FOUR THINGS: WK 13: EAGLES – BEARS

Posted by The BEAST on 2025/11/27
Posted in: Coaching, Conversations, Defense, Four Things, NFL, Offense, Players, stats, Super Bowl. Tagged: , , , , , , , . 1 Comment

SPLITTING with the Cowboys sucks, but we’re still atop the NFC East by a mile. Time to punch the clock and get to work, punching the ball out of the Bears hands. Despite their winning record, on average they allow as many points (26.5) as they score (26.3). Particularly through the air. Oh, and they also give up 5.2 yards per tote, on the ground.

Don’t let their shiny record fool you. The 8 -3 Bears just beat the 6 – 5 Steelers, but otherwise, their other seven wins are over: The giants, Dallas, Oakland, Minnesota, Washington, Cincinnati, and New Orleans. Only Dallas is .500. The rest are worse.

With a win we move to 9 – 3, still atop the NFC East, and very much in the hunt for the number one seed in the conference.

With a loss we’d be 8 – 4. Still firmly atop the NFC East.

****

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. Often I list fundamentals, as some of the four things. BUT NO MORE! Unless something specific is needed, fundamentals like Running the ball; playing lots of Man Press; and Tackling instead of going for the strip, will be automatically included. (Like the five consonants and a vowel that Wheel Of Fortune automatically spots you.) So here are the Four Things that we need to focus on this week versus: The Bears

RB Saquon Barkley

1) Ground and Pound: We need to get the run game going. We don’t need huge splash plays. What we need is a return to our Offensive Line smacking motherfuckers in their mouths. Be physical and help RB Saquon Barkley to get 3 or 4 yards on first down, to open up options on second down.

This cannot be yet another game where our Offensive Coordinator shelves Barkley, early. We’ve had three such games and all three have been losses. Rushing yards are not the only thing that a hand-off can produce. Run plays tire out pass rushers. Also, a balanced attack keeps the opponent guessing instead of dictating.

2) Put Their QB Down: I don’t get this thing where professional athletes who get paid here to bring down QB’s, all of a sudden seem like they don’t know how to do it. We’re not going to rattle a QB who comes into the game with impression that we can’t sack him. This is where we’d like to see OLB Jaylx Hunt. (Did you see what I did there?)

Last year DT Milton Williams 5 sacks got him a massive contract. I wonder if DT Jalen Carter knows how much money he’s leaving on the table, by only having 1 sack so far this season. Meanwhile, DT Moro Ojomo has 4, which currently leads the team.

LB’s Zack Baun and Jihaad Campbell combine to contain a Lions RB.

3) Set Hard Edges: Most of the Bears success in the run game comes from run to the outside. Get our DE’s up-field so we can either expose their RB to kill-shots, or delay his approach to the line of scrimmage. The idea isn’t to shutdown their run, just make it unreliable, and put the whole offense on their QB.

4) Long, Slow Drives Due to injuries, the Bears are thin on defense. Keep them on the field and wear them down. For this week, third and two should mean we’re calling a run play. And run the Hurry-up in the second half! When the fourth quarter rolls around, we want fatigue to be setting in for them.

****

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

It’s time to start imposing our will again. We don’t need another week of RB Screens, and Hitch routes. Theres been entirely to much of that already. All it’s done is hold the team back, and get the Delaware Valley calling for one guy to get shit-canned.

Perhaps it’s time to learn a lesson. To evolve. Maybe listen to an outside voice. Run the ball. Actually sack the QB. These things should be an automatic for a team with Super Bowl aspirations. No more doublespeak. No more spin. We need to bear down and get our shit together.

****

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.

FINALLY FIRING PATULLO

Posted by The BEAST on 2025/11/26
Posted in: Coaching, Conversations, Fans, Front Office (F.O.), Rants, Uncategorized, X's and O's. Tagged: , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment
Head Coach Nick Sirianni and Offensive Co-ordinator Kevin Patullo, trying to figure out which one of them is which

OFFENSIVE Co-ordinator Kevin Patullo will be the OC at least until the season ends. When they finally fire Patullo, there will be no more games on the schedule. There was never a scenario where he would be fired during the season. Earlier this season, when it seemed like Miami head coach Mike McDaniels was about to be fired, I suggested that we hire him as an advisor. I never suggested us jumping ship to a new OC, in the middle of a season.

Because it’s just not how the Eagles do business.

Remember in 2023, when Offensive Coordinator Brian Johnson and Defensive Coordinator Sean Desai helped us rise to 10 – 0; only to then help us fall to 11 – 6, with a first round playoff exit? We were sucking long before we got the first loss, but both men stayed employed in their roles until the season concluded.

In 2022 Jonathon Gannon was “allowed to remain behind in Arizona” after the Eagles Super Bowl loss out there. In 2019 Mike Groh was also canned as OC after a playoff loss. In fact, the last Eagles coach to get the ax during the season, was head coach Chip Kelly in 2015 with one game left to play. (In case it comes up as a trivia question, Pat Shurmur took over for that one game.)

This is how the Eagles do business.

However, fellow fan, there’s a second part to this! It has to do with the fact that, when Head Coach Nick Sirianni was hired, he had never called plays before. He took a swipe at it, and seven weeks later the Eagles were 2 – 5 and not showing much promise. So, it was suggested that Sirianni turn playcalling over to Shane Steichen, which he did. Sirianni gave a speech about flowers and from there the Eagles went on a 7 – 3 run, and even made the Wild Card round.

Flowers can’t be nightmare fuel??! Hold my beer.

Sirianni isn’t taking over the playcalling, because he knows that he sucks at it. He’s not an X’s and O’s guy. He’s a manager. A cheerleader. A camp counselor. So there is no “takeover” coming. As for re-assigning the duty… To whom? A QB coach who doesn’t know the strengths and weaknesses of players up and down the offensive depth chart? An outsider?? No. No. That’s not how the Eagles do business.

So get comfy with Patullo, because he ain’t going nowhere. His playcalling will almost definitely short-circuit our efforts to repeat as champions, but he ain’t going nowhere. The whole thing is a little bit sad. We have an identifiable issue, but we refuse to fix it out of habit. Sooo, because of how the Eagles do business, we probably ain’t going nowhere.

FOUR THINGS REVIEWED: WK 12: Cowboys

Posted by The BEAST on 2025/11/24
Posted in: Coaching, Conspiracy Corner, Conversations, Defense, Four Things, NFC East, Offense, Players, playoffs, Rants, Reviews, Rivals, Special Teams, stats. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment
Head Coach Nick Sirianni, not assigning proper accountability

HEY look, another collapse!

EAGLES 21 – Cowboys 24

 

EAGLES STATS:

Passing: QB Jalen Hurts (27/39 – 69.2% – 289 – 1 – 0)

Rushing: QB Jalen Hurts (7 – 33 – 4.7 – 2 – 0)

Receiving: WR A.J. Brown (10 – 8 – 110 – 13.7 – 1)

Drive Killer: S Reed Blankenship (TD: 0/Int: 1/ FR: 0/ 4th down stops: 0/ FF: 0)

Sack Leader: LB Nakobe Dean (Sacks: 1.0/ FF: 0/ Tackles: 5)

Special Teams Ace: NA

****

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: COWBOYS did the Eagles actually get around to doing? Well let’s see:

1) QB Hits Are Hip: All game long we got just 6 hits and 1 sack on the Cowboys QB. SO we didn’t affect his delivery of the ball much at all (NOT DONE)

2) Feed Our Big Dawgs: WR A.J. Brown had 110 receiving yards, and WR DeVonta Smith (11 – 6 – 89 – 14.8 – 0) got close to the century mark as well. However, the offensive approach was passive, and the run game was essentially shelved for this game. RB Saquon Barkley (10 – 22 – 2.2 – 0 – 1 / 8 – 7 – 52 – 7.4 – 0) was targeted 8 times as a receiver, but the play-calling abandoned the run, while holding a 21 point lead. (DONE)

3) Make ‘em Run: Idea was to to get their defensive line to chase our run game laterally. However with us abandoning the run, there was never a real opportunity for this. (NOT DONE)

4) Take Away Quick Passes: We didn’t manage to do this either, as the Cowboys kept the chains moving with timely passes, which also deprived the Eagles pass rush. (NOT DONE)

++++

This week’s Four Things score was 1 of 4. We come back to the Linc on Friday for a pivotal match-up with the Chicago Bears.

****

Game Hero: Not Applicable

Game goat: Head Coach Nick Sirianni – I’m done blaming Offensive Coordinator Kevin Patullo for his ineptitude. I’m not even going to give a list of his failings for this game. By now, Sirianni should have done something about Patullo’s bungling, foolish, predictable, and flat-out unimaginative play-calling. But he hasn’t.

We are still at the head of the NFC East. We have however, fallen behind the Rams for the number one seed in the Conference. This means that this game, and the collapse vs Denver, may rob us of home-field advantage and more importantly, the first round Bye. This is despite beating the Rams, and Lions, and Packers, even with the handicap of Patullo’s… coaching.

On The Whole: We had the Cowboys down 21 – 0 at the half, and couldn’t mount any kind of a scoring drive for the second half of the game. This is after Dallas made their adjustments, of course. To which we apparently made none.

Our Defense battled valiantly, but our Offense kept going three-and-out, and giving the Cowboys opportunity, after opportunity, after opportunity. We had six possessions in the second half, and only managed to get into field goal position ONCE. Which we then missed and set Dallas up with a short field. Three plays later they scored a touchdown.

CB Cooper DeJean should not play on the boundary.

Once we started losing players in the Secondary (CB Adoree Jackson (three tackles); S Reed Blankenship (8 – 0.0 – 1 – 0); and S Andrew Makuba (3 tackles) we had to move NCB Cooper DeJean (7 tackles) to actual CB, and the Cowboys proceeded to roast him alive. If you’ve been wondering why DeJean is a Nickel and doesn’t start on the boundary, it’s because of what I told you in August. For anyone who disagreed with me then, what did you think of Coop tonight?

FOUR THINGS: WK 12: EAGLES – COWBOYS

Posted by The BEAST on 2025/11/22
Posted in: Coaching, Conversations, Defense, Four Things, NFC East, Offense, Players, Rivals, Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , . 1 Comment

YET another supposed Super Bowl favorite, falls under the treads of the mighty Eagles machine. Defensively, we shutdown all recognizable aspects of a Lions team that publicly said that, they had been looking forward to the game for months. We made them look unprepared. Damned near unprofessional.

Now the schedule presents to us, a Cowboys team that we’d already beaten this year, without DT Jalen Carter. Beat them before we added OLB Jaelan Phillips. Before the return of LB Nakobe Dean. Before DE Brandon Graham came out of retirement. How many defenses can claim to be stronger at mid-season, than they were on open day? It’s amazing Howie do it. Meanwhile, their star QB is nursing a hip injury.

Aww.

Winning moves us up to 9 – 2. Our grip on the NFC East would tighten, and the top seed in the conference would still lean our way. (Plus, we’d have the pleasure of sending the Cowboys into battle with the Chiefs, on just four days rest.)

A loss would hold us at 8 – 3, but still firmly in charge of division. We’d still hold the top seed if the Rams lose to Tampa Bay, on Sunday.

****

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. Often I list fundamentals, as some of the four things. BUT NO MORE! Unless something specific is needed, fundamentals like Running the ball; playing lots of Man Press; and Tackling instead of going for the strip, will be automatically included. (Like the five consonants and a vowel that Wheel Of Fortune automatically spots you.) So here are the Four Things that we need to focus on this week versus:

[pic]

DE Brandon Graham sacks QB Dak Prescott in 2023

1) QB Hits Are Hip: Get their QB on the ground! Shut their passing game down at the tap. No specific number of sacks is the benchmark. However, with their QB nursing a hip injury, if we can put him on it hard and aggravate it, it may affect his delivery of the football. Consider his pain an investment in our win.

2) Feed Our Big Dawgs: With playoffs approaching, we can’t give potential opponents the confidence of thinking we’re a passive team. This game can’t be about taking what we’re given. We need to show that we can take what we need. We need a 100 yard day, or a 2 touchdown day, from one of our Big Four (Barkley, Brown, Smith, Goedert).

3) Make ‘em Run: The Cowboys have spent this season building the interior of their defensive line. It would be silly to run right at it. Instead, we should make those big guys chase our RB’s (and maybe WR Jahan Dotson on a Jet Sweep). Get those defensive linemen winded, so they don’t have as much juice to pass rush with. We brawled for rushing yards last time. Let’s finesse them this time.

4) Take Away Quick Passes: The Cowboys QB and WR1 have been together for a few years now. They have a chemistry which allows the QB to get the ball out quickly. Nothing we can do will change that. What we can do, is make any quick catches expensive, with LB’s sitting seven or eight yards deep in zone coverage.

WR Ceedee Lamb hearing the footsteps, fearing the footsteps, making his FOURTH drop in the game.

The idea is, to either force their QB to hold the ball long enough for him to meet our pass rush; or get his receivers jacked up catching quick passes. Either way, we’re adding pain to the equation.

****

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

The Cowboys have a defense that just gave up 16 points, to a Raiders team that had already been held to 9 points or fewer, in half of their games this year. The Cowboys defense can only hang with our Offense if they’re allowed to by our coaching staff. We should be about to blow the doors off that team.

****

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 11: Lions

Posted by The BEAST on 2025/11/17
Posted in: breakdown, Conversations, Defense, Four Things, Offense, Players, report, Reviews, Special Teams, stats. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

EAGLES bat down Lions.

EAGLES 16 – Lions 9

EAGLES STATS:

Passing: QB Jalen Hurts (14/28 – 50.0% – 135 – 0 – 0)

Rushing: RB Saquon Barkley (26 – 83 – 3.1 – 0 – 0)

Receiving: WR A.J. Brown (11 – 7 – 49 – 7.0 – 0)

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

Sack Leader: OLB Jaelan Phillips (Sacks: 1.0/ FF:0 / Tackles: 5)

Special Teams Ace: K Jake Elliott 3/3 FG, 1/1 XP vs 35mph wind gusts

****

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: LIONS did the Eagles actually get around to doing? Well let’s see:

LB’s Zack Baun and Jihaad Campbell take down the Lions RB

1) Play the Run First: Since the game never got out of hand, we had to stay in this mode for the entire contest. In the end, we gave up just 74 rushing yards on the night, with no Lions player reaching 40. While we did successfully pass rush situationally, there never came a point where we could just pin our ears back and go. (DONE)

2) Gotta Feed the Dawgs: We did not get the 3 sacks that I set as a benchmark. Instead, we had to settle for just 2. We kept their QB’s feet moving, had him throwing off platform, and he even shared a pass with us. That however, had to do with a tipped pass by DT Jordan Davis (1 tackle) who would tip 3 passes in this game, with DT Jalen Carter (5 tackles) adding 2 of his own. We did a lot, but two isn’t three. (NOT DONE)

3) Use Our Wide Receivers: This one is a little murky. Between WR’s DeVonta Smith (5 – 1 – 8 – 8.0 – 0) and Brown, we didn’t hit the benchmark of 12 catches between them. However, it was a very windy night, and the Eagles ran the ball 40 times vs 28 pass attempts. It seems smarter that we didn’t try to get this one. (NOT DONE)

4) Run Hurts More: Hurts ran the ball 10 times for just 31 yards, but twice he picked up first downs on 12 yard runs. His running was far more decisive than it’s been most of this season. I do have one tiny gripe about it though: It wasn’t mixed into early drives quite enough. (DONE)

++++

This week’s Four Things score was 2 of 4. Next week, the best team in the NFC heads down to Texas to get the other half of this Cowboys sweep.

****

Game Hero: Defensive Co-ordinator Vic Fangio – The Lions offense came into this game second in the NFL in scoring, with 31 points per week. Fangio came up with a concept that neutralized the Lions weapons, and kept them off-balance, all game. Also, getting players to buy into the little things, was huge!

Watching LB Nakobe Dean (3 – 1.0 – 0 – 0) on a surgically repaired knee, covering the speedy Lions players; or DT’s repeatedly getting their hands up to deflect passes; or committing to run containment, before pass rushing. Our Defense was amazing, largely because of how selflessly they played. That’s credit to Fangio.

Game goat: Offensive Co-ordinator Kevin Patullo – This was another game filled with questionable play-calling. The running from Shotgun. The WR bunch formations. Throwing on first down when backed up against our own endzone! Throwing passes to WR’s behind the line of scrimmage… I’m exhausted talking about this guy.

The only thing that I think got him off the hook this week, was Lions head coach Dan Campbell committing outright coaching malpractice, by deciding to try to convert FIVE fourth downs, and rolling snake-eyes each time. His desire to be seen as a tough guy, followed by how often he tears up at press conferences, really makes me wonder if he doesn’t need serious counseling for something.

On The Whole: The Lions came here talking shit about wanting a fight, and seeing this game as a measuring stick, and having circled the game, and yadda yadda blab blah blah. But by the second quarter, we had their QB screaming:

Again, we faced another so-called NFC contender, and ground them under our boot heel, while the world screamed about how “troubled” we are. Surely with all of our internal turmoil, we would fall apart and be easily vanquished, right? Right? WRONG! This was yet another example of the mantra “Everyone can beat the Eagles, until it’s time to beat the Eagles.”

Offensively we looked terribly out of sync, but at no point did we trail, or give the impression of not being in control. Again, that did have something to do with their head coach’s inability to learn; but it also points to a poise and resiliency within our team, that other teams just don’t possess.

We’re 8 – 2 Eagles fans. We’re number one in the conference. Enjoy this moment.

FOUR THINGS: WK 11: EAGLES – LIONS

Posted by The BEAST on 2025/11/15
Posted in: Coaching, Conversations, Defense, Fans, Four Things, Offense, Players, playoffs, Special Teams. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , . 1 Comment

WE defeated Lambeau Field, while the Packers were running around on it. It was a defensive slugfest, where our guys went out and took the ball away for us. Twice. We scored when we needed to, as our K Jake Elliott made a FG, even when their kicker missed. (On both tries.) It wasn’t flamboyant, but we notched all of the Four Thing markers

Now with reinforcements joining our front seven, we’ll have the muscle to contain run games and finish at the QB. Like the raw meat being thrown to us this week. There is no way that this Lions QB can outrun DE Jaylx Hunt, or OLB Nolan Smith.

With a win, we move up to 8 – 2. We’d have at least a share of the best record in the conference.

With a loss, we’d be 7 – 3, still atop the NFC East, with a few games cushion.

****

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. Often I list fundamentals, as some of the four things. BUT NO MORE! Unless something specific is needed, fundamentals like Running the ball; playing lots of Man Press; and Tackling instead of going for the strip, will be automatically included. (Like the five consonants and a vowel that Wheel Of Fortune automatically spots you.) So here are the Four Things that we need to focus on this week versus: the Lions

DT Jalen Carter slows down former Raider RB Josh Jacobs.

1) Play the Run First: When the Lions have run for 100 yards or more this season, they are 6 – 0. When they run for fewer than 100 yards, they are 0 – 3. This one seems obvious. Until it’s time to pin our ears back and rush the passer, this defensive front has to be keyed to stop the Lions run game.

Setting the edges and boxing in the runners, has to be the approach that we start out with. If we get a big lead, we can alter that approach. But we have to start out by boxing them in, first. If we let these guys get to the edges of our Defense, it’s going to be a very long evening.

2) Gotta Feed the Dawgs: Not hits. Sacks. At least three of them in this game. The Lions QB is a statue. He’s not a guy who’s going to run away from a defense. If we can get him moving and consistently throwing from off-platform, he will likely share the football with us, at least once.

3) Use our Wide Receivers: the Lions don’t have anything remotely like an answer for WR A.J. Brown or WR DeVonta Smith. Odds are, their coach is going to spend his currency on stopping our run game. So the only thing that would keep our receivers from at least 12 total catches between them, would be our play-calling.

4) Run Hurts More: In every game where the Lions faced a mobile QB, that team scored in the area of 30 points. Again, the Lions QB is a statue, so their defense doesn’t see that aspect in practice. Stands to reason that they are not very well versed in stopping it. And that’s where QB Jalen Hurts gives us a huge boost.

We don’t need a specific number of yards, but when the pocket breaks down, don’t scramble, just run. Maybe have one or two designed runs early, to open the threat, and help clear space for RB Saquon Barkley. This is probably something we’d like to save for the playoffs, but this kind of is a playoff game. A win will give us a tie-breaker, and seriously strengthen the Eagles bid for home-field advantage.

****

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

The Lions players circled this game when the schedule came out, and we’re playing for playoff level stakes. So have no doubt about it; we will be getting the best punch that the Lions can muster, on Sunday night. This can’t be another game where our coaching staff inexplicably handicaps us, by not using our big guns. We must come out firing.

The Lions (especially their head coach), are always talking like they want a fight, and preaching toughness. This is Philadelphia. We own the market on those two things! Meanwhile, the Lions are just playing at it. Well Sunday, they have an appointment to exchange an ounce of Fuck Around, for a ton of Find Out. Here, kitty kitty….

Because not only will our players be there, but so will many of you. The Lions circled the game, so now we’ll circle the wagons. We rally ‘round the family…

****

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 10: Packers

Posted by The BEAST on 2025/11/12
Posted in: breakdown, Conversations, Defense, Four Things, Offense, Players, Reviews, Special Teams, stats, trade. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment
S Reed Blankenship forces a fourth quarter fumble and recovers it.

EAGLES colder than Lambeau.

EAGLES 10 – Packers 7

Passing: QB Jalen Hurts (15/26 – 57.6% – 183 – 1 – 0)

Rushing: RB Saquon Barkley (22 – 60 – 2.7 – 0 – 0)

Receiving: WR DeVonta Smith (7 – 4 – 69 – 17.2 – 1)

Drive Killer: S Reed Blankenship (TD: 0/Int: 0/ FR: 1/ 4th down stops: 1/ FF: 1)

Sack Leader: LB Nakobe Dean (Sacks: 1.0/ FF: 1/ Tackles: 7)

Special Teams Ace: K Jake Elliott 1/1 FG and 1/1 XP under windy conditions

****

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: PACKERS did the Eagles actually get around to doing? Well let’s see:

1) Over A Buck Rushing: We put up 111 as a team. Benchmark. The ground was hard packed, and multiple players showed issues with slipping on the grass. I know that (going back to the prior article) I keep harping on the weather, but in these conditions, the stadium itself becomes another opponent.

Saquon faced loaded box after loaded box, but we stuck with the run, feeding him 22 times. Not for nothing, but the formations that we keep coming out in, with the WR’s packed inside, are helping to keep boxes loaded against him. In any case, we got the rushing yardage. (DONE)

WR DeVonta Smith mossing a dude for six.

2) Deal Out Aerial Hurts: I said that getting the ball to our WR’s downfield, was critical to getting this win, and our only touchdown was a 36 yard pass to DeVonta Smith. Benchmark. Without that score this is a 3 – 7 loss. (DONE)

3) Our DT’s Must Penetrate: I said in particular, we needed a big night from DT Jalen Carter (3 tackles). I didn’t say anything about sacks or tackles. What I brought up was, making it difficult for the Packers QB Jordan Love (20/36 – 55.5% – 176 – 0 – 0) to step into his passes. The plan was to affect his releases.

The result was Carter deflecting two of those passes, and Love being forced backward frequently. Once for an 11 yard sack, and again for a forced fumble. Benchmark. Then there was DT Moro Ojomo (no stats) calling out the Packers play before they ran it, resulting in a fumble by RB Josh Jacobs (21 – 74 – 3.5 – 1 – 1). Our DT’s were huge. (DONE)

4) Take Away Anything Easy: Josh Jacobs led all Packers with 5 receptions, as Jordan Love was forced into inaccurate deep passes and checkdowns for most of the game. Benchmark. He finished with 4.9 yards per attempt, 3 sacks, a lost fumble, and a QB rating of 68.8. We reduced him to trash and made the night sheer Hell for him. (DONE)

++++

This week’s Four Things score was 4 of 4. While there wasn’t a great deal of visual spectacle, the benchmarks that were requested were met, as soundly as any 4 of 4 score, I’ve ever recorded here.

Next week we host the Lions in South Philly. Let’s make sure it turns into a zoo.

****

Game Hero: Defensive Co-ordinator Vic Fangio – Fangio spent the night out-coaching Packers head coach Matt LaFleur, seen here ignoring the game while desperately searching for answers against Fangio:

This is what Vic Fangio reduced Green Bay’s coaching staff to.

Vic did that, while simultaneously folding in a brand new trade acquisition OLB Jaelan Phillips (6 – 0.0 – 0 – 1); a player returning from I.R. in OLB Nolan Smith (2 – 1.0 – 0 – 0); and player returning from retirement in DE Brandon Graham (no stats). Did I mention this was done on the road? In Green Bay? In freezing weather? Well it was.

Game goat: CB Jaire Alexander – C’mon man. He didn’t even travel with the team. This is the sort of game that we got him for, and not only doesn’t he suit up, he’s not even on the sideline in street clothes, bonding with the team.

As a result of him not playing, we had to start CB Adoree Jackson (3 tackles). Jackson wasn’t bad, but it’s better when he doesn’t have to be out there.

Note: Alexander has opted to step away from football, to focus on his health. Oddly, if this article had come out on time, I wouldn’t be able to tell you that. I almost revised this and went with Offensive Co-ordinator Kevin Patullo again, but I thought I should stick to my original statement. Besides, I’m sick of mentioning Patullo.

On The Whole: Everyone else seems to have been expecting a shootout, while all I did was talk about how difficult playing in that weather is. In FT, I even alluded to the Packers QB being affected by it: “Think about it, a stressed QB to throwing a slippery brick, deep downfield, without being able to step into it.”

While the Eagles coaching wasn’t very creative, circumstances also didn’t really allow for razzle-dazzle. This was ‘frozen tundra’ throwback football. It was a defensive struggle, in which we won Time of Possession 32 to 27. Let’s save trying to be clever, for when the ball is more catchable.

RB Saquon Barkley’s 41yd catch and run. Dig WR A.J. Brown blocking out front. It’s nothing fancy, just the little things that separate champs from chumps.

My favorite part of this game was establishing our ownership of the Packers. Whether in Brazil, our house, their house, the NFL Rules Committee… Anywhere we see them, we close a car door on their head, and take their wallet. Feels good.

 

FOUR THINGS: WK 10: EAGLES – PACKERS

Posted by The BEAST on 2025/11/09
Posted in: breakdown, Conversations, Defense, Four Things, Offense, Players, playoffs, Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , . 1 Comment

TOP team in the NFC, and we didn’t even play Week 9! The Eagles took a week off and came back deeper, healthier, and playing from the high ground.

We made a couple of low risk/high reward trades to strengthen our defense; we’re getting back OLB Nolan Smith from IR; and the cherry on top: DE Brandon Graham has come out of retirement! While no one expects him to play like he did in his prime, his leadership in the locker room is the definition of the word ‘invaluable’.

It’s a good thing we have all of this going for us, because this week we do battle on Lambeau Field. At night. With a low of 25, and 15% chance of precipitation, (read: snow). Lambeau when the mercury dips below 30, is probably the toughest place to play in American sports.

I love it! This is a champion’s challenge, and a fitting welcome back! We already head the division. Now we’re playing to keep the number one seed, and home-field advantage through out the playoffs. Now QB Jalen Hurts and RB Saquon Barkley need to tighten those chinstraps, as we prepare, to push on.

With a win, we move to 7 – 2 and hold our position as the top team in the NFC.

With a loss, we’d be 6 – 3, but still be at the head of the NFC East.

****

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 week. Often I list fundamentals, as some of the four things. BUT NO MORE! Unless something specific is needed, fundamentals like Running the ball; playing lots of Man Press; and Tackling instead of going for the strip, will be automatically included. (Like the five consonants and a vowel that Wheel Of Fortune automatically spots you.) So here are the Four Things that we need to focus on this week versus: the Packers.

RB Saqoun Barkley with a 12 yard scoring run.

1) Over A Buck Rushing: The Packers haven’t beaten any team that has reached 96 rushing yards, this season. They also have an undersized defensive line that’s built around pass rushing. The approach here is simple. Spend the night pounding on them. Then when they’re tired and their will is broken, pound on them some more.

2) Deal Out Aerial Hurts: Getting the ball to WR A.J. Brown and WR DeVonta Smith is absolutely critical to getting this win. If we get the ball outside with the passing game, we can run inside. We have to use our WR’s down the field, in order to give Barkley room to navigate.

3) Our DT’s Must Penetrate: We need a big night from DT Jordan Davis and DT Jalen Carter.

DT’s Jordan Davis and Jalen Carter.

Carter in particular, because with their QB being right-handed, when Carter gets penetration, it’ll make it more difficult for their QB to step into his throws. On a night as cold as Monday, the ball will be as hard and slick as marble. Since their QB doesn’t really wear gloves, the more awkward we can make his releases, the better.

4) Take Away Anything Easy: Their QB is going into what he thinks is a game, without his security blanket. He’s already going to have to do more reading, so turn that up a notch. Get LB’s dropping slowly into zones, and Safeties not immediately dropping deep, but running with their assignments upon approach.

This will put more stress on our CB’s to not get beat deep, but the idea is to force the ball into their areas. Think about it, a stressed QB to throwing a slippery brick, deep downfield, without being able to step into it. They may hit on some of those passes, but the chances of a turnover are so much greater.

****

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

This is two teams potentially vying for home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. This win has to make a statement. This is not a time to prove how clever we can be. We’re the bigger team. We’re more physical, and we have the deeper roster.

LB Zach Baun with a sack

On Monday night, that all needs to be on display. Don’t get cute. Just go up, and take the other kid’s lunch money. Get under Center and run the god-damned football. Their QB doesn’t handle pressure well. So we need to set the dawgs on him. This isn’t a game. It’s a hunt. Run ‘em down, grab ‘em, drag ‘em into the shadows, and… Bon appetite.

On a side note: It would really be great if we ran the Brotherly Shove, on our first snap of the night. I’ll be at home wearing my “PUSH ON.” t-shirt. I hope you will be too.

****

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 8: Giants

Posted by The BEAST on 2025/10/27
Posted in: breakdown, Conversations, Defense, Four Things, NFC East, Offense, Players, Reviews, Rivals, Special Teams, stats. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

REVENGE is a dish, best served cold.

EAGLES 38 – giants 20

 

EAGLES STATS:

Passing: QB Jalen Hurts (15/20 – 75.0% – 179 – 4 – 0)

Rushing: RB Saquon Barkley (14 – 150 – 10.7 – 1 – 0)

Receiving: WR DeVonta Smith (9 – 6 – 84 – 14.0 – 0)

Drive Killer: N/A (TD: /Int: / FR: / 4th down stops: / FF: )

Sack Leader: 5 players (Sacks: 1.0/ FF: / Tackles: )

Special Teams Ace: RB Will Shipley (3KR – 99 – 33.0 – 41 – 0)

****

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: GIANTS did the Eagles actually get around to doing? Well let’s see:

1) Slant Against Their Run: We didn’t do much of this early, but after the half, movement along the Defensive Line vs both the run AND the pass picked up. The upshot was a day that saw us hold New York to 68 rushing yards on 21 carries and add five sacks. (Three in the second half.) It’s certainly something to build on. (DONE)

2) Don’t Abandon Saquon: “In the area of 20 carries” was what I said. Saquon had 14. However, I’m giving credit for this, because he was on his way to that target, when he tweaked his groin muscle; and Head Coach Nick Sirianni wisely decided to rest him.

RB Tank Bigsby runs over the people like a… tank.

Besides, although Saquon could have come back if needed, with RB Tank Bigsby (9 – 104 – 11.6 – 0 – 0) killing it on the ground, why not let our starter get a jump on resting for the Bye week? Especially after watching giants RB Cam Skattebo (3 – 12 – 4.0 – 0 – 0) get carted off the field with a dislocated ankle, earlier. We played it smart. (DONE)

giants Rookie RB Cam Skattebo, dislocates his ankle.

3) Target Our Wide Receivers: Jalen Hurts threw just 20 passes on the day, for 179 yards. Of those passes, 12 targeted WR’s for 8 catches, and 124 yards, with a touchdown on a 40 bomb to WR Jahan Dotson (1 – 1 – 40 – 40.0 – 1). Hurts made WR’s his mission in this one. (DONE)

4) Complete the Sack: We got 5 sacks in this game. There could have been more, but…baby steps. Let’s not be ungrateful. (DONE)

++++

This week’s Four Things score was a perfect 4 of 4, as we head into the Bye week with a win. Not just a win, but a win where we showed up in all four quarters. We’ll rest up, and then get ready to tackle the second half of the season.

****

Game Hero: Offensive Coordinator Kevin Patullo – A lot of this has to do with the C position. First, we had OL Bret Toth filling in for starting C Cam Jurgens. Patullo didn’t call plays like Jurgens was out there. He instead frequently called plays where Toth had combo help.

We also ran the ball more from under C today. That makes it easier to sell play-action, because with the QB closer to the line, it’s harder to see if it’s a real hand-off or not. It also changes the timing of when the RB hits the hole, as Saquon demonstrated on his first carry going for a 65 yard score.

One of the best parts of the game was calling the 40 yard ‘Go’ route for Jahan Dotson. Knowing that Dotson validated his Coordinator and QB’s trust, by coming down with that ball, now makes him someone that future opponents have to account for. A loaded box with Dotson on the field, is now something opposing defenses have to weigh.

WR Jahan Dotson wins jump ball for 40 yard touchdown.

That wasn’t the case coming into this game.

Game goat: The Defense – In two games vs New York, our Defense has not forced a single turnover, despite the giants reliance on rookies. In this game, there wasn’t even a turnover on downs from them. Every time they surrendered the ball, it was either voluntary (a punt), or a score. We have to do better than that.

On The Whole: Offensively, this game featured 26 hand-offs to just 20 pass attempts. That ratio helps to stabilize the feel of a game, and allows any back-ups playing significant time, to not get swept away by the moment. We also won the Time Of Possession 33 minutes to 26, ensuring that our Defense wasn’t run into the ground.

Defensively, despite the 5 sacks, there were many instances of our linemen not keeping to rush lanes, and allowing their QB to escape all too frequently. It may also be why (in two games), we haven’t put enough pressure on their rookie QB, to intercept him even once. These are the sort of small problems that good teams correct.

DT Moro Ojomo gets the sack as LB Joshua Uche helps finish it.

There was also plenty of good on Defense! LB Nakobe Dean (5 tackles), LB Jeremiah Trotter Jr. (1 tackle), and DT Jalen Carter (2 – 1.0 – 0 – 0) played with a level of violence, that becomes more infectious as the season wears on. Did anyone else notice that we didn’t hear much about CB Kelee Ringo (2 tackles) in this game? Or that no giant had more than 3 catches, and their top guy had just 48 receiving yards?

FOUR THINGS: WK 8: EAGLES – GIANTS

Posted by The BEAST on 2025/10/24
Posted in: Coaching, Conversations, Defense, Fans, Four Things, NFC East, Offense, Players, Rivals, Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , . 1 Comment

EXPLOSIVE stuff last week, as WR DeVonta Smith and WR A.J. Brown combined for 304 of QB Jalen Hurts 326 passing yards. The giants enter this game with the 26th ranked pass defense in the league. So if they decide to sellout against the run like last time… we should have something for that ass!

Winning pushes us to 6 – 2, and a mostly restful Bye week. (Tweaks still must be made.)

A loss, would stall us at 5 – 3 and mean we were swept by the giants. Our record would be enough to keep control of the NFC East for another week, but under these circumstances, almost no one would take us seriously.

****

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. Often I list fundamentals, as some of the four things. BUT NO MORE! Unless something specific is needed, fundamentals like Running the ball; playing lots of Man Press; and Tackling instead of going for the strip, will be automatically included. (Like the five consonants and a vowel that Wheel Of Fortune automatically spots you.) So here are the Four Things that we need to focus on this week versus: the giants

1) Slant Against Their Run: Stop playing opposing run games straight up and down! The idea is to get a hat in a gap, to make their RB’s have to do extra work, just to get out of the backfield. The giants don’t exactly employ dangerous cutback runners, so we should, (especially on early downs), slant to a side to clog the lanes.

2) Don’t Abandon Saquon: In both of our losses this year, we got away from running the ball looong before we needed to. In those games RB Saquon Barkley finished with 6 carries in the 17 – 21 loss; and 12 carries in the 17 – 34 loss, (though we abandoned the run when the score was 17 – 20).

This week, if only to give our Defense long enough to catch their breath, we need to play complimentary football, and try to get Barkley in the area of 20 carries. It also helps to sell the play-action, as we just saw vs the Vikings. Nobody buys play-action from the Shotgun. Especially if we never actually hand it off.

3) Target our Wide Receivers: Last game against the giants, Hurts threw for 283 yards, and TE Dallas Goedert had 9 catches for 110 yards and a score. Goedert can run, but he’s no WR. So like last time, the giants will probably be willing to concede him. That would allow them to keep loading up the box, and short-circuiting our run.

If we’re going to create room for our run game, we’re going to have to spread their defense out. That means throwing the ball to the boundaries, and throwing the ball to real speed. We have to seriously threaten the giants this time around.

4) Complete the Sack: We get pressure on QB’s. What we don’t do, is bring them down once we have a hand on them. This results in sustained drives, and letting opponents remain competitive in games they shouldn’t. We got two sacks last time, we need at least four in this one.

****

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

The un-retiring of DE Brandon Graham makes me feel better about this team already. I’ve been saying for weeks now (nowhere on-line) that the Eagles need a spark-plug player, because once Graham retired, we were out of those. I have… concerns over how well he’ll hold up, but having his energy in the locker room should be great for everyone.

****

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.