The Roundup responds to reader comment.
This week Eeeeeeeeegs responded to an e-mail from "Bronson" who said: The Coughlin Curse is upon us....there is nothing they can do about those turnovers, we won't be able to win enough to secure a wildcard...
It was a disappointing loss. But I think a more in depth analysis is in order, Bronson.
From a mathematical standpoint...we do need to gain a game on the Eagles while beating them at home in our rematch in order to win the division.
Our remaining games: JAX, WAS, @MIN, PHI, @GB, @WAS
As for ATL (8-2) and all of the 7-3 teams: NO, TB, GB, CHI...Two of them will win their division (assume ATL wins the South), so we are probably contending with THREE other 7-3 teams for 2 wild card spots. The first tie-breaker is head to head...we've beaten Chicago and (at least) we control our destiny against the Packers because we still play them at GB (it won't be easy to win there, I realize that). Furthermore, the next tiebreaker is CONFERENCE RECORD. Ours is 5-1. Nobody's is better. Two of our 3 losses (TEN and IND) are against the AFC...which puts us in the tiebreaker driver's seat. Therefore, to say we won't be able to win enough to secure a wildcard is absurd.
Okay. Off the mathematical and on to the evaluation.
DEFENSE: Gets an "A" for both heart and mind. We actually had the Eagles shrugging their shoulders in the second half. We were an off sides away from winning that game. Once again the defense is asked to do a ton and responds.
SPECIAL TEAMS: Matt Dodge is afraid of his own shadow, but it didn't hurt us. The return game was abysmal, until we finally got our last two kickoff returns out past the 30. The blocked FG was very big. Could have been bigger if we'd had the foresight to burn a timeout when the Eagles had 4th & 19 with :29 left in the half. Hindsight is 20/20.
OFFENSE: Our 3 pro-bowlers from last year (O'Hara, Diehl and Steve Smith) are out. It's freaking crippling. We've been able to paste together the o-line, but it hasn't been easy. The running game has certainly suffered from it. Derek Hagan was (figuratively) parking cars at the East Rutheford Sheridan last Sunday. A week later he's getting targeted like 7 or 8 times on SNF. It's impossible to bring a guy in on short notice and give him so many looks in such a big spot. What are we supposed to do? How ironic? We FINALLY cut Sinorice Moss, then Smith shreds his pectoral, followed by Barden going down for the year while we realize Duke Calhoun just can't digest the playbook. And some legal technicality (which I don't understand) precludes us from bringing Moss back? Unbelievable.
Eli and Bradshaw have a habit of making their blunders in bunches. Thank God the 2nd Bradshaw fumble was overturned, but really, that's on Eli, too. Philly had that screen sniffed out and Eli still went through with the throw. You've got to love Suebert following TWO plays in the second half and gobbling up both fumbles.
Overall, I'm proud of the coaching staff. The defense was marvelous under the circumstances. The Offense did what it could despite the key injuries.
Smith, O'Hara and Diehl are all "due back in December," vague as that may be. We have two winnable home games coming up next (JAX, WAS) to get healthy. In this regard, the schedule is as kind as it can be to us.
Philly plays @CHI, HOU, @DAL, @NYG, MIN, DAL.
...any given Sunday.
Who knows? Give us a week. Maybe next week we'll be able to take it out on Jacksonville (worst pass rush in the NFL), while the Chicago defense continues to crest at home against Philly?
I plan on watching.
