25 Minutes Worth of Eagles Preseason Observations...

Everybody needs the preseason. It’s not just the players. Stadium operations were not yet in midseason form last night at the Eagles game. The ticket scanners at the gates we entered suddenly stopped working. Of course, the employees then had no idea what to do and the line came to a standstill. Ummmm, people, we did go decades without these machines. How about just actually looking at the ticket and ripping the stub? I am pretty sure the counterfeit tickets are at a minimum in the preseason. Of course, my daughter had to go to the potty right while the line got stuck, but she showed the development of her bladder control and rode out the wait.

Once we got in the game, the big downside was that the noise at the Linc (PA announcer volume, fireworks, fans) was so loud that it was too much for my little man. Zack, who is 4 and a complete sports maniac who can tell you every Phillies player, could not really enjoy the game, as the noise was overwhelming for him.

My daughter and I met my buddy Joey Prez and his buddy Chris for a beer (or as my daughter said, “Daddy, I have never tried beer, just Root Beer,” so no malt and hops beverage for her) with about 5 minutes to go in the half. Unfortunately, our visit was interrupted by a major lightning storm, which caused another near riot at the gates, this time with people trying to get out. Once we found the other half of our entourage, we bolted for him before the bolts got us….

As for the game itself, the Birds looked great. They looked to be in midseason form. In the almost-half of action I saw, here are my takeaways:

• McNabb looked great. He looked comfortable in the pocket. He was accurate with his passes. He showed no physical or mental effects from his knee injury. He saw the field well. He looks like he will be ready to pick up right where he left off. After the first half of the first quarter, when the Birds had orchestrated 2 straight successful scoring drives, Donovan was on pace for 1,002 passing yards. That would be a record! As long as he can stay healthy, this team has a legitimate shot to hoist the Lombardi Trophy.
• The running game looked non-existent. We did get a couple successful goal line carries from Tony Hunt, who looks like he will push Correll Buckhalter back to third string.
• The pass rush looked strong. They were getting pressure on DelHomme fairly consistently.
• With defensive pressure comes good cornerback play, and Sheppard, Shelden Brown and Will James all looked good, basically shutting down Steve Smith, the best receiver in the league according to many.
* Brent Celek looks better this week that he did last week. This guy is going to be a force. The Eagles should use their 5th round draft pick every year on a guy out of the University of Cincinnati. Besides Celek this year, they nabbed Trent Cole in the 5th round two years ago from the same school...
• Max Jean Gilles looked solid filling in for the injured Shawn Andrews. The offensive line in general looked strong.
• Is it me or is McNabb looking for Kevin Curtis as his #1 option, not Reggie Brown?

If I were the Carolina Panthers, I would be concerned. Their #1 offense could not move the ball and their #1 defense got manhandled. I know it is just preseason, but I am not all that high on this Panther team this year. I do think they need to bench Jake DelHomme and give David Carr the reins to the offense. We will see if that happens.

One final note: The reason, besides his Hall of Fame playing career, that Brian Dawkins is probably my favorite Eagle of all time is that quite simply, he gets it. He always plays to the fans and recognizes that it is a partnership. Despite being injured and not being in uniform, Dawk was still on the field at the 50 yard line leading the fans in the Eagles fight song every time we crossed the goal line. If there is ever a guy who deserved a ring, it is Brian Dawkins.

It is still only preseason, but now I am convinced that the Birds, if they stay healthy, will be just fine this year…..