the 19 yard line. This play was actually quite controversial, as it appeared that Moats was pushed into Wynn from behind by Copper on the play. Nonetheless, it was Saints ball at the Eagles 19 yard line, and they were knocking on the doorstep once again.
It didn't take long for them to convert. On third down, Drew Bress audibled the play at the line and threw a quick slant pass to Marques Colston as he cut across the middle. The rookie from Hofstra flew his way into the endzone to put the Saints back ahead by two scores. It was beginning to look like that "letdown game" for Andy Reid, who was 5-5 in his tenure after playing the Cowboys going into this game.
This was a game that author Charles Dickens would have loved. Only this time around, it was a tale of two halves. Donovan McNabb looked like a changed man coming out of the locker room, as his passes had some extra zip on them. On the third play from scrimmage in the 2nd half, McNabb completed a laser pass to receiver Reggie Brown. Brown scampered the rest of the way, breaking tackles to the paydirt, cutting the Saints lead to 17-10.
After a 3-and-out from the Saints, the Eagles took over at their own 24. L.J. Smith made a great grab near the turf and scrambled 29 yards, setting the Eagles up at the Saints' 47 yard line. It was actually a broken down pass play in which the Saints brought pressure on the offensive line. As McNabb went to just throw the ball in the general direction of the ground, Smith scooped it up and turned nothing into something. The Eagles continued driving down the field, and appeared to have a sure pass interference call neglected by the referees. It appeared that safety Mike McKenzie had torn down the left shoulder pad of Hank Baskett and brought him to the ground. One can only wonder what was said in those pre-season meetings by Roger Goodell to the referees. Nonetheless, that's another story for another day. After the correct call was made on a Josh Bullocks pass interference penalty, McNabb found Smith once more for a 4 yard touchdown to tie the game at 17-17. To say the least, the SuperDome crowd was stunned.New Orleans took over once again, but it would not be for long. After a disputed intentional grounding penalty on Drew Brees, the Saints quarterback threw a costly interception that was tipped by Juqua Thomas and into the waiting arms of defensive end Darwin Walker. On the first play of the fourth quarter, it was the McNabb to Brown connection again as the Eagles wrapped up their scoring for the day with 21 straight points on the Saints. It was really a Murphy's Law second half for the Saints, who saw a 14-point lead evaporate quickly.
And before going any further, how could I not mention the names Reggie Bush and Deuce McAllister in this article? My mistake, truly. Although the scoring was done by Horn and Colston, the game was really paced by Bush and McAllister. Despite leaving with what was an apparent hamstring injury, McAllister returned in the third quarter and still put up respectable numbers. Meanwhile, the Heisman trophy winner was as good as advertised for the Saints. It looks as if Bush could have a Brian Westbrook type of career, catching passes out of the backfield and getting involved in the running game. Even when he simply touched the ball on punt returns, it was exciting. Kid's got some talent.
Nonetheless, the Saints went back to work trailing 24-17 and feeling the heat from the coaches and fans. They got a bit of a gift as Michael Lewis slipped on his pass coverage, allowing Joe Horn to get past him and into the endzone. For Horn, it was his second touchdown catch of the game, this time a 48 yard grab.As the Eagles punted the ball away at the 8:40 mark of the fourth, they had to believe they would be getting another chance. That notion was quickly put to rest by the dynamic New Orleans offense and the ridiculously ignorant penalty by the Eagles defense. On 3rd down and long, Trent Cole sacked Brees back at the 42 yard line. Ah, but please bring out the telestrator and let's count 'em up. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12... men on the field. Defensive coordinator Jim Johnson appeared to be lashing out most of his frustration on rookie linebacker Omar Gaither, who may have been in the wrong place in the wrong time.
Also, due to the fact that the Eagles had trouble getting the plays in on time to McNabb and had to burn two timeouts early in the 2nd half, they had just one timeout remaining. They used that at the 2:22 mark. The Saints picked up another first down, and simply ran the clock down. It was a slow, painful death for the Eagles as they could do nothing but watch Jon Carney kick a game-winning 31 field goal as time expired. Hey, in the NFL, there's always next week...
posted by Victor at 12:06 PM
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