Credit for the failure should got to Andy Reid as well. What kind of gameplan was it to throw the ball 50 times in a close game?
Everyone in the place thought that McNabb would try and scramble for yards.
A gameplan that comes out of not being able to get more than 2.9 yards per rush from your best running back.
The kind of game plan that whenever the Iggles run they get dropped for losses!! There must have been at least four plays the Iggles running play lost yardage. Danged Pat's were in the Iggles backfield more than they were, reading their mail. Pat's totally took the Iggles running game away, forcing McNabb to beat them with his arm which he couldn't.
I thoroughly enjoyed the game. 'Bout time we had a competitive Super Bowl. Their clock managment was attrocious and I would lay that solely on Reid. Yet, Not-yet-ready-for-prime-time McNabb will have to shoulder a good part of the loss...three int's and a host of bad, bad throws - sheessh.
Even given all that, the Iggles could still have won that game and they know it. That's got to hurt worse than anything.
They tried running, but the running didn't go anywhere. No point running three times for 2 yards on each attempt.
The game plan included running, but the blocking for the run was not successful.
And then once you are down two scores late in the game, you generally need to throw to hurry the game up.
The 50 throws were the result of the two long drives stalled by interceptions. Essentially, they were a waste of about 15 throws. Take that away, and it was a normal 60% throw game plan for the Eagles.
With a further crippled Patriot secondary in the second half, the plan should have worked.
McNabb had the time; His poise and recognition of routes and defenses just isn't up to the level of Tom Brady. Then again, NO ONE in the NFL has that kind of consistent poise.