Bumpy ride on the Eagles bandwagon

AFTER THE first game played by our beloved Birds, I have come to the conclusion that most Eagles fans are flat-out schizophrenics.

After we do the pregame show on Comcast SportsNet, Ray Didinger, Tra Thomas, Michael Barkann and myself go to a room in the studio to watch the game while enjoying the usual feast prepared by Walter Staib, the great chef of the City Tavern (for home games I prefer to sit in the stands until midway through the fourth quarter).

Even as we eat and watch the game, we are still hard at work as our intern is constantly relaying to us the email questions and comments sent in by the fans.

On Sunday that was an amazing experience. As soon as Steven Jackson burst through our line for a 47-yard TD on the Rams' very first play, you could hear the thunderous sounds of thousands of Eagles fans jumping off the bandwagon. It was evident in the various emails that quickly flooded in - "We suck!" "Our defense is pitiful!" "We couldn't stop Overbrook's running game!" And then when the offense stumbled out of the gate you would have thought that Michael Vick was Doug Pederson (sorry, coach) - "Vick Stinks," "He's overrated," "We should never have traded Kolb."

Then as the Birds took the lead and stretched it, we heard a different sound - the sound of thousands clawing their way back onto the wagon, and the emails suddenly began to take a different tone - "Vick Awesome," "An incredible athlete," "Michael's better than Brady" (I have a feeling this person might rethink that after Monday night's game), and "Our D is much improved, "The D Line is a sack machine!" "No one can pass on us."

This mercurial change of heart took place in less than an hour.

How good are the Birds? Well, I believe the truth lies somewhere between these two extremes.

We are certainly a team oozing with raw talent, as was most notably demonstrated by the defensive line, with our new additions making an instant impact and flying all over the field. It was an impressive performance as the defensive line accounted for all five sacks and got enough pressure on Rams QB Sam Bradford that we rarely had to blitz him, leaving our linebackers and defensive backs in position to defend the pass. Although the offensive line got off to a slow start, it eventually began to block well on running plays and was able to open up some major holes during the second half. And Sunday was only further evidence that our skill players are truly extraordinary as Vick, LeSean McCoy and DeSean Jackson made the big plays that have become standard procedure.

But before you make your reservations for Indy, all the enthusiasm based on the good things we saw must be tempered by some of the glaring weaknesses that should make us very, very nervous moving forward.

First and most obviously, the defense simply does not look like it is capable of stopping the run. Once Jackson left the game it wasn't as much of a true test, but the Birds still gave up 154 yards rushing with Jackson's backup, Cadillac Williams, getting the bulk of the carries. We'll never know what would have happened if Jackson had played the whole game, but Atlanta's Michael Turner should give us a more accurate gauge this week.

Although the Eagles' philosophy may be to outscore opponents to force them away from the running game, this strategy becomes extremely problematic when facing top-notch defenses that can contain or at least slow a high-powered offensive attack.

The second reason to be concerned is that our offensive line didn't do a great job protecting Michael from the blitz. He was sacked three times and hit throughout the game, and the damage would have been a lot worse if the Rams didn't call off the blitz for some unfathomable reason. The Rams couldn't contain Vick, but better teams may be able to pose a real problem with complex blitz packages and defensive schemes designed to keep him contained.

But perhaps the main reason Eagles fans should be nervous is that our greatest strength is also our greatest weakness - our fate this season and for years to come is inextricably linked to Vick. He can advance the football down the field in so many different ways that it is no exaggeration to call him virtually unstoppable. And I believe that he will only get better as his ability to recognize different situations increases, and if he can become skilled at the more traditional aspects of quarterbacking, the sky is truly the limit. To accomplish this, Michael must be Michael by continuing to utilize his special talents.

While it is a joy to watch his often unstoppable style of play, we will be holding our breath on every play and hoping that he will pop back up every time he goes down. Though we can't afford to lose him, we also can't afford to lose the advantage his often-reckless style of play gives us. Once Vick breaks out of the pocket, all bets are off and big hits are inevitable (although it would be nice if he would err on the side of caution by going out of bounds or sliding once in a while).

If Vick does end up getting injured, I fear that we may end up more like Indianapolis than in Indianapolis - i.e., like the Colts who looked absolutely pedestrian without Peyton Manning against the Texans.

So while it's great to win the opener with the knowledge that Andy Reid's teams typically improve markedly as the season progresses, there just might be a few problems that the Eagles won't be able to fix. Will the offensive line be able to gel? Will our undersized linebackers be able to fill the holes that Jim Washburn's "wide-nine" defensive scheme inevitably creates? And most important, will Vick manage to stay healthy while continuing to employ his unique haphazard style of play?