Starship Vick and Eagles massacre Redskins, 59-28

Sorry, I just had to look at these numbers again to believe it actually happened…

Phi_D.Jackson 88 pass from Vick (Akers kick), 14:42.
Phi_Vick 7 run (Akers kick), 10:17.
Phi_McCoy 11 pass from Vick (Akers kick), 5:02.
Phi_Harrison 50 run (Akers kick), 1:55.

Phi_Maclin 48 pass from Vick (Akers kick), 14:51.
Was_Young 3 pass from McNabb (Gano kick), 14:15.
Was_K.Williams 6 pass from McNabb (Gano kick), 9:39.
Phi_Vick 6 run (Akers kick), 3:34.
Phi_FG Akers 48, :25.

Was_K.Williams 4 run (Gano kick), 11:27.
Phi_Avant 3 pass from Vick (Akers kick), 6:15.
Phi_D.Patterson 40 interception return (Akers kick), 5:19.

Was_K.Williams 32 run (Gano kick), 11:16.

RUSHING_Philadelphia, Harrison 11-109, Vick 8-80, McCoy 11-43, Buckley 5-13, Maclin 1-11, D.Jackson 1-5, Kolb 1-(minus 1). Washington, K.Williams 16-89, Young 1-16, McNabb 1-0.

PASSING_Philadelphia, Vick 20-28-0-333. Washington, McNabb 17-31-3-295.

RECEIVING_Philadelphia, Avant 5-76, McCoy 5-51, Maclin 4-79, D.Jackson 2-98, Celek 2-8, Harrison 1-15, Schmitt 1-6. Washington, K.Williams 4-50, Armstrong 3-83, Moss 3-28, Cooley 3-23, Davis 1-71, Sellers 1-28, R.Williams 1-9, Young 1-3.

MISSED FIELD GOALS_None.

 
A dream game for Mike Vick, who suddenly has MVP talk swirling around him, on a night that should have showcased McNabb’s new $78+million contract with the Redskins…

You’re going to have games like this, and sometimes it goes the other way…I can remember maybe ten games like this involving the Eagles over the past twenty years…But never have I witnessed an offensive game plan that started out so perfectly.

You may know the Eagles script their first 15 offensive plays for every game. Nearly all NFL teams do that.  But this is the first “script” in memory where every play worked to near-perfection.

On the first play from scrimmage, Vick play-action faked to RB LeSean McCoy, then connected with Philadelphia wide receiver DeSean Jackson  on an 88-yard touchdown pass, and the rout was on.  Jackson blew by safety LaRon Landry, with whom he had been involved in a pre-game wolf-ticket altercation. 

Vick ended the night by becoming the first quarterback in NFL history to combine in one game to throw for over 300 yards (he finished with 333), rush for over 50 yards (he had 80), throw four touchdown passes, and rush for two more touchdowns. Best of all, in my personal history book, in the six games he has played this year, Vick still hasn’t committed a turnover.

With over 84,000 fans in attendance at FedEx Field, and all the media attention focused on Donovan McNabb’s new monster contract, it’s hard to believe the Redskins’ defense was not prepared or “up” for the Eagles’ offensive script. But they looked out of it early, and sluggish to boot. 

Is it possible the Redskins simply lost competitive focus during the pre-game scuffles? Hard for me to buy into that theory, since the ‘Skins and Eagles always seem to be yapping at each other during warmups, for as long as I’ve observed their rivalry (40 years and counting)…

Here’s how Paul Tenorio of Redskins Insider saw it: “Before the game, Landry was in the middle of a scrum that broke out between the two teams as the Eagles headed to their locker room after warmups. It appeared the confrontation started between Landry and Eagles receiver DeSean Jackson. FoxSports.com’s Jay Glazer reported on Twitter that, according to unnamed sources, Landry and cornerback DeAngelo Hall were “taunting” Jackson before warm-ups and “mocking him about getting concussed.” Jackson has suffered two concussions in the last two seasons, including one on a hit by Atlanta defensive back Dunta Robinson Oct. 17 that helped bring about an NFL crackdown on hits to the head.”

After the game, Jackson seemed to play down the jawing but did acknowledge that there was some trash talking.

“It was some disrespectful things that was being said, and I’m not going to get into who said it or what they said but it was just some disrespectful things being said,” Jackson said. “Sometimes I think some football players take this football a little too serious and at the end of the day we’re human beings and have to have respect for a lot of people. It was just disrespectful but, like I said, we got in an altercation and we was ready to do whatever we needed to do to go out there and get them, so we was ready.”

To further fan the flames, Landry was also accused by center Mike McGlynn of spitting on him during the game…allegations which Landry later denied.

Whether Landry’s performance was distracted by such personal issues or not, from the first play to the last, he seemed to be constantly out of position, unable to make a tackle, and generally looking like he would have rather been anywhere else but on that field.

Overall, the Eagles displayed superior team speed both defensively and on offense.  Maybe the driving rain for most of the game was a bigger factor than has been cited in exposing the older and slower Washington personnel. The “young gunz” and “boy dogs” of the Eagles were running and cutting past the older ‘Skins with abnormal ease. 

McNabb tried but could not answer 59 points in a driving rain. Who could?  Many Washington fans are dumping on McNabb today… but McNabb isn’t the problem… he had dropped passes again and again, his WR Santana Moss isn’t getting away from anyone any more, and TE Chris Cooley is obviously a step slower than his All-Pro days.  And unless McNabb was playing LB, corner or safety, I don’t see how you can pin this loss on him. 

And how can McNabb be held accountable for spectacular performances by Eagles newly-acquired RB Jerome Harrison (50-yard TD run), LeSean McCoy’s solid running and receiving, or absolutely beautiful routes and catches by wideouts Jason Avant and Jeremy Maclin?

For veteran Eagles watchers, it was a spectacular night of entertainment…but we also know games like these are rare and, to some extent, a fluke. We know we are soon to face teams (next up, the Giants on Sunday night) who have linebackers and defensive linemen that will not look like they are stuck in the FedEx Field mud. We also know how fortunate we were last night to have a rookie safety (Kurt Coleman) and an inexperienced corner (Dimitri Patterson) playing with the luxury of a 28-0 early advantage in the rain…and both had the games of their lives.  All these factors converged on the Potomac last night in a confluence of fate and fortune.

So don’t gloat over this one.  Enjoy the 6-3 record for now…it is soon to be severely tested.