The kind of play that ruins a season -- and says so much about the 2011 Philadelphia Eagles.
The Eagles are playing in quicksand. They make a little progress, make a couple of plays and then, week after week, do something really stupid to set themselves back. A strip. A penalty. An interception. An idiotic offside call when they can least afford it. Sloppy teams do dumb things like that all the time, and the Eagles right now are both sloppy and dumb.
One play in the 31-24 loss to Buffalo illustrated that perfectly. I had to watch the play over and over in the NBC viewing room, sitting next to Tony Dungy, who was trying to figure it out too.
Down 14-7 midway through the second quarter, the Eagles took over at their 22. On first down, Vick retreated to throw. The Bills blitzed a cornerback (I couldn't read his number) around the Eagles' left end, and sent a rookie linebacker, Kelvin Sheppard, from over the left guard. At the snap of the ball, rookie center Jason Kelce pulled to the left. The Eagles running back on the play took care of the defensive back blitzing to the left of Vick. There was a moment in time -- we froze the image at NBC on the wide-angle view of the field, with all players on the screen -- where Kelce, pulling left, looked as if he'd be head-up on Sheppard and easily neutralize him so Vick would have enough time to find one of the four receivers in the pass-route.
Inexplicably, Kelce sprinted left to double-team a defensive back who was already well blocked.
"I know when he goes back and looks at film of that play, that center will be beating himself up over that one,'' Sheppard told me. "The crazy thing was, everything cleared out, and there was this huge hole to rush through. My eyes lit up like a kid in a candy store. There was nobody between me and Vick.''
Sheppard came unblocked at Vick. "I had a guy coming down my gun barrel and I should have just took the sack,'' said Vick. "I think that was a game-changer. Those things can't happen.''
True: Vick should have taken the sack. His greed to make a play led to throwing the ball right to Nick Barnett, who ran it in 31 yards for a touchdown. This is certainly partially Vick's fault because he has to eat that ball. But Kelce's mistake ... I guess you'd call it a rookie mistake. But it's so incomprehensible.
It was a bizarre play, the kind of mistake that illustrates perfectly why the Eagles are in this predicament. Because of injuries (both in the preseason and during the season), the Eagles started five offensive lineman Sunday, none of whom were the presumed starters at their positions last March. Two rookies (Kelce and guard Danny Watkins), one bargain free agent (guard Evan Mathis), one converted guard at tackle (Todd Herremans), one failed right tackle at left tackle (King Dunlap). Vick only took one sack Sunday, but I'd bet he took 12 good hits or so.
It's not too late for the Eagles to get out of this, with the talent they have. But Washington and confusing defensive coordinator Jim Haslett are up next. Not a good week for rookie centers to figure out which blitzers to pick up. Haslett has to be looking at the video today excited at the change-ups he'll be able to throw at the Eagles.
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http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/writers/peter_king/10/10/Week5/index.html#ixzz1aNlWdGzS