The Birds Are Back

Gimme the ball coach!

Last night was everything I had hoped for and more.  The offense exploded, the defense locked down, and the NBC cameramen did an excellent job of focusing in on Rob Ryan through out the game.  Directly after a big run from Shady McCoy, Rob Ryan's mug was sure to be front and center on your television set.

It truly was the game that all Eagles fans and players had hoped for.  The offense marched right down the field on the opening drive and basically every drive there after.  The Eagles absolutely attacked the heart of the Dallas run defense which before last night was the best in the NFL.  But on 30 carries Lesean McCoy racked up 185 yards while Mike Vick had 50, and the Eagles totaled 240 yards rushing.  The Eagles ran the ball right at the Cowboys and moved the ball at will.  The offensive line got great push and opened up huge running lanes for McCoy.  The Birds also did a phenomenal job of attacking the Cowboys linebackers through the air.  Vick attacked the center and utilized Brent Celek and Jason Avant for big plays over the middle.  Celek had 7 catches for 94 yards and a touchdown, while Avant had 5 catches for 74 yards.  No turnovers, clean efficient drives, and overall an outstanding performance from the offense.

While Shady McCoy broke off big play after big play, the defense seemingly went under the radar.  On the opening drive the Eagles defense got a ton of pressure on Tony Romo and made him feel extremely uncomfortable.  The defensive backs played awesome and held Miles Austin, Dez Bryant, and Jason Witten to under 100 yards receiving.  They let up a couple big plays including a touchdown pass to Laurent Robinson, but other than that they did everything they were supposed to.

Really there is nothing but positives to pull from this game.  The well rested Eagles took care of business in a crucial division game on the prime time stage and they did it in a big way.  To me, last night was a statement game for the Birds.  Last night they basically said, "We're back, try and stop us."  The key for the Eagles is to keep that drive and focus up for next week when they take on the Chicago Bears on Monday night football.  But for now, let's just enjoy this one.