Offense

FINALLY,  A FRANCHISE QB!

Posted by The BEAST on 2014/03/27
Posted in: Offense, Players. 13 Comments
Image courtesy of goldmedalimpressions.com

Image courtesy of goldmedalimpressions.com

FINALLY! The Eagles have applied the word “Franchise” to a QB.

Since the trading of Donovan McNabb to the Redskins in 2010, we’ve had QB’s named the Starter. Kevin Kolb, Michael Vick, and Nick Foles respectively; but none of them were referred to as the Franchise QB. Now that we have declared one, this franchise can really begin to focus on winning a Super Bowl.

You may say “Jeez dude. It’s just words. You can “declare” anybody anything, it doesn’t make them any better. It doesn’t spot you points, or win you games”, and you’d be right for saying that. So why am I so excited? It’s because franchise QB is vastly different position from starting QB.

With a starting QB the coach names a guy because he’s the best fit on the roster for the system. A few shaky performances or not being 100% can change that, however.

With a franchise QB, he is the unquestioned starter because the franchise has anointed him so. He’s not the best fit for the system, he is the heart of the system, and pieces are added that fit him. If he’s not 100% he’s still expected –scratch that− counted on to play. When he’s shaky for a few games, no one mentions his back-up.

Better than that, the word “Franchise” says he’s going to be here for some time. If you’re a receiver it means you need to realize what side your bread is buttered on. When the QB calls a 2 week off-season workout at his house, you show up and you stay. For both weeks.

Tell the wife or girlfriend whatever you have to, because you can’t have your QB falling in love with another receiver, only to see your numbers drop, just ‘cause her heart was set on Cancun. Stats are money, stats come from execution, and execution comes from practice. That nice house she lives in, ain’t free. So you pack a bag and grab your ass a seat on a plane. The Franchise QB has juice like that.

When the coach hems and haws about a starter, even if both/all competing QB’s call a work-out, neither has the pull to punish if you don’t show.

This however, changes everything. Foles is THE MAN now. The focus is now on getting him the tools that HE needs. Now we can get around to seeing if he can deliver 10 wins a year, or if the Eagles have made a grievous error. We get to see if 2013 was real, or a marvelous fluke. Because now, we’re committed to our QB. We’re not approaching cautiously. We’re all in.

Finally. For the first time since McNabb was traded, we have ourselves a Franchise QB.

THE END IS THE BEGINNING

Posted by The BEAST on 2014/03/25
Posted in: Coaching, Offense. Tagged: . Leave a comment
Image courtesy of profootballspot.com

Image courtesy of profootballspot.com

THIS will not stop us. 

Make that the first thing you think about when you think about this situation. Is DeSean Jackson a dangerous playmaker? Yes. Can he be a game-changer? Yes. Does he create openings for other players? Yes. Absolutely. So how do we replace that?

We don’t.

Jackson is a holdover from the pass-happy West Coast system that was run during the Andy Reid era. Chip Kelly’s system is a run-based Spread. If Kelly feels that he needs a WR who has a different skillset than Jackson’s, it only make’s sense that he go out and get one.

Kelly says that his system emphasizes getting the ball out quick. That means the routes won’t be as long, so he won’t need to run a guy deep very often.

As one football writer first wrote in February; more short, quick passes to the TE would be a deadly wrinkle to add to this Offense. Again, that was first written in February, back before any of this mess with Jackson ever raised its head. It also goes hand in glove with what Kelly said his system is about.

Instead of trying to do what we did last year, we should build on what we can do best in the coming future. Instead of smaller players with quick strike capability, our Offensive focus turns to using larger players, thrown at the opponent in rapid succession, in order to simply pummel the will to compete out of them.

If we focus on who we are today we might not only survive this transition, we could come out of it as strong as we ever were.

HOW I FEEL ABOUT A DJAX TRADE

Posted by The BEAST on 2014/03/19
Posted in: Front Office (F.O.), Offense. Tagged: . Leave a comment
Image courtesy of instntrply.com

Image courtesy of instntrply.com

MUTHAFUCKA, are you high!? A 3rd round pick?! For DeSean Jackson?!

I got my Ray Rice mask and I’m waiting in elevators for Howie Roseman.

I was good, wasn’t I? They signed Special Teams players while other teams signed starters, and I let slide didn’t I? “Maybe they have a plan!” I said to myself. “Perhaps there is a diagram. Let us be patient as we partake of our beverage.”

I played it cool.

But if they trade DJax for chicken feed, I live near the Girard Street on-ramp to 95, so the NovaCare Center is less than a 15 minute ride from my house. I’m not above shouting at the building from Broad Street from the roof of the Jeep. Oh man, I’m goin’ through it! I’m not even putting up a poll today, because I can’t narrow the field of questions down.

Look, I’d already written two articles already about trading DJax. Today writing about ‘how I FEEL’ makes a third, and tomorrow writing ‘what I THINK’, will make a fourth. So I’m open to discussions on moving any player. But like when we unnecessarily surrendered a 5th round pick for what would have been a free Darren Sproles, I don’t like the notion of my team getting hosed. It would make more sense to move him for a player than a 3rd round pick.

I also don’t like the impact it could have on Nick Foles and LeSean McCoy. DJax kept Safeties out of the box and helped to free up Riley Cooper. If we get rid of him it’ll fundamentally change what Foles is expecting in 2014. That could hurt the Offense. Or maybe not. (More on that one tomorrow.)

But right now…this situation has me hotter than fish grease.

HERE’S WHY 2014 COULD BE MAGIC

Posted by The BEAST on 2014/03/18
Posted in: Offense, Players. Tagged: . 1 Comment
Image courtesy of Eagledelphia

Image courtesy of Eagledelphia

THERE is plenty to be excited about if you’re an Eagles fan!

Surely, most of us were expecting something a little different from Free Agency. Many of us were expecting a big defensive signing. We wanted a statement to be made.

What we got instead was a Safety in Malcolm Jenkins who possesses the type of coverage skill that we’ve lacked for a half a decade at the position. This is an improvement.

Then there’s the Darren Sproles trade. His presence is going to do things specifically for this Spread Offense, that may change how teams draft and formulate their depth charts.

Allow me to show you a magic trick:

Sproles table 1

That guy right there is Sproles. Notice how he’s lined up behind Brent Celek? Not an accident that he’s there. You might have also noticed that DeSean Jackson is not on the field. I did that to point out that the Sproles Effect is not contingent on Jackson still being here. It’s deadlier if he is, but if he isn’t we’re still golden.

Sproles table 2

Now we pick our bitch. I like Player “A” (the OLB) for this. Player A’s primary duty is to set the edge and not let the TE establish underneath.

Sproles table 3

We’ll put Sproles on a simple Shoot route to the flat. Player A now has to release the TE immediately to Player B (the SS) and cover Sproles himself. Otherwise there’ll be a quick completion to Sproles, in space and with a blocker out in front.

The counter to this of course is to walk the SS down to cover Sproles at the snap. One problem with that. Look all the way to the right. That’s Jeremy Maclin  in one-on-one out there. With no help deep.

I promised you a magic trick right? It’s a draw to LeSean McCoy. Behind Jason Peters and Evan Mathis with no backside pursuit, because it’s all running the other way. Wait it was a fake! Nick Foles is out the backdoor! Or Foles could sit and throw the ball, since it’s all one-on-one anyway. Oh you didn’t notice that? In the heat of the moment neither did the defense.

And that’s just ONE play.

So while Free Agency didn’t quite turn out the way we’d have liked, let’s not forget to be thankful for what we DO have here. Because fellow fans, it could be better than the “crazy” that Sproles suggested.

It could be downright magic.

NICK FOLES’S NEW WEAPON

Posted by The BEAST on 2014/03/10
Posted in: Offense, Players. 1 Comment

player-nickfoles550px

MOST of the talk this month has centered on getting a Safety or two (Jairus Byrd and/or T.J. Ward specifically). Then it’s whether to draft [Dee Ford] or [Kyle Van Noy], or some other prospect. And of course, who and who not to re-sign.

Lost in all that is that this year the Eagles are getting Nick Foles one of the nicest gifts he could ever get: A new back-up QB.

The new back-up says to Foles: There is no chance in going back. The spot is yours. The old king is not looking over your shoulder, saying all the right things, but still hoping for his chance again.

Now when Foles looks into the stands and sees #7 jerseys, he’ll know it’s just a shirt, not a show of support for his rival. It’s his team, his crowd, his stadium. He’s only missing one thing.

Foles needs “his own car”.

Foles needs a signature weapon. DeSean Jackson, Jeremy Maclin, and LeSean McCoy all cut their teeth as starters under Donovan McNabb, all of which were inherited by Kevin Kolb, and then Michael Vick, and now Nick Foles. Riley Cooper was also a hand-me-down, albeit only slightly soiled.

Every one of Foles major components was brought in for another system, under another coach. While it’s true that Zach Ertz looks to have a bright future, today he’s #2 on the Depth Chart, behind another McNabb era starter in Brent Celek.

They should go out and get Foles a weapon that makes him light up when he sees the prospect on tape. The sort of player that Foles can and grow old with.

To this point Foles has done a pretty good job working with borrowed tools. If he’s going to be the starter, the Eagles owe it to him that he have an opportunity to play with someone who he feels suits his skills, and instincts.

IF WE TRADE DeSEAN…

Posted by The BEAST on 2014/03/07
Posted in: Offense, Players. Tagged: , , . Leave a comment

dionjordan-Image courtesyofPhillymag

SINCE this trade could go down at any moment, I wanted to be on record with this before it all goes down.

If we trade DeSean Jackson, I think that would make Riley Cooper our #1, go-to guy.

You’re laughing. Maybe shaking your head. Perhaps frowning.

That’s fine, because at first I did too. Then I thought about it. No. I mean really thought about it. From the Eagles perspective.

Cooper is pulling in five million a year for the next four. The Eagles have made a fair sized investment there.

Jeremy Maclin has a one year deal, which fans hope will yield a longer one here. Security wasn’t a concern since Maclin rejected the five year offer from the Birds, opting for the one year deal instead. He’s banking on having a big year, to angle for more money per year, in 2015.

What are the odds that the Eagles staff will draw up game plans to pad Maclin’s stats, and drive up his 2015 asking price? Remember what I predicted as a “good” season for Maclin? Write that down somewhere. And I won’t even bring up the dreaded “I” word. But if it doesn’t go the way Maclin wants, he could be unemployed, damaged goods in 2015, and wishing he’d taken the five year offer.

Some will insist that we’ll get a rookie WR, but right now we haven’t drafted him, signed him, taught him, started him, or watched him have any success. So right now in 2014, Cooper looks like the top of the food chain as far as our WR depth goes.

If we truly become the run-based Offense that Chip Kelly says his system really favors, then we could be okay. But if our defense doesn’t improve much and we need to win shootouts to win games, I don’t see us as having the firepower.

In a real way, in order to make a DeSean Jackson trade work, our Defense has to improve.

And for those who insist the Eagles wouldn’t trade Jackson: Donovan McNabb. To the Redskins.

JEREMY MACLIN’S KNEE

Posted by The BEAST on 2014/03/01
Posted in: Offense, Players. Tagged: . 3 Comments

Washington Redskins v Philadelphia Eagles

EXPECTATIONS are high for Jeremy Maclin’s production this year, despite the fact that it usually takes about a season to get full explosiveness back after an ACL tear. Not sure what some fans mean when they say they expect him to put up big numbers, since most shy away from a prediction when pressed. So I’ll be the brave one.

First let me say: I doubt his knee will be an issue in 2014, so my take is that his starts will be between 13 to 16 games.

I’ll also go out on a limb and tell you what sort of stats I look to see out him in 2014:

51 catches, 690 yards, 5 TD’s. While almost every one of those numbers is a career low, I still think it would be a good year for him.

I’m not expecting lower numbers because of his knee. I’m expecting that last year’s emergence of Riley Cooper will cut into Maclin’s opportunities. While my guess is that Maclin, Cooper and DeSean Jackson will start out of a 3-WR formation, there is after all only one football per play. There are also other players who excel at catching the ball to consider: LeSean McCoy, Brent Celek, and Zach Ertz to name three.

Last year 360 completions was about par for the course, (we had 310) for NFL teams. Erring on the high side of completions, the 6 players I mentioned would see 60 receptions each. And that’s if ONLY those 6 catch passes all year long. (FYI: Last year 12 different players caught passes.)

Even with a higher number of projected completions, odds are that Maclin won’t grab 60 balls. Not with so much competition around him. But this would likely be a good thing.

TIME TO MAUL SOMEBODY.

Posted by The BEAST on 2014/02/28
Posted in: Draft, Front Office (F.O.), Offense. Tagged: . Leave a comment

NOW that LT Jason Peters and C Jason Kelce have re-signed; and since RT Lane Johnson is still on his rookie deal, the job of upgrading the Guards can begin.

While Todd Herremans and Evan Mathis have been solid contributors over the last few years, the facts are; they are both north of 30, and both have contracts that suggest that they would be an excellent source of cap relief.

Mathis:

mathis550pixels

Herremans:

herremans550pixels

(Both images courtesy of EaglesCap.com)

Some fans are banking on the idea of OT Michael Bamiro sliding inside and being a factor there. If it happens, great. I wasn’t high on the guy when he was drafted, and he didn’t show much in the pre-season. Maybe a year off where he could focus on study and conditioning, will see him come back a vastly improved athlete. However since that is rarely ever the case, I won’t hold my breath. I suggest you don’t either.

I actually think that Guard is a position that needs to be targeted in the Draft. I’ve said this for a few years now. If I keep saying it, at some point it has to happen, and no,  Danny Watkins doesn’t count. Show of hands: Who was happy when we drafted a retired, Canadian, firefighter?

Me either. I want a real prospect. Get a mauler for the run game. Get a guy who can move a DT off the line and who causes ILB’s to envision a train bearing down on them. Get a Guard, not a converted Tackle.

What The Jason Peters Signing Means

Posted by The BEAST on 2014/02/26
Posted in: Front Office (F.O.), Offense, Players. Tagged: . 1 Comment

JASON Peters was signed to a 4 year extension today, which was a very smart move on the Eagles behalf. Not only do we get stability at the LT spot, but he’s locked in at an almost static 10 million a year for next five years.

This means that as the salary cap expands over time, Peters will actually represent less of the cap figure. In a real sense, he gets cheaper the longer we keep him.

Full disclosure; let me say up front, I didn’t see this extension coming this soon. In fact I wasn’t certain it would happen. (Same with many fans speculating a 2015 move for Lane Johnson to LT.)  I thought if it did happen, it would come in October/November. I’m as surprised as anyone that it happened now. That said, this changes…just about nothing.

I put together a chart breaking down where the biggest needs were (using roster information from the Eagles salary cap page), so I can get a better-than-the-average-fan’s handle, on what the Draft will look like once Free Agency is over. Here’s what I have:

Chart 2014 

Under Contracts Expiring, we now only have 1 OT with an expiring deal, but I put this together on the 23rd, so of course that parts outdated now.

Otherwise, if we’re building for the future, all the Peters signing did was make that chart up there more feasible.