There would be no “flying’ for the Philadelphia Eagles today. Instead, they were sent sulking back to their nests to wonder what went wrong.
The Green Bay Packers saw to that, stifling Michael Vick for most of the game and running a balanced offense with their secret weapon for the day, running back James Starks.
Yet it still came down to the last 40 seconds, Eagles with the ball in Packers territory. And this one ends just like the Bears game. Interception by the Packers (Tramon Williams this time) and Green Bay advances.
My game day impressions:
PREGAME:
I’m predicting two Michael Vick strip fumbles today…
LeSean McCoy has caught 78 passes this season.
Bradley inactive for the Eagles.
MY KEY TO THE GAME: If I had to pick JUST ONE thing, it would be this: Don’t over-scheme for Michael Vick. Don’t try to spy him. Just work on some basic team contain principles and make him beat you as a quarterback, not a running back.
My 1A key to the game: Use the running game today. Please. Make the Eagles secondary think run first. Unleash James Starks.
Inactive for Green Bay on Sunday:
Green Bay inactives: QB Harrell, S Bigby, FB Hall, CB Gordy, LB Zombo, OL Dietrich-Smith, OL McDonald and DL Green.
Jenkins finally returns to the active list and boy am I happy to see him in there against Vick. Huge Howard Green is out, which makes the most sense. packers want their most athletic defensive linemen in there.
James Starks (Neo) is active today! He will be the Packers’ secret weapon today.
MM Comments on WTMJ Pregame show:
It’s been an excellent week of practice and our guys are ready to go.
Stay true to the heartbeat and the pulse of your football team. the last two weeks we’ve had to fight to be in the playoffs. That’s good for our younger guys.
We feel as a football program that trhe way we conduct our business, we will always be an improving football team.
We need to be smart with Cullen’s reps. Make sure he has his fastball in the 4th 1/4, so we’ll have to put him on a bit of a pitch count.
Vick: I feel he’s the best player on their football team.
Obvious that having a full week to prepare for him will help. We’re definitely counting on it.
McCoy: He makes people miss. Generates first down. Excellent blend of skill positions to go along with Michael Vick.
Eagles want to be a heavy blitz team. We plan to take advantage of that for some big play opportunities.
A key for today: Running the football and then converting third downs.
Special teams: Can’t say enough about the job they have done.
Wind: Will definitely factor into some of the decision. QB has to be smart about it. Play selection may be affected a little bit by it.
THE GAME:
The packers snow-plow the Eagles kick returner to set a good tone.
Speaking of tone, Desmond Bishop UNTOUCHED to Michael Vick – Sack #1
Awful break on the punt as Underwood’s foot touches the ball and Eagles recover. Lots of yelping about the call, but at first glance, I think it was correct. Underwood engaged with an Eagle gets dragged into ball, but remember, Underwood was the blocker on the play.
TV announcers jinx Akers bigtime and he misses. Crisis averted.
Well, I said I wanted to see Bulaga at LT, but I was talking next camp, not this week.
Wish Rodgers would give a better fake on the draw play. Continue back and look like you still have the ball. Don’t stop and stare at the running back.
Woodson spying Vick on the long pass to Jackson that Shields had great coverage on. Saw him do it earlier and he whiffed on a Vick scramble. Not enough spewed. Not sure how I feel about using Woodson like that.
27 yard run from James Starks. Hope he makes me look like a soothsayer.
Packers recover two of their own fumbles on their second TD drive.
Score: Packers 7 Eagles 0
2nd Quarter:
How about BJ Raji running down LeSean McCoy on a screen? And then he knocks down the next pass. Wow
Vick is a fumble waiting to happen. Gotta hack away at his arm.
Packers defense holds Philly to a field goal. Packers do not use a timeout and let the clock wind down to 1:11.
James Jones repeats history and drops another wide-open touchdown pass. Sit him down already…
Mike McCarthy with yet another horrible job of clock management before the half. The Packers end up on the 43 with 20 seconds left and a time out, and they let the clock run out. Brilliant! Of course, if they had called a timeout when the defense held the Eagles, there would be another 30-40 seconds on the clock.
Score: Packers 14 Eagles 3
2nd Half:
We just love to keep other teams in the game… Rodgers… fumble… 2 plays… Eagles TD.
Jarret Bush seen flailing for the ball on the Eagles TD pass. Oh, what awful flashbacks that brings.
Tweeted before the game: @JerseyAlGBP McCarthy will unleash John “Neo” Starks today.
Lets give proper credit to Brandon Jackson. He showed GREAT patience letting his blocks develop on the screen and is rewarded with a TD.
Packers defense continues to bottle up Vick.
Packers get the ball back on their own 2 after a punt. A long drive here would be this game’s “dagger”…
Doesn’t happen. Eagles have first and 25. Packers dial-up three straight 3-man rushes. Eagles pick up the first down. It has it’s place, but not three times in a row.
Score: Packers 21 Eagles 10
4th Quarter:
Akers misses another field goal. The football Gods are with the Packers today.
James Starks = Ryan Grant Squared
3rd and one and it’s a stretch play to Kuhn. Packers just can’t make games comfortable.
I just have a feeling the Eagles will get the ball back with a chance to win the game. It will be up to the defense once more, just like the first meeting.
Just have a feeling the Eagles will get the ball back with a chance to win. Can I just say thank you to James Jones again?
Green Bay stops the Eagles twice on two-point conversion trys.
Packers get the ball with 4 minutes and a 5-point lead. Can they sustain a drive here?
Nice ball protection by Starks, high and tight and puts the second hand on it before getting hit. Nice coaching job, Edgar Bennett.
And sure enough, the Eagles have the ball back with a chance to win the game. no timeouts.
TRAMON!!!!!!!
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Jersey Al Bracco is the founder and editor of AllGreenBayPackers.com, and the co-founder of Packers Talk Radio Network. He can be heard as one of the Co-Hosts on Cheesehead Radio and is the Green Bay Packers Draft Analyst for Drafttek.com.
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TRAMON!!!!! We could end every game like this.
Great idea!
Al,
Three words . . . STARKS! STARKS! STAAARRRKS!
If this kid can stay healthy, watch out!
I like the way Starks slitters through the narrow holes.He looks like a natural for the zone blocking.Looks like he had some work habit problems which were handled nicely[quickly & quietly].I’VE GOT GEORGIA ON MY MIND!I’d love to go to that game in the warm weather.
Starks was, indeed, the secret weapon today…
http://twitter.com/JerseyAlGBP/status/24207443139502080
Starks really does look better than Ryan Grant, don’t know if that’s true but it sure seems so. Who’s Marshawn Lynch? glad we have a 3rd round pick this spring.
Yeah, I was never on the Lynch train… because i knew we had THE ONE!!!
Starks great today.
Good 1st half for the offense kinda. Too many dropped passes. Are you listening Jones? How could he drop that pass?
2nd half Offense reverted to old ways and bad play calling.
D was great for almost 3 qtrs. Then that damn 3 or 4 rush with DEEP zone coverage alowed Eagles to throw under the zone and chop off large chunks of real eastate. Gotta come up with a solution before Atlanta.
Running should be better with Starks and a some what better Oline play.
MM has gotta convince AR that the deep throw on 3rd and two should be shelved for the playoffs. Controling the ball is crucial. Play a full 4 qtrs. Play to score in the 2nd half.
Great win – No predictions, I’m too superstitious.
Ron, I’m wondering if part of the “soft middle” in the defense was due to them trying to contain the outsides more, though it does seem to be a consistent weakness of the 3-4.
Yea… I live in GA and will be trying to get tickets to the game, but it is definitely not warm here right now. lol. Georgia “Blizzard” 2011. lol. More like 3-5 inches of snow, but down here, one snowflake and everything closes.
In that case enjoy the Green Bay weather .I wish it was an outdoor stadium.I’m in Jersey and already heard about that storm.
Game balls to Starks and the entire defense!
Com’on Man!! to J.Jones
Great win and a win is a win BUT here is another game the the Packers dominated and almost lost. Yes the dropped pass by Jones was huge but play calling late in game was way to conservative.
Yes, the three man rush has it’s place the garbage can!
No team, even the Patriots can beat the Packers if we ever turn in a full four quarters of football.
MM is still bad with clock management. Almost came back to bite them.
Atlanta does not scare me at all, should have beat them the first time.
We shall see. Please Mike have the killer instinct.
“Yes, the three man rush has it’s place the garbage can!”
On the final drive, it was a 5-man blitz (and a missed tackle) that gave up the 28-yd catch-and-run by DeSean Jackson. And it was a 3-man rush (with a 4th “spy”) that netted the game-winning interception.
MM clock management needs inprovement. You have to try and score when the opportunity presents itself. Packers could have tried to get in range for a field goal at the end of the first half. I hope he learns from this game.
I cannot fathom why MM was content to just call it a half. Oh well. At least we one this time.
Silverstein said on his talk with LeRoy Butler that the entire team was deflated after J Jones’ drop. He said you’d have to have been there to get the perception and understand. To me, Silverstein and Butler made it clear that the Jones drop called upon MM’s wisdom to not strive for that last min score in the first half because the team was not in full confidence. It takes full confidence to run a 2min offense w/o causing a turnover/big negative play. Again, I think you would have to be there to notice/feel it and make that decision. Interceptions & mistakes are not accidents on the offenses part.
Thank you Jersey Al.