The Quarter Report Card

I know this is about four weeks too late, but yes I am going to start a daily blog now on the NFL. Just to sum up the past four weeks, here are some quick notes that are summerized by numbers.

- Two: Coaches (Lane Kiffin (Raiders) and Scott Linehan (Rams) that have already been fired
- One: Legal name change that Bengals WR Chad Johnson has made (is now known as Chad Javon Ocho-Cinco)
- Three: Undefeated teams left (Giants, Bills, Titans) who can challenge the Patriots undefeated regular season last year.
- Twelve: Touchdowns Brett Favre has thrown for the New York Jets this season through 4 games, 12 more than he would of thrown if he stayed retired. Good decision Brett.
- Zero: The Number of full games 2007-2008 NFL MVP Tom Brady has played, as his season-ending Torn ACL injury he suffered week won has sent last years Super Bowl Runner-Up Patriots on a downward spiral, evident in their 24 point loss to the Dolphins in week 3.

Now that the summary of the first quarter of the 2008 NFL season is over and done with, my Philadelphia bias will kick in with the first annual Philadelphia Eagles Quarter Report. The quarter report will be based around the Philadelphia Eagles, and a Report Card by position, grading the level of play for the first four games of the season (for all you math whiz's, four games out of 16 is a fraction of 1/4, hense a quarter).

QUARTERBACK
ATTENTION!! Donavan Mcnabb has gotten through the first four games of the 2008 NFL season without missing a game! Well...now that the obvious is off my chest, Mcnabb, despite a couple bumps and brusies (chest contusion) is reletively healthy after a quarter of the season. Mcnabb's 1100 yards, 95.7 quarterback rating both rank in the top 5 in NFC Quarterback rankings. His 65.7% completion percentage is on track for being the second-best in his career, with his main targets being undrafted free agents Hank Baskett and Greg Lewis and a rookie in DeSean Jackson. With all these complements aside, Mcnabb has had only one superb game (Week 1 against the Rams) where he threw 4 of his 6 touchdowns. That's what a top-tier quarterback is SUPPOSED to do against the second-to-last rated defense in the NFL. The facts are that he willed the Eagles to a win against the Steelers (with the help of Jim Johnson and the Eagles defense), and that he couldn't not lead the Eagles to a win vs. Dallas and Chicago, two games that they were down by less then a touchdown in the 4th quarter and easily could have won.
Grade: A-

Running Backs:
Brian Westbrook had 5 touchdown's through the first two games of the season. He's had none since. Most of the reason is due to a strained ankle that he suffered early in week 3 vs. Steelers, and it's true that Correll Buckhalter has filled in admirably (2 TD's). However, the Eagles could not punch it into the end zone when the had the football, twice, inside the Bears 3-yard line with a first down, the second one of those oppertunites being a goal line stand that enabled the Bears to come out of Solider field with a victory Sunday Night.
Grade: B+

Wide Receivers:
Not much to work with here as #1 WR Kevin Curtis has missed all four games with a sports-hernia, and #2 WR Reggie Brown has missed 2 (basically 3) games with a hamstring injury. But the truth is, they've stepped up. Minus a few drops early in the Dallas game, DeSean Jackson, Hank Baskett, Greg Lewis, and Jason Avant have stepped up, and the eagles offense has not really lost a step. The Wildcard here is Jackson, who like most extemely talented rookies, has shined in the spotlight (100+ yards in both of his first two games, and a TD vs. Chicago), and has faltered (a muffed punt vs. Chicago, and a notorious premature celebration in the Dallas game that costed him a touchdown). For right now though, they have surprised many.
Grade: A

Offensive Line:
Shawn Andrews has battled back from depression and now is just dealing with the back, Tra Thomas and John Runyan are one year older, and Jamal Jackson played in a game just 24 hours after his brother died. And here I haven't even talked about how they've played, but yet I am still singing their praises. The Offense is averaging over 25 ppg in the first four games cause of these men. The trouble is that in the first two games the offense averaged over 35 ppg, and in the last two they've only averaged a bit over 17 ppg. Andrews has been injured, but that will not be an excuse for the Philadelphia fans if this trend keeps on moving downward.
Grade: B

Defensive Line:
And everyone thought the secondary would be the best section of the defense. The Eagles lead the league in sacks, and are 1st in the league in run defense. Trent Cole is having another career year, while Juqua Parker (formerly Thomas) is having one of his own. Dan Klecko and Darren Howard are playing into their roles, and Mike Patterson and Broderick Bunkley are coming into their own as dominant defensive tackles. Nine sack performence against Pittsburgh in week 3 will be one of the most dominating defensive performences in the NFL all year.
Grade: A

Linebackers:
Young, athletic, savvy. Three words that describe Omar Gaither, Stewart Bradley, and Chris Goocong. Gaither, the seasoned veteran of the group (3 years in the league), is playing on pure instinct, but it always around the ball providing a punch. Bradley, a first year starter and second-year player, still has alot of improvment against the pass, but reminds fans of ex- Eagles Lavon Kirkland, Jeremiah Trotter, and Michael Zordich because of his superior run-stopping ability. And then there is Goocong...the 3rd round draft pick from Cal-Poly that Andy Reid guessed on because of his sensational college career (22.5 sacks in 2005). Goocong has had his ups and downs and has yet to form into a pass rusher for the eagles, but has improved on many fronts, especially his pass coverage.
Grade: A-

Secondary:
Asante Samuel, Sheldon Brown, Lito Sheppard, Brian Dawkins. Some marquee names in this group, yet they still gave up 3 first-half passing TD's to Kyle Orton, and got torched by TO, Romo and the rest of the Cowboys. Yes, they had great games against the Steelers and the Rams, but they have been way to inconsistant for a group that is so talented. And for crying out loud, please just trade LITO and a first rounder for Roy Williams.
Grade: B-

Special Teams:
Easiest group yet. David Akers is the team goat after he missed 2 FG's in the Chicago game, and Sav Rocca is the team MVP so far.
Grade: B+

That's it for tonight, as studying for my spanish test is now my first priority. In the next day or 2, I will go over the NFL games for this week, Most notably the Eagles-Redskins matchup.