EAGLEMANIACAL.com

THE loss we suffered last week, wasn’t surprising. Being blown out however, was. Since the way we lost was uncharacteristic, it’s nothing to panic over. Luckily a second blow-out in a row, on national television, nationally embarrassed the brand and Team Owner Jeff Lurie; who looked to be seething during last week’s game. And that lads, portends change. (Hence the ‘luckily’.)

There can’t be a million changes in eight days, but for a start, our practice schedule was altered. The normal walk-through, became a padded practice, to work on fundamentals. Things like tackling, run fit assignments, hand-off mesh, blitz recognition. This was an excellent place to start, and a well-measured response.

This week we visit a 6 – 7 Seahawks team, that is 4 – 2 at home. The run game both on offense and defense, has become a problem for them over the last month. Likely because teams have noticed that their smallish defensive front, is built for pass rushing. Their offensive line isn’t very good either.

A win moves us to 11 – 3, and guarantees us a spot in the playoffs. We’ve been chasing that mark for a couple weeks. Now is the time to punch our ticket, and not let it become a point of panic for the weaker minded.

A loss, puts us at 10 – 4. Still not a place for panic, but if we can’t beat a lesser opponent like this, there have to be some real questions asked about next season, regardless of how this one works out. Namely, how do we go about upgrading the coaching room, as we do all the obligatory annual roster upgrades.

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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 Seahawks

1) Run the Ball: Don’t be one-dimensional. Tire out the Seahawks smaller front. This is the easy stuff. Low hanging fruit. If this doesn’t happen, then you know that the Eagles have a FUNDAMENTAL problem with how they approach offensive football, and that an offensive coordinator must be part of our shopping list, next season.

Usually I write-in a carry mark of around 14. Not this week. This week RB D’Andre Swift needs 75 yards rushing. Give or take. (We’re not going to split hairs over 68 or so in a win.) My point is, another 39, or 43 yard day won’t cut it. The Seahawks won’t treat our run game as a threat, if it’s led by QB Jalen Hurts.

2) Deploy the Kerrigan Plan: Everyone knows to watch out for WR’s A.J. Brown and Devonta Smith. Word around the campfire is, they run predictable routes, and for this week, there is no need to change that. Opponents “knowing” where we want to be, tells us what their DB’s will try to protect. That leaves just the LB’s as obstacles.

This is where the Kerrigan Plan comes in. Press their Safeties back, with WR Quez Watkins or Julio Jones, to clear the underneath. Get passes out to the Flat for players like TE Dallas Goedert, and WR Olamide Zaccheaus. Throw a couple of RB Screens, not WR Screens!

Once we establish a presence in the Flat, it’ll dial back the Seahawks pass rush, and Hurts will have more time to go deep to Brown and Smith, vs one-on-one coverage.

3) Peter Out Their Line: At this point in his career, RT Jason Peters is essentially stealing money every time he puts on a football helmet. I’m sure that right now he’s still as strong as a bull. However, when he finished up here in 2020, his issue was matching outside speed. Folks, allow me to present OLB Haason Reddick!

Lining Reddick up over Peters is likely a mistake. Remember that day in 2016, when Peters caught RB Ryan Mathews out of midair, to make sure he landed safely? It’s not 2016, but I’d still lay a grand that Peters can ragdoll Reddick in a phonebooth. So play Reddick at OLB not DE, and force Peters to struggle with the counters.

4) Just Make the Tackle: Stop keeping runners upright, to claw at the ball. That just allows them to fight for extra yards, and gives their teammates a chance to push the pile. (Which the NFL is fine with, unless WE do it.) Just get the ball-carrier down. Immediately.

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

This doesn’t have to be a statement game. A win by one point, is the same as a win by forty. Meaning, it only counts for one win. So let every man take care of his responsibilities, cover his assignments, and trust his teammates to be doing the same.

This isn’t a big game. It just feels that way, because we’re hungry for a win, after two straight losses. This is a game we should win. And we’ll get absolutely no credit for it when we do.

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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.