Philadelphia Eagles' First Quarter Report Card: Offense

With a 33-17 victory over the hapless Bucs in the books, the Eagles are now one-quarter of the way through the 2009 season.

As such, it’s time to grade the team on the first 25 percent of their season, and analyze what they've done in the first five weeks.

I'll look at how all four positions (quarterbacks, running backs, wide receivers/tight ends, and the line) have done, and grade the overall offense.

They've scored a lot of points and looked dominant at times—but is that just a mirage?

QUARTERBACKS

I have to wonder: Would the Eagles be 4-0 if Donovan McNabb had played against New Orleans?

I’d guess no, but Kevin Kolb did do a fabulous job in both that game, and the Kansas City game when pressed into service. In two-plus games, Kolb tossed for 741 yards, four TD vs. three INT, and completed about two-thirds of his passes—and again, two of the three picks (all of which came against New Orleans) weren’t egregiously bad.

McNabb, meanwhile, wasn’t spectacular in the opener (10-18, 70 yards, two TD/one INT) but came back with a vengeance in Week Five, throwing for 264 yards and three TD before sitting most of the fourth quarter.

Michael Vick has been practically useless, and Jeff Garcia was simply there for insurance.

The only thing preventing this foursome from an A-plus is a couple of bad decisions on INTs, and McNabb’s injury causing controversy.

OVERALL GRADE: A

RUNNING BACKS

To sum up the Eagles’ rushing game requires one word: Disappointing.

Yet, somehow they rank in the top half of the league in rushing, with over 100 yards per game.

Through four games, the leading rusher is rookie LeSean McCoy, with 162 yards—half of which came in Week Three when Brian Westbrook was out.

They have four rushing TD this year, two of which are by the quarterbacks, and Brian Westbrook (who averages 100 yards per game from scrimmage even in bad years) looks old and slow at times.

I know the offensive line has been banged up, with two starters not having seen the field, and a third splitting time so far—but that’s insane.

Andy Reid announced that McCoy and Westbrook would be splitting carries throughout the year, and that’s probably a good thing. Westbrook just doesn’t seem to be capable of carrying the load anymore, and McCoy—despite the big Week Three performance—isn’t quite ready yet.

To wit: In the first game of the split carry era, a game in which the Eagles led 21-7 at the half, and 31-7 in the fourth quarter—the leading rusher was Donovan McNabb with 30 yards. If you can’t or won’t run the ball in garbage time against an 0-4 team with a 20-plus point lead, you’re in trouble.

As for the rest, Eldra Buckley has seen limited action and Leonard Weaver has been a pleasant surprise as both a blocker and a receiver, but isn’t going to rack up stats.

OVERALL GRADE: B

WIDE RECEIVERS/TIGHT ENDS

The Eagles don’t have a number one receiver…which is a good thing, because no one’s ever sure who’s getting the lion’s share of the looks.

Three different receivers have led the team over the last three games, each one exploding for over 100 yards.

Outside, it’s been the tandem of DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin that has done the damage. Jackson has two 100-yard performances, with Maclin’s six catch, 145-yard performance in Week Five acting as his coming out party.

Outside of them though, it’s slim pickings. Jason Avant has been his usual solid self (11 catches for 123 yards and a TD), but Kevin Curtis has been befallen by injury, and the trio of Reggie Brown, rookie Brandon Gibson, and since-released Hank Baskett, has two catches for 10 yards total.

As for tight ends, it’s been a weird year for Brent Celek. Through four games, he’s the team’s leading receiver with 303 yards.

However, while he’s had a pair of solid games with McNabb at quarterback, both of his dominant, 100-yard games came with Kevin Kolb at the helm.

Celek is still in line for a breakout season, but it doesn’t appear, as of now, to be as great as it looked in those two games.

Alex Smith, meanwhile, has been a great blocker, but hasn’t caught a pass.

OVERALL GRADE: B-plus

OFFENSIVE LINE

Well, what can you say? Shawn Andrews is on injured reserve, Todd Herremans hasn’t played and Stacy Andrews has been in and out of the lineup.

Yet, they are in fact twelfth in rushing, and have kept opposing defenders off the quarterback pretty well. Jimmy Wilkerson’s three-sack outburst in Week Five notwithstanding.

Credit goes to Winston Justice—who has seemed much more comfortable in his role as starting right tackle—and the combo of Nick Cole and Max-Jean Gilles, who have filled in for Herremans and Stacy Andrews very well.

Status quo here.

OVERALL GRADE: B-plus

OVERALL GRADE: A-minus

The Eagles are 3-1, but against weak competition (Carolina, Kansas City and Tampa Bay are 1-14 combined), and they do have a couple glaring weaknesses.

So yes, three wins are nice, but the schedule gets tougher from here. The next four games include a trip to Oakland, and three divisional games—and it only gets worse in the second half.

In the next quarter, they need to figure out how to work more than one receiver into the game plan, get Brian Westbrook going, and get their guards healthy.

OVERALL GRADE: A-minus

The Eagles are 3-1, but against weak competition (Carolina, Kansas City and Tampa Bay are 1-14 combined), and they do have a couple glaring weaknesses.

So yes, three wins are nice, but the schedule gets tougher from here. The next four games include a trip to Oakland and three divisional games—and it only gets worse in the second half.

In the next quarter, they need to figure out how to work more than one receiver into the game plan, get Brian Westbrook going and get their guards healthy.