What They’re Saying About the Eagles


Philadelphia Eagles QB Michael Vick.Here’s this week’s roundup of what the national media are saying about the Eagles:

ESPN.com has the Eagles ninth in its power rankings. Writes Dan Graziano:

Sunday night is pivotal for their rank, too. The Eagles will either come out of that game 3-1 with a huge division win in their pockets or 2-2 with worry and questions mounting. Until then, they hover in these rankings. I had them 9th. Jamison Hensley put them 7th. Clayton has them 12th. You can credit them for pulling out their two wins in spite of playing poorly. You can downgrade them for turnovers and quarterback play. You can wave off a road loss in Arizona as just that, or you can use it to prove all of the negative things everyone fears about the Eagles. I still think they’ll be good, but the quarterback always was and still is the biggest question mark.

SI.com’s Don Banks has the Eagles 10th:

When Nick Foles was catching fire late in the preseason, I posed that the rookie replacing Michael Vick at some point was only implausible to the degree that once upon a time we thought Tom Brady could never unseat Drew Bledsoe in New England. But now Eagles coach Andy Reid is sounding like he’s thinking the same thing, and promising to evaluate the turnover-prone Vick as we go. That makes Sunday night’s NFC East first-place showdown with the visiting Giants all the more crucial for No. 7, who has yet to resemble the focused and driven Vick we wrote about this offseason.

Clark Judge of CBSSports.com names Michael Vick one of his five biggest league-wide disappointments so far:

Once I insisted the Eagles had to do something, anything, to keep this guy on the field. Now, I’m not sure that’s not the problem. Vick is a dynamic playmaker — when, that is, he’s making plays instead of mistakes. That hasn’t been often, and you can look it up: He has six interceptions and three lost fumbles this season and 28 turnovers dating back to last year. The Eagles’ 38 turnovers in 2011 were supposed to be an aberration. Now, it looks as if they were on their best behavior. Already they committed a league-leading 12 that led to 40 points for opponents, with Vick committing more than all but one team (Kansas City). Nope, I don’t know what the problem is, but it can’t continue if the Eagles are going to push the Giants in the NFC East. “When you’re in the moment,” said Vick, “you have to eliminate the turnovers.” You’re in the moment, Michael.

Brian Billick of FoxSports.com called last week’s game and then proceeded to drop the Eagles from fourth to 11th in his power rankings:

The Eagles may as well start a charity for as much as they are giving the ball away. Michael Vick can be the president. Twelve turnovers in three games is unacceptable, but if anyone can get this thing turned around, it is Andy Reid.

Pete Prisco of CBSSports.com has the Eagles 12th:

Is Mike Vick in danger of sitting down? It sure sounds like it if he doesn’t turn it around.

Ian Rapoport of NFL.com has Eagles-Giants ranked as his top game in Week 4:

If you like aggressive, no-holds-barred defensive lines, this is your type of game. The Giants can always get after the passer, and that doesn’t bode well for Vick. Few quarterbacks have been banged around like he has this season, and it’ll be a challenge for him to hang onto the ball against that penetrating attack. If the Eagles can protect him, though, life will be good. On the other side, Philadelphia may be the only team that can devastate an offensive line like the G-Men. How well the quarterbacks stay poised may determine this high-powered showdown.

Elliot Harrison of NFL.com has the Eagles 11th in his power rankings:

A lot of Eagles fans were upset over their franchise’s “ridiculous” No. 9 ranking last week. Well, let’s go “Spaceballs” and take it from ridiculous to ludicrous. There is no glossing over 12 giveaways in three games. Forget any other stat. That easily paces the entire National Football League. Huge test next week with the red-hot Giants coming to town. The way this season is going, Philadelphia will not only win, they won’t so much as bobble a ball.

Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk has the Eagles 17th:

Arguably the worst 2-1 team in years, the Eagles could be on their way to 8-8 (at best) if they fall to 2-2 on Sunday night against the Giants.

Football Outsiders ranked Vick’s performance 30th out of 32 quarterbacks last week:

It’s hard to rank this low with only one turnover (although it was a really big turnover). Vick was sacked five times on the day, though, and inside the Arizona 40 he went 2-of-7 for 31 yards and only one first down, plus a 20-yard intentional grounding penalty and three sacks, one of them the sack-fumble-touchdown return that essentially ended the game at the end of the first half. That’s 11 dropbacks and for a net loss of 10 yards.

Follow Sheil Kapadia on Twitter and e-mail him at skapadia@phillymag.com.