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By Bill Parcells
ESPN.com
(Archive)
Updated: October 2, 2007
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What happened in the Eagles-Giants game on Sunday night was pretty clear. There was a very bad mismatch for the Eagles. They were missing starting left tackle William Thomas, and his replacement, Winston Justice, was not up to the task.
Justice is a young, inexperienced player and might have struggled against anyone. But he was facing Osi Umenyiora, the Giants' best pass-rusher. It wasn't fair. The Eagles tried to help Justice a little bit, but Umenyiora still managed to get six sacks.
Thomas wasn't the only key player missing for the Eagles on offense. Philly's biggest playmaker, RB Brian Westbrook, was out of the lineup; so was TE L.J. Smith, one of QB Donovan McNabb's favorite targets.
I don't think this game was an indication of what the Eagles are. They have time to make the adjustments with Justice. Thomas has sprained knee ligaments and could be back soon enough. But if not, they'll need to get Justice straightened out soon. If Justice can't get it done, they'll go looking for someone who can.
But Sunday night's loss was not a fatal blow. I used to tell my teams that you can lose a game only once. What you have to do is correct the mistakes. If you don't, that's when things can snowball.
Seahawks flying under radar
I like the Seahawks this year. I think they'll win their division and that says more than it has lately. The NFC West is getting stronger, but Seattle should be able to win it and maybe even have some kind of homefield advantage in the playoffs.
I see the Seahawks as real threat in the NFC. The key so far is that their defense is not giving up a lot of points. They have an experienced quarterback, running back and head coach. They'll get their points. So if the Seahawks can keep opposing offenses under control, they'll be tough. This weekend, they have a tough task going to Pittsburgh. It will be a good test.
Is 16-0 impossible?
Well, the last time it happened was 1972. So my notion here is that it's improbable. But New England looks strong and its AFC East foes will not offer much resistance.
Even great teams can have an off week, and the Patriots could fall victim to that. However, they have veterans and an experienced coach in Bill Belichick who will try to keep them on track each week. He will keep their focus on the task at hand, which is always the next game, not the entire season. If the Pats can stay focused, they have as good a chance at 16-0 as any team in recent memory.
Four weeks, one trend
The obvious league-wide development this year is more scoring. So right now, I would look at the teams that seem to be improved on defense, such as Tampa Bay and Tennessee. They could have better seasons than expected if they remain tough on defense.
One month is a little early to determine the reasons for any trend, but offenses in general seem to have started off with more efficiency than the defenses have.
Bill Parcells, the former head coach of the Giants, Patriots, Jets and Cowboys, is a regular contributor to ESPN.com.
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ESPN.com
(Archive)
Updated: October 2, 2007
Comment
What happened in the Eagles-Giants game on Sunday night was pretty clear. There was a very bad mismatch for the Eagles. They were missing starting left tackle William Thomas, and his replacement, Winston Justice, was not up to the task.
Justice is a young, inexperienced player and might have struggled against anyone. But he was facing Osi Umenyiora, the Giants' best pass-rusher. It wasn't fair. The Eagles tried to help Justice a little bit, but Umenyiora still managed to get six sacks.
Thomas wasn't the only key player missing for the Eagles on offense. Philly's biggest playmaker, RB Brian Westbrook, was out of the lineup; so was TE L.J. Smith, one of QB Donovan McNabb's favorite targets.
I don't think this game was an indication of what the Eagles are. They have time to make the adjustments with Justice. Thomas has sprained knee ligaments and could be back soon enough. But if not, they'll need to get Justice straightened out soon. If Justice can't get it done, they'll go looking for someone who can.
But Sunday night's loss was not a fatal blow. I used to tell my teams that you can lose a game only once. What you have to do is correct the mistakes. If you don't, that's when things can snowball.
Seahawks flying under radar
I like the Seahawks this year. I think they'll win their division and that says more than it has lately. The NFC West is getting stronger, but Seattle should be able to win it and maybe even have some kind of homefield advantage in the playoffs.
I see the Seahawks as real threat in the NFC. The key so far is that their defense is not giving up a lot of points. They have an experienced quarterback, running back and head coach. They'll get their points. So if the Seahawks can keep opposing offenses under control, they'll be tough. This weekend, they have a tough task going to Pittsburgh. It will be a good test.
Is 16-0 impossible?
Well, the last time it happened was 1972. So my notion here is that it's improbable. But New England looks strong and its AFC East foes will not offer much resistance.
Even great teams can have an off week, and the Patriots could fall victim to that. However, they have veterans and an experienced coach in Bill Belichick who will try to keep them on track each week. He will keep their focus on the task at hand, which is always the next game, not the entire season. If the Pats can stay focused, they have as good a chance at 16-0 as any team in recent memory.
Four weeks, one trend
The obvious league-wide development this year is more scoring. So right now, I would look at the teams that seem to be improved on defense, such as Tampa Bay and Tennessee. They could have better seasons than expected if they remain tough on defense.
One month is a little early to determine the reasons for any trend, but offenses in general seem to have started off with more efficiency than the defenses have.
Bill Parcells, the former head coach of the Giants, Patriots, Jets and Cowboys, is a regular contributor to ESPN.com.
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