Inquirer: Summer of antics blurs focus on field

So it turns out a summer filled with distractions, disgruntlement and dismay carries over to the playing field after all.

All through training camp, Andy Reid assured reporters (and possibly himself) that the craziness surrounding his team wouldn’t affect his mature, veteran players.

The Eagles coach was proved wrong last night.

Actually, Reid had better hope he was wrong and the Eagles’ wobbly season debut was the result of too much T.O., too much Brian Westbrook, and too much Corey Simon. The alternative explanation is too grim to think about.

The issue here is focus, and the Eagles were out of it last night.

Jeremiah Trotter was the first to lose it, allowing himself to be baited into a pregame shoving match with Falcons backup cornerback Kevin Mathis. Trotter was ejected. So was Mathis, but you have to think that’s a deal the Falcons would happily make any time.

Donovan McNabb couldn’t have been focused when he threw that bizarre pass for Westbrook that landed well behind the running back and became a fumble.

Terrell Owens didn’t look focused on the deep pass McNabb threw him in the first quarter. Owens never looked back, and Atlanta’s DeAngelo Hall was able to make an easy interception. And then there was the third-down pass Owens dropped, killing another drive.

The Eagles were called for illegal-formation penalties on each of their first two possessions. That is just plain ridiculous. After six weeks of practices at Lehigh and in South Philadelphia, how do you line up in an illegal formation twice in the span of five offensive plays?

Lack of focus, that’s how.