Coaching

FOUR THINGS: GAME 9: EAGLES – giants

Posted by The BEAST on 2026/11/06
Posted in: breakdown, Coaching, Conversations, Defense, Draft, Fans, Four Things, Front Office (F.O.), NFC East, Offense, Players, playoffs, Rivals. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

COMEBACKS don’t start with an incredible rally of energy, and tearing off tank tops. They don’t start with a furious flurry of punches. They start with not quitting in the first place. They start with you believing, when perhaps no one else did. After someone shouted directly at you “YOU CAN’T WIN!” and you kept going anyway. Comebacks begin when you keep trying. When you keep digging, and suddenly…

You hit paydirt.

This Sunday, the Eagles will be starting QB Joe Milton, in attempt to provide a spark to this Offense. For the last three games, QB Tanner McKee has given his best effort. However, his athletic limitations, are a throbbing weakness in an offensive system, that has yet to prove its own legitimacy.

Milton possesses outright physical gifts that McKee does not. He has a rocket launcher for an arm, and despite being the size of an elephant, he runs like a deer. His physical “go get it” running style, will quickly endear him to Eagles fans. If you haven’t seen this kid play, get ready. He’ll probably make your jaw drop once or twice. Especially in that Kelly Green uniform!

Winning this game breaks a six game skid, puts us at 3 – 6, and keeps alive our outside chance of winning the division, and going to the playoffs.

Losing this game would drop us to 2 – 7. Even though I don’t believe in bailing on a season while still mathematically alive, the people who run the Eagles may feel differently. They might decide to start positioning for the 2027 NFL Draft. As of right now, we’d hold the number six pick in that Draft.

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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. Often I list fundamentals, as some of the four things. BUT NO MORE! Unless something specific is needed, fundamentals like Running the ball; playing lots of Man Press; and Tackling instead of going for the strip, will be automatically included. (Like the five consonants and a vowel that Wheel Of Fortune automatically spots you.) So here are the Four Things that we need to focus on this week versus: the giants

RB Saquon Barkley gives young fan TD ball

1) Run It Left: Let’s get RB Saquon Barkley some carries behind LG Landon Dickerson and LT Jordan Mailata, and wear down that giants defensive line. This is a division game, so it’s probably going to be a fight until the end. So let’s take away their tools as the fight goes on. So that later on, they have nothing to defend themselves with, and more importantly, nothing to attack us with.

2) Go Deep Early: Let’s get a couple of passes more than twenty yards in the air, in the first quarter. Everyone knows the reputation of Milton’s strong arm. If we make them afraid of us using it, we can keep them in Cover Two, Cover Four, Tampa Two type coverage, where the box isn’t loaded. That will provide our run game room to take hold early, eat up clock, and keep our Defense off the field.

3) Set the Right Edge: Their LT is going to play, but he’s nursing a groin injury. Instead of having our RDE’s crashing down in front of him and making it easy for him; have the rush go upfield where that LT has to open his legs. Get fatigue to set in faster, and then beat him later in the game, for sacks that kill their drives and help us get the victory.

This would also allow our RDT to get more isolated one-on-ones. If LDT Jalen Carter is drawing a double-team on most downs, give the RDT a two-way-go on each play! That’s better than our RDE crashing down beside him, clogging the ‘B’ gap, allowing their LG to pinch the ‘A’ gap and getting away with an easy down.

4) Smaller Cushions: These six, seven, and eight yard cushions are killing this Defense. Because guys are open at the snap of the ball, our four man pass rush stands nearly no chance in hell of getting to the opposing QB. This stuff is Football 101! Worse than that, it’s obvious when you see it. This adjustment should have been made weeks ago.

Also, if we actually cover receivers tighter, we stand a chance at coming down with some of these deflections and bobbled passes. Imagine that! Turnovers! In our favor!

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

On the one hand, our Defense is being read the riot act for allowing 100 yards rushing in every game so far. On the other hand, I don’t understand why DT Moro Ojomo is getting more snaps than DT Jordan Davis. So far this year Ojomo is playing 60% of the defensive snaps, while Davis is seeing just 51%. Carter has so far played 83%. It’s nearly impossible for Davis to live up to a star contract, if he’s subbed in and out like a back-up.

I’m extremely curious to see what our Offense is going to look like with a young, physically gifted, and hungry QB. Will the coaching staff play to his strengths? Or will they turn the field into a training simulator, in an attempt to refine Milton’s weak points? Specifically his erratic accuracy, which is why we’re his third team in three years.

Side note: The Eagles are 2 – 0 this year when reaching 24 points.

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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.

FOUR THINGS REVIEWED: Game 8: Commanders

Posted by The BEAST on 2026/11/03
Posted in: breakdown, Coaching, Defense, Four Things, NFC East, Offense, Players, Practice Squad, Reviews, Rivals, stats. Tagged: , , , , , , , , . 2 Comments

S Kenny Moore beaten for a TD

OUR sixth loss in a row.

EAGLES 10 – Commanders 27

 

EAGLES STATS:

Passing: QB Tanner McKee (23/34 – 67.6% – 212 – 0 – 1)

Rushing: RB Elijah Mitchell (11 – 34 – 3.0 – 0 – 0)

Receiving: WR Makai Lemon (9 – 6 – 57 – 9.5 – 0)

Drive Killer: LB Zack Baun (1FR)

Sack Leader: DT Jalen Carter (1.0 sack, 5 tackles)

Special Teams Ace: N/A

****

I hear you asking, “What about all the stuff that stats don’t reveal?” Well, that’s the reason for these Four Things articles. It’s to point out what we need to address BEFORE the game. Then AFTER the game, there’s a no-bullshit assessment of whether or not the Eagles did any of what they needed to do, to ensure the win.

So how much of what I mentioned in Four Things: COMMANDERS did the Eagles actually get around to doing? Well let’s see:

1) Kerrigan Plan: We had one great play hitting RB Saquon Barkley (13 – 30 – 2.3 – 1 – 0) for his only reception, on a 24 yard Wheel route, which set up his eventual touchdown run. After that, it seemed like every pass was either a short one right over the middle, or another one of those bullshit Screens, that do nothing but lose yardage.

With all the blitzing through our interior o-line that Washington did, the Flats were wide open all night. We simply didn’t run routes there. This constant failure to adjust, has reached the point where I’m concerned that stupidity might be an actual member of the Eagles coaching staff. Complete with a keycard and parking space! (NOT DONE)

2) Force Passes Deeper: Washington wanted to throw the ball short, but it wasn’t working out for them. So, playing right into our hands, they began throwing the ball deeper, and it was absolutely killing us. Instead of giving our pass rush more time to get home, four different Commanders receivers had a catch of 20 yards or more. We did manage two second half sacks, but the lack of coverage, made it an easy day at the office for the Washington offense. (NOT DONE)

3) Defensive Ends Must Deliver: OLB (DE) Nolan Smith (3 – 1.0 – 0 – 0) grabbed another sack today, but OLB Jalyx Hunt (no stats) and OLB Jonathan Greenard (1 tackle) were, yet again, practically invisible during the game. (Through eight starts Hunt has zero sacks.) They also didn’t manage to hold the edge against the run game. The only thing they seem to do well, is stay blocked. (NOT DONE)

4) Balance the Play-calling: We had 25 called runs, to 42 called passes (34 attempts, 4 scrambles, and 4 sacks). That’s 62% pass and 37% run. That isn’t what balance looks like. Especially when starting a back-up QB. (NOT DONE)

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This week’s Four Things score was 0 of 4. This is how a team achieves a sixth loss in a row. Congratulations, fellas! Next week we’re back home to take on the division leading New York giants.

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Game Hero: Saquon Barkley – Yet again, he was out there showing grit and trying to lead by example. He was clearly the best offensive player for the Eagles, during the first quarter.

Game goat: The Coaching Staff – We couldn’t stop a bad offense from marching up and down the field, to the tune of 27 points. Our offensive unit was blanked for three quarters of this game, and yet no adjustments were made.

That said, calling for Head Coach Nick Sirianni to be fired, is premature at best, and downright foolish at worst. Clearly, this is not his best year, but there are a lot of extenuating circumstances here, and they aren’t all injury related.

On The Whole: We had a guy off the street (RB Jaydon Blue 1 catch 9 yards); a guy who was teaching 8th grade less than a month ago (S Kenny Moore 3 tackles); and a guy who’s been bouncing from Practice Squad to Practice Squad (Mitchell), out here either starting, or playing significant roles for us this week.

As a result, miscues and miscommunication ran rampant in this game. Sadly, both of those are going to keep showing up, because these players haven’t built chemistry or trust between each other yet. That takes playing together over time, and injuries are robbing us of any sense of continuity.

I don’t subscribe to bailing on the season. Not, while we still have a mathematical possibility of winning the division. Quitting because something is difficult or seems impossible, is cowardly. It’s anti-Philadelphian, and I cannot get behind that.

That said, I just don’t see what the Eagles have to lean on, in order to start the kind turnaround that it would take. We are still mathematically alive to win the East, but for the kind of turnaround we’d need, a whole lot of people, would have to get real good, at a whole lot of shit, real quick.

FOUR THINGS REVIEWED: Game 6: Panthers

Posted by The BEAST on 2026/10/19
Posted in: breakdown, Coaching, Conversations, Defense, Four Things, NFC East, Offense, Players, report, Reviews, Special Teams, stats. Tagged: , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

QB Tanner McKee is sacked on the first play of the game

THE skid continues.

EAGLES 14 – Panthers 25

 

EAGLES STATS:

Passing: QB Tanner McKee (26/45 – 57.7% – 215 – 1 – 0)

Rushing: RB Dameon Pierce (12 – 35 – 2.9 – 1 – 0)

Receiving: WR DeVonta Smith (14 – 7 – 75 – 10.7 – 1)

Drive Killer: N/A

Sack Leader: OLB Nolan Smith (1.0 – 0 – 3)

Special Teams Ace: N/A

****

I hear you asking, “What about all the stuff that stats don’t reveal?” Well, that’s the reason for these Four Things articles. It’s to point out what we need to address BEFORE the game. Then AFTER the game, there’s a no-bullshit assessment of whether or not the Eagles did any of what they needed to do, to ensure the win.

So how much of what I mentioned in Four Things: PANTHERS did the Eagles actually get around to doing? Well let’s see:

1) Get Their QB Moving: We did a fair job of this. Especially in the first half. However, by the fourth quarter our Defense was gassed, from all the extra time they were forced to play; because our Offense couldn’t stay on the field. Also we’d lost Nolan Smith to a concussion. (DONE)

RB Dameon Pierce runs for a short touchdown.

2) Lean On the Run: NOPE! McKee had 45 attempts, was sacked three times, and scrambled once. That’s 49 called passes. We handed the ball off just 12 times for 35 yards. That’s a ratio of 49:12. This is not how to support a QB making his fourth career start, behind a patchwork Offensive Line. (NOT DONE)

3) Make Catches Expensive: We had a couple of nice hits in the first half, but by the time the second half rolled around, we were chasing runners through zones instead of meeting them in zones. (NOT DONE)

4) Establish Hot Routes: Aside from routes that run receivers into or through the backfield, I didn’t see many places for McKee to go with the ball, in blitz situations. This has been a problem for weeks now. Not having a solution for it by now, is either the result of coaching incompetence, or mental retardation.

Offensive Coordinator Sean Mannion, is hanging our QB’s out to dry, on a weekly basis. As long as teams can look at their film study, and see every week that we aren’t making adjustments, they will continue to have an easy time of keeping us off the scoreboard. (NOT DONE)

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This week’s Four Things score was 1 of 4. Next week we get to face the 2 – 4 Dallas Cowboys, in a game that somebody has to win. Because we can’t have a second intra-division tie, right? Reality wouldn’t do that to us, right? RIGHT!?

****

Game Hero: N/A

Offensive Coordinator Sean Mannion

Game goat: OC Sean Mannion – The scheme that our players are being handed, isn’t putting them in positions to succeed. There are fundamental issues that are keeping the run from being effective. There are fundamental issues keeping the passing game inconsistent. On a week in and week out basis, there is nothing to show that the coaching staff has learned anything from prior weeks; and today was no different.

On The Whole: Injuries be damned! Despite all the injuries, the Eagles have been in every one of these games, with the exception of Chicago.

This level of offensive coaching malpractice, has to be addressed. The play selection of 49 passes to 12 hand-offs, a with a QB making his fourth career start, is practically like sabotaging him. Our QB had no hot routes to address blitzes. He had no run game to check the opponent’s pass rush, or to help sell play-action. Then to top it all off, the offense was run through him.

For yet another week, our Defense kept us in the game, but fatigue yet again caught up to them late in the game. Special Teams continues to be a non-factor in games. By which I mean, it’s nothing that ever poses a threat to our opponents. Yet in spite of all of this, we remain in the hunt for the division crown.

FOUR THINGS REVIEWED: Game 5: Jaguars

Posted by The BEAST on 2026/10/12
Posted in: breakdown, Coaching, Defense, Four Things, NFC East, Offense, Players, Special Teams, stats, Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

ANOTHER tough loss to swallow.

EAGLES 17 – Jaguars 19

 

EAGLES STATS:

Passing: QB Jalen Hurts (21/40 – 52.5% – 220 – 1 – 0)

Rushing: RB Dameon Pierce (11 – 14 – 1.2 – 0 – 0)

Receiving: WR Darius Cooper (3 – 2 – 71 – 35.5 – 1)

Drive Killer: CB Quinyon Mitchell (1 Interception)

Sack Leader: DT Jalen Carter (2.0 – 2 – 5)

Special Teams Ace: KR Britain Covey (3 – 92 – 30.6 – 0 – (42))

****

I hear you asking, “What about all the stuff that stats don’t reveal?” Well, that’s the reason for these Four Things articles. It’s to point out what we need to address BEFORE the game. Then AFTER the game, there’s a no-bullshit assessment of whether or not the Eagles did any of what they needed to do, to ensure the win.

So how much of what I mentioned in Four Things: JAGUARS did the Eagles actually get around to doing? Well let’s see:

1) Possess the Ball: Run the ball and give our Defense time to rest. So the play-calling looked like 40 pass attempts, 2 scrambles and a sack, vs just 16 handoffs. That’s 43 passes to 16 runs, behind a line that featured two brand new starters in the interior.

The Eagles run game vs the Jaguars

Well at least short, ball-control routes were called, so that Hurts could get the ball out of his hand quickly. AAAAAANT! Wrong. WRONG! I’ve been preaching patience for Offensive Coordinator Sean Mannion since the season started, but something has to happen here. He’s a rookie and he clearly needs some sort of assistance, or guidance. (NOT DONE)

2) Involve the TE More: The call was for eight or more pass attempts to the TE position. Between TE Dallas Goedert (9 – 6 – 38 – 6.3 – 0), TE Zach Ertz (2 – 0 – 0 – 0.0 – 0), and TE Johnny Mundt (1 – 0 – 0 – 0.0 – 0) the position saw twelve targets. (DONE)

3) Win On the Ends: While Jalen Carter was a terror on the inside, our DE’s were basically M.I.A. in this one. They generated no sacks, and no QB hits. Even worse, they kept letting the opposing QB extend plays with his legs. They weren’t even a force against the run.

After Jalyx Hunt (3 – 0.0 – 0 – 0) was injured on the last play of the first half, OLB Arnold Ebiketie (3 – 0.0 – 0 – 0) came in and generated 2 QB hits. That however only really happened when the Jaguars LT was injured in the second half. (NOT DONE)

4) Challenge Routes: Play was feisty on the corners, but the middle of our defense was sill wide open for business. Even when the ball was popped up in the air, there were no Eagles around to catch it. Good luck is being in a position to take advantage of an opportunity. The Eagles aren’t doing the work needed to put themselves in those positions. So it’s no wonder it always seems like luck is against them. (NOT DONE)

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This week’s Four Things score was 1 of 4. Next week we’re home against a .500 Panthers team coming off their Bye. It’s a winnable game, but we have to win it. Carolina won’t just hand it over.

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DT Jalen Carter getting one of his two sack/fumbles on the day. (The Eagles recovered neither.)

Game Hero: DT Jalen Carter – With 3 tackles for losses, 2 sacks, and 2 forced fumbles, the man was out there leading the Defense by example.

Game goat: K Jake Elliott – At first blush, it’s easy to blame Head Coach Nick Sirianni for losing this game. His decision to have Elliott kick to the returners, instead of kicking for a touchback, led to the Jaguars winning on a 57 yard FG. However, upon further thought, blaming Sirianni is outright bullshit.

Even with the ball going to a return man, a kick return generally will result in a tackle, resulting in that team starting their drive earlier than the forty yard line. On a typical kick return, you don’t start off in range for a 57 yard field goal. This one only happened that way here, because of some missed tackles on the return. I don’t recall Sirianni missing a tackle.

The reason I put this on Elliott, is because he’s the guy on the field. Sirianni isn’t the guy with a decade of Special Teams experience. And don’t hand me “Elliott was just following orders”. No counter-recommendation, no audible. Nothing to indicate that a decade of experience was dialed-in and trying to provide better options. Just nothing.

On The Whole: Everyone assumed we were going to get shit-canned. Instead we were in this game until every second had ticked off the clock. We almost won a game that we were given zero chance in.

We had seemingly more players out than in, and with our leading RB for the day, having been signed off the street, two offensive linemen making their first NFL starts and our RT now making his second career start. Adding insult to injury, we suffered several more injuries during the game. And still kept fighting.

Anyone giving the Eagles up for dead, isn’t really paying attention, and doesn’t know the character of this organization. While the loss, the way it happened, was ghastly, it’s still just one loss. We’re 2 – 3, the division leader is 3 – 1 – 1, and there are still 12 games to be played. And that division leader still has to play us, twice.

 

It’s only over for the quitters. Fly Eagles Fly.

FOUR THINGS: GAME 5: EAGLES – JAGUARS

Posted by The BEAST on 2026/10/10
Posted in: Coaching, Conversations, Defense, Four Things, NFC East, Offense, Players, trade, Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , . 1 Comment

WHIRLWIND of a week! We lost forty percent of our Week One starting Offensive Line when RT Lane Johnson and his family, needed him to retire immediately. Followed by C/G Cam Jurgens being traded to the Ravens.

This has led to some national pundits, and hot take specialists speculating that the Eagles season is over. That Our team, is tanking for a rebuild. That is never how this team works. Owner Jeffrey Lurie expects his team to be competitive every year. So locals know that we don’t rebuild. We merely re-tool to stay in the hunt.

“I swear to you, we’re not finished yet.”

This week QB Jalen Hurts and his weapons, skip across The Pond, to hunt down the Jacksonville Jaguars. Like last week, we’ll still be without several key starters. So, we’ll be short-handed, but given the overall talent levels on both teams when healthy, our injury situation will be sauce for the goose.

The Eagles are seen as the underdog in this one, but as the Buccaneers proved this week, odds makers don’t run routes or make tackles. Games are not won on paper. They have to actually be fought out! That is how glory is won. Cry havoc!!! And let slip the dogs of war.

A win completely changes the narrative about us “tanking”. It would also improve our record to 3 – 2, and have us in no worse than second place in the division.

A loss drops us to 2 – 3, making us a sub .500 team. At which point, any talk about who, what, or where we are in the division, has to be tabled until we’re above board again. (As the Eagles are in London this weekend, allow me to clarify that my use of the term “tabled” is used in the American, and not the British sense.)

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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. Often I list fundamentals, as some of the four things. BUT NO MORE! Unless something specific is needed, fundamentals like Running the ball; playing lots of Man Press; and Tackling instead of going for the strip, will be automatically included. (Like the five consonants and a vowel that Wheel Of Fortune automatically spots you.) So here are the Four Things that we need to focus on this week versus: the JAGUARS

RB Will Shipley this preseason, running behind C/G Willie Lampkin

1) Possess the Ball: Work the clock and give our Defense time to rest. That way they have the energy to be more impactful when it’s their turn to play. This of course means a commitment to running the ball, mostly with RB Will Shipley, while RB Saquon Barkley is out with a hammy, and RB Tank Bigsby is on Injured Reserve.

Sounds nuts at first, I know. However, with a re-formulated Offensive Line, that is sixty percent comprised of guys who were on the bench for Week One; maybe leaning heavily on the pass is a recipe for disaster. The object of this game is still to win it.

2) Involve the TE More: Part of the reason that our passing game is stalling, is because every route seems to be intermediate and deep. Give Hurts a security blanket, or an off-schedule option, when things don’t go as planned. Throw a few passes in the short and intermediate range, by which I do not mean, to TE Johnny Mundt.

All signs point to TE Dallas Goedert being back in action, which would be huge. If not, TE Zach Ertz may not be able to run away from coverage, but he’s a savvy vet with reliable hands, who can find a seam and settle into it. Getting eight or so pass attempts to the TE, would make everything run smoother.

3) Win On the Ends: Without a bunch of traps and games, we need our OLB’s (DE’s) to beat blocks and sack QB “Magical” Trevor Lawrence. If we’re not playing contain, then we need to actually get to the QB. We need to hit him, so that we get in his head, and force him to make mistakes. We don’t want him getting hot.

All signs point to DE Jonathan Greenard not being available, so even if he is, he’ll be far from optimal. That makes this an opportunity for OLB Jalyx Hunt to step up, in the way that OLB Nolan Smith has.

4) Challenge Routes: All season so far, we’ve been playing too lose in coverage. It’s allowing opposing QB’s to get the ball out, well before the rush gets home. This has to stop! Our Secondary has to make their QB hesitate before throwing a pass. So far they haven’t been, and it’s been ruining our pass rush.

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

DT Jordan Davis putting in work, back in 2022

I’d also like to see DT Jordan Davis get more snaps. So far he’s seen 128 snaps to DT Moro Ojomo’s 190. That’s 45% to 68% of the snaps. Meanwhile DT Jalen Carter has seen 228 (81%), despite having a broken wrist. Can we get Davis on the field more!? This snap share has been a decision. And a stupid one. Fix it!

Some of what’s happened this year has been bad luck, but most of our wounds have been self-inflicted. That means with a little more smart, and a little less stupid, we still have it within our own power to change the course of our season.

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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.

[yeah bitch eagle pic]

FOUR THINGS REVIEWED: Game 4: Rams

Posted by The BEAST on 2026/10/05
Posted in: breakdown, Coaching, Conversations, Defense, Four Things, Offense, Players, Rants, Special Teams, stats. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

DEFEAT, snatched from the jaws of victory!

EAGLES 20 – Rams 24

 

EAGLES STATS:

Passing: QB Jalen Hurts (12/27 – 44.4% – 93 – 2 – 0)

Rushing: RB Tank Bigsby (14 – 55 – 3.9 – 0 – 0)

Receiving: WR Darius Cooper (7 – 3 – 33 – 11.0 – 2)

Drive Killer: S Cooper DeJean (5 – 0.0 – 1 – 0)

Sack Leader: OLB Nolan Smith (1.0 – 0 – 2)

Special Teams Ace: PR Britain Covey (3 – 59 – 19.6 – 0 – 41)

****

I hear you asking, “What about all the stuff that stats don’t reveal?” Well, that’s the reason for these Four Things articles. It’s to point out what we need to address BEFORE the game. Then AFTER the game, there’s a no-bullshit assessment of whether or not the Eagles did any of what they needed to do, to ensure the win.

So how much of what I mentioned in Four Things: RAMS did the Eagles actually get around to doing? Well let’s see:

1) Figure Out the LG: The Left Guard position was yet again a trouble spot. When the Eagles finally got something going with the run game, it was off to the right, towards rookie RT Markel Bell, who was filling-in at just about the last minute, for future Hall Of Fame RT Lane Johnson. (Lane is dealing with something personal, and I wish him well. Football can wait.)

When running behind a rookie Tackle, is a better option than running behind a veteran Guard; it’s time to bench somebody. When your QB is sacked four times and hardly ever has a pocket to step up into; it’s time to bench somebody. That somebody is C Cam Jurgens, who is an outright liability while he plays LG. (NOT DONE)

2) Sack Stafford: The Rams QB, despite being virtually a statue, was only sacked once on the day. One sack per game will not do the job. The pressure simply has no time to get home, because the ball is out of opposing QB’s hands so fast. We have got to start covering tighter, and stop giving opposing QB’s such an easy game of pitch and toss. (NOT DONE)

3) Man Or Boom: The Rams didn’t run as much traffic over the middle, as we saw last week. Instead, they spent the day throwing thirteen passes (ten were caught), to a RB repeatedly wide open in the flat. Both of our interceptions however, did come in the middle of the field, from Safeties driving on the ball. This represents a huge adjustment from last week’s passive play. (DONE)

4) Get Some Passes Slotted In: Hurts didn’t have many completions on the day, but he did wedge in a couple to slot guys, including the second touchdown that he threw to Darius Cooper. The only rub with these throws, is that they weren’t quick hitters. If we’re not going to protect Hurts with competent Guard-play, then Offensive Coordinator Sean Mannion has to find ways to help the receivers uncover faster. (DONE)

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This week’s Four Things score was 2 of 4. Which is a great way to end up with a either a close win, or a close loss. We get to try to claw our way above .500, next Sunday in London against a 3 -1 Jaguars team. Fun fact, the only NFL team more popular in London than the Eagles, is the Jaguars.

****

Game Hero: Darius Cooper – This young man is making a serious case for more playing time. Especially as a red zone target! When WR DeVonta Smith gets back and is garnering more attention, Cooper may find more room to roam, than he did in this game. Provided he actually does get more opportunities.

Game goat: Head Coach Nick Sirianni – I don’t fault him for not kicking the field goal on 4th down. It wouldn’t have won the game anyway. The issue with Sirianni, is Mannion wants less input on his system, than Sirianni is used to giving. With Defensive Coordinator Vic Fangio, being left alone to run his unit, questions about “What does Sirianni do?” are only getting louder.

For example: Who was responsible for making adjustments at the half? A coach can set a tone, but the calls come from the people actually running the systems. In these last two games (especially at Chicago), Sirianni looked so disconnected. Not that he looked like he didn’t care. He just looked like he didn’t know what his game day role was.

All the HC stuff during the week? Sure, he heads up the culture, the meetings, the practices. However, on the sidelines during games now, he almost seems like he’s in the way. He has to get a handle on that, before it starts to cost him the locker room.

On The Whole: The Eagles are philosophically built on trench warfare. Problem is, they are no longer physically built on it.

The Eagles have two starting Guards who can’t get vertical displacement, one-on-one in the run game. Fact is, no team should even have a back-up Guard, who can’t generate interior push. This may not have an in-season fix. We’ll have to wait and see what shakes out when LG Landon Dickerson gets back.

The Eagles have Defensive Ends who try to generate rush by crashing in, instead of first setting an edge. These shortcuts are opening passing lanes and escape routes for running QB’s. Jumbling the line like this, is generating more traffic for our Defensive Tackles to swim through. This can be fixed by next week.

The main reason we aren’t getting sacks is because the ball is out of opposing QB’s hands, well before the rush can get there. Our coverage isn’t tight enough and LB Jihaad Campbell (9 tackles) has coverage speed, but no coverage instincts. Buy him some cheesesteaks and rotate him at DE. In the meantime, start LB Jeremiah Trotter Jr. (15 tackles, 1 pass defensed).

These were the big issues this week, and so far all four weeks. This is the handful of things that have to be worked on, if we’re to get back to the franchise this team envisions itself as. All hope is not lost.

See that? At no point did I hide behind the laundry list of today’s injuries.

FOUR THINGS: GAME 4: EAGLES – RAMS

Posted by The BEAST on 2026/10/02
Posted in: breakdown, Coaching, Conversations, Defense, Four Things, Offense, Players, playoffs, preseason, Preview. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , . 1 Comment

OH no! We’re 2 – 1 and tied for the division lead! Quick, hit the panic button!

Or, we could take the loss like men, and just get to fixing what’s broken. Speaking of broken, the 1 – 2 Rams are limping into Philly on Sunday. You remember, they’re the team that every pundit had going undefeated on their way to the Super Bowl. Did I mention that they’re 1 – 2?

After a couple weeks on the road, this home game would be a great place for our Defense to get its first turnover of the year. Or for RB Saquon Barkley to have his first 100 yard rushing game. Hell, it’ll be nice to see TE Zach Ertz making his return home, after a five year separation.

With a win, we’d advance to 3 – 1, maintaining our current spot atop the division.

A loss would drop us to 2 – 2, and no worse than tied for second.

****

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. Often I list fundamentals, as some of the four things. BUT NO MORE! Unless something specific is needed, fundamentals like Running the ball; playing lots of Man Press; and Tackling instead of going for the strip, will be automatically included. (Like the five consonants and a vowel that Wheel Of Fortune automatically spots you.) So here are the Four Things that we need to focus on this week versus: THE RAMS

C Drew Kendall and RG Willie Lampkin block for a rushing touchdown this preseason.

1) Figure Out the LG: Whether we started G Landon Dickerson or C/G Cam Jurgens, this spot has been the weakest point of the Offense, since the season began. Dickerson was trying to hide a lingering injury, and has since been moved to Injured Reserve. Jurgens however, is being outright overpowered. Seemingly on every snap.

Having C Drew Kendall help him with double-teams might help alleviate some strain, but that makes the Eagles predictable in their protection schemes. We can’t have that.

The real best answer would be to bench Jurgens.

Problem is, neither of our back-up Guards (Willie Lampkin and Micah Morris) has ever played a down in the regular season. So, either would be a gamble, and we’d essentially be putting QB Jalen Hurts up as our stake. So it’s either one of the kids, or more Jurgens. If I had a say… I’d go with Lampkin. 

2) Sack Stafford: The Rams QB is practically a statue. If we come out of this game without a sack, it’s time to bench someone. I’m looking at you DE Jalyx Hunt! We need our DT’s to win the ‘A’ gap, and our DE’s to keep contain. Fewer stunts, and more straight-up whipping their man. No excuses. Just get there.

3) Man Or Boom: The amount of loose Zone that we played against the Bears, will have the Rams setting records on us. We either need our Man Coverage to be in the receivers hip pocket at all time; or we need our players in Zone, to arrive at receivers with near homicidal intent. Running around in our Secondary with impunity MUST end this week.

LB Jeremiah Trotter Jr. recovers a fumble, in a 2024 playoff game.

With LB Zack Baun out with a concussion this week, we should be about to get an extended look at LB Jeremiah Trotter Jr. (Fucking FINALLY!) He’s not the hitter that his old man was, but something tells me that he’d understand the assignment, if the Rams decide to risk the health of their receiving corps.

4) Get Some Passes Slotted In: We aren’t using the Slot WR enough, downfield. The Bunch Receiver formations are bad enough. As the receivers crowd closer to the Offensive Line, so do the defenders covering them. That just means nine guys in the area (more traffic), on running plays.

Because we historically never prioritize the Slot WR, at the snap whoever is assigned to him, can take an extra beat to look at our RB. Well, we can re-write that narrative with a couple of quick-hitters to the Slot. Even better, it can be presented as a blitz beater, to discourage attempts. WR Hollywood Brown is nursing an ankle injury, but this would be a great spot to get WR Makai Lemon going.

****

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

(In my George Thorogood voice) “I said look maaan, got the Browns 3 – 1. Raiders 3 – 0. Rams 1 – 2. This loss to a substitute Bear? Hmph. That don’t confront me. Long as we get this win on this Sunday.”

With WR DeVonta Smith and TE Dallas Goedert not playing this week, we’re already going to be leaning on WR Dontayvion Wicks. So we really could use either a breakout game from Lemon; or for WR Darius Cooper, to show that he’s ready for more opportunities.

WR Darius Cooper catches game winner two weeks ago against the Titans

The Rams come into this one, also missing a couple of key players. So it’s not like they have a massive health advantage over us. Just maybe, if we can get our shit together for a bit, we might be able to claw our way to a win. But it won’t be easy! Unless we do all Four Things, in which case, it should be a piece of cake.

****

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.

FOUR THINGS REVIEWED: Game 3: Bears

Posted by The BEAST on 2026/09/29
Posted in: breakdown, Coaching, Defense, Four Things, Offense, Players, Reviews, stats. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

WE got whupped.

EAGLES 7 – Bears 27

 

EAGLES STATS:

Passing: QB Jalen Hurts (16/25– 64.0% – 153 – 0 – 1)

Rushing: RB Saquon Barkley (15 – 82 – 5.4 – 0 – 0)

Receiving: WR DeVonta Smith (8 – 6 – 65 – 10.8 – 0)

Drive Killer: N/A

Sack Leader: N/A

Special Teams Ace: N/A

****

I hear you asking, “What about all the stuff that stats don’t reveal?” Well, that’s the reason for these Four Things articles. It’s to point out what we need to address BEFORE the game. Then AFTER the game, there’s a no-bullshit assessment of whether or not the Eagles did any of what they needed to do, to ensure the win.

So how much of what I mentioned in Four Things: BEARS did the Eagles actually get around to doing? Well let’s see:

1) Power Via Doubles: Nearly all of Barkley’s success came from running off-Tackle, instead of inside. This is mostly because our interior linemen cannot be trusted to keep themselves between the ball carrier and the defenders. I said last week “We can bury the narrative that Philadelphia has one of the best O-Lines in the NFL”. Tonight we got the headstone dropped on our foot.

LG Cam Jurgens

While C Drew Kendall is solid, the Guard-play on either side of him, is sinking this team. Both players are liabilities! Watching LG Cam Jurgens get pushed around like a shopping cart yet again, had me wanting to see him benched. As far as RG Tyler Steen, I haven’t been a fan since we drafted him, as you can see here. (NOT DONE)

2) Get Hollywood In the Slot: Not possible, as WR Hollywood Brown was listed among the Inactives for this game. The Inactive list. Great place to keep a one year, 5M$ rental, who has speed to burn. (NOT DONE)

3) Win the ‘A’ Gaps Faster: We got our asses kicked here. The Bears essentially started a 38 year old statue at QB, but we couldn’t touch him. Largely because he was able to get the ball out quickly, to wide open receivers, all game long. We were decent against the run, allowing just 128 yards on 35 totes (3.7 ypc); but there was simply no time to mount a pass rush. (NOT DONE)

4) Sub In Some Size: While DT Ty Robinson (2 – 0.0 – 0 – 0) did get snaps in this one, he mostly rotated with DT Jordan Davis (3 – 0.0 – 0 – 0), and logged no snaps at LDE. (NOT DONE)

++++

This week’s Four Things score was 0 of 4. Which is the sort of score that will absolutely result in a blowout kind of loss. Luckily, it’s a short week. So Sunday we’re back home to host the 1 – 2 Los Angeles Rams. That is not a typo. What can I say? It’s been a weird season so far. The Raiders are 3 – 0, baby!! Yeah… Weird.

****

Game Hero: The game’s 61st minute.

Game goat: QB Andy Dalton (0/1 – 0% – 0 – 0 – 1) – Jalen Hurts had to visit the blue tent to be checked for a concussion. That gave back-up QB Dalton, the chance to babysit the team for just three downs. THREE DOWNS! Two were hand-offs and the third was his lackadaisical toss for an interception, from the three yard line.

If like me, you were in the “Why is this fuck-nugget still taking up a roster spot on my team!??” group; Dalton just threw you a little validation tonight. If like me, you wanted QB Tanner McKee (Inactive tonight) to be our back-up, get on the call-in shows and make your “I told you so!” heard loud and clear.

Dalton’s interception was just one of our three turnovers, but his was the one that felt like the arrow in the ankle. It even drove Hurts to display anger on the sideline.

On The Whole: Sometimes an early season loss has value because of the lessons that come out of it. Or because it can serve as a wake-up call to a team just going through the motions. This is not one of those losses. This was just a bad loss. Mostly because we may not have the player(s) or coaching, to fix the Offensive Line.

Hey, someone explain to me why we couldn’t cover any of their receivers. Small receivers running constant crossing routes across the middle, has a time honored solution. One guy on a stretcher would have totally changed the way that the Bears called plays. And given the out of bounds hit on Jalen Hurts, I don’t mind saying that.

Sadly enough, no adjustment was made there. Speaking of no adjustment, I’m still feeling major Patullo vibes with these poorly designed Screens, inability to run the ball inside, bunch formations, and over-reliance on the Shotgun formation. Yes, Jalen is throwing over the middle more, but seriously. We just fired a guy over this kind of offense, didn’t we? Is he back on the payroll?

Fortunately, all this was also a night where nothing was going our way. From a few ticky-tack calls, to the way the ball bounced into the Bears hands on two fumbles, there was no luck to be had for the Eagles.

I said fortunately, because every season has one or two of these. Why have a bad luck game when we’re actually playing better? Just get the bad ju-ju out of the way, during a shitty performance. Fans who aren’t superstitious will dismiss that. The rest of us, would never. (Because it’s bad luck to say Luck doesn’t matter.)

Well at least the season is properly underway now. Because it’s not really football season, until you have to talk an Eagles fan off a ledge.

FOUR THINGS: WK 2: EAGLES – TITANS

Posted by The BEAST on 2026/09/18
Posted in: Coaching, Conversations, Defense, Four Things, Offense, Players. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , . 1 Comment

LAST week was a fist-fight that came down to DT Moro Ojomo, denying Washington a two point conversion. That conversion would have tied the game, and likely forced overtime. Being a division game, you expect that sort of thing though.
This week’s victim, doesn’t play in our division. Our players don’t see each other twice a year, so our rosters don’t really know each other. I expect a more pure representation of how our new offensive scheme really looks, and what it should like when we’ve mastered it.

With a win, we move to 2 – 0 and would be alone atop the NFC East, unless the giants can find a way to travel to Los Angeles and beat the Rams. In which case, both they and us, would still share the top of the division, with them holding a conference tie-breaker. (But it’s way too early to start with tie-breaker talk.)

A loss would drop us to 1 – 1. Since both Washington and Dallas (who face each other Sunday) are both 0 – 1, the best one of them can do is 1 – 1, the other will own the basement. A giants win would put them alone atop the division, but a loss will still see us tied for a three-way lead. So we have to win this game.

****

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. Often I list fundamentals, as some of the four things. BUT NO MORE! Unless something specific is needed, fundamentals like Running the ball; playing lots of Man Press; and Tackling instead of going for the strip, will be automatically included. (Like the five consonants and a vowel that Wheel Of Fortune automatically spots you.) So here are the Four Things that we need to focus on this week versus: The TITANS

1) Our Power vs Their Size: Get our run game going. This should be a big week for RB Saquon Barkley, as last week the Titans, while at home, surrendered 152 rushing yards to the Jets. It might have something to do with having a smallish defensive line, as their starting four average just 276 pounds. The Eagles Offensive Line isn’t huge, but even with LG Drew Kendall starting for LG Landon Dickerson, it still averages 324 per man.

Just getting downhill and putting hats on defenders, should be enough to give our RB’s the holes they need to punch through for big gains. So don’t get cute! Get mean! Be bullies! Don’t get mad. Take pleasure in pushing these little fuckers around. Let’s put more rushing yards on them, than the Jets did.

2) Unleash DeVonta: Let’s make it emphatically clear to the world, that WR DeVonta Smith, is our WR1. Let’s get him 100 yards or two scores, in this one.

Between how dramatically we established TE Dallas Goedert last week, and the Titans trying to take away our run game, the middle of the field should often be crowded. That means we should see a good amount of isolation on the corners. When that happens, we need to capitalize on it.

3) Our DE’s Must Contain Better: All last week, the opposing QB kept getting outside the pocket to either pick-up rushing yards, or extend plays until he could find an open receiver.

Most of that was due to our DE’s running themselves out of plays, and not keeping the QB corralled. Often the only pursuit was a trailing DT, with no chance to close the distance. This week our DE’s need much better edge discipline, and they have to keep the QB from bootlegging out of the pocket, so there are multiple angles to hit him from.

4) Let’s Have Sacks: Mistakes come from trying to avoid and make up for sacks, so we have to go get some. We need plays that result in lost yardage, and take their offense off-schedule. Not a tackle just behind the line of scrimmage. A real, honest to God, “Somebody get him some milk!” kind of sack.

DT Jordan Davis running over a Carr (Derek)

To hell with all these empty hurries. If it still results in a completion, or doesn’t result in an interception, then we didn’t force their QB into a mistake. If we didn’t cause him to make a mistake and we didn’t bring him down for lost yardage, then their offense wins that down. Fuck that! We need to get their QB on the ground this week.

****

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

This Offensive system will be a work in progress until the season ends. At no point in this season, will we be able to say that it has been mastered. Our players are just getting to run it, in real game situations. Sunday was the first time they got their feet wet against a real opponent, while not being vanilla in trying not to reveal anything.

Share this with your friends. Maybe it’ll help keep their blood pressure down.

****

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.

FOUR THINGS: WK 1: EAGLES – COMMANDERS

Posted by The BEAST on 2026/09/12
Posted in: Coaching, Conversations, Defense, Four Things, NFC East, Offense, Players, Rivals, The 12. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , . 1 Comment

PHILADELPHIA begins our season with the sacrificing of a division rival. Eagles Head Coach Nick Sirianni, and Defensive Coordinator Vic Fangio return with the goal of another Super Bowl parade, here in Philly. Joining them is rookie Offensive Coordinator Sean Mannion, as he rolls out a vastly different scheme than the Birds have run in the past.

Rookie WR Makai Lemon, joins Super Bowl LIX MVP QB Jalen Hurts, 2024 Offensive Player of the Year RB Saquon Barkley, and future Hall Of Famer RT Lane Johnson, as they revive what became an anemic offense last year.

Despite the offensive woes, the Eagles repeated as NFC East winners, due to the strength of a top Defense. Spearheading that unit are DT Jordan Davis and DT Jalen Carter, LB Zack Baun, and CB Quinyon Mitchell.

Playing the part of the sacrifice are the Washington Commanders. Already nursing some bumps and bruises along both their offensive and defensive lines, a match-up against the Eagles is the last thing the doctor would order. This game could get out of hand very quickly.

With a win, we move to 1 – 0 and tied with the winner of the Cowboys/giants game for first place in the NFC East.

A loss would drop us to 0 – 1 and scratching our heads. The truth is, this is a divisional game, so it will likely be hard fought. That said, we just have to go out and take care of business.

****

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. Often I list fundamentals, as some of the four things.

BUT NO MORE! Unless something specific is needed, fundamentals like Running the ball; playing lots of Man Press; and Tackling instead of going for the strip, will be automatically included. (Like the five consonants and a vowel that Wheel Of Fortune automatically spots you.) So here are the Four Things that we need to focus on this week versus: The Commanders

TE Dallas Goedert hits paydirt

1) Use the Kerrigan Plan: Yet again this season, the Commanders primary pass rush comes from two OLB’s, who don’t cover. Why do they keep making this so easy, year in and year out!? Passes to the Flats, and Outs into the areas vacated by the rushers, has generally served us well against this rival. No reason to change up until they do.

I’ll be watching when we play 11-personnel, to see if they remove one of those OLB’s or a defensive lineman. I’ll be keeping an eye on that, because it would signal an evolutionary step. They have a new defensive coordinator, and I’m not very familiar with his work. So it’ll be interesting to see how fast he learns.

2) Force Passes Deep: Use a Two Deep Zone with LB’s playing Man Coverage underneath. This may result in a few big plays and penalties, but the idea is to take away quick, easy completions, and make it hard for their offense to be consistent.

3) Blow Up the Middle: We need to blow up the middle of their offensive line. The starters aren’t very talented, and they have injury issues there already. If we cave in their offensive line, it stymies their run game and gets their QB running and throwing from a moving platform. I discussed that plan, in detail, in THE 12.

DT Jordan Davis stops a run before it starts.

Despite their QB having good mobility, we want to get him running. He comes with a lengthy injury history already. In fact, we didn’t play against him last year, because he was injured for both games. We want to get their fragile QB out where he knows danger surrounds him.

4) Exploit Loaded Boxes: The Eagles want their identity to be running the ball, and we have Saquon Barkley, one of the most dangerous, and explosive RB’s in the league. So expect to see some eight man boxes, especially early in the game.

What we need is for Jalen Hurts to identify where that eighth man is being walked up from, and audible to a play that specifically targets the area where the eighth man should have stayed or covered. This sends an immediate message to the opposing defensive coach, and should get them back into seven man fronts again.

****

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

We’re going to be without offseason acquisition DE Jonathan Greenard for at least this week. That makes this a perfect opportunity to get DT Ty Robinson, a few reps at DE, as I mentioned in THE 12.

As far as the Offense goes, expect some growing pains, because everyone is new to running this system. Particularly under game conditions, because Sirianni doesn’t play his starters in the preseason. So expect some missed timing, missed routes, maybe an uncharacteristic turnover.

Again, this is a division rival, so this game could go all the way to the wire. More likely, the Eagles jump all over the Commanders, and it’s ugly from the get-go.

****

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.