Uncategorized

THE REDSKINS NEW NAME

Posted by The BEAST on 2020/07/03
Posted in: Conversations, NFC East, NFL, Rants, Rivals, Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

FED EX, Nike, and any other company that wants the Redskins to change their name, because it’s “racist” is full of shit. Keep in mind, this is coming from an Eagles fan. I absolutely-

LOVE Eagles

-to see our NFC East rivals, with their nuts in a vice. That said, a line has to be drawn. I have to stick up for the Redskins on this. 

Don’t get me wrong.You half expect the team’s fight song to be ‘Mammy’ by Al Jolson.Their name is racist. We all know it’s racist, and rival fan bases have been giving the Redskins shit for it, for decades now. It’s low hanging fruit, and it’s the gift that keeps on giving. But that’s not the point.

The Redskins, were already named the Redskins, back before there was a Nike, or a Fed Ex. They started out as the Boston Braves (still Native Americans) in 1932, and changed the name to the Boston Redskins in 1933. Nike started as Blue Ribbon Sports in 1964, and FedEx didn’t start up until 1971. Only Pepsico (called Pepsi-Cola in 1902) is older than the Redskins. (I went upstairs and got a Pepsi, just to drink it while I wrote this part.)

So of course the Redskins were already the Redskins, when these companies came around, asking to tie themselves to an established brand, in order to increase their own visibility. They wanted to advertise to everyone who tuned into see the team with the racist name, and sell their products to that team’s fans.

ice to Eskimos

These companies have been good with the Redskins being the Redskins for decades. Now due to some protests and statues being taken down, suddenly these companies have grown a conscience? Now they want to turn around and point their fingers at the Redskins for having a racist name?! That level of hypocrisy… The sheer BALLS to do such a thing… These people must get their pants specially made. They have to.

Let me ask a question: Hey Redskins fans, do you care what company makes your team apparel? Nike? Reebok? Probably not. One sweatshop employing underage children is the same as another. Right?

And FedEx! In 1998, those bitches bought the naming rights to the team’s home stadium, FedEx Field.

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If you look closely, you’ll see that half of that “crowd” are giants fans,. 

That 27 year, 205M$ deal runs through 2025. Let me nutshell that even further. For 22 years of a 27 year deal, FedEx has found everything to be copacetic with their name on the REDSKINS stadium. And NOW it’s racist?

Dan Snyder should tell FedEx, that if they wish, they can take their name off of his stadium, but that he gets to keep the outstanding balance of the contract (38M$ approximately). He should also say, that if they attempt to renege on the terms of the deal, that he’ll see them in court.

As an Eagles fan, I want to be able to torment Redskins fans about their racist name, for as long as I dare to cheer for people throwing around a hog-skin orb.

shadenfreude2

I don’t like that their name is racist, but I am tickled by watching them squirm as they acknowledge it, while feeling a need to uncomfortably defend it. And fuck anybody who tries to take that away from me.

OUR FREE SPEECH.

Posted by The BEAST on 2020/07/02
Posted in: Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , , , , . 4 Comments

eaglepatiotic
EAGLEMANIACAL.com is a small platform. It doesn’t have thousands of daily or (at this point), weekly readers. It’s not monetized. In fact, the only time this website ever had a financial aspect to it, is when I briefly made and sold t-shirts (and tried to sell jerseys), back when I first started out in 2014. Despite all the things it may not be, what this site is, is 100% MINE.

That means, my speech is never censored by a sponsor, or anyone else who can punish me for speaking my mind. So I can say anything I damned well please, in any goddamned way I fucking please, and anybody who doesn’t like it, can bleed from the eyes, then fuck all the way off.

yeah

I say that because, I’m seeing a crazy rash of my friends on Facebook, being penalized over some of the silliest shit. A 2 day suspension here. A 7 day suspension there. A 30 day ban. A pair of Ray Bans. Usually over practically nothing. Just for speaking their minds!

Recently, a number of Facebook’s sponsors began pulling their advertisements (i.e. ad revenue), because they feel that the social media platform, isn’t doing enough to cut down on “hate speech”. This of course is only going to make FB more aggressive towards sniffing out “hate speech”, and result in even more goofy suspensions.

I would advise you not to quit any influential social media outlet, out of frustration. Removing your voice from the debate, doesn’t end the debate. Falling silent just means, when policy makers want to sample public opinion on how to proceed, there may be no voices like yours, for them to hear. We need our better voices.

gwen ifill
As a huge believer in free speech, plenty gets said that I don’t like, and am even offended by. That said, my sensitivities shouldn’t define the boundaries of what you can say, and vice versa. While there are certain words that I’ve blocked from my site (faggot, nigger, queer, etc.), it was done more to keep discourse civil, than with an eye towards censorship.

Though I’ve never had a FB suspension or ban, if the day comes when you don’t see me on there, you can always find me HERE. (Hell, I even made it possible to e-mail me.) While I’m not looking to have a silly showdown with FB, I won’t be made to wear fucking gag either.

free speech (me)

While I don’t frequently deviate from talking about football here, I have used this platform to discuss baseball, politics, kneeling during the anthem, even our skyline and how it took shape. This is a place to relax, loosen our belts, and express our ideas. Both popular and un.

Given the state of the world, I may sprinkle in a little more non-football stuff. I have a platform here. Why not use it to promote ‘free thought’? Why not use it to have HONEST discussions, and even bring up a couple of uncomfortable subjects, that may provide us with new perspectives?

Once upon a time, Americans were courageous enough to talk to each other plainly. I’m out to prove that, that is not a dead trait among our people. I just hope that you’re with me.

Yours, 

z-EB3 (grande)

DEREK BARNETT’S 2020

Posted by The BEAST on 2020/06/28
Posted in: Conversations, Defense, Front Office (F.O.), NFL, Players, Roster, Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

Derek Barnett sacks Dak.jpg

HEADING into year four, DE Derek Barnett has 14.0 career sacks, and has never played all 16 games in a season. More than 14 sacks (by now), was expected of a player selected 14th overall in the 2017 NFL Draft. It’s true that as a DE he’s expected to play the run as well as the pass, but make no mistake, he was drafted primarily to sack the QB.

He was touted for having beaten his school’s career sack record, previously held by some guy named Reggie White. Maybe you’ve heard of him? There was constant mention of Barnett breaking that record, coupled with Eagles brass raving about how Barnett’s hands helped him gain quick access to QB’s. 

No one came right out and said it, but the whispers were “This guy might end up being better than Reggie.” No one said that outright, because until someone does it, the idea will always be laughable. As an Eagle, Reggie played in 121 games, producing 125 sacks. That’s more than a sack per game, over a span of eight straight seasons, despite constant double and triple teams.

Reggie White made Troy Aik man

Reggie made Troy ache man.

Reggie White’s career as an Eagle reads like Norse mythology. So of course no one will put their reputation on the line, and say that Barnett (or anyone else), has a chance to be as good, let alone better, than Reggie. However, the implications were there. Meanwhile, after three seasons, Barnett has yet to have even produce 10 sacks in a calendar year, let alone a season.

To their credit, the Eagles decided to roll the dice on Barnett. They picked up the fifth year option on his rookie contract, increasing his cap hit from 4M$ in 2019, to 10M$ in 2020. This is partly why the Eagles aren’t throwing money at free agent players like DE Jadeveon Clowney, or trying to trade for a player like DE Yannick Ngakuoe.

In his rookie season (as a back-up), Barnett earned 5 sacks. In year two he went on I.R. just 6 games into the season. Last season (his first full season as a starter), he picked up 6.5 sacks with the DT position beside him, being a revolving door due to injury. The guy playing next to Reggie for five years? Just some dude with a generic name like Jerome Brown. Maybe you’ve heard of him?

Jerome Brown.jpg

Barnett hasn’t had a consistent threat line up beside him yet. The Eagles are banking on 2020’s interior Defensive Line to provide the DE’s with more one-on-one opportunities, as well as cleaner, and faster paths to the passer. Thus allowing Barnett’s quick hands to become a factor.

While Barnett’s sack numbers aren’t eye-popping, in his rookie season, he collected what may be the most important fumble recovery in Eagles history, helping to secure our victory in Super Bowl 52.

card.DE derek.barnettSB

He also produced a strip/sack in the NFC Championship game, to help the Eagles get to that Super Bowl. So he can produce when it counts, which is likely where the Eagles faith in him comes from.

derek barnett.jpg

The Eagles are banking on that, to the tune of an additional 6M$ this year. Here’s hoping that Barnett can finally deliver on a double digit sack year.

THANK YOU, DAK PRESCOTT!

Posted by The BEAST on 2020/06/23
Posted in: Conversations, free agents, Front Office (F.O.), NFC East, NFL, Offense, Players, Rivals, Roster, trade, Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

shadenfreude2

GOTTA admit it. I thought that either Cowboys owner Jerry Jones would cave, and give QB Dak Prescott his 40M$ per year deal, or that Prescott’s holdout would go into the season. I’d have bet good money on it lasting through Cowboys training camp. Well I’d have lost that money. Dak Prescott finally cried “Uncle!”. Or did he?

At first his signing made no sense to me. For about 12 seconds. Then the idea hit, and I felt like giving a high-five to Prescott’s agent. Very cagey move getting his client to sign now. I sat and waited two days for the NFL Network, or ESPN, or Fox Sports to weigh in, but nobody mentioned the genius behind this signing.

Well let me spill the beans, and also tell you how this helps the Eagles. It helps the entire NFC East, but it helps the Eagles in a much more immediate sense. Right now, the NFL is pushing to have a season in 2020, but the Coronavirus Pandemic (Covid-19) gets the last word on that.

coronaviruses

If the NFL does manage a season, then Prescott plays for the tag. He plays for less than he wanted, but it’s still more than he’s ever made, and he’s doing what he loves. Unless he gets hurt, misses games and damages his pristine record, he’s still in line for a big deal in 2021.

Now here’s the genius of the signing. If the NFL cannot start or sustain the season, Prescott still gets credit for 2020. The money is his, fully guaranteed, he doesn’t get hurt, and he doesn’t “fail to make the playoffs/take another playoff loss”. It also puts the narrative on his side. He will have been “underpaid” for four years, then have signed a franchise tag. He’ll be undeniable.

So how does that help the division? Specifically the Eagles?

Doug Pederson laughing

Signing the tag now, locks in the money that the Cowboys are spending on Prescott. True, the Cowboys said they wouldn’t rescind the tag, but up until Prescott signed it, the option still existed. That could have become cap space to offer Jets SS Jamal Adams, who recently requested a trade to one of seven teams that he prefers, Dallas being one of them.

Adams also named the Eagles as a preferred destination, and we have 22M in cap space, but we still have to sign our rookies. Not to mention that we’re projected to be 51M$ over the cap in 2021, and word is, the Eagles want to roll as much of 2020’s cap over into 2021 as possible.

Currently Dallas has about 11M$ in cap space. Between Prescott’s contract and still having to sign their rookie class, in particular first round Draft pick, WR Ceedee Lamb, the Cowboys will not have the money to offer Adams the 12-15M$ per year that he’s said to want. So Dak Prescott signing, effectively keeps Adams out of the NFC East. Making life easier for the division.

jon-stewart-steven-cobert-drinking-tea

The Cowboys CAN afford to make such a move, if they cut DE Tyrone Crawford (9M$ in 2020), and a couple other players. Or they can gut their depth at tight end, offensive line, linebacker, and cornerback to make cap space.

Aside from DE DeMarcus Lawrence, Crawford is the only sure thing they have at the DE position. They hope that DE Aldon Smith can regain his old form, and they hope that DE Randy Gregory will be re-instated so that maybe he can possibly fulfill his potential.

In the event of a fully played season, having little to no depth, during a year when teams are expecting their rosters to be hit by Covid-19… That really helps your rivals. And it helps your strongest rival the most.

Who again is the Cowboys strongest rival? My guess would be the team that beat them and took away the division last year, driving them from the playoff picture. And who would that team be? You guessed it. THE EAGLES.

So from all of us Eagles fans from all across America, THANK YOU DAK PRESCOTT!!!

dak hat

KAEPERNICK IN PHILLY?

Posted by The BEAST on 2020/06/19
Posted in: Conversations, free agents, Front Office (F.O.), NFL, Offense, Players, Roster, Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

NFL: Super Bowl XLVII-Baltimore Ravens vs San Francisco 49ers

HEAD Coach Doug Pederson said the Eagles look at everybody. That said, long-time Free Agent QB Colin Kaepernick definitely falls in the “everybody” category. QB Carson Wentz being backed up by a guy who led a team to the Super Bowl, initially sounds like a good idea. However, given any thought, it’s fraught with problems.

First, if Kaepernick were a back-up, which back up would he be? Second, third, or fourth string?

Fourth string means that Kaepernick steals a roster spot from someone. So he hurts our depth, and may not even play a meaningful down all season long. That’s a bad trade-off, in exchange for twenty weeks of Carson having to answer the same questions repeatedly, about a guy he hardly knows.

carsonwentz_camo

Third string means that rookie QB Jalen Hurts has his development pushed back a year. Hurts is clearly here to be the #2 in 2021, so he needs to be able to get his feet wet in 2020. Kaepernick at #3 means Hurts is pushed to #4 on the depth chart. That almost certainly puts the rookie on the Practice Squad. Which is no place for a second round pick to start his career.

Second string means that QB Nate Sudfeld probably wouldn’t make the 53 man roster. He’s already on a one year deal, with Hurts breathing down his neck like a prison shower scene.

prison shower

Everybody asked Wentz what he felt when Hurts was drafted. Well here is how Sudfeld felt.

However, if Wentz goes down, Sudfeld is our only QB who is well versed in the Offense. If Wentz goes down for the year (knock wood), and we’re already out of the playoff picture, sure, start Hurts. If we’re still in the playoff hunt however, Sudfeld has to be the guy. He has to be.

Kaepernick may be more athletically gifted, but he can’t offer what Sudfeld can, in terms of keeping our playoff hopes afloat. He may be more experienced, but making him the #3, essentially throws away a second round pick. Is he worth not keeping an extra DE, or CB, or WR, if he doesn’t play a down all year?

Liberty Bell (4) - 1.16.12

On one hand, I love the idea of Philadelphia being the place where Kaepernick restarts his career. The idea of him taking a knee in the very city where Free Speech took it’s first breath as a Human right, gives me chills to even write it. The very POWER of the idea is seismic, and it nearly brings tears to my eyes. I want it, I CRAVE it on this city’s resume, because most American cities don’t have the backbone to take the weight of it.

This is the team that took in Micheal Vick when all the other NFL teams, bailed. QB Donovan McNabb vouched for him, and head coach Andy Reid took that recommendation to owner Jeff Lurie. These men believed in each other, and as a result, look at Vick today.

So yeah. Colin Kaepernick redefining how Americans view and accept political expression? I lust for that as part of Philly’s history. However, if it won’t work for the team, there’s no realistic way to expect it would happen. So Kaepernick coming to Philly is going to be a pass. (Get it? A pass?)

BRINGING BACK MALCOLM JENKINS

Posted by The BEAST on 2020/06/11
Posted in: Conversations, Defense, Front Office (F.O.), NFL, Players, Rants, Roster, Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , , , , , , . 3 Comments
Chris Long and Malcolm Jenkins

Jesus. How lucky were we in 2017?

SAFETY Malcolm Jenkins has stayed in the news during the 2020 offseason. He returned to the first team that he won a Super Bowl with (New Orleans). He worked out with new Eagles SS Will Parks, mentoring his replacement, despite not being teammates. He’s recently demonstrated peacefully, for the social cause that he has spent years advocating for.

He has said repeatedly and pointedly, that he considers Philadelphia his home.

I was sick and salty, moody, and disgusted when the Eagles let him get away. I knew we’d regret it. I knew we’d see it come back to rub our collective noses in it. I just didn’t think it would happen so fast, and so nationally. My current level of butthurt looks like this:

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Real talk. Can we just trade and get him back please? The sheer amount of egg on our faces, is already outweighed by whatever the Saints would ask for in return for him. Every time he pops up on the local news, or NFL Network, or CNN, I want to cram GM Howie Roseman’s head in a pencil sharpener.

Have you noticed how we Eagles fans are very excited about the Offense this year? But when the subject of our Defense comes up, suddenly it’s “Excuse me. I have something in the oven”, followed by us sprinting from the room. Which in hindsight, was a bad way to end the prostate exam. (I never went back for my clothes, because I was too scared to discuss our LB situation.)

The leadership vacuum created by Jenkins’s absence is massive, and anyone who tells you different, has no idea what they’re talking about. Most of football is mental. If football were all about measurables, JaMarcus Russell would be a Hall Of Famer and you wouldn’t even know who Joe Montana was. Taylor Mays would be a perennial All-Pro, and Brian Dawkins would have had a two year career.

Brian Dawkins HALL OF FAMER

The ability to lead and to inspire is a rare gift. On any roster of 53 men, you may have 39 solid alpha types, and still only 2 or 3 true leaders. During seasons of adversity and injury (including our 2017 Super Bowl win), Jenkins was the linchpin of the team. Mentally keeping players in the fight. Being accountable and holding people accountable. (Fuck Orlando Scandrick! Sorry, I had to stop that right there, before that even got started.)

The odds of the Eagles bringing back Jenkins are virtually non-existent. It’s just me throwing a coin in a fountain, with my eyes closed and my fingers crossed. It’s also me, trying to have a conversation that inspires people to participate in a discussion about football again. To welcome opinions on a subject that brings us joy, and healthy debate.

card.malcolm.jenkins2

While I’m not the leader that Malcolm Jenkins is, I can aspire to inspire. Like Jenkins, I choose to use the sport of football as a rally point. To utilize my small stage as a scribe, to bring people to a common table. One where we can laugh, debate, and bond over a love that is bigger than all of us, and even bigger than our rivalries

True leaders find ways to maximize their tools and bring their people together. I have no doubt that the Eagles will find new voices, and that new leadership will emerge. It’s a solid locker room with a solid culture, which promotes the building of leaders.  I just wish we had this particular leader back. 

2019 Malcolm Jenkins pre-game

SIGN McCOY ALREADY!

Posted by The BEAST on 2020/06/09
Posted in: Conversations, free agents, Front Office (F.O.), NFL, Offense, Players, Rants, Roster, Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

player-leseanmccoy

WHAT the fuck is the hold-up!? While the Eagles are solid with RB Miles Sanders as our starter, we still could use a veteran insurance policy, just in case (knock wood) Sanders gets hurt. The Eagles brass apparently thinks the same way, which is why it’s no secret that they’ve kicked the tires on RB’s Carlos Hyde, Devonta Freeman, and former Eagle LeSean McCoy. That being said, we still haven’t signed anybody.

Hyde signed with the Seahawks, so he’s off the board. Freeman has has had trouble staying healthy in recent years, yet still expects to make north of the 4 million dollar offer (from the Seahawks) that he turned down. Last season for the Chiefs, McCoy had a salary of 3 million, so he could VERY likely be brought in for that figure or less.

Super Bowl LIV: LeSean McCoy says, 'We want to do this for Andy ...

In addition to being affordable, his familiarity with the Offense that Head Coach Doug Pederson runs, allows him to hit the ground running. Add to that, the fact that he’s a complete three down RB. Add to that, the idea that he knows he’s coming in as a role player/mentor. Now add to THAT, the fact that respected veterans WR DeSean Jackson and RT Lane Johnson are actively stumping for McCoy’s return.

When you add all of those factors up, it damn near breaks your abacus. McCoy not being signed already, makes as much sense as double D’s on a fish.

That’s not to say that I don’t trust RB’s Corey Clement, and Boston Scott. What I’m saying is, as an insurance policy, I trust the Eagles all-time leader in rushing yards, just a little bit more. Perhaps not as a workhorse, but definitely the top half of a RB tandem, until he was outplayed by the other half.

player-leseanmccoybelt.profootballzone

We need to quit dicking around and sign McCoy. We know that we’ve made magic with him. Hell, since 2014 he’s become the standard by which we’ve judged all who’ve followed him. Overthinking this is only outsmarting ourselves, and benefiting our rivals We want him. We need him. So let’s just sign McCoy already.

IS CARSON WENTZ ELITE?

Posted by The BEAST on 2020/05/26
Posted in: Conversations, NFL, Offense, Players, Reviews, Roster, stats, Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

wentz fireworks

EAGLES QB Carson Wentz frequently plays and produces at an elite level. He has his flaws: He has a history of taking too many sacks, instead of getting rid of the ball quickly. He doesn’t run for enough cheap yardage. He leans too much on the TE position. In fairness, he seemed get past much of this by the end of 2019. It’ll be interesting to see how he opens 2020.

Even with his flaws, Carson’s young resume still boasts a constellation of stellar marks:

* He rarely throws interceptions, having never thrown more than 7 in a season, since his rookie season when he threw 14.

* His red zone stats look like something out of a Madden video game. In 55 games he’s thrown 72 touchdown vs just 2 interceptions in the red zone.

* He’s won the division twice out the four years that he’s been a pro. His first division win was iced even before he played the game in which he was lost for the season. By that point, he was an MVP candidate, and he had his team playing for home-field advantage in a year when his efforts would help win Philadelphia’s first Super Bowl.

* He won his second division crown throwing to a group of players (WR Greg Ward, WR Deontay Burnett, WR Robert Davis, RB Boston Scott, and TE Joshua Perkins) all of whom started the season as Practice Squaders. Burnett and Davis weren’t even on Philadelphia’s PS.

Carson Wentz prepares to fire

The fact is, Carson is a monster. Anytime someone wants to take a shot at him, they never attack his play. They attack the three regular season and three playoff games he missed in 2017. They attack the two first games of 2018 where Carson wanted to play, but the coaching staff held him out until the team doctor (since fired) cleared him. They attack the last 5 games of 2018 where again, Carson wanted to play (through stress fractures in his back), but was shut down by the coaching staff, on the advice of the (since fired) medical staff.

The question however was, is Carson Wentz elite? Is he to be mentioned in the Brady, Rodgers, Wilson, Brees, Mahomes crowd? Is he in that upper echelon of current NFL QB’s? The short answer is: No. He isn’t.

wentz v TB 2016 rookie preseason

Currently, Carson is 0 – 1 in the playoffs. We Eagles fans can spin that 2019 playoff loss to Seattle any way we like, but the facts are, Carson started the game and the Eagles lost it. Period. Until Carson gets that first playoff win under his belt, he’s going to be the Buddy Ryan of QB’s: Great in the regular season, but the world’s greatest tease in the playoffs.

Carson’s arm strength, accuracy, ability to read defense, and ability to make plays that make other players gasp, are all top-notch. There is no doubt that he is an elite talent, but there is a difference between being a “talent”, and being a guy who delivers. To become an elite QB, to become a guy who delivers, Carson has to get this team to an NFC Championship game.

Otherwise he’s just Dak Prescott.

Carson Wentz and Dak Prescott

THE OTHER TWO TEAMS

Posted by The BEAST on 2020/05/16
Posted in: Conversations, Defense, NFC East, Offense, Players, Rivals, Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

giants redskins

GETTING caught up in the Dallas Cowboys contract saga, we’ve all but stopped talking about the Redskins and the giants. While both of those teams were bottom feeders in 2019, one of them could see themselves buoyed by the sinking of the Cowboys in 2020. The question is: Which team will rise?

Early indicators say that the giants are going to be the bottom team, but that only looks that way on the surface. A deeper look says, the giants and Redskins may be more closely matched than people may realize. People are quick to knock the giants, but step back and don’t let the trees block your view of the forest. Let’s get to breaking this down.

vince lombardi

Knock: The giants have a first year head coach.

Rebuttal: This is true, but who is Joe Judge? What is he likely to do on 3rd and 3? Either on offense or defense! How does he intend to deploy RB Saquon Barkley? How much rope will his assistant coaches get? This gives Judge not “the” but “an” element of surprise, if he can assemble even a half-decent team.

On the other hand, Redskins coach Ron Rivera has a 9 year track record. People know him already. They know his tendencies, his preferences. With a bad team in need of rebuild, what do you think he’s going to lean on? He’s going to lean on what he knows. He’s going to revert to familiar patterns. Out of sheer necessity, he will be more predictable than Judge will be.

Knock: The giants will run Jason Garrett’s system, The word is that the Cowboys will already know what’s coming and how to decode it, twice a year.

Rebuttal: Question. Which Jason Garrett system? The one where he was an up-and-coming OC and new HC? Or the one that featured Cowboys owner Jerry Jones coming down to the sideline to meddle? Because something tells me that those things will be quite different.

Also, when have the Cowboys ever had a player like Saquon Barkley, play in Garrett’s system? TE Evan Engram offers athleticism that Raider’s TE Jason Witten never could. The giants will not be pounding ball inside like the Cowboys did with RB’s Ezekiel Elliott, DeMarco Murray or Marion Barber.

Knock: The giants don’t have a decent offensive line.

Rebuttal:

monkey puppet side eye borderless

Moving on…

What concerns me most is that when the Eagles, Cowboys or Redskins get discussed, people talk about both sides of the ball. When the giants get discussed, people only discuss the offense. Clearly everyone is sleeping on their defense, and the rate for being surprised by what you didn’t see coming, is 100%.

The giants front seven is going to be better than anyone realizes, even though their secondary will still be trash. (Especially after losing CB Deandre Baker.) That being said, this article isn’t about who will win the East. It’s about who’s gonna be the bitch that the other three teams keep chained up in the basement. The default, knee jerk answer is New York, but again, you may want to take a closer look at that assumption. Right Redskins?

kia-participant

EAGLES 2020 SCHEDULE PREVIEW

Posted by The BEAST on 2020/05/08
Posted in: Conversations, Defense, NFL, Offense, Preview, Rivals, Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

the linc.png

FIRST of all let me say, that this schedule is very nice! A Week 10 Bye would have been better than the Week 8 Bye that we got. However, with the uncertainty surrounding how much of this season will actually get played, while not perfect, this schedule is really really good.

This is a much better schedule than 2019’s, which I said last year was a trap. Because to hell with who’s on the schedule, it’s when the games fall that matters. Last year was loaded with traps. This year…not so much.

Understand, the Eagles won’t have a stout Defense in 2020. There is no feared pass-rusher. Our second level is a question mark. The Secondary just lost it’s leader. So for us to win 11 games, we’re going to have to put up a ton of points this year, and the roster has been stacked to do exactly that.

Home games. We get back to back homes games, and we get a stretch of three home games in the first half of the season. So from Pittsburgh through the Bye (W5 to W10), the Eagles never have to leave the state. As one die-hard Eagles fans pointed out,

no plane no plane

Away games. We get three sets of back to back road games. San Fran and Pittsburgh (W4, W5), are early in the year. Then coming off of our Bye (W10, W11), it’s just 2 hours up 95 to NY. The following week we don’t even break the time-zone flying to Cleveland. The only set that concerns me in terms of travel, are (W15, W16) at Arizona and Dallas.

Games that flat out concern me are

*Baltimore (W6) because running QB’s give us fits.

*Seattle (W12) because we have never beaten their running QB.

*Green Bay (W13) because it’s Lambeau in December. We beat them in 2019, but that game was in September. 

*New Orleans (W14) because like Seattle, they seem to have our number.

From a knee-jerk expectation standpoint, that still hints at a 12 – 4 record. Not bad, but let’s look closer at this thing. Let’s level the playing field and assume everybody stays healthy on all the rosters.

1. Washington. As long as they run a 3-4 defense, they’ll never beat this team. Especially without a QB. Right Alex?

Leg injury

2. LA Rams. Doug Pederson has Sean McVay’s number. Plus the Rams lost a ton of talent.

3. Cincinnati. Expect the Eagles defense to make life hard on the rookie QB.

4. San Francisco. Teams have tape on the 49ers. Andy Reid will give Doug the blueprint.

5. Pittsburgh. Getting their QB back is a plus, but now his weapons are just average.

6. Baltimore. This one will be trouble if nothing is done about our LB’s.

7. New York giants. Their new coaching staff is on it’s first short week.

garrett clapping

8. Dallas. Cowboys second straight road game vs a rested Eagles team.

9. BYE WEEK 7 – 1 (projected)

10. New York giants. Rested Eagles overwhelm inferior opponent.

11. Cleveland. Winnable game, but too much cockiness causes a needed stumble.

12. Seattle. No move in the offseason was made to shore-up their 27th ranked pass defense. The Eagles come into this game with weapons this year.

crying seahawk.jpeg

13. Green Bay. It’s Lambeau. In December. Those four words, in that order, are terrifying.

14. New Orleans. Winnable game. Third road game in a row, for a team that had a W6 bye.

15. Arizona. Not nearly enough effort went into keeping their tiny QB upright. Big mistake. Biiiig mistake. 

16. Dallas. Our second road game in a row. Whoever needs this game more, will win it.

17. Washington. This one gets goofy. Eagles back-ups are playing before the half.

piano

Likely 11 – 5

The only game that feels like a predetermined loss is Baltimore. That too could change if the Eagles sign a LB, or one of the young LB’s prove me wrong and becomes a stud. So yeah, the Eagles had better sign someone.