Tonight, we get to see Vince Young make his first start as an Eagle. This is going to be interesting. The offense has struggled in the last two weeks, scoring just 27 points in those games combined. It is hard to say exactly what is wrong with the offense. DeSean Jackson's absence hurt last week, but all the players were on hand for the Bears game. Something just hasn't been clicking.
In steps Young. Maybe he can be the spark that will get the offense going again. The good news is that he practiced all week and the game plan will be built around him. That makes a huge difference. Just stepping on the field in the middle of a game is tough. Preparation is a huge part of success in the NFL.
I am curious to see how the offense will look different with Young. Every quarterback has strengths and weaknesses. Young doesn't have a favorite receiver. Think back to the preseason. The guy he seemed to connect with the most was Chad Hall. Young was working with the backup offense. Now, he gets the keys to the car. What kind of chemistry will he have with Jackson, LeSean McCoy, Brent Celek and Jason Avant?
It will be interesting to see what the game plan is. Andy Reid and Marty Mornhinweg have some options. They can focus on getting the ball to McCoy early on. He ran the ball a lot in the first Giants game. The game plan could be to focus on protection. Maybe they spread the Giants out and give Young lots of options. One thing I think they will do is let Young move around early in the game to get him into the flow of things. He's only played a handful of snaps this year. The best thing to do with athletic quarterbacks is let them run around on a couple of early plays.
Jeremy Maclin is out and that will hurt the offense. The return of Jackson will be a big help. His speed is something that teams have to account for. In the first game, the Giants played somewhat conservatively. They kept both safeties deep most of the time, taking away the threat of big plays. With Maclin out they have an option. They can simply double cover Jackson and go back to blitzing or they can keep both safeties deep and hope the front four is able to pressure Young.
Tommy Lawlor, goeagles99 on the Discussion Boards, is an amateur football scout and devoted Eagles fan. He was a finalist for Philadelphia's Most Influential Blogger Award and is the Editor of IgglesBlitz.com
The Eagles offensive line must come up big today. It sounds like Evan Mathis will start at left guard, meaning the best five linemen will be on the field. The Giants have an outstanding defensive line, but the Eagles have blockers capable of keeping them under control. The Giants will do some blitzing. Young has to see this and make good adjustments. The skill players must block well. McCoy struggled in pass protection last week and had some costly mistakes.
