Gold Stars And Demerits: Eagles Vs. Washington
By Spike Eskin
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – I'm still exhausted from Monday night's game. Part of that of course, is not enough sleep, but the other part is the speed at which the Eagles executed their offense under Chip Kelly.
I've never seen anything like that in the NFL. It was so fast there was almost not enough time to digest it.
The Eagles themselves looked gassed by the second half, which isn't surprising, as that does tend to happen during the first regular season game of the year, and especially when you run more than 50 plays in the first half.
I'm not sure if it will always work like it did last night, but I can't wait to see. With that...
Gold Star - Chip Kelly
The conventional wisdom was that we had only seen a small part of what Kelly's offense looks like during the preseason. That seems like an understatement. The other thing we heard regularly was that Kelly's offense has three speeds. As it turns out, those three speeds seem to be fast, faster and fastest. LeSean McCoy got more than 30 carries, the Eagles scored 33 points, and they won. That sentence alone gets Chip Kelly a gold star.
Demerit - Michael Vick
I'm a Michael Vick fan, and I think all things considered, Vick did a good job on Monday night. That said, I just can't imagine Vick stays healthy this year. This isn't anything new or revolutionary, but seeing him block for McCoy one too many times, and dive head first into a defender when he should be sliding feet first on the ground was a harsh reminder that unlike Kelly, Vick only has one speed. I respect the fact that he's as tough as he is, and wants to win as badly as he does. But the problem is that it's tough to stay healthy playing that way at 23 years old, much less 33 years old.
Gold Star - Cary Williams
I'll spare you the sconce jokes, as if you were anywhere near Twitter on Monday night, you're probably sconced out. I was probably as negative as I could have been about Williams coming into this game. Aside from all of the small trouble making elements, I just wasn't optimistic that he'd be worth the money they're paying in to play cornerback. But when the chips were down (no pun intended), Williams came up with a huge interception.
Demerit - Redskins Fakers
When the Redskins couldn't keep up with the Eagles pace on offense, it appeared as if they all started to come up with injuries that would mysteriously heal by the next play. No one likes a cheater.
Gold Star - LeSean McCoy
With all the talk about the Eagles offensive system being perfect for Michael Vick, the person it is most perfect for is LeSean McCoy. Shady finished with 184 yards and one touchdown on 31 carries, and it was glorious. I don't know if he needs 30 carries every game, but man oh man, it sure was nice to see. McCoy did everything he could with the carries as well, with as many "rewind the DVR 10 seconds" moments as you'd need.
Demerit - DeSean Jackson
Jackson had a great preseason, and then played a great game last night, with 104 yards on seven catches and one touchdown. But when DeAngelo Hall hit him late and out of bounds, and Jackson wouldn't let it go, it stopped just short of being one of those things that can end up costing you at the end of the game. The hit was really dirty, and Jackson had every right to be mad. But if he'd channel that energy into burning Hall again, it'd serve him and the team better.
Honorable mentions: Fletcher Cox, Mychal Kendricks, Trent Cole
