Eagles 24, Browns 14: Michael Vick Discusses Eagles Bounceback Win

The Eagles rebounded from ugly performance last week against the Steelers with a much more solid effort in their 24-14 win over the Browns. Michael Vick scored his first rushing touchdown of the preseason on that play we saw him run so many times in the red zone last year where he rolls right, sees some daylight and just beats the defenders to the pylon for a TD.

“The guys were in the right spot," Vick said. "I came over and tried to find [WR] Jason [Avant], and the outside defensive end just got pushed down inside real hard. There was an open lane so I took advantage of it.”

The very young right side of the Eagles line struggled mightily to protect Vick early and the QB paid for it with some nasty hits. However, they did a better job as the half wore on and Vick noted how the offense was able to develop some rhythm.

“It was great to be able to get back out there with the guys and play two full quarters and play with a different mindset. We went into this game knowing that we were going to play at least three quarters and we wanted to put on a good performance. We started out a little shaky but we got it together.”

Vick finished 10-18 for 98 yards to go along with 24 yards rushing and a TD.

Eagles Vs Browns: Eagles Up 17-0 At The Half

It wasn't a pretty first half for the Eagles offense, but it ended up being a productive one as the Birds took a 17-0 lead in the locker room. Things started off scary as the young Eagles offensive line, namely rookies Jason Kelce and Danny Watkins really struggled and Michael Vick paid for it. Vick ended up being knocked down six times in the first half and nearly all were major hits. However, solid defense combined with some luck made this look like a blowout by the end of the half.

The first luck came after the Eagles first offensive series when two ex Eagles, Jordan Norwood and Sheldon Brown ran into each other trying to field a punt. The play was ruled a fumble that the Eagles recovered and Ronnie Brown punched in the games' first score with a nice run. After Asante Samuel picked off Colt McCoy, the offense put three on the board with a Alex Henery 37 yard FG. The last bit of luck for the offense came on a play where Michael Vick got absolutely hammered and ended up throwing an ugly looking pick on the play. However, a very dubious roughing the passer flag was thrown and the play was called back. The offense played much better after that and drove down the field with a drive that was capped off by an 8 yard Vick TD run.

On the defensive side, everything went pretty well. They got the turnover with the Asante Samuel pick, Colt McCoy was sacked three times and they kept the Browns off the scoreboard. Can't ask for much more.

It's also worth mentioning the special teams, who made two big plays. Not only did they recover the aforementioned fumble, they also blocked their second field goal of the preseason, this time by Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie.

The third quarter is underway and the starters are out of the game as the rain is coming down hard at the Linc.

Eagles vs Browns: What To Watch For Tonight

The Philadelphia Eagles face the Cleveland Browns in their third preseason contest tonight at Lincoln Financial Field. The Eagles starters are slated to play into the second half in the game that is typically seen as the final true warmup before the regular season. Traditionally, all the starters will sit the final week of preseason against the New York Jets. So if the team has still has kinks to work out or starting position battles to figure out, they will likely happen tonight. 

In general, we just want to see them play better than last week, when they were just steamrolled on both side of the ball by the Pittsburgh Steelers. That game was in stark contrast to preseason week one in which the starters played very well against the Ravens. A good performance tonight will make last week seem more like an anomaly than a sign of things to come. Here are six specific things to watch for tonight.

The middle linebacker, whoever It may be.

We went in depth on Casey Matthews adventure last week and clearly he had his troubles. However, the people who say that this a guy who hasn't even played the equivalent of a full NFL game yet are right. I think it's fair to expect him to be a little better than he is at this point, but he was always going to be a work in progress. So it will be interesting to see if we spot some growth tonight.  Also working in will be rookie Brian Rolle, who will play with the first team in nickel situations.

"This is a great opportunity," said the 5-10, 227-pound Rolle. "For a guy like me, who was drafted late, to get to run with the ones is great. I’ve been getting compliments on how I played in the first two games so I’m not surprised I’m out there with the ones."

How does Mike Patterson look?

Patterson was out for 18 days as he underwent tests and explored treatment options for AVM. So while he did have some camp time, his main focus now is getting his conditioning up to snuff. While he likely won't play a lot, it will be interesting to see how his presence affects the run defense. While Cullen Jenkins and Anthony Hargrove did a fair job getting some penetration in the middle last week, neither are good at eating up blocks or freeing up the linebackers like Patterson has been.

How does Michael Vick bounce back?

The last time Michael Vick looked as bad he did last week was probably the second game of last preseason when he threw two picks against the Bengals. Andy Reid said this week that his play last week as a "blip." It's up to Michael to prove that this week. A good performance tonight will pretty much wipe away the memory of the Steelers game away and relegate it to "it's just preseason." More interceptions from him will start to make people very nervous.

It's supposed to be impossible to throw on this defense

The Ravens didn't have much luck throwing against the much vaunted Eagles secondary in week one, but the Steelers did in week two. In fact, even Byron Leftwich tossed a long TD. It would be nice to see the Samuel, Asomugha, Cromartie trio lock people down or even get a turnover.

The play of Jarrad Page

Nate Allen struggled mightily last week and revealed after the game that his surgically repaired knee is not as 100% as he was saying earlier in camp. So Jarrad Page will run with the first team tonight. If he can be a stabilizing force back there, it should be a nice boost to the defense as a whole.

Can King Dunlap make the right tackle spot his own?

With Ryan Harris and Winston Justice both dealing with injuries, King Dunlap gets his second straight start protecting Michael Vick's blindside. The reviews on him last week were positive and if he plays well tonight he just might win that job even if if Harris and/or Justice are healthy.

Mike Patterson To Play Vs. Browns; Maclin Among Eagles Ruled Out

Less than a month after questions arose about his brain condition, which was said to require surgery or even radiation treatment, Eagles DT Mike Patterson is scheduled to play in Thursday’s preseason game vs. the Browns.

“He kept himself in good shape,” Coach Andy Reid said about Patterson. “We’ll treat him like it’s the first preseason game that he’s played. A little bit like I did with DeSean [Jackson] last week. Just limit his reps and see how he’s doing. Communicate with him during the game, see how he’s feeling.”

In related news, the Eagles have ruled out several well-known starters for the game against Cleveland. Wide receiver Jeremy Maclin, who was just recently cleared to return to the field after suffering from an illness, won’t be suiting up. Ditto for pass rusher Juqua Parker, defensive tackle Antonio Dixon, and offensive tackle Ryan Harris, who will be replaced by King Dunlap in the starting lineup.

Eagles Vs Browns: Michael Vick Excited To Get Back Into Action

Michael Vick and the Eagles will be looking to erase their bad memories from last week as they face the Browns this Thursday at Lincoln Financial Field