Philadelphia Eagles: Don't Overreact to These 5 Preseason Points

Coming out of their first preseason game of the 2011 NFL season, Philadelphia Eagles fans have a lot to smile about. The team soared to a 13-6 victory over the Baltimore Ravens and showed their incredible potential. Both sides of the ball were solid in this victory, as the Eagles truly appeared to be a “dream team” during many plays, often looking like the far superior team against a worthy Baltimore Ravens opponent.

Many notes can be taken from the team’s performance, but one must try to keep in mind that it is merely the preseason and that any positives and negatives should be taken with a grain of salt.

Here are five points from the preseason opener that should not be overreacted to.

5. Michael Vick Looking Sharp

Probably the one aspect of the preseason opener that has everyone excited is Michael Vick’s solid performance. He completed four of six passes for 74 yards and a touchdown. If Vick plays like he did against the Ravens on Thursday, the Eagles will be in great shape. Especially when the highlights included accurately placing a pass over Ed Reed to a leaping Riley Cooper, and throwing a strike to Brent Celek in the end-zone with Ray Lewis draped all over him.

However, one game does not determine the effectiveness of a quarterback, even more so when it is a preseason game.

While Vick’s 42-yard pass to Cooper was impressive, many fail to realize that it was met with an incredible catch, as Cooper athletically leaped into the air to snag the ball out of the sky. The pass to Celek was accurate, but since Vick is not known to be an accurate passer, such passes during the regular season may be risky.

Of course, it is likely due to the fact that it is the preseason that Vick is willing to take more chances and test his improved accuracy.

There is reason to be excited for Michael Vick leading the Eagles in 2011. With an extra offseason to develop rapport with his receivers and to learn the playbook, Vick should continue to play well, if not better. However, just one quarter of spectacular play does not guarantee success throughout the season. Not only has Vick had a chance to improve over the summer, but defensive coordinators around the league have had time to game-plan against him. It remains to be seen which side will find the upper hand when the season begins.

4. Strong Defensive Play

With all the talent on the defense, the Eagles appear to be living up to expectations. With six sacks, two takeaways and no touchdowns allowed, it would appear that all the hype is being justified. The pass rush looked phenomenal and forced the quarterbacks into crucial mistakes. All the more so when the Baltimore Ravens are regarded as one of the better offensive lines in this league.

However, while the preseason can be indicative of good things to come, one should keep in mind that this was the first game that this new-look defense has played. Later preseason games, as well as regular season games, will have the Eagles facing better prepared defenses, as they will now have game tape to prepare from.

Furthermore, what makes a defense is how it performs in crunch time and in the postseason. The Eagles will undoubtedly face situations in the future, up 13-10 in the fourth quarter with the clock ticking down. Or they may be facing a potent offense and stout offensive line in the conference championship with the season on the line. It is in these situations that the Eagles defense must be at its best, not in a meaningless exhibition game.

Therefore, the defense offers much to be excited over, but has yet to truly prove itself by any means.

3. Vince Young Resurgence

After finishing 3-5 for 45 yards, many are touting the Vince Young signing now as a genius move and are claiming that Andy Reid and Marty Morhinweg were able to rejuvenate the talented quarterback.

The signing of Vince Young was a bold one, but also one that comes with great risk. As he and Vick have similar playing styles, the Eagles will not need to change their offensive philosophy if Vick were to go down due to injury. And as the Eagles are in a win-now mode, having a good backup quarterback is essential and Young would give the team the best chance to win if Vick were to miss substantial time due to injury.

Not only did Young have solid statistics Thursday night, but he also displayed the talents that once made him a two-time pro bowler. He showed that he still has a strong arm and plenty of elusiveness left to extend plays.

Although as well as Young played, it was still only five passes, as very little can be deduced about a quarterback from such a limited amount of play. Especially when Young has shown in Tennessee many times that he lacks consistency.

And we cannot forget Young’s character concerns. Already, he has put the bull’s eye on the Eagles by proclaiming them a “dream team.” Therefore, an incredible amount of pressure has now been placed upon the Eagles due to Young’s inability to keep his mouth shut.

When it comes to talent, Young is up there with any quarterback in this league. But he has a long way to go to prove to everyone that he is ready to play at a high level. 

2. Rough Night for Ronnie Brown

Despite finishing with a lackluster 22 yards in nine attempts for 2.44 yards per carry, it is far too soon to abandon hope on the Ronnie Brown experiment. Sure, his numbers were not great, or even good, but Brown has the capability to contribute in a great way to this Eagles offense.

It should be remembered that Brown’s role will not be to compete with LeSean McCoy for the starting running back position. McCoy has that job locked up entirely. But instead, Brown’s role will be entirely to offer his services as a change-of-pace man. Brown is quick, a great receiver and, perhaps most importantly, a big physical back. As elusive and agile as McCoy is, he tends to struggle in short yardage situations. While Owen Schmidt should be able to help there, Brown will provide another method of converting on a third and short.

And we also cannot forget Brown’s ability as a Wild-Cat weapon. With him and Vick on the field at the same time, the sky is the limit for this Eagles offense.

Therefore, Eagles fans should not fret to see Brown have a mediocre performance on Thursday. His role is not to be a primary running back at this stage in his career, but instead to be a weapon for this already potent Eagles offense. And to give away such crucial plans for him in the preseason would be unwise. Reid and Morhinweg will surely find a way to make effective use of him come the regular season.

1. Red-Zone Success

From watching Vick throw a three-yard strike to Celek in the end-zone, to watching Jarrad Page grab a pick in the end-zone, the Eagles seem to have finally conquered their red-zone woes, which plagued them for years. For many years, the Eagles failed to score consistently in the red-zone before seeing some improvement in 2010. However, the improvements in red-zone offense would be replaced by an almost complete inability to stop opposing offenses from scoring when in red-zone defense. But against a solid Ravens teams, is the problem now solved?

Not quite. As it is still the pre-season, the Eagles have yet to face an opponent that is entirely committed to game-planning against them. Pre-season is more of an evaluation than a contest. The Ravens starters did not play the entire game, nor did the Eagles starters.

And even with the starters in, the Eagles defense still has weaknesses. While their secondary and defensive line are perhaps the best in the NFL, the team is weak at the linebacker position. When in the red-zone, teams with effective running games could find a way to penetrate the defense for a score. And with the inexperienced Juan Castillo at the helm, a touchdown could be given away with an ill-advised blitz, or by putting too little pressure and allowing an elite quarterback to pick apart the defense for a score.

Perhaps all the Eagles needed to conquer its red-zone woes was a mobile yet effective passer and more talent and a new coach on defense. However, don’t be too quick to believe that this historic problem on the Eagles has vanished overnight. Let’s see how this team performs in the regular season, then we can talk.