Quarterback: D
- Vick was terrible. He held on to the ball for an eternity and was responsible for most of the hits he fell victim to. He was also bad at diagnosing pressure and getting the protection straight. In his defense, Maclin was out and his receivers weren't really getting separation. I'll have my column Dissecting Vick: Week 3 up tomorrow. Check it out for a more in-depth look at the QB's performance.
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| The rookie could play a big part in the offense this year |
Running Back: B+
- McCoy was great when he got the ball, Andy Reid should be ashamed of himself for how little he utilized his best player on offense. He made countless defenders miss and displayed excellent patience before hitting the hole. McCoy was solid in pass protection. He was late on one play, still making the block, and whiffed on a blitzer almost resulting in a safety. But other than that, he was steady.
- I liked what I saw from 7th-round rookie Bryce Brown. He had a drop on a play, trying to run up-field before securing the football. He ran the ball very effectively though, four carries for 28 yards. He exploded up the middle on a 17-yard scamper, hitting the hole with authority.
Wide Receiver: C-
- DeSean was out-played by second-year star Patrick Peterson. Peterson is one of the few corners in the league who can run stride-for-stride with Jackson. He didn't have any drops but he struggled to get open. On a deep pass down the sideline, I really think he could have had it if he wasn't worried more about drawing a flag. DeSean will be fine though, I expect a breakout performance against a much-less talented New York secondary on Sunday night.
- Damaris Johnson had a bad fumble on a punt-return. But as a receiver, he was solid. The undrafted rookie ran some good routes, ending up with five receptions for 84 yards. He had a couple explosive-looking plays where he made defenders look silly. Not much more you can ask for from an undrafted rookie debut.
- Jason Avant made an acrobatic catch over the middle, elevating way up and plucking the ball out of the air. He also made a catch in tight quarters. Not much more action for the vet.
Tight End: B-
- Maybe Celek said something bad about Vick's wife, because at points during the game, it looked like Vick was trying to get Celek killed out there. On back-to-back plays, Vick threw Celek directly into highlight-reel hits. Kudos to Brent, who got back up and kept going. Good quarterbacks don't throw their receivers into hits like that. (Obviously kidding about Vick's wife.)
Offensive Line: I have to break this down into two groups.
Mathis, Watkins, and Herremans: B
- They all had good moments. On Celek's big-gainer, Mathis handled two Cardinals defenders. Brilliant block by him. Herremans had a hell of a block on the Michael Vick run up the middle towards the end of the first half. Watkins also had good moments, especially in the run-game. He struggles every now and then in pass protection, but Watkins is a nasty run-blocker.
Reynolds and Bell: D
- Where should I start? Bell whiffed on the first play, if he was trying to block the air next to Calais Campbell then he did a great job. Reynolds had some serious miscues in the first two series, D-Linemen were going right around him. On the first-play of the second half, Bell started his block about three seconds before the snap, sharp football. On Bell's holding call, I don't give him much blame at all. Vick had plenty of time to dispose of the football, but held on to it and held on to it. Bell held a solid block for over four seconds. A third quarter sack was Reynolds fault, another whiff by the youngster. Honestly though, maybe it was the play-calling that kept the Arizona D-Line honest, but the pass protection was much better in the second half, things settled down.
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| DE Darryl Tapp was around the football all afternoon |
Defensive Line: A-
- They got pressure all game. Kolb got the ball out early almost every pass play. The only problem for the defense: everybody was open. The run defense was good most of the game, starting up front. The stunts on third and long were effective throughout. Darryl Tapp had his best game as an Eagle. He made a home in the Arizona backfield. Cole and Babin got pressure off the edge, and Brandon Graham really stood out. He got pressure which led to a Tapp and Thorton sack, and had another half sack and three tackles-for-loss. DT Cullen Jenkins got pressure up the middle and flushed Kolb out. Honestly, I think the talent is so overpowering on the line that I don't think there will be a letdown this season from these guys, they're relentless.
Linebacker: C-
- Mychal Kendricks didn't have a good game. He blew two coverages, one on RB Ryan Williams and one on TE Jeff King, both resulting in easy first downs. He had a couple missed tackles, but also had a nice run-stuff, along with DE Darryl Tapp.
- DeMeco had an OK game. He had some nice plays against the run, but wasn't consistent against the pass. He should've helped on the Fitzgerald crossing route where Kurt Coleman got picked by an Arizona receiver. Plus, DeMeco should have had an interception on Kolb's TD pass to rookie WR Michael Floyd. Against the run he was good, blowing up a run play for a four-yard loss in a one-on-one stop of the running back. He also stopped Ryan Williams for a small gain after Williams went through a pretty big hole.
Cornerback: Again, I'm going to have to separate this into two groups.
Rodgers-Cromartie and Asomugha: B
- Nnamdi had a good game. The deep touchdown pass to Fitzgerald was not his fault. Kurt Coleman was supposed to have deep help, when the safety is over top, the corner's job is to take away short and intermediate routes, Nnamdi did. Other than that, he wasn't targeted much. Against the run, Nnamdi made some good hits, knocking Peterson out of bounds on a wildcat run and stuffing the running back after a modest gain.
- Rodgers-Cromartie had good moments, but honestly, he looked disinterested at some points. DRC had a couple pass-breakups, one was on a curl route to Andre Roberts. He could've made a better effort on some tackles, he looked content being blocked and didn't do much to shed.
Boykin: D
- The rookie really struggled. In his defense, he was matched up against superstar WR Larry Fitzgerald in the slot for a lot of the game. He played huge cushions on a couple plays, one to Fitzgerald and another to Roberts, resulting in really easy completions for Kolb. I'm not sure if this was designed or he was playing safe football. He was bailed out by Early Doucet, who dropped an open catch which looked like a touchdown. His tackling was a serious issue all day, he made a poor effort to take down Fitzgerald who almost turned a three-yard drag into a 17-yard first down.
Safety: D-
- After two good performances by Allen and Coleman, this was a pretty bad week all-around. Coleman had a blown coverage which led to a Fitzgerald touchdown. He also had a pretty bad missed tackle in the first quarter. Nate Allen took terrible angles in pursuit all game. On the Andre Roberts huge gain which was called back, Allen looked lost trying to pursue the receiver. They have to play better for this defense to thrive.
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| Johnson's fumble ruined a great return |
Special Teams: C
- Damaris Johnson had a great punt return nullified by an out-of-control fumble. Chas Henry out-kicked his coverage multiple times, and Patrick Peterson started his offense in good field-position. Boykin had some decent returns, nothing special. Henery continues to be stellar at making kicks with no pressure.
Follow me on Twitter @Matt_Chastain25 and @eaglesallday95, I'll get ya back.
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