Eagles-Jets: Live Updates and Notes From The First Half

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Tonight, the Philadelphia Eagles travel to the Meadowlands to take on the New York Jets in both teams' final game of the 2009 preseason. The game should be filled with plenty of talk surrounding Michael Vick, as Commissioner Roger Goodell will allow him to be eligible to play beginning Week Three of the regular season.

If you’re watching the game in the Philadelphia area, I’m sure you will be able to feel the awkwardness as former Jets head coach Herm Edwards broadcasts the game for 6-ABC on the Eagles Television Network.

As expected, the pregame talk is all about Eagles quarterback Michael Vick, who is allowed to play Week Three of the regular season.

First Quarter

14:54: And we’re off. Maclin returns the ball to the 21-yard line. Here comes Kevin Kolb to play quarterback for the Eagles—let’s hope his first play is better than last week’s intentional grounding for a safety.

14:32: A nice opening play as Kolb finds Maclin quickly for a six-yard gain. No safety!

13:49: Vick enters the game on 3rd-and-1 in the wildcat formation as he runs and picks up the first down. It sounded like earlier this week that Vick would play series at a time instead of random plays like we saw last week. Looks like Andy Reid has different plans.

12:50: Kolb goes deep to Maclin and the Eagles get lucky with a pass interference call on the Jets. A 43-yard foul, thanks to former Eagle cornerback Lito Shepphard.

12:11: Kolb goes deep again, this time to Brandon Gibson. Once again the Jets are called for pass interference as Darrelle Revis’ feet got tangled up with Gibson’s. It looked accidental, but the Eagles still manage to get the call their way.

11:57: Wow, the Jets get called for ANOTHER penalty. This time, Bart Scott gets called for unnecessary roughness as a fight almost breaks out between a few Eagles and Jets players. You have to love passion for football!

11:13: Running back LeSean McCoy finds his way up the middle for a one-yard touchdown. Remember last week when the Eagles go this close to the end zone against Jacksonville and they couldn’t score? Looks like things are different this time as David Akers kicks the extra point. Eagles take advantage of having the ball first and go up 7-0.

11:08: Andre Ellison returns the kickoff to the Jets 16-yard line. It should be interesting to see how the Jets offense performs in the first half considering the Eagles have given up most of their points in the first half this preseason.

11:00: Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez throws a quick pass to running back Leon Washington. I’m not sure how many of you watched NFL Live last night, but they did a nice segment on Washington and how he is putting up bigger numbers than Saints running back Reggie Bush, who was drafted the same year as Washington. Oh yeah, did I mention Washington is probably one of the most unselfish players I’ve ever seen? The interview alone proves it.

9:30: Jets running back Thomas Jones just ran for 14 yards on his first carry of the game. Not the type of defense Eagles fans want to see this early in the game.

8:27: Sanchez just found Dustin Keller down the middle of the field for 27 yards. I know it’s too early to tell, but Sanchez already appears to have an impressive throw for a rookie quarterback.

7:09: Looks like I jinxed the Eagles with that Sanchez compliment as he finds Jerricho Cotchery for a 21-yard touchdown pass and the Jets tie up the game at 7-7. Sanchez finishes the drive 5-of-5 for 61 yards and a touchdown. If he continues to perform this well in the regular season, I smell a strong case for Rookie of the Year.

7:02: Maclin returns the kickoff to the 27-yard line with a 21-yard gain for the Eagles. Let’s see what Kolb can do this time around as he makes his case for a roster spot.

6:57: Talk about frustration. Kolb throws a perfect pass to Eugene Bright down the side of the field and it just deflects off of his helmet.

6:08: Kolb feels the pressure from two Jets on the blitz and he’s forced to throw it away. A quick three-and-out for the Eagles as Sam Rocca comes in to punt.

5:58: Jets quarterback Kellen Clemens enters the game as Sanchez appears to be done for the night. Typical routine for first-stringers.

5:02: Clemens is able to escape the loss as he rushes for seven yards. Unfortunately, it’s still a quick three-and-out for the Jets as they are forced to punt on fourth down.

3:33: Kolb finds Tony Curtis for an eight-yard pass as the Eagles move the chains for the first down. Vick enters the game at quarterback and you can hear the mixed reaction about his presence throughout the stadium.

1:22: Wow! Signs of the old Vick appear to be on the field as the Jets apply the pressure and Vick scrambles out to the Jets' 34-yard line and picks up the first down. As he runs out-of-bounds, he receives numerous pats on the back from fellow teammates.

0:35: After Jets linebacker Vernon Gholston sacks Kolb for a seven-yard loss, defensive tackle Howard Green comes out the very next play and sacks Kolb for a 10-yard loss. The quarter comes to an end with the Eagles looking at a 4th-and-27 to start the second quarter.

Second Quarter

14:43: Clemons throws a short pass to Wright, but it’s bobbled and intercepted by Jack Ikegwuonu, who returns it to the Jets' two-yard line. Let’s see if the Birds can take advantage of this Jets turnover.

14:35: For the first time in over two years Vick has scored a touchdown as he runs the ball up the middle for a two-yard score, giving the Eagles a 14-7 lead. That may be the confidence-booster he needs if he wants to return to the level of play he was once known for. You have to love all of the players on the Eagles sideline who are excited for Vick after that touchdown run.

14:26: What a great return for the Jets as Allen gets to the team’s 41-yard line, setting up great field position for Clemons.

13:34: After Vick’s touchdown run, it took the Jets two plays to bounce back as running back Danny Woodhead devoured 55 yards of the field to get the touchdown. I don’t know who this Woodhead guy is or where Chadron State is even located…but wow, is he fast! We have a tie game once again at 14-14.

13:27: Maclin returns the kickoff to the 20-yard line for the Eagles. He doesn’t seem as comfortable returning kicks as he does with punts. It should be interesting to see what Reid decides to do.

11:33: Wide receiver Tony Curtis picks up another first down for the Eagles as he hauls in a 12-yard pass from Kolb. He could end up playing a key role for the Eagles at tight end this upcoming season.

11:04: Gibson hauls in an 18-yard reception from Kolb for another Eagles’ first down. I know I’m not the only one who is interested to see what happens with him in the next few days. He’s established himself as a fan-favorite this offseason at wide receiver, but there may not be enough spots for him on the 53- man roster when you look at other receivers ahead of him, like Jackson, Curtis, Maclin, Baskett, and Avant.

8:54: After two short runs by Eldra Buckley and an incomplete pass by Kolb, Akers ends up kicking a 48-yard field goal for the Eagles, giving them the lead again at 17-14.

8:40: Erik Ainge comes in at quarterback for the Jets to replace Clemons. His first play is a nice 35-yard pass to wide receiver David Clowney. Let’s see if the former Volunteer quarterback can try to regain the lead for the Jets.

5:26: Ainge fumbles and the Eagles recover on their own 28-yard line. This recovery ends up being huge for the Birds as the Jets were in field-goal range.

4:32: Gibson comes up with another big play for the Eagles as he picks up 16 on the catch-and-run from Kolb. If the Eagles are forced to go their separate ways with Gibson, there is no doubt in my mind he will be picked up by another NFL franchise.

2:55: Vick goes deep in the end zone for Maclin. The ball is intercepted by the Jets as Maclin is also called for offensive pass interference. The Jets will take over at their won 20-yard line.

2:30: They just showed the winner of a contest the Eagles held on their website where a fan could send in a video in hopes of winning the chance to be a sideline reporter during tonight’s game. I thought about entering, but then my gut told me that there was probably a 99.5 percent chance that I would lose to some beautiful woman who could do the job 1,000 times better. Looks like my gut instinct was right.

1:51: As the half winds down, defensive end Jason Babin sacks Ainge for a 12-yard loss. This guy is a beast who I never want to see the bad side of.

1:41: Maclin gets a nice 11-yard return for the Eagles on the punt as he gets some help with a few solid blocks from his teammates.

1:17: Danny Amendola is making a case for a roster spot as he takes a quick pass from Kolb and turns it into a 31-yard gain. The great thing about this guy is he can play multiple positions–which could be an advantage come Saturday.

1:07: Kolb finds Amendola wide open in the end zone but he bobbles the ball and can’t hold on for the touchdown. That drop may haunt him for the rest of the night.

1:03: Kolb finds Curtis up the middle in the end zone for the touchdown. It’s amazing how much of an impact he’s had for the Eagle tonight considering they just signed him a few weeks ago.

0:52: Allison dances his way to the 40-yard line for the Jets as they look to at least get into field goal range before the first half comes to an end.

0:42: Woodhead carries the ball for eight yards on a draw play for the Jets as they look to get into Eagles’ territory.

0:13: Ainge finds wide receiver Marcus Henry on 3rd-and-12 as he picks up an 18-yard gain and gets to the Eagles' 33-yard line. After a quick four-yard run by Woodhead, it looks like the Jets are going to try and kick for three.

0:00: As the half comes to an end, Jay Feeley kicks the 47-yard field goal to cut the Eagles' lead down to seven. After an exciting first half filled with turnovers and touchdowns, the Eagles lead the Jets 24-17 at halftime. For the first time this preseason, the Eagles lead going into the break.

Dan Parzych Is The Eagles Fan Voice For NFLTouchdown.com