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KELLY GREEN IS BACK! After a 27 year (a quarter century plus) hiatus, the Eagles will play a game wearing their Kelly Green uniforms again. It’s just one of two games this year, but I am ridiculously excited for it, nonetheless.

Now let’s get into it.

Last week, we lost the turnover battle 0 – 4 and still only lost by 6 points. Fellow Eagles fans, our team is not to be counted out. EVER! That loss however, likely comes with the silver lining that coaches have to fix things that we’ve been complaining about all season, so far. This week, we get a Dolphins team that everyone thinks is hot shit, because they put up 70 points on the Broncos. The Broncos!

Look, our opponent is 5 – 1, but all five of their wins are over teams (Chargers, giants, Panthers, Patriots, and Broncos), with a combined record of 5 – 24. The one team they’ve played with a winning record (Bills), blew them out 48 – 20. So you’ll excuse me if I seem to have forgotten how to be nervous this week.

A win will move us to 6 – 1, and keep us atop the NFC East. It would also get people to stop talking as if last week’s loss ended our season.

A loss, would drop us to 5 – 2 (.714). Since the #2 team in the division (Cowboys) is on Bye Week, it would be impossible for them to capitalize and improve their 4 – 2 (.666) record. Meaning: Even if the Eagles lose, we’re still at the head of the division!

So no matter how this weekend shakes out, the ending is the same. Meet the New Boss. Same as the Old Boss.

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The point of Four Things isn’t to predict a winner, it’s to discuss which tactics would give our Eagles the best chance to win this game. So here are the Four Things that we need to focus on this week versus: The Dolphins

1) Run the Ball: I hate having to say this, but apparently when I don’t write it in some form or fashion, the coaching staff forgets what a hand-off is. So run the ball! Even if it doesn’t seem to be working at first, get us 25 hand-offs or more.

Nothing fancy. No particular lineman to run behind. Just have QB Jalen Hurts jam a football into the belly of RB D’Andre Swift, 12 or more times.

2) Set the Edges: Miami’s offense features a lot of speed from small, quick players, and their run game is no exception to that. So set hard edges and force the RB’s into our LB’s laps. Avoid chasing these people around the perimeter. No good can come of that. Instead, funnel them directly into violence.

3) Redirect to the No Fly Zone: This Summer in THE 12, I mentioned how we need to establish a No Fly Zone in the middle of the field. The idea isn’t to injure, but to place a VERY steep price tag on catches over middle.

The redirect part… Miami has more speed at WR than we have at CB. Aggressive Man coverage could lead to CB’s being beaten for long scores. Zone just lets the receiver build-up a head of steam. Instead, use Press coverage to guide receivers into the middle, or trap them against the sideline early.

The idea is, don’t let their receivers run routes on us, like it’s 7-on-7 drills. Just throw off the timing a little. Delay a guy’s arrival to his landmark. Redirecting them early, will make it harder for their QB to place the ball properly, when throwing underneath.

4) Throw Some Uppercuts: Throw a few shots, right up the middle, and behind the defense. WR Quez Watkins was supposed to be that guy, but he’s always unavailable these days. WR Olamide Zaccheaus is great with the ball in his hands, but the knocks on him are, a small catch radius and that he catches more like a RB, and less like WR.

So the Eagles went out and signed WR Julio Jones. (I can’t believe that I just typed that!) If Jones works the intermediate (10 – 20 yards), middle of the field, and produces a couple of catches, D’Andre Swift might never see another 8 man box this season. It also means 1-on-1 on the outsides for WR’s A.J. Brown and Devonta Smith.

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If the Eagles do these Four Things, then we’ll be virtually impossible to beat. That being said…

We have to get back to doing what we do, well. It’s not about Miami. They’re very fast and very flashy, but this is football, not a dance contest. All the action starts up-front, in the trenches. We are built for trench warfare. Miami is not. If we don’t get caught up, playing their game, this should become a game of attrition. In front of our home crowd. Make it physical. Make it tough. Make it a fight.

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WARNING: I don’t have the faintest clue as to what a point spread is, and I know even less about how it works. I know FOOTBALL and that’s it. If you use Four Things as a gambling tool, then you are a fool trying to lose your money, and will deserve it when you do.

Check back in a couple of days for Four Things Reviewed, and we’ll discuss how this game went.