From a production standpoint, it looked respectable. Nine plays, including two incomplete passes, netted 45 yards. Then again, 5.0 yards per play matches the Eagles' worst effort in that department since 2000, when the norm was 4.9.
From a strategy standpoint, it was understandable. Andy Reid was looking for a way to ease the burden on Kevin Kolb, an unproven quarterback making his first NFL start. And let's face it, Reid's always had that itch for a gadget play or two. It surely didn't begin when somebody decided to exhume the Single Wing and give it a sexy new name like Wildcat.
So why is there such a lingering feeling of dread whenever the Eagles break the huddle and the guy in position to take the snap is DeSean Jackson, or Brian Westbrook, or even Jeremy Maclin?
"We enjoy doing some of that stuff and it's been positive,'' Kolb said after Sunday's 48-22 loss to the Saints. "I mean, it really has been a positive for us so far. It's something new in the NFL and I'm sure it will continue to expand. That (didn't) have any effect on the loss. It was other things throughout the game.''
You will recall that during the third preseason game, against Jacksonville, Donovan McNabb let the braintrust know he felt it was time to shelve the gimmicks and give the starting offense a chance to find rhythm. He repeated that message afterward, to the media, while Reid's response amounted to an I'm-in-charge-here shrug.
From the moment when the Michael Vick signing became public knowledge, Eagles watchers were writing and talking Wildcat. Now that Vick is eligible to play, beginning Sunday against the Chiefs, even a healthy McNabb isn't likely to keep the Cat off Reid's play chart.
"That was one of the pluses,'' Reid said Sunday night. "We had some production with that. ... We probably would have still used it (with McNabb).''
Of course, it's understood that even if Kolb considers the Wildcat an abomination, as a guy who's only a successful decade shy of McNabb's stature, the last thing he's going to do is criticize the boss.
"I'm sure some of it,'' he said, "was because I was back there.''
Neither were any of Kolb's more accomplished teammates offering negative reviews. "I think some of the run plays we used with me at quarterback were effective today,'' said Westbrook. "It was one of those things that you try to take the pressure off some guys, and catch the defense off balance. I think today it worked a little bit, and hopefully it will progress.''
Westbrook, who carried four times for 30 yards out of the Cat, also had a chance to throw a touchdown pass to fullback Leonard Weaver on a Wildcat play from the Saint 4 in the third quarter. Instead, Weaver bobbled the ball and it fell incomplete.
"We honestly didn't expect to see as much of the Wildcat as what they did,'' said Saints linebacker Scott Shanle, whose third-quarter pick against Kolb helped New Orleans take control of the game for good. "They executed it really well. Once we had a chance to settle down and make some changes, they didn't come back with it quite as much. But they definitely have explosive players to run that offense.''
True enough. In Westbrook, Jackson and Maclin, the big-play potential is obvious. Add McNabb or Vick, and that's enough to occupy any defensive coordinator's waking hours.
So what's the problem? Maybe it was just the sight of Drew Brees, who isn't blessed with a stable of superstar receivers, taking the Eagles apart mainly through short drops and quick throws — and not one funky alignment in 65 offensive snaps.
"It's not really an offense that you can make a mainstay, and rely on it to move up and down the field,'' Shanle said. "I think it's just something to get the defense on their heels a little bit.''
Which is just fine, as long as you know how to follow it up with a knockout punch.
E-mail: jyoung@lnpnews.com