Keep in mind, there was a lot of good to take away from the Eagles' season-opening win on the road at Washington. Division victories on the road are never easy and rarely pretty. This was neither. Who cares?
Carson Wentz showed you why he will be a franchise quarterback. Think about how many QBs in the NFL can make the Houdini play he made on the Nelson Agholor touchdown. Less than 10? He wasn’t perfect and showed his youth at times, but he is legit.
My key to the Eagles' season was the defensive line, and it delivered. Four sacks, three turnovers, 64 rushing yards allowed and a direct hand in 10 of the Birds' 30 points.
Wentz. The D. Agholor. Zach Ertz. There was a lot of good.
But this is not Rob’s Rhapsody’s. ... It’s rant time.
Balancing act
Thirty-nine passes to 24 called runs. That includes Wentz's four rushes/scrambles. This was a fear going into the season after Wentz threw the ball a rookie-record 607 times last year despite having a woeful receiving corps. Early on, I thought the Eagles did a nice job mixing things up. But as our Reuben Frank pointed out (see story), that ratio was 36 passes to 13 runs in the final three quarters. Two to one in favor of the pass is far too predictable. It’s not like the Eagles were trailing big and had to throw to get back in it. Blaming the backs and the line is valid. But the head coach has to stay committed to the run and avoid predictability.
Come on, Alshon
Alshon Jeffery is being paid far too handsomely to not make plays on contested balls. It’s one game and they were not easy catches by any stretch, but one of his greatest attributes is winning 50-50 balls. And he did not win them Sunday.
Just say no, Doug
Repeat after me, Doug: No more wide receiver screens. Once again, no more wide receivers screens. The Birds have a lot of more weapons this year. And by the look of Pederson’s chart, there are plenty of other options on the voluminous menu. Use them.
Upon further review
The last thing I need in my life is more officials. Check that, the last thing I need in my life is more Dean Blandino. You remember good ole Dean, the former NFL vice president of officiating. As well as the chief Jerry Jones Dallas party bus guy and part-time Twitter troll. The Deaner is now one of FOX Sports' rules analysts along with Mike Pereira.
NFL
So we now get to have Blandino shoved down our throats during game broadcasts. Lucky us. I’m sure he will be completely objective when it comes to reviewable plays during Cowboys games. The national media needed another Dallas sympathizer because Troy, Tony, Deion, Moose, Michael, Jimmy, Woodson, Keyshawn, etc., weren’t quite enough.