SPANISH HARLEM – For the third day in a row you get to read about football. My experience with the Philadelphia Eagles on Week #1 was of some early woes and a lot of highs from the 3rd quarter on. The Washington Redskins played well from the start and Case Keenum was about as good as it gets out the gate. He scored early and made a mockery of everything Jim Schwartz threw at him. It must had been a lot of fun for Redskins fans to see but soon enough the Eagles started putting things together before the half and took off from there on out. The game ended with a close score, but the Redskins did most of their damage in the 1st quarter and didn’t look quite the same thereafter. It was a great win for the Eagles and there are 3 Bright Spots that I would to discuss today.
CARSON WENTZ
No one knew what to expect from Carson Wentz, but you had to believe he would start off slow. He didn’t play a snap in the preseason, so some rust was expected. The offense looked sluggish early on and a lot of that was due to timing but that all changed in the second quarter. You started to see the flashes that made Wentz one of the best quarterbacks in 2017. He was mobile in the pocket and slithery with the pass rush. It could be that he has better personnel on offense or the fact that he is healthy again this season, but he didn’t look anywhere like that a year ago. It’s what you want to see from Wentz again because it means you have one of the better quarterbacks in football on your team.
DeSEAN JACKSON
As an Iggles fan, this guy is one of my favorite players and on Sunday he showed why I missed him on the team. He was the D-Jack we all know and love, catching two bombs of over 50 yards and ending the day with 8 catches for 154 yards. He was the missing piece in an offense that lack the vertical threat he provides. It doesn’t surprise me that Wentz was throwing the deep ball again. When you have a player of his speed that can blow by anybody, you go to him. Having that ability to score on one play is what makes Jackson special. He may not be as fast as he once was but on Sunday he showed he still has what it takes to get by a secondary.
THE LINE(S)
The offensive and defensive lines helped change the flow of the game and were a big reason in the Week #1 comeback. The O-line projected Wentz and gave him the ability to create in the pocket. They wore down the defense in the second half and allowed more running lanes for the running backs. It was reminiscent of what this line can do when they are all healthy.
On the other side of the ball, the D-Line provided pressure and help the secondary after an atrocious showing in the first quarter. While one thing the Eagles must work on is their secondary, the D-Line can cover up a lot of mistakes when they get to the quarterback the way they did and can. When healthy, their respective lines should produce great things this season.
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