AFTER beating the giants, we’re looking to keep the win streak alive! Getting to the Cowboys QB, will be key to that this week. Fortunately for us, they don’t exactly specialize in protecting passers. This week, DE Brandon Graham (already on pace for a career year) gets to take the lunch money of the Cowboys rookie RT.
Washington being on their bye week, can’t add a win to challenge for the lead. At least not this week. That means whichever team wins this game, will be the top team in the division come Monday morning.
The point of Four Thingsisn’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.
So let’s talk about the Four Things we need to focus on this week versus the Cowboys :
1) Bait the QB:The Cowboys are starting a third string QB, who was a 7th round draft pick, who transferred from a major university (Pitt), to a lesser one (James Madison) because he couldn’t beat out Nate Peterman for the starting spot. Getting pass rush to him will be a big deal, but showing him coverages that bait him into bad throws, would be even bigger.
2) Run the ball: The Cowboys defense is a bucket with no bottom. It’s incapable of containing anything. The Cowboys rank DEAD LAST vs the run. They even gave up 208 rushing yards last week, despite starting the game in a 5-2 alignment. No, you didn’t read that wrong. They ran a 5-2. In the NFL. In 2020. The Eagles need to hand this ball off 25+ times this week.
3) Shark Tank!:Early in the game, establish the middle of the field as dangerous for Cowboys receivers. Their QB is young, new to the scheme, and lacks a pedigree. The bottom line: There is no deep trust or rapport there yet. If he gets a couple of receivers blown up early, it’ll change how they run routes. It will also lower focus on balls, as receivers try to locate where those footsteps are coming from.
4) Put on a clinic:There is no need to finish this team quickly. They have typically died slow deaths at the hands of opposing run games, and an inability to get their defense off the field. There is no need to re-invent the wheel here. Dallas has laid out the blueprint on how to beat them. All we need to do, is actually follow it.
If we do theseFour Things, the final score should be:
PREDICTION: EAGLES 28 – Cowboys 17
Check back in a couple of days for Four Things Reviewed, and we’ll discuss how it went.
I hear you asking, “What about all the stuff that stats don’t reveal?” Well, that’s the reason for the Four Thingsarticles. 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 inFour Things: giants did the Eagles get around to doing? Well let’s see:
1) Hand it off 20 times: While the Eagles ran the ball 26 times, 7 were by Wentz. Aside from Wentz, the team amassed 19 actual handoffs, for 82 yards (4.3ypc). Mathematically, it looks more productive than it actually was. (NOT DONE)
DE Brandon Graham kills the giants last minute hopes, with this sack/fumble.
2) Be sack religious: We got three sacks and generally had their QB under pressure for a good percentage of the night. The result was two turnovers from him, including the kill-shot fumble, forced by Graham in the fourth quarter. (DONE)
3) Spread them out!:We came out doing this, and then became less consistent with it, when we started with those bunch formations. The result was that we kept the giants base defense off the field, and were able to scrape together enough room to run the ball. (DONE)
4) No 50 yard field goal attempts:This was done, but technically no opportunity to attempt a 50 yarder, ever came up. However, with the way the K Jake Elliott is kicking, maybe we need to abandon kicking altogether this season. (Ugh!) Never mind. That’s just frustration talking. (DONE)
Heyyyyy! That’s a Four Things score of 3 out of 4 for the week! On the season we’re now 10 of 28. Now we get a Sunday where none of our players get hurt, for the first time since… Uhhhh… Um… Wait no, he broke his thumb peeling an egg this Easter. Okay, so it’s been a while! The point is, we get 10 days to rest up for our home match-up vs the Dallas Cowboys.
On The Whole:
For the last two weeks we’ve talked about how valiantly the Eagles have played, but always ended with: “BUT THEY STILL LOST.” This week we looked as good as a 90 year old hooker: “BUT WE STILL WON.” So take the damned win, Eagles fans. We may not see many of these in 2020.
I want to talk about how much good we did, in this game. The truth however, is that we barely squeaked by an awful team.
giants QB Daniel Jones forgot his luggage before going on his 80 yard trip.
For the second week in a row, the Eagles gave up a long QB run. Again it was vs a look that featured no Safeties. The only way a guy like QB Daniel Jones can break an 80 yard run, is if a defensive coordinator schemes for it.
Then there was that film-study TD, where WR Sterling Shepard knew the Eagles DB’s (who weren’t pressing), would switch… This was a case of our Defense drawing up the opponent’s scoring play. A change is needed. I cannot express how badly it’s needed.
QB Carson Wentz unleashed a DIME, and RB Boston Scott caught the game-winning score.
Boston Scott did catch the game-winning touchdown. Yes. Kudos. That said, his production at RB isn’t reliable. In 4 starts as an Eagle, his rushing totals (26, 59, 35 and 46) are the sort of numbers that require Wentz to carry the Offense. Something has to change.
NOTE: For the last two weeks, the fill-ins at Guard, (Jamon Brown and Sua Opeta, respectively) have had their lunch eaten by whomever lined up across from them. However, there may be a simple, and highly effective solution, waiting in the wings.
The local sports media is trying to jinn up a controversy about whether or not LTJason Peters can reclaim his starting role from LT Jordan Mailata, once Peters returns from injury. My suggestion would be to move Peters to that RG spot that he was initially supposed to occupy this season, and move OG Nate Herbig to LG.
GENERALLY when I talk football, it’s about my Eagles. I tend to keep mum about our rivals, unless we have a game coming up against one of them. Otherwise, I’ve reserved most talk about them for my Pre-Draft Preview,which drops each April. (Look for it).
In 2017 however, I decided to try something new, and give our fan base a running commentary of what the division is doing around us. This ensures that Eagles fans actually are the NFL’s best informed, and most knowledgeable fans. (Provided you visit this site often.) These updates will come out three times during the season: After Weeks 6, 11, and 17.
This is where things are today:
Football Team: 1 – 5, 4th place in the NFC East
Their opening week victory looks like the only one they’ll get this year. Since that game they’ve allowed 29.0 points per game on defense. On offense they decided to not only bench their starting QB Dwayne Haskins, but to demote him to their Practice Squad. The new starter, QB Kyle Allen, has so far done a pretty good impersonation of Haskins during games.
Part of their offensive woes stem from insisting that they can turn college WR Antonio Gibson, into a RB. He’s a big slot WR who was born to catch middle Screens, and hot reads off of blitzes. Any other coaching staff would have seen that. The Redsk- Oops! The Football Team, wastes possessions trying to force a square peg, into a cement covered sphincter.
On defense they made a big splash getting 8 sacks, against an injury decimated Eagles Offensive Line in Week 1. Since then, they have all of 8 sacks in 5 games. They do have 7 interceptions, half of which (4) belong to CB Kendall Fuller.
giants: 1 – 5 , 3rd place in the NFC East
The giants spent 4 weeks getting worse, then had an offensive explosion vs the Cowboys last Sunday. They continued to ride that wave of confidence to their first win of the season over the Football Team. That win officially enters them into the “Win The NFC East” raffle.
To add injury to insult, the team lost RB Saquon Barkley for the year, with a torn ACL in his right knee. That placed all the weight for carrying the offense on QB Daniel Jones. Jones has so far responded by leading the team in rushing, with 204 yards through 6 games (34.0 ypg). Throwing the ball he has 3 TD’s and 6 picks. So there’s that.
On defense they’re allowing a 70% completion rate, and 8 TD’s to 3 picks. They’re also good for 110 yards on the ground per game. On the up-side, Green Bay refugee LB’s Blake Martinez and Kyler Fackrell are leading the team with 2 and 3 sacks, as well as 5 and 6 tackles for losses, respectively. Martinez leads the team in tackles.
Dallas Cowboys: 2 – 4, 1st place in the NFC East
This team was 1 – 3 before losing QB Dak Prescott for the year, during a Week 5 win over the giants. The road ahead doesn’t appear any easier. Six games in and RB Ezekiel Elliott has yet to see 100 yards rushing in game. What’s more, he has 5 fumbles already this year. The offensive line is an injury ravaged mess.
Defensively they give up 36.3 points per game. Allowing at least 34 points in each of their last 5 games. They’ve surrendered 14 passing TD’s and have just 1 interception this season, with just 2 total takeaways. Their best defensive player (DE Aldon Smith) is a guy who spent the last 4 years out of football.
Worse than all of the statistical woes, this team doesn’t appear to be weathering the adversity well. The sideline body language, and lack of eye contact between players, is indicative of a powder keg.
Oh yeah, and there’s also the little matter of players throwing the coaching staff under the bus, after just 6 weeks. This is where Dallas needs their men of high character to step up and lead.
So that’s the state of our division rivals as our Eagles head into Week 7.
THIS week’s opponent is garbage. They are 1 – 5 trash, and they play like 1 – 5 trash. The last two weeks saw us nearly snatch two games, from teams with legitimate Super Bowl aspirations. This year’s giants could never do that. So we need to got out there, and not play down to them. Injuries be damned.
With Dallas (2 – 4) losing to Arizona on Monday, a win over the giants on Thursday would put us at 2 – 4 – 1. Our winning percentage would be .357 to their .333. Pathetic? Sure. But it would still be the division lead? You bet! (Of course until Sunday, when Dallas shit cans Washington.)
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.
So let’s talk about the Four Things we need to focus on this week versus the giants :
1) Hand it off 20 times: The handoffs aren’t about making yards. The giants are stout inside, and we’ll be leaning in RB Boston Scott. So no one expects miracles. The handoffs are to set-up play-action, keep pass rushers off of QB Carson Wentz, and not have our Defense on the field all game long.
2) Be sack religious: Go get the QB! In recent weeks he hasn’t shared the ball as much with opponents, because he hasn’t seen serious pass rush. Pass rush is what our defense does best! So go get him!
3) Spread them out!: The giants run a base 3-4 defense. Being that we we’re down to 3rd and 4th string TE’s, we should run less 12 personnel, and more 11 and 10. Use a Slot WRs to force them out of their base, make them smaller and give ourselves the corners to run the ball. WR’s J.J. Arcega-Whitesideand Travis Fulgham, match-up well as blockers vs the giants Nickel and Dime DB’s.
4) No 50 yard field goal attempts: This is not an indictment on KJake Elliott’s ability to kick from distance. It’s to put the pressure on the Offense. This is Cortez burning the ships. Let’s be honest, the schedule only gets harder after the Bye. This game is an opportunity to work on and tighten things up. We should be able to win while doing so. If not… then the remainder of the season probably doesn’t matter.
If we do these Four Things, the final score should be:
PREDICTION: EAGLES 24 – giants 16
Check back in a couple of days for Four Things Reviewed, and we’ll discuss how it went.
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 inFour Things: Ravens did the Eagles get around to doing? Well let’s see:
TE Jason Croom. You can’t stop him. You can only hope to contain him.
1) Run the ball: Wentz ran 2 called runs in this game. The touchdown and the 4th down conversion he didn’t get. His other 3 runs were from drop backs. That makes the playcalling ratio, 43 passes to 15 called runs. On 58 plays run, we were passing 74% of the time. Not winning football strategy. It’s not a wonder the game got so out of hand. (NOT DONE)
2) Stay disciplined: Outside of their QB, the Ravens ran for 74 yards on 28 carries (2.6 ypc). The Eagles Defensive line did great job of setting the edges, and pursuing runners. While the Ravens did make a few plays (on 37 total carries) our defensive discipline was clearly there today. (DONE)
3) Challenge them vertically, early: That early drop by WR John Hightower did a lot to stem Wentz’s enthusiasm to throw to deep targets. Hightower let the ball hit his pads instead of plucking it with his hands. Thus, making it clear to everyone (including his mother), what the difference between 1st round and 5th round talent, looks like. (NOT DONE)
What you’re seeing here is a TE scoring a rare touchdown against LB Nate Gerry. And yes. That was sarcasm.
4) Set up the Mark: We covered their starting TE too well to bait their QB into attempting to get him the ball much. This would have been a great week to turn one of our weaknesses into a trap, but… They instead made use of the back-up TE. Well isn’t that special? Bless their little hearts. (NOT DONE)
That makes this weeks Four Things score a dismal 1 of 4, bringing the season total to 7 of 24. Hey gang! In addition to being banged up, starting a 3rd string RG, and not currently knowing the injury status of Miles Sanders knee, we get just 4 days to prepare for a divisional game against the giants on THURSDAY! Oh goodie! Oh joy! I’m so happy I could shit Legos.
On The Whole:
Yay. Something something, moral victory, silver lining, next man up, yadda blah. Whatever. We lost. Again.
Valiant comeback my ass! What was that, 4 passes that hit guys in the hands that they dropped?! Miles Sanders, dropping passes, fumbling and getting hurt? I will give a dollar to the first DB who jams a receiver and helps the D-Line get a sack.
For his part, Wentz (YET AGAIN), strapped this team to his back, and attempted to climb Mt. Everest. Wouldn’t it be neat to see a second offensive player show that much competitive fire? I don’t mean WR’s I mean a RB or a TE. I want to see toughness. Ruggedness. I want to see the opposing defense afraid of someone in an Eagles jersey.
RB Boston Scott tripping up Wentz on the 2-point conversion?! You know what? If GM Howie Roseman is going to be a buyer at the trade deadline, one the things I want him to buy, is RB Jordan Howard back from Miami. If they don’t think RB Corey Clement can back-up Sanders, then get me a guy who can. Because Scott ain’t it!
On Defense, everything behind our Front Four feels suspect. There was a play where no fewer than 3 Eagles had a shot at popped up pass, and nobody came down with it! It feels like the scheme is rubbing off on CB Darius Slay, and not the other way around.
Travis Fulgham continues his three game touchdown streak.
NOTE: It was nice to see Travis Fulgham get his first start, but we need to start seeing some combo routes run with TE Zach Ertz. Both to loosen the box and to get more roaming room for whomever is our deep receiver, on the other side.
OVER the last two games, most Eagles fans have fallen heels-over-head for WR Travis Fulgham. Some love that he’s scored in each of the last two games. Some love that he makes big splash catches.
I love that he’s nothing special.
Seriously, there is nothing about his game that is remotely remarkable. He’s not super-fast. He doesn’t jump super-high. He doesn’t kill defenders with his first step off the line. So if he doesn’t have any amazing traits, why is he so much better than all the other young receivers we’ve drafted since Jeremy Maclin?
The thing that separates Fulgham from Eagles draft picks, is that he has a solid set of fundamentals. He comes back to the ball. He boxes out. He high-points and catches with his hands. Again, nothing special. Just the fundamentals that any receiver should have. I said should.
During Week One, QB Carson Wentz threw two interceptions. One was while trying to connect with rookie WR Jalen Reagor, and the other was an attempt to rookie WR John Hightower. Both were jumping and fading away from the ball, allowing the defender to uncut them. Remember the one to WR J.J. Arcega-Whitesidevs the Rams? Look up those three picks. I’ll wait…
(Whistling. Filing nails. Painting a still-life.)
Oh, you’re back! Did you notice what I was talking about? It jumps right out at you, doesn’t it? From now on, you will NEVER fail to notice it, and wonder how others miss it.
Although WR Alshon Jeffery has crazy leaping skills, his speed isn’t lethal, he’s not the biggest receiver, and he doesn’t have legendary hands. In fact, how would you describe Alshon’s game? Comes back to the ball. Boxes out. High-points. Makes yards after the catch. None of those things are talent based. Those are all skills. They are fundamentals which only come from teaching.
The obvious thing that fans keep missing, is that young Eagles receivers aren’t taught those basics. Fulgham learned it before he got here. Alshon, same thing. Terrell Owens? Kevin Curtis? These guys looked great next to receivers drafted, but untaught by our coaching staffs.
Speaking of which, how DOES former Eagles WR Nelson Agholor, look in Las Vegas this year? He’s only caught 10 balls, but he’s only been thrown 11 passes. That’s a 90% catch rate. Through 5 years with the Eagles, Agholor NEVER had a 90% catch rate through 5 weeks. Not in 2015 (47%), not 2016 (66%), not 2017 (69%), not 2018 (70%), nor 2019 (59%). NEVER.
Crazy what a little coaching can fix.
Some readers may say that I’ve failed to mention Fulgham’s ability to create separation with stems, speed variations in his routes, head fakes, stacking the defender, etc. Those are all skills. Those are all taught things. Every blessed one of them. Just basic fundamentals.
I love that Fulgham’s game is based on fundamentals. It means that if the Eagles decide to sign him long-term, his ability to play won’t disappear with injury, or suddenly with age. When Alshon gets back I look forward to seeing packages that feature them both on the field.
Now if only we can utilize some of that speed we added this year…
LAST week we walked into the home of a 3 – 0 team, and almost strolled out with the win. Despite the loss, during the game QB Carson Wentz may found a long-term dance partner in WR Travis Fulgham. GOODY!! Because this week, we get to face a Baltimore secondary that comes into this game allowing a 66.7% completion rate.
We’ve fallen to #2 in the NFC East, and our remaining schedule isn’t an easy one. A win this week, would position us for another crack at the division lead. (Depending on what follows on Monday night.) A loss wouldn’t take us out of contention, but losing more ground this week, would make the remainder of the season, a very heavy lift.
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.
So let’s talk about the Four Things we need to focus on this week versus the Ravens:
1) Run the ball: Last week, RB Miles Sanders had a 74 yard TD run and finished the day with 11 carries and just 80 yards. That’s some bullshit. If Head Coach Doug Pederson was trying to lose the game, he absolutely figured out the way to do it. Throwing the ball all the time isn’t allowing our defense to rest. It’s Chess, not Checkers, Doug.
2) Stay disciplined: Set the edges and don’t chase eye-candy. This season we’ve made it apparent that if you get us running laterally, we can’t play defense. So keep the game North/South. Set a tone that not only helps us win this week, but sends the message to future opponents, that we’ve fixed a major weakness.
3) Challenge them vertically, early: They can score and we can’t stop anyone on defense. So we’ll need points to win. Get our players in an aggressive mindset early, and put our opponent on their heels. Attack. Attack. Attack. Attack.
4) Set up the Mark: TE Mark Andrews is the second most targeted option on their team, and the passes are usually short ones. Bait the QB into feeling secure about going to Andrews, and then step in front of the ball. That would of course be a turnover, but even if it isn’t, it’ll make the QB hesitant when delivering the ball.
If we do these Four Things, the final score should be:
PREDICTION: EAGLES 21 – Ravens 17
Check back in a couple of days for Four Things Reviewed, and we’ll discuss how it went.
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 inFour Things: Pittsburghdid the Eagles get around to doing? Well let’s see:
1) Jump short routes:Aside from one miss by CB Cre’Von LeBlanc, nobody really tried to do this. Three times, on 3rd down, the Steeler’s QB was able to complete a quick short pass inside and to his right, while Eagles defenders just watched the play happen. He should have never been able to do that twice, let alone three times. Especially without getting his receiver blown up. (NOT DONE)
2) Trim their edges: We didn’t run any RB Screens, but we did make the Out routes come alive today! Fulgham created space, boxed out, and high-pointed the ball, giving Wentz an easy target to go to all day long. WR Greg Ward ran a similar route for his easy 8 yard TD reception. TE Zach Ertz continues to dog it out there. I gave him the benefit of the doubt for 4 weeks, but after watching him let that TE Screen fall incomplete, I have to call him on it. With what he’s putting on tape, no one is giving him George Kittle money. (DONE)
3) Set the edge vs the run:I said that Pittsburgh doesn’t do a lot of WR rushing and coming into this game they hadn’t. Today they took 5 whacks at it, and made us look silly in the process. However, that’s a hard thing to charge to the Defensive Linemen. It’s really something that has to be adjusted for with an alignment that doesn’t pack all the LB’s inside of the DE’s. We took away the interior run game, but our scheme and lack of adjusting it, allowed them options they usually ignore. (NOT DONE)
4) Fight for catches: Right before the Half, J.J. Arcega-Whiteside made a nice 37 yard grab. Other than that, Fulgham didn’t really have to win any contested balls, he found ways to create separation, and give Wentz a clean target. Maybe he can teach his team mates? (NOT DONE)
That gives us a score of 1 of 4 this week (6 of 20 on the year.) Thank goodness we get to face Baltimore next week. NO! You know what? We’ll re-group, get a couple guys back next week, and look at this with fresh eyes.
On The Whole:
We went in shorthanded vs a 3 – 0 team, and made a real game out of it. Silver lining, it looks like Carson Wentz has found a young WR that he trusts. That can only pay dividends going forward. This week Whiteside and WR John Hightower got the start. Next week, if WR’s Alshon Jeffrey and DeSean Jacksonare still shelved, then expect Fulgham and Hightower to get the nod.
There were several things that annoyed me: The play selection was ass, again. There were just 12 handoffs in this game, 2 called QB runs, and 38 passes called (2 resulted in QB scrambles). That’s 73% pass to 27%run. Why is it okay that our Defensive Coordinator isn’t capable of making adjustments? How is it that we had no answer for a rookie playing in just his 4th pro game?
We got embarrassed by a rookie. And we got out-coached. The Steelers were flat-out smarter than us. Especially our Defense. We ate Jet Sweeps from a team that hardly runs them! We’ve been so bad at defending those, that opponents include them, just to run them against us. And if it wasn’t bad enough that in-game adjustments aren’t being made, week-to-week adjustments aren’t being made either. I feel like the game was never as close as the score.
SEASON Reviews are usually done at the end of the season. A few are also done at the halfway mark. Starting in 2017, Eaglemaniacal.combegan treating the season like a game, and breaking it into four quarters. Since football is a hard sport, we’ll take a hard look at where our team currently stands, in relation to where it started. Then we can discuss where it needs to go next.
STATUS: 1 – 2 – 1 / 1st place in the NFC East / 21.0 points per game vs. 29.2 points allowed
OPPONENTS:
(L) Washington 1 – 3
(L) Los Angeles Rams 3 – 1
(T) Cincinnati 1 – 2 – 1
( W) San Francisco 2 – 2
IT’S been a shit-show. Injuries (more than anything else), have derailed any sense of rhythm this team was supposed to have coming out of the gate. On Offense it’s led to inconsistencies, which have led to turnovers, which have left points on the field. On Defense it’s led to communications errors, magnified by gaps in talent, which have translated into points for the opponent.
POSITIONAL GRADES:
QB Carson Wentz dives for a touchdown.
QB (D): Why not an F for Carson Wentz? Because of context. Context means you look at the WHOLE picture, not just the stat-line. Washington was going well, until the sacks started piling up. He was bad in the Rams game. In the last two games however, Carson has put this team on his shoulders. Despite protection issues, and a lack of weapons, he’s figuring out how to keep us in games. Still, he has to get the turnovers under control. Jalen Hurtshas played 10 snaps and still has two fumbles (Neither was lost.)
RB (C ): Miles Sanders has been effective running the ball, but far from dangerous. He hasn’t established himself as a tier of the Offense, merely as an option in it. The short passing game won’t pop until that happens. Boston Scott is not a true runner and it shows, in how easy it is to stop his forward progress. Corey Clement is scarcely being utilized.
TE (C ): Seems like a high grade until you realize that the production is off, because shorter routes are being emphasized for this position. The team is scheming away fromZach Ertzin order as they audition replacements. That was going fine until Dallas Goedertended up on IR. Now the Eagles are standing in the rain, on the doorstep of the girl they just dumped, horny and somewhat humbled. “Looking for a little romance. Given half a chance.”
WR Greg Ward hits paydirt!
WR (D): The inability to stay healthy is bad enough, but the “next man up” needs to do a better job of trying to crack the starting line-up. As a group, so far they’ve caught 43 of 70 targets for 478 yards (11.1 ypc) and just 2 touchdowns. Greg Ward is the leader at this position, but he doesn’t even average 9 yards per catch. Taking what the defense gives you is one thing. Letting them dictate to you all game long, is quite another. These guys have to do a better job of getting open on intermediate and deep routes
T (D): Neither Jason Peters nor Lane Johnson has looked quite like themselves this season. With JP it’s a toe injury that put him on IR for a few games. With Johnson it’s offseason ankle surgery, that isn’t back to 100% yet. Rookie Jack Driscoll has played quite a bit of football this year, but he looks like a rookie. Three year project Jordan Mailata got his first start in the Eagles lone win. He wasn’t amazing, but there was definite promise there. Still this position has been too inconsistent to grade it highly.
LG Nate Herbig beside LT Jordan Mailata, in his first NFL start.
G (C ): Matt Pryor and Nate Herbig won’t be mistaken for Pro Bowlers, but we haven’t lost a game since they became our starting tandem, two games ago. They aren’t the best pass blockers, but that has the upside of “encouraging” bootlegs and getting the ball out earlier.
C (D): Jason Kelcestill understands leverage and landmarks, but his ability to win at the point of attack seems greatly diminished. Also he could do a better job of shielding the scramble lane. The good news is we’ve already seen the first of his annual two wild snaps. Kelce still is a wily vet, and he can get by on that. The question is: “Can the Eagles?”
DE (C): The sack production is there, with 10 in the first 4 games. Brandon Graham is on pace for a 12 sack season. So is Josh Sweat. Derek Barnettis on pace for 10. However, the backside run stopping is dangerously lax. Regardless of who lines up there (usually Barnett or Sweat), our RDE often doesn’t set the edge. Instead, they flatten to run down it. Without second level containment on that side, the Eagles fall frequent victim to reverses or stretch runs. FYI: It happens enough for opponents to be able to scheme for and target.
DT (A): This position is the engine that drives the Defense. It is the source of our power. They are the primary reason why we are giving up just 3.8 yards per rush. They also provide the pressure that has us leading the NFL in sacks. Fletcher Coxis Fletcher Cox of course, but Malik Jackson? Him?? As a group, all four players have 14 QB hits through 4 games. Jackson owns 9 of them. As an interior lineman!
OLB (D): Opponents now know that Nate Gerry has neither the speed to cover anyone, nor the strength to take on blockers. As a Nicklebacker (ugh!) playing ZONE, he provides a level of shift-on-the-fly flexibility that’s hard to match. However, as an every down ‘backer, he’s more like shit-under-flies. On the other hand, we haven’t lost since Duke Riley became a starter. Riley has also been lackluster, to put it kindly. The only splash play made by this group was Alex Singleton’s 30 yard game sealing pic-six vs the 49ers.
MLB (C ): T.J. Edwards wasn’t setting the world on fire, but we were getting some decent football out of him inside the Tackle box. But he’s on IR now, so…(nodding) ya know… In the meantime, getting a good look at rookie Shaun Bradley can only help his development. No one said they would, but at this point, they should.
FS Rod McLeod picks off a 49er pass.
S (C): FS Rodney McLeod has been targeted 13 times for 6 completions, just 68 yards, 0 TD’s, and a red zone interception. He’s been a low-key brightspot in the Secondary this season. Jalen Mills has been a bit of a disaster at SS. Targeted 7 times for 7 completions and a TD. Plus the soft tackling. His move back outside for WK4, was a godsend. During WK4, rookie Kavon Wallace got the start, while veteran Marcus Epps got most of the snaps. They weren’t All Pro, but they showed actual promise. The grade for next quarter should be higher. Provided that Mills stays outside.
CB (C): Darius Slay is the story here. He has no picks, and is allowing completions at a rate of 66%. However, he’s also only allowed 180 yards through 4 games, and his deflection in our lone victory, stopped George Kittle from stealing it from us, in the closing seconds of the game. Jalen Mills in that game was targeted 7 times, allowing just 2 completions for all of 6 yards. Never move him to Safety again. (Love him at N/CB though.) When we stopped playing Nickell Robey-Coleman 60% of the time, we started winning, and allowing 32 points per game. That, coincided with playing Cre’Von LeBlanc a lot more. So it feels like the Eagles are finding a rhythm at the position. A per game grade would look like D, F, C, B.
LS (A): The fact that you can’t recall mentioning Rick Lovato, is always a good thing.
P (A): Cameron Johnston is out there MURDERING IT so far. He’s averaging 51.6 yards per punt, 12 of which have been returned for an average of just 5.6 yards.
K (A): Jake Elliott is 7 of 7 on extra points and 6 of 7 from the field, with his only miss being from 50+ yards.
LB(?) Nate Gerry comes up small. Again.
SINCE LAST QUARTER:
We ended 2019 on a 4 – 0 tear, vs admittedly garbage ((cough) division), lever competition. We tweaked the Offense by moving around some coaches, and added a ton of speed. Injuries however, have reared their ugly heads, yet again. The difference is, now we’re so used to it, that we know how to take it in stride.
MISSION FOR THIS QUARTER:
Getting the Offensive Line and the Secondary to gel, should be the focus of these next few games. We need to be able to solidly separate ourselves from the bottom of the division. While 4 – 0 would be great and should always be the goal, coming out of these next 4 (Pittsburgh, Baltimore, New York giants, Dallas) at 2 – 2 seems more realistic.
We need DE Derek Barnett to get us a few of these, in the next few weeks.
VICTORY made us the top team in the NFC East, last week. Now it’s time to build on that. The giants (0 – 4), Broncos (1 – 3 (Jets)), and Texans (0 – 4). These are the teams that the Steelers have beaten. Texans by 7, Broncos by 5, giants by 10. Pittsburgh is no one to be afraid of. Especially if QB Carson Wentz gets back either WR Alshon Jeffrey or DeSean Jackson.
A win this week, keeps our lead over the division. Regardless of what our rivals do. It would also get us to .500, and give our roster a chance to feel like they’d weathered a storm together.
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.
So let’s talk about the Four Things we need to focus on this week versus the Steelers:
C-F-L!! C-F-L!! LB Alex Singleton’s single pick was worth a ton.
1) Jump short routes: The Steelers passing game looks almost airtight. Their best WR boasts a catch percentage of 89.5, through four games. However, upon closer inspection, it’s clear that the emphasis is to get the ball out of the QB’s hand, as fast as possible. This is why their top two receivers average just 10 yards per catch. We need to jump those short routes. Make plays on the ball. Force them out of their comfort zone, make their 38 year old QB hold the ball longer, and give the NFL’s sack leading defense the time to do what it does.
2) Trim their edges: Want some good news? The Steelers run a similar 3-4 to the one we castrated for years when the Redskins ran it. The 10 yard Out should be there anytime TE Zach Ertz wants it. This would be a great game to see the RB Screen make it’s re-appearance. They should also be highly susceptible to play-action. Conversely, this is NOT a week we want to see Wentz running much.
3) Set the edge vs the run: Pittsburgh doesn’t do a lot of WR rushing. They like to pound it between the Tackles with RB’s, which suits us just fine. Our objective here is not blowing containment on the right side of our Defense. When there is no LB on his outside hip, the RDE has to rush up the field, instead of immediately flattening down the line of scrimmage. We can’t give away big runs to this team and expect to win.
Do you see what Whiteside is doing? Boxed out, bent arms, fading backwards? Yeah. Don’t do ANY of that.
4) Fight for catches: Eagles receivers have to start winning some of these contested passes. It’s frustrating to see receivers on other teams bail out their QB, then listen to announcers chide Wentz for not delivering a perfect ball, every time. Our guys need to treat every throw like it’s their personal property. They wouldn’t let another man snatch their phone, or their car keys, or their paycheck. The ball needs to be prioritized on that level.
If we do all these things we should win, with a score looking like:
PREDICTION: EAGLES 27 – Steelers 21
Check back in a couple of days for Four Things Reviewed, and we’ll discuss how it went.
