Ever the optimist, Vermeil likes what he sees
PITTSBURGH >> With the regularseason opener just three weeks away, we still don’t know much about the Eagles or head coach Doug Pederson.
Preseason games tend to leave the deep questions unanswered. Take the Eagles’ game Thursday night.
How do you evaluate the defense when Landry Jones, not Ben Roethlisberger, plays quarterback?
Or when the Pittsburgh Steelers sit most of their key offensive players as they did in front of what, 45,351 at Heinz Field?
It’s hard to tell which team plays smart when the game plans are slightly less complicated than ordering sandwiches off touch-screens at convenience stores.
What we learned Thursday is the Eagles are capable of leading the league in turnovers if they play teams using backup quar-
terbacks and backup skills players.
Nolan Carroll started the run of takeaways with a pick-six of Jones. Malcolm Jenkins hauled in a tipped ball in the end zone thrown by Jones.
Aaron Grymes grabbed another ball in the end zone thrown by Jones.
Jaylen Watkins had the fourth pick of Jones, who’s young and not at all averse to making the same mistakes over and over.
The Eagles’ offense was less productive. Until the last possession of the half, Sam Bradford and the first team left the D on the field forever. Wasn’t the post-Chip Kelly era supposed to change that ratio?
You just can’t believe everything you see or hear in the preseason. Heck, Eagles kicker Caleb Sturgis getting concussed by a punt in the pre-game warm-ups. (Put a helmet on that thing next time.)
Earlier in the week I asked Dick Vermeil to sort it out. He knows the preseason grind, having coached seven seasons with the Eagles from 1976-82.
Vermeil watched this Eagles team practice. He spoke with Pederson, offensive coordinator Frank Reich and defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz.
Vermeil knows the history of the franchise and the division.
What does he think? This team — with all its warts — will compete for the NFC East pennant.
“I think they’ll be a very competitive team,” Vermeil said. “Who’s a powerhouse in the NFC East?”
Vermeil, 79, guided the Birds to a 101-54 mark, including 6-5 in the playoffs. He took the Eagles to their first Super Bowl.
Vermeil likes what he’s seen of quarterback Sam Bradford, who deserved credit for leading the Eagles to a late first half field goal giving them a 10-0 lead. It’s not Sam’s fault the Eagles’ receivers have big trouble getting separation. Or that when someone like Nelson Agholor busts open for a 22-yard gain, he, uh, drops the next ball thrown him.
Want to make Vermeil smile? Say Carson Wentz. Vermeil thinks the world of the rookie quarterback and expects him to learn from the cracked ribs how important it is to feel the enemy pass rush and get the ball out quicker.
Vermeil also sees the Eagles scoring enough points to compete, albeit with this caveat.
“I’m not a skeptic,” Vermeil said. “I’m the reverse. So I don’t know if I can give an honest evaluation because I’m a rooter. I root for them. But I think they’ll be better than people anticipate them being. I think they were probably a better team last year than their record really showed.”
The Steelers don’t care for the preseason. They’d won just two of their last 14 preseason games entering this game.
Pederson, on the other hand, needs these games to build on. He’s a chip off the block of Andy Reid, the all-time winningest coach of the Eagles, having guided the franchise to a 130-93-1 record.
Pederson has played the hand dealt him. Patience, Vermeil suggested, is a virtue for Pederson.
“I was a rookie head coach at one time,” Vermeil said. “But I’m impressed. I enjoy being with Doug and talking football with him and socializing with him. I like him. And he’s got a great coach’s wife. That’s very important to have if you’re going to be successful coaching. I think he has real fine communication skills and work ethic.
“And nobody can better train a head coach to be successful than Andy Reid. The whole process is a proven process. He’s not going off on his own re-evaluating how you do a training camp. He’s got a great format to build on and he’ll add own his own personality.”
Vermeil sees bumps in the road ahead for the Eagles, the biggest the looming 10-game suspension offensive tackle Lane Johnson, who anticipates that sentence after reportedly testing positive for PEDs.
“They’ve got good leadership,” Vermeil said. “They’ve got very good morale going for them right now. And they’ve got to stay healthy. Losing Johnson isn’t going to help them. Nobody can afford to lose an offensive lineman anymore because it’s so hard in training camp to develop them because of the restrictions and padded practices and the time you get. But I think they’ll be competitive. I do.”