PHILADELPHIA -- Dispatches from the Ravens at Eagles game Thursday night at Lincoln Financial Field....
� As it turns out, there was no sign of a pre-game laser and light show. I didn't detect a whiff of fake smoke or fog swirling as the players hit some darkened stage, and I didn't spy so much as a single high-five exchanged between a ready-to-celebrate fan and anyone in a green and white uniform.
All of which makes you think the Philadelphia Eagles had no idea whatsoever how to properly debut a Dream Team. And you have to figure that's probably a very good thing for Andy Reid and Co. I mean, why pump up the hype any more than Vince Young's careless two-word label managed to do nearly two weeks ago?
This was only Philly's exhibition opener, of course, so it's a bit early to be mapping out the parade route. But there has never been an Eagles season more hotly anticipated than this one, and this is where it started. That counted for something Thursday night, especially after this long, lockout-addled NFL offseason.
The first team didn't play long, of course, but on this night, just seeing the likes of Nnamdi Asomugha, Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, Jason Babin, Cullen Jenkins, Young, Ronnie Brown and Anthony Hargrove in a Philly uniform was likely enough the for Eagles' rabid fans. It confirmed that Philadelphia's whole wild, 14 free agent player shopping spree was indeed real, and not some cruel hoax perpetrated on them by the media.
And I saw nothing in the Eagles' 13-6 win over Baltimore that's going to slow down the Super Bowl Express that just left the station in Philadelphia. The play was a bit ragged on both sides at times, as it always is in Week 1 of the preseason, but there were plenty of hopeful signs for the home team. Among them:
-- The 8-play, 80-yard touchdown drive that Philly starting quarterback Michael Vick led his team to on his only possession of the evening. Vick was a sharp 4-of-6 for 74 yards passing on the drive, with a long gain of 42 yards and a 3-yard scoring toss to tight end Brent Celek.
"I feel that each and every guy in that locker room wants to be on this team,'' Vick said. "We've enjoyed each other so much in training camp. Guys want to play for us and I wish every guy could make this team and be a part of it. I feel this is one of the best teams I've been a part of and we definitely have something special.''
-- Young looked solid as well in his first game action since Week 11 of last season. The ex-Titan played two series in the first half, leading the Eagles on a 15-play, 68-yard field goal drive, and exhibiting some of the elusiveness that makes him a natural to take over Philly's offense if anything should ever happen to Vick.
Despite only having a handful of practices in the Eagles offense, Young was 3-of-5 for 45 yards passing, with a long gain of 32 yards and one sack. He ran once for six yards, converting on third down, and later picked up another first down when he eluded three potential tacklers and fired a 32-yard strike to second-year receiver Chad Hall.
"I felt pretty good'' Young said. "There are a couple things I need to work on. But I felt like after we got in a good rhythm, things started to feel a little bit better. It's a new offense, a new team, a lot of new things for me. I was just happy to be here and to be playing. The opportunity is great.''
Just to underline the Eagles' fast start, on their first two drives of the game, Philly scored 10 of its 13 points, with eight first downs, 138 yards gained, and 23 snaps that ate up 14:01 of possession time. For mid-August, that's more than a presentable showing.
-- All told, the Eagles offense was a crisp 10-of-16 (63 percent) on third down, rolled up 320 yards of offense and punted just once in the first three quarters. Not bad considering receivers DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin didn't dress, lead running back LeSean McCoy touched the ball once for minus-1 yard, and Vick had just the one series of action.
-- On defense, Philadelphia, playing for the first time under new coordinator Juan Castillo (the team's long-time offensive line coach until this February) was aggressive and successful in bottling up the Ravens. Baltimore got a 53-yard field goal from Billy Cundiff on its first drive of the night, led by starting quarterback Joe Flacco, but largely went nowhere after that, capping its night with a 34-yarder by Cundiff with 3:10 remaining.
The Eagles sacked Flacco and rookie backup Tyrod Taylor six times (Taylor absorbed five of those), and intercepted the sixth-round selection from Virginia Tech twice on 28 pass attempts. Baltimore was a paltry 3-of-12 on third downs (25 percent) and committed 11 penalties for 60 yards.
"It's not about me, it's about us building a championship-caliber defense,'' Castillo said. "Coach (Reid) wanted us to have a fast defense, a fundamentally sound defense, and you saw some of that.''
The Eagles are far from a finished product, and questions remain at receiver, linebacker and along the offensive line. But there was no creeping doubt on display from the Dream Team on this night. Philadelphia was far more ready to play than Baltimore, and it showed. For a week at least, the Eagles' Super Bowl dreams are very much alive.
� It seems only logical to assume the Ravens have to investigate the veteran quarterback market, because with Marc Bulger retired, there's an awful lot at stake to trust the season to the sixth-round rookie Taylor if injury should befall Flacco. Taylor played most of the game and finished 19-of-28 for 179 yards passing, and 59 yards rushing on six carries. But it was often not pretty, and those five sacks and two interceptions had to be a wake-up call of sorts for the Ravens, who have legitimate Super Bowl hopes themselves.
There are some candidates available, but it seemed like the Ravens were waiting to see Taylor play in a game situation to make their move. Now they have, and I wouldn't be surprised if someone like Brodie Croyle, Jake Delhomme, J.P. Losman or Chris Simms gets a phone call from Baltimore in the coming days. Shoot, even Troy Smith might be an upgrade, but some how I don't think the ex-Ravens backup is headed back to Charm City.
� The other areas of concern coming out of this game for the Ravens are at receiver, where rookie Torrey Smith looked a bit lost (no catches despite being targeted three times), and offensive tackle, where Michael Oher, Oniel Cousins and Jah Reid gave up far too much pressure.
Look for the Ravens to possibly try to trade for available Buffalo veteran receiver Lee Evans in the coming days, with reports that both the Cardinals and Ravens are interested.
� I can confirm this much after the Ravens' first game action of the summer: The powers that be in Baltimore are getting pretty excited about the prospects of 2010 second-round outside linebacker Sergio Kindle, who never even suited up as a rookie after falling down two flights of stairs and suffering a skull fracture three days before training camp opened.
"Sergio's going to be good,'' Ravens head coach John Harbaugh told me this week. "I think I'd compare him with Terrell Suggs, in that our plan is to use him like Suggs -- you get him out there and start him off as a pass rusher and you see where he goes. But he looks good.''
Though the Ravens are eager to see how Kindle responds to preseason playing time after missing last season, Harbaugh predicted "he'll be playing the first week'' of the regular season, adding that Baltimore was not counting on ever getting anything out of the former University of Texas star last year at this time.
"I'd say this is like a bonus guy, and he was our first player picked last year,'' Harbaugh said. "I don't know what's going to happen, but the guy is talented and he loves football. So far he's shown no ill effects on the field.''
Ravens general manager Ozzie Newsome said he saw "Kindle flying around out there'' against the Eagles, and "that's good to see.'' Kindle finished with two tackles against Philly, once missing on a potential sack of Eagles backup quarterback Vince Young. "At this time last year, with the diagnosis we got, it was dire,'' Newsome said. "But to see him every day out there getting better and starting to look like the player we drafted, I mean, it is a bonus. In the last week or so, what you've started to see come back is what you saw on tape of him in college.''
� Reid expressed optimism after the game that newly signed receiver Steve Smith will be ready for the team's regular season opener in four weeks. Smith, Reid said, might be "three weeks'' away from playing, if he responds well to rehabilitation. Smith underwent microfracture surgery this summer, but the Eagles do not think the procedure was too invasive.
"He had a small microfracture, but all of his ligaments and cartilage was intact,'' Reid said. "He is knee is very stable, and he's had no swelling in his knee throughout the whole process. He's been running, and he started running routes this past week. We're just going to bring him back slowly and see what he can do. We know he's a fine football player, and we just need to get his leg where it needs to be.''
Asked for an update on Eagles starting receiver Jeremy Maclin, Reid could only confirm Maclin has headed to his hometown of St. Louis for further tests on a yet unidentified illness. There is still no timetable for Maclin's return to Philadelphia.
"I just want to make sure he is feeling right and okay,'' Reid said. "I know he can play football. That part I know. The important thing right now is for him to take care of business there.''
Reid said he thinks Maclin will be "fine'' for the start of the regular season, but admitted he is taking an optimistic view in lieu of more definitive information. "I think he's going to be ready,'' he said. "I'm waiting to hear the results, but I'm optimistic.''
� So far, based on an exhaustive study of one preseason game, the new rule that moves kickoffs to the 35 yard line is every bit the deterrent to kickoff returns as first feared. Of the seven combined kickoffs in this game, six of them went for touchbacks, with most boomed deep into the end zone. Ravens rookie receiver Tandon Doss had the only kickoff return of the game, for 26 yards in the second quarter.
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