1) I know he was hurt, but I still think Frank has lost a step. Thats not to say he's not still a great player, he's just not a quick as he used to be. He had a GREAT game yesterday, but he had HUGE gaping holes to run through. Again, don't take this wrong, he's still a fantastic player, but he IS getting older and its starting to show.
2) This ties into #1...Kendall Hunter is legit. I think we can expect a steady diet of both Hunter and Gore as the season goes on. What this really reminds me of is Jacksonville. When Fred Taylor started showing some wear, MJD was the young RB who was splitting those carries. Fred was still a really good back, but his injury history made bringing in MJD for several carries a game a prudent move. I really think thats the way this thing is gonna go...assuming both stay healthy.
3) Navorro Bowman. Pro Bowl. Book it. He is playing better that WIllis right now. No joke.
4) Michael Crabtree just looks different this year. I dunno if he's lost weight or what, but he just seems more lanky and a tad bit quicker. I can't put my finger on it. He's one to watch moving forward.
5) Aldon Smith. Woah. I said last week that he was getting neutralized too easily....not so this week. LOL!! He had 1.5 Sacks, but if it wasn't Mike Vick he is chasing he'd have 3.5 and he had ANOTHER one on a play that Brooks jumped offsides. This could be a product of poor Eagles line play, but give the rook credit...he looked really good.
6) McDonald is still playing VERY well.
7) Justin Smith. Wow. Talk about hustle. GREAT play. No DE is supposed to catch Jeremy Maclin from behind.
8) O-Line. Had a much better day, but not sure how much is them and how much is the Eagles D. Davis struggled again, but that was no slouch he was facing. That line split is also rediculous. Davis is actually SUPER fast to get out of his stance (faster than any Niner lineman), so its not a case of him getting beat by speed. Its the Angle of where Babin is coming from...and in addition Babin just being pretty damn good. Davis did struggle, no doubt, but I really still think he's gonna be a good one. His feet are just SOOO fast for a man his size.
9) Bruce Miller. Limited sample size, but I like this guy more and more every week. He still doesn't hold the ball right (LOL...if you look at his 4th quarter reception, he isn't holding the point of the ball). He just isn't familiar with it yet. When you realize that he didn't play the position before August, its pretty impressive. Other than the way he held the ball, he looks VERY athletic or a FB and could be that outlet reciever the way Rathman was in the glory days.
10) Alex. I couldn't do this without mentioning Alex. QBs have recievers drop passes in every game, but what I find the most amusing is when I hear peeps say he had a bad first half and a great second half. What they don't realize is that there were 3 or 4 DROPS that could have been first downs. One by Hunter sticks out in particular that would have been AT LEAST a first down. if Hunter catches it and beats the LB, it could have been ALOT more.
My point is that Alex had a great game from top to bottom. Yes, he did fumble, but I can't really pin that on him since the guy came completely unblocked and its only his second turnover in 4 games.
Alex could come in and stink it up next week, but even the Alex haters have to give him his due this week. He played well.
EDIT: FORGOT ONE!!!
11) Carlos Rogers. So far, this team has had some issues in the secondary....but Carlos Rogers is NOT one of the problems. He has been better than advertised. I think he may get extended during the season.
[ Edited by Marvin49 on Oct 3, 2011 at 9:54 AM ]
