EAGLEMANIACAL.com

 

LAST week the Saints were the most feared team in the NFL. Well, Head Coach Nick Sirianni didn’t get that memo. Our Eagles went down the Saint’s house, punched them in the mouth, and took a beer from their fridge on the way out. This is despite everyone thinking we’d get run through last week.

See how the NFL’s website did us?

This week the NFL is feeding us yet another team with a winning record. Fact is, all we’ve beaten have been winners. Green Bay is 2 – 1, Saints are 2 – 1, now we get the 2 – 1 Buccaneers. No 1 – 2 Browns. No 1 – 2 giants. No 0 – 3 Bengals. Yep, winners.

A win gets us to 3 – 1. It gives us a positive to focus on, as we head into a Bye week that seemed too early when the schedule came out. However, now amid all these early, critical injuries, a week of rest may be literally, just what the doctor ordered.

A loss would put us at 2 – 2, with an extra week to sulk as we stressed over getting healthy again.

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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 Buccaneers.

1) Our Reserves Must Gainwell: We are almost definitely going into this game without WR’s A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith, as well as RT Lane Johnson. That means another week of leaning heavily on RB Saquon Barkley and TE Dallas Goedert. The Bucs know this, and will work to take those two away as options.

This means we need at least one of our back-ups, to step up in a big way. A 60 yard day from WR Jahan Dotson, would be great! Or RB Kenneth Gainwell lining up in the slot a few times, and making 40 yards or so catching the ball. WR Johnny Wilson as a red zone threat? These are just examples, but they’re the kind of things we need.

2) Get to Baker: Aside from their win over a Commanders team without a defense, the Bucs are giving up an average of 6 sacks per game. In that pressure-free game vs Washington, QB Baker Mayfield threw for four touchdowns and zero interceptions. In each of his next two games, he threw a touchdown and an interception.

Since he’s clearly a different QB under pressure, LET’S GIVE HIM SOME! The best part is, that most of the sacks on Mayfield have come from defensive linemen. So we shouldn’t need to send blitz after blitz to lay hands on him.

3) Run the Ball: Since we’re missing key weapons on Offense, we clearly need to lean on Saquon for production. That part is a no-brainer. So the Bucs will try to take him away. Which is great! We need them to think exactly that.

We need to get Saquon involved early, in order to sell our play-action. Focusing on him and being drawn out of position, opens up opportunities for our reserves. The more dangerous we make them, the more things loosen up for Saquon to run inside.

4) Own the GCG Box: Deform the pocket and don’t give Mayfield anywhere to step into his deliveries. That Guard-Center-Guard area, not the Tackles, should be our focus this week. Hit them where they’re weakest. If we control their offensive line, we control their offense. Ask the Saints about that one.

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

We’re down three very important players this week, and we’re on the road. Again. Possibly on another sloppy field. Versus a winning opponent. If most teams were facing this degree of difficulty, their coaches would already be planting the seeds of excuses.

Not here.

That says a lot of about the culture of this team. That says a lot about it’s leadership. The last time we faced the Bucs, they blew us out 32 – 9, in the playoffs. Yet, there’s been no talk of revenge or score settling. That says a lot about the focus of this team. Which again, says a lot about the leadership.

There are people out there calling for Sirianni’s firing, because they disagree with his aggressiveness on 4^th downs. Ask the giants if they wish Brian Dabol had a little bit of that aggression in him, tonight against Dallas. I’d rather my coach go down swinging, believing in his team, than have him sit and accept a more popular form of losing.

So I’m standing behind my coach. Never stop fightin’ Nick.

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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.