Sunday will go down as one of the worst Eagles' losses.
On offense, the gameplan wasn't so bad last Sunday. Andy Reid and Marty Mornhinweg opened up the game with a little bit of misdirection in an attempt to get some big gains on the ground. It probably would have worked against such an aggressive defense, but their was absolutely no execution.
First off, the running game is all-but doomed whenever Brian Westbrook is carrying the ball. He has absolutely no field vision and lacks the breakaway speed he once possessed. I've said it before, but I'll say it again: LeSean McCoy is the better option. McCoy and Leonard Weaver as a 1-2 punch is an even better option.
However, no matter who is running the ball, they won't be able to go anywhere if the offensive line can't run block. If they're not getting pushed into the backfield they're allowing the defense to create a stalemate. Either way, that's a win for the defense and creates huge problems for an offense.
A lot of people are complaining about the pass-run ratio, and I'm usually the first one boarding that ship, but this week there just wasn't any choice. The running game wasn't working at all and with such a huge deficit there was no choice but to continue passing the ball.
That can't be allowed to happen this week.
The Eagles offense must control the clock and work this Dallas defense down. Once they're tired and worn out, that's when you get a big play in the passing game. Being tired will not only lead to a physical breakdown, but a mental breakdown as well.
If an offense can wear down a defense, it can become a game of backyard pitch-and-catch between Donovan McNabb and this impressive group of weapons.
The defense, however, needs to scrap whatever the gameplan was for last week and just start blitzing. Tony Romo will throw the ball away to avoid being hit, and that will lead to interceptions or just poorly thrown balls. If he's given time, he'll pick this defense apart for the third time this year.
Note to McDermott: Your front four cannot get enough pressure on the quarterback, so do something else. (psst, "something else" means blitz)
No matter what the gameplan, it's up to the players to execute. It could be the best gameplan ever devised, but if it's not executed it's worth about its weight in the paper on which it was written.
