02/07/05
02/07/05
If Super Bowl XXXIX was anything, it was competitive. But it does not suffice to look at the score and say that it was a close game. The first obvious difference maker was turnovers. The Eagles turned the ball over 4 times; the Patriots once. But turnovers are often a symptom of why one team loses and another wins. The question has to be asked. Why so many turnovers?
The Patriots fulfilled a major objective on the Defensive front. They made the Eagles Offense one dimensional by obliterating their Running Game - Westbrook 15 attempts for 44 yards. The Eagles' running attack lacks balance. They do not have a power running attack that can take it to the Defense. The Patriots stopped the run and McNabb had no choice but to put the ball in the air to make a play or have a play made against him.
There are also questions remaining at WR. Pinkston and Lewis both had good games but they were matched against subs. Lewis has had a good playoff and appears to be an excellent 3rd WR. But, the Eagles are still desperately in need of an upgrade at the 2nd WR position. As testimony to what Offensive Playmakers can do, Terrell Owens heroic performance will be recalled in the annals of Championship lore for decades to come. The Patriots, on the other hand, appeared very small when they chose to mock Owens during their celebrations by emulating his Eagles wing flap. They were mocking someone who was courageous for just being on the field and who was tearing them up on one leg. In doing so, the Patriots appeared more like chumps than champs.
The Pats had limited success running the ball but were surprisingly able to complete 70% of their passes against what amounts to the NFC All-Pro Secondary. Even more disturbing from an Eagle perspective is that almost half of Brady’s completions were made by a good but not great WR, Deion Branch. There is no way that Brady and Branch should be able to play pitch and catch against this Defense. Where was the Defensive adjustment?
Also, the approach that the Eagles have taken at Linebacker needs to be revisited. There is a need to decide on what kind of player that they want to staff this position. Nate Wayne has obviously met with disfavor and Dhani Jones was an expensive non-factor if not a liability.
Last but not least, where has the art of clock management gone? The Eagles are obviously ill-prepared to execute a Hurry-Up Offense. This deficiency was glaringly apparent during the NFC Championship Game when McNabb threw a short completion while within field goal range and allowed the clock to run out at Half Time. This problem should have been fixed after the Atlanta Game. Instead, McNabb makes a similar play with less than 50 seconds on the clock with a 1 yard pass to a covered Westbrook which consumed half of the remaining time. Also, the Hurry-Up Offense is an important tool that can be used during the course of a game to keep Defenses off-balance and that is not limited to when the Offense is running out of time.