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Red zone stats leave coach baffled
11:26 PM, Nov. 8, 2012
PHILADELPHIA — The red zone statistics were abominable for the Eagles.
Out of 19 snaps inside the red zone against the Saints on Monday, 18 of them went for zero or negative yards. That explains why the Eagles went 0-for-5 on touchdowns inside the Saints’ 20 yard line in their 28-13 loss.
That left Eagles offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg dumbfounded.
“I will tell you there were some problems,” he said. “If you’re not playing with great precision down in the red zone, then you get into those types of situations. All 11 players have to play fast and precise down in the red zone. Things are happening quickly.
“I will tell you that the players are working very, very hard to get that thing straightened out.”
The Eagles called for 16 pass plays in the red zone to just three runs. The running plays lost a total of one yard. Eagles quarterback Michael Vick completed just 4 of 14 passes (he was sacked twice).
Mornhinweg said he is second-guessing himself on the sequence after the Eagles recovered a fumble on a kickoff at the Saints’ 22 midway through the third quarter. They were trailing 21-10 and had a chance to cut the lead to four points.
He said the Eagles should have run the ball more there.
Instead, Vick ran while avoiding the pressure and gained 14 yards on the first play. After an incomplete pass, Vick was sacked and lost 11 yards, pushing the Eagles back to the 19. After another incomplete pass, the Eagles settled for a 37-yard field goal by Alex Henery.
“We wanted to go after them,” Mornhinweg said. “Mike ran for some yards there, but that first play wasn’t very good. I certainly could’ve run the ball. After the turnover, I just wanted to be aggressive.”
• No surgery for Herremans: The Eagles announced Thursday that right tackle Todd Herremans won’t have surgery to repair his foot. Herremans dislocated the cuboid bone after landing on the inside of his foot. Herremans also suffered ligament damage, strained a tendon and cracked some bones.
Eagles trainer Rick Burkholder said Herremans will need at least eight weeks in a protective boot before he can begin any rehab. The Eagles placed him on injured reserve, thereby ending his season.
• McCoy misses practice again: Running back LeSean McCoy missed his second straight day of practice because of an illness. He reported to the team’s training facility early Thursday morning but was sent home. He is expected to practice today and play against the Cowboys on Sunday.
Running back Chris Polk won’t play Sunday after he hurt his toe in practice Wednesday. The rookie was seen in the locker room with a protective boot and crutches.
Right guard Danny Watkins also missed practice. He has missed the last two games with an ankle sprain. He has not been ruled out for Sunday’s game, however.
• Patterson glad to be back: Mike Patterson was on the field for 15 snaps Monday at defensive tackle and made one tackle.
He was happy
about that, considering that his career was in doubt last winter after needing brain surgery because blood vessels were tangling around his brain. But he also knows there’s room for improvement.
“I don’t think I played the way I wanted to play, of course,” Patterson said. “I’ll get more reps this weekend. I’m still knocking off some rust.”
Reach Martin Frank at mfrank@delawareonline.com
11:26 PM, Nov. 8, 2012
PHILADELPHIA — The red zone statistics were abominable for the Eagles.
Out of 19 snaps inside the red zone against the Saints on Monday, 18 of them went for zero or negative yards. That explains why the Eagles went 0-for-5 on touchdowns inside the Saints’ 20 yard line in their 28-13 loss.
That left Eagles offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg dumbfounded.
“I will tell you there were some problems,” he said. “If you’re not playing with great precision down in the red zone, then you get into those types of situations. All 11 players have to play fast and precise down in the red zone. Things are happening quickly.
“I will tell you that the players are working very, very hard to get that thing straightened out.”
The Eagles called for 16 pass plays in the red zone to just three runs. The running plays lost a total of one yard. Eagles quarterback Michael Vick completed just 4 of 14 passes (he was sacked twice).
Mornhinweg said he is second-guessing himself on the sequence after the Eagles recovered a fumble on a kickoff at the Saints’ 22 midway through the third quarter. They were trailing 21-10 and had a chance to cut the lead to four points.
He said the Eagles should have run the ball more there.
Instead, Vick ran while avoiding the pressure and gained 14 yards on the first play. After an incomplete pass, Vick was sacked and lost 11 yards, pushing the Eagles back to the 19. After another incomplete pass, the Eagles settled for a 37-yard field goal by Alex Henery.
“We wanted to go after them,” Mornhinweg said. “Mike ran for some yards there, but that first play wasn’t very good. I certainly could’ve run the ball. After the turnover, I just wanted to be aggressive.”
• No surgery for Herremans: The Eagles announced Thursday that right tackle Todd Herremans won’t have surgery to repair his foot. Herremans dislocated the cuboid bone after landing on the inside of his foot. Herremans also suffered ligament damage, strained a tendon and cracked some bones.
Eagles trainer Rick Burkholder said Herremans will need at least eight weeks in a protective boot before he can begin any rehab. The Eagles placed him on injured reserve, thereby ending his season.
• McCoy misses practice again: Running back LeSean McCoy missed his second straight day of practice because of an illness. He reported to the team’s training facility early Thursday morning but was sent home. He is expected to practice today and play against the Cowboys on Sunday.
Running back Chris Polk won’t play Sunday after he hurt his toe in practice Wednesday. The rookie was seen in the locker room with a protective boot and crutches.
Right guard Danny Watkins also missed practice. He has missed the last two games with an ankle sprain. He has not been ruled out for Sunday’s game, however.
• Patterson glad to be back: Mike Patterson was on the field for 15 snaps Monday at defensive tackle and made one tackle.
He was happy
about that, considering that his career was in doubt last winter after needing brain surgery because blood vessels were tangling around his brain. But he also knows there’s room for improvement.“I don’t think I played the way I wanted to play, of course,” Patterson said. “I’ll get more reps this weekend. I’m still knocking off some rust.”
Reach Martin Frank at mfrank@delawareonline.com
