Eagles look sharp in preseason game vs. Ravens

NO ONE'S worst fears were realized.

Lockout fallout did not make this game the most disorganized mess in the history of the world.

Eagles coach Andy Reid got his starters out before any of them got hurt. And while they were in there, they did nothing to dampen expectations for this "all in" season, if anybody was ever going to have their expectations dampened by the first preseason game.

Reid had said he was going to play his first team the first quarter of last night's 13-6, preseason-opening victory against the Baltimore Ravens at Lincoln Financial Field, but as has been the case in the past, Reid decided to call it a night for his key offensive personnel after a touchdown drive on the team's first series.

"I thought the offensive line, for the most part, played pretty good, just assignmentwise, and the defensive line likewise, they were able to get a lot of pressure on the quarterback," Reid said after his new-look d-line, under new position coach Jim Washburn, sacked Ravens quarterbacks six times. The line seemed to get consistent pressure without blitzing, which has been a huge focus.

New defensive coordinator Juan Castillo credited Washburn and said of Washburn's charges, "I think they saw some of the results tonight; I think it'll be easier to buy in," Castillo said.

First-round rookie Danny Watkins started at right guard in the first NFL game he'd ever seen. Watkins seemed to do well in his limited snaps.

"I went out there and took a little gaze around" before the game, Watkins said. "It was pretty neat. I've only been in camp for a week of practices. Just gettin' comfortable with things."

Michael Vick completed four of six passes for 74 yards and a 3-yard touchdown to Brent Celek. Vick's only incompletions were a blocked pass and an end-zone fade to Jason Avant in which Avant was ruled to not have completely secured the ball before going out of bounds. A Vick scramble that ended in a 42-yard heave to Riley Cooper set up the touchdown.

The first- and second-team offenses combined to convert the first five third-down situations.

The first-team defense gave up a 53-yard field goal on its first series, which featured a 21-yard swing pass from Joe Flacco to Ray Rice in which there was no Eagle in Rice's area code when he caught the ball. (Hello, linebacking?) But the second and final defensive series was better. It ended with Trent Cole sacking Flacco, who grew up about a 15-minute drive across the Walt Whitman Bridge from the Linc, in Audubon, N.J.

Right tackle Ryan Harris was the only Eagles offensive line starter who played much beyond the first series.

"Just to get back out for a preseason game after not having the OTAs and the minicamps, and the offseason strength and conditioning programs, it was good," Vick said. "We play against our defense every day in practice. They blitz every day, and we just wanted to play against somebody else."

As for the much-discussed new cornerbacking triumvirate of Asante Samuel, Nnamdi Asomugha and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, for those first two series, the Eagles seemed to be using Samuel and Asomugha as the main guys, with Rodgers-Cromartie and Joselio Hanson alternating in the nickel role.

"Juan tried to hit us with some plays we really hadn't gone over," Asomugha said. "It's tougher when it's rushed like that, but good things can come from that, too.

"Usually you see a change in coaches from practice to games. Maybe they'll back off a little bit, get a little stage fright. But Juan didn't have any of that," Asomugha said. "He was still the same excited guy, running up and down the field . . . He's got a great opportunity with the group we have."

Rookie middle linebacker Casey Matthews said he "felt fine out there," but was "a little bummed" to get only eight reps. "We've got a lot of guys on this team who need to get reps. I understand what the preseason entails," Matthews said.

The Eagles said offensive tackles King Dunlap and Fenuki Tupou suffered knee injuries, Tupou to his MCL. Safety Jamar Wall injured a hamstring . . . Ex-Temple star turned Eagles safety Jaiquawn Jarrett picked Ravens backup Tyrod Taylor and got up for a nice, 20-yard interception return in his first NFL action . . . Vince Young scrambled out of a bazillion sacks and found Chad Hall for a 32-yard completion. (Hall doesn't plan to go quietly, no matter how many wideouts the Eagles sign - he caught five passes for 82 yards before the fourth quarter began.) Young did a solid job, given his lack of time in the offense . . . As expected, no DeSean Jackson, Marlin Jackson, Brandon Collier, Trevor Laws or Mike Patterson . . . Chas Henry would have pinned the Ravens inside their 1 with his first punt had anybody gotten there to down it; long snapper Jon Dorenbos was the first on the scene, which should not be part of his job description . . . Alex Henery kicked off without incident and nailed a 35-yard field goal in his first attempt, a 24-yarder in his second . . . Jarrad Page ended a Ravens scoring threat with an interception at the Eagles' 2 late in the third quarter . . . Eagles quarterback Mike Kafka rebounded from a pick to make some nice plays. Kafka finished 13-for-19 for 132 yards.