Season over: Sloppy Eagles fail once again

Another week, another disappointing performance by the Eagles.  This time, the Eagles made a tremendous comeback but still had a critical turnover that led to a 31-24 loss to the Bills.  Here are some of my thoughts on the game:

-Juan Castillo has to go.  Now.  The defense was unable to stop the run, put any pressure on Ryan Fitzpatrick or make any plays in the secondary.  The defense is loaded with talent and guys that have made plays in the past so there has to be an issue with Castillo and his schemes.  The one thing this group did well in the last few weeks was get to the quarterback and they couldn't even do that this week.

-Jason Avant had one heck of a game statistically, catching 9 passes for 139 yards, but he made two terrible plays that cost the Eagles the game.  When a sure-handed guy like Avant can't hold on to the ball you know things just aren't going your way.

-Michael Vick doesn't deserve much of the blame for this one.  Of his 4 interceptions, only one was a truly terrible pass.  Vick is doing everything he can with what little time he is given and scrambling for his life when there is nothing open downfield.  He can't be blamed for tipped passes becoming interceptions and for the inept line in front of him.  What he can be blamed for is his terrible mismanagement of the clock at the end of the first half.  How does that happen?

-How about giving the ball to LeSean McCoy more often?  Only 15 touches for Shady, who still managed over 100 total yards.

-I'm so glad Juqua Parker was healthy enough to suit up this week so he could make a boneheaded play a the end of the game to seal the loss for the Eagles.

-By my count, Jamar Chaney made the first play by a linebacker all season long when he picked off Fitzpatrick.

At 1-4, this season is effectively over for the Eagles.  Sure, they could rattle off a few wins and find themselves back in the NFC East title picture, but does anyone see any reason to think that this team is going to magically start playing well?  This is clearly a broken team that has talent but can't seem to put all of the pieces together.  All that is left to play for this season is Andy Reid's job.

Eagles extend Jason Avant for 5 more years

While the Eagles still haven't signed any new faces this offseason, they have been sure to keep some familiar ones around.

Wide receiver Jason Avant, who is coming off his best year in the NFL (41 catches, 587 yards), has agreed to a 5 year contract extension with the Eagles. Avant, who was a restricted free agent, proved to be a valuable contributor last season, making tough catches in big situations. While he will never be a big play receiver that puts up huge numbers, when you have speed guys like DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin on the outside, you have to have a reliable slot guy like Avant going to work across the middle.

Terms of the contract haven't been announced but you can bet that the Eagles got a pretty good deal. Even with the uncapped year coming up, the Eagles are going to remain their usual cost-conscious selves.

Too little, too late: Eagles fall short in San Diego

(AP Photo/Denis Poroy)

You want to know what makes the Eagles such a frustrating team to follow? They start off the game playing terrible, falling way behind, and just when you think they are going to get completely blown out in a game, they wake up and mount a furious comeback to get themselves back in the game and get our hopes up. Then, like clockwork, the Eagles fall just short at the end with the game on the line.

Such was the story today as the Eagles fell to the Chargers, 31-23. The Birds ineptitude in the red zone was on display early in this game as they failed three times inside the 20 and had to settle for David Akers field goals rather than TD's. The Eagles rallied late with a pair of touchdowns in the 4th quarter but ended up falling short when the defense couldn't stop the Chargers on a pair of third down plays late in the game.

Donovan McNabb racked up the individual stats in the game, passing for 450 yards as the Eagles completely abandoned the run after they fell behind. Also having a career day was Jason Avant, who was the one Eagle who showed up all day with 8 catches for 156 yards.

The defense deserves a large share of the blame in this one as they failed to slow down San Diego on the ground or through the air. LaDanian Tomlinson, who has looked washed up in every other game this season, ran for 96 yards and two touchdowns as the Eagles made him look like his old self. Philip Rivers had no problems throwing on the Birds depleted secondary, either, as he completed 20 of 25 passes.

The Eagles did get more bad news late in the game. Brian Westbrook, who returned to the field this week after suffering from post-concussion symptoms, suffered a second concussion today and had to sit out the entire 4th quarter. Two concussions just a few weeks apart isn't only going to keep Westbrook out for the rest of this season, it might end the career of one of the Eagles biggest offensive weapons.

The Eagles lost today for all of the usual reasons. They racked up a ton of penalties, couldn't convert on short yardage plays and failed to capitalize on their red zone opportunities. About the only good news that comes out of Sunday's action is the fact that the Cowboys lost, too, meaning the Eagles still remain just one game out of the NFC East. Of course, the fact that a team that has looked as bad as the Eagles in the last two weeks is still in contention for a division title might tell you a lot more about how weak the NFC East is than how good the Birds are.

And the frustration continues to build, Eagles fans. We know what this team is capable of when they are firing on all cylinders, hopefully it's only a matter of time before they put together a complete football game like they did against the Giants a few weeks back. The schedule doesn't get any easier from here on out but we know you can never count out the Eagles until the final whistle. And that's why we keep watching, no matter how frustrating it gets.

Eagles Preseason Game 3 Thoughts

(AP Photo/Mel Evans)

How many times are you ever going to hear this: Kevin Kolb led the Eagles to a come-from-behind win! It must be the preseason.

The Eagles played their 3rd preseason game, the most important one because the starters play 3 quarters, against the Jaguars on Thursday night. While the mere presence of Michael Vick made all the headlines, there were still some interesting performances by some players who are fighting for a spot on the roster. While the Birds won 33-32, and that is always a good thing, there still seems to be a lot of kinks that need to be worked out. Here is a quick look at some of the positives and negatives for the Eagles in their 3rd preseason game.

Positives:
-The first team defense. Sure, they gave up a lot of points, but it wasn't the fault of the defense. They swarmed the Jaguars all night, with nearly every starting defensive lineman getting a hit on Jaguars quarterback David Garrard. Even DT Mike Patterson got in on the action, recording the lone sack of the night.

-Asante Samuel. He was everywhere on Thursday, getting an interception and a forced fumble. He got a little banged up at one point but Asante looks ready to start the season.

-Jason Babin. He has earned his spot by once again being a difference-maker on the field. Babin didn't record a sack this time but he constantly put pressure on and forced a fumble. Welcome to the team, Jason Babin. Sorry, Bryan Smith, despite your interception, you are a goner.

-Jason Avant. Everyone talks about DeSean Jackson, Kevin Curtis and Jeremy Maclin in the passing game but Jason Avant could have the best year out of all of them. He caught 5 passes for 92 yards and is really emerging.

-Kevin Kolb. He actually looked pretty good out there at times. Don't tell anyone I admitted that.

-David Akers. 4/4 on field goals is a good day. I wish he didn't have to kick so many.

Negatives:
-The first team offense in the first half. I don't know if it was Michael Vick or what but the first team offense looked off. Stop me if you've heard this before but they moved the ball well at times but they were stopped in the red zone and had to settle for field goals twice. The play selection in the first half was incredibly skewed with 3 times as many runs as passes. Most of the problems with the offense are likely related to...

-Donovan McNabb in the first half. McNabb looked out of sync until late in the second quarter when Michael Vick's night was done. After that, McNabb got into a nice rhythm and started hitting the open receivers with regularity. Was it a coincidence that once Vick was done McNabb got into a rhythm?

-Jason Peters. I guess 60 million doesn't buy what it used to. He needs to get it together.

-Discipline. It was better this week but 8 penalties for 62 yards still isn't great. There are too many plays getting called back and drives getting killed because of stupid penalties.
-Special Teams. This is still the least special unit the Eagles have. The Jags had too many long returns.

-The running game. Oh, wait, what running game? They only had 66 yards on the ground but when you have 19 total rushes, I guess you can't expect more. Obviously, when Brian Westbrook plays this will be better.