IF you’re worried about the Offense then you have no one but yourself to blame. I told you in early April (when I said the Eagles will win the NFC East) that the Offense would lag behind the Defense. If you’re worried, it’s because you aren’t listening.
The Offense will get straightened out, it just won’t be a rush job. Which is smart. Slow progress is progress you get to keep. Our last coach came in here with razzle-dazzle and smoke and mirrors. Many fans were happy with it and its immediate results. Some of us however, pointed out that the emperor was in fact, naked.
The rush-job that was done on us in 2013 has left scars that the new coach is trying to fix, here in 2016. But it will take time. So relax. Be patient. And you know what, dammit? Be supportive. Because that’s how good things are built. That’s how things that last are built.
Now let’s talk about the Four Things we need to look for in this next preseason game:
1) RB Wendell Smallwood has to play more than a series. The Colts will not be a stiff test against our (or anybody’s) run game, so it will be a good way for him to get his feet wet and build some confidence. If he doesn’t play until PsG4, anything he does will be de-legitimized by the fact that he’s going against mostly bubble players. If he doesn’t the Eagles should SERIOUSLY consider adding a veteran to the roster.
2) A starting receiver catching at least 3 balls for 40 yards. Unlike most fans I’m not at all panicked by our WR’s. That being said, someone has to show up this week. If not, opposing defenses will start the year off blitzing, and putting eight in the box against us. It’s one thing to not be scary, it’s another thing entirely to be seen as no threat whatsoever.
3) The deep ball must make a few appearances. The bread and butter for this Offense will be the run. However if we can’t make teams unload the box, it’ll mean extra punishment for RB Ryan Mathews, and our depth at RB is almost non-existent. Again, we don’t have to be scary, but we have to make teams take our Offense seriously.
4) Andrew Luck must be sacked early. The Colts spent a lot of this last Draft on Offensive Line help, and to rattle Luck’s cage early, might convince the team to shelve Luck earlier than planned. If this happens (and remember where you heard it), it is nothing less than the Eagles intimidating an entire coaching staff.
This third game is all about sending messages to the NFL. This is the first glimpse of what the team will be, or what the team is trying to be, under Head Coach Doug Pederson.
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