Chundles

Even though it was a Sunday, I woke up at 6am, charged with anticipation about the kickoff of the Eagles 2008 campaign. When the rest of the family got up, we ventured out to get some coffee and let Hannah play in the fountains at our local Whole Foods. When I saw someone in the distance walk by wearing an Eagles jersey, I thought about embarrassing myself with a call of affirmation...until I realized that this idiot was wearing a Kevin Kolb jersey. What kind of idiot (a racist, perhaps?) wears a Kevin Kolb jersey. I'll give him the benefit of the doubt. Maybe he went to Houston, or is Kolb's brother.

Anyway, as 10am kickoff approached, my adrenaline started flowing and I started getting excited, and my excitement rubbed off on Hannah. Last season, she was introduced to Football, and began to recognize it when it was on TV. This year, she gets to know and love the Eagles. During the preseason, I had her chanting "Go Eagles," and on Sunday, I had her singing the first lines of the Eagles fight song. My enthusiasm was rubbing off.

Like many NFL teams, the Eagles typically script their first X plays of every game. On Sunday, they executed those plays flawlessly. 1. Get DeSean Jackson involved and into the flow early. Check. 2. Show LJ Smith that he's going to be relied on again now that he is healthy. Check. 3. Give the TD to Brian Westbrook, last year's NFL All Purpose Yards leader. Check. Eagles 7, Rams 0.

While many would argue that the Rams were an unworthy opponent, the Eagles played near flawless football throughout the afternon. McNabb looked sharp, confident, accurate, and completely satisfied with the weapons at his disposal. Andy Reid never plays rookie wide receivers, but DeSean Jackson appears to have the work ethic and the talent to make even Andy Reid--one of the more stubborn NFL coaches--change his routine. LJ Smith is healthy and back to being a receiving force in the middle of the field. It looks like we got faster on defense, and even though one member of the secondary is unhappy, the CB combination of Asante Samuel, Lito Sheppard, and Sheldon Brown is a formidable group. And perhaps most importantly of all, special teams (which more or less provided negative value last year) played great, generating more than 100 yards in the return game, and downing the ball deep in Rams territory multiple times.

The Eagles racked up the points and the yards throughout the day, as the Rams barely looked like a mid-tier NCAA team. Playoff teams are supposed to beat up on teams like the Rams the way the Eagles did, so I have no complaints. And the way the Eagles played makes me think that my exuberance about this season is justified. One game does not a Super Bowl winner make, but we're on the right track. Even Donovan feels good about the fast start (http://www.yardbarker.com/nfl/articles/Checklist_Start_fast_Yes/330002).

Final score: Eagles 38, Rams 3.

Next up: Monday Night Football, Eagles @ Dallas. It's way too early to put high stakes on this game, but I think the winner has an inside track on the NFC East.

I'll be back for an update before kickoff on Monday night.