EAGLES LOOK FOR POSITIVES AFTER FORGETTABLE PRESEASON PERFORMANCE AGAINST RAVENS
- Al Thompson
- 2 minutes ago
- 5 min read
BALTIMORE: The Sean Mannion era of Eagles football started Saturday night with a thud heard across Eagles Nation.
The much-heralded Mannion offense mustered just 159 yards of total offense.
The score was 24-0 with 5:07 left in the fourth quarter.
The Birds final drive, with rookie Cole Payton under center, went 59 yards and ended with a nifty six-yard pass from Payton to wide receiver Erik Ezukanma in the corner if the end zone to save some grace for the visitors.
Thirty of the 59 yards on the scoring drive came from Payton's scrambles.
The final score was 24-7.
“Obviously [we] wanted to put a better performance out there,” Eagles head coach said after the game.
“We had 40 plays on offense and kept the defense on the field too many times. Not converting on third down, that's everybody, not just the quarterbacks. But they have the ball in their hands.
“We'll watch the tapes and see what happened...but we want a better performance altogether by the offense.”
Backup QB Andy Dalton failed to generate much offense during his time on the field.
In fact, Dalton was saved from a pick six by the replay on a bad throw to Tank Bigsby on the Eagles second drive of the game. Dalton finished 3 of 6 for 20 unremarkable yards.
Tanner McKee replaced Dalton in the second quarter and was just as disappointing.
The four-year veteran was 6 of 10 for 35 yards. McKee was sacked but did not turn the ball over. He was under center for two quarters and managed just two first downs.
Second year center Jake Majors, who replaced Willie Lampkin in the second quarter and stayed in the game for the rest of the way, was asked positives from the game and also why the offense struggled so much.
“Some positives were..of course the last drive we had, we were able to score,” Majors said at his locker after the game. “Cole Payton made a great throw into the end zone. We were able to celebrate that with him because that was his first career touchdown.
“Things needed improve from the first quarter to the fourth quarter...cadence, technique, fundamentals, disciplines on routes, stuff like that...everybody has to be critical of themselves and get better.”
Majors, who played for Prosper High School out of Prosper, Texas (nickname? The Eagles) before a long starting career for the Texas Longhorns (2020–2024), was asked if the was one common theme for the offense to struggle the entire evening leading up to the Birds' final drive.
“It was a combination of everything,” said Majors, who was called for holding in the second quarter. “There's nobody to blame other than ourselves. It's a team sport at the end of the day.
“From the top down, it's just got to be better for us as players. We have to get on the same page, focus on fundamentals and execute at a high level.”
Running back Will Shipley, now entering his third season out of Clemson, was asked to talk about Payton, who was the only positive on offense all night.
“He's a stud,” said Shipley, who rushed seven times for 22 yards. “He's really fun to play with. Fun to be around. Fun to practice with. He's got a lot of room to grow. He's great with where he's at. He's working his tail off. I can't wait to see him get better and grow into the player I know he wants to be and is going to be.”
The defense, like Sirianni mentioned, was on the field all night. Even with all the substitutions that go on in preseason, being on the field for 73 plays is too much.
The defense allowed 440 yards of total offense, had some highlights:
Defensive tackle Ty Robinson registered a sack as did linebacker Jeremiah Trotter Jr. and Tarron Jackson.
The Eagles defenders came up with two turnovers including a fumble recovery cornerback Ambry Thomas and a highlight reel interception by cornerback Kelee Ringo in back of the end zone with time running out in the first half.
Linebacker Jihaad Campbell talked about Ringo's interception. The Georgia alumni had been called for pass interference the play before that put the Ravens at the Eagles five-yard line with 35 seconds left in the first half.
“It's all about the next play mentality,” Campbell. “It's football. You're gonna get people and people gonna get you. The best way to think about it is...it's just the next play.
“You think about the next play. Okay, this play is over, think about the next play. Think, 'how can I execute this play to be the best I can be for the team?'
“It's the next play mentality and that's what [Ringo] did. He got the interception, celebrated with his teammates...that's what it's all about.”
Campbell
“At the end of the day, it's about what you put on tape,” Campbell said. “It doesn't matter if it's a preseason game or if we playing football in the street. Football is football. I think it's important to think that way. At the end of the day, it's about what's going to be on film.”
CAMPBELL ON BUILDING ON THE TURNOVERS AND TRAVELING TO FOXBOROUGH FOR JOINT PRACTICES WITH THE PATRIOTS
Campbell was asked if the three sacks and two turnovers was something to build on in building depth on defense.
“Definitely,” the second-year player out of Alabama and Timber Creek High School in Erial, NJ said. “Still stepping stones. So within everybody, it's all about growth, it's all about having that experience, seeing those things.
“It's about taking those things from practice, filling the well for when the game comes. I think that's the biggest thing. You can't really think too much of [the loss], just take it day-by-day.
How will it be going from a preseason game to joint practices against New England?
The competition will be better overall.
“It;s going to be amazing,” Campbell said. “We take it day-by-day with everybody that's in here. Everybody is striving for more each and every day.
“So, I think it's going to be amazing going against another team in joint practices in another environment. For me, it's my first time going against another team in another environment. I think it's going to be really cool. I want to pay attention to the details.” *
Email Al Thompson at al.thompson@footballstories.com
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