Video produced by Chris Murray
Eagles wide receiver Jeremy Maclin talks about Rob Ryan, Michael Vick, the Eagles improving offense line and about next Monday’s game against the Chicago Bears.
LeSean McCoy talks about the wide variety of weapons in the Eagles offense in Eagles 34-7 win over the Cowboys.
By Chris Murray
For the Sunday Sun
Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Rob Ryan will need a few antacids along with a couple of stiff drinks with a slice of humble pie when he reviews film of how Michael Vick, LeSean McCoy and the Eagles offense carved up his defense before a national television audience.
In the Eagles 34-7 shellacking of the Cowboys at Lincoln Financial Field Sunday night, the Birds scored on on their first six of their eight possessions in the game, rolled up 495 yards of total offense on the NFL’s seventh-ranked defense. McCoy gashed the Cowboys No.1 ranked defense against the run for 185 yards on 30 carries.
“I feel like the whole offense is actually clicking, not just running the ball,” McCoy said. “The offensive line is playing well. The guys are doing a great job of just blocking. They’re talented, they take a lot of heat, by I don’t see why.”
Oddly enough, McCoy was asked if he went back to head coach Andy Reid and asked for more carries. He said that with all the weapons the Eagles have in players, he said it’s not right for him to worry about his own touches.
“I think it would be selfish for a player on this offense to ask for the ball more because anybody can take off. We got the two best wide receivers in the league and we have guy like (Jason) Avant who makes plays all the time and we have (Tight end Brent) Celek,” McCoy said. “Right now, I’m hot. Next week or two weeks from now DeSean (Jackson) will be hot. You never know.”
When McCoy wasn’t running through the Cowboys defense, Vick was carving up Dallas with both his arm and his leg. He completed 21 of his 28 passes for 279 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions. He had a 129.9 passer rating. The former Virginia Tech star also ran the ball for 50 yards on seven carries. For the first time in 13 games, the Eagles did not turn the ball over.
“I thought Vick was sharp on on his decision-making and I don’t think there were a lot of deflected balls or fumbles,” said Eagles head coach Andy Reid.
Eagles offensive coordinator Marty Morhinweg said Vick had an outstanding game as a quarterback and is getting better at picking up the blitz.
“I thought Michael Vick played some excellent quarterback tonight,” Morhinweg said. “A couple of those touchdowns were his calls. He’s becoming a tremendous quarterback with recognizing the blitz and he did just a magnificent job with that. He has a come a long way. He’s playing that quarterback at a high level.”
One of those plays that Vick called at the line was a 12-yard touchdown pass to Jeremy Maclin that gave the Eagles a 7-0 lead.
“I thought we had a pretty good play on, but I didn’t like it and I wanted to get out of it and was able to check it at the very last minute,” Vick said. “It was great communication and I give a lot of credit to the guys for putting themselves in a position to score and make the play.”
At the beginning of this season, there was plenty of uncertainty with the Eagles offensive, but against a hard-charing Dallas Sunday night, it was quite apparent that the line is starting to develop the kind of chemistry solid enough to protection.
“That’s been our mentality and I think we played above expectations when people were afraid to death to have us out there,” said left guard Evan Mathis. “Jason Kelce and Michael Vick did a tremendous job of directing traffic out there. If you watch the film, you’ll see us all talking, getting all together and figuring out where we have to go instead of walking up to the line and just guessing.”
The Eagles best offense was their defense as they held the ball for 42-minutes, nine-seconds to just 17: 51 for the Cowboys. Speaking of the defense, they kept Tony Romo and company in check by holding to just 267 yards of offense.
“It’s amazing, I think in the first half, I might have played eight plays or something like that. I’m fresh,” said defensive tackle Trevor Laws. “Every play I’m full sprint to the ball. When the offense is moving the ball like that, it helps us play better.”
By Chris Murray
For the Chris Murray Report and the Sunday Sun
Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Rob Ryan will need a few antacids along with a couple of stiff drinks with a slice of humble pie when he reviews film of how Michael Vick, LeSean McCoy and the Eagles offense carved up his defense before a national television audience.
In the Eagles 34-7 shellacking of the Cowboys at Lincoln Financial Field Sunday night, the Birds scored on on their first six of their eight possessions in the game, rolled up 495 yards of total offense on the NFL’s seventh-ranked defense. McCoy gashed the Cowboys No.1 ranked defense against the run for 185 yards on 30 carries.
“I feel like the whole offense is actually clicking, not just running the ball,” McCoy said. “The offensive line is playing well. The guys are doing a great job of just blocking. They’re talented, they take a lot of heat, by I don’t see why.”
Oddly enough, McCoy was asked if he went back to head coach Andy Reid and asked for more carries. He said that with all the weapons the Eagles have in players, he said it’s not right for him to worry about his own touches.
“I think it would be selfish for a player on this offense to ask for the ball more because anybody can take off. We got the two best wide receivers in the league and we have guy like (Jason) Avant who makes plays all the time and we have (Tight end Brent) Celek,” McCoy said. “Right now, I’m hot. Next week or two weeks from now DeSean (Jackson) will be hot. You never know.”
When McCoy wasn’t running through the Cowboys defense, Vick was carving up Dallas with both his arm and his leg. He completed 21 of his 28 passes for 279 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions. He had a 129.9 passer rating. The former Virginia Tech star also ran the ball for 50 yards on seven carries. For the first time in 13 games, the Eagles did not turn the ball over.
“I thought Vick was sharp on on his decision-making and I don’t think there were a lot of deflected balls or fumbles,” said Eagles head coach Andy Reid.
Eagles offensive coordinator Marty Morhinweg said Vick had an outstanding game as a quarterback and is getting better at picking up the blitz.
“I thought Michael Vick played some excellent quarterback tonight,” Morhinweg said. “A couple of those touchdowns were his calls. He’s becoming a tremendous quarterback with recognizing the blitz and he did just a magnificent job with that. He has a come a long way. He’s playing that quarterback at a high level.”
One of those plays that Vick called at the line was a 12-yard touchdown pass to Jeremy Maclin that gave the Eagles a 7-0 lead.
“I thought we had a pretty good play on, but I didn’t like it and I wanted to get out of it and was able to check it at the very last minute,” Vick said. “It was great communication and I give a lot of credit to the guys for putting themselves in a position to score and make the play.”
At the beginning of this season, there was plenty of uncertainty with the Eagles offensive, but against a hard-charing Dallas Sunday night, it was quite apparent that the line is starting to develop the kind of chemistry solid enough to protection.
“That’s been our mentality and I think we played above expectations when people were afraid to death to have us out there,” said left guard Evan Mathis. “Jason Kelce and Michael Vick did a tremendous job of directing traffic out there. If you watch the film, you’ll see us all talking, getting all together and figuring out where we have to go instead of walking up to the line and just guessing.”
The Eagles best offense was their defense as they held the ball for 42-minutes, nine-seconds to just 17: 51 for the Cowboys. Speaking of the defense, they kept Tony Romo and company in check by holding to just 267 yards of offense.
“It’s amazing, I think in the first half, I might have played eight plays or something like that. I’m fresh,” said defensive tackle Trevor Laws. “Every play I’m full sprint to the ball. When the offense is moving the ball like that, it helps us play better.”
Michael Vick said the Eagles are ready for the Cowboys. Photo by Webster Riddick.
By Chris Murray
For the Chris Murray Report
Even bigger than their traditional, oft-times hate-filled rivalry or the fact they will play each other before a national television audience, the
Tony Romo believes Cowboys are getting better.
Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys will engage each other Sunday night at Lincoln Financial Field in a game that neither team can afford to lose.
Some observers, most notably the NFL Network, is picking the Cowboys to go on a roll and win the division. That same thing could happen for the Eagles team looking to recover from a disastrous start to the season.
For the 2-4 Eagles this is a must-win contest, bordering on an elimination game, even in a mediocre NFC East. A loss to the Cowboys and the Birds chances for the postseason will be down to slim and none with the latter being the more likely scenario.
“We have little room for error now and we understand that,” said Eagles wide receiver Jeremy Maclin said after last Friday’s practice. “The best part of it all is that we go out there and take care of business week in and week out, we’re right where we want to be. That’s the good part about it, so we’ll take it game-by-game. We understand what we have to do here and our first opponent is the Cowboys.”
But considering all of their struggles in their first six games, the Eagles, who are 12-0 after a bye week under head coach Andy Reid, are feeling like Sunday night’s game is an opportunity to wipe the slate clean and a chance to get themselves back in the race for the division title.
“We’re looking at it like we’re zero and zero and this is our first game and we’re excited about it’s Sunday night,” said Eagles quarterback Michael Vick. “We’re picking up the season from here. The guys are ready to go, we had a great week of practice, it’s game on.”
Added Eagles running back LeSean McCoy: “Ever since that win down in Washington, everything is new for us. Let’s go out here and win these next couple of games.”
In addition to all the reasons this game is important to the Birds is that they are trying to end a five-game home losing streak. When asked about it, Vick said he’s not even thinking about it.
“I’m not talking about losing right now, I understand it’s a losing streak right now,” Vick said. “We’ll end it with a win.”
The enormity of Sunday’s night game is definitely not lost on a 3-3 Cowboys squad trying to jump start their season as well. Tight end Jason Witten told the Fort Worth-Star Telegram earlier this week he expects the intensity from both teams to be amped up a lot higher than normal.
“It’s going to be a battle,” Witten said. “And it’s important for us to get on a roll, build on a win with a big division game. If you are staying around .500 you are an average team. We need to step up from that. That’s our mentality.”
Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo believes his team getting better with each game and that anytime they come to Philadelphia it’s a big game.
“Obviously, it’s going to be tough to win,” Romo said. “It’s a division game and all division games matter. Every week in the NFL, always feel like it’s the biggest week of all time.”
DeMarcus Ware is looking to disrupt the Eagles offense this Sunday at Lincoln Financial Field.
Dallas Cowboys linebacker DeMarcus Ware has eight sacks and will take on Eagles offensive line that has struggled against teams that like to blitz. Eagles rookie center Jason Kelce believes the Birds line and quarterback Michael Vick have gotten better at slowing down the blitz ….Chris Murray has more in this radio report. Please click on the link below
Ronnie Brown believes that he can make a contribution with the Eagles.
by Chris Murray
For the Sunday Sun and the Chris Murray Report
Less than a week ago, Ronnie Brown was in Detroit learning the Lions playbook and making arrangements for his family to make the move to Michigan.
But in a stunning turn of events, the trade that sent him to the Motor City last week was voided because Jerome Harrison was diagnosed with a brain tumor. The voided trade was no doubt a blessing for him because it enabled him to get treatment for his condition.
“I don’t think if we ever came to that situation, they may not have found it soon it enough,” Brown said. “I was glad that he found about it and that’s one of the good parts about it and to get that taken care of is always good. I think everything happens for a reason. He was fortunate enough to find it in time and I heard the surgery went well.”
On the other hand, Brown, who saw Detroit as an opportunity to get more carries, it’s back to being third string running back behind Dion Lewis and merely hoping for a chance to get back on the field.
“I’m not one of those guys who’s going to sit around just because the money’s coming,” Brown said. “I want to contribute and when I feel like I can’t participate and play the game at a high level. I won’t play anymore.”
During Wednesday’s press conference, Eagles head coach Andy Reid was unclear on what Brown’s role would be moving forward.
“Listen, I think you need to have three good running backs in this league [and] I think we know that. And he’s a good running back so that’s why we brought him here,” Reid said.
So far, Brown hasn’t touched the ball much this year with just 38 yards on 13 carries and fell behind Lewis on the depth chart after fumbling at the goal line in the loss to the San Francisco 49ers. With LeSean McCoy emerging as one of the best running backs in the league, Brown’s chance to be on the field during games is up in the air at best.
If anything else, Brown said he doesn’t mind sharing his insights and veteran experience as a running back to help McCoy and Lewis out during the course of a preparing for a game.
“Me being around for a few years now I have kind learned the ins and outs of how to recognize things as far as looking at guys in the secondary and looking at guy’s eyes, the stance of guys when you’re looking at film and seeing how guys have tendencies to give things away,” Brown said. “Hopefully, I can help them out in some aspects to help (McCoy) improve his game.”
And yet, Brown seems to have a good attitude and the proverbial “stiff upper lip” in what has to be an awkward, if not difficult situation after coming back from he was hoping to be a better opportunity.
“You let things go,” Brown said. “On this level when you dwell things, being a professional, it’s kind of like you’re holding yourself back . If I always sit back and think about what if or if I did something different, I’m not actually preparing myself for the future.”
While Brown is saying all the right things and seems to have the right frame of a mind, he wants to be on that field. After all, this is a guy who ran for 4,815 yards and scored 36 touchdowns during his six years with the Miami Dolphins. He is also the man who popularized the “Wildcat” formation.
“It’s not so much ego, it’s more or less the will and the want to get out there,” Brown said. “You’ve got used to being out there and participating, but you have to take a different road or different approach. That’s what’s different and you have to go through that adjustment process and that’s the difficult part coming from a starter to a guy who is playing a limited role.”
With the Phillies elimination from the 2011 playoffs, Rollins became a free agent. While Rollins and Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. want to see him back in red pinstripes, there is a big possibility that Rollins may not be back in Philadelphia next year.
During his Oct. 11 press conference, Chris Murray asked Rollins if he felt any personal satisfaction for bringing in a new generation of Black fans whose parents and grandparents refused to root for the Phillies because of the team’s hostile treatment of Jackie Robinson when he broke the color-line with the Brooklyn Dodgers and the organization’s treatment of Dick Allen when he was with the Phillies:
Jimmy Rollins hopes to be back with Phillies in 2012. Photo by Webster Riddick.
By Chris Murray
For the Sunday Sun
It will be hard to imagine the Phillies without Jimmy Rollins in red-pin stripes patrolling shortstop at Citizen’s Bank Park.
That’s something that Rollins himself can barely come to grips with that concept.
“I think I’ve worn it pretty well over the years,” Rollins said. “I haven’t really thought about putting on any other color other than red and white pin stripes.”
As much fans would like their superstars to stay with their teams until they retire, the lure of more money from free agency is a harsh reality of today’s sports climate. J-Roll, for all he has meant to the resurgence of the Phillies, understands this all too well, but he is hopeful things will work out with the Phils.
“At the same time, gut feelings don’t always make great business decisions,” Rollins said during his press conference with reporters back on Oct 11. “It is a business, regardless of how you feel or what you want. Things have to be worked out and agreed upon. I really see there’s a good chance things will work out.”
With his 33rd birthday coming up, Rollins is seeking a five-year deal with a contending team preferably the Phillies. Listening to him during his last confab with the Philadelphia media, you do get the impression that he likes being here and wants to stay here. But most local baseball observers are doubting that he will get the five years he is seeking and they might be right.
Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. said he would like to see Rollins in a Phillies uniform for several years, but refused to talk about whether the amount of years that Rollins wants for a new contract..
“I think Jimmy knows exactly where we stand as far as whether we want him back or not, there’s no question that we want Jimmy to be back in our uniform and play shortstop for the next several years,” Amaro said. “Whether that happens, depends upon whether or not we get to the finished line.”
There are some local pundits and some fans who are hoping the Phillies sign New York Mets free agent shortstop Jose Reyes, who won the National League batting title with a .337 average and stole 39 bases during the 2011 season.
Yes, Reyes is younger and had better stats last season than Rollins and on the surface, it would appear to be a good move to sign a younger, faster player.
The problem with Reyes over the years is that he has been injury prone and he has several bouts of being erratic in the field. In the final game of the season, Reyes focusing on individual goals took himself out of the game to help him preserve his National League batting crown rather than help his team win.
When it comes to intangibles like leadership in the locker room, Reyes doesn’t even come close to being the leader that Rollins has been during the Phillies run through the playoffs and the World Series.
On the other hand, Rollins hasn’t been the same player since his MVP season in 2007. Injuries have slowed him down. As a hitter, Rollins has become a bit too enamored with trying to be a home run hitter from the lead-off position like his hometown hero Rickey Henderson.
In 2011, Rollins batted .268 with 16 home runs and 63 runs batted in with 30 stolen bases.
But for all the criticism that Rollins gets, some of it deserved and some of it is absurd, he is still one of the game’s best defensive shortstops. Last season, Rollins committed just seven errors and had a .988 fielding percentage.
It is unlikely that Rollins is going to get the five years he is seeking, given his health and the fact that he is getting up there in age. But because it looks like both Rollins and Phillies management want to somehow work this out, the two parties will probably meet each other half way.
In other words, if he does stay in Philly, he will be probably get a three or four-year deal with options and lots of money.
LeSean McCoy is confident that Eagles can turn their season around.
In the Eagles win over the Washington Redskins, running back LeSean McCoy gained 126 yards on 28 carries. After a snapping four-game losing streak, the 2-4 Eagles believe they can right their ship and get their season back on track. McCoy said even through their recent losing streak the team still believes that it can be a playoff team. Chris Murray has more in this audio report.
By Chris Murray
For the Sunday Sun and the CM Report
LANDOVER, Md.–If there is any conclusion that you can come to with the Eagles 20-13 victory over the Washington Redskins is that they not only have a pulse, but they still have a legitimate shot, even at 2-4, at winning the NFC East.
Huh? Did I really say that?
I know optimism is not necessarily a Philly trait, but if look at the rest of the NFC East, it’s a division that’s fit for the taking provided that one of the four teams in question- the Eagles, Redskins, Cowboys and Giants don’t shoot themselves in the foot.
That’s something that all four teams have had a tendency to do with alarming consistency so far this season.
What has to bother the Eagles and their fans about their current record is that the four games they’ve lost were winnable. Take away the turnovers, mental lapses by both players and coaches, and plain old lack of execution, the Birds could be 5-1 or 6-0 instead of 2-4.
“Every game we’ve lost so far has been because of us,” said Eagles wide receiver DeSean Jackson, who caught four passes for 46 yards. “We’ve been stopping ourselves. As long as we can come out here and not have turnovers. As long as we can stop doing that part of the game and stick with what we do best which is go out there, fly around and make plays and take advantage of what the defense gives us.”
Sunday’s win over a first-place Redskins team that doesn’t scare anybody seem to lift the spirits of a team mired in a frustrating four-game losing streak.
“We know right now how our division is as far as record,” Jackson said. “We’re actually not at a bad spot. Even though we would like to win more games than we lost, we still have a good chance to win out and just keep winning and still have a chance to control the NFC East.”
Eagles quarterback Michael Vick said winning Sunday’s game will be the start of a rebirth of his team once they come out of the bye week when they host another NFC East team—the Dallas Cowboys at Lincoln Financial Field on Oct.30.
“We’ve got to start from (Sunday) and in each and every game,” said Vick, completed 18-of-31 passes for 237 yards with one touchdown and one interception. “We’re going to enjoy this victory and this bye week and start the season all over again. We definitely feel good where we are right not. Obviously, there’s a lot of work to be done. ”
For the much maligned Eagles defense, which after being beaten up on for the first half and part of the third quarter of the loss to Buffalo, came out Sunday and intercepted Rex Grossman four times. More importantly, they held on to a lead and didn’t give up too many big plays as they have in their four-game losing streak.
“That’s progress for us,” said cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha. “A lot of times you’ve seen something wrong that happens in the second half, then it’s like,’oh no, how do we respond. But today something wrong happens, you know what to do, let’s fix it.
“It wasn’t a perfect game obviously, in the second half they made a couple of plays, but after that we came through and we were able to stop them.”
Asomugha said that while the defense had a nice outing against the Redskins, they still have a lot of work to do.
“We haven’t been where we wanted to be and the fact that we got a win today is something we can build on,” said Asomugha, who had a bone-charring tackle on Redskins tight end Chris Cooley in the first half. “But at the same time, we’ve got to keep everything in perspective and play it one game at a time.”
The winner of the NFC East will be that team can avoid assisting their opponents efforts to give them a butt-whuppin. Stay tuned.
