Putting a Loss into Perspective

Eagles laid an egg on Monday Night Football tonight, falling 20-12 to the Washington Redskins and dropping their record to 0-2.

Oof.

Since the start of the new playoff format only 4 of 60-something playoff teams since 2000('01?) have started 0-2 and made the playoffs. By the way, the 2003 Eagles were one of those teams. It is time to pack-it-in? Close the shutter and start wondering if the Flyers will rebound or if (gasp) the Phillies might stop teasing make a serious run at things?

NO.
That bears repeating - NOW IS NOT THE TIME TO START HITTING THE PANIC BUTTON (if they lose to Lions at home, different story)

I tell you what though.....if they don't correct some significant ineptness on the Offensive side of the ball, they'll be lucky to claw their way back to .500.

Here are nits I have to pick with the thudding performance Monday Night:
1) When you have to consistently settle for Akers FGs after driving into the red-zone, you are not going to win many games. Touchdowns win games. FGs are consolations prizes for Red-zones trips and good cappers for drives that stall between the 35 and 20 yard lines (give or take a couple).

2) 46 pass, 18 rushes. On a night when Westbrook nearly hit 100 on just 17 carries???

3) Aren't we supposed to be easing Donovan back into things? He's coming a torn-ACL for chrissakes! What the fuck is with this pass, pass, pass, pass, pass, and pass some more shit to start the game? (see #2)

4) The lack of game-planning for the Redskins astounded me. I can only describe the Eagles coaching staff apparent disdain for adjusting to what the Redskins defense was doing as a Stubborn Act of Hubris.

Stubborn Act of Hubris, Part I:
- As several announcers/commentators noted, the Packers laid out a blueprint for dealing with the Eagles offense -- PRESS COVERAGE. Jam the wideouts on the line of scrimmage and disrupt Andy Reid's timing-based offense. Yet I witness not one single adjustment to this by our offensive "gurus". Nothing. No motion, few crossing patterns, no shots down the field early in the game to try and loosen the coverage (one deep pass down the sideline to Curtis which was thrown out-of-bounds), no double-moves (that I could discern).

- I've got a real fucking problem with that. You know when the Eagles D does something that hinders the opponent, or when we're playing a certain way (stacking the run, playing zone, playing bump-n-run) I often see other teams adjust to it. Vary formations, etc, something! Yet when with Redskins lined man-up on every guy, the Eagles just sit there. Put someone is fucking motion, stack the receivers to prevent the bump, motion Westbrook out the backfield, motion the TE, motion someone dammit!

- None of that was evident Monday night. My friend Alan noticed it. The Eagles would come out the huddle, set, and stand there. Every play. I watched pretty closely because it was really turning my stomach to see our WR just standing there before each snap.