Eagles Reserves Lose to Cowboys, Will Face Packers in Playoffs

Even though it didn’t matter, losing to the Cowboys never feels good. Without the use of most of the offensive and defensive starters, Andy Reid counted on Kevin Kolb, Jerome Harrison, Omar Gaither, and Trevard Lindley to beat Dallas. They were on top for about 75% of the game, but a typical Jason Witten drive at the end of the game pushed the Cowboys on top.

The player of the game was undoubtedly DeMarcus Ware. He scored the Cowboys first touchdown on a fumble recovery when Kevin Kolb coughed it up in his own red zone, then sacked him three times and bothered him countless more times throughout the game. Without Winston Justice and Jason Peters, the outside lanes were open for business for the Dallas defense, and Kolb was the victim of a number of hard hits. Anthony Spencer also added two sacks and a forced fumble.

Similar to recent weeks, the Eagles had a tough time finishing off tackles, allowing Stephen McGee to wriggle free too many times and only sacking him twice. He had a relatively effective game if you forget about all the dropped interceptions by the Eagles defense. He threw for 127 yards and ran for 55 doing much of what Joe Webb did to the starters on Tuesday. They’ll have to wrap up on even more agile Aaron Rodgers next week in order to advance to the next round.

Clay Harbor dropped a ton of passes and Jeremy Maclin didn’t catch a ball, but Chad Hall and Jerome Harrison made strong cases to get a few looks in the playoffs. They’re both quick and possess big play potential, which will come in useful against a dangerous team like Green Bay, who managed to stave off the Bears today.

Despite the loss, the game is a success for Andy Reid and company — Mike Vick, Asante Samuel, and everybody else who got a week off will be much fresher than the exhausted Packers team who had to fight tooth and nail against Chicago in order to secure the final spot. Should be an exciting week of prep — we’ll see what happens and if the extra rest for the starters help in the new season.

Eagles finish at 10-6 on the season, 3rd spot in the NFC.

Eagles Vs Cowboys: Jason Witten TD Puts Dallas On Top

Who else would score a touchdown to take the lead against the Eagles than Jason Witten? He’s killed the Eagles for years — his highest touchdown total comes against Philadelphia. Even when Stephen McGee is throwing, Witten is still deadly against us.

With only 55 seconds left, the Eagles will have to get the ball to at least the 35 yard line if they hope to give David Akers a chance to win this game. Kevin Kolb won’t have much time to move the ball. Let’s see what he’s got.

Ball starts on the 20.

14-13 Cowboys.

Eagles Set Franchise Scoring Record

With Kevin Kolb’s touchdown to pass to Chad Hall, the Eagles scored their 433rd point of the season which breaks their franchise scoring record of 429 that was just set last year. The team has now set scoring records for three straight years. Who bet on that happening the same year they traded Donovan McNabb?

The Eagles also need just 39 more yards of offensive to eclipse their franchise yardage record. With two more TDs, the Eagles can also set the all time franchise record for TDs in a season, which is 50.

Eagles Vs Cowboys: DeMarcus Ware Scores on Kevin Kolb Fumble

Two Jerome Harrison rushes put the Eagles at a 3rd and 3 from their own 15 when Kevin Kolb rolled out of the pocket and left the ball unprotected. A diving Anthony Spencer knocked it away from behind, allowing DeMarcus Ware to scoop it up and run 17 yards into the endzone. That’s Kolb’s third lost fumble this season and something he has to work on when he becomes a starting quarterback somewhere.

Recent UFL signee Gerard Lawson just returned his first kickoff for 20 yards.

7-7 in the second quarter.

Eagles Vs Cowboys: Chad Hall Catches First NFL Touchdown

After a nice punt return by Chad Hall, the Eagles only had 39 yards to go before paydirt. Kevin Kolb cut down on that significantly when he hit Jason Avant for 21 yards. Max Jean-Gilles went down with a leg injury, which hopefully isn’t serious enough to keep him out next week. As a precaution, he’ll probably sit the rest of the day, joining Winston Justice, Todd Herremans, and Jason Peters on the bench. He is walking on the sidelines. Nick Cole comes in and moves to right guard as Mike McGlynn snaps the ball.

Chad Hall, now getting some reps in the slot, went across the field on third down presenting an open target for Kolb, getting 10 yards and setting up a first and goal from the 6. After Hall took the direct snap to get to the four, Kolb ran around behind blockers, biding time before he could find who else but Chad Hall in the back of the end zone. This is the rookie from Air Force’s first NFL touchdown. He’s got a future in this league, and I hope it’s as an Eagle.

7-0 Eagles.

Eagles Vs Cowboys: Reserves All Over the Field

With most of the starting defense on the sidelines, guys like Trevard Lindley, Colt Anderson, and Keenan Clayton saw plenty of field time on the first drive. Texas A&M product Stephen McGee lined up under center for the Cowboys and looks shaky even against the Eagles reserves. The D let Miles Austin break a few tackles for a 31-yard gain but hunkered down after that when Dimitri Patterson sniffed out a run to Austin for a loss of nine.

It’s interesting to see who plays on special teams since everyone and their mother is inactive. Maybe Butch will fly down the sidelines on punt coverage.

As Kevin Kolb takes snaps, expect a ton of opportunities for Jerome Harrison, who started the season with the Browns and was traded for castoff Mike Bell. Clay Harbor continues to be a factor as a reserve tight end after catching a touchdown last week, he was on the receiving end of Kevin Kolb’s first throw of the game. Then Harrison got three straight calls, two out of the backfield and one in open space, going for 23 yards. A strong showing from him could net him a few plays next week. Two Kolb passes got knocked down to stop the drive, forcing a Sav Rocca punt.

0-0 in scrubville.

Michael Vick, DeSean Jackson And LeSean McCoy Inactive Vs Cowboys

The Eagles have elected to rest starting quarterback Michael Vick today as they host the Dallas Cowboys in the season finale. Vick picked up a quad contusion last week on Tuesday against the Minnesota Vikings and coach Andy Reid expressed doubt earlier in the week whether he could be ready to go by this weekend. The fact that today’s game is virtually meaningless for the Eagles and has no bearing on their playoff seeding probably helped his decision along.

Vick isn’t the only Eagles starter resting today. DeSean Jackson who was battling a foot injury is out, Asante Samuel who has been getting over a knee injury won’t play either. LeSean McCoy, Winston Justice & Trent Cole are fine but will be rested. Stewart Bradley and Trevor Laws wont play, but appear to be legitimately injured.

So it’s a full on backup crew for the Eagles today led by QB Kevin Kolb. WR Jeremy Maclin is one of the notable offensive weapons who will start, Maclin needs just 36 yards to reach the 1,000 yard mark in just his second season. If he does so, he and DeSean Jackson will be the first WR paid in Eagles history to both reach a thousand yards in the same season.

Kevin Kolb Speaks On 2010 And Facing Dallas Cowboys

It was an interesting 2010 for Eagles QB Kevin Kolb. On Easter Sunday he was informed that the Eagles had traded Donovan McNabb to the Redskins and that he would be the team’s new starting QB. He spent all of training camp and preseason as the starter and he took the field in week one as the starting QB. He was injured in the first half of that game and his tenure as a starter was over. Michael Vick played well in relief that game and then superbly the following week in Detroit and Andy Reid made the decision to go with Vick.

Kolb would get another shot when Vick was injured against the Redskins. He played fantastic in a blowout win over the Atlanta Falcons, played pretty well in a win against the 49ers, but was poor in a loss to the Titans. Vick came back after the bye week and Kolb went back to the bench.

Now Kolb gets to make his fifth start of the season, but he’ll likely be doing so without a number of the Eagles offensive starters. This week, Kolb met the media to talk about his year and this afternoon’s game against the Dallas Cowboys.

On how he felt getting the reps with the first team offense today:

“It feels good. The more reps you get, the more comfortable you feel, especially for a guy like me who hasn’t played in a while. Now, it’s getting on the field and putting in the production.”

On whether he has studied as much film as he would if he were the starter:

“I’m probably studying more film this year than I’ve ever studied before, because I’ve figured out how important it is. And we all know that [QB Michael Vick] runs around a lot. So I want to make sure I’m totally ready if and when that time comes.”

On reflecting on the year 2010:

“It’s been a strange year obviously for myself personally, but it’s been a great year for the team. And I’ve had a lot of fun, as well. I think people understand how tough it’s been on me, but they don’t realize how much fun I’m having with this team and with Mike, and our coaching staff. We have a great coaching staff here, so we have a good thing going. We have to make sure that we’re right for the playoffs and it starts with us as backups doing the right thing on Sunday.”

On what he expects to see from the Cowboys on Sunday since they’ve been eliminated from playoff contention:

“Yeah, I mean, when you’re not playing for the playoffs, usually you’re out there playing for a job a lot of times. So, that’s the mentality of a NFL player, and I think all professional sports. They’re going to give it all they’ve got. They’re going to bring what they would normally bring on any Sunday, so we’ll have to be sharp in order to execute against their defense.”

On whether he expects to see a lot of blitzes against the Cowboys, like how the Vikings blitzed Vick last week:

“Yeah, that may be what they do. I think we’ll just have to get in the game and find out what their package is, what they’ve been working on, and hopefully figure out an answer and go score some points.”

On how he is been able to stay positive and not gripe despite being the number two quarterback this season:

“Well, I’m just not that kind of person. Whatever situation is dealt, God’s got a plan for me. And I have a lot of confidence in the future of my career. There’s many more years to go for me and I know that this could be a special one right here. We can go win a Super Bowl, me as a starter or not. So, I want to do whatever I can to make sure that I’m helping out when and where I can, and not [be] a distraction. I think if you start to act like that, then things are going to turn on you pretty fast.”

On the importance of this upcoming game for him to get ready for the playoffs:

“Yeah, that’s a good point. When I first heard the news, I was obviously very excited to get back on the field, but also to make sure I’m totally prepared if something did happen. So, that was the first thing that clicked in my head. Mike takes some shots and like you said, everything’s amped up in the playoffs the further and further you go. And hopefully, we go all the way to the Super Bowl, and I want to make sure I’m as prepared as possible for my team.”

On whether he agrees with the idea that this is a showcase game for him:

“I think every time you step on the field, every time you handle yourself in the media, any time you’re in a meeting room with your fellow teammates—it’s a showcase. Things are always being said, hopefully it’s a body of work, but I plan to go out there and rock and roll as good as ever. So, if that’s what it takes, if that’s what everybody’s saying, then that’s what it’ll be.”

Eagles' Kevin Kolb Focused On Cowboys, Not Looking To Future

With Michael Vick’s injury and the fact that this weekend’s game against the Cowboys will have no effect on the Eagles playoff seeding, all signs are pointing to Kevin Kolb getting his fifth start of the season. Kolb began the year as the Eagles starter, but was injured by halftime of the opening game and lost his starting job to Vick. When Vick himself got banged up, Kolb stepped in and played well in wins over the Falcons and 49ers. He didn’t play particularly well in a start against the Titans. Still, we’re talking about a young QB here who has just six NFL starts under his belt. He’s been named NFC offensive player of the week after two of those six starts.

He said this week that he isn’t sure he’ll start this weekend, but he preparing as if he’s the starter.

“If I approach it any other way, then I’ll be a step behind. I want to approach it like I’m going to be out there, take all the reps mentally that I can. Make sure I’m paying attention to the details.”

Kolb was asked about the future as well. With Vick all but assured to return and Kolb signed for just one more year, it’s likely the young QB will want a chance to start somewhere. However, for now Kolb says he’s only worried about winning with this team.

“I like this team so much and I enjoy being around Mike so much that I think it’s an injustice to the team to put my focus anywhere else, because what happens if they call on me this week, in the playoffs, whenever? There’s plenty of time for that this offseason. When that time comes, I’ll give it thought, but right now I’m focused on winning this next football game and hopefully going to win a Super Bowl.”

Eagles Vs Cowboys: Vick, Jackson & Samuel All Miss Practice

The Eagles released their first real injury report for the week and Michael Vick, DeSean Jackson, Asante Samuel, Mike McGlynn & Trevor Laws all did not practice. Yesterday, the Eagles did no practice but were required to submit an estimated injury report and all the same players other than McGlynn were also listed as having missed practice. McGlynn has an illness today.

With Sunday’s game against Dallas having no bearing on the Eagles playoff seeding, it’s very likely that all of these players (except McGlynn) could end up sitting most if not the whole game. In fact, if reports are to be believed the decision to rest Vick has already been made. There’s certainly no doubt that several guys could use the rest and while all Eagles fans want to see a win over Dallas, the main focus has to be on the first playoff game on wildcard weekend.

Report: Kevin Kolb To Start For Eagles Vs Cowboys

The Philadelphia Inquirer is reporting that Kevin Kolb will start for the Eagles in their regular season finale against the Dallas Cowboys this Sunday. The paper says that while Kolb won't confirm that he's starting, he did say he's approaching practice as if he will start. After their loss to the Vikings on Tuesday, the Eagles became locked into the #3 seed in the NFC. A win or loss against Dallas would have no effect on their playoff positioning. With three games in twelve days on the schedule, it always seemed likely that Andy Reid would opt to rest starters this weekend. On Wednesday, Andy Reid said Michael Vick suffered a quad contusion that possibly could have kept him out of Sunday's game either way.

"I'm not even sure he could get back from what he has now, the quad [contusion]," Reid said. "It was painful yesterday and it as painful today. If he had to play today, he couldn't. It's tight, it's sore. He'll be all right down the road.

Vick has been getting battered all season and Reid should jump at the chance to give him a rest, especially considering that he has a guy like Kolb in waiting who has shown he can step in and win games. In fact, I suspect that Vick won't be the only Eagle to take the weekend off. DeSean Jackson was bothered by a foot injury on Tuesday, Asante Samuel is still working back from a knee... This is a beat up team that needs a rest. Sure, we would have loved for that rest to have come in the form of a first round playoff bye, but there's nothing they can do about that now.