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FOUR THINGS REVIEWED: WK 10: Cowboys

Posted by The BEAST on 2024/11/11
Posted in: breakdown, Conversations, Defense, Four Things, NFC East, Offense, Players, Reviews, Rivals, Special Teams, stats. Tagged: , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

 

LB Zack Baun forcing one of two fumbles

EAGLES get five turnovers, in blowout.

 

EAGLES 34 – Cowboys 6

 

EAGLES STATS:

Passing: QB Jalen Hurts (14/20 – 70.0% – 202 – 2 – 1)

Rushing: RB Saquon Barkley (14 – 66 – 4.7 – 0 – 0)

Receiving: WR Arthur Brown (7 – 5 – 109 – 21.8 – 0)

Drive Killer: LB Zack Baun (TD: 0/Int: 0/ FR: 1/ 4th down stops: 0/ FF: 2)

Sack Leader: DE Bryce Huff (Sacks: 1.0/ FF: 1/ Tackles: 1)

Special Teams Ace: K Jake Elliott 10 points on 2/2 FG and 4/4 XP

****

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: COWBOYS did the Eagles actually get around to doing? Well let’s see:

1) Take Away Anything Simple: QB Cooper Rush (13/23 – 56.5% – 45 – 0 – 0) and QB Trey Lance (4/6 – 66.6% – 21 – 0 – 1) never really had underneath or intermediate options, so instead they threw a few fruitless attempts downfield, but mostly kept dumping it off, on passes around the line of scrimmage. At that point the Eagles just made the tackles.

We entirely boxed up their passing game at 2.2 yards per pass attempt (17/29 – 58.6% – 66 – 0 – 1), and used the same coverage concept, to control their run game (24 – 97 – 4.0 – 0 – 1). We did the fuck out of this. It won’t work every week, but we need to keep this concept on speed dial. (DONE)

2) Play-action Should Be Deadly: Play-action was used effectively in this game, but not in the way that I mentioned here. Who cares? We won! On a very positive note, our TE’s and WR’s three and four were meaningfully involved.

TE Dallas Goedert scores!

Retuning from injury TE Dallas Goedert (3 – 2 – 25 – 12.5 – 1) struck paydirt, as did rookie WR4 Johnny Wilson (1 – 1 – 5 – 5.0 – 1). For the second week in a row WR3 Jahan Dotson (1 – 1 – 27 – 27.0 – 0) grabbed a pass over 25 yards. Even though this wasn’t done, there is a silver lining. (NOT DONE)

3) Blitz From the Defense’s Left: We didn’t do much blitzing in this one. Instead, our four man pass rush benefited, from the coverage concept we were running. We got three sacks and three fumble recoveries out of it. Can’t be mad at that! (NOT DONE)

4) Take the Points, Nick!: Head Coach Nick Sirianni was great in this one! He took the points that were available. He didn’t gamble with either the situation or his player’s health. (DONE)

++++

This week’s Four Things score was 2 of 4, but what a 2 of 4! It was- Nope! No time to dwell on it. Four days from now, we host the 7 – 3 Commanders, in a battle to keep first place in the NFC East.

****

LB Zack Baun forcing RB Ezekiel Elliott to cough up the ball near the goal line

Game Hero: LB Zack Baun – He was part of THREE, of our five turnover in this game, he forced two fumbles. One was recovered by S Reed Blankenship (4 – 0.0 – 0 – 0) and the other by DB Cooper DeJean (2 – 0.0 – 0 – 0). He also recovered a fumble forced by DE Bryce Huff.

Game goat: QB Jalen Hurts – He had two first half turnovers (1 interception, 1 fumble), keeping this game an actual game, for longer than it should have been. He also invited five first half sacks, with his tendency to hold the ball too long.

On The Whole: Lots of people will tell you that Dallas was without their starting QB for this game. That’s wrong. Cooper Rush is their starter now. He’s never played on any other team, so he knows Dallas’s system. He had a week’s worth of prep for this game. He had reps with the Ones. So we defeated their starter.

Saquon Barkley had 14 rushing attempts and he caught 1 pass, for a total of 15 touches. I said it would be nice if he had 16 touches or fewer; because we need to lighten his workload. That is, if we don’t want him to be gassed for the playoffs. Besides, it first gives him a break in anticipation of the game against the Commanders on Thursday.

So right now we’re on a five game win streak, we sit atop the division, and right now we seem to be getting better every, single week. I don’t know about you, but I’m feeling pretty good about the season right now.

FOUR THINGS: WK 10: EAGLES – COWBOYS

Posted by The BEAST on 2024/11/08
Posted in: Coaching, Conversations, Defense, Four Things, free agents, NFC East, Offense, Players, Rivals, Special Teams, stats. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , . 1 Comment

LAST week’s victory over the Jaguars, saw contributions from all three phases (Offense, Defense, and Special Teams). Our guys are motivated. They’re bringing energy and enthusiasm to the field, and it’s yielding results. They’re demonstrating faith in Head Coach Nick Sirianni, and in field general, QB Jalen Hurts.

This week’s opponent, the Cowboys, are well… somewhat less enthused. They started the season with head full of expectations, a chestful of hype, and a roster that was razor thin on depth. And now, a rash of injuries is exposing that.

A win over the Cowboys, would raise us to 7 – 2, and one of the four best records in the NFC. Coupled with a possible Washington loss to Pittsburgh, the Eagles would move into first place in the East.

A loss would freeze us at 6 – 3, but we’d still be in second place in the division, regardless of the outcome of any division 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 Cowboys

LB Zack Baun gets interception vs the Jaguars

1) Take Away Anything Simple: Back-up QB Cooper Rush doesn’t have a cannon for an arm. It’s part of what kept him undrafted. Also, in seven seasons, on 35 rushing attempts he has 11 yards. That is not a typo. That’s an average of 0.3 yards per carry, over his career. So he’s not going to beat us with his legs. Cooper can’t rush.

Where he does make his money, is on quick reads, from short to intermediate range. Last week we clouded the short area, with Man Coverage or delayed Zone drops. Time for a second helping of that. We need to take away anything easy, and force him to read. Make him risk the ball on deep throws, or eat sacks.

2) Play-action Should Be Deadly: With RB Saquon Barkley just 75 yards away from hitting 1,000 rushing yards in half a season; expect the Cowboys to place stopping him, high on their to-do list. Since their defensive line can be pushed around, it won’t take much to get their LB’s to overcommit to fakes hand-offs, opening up chunk passing plays behind them.

Instead of running our top two guys through a shark tank, this would be a great place to see our TE’s and third and fourth receivers get heavily involved. Still, regardless of who does it, there should be plenty of easy yardage between the numbers, if we employ play-action properly.

3) Blitz From the Defense’s Left: This is can be used for Rush, but it’s being dropped in here, just in-case the Cowboys trot out QB Trey Lance. The coverage key should be enough to help out vs the run, but another wrinkle will be needed to deal with Lance, because he can be a dangerous runner.

LB Nolan Smith ending the march of Danny Dimes.

Rush likes to bootleg, and Lance just likes to run. Both are right-handed, so we should bring OLB Nolan Smith right up the path that they’re running themselves into. Neither is an effective passer going to his left. So their natural tendency to go right, will make them help us, to put them in harm’s way.

4) Take the Points, Nick!: We’re going against a one-dimensional offense, being led by a low ceiling QB. Said another way, Jalen Hurts has more TD passes (10) this season, than Rush has in his entire seven year career (9). So Rush likely won’t light up the scoreboard.

That means every point we add, is extra weight on their already sputtering offense. This means points are at a premium, Nick. Points. So fourth and two, from the twenty-two, is not “Go for it”, Nick. Not this week. It’s a field goal. Say it with me, Nick: IT’S A FIELD GOAL.

That’s not to say that we shouldn’t be aggressive, but the Brotherly Shove hasn’t been nearly as effective with LT Lafoga Mialata on the shelf. I commend the job that LT Fred Johnson has done, but “Next Man Up!” doesn’t mean “next man equal”. Gamble accordingly.

****

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

RB Saquon Barkley houses another one.

You know what would be great this week? If Saquon gets 16 carries or less, and RB Kenneth Gainwell gets 10 and makes at least 40 yards off of them. Saquon is at 22 touches per game this year, putting him on pace for 374. Twice in his career he’s hit a ceiling of 352. Might be smart to ease up on his workload.

Going to Dallas and getting the win, while Saquon hits 1,000 rushing yards at the halfway mark…That would be like winning against the giants too. The only way it could be sweeter, is if Washington loses. Like it did on Tuesday. (Sorry, had to get a shot in there.)

****

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: WK 9: Jaguars

Posted by The BEAST on 2024/11/05
Posted in: breakdown, Coaching, Conversations, Defense, Four Things, Offense, Players, report, Special Teams, stats, Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

THIS game was too exciting.

 

EAGLES 28 – Jaguars 23

EAGLES STATS:

Passing: QB Jalen Hurts (18/24 – 75.0% – 230 – 2 – 0)

Rushing: RB Saquon Barkley (27 – 159 – 5.8 – 1 – 1*)

Receiving: WR DeVonta Smith (6 – 4 – 87 – 21.7 – 1)

Drive Killer: LB Nakobe Dean (TD: 0/Int: 1/ FR: 0/ 4th down stops: 0/ FF: 0)

Sack Leader: DE Josh Sweat (Sacks: 2.0/ FF: 0/ Tackles: 4)

Special Teams Ace: S Sydney Brown FF on punt coverage (CB Kelee Ringo FR)

****

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) More Jalen Under Center: We started out doing a fair amount of this, but we got away from it too often. The first drive featured 3 plays Under Center (UC), vs 4 in Shotgun. Balanced, right? In the half’s remaining five drives, Hurts was UC exactly 6 times. That’s 9 times in the first half. We ran 11 plays UC in the second half, for a total of 20 all game long. Out of 73 offensive plays.

The worst part of all of this, is that we scored each of our 5 TD’s, from the Shotgun. Even Barkley’s 19 yard run was a delayed hand-off from the ‘gun. (NOT DONE)

2) Screen Their Ends: We flat out didn’t even try to do this. (NOT DONE)

3) Lots of Defensive Shifts: The Jags started out with a back-up LG, playing next to a newly minted starting LT. Then the LG went down and a third stringer went in. This should have been an eight sack day, but instead, we got just two. No attempt was made to confuse their blocking scheme, and our Defensive Line played from where they lined up.

Look, I get it. The Jags don’t have a good line, so there’s no need to put out tape, that better teams can use to scout us. Makes total sense. But we could have showed something. (NOT DONE)

4) Take Away the Short Pass: We did an exceptional job with this. Our LB’s didn’t just drop into weak zones, they played some Man Coverage vs RB’s and TE’s, instead of getting caught covering top shelf WR’s. There were times when we let their QB complete quick passes and other times where we tightened the screws. The alternation proved effective.

I mentioned that taking away the short windows would help us make the most of deflections, and what happened? LB Zach Baun (10 – 0.0 – 1 – 0) managed to grab an interception because of exactly this. Josh Sweat also notched a great 3rd down sack. (DONE)

++++

This week’s Four Things score was 1 of 4. If the Jags were a better team, we probably would have lost this game. Fortunately for us, they’re a shaky team, with deep injury problems. We’re being served a second helping of that, next week! The Eagles travel down to Dallas, to take on the (0 – 3 at home) Cowboys.

****

LB Nakobe Dean seals the win with an interception in the endzone, as LB Zack Baun looks on

Game Hero: LB Nakobe Dean – It’s very easy to make the case that this should have been Hurts or Barkley. However, it was Dean that stepped up, trusted his gut and made a play on the ball, to seal our victory. If that play doesn’t get made, and the receiver catches it, we’re looking at a 29 – 28 ballgame with seconds left. Dean rescued us.

Game goat: Replay Assistance – Even with using replay, the officiating crew got the fumble by Barkley wrong. That fumble recovery was subsequently returned for a touchdown by Jacksonville.

If that bogus 7 points weren’t on the board, the Eagles win 28 – 16. Had we gotten to keep that ball, and scored a field goal, that final would have been 31 – 16. And had we scored a touchdown, we’d have ended the day 35 – 16. Well, 33 – 16. We’d have gone for two and missed it.

On The Whole: I have bad news. You can’t separate the coach from his victories. Yes, Head Coach Nick Sirianni, did take extra points off the board several times. However, it was his game-planning that led to the touchdowns I n the first place. You may not like his antics, or the way he wears his heart on his sleeve. You may hate his over aggressiveness. That said, he gets his guys motivated and ready to play on Sundays.

FOUR THINGS: WK 9: EAGLES – JAGUARS

Posted by The BEAST on 2024/11/02
Posted in: breakdown, Coaching, Conversations, Defense, Four Things, Offense, Players, Roster, stats, X's and O's. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , . 1 Comment

WE feasted on Bengal last week, in a 37 – 17 win. Acquired a taste for big cat, we did! So this week we’re staying home, and having some Jaguar delivered. Lugging the grub to our hub this week, is no other than Doug Pederson. The Jags will be staring down the barrel of QB Jalen Hurts, as he heads the NFL’s #10 scoring unit.

Yep. We’re top ten, despite only playing 7 games. Oh, did I mention that the Jags are 29th in scoring defense? I didn’t? Well the Jags are 29th in scoring defense. While many of us still have love, for the man who coached our first Super Bowl win; our Eagles are going to beat his team’s sorry 2 – 6 ass, tomorrow.

A win moves us to 6 – 2 for definite. However, with a Washington loss to the giants, it would also move us into first place in the division.

A loss holds us at 5 – 3, but we’d still maintain second place in the division with two head to head games vs Washington later this season. Actually, regardless of whatever happens this week, we maintain at least second place, since it’s now November-

****

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.

1) More Jalen Under Center: The Eagles have recently been using an increasing amount of plays from under Center, especially in each of the last three weeks. I’ve been begging for this wrinkle since Hurts became the starter. It’s been hard to reliably sell play-action from a QB in Shotgun. Particularly when he runs as much as his RB’s do.

However, we now have RB Saquon Barkley, who is super-effective and comfortable in the Singleback formation (shown here)

See the three guys in the bubble? They have to determine/guess whether it’s a real hand-off or a fake. Then they have to chase the appropriate man, and hope that they aren’t wrong. The result 37 – 17 Eagles.

This formation naturally places Hurts under Center. With Hurts under C, he has to turn his back during the fake, so the play-action is automatically much easier to sell! Especially now that our RB carries more than the QB.

2) Screen Their Ends: The Jags DE’s don’t offer much more than outside pass rush. What that means is, they rely on an explosive first step, up the field, to get the edge on OT’s. That’s great when it works, but when it doesn’t… Well, only the Panthers (33.8) and the Cowboys (28.2), give up more points per game than the Jags (28.0).

Their own scheme creates holes for mobile QB’s to leak through, and opens up the Screen game. So let’s hit the Easy button, and throw Screens from under Center.

3) Lots of Defensive Shifts: Neither of the Jaguars starting G’s practiced this week. So regardless of who plays or starts this week, we should dictate the action, and work to confuse their blocking scheme. Adding to the bounty, is a LT about to make his second start. This should be a 4 or 5 sack day.

4)Take Away the Short Pass: The Jags QB likes to get rid of the ball quickly. Take that away from him. If our LB’s aren’t playing Man Coverage, then their drop into Underneath Zone should be delayed. That way we take away short windows, and can make the most of any deflections.

****

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

The thing we have to worry about the most, is the Jags 2 – 6 record. For some reason we like to “play down” to bad opponents. The only thing that usually stops the Eagles, are our coaches wanting to be a little too cute, when the moment calls for an outright murder. No playing with our food this week. Just kill it, and eat it.

I also want to mention the other new wrinkle in our Offense. The use of back-up LB Ben VanSumeren as a FB in the I-formation, absolutely has my enthusiastic support. . Usually, (in the I-formation) the RB and the FB are directly behind the QB, in a straight line. VanSumeren however, has been lining up not in a straight line, but “offset”.

Not a prediction but, wouldn’t it be nice to see VanSumeren get a carry or catch a pass? Maybe make him into a genuine two-way player, since he’s a back-up and FB’s aren’t really part of the NFL landscape anymore.

****

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: WK 8: Bengals

Posted by The BEAST on 2024/10/28
Posted in: breakdown, Coaching, Conversations, Defense, Four Things, Offense, Players, Reviews, stats. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

ANOTHER BLOWOUT VICTORY!!!

 

EAGLES 37 – Bengals 17

   

Passing: QB Jalen Hurts (16/20 – 80.0 – 236 – 1 – 0)

Rushing: RB Saquon Barkley (22 – 108 – 4.9 – 1 – 0)

Receiving: WR DeVonta Smith (7 – 6 – 85 – 14.1 – 1)

Drive Killer: S C.J. Gardner-Johnson (TD: 0/Int: 1/ FR: 0/ 4th down stops: 0/ FF: 0)

Sack Leader: OLB Nolan Smith (Sacks: 0.5 / FF: 0/ Tackles: 2)

Special Teams Ace: NA

****

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: BENGALS did the Eagles actually get around to doing? Well let’s see:

1) Invert the Pocket: This didn’t happen. The Eagles seemed to be playing less to penetrate the Bengals interior, but more to muddy it. The result as was our opponent running for a combined total of 58 yards on the day, including 15 contributed by their QB trying to save his neck.

Between them only DT Jordan Davis (1 tackle) recorded a stat; while DT Jalen Carter didn’t get on the board. Part of that was the heavy rotation, which allowed DT Milton Williams (1 – 0.5 – 0 – 0) to get himself half of our only sack for the game. We muddied the blocking, but we didn’t blow it up. (NOT DONE)

2) Get their QB Off His Square: On the Bengals first couple of possessions, it looked like we wouldn’t even try to do this. However, after that, and especially in the second half we got him running around, moving his feet and we even got a pick off of him.

As for the “super dangerous” WR Jamar Chase (11 – 9 – 54 – 6.0 – 1), he caught 4 passes for 23 yards and the score, on the opening possession. After that, for the remainder of the game he had 5 catches for 31 yards. Fundamentals plus Four Things! (DONE)

3) Play-action TOWARDS Hendrickson: The idea was to bait Bengals passrusher DE Trey Hendrickson (4 – 0.0 – 0 – 0), to cut in front of LT Fred Johnson. So we did run some play-action towards Hendrickson. We just didn’t run much of it. Mostly because Hurts only dropped back to pass 22 times all day, while we ran the ball 39 times.

Instead of chasing Hendrickson around the edge, Fred could just get his mitts on him, as he tried to get at the inside gap. But Hendrickson would do that regardless of where the play-action was aimed! Making the day easy for Johnson, who only allowed one pressure in 13 match-ups vs Hendrickson. Freebie! I’ll take it. (DONE)

4) Target Their Linebackers in Coverage: We didn’t do this, but they seemed to be doing it to us. Which only made this much more frustrating to watch. (NOT DONE)

++++

This weeks Four Things score was 2 of 4, but in addition to that, we handled the fundamentals of Running the ball, Man Press, and Tackling securely. Next week, we welcome Doug Pederson back to the stadium where he has a statue; as he brings his 2 – 6 Jaguars, all the way from Florida, to get their seventh loss.

****

Game Hero: Jalen Hurts – The guy scored 4 touchdowns. Fucking right, he’s the hero of the game. Completing 80 percent of his passes, and not turning it over, is also on the list. However, my favorite part of his game this week, was the kind of rushing attempts he had. That more than anything is what I think broke the Bengals spirit.

None of the lame play, where he fakes the hand-off, then runs to the side, doesn’t find an opening, and then lays down to avoid injury. In this one, he would fake the hand-off, then follow the RB through the hole. The other thing he did, was sit in the pocket, then step up and through, only to be presented with open real estate.

Those are SMART runs! They are low risk, and they force the defense to change what they wanted to do, which opens up the deep passing game. BRILLIANT!

Game goat: CB Quinyon Mitchell (2 – 0.0 – 0 – 0) – His coverage is so damned good! But once again, the rookie drops an interception. This can’t keep happening. Maybe he needs daily practice with the JUGS machine…

On The Whole:

After a slow start, the Eagles battled back, made the game essentially 0 – 0, and then proceeded have a 27 – 7 second half. Contributions by new Eagles like Fred Johnson and Saquon Barkley, were beautifully complemented by the youth on this team.

Ever improving LB Nakobe Dean (7 – 0.0 – 0 – 0) recovered a fumble to help seal the game. A heads-up deflection by CB Isaiah Rodgers (1 – 0.0 – 0 – 0), resulted in the most back-breaking turnover, when C.J. Gardner intercepted the ball. And let us not forget the 4th down tackle for loss, by rookie DB Cooper DeJean (3 – 0.0 – 0 – 0)

Starting to look pretty good if you ask me!

FOUR THINGS: WK 8: EAGLES – BENGALS

Posted by The BEAST on 2024/10/26
Posted in: Coaching, Conversations, Defense, Four Things, Offense, Players. Tagged: , , , , , , , . 1 Comment

 

OUR Eagles mauling of New York, featured a team that hit all the fundamentals well. As a road team, we packed our Defense, and got off the bus running the football. The result was 3 points allowed, and 269 yards rushing. That doesn’t bode well for a Bengals team that is giving up 136 rushing yards per game, vs teams like New England, Carolina, the giants, and Cleveland

A win gets us to 5 – 2, and positions us to take over 1st place in the division. That is, pending the outcome of the Bears vs Commanders game.

A loss drops us to 4 – 3.

****

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 Bengals

1) Invert the Pocket: We need DT Jordan Davis and DT Jalen Carter to cave in the middle of the Bengals offensive line. Their C has a habit of almost standing up at the snap. He also doesn’t do a great job of chopping his feet in pass protection. These flaws makes him susceptible to bull-rushes.

Getting Davis and Carter in the “A” gaps, and pinching the C between them, should blow up the middle of the Bengals (or anyone else’s) blocking scheme.

2) Get their QB Off His Square: The Bengals have a rhythm based passing system. So their QB is almost always throwing to a specific spot in a route, from a specific part of the pocket. Here’s a link to some of his highlights which show that. This is aided, by how often his super-dangerous receivers get free releases off the line.

Its utter precision is exactly what can make it easy to derail. Just some Man Press on the receivers, and an inverted pocket to stop the QB from stepping into his throws. Get him out of his comfort zone. Get him running. Get him to move his feet while throwing, which is unlike what he normally does. This should reduce his effectiveness and maybe even get us a gift or two.

3) Play-action TOWARDS Hendrickson: DE Trey Hendrickson is their top pass rusher. While most teams who want to control a pass rusher, do it by double-teaming. Running play-action in Hendrickson’s direction, will give him something else to do, and keep him away from the play.

4) Target Their Linebackers in Coverage: Their two most prominent LB’s are not built for coverage. So force the issue. Use quick passes to punish their defense whenever they blitz.

****

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

Hopefully this game won’t end in a tie.

****

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: WK 7: giants

Posted by The BEAST on 2024/10/22
Posted in: breakdown, Coaching, Conversations, Defense, Four Things, NFC East, Offense, Players, Reviews, Rivals, Special Teams, stats. Tagged: , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

SAQUON Barkley runs the giants.

 

EAGLES 28 – giants 3

 

Passing: QB Jalen Hurts (10/14 – 71.4% – 114 – 1 – 0)

Rushing: RB Saquon Barkley (17 – 176 – 10.3 – 1 – 0)

Receiving: WR Arthur Brown (5 – 5 – 89 – 17.8 – 1)

Drive Killer: N/A (TD: /Int: / FR: / 4th down stops: / FF: )

Sack Leader: MLB Nakobe Dean (Sacks: 2.0/ FF: 0/ Tackles: 11)

Special Teams Ace: P Braden Mann drawing a roughing the kicker penalty

****

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: GIANTS did the Eagles actually get around to doing? Well let’s see:

1) Use A Metric Fuck-ton of Play-action: Nope. Not really. Hurts dropped back to pass, all of 18 times. He was sacked 4 of those, and attempted just 14 passes. I was expecting the giants to make a point of taking away Saquon. Instead, he romped and frolicked in their wilderness.

If he wasn’t running away from giants defenders, he was running over them. Why fake giving him the ball, if actually giving him the ball, yields results like these? I was wrong about this one. And you have no idea how happy I am about that. (NOT DONE)

2) Chip Off the Block: Again, I expected a different kind of game, but Hurts dropped back all of 18 times, was sacked 4, and attempted just 14 passes, on the day. There just weren’t many opportunities to use play-action. Which is probably for the best, since LT Fred Johnson wasn’t getting any chip help on the outside. He also seemed to have his hands full when we did throw it. (NOT DONE)

MLB Nakobe Dean collecting one of his two sacks

3) Speed Up Their QB’s Clock: Brother, did we ever! On 29 dropbacks, QB Daniel Jones (14/21 – 66.6% – 99 – 0 – 0) was sacked 8 times, and was under duress when he was able to get passes off. He averaged 4.7 yards per pass, in this game. That’s less than half a first down per attempt! We finally got a look at what our Defense will look like, if we build a comfortable lead. (DONE)

4) Win On First Down: The giants saw 23 first downs in this game. They gained 4 yards or more, on 10 of those plays. The Eagles held them to 3 yards or fewer (including 3 sacks), a total of 13 times. So on 56% of the giants first downs, the Eagles imposed our will and won the down. (DONE)

++++

This weeks Four Things score was 2 of 4. I absolutely nailed the Defensive side, but totally whiffed on the kind of Offensive game, we were going to have to run. Well, next week we’re on the road again, to face a 3 – 4 Cincinnati team, that is trying to revive their season.

****

Game Hero: RB Saquon Barkley – He went out there and set a tone. Lowering his shoulder and smoking DB’s. Putting his foot in the ground and absolutely butchering the giants defenders with runs of 55, 41, and 38 yards. It was glorious.

Game goat: CB Quinyon Mitchell (3 – 0 – 0 – 0) – He dropped yet another would be interception. This was what, number 3 or 4? Someone get Lester Hayes on the phone, and see if he has any more Stickum.

WR A.J. Brown and QB Jalen Hurts celebrate a 41 yard touchdown catch and run, on a 4th and 3 play.

On The Whole: Fundamentals. We stood strong on them, and for the second week in a row, our Defense didn’t allow a touchdown, and we didn’t turn the ball over. The result of those fundamentals, was a dominating win. Granted, it was over a bottom-feeder team, but like last week, you have to win the games that you’re supposed to win. We have that base covered.

FOUR THINGS REVIEWED: WK 6: Browns

Posted by The BEAST on 2024/10/15
Posted in: breakdown, Coaching, Conversations, Defense, Four Things, Offense, Players, Reviews, Special Teams, stats. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

STEPS in the right direction.

EAGLES 20 – Browns 16

 

Passing: QB Jalen Hurts (16/25 – 64.0 – 264 – 2 – 0)

Rushing: RB Saquon Barkley (18 – 47 – 2.6 – 0 – 0)

Receiving: WR Arthur Brown (9 – 6 – 116 – 19.3 – 1)

Drive Killer: N/A (TD: /Int: / FR: / 4th down stops: / FF: )

Sack Leader: DE Josh Sweat (Sacks: 1.0/ FF: 0/ Tackles: 5)

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: BROWNS did the Eagles actually get around to doing? Well let’s see:

1) Run Saquon Early: The idea was to get Saquon Barkley 5 to 7 carries early in the game to make it easier on the entire Offense. Well, he had 7 carries for 21 yards in first quarter. (Our third possession started in the 1st but ended in the 2nd quarter.) The Eagles didn’t run for a ton of yards in this one, but kept the defense honest with 22 hand-offs, and another 14 rushes by the QB himself. (DONE)

2) Press and Challenge: CB Darius Slay (no stats/left injured) started off the game playing mostly in Press coverage, while rookie CB Quinyon Mitchell (3 – 0 – 0 – 0) started out in more of a zone look. This is to be expected from Defensive Coordinator Vic Fangio’s defense, as he likes to give each side of the field a different coverage.

Eventually, Mitchell got around to more Press. That helped the pass rush show up, in the way that it had been expected to, all season. Seven different players contributed to 5 sacks on the day, and Cleveland’s top receiver caught for just 42 yards. We should play Press Coverage every week. (DONE)

3) Dallas Slotted at #3: No dice. TE Dallas Goedert (no stats/injured) left the game early with a hamstring issue. Stepping right into his shoes was TE Grant Calcaterra (4 – 4 – 67 – 16.7 – 0). He saw as many targets and more yards than WR DeVonta Smith (4 – 3 – 64 – 21.3 – 1).

Instead of spending the day trying to force balls to a third WR, the Eagles just included the TE as the third tip of the trident. And it worked beautifully. Had I specified “TE” instead of “Goedert”, I would be happy to say “See what the TE did? Told ya so!” But, that’s not how I tagged it, and fair is fair. (NOT DONE)

4) Stops Over Strips: In this game, our defenders didn’t dick around, holding up offensive players and clawing at the ball. They just made contact, and put opposing players on the grass.

In this game, I counted SIX incidents where usually, our defense would allow an opponent extra yards, or blow a tackle attempt, swiping at the football. However, in this game, they just put the player down, eventually resulting in more difficult third downs, where they converted just 3 of 12. (DONE)

++++

This weeks Four Things score was 3 of 4. We hit the fundamentals and at no point did we trail. It wasn’t a blow out, but it never seemed out of control either. Let’s hope for more of the same next week, when we travel up 95 and pay a visit to the giants, in that New Jersey cesspool they split with the Jets, to avoid New York taxes.

****

DT Jalen Carter gets a sack and somehow DT Moro Ojomo isn’t credited with half of it.

Game Hero: The Defense – The Defense didn’t allow a single offensive touchdown in this game. They didn’t allow a single receiver to reach 45 yards. They didn’t allow a single runner to reach 45 yards. They tackled securely, and got to the QB repeatedly. They only thing they didn’t do, was get a turnover. Which would have happened, if Quinyon Mitchell and C.J. Gardner-Johnson (5 – 0 – 0 – 0), hadn’t run into each other trying to catch an interception.

Some will tell you that it wasn’t impressive, because the Browns limped in here as a woeful offensive team already. However, given our recent defensive woes, the impressive part wasn’t beating the Browns. It was all the fundamental issues that we corrected. (Especially if they stay corrected for a second week.)

Game goat: Special Teams Coordinator Michael Clay – So in this one, we got a field goal blocked, and they returned it for a touchdown. A touchdown. What was supposed to be an easy 3 points for us, became 7 for them. That’s a 10 point swing. It was the only touchdown of the day for the Browns. And it was on Special Teams.

Through five games, we’ve seen a punt blocked, and a field goal blocked. We don’t have a kickoff return of 30 yards yet, and so far no 20 yard punt return. No one is ever afraid that we might take one all the way. There is literally nothing special about Michael Clay’s teams. Nothing. It’s been four years of nada, since he got here.

On The Whole: We beat one of the teams that we were supposed to. We did it without allowing a single offensive touchdown, and without turning the ball over. It was a good solid, fundamentally sound game on our part. This is despite losing three starters during the game (Slay, Goedert, and LT Lafoga Mialata.)

It was a win despite adversity. It was a win that speaks to the culture of this team, and the passion of Head Coach Nick Sirianni. If you want to know what poor culture and low passion does for a team, just replay the Lions /Cowboys massacre. Look at Mike McCarthy’s face while his team was butchered. Is that what you want? Is it?

It’s true. This game wasn’t a blowout. But it was, a win.

FOUR THINGS: WK 6: EAGLES – BROWNS

Posted by The BEAST on 2024/10/11
Posted in: Coaching, Conversations, Defense, Four Things, NFC East, Offense, Players, Preview. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , . 1 Comment

TWO weeks ago, we lost a game that we didn’t deserve to win. Instead of playing another game to get that taste out of our mouths, we got a Bye week. An extra week to stew on it, and look at what went wrong in that game, and frankly, what hasn’t been working all season so far.

We also got a chance to get healthy. While it’s true that some of our injured players could have suited up for that last game, it was much smarter that they didn’t. Instead they used the Bye week to get solid for the long haul. After all, a football season is a marathon, not a sprint.

So the coaches have had a chance to refine our attack. The players have had a chance to get rested and healthy. We stumbled out of the gate, and fell all the way to 2 – 2. So with refinement, we should expect to see improvement.

Our first post-Bye test, is hosting the 1 – 4 Browns. They Browns don’t do great job of scoring points or stopping points from being scored. So if we’re going to be trying out some new stuff, this is the week for it.

A win gets us to 3 – 2, and above the .500 mark. It shows that we can beat the teams that we’re supposed to beat. It’s not cause to celebrate, it’s just TCB. Thank you very much.

A loss drops us to 2 – 3, and if the giants beat Cincinnati (and they should), it gets us the basement of the division. Alone to ourselves. No bueno.

****

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 Browns

1) Run Saquon Early: On our first Offensive play of the game, we should be handing the ball off to RB Saquon Barkley. None of that weak shit, where QB Jalen Hurts keeps it, and then immediately gets down in the fetal position, because the other team didn’t buy his fake, and they’re already swarming him.

We need to run Saquon early, as much to legitimize our play-action, as we do for balancing our attack. Getting him 5 to 7 carries in the first quarter, will help the Offense run smoother for the rest of the game.

2) Press and Challenge: During our last game, color analyst Tom Brady, you know, this guy,

repeatedly mentioned that the Eagles were playing too much off-coverage, and allowing the Bucs receivers too many unchallenged steps into their routes. As a result, we were carved up by QB Baker Mayfield. And by George, ol’ Tomfoolery was right.

We have entirely too much man-cover talent on this team, to be playing this soft on the edges. Defensive Coordinator Vic Fangio alluded to making changes to that in the second half of the last game, and he said that he had adjustments to make over the Bye. Hopefully this one of them.

I’ve been saying for years now that our poor coverage is the biggest culprit in retarding our pass rush. The ball is coming out so fast, that our linemen just don’t have time to reach QB’s. Worse than that, there is almost no chance at an interception if the receiver is wide open. So it keeps turnovers low.

3) Dallas Slotted At #3: Let’s shelve the quest for a #3 WR, and just make TE Dallas Goedert that guy for us. I don’t mean that we should line him up in the Slot. I just mean we should make Goedert our #3 option. It’s okay to platoon the Slot. In fact, platooning it will allow us to experiment and change match-up reads.

For example, placing WR Jahan Dotson in the Slot, means very different things than placing WR Johnny Wilson there. They have to be defended differently, both before and after the catch. That can allows us to create mismatches, and force defenders out of double teams, depending on who we plug in there.

4) Stops over Strips: I honest to god, hate it when our players hold an offensive player up, to claw at the ball. Just drop him where you meet him. If a fumble doesn’t result from the initial impact, then end the play and move onto the next down.

****

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

We’re probably the most talented roster in the league. However, there are too many times we let the fundamentals slide, and it bites us (See: Falcons game). Then, a week later, we show that we can absolutely buckle down (see Saints game), and it makes fans wonder why this doesn’t always happen.

Dismiss the thought that the Eagles aren’t one of the best teams in the league. This team can beat anyone, at any time, if we bring our ‘A’ game. We knocked out two of San Fran’s QB’s in less than a half, and gutted the team. Nick Sirianni went toe to toe, down to the wire, with Andy Reid in the Super Bowl. Our Super Bowl hangover included sleepwalking to 10 – 0 last year. Miami hung 70 on Denver and we boxed them up, looking excellent while doing it, in our Kelly Greens. This season, in week three, the media was ready to put New Orleans in the Super Bowl, and that team hasn’t been the same team since we paid their house a visit.

Your team is a bad ass. And it has been for YEARS now.

Yes, we’ve had some recent stumbles of course. For instance. last season’s loss to San Fran, where we forgot what tackling was. Which also happened in our last game. We just have to focus better on the little things. When we do that, we’ve proven to be world beaters.

****

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: WK 4: Buccaneers

Posted by The BEAST on 2024/09/30
Posted in: Coaching, Conversations, Defense, Four Things, Offense, Players, Reviews, Special Teams, stats. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

OUR Eagles deserved that.

 

EAGLES 16 – Buccaneers 33

 

EAGLES STATS:

Passing: QB Jalen Hurts (18/30 – 60.0% – 158 – 1 – 0)

Rushing: RB Saquon Barkley (10 – 84 – 8.4 – 0 – 0)

Receiving: TE Dallas Goedert (8 – 7 – 62 – 8.8 – 0)

Drive Killer: NA (TD: /Int: / FR: / 4th down stops: / FF: )

Sack Leader: DE Brandon Graham (Sacks: 1.0/ FF: 0/ Tackles: 2)

Special Teams Ace: CB Kelee Ringo returns blocked XP (CB Isaiah Rodgers) for 2pts

****

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: BUCCANEERS did the Eagles actually get around to doing? Well let’s see:

WR Parris Campbell looks in a touchdown pass

1) Our Reserves Must Gainwell: Aside from WR Parris Campbell (4 – 4 – 17 – 4.2 – 1) no other reserve Offensive player made a difference, or even a noticeable contribution in this game. Part of is it because some of these guys are actual trash, and part of it is because our Offense is routed through the not-so-swift brain, of QB Jalen Hurts.

This was the back-ups week to step up and demand the ball. To signal that they could be relied on. None of their body language or sideline activity, indicated that. The spotlight was on them and nearly all of them shrank from it. (NOT DONE)

2) Get to Baker: We sacked QB Baker Mayfield (30/47 – 63.8 – 347 – 2 – 0) all of twice. We played soft coverage nearly all game long, so Mayfield just sat back and played catch with his receivers. Especially in the first half. Things tightened up a little in the second half, but mostly it was Busc receivers running free, and making uncontested catches. They had four players with 50+ yards receiving. (NOT DONE)


DE Brandon Graham collection one of the Eagles two sacks

3) Run the Ball: AHEM!!! Twelve million dollar RB Saquon Barkley, had 10 carries in this game. Jalen Hurts had 8 for 20 whole yards. A couple of those were Brotherly Shove plays, but most of them were designed keepers. As long as the play-callers think Hurts is our second RB, our Offense is going to keep finding itself sputtering, just like it keeps doing. (NOT DONE)

4) Own the GCG Box: Our DT’s were somewhat disruptive, but at no point did they take over the interior of the offensive line. They did a great job of occupying blocks, which allowed MLB Nakobe Dean (6 – 0 – 0 – 0) to whiff on tackle after tackle. Or to be an inch too short to get a deflection. We didn’t allow a lot of rushing yards (111), but they did seem to be able to run it at will, which complemented their short, quick passing game. (NOT DONE)

++++

This week’s Four Things score is 0 of 4, which is precisely why we, got shit beat down our leg. Next week we get to stay home and lick our wounds. It’ll be nice to see a weekend without a Jalen Hurts turnover.

****

Game Hero: Whoever fired the gun at the end of the game.

Game goat: QB Jalen Hurts – This was a week, where Hurts should have taken the team on his back. Instead, there was no sense of urgency, no fire to him. Just that same look of boredom that he always displays on the sideline. Others call it “stoic”. I call it, looking like he’d rather be anywhere else. I’ve seen players excited to play. I’ve been one. That’s never the vibe that our leader transmits.

In 2021, I wrote an article, where I said that Jalen Hurts would never become a true franchise QB, and I have never moved off of that assessment. How has that 2021 assessment aged? Well, Hurts, despite being in his FIFTH year, still can’t punish a blitz, and has become a turnover machine, hasn’t he? He’s regressed badly from 2022 hasn’t he?

In fact, check out my 2021 article and tell me if you aren’t seeing the exact same things today, that you were seeing in 2021. Granted, today he uses his TE better, and no longer avoids throwing over the middle. Otherwise, his failure to grow or to evolve, doesn’t indicate much future success for the lad. Or us.

On The Whole: There is a ton of blame that can be handed out for this match. But the truth is, on top of all the things the coaches didn’t get right; and the QB did wrong; and the tackles that got missed; are the facts that 1)we were playing shorthanded, 2) on the road, and 3) in 100 degree weather.

CB Kelee Ringo recovers blocked extra point and returns it for two points

It was a damned tough assignment, and we quickly wound up on the wrong end, of a 0 – 24 score. But did we quit? Hell no! We got it as close as 16 – 30. Even hustling on Special Teams for a blocked extra point, that was returned for 2 points. While we didn’t walk away with the “W”, it’s efforts like this, that help forge a team’s identity.