2018 DRAFT WISH LIST

Posted by The BEAST on 2018/04/23
Posted in: Defense, Draft, NFL, Offense, Players, Preview, Roster, Special Teams. Tagged: , , , , , , . Leave a comment

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PHILADELPHIA just won a Super Bowl. We’re picking 32nd. We don’t need new starters, because many are signed through the next few years. Even our primary back-ups are gold nuggets.

Thanks to General Manager Howie Roseman, the Eagles boast what is almost certainly the NFL’s most complete and deepest roster. There are some thinnish spots (OLB and TE) and some older spots (LT, C, WR, and DE), but it’s nothing that a strong Draft can’t smoothly pave over. All we need is a strong Draft.

And therein lies the problem.

This Draft has some goodies tat he top of it, and some nifty do-dads near the bottom, but the middle is like a vast wasteland, if your team isn’t desperate for talent. I almost wish we could reserve our picks, and sit this year out. However, that’s not how this works.

So I put together a Wishlist of prospects that I’d like to see the Eagles use our picks on. (Provided we don’t trade out of spot.) This list is less about the individuals talent that they bring to the team, and more about how they fit into what we do already. View this list with that in mind.

1) Round 1 Pick 32 (#32 overall): LT – CONNOR WILLIAMS

Word is that he’s fallen off since getting hurt, but we don’t want him bringing his college game/technique to the NFL in the first place. He’s got a good motor, a mean streak, and unlike our current back-up LT, he doesn’t have heavy feet. As usual, I prefer using game tape over using a highlight reel if I can. That way you see what a player is like, down in and down out.

 

2) Round 4 Pick 30 (#130 overall): LT – BRANDON PARKER

He run blocks with the attitude of RT. No sin in having a matching set of young Tackles ready to go, in case of retirement and or injury.

 

3) Round 4 Pick 32 (#132 overall): LB – GENARD AVERY

Now is where it gets weird. Avery has a 5th or 6t round grade on him, but to Hell with that. Less important than where we get a guy, is THAT we get a guy who does what we need. He may not be there later, so get him now. He’s a powerful guy playing in a scheme that suits him poorly. He’s moved around the formation (inside the box, on the edge, matched up in man), so he offers the chance to be a 3 down player.

 

4) Round 5 Pick 32 (#169 overall): RB – CHRIS WARREN III

“Warren has a 7th round grade on him! Why reach and get him this early??! Draft picks aren’t free! This isn’t Madden, dumbass!” I hear you, I hear you. Take a breath and let me ask you: “Will we miss LeGarrette Blount?” What if we we could replace him with a younger, cheaper player who already has some pass protection polish to his game? He won’t start, but he can fill that third RB role. Look at the WHOLE tape and tell me that he’s not worth a 5th rounder.

 

5) Round 6 Pick 32 (#206 overall): LB – DORIAN O’DANIEL

He’s more of a Nickle LB/Safety tweener, which we have a couple of already. The whole idea is to draft a Special Teams coverage Ace, who can also play some actual defense.

 

6) Round 7 Pick 32 (#250 overall): WR/RS – QUADREE HENDERSON

I’m not a big fan of highlight videos. However, given that so much of what this guy does is on Special Teams, it seemed silly to look for regular downs-type game video. Take a look and tell me if he reminds you of anyone.

 

So that’s what the Draft would look like if I had my way. I mean it’s pressure-free! Seriously, what do you get for the team that has everything? This Draft is a restocking run. That’s it. It’s a replenishment of depth, where hopefully we’ll find more gold in this Draft.

So lets get prospectin’! I meant, uh drafting.

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THE 2018 SCHEDULE

Posted by The BEAST on 2018/04/20
Posted in: Conversations, Reviews, Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

 

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YOU can’t tell, but right now, I’m dancing in my chair. For the second year in a row, the schedule makers have smiled upon Philadelphia, and given the Eagles a pretty good schedule. It’s not a great schedule, but it’s a pretty good one. It’s also a tough one.

While a good schedule doesn’t mean a team will win their division, a bad one can easily act as an obstacle, or magnify the effect of existing obstacles like opponents, and injuries.

This year’s schedule includes a Week 9 Bye. Not too shabby. That’s a week off, smack-dab in the literal middle of the 17 week season. Eight games on, one week off, then eight games on. While I’m glad it’s not an early Bye (meaning anything earlier than Week 6), it would be better if it it fell on Week 10, 11 or 12. But Week 9 will do.

It’s a good schedule, but we do get plucked in the eye a few times. It’s a tough run, but there are only two points where we have short turnarounds of less than 7 days:

  • Week 6 at the giants, after facing Minnesota 4 days earlier. However, that’s not so bad considering that the giants are also on a 4 day turnaround, after visiting the Panthers. So both of our teams will be about as tired as the other. Sauce for the goose.
  • Week 14 at Dallas, after we duke it out with Washington 6 days earlier. A double stack of division games! Yummy! And we get to go on the road to Dallas! After they’ve had 10 days of rest. (Me no likey, the this one here.) Sometimes the placement of a game can make it hard to win it. This is one of those.

Then, after two weeks of war and emotional exhaustion vs Washington, and Dallas, we get to play the Rams in their home, on Week 15. This three week stretch could be the most dangerous part of the year.

In fact, the entire second half of the season is loaded with land mines. Five division games, and meetings with both the Saints and the Rams. All of which is fine, because a champion should be served a challenge.

It’s a tough schedule, but it’s a good one.

2018 NFC EAST PRE-DRAFT PREDICTION

Posted by The BEAST on 2018/04/13
Posted in: Conversations, Defense, NFL, Offense, Players, Preview, Special Teams, Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

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Keep in mind, when these predictions come out, no one knows who will be drafted by which team.

This is an assessment of the team as it is staffed by veteran players with track records.

Rookies don’t usually shake up the NFC East division (glaring at you Dallas!), so there’s a pretty good chance that what you see here, will be how it shakes out for the year.

(I know, I know. The font looks weird. I’ve spent the last hour fighting with the formatting for some reason, and decided to just release the damned thing.)

Strongest Offense: PHILADELPHIA

This isn’t even in question. The NFL’s #2 offense added depth, but didn’t bother signing a single new starter. There were simply no holes to fix. Just some light re-stocking to do as far as back-ups. No other team in the division can claim that. Eagles win this category in a walk.

Weakest Offense: NEW YORK

Aside from QB, everything on the offensive side of the ball is either in question, or undergoing a re-build. They have no run game. They don’t know if their top WR will hold-out, and if he does, for how long. The left side of the line is manned entirely by new players, and they’re all learning a new system to boot.

Strongest Defense:  PHILADELPHIA

The league’s most dominant defensive line lost two key players, and then upgraded itself. They added depth, and competition where they were thin at linebacker. They added players to allow them to now play physical, and not just fast. They prioritized a minor weakness, because there were no major ones to fix.

Weakest Defense: NEW YORK

Five of their eleven starters are just guys. One draft won’t save them, and no real moves have been made to transform the nucleus of the defensive culture. On top of which, possibly their best player on this side of the ball, said that the broken arm he suffered last year, may need a second surgical procedure to re-plate the break.

Strongest Special Teams: DALLAS

The only team in the division with a KR/PR game that’s worth a damn. They have some issues with Field Goal accuracy, but that seems like something that they can get under control pretty quickly.

Weakest Special Teams: NEW YORK

They are currently in the process of replacing everything, because last year everything was legitimately awful. Not just bad, awful. (Go back and read the report, or go to their website and look at what they did.) That of course is because they don’t seem to prioritize this unit, and so they may be here next year. Again.

Projected NFC East Winner: PHILADELPHIA

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My pick due to personal bias? That would cheapen the entire point of me working this hard (for weeks) on these articles. Easy pick because they won the Super Bowl? That would be pretty stupid, given the real phenomena of Super Bowl hangover.

Philadelphia is the pick because despite no real weaknesses, they improved the team on both sides of the ball. Even scarier (and this is something NO ONE else is talking about or even mentioning), they accomplished everything they did last year, with a rash of key injuries.

Despite winning the Super Bowl, the Eagles weren’t nearly at their best in 2017. What happens if they don’t get bitten as hard by the injury bug this year? What happens if they get to operate close to capacity? And the scariest part of all of it? They’re ramping everything up openly, but somehow it’s still low-key. You have to look close to even notice it. But once you do notice it…

The Suzette Charles Award: DALLAS

If for some reason the Eagles don’t win the East, only Dallas has enough talent to make the race for the division seem interesting. They don’t stand an actual shot in Hell, but if someone besides Philadelphia does it, it’ll be Dallas.

2018 – EAGLES

Posted by The BEAST on 2018/04/12
Posted in: Coaching, Defense, Front Office (F.O.), NFL, Offense, Players, playoffs, Preview, Reviews, Roster, Special Teams, stats, Super Bowl. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

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LAST year…Philadelphia won the Super Bowl after winning the NFC East with a 5 – 1 record, and going 13 – 3 overall. The 457 points they scored were first in the division and second in the NFL. The 295 points they allowed were the second lowest in the conference. This was all despite an injury bug that only seemed to take away key players. Part of that was an excellent job of adjusting by Head Coach Doug Pederson

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and his staff. The other part of that was the excellent roster assembled by General Manager Howie Roseman.

That was last year. Keeping in mind that the Draft will change some of this, the following is a report on how the team looks today, prior to the NFL Draft….

OFFENSE

QB:

Nick Foles was the Super Bowl MVP, has been a Pro Bowl MVP, and has set an NFL record for throwing 7 touchdowns in a single game. He’s all set to open this season, if MVP caliber starter Carson Wentz isn’t quite where he should with the rehab of the ACL and LCL that he tore last season. Third stringer Nate Sudfeld, owns the all-time NFL record for highest completion percentage (82.6) by a QB making his debut. This team has no concerns at this position. (+)

RB:

Starter Jay Ajayi plays fast and aggressively, but he has yet to display the catching ability of an elite back. Corey Clement

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has better hands, but he doesn’t offer quite the size/speed combo that Ajayi does. Otherwise, this team has two backs who could carry the load in the case of injury. Donnel Pumphrey missed 2017 with a torn hamstring, but prior to that, hadn’t shown much in the way of potential. Wendell Smallwood (for the moment) is still on the roster, but last year, after the Eagles realized what they had in Clement, Smallwood was mothballed until he was activated for the garbage time game against the Cowboys. The Eagles have a new Offensive Coordinator this year. To their credit he was promoted from within, not hired off the street. So continuity of overall concept should be unaffected. Whether or not the Eagles still hand the ball off 29.6 times a game in 2018, remains to be seen. (+)

WR:

Nelson Agholor made me eat crow over what I said about him last year. And it was delicious! In 2017 Agholor found his stroke, his stride, and his strength while playing in the slot, instead of on the outside. However, the real story here is Alshon Jeffery. While he didn’t reach 800 yards during the season, he scored 9 times in the regular season, and followed it up with a monster playoff run. All while battling a torn rotator cuff in his shoulder, which wasn’t revealed until after the Super Bowl.

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Mike Wallace (Ravens) proved at 30, that he could still take the top off of defenses, so the Eagles added him to keep Safeties out of the box. The 6’4” Mack Hollins should see increased playing time, after making a solid contribution as a rookie. Like last year, no one jumps out as a mega-star, but the position as a whole is a nightmare factory to defend. (+)

TE:

The luxury of three starting caliber players is gone, but Zach Ertz remains. He’s been good for at least 74 catches and 816 yards, per year, since 2015. Ertz isn’t a dominant blocker or big down-field threat. What he is, is clockwork, and that’s a trait that an offense needs at this position. Richard Rodgers (Packers) was added, and on the surface that looks like a total shrug. A closer look reveals that his former team had been getting away from utilizing the position, since 2015. By the way, in 2015 he was second on the team in receptions, and tied for the team lead in TD’s. So the Eagles have two guys who can catch the ball, be a red zone threat, and block competently if not dominantly. It would be a reach to call Rodgers a clone of Ertz, but he fits the scheme equally as well, and based on how Philadelphia uses Ertz, Rodgers wouldn’t be huge downgrade if he had to fill-in. The Eagles lack a player who is more of a goal-line and short yardage blocker. There are other players at the position, but they’re also more receivers or projects. (+)

OL:

In 2017 LT Jason Peters went down, and the Eagles filled his spot with Halapoulivaati Vaitai. While surface reports will tell you that Vaitai did a great job, in all truth the Eagles compensated by adding extra protection to the left side, when they weren’t rolling plays to the right, that they had been rolling them to the left. Then again simple adjustments are the easiest to make and easiest to maintain. Peters is set to return, but at 36 you have to wonder how much more he can take. That being said, until he shows he can’t play, he’s still one of the best. Stefen Wisniewski is the Eagles best player at LG. Isaac Seumalo opened the season there, but he was a bad fit from the word “Go”, and after 2 starts he was benched. C Jason Kelce anchors the pivot, and RG Brandon Brooks and RT Lane Johnson are as solid a side as there can be in football. Both earned their first Pro Bowl nods in 2017. Vaitai, and G Chance Warmack boast more high level experience than some NFL starters. So depth is no issue at all for Philadelphia. (+)

In a nutshell:

The Eagles don’t have the fastest, biggest, or strongest of anything on their offense. What they DO have, are back-ups who mimic many traits exhibited by the starters. That ensures snug scheme fits, and creates a level of depth that’s virtually impossible to copy, especially by teams who chase (and pay for) the top this or that. The Eagles don’t have the most talented offense, they have the most efficient offense. And it’s built that way from top to bottom, at every position. The team brought in no free agents to bolster the starting line-up on this side of the ball. That’s an indication of extreme comfort and confidence. Should make for an interesting and far-looking Draft. (+)

 

DEFENSE

DE:

While losing Vinny Curry was a blow, the Eagles recovered nicely with the signing Michael Bennett (Seahawks). Some would even call it an upgrade, since Bennett is a better pass rusher, and more flat out disruptive to a blocking scheme. Whether or not he can set and hold a hard edge vs the run, remains to be seen. Teams not being able to run is what helped us set up so many clear pass rush downs. Brandon Graham

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and Chris Long form a relentless 1-2 rotation on the left side. Whether or not Derek Barnett or Bennett will start on the right side, has yet to be discussed publicly. As an added pinch of salt in the wound of the other 31 franchises, the Eagles also have Steven Means on the roster. This position is the envy of the NFL. (+)

DT/NT:

Fletcher Cox and Timmy Jernigan did great job of anchoring the middle and moving the line of scrimmage in 2017. They became somewhat less disruptive after injuries forced the coaching staff to adjust the scheme, but they should be back to wreaking havoc at full tilt in 2018. Adding to the deepest defensive line in football, is Haloti Ngata. A torn bicep ended his 2017 season in week 5, and he’s likely to miss only voluntary camp while he continues to rehab it. He’s a disturbingly quick man to say he’s 340 pounds, and now that he’s part of a rotation, he doesn’t have to worry about pacing himself, so he can go full blast whenever he’s out there. With Beau Allen’s departure, Destiny Vaeao may be in line for a larger role in 2018. (+)

OLB:

Nigel Bradham re-signed this offseason, so the Eagles have their best LB of 2017 locked in for the long ride.

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SMART MOVE! The version of the Wide Nine run by the Eagles wouldn’t work without the role the LB’s play, and Bradham was the best of all of them in 2017. The only knock on him is the three or four interceptions that bounced off his hands. Mychal Kendricks is solid, but he doesn’t come close to playing up to his contract. Scuttlebutt has it that the Draft will determine if he’s an Eagle in 2018. Beyond these two there is no depth. Some of this has to have made it’s way to Kendricks himself, so it begs the question of what effect it will have on his play if he stays. Right now it looks like there’s a player and half at a two man spot. (-)

M/ILB:

Jordan Hicks is great. When he plays. In three seasons he’s played 16 games, just once. The difference between this year and other years, is the Eagles went out and got a solid back-up to play behind Hicks, in Paul Worrilow (Lions). Worrilow isn’t a splash play LB. He’s an in-the-box, shallow zone guy. If pressed into starting, he has plenty of experience doing so. Interestingly enough the Eagles actually signed Corey Nelson (Broncos) before they added Worrilow. This indicates that instead of just anointing a back-up, the Eagles are going to make players fight over it. Can’t go wrong with that approach. (+)

S:

When you hear conversations about the best players at this position, if Malcolm Jenkins doesn’t get a mention then you can stop listening. While he may not be the best, he damned sure belongs in the conversation. He fills roles ranging from Nickel LB to SS to FS to Nickel CB, and he does them all well. (That’s Charles Woodson territory.) 2017 was his first year as an Eagle without scoring a TD. Rodney McLeod quietly does a great job as the last line of defense. He seemed to get more media fanfare when he was a Ram, but he’s been a much better player as an Eagle. Tre Sullivan made repeated “impacts” last preseason.

Unfortunately, he lost out to Corey Graham, who moved on after the season. Depth might be a question, but the top two guys are bonafide. (+)

CB:

Sidney Jones might turn out to be great. On the other hand, Ronald Darby, Jalen Mills, and Rasul Douglas aren’t great. They’re just all just very good. It remains to be seen how good Daryl Worley (Panthers) is in this system. On paper he plays his best football once the weather turns cold. So that’s a plus. To see Douglas or Mills converted to Safeties shouldn’t surprise, since they’re already tweeners and the Eagles need depth there, plus they already know the ins and outs of the system. Unless Jones emerges as one, there isn’t a single shutdown corner on the entire roster, but the worst player in this group is as good or better, than many starters in the NFL. (+)

In a nutshell:

Fast-break offense in basketball is a familiar term to most sports fans. Fast-break defense in football, not so much. That however, is exactly what the Eagles play. If a team can run the ball enough to balance the game, the Eagles have to fight. If they can stop a team from running early, the game turns into quicksand. The harder a team struggles, the faster they sink. To address that Philadelphia went out and added pieces like Ngata, Worrilow, Sullivan and Worely as players who are more thumpers types and less NASCAR. The Eagles are now building to play physical as well as fast. Keep an eye on this defense in 2018. It will be better than it was in 2017. (+)

 

SPECIAL TEAMS

P:

Cameron Johnston was on the roster last year during the preseason. He punted extremely well, with a net average of 43.0 yards. Granted, that’s just preseason, but that’s a preseason playing under Special Teams Coach Dave Fipp’s system. Johnston knows the core concept and many of the players. So he can hit the ground running during mini-camp, and just build from there. All of this is promising, but he’s still not verified by regular season play, so this grade technically can’t be a good one… Technically. (-)

K:

Jake Elliott came in with the superhero landing.

In just his second game, he kicked a 61 yard back-breaker for a walk-off win against a division rival. That set the distance record for both the Eagles franchise and NFL rookies. Nailing 17 of 19 from 40+ (including 5 of 6 form 50+) during the season, he only got better in the playoffs hitting 7 of 7 (including 3 o f 3 from 40 or better). Even his kick-offs got better, as during the season 40 of his 84 kick-offs (47.6%) were returned, for an average of 21.4 yards. In the playoffs that only 5 of his 19 kick-offs (26.3%) were returned, for an average of just 15.0 yards. Elliott could stand to improve his extra point kicking (39 of 42) and field goals of 30 to 39 yards (4 of 7, 57%). Other than that, this kid looks like he’s only going to get scarier. (+)

RS:

No one who returned a punt for the Eagles in 2017 is currently on the roster. As far as kick returners, Wendell Smallwood has actually brought one back for a score in 2016, and Corey Clement has a few returns under his belt. That having been said, none of these Eagles returners will scare anybody this year. Either they need to sign someone, or hope they stumble upon a gem. (-)

In a nutshell:

This is a very young unit, with a number of unproven players on it. While unproven doesn’t mean untalented, it does mean inexperienced and thus prone to mistakes at key points. Until these players can prove that they are above that, it’s less than fair to give them the benefit of the doubt. (-)

Bottom Line:

Defense wins championships, but the current media focus is offense first, second and third. That allowed the 2017 Eagles to perform a kind of sleight of hand. Scoring, then forcing mistakes in teams trying to catch-up, then repeating the process. All most saw were the scores, not how the Eagles got the ball back, or quietly won the hidden yardage battles. This edition (especially the defense) looks like it’s being honed to do an even more efficient job in 2018. And it’s all been done in fairly low-key fashion.

 

2018 – COWBOYS

Posted by The BEAST on 2018/04/11
Posted in: Coaching, Defense, Draft, NFL, Offense, Players, playoffs, Preview, Reviews, Rivals, Roster, Special Teams. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

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LAST year… the Cowboys were 5 – 1 in the division and 9 – 7 overall, after finishing the prior year with an NFC best 13 – 3 record, followed immediately by a playoff loss. Total scoring for 2017 was 354 points for, and 322 points against. Which is about what you’d expect for a team just above .500. A case can be made that they had to deal with distractions, stemming from the looming suspension of a key starter, for six weeks.

That was last year. Keeping in mind that the Draft will change some of this, the following is a report on how the team looks today, prior to the NFL Draft….

OFFENSE

QB:

The 4 interceptions Dak Prescott threw in 2016, jumped to 13 in 2017. Throwing 13 picks in a season isn’t really cause for alarm. Especially since I warned last year that a regression was coming. I said the league was adjusting to him, faster than he was adjusting to the league, and he spent 2017 proving my point. His 2017 stats themselves are somewhat misleading (62.9%, 3300+ yards passing, 22/13, 86.6 rating). When you look at his performance game by game (or watching him play), it tells a very different story. It says that he’s basically just— You know, he’s still only going into his third year. One great year, and one not so great year. So this could be a bounce-back season for him, given the new toys he just got. Behind Prescott, sits preseason Hall Of Famer, Cooper Rush. Rush may get a chance to play in 2018 if Prescott can’t shake off 2017. Again, this may be a bounce back year for Prescott. So for now, let’s give the guy the benefit of the doubt. (+)

RB:

Having been suspended for six games, it’s only natural that Ezekiel Elliott would rush for fewer yards than in his rookie season. That’s to be expected under the circumstances. However, in the games he did play, he simply wasn’t as explosive as he was the season before. In 2016 he had (14) rushes of 20+ yards, and (3) of 40+. In 2017 he had just (5) rushes of 20+ yards, and (0) of 40+. Zero. His yards per carry went from 5.1 to 4.1. Some will say he was distracted. Others will point to his hard-charging style, and the 1,272 touches he’s logged (college and pro) since 2013. He may be young, but he’s still human, and so far it doesn’t seem as if any effort to preserve him is being made. Behind Elliott are Rod Smith and FB Jamize Olawale (Raiders). The Cowboys have fantasies of turning Smith into a threat as ball carrier, but he simply lacks the vision. Elliott makes this group passable, but if he gets hurt, this position goes off a cliff. (+)

WR:

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Dez Bryant vs Janoris Jenkins

As of the moment you read these words, Dez Bryant is still a Cowboy, but that could change by the time you finish reading this section. Like an aging beauty queen, Bryant is no longer able to get by on his physical talent alone. He’s hired a coach to help him refine all the parts of his craft, that he’s ignored for 8 years. However, until that bears fruit, he’s still an overpaid #2 receiver. Terrance Williams will probably find himself watching a lot of football with the addition of free agent Allen Hurns (Jaguars). Cole Beasley may also find himself on the outside looking in, with the addition of free agent Deonte Thompson (Bills). Both new players immediately upgrade Dallas’s ability to threaten vertically. As a group every one of them is either a fading star (Bryant), a chronic disappointment (Williams, Thompson), a flash in the pan (Hurns), or no one worth worrying about (Beasley, Ryan Switzer). This position has been in the toilet for a couple years now and until they prove better, there’s no way to grade them well. (-) 

TE:

Jason Witten is more of a blocker than a receiver now. He hasn’t averaged even 10 yards per catch in any of his last three seasons. He hasn’t had a reception of more than 35 yards since 2012. He’s a classy, high effort guy, but he’s no longer a threat. Spoken bluntly, he’s just in the way now. Back-ups Geoff Swaim and James Hanna are clearly unable to step up and earn the starting job. The hope is that Rico Gathers is done making the transformation from basketball player to football player. If so, he could be a match-up nightmare for years to come. (-)

OL:

Travis Frederick is doing a great job anchoring the pivot. After that, it gets a little bit… uneasy. This marks a second year in a row that the Cowboys have lost a LG. The solution being floated as a fix for that, is moving RT La’el Collins to LG, and placing free agent addition Cameron Fleming (Patriots) at RT. LT Tyron Smith played through injuries in 2016, and followed that up with struggling with his back in 2017. That doesn’t bode well for 2018, since injuries are cumulative and beyond Smith there is no depth. Yes, there are a couple of players, but they’re liabilities, as evinced by the 5 sacks Chaz Green was beaten for vs the Falcons. That’s not to say that the Cowboys are bad here, but they’ve clearly taken steps backwards. Passing: 28 sacks allowed in 2016, then 32 allowed in 2017. Rushing: 4.8 yards per rush in 2016, then 4.5 per rush in 2017. They aren’t huge steps backwards, but they are noticeable, and across the board. That being said, it’s still a pretty good line. (+)

In a nutshell:

Plenty of talent on this offense. However, it’s unevenly distributed, and there is no depth pretty much anywhere. It won’t take much to derail this unit, given the top-heavy way that it’s constructed. For the last two seasons, Dallas has avoided major injury to their skill players. If they can stay that healthy in 2018, things will be fine. (+)

 

DEFENSE

DE:

Demarcus Lawrence had big year in 2017, amassing 14.5 sacks after only having one in 2016. None of his prior three seasons resemble 2017’s performance, so it raises the question of whether this was a “contract year” thing. Tyrone Crawford is mostly a big body to eat space and occupy blockers, so other players can make stops. Vidauntae “Taco” Charleton was a first round pick last year, and yet another Draft Day gamble by owner Jerry Jones. Charleton has some athletic traits that the team hopes to harness. The only issue is, he may be more of an athlete than a football player. Randy Gregory (as of this moment) is still seeking to be reinstated, because he has more failed drug tests in his career, than career starts and sacks combined. (Just one sack in 2016.) Former Jet, Kony Ealy was added to the roster. Perhaps for depth? Aside from Lawrence’s 2017 season, this position is shrug inducing. However, since no one can prove that his 2017 season was a fluke, this position has to get the benefit of the doubt. (+)

DT/NT:

Maliek Collins is just a guy. If the Cowboys select at this position at any time in the Draft’s first three rounds, you’ll know who they want to replace. On the other hand, if David Irving could start 16 games, who knows what impact he would have on the Cowboys entire defense. The knock on him is his inability to stay on the field, (for a variety of reasons) over these last three seasons. Richard Ash is a big body, but he’s a career back-up. There’s enough talent here to make a few big splash plays during the year, but no one at this position is capable of doing it week in and week out. (-)

OLB:

Sean Lee offers no pass rush threat, and is an absolute liability in coverage on the outside. However, if he’s not on the field, the Cowboys defense loses the ability to function. Which is a shame, because he misses a lot of time. Damien Wilson started a career-high 9 games in 2017. (You go, boy!) He produced all of 35 tackles. Which sadly was also a career-high. The Cowboys have a few bodies here, but they’re all kick coverage types. (-)

M/ILB:

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Jaylon Smith started 6 games and grabbed 81 tackles. Not bad for a guy learning how to play with Drop Foot at the NFL level. Commendable effort. Great spirit. And an absolute liability in coverage. Not just that, but after a few weeks, teams learned what he does and doesn’t do well. After the Bye week he clearly hit a wall and never regained his early season form. The idea is to have him backed-up by former Packer, Joe Thomas. Given Smith’s visible ceiling, Thomas could surprise people and challenge for the starting spot. If that’s the case, then competition should sharpen the winner of this position. For that reason alone this position gets the benefit of the doubt. (+)

S:

Due to the play of Jeff Heath and Byron Jones, the Cowboys secondary wasn’t the easy target that everyone has become accustomed to in recent years. With a year of playing together under their belt, they can only be better in 2018. Xavier Woods adds depth and experience. It’s not flashy, and it can be easy to overlook, but this position is a sneaky strength for this unit. Totally legit. No benefit of the doubt needed. (+)

CB:

Chidobe Awuzie and Jourdan Lewis ended last year as starters, after beginning the year as reserves. They’re young, which can be both a blessing and a curse. Neither man is exactly a ball-hawk. Anthony Brown played so well last year, that he was demoted after 10 starts. This position is very much still a work in progress. (-)

In a nutshell:

This defense is extremely vulnerable on the edges, because the CB’s are green, and the OLB’s can’t cover. They could gamble on the Draft coming to their rescue, but that has no bearing on this report, which about how they look as today. If Lawrence’s 2017 was no fluke, the Cowboys a least have a building block heading into the Draft. If it was just him trying to cash in, this unit is screwed. (-)

 

SPECIAL TEAMS

P:

Chris Jones is out there killing it. 66 punts and just 75 punt return yards. All. Year. Long. Oh yeah, and for the second year in a row, he ran another punt fake for 20+ yards.

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His punt average dipped from 45.9 to 44.1, but his net went from 40.5 to 41.4, so the team ended up better off. Just killing it! (+)

K:

After a career year in 2015, Dan Bailey has declined in each of the the last two seasons. After missing four games with a groin injury, he struggled with his Field Goal accuracy, going 8 of 13 over the final five games of the season. Dallas brought in Brett Maher, but NFL teams have been making use of him as a camp leg since 2013. So he has virtually no shot at the job. Last year’s review gave Bailey the benefit of the doubt. This year, especially given his steep decline, that cannot be the case. (-)

RS:

In 2017, WR Ryan Switzer averaged 8.8 yards per punt return, and brought one back for an 83 yard TD. He also averaged 25 yards per kickoff return, while amassing 600 yards. He’s no Brian Mitchell, but he gets the job done. (+)

In a nutshell:

Newly promoted Special Teams coach Keith O’Quinn, has to figure out his kicking situation. Aside from that it’s a quietly effective unit, that should continue to be one. (+)

Bottom Line:

Same story as always. Bunch of talent, haphazardly organized. Dallas spends too much time looking at the big picture, and ignoring small details. (An example would be Dez Bryant waiting this long to concern himself with route precision.) This team isn’t interested in “Why”, so they never learn, and keep getting in their own way. No team does it more. Their ability to score will give the feel of them being in every game, and having a chance to win the division. Their inability to stop other teams from scoring, will be why they won’t win enough games to win the division.

2018 – REDSKINS

Posted by The BEAST on 2018/04/10
Posted in: Coaching, Defense, Draft, NFL, Offense, Players, Preview, Reviews, Rivals, Roster, Special Teams. Tagged: , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

Redskins_logo_by_junkfunkio-d4po4ge

LAST year…the Redskins went 1 – 5 in the division, and 7 – 9 overall, after going 8 – 7 – 1 the year before. They posted a respectable 342 points (21.3) points per game. However, the 388 points they allowed, were tied for the most in conference, with New York. (Not the Jets, the giants). A second, consecutive offseason of self-sabotage, resulted in another uneven year for the burgundy and gold.

That was last year. Keeping in mind that the Draft will change some of this, the following is a report on how the team looks today, prior to the NFL Draft….

OFFENSE

QB:

The new starter is Alex Smith (Chiefs). 

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Alex “Likes that” too.

He’s a game manager who doesn’t make dumb mistakes with the ball, and has more mobility than his predecessor. The thing about managers, is that they generally are only as good as the staff around them. Given explosive weapons last year in K.C., Smith got out to a fast start, but soon cooled off. As teams figured out ways to corral his weapons, more responsibilities for making plays fell to Smith, and he did what has kept him in the NFL for 14 years: He didn’t make many big mistakes. (Or many big plays.) Behind him sits the competent Colt McCoy and Kevin Hogan (Browns) who they traded for, for some reason. (-)

RB:

Rob Kelley, Samaje Perine, and Chris Thompson. That’s it. That’s what everyone else is supposed to fear and game plan for. Perine is a high effort, straight- line runner, who runs with no flare or imagination. Kelley can be dynamic, but gets nicked up too easily. Thompson is best of the bunch and that isn’t saying much. Here are some quick numbers: 64. 39. 103. That’s 64 rushes, 39 catches, 103 total touches. In 10 games last year that’s what Thompson did. He doesn’t get a whole lot of work because of two more numbers: 5’8 and 191. He’s a change of pace/instant offense RB, who also returns kicks, so the coaching staff doesn’t want him getting too beat up. The problem with three distinct RB’s is that you always telegraph your intentions when one comes out. While the ‘skins may have 3 RB’s, they don’t really have one. (-)

WR:

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Jamison Crowder again caught nearly 70 balls, but without a deep threat in 2017, he wasn’t nearly as effective underneath. Especially in critical moments. However, since he’s their best option at this position (like Chris Thompson at RB), it’s only natural that they don’t start Crowder. This year, the ‘skins are trying something new, and not starting a QB at WR. (Like they did last year.) And you know, it just might be crazy enough to work! Last year, in a 31-34 (loss) shootout with the Saints, starter and former first round draft pick Josh Doctson, exploded for career highs of 4 catches and 81 yards. (Straight ballin’, right?!) To play Robin to Doctson’s Barbara Gordon, the ‘skins went out and signed Paul Richardson (Seahawks).

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Richardson is such a dangerous deep threat that Seattle let him sign elsewhere, for a salary they could have easily matched. (-)

TE:

Hamstring. Concussion. Cut himself shaving. Seems like even a change in the wind’s direction, will cause Jordan Reed to miss games. Luckily, the Redskins can fall back on Vernon Davis, due to his pact with Satan, that keeps him from aging. Last season, despite beginning the year as a back-up, Davis was third on the team in receiving yardage. Jeremy Sprinkle is more of a blocker than a receiving option, and for that reason, he’ll grab 1 to 3 garbage scores per year. (+)

OL:

It looks as if 4 of 5 starters from 2017, will be back for 2018. That sort of continuity and having players who already know the system, are always an advantage. There’s no questioning the individual talent of the players. The issue is keeping them upright and on the field. If the Redskins can manage that, then they’ll have an important building block. (+)

In a nutshell:

For the last few years, the ‘skins offense has produced, due to a having a QB with a gunslinger mentality, who was trying to prove his worth. Today their QB is a game manager who has no incentive to prove anything. As I said before, a manager (QB) is only as good as his staff (weapons). Like the QB, the weapons here are all better suited to being role-players than starters. Last year this unit scored 342 points. This year that number will likely be closer to 295 – 304. (-)

 

DEFENSE

DE:

The cornerstone of this defensive line is Jonathan Allen.

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Much was expected of him after he was picked 17th overall in last year’s Draft. So of course after 5 games, he went down with a season-ending Lisfranc injury. This is before he was able to really settle into the NFL game. The team ended up having to rely on a steady diet of Matt Ioannidis and Stacy McGee. They combined for 71 tackles and 4.5 sacks (4.5 of those belonging to Ioannidis). Even when Allen returns, he has the rest of his learning curve to iron out, and has yet to experience 16 games effect on his body. On a defense that was 32nd (dead last) in the league vs the run, having the additional problem of not being able to rush the passer…that means this position is a liability. (-)

DT/NT:

Acting as the NT for the ‘skins 3-4 system was Ziggy Hood. Hood was completely unremarkable as he contributed 0.5 sacks and 25 tackles to the NFL’s worst rushing defense. There are a few bodies at this position, but not even the starter is worth worrying about. (-)

OLB:

Ryan Kerrigan as usual, had a very good statistical year with 13 sacks and his fist pick six in four years. Preston Smith added 8 sacks and 2 thefts of his own. Sadly, the very aspect of the ‘skins system which feeds their players stats, also makes their defense predictable and vulnerable. This position is talented, no doubt. Ironically, it’s prowess is the unit’s greatest weakness. (+)

M/ILB:

Inside it was a tale of two Zachs. Zach Brown and Zach Vigil. The brown Zach started 13 games and made 127 stops last year. The other Zach had 6 starts and notched 56 tackles. He did this while filling in for Mason Foster, who went on IR after 5 weeks of trying to gut through a shoulder injury. When he’s been healthy for Washington, Foster has been more of a guy who makes tackles, not plays. And he’s the best of this group. Once again, this was the 32nd ranked run defense, and these are the same players likely to start in 2018. (-)

S:

FS D.J. Swearinger had a nice individual season in 2017 with 4 picks and 10 deflections, and should be decent in 2018. All 195 pounds of Deshazor Everett is the SS, which could be trouble vs the run. Which is sad, since he’s never proven great at defending the pass. The rest: Montae Nicholson, with 6 starts sprinkled across 8 games in 2017. After that is (Kenny Ladler) a former Bill who hasn’t played a down since 2014; (James Sample) a former Jaguar who hasn’t played a down since 2015; (Orion Stewart) a former Bronco who’s never played a down, and a back-up from last year named Fish Smithson. His real name is Anthony, but he goes by Fish. On purpose. (His brother played for Green Bay and went by Shaky. On purpose.) Expect a high draft pick here. (-)

CB:

Josh Norman may be growing wistful for the days of Carolina. Instead of being the missing piece for a team on the rise, he’s slowly becoming a less and less feared defender, on a team that has done a nose-dive off of a cliff. Last year’s other starter was allowed to walk, and will be replaced either by former Cowboy Orlando Scandrick, or Quinton Dunbar. The position isn’t flashy, but it is sneaky solid. It’s a veteran group, three players deep, and they know 2/3 of the offenses in the division. (+)

In a nutshell:

By Week 8 last year, this team had already lost Jonathan Allen and Mason Foster to injuries. They’ll get both players back in 2018, along with the hope that their front seven is tougher to run against, inside the tackle box. The secondary is undersized at SS, but should be cagey at CB. The OLB’s are talented, however they play in a scheme that yields easy yards on the perimeter, which in turn yields easy points. This unit will be broken until they change the scheme. (-)

 

SPECIAL TEAMS

P:

Tress Way is just not getting it done. For the third straight year, his Net Average was under 40 yards (39.0). His punts were returned an inexcusable 39 times for an appalling 435 yards (11.1 per return), and one score. Thus, the ‘skins have brought in Sam Irwin-Hill, to either challenge Way, or take his spot. The ‘skins may have found an answer, but until they prove it… (-)

K:

Dustin Hopkins missed half of last year with a partially torn hip muscle, but once he was healed, the guy babysitting the position was kicked off the team, eliminating any question of how the Redskins feel about Hopkins. While his Field Goal percentage was only 82%, his kickoff average was a career best 64.4 yards, looking strong before and after his injury. The return average from his KO’s, was an impressive 17.4 yards. Long-range kicking is a huge obstacle for him however, as he as 0/2 from 50 or greater. He’s only 5/13 (38.5%) for his career from that range. Not exactly clutch, but the ‘skins are comfy with it anyway. (-)

RS:

WR Jamison Crowder fell off of a cliff in 2017. His 2016 Punt Return average fell from 12.1 to 6.3. His longest return fell from 85 yards to just 29. His (4) returns of 20+ yards and (2) returns of 40+ yards in 2016, became just ONE return over 20 in 2017. All of that can be ascribed to him getting his wish and getting more downs at WR. I said last year, double-duty would grind him into dust and I nailed it. At Kick Returner, NINE players got a shot at the job, and the top guy (208 yards) is no longer on the team. (-)

In a nutshell:

There is far too much complacency in regards to this unit. Aside from KO coverage, they don’t seem to do anything well, and haven’t made any moves to address their deficiencies. It’s almost as if they’ve never heard of the hidden yardage battle. (-)

Bottom Line:

The Redskins have a defense that allows too many easy yards, and thus too many easy scores. They lack a special teams unit that can win the hidden yardage battle, or steal a close game. To win in recent years has required them to stage shootouts, which was no problem with a gunslinger at QB. That player however, was allowed to leave, and his replacement is not the sort of QB who can sustain a shootout, week in and week out. Expect the Redskins to spend a good portion of 2018 not even being in games. This is a team that could easily lose 12 games this year, but will more likely top out at 6-10.

2018 – GIANTS

Posted by The BEAST on 2018/04/09
Posted in: Coaching, Defense, Draft, Front Office (F.O.), NFL, Offense, Players, Preview, Reviews, Rivals, Roster, Special Teams, stats, trade. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

new-york-giants-champs-jeff-stein

LAST year… The giants went 1 – 5 in the division and 3 – 13 overall, after going 11 – 5 with a playoff appearance, the year before. The 246 points they scored were not just the lowest in the division, but the entire conference. The 388 points they surrendered were tied (with Washington) for the lowest in conference. This team was such a dumpster fire, that they fired their head coach and general manager during the season. During the playoffs the giants added new head coach Pat Shurmur, and new GM Dave Gettleman.

That was last year. Keeping in mind that the Draft will change some of this, the following is a report on how the team looks today, prior to the NFL Draft….

OFFENSE

QB:

The Streak is over. Eli Manning’s record of consecutive starts went back to the very day he got the nod on 11/21/04. That streak was ended as a result of spite-work, from a petty, petty, SMALL man who knew he was being firedsoon. The giants are a rival, but there are some things which transcend that. Eli’s benching was plain wrong.

That having been said… A glance at his numbers will tell you that Manning has lost a major step, and maybe needs to become a mentor for a young gun. What his numbers don’t tell you, is that he was without his top two WR’s, had no run game to speak of, and his o-line was a constant patch work. Despite that, his accuracy was two points above his career average, and his QBR was only 3.1 point lower than his career average. So don’t just go by the numbers. Until he clearly can’t, Eli can still play. Good thing too, because there’s nothing behind him. (+)

RB:

The giants have needed help at this position for a while now. So of course they punted and decided to wait until round 4 of last years Draft, to grab Wayne Gallman. Gallman (surprise, surprise) played like a 4th rounder. The giants added the aging Jonathan Stewart (Panthers), but that has to be stop-gap. If the giants don’t use their #2 overall pick on a RB this year, you can expect another sub .500 season from Big Blue. (-)

WR:

The big dog in this group is Odell Beckham who’s coming off of a broken ankle. When and if he decides to play. It remains to be seen how he comes back, given that before he was injured, he was averaging a career low 12.1 per catch, had been held under 100 in each game, and lost all 4 that he played in. Sterling Shepard gives the G-Men a solid slot receiver, but he’s just that. A slot receiver. They tried to get more out of him last year, and it didn’t work. Brandon Marshall is under contract for 2018, but rumblings have it that he won’t be back. Reports of his decline were apparently true, as last year he averaged just 8.6 per catch. The big addition to this group is supposed to be Cody Latimer (Broncos). 

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So far he’s a second round pick with just 3 starts and 35 receptions, in 45 career games. Everyone except me predicted big things for this position last year, while I said it would crash and burn. It crashed and burned. This year starts with more questions and concerns, than a year ago (-)

TE:

Everyone LOVES Evan Engram. He’s fast, catches well, runs good routes… He’s a heck of a WR. Too bad he lines up at TE. Aren’t TE’s supposed to block for the run? When you get one who can’t, that tends to hurt the run game, right? Hey. How’d the giants look running the ball last year. Oh yeah, that’s right, they sucked. At 240 pounds Engram is a “move TE”, who’s too talented a receiver to not start. They have Rhett Ellison as the blocker, but putting him on the field means either sitting Engram, or not coming out in the 3WR formation they favor. So the giants will likely operate at a disadvantage while running the ball, for quite some time. (-)

OL:

The giants only allowed 34 sacks and 70 hits on their QB’s all year long. Those numbers would suggest that the giants did a decent job of pass protection, but nothing could be further from the truth. The QB’s spent an ungodly percentage of last year rushing throws, throwing the ball away, and throwing the ball to the other team. Add to that the team-wide 3.9 yards per carry for the run game. While injuries were a factor, there was also a lot of bad play. Particularly from LT Ereck Flowers. In an effort to improve, the giants lured in LT Nate Solder (Patriots), by backing a dump-truck full of money up to his door.nyg Solder.jpg

They also brought in LG Patrick Omameh (Jaguars). Omameh is getting by on the reputation of the Jags run game, and the desperation of the giants. He will need to be carried by whomever plays next to him. That’s going to be hard to do with the loss of C Weston Richburg. The pivot will now be occupied by Brett Jones, who manned it for 12 games last season, after Richburg was lost to a season ending injury. Last years liability, Flowers, is being moved from LT to RT. Sixty percent of this offensive line (LG, C RT) is a question mark at best. (-)

In a nutshell:

As it stands today, this unit doesn’t have what it takes to help the team compete for the division crown. They have an experienced, and even hand as their field general, but their offense lacks parts that can help other parts. The end result is a just pile of parts, some of which are nice, and others which you couldn’t sell as scrap. (-)

DEFENSE

DE:

Two years ago Jason Pierr-Paul and Olivier Vernon combined for 15.5 sacks. Last year they notched 15 in a season that saw Vernon miss 4 games. The guys who filled in (mostly Kerry Wynn) were uh…less than spectacular. As long as the starters are out there, this is a solid position. However, it goes downhill fast if a back-up has to play serious minutes. Annnnd the giants traded JPP. Oh well. Maybe they’ll have a good Draft? (-)

DT/NT:

I said last year that Jay Bromley wouldn’t be able to fill Jonathan Hankins shoes, and apparently giants brass agreed, because they put Dalvin Tomlinson out there for 16 starts. Did I mention that this team was 27th against the run? Essentially this position is Damon Harrison and just some guys. Hankins is a free agent again, so maybe the giants will try to mend fences and get him back. (-)

OLB:

Due to injury and ineffectiveness, a few guys got to line up here in 2017. No one did enough in 2017 to even guarantee a roster spot in 2018. Out went guys like Johnathan Casillas and Devon Kennard, and in came guys like Thurston Armbrister (no seriously, that’s his name) and low-key move of 2018, Kareem Martin (Cardinals). Martin has the size (6’6, 272) to line up anywhere in the front seven, but will likely be limited to a DE/rush LB role due to unremarkable strength. The giants opting for a player like him however, indicates a shift in their defensive mindset. This is a position loaded with questions, and it seems incomplete right now. Expect a draft pick here. (-)

M/ILB:

Trading for ILB Alec Ogletree (Rams) was a nice move. He’s a fluid, instinctual and aggressive player. 

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It would be smarter to put him at OLB where the giants need more help, but it’s hard to fault them for playing him here. B.J. Goodson and Calvin Munson split this position in 2017, and it was hard to tell who wanted it less. (+)

S:

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SS Landon Collins was made to look almost ordinary last year. There were many extenuating circumstances that led to that. One of which was the play of FS Darian Thompson who seems to neither excel against the run or the pass. In fact, he looked very similar to 2016’s starting FS, Andrew Adams. Adams was demoted in favor of Thompson, to no discernible plus or minus. (-)

CB:

Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and Ross Cockrell were allowed to walk. Eli Apple gets the headlines, but for all the wrong reasons. Janoris Jenkins is has been solid since joining New York, but he ended last year on IR after ankle surgery. There are lots of players at this position, but no quality depth beyond the top two. For some reason, former Steeler William Gay was added, after starting 16, then 9, then 0 games, over the last three years. (-)

In a nutshell:

There are too many players on this unit who are “just guys”. Generally you don’t want more than 4 or 5 players like that on your entire roster. The giants are starting FIVE of them! (one at DT, two at LB, and one at S, and now a big ol’ question mark at DE.) This s’ugly. Just s’ugly. (-)

SPECIAL TEAMS

P:

Brad Wing was allowed to fly the coop. That leaves the g-men with just Austin Rehkow on the roster. Rehkow was undrafted by the Bills in 2017 but didn’t make the cut. To his credit, he has some experience as a Kicker in college. However, in his current position his only NFL experience is failing to make a roster. (-)

K:

Aldrick Rosas hit 18/25 field goals last season (72%) and 20/23 extra points (87%). This made the giants feel so confident that they ran out and signed Marshall Koehn to compete with him. Koehn’s entire career consists of one game, in which he recorded two kickoffs, kicked an extra point. Pretty safe to say that Rosas is on thin ice. (-)

RS:

WR Kalif Raymond was just plain awful in 2017. Raymond averaged 4.7 per PR, and 16.9 per KR. New addition WR Cody Latimer has KR experience, but no history of being dangerous at it, and no track record as a PR. There is nothing to fear here. (-)

In a nutshell:

As I said last year (verbatim): The giants clearly don’t think much of Special Teams and that will likely cost them not only the hidden yardage game, but some games outright next year.

Seems like some people never learn. (-)

Bottom Line:

The giants stink of decay. It’s a team loaded with average players, question marks, and head cases. Worse than that, it’s so predictable. The coaching staff was just replaced and still, it’ll be another year, of 3WR sets, RB by committee, nondescript LB’s, and no attention to Special Teams. This time without great DE play to anchor the defense. This is a 5-11 team, barring a miracle happening in the Draft.