Andy Reid's Press Conference Monday

[motife]

http://www.philadelphiaeagles.com/multimedia/index.asp?mm_file_id=4293&play_clip=y

[vince]

Thanks for the link Motife.

Reid was obviously focused on his team, not the Packers, but he gave the Packers defense a big compliment when he said that McNabb was used to being able to sit back in the pocket all preseason, but "this game was a little bit different there."

The Eagles have a big, experienced o-line and our defensive front line got the best of them. McNabb, a career 58% passer, only completed 45% of his passes because he was consistently throwing on the run. Jenkins, Jolly, Kampman, Williams and KGB were all getting after the quarterback and/or getting in passing lanes.

On a side note, the Eagles are taking applications for punt return duties... :wink:

[fan4life]

Check out the Philly Enquirer's coverage of the game. Here's one arrogant prick's view of the game:


Bob Ford | Digesting food for thought
McNabb says that as the Birds forge ahead, this fiasco will be forgotten.
By Bob Ford
Inquirer Columnist

GREEN BAY, Wis. - The way Donovan McNabb envisions things - the way he would like them to turn out once the long tunnel of the season is over - no one will really remember this one. It will fade like the memory of an upsetting meal until you can't even taste it any longer. Green Bay? Back in September? Did they lose that one?

As a matter of fact, burp, they did, dropping the 2007 opener yesterday by a score of 16-13 to a team that could barely get out of its own way. The Eagles' defense was good, the offense was mediocre, and the special teams were hideous. Even the Packers, headed toward an 8-8 season at best, can win a game if the opponent is determined to give it away.

"When one unit is struggling, the other two units have to pick it up," safety Brian Dawkins said.

The defense did its part to cover the mistakes of the special teams - mistakes that led directly to 10 of Green Bay's 16 points - but the offense didn't. The Eagles got a field goal on their first possession of the second half and never scored again, having to punt the ball on each of their final four possessions.

It was ugly and it was disjointed and it didn't reflect terribly well on McNabb, who was adequate and nothing more in his return from season-ending knee surgery.

A year ago, the Eagles trailed Green Bay by 9-7 at the half at Lincoln Financial Field when McNabb caught fire, leading the team to a 31-9 rout. That is the McNabb everyone within the organization and without is waiting to see again. But the guy who rang up a 108.8 passer rating against the Packers a year ago wasn't around yesterday.

Instead, it was a karaoke impostor who looked heavy-legged at times and indecisive at others. His numbers weren't horrible, but they didn't add up to anything, either.

When McNabb's best play of the day, a nicely lofted pass to Kevin Curtis, led to a first down at the 6-yard line at the end of the first quarter, the Eagles got only a field goal out of it. In the second half, when the better team is supposed to make itself known, when the leaders are supposed to become apparent, McNabb was just 5 for 16. The play-calling didn't do him any favors at times, but maybe the problem was the execution and not the plays.

And that's how it went. They let the Packers hang around and hang around and, next thing you knew, the third-string punt returner muffed a short kick and the game disappeared.

"Some days you don't have it," receiver Jason Avant said. "We had so many chances to get a knockout punch."

"If you give a team that many breaks, it's bound to bite you in the end," tight end L.J. Smith said.

McNabb agreed with all that, and added a few clichés of his own, but he also believes the Eagles will regain their balance and paper over yesterday's result until you can't even see the stain beneath.

"We've had other years that started this way and we ended up going to the NFC championship some of those years, so if this season goes that way, no one will remember this," McNabb said.

The Eagles did lose their opening games in 2001, 2002 and 2003 and did make it to the conference championship game. And, he's right, no one was thinking about how those seasons started when they finally ended.

For his part, McNabb is looking ahead, saying the predictable McNabbian things about looking at film, fixing the mistakes, getting everyone on the same page, and going forward together.

"This isn't the time to get down on anyone," he said.

Maybe not for him, but Andy Reid was pretty much down on everyone.

"We can't play like that and expect to win football games - turnovers on special teams, the dropped balls on offense, the penalties we had on offense, and missing tackles on defense," Reid said. "You can't have those, not to compete on this level."

Not even to compete on the level of the Green Bay Packers.

If McNabb is right, however, the problems will be solved and yesterday's game will be little more than a thin wisp of smoke fading into the background.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Contact columnist Bob Ford

Our defense isn't good.... their offense was underperforming.
Our offense isn't bad.... their defense was good.
Our STs, including our rookie kicker, weren't clutch yesterday... it was their their STs who gave the game away.

OK, this guy is obnoxious. But the article points out that the Truth about who was good and who "underperformed" is a matter of perception. After a game, I always find it insightful to see what the opponents have to say, since they get paid to play, too. Or, as Larry McCarren says: sometimes, a guy doesn't have to be doing anything wrong to just get flat out beat.

[MTPackerfan]

I assume this article was in the Philly paper. Very Eagles slanted.

[fan4life]

I assume this article was in the Philly paper. Very Eagles slanted. Yes... the Philadelphia Enquirer is Philly's main newsrag.

Here's a link to the sportssection
http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/eagles/

[Him8123]

Not even to compete on the level of the Green Bay Packers.
.

Not even to compete on the level of the Green Bay Packers?? What are we Dog shit?? I hate the Eagles, bunch of cocky, ill sob`s

[BallHawk]

The Philly media thinks their team deserves to win every game and if they don't, they should of, but the other team got lucky. :roll:

[mraynrand]

Hey Philly: You LOST!!! Sucks, doesn't it? OK, now let's hear some more excuses....

[The Leaper]

Not even to compete on the level of the Green Bay Packers?? What are we Dog shit?? I hate the Eagles, bunch of cocky, ill sob`s

They can't compete on our level. Their championship history (or relative lack thereof) proves it.

[FritzDontBlitz]

when mcnabb is healthy, the eagles are considered one of the elite teams in the nfc. mcnabb has owned green bay in 5 prior meetings. we saw the stats all week and game long: 99% completion rate, 800 td's in like a half or something the last time the two teams met (yes, i'm exaggerating).

the philly media expected the eagles to walk all over the packers sunday, and with good reason.

apparently the philly media don't care for that "any given sunday" analogy.