SCORING 30 points last week, was great. Allowing 42, was not so great. We get a chance at redemption on Sunday, vs a 3 – 1 Carolina team. It’s a Carolina team allowing opponents to score on 6 of 6 trips in the red zone, this year. The very same area where TE Dallas Goedert has snagged both of his TD’s.
As for that 3 – 1 record? The Jets, Saints, and Texans. That’s who Carolina has beaten this year. So we aren’t exactly facing a juggernaut this week. This game is very winnable. Very. So don’t let the records fool you. Carolina isn’t nearly as far ahead of the Eagles, as the NFL would like you to believe (Power Rankings: #14 vs #25).
A bounce back win would put us at 2 – 3. Then add that to the fallout from the NY/Dallas game. A giants loss would push them to 1 – 4, giving them basement all to themselves. A Dallas loss will put them at 3 – 2, and turn the East into a mad scramble.
Should we lose, we’d need Dallas to lose, just to keep realistically in the hunt. True, there’d be 12 games left, but we can hardly afford to fall further behind.
****
The point of Four Things isn’t to predict a winner, it’s to discuss which tactics will practically guarantee our Eagles this win. CAUTION: 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 FT as a gambling tool, you are trying to lose your money, and will deserve it when you do.
So let’s talk about the Four Things we need to focus on this week versus the Panthers:
1) Run the Damned Ball!: By run the ball, I mean 16 hand-offs for RB Miles Sanders.
The one game we’ve won so far, saw him run the ball 15 times. Handing off the ball, changes how a defense attacks. It limits how aggressive they can be, because they have to diagnose what is happening. That’s less true of pass rushing.
Here’s a fun fact: The less Sanders touches the ball in 2021, the more the Eagles lose by. Atlanta – 19 touches, 26 point win. San Fran – 14 touches, 6 point loss. Kansas City – 10 touches, 12 point loss. Dallas 5 touches, 20 point loss. RB Kenneth Gainswell is a neat weapon to have, but he isn’t Sanders and the losses make that point.
With RT Lane Johnson missing a second week, LT Jordan Mailata is moving over there to fill-in. It’s also a smart audition for him, if recent leaks about Johnson are true, and the Eagles need a long-term answer there.
2) Don’t Help Carolina:The first 4 games saw us get penalized 15, 8, 13, and 9 times. So far, in every game we have deservedly been penalized more than our opponent. Granted, we’re not just going to quit penalties cold-turkey, but we need to take the first step and limit the number to 6 or fewer, this week.
Holding is occasionally an acceptable penalty. Sometimes it’s done deliberately to keep a QB alive. (Some holds have saved whole seasons!) Dumb penalties like offsides, ineligible man downfield, (clear) pass interference, tripping, and blocks in the back… Those are never sensible, and they have to be eliminated.
3) Back the Line: Carolina doesn’t have a great offensive line, so they should have their hands full with our Defensive Line. That means nothing however, if the LB’s don’t do a better job of coming downhill vs the run. It also means little if opposing receivers are getting open, early in their routes underneath.
This is what happens when receivers get a free release.
We need more jamming TE’s, and shoving WR’s off-course, when they run shallow Crosses and Drags. “More” in this case, is a polite way of saying “Any”, or “Some”, or “Please for Fuck’s Sake, get around to finally goddamned doing this!!” Zone Coverage doesn’t just have to mean watching the game. It can also mean playing in it! It can mean being an asset, and not just a well-paid liability. Someone tell our LB’s.
4) Take Away the Edges: In CB’s Steve Nelsonand Darius Slay, we are supposed to have two of football’s better Man Coverage, corners. So I don’t understand why they’re so often on cushions, with Two Deep Safety help. Two Deep is what a team runs so that they can be aggressive with Man Press.
In this regard, the Eagles scheme- WHOOPS! That’s right, Defensive Coordinator Jonathan Gannondoesn’t run a scheme. “I don’t have a scheme. Our scheme should be to put our 11 guys on the field in the best position possible to succeed.” He actually said that. Those words, in that order.
Look, press the outside WR’s! Don’t let the QB execute the play as if he’s still in practice. Throw off his timing, and force him to go deeper into his progression. Make him hold the ball, and give our pass rushers time to reach him. We have the corners! Use them. This could even be the cornerstone of an actual scheme.
If we do these Four Things, this win is in the bag.
Miles Sanders, Darius Slay, Steve Nelson… We need to hear names this week that we haven’t been hearing much this year. We don’t need guys to step up, as much as we need the coaching staff to stop sapping the roster’s strengths. (Hence the article about DT Fletcher Cox this week.)
Most of our problems this season have been from self-inflicted wounds, and getting away from fundamentals. This week (and next week vs Tampa Bay), have to be about individuals being accountable for his own fundamentals. Not accountable after a mistake, accountable before each snap. Each man needs to focus on his work, and not waste the effort of the men beside him.
Carolina isn’t our opponent this week. The Eagles are. If they don’t beat us, Carolina can’t.
****
PREDICTION: EAGLES 27– Panthers 24
Check back in a couple of days for Four Things Reviewed, and we’ll discuss how it went.
LET’S clear the air. Last week wasn’t a sprint. It was Week 3 of a 17 week marathon. It wasn’t winner take all. It was part 1 of 2. Don’t get the story tangled. The Eagles aren’t done with the NFC East. Not by a damned sight.
This week we get the 1 – 2 Kansas City Chiefs, in our house. We have a Top 10 Defense being 10th in points allowed, and 7th in yards allowed. We’re going against a team that hemorrhages both points (32nd ) and yards (30th ). So this game IS winnable. Especially if RB Miles Sanders is allowed to play.
At the moment we’re in third place in the NFC East. A win gets us to 2 – 2 and keeps us very much in the running for the division. Especially if our rivals have a tough week. A loss would drop us to 1 – 3. While there would be plenty of time to make it up, playing catch-up is never a good thing.
****
The point ofFour Things isn’t to predict a winner, it’s to discuss which tactics will practically guarantee our Eagles this win. CAUTION: 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 FT as a gambling tool, you are trying to lose your money, and will deserve it when you do.
So let’s talk about the Four Things we need to focus on this week versus the Chiefs:
1) The back Seven: We have to use our Linebackers more aggressively and creatively. Allowing the opposing blocking scheme to dictate the action, too often takes our LB’s out of plays, and makes it seem like we’re playing 8 vs 11. Let’s see some blitzing out of OLBEric Wilson.
We also need our CB’s to play more man press. Giving up big cushions, leads to quick throws with zero pressure. It’s how we gave up a completion percentage of 80.5 last week, and 73.3 the week before.
2) Run the ball: ATLANTA – We handed the ball off 24 times, and won in a blowout. SAN FRAN – We handed the ball off 19 times, and lost a close one. DALLAS – We handed the ball off just 3 times, and got our O-rings blown out.
There exists an obvious pattern here, dear friends
Running the ball will keep the clock running, and the ball out of the hands of the Chief’s offense. That means our Defense gets a chance to rest. Nothing good comes from a gassed defense. We need 24 or more hand offs this week, with 18 or more going to Sanders.
3) Ends Gotta Sweat Mahomes:DE’s Josh Sweat and Derek Barnetthave to show up this week. Not only do they need to get pressure on the QB, but they have to do a better job of setting the edge vs the run. Run the OT up the field, and either force the RB to cut back inside, or run back and around the block in the backfield. The Ends needn’t make every tackle, just cause them.
4) Throw the ball deep: The deep ball needs to be used to keep a defense honest. Early in this game, there needs to be a pass where the ball is in the air for 20 yards or more. We can’t run the underneath stuff, if opposing CB’s don’t even back pedal. You’d think a former WR would know that…
WRDevonta Smithneeds to see at least two deep shots. Right now it seems that we spent a high draft pick, just to turn a talented kid into Josh Huff. We need to put the pressure on Smith to deliver, and not treat him like his confidence is delicate. Competitors, remember? Paper, rock, scissors?
If we do these Four Things,
At home? In front of our crowd? If we do these things, a win is in the bag. Scoring on the Chief is a given. If we can’t get laid in that whorehouse, we need to fire the coach before his post-game presser. Scoring is the easy part.
The hard part will be making sure they don’t score when they have the ball. Eating up the clock could act as a brake on the number of opportunities they see, but that means little if they can cash in those opportunities. Sadly, I think this is where we run into a problem, because Andy Reid is just a flat out better coach than Nick Sirianni.
****
PREDICTION: EAGLES 24 – Chiefs 30
Check back in a couple of days for Four Things Reviewed, and we’ll discuss how it went.
LAST week we dominated and still lost. Not happy about that, but our defense took a team that had scored 41 the week before, and held them to 17. The Atlanta team that we held to two FG’s in Week One, just put 25 on Tampa Bay. We allowed just 11.5 points per game, vs two talented offenses, led by QB’s who have started Super Bowls. (Both also had leads, before suffering horrifying collapses.)
Our opponent this week is giving up 24 per game, despite producing 6 turnovers in two weeks. That sounds like a leaky defense to me! Hey, Leaky Deefie, this is QBJalen Hurts. As in, Jalen hurts shitty defenses like yourself.
Last week’s loss took us from the top of the division, to third place (actually tied for second) in the division. Beating an NFC East opponent would move us up that ladder. If nature takes it’s course and Buffalo beats Washington, we’d be alone in 1st. If Washington wins, we’d be tied with them for the top spot. In any case, we need this win.
*******
The point of Four Things isn’t to predict a winner, it’s to discuss which tactics will practically guarantee our Eagles this win. CAUTION: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 FT as a gambling tool, you are trying to lose your money, and will deserve it when you do.
So let’s talk about the Four Things we need to focus on this week versus the Dallas Cowboys:
1) Erupt, disrupt, corrupt: As efficient as the Cowboys offense is looking right now, it might be hard to believe that they have a glaring Achilles heel. BUT THEY DO! Whether it’s QB Dak Prescott stepping up into the pocket, or RB Ezekiel Elliott inside running, their best offense isn’t from Tackle to Tackle. It’s only from Guard to Guard.
Crashing the ‘A” gaps on either side of C Tyler Biadasz, will spoil their offense at the source. It doesn’t allow Prescott to step up, and doesn’t allow Elliott any room to build momentum. Let’s get Prescott running. Not bootlegging. Running. Between his rebuilt ankle, and his questionable shoulder, let’s see what his delivery looks like when he’s on the move.
2) Exploit the youth:The Cowboys defense allows about as many points (24.0) as they score (24.5). Their opponents complete 69% of their passes, and average 4.5 yards per run. Dallas also misses tackles at a rate of 11.9%. (For perspective, our Eagles miss 4.3%). Their defense is young, and under intense stress covering for injury losses.
We should use that stress to implode the unit. In the last two games, the Cowboys have struggled vs pocket QB’s. Jalen Hurts ability to run, could overwhelm Dallas’s fragile system. We need to see Hurts on some misdirection bootlegs, where he’s getting the ball to TE’s and RB’s. That way we get to eat up clock, and OUR Defense stays fresh.
3) Clear A Run Lane: Operation C.A.R.L.! If Dallas wants to start a 245 pound rookie LB at DE, against RT Lane Johnson, give’ em the match-up they want. Run the ball early to the right, to take advantage of the physical mismatch. Beat on the rookie. Lay him out a few times. Welcome him to the NFL, and take the chase right out of his legs.
Then in the second half, the Read Option and Screens will be nails in their coffin. Close your eyes and see a Cowboys blitz, countered with a RB Screen. Touchdown Sanders! Envision the argument on their sideline. Wait what?! Did Prescott just shove DE Randy Gregory? Oh my god, Randy hit him with a helmet! POPCORN! WE NEED POPCORN!
4) Give Them Doubts: We play Cover Two. So here and there, we can afford to gamble. Early in the game, our corners need to jump a couple of Prescott’s passes. Doesn’t matter if they’re complete or not. A couple of near picks, will affect him for the rest of the game. Interceptions would be great, but attempting them is more important.
We want Prescott looking for that next jump. Get him to pat the ball an extra time or two before releasing it. Get him thinking, not playing. If we can slow his release, it allows our pass rushers more time to get to him. More importantly, it takes their passing offense out of the rhythm they’ve had these last two games.
*******
If we do these Four Things,
Offensively, if we follow FT, the Eagles would rule time of possession in the first half, keeping our Defense fresh for the second half. Defensively, if we follow FT, the bottom will drop out of the Cowboys offense. If that happens, it will strand their defense on the field. As a soft defense, we need them be on the field as much as possible.
Though the Eagles will be without DE Brandon Graham, RG Brandon Brooks, LT Jordan Mailata, and FS Rodney McLeod, this still feels like the Eagles are about to blow the Cowboys out, this Sunday.
Keep in mind, I don’t go around predicting blowouts, but this feels like the Cowboys are walking into a trap. Eagles fans just came back last week, and yet the chatter around this game seems oddly muted. There’s a stillness around this game. It feels almost unnatural. I can’t explain it, but that’s how it feels.
I don’t expect a close game.
PREDICTION: EAGLES 30 – Cowboys 16
Check back in a couple of days for Four Things Reviewed, and we’ll discuss how it went.
LAST week we dismantled the Falcons, 32 – 6. Our balanced Offensive attack allowed yards to flow naturally, from a well-spring of young talent. This week, a 49ers team who’s defense allowed the Lions to score 33 points, has to try to win at the Linc. Gonna be a long plane ride home.
A win here keeps the Eagles firmly in command of the NFC East. It also forces people to stop questioning last weeks win, and see the Eagles as a legitimate contender in the NFC. A loss, opens the door for a division rival to even up with us. Washington faces New York tonight, so somebody (Washington) has to come out of this with a win. If they tie, I’ll laugh myself sick.
The point of Four Things isn’t to predict a winner, it’s to discuss which tactics will practically guarantee our Eagles this win. CAUTION: 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 FT as a gambling tool, you are trying to lose your money, and will deserve it when you do.
So let’s talk about the Four Things we need to focus on this week versus the San Francisco 49ers:
1) Take Away the Edges: The 49ers like to run the ball by moving the entire offensive line to a side at once. When a line blocks like that, it forces a defense to flow with it. So there is no opposing momentum from defenders, because even when they make tackle, it’s going with the direction of the runner. It looks like power, but it isn’t.
It’s a Chinese finger trap. Not knowing why it works, is exactly what keeps it working. As a former offensive lineman, I’ll let you in on a secret: It has a simple solve. Our DE’s have to set a hard edge. Like a rock in a stream. With as much as the 49ers like to get their linemen running, that rock will “bunch” the linemen together, using them to trap their own RB.
See when the Lions DE’s give away the edges?
See the result? Like I said, simple solve. Also, as we take away the edges, that “bunching” will help limit inside running. Our DE’s have to think run first, except in obvious passing situations.
2) Next Level Tackling: Our LB’s have to not stick to blocks and make tackles. None of that wrestling for the ball, crap. At least not early in the game. That keeps resulting in broken tackles and extra yards. Just get the man down. Our Defensive Line will have its hands full keeping he LB’s clean. Don’t squander their work.
3) Get the Ball Downfield: QB Jalen Hurts didn’t really need to throw deep, last week. Our Offense is designed to get the ball out of Hurts hand quickly, so you can bet that the 49ers will be trying to limit our quick options. This week, if Hurts sees a one-on-one on the outside, the NFL needs to know that he will, and more importantly that he can, take advantage of a defense.
The Eagles need to use this game, to let NFL teams know they can’t stack the box against us. If we can’t prove that we can hurt a team from distance, all the nice little things we did last week, will slowly begin to evaporate. We can’t show the league that we’re one-dimensional. We can’t give future opponents something they can be confident about.
4) Screen Sanders:The 49ers allowed the Lions, THE LIONS, to complete 16 of 20 passes (80%) to their RB’s, for 111 yards and a score. I know that our coaching staff is in love with rookie RB Kenneth Gainswell, but RB Miles Sandersruns harder and breaks tackles better than Gainswell. So he’s more likely to exploit a quick, but undersized 49er LB corps.
*****
If we do these Four Things,
Last week the 9ers had to stand on the gas pedal just to beat the Lions 41 – 33. (Nice score.) They had trouble dealing with the Lions RB’s and TE’s in the passing game, as 25 of 31 (80.6%) targets were caught. Any defense that can’t cover RB’s and TE’s, will get KILLED by the Eagles. Getting the ball to Sanders will open up the deep game.
Early on, QB Jimmy Garoppolo may look pretty good, because with our DE’s concerned with taking away the run, they likely won’t get as much heat on him. That’s fine. Once the Eagles establish a lead, the DE’s can pin their ears back. In the meantime, that emphasis on tackling will be huge.
PREDICTION: EAGLES 27 – 49ers 20
Check back in a couple of days for Four Things Reviewed, and we’ll discuss how it went.
WHAT does an underdog look like? Are they seldom mentioned? We got that. Lightly regarded? Got that too. Thought of as lightweights, even among bullshit rivals? Check and double check! In fact, here’s what NFL.com said about us just this past Monday:
Gentlemen and ladies! Your 2021 Philadelphia Eagles are OFFICIALLY, an underdog.
Fuck the odds makers! Let’s start head coach Nick Sirianni’s career off, with a win! Our rebuilding Eagles come in with dynamic QB Jalen Hurts, vs a defense that in 2020, was 19th in points allowed and 29th in yards allowed. To improve it, the Falcons scarcely added players, but did add a defensive coordinator who retired in 2018, and again in 2020. Makes me wonder how dialed-in, he’s going to be for this.
A win this week, means we’ll have no ground to make up for, with regard to winning the NFC East. (Yeah I said it!) While it’s too early to focus on winning the division, we need to make sure that we don’t fall behind at the outset.
The point of Four Things isn’t to predict a winner, it’s to discuss which tactics will practically guarantee our Eagles this win. CAUTION: 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 FT as a gambling tool, you are trying to lose your money, and will deserve it when you do.
So let’s talk about the Four Things we need to focus on this week versus the Atlanta Falcons:
1) Melt Matty Ice: In 2019, QB Matt Ryan ran for a career-high 147 yards. So he’s not the most nimble or fleet of foot. Nor does he do a great job of throwing on the run. So the obvious thing to do, is to collapse the pocket directly in front of him, so that he can’t step into throws, and has to move around, and change his throwing platform.
Mentally we’re not going to disguise enough to trick Ryan into making mistakes. He’s too smart, and too experienced for that. What we can do is physically beat on him, mentally harass him, and take him out of the game emotionally, by making him do things he’s uncomfortable doing.
2) Be All-Stars and Play Some Smash Mouth:
Underdogs, motherfucker!
This has to be a game where our RB’s see 25 or more hand-offs. We have RTLane Johnson, RG Brandon Brooks, and C Jason Kelce. When healthy, they are as good as there is in the NFL and thus, on Earth. Oh, and did I mention that they are healthy. So we need to get RBMiles Sanders running behind the best right-side on the planet.
The Falcons run a 3 – 4 scheme that’s more of a 5 – 2. Their d-line is backed up by a pair of vastly undersized ILB’s. They are tiny beyond the line of scrimmage, so we need to give them a steady diet of inside and right-side Zone running.
3) Get Mitts on Pitts: Rookie TE Kyle Pitts shouldn’t be allowed free releases. Jamming him will give our pass rush, that extra second to force Matt Ryan to move, forcing Pitts (and others) to keep cutting routes short to give the QB an easy target. If we jam Pitts enough, we can routinely turn (for example) a 7 yard Flag into a 3 yard Curl. At which point we’ll have disrupted their entire gameplan.
4) Run From 21: Remember a couple years ago when we kept sweeping the Redskins because they chose to play DE Ryan Kerrigan as an OLB, despite the fact that he can’t cover in space? It led to TEZach Ertz and former Eagle RB Darren Sproles killing them on the edges. Well the Falcons are making the same mistake, playing DE’s like OLB’s.
Remember this? That’s Kerrigan (with help), failing to cover Ertz.
We still have Ertz, and we also have TE Dallas Goedert, (as well as any RB on our roster). This creates a situation where the Eagles need to abuse the Falcons for short passes to the flat, 5 yard Outs, and such. If Atlanta wants to give away free samples, we need to bring a stolen shopping cart.
If we do these Four Things, we should win this game. In fact, I really like our chances here, despite not having seen our Starters in the preseason. It really comes down to
1) Is our Offense is better than their defense? Yes. It is.
2) Is our Defense better than their offense? Uhhh, possibly.
QB Matt Ryan is an 11 year veteran, who has spent his last 8 seasons with WR Julio Jones (now a Titan). In Ryan’s first 3 seasons, he never reached 4,000 yards passing, or threw more than 26 TD’s. He has to cope with no longer having an outside weapon who warps coverages.
Ryan will be relearning Life without Julio, so we need to (and we can) hammer and harass him, and make him wonder if he really still wants to be doing this. Especially for an owner, who given ten attempts at counting his own balls, would never get the same number twice.
Don’t ask. Just take. We want it all! Socks and draws! This is one that we should win. From the moment we come out out of the tunnel, Atlanta needs to know that, we’re taking all three bags.
If we play our cards right, maybe we can get Atlanta’s DC to retire again next week.
PREDICTION: EAGLES 23 – Falcons 16
Check back in a couple of days for Four Things Reviewed, and we’ll discuss how it went.
SHOULD we even give a shit?! Sloshing wet behind the ears, rookie head coach Nick Sirianni is under the impression that joint practices are as good as a game. You know who disagrees with that philosophy? Bill Belichick. The same Bill Belichick with six Super Bowl rings, who walked into Lincoln Financial stadium, and waxed Sirianni’s baby-soft ass, 35 to couldn’t even get on the board. Oh, Belichick played his starters, BTW.
A win. A loss. There really doesn’t seem like there’d be any carry-over from this game if the starters sit again. We’ve seen more than enough from the back-ups. What we don’t know, is whether the 22 men who’ll be doing most of the playing, can be better than last year’s 4 wins. Outside of a good showing from those 22, this game will only serve to highlight how badly squandered last week was. Prove us wrong Nick! I dare you.
The point of Four Things isn’t to predict a winner, it’s to discuss which tactics will practically guarantee our Eagles this win. CAUTION: 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 FT as a gambling tool, you are trying to lose your money, and will deserve it when you do.
So let’s talk about the Four Things we need to focus on this week versus the Jets:
1) Coach for the Win:We have yet to see what it looks like when Sirianni is trying to coach his team to a win. As a matter of fact, he has yet to see it either. A dry run would give him a base-line of what he wants to work on within himself, over the course of his rookie season.
As a rookie coach, he’s allowed to suck. This year. So he needs to be about the business of figuring out his evolutionary path, as a head coach. Treat this game like a game. Let’s see if we have a coach.
2) Play the Starters for a half: Chemistry isn’t built by wishing. It’s built by reps. While practice time is valuable, ANY additional reps only help. How often do we talk about players who stick around after everyone else has gone home? Meanwhile we have a head coach who downplays the value of game time.
3) Death Row Watches: Guys who we know aren’t going to make the team, shouldn’t steal reps from those who will. RB Jason Huntley, WR’s J.J. Arcega-Whiteside and Marken Michel, DT Marlon Tuipulotu, and S Blake Countess, are examples of guys who have no business getting any snaps. At least not while the game can still be won.
The guys who are going to make this roster, need those snaps. Don’t let them be stolen by dead men walking.
4) Shuffle the Ends: I get it. The Eagles are looking to rely on DE’s Brandon Graham, Derek Barnett, Josh Sweat and Ryan Kerrigan. So between the four DE’s of Tarron Jackson, Milton Williams, JaQuan Bailey andMatt Leo, there’s probably only one spot left. The team wanted to get a long look at them. Okay. Got plenty of looks. Now let’s see if we can find another actual pass rusher.
We need to get a look at OLB Patrick Johnsonor SLB Genard Avery, lined up at DE on a few third downs. Aside from Johnson, I was not a fan of the Eagles defensive line additions, during the 2021 Draft. I made that abundantly clear in my Draft Report. It’s about time we got a look at him vs the top half of an opposing roster.
If we do these Four Things, win or lose, the coach will have sent the message that it’s time to focus on competing, and getting better as a team. That said, I don’t know how much faith I have in Sirianni doing what needs to be done. It’s why I’ve predicted an Eagles loss in both of the previous games. What I absolutely have faith in, is owner Jeff Lurie putting an arm around young Nick, and telling him “Nick, you’d better win back my %$@#ing fan base. Because wins move merch!”
PREDICTION: EAGLES 20 – Jets 17
Check back in a couple of days for Four Things Reviewed, and we’ll discuss how it went.
WHILE our Offensive Starters didn’t get in the end zone, our Defensive Starters didn’t allow a trip to the end zone. In fact, our first half play looked very good considering that it was Head Coach Nick Sirianni’s debut, and Pittsburgh wasn’t playing in their first game of the preseason.
Hopefully in this game, we’ll work on a rushing attack that we left largely explored, last week. The play selection was 29 passes to 10 non-QB rushes. That’s 74.3% pass, for those who want an early read on Sirianni’s attack philosophy.
In year’s past, there were four preseason games. Now there are just three. In the past, Starters played the most in Game Three. Now it’ll likely be in Game Two. That means if we’re going to win one of these, this next one is the one that will have the most “meaning”, because it’ll give us the largest glimpse of our best vs an opponent’s best. Like this!
Even though preseason games are meaningless, I want this game. I didn’t care what happened last week, and I won’t care how next week shakes out. But this one? I want this one. I’m putting that out there, right now.
The point of Four Things isn’t to predict a winner, it’s to discuss which tactics will practically guarantee our Eagles this win. CAUTION: 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 FT as a gambling tool, you are trying to lose your money, and will deserve it when you do.
So let’s talk about the Four Things we need to focus on this week versus the Patriots:
1) Run the ball: QB Jalen Hurts looked solid last week. Not great. Not stellar. Solid. To really unleash him and make him dangerous, the Eagles ground game has to come alive. We need to give the opposing defense an entire offense to worry about. While 60/40 run pass split would be ideal, even a 43/57 split would show that the Eagles brain trust is as least as dialed in as I am.
2) Rotate, rotate, rotate: For fuck’s sake, rotate our goddamned line! Last week Defensive Coordinator Jonathan Gannonessentially gave away the game, by refusing to rotate his obviously gassed, defensive linemen in the second half. The result was that our defense got run over.
If Gannon owns a pair of balls, he’ll be embarrassed by what his coaching put on tape. At the very least, linemen should be subbed out two at a time. For example: Rotate in a DT along with a DE. We have 7 DT’s, and we only start 2. That’s 5 subs. We have 6 healthy DE’s. We only start 2. That’s 4 subs. We have the manpower. Get this done!
3) Sit the Flacco Down: We already know what QB Joe Flacco is. He doesn’t need extensive work to be a #2. Hurts on the other hand needs a half, since he likely won’t play next week. Third string QB Nick Mullen however, needs to show that last week (1 – 5 – 20.0% – 4 – 0 – 2) was an aberration. If he bombs this week, the Eagles are almost guaranteed not to carry three QB’s on the active roster; and they may even look elsewhere for a Practice Squader.
4) Unleash the Blitz: The Eagles refrained from blitzing last week. So much so that the announcer kept bringing it up. That can’t happen this week. Our players need to get a feel for how the gaps develop, how long they last, or if any of them have a “tell”, etc. Those things only come with reps against top-shelf talent.
Guys like OLB Genard Averyand rookie OLB Patrick Johnson, are known for rushing passers. Let’s turn these guys loose.
If we do these Four Things, this game will show the NFL that the Eagles are scary underdogs this year. REALLY scary underdogs.
Mike Tomlin last week, and now Patriots coach Bill Belichik. While Belichik is more than a match for our rookie head man, I feel fortunate that Sirianni is getting this baptism by fire, this early in his career. That said, neither Bill nor Nick, will line up on Thursday night.
Talent for talent, I don’t see that New England is better than we are. In fact, I think we hold decisive advantages along both of our lines. We also have more explosive skill players. Especially given the fact that the Patriots feel that adding CB Jalen Mills to their secondary made them stronger.
If the Eagles do what they should, we win this in a walk.
PREDICTION: EAGLES 20 – Patriots 17
Check back in a couple of days for Four Things Reviewed, and we’ll discuss how it went.
New categories include a weekly Offensive Line Report(Rushing TD’s – 3rddowns converted of 2 yards or less on the ground – sacks allowed); as well as Drive Killer(Int – FR – 4th down Tackles – FF).
I hear you asking, “What about all the stuff that stats don’t reveal?” Well, that’s the reason for the 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: Steelersdid the Eagles get around to doing? Well let’s see:
1) Simple Communication: At no point did the Eagles starters, seem out of sync with each other. There were points where there were lapses in execution, but given how new the systems are, it’s far too early to make that into a real complaint. (DONE)
2) Bring the Violence: OLBAlex Singleton and S Anthony Harris came to lay the lumber! Everyone else…not so much. Maybe we’ll see more ill will next week. (NOT DONE)
3) Have a Ball: We managed just one take-away all game long. Worse yet, the time of possession, felt like we had the ball for just 10 of the 60 minutes in the game. (NOT DONE)
4) Shelve the cute shit: The play-calling was very vanilla. Playing the game straight-up, allowed us to take a real assessment of our big men in the trenches. (DONE)
So we did 2 of the 4, and it clearly wasn’t enough. Next week we should get a longer look at our starters, vs a 1 – 0 New England team that just handed Washington one of these:
On The Whole:
Our starters looked much sharper than I was anticipating. Especially given that Pittsburgh had already played a preseason game. As the game wore on, our Defensive Line wore out visibly. Why there wasn’t any substitution, is totally beyond me. That said, instead of harping on negatives, using this game to emphasize positives, would likely go much much farther, in terms of player development.
WE’RE about to get our first look at Head Coach Nick Sirianni’s vision for the Eagles. The 2021 edition will be sporting a new look Offense aaand Defense. That means any expectations have to be set entirely to the side, until we have some idea of what the team does and doesn’t do, well.
Being a preseason game, we all know that the wins and losses don’t blah blah blah. But that’s just officially speaking. Even getting a preseason win under his belt, would give Sirianni something to hang his hat on, during meetings and film study.
While in a loss, he could point the finger at certain players; in a win, he can heap reward on certain players. For players trying to win roster spots or starting jobs in August, the carrot is a far better motivator than the stick. There is no carrot without winning this game.
The point of Four Things isn’t to predict a winner, it’s to discuss which tactics will practically guarantee our Eagles this win. CAUTION: 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 FT as a gambling tool, you are trying to lose your money, and will deserve it when you do.
So let’s talk about the Four Things we need to focus on this week versus Pittsburgh:
1) Simple Communication: It will be interesting to see how often an Eagles QB throws to an area where there is no receiver. Or how often a hand-off is poorly executed. It will be interesting to see who calls the signals on Defense, and how responsive surrounding players are to those calls.
The Eagles have to keep things simple, and make sure they are on the same page. This is the first preseason game. While a win would feel nice and be worth some coaching capital, there is nothing smart about pulling out all the stops for a preseason win. Keep it simple. Communicate clearly.
2) Bring the violence: Pittsburgh isn’t still a “pound the rock and iron defense” type of team, but they carried that rep for so long, that they still sort of benefit from it. We can use that. Bringing the pain on tackles, will put the NFL on notice.
Listen, it’s a lot easier to cover a WR on a Crossing route, if he’s spending half of it looking for a FS. Lapses in his concentration means drops, rounded routes, “Alligator Arms”, and other things. So send the message during this preseason: In 2021, the fastest way through Philadephia’sDefense, is in an ambulance.
3) Have A Ball: Across the NFL over the last 5 seasons (2016 – 2020), there have been 86 defensive safeties. That’s just 17.2 per season, among 32 teams. The rest of the scoring is done via touchdowns and field goals, both of which require physical possession of the football. If the opponent doesn’t have it, they generally can’t score. So go get ball. When we do get ball, keep ball. Move ball. Score ball. None of this is complicated. DO THIS.
4) Shelve the Cute Shit: Every team likes to run trick and gadget plays. Offensive coaches live to show us all how smart they are. Well, save it for after our Offense has the basics down. More than that, let’s show teams that we can win in a straightforward manner. Winning the division would be nice, but HOW we win it, forecasts how far we can go in the postseason.
If we do these Four Things, the Eagle should win in a walk.
As we saw against the Cowboys in the Hall of Fame game, Pittsburgh is also trying to figure things out. While QB Ben Roethlisberger didn’t play in that game (so their offense struggled), he also didn’t play in that game (so this is his first taste of a new system). Sauce for the goose.
Still, Steelers coach Mike Tomlin knows his players and how to guide them. Sirianni is entering his first engagement as the leader of an NFL team. If the Eagles talent takes over this game, it could get ugly for Pittsburgh. That said, if it comes down to coaching, expect Tomlin to take our rookie to school. In fact, maybe we should hope that he does.
PREDICTION: EAGLES 13 – Steelers 20
Check back in a couple of days for Four Things Reviewed, and we’ll discuss how it went.
LOOK at that! The Bengals have converted their field from grass to mattresses. Not only has it already improved the look of their stadium, but their owner thinks it will extend, or at least not keep shortening, the lifespan of QB Joe Burrow. The team is also asking the league to allow Burrow to wear several pillows duct taped to his helmet. It’s either that or spend the money to protect him.
Steelers LB T.J. Watt increased his sack total for the third straight year in a row. Due to notching 16.5 sacks, he continues to be above criticism. This is despite sporting a missed tackle percentage of over 10 percent, in every season of his career. If only there were some sort of clue about how to fix the defense…
The carriage turned back into a pumpkin, and the horses turned back into rats, as the Browns returned to reality and went 3 – 14 this year.
Somewhere out there is a desperate Browns fan, carrying a clear, platform shoe, and searching for Princess Odell.
Ravens K Justin Tucker’s rap/opera album “Come Kick It Wit’ Me” shot to the top of the Italian pop music charts this year. Sighting how he didn’t need this “NFL boll sheed no mo’ ”, Tucker announced his retirement. After which he flipped the double-bird, as he rode away barefoot in a kiddie pool, which was situated in the bed of an El Camino. There was no water in the pool.
NFC NORTH!
Raise your hand if you predicted the Lions going 14 – 3, getting a first round bye, and winning it all.
“It’s better than drinkable water!” was how one fan described the Detroit Lions Super Bowl parade. Thousands of fans came out to celebrate and cheer their team, not long before tens of thousands of muggers descended on both the fans and the players. The car-jacking of a parade float would be the low-point of the day, and perhaps the lowest in all of American history.
After a just barely failing to qualify for a wild card berth, a 9 – 8 Minnesota team is still unsure if they’re a bad team that frequently overachieves, or a good team that chokes at the slightest sign of true relevance.
As Chicago continues their search for a passer, Bears QB Justin Fields was traded to Buffalo for QB Mitch Trubisky. One Chicago football fan said “Eh, it’s good we went an’got a veteran quarterback now, ‘cause Fields played like a rookie. I mean, why din’t he just look at what Tommy Bradley does in Tampa, then come right out and copy exactly what he saw?How hard could dat be, right?? Anyways, Trubisky sounds like a good Polish name. It feels familiar. I like it.”
After another implosion in the second round of the playoffs, QB Aaron Rodgers is continuing to act like he’s doing Packers fans a favor, by allowing them to overpay him millions more than he’s ever truly deserved. Perhaps Green Bay should have double checked for a discount.
AFC WEST!
After not allowing fans in to SoFi Stadium at all in 2020, the LA Chargers opened their arms to their loyal, fickle, frequently disinterested fan base. In a stadium that seats 70,000, the Chargers drew an average of 28,000 to their games. Somewhere the ghost of Al Davis is laughing so hard, that he’s gasping for air.
Despite being heavily favored by odds-makers, the Raiders Super Bowl loss continues to confound people. Suddenly retired Raider QB Derek Carr, could not be reached for comment as he was out on his yacht. The gold one, not the one made entirely out of stacks of money. His agent Pete Rose also declined comment.
The Chiefs were expected to have a more difficult road, but no one thought they’d miss the playoffs. As a disciplinary measure for yet another violation of team player conduct policy, Andy Reid ate WR Tyreek Hill, prior to the final game of the preseason. When asked if he regretted having eaten the WR, coach Reid responded “Listen, you’d expect athlete meat to be tough, but Tyreek, he was something special. Didn’t even need a marinade. Wait. What was the question?”
The Denver Broncos are trying to decide whether to screw over either another old RB, or another young QB, during this offseason. Either way, it will most certainly cripple the team’s offense next year. Their fans of course, will again feel like they’ve been stabbed directly in the face, when the team spends their top pick on a WR.
NFC WEST!
The 49ers, who paid QB Jimmy Garoppolo 26M$ to sit and watch rookie QB Trey Lance have an up and down year, will still owe Garoppolo 27M$ next year. Worse yet, they likely have to endure at least one more year with him on the roster, as he won’t waive his no-trade clause. That is, unless he gets an offer he likes, from a team that won’t mind him throwing with his eyes closed. Still, the defense was good enough for the team to post a 10 – 7 record.
Seattle RB Rashaad Penny was surprised to learn that the team is declining to pick up his 5th year option. Penny was selected in the first round of the 2018 Draft, but didn’t get his first start until 2021. In that game, he had one carry for 8 broken tackles, and a 63 yard touchdown. It also resulted in a torn hamstring which ended his season. Tore it right off the bone! When asked whether Penny is “a bust”, GM John Schneider, shrieked, burst into tears, and attempted to answer questions. He however, couldn’t be understood through his high-pitched, racking sobs. Seattle predictably bowed out in the second round of the playoffs.
No matter how much talent Arizona adds, sub .500 is the best God will allow. In other news, QB Kyler Murray married the dancing hula girl on the dash board of J.J. Watt’s car.
It was a beautiful ceremony. When Murray stood on a chair to kiss his bride, there wasn’t a dry eye to be seen, according to Stevie Wonder, who was told that he was in attendance.
The Rams added a ton of weapons in the offseason, but neglected to help their offensive line. This led to QB Matt Stafford being lost for the year in Week Two, and also left the run game stuck in neutral since the preseason. Give you one guess what they’ll be taking with their first round pick this year. Oh wait! They won’t have a first rounder this year. Or next year. Dopes.
AFC SOUTH!
After partially tearing the meniscus in his right knee in training camp, it was quickly thought by both QB Carson Wentz and the Colts front office, that the smartest thing would be for Carson to just rest, relax and let that tear take 3 to 5 months to heal on its own. While the Eagles paid him 34 million dollars.
Though Wentz played only half the season, taking just under 50% of the snaps, the Colts almost rallied to make the playoffs, going 7 – 1 with Wentz starting. Pretty smart trade. Especially since Wentz didn’t count against the Colts 2021 salary cap.
On a roster that features RB’s David Johnson, Mark Ingram, and Phillip Lindsay, you probably would never guess who led the team in rushing yards. It was Texans QB Tyrod Taylor, who spent the season running for his goddamned life. In the hopes of not suffering another punctured lung, Taylor racked up a career best 836 yards. Meanwhile, R. Kelly is alleging that QB Deshaun Watson inappropriately… (No. I’m going to draw a line here. Gotta preserve a little class.)
WE WILL SUCK YOUR DICK!!!! That’s the Jaguars latest promotion to get people to come to the stadium. Lord knows no one wants to watch them play football. Look at all the upgrades! Super-fast WiFi, an impressive sound system, they put in a party deck, a pool… They’ve done everything they can to avoid improving the team. Now the team has executives slobbing knobs. And they’re all so bad at it! C’mon folks! More spit, less teeth. This is basic stuff!
The Titans were the favorite to represent the AFC in the Super Bowl, until QB Ryan Tannehill tore his Achilles in Week One, and QB DeShone Kizer “Soze” stepped in and killed the whole team. Kizer continued the 0 – 15 magic that he had in Cleveland, going 0 – 7 before being benched for QB Logan Woodside… who then promptly tore his ACL, meaning that Kizer would come back out, and finish the season. Kizer went 0 – 15 (again), even though he also lost the two games started by other QB’s.
NFC SOUTH.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have increased their reward for information about head coach Bruce Arian’s whereabouts. Police are looking at DT Ndamukong Suh as a person of interest because, well… Because he’s fucking Ndamukong Suh! I mean come on!
With the retirement of QB Drew Brees last year, the Saints 6 – 11 season shows that they have gone back to being the hapless, talent squandering, afterthoughts that have historically always been. Fans are taking it well, saying that their relevance was nice while it lasted.
The Falcons 5 – 12 record was predicted immediately after they traded WR Julio Jones to Tennessee last year. For a team with no defense, keeping Jones to go with their other weapons, would have made outscoring opponents easy. But Atlanta said “Fuck that!” and thew their easy button out of a tenth floor window. Nowwww look at them. Just look. SMDH.
Panthers RB Christian McCaffrey spent this season being 25 going on 35. Bouncing back from an injury, while being the focal point of an offense, with a QB trying to re-hab himself from having been a Jet, did no favors for McCaffrey. His 663 yards in 10 starts, will likely have the Panthers spending yet another late round draft pick on a RB, who is ill-suited to ever being a starter. Or a contributor. These guys just can’t learn.
AFC EAST!
The NFL finally made good on its threat to banish the Jets, who can no longer be referred to, as a “professional” football team. As the NCAA has not yet agreed to take them, the Jets have no official league designation yet. The CFL hasn’t offered a verbal or written response as to whether the Jets can seek asylum in Canada. However, the CFL’s pursed lips and side-eye, have offered a very strong hint about where they stand on the issue.
Bill Belichick has coached his last game for the Patriots. He is expected to take the job in Tampa Bay, after coach Bruce Arians suddenly went missing. QB Tom Brady is telling Congress that they cannot search his house.
Buffalo WR and anti-vaxxer Cole Beasley is recovering from the Delta variant of Covid-19. Luckily his access to the best medical treatment that NFL money can buy, put the odds for a full recovery, heavily in his favor. His wife Krystin however, was not an NFL employee. Get vaccinated.
After having changed his name from Jomal Wiltz to Jamal Perry in 2020, the IRS caught up with the Dolphins CB anyway. This goes to show, if you’re going to change your name, do it before you’re on television at least 17 times a year.
NFC EAST!!!
For the second year in a row, Washington won 7 games! While their 8 losses are fewer than the 9 from a year ago, their 2 ties offer little in the way of optimism. Because of that, there is currently a split in their fan base. Half of their fans argue that the 7 – 8 – 2 team, is an 8 – 8 team (“Because two half wins, equals one whole one. Dummy!”). Meanwhile, other half of their fan base sees the team as 7 – 8, and thus improved over 7 – 9 (“Because thems two ties cancels theyselves out. Stupid!”). Either way, the rest of us just see a degenerate, losing team that missed the playoffs.
The giants didn’t have to depend on a division rival to get to the playoffs this year, because they used StubHub! They got a great price, on great seats, and watched the Lions model the sort of franchise New York hopes to become. Maybe next year the giants won’t go 5 – 12, and they’ll qualify for a playoff berth on their own. Hey! The giants in the playoffs! Look at me! I got jokes!
The Cowboys went 12 – 5 and easily won their division. With a 5,000 yard passer, a 1,700 yard rusher, and THREE 1,000 yard receivers, right out of the gate, Dallas took the NFL by storm. Which is why their first round dismantling in the playoffs was so surprising. The 41 – 6 walloping at the hands of QB Joe Flacco, will forever be known in NFL circles as “The Dall-Ass Whipping”.
The Carson Wentz trade didn’t yield the Eagles a first round pick, and QB Jalen Hurtswas so bad that he was benched by Week Nine. Also, Head Coach Nick Sirianni retiring mid-season to join a professional Rochambeau league, didn’t surprise as many people as you’d think.
After which the hapless Eagles managed to rally and stumble into the playoffs as a wild card. At which point they utterly shelled the Cowboys 41 – 6, before losing to Detroit in the second round.
DISCLAIMER: If you use this article for gambling or betting purposes, you’re an idiot and your money is safer with other people. Don’t be dunce. Stop gambling on sports.
EAGLEMANIACAL.com 