Obversations from Eagles Browns game

Takeaways from Eagles Browns game

Eagles came out big in the season opener. It was fun seeing the rookie Carson Wentz start and putting on a show for Philadelphia. Here are some of the big takeaways from this game.

1. Wentz shines in NFL debut.

Eagles made a lot of moves this offseason. One of the biggest moves was the Eagles trading a lot of their draft picks to the Browns to move up to the 2nd spot to draft quarterback Carson Wentz. Wentz only played little in College, played a little in the pre-season game, missed most of training camp. Then the Eagles traded Sam Bradford to the Vikings for a first round pick. The question came to mind to some and myself is that does Wentz have the chemistry with the players? Especially with a trade that happened toward the season opener. Wentz threw that out the window. Wentz played like a veteran and showed no fear. He had a terrific opening drive that led to a 19-yard touchdown pass to Jordan Matthews. Wentz was also able to make smart decisions and audibled when he felt a blitz was coming. Wentz did take many hits which concerned me and he also has to get rid of the ball faster but I believe he’ll improve on that. Wentz was 23/37 completions for a total of 278 yards, 2 TD passes and no turnovers. Turnovers were a major issue as well last year but pulling off those numbers on a rookie debut is incredible.

2.  Running game looked good.

The running game looked great on this season opener. Ryan Mathews rushed for 77 yards and got a touchdown. Kenjon Barner who got some playing time rushed for 42 yards. Barner averaged 10.5-yards a carry. I hope to see Barner play a lot more this season. Darren Sproles rushed for 12 yards. All together they rushed for 131 yards which is pretty good but my only concern is can Ryan Matthews be healthy throughout the season? We’ll have to wait and see.

3. Coach Doug Pederson also shined in NFL debut

Coach Doug Pederson had a great debut as an NFL coach. He showed confidence in Wentz but not only that right before  halftime  he knew what the Eagles needed to work on and he was confident that the team will get it done. Not only did the team improved in the second half but he also gambled on a 4th and 4 in Eagles territory with a rookie quarterback. Wentz was able to get the first down which led to a 35-yard TD pass to Nelson Agholor. In the post game Pederson said great things about Wentz but the biggest comment to me is that he said “This is who he is. This is his DNA”. It’s going to be interesting to see what Pederson will do throughout this season.

4. Front Seven looks scary but Secondary scares me.

In the first quarter the Front Seven for the Eagles looked great shutting down the Browns with a quick three and out in the first three opening drives by the Browns. The run game didn’t exist with the Browns but in the second quarter Nolan Carroll got beat by Terrelle Pryor for a 44-yard catch and in the third quarter three of our secondaries got beat by Corey Coleman. Secondary need to improve on that. I trust Malcolm Jenkins and Rodney Mcleod more than I trust the corners.

5. Time of Possession

Time of Possession was a huge problem last year with Chip Kelly. Time of possession for the Eagles was 39 minutes. That’s a huge improvement from last year. It was nice to see the offense huddle and not seeing our defense on the field so many times and not running out of gas.

6. Team trust Wentz

Building trust within your quarterback in football is extremely important  and the receiver's trust Wentz. You see nothing but Eagles teammates say nothing but great things about him. Jordan Matthews talked about Wentz maturity. “He always played like it was crunch time” said Matthews. Matthews and Wentz listened to each other's music to understand each more. Music is a way to understand someone and I just thought that was interesting. Left tackle Jason Peters said “He has it. He’s very confident in the huddle.” Defensive tackle Brandon Graham coming into the locker room said “That boy number 11 is real.” It’s good to see guys on the other side of the ball have confidence in Wentz.

7. Wentz took too many hits

Seeing Wentz take hits was scary to watch because during the preseason he got hit a lot and that's how he injured his rib. Some of it was Wentz fault but it also falls on the offensive line too. The O-line needs to protect him better. Eagles fans do not want to see another quarterback go down.

8. Agholor made a catch

Nelson Agholor had a lot on his plate after a disappointing rookie season. Agholor is trying to erase that memory. Agholor had 4 receptions and a touchdown for a total of 57-yards. Not great numbers but it’s nice to see Agholor on the right track and hopefully he can have a breakout season.

9. Jordan Matthews could be Wentz favorite target

Jordan Matthews was disappointed at the end of last season having a total of 997-yards coming so close to a 1,000-yard receptions. Matthews is on a mission to get over a 1,000-yards this season and he’s off to a great start. Matthews had a great game opening the season with 7 receptions for a total of 114-yards. I would still like to see him play outside more but he’ll have to see what happens later in the season.

10. Caleb Sturgis scares me.

Sturgis has always been the one that scared me the most and he continues to do that by missing a 47-yard field goal. Sturgis needs to make these field goals or his time in Philly won’t be long if he continues to miss.