Skip to main content
Philadelphia Eagles
Advertising

Philadelphia Eagles News

Game vs. Falcons: Eagles Offense

WR DeSean Jackson

On whether this was a statement game for QB Donovan McNabb:"It was just one of those situations that he felt like everyone was coming down on him. Everyone knows what the reasons were, but Donovan has been our quarterback from day 1 and last week was something that just happened. So, we move on and that is what we did. So, tonight was a great opportunity to come home in front of our fans and he was just on right away. I just sense a good thing heading into the end of the season. Whatever we need to do to keep playing like this, which is what we need to do."

On whether the team fed off Donovan: "You have to. Anytime your quarterback starts as fast as he did. We had the momentum and he was feeling good, it was just something about it. Not to say that I wished it has been there the past few games, but sometimes it takes games like the ones we went through to get to where we are at now. So, I just feel like we are never out of it. We feel great about our position. We like people to think we are underdogs, because when you think we are out of it, we are right back in it."

On whether he felt a different vibe from Donovan from the start tonight: "It's not just tonight. It's been that way all week. The things he has been going through, with everyone wanting to get mad at him. People don't think about the great things that he has done, the records and everything. It doesn't matter. He has to play well and today he did that. I am not going to say that it's going to erase everything else that has been happening, but if he keeps playing like that, that is what we need."

On what it says to have Donovan and RB Brian Westbrook step up like they did tonight:"It is not just them, it's the whole team. Those two did a great job; they did what they needed to do to bring us together as a team. [FS] Brian Dawkins did an excellent job. He is the team leader. Everyone feeds off his energy. He gave us a prayer and said things he need to say for us to get out there and handle our business. That is what we did."

On the offensive rhythm and the correlation with setting up the running game: "Yeah, we were just able to get it started. We were not able to run so easily the past few weeks and with Westbrook in our backfield, that is just ridiculous. Anytime he and Donovan get off like they did tonight, we were rolling. We can't be stopped when we put it together like we know how to do."

On giving head coach Andy Reid a chest bump after his touchdown: "I was just messing around with coach. He is a great guy and we have a great relationship. We know we have to handle our business, but at times like that, when we were up a little bit, I just messed with him. It was cool."

On getting back to having fun: "It certainly is important. Everyone was feeling good. It doesn't matter if one person does well and we lose, that does not to any good for the team. The biggest thing for us is that everyone was rallying around each other. We have a sense of urgency; we just know we want to make it to the playoffs and keep our season alive. We don't want to be in a position where everyone says we are lost and done. That is not the question. We know what we need to do to get the job done and like I said, we are going to keep on doing what we need to do."

FB Kyle Eckel

On the reaction from the crowd when he converted the 3rd-and-1: "I noticed it, but the crowd was great for everybody tonight. It was just great to see the city rally around us while the national media seemed to be really down on us. It was great to see the city band together and support us."

On whether that was the first standing ovation he has ever received without scoring a touchdown: "I don't know. I guess so, I'm pretty sure it was. It probably was the first time I ever got a standing ovation. This was a great experience for everyone in this locker room tonight. Everyone played so well."

On whether he knew he would have this big of a role in the offense tonight: "I knew every time the offense had the ball, I was standing right near the coaches getting ready, in case the call came. I was just so fortunate enough that the offensive line played so well. I was so lucky to run behind them and get the handoff and fall forward."

LT Tra Thomas

On the offense looking unstoppable tonight: "I think we just cut down on all the mistakes. We just went out and executed well. That was good for us. I think the offense came out, we were able to run, we got some passes to open it up for us, and everything was just clicking for us today."

On whether he noticed that Westbrook had more burst tonight: "I guess so. I was not watching him run. We were so busy blocking. He came out and had a great game for us. He had 4 touchdowns. That is a great day."

On whether the offense wanted to go out and fight for Donovan tonight: "Yeah, we wanted to go out there and let him know we had his back. We just all stuck together. We had a great team win out there tonight."

On whether the team talked about fighting for Donovan throughout the week: "Yeah, we just wanted to stick together. It was a quick turnaround for us, so we knew we needed to circle the wagons and come out here and get something established early."

On whether it will be tough for C/G Nick Cole to step in and play for the rest of the season: "I don't think it will be that big of a problem. Nick can hold his own. With him being a center and all, he knows all the calls and knows what to do. So, I don't think it will be an issue. I think he will step right in and come out and do what he's supposed to do."

On whether there was anything about Cole's play that was impressive: "His pass protection. He stays low and you can ask anyone in here, especially on the defensive line, when he's doing 1-on-1 pass protection, nobody gets past him. He is a great athlete and I don't think there is going to be any dropoff in play."

On whether it was important to get the run going early: "I think that was real big for us because it opened up the pass. Everything was just opened up for us. It was just clicking. Very few times does a game happen like that. We just have to keep building on this and keep pushing."

On whether he was surprised that Donovan was able to have such a good game following a very tough game last week:"He bounced back. He takes that criticism to heart and he just wants to prove everyone wrong. He just came out and had a great game. There were times we got a little push and he cut up field, started running again. That was good and it helped us out with the pass rush. That kept them off-abalanced."

On whether he felt that Donovan was more relaxed tonight:"I think so. He just came out there and played his game. He didn't let everything bother him. He just shook it off and came out and played."

On how they were able to establish the running game so well tonight: "We just came out and tried to get a body on a body, so Westbrook could go out there and do his thing. Eckel came up huge for us at the end. He added that power rush that we needed."

This article has been reproduced in a new format and may be missing content or contain faulty links. Please use the Contact Us link in our site footer to report an issue.

LATEST VIDEOS

Advertising