Philadelphia wide receivers helped out by dropping numerous passes. “Then there are other times, whether it be a various assortment of self-inflicted wounds, we just kill ourselves”.
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At about the 10-yard line, a Carolina player knocked the ball to the ground and the field was covered nearly at once by the milling and hugs and hellos. Running back Jonathan Stewart plowed through the line for 45 yards in Carolina’s first two plays, and Mike Tolbert barreled over the line for a touchdown two plays later. The passing game lacked creativity and became frustratingly predictable because Chip knew if you send these receivers down the field on complex routes, they’re going to get beat.
“Hopefully, it lights a fire under a few people”, Jenkins said. They won because a handful of guys made a bunch of plays. I know he’s a rookie, but in the National Football League you have to catch passes that hit you in the hands. “What else can I say?” You focus in on who you play next and that to me is important.
“They rushed the passer, and they rushed the passer well, and we didn’t do a very good job of protecting”, Coughlin said after the game. Stewart played with ferocity and his power run style is helping the team wear down opposing defenses. “Nobody is above that”. How many times did we see a tight end Curl over the middle and stop, waiting for a pass?
The first time, Bradford was sacked on third down and the Eagles had to punt.
But Matthews was no means alone. Kawaan Short’s eight tackles and three sacks of Eagles quarterback Sam Bradford kept the Panthers on pace.
“It’s a sick feeling”, Matthews said. “It’s embarrassing. It’s something that needs to be fixed”. It’s been a problem this year. “Well, he can take his bag and go barf in it”, cornerback Josh Norman said. Murray finished with 65 yards rushing. Kelly said that had to do with the way the defensive coverage expressed itself. When asked if he should have stepped in and put Mathews back in, Kelly replied: “We had [Mathews] in there”.
On Cam Newton’s play vs. Eagles: “I thought it was good with the exception of trying to force the one to the sideline”.
It came on a night where one of Newton’s passes to Ginn ended up being intercepted on a play that had to be reviewed.
On offense Sunday, the Eagles took better care of the ball than they did in the previous three game.
Perhaps the true test of a great defense is how well it operates when its best player isn’t at his best. But the Panthers weren’t going to let quarterback Sam Bradford get comfortable. It also epitomized an accelerating trend of the Eagles’ up-and-down season, one that’s generated excitement and frustration within a brief swing on a handful of occasions.
And Philadelphia did just that, as Newton, who entered the game having thrown four interceptions all season, failed to keep the ball away from the defense throughout the night.
It wasn’t enough because the Eagles couldn’t get out of their own way. “We’ve got guys coming (from all angles)”. “But we did have too many for us to be successful …” The drops, obviously, hurt big time.
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RB Orleans Darkwa, listed as the Giants’ fourth running back, finally got his chance to confirm to the coaches and to the world that his rushing prowess in the preseason – he led the Giants with 131 yards on 30 carries and one touchdown – was not a byproduct of playing against lesser competition. The two head coaches met for their ritual handshake, locating each other in the crowd by looking for the play card or hat held aloft by an opposing handler like the pennant above a liege lord on the march.
