Philadelphia's Punt Strategy

I didn't understand that, either. I thought that Philly might be going for the block, but it did not seem like they put a whole lot of pressure on the punter if that is what they were doing.

Coach -

I think McNabb generally played a good game. What it came down to me is that NE simply snuffed out the Eagle's running game. When Philly tried to run off tackle, the NE LBs were coming downhill with a real sense of purpose. When it became apparent that Philly was not going to be able to establish a running game, the INTs were just a matter of time.

I also did not understand the Philadelphia clock management strategy at the end of the fourth quarter. They were down by 10 points and were still getting in the huddle. I thought for sure that they would be in a hurry-up. There did not seem to be much in the way of a sense of urgency. Although, the huddle might have worked because they did get that big-play TD on that drive.

Back to the punt, though, I still don't understand what Philly was trying to do. Any special teams coaches here?

AS A QB COACH OF LONG STANDING, JUST CAN'T ACCEPT THE STATEMENT THAT INTERCEPTIONS ARE JUST A MATTER OF TIME, NO MATTER WHAT THE CIRCUMSTANCES. JOHNNY UNITAS ONCE SAID THAT " YOU DON'T THROW INTERCEPTIONS IF YOU KNOW WHAT YOUR DOING" AND THATS A FACT THAT HAS ALWAYS STAYED WITH ME. I'M NOT GETTING ON DONAVAN, HE HAS FINALLY PLAYED TO HIS POTENTIAL THIS SEASON AND HAD AN OUTSTANDING YEAR. COACH LYLE'S ASSESMENT OF HOW THEY DO IT, IS IN ALL PROBABILITY PRETTY MUCH ALONG THE LINES OF WHAT EAGLES WERE THINKING IN SOME FORM OR FASHION. AT ANY RATE, WHATEVER THEIR THINKING IT WAS NOT SUCCESSFUL. BUT, AT THAT LEVEL, AND IN THAT GAME OF ALL GAMES, I'M SURE THEY HAD A PLAN OF SOME KIND. JUST MY OPINION, AS ALWAYS.

Coach Easton

Coach Easton-

Good points. I agree that throwing INTs under any circumstances is inexcuseable. What I was saying is that, given Philadelphia's inability to mount any kind of running game, the likelihood of McNabb throwing an INT was exponentially increased. If the Eagles had been able to establish a running game, some of the pressure would have been off of McNabb. As it was, the Eagles couldn't run the ball worth a darn, so the NE defense was able to focus their attention on McNabb. That's why, IMO, INTs were inevitable last night for McNabb.

GOVERTICAL,

I UNDERSTOOD EXACTLY WHAT YOU HAD IN MIND, NO PROBLEM THERE. SURE, WHEN YOU GET TO THE POINT WHERE YOU CAN'T EVEN GET A FIRST DOWN TO SPEAK OF ON THE GROUND, YOU HAVE NO ALTERNATIVE BUT TO PASS. AGREE TOTALLY THAT THE CHANCES ARE GREATLY INCREASED FOR INT'S, BUT STILL MAINTAIN THAT THE QB ALWAYS HAS TWO ALTERNATIVES, EITHER PULL IT DOWN OR THROW IT AWAY, RATHER THAN GIVE UP THE INT. HE SHOULD HAVE CHECKED OUT OF THAT MESH CALL WHEN HE READ 5 MAN ZONE UNDER, IMMEDIATELY, WITHOUT ANY FURTHER THOUGHT. JSUT ME OPINION, AS ALWAYS.

Coach Easton