By David Weinberg
Relax, Eagles fans.
The Birds weren’t very impressive in their 25-20 victory at New England last Sunday, but it’s way too early in the NFL season to worry.
Granted, there are a few causes for concern with the Eagles. The star-studded offense produced just one touchdown. Quarterback Jalen Hurts didn’t look like an MVP candidate. New running back D’Andre Swift had one carry for 3 yards and one reception for no gain. Tight end Dallas Goedert was shut out. Punter Arryn Sipposs showed why he’s on the practice squad. Coach Nick Sirianni made several questionable decisions, especially going for it on fourth-and-two late in the fourth quarter.
Defensively, Patriots wide receivers and tight ends were left uncovered by a revamped Eagles linebacker corps. And their best linebacker Nakobe Dean, is expected to be miss at least a couple weeks with a foot injury.
But there were also some bright spots. New defensive coordinator Sean DeSai had a decent debut. Rookie defensive tackle Jalen Carter made an immediate impact. Cornerback Darius Slay returned an interception 70 yards for a TD. Place-kicker Jake Elliott booted four field goals, including a 56-yarder that is tied for the third-longest of his career.
To paraphrase Billy Hoyle in “White Men Can’t Jump,” — one of my favorite sports movies, by the way — tis better to look bad and win than look good and lose.
Take me, for example. I actually missed the first quarter of the Eagles’ game because I was playing the second round of the Men’s Senior A flight of Cape May National Golf Club Championship. I shot 83-88 — 171 in the 36-hole tournament and even carded two birdies in Sunday’s second round.
I wound up finishing second. That and $2.25 will get me a 20-ounce cup of hazelnut coffee (I refuse to drink pumpkin spice until at least the third week of October) at Wawa.
The Eagles’ slow start prompted fans to wonder if Sirianni had erred by not playing his starters during the preseason. Hurts and company looked a bit out of sync for much of the game.
There was also the Eagles’ odd backfield rotation. Swift was expected be the main running back with Rashaad Penny serving as his main backup. Kenny Gainwell and Boston Scott were slated for rotational roles. Instead, Swift was a nonfactor and Penny was inactive. Gainwell had 14 carries for 54 yards and four receptions for 20 yards.
Expect a better effort on Thursday, when the Eagles play their home opener against Minnesota, which lost 20-17 to Tampa Bay Sunday. But even if the Eagles struggle again or even lose, there’s still too much football left to be concerned. Unless you’re the New York Giants.
Wildwood, Wildwood Catholic resume rivalry
Kudos to Wildwood High School and Wildwood Catholic Academy for renewing their sports rivalry last weekend.
The Warriors and Crusaders met Saturday morning in boys soccer, boys and girls cross country and girls tennis. It marked the first time the two schools had met in any sport since 2017.
Wildwood won the soccer match 7-2, Wildwood Catholic earned a 3-2 win in girls tennis. According to CapeAtlanticLive.com, neither school had the minimum five runners to score in the boys cross country meet while Wildwood Catholic had a 15-50 edge in the girls race.
The boys soccer game was the first between the rivals since 2014.
“This is a fantastic thing,” Wildwood soccer coach Sal Zampirri told CapeAtlanticLive.com. “This is about getting the kids out there to play each other and geting that camaraderie on the island going again. These guys all have buddies on the other side. They grew up together in grammar school. This is all about the kids. We have to keep this thing rolling.”
Here’s hoping it extends to other sports, especially boys and girls basketball. Basketball rules both schools, where fans pack the respective gyms each winter. For various reasons, however, the teams haven’t met since the boys played at the Wildwoods Convention Center in the Boardwalk Classic in 2017. The girls squad last played at the same tournament in 2015.
They are tentatively scheduled to play at Wildwood High on Feb. 3, 2024.
Ocean in motion
Last weekend’s Club Championship was part of an eventful three-day span for me. You might think that the hardest hit delivered during that span occurred in one of the NFL, college football or high school football games.
Wrong.
None of the tackles or sacks compared to the lick I took during my daily ocean dip in Cape May Monday afternoon.
It seemed calm enough when I ventured in on the beach at Trenton Avenue. Minutes later, the waves grew bigger but it was still OK. I dove under a few swells and jumped over a few more before deciding to head in by letting a swell push me back toward shore.
Instead, Poseidon decided to have a little fun at my expense. He lifted and tossed me toward the beach, sending me toppling, turning and rolling with such force that I nearly ended up on the front porch of the Peter Shields Inn across the street.
A quick self-check revealed that I hadn’t lost my bathing suit. However, my dignity was down around my ankles.
David is a nationally recognized sports columnist who has covered Philadelphia and local sports for over 40 years. After 35 years with The Press, he has served as a columnist for 973ESPN.com and created his own Facebook page, Dave Weinberg Extra Points.
Send comments to weinbergd419@comcast.net.
