Players
Image courtesy profootballspot.com
OUR opponents know that we’re a team that is largely dependent on finesse to run the ball, and you know what? That shouldn’t change. After all, that IS who we are now. It’s what this city (not so much this fan) fell in love with last year. Why overhaul what works? And yes, I still think it works, I just think it’s stuck at the moment.
So how do you get it unstuck? Simple, you run the ball.
Not a single offensive lineman on this roster (starter through 3rd string) played under Chip Kelly, or in a system similar to this in college. That means they all learned how to drive block for the run at some point. Most of the linemen we have were NFL veterans when Kelly was hired, which means they blocked for the run not just in college, but also at the pro level already. My point is they know how to do it. They may not be naturally gifted for it, and they may be rusty at it, but they do know how to do it.
What would help to get us ‘unstuck’ would be to mix in a basic dive here and there. No pulling. No zone. No counter. Just a few basic “body on a body, and man on a man” type plays, where LeSean McCoy knows ahead of time that it’s a quick hitter, and that zero time to dance is built into the play.
On too many of these runs to the outside, McCoy is being greeted by 2 and 3 tacklers, because they flow straight to the edge since they know we don’t really attack the middle with McCoy. Hey, did anyone notice where Darren Sproles 2 longest runs of year were? They were right up the gut. If Sproles can make his way through grabs and arm-tackles, you can bet your ass that McCoy can. We just need to commit to doing it.
We’ve gotten so fancy now, that we’ve forgotten about the basics. That it’s your heart and not your 40 time that makes you great. We’re so smart now that we’ve even started outsmarting ourselves, and strayed from the truth that at its heart, this is a violent sport, and that violence is not just reserved for defensive players to dish out.
Let’s not overlook the physical toll it takes on a defender to fight off an offensive lineman, and then try to bring down a RB with a full head of steam. Some downhill running would take some of the wind out of defenders who’d later have to chase McCoy to the edge, or hustle over to help on a bubble screen. If they’re beat-up already, the likelihood that they can make a play goes down.
We don’t get much of that right now. At games end, opponents are starting to look fresher than we do. Near the end, did the Rams look at all tired to you last week? They seemed to be surging from where I sat.
I’m a throwback type. I believe if you cut off a man’s head, he can’t outsmart you. If you break your enemy’s body, he can’t break yours. It’s why the finesse style can’t appeal to me. That being said, the pace we play at, by itself, won’t break a team. We need to lay hands on and physically break a team. We need to run them down. Run them over. Back up. Do it again. You want to get the running game back on track? Get back to basics. THAT’S the way you do it.
How do you get unstuck? Simple. You run the goddamn ball.
Image courtesy of myfantasyopinions.sportsblog.com
OFFENSE:
a violation or breaking of a social or moral rule; transgression; sin.a transgression of the law; misdemeanor.the act of offending or displeasing.- the act of attacking; attack or assault
OUR run game is built largely on deception. We rely heavily on sweeps, and stretches, and cutbacks runs. What we don’t specialize in is attacking what is directly in front of us. We don’t employ our Offensive Line offensively enough. We’re relying on people chasing us to tire themselves out, instead of beating on them and THEN making them chase us to tire themselves out. Our O-line excels at moving the point of attack and playing in space, but doesn’t really do to well at re-establishing the line of scrimmage. This is by the way, not just true of our back-ups, but also our starters. We don’t have any maulers on our interior line.
Adding to that is our constant rapid-fire approach. The result is that RB LeSean McCoy looks so tired out there that people are asking if he’s injured. One long-time EAGLES fan and frequent poster on this website, joked that McCoy must have stopped using his steroids. Keep in mind: While our opponents have to deal with our rapid pace only once or twice a year, our players have to do it EVERY WEEK. And it’s plainly and obviously taking a toll.
Lastly, and here’s the most important one folks: In this Spread, QB Nick Foles is not an Option. Last year the system was still new and Michael Vick showed teams just how dangerous a running QB could be under Chip Kelly’s system.
Even after Vick went down, because of what the EAGLES had shown, opponents were fearful of Foles now coming out the back door. At least at first. Consider that in 10 starts and on 57 carries last year, Foles only produced 6 double-digit runs (12, 14, 16, 20, 21, and 10 yards), each in a separate game. Worse yet those 6 runs represented 93 of his 221 total rushing yards, (leaving a remaining 51 carries for 128 yards and 2.5 per carry).
Seeing Foles was no threat as a runner, teams stopped guarding the back door, to pay more attention to McCoy coming out the front door. Since then it seems that teams have made the decision to “Just let Foles run” and so far he hasn’t made anyone pay. (His longest run of the year so far was 14 yards, on a day where he finished with only 13.) The upshot here is the extra attention paid to McCoy has effectively shut down this team’s run game. We can’t rely on deception at this point, because Foles as a runner is a poor hand to bluff with.
It’s a three-headed monster, but it’s essentially ONE problem: We rely on smoke and mirrors too much. Running the ball isn’t easy, but it is simple.
Tomorrow I’ll get into how we could fix this, and get it done as soon as Sunday.
IN my last article I showed you the hidden culprit behind why our Offense isn’t nearly as lethal or as machine-like as it was last year. Most fans want to chalk it up to injuries on the Offensive Line and look no further than that. That is a mistake.
It’s true that the Offensive Line being beat-up affects what kind of holes RB LeSean McCoy gets to run through, and the time that QB Nick Foles gets in the pocket. However when McCoy breaks the line of scrimmage and STILL can’t get himself free like he could last year, that’s not the O-line. When Foles steps into a pass that sails too high, or too long, that’s not the O-line. In fact who do you “blame” for Foles holding the ball too long? And the O-line has nothing to do with WR Riley Cooper going off a cliff.
What all these things have in common is the absence of DeSean Jackson. He was shown the door and no one bothered to replace him. By replacing him I don’t just mean getting a fast WR. We don’t need to replace what he could do, we needed to replace what he caused to happen.
Teams didn’t line up their FS 15-20 yards deep just because of his 4.4 speed. He also could change direction in a flash, has fairly reliable hands, and unlike a lot of 4.4 guys, can run the NFL route tree. As a result, teams warped their defenses to try to compensate and not make scoring TD’s too easy for Jackson
While we don’t have anyone on the roster with Jackson’s individual abilities, we do have a guy who can warp a defense: RB Darren Sproles. He’s every bit as dangerous in space a Jackson was, break tackles better, and can run most NFL routes from the WR position.
Put in motion to the slot, you can bet your ass a Safety would follow him out there. It’s not like you can cover Sproles with a Linebacker. Instead of a Safety playing extra deep, you have one playing extra shallow. And it’s still a warped defense isn’t it? And you know…when that Safety comes down, someone on the outside has a 1-on-1. That leaves a lot of options for Foles to place a ball.
You could do this in multiple formations, with multiple packages…It doesn’t have to be a restrictive number of plays at all.
So that’s it. You motion Sproles out like he used to do in New Orleans. (Man do they miss HIM!) That’s how you create space for McCoy and Cooper. That’s how you give Foles wider windows to throw to. That’s how you solve the DeSean Jackson problem.
Tomorrow I’ll talk about problem #2.
RIGHT Tackle Lane Johnson is coming back today. Everywhere I look people are reaching for bananas and dildos in celebration of the return of the EAGLES 2013 run game.
Hold up! Steady on! Pump the brakes. Chillax big homie. Lane Johnson plays on the right. The EAGLES do most of their damage rushing, on the left.
Dig if you will, the picture:
Notice that “PWR” category. It’s the percentage of times a team picks up either the first down or a touchdown on 3rd or 4th down. Think of it as a clutch meter. Notice how it decreases going from left to right? Again Johnson plays on the right. That lower percentage was without Johnson missing time. Though he was a rookie, so you cut him some slack on that.
Instead of expecting 2013’s LeSean McCoy to emerge because Johnson is back, the biggest improvement might be that instead of having to play multiple second stringers by default, back-ups have to beat each other out for that LG spot. Competition returns.
Where we have really been atrocious has been running the ball inside. Aside from sealing off DE’s and LB’s crashing down the line, I’m doubting that Johnson’s return will aid us on much besides runs off the RG and further right.
Perhaps the EAGLES will need to give less TE help in pass pro and Foles can get the ball out of his hands sooner on a few short routes to say…Brent Celek with just a Safety in front of him. (You can already see the tire tracks on the Safety’s chest can’t you?)
Make no mistake, I think Lane Johnson’s return will help, but this is by no means a rescue mission. One man will not return this team to the circus act you’ve all come to expect (I told you it was going to be very different), from last season.
I think it’s very important (especially while he gets back up to game speed), to temper expectations for Johnson, and/or what his return is supposed to mean for the O-line.
Image courtesy of the Daily News
WHAT if Cary Williams was right?
Last week after a third straight comeback win over the Redskins, EAGLES CB Cary Williams said the players were tired. Burnt out. Overworked. He said the slow starts were a result of having no legs after virtually playing a game the day before in practice.
Since Williams is already a mouthy guy, and is “only” a player, and wasn’t backed up by fellow players that felt the same way according to 2 sources; what he had to say was dismissed out of hand.
He even said his mea culpas.
FLIP SIDE!
QB Nick Foles and RB LeSean McCoy have been off their games since Week One. They’ve been off so much in fact that there is now a question of whether or not they’re hiding injuries. Basically that says that both of these men are needlessly holding the team back and humiliating themselves in the process, just to make sure their back-ups don’t get to play.
Often players will gut through an injury because they “Don’t want to let the team down.” Well in this case their play has already done that much. To say even after that, that Foles and McCoy would be unwilling to sit and let a healthy man help out, quietly insults their character by making them seem selfish, questions their commitment to the team’s success, and indicates that they lack a sense of professional pride in what they produce.
I also find it odd that in regards to running the ball, our Offensive line can’t open simple holes up the gut or off-Guard. They can’t generate a push on either side? I’m to believe they can’t win ONE battle up front, just because they’re back-ups?
Riley Cooper has never been what you’d call a sure-handed WR, but his drops this year have been nothing short of alarming. If he’d been this bad as a rookie he wouldn’t still be here today. It can’t be that Foles throws it too hard, because he doesn’t. Those drops show a clear lack of focus.
How about our lackluster pass rush?
You can go on for hours coming up with all the little reasons we’re performing how we are out there. Or, I can offer you 4 words that would explain ALL of it.
The ROOT of it.
Tired. Burnt out. Overworked.
We can keep on ignoring what is becoming painfully obvious, or we can maybe listen a little closer to Cary Williams.
Even if he is “only” a player.
CARY WILLIAMS VS CHIP KELLY
“I believe we’re the freshest team in the fourth quarter,” Kelly said. “I think if you look at what we’re doing in the fourth quarter of games I thought our defense came up huge. Malcolm Jenkins (two) weeks in a row with interceptions in the fourth quarter was big for us. To force them after that short punt to go four straight downs and out at the end of the game and they were close to being in field goal range. I thought the way our whole team played in the fourth quarter obviously shows what type of conditioning we have.”
+++++
When Williams was asked this, “We do things differently here, we play a game before the game,” Williams said. “You have to be politically correct all of the time, at all times. You take those words with a grain of salt from last year. My legs hurt. My legs were done in the fourth quarter, in the third quarter, before the game started. I sat out a couple of days and that still didn’t work, because they’re so taxing on us during the week.”
A few other players agreed with Williams, just nodding in agreement, but refusing to comment further. “Let’s just say I’m spent when Sundays come, because it feels as if you’re playing two games in a week,” one player said, nodding his head ‘yes’ when asked if Williams was on to something.
+++++
BEFORE Chip Kelly was hired there was a lot made of his conditioning program. At that point Eaglemaniacal.com didn’t exist, and I was still posting articles on another site. In one of those articles (back in early 2013), I voiced a concern for this very situation.
I made the point of saying that I was concerned about the long term effects of Kelly’s training program on professional players, because there are factors that make things so much different at this level than college. For instance in college:
- Rosters are double the size of an NFL roster. Kelly’s 2012 roster had 105 players on it.
- Players cycle through for stays of no more than 4 years
- Players are almost always between the ages of 18 and 23
- Players face sliding scales of talent week to week
Like a used car just off the lot, NFL rookies already have quite a bit of wear and tear on them. They may be new to their NFL team, but they carry with them all the scars from all the battles and surgeries that came before their first pro game.
If a rookie isn’t pristine, imagine what condition veterans of different ages could be in. And now you want to run a 29 year old NFL veteran the way you would a 20 year old college sophomore? It has to be understood that there’s a price to be paid for that.
CB Cary Williams is speaking up about that price, since it’s his body that’s paying for it. According to the previously cited report and LaDanian Tomlinson on NFL Network last night, other players feel the same, but aren’t quite ready to say so yet. Then again maybe they don’t need to.
Last year many players attributed their good health to the training program, while many attributed it to luck. This year with the same program, the EAGLES are seeing an awful lot of injuries, awfully early. That’s not to say or imply that the training program is causing the injuries, just to point out that it’s not preventing them. So that said, why beat your own roster up so much?
The answer is simple: The Defense’s experience is a byproduct of conditioning the Offense to run the system. To run a system that moves this quickly you (duh) of course need players in shape enough to stay on the move. The caveat is that running players this hard is like any other thing you put a human body through, the effects are cumulative.
All over the roster.
The NFL season is a marathon not a sprint. We got out to a fast 3-0, but there is no law that states we will another game this season. Those wins must be earned. Traditionally teams that don’t finish strong don’t generally see the postseason. May not hurt to listen to the veteran.
Sunday 1:00 EST Lincoln Financial Field Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
THE PIVOT
RIGHT off the bat, I’m going to say I think we beat the Redskins. However because no win is guaranteed in the NFL, I’m going to bring up something that I hope the EAGLES players have given some thought to.
If we win, we’re 3-0, and the Foreskins 1-2. The Cowpies will likely see 2-1 with a win over the hapless Rams, and no one gives a shit what the Vagiants do this week. Point is, with a “W’ we own the NFC East for at least two more weeks. (If Dallas goes 3-1 and we drop to 3-1 in week 4, our in-division win gives us priority.)
If we lose however, the division loss puts us behind the ‘skins, and also Dallas if they win ( since they’d have no division loss). There’s no need to even mention the
That makes this game pivotal. Even though it’s early in the year, and there are 5 more division games after this, you don’t want your rival playing with the confidence of having beaten you. We have to play them again this year and our young players don’t need that doubt in the back of their minds when we do.
Oh yeah! Then there’s the DeSean Jackson factor. If we don’t win and he not only manages to play (which I’m starting to doubt), but factors heavily in a ‘skins win, the local media will make life Hell next week for Chip Kelly; amid questions of having given away the division in the offseason.
Make no mistake, a lot is riding on this game.
EAGLES
We’re 2-0. You can be optimistic about the wins because they were comebacks, or you can be pessimistic that they had to be. Realistically, it’s a fool’s paradise to think in this league that you can spot teams a 2 touchdown lead at the half, then routinely end up celebrating at the end of the game.
We have to get it together.
Defensively:
We had our hands full against a scrappy one dimensional Colts team; and an offense populated by second tier players in the Jags. Washington features real firepower on the offensive side of the ball, and we’re going to be heading into this one without ILB Mychal Kendricks, which is a major crotch-shot to this unit. (No pun intended.)
We have all of 3 sacks, all of which were collected in Week 1. None by a Defensive Lineman. Be great to see an improvement in this department.
Offensively:
Offense = RB Darren Sproles and some guys. That’s really how it’s been looking out there.
TE Zach Ertz has looked good when called upon, but if he’s really the main ingredient in replacing DeSean Jackson’s 2013 production, there has to be more of him. He currently is averaging a quiet 23.3 yards per snag, with 163 yards on 7 total grabs in 2 games; but considering the problems QB Nick Foles is having getting rid of the ball quickly, maybe a few of his routes need to make him available sooner.
The Offensive Line is beat up, so you can’t really harp on them too much. Besides, last week vs Indy, we didn’t allow a single sack. Under the circumstances, that HAS to count for something.
Foles has had an awful time so far of hooking up with his WR’s. Doesn’t matter if it’s his fault or theirs, it needs to get fixed yesterday.
THE OPPONENT
This is a team owned by an idiot, and run by a substitute teacher; which is appropriate given the talented roster features a number of unfocused juveniles similar to a kindergarten classroom.
Last week’s win over the Jaguars broke a 9 game losing streak that dated back to last year. During the game you saw a level of exuberance from this team that is uncharacteristic for them. That’s because they’re used to losing. The fight goes out of this bunch pretty quick, and it stays that way so long as you don’t let up.
Defensively:
Last week against the Jags the ‘skins racked up 10 sacks. The week before they didn’t record one. Considering that we got 3 off the Jags and none in our other game as well, I’m going to say that perhaps those 10 sacks had more to do with how awful The Jags line is than how great the ‘skins pass rush is.
Despite such a “fierce” pass rush up front, their secondary allowed QB Chad Henne to complete 50% of his passes with only 1 interception. Ryan Fitzpatrick was considerably better than that the week before.
They’re going to try to make a push early, but if we punch them in the nose early, that doggy will sit and stay.
Offensively:
People want to make a big deal of how QB Kirk Cousins is a much better fit for HC Jay Gruden’ssystem than Bobby Griffin was- I mean is! Washington isn’t going to just bail on RGnumber just like that. Right? Right??….
Regardless of who gets to play the part of human bull’s-eye, the ‘skins O-line is an atrocious pass blocking unit. Every time I look at RGknee, I find myself saying “Dude. How are you even alive?”
What they lack in pass pro (and it’s a lot) they make up for in opening holes for RB Alfred Morris. Morris is a between the Tackles thumper. He’s not flashy but he runs through contact, keeps his legs churning, and finds a way to fall forward at the end of most carries. The best way to beat the ‘skins is to make them limit his carries.
In the event that the O-line can keep the QB upright long enough to throw the ball, they have a host of dangerous weapons in WR’s Pierre Garcon, DeSean Jackson, and Andre Roberts, as well as TE’s Niles Paul, and (for the 6 or 7 downs he’s available per year ) Jordan Reed.
To beat the ‘skins you have to control their line. The rest is cake.
BOTTOM LINE:
One of the straws that stirs our drink on Defense will be out. Advantage: REDSKINS
10 sacks vs the Jags, 0 vs the Texans. Pass rush my ass. Advantage: EAGLES
Despite their “win for the ages” over the Jaguars, the Redskins are an awfully shitty team. If we can punch them in the nose early, the route will be on. Then we can run up the score and get some garbage time in for our back-ups. If we let them hang around this could be a close one.
Until I see different however, I have to believe that the EAGLES will let yet another team toss points on the board early, and this opponent has more firepower than either of the last two.
PREDICTION: EAGLES 35-27
Courtesy of Section215.com
DeSEAN Jackson even while nursing an injured shoulder, has no intention of missing this game. This will be his first time setting foot on Lincoln Financial Field in a jersey without an EAGLE on it. There’ll be the desire to make the EAGLES pay for casting him aside. There’ll be the need to show the organization just what they gave up.
Gave away.
For nothing.
That’s the part that has to burn him the most. So make no mistake he’ll want revenge. He’ll be angry. But mark my words, there’ll be some sadness too. Nothing, NOTHING about his demeanor on the subject indicates he’s at peace with this yet.
On the other side we have Jeremy Maclin, Riley Cooper, and Chip Kelly, each with something to prove.
Maclin is on a one-year deal to prove he can be a #1 WR. Cooper has to prove that he’s legit WR who doesn’t need Jackson on the other side for him to be a factor in a game. But those are smaller personal goals.
The real challenge is reserved for Chip Kelly. Kelly has to prove that releasing Jackson wasn’t a mistake. That we can not only get along fine without him, but that he can’t be used to hurt us.
Kelly cannot afford to let Jackson come here and give us fits; and he cannot allow his starters to be outplayed. What I’m saying here, is that Sunday the EAGLES have to put on a show.
I quite frankly, am looking forward to it.
Nick Foles demonstrating poor ball security and pocket awareness.
ONE -EIGHTH of the season is in the books and we’re 2-0. However what’s funny is that many fans aren’t praising Nick Foles; they’re actually sort of blaming him for our 2-0 team’s offensive woes.
This last offseason a war raged between the Foles cheering section, and those who were skeptical of him. In the middle were people like me, who didn’t think we knew enough or had seen enough, and that we’d take all 16 games to make up our minds about him.
That’s where I still am. These first 2 games are not 16 games. I wouldn’t be crowning him king if he’d thrown for 800 yards, 10 TD’s and no picks; and I won’t condemn him for how he’s played thus far.
BUT…..
To tell the truth, Foles’ play has so far justified EVERY ounce of skepticism that he’s gotten in 2014. At times he’s looked downright awful, but for the most part he’s been rather pedestrian, and has looked very much like the 3rd round project that Andy Reid drafted him as.
When I say that, I don’t just mean his 58.5% completion rate (which personally I don’t think is a problem, but fans on both sides of the debate made 60% their minimum for acceptability, so I’ll use their benchmark). I also don’t mean his 3:2 touchdown to interception ratio.
You can look at his numbers and not see anything alarming in them. What those numbers don’t tell you, is that he’s holding the ball too long. They don’t tell you, that when flustered his ball security becomes suspect. They don’t tell you, that out of 48 completions only 14 belong to his starting WR’s. They don’t tell you, just how badly his ball placement has deteriorated. They don’t tell you, that he’s stunk bad enough to peel paint in the first half of games so far; or that while he’s been better in 2nd halves, he’s hardly been stellar.
Over these last 2 weeks I’ve seen many of people say they had supported him, but then call for him to be benched. Foles was told “Just be ready for the boos” by former EAGLES QB Donovan McNabb. While lots of fans dismissed what McNabb said as sour grapes, many of those same people did boo Foles or call for his back-up in Week One. WEEK ONE.
If his supporters will bail on him that fast, you have to wonder how soon a verdict of “Fluke”, “One Year Wonder”, or “Flash In the Pan” will be entered against Foles.
Me? I still need to see 14 more games.
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