First of all, it was a great football game. Before we get caught up in the quarterback controversy and the analysis and whether the Patriots were overhyped, can we at least acknowledge that?
Thank you.
One thing I love about Andy Reid is that he always believes in himself, and he never cares what everybody says, what the conventional wisdom.
Reid apparently told John Madden during the week he thought his team could throw the ball down the field against New England, and with a backup QB, on the road, they did. Supposedly the Birds could only compete if Brian Westbrook went crazy. He didn’t, and they did.
As good as A.J. Feeley was, the ball Asante Samuels caught in the end zone, effectively ending the game, was just a terrible decision and throw by Feeley.
The argument has been made that Feeley should be admired for taking a shot, for trying for the win on the road. Debatable, but you don’t do it to the side of the field patrolled by Samuels, maybe the second-best (to Champ Bailey) CB in the league.
You don’t do it blindly, without reading if the corner bit on the hitch-fake (dig my football lingo). It was a good play-call, but only if the QB goes into it thinking, “If they bite on the fake, take a shot in the end zone. If not, dump it to the tight end in what should be the vacated short-middle of the field.” Indeed, L.J. Smith appeared open in said vacated area.
If Feeley was trying to throw the ball away, as he claims, that just makes it worse, because 1. He had another option, Smith, and 2. If you throwing it away, put it in the 10th row of the freakin’ stands, dude.
Feeley was very good, but if McNabb plays the same game he’s getting killed this week for the interceptions, he can’t make a play when it really counts, blah, blah.
Having said all that, Feeley is probably a better QB, at least for the Eagles’ offense, than McNabb is right now. Feeley gets rid of the ball quicker, he’s more accurate, and he’s better at turning it into a rhythm-throw offense, which is what it’s supposed to be.
(Reid said yesterday McNabb would start if he was 100 percent physically, giving himself acres of wiggle room- he can play Feeley Sunday and claim his only reason was injuries.)
One more thing: Two good teams, slugging it out to the wire, and nobody’s running the ball at all, and nobody’s saying Reid an idiot as a result.
In the NFL you run the ball to control the clock, to keep your defense off the field, to milk a lead. But if you’re trying to score, right now, because you’re in a battle with an opposing offense that pretty much can’t be stopped, you’re throwing the damn ball.
In other news:
The current stupidest TV commercial of all time is the one in which Beyonce is singing and dancing about upgrading your Direct TV service. Just FYI.
Thanks to the good folks at Yankees2000 and the Baseball Think Factory for linking to last week’s Jimmy Rollins stuff. And if you think I was hard on Bill Conlin, check out this.
