EAGLEMANIACAL.com

TONIGHT, for the first time since January 11^th, football will finally be played in Philadelphia again. Expect many people showing up to work wearing green. The words “Go Birds” outnumbering air molecules. The feel of an approaching September…

While the wins and losses won’t be counted in the record, the stakes for some players, will be monumental. Some careers will be ended before they even get started, and some guys may flash and rescue their career in final quarter of the final game. Just like 7^th round S Kurt Coleman did in 2010, turning a near pink slip into a ten year career, with a Pro Bowl nod in 2015. So eyes open, Eagles fans. You never know what you might see.

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The point of Four Things isn’t to predict a winner. It’s to discuss which tactics will give our Eagles the best chance to defeat this week’s opponent. Except in preseason. Winning would be nice, but these games aren’t for that. They’re for helping us establish depth, and to perhaps uncover a gem or two.

So here’s what I’ll be keeping an eye on, in this match-up:

RB Will Shipley

1) Second Unit Run Game: While RB’s Will Shipley and Carson Steele appear to be gamers vs reserves; we’ve seen Shipley run out of gas in a playoff game, and Steele is more of a small FB than a starting RB. If either has to start due to injury, our ground game isn’t scaring anybody.

I want to see competition for that fourth string/Practice Squad RB spot. So far all we’ve seen is Steele. I don’t recall a single carry from RB Dameon Pierce, and Jordan Mims was just signed on Monday. It would be nice to see that we have a third guy who can break a game open.

2) Sitting This One Out: I don’t want to see LB Jeremiah Trotter Jr., or Ty Robinson in pads for this one. Those roster spots are secure. There is no need to expose them to an injury risk. Same for QB Tanner McKee.
Ideally, QB Andy Dalton would get the first half. That way he can put out some tape, and maybe he can catch-on with another team. Because we should be about the business of cutting him.

3) Payton’s Place: Give QB Cole Payton the entire second half, to start grooming him as our third stringer, (and possibly future second stringer). As a fifth round pick, his next contract will be very controllable. Especially if QB Jalen Hurts doesn’t miss much time over the next few years, so Payton can’t put much on tape. Steep him in the system and develop him as a long-term back-up, as a way to stash cost-controlled depth.

4) Any Reason For Hope: Since mostly third stringers will play this game, it’s bound to be a little sloppy here and there. So big runs, big catches, and kick returns may be exaggerated from what we’d see in the regular season. Meaning any that we see, have be taken with a grain of salt.

Still, even if it’s false hope, PLEASE give me something to look forward to, with our kick return game! Do you realize that WR Britain Covey has never returned a kickoff for more than 30 yards? Can we get something going? A 50 yard kickoff return? A 35 yard punt return? Something? Anything?? PLEASE!?

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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.