Vick, Eagles surge past Rams for Week 1 win

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BOX SCOREST. LOUISThe 2011 Eagles defense had been on the field exactly eight seconds, and disaster had already struck.After all the coaching changes, all the Pro Bowl acquisitions, all the hype, it took the Rams precisely one play to get in the end zone.Steven Jacksons explosive 47-yard touchdown run on the very first snap the revamped Eagles defense faced this year gave the Rams a seven-point lead less than four minutes into the Eagles-Rams season opener.It was the last touchdown the Eagles gave up.I said before the game, were not going to perfect, we might make some mistakes, give up a big play or two, safety Kurt Coleman said. We did give up one, and it just happened to be on the first play of the game.The Eagles, shaky early, finished mightily, blowing out the Rams 31-13 Sunday at the Edward Jones Dome.Just goes to show, were human, we make mistakes, not everythings going to be perfect, defensive tackle Cullen Jenkins said. But when it comes down to it, are we going to stick together as a team or start throwing people under the bus and looking for a copout? And I think we did a great job sticking together as a team.Jacksons touchdown was the longest first-quarter touchdown run against the Eagles in 12 years.But during the rest of the game, the Eagles allowed just two field goals and outscored the Rams 31-6.We got mad about it, linebacker Moise Fokou said. We knew that wasnt our style of football, and we responded tremendously. Everybody took the onus on themselves and said, Its my fault. We all came together and said, This cant happen anymore, players and coaches, and we made sure it didnt.On their first drive after Jacksons long touchdown, the Eagles tied the game on Michael Vicks touchdown pass to LeSean McCoy, and four minutes later, Juqua Parker scooped up a fumble by Rams quarterback Sam Bradford and rambled 56 yards for his second career touchdown and a 14-7 lead.Its always a great thing to score on defense, defensive end Darryl Tapp said. It definitely changed the momentum a little bit and seemed to get us going.The Rams never led again.There were moments in the game where I thought we were doing a pretty good job, certainly early, said Rams coach Steve Spagnuolo, who spent the 1999 through 2006 seasons on Andy Reids Eagles staff. There was a point there where it kind of got away, and the Eagles took over the game.It didnt hurt that Jackson got hurt on his TD run and left the game after just one more carry. His backup, Cadillac Williams, contributed 91 yards on 19 carries. But as the game went on, you could see the Eagles getting stronger on both sides of the ball. Their restructured defensive line was able to get more and more pressure on Bradford. And the revamped offensive line started providing Vick more time in the pocket and opening holes for McCoy, who ran for 95 of his 122 yards in the fourth quarter.I think the Rams kept playing really hard, left guard Evan Mathis said. But I felt like by the fourth quarter, we wore them down.Vick passed for just 187 yards but threw TD passes to McCoy and DeSean Jackson and ran for 98 yards, winning his 12th career 100-yard game with a couple last-minute kneeldowns. Jackson caught six passes for 102 yards, his 12th career 100-yard game.I think after they got the first touchdown, it was important to just calm down and weather the first-quarter storm and stay in rhythm, Vick said. Youve just got to fight through certain situations, and we were able to do that, and thats the first sign of a good football teamstaying poised, understanding the situation and not getting too out of whack.This was certainly an ugly win. The Eagles allowed 154 rushing yards, though just 56 after the first quarter. Vick was sacked three times and hit several other times. The Eagles committed eight penalties for 91 yards, although a couple of themnamely a pass interference on Nnamdi Asomugha down to the 1-yard-linewere ridiculous.Two key stats: Eagles were 8 for 12 on third down, the Rams were 2 for 12.We have a long way to go, offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg said. A long, long way to go. A lot of work to do.But theyre also 1-0 for just the sixth time in 13 years under head coach Andy Reid.You have to work through the first game and the first part of the season, Reid said. You work those things out, thats what youre seeing.After Parkers TD return, the teams traded second-quarter field goals, and Jacksons TD with 5minutes left in the third quarter increased the Eagles lead to 24-10.Then came a key moment in the game: The Rams then got a first-and-goal on the 1-yard-line on the Asomugha penalty with a chance to make it a one-possession game.The Eagles were last in the NFL last year in the red zone defense, but this time, they held tough. Parker stuffed Williams for no gain on first down and then a false start moved the Rams back to the 6. Jarrad Page nearly picked off Bradford on second down, and Bradford was pressured into an incomplete pass on third down.That first-and-goal they had, keeping them to a field goal was huge, Coleman said. That was a real turning point. We didnt want to be down there on the 1-yard-line, but we responded to adversity, and thats the mark of a great defense.Even though the Rams got a field goal, the Eagles had a 24-13 lead and all the momentum.Early in the fourth quarter, McCoy blasted up the middle for a 49-yard touchdown and it was a rout.McCoy finished with 122 rushing yards on 15 carries, the most rushing yards by an Eagle running back on 15 or fewer attempts since Leroy Harris was 9 for 137 against the Packers in 1979.Running with Michael Vick, Im trying to out-do him, McCoy said.The Eagles piled up 167 rushing yards in the second half, 237 in the gamethe fifth-highest total of the Reid Era.Late in the game, get the lead, its up to the linemen to get the job done, and they did, McCoy said. Them guys blitzed a lot today, but the line, they really did a great job out there. All those big runs? Credit to them, too.Bradford, last years NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, completed 17 of 30 passes for 180 yards but completed just one pass longer than 19 yards.Very tough to beat the Eagles dinking and dunking.Jason Babin, in his first game back with the Eagles, had two of the defensive lines five sacks, with Trent Cole, Tapp and Jenkins recording one apiece.It was fun out there today, Babin said.The consensus in the Eagles locker room was, hey, great win, but theres a ton of work to do.We still dont know what kind of team were going to be, but its a great feeling to get the first win underneath our belt. It wasnt pretty, we still have a lot of things we have to work on, but were seeing the progress come little by little. Leaving here 1-0 is a great feeling.E-mail Reuben Frank at rfrank@comcastsportsnet.com

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