It's finally here folks. After seven long months of first round exits, tanking for Canadian ballers, and not trading guys who contribute little to the team, Philadelphia's best professional team at the moment finally took the field Friday night in an exhibition match against the Chicago Bears. Although the Eagles did wind up with the loss, that's not what the preseason is about. These games are for Chip to see who makes the team, who will start, and who meshes well with others.
The Eagles made some subtractions from last year's squad, but also added some very nifty pieces that fit perfectly on this team. Josh Huff, fourth round pick out of Oregon, showed why he is capable of contributing this season, with a 102 yard kickoff return for a touchdown late in the second quarter. The Eagles have never really been known for their special teams play, but Kelly has upgraded that area this offseason. Chris Maragos was a special teams ace last season for the Seahawks. Although he only recorded one tackle in last night's contest, he will be a huge upgrade on special teams and whose work ethic will convince others around him to work just as hard.
Jordan Matthews had 4 catches for 14 yards, but looked comfortable doing so. Darren Sproles had 3 rushes for 11 yards in the contest. I wouldn't worry at all about the stats these guys put up last night. They barely saw the field but made the most of their time in it.
In a sequel to Freaky Friday, it appeared that Nick Foles and Mark Sanchez switched bodies in last night's game. Foles, who threw all of two interceptions last season, threw two picks in the first quarter alone. Sanchez, on the other hand, looked like a quarterback who never ran into his lineman's ass, only to fumble the ball away. He went 7-10 for 79 yards. More play like this from Sanchez will make everyone forget about the buttfumble sooner rather than later (ok probably not. No one is ever forgetting the buttfumble).
Finally, the Eagles added a lot of depth and new pieces to their defense. Allowing 34 points may look troubling, but that's just some of the growing pains that go along with learning to play together. There's still quite a bit of time until the season opener September 7th against the Jaguars, so the defense should only improve from here. The Bears also have one of the league's best offensive units, and probably the best tandem of receivers in the NFL in Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffery. Not many teams will shut those two down, so don't worry too much about the defense yet.
All in all, yesterday was a good Cowboy Day for the Eagles (get it? Cowboy Day? The date was 8/8 yesterday, and the Cowboys always go 8-8 every year! Wow that was funny).
By: Dan Goggin
Follow us on Twitter: @BroadStBeat
Jordan Matthews had 4 catches for 14 yards, but looked comfortable doing so. Darren Sproles had 3 rushes for 11 yards in the contest. I wouldn't worry at all about the stats these guys put up last night. They barely saw the field but made the most of their time in it.
In a sequel to Freaky Friday, it appeared that Nick Foles and Mark Sanchez switched bodies in last night's game. Foles, who threw all of two interceptions last season, threw two picks in the first quarter alone. Sanchez, on the other hand, looked like a quarterback who never ran into his lineman's ass, only to fumble the ball away. He went 7-10 for 79 yards. More play like this from Sanchez will make everyone forget about the buttfumble sooner rather than later (ok probably not. No one is ever forgetting the buttfumble).
Finally, the Eagles added a lot of depth and new pieces to their defense. Allowing 34 points may look troubling, but that's just some of the growing pains that go along with learning to play together. There's still quite a bit of time until the season opener September 7th against the Jaguars, so the defense should only improve from here. The Bears also have one of the league's best offensive units, and probably the best tandem of receivers in the NFL in Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffery. Not many teams will shut those two down, so don't worry too much about the defense yet.
All in all, yesterday was a good Cowboy Day for the Eagles (get it? Cowboy Day? The date was 8/8 yesterday, and the Cowboys always go 8-8 every year! Wow that was funny).
By: Dan Goggin
Follow us on Twitter: @BroadStBeat
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