http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap30...we-learned-chip-kellys-eagles-are-flying-high
Philadelphia Eagles 40, Baltimore Ravens 17
1. Speaking of Bradford, his snap to throw times on his only drive were between 1.70 and 2.76 seconds, which is pretty strong considering some of those plays involved run fakes. As we
noted in our Eagles training camp preview, Bradford is hyper decisive, which should be rewarded in Kelly's offense. His main issue right now? Rust. This was the first time Bradford was seeing wide-open receivers in game situations in a long time.
As long as he harnesses his fastball, he'll be just fine.
2. One more note on the
Eagles' presumptive starter: Perhaps the best part of the night was having him get hit hard -- twice -- by very good starting defensive players.
Terrell Suggs came in very low, and was flagged, for a below-the-knee hit that Bradford bounced back from. Left tackle
Jason Peters believed Suggs planned the hit on Bradford,
according to NFL Media's Albert Breer. Bradford told
NJ.com that he believes Suggs went at his knees intentionally. On the same drive, defensive tackle
Brandon Williams had a clear shot and pummeled Bradford right in the chest. Getting used to this kind of contact again will be important for Bradford's development, especially in an offense with a zone-read element. We'll see how he feels on Sunday.
3. Assuming that
Joe Flacco is somehow in trouble after his two interceptions is ludicrous. The
Super Bowl champion might still be ascending, and he had a solid week of joint practices in Philadelphia.
4. Kudos for John Harbaugh going for it on fourth down with his starters on the field. Not only is it a practical, pressure-packed situation to simulate, but it could be a sign of more aggressive coaching decisions to come. The fourth-down revolution has been stalling, and there's no good reason for it.
New England Patriots 26, New Orleans Saints 24
1.
The Saints' starters clearly outplayed the Patriots' first string on both sides of the football. New Orleans jumped out to a 15-0 lead before the end of the first quarter. The
Saints' offense had a
nice balance with
Drew Brees and
Mark Ingram leading the way. Brees completed 8 of 10 passes for 159 yards passing with two touchdowns.
2.
Jimmy Garoppolo put together a very efficient performance. The
Patriots backup QB was 28 of 33 for 269 yards with one touchdown and one interception. He looked tentative to throw down field early, but settled in nicely. The second-year quarterback had a
Brett Favre-like touchdown throw just before halftime. Playing the entire second half, he spearheaded a
Patriots comeback resulting in a
Stephen Gostkowski 35-yard field goal to win the contest. Yet, Garoppolo put a lot of teachable moments on tape, including an overthrow resulting in an interception. The quarterback's performance, though, should have New England encouraged.
The
Patriots star quarterback had a quick and forgettable night.
Tom Brady and the
Patriots' starters had a tough time moving the ball against the
Saints' defense. Brady finished just 2 of 5 for 13 yards.
3. The
Patriots plan to use
Devin McCourty all over the secondary. New England had McCourty starting at cornerback during their second preseason game. The versatile defensive back broke up a potential touchdown pass in the first quarter.
