TONIGHT we’re getting our first taste of the 2025 Eagles season! New Offensive Coordinator Kevin Patullo, will get his feet wet a little bit! We’ll also begin the process of whittling all the players in Training Camp, down to a 53 man roster.
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The point of Four Things isn’t to predict a winner. It’s to discuss which tactics will give our Eagles the best chance to defeat this week’s opponent. Except in preseason. Winning would be nice, but these games aren’t for that. They’re for helping us establish depth, and to perhaps uncover a gem or two.
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So even if the score quickly becomes lopsided, what should we be looking for in this game?
1) Who Plays: In previous seasons our starters didn’t play and it’s led to some slow starts. Especially in games at the beginning of the season. Will this be addressed this year, by giving our starters a chance to shake the rust off, as early as opposing players do?
2) Which WR Stands Out: The WR4 position becomes WR3 in the event of an injury to a starter. So which WR plays this game like the ball is his, whenever it’s thrown to him? That’s the guy we’ll want to win the #4 spot.
3) Who Is Patullo On 4th Down: Surely circumstances will also play a hand in the decisions, but I for one, am interested to see how aggressive our OC is, when his back is to the wall.
4) Defensive Line Pressure: Our back-up line will spend a lot of time out there. Do they get much pressure as a unit? Do they protect the LB’s effectively? Who is the standout?
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Prediction: Eagles 20 – Bengals 28
The Eagles will be using this game as an evaluation tool. Cincy on the other hand, has been a factory for bad news. Their ownership will want a win, just to have something to wave at their fanbase, as a sign that things are going well. Meanwhile we just…
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, you are trying to lose your money, and you 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.
Sisyphus- (Oops!) Washington, now that Dan Snyder is gone.
LOST NFC Championship Game, 12 – 5, 2nd place in NFC East, pspg 28.5 (5th) papg 23.0 (18th)
Washington was by far the surprise team of the 2024 season. Capitalizing on a last place schedule, and a rookie QB playing better than anyone could have anticipated; the Commanders made a deep run in the playoffs. They even out-dueled the #1 seeded Detroit, 45 – 31. A week later, the eventual Super Bowl Champions the Philadelphia Eagles, would annihilate Washington 55 – 23, and give them much to consider in the off-season.
Heading into the pre-season, this is how things look today:
QB: Jayden Daniels (331 – 480 – 69.0 – 3568 – 25 – 9) started all 17 games, while battling through broken ribs, suffered in Week 7. He ran for 891 yards and 6 scores, with a win/loss record of 12-5. But pump the brakes. That record could have just as easily been 8-9. His four game winning drives (Bears, giants, Eagles, and Cowboys) look good on paper, but the circumstances in each of those games will tell a very different story.
But that still leaves eight clear wins over the Bengals, Saints, Panthers, Titans, giants, Cardinals, Falcons, and Browns, right? Well, none of those teams made the playoffs. In fact, Daniels generally ceased to be a difference maker, whenever the opponent had a playoff caliber QB on the field. All early indications are positive, but demonstrated consistency is needed here.
Marcus Mariota returns as the back-up. The role looks to fit him well. He’s not asked to do too much when he’s asked to play, and he still has good mobility even at 31. Sam Hartman was an undrafted rookie, added to the roster last year; and for some reason, the well-traveled Josh Johnson was added to the roster, this year. (+)
RB: Brian Robinson (187 – 799 – 4.3 – 8) scares absolutely nobody. In three seasons he has never run for 800 yards in any one of them. He is not a game-breaker. He’s a big, “pound the ball between the Tackles” type. For explosive plays, the team is counting on Austin Ekeler (77 – 367 – 4.8 – 4 / 35 – 366 – 10.5 – 0). Surely, they’ll be looking to get him more than just 112 touches this season.
Providing depth is Jeremy McNichols (55 – 261 – 4.7 – 4) who is coming off a career year in 2024, having finally had his first career start after seven years, and four prior rosters. The Commanders also have third year man Chris Rodriguez (35 – 173 – 4.9 – 2). Putting together 354 – 1,600 – 4.5 – 18 between four guys, with their front line in a state of flux, may be the most slept-on story in the division. (+)
WR: Terry McLaurin (82 – 1096 – 13.4 – 13) saw a career-highs in both touchdown catches, and catch percentage (70.1). More importantly, he seems to have developed a real rapport with the guy throwing him the ball. So his current contract hold-out/hold-in/trade request isn’t too surprising. He’s currently still under contract, so I’m including him here.
WT Terry McLaurin being shown the money.
Meanwhile, when San Fran showed Deebo Samuel (51 – 670 – 13.1 – 3) the door, Washington couldn’t simp and give him a truckload of money fast enough. Even though his game is more suited to the slot, they want him to be a #2. Partly because overpaying a slot would be silly. Right Dallas?
Speaking of not showing up in the playoffs, Noah Brown (35 – 453 – 12.9 – 1) is back from the kidney injury that ended his 2024 campaign, in Week 13. Michael Gallup (no stats) is back from retirement. Further depth includes Luke McCaffery (18 – 168 – 9.3 – 0) and a handful of camp bodies and rookies, like 4th rounder Jaylin Lane.
There isn’t a legit #2 here, and the group is built as if the focus, is to capitalize on yards after the catch. That portends a lot of receivers taking big hits from Linebackers and Safeties. Which brings into question how healthy they’ll be, by the time we start with the Fall family gatherings. Once again, it’s basically McLaurin and then a big drop-off. (-)
TE:Zach Ertz(66 – 654 – 9.9 – 7) found the fountain of youth in 2024, while playing security blanket with his rookie passer. That said, with him being 34, the time to pivot to second year Ben Sinnott (5 – 28 – 5.6 – 1) should be this season. Nobody spends a 2nd round pick on a TE, without plans for him, and while John Bates is a tough sumbitch, he’s not a receiving threat. At the bottom of the barrel are Cole Turner and Tyree Jackson. (-)
OT: In order to keep the Broken Rib fairy away from their QB, Washington traded with Houston for LT Laremy Tunsil. He’s been a perennial Pro Bowler (for whatever that’s worth anymore), while dominating in the AFC South against the Colts, Jags, and Titans. All while playing in a dome. In a warm climate. The NFC East will offer him none of that.
Taking snaps (so far) at RT, is 1st rounder Josh Conerly. This makes for a brand new pair of starters on the ends. In 2024 it was RT Andrew Wylie, and (rookie) LT Brandon Coleman. Wylie took a pay cut in March, just to keep a job. Coleman is looking for an open seat anywhere on the line. Behind them, are a couple of career back-ups, and undrafted rookie Timothy McKay.
Nice bed. Be a shame if someone…
While the new starters may be talented, how they adapt to a new team, and system, are all question marks. Last year’s starters shit the bed hard enough to cause the team to wipe the slate and start all over. If the reserves have to step in, there can’t be a ton of confidence there. So until they prove otherwise… (-)
OG: Offensive line coach Bobby Johnson, may have as many as four new starters up front, going into this season. Last year it was LG Nick Allegretti and RG Sam Cosmi. This year Brandon Coleman is getting a look at LG, and Andrew Wylie seems to have been demoted to utility player.
Allegretti and Cosmi are still in the mix to start, but it’s a mix. Especially with Cosmi still rehabbing a blown ACL. Johnson completely re-tooling the line that he assembled last year, tells you how deeply disappointed he was. The real question here is, is this position any more talented than it was a year ago? The flat answer is, no. (-)
C: Tyler Biadasz is the anchor of this line, and he’s clearly the player that it’s being built around. He isn’t flashy, but he’s a consistent and stabilizing presence. He’s also the only player listed at this position. Michael Dieter is listed at G, but he’s got eight career starts in the pivot. So depth here is a mild concern. (+)
In A Nutshell: If the line doesn’t gel quickly, this offense is cooked.
DEFENSE
DE: Finally a starter (fifteen starts) Dorance Armstrong (39 – 5.0 – 0 – 0) was supposed to take a major leap forward. What happened is, he was less productive than when he was a back-up. Clellin Ferrell(26 – 3.5 – 0 – 0) also failed to be a game-changer despite his ten starts. Seeing low production from their starters (8.5 sacks), Washington decided to make a major move...
They gave a roster spot to what’s left of Von Miller. He’s collected 6 sacks in the last two years, as a situational player. Further depth looks like second year Jacob Martin (15 – 3.0 – 0 – 0); Javonte Jean-Baptiste (13 – 1.0 – 0 – 0); Andre Jones (1 tackle); and Viliami Fehoko, who was drafted in the 4th round in 2023, but has bounced around practice squads since then. (-)
DT: Jonathan Allen (Minnesota) was allowed to walk, breaking up the dynamic duo that was he and Daron Payne (42 – 4.0 – 0 – 0). Stepping up to be Payne’s new running mate, is Jer’Zhan Newton (44 – 2.0 – 0 – 1) who had eleven starts in 2024, due to Allen being injured. Newton was drafted last year to give Washington more interior pass rush and be a disruptor, but so far he’s “less of an asset” against the run.
Adding Javon Kinlaw (40 – 4.5 – 0 – 1) from the Jets, could be a good move, depending on which version of him shows up most of the time. NT Eddie Goldman came over from the Falcons, (probably as bulk vs the Brotherly Shove). He can anchor against the run, but no one is worried about his pass rush. Maybe that’s whyDeatrich Wise (20 – 5.0 – 0 – 0) was added from the Patriots? Lots of experience, but there’s a lot of high mileage, new parts to blend. (-)
I/MLB: In 2024, Bobby Wagner (132 – 2.0 – 0 – 2) recorded his lowest tackle total since 2015. That’s despite starting all seventeen games. Whether it was because it was his first year in the system, or because he was 34, is the question. Given the lack of clear depth behind him, that’s not a good question to have.
Right now, second year man Jordan Magee (9 tackles), would be the first man off the bench in case of injury to Wagner. However, he only saw 15 snaps in 2024. Further depth looks like possibly 6th rounder Kain Medrano, or undrafted rookies Kam Arnold and Ale Kaho. Nick Bellore is a Special Teamer who also plays FB. (-)
LB Frankie Luvu jumps offsides, trying to stop the Eagles Brotherly Shove play.
OLB: Frankie Luvu (99 – 8.0 – 1 – 2) had career-highs in sacks (8), and passes defensed (7). Despite Dante Fowler and his 10.5 sacks going back to Dallas, there doesn’t seem to be a hard set plan for re-stocking the other starting spot.
Instead, Washington is hoping that Dominique Hampton, a 5th roundtweener from last year’s Draft, can replace Jeremy Chinn (Las Vegas), who played a hybrid role, as a box FS/LB. You didn’t read that wrong. This is what’s happening. This is who they have, and they’re serious about rolling this out. (-)
S: Quan Martin (87 – 0.0 – 1 – 0 ) also added 3 forced fumbles last year, during his sixteen starts. They added free agent Will Harris from the Saints. With 3 career interceptions in six years, Harris isn’t exactly a ball-hawk or a game changer. He does however, bring a much needed veteran presence to a very inexperienced group.
Percy Butler (47 tackles) had five starts last year, but he had thirteen the year before. Instead of relying on him, Washingtonadded a veteran. Below Butler are undrafted Tyler Owens (who doesn’t believe in Space or other planets); undrafted college special teamer Ben Nikkel; and undrafted rookie Robert McDaniel. (-)
CB: Mike Sainristil (93 – 0.0 – 2 – 1) saw sixteen starts as a rookie last year. It started out rough, but he played through, and by season’s end, the improvement was apparent. Marshon Lattimore (4 tackles) came over in a midseason trade. He only played two games due to a hamstring injury, which he blamed for his poor performance. BUT! If we’re going to keep it 100, he’s been a shell of himself since 2022.
Noah Igbinoghene (55 tackles) having defected from Dallas last year, now has two years of this system under his belt. Jonathan Jones (Patriots) is very experienced, especially in the slot. Add a handful of young guys, which include two undrafted rookies, and you have the makings of… A mess. This is a mess. It’s one decent player, a guy who’s washed, an old slot guy, a bench warmer, and camp bodies. This is a mess. (-)
In A Nutshell : Aside from possibly Kinlaw, no clear move was made to improve this unit.
SPECIAL TEAMS
K: Free agent signee Matt Gay has no competition on the roster. The gig is obviously his, despite him being 11/22 from 50+ yards, over the last two seasons. Did I mention he played the last two seasons in Indianapolis? Yes, a place with a dome. In fact, 8 of those 11 misses were in a dome. However, he was 28/28 from 49 yards or less. So he’s solid, but not clutch. (+)
P: Tress Way only had to punt 50 times last season, which helped keep his leg fresh enough to raise his average punt to 46.9 from 46.0 the previous year. He won’t set the world on fire, but he’s solid. (+)
In a Nutshell: Washington is solidly going the Gay Way in 2025.
BOTTOM LINE: At the end of January, no one was expecting this team to shell out 60M$ to two WR’s, but by Week One, that is precisely what has to happen. (Right?) As a result, there wasn’t big money to spend on improving a defense which allowed 55 points in the last game they played in. Add to that, a harder schedule, and a season’s worth of tape on their QB. This team won’t sneak up on anyone this year.
Everywhere I turn, the national media has this team back in the NFC Championship game or beyond, but I just don’t see it. They just don’t have the firepower to make up for a poor defense. Let’s call it 9 – 8 and a Wild-card exit.
REBUILDING continues! In 2024 New York finished 3 – 14, 4th place in the NFC East, pspg 16.1 (31st), papg 24.4 (21st)
Their pass defense was top ten in yardage last year, but that stat is extremely deceptive. Last season they had an even split of 503 passing attempts and 503 rushing attempts, against them. They gave up 6.5 yards per pass, but 4.6 yards per rush! As an opposing offense, why would you ever throw the ball? As a result, the 503 pass attempts they faced, were third fewest in the league, thus the low yardage.
Heading into the pre-season, this is how things look today:
OFFENSE
QB:Tommy “Cutlets” Devito is the only player currently at this position. He has a career record of 3 – 5 in 8 starts for the g-men, throwing 8 TD’s and 3 picks, thus far. He’s also shown some ability to leg plays out. He doesn’t have elite tools, but he’s a competitor. A better organization might take an offseason to see what they have here, but…
Then just like that, the giants sign Jameis Winston for enough money and incentives to make him the odds-on favorite to win the starting job. He was the #1 overall pick in the 2015 Draft, but it’s hard to know what he is. Is he a talented guy who’s simply bounced from one bad team/situation to another and another? Or is he fool’s gold, that assures mediocrity?
Then BOOM! They signed Russell Wilson to an even larger contract, and in his introductory speech, he all but declared himself the Day One starter. The question is: What do the giants have in him? At this point in his career, it seems like he’s become enamored with making the smart decision, not necessarily the right one. With football being a game of moments, that aversion to risk, means he misses out on those most important moments.
Then, with the 25th overall pick in the Draft, the giants selected Jaxson Dart! With him being a first round pick, you know they want him on the field. And soon. Which then raises the question: What happens with Wilson, now? There are now four quarterbacks on this team, and the only one who’s ever won a game for it, is the one least likely to ever see another start for it. (-)
RB: Looking at his overall numbers would make you think that Tyrone Tracy (192 – 839 – 4.4 – 5) had a pretty good rookie year. Until you notice the 5 fumbles and how he only eclipsed 60 rushing yards just 4 times in 17 games. Free agent addition Devin Singletary (113 – 437 – 3.9 – 4) went from 2023 career-highs in carries and rushing yardage (216 – 898) with the Texans, to career lows as a giant. He also suffered career-lows in receptions and receiving yardage. Eric Gray has 6 fumbles on 31 career attempts, for 79 yards, no scores and a long run of 12 yards. If he makes their 2025 practice squad, I’ll be shocked. In the 4th round of the Draft, the giants selected Cam Skattebo. He’s a hard-running, high effort type. While he has the attitude to succeed, the question is: At this level, does he have enough talent? (-)
WR: Their best is Malik Nabers (109 – 1204 – 11.0 – 7). He’s coming off a productive rookie season, but much of that was from dealing in high volume, as he saw 170 targets in 15 games (11.3 tpg). Oh, and his 9 drops outnumbered his 7 scores. For comparison, EaglesA.J. Brown, on just 97 targets, also had 7 scores. With zero drops. That’s not a typo. Zero drops.
WR Malik Nabers competes for a pass.
Their number two, is Wan’Dale Robinson (93 – 699 – 7.5 – 3) who was targeted a career-high 140 times last year. Funny thing is, the more passes he sees, the more his yards per catch drops (9.9 in 2022, 8.8 in 2023, 7.5 in 2024). They re-signed deep threat Darius Slayton (39 – 573 – 14.7 – 2), but he’s already spent six years being under-utilized there. The last three were under current Offensive Co-Ordinator and former Eagles QB,Mike Kafka. Don’t expect much to change.
Speaking of former Eagles, Zach Pascal is also there. Combined since 2022, he has all of 19 catches, for 169 yards and 1 score. If they don’t draft a playmaker here, their passing attack will need their QB to be an absolute savior. (Update: They didn’t draft a playmaker here.) (-)
TE:Theo Johnson (29 – 331 – 11.4 – 1) is the headliner of this group. Um, okay? Daniel Bellinger (14 – 125 – 8.9 – 0) has seen his snap percentage decrease in each of the last two seasons, and he’s only played three. Chris Manhertz (3 – 30 – 10.0 – 1) played even less than Bellinger last year.
It would be easier to stomach these guys if their blocking led to huge improvement in the run game. Now say, if they helped some guy rush for 2,000 yards, then yeah, it wouldn’t matter that they suck as receivers. If they draft a player here, it had better be earlier than the fourth round. (Update: They added Thomas Fidone in the 7th round. (-)
OT: LT Andrew Thomas returns from a Lisfranc injury in his right foot, that cost him the final eleven games of last season. When he went down, the giants were forced to patch that position on the fly. RT Jermaine Eleumunor became the primary fill-in for Thomas at LT. Eleumunor didn’t exactly set the world on fire, and will face a 2025 challenge at RT from Evan Neal, who has yet to justify being the 7th overall Draft pick in 2022.
For depth, Stone Forsythe (Seahawks) and James Hudson (Browns) were added. Both are four year vets, who have never spent a season as a primary starter. Depth is scarce and the starters are “Meh.” at best. (-)
G: In his first season as a giant, LG Jon Runyan Jr. struggled until he was placed on season-ending Injured Reserve (I.R.) due to an ankle injury. RG Greg Van Roten (also in his first year as a giant), played better than Runyan, but neither was great. Perhaps a year of familiarity will improve them in 2025.
Behind them are Aaron Stinne and Jake Kubas. Plucking 5th rounder, Marcus Mbow from the Draft, already seems like a project. Their plan seems to be, moving him from college RT to professional G. (-)
C: They say the best ability is availability, and John Michael Schmitz made 15 starts in 17 games, anchoring an interior which started the first 13 games together. While not spectacular, he at least provides the kind of stability (another great ability) to build upon. Behind him is Jimmy Morrissey, who saw 4 starts as a rookie in 2021, and none since. (+)
In A Nutshell: Iffy offensive line, nothing but question marks at QB, and last year’s weapons, playing in last year’s system, which averaged 16.1 points, for 31st in the league. (-)
DEFENSE
DE:Rakeem Nunez-Roches and Roy Robertson-Harris are just a guys and both are 32 years old. So the giants swiped Chauncey Gholston from Dallas, with plans to deploy him on the line and as a ‘backer. Whether this means a transition to true 4-3, instead of the weird 2-4-5 thing they ran in 2024, remains to be seen. The personnel here however, would suggest a 3-4 or that 2-4-5 again. (-)
DT Dexter Lawrence doing Dexter Lawrence things
DT:Dexter Lawrence is one of the most disruptive linemen in the league, and he posted a career-high 9 sacks in 2024, to drive that point home. Tweener Elijah Chatman made the roster as an undrafted rookie last year, and logged three starts. He plays with hustle and passion, but he is a bit undersized at 278 pounds.
D.J. Davidson made two starts with 2 sacks, but the giants see him as a back-up. Jordon Riley made five starts, and was totally unremarkable, for the second year in a row. Which is probably why the giants drafted Darius Alexander in the third round. He’s heavy-footed and doesn’t make plays unless they’re run right at him. They have 1.5 out of 5 players here. (-)
OLB: Last year, I asked if Kayvon Thibodeaux (5.5 sacks) was a difference maker, or an over-drafted, situational player who gets too many snaps. Well, after three seasons, I think we have our answer. Then there’s Brian Burns who started every game last year, posting 8.5 sacks and a career-high 71 tackles? At least the outsides are secure, right?
So of course, the giants drafted Abdul Carter #3 overall in this year’s Draft, to take the starting spot from Burns. So Burns will shortly be depth, along with…maybe Tomon Fox? This is situation is just goofy. (-)
MLB/ILB:Micah McFadden posted career-highs in tackles (107) and sacks (3.0) in 2024, showing continued improvement for a second straight year. Bobby Okereke on the other hand seemed to have regressed, with fewer stops and big plays made. Behind him is Darius Mausau, who was an undrafted rookie last year, but played hungry when he got opportunities.
There are a number of other players at this position, but they’re all career back-ups, who even look like camp bodies in their photographs. This team, with a straight face, did nothing to address the interior run issues of the 27th ranked run defense. Not. A. Thing. (-)
S:Tyler Nubin started thirteen games as a rookie last season, but he defensed exactly 1 pass over the course of all of those games. Free agent Jevon Holland was added from Miami, but he also doesn’t get his hands on the pigskin very often. Dane Belton started six games last season, and intercepted a pass. These three are the top of the mountain for this team. Undrafted rookie Makari Paige, at 6’4” could prevent problems for opposing passing games. If he plays?
The giants have taken an unfortunate step backwards here. None of their players at this position, have a history of being a play-maker, nor show the potential to become one. Which is likely to turn into a brutal ordeal, in this division. (-)
CB:Deonte Banks started all fourteen games that he played last season, and got his hand on 12 passes, without intercepting any of them, while allowing a 70% completion rate. Across from him, for ten starts was Cor’Dale Flott (1 interception), who surrendered a 66% completion rate. Both look to have the inside track on returning as starters this season.
CB Paulson Adebo
Andru Phillips (1 interception) chipped in six starts as a rookie, but allowing a 75% completion rate won’t earn him more playing time. Perhaps that’s why the team shelled out 54M$ over three years, for free agent Paulson Adebo from the Saints. He intercepted 3 passes in just seven games last season, before breaking his thigh bone. After a lengthy rehab, he’s looking good so far in camp. (Grain of salt: He’s also going against giants receivers, here.)
There’s 7th round rookie Korie Black, and a bunch of guys who were already back-ups on the roster when he was selected. Overall they have Adebo as their #1 and two starters from last year fighting for the second spot. Which makes them at least three deep. (+)
In A Nutshell: This defense may be a better pass rush unit, but vs the run and covering people it’s hard to say that there’s been any meaningful improvement. (-)
SPECIAL TEAMS
K/P: K Graham Gano (11/9 – 15/15) returns after a year struggling with injury. Two guys had a shot a replacing him, but well, Graham is still here. K Jude McAtamney (1/1 – 1/1) and Gano may battle it out this Summer for the gig.
P Jamie Gillian (43.7ypp – 40.5 net) was yet again remarkably unremarkable. He’s like that thing in the fridge that you keep meaning to toss, but keep forgetting about until the day after trash day. ( I gotta get rid of that mustard.)
In A Nutshell: Given all this teams issues, it’s silly to nit-pick unremarkable kicking. (+)
BOTTOM LINE: Are they trying to get Daboll fired? It took me MONTHS to write this up, because I was absolutely certain that I was reading this all wrong. There was just no way the giants were serious about the way they looked on April 27th.
New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll, not yet touching his forehead, but getting there. (Seinfeld reference.)
So I decided to sit back and let the June 1st cuts happen. To wait for that second shoe to drop, and see a move or two get made, which would tie it all together. But here we are (now mid-JuneJuly beginnging of August), and nothing looks objectively better. Even as a rival fan I’m disgusted! If you’re an actual giants fan, take the gun out of your mouth, and just sit this season out.
Let’s call it 6 – 11 because the QB play in 2025 has to be better than 2024’s.
WE’RE back on our Brotherly Shove again! In the 2024 Wild Card game, we defeated the Packers by putting up 22 points to their 10. In the 2025 offseason, we defeated their proposal to ban the Shove, by getting only 10 votes to their 22. They had more points but still lost! We Bugs Bunny’d them!
That level of fail has to hurt. There is no possible way, that it doesn’t hurt in the deepest, darkest, most ouchiest places.
Green Bay is all about holding onto the past. Frozen tundra, Vince Lombardi, the Packer Sweep, and all that crap. So you KNOW that Packer fans will hold onto both losses. Why not rub some salt in, and squeeze some lemon juice on those wounds? I swear, when we visit Lambeau in November, the first play we run, should be the Shove. Just make a point.
I woke up Wednesday, fully expecting the NFL to ban the play. I’d already made peace with it, and discussed why and how I did, in my last article. Back in April when the owners voted on it, the vote was tied 16 to 16. Instead of accepting that vote, the NFL moved the goal post on the issue, so that Green Bay could re-word the proposal, to pick up 8 more votes in May.
Well, their new rule proposal only picked up an additional 6 votes. Likely because the new language in the proposal, would have banned any pushing, of any runner. For ALL teams. For owners trying to turn the NFL into flag football, that change is just an evolutionary step. For owners who want football to stay football, that change is a seventy degree slope, coated in oil.
I’ll be interested in seeing how often Green Bay and Buffalo still runs the Tush Push, since they are “so opposed” to it. In fact, any team running the play besides the Ravens, Browns, Lions, Jaguars, Dolphins, Patriots, Saints, Jets, or Titans, is full of shit if they attempt it even once.
I didn’t name the Eagles in that group, because the Eagles don’t run the Tush Push. We run the Brotherly Shove. That is not a semantic, or just a matter of nomenclature. It’s the distance between why we’re so successful at what we do, and other teams are not as successful at what they do. We simply aren’t doing the same thing!
When talking about why we’re so good at the Shove, announcers, as well as opposing players and coaches, frequently cite how QB Jalen Hurts can squat 600 pounds. Meanwhile, often during the play, his feet aren’t even on the ground! They mention the pushing of the butt. Yet Hurts frequently makes the distance without needing that push.
Teams are making incorrect assumptions about the play, and therefore aren’t studying or approaching executing it properly. They’re trying to imitate what they think it is, instead of what it truly is. Which is why they both keep getting it wrong, AND failing to stop it. The biggest secret of the Shove, is us never pointing out what opponents are misunderstanding.
It’ll be interesting to see what new basis they’ll try to ban it on, next year; as well as how often opponents fake a short-term injury, in order to create injury data that heretofore hasn’t existed. I doubt however, that the next charge will be led by Green Bay. Because we keep proving, on or off the field, the slack-jawed Packers are simply no match for us.
TIME to weigh-in on how we think the Eagles did in this draft. This is a “rolling” report, meaning that instead of putting out multiple articles, repeating the same things; I’m just going to add to this one. So you’ll to have to come back to this one, for the latest developments.
Let’s get at it!
Round 1: LB Jihaad Campbell (6’3, 235) – As an off-ball LB, his speed and explosiveness jump off the screen. However, upon listening to General Manager Howie Roseman in the10 minute presserthat followed the Draft, what you’ve seen, may not be what we get.
It seems like the plan, is to bulk Campbell up (at 4:50) and use him mostly as an edge rusher. In fact, when asked about expectations from Campbell as an off-ball LB, Roseman said (at 6:54), that he didn’t want to put Campbell in that box. Roseman also said (at 2:00) that this was “not a need pick”. That statement almost makes Campbell sound like a project, or developmental in nature.
Note: I said that we should move up to #15, to select DT Walter Nolen or DE Shemar Stewart. They went #16 and #17 respectively. So I feel vindicated in regards to my strategic assessment.
Round 2: FS Andrew Mukuba (5’11, 186) – He’s athletic, but I don’t see the plan for him. His size is fine for a CB, but as a S, I have concerns at this level. Especially in regards to jump balls. It’s hard not to see this pick, as hedging our bets against S Sydney Brownbeing able to take over the FS spot.
Round 3: NO PICK – I suspected that we would use our third round pick in some sort of trade, and I nailed it.
Round 4: DT Ty Robinson (6’6, 288) – Nothing against Jihaad Campbell, but this was my favorite pick of the Eagles draft. Robinson’s listed as a DT, but he can play anywhere on the line, and be effective from there. Not just against the run, but as a pass rusher. We haven’t had a body type at DE like this, since Clyde Simmons. With his physical, bullying style, if unleashed at LDE, with DT Jalen Carter eating double-teams to his right…Robinson could turn out to be special.
Round 5: CB Mac McWilliams (5’10, 191) – Nickel Corner who’s at home playing around and behind the line of scrimmage. His downfield coverage hints that he’ll need help over the top whenever he’s on the field.
Round 5: LB Smael Mondon (6’2, 224) – He’s on the small side, but a few cheesesteaks will get him to 230 – 235. What he has going for him already, is speed and a knack for keeping himself clean before knifing into the backfield. So his floor is Special Teamer.
Round 5: C Drew Kendall (6’4, 308) – Decent play strength and good mobility. He has a couple of issues that jump off the tape. The first one gets mentioned by everyone, and might not be fixable. He plays too upright. He doesn’t bend much at the knee and/or waist, to lower his center of gravity and allow him to anchor better against bull-rushes.
His other issue, no one is talking about; but I’ve played some C, so it jumps off the screen for me. He’s late to raise his non-snapping hand. It allows defenders to quickly get deep into his frame. Many of his reps in pass protection seem to have him on his heels, and that late off-hand is largely why that happens. If I saw it that fast, Offensive Line Coach Jeff Stoutland will too.
Round 6: QB Kyle McCord (6’3, 218) – Practice Squad perhaps? He’s a competitor, but there is no real spot for him on the active roster, since the Eagles usually only dress two at this position.
Round 6: OT Myles Hinton (6’7, 323) – A developmental project, and I do mean “mental”. His play betrays a certain lack of aggression. If that could be uncorked, he could have a career.
Round 6: OT Cameron Williams (6’6, 317) – Played RT in college, which is an immediate red flag, unless the QB is a lefty. Looked sluggish at the snap in college. That won’t work in the NFL.
Round 6: OLB Antwaun Powell-Ryland (6’3, 258) – Wide Nine technique type.. Those words may bring back memories of former Eagles DETrent Cole, but Cole gave up too many easy rushing yards for my taste. Powell-Ryland was very productive in college, so his expectations for himself would be based on his actual ability to produce when it counts.
This was a solid draft. Nothing flashy, just re-stocking the shelves. Other people think it was great. I however, don’t think that we definitively addressed our lack of players at DE. We drafted an off-ball LB, who can be used as a pass rusher, a DT who can play the edge, and waited until round six, to finally bring in a guy who majored in DE in college.
WINNING the Super Bowl with what people have repeated called “the best roster in the NFL” and/or “the deepest roster in the NFL”, says that when the final game of the season was over, your Philadelphia Eagles, had few if any, holes to fill.
Then came free agency, with opposing teams driving truckloads of money up to some of our players. Like back-up DT Milton Williams, netting a four year 104M$ deal from the Patriots. Then after free agency, trades like the one that sent FS C.J. Gardner-Johnson to the Texans. Then releases, like CB Darius Slaybeing allowed to take I-76 over to Pittsburgh.
Personnel losses (especially on Defense), left us with questions about depth. We also face possible starting holes, if our announced heir-apparent players, aren’t able to step up. Players like DT Moro Ojomo, FS Sydney Brown, and CB Kelee Ringo.
This is where the annual NFL Draft comes in. In a few days, General Manager Howie Roseman gets to load up on young, cheap talent, to help patch some of the holes. Our ammunition? We enter this year’s draft with eight picks in the first five rounds.
Word is that our biggest need is at Safety. WRONG! That’s not a factual statement. At DE we currently have Bryce Huff(whom we want to trade) andK.J. Henry, on his fourth team in four years. So we have no starting DE’s. This is a massive hole. Luckily this draft is loaded with defensive line talent, so we’d be idiots not to load up on two or three of them.
Time to look at this draft!
Round 1 #32: (Trade up to 15) RDE Shemar Stewart (6’5, 267) – Everyone is talking about us replacing back-up DT Milton Williams. How about we replace starting DE Josh Sweat first? Make sense? I thought so too. Stewart gives us a more sudden, more violent version of Sweat. If he can add his hands to his explosiveness, he’ll require frequent double teaming.
ALTERNATE CHOICE: (Trade up to 15) DT Walter Nolen(6’4, 296) If Stewart is gone, and Nolen is still there, he’s too good to pass up. Better yet, he’s too good to have to face twice a year. He has the tweener body type to move to LDE, with DT Jalen Carter eating double teams beside him.
Round 2 #64: (Trade up to 40, possibly for TE Dallas Goedertand a pick) DE Nic Scourton (6’3, 257) – What I like most about Scourton, is his size. He looks bigger than he’s listed, and he’s played as heavy as 285. I have long thought that we could use bigger DE. By “bigger” I mean 270-plus. Brandon Graham was effective at 6’2 265, but he was never overpowering in the sense of a Reggie White(6’5/305) or a Clyde Simmons (6’6/292). Scourton could give us that size.
This is 6’2 265 pound Brandon Graham, with prospect Nick Scouton. Does Scouton look 6’3 257 pounds to you?
Thing is, he’s projected as a late 1st early 2nd round pick, so he won’t be there at 64. We’ll have to move up to get him as well, but if we could pull it off, our defensive line would be the stuff of nightmares. ALTERNATE CHOICE: (Don’t trade up) LDE Sai’vion Jones – (6’5 280) He has a 3rd round grade on him, so picking him 64th is only slightly over-drafting him. However, if he gets lined up at LDE next to Jalen Carter, by November you won’t care about the pick, because you’ll love the fit.
Round 3 #96: Likely gone in a trade up along with some 2026 Draft capital
Round 4 #134: RB Cam Skattebo (5’9, 219) – Seems weird to you doesn’t it? True or False. RB Saquon Barkley comes with an injury history, and is coming off a 378 touch season? His current back-up, A.J. Dillon, is hopefully recovered from a neck injury. (A stinger. Remember FB Kevin Turner?) Behind Dillon is Will Shipley, who had a nice couple of runs in the playoffs, but looked sluggish all last regular season. So we need some insurance.
Skattebo is a no nonsense sparkplug. He runs hard, bounces off contact, and can also catch the ball. While he lacks the speed to score from anywhere, he has more than enough speed and power, to break of yardage in large chunks.
Round 5 #161: OT Caleb Etienne (6’6, 329) – He has a 6th – 7th round grade on him, but I don’t trust that. He has every tool in the box, he just needs some refinement. I’d love to see Offensive Line Coach Jeff Stoutlandget a couple years to develop him, before RT Lane Johnsonretires.
Round 5 #164: TE Jackson Hawes (6’4, 253) – He’s an actual TE. He’s not a heavy WR. He’s not a piece that coaches “will be excited to move around”. He’s a TE. He plays at the end of the O-Line. He blocks his ass off. He catches dump-offs, and short passes. Period. He’s not out there to threaten anyone deep. In fact, with 51 catches in 4 years, he rarely saw the ball.
Round 5 #165: CB Marcus Harris (5’11, 189) – More of a zone corner than man, but he’s aggressive towards the ball, and shoots his gun versus the run.
Round 5 #168: Likely gone in a trade up along with some 2026 Draft capital
Notice how I did not select a Safety? That was quite on purpose. If Sydney Brown is getting a shot at the job, then give him the shot. Drafting a rookie early, to stare over Brown’s shoulder, sends a message of no confidence. If there are going to be questions over the starting spot, then just sign a veteran as insurance. Preferably one with knowledge of our defensive system. HINT!
Drive Killer: NCB Cooper DeJean (TD: 1/Int: 1/ FR: 0/ 4th down stops: 0/ FF: 0)
Sack Leader: DE Josh Sweat (Sacks:2.5/ FF: 0/ Tackles: 6)
Special Teams Ace: K Jake Elliott 4/4 FG (50) 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: CHIEFS did the Eagles actually get around to doing? Well let’s see:
1) Don’t Get Cute:We didn’t. We stuck to what got us there, namely running the ball with RB Saquon Barkley (25 – 57 – 2.2 – 0 – 0). While it wasn’t producing big yards, it did open up everything else. The Chiefs were playing to not lose to Saquon, but they made no plan for the rest of the Eagles.
Celebrating WR A.J. Brown’s TD catch
The best part was that it stabilized things for Hurts, who despite a couple of sacks, never seemed to be under much duress. We danced with the girl who brung us, and in the end, we were sweetly rewarded for doing so. (DONE)
2) Bait Their QB Into Bad Throws: QB Patrick Mahomes (21/32 – 65.6% – 257 – 3 – 2) likes to get rid of the ball quickly, so it was just a matter of making him think he had something, then snatching it from him. Like LB Zack Baun (7 – 0 – 1 – 0) clearly does here.
If you recall, after this interception (Mahome’s second) he started holding the ball longer and the sacks started to mount up. He was no longer trusting his early reads. Mahomes was also bumped a little by Sweat on this play, throwing off the passes accuracy. (DONE)
Birthday boy NCB Cooper DeJean with the 38 yard pick six
3) Give Our Pass Rush Time: Our pass rush had Mahomes under constant pressure. We made him a moving QB, throwing to moving receivers, against moving defenders. The early result of this was an interception by rookie NCB Cooper DeJean, which he returned 38 yards to paydirt. On his birthday. Another was a rushed throw which was dropped by WR DeAndre Hopkins (5 – 2 – 18 – 9.0 – 1). Oh yeah, we also collected 6 sacks, 1 of which resulted in a turnover by DT Milton Williams (4 – 2.0 – 0 – 1) (DONE)
DT Milton William with the sack, forced fumble and recovery. BG 2.0
4) Motion Our Hot Read: We didn’t really use a hot read, or even much play-action this week. It was a little weird, but we put up 33 points (the other 7 were on a defensive score plus an extra point), so I won’t complain. (NOT DONE)
++++
This week’s Four Things score was 3 of 4, which was enough to win this game by 18 points, even though it was never actually that close. At one point it was 37 – 6. Soon after which the Eagles pulled our starters and the Chiefs left theirs in, resulting in garbage time points and yards for them. Next up, we get to start re-arming to run this shit back.
****
Game Hero: RB Saquon Barkley – While Hurts won the MVP, it was the beating that Saquon took, that facilitated the entire Offense’s day. It really seemed like the only thing the Chiefs were concerned with, was not being humiliated by a long TD run. It was a brilliant gameplan… Provided the goal was to give up 33 points on drives.
The Chiefs defense bit on the fake handoff to Barkley, and it opened up this 46 yard dagger to WR DeVonta Smith.
Game goat: LS Rick Lovato – Drew two false start penalties, which erased two made field goals, and moved them back five yards each. Given the difficult year that Jake Elliott has had, making his job any harder was really uncool.
On The Whole: Apollo barely won the first fight, but here in the rematch, the underdog Rocky, was the clear winner. Were the Eagles the underdog? Oh yes we were. You see, I keep receipts:
And I have every intention of being absolutely insufferable this year, as I apply salt to any wound I see on a rival fan.
We absolutely went out and did our thing in this game. We romped and frolicked in the Chiefs wilderness, and they were helpless to do anything about it. The mission has been completed.
Man. I can’t wait to see the media fallout on this.
DISMANTLING Washington 55 – 23, has led us back to the Super Bowl! We got key contributions from QB Jalen Hurts (Offense), LB Zack Baun (Defense) and RB Will Shipley(Special Teams). It was a total team effort. It’s brought us this far, and it will continue to see us through, until we complete our mission this Sunday.
Our opponents are not quite as complete a team, as they live and die on the ability of their QB to bail them out. Which is exactly the sort of team that we just faced. And then faced down! I’ll take our active 48 vs their 1, any day. Especially when our 48 includes RB Saquon Barkley and DT Jalen Carter
With a win, Philadelphia will be the champions. We will have completed the mission, by getting what we came for.
If we were to lose, it would mean disappointment.
Here is to completing our mission.
****
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 Chiefs.
RB Saquon Barkley thunders through the snow.
1) Don’t Get Cute:Do what got us here. Run the ball with Saquon, while we let our Offensive Line be physical, and tee off on the opponent. Wear down their defense. We’ll take big plays, but we don’t need them. A bunch of mauling, clock-eating drives that end in touchdowns, is probably better anyway. Especially in the first half.
2) Bait Their QB Into Bad Throws:The opposing QB prides himself on getting the ball out of his hands, after about 2.6 seconds. WE CAN EXPLOIT THAT! Against Pittsburgh, commentator Tom Brady described our short coverage as “muddy”, because our defenders didn’t rush into their drops. We used this again, last week.
This week we could turn that up a notch, by presenting a hole underneath, and then immediately closing on it. Of course the first couple of holes, need to be free completions. Just to bait the hook. THEN we start jumping every hole we present. That would make their QB stop trusting early openings, and hold the ball longer.
DT Jalen Carter with his first sack of this game.
3) Give OurPass Rush Time: We have to keep their receivers covered long enough, for our pass rush to get to their QB, or at least get him to move his feet. Getting him on the ground is ideal, but failing that, we want him throwing from a moving platform, to moving receivers, navigating moving defenders.
OLB Nolan Smith helps DT Jordan Davis notch a sack
Getting OLB Nolan Smith to set a hard edge outside of the RT, would help our interior pass rush, and generate a few holding calls to boot.
4) Motion Our Hot Read:The Chiefs like to use exotic blitzes. WE CAN EXPLOIT THAT! You’ve seen it in games, when a man is put into motion to determine if a coverage is Man or Zone? Here’s a variation on that. When possible blitzers approach the line, motion our hot read player, completely away from the blitzer(s).
That right there presents a dilemma. Does the defense come out of the blitz to cover, or do they leave the “hot” open for a quick pass? By the way, I like the idea of using Saquon or RB Kenneth Gainwellin this role.
TE Dallas Goedert also provides an excellent option
****
If the Eagles do these Four Things, then we’ll be virtually impossible to beat. That being said…
QB Jalen Hurts. All he does is win.
Check the field for slipperiness! Bring every kind of cleat that money can buy. Every player should bring three pairs of shoes! Am I traumatized by what happened in Arizona? You’re damned right I am. No repeating that shit, this Sunday.
****
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 forFour Things Reviewed, and we’ll discuss how this game went.
Sack Leader: OLB Nolan Smith (Sacks:1.0/ FF: 0/ Tackles: 4)
Special Teams Ace: RB Will Shipley KR: 3 – 87 – 29.3 – 0 (36L)) / KC: FF/ Rush: (4 – 77 – 19.2 – 1 – 0)
****
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:
RB Saquon Barkley rips a 60 yard TD run on the Eagles first offensive play. LB’s Bobby Wagner and Frankie Luvu are reminded of why teams keep letting them walk.
1) Torment Single-high Coverage: We didn’t take advantage or refine many opportunities to do this at all. Many of our passes thrown, absolutely challenged one-on-one coverage of the outsides; but many of those were out-breaking routes that started from bunch formations.
We have to find ways to capitalize on loaded boxes, designed to slow down our run game. One of those would be to play with few WR bunches. The earlier Hurts can identify an open man, the faster he can get the ball out. (NOT DONE)
2) Limit the Scrambling: The Commanders QB finished the game with 48 rushing yards, but he only ran the ball 6 times in this game. In the prior two games he ran 16 and 13 times respectively. While he didn’t have a bunch of yards in any of the games, those runs help extend plays and mine opportunities for big plays.
We limited his chances to run and in that way made him play straight-up. The result was that he looked like a rookie who couldn’t match the pace of the game. (DONE)
3) Muddy the Coverage:We did an excellent job of this, especially in the first half. They got a single big passing play on a 36 yard catch and run, but most of what their QB Jayden Daniels (29/48 – 60.4 – 255 – 1 – 1) was forced into, was dumping off to his security blanket, TE Zach Ertz (16 – 11 – 104 – 9.4 – 0).
Just to illustrate how limited we kept Daniels, Ertz saw a full one-third of his QB’s attempts. Once we took away Daniels legs as an x-factor, it exposed how limited his supporting cast was, forced him to read more, and form there the hunt was on. (DONE)
4) Goedert As Hot Read:This one makes me grumble a bit, because instead of discussing general use of TE Dallas Goedert (8 – 7 – 85 – 12.4 – 0), I got hung up on discussing his third down use. While the Eagles put him to excellent use today, most of it was not as a receiver on third down. So we used him like an outlet, but not on the specific down that I wrote about. We did this, but it’s a technical: (NOT DONE)
++++
This week’s Four Things score was 2 of 4, but it we did enough to post a blowout.
Now we get a week’s rest, and then we travel down to the Big Easy, for a Super Bowl win that won’t be. Bring on the challenge. Our guys wouldn’t have it any other way.
****
LG Landon Dickerson started the game at C, but had to leave with a knee injury. But he kept rooting for his guys!
Game Hero: The Offensive Line– The hidden story of the day is 29 rushes for 229 yards (6.3ypc) and 7 rushing touchdowns. That’s not a typo. We ran for SEVEN MOTHERFUCKING TOUCHDOWNS, in one game. And we did it behind a line featuring two injured Centers, tag-teaming the spot.
Game goat: KJake Elliott (0/1 FG 7/7/XP) – I’m going to go with Elliott here, despite the fact that I didn’t care about the 54 yard field goal miss. Part of that has to do with the fact, that he’s been ass from 50+ this year; but I also wasn’t feeling the vibe in that moment. We’d unraveled on that drive, and were essentially hoping that a struggling guy might save us. So when he missed, it almost seemed like what needed to happen.
On The Whole: The 55 points that we put up in this game were the most point EVER put up in a Conference Championship Game, NFC or AFC. The Eagles own that record. Period. We scored 8 touchdowns in this game. All on Offense.
I made it clear in Four Things, that I wasn’t the least bit worried about Washington, and now you see why. We collected three Defensive turnovers, and one on Special Teams (by a RB who also ran for 77 yards and TD), along with ending two drives on unconverted fourth downs. One being a sack by Nolan Smith.
DT Jordan Davis makes his presence felt during a sack.
How bad was this blowout? If you doubled Washington’s score, and spotted them an extra touchdown and a two point conversion, they would have still lost by a point. So spare me all of that “Super Rookie” garbage. We just dragged his team’s face across stucco, in front of the nation, and he was helpless to stop it. Because what can one man do, against a superior team of superior men? The scoreboard is the answer.
ANOTHER successful home defense, and now we host the National Football Conference Championship Game. Whether you believe in RB Saquon Barkley, or openly and roundly criticize QB Jalen Hurts, they both continue to lift this Offense. Then there are the young guns on Defense, led by DT Jalen Carterand LB Zack Baun. This team is still heating up. It is still learning and improving.
This week we get a rubber match, against a team that won our last meeting, after we lost two key starters during that game. And even then, they just barely pulled it out. Oh, and did I mention that they were at home? Yeah. They were at home and needed that many stars to align, in order to beat us. This week the astrology is different. It’ll be them, vs our Eagles and 70,000 raving maniacs. All spelling the team name correctly.
I like our odds.
Win and we’re headed to New Orleans on our quest to win the Super Bowl.
Lose and it’s a short trip for the players to clean out their lockers.
Here’s to earning one more week of pain and sacrifice.
****
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.
QB Jalen Hurts throws a laser.
1) Torment Single-high Coverage:We haven’t done this to them this year, but we need to make it happen Sunday. They will be loading the box to stop Saquon. So we have to capitalize on the one-on-one match-ups they leave WR DeVonta Smith and WR A.J. Brown.
Hurts has to identify the coverages, and get the ball out ASAP this week. If they show any form of Cover Two, audible to a run, and get behind either LG Landon Dickerson, or RG Mekhi Becton. However, if they walk a S up into the box, mix in some play-action and take advantage of the Commander’s so-so secondary.
2) Limit the Scrambling: The edges must be contained here. Especially the one manned by OLB Nolan Smith. When their QB goes to run, he should find a fence there on his right, to his passing side. This means that the DT playing beside Carter, needs to win that “A” gap to flush the QB, and not let him set his feet to run or pass deep.
DT Jalen Carter brings down QB Jayden Daniels
3) Muddy the Coverage: Take away anything quick. Small cushions and Safeties who delay their drop will help crowd the box, and force their QB through his progressions. That helps us vs the short pass, the regular run and scrambles. Which gives our pass rush time to get to the QB, for sacks and causing errant passes.
They may get off a few deep shots; but I’ll trust CB Darius Slay and S C.J. Gardner-Johnsonany day, over the ability of the Commanders third rate receivers, to track down rushed passes.
4) Geodert As Hot Read: Their chief pass rushers are their OLB’s with 10.5 and 8.0 sacks this season. The next closest player has 5. Their rush comes off the edges, and this is easily exploitable with short passes in the Flat to TE Dallas Goedert. In our first meeting Goedert caught all 5 of his targets for 61 yards. He was on I.R. during our second meeting, which again, we lost.
On third downs, Goedert should run to OLB Dante Fowler, and line up outside of him. If Fowler rushes Hurts, then Goedert vs Zone, should find himself all alone. However, if the coverage is Man, well that should create time for Hurts to hold the ball, as the play unfolds. Look, he’s gonna do it. We might as well find a way to make it stop costing us.
****
If the Eagles do these Four Things, then we’ll be virtually impossible to beat. That being said…
RB Saquon Barkley makes a housecall.
Not to be cocky, but the Eagles are the more talented team. The healthier team. And playing at home. While every indicator says that we should win this game, we still have to go out and play the thing. No one is going to just hand the NFC trophy to the Eagles. It must be earned, and our guys not only understand that, they respect it. Besides, I doubt that Head Coach Nick Sirianni would have it any other way.
****
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.
EAGLEMANIACAL.com 