Eagles Pass Road Test
Donovan McNabb thinks the Philadelphia offense can make stars out of a lot of receivers. It made one out of James Thrash on Sunday. McNabb threw for 283 yards and two touchdowns, both to Thrash, as the Philadelphia Eagles spoiled the Seattle Seahawks' home opener 27-3. "I've always said in this offense, you never know who's going to be the leading receiver," McNabb said. "James did an excellent job." Signed as a free agent from the Washington Redskins in the offseason, Thrash caught 10 passes for 165 yards, both career highs. In four seasons with the Redskins, Thrash was never the No. 1 receiver, but had 50 catches last season. "My job is just to put it out in front where either he can get it or no one can," McNabb said. McNabb completed 24 of 37 passes with no interceptions. He also scored a touchdown on a 3-yard run in the final five minutes. Thrash loves coach Andy Reid's version of the West Coast offense. "One thing about this offense is that it gives you an opportunity to spread it around," he said. "I think Donovan does a great job of that." Reid said Thrash was physical enough to beat bump-and-run defenses. "James is a good bump-and-run player," he said. "He came out and took the fight to them. I think that's tremendous." The Eagles (1-1) won convincingly without running back Duce Staley, who injured his right shoulder -- a partial dislocation of a joint -- in the first quarter. Staley played in Philadelphia's first two series before being replaced by rookie Correll Buckhalter, a fourth-round draft choice from Nebraska. Reid said he didn't know how long Staley would be sidelined. Staley, who will undergo a magnetic imaging resonance test Monday, missed 11 games last season because of a foot injury. "We all know how good Duce is and what he means to the team," Reid said. "You surely don't want to lose a player of Duce's caliber." To a huge ovation, Seattle's Ricky Watters came out of the Husky Stadium tunnel clutching two American flags, marking the teams' return to the field after a week off because of the terrorist attacks. Players from both teams came onto the field and helped hold a huge U.S. flag as the national anthem was played. There wasn't much else for Seahawks fans to cheer after the ceremony. For the second straight week, the Seahawks (1-1) failed to score a touchdown. Matt Hasselbeck, Seattle's new quarterback, was booed loudly at times, and the fans chanted "Dilfer, Dilfer, Dilfer" for backup Trent Dilfer, who helped lead the Baltimore Ravens to a Super Bowl title last season. Hasselbeck, however, played the entire game. Hasselbeck was 9-of-24 for 62 yards with no interceptions. He was sacked seven times for 41 yards in losses. Coach Mike Holmgren was upset at the booing directed at Hasselbeck. "It was the first home game," he said. "It's a little early to make that rash judgement. Our quarterback had a poor day today. He'll have a better one next week." He said he never considered going to Dilfer. "I will be the only one who makes that decision," Holmgren said. "Certainly not the crowd." Hasselbeck, starting his second NFL game, blamed himself for his team's poor offensive performance. "It makes me sick to think that some of my good plays were running around and throwing the ball out of bounds," he said. Reid, who was on Holmgren's coaching staff with the Packers, played conservatively in the second half after McNabb and Thrash teamed for touchdowns of 64 and 23 yards in the second quarter. Taking advantage of the absence of injured Seattle cornerback Shawn Springs, Thrash beat cornerbacks Paul Miranda and Ken Lucas. Leading 3-0 after the first of two field goals by David Akers, the Eagles struck on the fourth play of the second quarter. Thrash, joining a team that lacked standout receivers, outran Miranda for the 64-yarder. On the second TD, Thrash caught the ball at the 2 against Lucas, a rookie. Game notes:
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The Seahawks are 0-3 in home openers under Holmgren. ... Seattle special teams player Isaiah Kacyvenski had to leave after the opening kickoff because he was hit in the head. ... Thrash had three touchdown catches in his career before Sunday. ... In addition to Staley's injury, the Eagles had four other injuries: guard John Welbourn sustained a sprained ankle; CB Troy Vincent sprained a shoulder; WR Gari Scott sprained an ankle; and LB Ike Reese strained a hamstring.
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