2014 IS MAKE OR BREAK FOR NICK FOLES

Posted by The BEAST on 2014/07/09
Posted in: Offense, Players. Tagged: . 9 Comments

players-mccoyandfoles.500px

LESEAN McCoy thinks that 2014 will be the year that Nick Foles will shut all of his critics up and establish himself once and for all as “Yeah, I’m Nick Foles. I’m Philadelphia’s quarterback. I’m the guy”. The words “the guy” are McCoy’s, they aren’t mine. I think that’s the problem though. Almost everyone sees Foles as “the guy” not “The Franchise”.

I’ve been poking around different football markets since January, and aside from Eagles fans, the percentage of NFL fans who see Foles as a Top 10 QB is staggeringly, soberingly low. While some have fallen in love with his TD to Int ratio of 27:2, there are those out there who think his “numbers are more impressive than his game tape“.

Fans, the media, other GM’s, everybody has an opinion. However, only one opinion counts, and that opinion belongs to Chip Kelly. For his part, Kelly did say about Foles, “He’s the starting quarterback for the next 1,000 years here”.

That’s about as rock-solid an endorsement as a Head Coach can give a player, and that would have been that…but then Kelly immediately paints himself a backdoor by saying “Yeah, you hope [Nick Foles is the quarterback of the future], but− and I don’t mean to be coy, I always say this −is that, you can say that whomever it is, is your player of the future and then next week they get hurt.”

Through that backdoor, many fans (myself included), are half expecting to see Oregon QB (and you know Kelly loves his Ducks) Marcus Mariota make an entrance onto the roster and into the lives of Eagles fans. There is much debate on the subject anytime anyone brings it up; as some Eagles fans are sold on Foles being able to run this system, and others don’t think the system we run is the one Kelly really wants to run. I’m in camp #2.

There is some writing on the wall that indicates that what we’ll run , and how we run it next year will be different from this year. I know. I can hear you already “BEAST, how can you know about 2015 if you haven’t seen 2014 yet!?”

March 2nd ; who brought you this story 4 hours before NFL.com?

March 23rd; who brought you this story 2 days before CSN’s Rueben Frank?

March 18th; who brought you this story almost 4 months before Ron Jaworski would confirm it?

That’s three major scoops on a website less than 6 months old. So I’ve more than earned your trust on this one. But you know what? I go you one better and discuss the writing on the wall that I’m talking about (since I’m actually compiling research as I write this).

But not today. This article is already long enough.

ROOKIE MARCUS SMITH. NO RUSH.

Posted by The BEAST on 2014/07/08
Posted in: Defense, Players. Tagged: , , , . 2 Comments
Marcus Smith learning the ropes.

Marcus Smith learning the ropes.

FIRST round Draft pick, Marcus Smith is a player that I’ll be keeping an eye on once Training Camp begins in a couple of weeks. His chances of taking a starting OLB spot away from Trent Cole or Connor Barwin, are likely almost nil, but then he wasn’t drafted to do that in 2014.

During OTA’s Smith wasn’t just Barwin’s back-up, Smith was 3rd string. That had more to do with letting him pick up the system slowly, and allowing him to watch players who played in this system last year. There’s no need to rush him, good things take time.

Actually despite me not being 100% sold on Chip Kelly, I really dig his approach to the OTA’s. Many NFL coaches use them to sift for a pecking order. Kelly is doing no such thing. His whole approach is to just use OTA’s as an assessment period.

In the meantime, Smith is being said to be doing all the little things in terms of his study and practice habits. Coaches are guardedly optimistic about what they’ve seen, saying that he moves well and has so far not balked at anything he’s been asked to do with regard to responsibilities within the scheme.

Then again that was in shorts, and without hitting. I can’t wait to see what happens when that all changes.

LET’S SHOW OUR PHILLIES SOME LOVE

Posted by The BEAST on 2014/07/06
Posted in: Fans. Tagged: . Leave a comment

Phillieslogo600px

THIS is the first non-football article I’ve written on this site, but somebody had to speak up, so it may as well be me.

The Phillies are 12 games back and off to the worst start in 17 years. Granted that’s hard to go out and cheer for; but the amount of whining and the number of fans bailing on our team, has gotten downright embarrassing.

What’s gets me is how people are acting like the Phillies are somehow doing something worse than usual. This team doesn’t generally heat up until after The Break. I say it every year. (The difference is I now have website.)

“Unless you’re playing some absolutely horrific baseball, nobody is ever mathematically out of it right after The Break.” I say that every year. Mostly because we have a tendency to start slow. Take a look:

 Phillies

And it more or less does this going all the way back to 2002.

That said, the All-Star break is less than 2 weeks away, and though we are momentarily in the shitter, we could always get hot and…(sigh)…

You know what? Even though we’ll probably still finish in the toilet, all the bailing on our team has to stop. This is making us look bad folks.

Right now you and I are dragging the reputation as baseball’s biggest bandwagon fans. And this isn’t just the words of some jackoff, rival fan badmouthing us. This is a national study. This is us getting our own actions thrown in our face, while the rest of the nation gets told (and offered proof), that all of them are essentially better than you and me.

We have to up our game fellow fans. I don’t care if you show up to more games, give a player props on a call-in show, send a tweet of support to a player you follow, whatever. Whatever you do, just put some love out there to our guys. Good or bad season be damned. Whether we shake it off and make a run (as is the team’s custom), or whether we go down swinging; let’s finish 2014 with our backs against our player’s backs. 

We’re better than bandwagon, so let’s up our game and show it.

FALLOUT FROM LANE JOHNSON’S SUSPENSION

Posted by The BEAST on 2014/07/06
Posted in: NFL, Offense, Players. Tagged: , , , , . Leave a comment

card-lanejohnson

BOTH the NFL and the Eagles going stone silent for the last 4 days on Lane Johnson facing a 4 game suspension for use of PED’s is unsettling. It makes you wonder if the NFL isn’t looking a little harder at all of our players, and maybe stepping up the number of requested tests for this team.

You’d think for a first offender (like Johnson), with no reported history dating back to college, that a pat suspension would be a fairly easy call to make. But so far we’ve heard nothing, and that has me somewhat worried. How much fallout will there be from this? Doesn’t matter. We don’t need any distraction during Training Camp. Least of all the NFL rooting through our team, in what would be a second investigation in one off-season. Possible fallout is what worries me.

However, what I’m not worried about is the Offensive Line; specifically the RT position. The fact is, we have a pretty good back-up in Allen Barbre. During last year’s preseason he more than held his own as he switched off between LT and LG. During the actual season when he had to step in at LT for Jason Peters in the Green Bay game, he didn’t get Nick Foles killed (though Clay Matthews was sidelined for that game).

To be truthful with you, I don’t recall that GB game very well, so I can’t say whether or not a TE was rolled over to help him much. As a former LT, what I can say is that typically the LT does not receive TE help, hence the left is generally the weakside of the formation. If Barbre did play most of those snaps with no help (“uncovered”), then RT should be a breeze for him.

At RT Barbre will generally be on the strongside because he’ll have a TE to his right. On passing downs, that TE can help out with a chip block as he releases into his pattern. A chip block slows down passrushers and generally allows the RT a chance to get his hands on that passrusher. So again, if Barbre could manage that at LT with no help, then RT should be a day down the shore, for him. And if he looks really good out there, he could end up taking over for Todd Herremans when Johnson gets back. (We talked about that one earlier, remember?)

Like I said before, I’m not worried about the O-line, but until the NFL says clearly that it’s just a suspension, and that it goes no further than the individual player; I’m still going to be a bit nervous. After all, we have no idea what goes into those smoothies Chip Kelly recommends so highly. 

HOW WE’LL WIN THE EAST (pt 3 of 3)

Posted by The BEAST on 2014/07/04
Posted in: Conversations, Offense. Tagged: , , , . 2 Comments

players- mccoyandescort.550px

NOW I’ve already said that the Eagles would win the NFC East, now it’s time I discussed how.

You have stuff to do, so I’m not going to try and cram it all in one article. Instead I’m going to break it up into 3 parts: Offense, Defense and of course, Special Teams. Yesterday we looked at Defense.

Today:

OFFENSE

 

With Special Teams winning the hidden yardage battle and helping to offset what will likely be a so-so Defense, winning the NFC East will come down to the Offense. Raise your hand if you’re surprised. (If your hand is up: “Welcome to Earth. We’re called Humans.”)

To start with, there’s no question of who the starters are. Barring injury and/or suspension, this is your Offense:

 2014 Offense

If during this preseason you think the Offense seems different than last year, relax. It’s not your imagination. This year Chip Kelly is going to employ a more genuine version of the Spread than what he rolled out in 2013.

Last year due to the presence of DJax, Kelly could get away with all sorts of things in the box because most teams didn’t walk their Safeties up with him out there. They also took a LB off the field and replaced him with a DB to compensate for us starting 3 WR’s. The result was some pretty smooth sailing for LeSean McCoy.

This year you can expect more 4WR formations, or more accurately, 3WR formations where Darren Sproles goes in motion and rarely ever sets before the snap. The idea being to spread the defense horizontally, and catch them in the middle of shifting to adjust to our motion. Spread them thin enough and it’s easier for the RB to find a hole to punch through with minimal traffic and nothing but daylight ahead.

Last year we spread defenses more vertically than horizontally, and it was hugely successful. Since we can’t do that this year, we hoping to do the opposite and get better results.

 

Last month I wrote an article discussing how teams could stop the version of the Spread we’re going to run this year. It was mostly just to give fans a heads up on what our opponents may attempt to do. Stopping us isn’t rocket science, but it would be far from an easy trick.

My guess is the only team in our division who could pull it off is the Redskins. However I doubt their coach is willing to absorb the penalties necessary to get it done. I hope I’m right about that. The Giants and Cowboys have coaching staffs with the stones to try it, but they lack the horses to get it done.

Our division rivals being weak in opposition to our biggest strength is why the NFC East title looks like it’s on a return trip to Philly. It’s not our system that’s our rival’s biggest hurdle, it’s that they aren’t yet built to stop it. 

HOW WE’LL WIN THE EAST (pt. 2 of 3)

Posted by The BEAST on 2014/07/02
Posted in: Conversations, Defense. Tagged: , , . 2 Comments
QB Hunters

OLB’s Trent Cole and Connor Barwin conspire, as DE Fletcher Cox looks on.

NOW I’ve already said that the Eagles would win the NFC East, now it’s time I discussed how.

You have stuff to do, so I’m not going to try and cram it all in one article. Instead I’m going to break it up into 3 parts: Offense, Defense and of course, Special Teams. Yesterday we looked at Special Teams.

Today:

DEFENSE

 

THERE is a lot being made of how much better we played down the stretch last year. That may statistically be true, but we also faced a pretty soft stretch on the back half which included Oakland, (an Aaron Rodgers and Clay Matthews-less) Green Bay, Washington, Arizona, Detroit (in a surprise blizzard), Minnesota, Chicago, and Dallas (without Tony Romo).

Having acknowledged those things, we did make some improvements.

Aside from SS and barring injury, we all pretty much know who’s going start Week One.

2014 Defense

The group will almost be made up entirely of last year’s line-up with the exception of FS Malcolm Jenkins and SS Earl Wolff (if he starts). Personnel-wise Jenkins (who has CB level cover skill) is the first real FS we’ve had back there in years. This is a definite upgrade over where we were last year.

DC Bill Davis is expecting improvement in the system to come mostly from players having a better understanding of it than they did last year. Since last year was also the first year that any player here played in that system, there was no one to lean for mentoring. That’s not the case this season so the learning curves of new players should be a lot less steep. From a mental standpoint that IS an improvement.

 

The scheme itself particularly with regard to the Front Seven, is where all the problems may show themselves this year.

Our defensive line doesn’t generate sacks, which makes us dependent on the OLB’s providing pressure, which means that the flats get left open for easy completions. It was a problem all last year and so far we’ve done nothing to address it.

Mentally this team should be sharper than last year, which again is a plus. However the NFL has a had a year to study any flaws intrinsic to this scheme. Had we not stood pat with our defensive front, opponents wouldn’t be able to be so confident in their scouting reports. However since we did stand pat, they’ll have lots of tape of what all our guys are good at and what they aren’t.

Also no defense is done any favors by spending a lot of time on the field. This is particularly true of 3-4 defenses, which can be worn down inside more easily than their 4-3 counterparts.

 

On the whole this unit will likely finish in the bottom third of the league as that’s about where we were last year, and we added no game-changers to the Front Seven. This is not helped by A) 2014’s opponents being tougher than last years, and B) Each division rival having upgraded their offensive unit.

What will hopefully save our bacon here, is the upgraded Special Teams unit. If we can win the hidden yardage battle, it will help offset how much offensive yardage we surrender, and maybe help yield another 10-6 finish.

HOW WE’LL WIN THE EAST

Posted by The BEAST on 2014/07/01
Posted in: Conversations, Special Teams. Tagged: , , , . 1 Comment

players-2013specialteams.540px.google

NOW I’ve already said that the Eagles would win the NFC East, now it’s time I discussed how.

You have stuff to do, so I’m not going to try and cram it all in one article. Instead I’m going to break it up into 3 parts: Offense, Defense and of course, Special Teams.

Today:

SPECIAL TEAMS

 

Last year due to some ace directional kicking by returning P Donnie Jones, our (KCU) Kick Coverage Unit allowed the 8th fewest PR yards in the NFL. On the other hand, kickoffs (K Alex Henery) were a totally different story. Only 3 teams choked over more yards, and nobody gave up as many TD’s as we did. Nobody.

FS Chris Maragos, and LB Bryan Braman were among the first players we added when Free Agency kicked off. What we added were two guys who are juiced about playing Special Teams, specifically on the KCU. Good teams often have one guy like that. We have two. The idea that we added guys whose energy and enthusiasm could be infectious on our KCU, could have crazy implications. In any case it’s an upgrade in the unit’s attitude.

 

Last year’s primary KR’s were WR Damaris Johnson and CB Brandon Boykin. We did not have a good year returning kickoffs or punts.

While no one was paying attention, what we also added in RB Darren Sproles and WR Josh Huff, are guys who can add some value to the roster as KR/PR’s. After the totally unremarkable year had by any return man in an Eagles uniform last season, it’s hard to believe that this duo could be worse. Or even as bad.

Sproles hasn’t been a dangerous PR since he became a 70 catch per year guy, but since he won’t catch 70 balls this year, he should able to give us something as a PR. Huff was an on/off KR in college, but if he expects to make this roster it won’t be merely as a receiver. The Eagles have too much depth at WR for that.

Sproles catches a lot of balls but he stills runs more like a RB than a WR in terms of physicality and ability to operate in traffic. The word on Huff is even though he’s a WR, he runs more like a RB in terms of physicality and ability to operate in traffic. These things could not be said about last year’s returners.  I look forward to seeing Sproles and Huff back deep together, provided that Chip Kelly decides to use them this way. Even if he doesn’t, this year Kelly has better options than he had a year ago.

 

Many fans think that K Carey “Murderleg” Spear was brought in to replace Henery, (who apparently can’t make long or clutch kicks). While I would love it to be true that Henery was on his way out, I don’t think it’s the case at all. It seems Spear is just here to push Henery.

Kelly says he doesn’t send messages to players through his action with other players, but that’s bull. If the idea was to replace Henery, you’d go out and get a better kicker. (Like Rob Bironas who as of right now, is still available.) You don’t go out and get a middle of the pack college player if you’re serious about moving on. In any case, unless the Defense sucks balls, our games rarely will be decided by FG’s. Another year of Henery isn’t great, but it could be worse.

 

Special Teams has quietly undergone a massive upgrade, as bad as it was last year it was still enough to win the NFC East, and I don’t see where our rivals have surpassed us here.

Tomorrow: DEFENSE

IN SUNSHINE AND IN SHADOW.

Posted by The BEAST on 2014/06/30
Posted in: Fans, Players. Tagged: , , , . Leave a comment

SUNSHINE AND SHADOW

LANE Johnson may have made a stupid mistake, but it’s no reason to throw him under the bus. If asked about him this morning most fans would have gushed  over his performance and all of his potential.  Now many are quick to throw him to the wolves. 

Anyone can be a fan when things are good, but can you still manage it when things are low? Can you put the arm of of one of these hulking giants across your shoulders and say to him “I got you, buddy” when he’s down? 

You see THAT is the difference between devotion and bandwagon, between all-weather and fair-weather, between tough and fluff. I don’t know you well enough to label you and I wouldn’t want to if I did. You already have a mirror. It’s on you to live with whatever looks back at you.

As for me- If you want to know where I’LL be, you can look for me under Lane Johnson’s busted wing. Doing what I do better than most. 

BTW: I am aware of the lyric, but I wanted my point as stark as possible.

WHAT IF LURIE MOVED THE EAGLES?

Posted by The BEAST on 2014/06/28
Posted in: Conversations, Fans. Tagged: , , . 3 Comments
Image courtesy of Google.com

Image courtesy of Google.com

YOU could tell he wasn’t joking when he said it. “You and the rest of these flea-bag Eagles fans would turn on this franchise in a heartbeat if they moved.”

A woman in Shop-rite had just walked by, wearing a t-shirt that read “I bleed green no matter what!” For whatever reason, that set off the Ravens fan in the deli line beside me. He just started talking shit to no one in particular. “You and the rest of these flea-bag Eagles fans would turn on this franchise in a heartbeat if they moved. If there’s one thing Philadelphians don’t understand, it’s loyalty.” 

He looked like he was in his 70’s or 80’s, so no one wanted to look like they were bullying an old man. I know I didn’t want to be “that guy”. So since nobody stopped him, he just kept trying to get killed.

I mostly just ignored him when he talked about the Colts leaving Baltimore, and how he can’t ever forgive that. But then he said the same thing would happen to us.

He said that Lurie’s first love was the Patriots; that Lurie is from Boston; and that Lurie tried to buy the Patriots before he “settled for” the Eagles. All of that is true, and I’ll admit, it got under my skin a little. (I’m still not sure why, but it did.) He also said that Lurie was trying to move the team to Boston.

I’m not worried about the team leaving because the Eagles have a stadium lease deal that runs through 2032 (18 years from now). Lurie is  62 already and the idea that he’d wait until he was 80 to uproot and start over, doesn’t add up. So it’s really nothing to worry about, but it got my blood boiling just the same. And I realized that it was because he’d struck a nerve in me, and he’d struck it damned hard. Because he’d made me, just for an instant, afraid.

As a native Philadelphian, Eagles football is part of my birthright. It was here when I breathed my first, and with mercy, it’ll still be so when I breathe my last. Until that coot opened his mouth, I’d never thought of it any other way. Then for an instant we were as vulnerable as Cleveland and Baltimore, Oakland and Houston. In an instant, he’d made us, made me, mortal.

As of now all the facts say that we have nothing to worry about. That it was just some old crank ranting in a supermarket deli line, who bailed on his team years ago, and who was reminded of his shame by a t-shirt. I know all this. I get it. 

But just for a second, let me ask you:

What if Lurie did move the Eagles?

Would you root for the Eagles regardless of what city Lurie moved them to? (The Boston Eagles? The L.A. Eagles? The Las Vegas Eagles?)

Would you gravitate to the Ravens? The Redskins?

He didn’t ask it, but the old fart in the supermarket brought up an interesting question: Is it the Eagles team or the city of Philadelphia that we’re actually rooting for? To this point it’s all been one convenient package. But what would you do if that stopped being true?

EAGLES ALL-UNDERRATED TEAM 2 (1989-2014)

Posted by The BEAST on 2014/06/26
Posted in: Conversations, Players. Tagged: , . Leave a comment

THERE 3 are simple rules to making this list:

1)     You have to have played between 1989 and 2014

2)     You have to have been a starter for at least 3 years as an Eagle

3)     You must be underrated by either the Fans, the Media or Both.

 

And now, the DEFENSE.

RDE: HUGH DOUGLAS Underrated by: Both hugh-douglas

Douglas came here from the Jets as a pass rusher, with the knock of being soft vs. the run. Apparently he left that in New York, because while here you could count on Hugh to handle business on his side of the line. Unfortunately Douglas played after Reggie White and Clyde Simmons, but before Trent Cole, so he kind of gets lost among the list.

 

 

DT1: MIKE PITTS Underrated by: Both fillin

It’s a travesty how many Eagles fans claim to remember Jerome Brown, yet can’t recall Pitts. Pitts was the lever between Brown and Simmons. His ability to hold the point and move the LOS helped trap players in the backfield so teammates could make the finish and record the stats. He rotated with Mike Golic, but there was no doubt that we were better when Pitts was out there.

 

DT2: DARWIN WALKER Underrated by: Both Darwin Walker

A solid, no nonsense player with a blue collar, lunch pail mentality. Walker was moved all over the D-line and if you lined up against him, you were in for a fight.

 

 

 

LDE: WILLIAM FULLER Underrated by: Both william_fuller

Brought in ostensibly as the replacement for White, Fuller put up great numbers (35.5 sacks over three years), but you wouldn’t know it based on how seldom his name comes up either with fans or the media.

 

 

 

 

RLB: WILLIAM THOMAS Underrated by: The Media william_thomas

Thomas was an undersized jack of all trades type, who was also as reliable as the sun rising in the East. Despite an 11 year career that included 2 Pro Bowls, if you want an example of just how little respect the media and even the league has for him, you only have to click  HERE. (Update: Due to the effort of this website, the NFL has since fixed the glitch.)

 

 

 

 

MLB: BYRON EVANS Underrated by: Both Philadephia Eagles v Washington Reskins

The funny thing is not all fans have forgotten B.E., or how he used to own the middle of Buddy Ryan’s 46 Defense. However when the subject of great Eagles players come up, I rarely hear or read his name.

 

 

 

 

LLB: —  2

No Eagles player qualifies for this position. Since Seth Joyner vacated the position after 1993, no Eagles player has started more than 2 seasons at LLB. Put another way: The absence left by Joyner is now old enough to drink. The only reason I don’t put him here, is because he isn’t underrated. This position stands as a monument to our teams inability/unwillingness to draft quality OLB’s. I love my Eagles, but truth is truth, and I don’t speak a second language.

 

SS: MIKE ZORDICH Underrated by: Both Mike Zordich

Zordich wasn’t the biggest or the fastest, but his effort was always on display. The man bought into what it was he was doing, and executed it to the limits of his ability. You never looked at him and felt like he dogged a play or “took a down off”.

 

 

 

 

FS: QUINTIN MIKELL Underrated by: The Media Quintin Mikell

I love the fact that I just wrote “Q” (as teammates called him), in at FS. During his years here Q played deep in single-high coverage, and was listed as a SS; while Brian Dawkins played close to the line of scrimmage, yet was listed as a FS. (Everywhere else that’s the opposite. In fact under Chip Kelly it’s been corrected.) Though overshadowed by Dawk during his time here, it was Q’s coverage (and the man skills of CB’s Sheldon Brown and Lito Sheppard), that allowed Dawk to be the player he was.

 

 

RCB: BOBBY TAYLOR Underrated by: The Media bobby taylor

6’3 216lbs. (I just went and looked it up to verify it, but I swear to you I actually remembered it.). How often back then did you see a CB with that kind of size who could actually play? There are two things that relegate Taylor to being forever underrated. One, for a while, teams simply didn’t want to throw the ball near him. Two, later in his career here he played opposite Troy Vincent. How much did Troy over shadow Taylor? Today on Taylor’s profile page the most recent entry under Player News is a story about Vincent. I myself in this section have mentioned him 3 times prior to now. That’s four. Despite the pair being joined at the hip for eternity, there is no denying that Taylor was a great CB.

 LCB: MARK McMILLIAN Underrated by: Both 1995 NFC Wildcard Game - Detroit Lions v Philadelphia Eagles

5’7 154 lbs. (The weight I had to look up).When Ray Rhodes decided to start this guy, pretty much everyone figured that Rhodes was smoking that stuff. McMillian however turned out to be exactly what a player of his stature needed to be. He was scrappy, resilient, and fearless. Not overly bold, but fearless. In 1995 he and Taylor would give us one hell of an Odd Couple at CB.

 

 

X: IKE REESE Underrated by: — ike_reese

Since there were no qualifiers for LLB, I thought I’d go outside the lines and tip the hat to a guy that we fans love and appreciate. Since he wasn’t a starter, it’s hard to say he never got his due attention/appreciation from the national media or NFL. Reese was the key to our Special Teams units and a guy that other players sought for sound council. What he brought to the table will never show up on stat sheet or box score, but when a team is bereft of it, it never fails to show up on a stat sheet or a box score.

 

 

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