Observations From Eagles-Bengals
The offensive line was poor in front of Kevin Kolb. No other way to put it. The pocket often collapsed before it formed, Kolb ended up on his back on a couple of occasions, and mindless penalties undermined scoring chances.
The interior had the most trouble Friday night against Cincinnati. Center Mike McGlynn – the starter in Jamaal Jackson and Nick Cole’s absence – along with Stacy Andrews and Max Jean-Gilles, struggled to stop the Bengals’ stout front from penetrating.
Cincinnati’s defensive prowess should be acknowledged, but there’s no question the offensive line will be under scrutiny leading up to the opener vs. Green Bay after this performance. The health of Todd Herremans and Jackson will be that much greater of a concern.
Some further observations:
- Nate Allen got run over by Cedric Benson early in the first quarter. One play later, though, he came in on a safety blitz that hurried Carson Palmer and set up the Dimitri Patterson interception. Later, he defended Chad Ochocinco perfectly on a deep ball despite being on an island.
- Stewart Bradley was handled by offensive lineman in the run game for much of the first half. He had difficulty getting off the block.
- Joselio Hanson, starting for Asante Samuel, had trouble keeping up with Ochocinco and Terrell Owens. He was the victim on the 43-yard hook-up between Palmer and T.O., and Ochocinco shook loose on a 16-yard gain late in the first quarter.
- Michael Vick ran with first team twice, handing off once and keeping it once for a first-down sprint. He looked bad while manning the offense in the third quarter. He looked like a man torn between staying within himself and the offense, and reverting back to old habits. The result? Two picks. That said, he was playing behind a very suspect offensive line.
- After Jeremy Maclin left the game with a shoulder contusion, Hank Baskett took his spot.
- Brent Celek has just three catches in two games. Kevin Kolb found him once for 14 yards Friday.
- Trevor Laws made an immediate impact when running with the second unit. On back-to-back plays, Laws dropped a running play for a loss then teamed with Brandon Graham to sack J.T. O’Sullivan.
- Graham had a night of his own. He showed he can rush, he can pop, he can play inside, and he can play out.
- The special teams had their second subpar outing of the preseason in as many chances.
Contact Tim McManus at tmcmanus@phillysportsdaily.com.
Comments