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Bio	PRE K Game 1 Eagles vs Atlanta by Steve Olenski , 9-7-05

Statistically Speaking

NFL 04 Rankings Offense OVERALL Eagles – 9th Atlanta– 20th RUSHING Eagles – 24th (102 yds) Atlanta– 1st (167 yds) Passing Eagles – 7th (249 yds) Atlanta – 30th (151 yds) Points Scored Eagles – 8th (24 pts) Atlanta – 16th (21 pts)	NFL 04 Rankings Defense OVERALL Eagles – 10th Atlanta– 14th RUSHING Eagles – 16th (119 yds) Atlanta– 8th (105 yds) Passing Eagles – 12th (201 yds) Atlanta – 24th (220 yds) Points Allowed Eagles – 2th (T) (16 pts) Atlanta – 6th (T) ( 21 pts)

The Skinny

Well boys and girls, it's that time again. Time to get on the wagon. No I don't mean drinking or anything alcohol related. Is it off the wagon or on the wagon? I can never remember. Oh well…whatever.

This of course is a rematch of last year's NFC Title Game. The Eagles and Falcons each enter this season with visions of Detroit dancing in their respective heads.

For the Eagles and their fans, nothing short of a return trip AND victory in the Super Bowl will be acceptable. For the Falcons and their fans, redemption starts Monday on their way to, they hope, another trip to the NFC Title Game AND victory and onto the Bowl.

Now obviously predicting anything this early in the season is precarious, at best. There are no trends, no streaks, be it winning or losing and I give absolutely no credence whatsoever to what transpired in the pre-season.

The Eagles will be facing an old teammate in Ike Reese come Monday. The former special teams standout flew from one coop to another during the off-season, signing a free agent deal with the Falcons.

We will also all be watching the Donovan/TO melodrama unfold all season long. I for one could care less if these two men ever say word one to each other off the field. What they do on the field is what matters, of course. They are professionals and they will demonstrate their professionalism once the gun goes off. If they choose not to have dinner with each other after the game(s)…I'll get over it.

The Eagles Offense, quite potent last season, will be all the more potent this season. Mr. Owens will be playing with a chip the size of Hoover Dam on his broad shoulders; rookie WR Reggie Brown will remind no one of Fred X; Brian Westbrook is playing with a chip the size perhaps larger than the one on TO and Donovan will be one year further along in his evolution of a complete QB. Oh yeah, the Offensive Line ain't too shabby, either.

They will spread the field and continually keep the Falcons Defense guessing. Guessing which of the Eagles very-talented offense will get the rock next.

Defensively, the Eagles will once again be tested against the run. What seemingly is their proverbial Achilles heel each season will once again be hanging over their heads until they prove to the rest of the league they can consistently stop the run.

Of course this season, #54, aka Jeremiah Trotter, will be in for every snap and we all witnessed the difference he made when inserted in the starting lineup last season.

What made them so successful in last year's NFC Title Game will once again be the key defensively in the rematch. And that is in the Title Game, they were extremely successful in containing elusive Falcons QB Michael Vick. When Vick did have time in the pocket, he displayed the inexperience of his youth and clearly was shaken and confused by the omnipresent defensive scheme concocted by the Blitz Doctor, Eagles Defensive Coordinator Jim Johnson.

The bottom line is the Eagles can and will win this game by containing Vick; by capitalizing on mistakes; by limiting their own mistakes and taking the sure-to-be-raucous crowd out of the game early.

I realize it's early but we should by now know that a trick play or two by Big Red is not out of the question, particularly on the opening kickoff. Watch for an onside kick if the Birds lose the toss

Have comments or questions about this week's Pre K? Drop Steve a line at steveolenski@yahoo.com .

 

InsideTheEagles welcomes a new writer to the site...
Paul Slack. Read his insightful commentary below.
Sept 4th

Free Agents and Draft Picks

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