Guaranteed this is the first piece in the history of writing that name drops Darnell Autry, Nels Cline, Luis Aparicio, Buddy Rich, Kenjon Barner, David Bowie and Ricky Watters.
Unless it was my last 25 Random Points.
I know one thing. Sitting next to a member of the Foo Fighters on a two-hour flight is tremendous fodder for random points!
Kickoff at Soldier Field isn't until 8:30 p.m. Monday night, so reading today's 25 Random Points should kill a good chunk of your free time!
Dive in!
1. One of the most encouraging things about Carson Wentz’s NFL debut last weekend is how Wentz and Jordan Matthews looked like they’ve been playing together for years. Wentz and Matthews had never previously played a game together and for the most part hadn’t even practiced together until six days earlier. Wentz is 24, Matthews is 24, and for the first time in modern history, the Eagles have a young potential franchise quarterback and a young potential franchise wide receiver at the same time. Think about it. Donovan McNabb didn’t have anybody. He started out with Charles Johnson and Torrance Small and then had James Thrash and Todd Pinkston. He had T.O. for a year and a half, but by the time the Eagles drafted DeSean Jackson, McNabb was in his 10th season. Randall? He had Cris Carter for a few years, but by the time Carter broke out with 761 yards in 1988, Cunningham was in his fourth season and Carter was dealing with the personal demons that would ultimately lead him out of Philly. When Fred Barnett came along, Randall was in his sixth season. Jaws and Quick? When Quick became a starter in 1983, Jaws was already in his 30s. Nick Foles had Jeremy Maclin in 2012, but Maclin was already in his fourth season.
If Matthews and Wentz can show such tremendous chemistry in their first game together — Matthews caught seven passes for 114 yards and a touchdown against the Browns — what happens when they’ve been together for a year? For three years? For five years? If they stay together, they will have every opportunity to give the Eagles what Jim Kelly and Andre Reed had. What Troy Aikman and Michael Irvin had. What Peyton Manning had with both Reggie Wayne and Marvin Harrison. And Brett Favre and Antonio Freeman. Joe and Jerry. Are we getting ahead of ourselves here? Probably. But virtually every star quarterback has a star wide receiver for a good chunk of his career. We’re only one game into the Wentz Era and Matthews has never even had a 1,000-yard season. So who knows what the future holds. But I do know the Eagles have never had a young stud QB and a young stud wide receiver who’ve been able to grow together and become something truly special over a period of years. And now they at least have a chance to. And that has to be tremendously exciting for Eagles fans.
2. I’m not surprised Sam Bradford played well Sunday night against the Packers. I am surprised he played that well, but nobody has ever questioned Bradford’s football IQ and work ethic, and that translated into an ability to learn a new system in a hurry. That Bradford was able to play at such a high level — the first game of his career with 200 or more yards, 70 percent completions, two or more TDs and no interceptions — while getting poor protection from his offensive line and no help from the running game is what was really impressive. I said all summer I thought Bradford would play OK for the Eagles this year. I was all for unloading him to get Wentz in there and recoup a first-round pick, but Bradford is a capable quarterback, and on a team with a big-time defense and a good running game, he can have success. Now, whether he has those things in Minnesota remains to be seen. But I do think he’ll have a good year, if he can stay healthy. Interesting how that trade may have injected life into two different franchises.
3. I don’t think enough was made during the week about Doug Pederson’s decision to go for it on 4th-and-4. A lot of coaches don’t have the nerve to make that call. For a rookie coach in his first game with a rookie quarterback making his first NFL start to make it? Sheer guts. Remember, this was only a five-point game when the Eagles faced a 4th-and-4 on the Browns’ 40-yard-line with 7:04 left in the third quarter. If the Eagles don’t convert, the Browns have momentum and are 60 yards from taking the lead. But Zach Ertz ran to the sticks, Wentz fired a dart, the Eagles converted, and one snap later Wentz lobbed that thing of beauty to Nelson Agholor for a 35-yard touchdown and essentially an insurmountable lead.
NFL
How rare was this call? It was the first time the Eagles have gone for a 4th-and-4 or longer with a lead in a one-possession game (not including kneeldowns) since 2000 — Donovan McNabb converted a 4th-and-7 in a 3-0 game in the second quarter against the Bears with a seven-yard completion to Darnell Autry. And it was the first time the Eagles have attempted a conversion of 4th-and-4 with a one-possession lead in the second half since 1996, when Ricky Watters converted a 4th-and-4 against the Dolphins in the fourth quarter of a 35-28 game with a four-yard run. That was the pivotal play of the game, and Pederson crushed it.
4. Why is gas always the most expensive in the poorest areas?
5. I don’t know about anybody else, but I’d rather see Jalen Mills out there than Leodis McKelvin. I do think the Eagles should have a fourth cornerback dressing against the Bears, but I like Mills and I think he’ll go out there and battle. McKelvin hasn’t done a whole lot to impress me so far.
6. Nobody wants to see Zach Ertz get hurt, and the Eagles will miss him. But I am curious to see how Trey Burton does with some offensive snaps. Burton is definitely not Ertz, but he’s got great hands and can run, and his presence sure makes the loss of Ertz for a couple weeks a little easier to take.
7. And don’t forget about the old pro Brent Celek. He’s now in his 10th year as an Eagle, but he can still play. If he’s asked to catch the ball, he’ll catch the ball. Then he’ll knock over the first three guys that try to tackle him.
8. I don’t know who picks the candidates for the Eagles Hall of Fame, but if it were me, there would be a spot for Celek whenever he retires. I don’t care how many catches he has or how many yards or touchdowns, he’s an all-time great Eagle no matter what, and he belongs on that wall.
9. I saw Ozzie Smith and I saw Omar Vizquel and I saw Luis Aparicio. I’ve seen Andrelton Simmons a bit too. But I honestly believe Freddy Galvis is as good defensively as any shortstop I’ve ever seen. He makes a spectacular play every night and this year he’s been making the routine plays too. For Galvis to have just seven errors in 586 total chances with his range is remarkable. He had 17 errors last year with 35 more chances. Galvis’s .988 fielding percentage is best among all National League shortstops and second-best in baseball, behind the Tigers’ Jose Iglesias. And a dramatic improvement over his .973 last year. He plays the position with so much flair, so much panache, so much joy. I don’t know what his future here is, but, man, he’s fun to watch.
10. Hey, note to parents on Facebook: Just because your daughter scored a goal for her rec league soccer team doesn’t mean she’s a “rock star.” To be a rock star, she’d have to be in a very successful band with hit records and sold-out gigs. Please keep this in mind, m’kay?
11. One thing I like about Ryan Mathews is that he never seems to have a bad game. He doesn’t have huge games, but he doesn’t have terrible games. Mathews has never rushed for more than 144 yards in a game, but of his 18 career games with 20 or more carries, he’s gained 74 yards in 17 of them — with 65 in the other. He’s never had one of those 23 for 42 games that you see from almost every other running back. We know all about the injuries, but a healthy Ryan Mathews is an effective weapon because he’s going to keep moving forward. He won’t get you the occasional huge game, but he also won’t kill you with the occasional dud. Mathews averaged only 3.5 yards per carry in the opener on 22 for 77, but he played better than the numbers. Kept the chains moving, kept the clock running, kept his legs going.
12. That said, I do want to see more of Kenjon Barner. Seems like the perfect change-of-pace back. Really explodes to the hole. Always gets positive yards. Gives the defense a different look than Mathews. Even has a higher per-carry average since opening day 2014 than Adrian Peterson, LeSean McCoy or Le’Veon Bell. Barner has to prove he won’t fumble, and until he does, Mathews will get most of the carries. But if Barner can demonstrate that he can get big yards without fumbling, I’d expect the Mathews-to-Barner ratio to even out just a bit from 22 to 4 in the opener.
13. Flying out to Chicago Sunday I found myself sitting next to Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins, who was headed to Chicago to play RiotFest with his other band, Chevy Metal, who played at Talen Energy Stadium in Chester on Saturday night. Gotta say Hawkins is one heck of a fascinating guy with an encyclopedic knowledge of rock ‘n’ roll history. We chatted about David Bowie, Chris Squire, Jon Wurster, Jane’s Addiction, Trevor Rabin, Ryan Adams, Buddy Rich, the Police, Mahavishnu Orchestra and much more. He’s also funny as hell, and most of the stories he shared can’t be printed here. But I earned a new respect for Hawkins, who really seems to appreciate those who came before him and helped a two-hour flight go by in a flash.
14. Two bands that Hawkins and I share a love of are Wilco and Yes, and Hawkins cracked me up when he suggested that Wilco shredder Nels Cline replace aging Steve Howe as Yes' guitar player. He was serious, too. Sure would give Yes a jolt of energy. He also suggested that Ryan Adams join the Eagles for one final record of new material, most penned by Adams, with the record to be produced by Jeff Tweedy. Love the way the guy thinks!
15. Watching LeSean McCoy Thursday night, I didn’t see a special player. He didn’t get a lot of help from his offensive line, but McCoy so far has had two similar games for the Bills — 16 for 58 in the opener against the Ravens and 15 for 59 Thursday against the Jets. It’s his fewest yards after two games since he became a full-time back in 2010. Maybe he’ll bust out later in the year, but he’s at the point, in Year No. 8, where running backs start to show their years of wear and invariably begin to slow down. Shady has had a tremendous career, and maybe this is premature. He keeps himself in shape, and sometimes it’s tough to tell how much of a back’s struggles are his own and how much is the O-line in front of him. But so far, he doesn’t look like the Shady we saw here from 2010 through 2014.
16. McCoy hasn’t rushed for more than 112 yards in a game since November of 2014. That’s 19 consecutive games without 113 yards after he ran for 113 or more in 19 of his previous 55 games.
17. It’s absolutely ridiculous that the NFL needs more than five weeks to test a B sample. Lane Johnson made a huge mistake. No argument there. But the NFL has an obligation to make some sort of ruling before this drags three or four weeks into the regular season. Either suspend him or don’t suspend him. But this silence isn’t fair to anybody.
18. I have no clue what pass interference is. None. These guys just make it up as they go every Sunday.
19. Right now, my Album of the Year is Car Seat Headrest’s Teens of Denial. The Fruit Bats and Shearwater records are second and third. But my goodness, this new record by Hamilton Leithauser, formerly of the Walkmen, and Rostam, formerly of Vampire Weekend, is incredible. Can it unseat Car Seat Headrest? Stay tuned!
20. Bad form to wear my Ville Leino jersey to a Flyers game this year?
21. The first concert I attended after moving to Philly was the Hooters, Santana, the Clash and The Who at JFK Stadium. Took the 23 trolley from Mount Airy and then the Broad Street line to the stadium complex. I sat in the East grandstand at JFK that day, about 40 rows up. Now I work probably 50 feet from where my seat was that day. And that blows my mind. Somebody needs to do a JFK Stadium/Wells Fargo Arena overlay photo so I can figure out exactly where my seat was in relation to the current arena layout. These are the things I wonder about.
22. Eagles rookie quarterbacks are 3-17 on the road since 1970, with the wins coming courtesy of Mike Boryla against the Giants in 1974, Randall Cunningham in Washington in 1985 and Nick Foles in Tampa in 2012.
23. If I’m driving and I slow down to let you cross the street or parking lot, can you at least do a courtesy jog? You don’t have to sprint across the street. You don’t even have to run. Just demonstrate a little more urgency than you otherwise would have had. The courtesy jog doesn’t even have to actually be faster than a walk. Just look like you’re trying. And whatever you do, do not cross at an angle and needlessly extend your crossing time unless you’re moving faster than the usual courtesy jog pace. Thank you.
24. Keep an eye on Jason Kelce Monday night. Kelce, coming off a disappointing 2015 season, didn’t play particularly well Sunday against the Browns. That was only one game, but if the former Pro Bowler struggles it’ll be interesting to see if offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland considers going with Stefen Wisniewski, who the Eagles seem to like and has 77 career starts at center under his belt. The wild card there is that Wisniewski is currently the No. 2 left guard, and if Johnson does get suspended, he would take Allen Barbre’s spot at right tackle. But there’s also Isaac Seumalo, who was originally penciled in to replace Barbre at left guard. So it may come down to whether the Eagles are more comfortable with Seumalo and Wisniewski or Wisniewski and Kelce. I still have faith in Kelce. I’ve seen him play at a very high level over an extended period of time. But it will be interesting to see how this plays out.
25. I stopped by the Haverford Music Festival last weekend and what a super event that is. It’s the festival’s sixth year but my first visit to the free annual event. The festival has four stages, more than 30 bands, a beer garden, plenty of activities for kids and over 100 vendors, all of it stretching around the intersection of Eagle and Darby roads in downtown Havertown. Whoever booked the bands knows what they’re doing. Highlights for me were Philly bands the Figgs, Travel Lanes and Spelling Reform and Central Jersey garage rockers Anderson Council, who rarely hit Philly. It was about 5,000 degrees Saturday, which may have kept attendance down, but really a first-rate event. I already have next year’s circled on my calendar.