FOUR THINGS REVIEWED: WK 2: Vikings

Posted by The BEAST on 2023/09/15
Posted in: breakdown, Coaching, Conversations, Defense, Four Things, NFL, Offense, Players, Reviews, Special Teams, stats. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment
Philadelphia native RB D’Andre Swift scores as RT Jordan Mailata and WR Devonta Smith celebrate

SWIFT ran the show.

EAGLES 34 – Vikings 28

EAGLES STATS:

Passing: QB Jalen Hurts (18/23 – 78.2 – 193 – 1 – 1)

Rushing: RB D’Andre Swift (28 – 175 – 6.2 – 1 – 0)

Receiving: WR Devonta Smith (5 – 4 – 131 – 32.7 – 1)

Offensive Line Report: (TFL: 0/ Sacks: 4/ Scrums Won: 3 / Scrums Lost: 0)

Drive Killer: FS Justin Evans (TD: 0 /Int: 0/ FR: 1/ 4th down stops: 0/ FF: 1)

Sack Leader: DE Josh Sweat (Sacks: 1.0 / FF: 1/ Tackles: 1)

Special Teams Ace: LB Nicholas Morrow: 3 Tackles, 1 FR

****

I hear you asking, “What about all the stuff that stats don’t reveal?” Well, that’s the reason for these Four Things articles. It’s to point out what we need to address BEFORE the game. Then AFTER the game, there’s a no-bullshit assessment of whether or not the Eagles did any of what they needed to do, to ensure the win.

So how much of what I mentioned in Four Things: VIKINGS did the Eagles actually get around to doing? Well let’s see:

1) Run Swiftly: Boy, did we ever! I suggested 12 – 15 carries. Instead, the Eagles gave him 28, and he went off for 175 yards. Collectively, the Eagles ran 48 times, for 259 yards (5.3ypc). Take that, cherry necks! (Matt, that was for you.)

Most of our run game’s success tonight, was set up by the Vikings inability or unwillingness to adjust. If you get a chance to watch the replay of this game, look at how often the Vikings went with a three Safety look in the middle. With two cornerbacks on the outsides, that’s five in the secondary, leaving just six up around the line scrimmage.

Our five Linemen, plus the Running Back, plus a Quarterback who has to be accounted for in the ground game, means either we should have been calling run plays, or audibling into them. And we DID! (DONE)

2) Rush Five: The Vikings offensive line was down two starters and they lost a third during the game. They couldn’t run the ball, and their QB isn’t very mobile. Yet all we got, were two sacks in this game. Our Secondary just isn’t covering long enough, for a four man pass rush to get home. (NOT DONE)

3) Slay Jefferson: Going by the stats, Vikings WR Justin Jefferson (11 – 159 – 14.4 – 0) looks to have gotten the better of CB Darius Slay in this one. What actually watching the game will show, is that it took Jefferson about 400 yards of running, to earn the 159 that he posted.

For most of the night, the Vikings coaching staff had Jefferson in pre-snap motion to change his match-up; or they had him running crossing routes running away from Slay’s side of the field. Slay less took Jefferson away, and more escorted him to his own little play-area, where he couldn’t damage us, and others had to step up.

SS Terrell Edmunds was JUSTIN time to help WR Jefferson turn the ball over to us.

The result was 159 of the emptiest calories ever consumed on prime time television. You probably can’t recall the last time you saw a player with nearly 160 yards, have so little impact on a game. That is, aside from his fumble, which prevented mini-sota from a touchdown and instead resulted in a field goal for us. (DONE)

4) Oh My Goedert: The idea was to get TE Dallas Geodert (7 – 6 – 22 – 3.6 – 0) involved to open up the run game, by loosening the box. However, instead of running him down the field, the coaching staff had him horizontally stretch the box. While it was gross to watch Goedert catching balls in the backfield, it helped allow us to run for 259 yards. So we can’t bitch about it, too loud. (DONE)

****

Not bad! We did 3 of the Four Things, and improved to 2 – 0. Now we get ten days off, before we travel down to Tampa Bay, to lock horns with Ryan Lea- Johnny Manz- Sorry, Baker Mayfield, in our quest for 3 – 0.

****

Game Hero: RB D’Andre Swift (Stats above) – Hometown boy makes good! I can walk out my front door over to the 15 bus stop, and take it to Saint Joe’s Prep, where Swift played. He’s not a “local product” like Joe Flacco, or Matt Ryan, or Corey Clement. Swift is Philly. Honest to god, Philly.

A great deal of the credit goes to our Offensive Line, for being smart enough to exploit the weakness (6 man box) that the Vikings wouldn’t stop presenting. However, all of Swift’s traits which I extolled in Four Things, were on display in this game. I’m telling you, if they try to start RB Kenneth Gainwell in Week Three, there will be a fan uprising.

Me looking at Sean Desai continue to not reach with four

Game goat: Defensive Coordinator Sean Desai – It was another toothlessly called game, and the result was QB Kirk Cousins (31/44 – 70.4 – 364 – 4 – 0) being sacked only twice. The turnovers that we generated weren’t coming from our scheme forcing mistakes, but from our player’s hustle. At this point Desai is passenger, not a driver.

On The Whole:

We are 2 – 0, having played two games where the game was in question, in the last five minutes of the game. Both wins were what we’re calling ugly.

Not so fast.

Do you realize that in two weeks we’ve scored 59 points? While 7 were the result of a defensive return (and extra point), the other 52 have resulted from driving the ball. That’s an average of 27 points per game, with an offense that we would describe as “sputtering”, “inconsistent”, and “rusty”. Can you imagine what this team is going to look like when they start to put it together?

Mama, there goes that man again! WR Devonta Smith on a blazing 63 yard catch and run touchdown

Defensively, we’re dealing with more injury issues than it seemed we had all last year. We had guys out there in this game, who had been elevated from the Practice Squad, who had previously been cut altogether. Nick Morrow was one of them, and he got us a turnover. WR Britain Covey is another, who… Let’s not talk about him.

I don’t want to sweep our troubles under the rug, but I think it’s important to point out, that the Kings of the NFC may be wounded, but we are far from dead.

FOUR THINGS: WK 2: EAGLES – VIKINGS

Posted by The BEAST on 2023/09/13
Posted in: breakdown, Coaching, Conversations, Defense, Four Things, NFL, Offense, Players. Tagged: , , , , , , , , . 1 Comment

WE opened the season with a road win, over Bill Belichik. Now our Eagles get to come home, and play in front of 69,000 of their nearest and dearest. This week’s animal sacrifice managed to lose to the Buccaneers, last week.

Injuries to the their offensive line, probably won’t bode well for a rushing attack that gave away RB Dalvin Cook in the offseason, then ran for 41 yards on 16 carries (2.5ypc) last week. This basically means that, to move the ball, the Vikings have to throw it. Which could play right into our hands.

A win makes us 2 – 0. A loss drops us to 1 – 1. Either way, it would be far too early to party or panic.

Who’s Out:

PHI – MLB Nakobe Dean (foot) is OUT/ CB James Bradberry (concussion protocol), S Reed Blankenship (ribs), RB Kenneth Gainswell (ribs), all likely to play Thursday.

MIN – LB Marcus Davenport (ankle) likely OUT/ OT Christian Darrisaw (Ankle), C Garrett Bradbury (lower back) are day-to-day.

****

The point of Four Things isn’t to predict a winner, it’s to discuss which tactics would give our Eagles the best chance to win this game. So here are the Four Things that we need to focus on this week versus: the Vikings.

1) Run Swiftly: I’m already on record as saying that Gainwell is a utility player. He’s nifty, but he’s not gifted enough, or hard-nosed enough, to be a bell-cow or to head a rotation.

On the other hand, RB D’Andre Swift is quicker, faster, has better balance, and is a more creative runner when setting up his blocks in space. I understand that the Eagles have an investment in Gainwell as a draft pick, but the object is to win games, not justify picks. Let’s get 12 – 15 carries in Swift’s hands this week.

2) Rush five: Last year’s 70 sacks were the result of a lot of five man pass rushes. This past Sunday, our new DC spent the day mostly rushing four, and we didn’t sack the QB until the 4th quarter. Last year’s DC? He’s out in Arizona, with a team that collected 6 sacks, which was #2 in the NFL. Coincidence? Not at all.

Someone actually said this. In print. And then posted it. With their NAME on it.

This week, we get to tee-off on a statue, standing behind a beat-up offensive line, supported by a piss-poor run game. We need to turn the heat up, and hit their QB to force him to speed up his internal clock, and maybe make a couple of stupid mistakes.

3) Slay Jefferson: Last year CB Darius Slay, put Vikings WR Justin Jefferson, on a milk carton. Rookie WR Jordan Addision has potential, but without RB Dalvin Cook, Jefferson is the Vikings only proven, big-time playmaker. Taking him away again, should effectively rip the undercarriage out the Viking’s offense

4) Oh My Goedert: Part of why the Offense struggled last week, was the lack of involvement from TE Dallas Goedert. TE is a force-multiplier position. A TE active in the middle of the field, both loosens the box, and keeps the Safeties from squeezing deep routes on the edges.

To get QB Jalen Hurts looking like he did last year, Goedert needs at least 3 catches. That will re-set the Offense and get us clicking again.

****

If the Eagles do these Four Things, then we’ll be virtually impossible to beat. That being said…

There is still going to be some rust this week. Even at the end of last week’s win, it didn’t look like, or feel like the Offense had figured something out. Defense didn’t look as rusty as the Offense. What it looked, was far less aggressive. That at least, has a quick fix that can be applied on Thursday night.

We could use another one of these.

The difference in this Vikings game, will probably be Philadelphians. Last week the Eagles had to fight off a football team and a hostile crowd, because it was ‘Tom (wank wank) Brady Day’. This game will be Opening Day at the Linc, and you expect our fans to be even more amped than our players.

****

WARNING: 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 Four Things as a gambling tool, then you are a fool trying to lose your money, and will deserve it when you do.

Check back in a couple of days for Four Things Reviewed, and we’ll discuss how this game went.

FOUR THINGS REVIEWED: WK 1: Patriots

Posted by The BEAST on 2023/09/11
Posted in: breakdown, Coaching, Conversations, Defense, Four Things, Offense, Players, Reviews, Special Teams, stats. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment
CB Darius Slay with a pick six

PRESEASON games matter.

EAGLES 25 – Patriots 20

EAGLES STATS:

Passing: QB Jalen Hurts (22/33 – 66.6% – 170 – 1 – 0)

Rushing: RB Kenneth Gainwell (14 – 54 – 3.8 – 0 – 0)

Receiving: WR A.J. Brown (10 – 7 – 79 – 11.2 – 0)

Offensive Line Report: (TFL: 3 / Sacks: 3 / Scrums Won: 0 / Scrums Lost:0 )

Drive Killer: CB Darius Slay (TD: 1/Int: 1/ FR: 0/ 4th down stops: 0 / FF: 0)

Sack Leader: DT Jalen Carter (Sacks: 1.0/ FF: 0/ Tackles: 1)

Special Teams Ace: K Jake Elliott (4/4 FG’s)

****

I hear you asking, “What about all the stuff that stats don’t reveal?” Well, that’s the reason for these Four Things articles. It’s to point out what we need to address BEFORE the game. Then AFTER the game, there’s a no-bullshit assessment of whether or not the Eagles did any of what they needed to do, to ensure the win.

So how much of what I mentioned in Four Things: PATRIOTS did the Eagles actually get around to doing? Well let’s see:

1) Establish the Run: We looked like we were going to with our first drive of the game, with 8 designed runs (7 handoffs) for 39 yards (4.8ypc). Then we bailed on it, with just 9 total handoffs for the remainder of the game.

The misdirection and RPO aspect of our run game from last year, was nowhere to be seen. The Eagles did employ some play-action, and it was somewhat effective at buying Hurts time to throw, but it didn’t help him when he tried to run. He looked to be pressing into the hole before it opened, doing half the job for Patriot defenders.

As a result, we never forced the Patriots to load the box. That took away simple answers for Hurts when passing. Instead, the Patriots forced him to read and think. At times his rookie crutch (bootleg wide right, stare down a receiver, force a ball down the sideline) was on glaring display. (NOT DONE)

2) Load the Box: The idea was to take away the Patriots run game (22 – 76 – 3.4 – 0 – 0); and put the game in the hands of Patriots QB Mac Jones (35/54 – 64.8% – 316 – 3 – 1). Those parts got done. We just didn’t have to load the box to do it. (NOT DONE)

3) Set the Dogs on Them: On third downs, use a five man rush. Go to Cover Two or a Tampa Two. Get those hands up, and challenge every ball in the air. NOPE!

Rookie DT Jalen Carter gets his first career sack.

We hardly saw a five man rush out of the Defense in this one. Sadly many of Jones passes were completed to receivers that were too wide open to be believed. From a defensive standpoint, it looked like Defensive Coordinator Sean Desai was still calling a vanilla preseason game, and trying not to show too much.

Their offensive line was missing three starters, and playing two rookies, and still we didn’t get a sack until the 4th quarter. Desai is on his way to making me miss former DC Jonathan Gannon. (NOT DONE)

4) Pull the Trigger: Once the run game took over, deep shots down the field would be there for the taking. Except the run game never took over, and TE Dallas Goedert (no stats) is apparently invisible to Hurts. We took two legit deep shots all game long, both to A.J. Brown. One was overthrown, the other catch was overturned by replay.

Otherwise, our passing game consisted mostly of Screens and checkdowns to RB’s. New Offensive Coordinator Brian Johnson, called a terrible game today. (NOT DONE)

This week’s Four Things score, is an ignominious 0 of 4 to start the season. We’d better get things in order quickly though, because we play again THIS THURSDAY. The 0 – 1 Vikings are coming to Philadelphia for a heaping helping of knuckle sandwich, with a side order of “Now stay the fuck down!” But we won’t be serving that, if we play like we did this Sunday.

****

Game Hero: DT Jordan Davis (0.5 – 1 – 5)

DT Jordan Davis force a fumble from RB Ezekiel Elliott, with LB Zach Cunningham recovering.

Some will say it was Jake Elliott, but to me it was Davis. He forced an early fumble that led to a touchdown, helped stop the Patriot run game all day, and got half a sack, on a late drive, that became a turnover on downs.

Game goat: The coaching staff. I’m irritated with Sean Desai for rarely rushing five linemen. I’m irritated with Brian Johnson for bailing on the run game, and calling an ass-ton of Screens. I’m irritated with Head Coach Nick Sirianni for not playing the starters in the preseason, and contributing to all the rust we saw in this one.

On The Whole:

This was an ugly win, but it was a win. It was also a win against a team that has an all-time great coach, in terms of scheming and adjusting; yet we won both halves of the game. Scoring 16 – 14 in the first; and 9 – 6 in the second. If we weren’t so rusty, we’d have beaten the brakes off that team.

When the game ended, I was going to pen a spittle-flecked diatribe, over putting the team in this position due to rust. However, in his post-game press conference, Sirianni said that if he had it to do over, he’d have played the starters some in the preseason. Hey, if he’s learned, there’s no reason for me to harp on it. So let’s move on.

In fact, let’s celebrate with a song!

FOUR THINGS: WK 1: EAGLES – PATRIOTS

Posted by The BEAST on 2023/09/08
Posted in: breakdown, Coaching, Defense, Four Things, NFC East, Offense, Players. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , . 2 Comments

FINALLY! I can’t remember when an offseason felt longer. To Hell with all the talk! We are just two days away from the wins and losses counting, and the deck looks stacked in our favor, to grab a “W” this week.

One of the best defenses from last year (the Eagles) is going against one of the worst offenses from last year. While we reloaded a defensive front that notched 70 sacks last year, the Patriots limp into the season with an offensive line that is already banged up.

Expect to see us eat in this one.

We need that “W” this week. The giants and Cowboys play each other Sunday night, so one of them (Cowboys) is likely to end up being 1-0. We can’t allow for there to be just one winning team in the division. Even for a week.

Who’s Out?

PHI: No one. But CB Josh Jobe was listed with an illness as of 9/6. He’ll likely play on Sunday.

NE: RT Riley Reiff is on non-season ending IR, with a non-specific “lower leg injury”. The Boston Herald said that WR DeVante Parker was “visibly limited on 9/6 by his knee injury. LG Cole Strange is also battling a knee injury, RG Mike Onwenu is still working back from off-season ankle surgery, and LT Trent Brown is listed with an illness. All but Reiff should play, but their o-line will be far from it’s best.

****

The point of Four Things isn’t to predict a winner, it’s to discuss which tactics would give our Eagles the best chance to win this game. So here are the Four Things that we need to focus on this week versus: the Patriots.

1) Establish the run: Head Coach Nick Sirianni was a fan of heavy misdirection and zone blocking, when former Offensive Coordinator Shane Steichen was here. Whether that will still be the case under Brian Johnson, remains to be seen. According to Sirianni, we were very vanilla in the preseason. So there is currently no indication of what we should look like.

New England (like us), is essentially a 5-2 defensive front. Their Achilles heel is that there isn’t a player in their front seven under 250 pounds. It’s a big front that doesn’t play in space, or change direction very well. Misdirection will take advantage of that.

If we can rush for chunks of yardage, then they will have to load the box, which will open up the deep passing game. This was the blueprint for last season and we did pretty good with it.

2) Load the box: I just said that we should force our opponent to load the box, in order to open up our passing game. So why am I saying the we should load the box? Won’t that open up New England’s passing game?

Not really. Our CB’s are better than their WR’s; their o-line already has one leg in a bear trap; and their QB is game manager, not a miracle worker. They will need to run the ball just to keep it out of our hands, to limit our scoring opportunities.

Don’t let them run. Putting the game in their QB’s hands, immediately takes their head coach out of his comfort zone. At that point, apply pressure, get sacks, and maybe generate turnover or two.

3) Set the Dogs on Them: On third downs, use a five man rush. Go to Cover Two or a Tampa Two. Get those hands up, and challenge every ball in the air. We want to artificially speed up parts of their offense, to cause a miscue. This is the fertile ground where turnovers are grown.

4) Pull the Trigger: Once our run game takes over, the deep shots will be there for the taking. Two things New England doesn’t have in their secondary are size and speed. While I still have a soft spot for CB Jalen Mills, he can be exploited deep. When WR’s A.J. Brown or Devonta Smith are matched-up with Mills, QB Jalen Hurts needs to let loose down the field.

****

If the Eagles do these Four Things, then we’ll be virtually impossible to beat. That being said…

The idea here isn’t to be big and splashy. Well coached teams have a way of coming back, against big splashy teams. What we want here, is to slowly drown the Patriots. Get a lead, then milk the time of possession. Take the occasional “BACK THE FUCK UP!!” deep shot, but mostly just run it, and bleed the clock.

****

WARNING: 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 Four Things as a gambling tool, then you are a fool trying to lose your money, and will deserve it when you do.

Check back in a couple of days for Four Things Reviewed, and we’ll discuss how this game went.

FOUR THINGS REVIEWED: PS3 : COLTS

Posted by The BEAST on 2023/08/25
Posted in: breakdown, Coaching, Defense, Four Things, NFL, Offense, Players, Reviews, Roster, Special Teams, stats. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment
WR Devon Allen on his 73 yard opening kick return

NOT a bad showing.

EAGLES 13 – Colts 27

Passing: QB Tanner McKee (19/34 – 55.8) – 158 – 0 – 0)

Rushing: RB Trey Sermon (16 – 30 – 1.8 – 1 – 0)

Receiving: WR Deon Cain (6 – 62 – 10.3 – 0)

Defensive Leader: LB Tyree Maddox-Williams (7 – 0.0 – 1 – 0)

****

The broad strokes are usually covered by lots of other publications and podcasts. You can go a hundred places and read the same four or five bullet points, mentioned in ninety-seven of those places. Stats aside, what about the Four Things you came here to review, right? Let’s see if we scored a HIT or a MISS on the areas I discussed.

1) Do The Starters Play?: Nope. Not a single solitary down. In fact, a number of Eagles didn’t even dress for this one. AGAIN! Third string RB Rashaan Penny, WR Olamide Zaccheaus (I actually spelled that right, on my first attempt), are examples of new players who didn’t dress.

And hey, for those who are still out there debating about who starts alongside FS Reed Blankenship: It’s SS Terrelle Edmunds. He didn’t even dress, but rookie Sydney Brown played; and K’Von Wallace was still out there in the fourth quarter. Glad I could settle that for you. MISS

2) Tanner vs Their Twos: The Colts went one better for us, and left their starters out there for the entire first half. While McKee’s accuracy stayed right around 50% again, the game didn’t look too big for him. So mentally there’s something to work with there.

As far as his actual play, he had trouble connecting on intermediate and long throws. The ball often seems to leave the palm and heel of his hand, instead of his fingertips. The result is, instead of a spiral, it seems to travel more like a shot put. Better secondaries will feast on that, if we don’t fix that. HIT

3) Play Ian Book: QB Ian Book went 11/15 – 73.3% – 80 – 0 – 0, with the ball coming out quickly and sharply. He looked nothing like the gun-shy player from the Browns game. Like McKee, Book wasn’t successful throwing the ball downfield. Still, the player we saw tonight, looked like he’d be worth a Practice Squad/developmental spot. HIT

4) Something Special: On the opening kick of the game, WR Devon Allen bobbled the ball, then recovered it and tore off a 73 yard return to set-up the game’s opening touchdown. He also had a big tackle for no gain on a punt. HIT

****

Who Looked Good:

LB Tyreek Maddox-Williams – (See above) We just signed this guy yesterday, but like VISA, the Philadelphia native, was everywhere you wanted to be. Once he got in the game in the second half, he seemed to constantly be flashing. We need to find spot for him. LB Ben VanSumeren (17 – 0.0 – 0 – 0) had many more tackles than TMW, but he didn’t flash as much potential, or generate a takeaway.

QB Ian Book – He seemed to find his poise and his pocket presence. Whether diving for the needed yardage on a scramble, or spiking the ball on first down to stop the clock, his command of the moment was beyond reproach.

TE Tyree Jackson – Showed a MUCH better awareness of presenting as a target for his QB. His stats (3 – 31 – 10.3 – 0) were modest, but they also indicate that he could be a very QB friendly target this season.

Who Looked Bad:

RB Kennedy Brooks – His day (2 – 16 – 8.0 – 0 – 0) was punctuated by being wide open, and dropping what would have been a walk-in touchdown. At no point this preseason, did he demonstrate a reason for another team to want him.

The Offensive Line – They allowed 3 sacks in this game, three tackles for a loss, and showed no ability open holes consistently.

WR Joseph Ngata – While he did do some good things out there (2 – 32 – 16.0 – 0), his fumble killed a promising drive.

****

On The Whole:

Given that we had a bunch of twos and threes, going against the Colts starters for a half, it’s hard not to give the Eagles a ton of credit. That’s not an attempt at finding a moral victory. It’s a preseason game. Nobody cares about the “W” or the “L”. What counts here is how hard our guys competed. It contributes to the ongoing culture.

FOUR THINGS: WK PS3: EAGLES – COLTS

Posted by The BEAST on 2023/08/23
Posted in: Coaching, Defense, Draft, Fans, Four Things, NFL, Offense, Players, Rants, Special Teams, Training Camp. Tagged: , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

TWO weeks a go we lost 19 – 20. Last week was an 18 – 18 tie. So if the pattern holds up, we should be due for a 17 – 16 win. Who wants to get The Wave going?… Me either.

I’m hearing that rookie S Sydney Brown may start this game, so that may be something to get excited over. But is this a week where the only focus is to escape without any key injuries? Or are the Eagles interested in getting a better look at the players, before sending them away to become stars on another team. We’ve had a few of those.

My favorite story is LB Lee Woodall, who played at West Chester, and was a driver for Eagles players in Training Camp for a year or two, back when TC was held there. He was never on our roster, but he was right under our noses, before he was on anyone else’s radar.

Then in 1994 we drafted LB Ryan McCoy (a 237 pound LB, with 5.09 40-speed), in the 6th round. The 9ers grabbed Woodall eight spots later, and he went to a couple of Pro Bowls while playing for them. Finished 6th in defensive rookie of the year votes. Did I mention the two Pro Bowls? Back when those still meant something. McCoy played one year. In the World League. With London.

So yeah, let’s make sure we get a good, long look at our roster this week.

****

The point of Four Things isn’t to predict a winner, it’s to discuss which tactics would give our Eagles the best chance to win this game. Except in the preseason. At which point the wins are usually less valuable than the losses.

1) Do the Starters Play?: Even if it’s just a series. The notion of them not logging a single down in the preseason, seriously has me thinking of organizing a boycott of next year’s preseason games. Fans have been paying real money, for tickets and parking, to go watch players who have no shot of making even the Practice Squad. But the NFL doesn’t care, because television revenue is where the action is.

I figure if we drive the television rating into the tank for a year, the NFL would get the message that fans actually have standards. As it is, they’re feeding us a preseason with no players; a flag football Pro Bowl; a Thursday night slate that features unrested teams, resulting in some shitty shitty games; and Super Bowl half-time shows aimed at a demographic that they KNOW they don’t attract. I’m sick of it.

2) Tanner vs Their Twos: If the Starters don’t play, then QB Marcus Mariota shouldn’t either. If the idea is to protect everyone with a carved out role, then he should make the list of those who don’t even dress. Who should start is QB Tanner McKee.

Lots of fans are clamoring for McKee to be the back-up over Mariota, and it’s a dumb idea. There is too much he doesn’t know about the NFL, (in terms of defenses, how to prepare, the pressures of dealing with money, etc.) for him to be one hit away from having to lead a franchise that EXPECTS to return to the Super Bowl, AND win it this year.

That’s not to say that he hasn’t intrigued, but he’s looked good (not great) against third stringers and lower, so far. So give him the pressure of a start, and let him play against second stringers, to see if he can elevate his game. He likely can’t just yet, but it’ll give the coaches a much more focused light on where he needs development. Focus on maybe making him the 2024 back-up, but develop him first.

3) Play Ian Book: This pun MUST be made! (Ahem) Before we close the book on Ian, we have to see more than FOUR pass attempts from him. That’s all he had in the first preseason game, and he didn’t play in the second one. Bailing on a guy after just FOUR preseason pass attempts, is the polar opposite of doing due diligence. Play Ian Book. It costs us nothing if he sucks again. 

4) Something Special: It would be great to see someone do something special, on Special Teams. It used to be the x-factor of our team, but in recent years it seems as if the team can’t spot coaching talent for a full third of the team.

****

During the offseason, my articles don’t really have hard deadlines. However, once the season starts, I need to have my rhythm and routine re-established. So preseason for the teams, is also preseason for me. True story, if it weren’t for that fact, I wouldn’t even watch this next game. I wouldn’t have finished the last one.

****

WARNING: 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 Four Things as a gambling tool, you are trying to lose your money, and will deserve it when you do.

Check back in a couple of days for Four Things Reviewed, and we’ll discuss how this game went.

FOUR THINGS REVIEWED: WK PS2: BROWNS

Posted by The BEAST on 2023/08/20
Posted in: breakdown, Coaching, Defense, Four Things, Offense, Players, Reviews, Roster, stats. Tagged: , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

WHAT the hell was that?!

EAGLES 18 – Browns 18

Passing: QB Tanner McKee (10/18 – 55.5% – 147 – 1 – 0)

Rushing: RB Trey Sermon (5 – 54 – 10.8 – 1 – 1)

Receiving: TE Tyree Jackson (2 – 41 – 20.5 – 0)

Defensive Leader: MLB Nakobe Dean (3 –0.0 – 0 – 1)

****

The broad strokes are usually covered by lots of other publications and podcasts. You can go a hundred places and read the same four or five bullet points, mentioned in ninety-seven of those places. Stats aside, what about the Four Things you came here to review, right? Let’s see if we scored a HIT or a MISS on the areas I discussed.

1) Play the Starters: On Defense, only three of our presumed starters, Dean, DT Jordan Davis (no stats), SS 1A Terrelle Edmunds (4 tackles) opened the game. Dean forced a fumble inside the five yard line, which was recovered by SS 1B K’Von Wallace (7 tackles), stopping Cleveland’s first offensive drive.

No starters appeared on Offense, unless you happen to be in the camp that thinks RB Kenneth Gainwell (2 – 6 – 3.0 – 0 – 0) should start over RB D’Andre Swift. Swift didn’t even dress. (Throat clear) Not hard to read those tea leaves is it? MISS

2) Be the Aggressors: That’s a big ol’ nope-a-rooni on that one, good buddy. We sent no messages in this one. Tooth-rattling hits and savage blocks were nowhere to be seen, on a night where we surrendered 6 sacks, and saw Gainwell tackled in our end zone for a safety. The Defensive Line tried to bring heat, but they were too often hung out to dry, by loose and toothless coverage. MISS

FYI: This is NOT good protection.

3) Better QB Play: QB Marcus Mariota (9/17 – 52.9% – 86 – 0 – 1) looked awful. Trying to force himself to be a pocket passer (he only ran once, for 5 yards), he was totally out of his element. He lacks the accuracy, timing, mechanics, familiarity with the system, and read-skills needed, to be 1-2-3 dropback guy.

Tanner McKee got the ball out with more urgency than Mariota. He put the ball in some tight windows, hitting receivers in the hands. This week, he also did a much better job of not being a statue behind his Offensive Line. Those are ALL improvements on last week, and that’s all you want out of a rookie third stringer.

That said, while he looked fine as a rookie going against third stringers, anyone suggesting that he be elevated over Mariota, needs to have their blood sugar checked. There is too much McKee doesn’t know about the NFL, to put him one injury away from having to guide this franchise. Unforced error: Not playing QB Ian Book. HIT

4) More Defense: Tighter pass coverage and more contested balls, were the hopes. While this week’s completion percentage allowed (51%) was better than last week’s (61.2%), it still felt like opposing receivers gashed us for first downs, at will. Statistically the improvement looks great on paper, but anyone who actually witnessed that travesty, will tell you otherwise. MISS

****

Who Looked Good:

QB Tanner McKee: (See above) – There are gives and takes to judging his situation, so instead of guesstimating, let’s just look at what was produced. Several of his passes that found hands, were dropped. So he should have been 13/18 (72.2%) or 14/18 (77.7%).

TE Brady Russell: (1 – 22 – 22.0 – 1) – Whether catching a TD, making a block, or making a tackle on Special Teams, Russell was pumped to be out there. Even doing the dirty work. The numbers don’t favor him sticking, but guys like him are necessary.

LB Zach Cunningham: (7 – 0.0 – 0 – 0) – Yet again he was where he needed to be, in order to make stops. He’s a seasoned pro, and teams are running vanilla packages right now. So for him, this is shooting fish on dry land.

Who Looked Bad:

QB Marcus Mariota: (See above) – He looks like the product of years of bad coaching, because that’s exactly what he is. Then again so was Micheal Vick when he first got here. Remember when people thought Jeff Garcia was washed up, after his stints in Detroit and Cleveland? Then he came here, got better coaching, and people put him on t-shirts. So relax. Mariota has NEVER been in better hands. Pro OR college.

RB Kenneth Gainwell: (See above) – It wasn’t THAT, he was tackled in the end zone for a safety. It was HOW, he was tackled in the end zone for a safety. He looked small. Helpless. Unable to defend himself. He was dead on contact. Kenneth will gain well if you block a nice hole for him, but he cannot force an issue on his own.

DC Sean Desai – Poor tackling. Coverage didn’t help the pass rush. We spent the night re-acting, instead of dictating the action. The Defense never gave the impression of evolving or learning. The knock on Jonathan Gannon, whom Desai replaced, was that he wouldn’t make adjustments. With the Desai, the question is: Can he make them?

On The Whole:

This game has me worried about the season. Not because of what happened on the field, but because of what didn’t. Remember being the underdog? Remember the “rent being due every day”? Remember when our players were hungry dogs? Take an honest look fellow fans. These Eagles don’t look hungry. They look very, VERY comfortable.

I’m sure the arguers against playing starters will point to the loss of CB Zech MacPhearson, DT Moro Ojomo, and WR Tyrie Cleveland as the reason starters don’t even suit up. Which would make sense if injuries were based on use; as in X number of snaps, automatically equals an injury. However, that’s not how it works.

Football players have said for decades, there is no way to get in football shape, besides playing football. I can tell you firsthand, that is an ironclad fact. The only way to shake off the rust of not playing, is to play. Period. There is no substitute for football. It’s why you see football players accomplish feats that other athletes don’t even attempt. Not preparing right, feels like we’re setting ourselves up for failure.

This preseason has the feel of Rocky III, where Rock was training in the hotel, pausing to pose for pictures, and turning his prep into a mockery.

And he was subsequently dismissed in humiliating fashion, by Clubber Lang.

QB Jalen Hurts celebrates catching a football on the sideline. He would immediately throw his only pass of the night, to a fan in the stands.

See anything familiar?

FOUR THINGS: WK : PS2 EAGLES – BROWNS

Posted by The BEAST on 2023/08/16
Posted in: breakdown, Coaching, Defense, Four Things, Offense, Players, Roster. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

LAST week the Defensive Line and the Safeties looks pretty good. Long Snapper Rick Lovato (no relation to Poot Lovato) was an animal, recovering a fumble on a punt return. There were some positives. Everything else had the appeal of a four story walk-up. Not a deal-breaker, but you’ll never stop thinking about improving your situation.

Being a preseason game, the “W” or the “L” is practically meaningless. What the Eagles need is the momentum of improvement. There have been a lot of fundamental changes, so a season like the one we just had, is anything but guaranteed. In fact, until we see that the Eagles have adapted well to the changes, there is no reason to believe that they will recapture the division.

There is a lot to show in this game. That vibe however, is a very low-key one. For most, this is the least exciting week of the preseason stretch.

*****

The point of Four Things isn’t to predict a winner, it’s to discuss which tactics would give our Eagles the best chance to win this game. Except in the preseason. At which point the wins are usually less valuable than the losses.

There are more than four things to watch for this week, but I’ll try to narrow the focus so that you don’t get burned out, trying to watch too much football, all at one time.

1) Play the Starters: Everyone needs to see a little action in this one. Don’t hand me any bullshit about how the joint practices that the Eagles had with the Browns, will probably be more physical than the game. If that’s the case, then play them in the game, and hold them out of practice! People pay for those tickets. Don’t jerk the fan base around

Besides, there are no nerves, no stakes, and no butterflies for these guys on a practice field. There’s no “L” to talk about for a week, in the event of a loss. Can MLB Nakobe Dean deliver under the lights and the pressure? Can new RG Cam Jurgens? Does RB Kenneth Gainwell really make a case for #1 RB? Is WR Olamide Zaccheaus a good fit for this team? Let’s see.

2) Be the Aggressors: Again, I don’t want to hear about how much rougher the joint practices are. If I could pen them a letter, it would read: Dear Eagles, this team has been hitting you all week, and now they want to hit you some more in your own home. In front of your fans. In a televised game. Don’t get bullied in your own home by the F Troop of football. Take it to ‘em!

I want to hitting and blocking that makes highlight reels. And not from just a couple of Safeties. A message needs to be sent to every team that has circled us on their calendar: Grab your eraser, and call in sick that week.

3) Better QB Play: While many fans want to throw QB Ian Book under a school bus, the truth is, all three QB’s didn’t look very good last week. Book was almost afraid to throw the ball, and QB Marcus Mariota looked somewhat hesitant at times himself. Both looked more comfortable tucking the ball and running with it.

Oddly, there’s been a fair amount of praise for QB Tanner McKee. He seemed to get the ball out faster, but quickly incompleting half his attempts, is no recipe for success. Granted, our Offensive Line wasn’t doing any of the QB’s any favors, but holding onto the ball too long, or not moving in the pocket, doesn’t offer the Line much support either.

4) More Defense: Closer coverage and more contested balls would be nice to see this week. It doesn’t matter how good the Defensive Line is, if the opposing QB immediately has somewhere to go with the ball. Last week we gave up a completion percentage of 61. It was 76% for their first two QB’s. We will find fourth place in the NFC East, real fast with play like that.

*****

We fans get riled for the first preseason game, because we’ve spent the entire offseason starving for football. Then the NFL hands us a preseason game, and we treat that saltine like it’s Premium. We salivate over it. “Is this a Ritz?!” (Right Eddie?) By the fourth quarter, we realize that the game is just some regular old crackers.

For most, the second preseason game is like being a kid, and getting a sweater for Christmas. It’s not socks, but you can’t wait to put that shit down and open the next one. Next week the starters should play at least a quarter, so we’ll care more about that one. But for now we’re showing up because it’s football. Show some improvement and don’t get hurt. That’s all we ask.

*****

WARNING: 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 Four Things as a gambling tool, you are trying to lose your money, and will deserve it when you do.

Check back in a few days for Four Things Reviewed, and we’ll discuss how this game went.

FOUR THINGS REVIEWED: PS1: Ravens

Posted by The BEAST on 2023/08/14
Posted in: breakdown, Coaching, Defense, Four Things, Offense, Players, Reviews, Roster, stats. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment
DT Jalen Carter nearly nabs the QB

RELAX. It’s just a tune-up.

EAGLES 19 – Ravens 20

Who looked good:

DT Jalen Carter – (No stats) Easily discarded a Guard and nearly ran down a sack on his first NFL snap. How is the 9th overall pick still a steal? Thank you Atlanta!!!!

DT Moro Ojomo – (3 tackles) Baltimore couldn’t keep him out of their backfield. It was against their third unit, but he’s a 7th round rookie, so he warrants more study.

S Sydney Brown – (9 tackles) Made stops and brought a physical presence as well.

CB Eli Ricks – (1tack – 1 int TD) Got his hands on two passes, knocking one down and taking the other to the house.

WR Greg Ward – (5 – 53 – 10.6 – 0) Still does an excellent job of giving his QB an easy, early target.

Who looked bad:

QB Ian Book – (1/4 – 25% – 11 – 0 – 0) Was reluctant to throw the ball too often.

OL Tyler Steen – Got the start at LT and struggled, giving up an early sack. Moved to RG and still failed to impress.

DE Tarron Jackson – (1 tackle) did not make his presence felt despite great interior play.

DE Kyron Johnson – (No stats) Was practically invisible.

****

The broad strokes are usually covered by lots of other publications and podcasts. You can go a hundred places and read the same four or five bullet points, mentioned in ninety-seven of those places. Stats aside, what about the Four Things you came here to review, right? Let’s see if we scored a HIT or a MISS on the areas I discussed.

1) Throwing to the RB’s: Aside from a lone checkdown to RB Trey Sermon in the second half, there were no other completions to a RB, all game long. So far there doesn’t seem to be much difference between this and the last few year’s offense, in that regard. I understand not wanting to divulge pertinent information to opponents, but we have to practice what we do, if we’re going to be any good at it. MISS

2) Getting Defensive: Hits that draw flags. I was looking for two or three of those, and we didn’t have one. Yes, there were a few hits that laid the wood, but nothing that will “impact” opponents mentally, as Defensive Coordinator Sean Desai says he wants. While S Justin Evans and rookie S Sydney Brown provided some physicality, no one is going to see those guys in their sleep. MISS

3) Who’s On First?: Offensive Line Coach Jeff Stoutland told everyone last week that RG Cam Jurgens hadn’t locked up the starting job. I told you on Thursday that that was bullshit. Result? Jurgens spent Saturday night wearing a white Eagles t-shirt. So, you know, keep coming here to find out what’s what.

While I didn’t expect Jurgens to play much, I was surprised that he didn’t play at all. That’s an unforced error by the coaching staff. Jurgens isn’t a seasoned NFL starter who can just step back into where he left off last season, because last season he saw exactly 35 snaps. A guy as green as he is could use the work. If only to work on his muscle memory moving from bench C to starting RG.

I was interested in seeing if he got any game snaps at C, just in the interest of letting him play the spot that we all know he’ll inherit. It wasn’t a serious point, but him not playing at all, doesn’t sit well with me. MISS

4) Listening for a POP!: Sadly, MLB Nakobe Dean didn’t start. In fact, he didn’t play. He wasn’t even wearing an unpadded jersey on the sideline. Call me crazy, but I think zero career starts is too early to grant a player sacred cow status. Same as Jurgens, he could have used the work. And for those who ask “What if he’d gotten injured?”, my answer is, preseason game one is the time to find out if a guy is fragile. Not Week One.

No one popped at second or third string DE, which was surprising considering how much of a runaway train DT Moro Ojomo was out there. He was in the Ravens backfield so much, that it wouldn’t have been weird to see him pick up a blitz, or take a hand-off. It’s hard to believe he was still available in the seventh round.

The Eagles didn’t move CB Kelee Ringo around at all. Surprising since he has seen time at S and NCB in camp. Instead, he got a long look at LCB, where he made a hustle play to corral a long run, but then was later beaten for a 7 yard TD pass. He was all at once more than I expected, and less. MISS

****

This week we had four misses, and no hits. (Don’t worry, during the season it will go back to Done/Not Done.) Understand, the misses aren’t really failures, any more than hits would necessarily be successes. Hits and misses are just a way of charting the outcomes of what was discussed, during the preseason. That’s it.

****

On The Whole:

Our second string Offense moved the ball well against their second string defense. QB Marcus Mariota didn’t look very comfortable out there, except for throwing to WR Greg Ward. Though I wonder if that wasn’t more Ward than Mariota. RB DeAndre Swift looked nifty, but the play-calling included too much east-west running.

Third string QB Tanner McKee took more shots downfield, but he has to, given the fact that he’s a statue. Any career he has, will be birthed by his arm, not his legs. He made a couple of nice back-shoulder completions (one was called back due to offensive pass interference).

RB Rashaad Penny looked like he was saving his body for the regular season, because we all know that he can run harder than he did in this game. At no point did he look like a man worried about being cut.

Defensively, I was surprised to see DT Jordan Davis slotted at 4-3 DE at the start of this game, but then it occurred to me that he was actually more of a DT in a 5-2. Seeing rookies DT Jalen Carter and OLB Nolan Smith nearly combine for a sack was nice. What was even better, was how quickly they created that pressure. If we stay healthy, we’re going to be a problem up front this year.

FOUR THINGS: WK P1: EAGLES – RAVENS

Posted by The BEAST on 2023/08/10
Posted in: breakdown, Coaching, Defense, Four Things, NFL, Offense, Players. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

LAST time we took the field the result was a 35 – 38 loss, in the Super Bowl. Horseshoes and hand grenades, right? So this preseason game is the beginning of the tune-up, prior to the race to go back and finish the job this time.

As is the norm for preseason games, most starters will likely sit this one out. It’s primarily to prevent injury, though some think the lack of conditioning actually leads to more injuries. Still, the new players and rookies need to be folded in. So expect to see a half or so from them.

I also want to see how some new concepts are settling in.

If a win happens, great; but there is no merit in chasing a “W”. Getting a deep look at these guys, to make sure that we aren’t about to cut a potential star, is far more important. We need to know who our roster depth, and Practice Squad should be.

Also, before you put too much stock in watching WR Quez Watkins, let me just say Don’t. We already know that Quez can make the roster. Where he has to prove himself, is in games that count. That’s where he shit the bed last year, so that’s the mess he has to clean up in 2023.

****

The point of Four Things isn’t to predict a winner, it’s to discuss which tactics would give our Eagles the best chance to win this game. Except in the preseason. At which point the wins are usually less valuable than the losses.

There are more than four things to watch for this week, but I’ll try to narrow the focus so that you don’t get burned out, trying to watch too much football, all at one time.

1) Throwing to the RB’s: We already know that Screens and Wheel routes will feature for us in 2023. I’m looking to see what else looks promising. I’m interested in seeing the QB hit the RB’s in stride. Dump-offs to stationary targets gives advantage to the opposing defense. I want to see as little of that as possible.

2) Getting Defensive: New Defensive Coordinator Sean Desai, wants to impact opposing offenses both physically and mentally. That means hitting to intimidate. Translation: We need to cause some flags to get thrown. We need to.

Two or three ‘unnecessary roughness’ calls on non-QB players, sounds like healthy number. Nothing dirty or with intent to injure, but a couple of borderline hits. A full launch, instead of a shove out of bounds. A ‘pick-up and plant’ tackle. Laying out receivers on crossing routes. That sort of thing.

3) Who’s On First: Most starters will likely sit this one out, but I think RG Cam “Beef” Jurgens absolutely has to play. At least a series. The real question is, will he see any reps at C?

Offensive Line Coach Jeff Stoutland says that Jurgens hasn’t locked up the starting RG gig, (but he has). Stoutland has been downright effusive in praising Jurgens’ feet, his confidence, his understanding of concepts, and even says he asks great questions. As for rookie RG Tyler Steen, Stout says “I like what he’s doing.”

Personally, I think the Eagles added free agent G Josh Andrews, because Steen and Brett Toth haven’t really been setting the world on fire. The Birds getting back G Josh Sills, isn’t going to make life easier for Steen either.

4) Listening for a POP!: I’ll be disappointed if MLB Nakobe Dean doesn’t start. Doesn’t matter how he looks in camp. We need to see him run a pro defense, under the lights, with pros to be accountable to. I want to see him shine. I want to see him pop. I want to see him make at least one play for negative yards. Two would be amazing.

Who is going to pop at second string DE? I don’t want to see hurries. I want to see the QB on the ground. I want to see the ball come out. I don’t care about the recoveries. Yet.

I also want to see where CB Kelee Ringo lines up. And I don’t mean which spot. I mean which spots. Spot with and ‘S’ on both ends. Both of two of them. Where do they move Ringo to, and how often? How does the kid respond? He held out longer than any other rookie here, over his contract. Based on that, he must feel he’s special. So let’s see it!

****

We have two new coordinators, and new concepts that come with them. To hell with how physical joint practices can be. Saturday is the first time many of our players, will don a pro helmet. They will have stakes to play for. There will be nervous stomachs. It will important to see how these players respond to THAT pressure.

****

WARNING: 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 Four Things as a gambling tool, you are trying to lose your money, and will deserve it when you do.

Check back in a few days for Four Things Reviewed, and we’ll discuss how this game went.