FOUR THINGS REVIEWED: WK 18: Cowboys

Posted by The BEAST on 2022/01/10
Posted in: breakdown, Coaching, Defense, Four Things, NFC East, Offense, Players, playoffs, Reviews, stats. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

PLAYOFF games, here we come!

EAGLES 26 – Cowboys 51

EAGLES STATS:

New categories include an EXCLUSIVE weekly Offensive Line Report (Rushing TD’s + 3rd and 4th downs converted:missed of 2 yards or less – sacks allowed); as well as Drive Killer (Int – FR – 4th down Tackles – FF – TD).

Passing: (S ) QB Gardner Minshew (19/33 – 57.5% – 189 – 2 – 1)

Rushing: (S ) RB Kenneth Gainwell (12 – 78 – 6.5 – 1 – 0)

Receiving: (S ) WR Quez Watkins (7 – 5 – 84 – 16.8 – 1)

Offensive Line Report: (1 + 3:0 – 3)

Drive Killer: No Qualifier

Sack Leader: (R ) CB Josiah Scott (4 – 1 – 0 – 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: Cowboys did the Eagles actually get around to doing? Well let’s see:

1) Understand the Moment: I wanted the starters to sit as much as possible. However, I figured our “rookie head coach” would want to rock-paper-scissors for the win, and so play his starters. I just hoped he saw the big picture and didn’t play the starts too much.

Lo and behold! Head Coach Nick Sirianni gave C Jason Kelce one snap, and WR Devonta Smith played just enough downs to set a new franchise record, for receiving yards by a rookie. After that it was all back-ups. Sirianni, understood what was important, and demonstrated it clearly. I’m proud of him. (DONE)

EWOK SLAM!

2) Dig DEEP: “Players you don’t know, making 2 to 4 nice plays after half-time. That’s the ideal situation.” That’s what I said. Well, RB Jason Huntley (13 – 51 – 3.9 – 0 – 0) had a couple of nice runs; and DT Milton Williams’s run stuff in the 3rd quarter, actually got me off my couch. This is exactly what I was talking about, and we did it. (DONE)

3) Going Out In Style: Our starters didn’t play, so this is non-applicable.

4) Do some reckless shit: While WR Greg Ward (1 – 1 – 100% – 2 – 0 – 0) didn’t get a whole series at QB, he did get to throw a redzone pass as a Wildcat QB, on the opening drive. That qualifies! (DONE)

****

That brings this weeks FT score to 3 of 4. Next week we travel to Tampa Bay to face the Buccaneers, in the Wild Card round of the playoffs. Earlier this season they beat us 22 – 28, and were the catalyst for us deciding to run the ball more. Next week we get to thank them, in person.

****

On The Whole:

Who gives a shit? A third of the starters in this game, will be deactivated next week. We owed the NFL one more game, and so we phoned one in. We didn’t tip our hand as to what we might want to run in the playoffs. Hell, from what I could see, it seemed like the Offense ran maybe 8 or 9 different plays, from slightly different alignments. All of which were basic in nature.

How about “rest vs rust”? TE Tyree Jackson (5 – 3 – 22 – 7.3 – 1) tore his ACL. Had that been Dallas Goedert, the fan base would be crucifying Sirianni, and the national media would be calling him an idiot for even playing Goedert in a meaningless game. We went in as the 7th seed, and we came out as the 7th seed. Yet some folks wanted us to battle for 6th? For who? For what?

Instead, our guys got to rest and heal. Because of this week, we’ll go into next week better armed, and with a better chance as we take on last year’s Super Bowl champion. Emphasis on the words last year’s.

FOUR THINGS: WK 18: EAGLES – COWBOYS

Posted by The BEAST on 2022/01/07
Posted in: breakdown, Coaching, Defense, Fans, Four Things, NFC East, Offense, Players, playoffs, Preview, Rivals, Roster, Special Teams. Tagged: , , , , , , , , . 1 Comment

LAST week we went to Washington and chalked the Redskins in their home.

SEASON OVER!

That win clinched a playoff berth for us, but also renders this game against the Cowboys sort of anti-climactic. Add to that, the 12 players we put on the Covid list this week, and the volume really gets turned down on this one.

We currently occupy the 7th seed which means our likely first round opponent would be the Rams. If the 49ers lose, it could catapult us from the 7th seed, alllllllll the way up the 6th seed. In which case we’d likely draw Tampa Bay. Who cares? You? Me neither.

This week a win can’t help us and a loss can’t hurt us. Which has people of three minds:

1) Rest the starters, so that we don’t lose anyone before the playoffs.

2) Play to win, because it’s Dallas.

3) Play the starters just for a half, to practice some of our weaknesses.

I’m in camp number THREE. The stakes are no longer based on the climb to the playoffs. We’re there already. The next set of stakes are IN the playoffs. There are no stakes this week. None. So just use this week as an assessment tool/study hall.

There will be stakes again, soon enough.

****

The point of Four Things isn’t to predict a winner, it’s to discuss which tactics will practically guarantee our Eagles this win. CAUTION: I don’t have the faintest clue as to what a point spread is, and I know even less about how it works. I know football and that’s IT. If you use FT as a gambling tool, you are trying to lose your money, and will deserve it when you do.

So let’s talk about the Four Things we need to focus on this week versus the Cowboys:

1) Understand the moment: QB Jalen Hurts is 0 – 2 vs the Cowboys, having been blown-out both times. Getting him his first win against them, while at home? That would be big for him. Huge in fact. Because calling a QB who can’t beat Dallas, “our franchise”? Nope. Can’t do it. Hurts could use the win. That said, it shouldn’t be our focus.

Seeing the big picture, should be our focus. Use this week to practice things we suck at, and get some game experience for our deep bench. Playing the starters for the full game, or until one of them is injured, would show that Head Coach Nick Sirianni doesn’t understand the moment.

2) Dig DEEP: While a win would be nice, don’t get hung-up watching the scoreboard. Instead, here’s what you should look for: QB Reid Sinnett getting some action; WR J.J. Arcega-Whiteside catching passes; CB Zech McPhearson covering WR Amari Cooper; OT Andre Dillard trying to show that he can run block; LB Patrick Johnson and LB Shaun Bradley getting 10+ defensive snaps. And maybe a few runs from RB Kerryon Johnson!

Players you don’t know, making 2 to 4 nice plays after half-time. That’s the ideal situation.

3) Going Out In Style: If our starters beat-up on their back-ups, that’s a cheap win. It’s a chicken-shit way to win a game.

Ideally, when our starters leave this game, two things should be true: 1) Dallas’s starters are still out there, and 2) We have the lead. Regardless of how small it is.

That way it can (and WILL), be said that our starters could have won this game, had they played the whole thing.

Besides, Dallas has spent so much money on overpaying starters, that the depth on that team looks like high school JV squad. To stand any chance of winning, they’d have to leave their starters in. Their starters vs our back-ups? What a chicken-shit way to win.

4) Do some reckless shit: This is a game without consequences! Do some stuff that normally would get the coaching staff crucified for trying it. Stuff like:

Not punting all game long.

Giving LS Rick Lovato a couple of defensive snaps at LB.

Letting WR Greg Ward play QB for a series. (He played it in college.)

Giving LT Jordan Mailata a carry in the redzone

Just something wild and crazy. Look, this is the last home game of the year for Birds fans. It’s a night game, and it’s going to be windy and about 25 degrees. Give those fans something to remember, before our team goes on the road for possibly the next 4 games.

….

If we do these Four Things,

It should build confidence and loosen the entire roster up. It could act to bring more joy to the hard work, of preparing to beat playoff teams. Winning this week would be great. However, this week isn’t about that. It’s about getting everyone focused on a much bigger prize.

That having been said, the last time we faced Dallas, our coaching staff called 39 passes and just 3 handoffs. THREE run plays, all day long. As a team we ran for 64 yards. Jalen Hurts ran 9 times for 35. We had 29 yards on 3 handoffs, and still we didn’t hand the ball off more. RB Jordan Howard wasn’t even on the active roster.

That is NOT the Eagles team that the Cowboys will face this Saturday Night.

This time around, vs a defensive line built to rush the passer, our O-Line needs to practice putting foot to ass. The tone of this game will be 180 degrees from the last one. Those fuckers won’t have any idea of what hit them.

****

PREDICTION: EAGLES 20 – Cowboys 9

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

PHILLY NEVER QUITS.

Posted by The BEAST on 2022/01/05
Posted in: breakdown, Coaching, Conversations, NFC East, playoffs, Preview, Rants, Reviews, Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

BACK in April, in my NFC East Pre-Draft Preview, I picked the Redskins to win the East, with the Eagles as my dark horse favorite. Given our strong nucleus of veteran leadership, our win in the trenches philosophy, and youth at skill positions, we have a lot of “win now” already built-in. However, a rookie coaching staff, and a second year QB, who himself was basically a rookie, left serious questions about our upward mobility.

Still, I took proper assessment of the pieces, and predicted the Eagles to push for the NFC East crown, and they did exactly that.

We’ve so far won 9 games. None of those were against teams with a winning record. Then again, it’s been half a season since we even FACED a team with a winning record. Hell, we didn’t make the schedule. We just beat who was put on it.

Also, in all fairness, three of the first six teams that our rookie head coach faced, have played in the last two Super Bowls (KC vs SF and KC vs TB). Of those three games, two were decided by just 6 points each. So maybe a little fucking slack would be appropriate here? I dunno. Seeing things in their proper context is sort of a fetish of mine.

My favorite was the NFL website itself. You know the one. The place that sometimes allows their journalists to post a headline, which is linked to a tweet. Yeah. That place. Before the season, this was their prediction for us:

I’m petty, so I screenshot that shit. I couldn’t guarantee us winning the East, but I knew that 5 win prediction was going to age like an Olsen twin, and I wanted to be able to say:

Which I’m doing now.

We destroyed their prediction, and even exceeded their ceiling for us. Right now, you could park a car in the shadow of my smugness.

FOUR THINGS REVIEWED: WK 17: REDSKINS

Posted by The BEAST on 2022/01/03
Posted in: breakdown, Coaching, Defense, Four Things, NFC East, Offense, Players, playoffs, Reviews, Rivals, Roster, stats. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

CRASHING the playoff party.

EAGLES 20– Redskins 16

EAGLES STATS:

New categories include an EXCLUSIVE weekly Offensive Line Report (Rushing TD’s + 3rd and 4th downs converted:missed of 2 yards or less – sacks allowed); as well as Drive Killer (Int – FR – 4th down Tackles – FF – TD).

Passing: (S ) QB Jalen Hurts (17/26 – 65.3% – 214 – 0 – 0)

Rushing: (S ) RB Boston Scott (14 – 47 – 3.3 – 2 – 0)

Receiving: (S ) TE Dallas Goedert (7 – 6 – 71 – 11.8 – 0)

Offensive Line Report: (2 + 4:5 – 1)

Drive Killer: (S ) FS Rodney McLeod (1 – 0– 0 – 0 – 0)

Sack Leader: (S ) DE Josh Sweat (5 – 1.5 – 0 – 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: Redskins did the Eagles actually get around to doing? Well let’s see:

1) Don’t get cute: Run the ball. That was the edict. Come out running and use the running styles to compliment each other. We did both, running 34 times for 118 yards (3.4 ypc), and two scores. It wasn’t pretty or explosive, but as I said, Boston Scott isn’t a tip of the spear caliber RB. Still, we stuck to our identity and ground out yardage and scores. That was the ask. (DONE)

2) Blitz On Long Downs: There were some 5 man rushes throughout the game, but not consistently enough, as was evinced by QB Taylor Heinicke (27/36 – 75.0% – 247 – 0 – 1), starting off 11/11. We didn’t really turn up the heat on him until the second half. Even then we played such loose coverage, that Washington was a threat to win, until Heinicke’s final pass to FS Rodney McLeod. (NOT DONE)

3) Knock Taylor on his Heinicke: In the second half, we got all over this! After the half, the Defensive Front came out looking to hunt. The pressure went up, and Heinicke kept finding himself running for his life, before ending up horizontal.

While it wasn’t frequently the product of blitzing, we were definitely getting the ball out of his hand earlier, as he became decidedly aware of how much heat we were bringing. (DONE)

4) Mr. Smith goes to Washington: Running the ball would have been easier if we could have emptied the box more. That would have been easy to do if WR Devonta Smith (6 – 3 – 54 – 18.0 – 0) had seen 7 to 8 targets. However, between Smith getting merely 6 targets, WR Quez Watkins (4 – 2 – 15 – 7.5 – 0) being a non-factor, and WR Jalen Reagor (Nope!) being trash, it was hard to stretch the field horizontally to create gaps.

Also, the Eagles spent a lot of time in Bunch Formations, with the receivers close to the Tackles. That allowed defenses to pack in. (NOT DONE)

****

So this week we posted 2 of the Four Things and accordingly, we barely escaped with a win. BUT WE WON!!! Next week we play a practice game against the Cowboys. It has no meaning since both of us have already qualified for the playoffs.

****

On The Whole:

For the second week in a row, we bodied a division rival.

RIP FYT

RIP FYT

We made the rest of their season meaningless. We reduced next week to a chance for their starters to take a pointless injury; or sit and let a back-up destabilize their job security.

And it feels good.

What feels even better, was clinching a playoff spot, with a rookie head coach, who was being mocked (even by me) a few weeks ago, for talking about motherfucking FLOWERS. This Spring I’m planting goddamned daffodils.

Even better than that, was doing it doing it during a rebuild year. (Did you hear that New York?) With a QB who was essentially a rookie. (Did you hear that Washington?) And while it’s true that we haven’t beaten a 10 win team all year, neither has Dallas. So we’re at least as legit as our division winner.

FOUR THINGS: WK 17: EAGLES – REDSKINS

Posted by The BEAST on 2022/01/01
Posted in: breakdown, Coaching, Defense, Four Things, NFC East, Offense, Players, playoffs, Preview, Rivals. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , . 1 Comment

LAST week the giants (4 -10 at the time) hadn’t yet been mathematically eliminated from playoff contention. Then we came along. BOOM! We bodied the giants. This week we go to Washington, to face their “not yet mathematically eliminated” football… Can you really call that mess, a team? I mean look…

Currently we hold the 7th seed in the playoffs, but at 8 – 7, we haven’t clinched it yet. That means we have to win to defend, the spot that we’re in. A win by us and a loss by the 7 – 8 Vikings, makes the magic happen before dawn Monday morning.

A win means we climb to 9 – 7. If the Vikings fall to 7 – 9, the only other NFC teams who could also get to 9 wins, are the 7 – 8 Falcons, and the 7 – 8 Saints. Both of whom we hold head-to-head tie-breakers over. So we need to win and we need Minny to lose.

If we lose, it could be catastrophic. Especially if the Vikings win. At that point, we’d a be a game out, and they’d be the 7th seed, by virtue of deep tie-breaking procedure. If that happens, we’d have to win next week and hope, PRAY that Minny loses.

Of course all of this solves itself, if we finish running the table.

****

The point of Four Things isn’t to predict a winner, it’s to discuss which tactics will practically guarantee our Eagles this win. CAUTION: I don’t have the faintest clue as to what a point spread is, and I know even less about how it works. I know football and that’s IT. If you use FT as a gambling tool, you are trying to lose your money, and will deserve it when you do.

So let’s talk about the Four Things we need to focus on this week versus the Redskins:

1) Don’t get cute: Run the ball. That’s who we are. That’s what we do. The NFL’s best hasn’t been able to stop us, and lord knows Washington can’t. We hung 238 rushing yards on them just 2 weeks ago. So keep it simple, and just come out running. Run until they stop us. If they stop us. They won’t stop us. They can’t stop us. Run the ball.

With RB Miles Sanders out, the Eagles need complimentary running now more than ever. We’ll likely start and lean on RB Boston Scott, but our run game is less violent when he or rookie RB Kenneth Gainwell is the tip of the spear, and neither has demonstrated enough break-away speed to offset being smaller and easy to tackle.

No one knows if RB Jordan Howard will be ready to come back from the stinger he suffered last week. If he’s going to play, he has to be ready to live up to his “Bulldozer” nickname. (Look it up.) If he can’t, my guess is that recently signed RB Kerryon Johnson will be elevated from the Practice Squad.

2) Blitz On Long Downs: Washington isn’t going to beat us by relying on dump passes to WR Adam Humphries and TE Ricky Seals-Jones. WR Terry McLaurin on the other hand is a big play guy who can swing, or kill momentum in a game. We have CB’s good enough to make life hard for him. However, it’s a lot easier to take him away as a downfield threat, if there’s no time for him to get deep.

Blitz the QB and get the ball out of his hand ASAP. I want to see more of OLB Genard Avery firing through the “B” gap. That or Avery and DE Josh Sweat leveraging the RT. Sacks here and there would be great, but what we really want, is for the QB to SEE the rush, and consistently treat the ball like a live hand grenade.

3) Knock Taylor on his Heinicke: Last time we played Washington, we played against a short notice fill-in at QB. Sadly, he looked better than he should have. Going against gunslinging QB Taylor Heinicke however, will pose a much stiffer challenge. He knows he’s not Washington’s future, so he plays every game like it’s an audition. He’s inspired to play hero-ball on every down. And that makes him dangerous.

So hit him. A lot.

The thing about auditioning constantly, is that he always needs a product (his body) to be in a condition where he can sell it. Taking extra damage for a team going nowhere? A team that he knows wants to bail on him?? No need for late hit flags, just let him know that his body is in danger. That should calm his heroic vibe, right the fuck down.

4) Mr. Smith goes to Washington: Get WR Devonta Smith 7 to 8 targets. And start early! Intimidation. That’s the point of this one. To create room to run underneath, we need to push DBs’s out of the box. So give Washington the choice of giving up a 30 yard pass, or a 7 yard run.

When they go split-Safety, and the Nickle is deeper than 5 yards, then we can audible to an inside run play. That way if we have to play a bunch of smaller RB’s, we can still gash Washington for chunks of rushing yardage.

(And when we do this, can the RB PLEASE angle toward the DB, instead of the LB? That creates a much higher chance of a broken tackle or a trucked defender.)

****

If we do these Four Things,

It would be disrespectful to flat out say that we should practice for the playoffs against the Redskins, but we do need to polish up on a few things.

We need to get sharper at throwing Screens. The way we do it now, tends to draw downfield blocking penalties, because QB Jalen Hurts often holds the ball too long. Better acting on pick plays is also needed.

We also need to establish a second outside threat, so that when teams take away Smith in the playoffs, it’s not all GoedertGoedertGoedertGoedertGoedert.

Small things done well, will lead to our Offense being terrifyingly consistent. That said, we don’t have a lot of time to get ready for the playoffs. That is, if we want to make any noise.

PREDICTION: EAGLES 24 – Redskins 16

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

FOUR THINGS REVIEWED: WK 16: giants

Posted by The BEAST on 2021/12/27
Posted in: breakdown, Conversations, Defense, Draft, Fans, Four Things, NFC East, NFL, Offense, Players, playoffs, Reviews, Rivals. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

THERE is no “quit” in this team.

EAGLES 34 – giants 10

EAGLES STATS:

New categories include an EXCLUSIVE weekly Offensive Line Report (Rushing TD’s + 3rd and 4th downs converted:missed of 2 yards or less – sacks allowed); as well as Drive Killer (Int – FR – 4th down Tackles – FF – TD).

Passing: (S ) QB Jalen Hurts (17/29 – 58.6% – 199 – 2 – 0)

Rushing: (S ) RB Miles Sanders (7 – 45 – 6.4 – 0 – 0)

Receiving: (S ) WR Devonta Smith (7 – 5 – 80 – 16.0 – 1)

Offensive Line Report: (2 + 1:2 – 1)

Drive Killer: (S ) OLB Alex Singleton (1 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 1)

Sack Leader: (S ) DE Josh Sweat (4 – 1.0 – 0 – 1)

****

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) Run Jordan for Miles: Sadly, both RB Miles Sanders (7 – 45 – 6.4 – 0 – 0) and RB Jordan Howard (9 – 37 – 4.1 – 0 – 0) were injured during the game, but not before combining for 82 yard on 16 carries (5.1 ypc). When RB Boston Scott (12 – 41 – 3.4 – 1 – 0) was called on to fill-in, he added an early score.

Scott’s contribution to this team is not to be overlooked. However, the loss of pop in his legs as his usage piled up, was noticeable. Again. If Sanders and Howard are going to keep finding their way into street clothes during games, the Eagles are going to need to carry four active players at this position. (DONE)

2) Feature Devonta: Who lead the team in receiving yards? Devonta did! Who led the team in catches? Devonta did that too! Who led the team in targets? Oh my gaw- Was that Devonta? Why yes it was Devonta! Who led the team in touchdown catches? RT Lane Johnson ( 1 – 1 – 1.0 – 1) tied for the team lead with that.

This was a game where we needed our best, to be our best, and Devonta stepped up and was that. His touchdown catch had almost enough toe drag swag, to give me a foot fetish. Right Rex? (DONE)

3) Blow up the Center: We did this, but we did quite a few other things too. This factored in the most, on the interception that QB Jake Fromm (6/17 – 35.2% – 25 – 0 – 1) threw to FS Rod McLeod (1 – 0.0 – 1 – 0). Fromm couldn’t step into his throw, tried to muscle it in, and it sailed on him. Right into McLeod’s mitts.

We were getting away with doing so many different things to Fromm, that the giants pulled him in the third quarter, and sent out QB Mike Glennon (17/27 – 62.9% – 93 – 1 – 1). Glennon came out and threw two touchdowns. If you count the one to Eagles LB Alex Singleton. (DONE)

4) Be Active Pre-snap: We did some of this, but not enough of it. Fromm seemed more flustered by the speed of the game and the pass rush, than he was by the reads. While his percentage looks awful, Fromm didn’t throw the ball into dangerous places, and generally on his incompletions it was easy to understand his decision making. (NOT DONE)

****

So that gives us 3 of the Four Things, and an easy victory to boot. Next week we get to visit Washington! Their team (at 6 – 9) is still mathematically alive for playoff contention. So of course we have to do to them, what we just did to New York.

****

On The Whole:

The Offense can’t afford slow starts like this. Scoring 3 points in an entire half of a game is unacceptable. Of course, that’s what will happen when the head coach gets cute.

Look, the Eagles offensive strength is running the ball. So why were 6 of our first 7 plays, passes? Simple. It was Head Coach Nick Sirianni looking to prove how clever he is. That cost us the game last time. This time he wised up.

As a result, we ENDED THE giants SEASON.

FOUR THINGS: WK 16: EAGLES – giants

Posted by The BEAST on 2021/12/26
Posted in: breakdown, Coaching, Defense, Four Things, NFC East, Offense, Players, playoffs, Preview, Rivals, Roster. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , . 1 Comment

WASHINGTON got tossed last week, and now it’s New York’s turn. This game, instead of being cute like last time, expect a brutal, grinding effort, from our no nonsense ground attack.

From a purely mathematical standpoint, the giants have yet be officially eliminated from the playoff picture. No matter. At 1:00 today, the Eagles will be walking Ol’ Yeller out to where the red fern grows. And that should be that.

Win or lose this week, our playoff chances will still be alive, likely with us on the outside looking in. However, an Eagles win combined with several things, could put us on the inside. If we win and go to 8 – 7, then with :

A Vikings loss to the Rams, MIN falls to 7 – 8, putting Philadelphia in the 7th seed.

That’s it. That’s all the help we need for now.

****

The point of Four Things isn’t to predict a winner, it’s to discuss which tactics will practically guarantee our Eagles this win. CAUTION: I don’t have the faintest clue as to what a point spread is, and I know even less about how it works. I know football and that’s IT. If you use FT as a gambling tool, you are trying to lose your money, and will deserve it when you do.

So let’s talk about the Four Things we need to focus on this week versus the giants:

1) Run Jordan for Miles: I said this the last time and we didn’t do it en route to a 7 – 13 loss. Look, the giants are a division rival. They’re wise to the Read Option, because we showed it last year under Pederson. Now they’ve seen it under Sirianni. Being cute won’t beat a division rival. Being a rival requires exploiting their faults, with your built-in advantages.

Last time, we faced this team, our rushing attack was spearheaded by QB Jalen Hurts and RB Boston Scott. Between them, they accounted for all 4 of our turnovers. Scott is a plucky guy, but he’s small and he wears down. No one wants to admit it, but our opponents know it.

Rotating RB Miles Sanders with RB Jordan Howard, is how you tire out a defensive front. That one-two, working of the body, allows Hurts to maximize his potential. We did it wrong the last time, and we couldn’t manage 10 points because of it. This isn’t rocket science.

2) Feature Devonta: Our coaches have spent weeks manufacturing passing yards, instead of saying “My guy can flat-out beat your guy”. We need to be able to push the ball down the field, to keep space open for the run game. That’s where WR Devonta Smith comes in. In the last game, we showed the giants that they don’t even have to cover WR Jalen Reagor. So we need an actual threat. Which we drafted Smith to be. Right?

It’s time to see if we have that, in Smith. If we do, then we just may have the QB/WR combo that we need for the future. If we don’t, then we may need to figure out which end of that QB/WR combo needs tweaking. This is the time of year, not September, when that test means the most.

3) Blow up the Center: giants QB Jake Fromm is making his first NFL start in this game. The strategy that most teams use on inexperienced QB’s, is to try forcing mistakes by blitzing the young fella. We can do better than that. We can rush the “A” gaps and take away Fromm’s ability to stand in, or climb the pocket.

Better still, inverting the pocket won’t allow Fromm to step into his throws. A first start, versus a Philly crowd, and suddenly he can’t even trust his own delivery? That has all the makings of a Pompeiian picnic for New York.

4) Be Active Pre-snap: Everybody knows, QB’s like to look at the alignment of the Secondary pre-snap. Just to get an idea of whether or not there is an easy throw to be made. “Are there any gimmies?” We should let Fromm get a look pre-snap, and then subtly shift the alignment once or twice on him.

The idea is to get him to second guess his placement on his passes. We want to feed him doubt on most downs, and punish his team when he’s confident on others.

If we do these Four Things,

We will walk away from this game above .500, and with our playoff hopes intact. No doubt. 

****

PREDICTION: EAGLES 28 – giants 13

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

FOUR THINGS REVIEWED: WK 15: REDSKINS

Posted by The BEAST on 2021/12/22
Posted in: breakdown, Coaching, Conversations, Defense, Four Things, NFC East, Offense, Players, playoffs, Reviews, Rivals, Roster, stats. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

WE’LL be .500 for Christmas!

EAGLES 27 – Redskins 17

EAGLES STATS:

New categories include an EXCLUSIVE weekly Offensive Line Report (Rushing TD’s + 3rd and 4th downs converted:missed of 2 yards or less – sacks allowed); as well as Drive Killer (Int – FR – 4th down Tackles – FF – TD).

Passing: (S ) QB Jalen Hurts (20/26 – 76.9% – 296 – 1 – 1)

Rushing: (S ) RB Miles Sanders (18 – 131 – 7.2 – 0 – 0)

Receiving: (S ) TE Dallas Goedert (9 – 7 – 135 – 19.2 – 0)

Offensive Line Report: (2 + 4:2 – 3)

Drive Killer: (S ) DT Fletcher Cox (0 – 0 – 0 – 1 – 0)

Sack Leader: (S ) DT Fletcher Cox (3 – 1.5 – 0 – 1)

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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: Redskins (1) did the Eagles actually get around to doing? Well let’s see:

1) Use the 12th Man: Eagles fans were out IN FORCE for this one. The idea here was to have the players drive the crowd, but that hardly was necessary. Even when the Eagles were in a 0 – 10 hole to start the game, the crowd was never truly out of it. There were some boos, but really that crowd last night was one of the best I’ve ever seen.

The first 10 points we gave up were the result of weirdness, but no one was worried that level of weirdness was going to happen on every drive, for four straight quarters. It of course didn’t, and a wolf ate a sheep. Nature took it’s course. In part because the crowd never stopped making it hard on the opponent, during cold, dark, misty conditions. Well done Philadelphia. Well done. (DONE)

2) Run the Ball: There were 41 runs to 26 pass attempts (61.1% run). While 8 of those runs were by Hurts, he pulls the ball down so early that it’s not always easy to know what was a called run and what was a legitimate scramble. So from here on out, I’m just lumping his runs in with the handoffs. Otherwise it’s like picking gnat shit out of pepper.

We stuck to our identity, even when down 0 – 10. It allowed us to get a rhythm and settle our QB, who looked tight to start the game. Though he’d missed just one game, in real-time, he hadn’t seen action in nearly a month. We didn’t overplay our hand, or play down to the opponent. As a result we piled up 238 yards on the ground. (DONE)

3) Blitz from our right: Shout out to OLB Genard Avery (1 tackle) had a great run-stuff off the right (which came damned close to being offsides). Aside from that, there was never a concerted effort to get the ball out of the hand of QB Garrett Gilbert (20/31 – 64.5% – 194 – 0 – 0).

Our lack of aggressive defense allowed this kid to look better than he had any right to. Let me say right now, this approach won’t beat Washington twice this year. If we want a sweep in two weeks, we’ll have to dial up far more pressure. (NOT DONE)

4) Don’t force-feed Reagor: Turns out WR Quez Watkins (2 – 2 – 14 – 7.0 – 0) was able to play in this one, so there was no need to overuse WR Jalen Reagor (3 – 3 – 57 – 19.0 – 0). Reagor caught all three of his targets, and even threatened to score once. If calling him “trash” results in him contributing like this, I will call him “heated garbage soup” every week next season.

We forced nothing to him and he had 57 yards. I said in the Third Quarter Report that we need a non-Devonta WR to contribute 50 yards per game, over these last 4. We just got it from Reagor, without force-feeding him. (DONE)

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That gives us 3 out of the Four Things for this week. In five days, we get to extend five knuckles worth of hospitality to the giants as we host them Sunday afternoon. A win in that game, will make us an above .500 team to bring in the New Year.

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On The Whole:

As I said, if we put up 25 points, that should do the trick. Even at full strength the Redskins can’t manufacture points very well. Well we put up 27, and they only put up the points they did, because early in the game Jesus Klaus gifted them with a bizarre couple of turnovers.

Jalen Hurts just got his first win over an NFC East opponent. We’re technically still just outside of the picture, but now that we’re 7 – 7, we can legitimately bring up the playoffs as a subject.

When the game was scheduled for Sunday, the plan may have been for QB Gardner Minshew and Hurts to each get snaps. However, this delay allowed Hurts’s ankle to get to full strength. As a result, the only snaps Minshew saw, were the ones played by Hurts. So there is no QB controversy.

(FYI: The QB position is still VERY MUCH under evaluation. There’s just no question about the pecking order. Today.)

THE NFL VS EAGLES PLAYOFF HOPES

Posted by The BEAST on 2021/12/18
Posted in: Conspiracy Corner, Conversations, Crazy Talk, Fans, NFC East, NFL, playoffs, Rants, Rivals, Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

THIS is some bullshit!! Our game against the Washington Redskins (don’t bother complaining), was postponed for two days, from Sunday to Tuesday. My biggest gripe with this is pretty the same gripe that every Eagles fan has: It robs us of two days rest and prep on the back-end for the giants game next Sunday.

If we were tanking and just running down the season, it wouldn’t matter and none of us would care. However, we are trying to make a push to qualify for the playoffs. In fact, as of today it’s still mathematically possible (though highly unlikely) that we could win the division. So anything that rocks our boat, acts as a hindrance to that effort.

What makes this so heinous, is that this hindrance was a deliberate act, handed down from the league itself. Worse, is the felling that we are being punished for the Redskins irresponsibility, while they seem to be receiving a form of clemency for it.

And honestly, what is to be gained from giving Washington two more days? They didn’t start tagging players until Tuesday the 14th. The quarantine period is 10 days. Tuesday the 21st is just 7 days from the earliest diagnoses. Some players weren’t popping until Friday the 17th. That’s just FOUR days. The CDC itself says that these windows wouldn’t be wide enough.

Players need two negative tests in 48 hours to return. If they were being watched for exposure, that’s one thing, but for those INFECTED, they can’t come back on Tuesday. They still have to quarantine because they may still be shedding virus, regardless of what the tests say about their infection state. Virus can be shed over a period of 8 – 31 days.

So the Redskins get no additional benefit from the two days. At best, all it does is slow US down.

Back in the Summer, the NFL declared that teams who didn’t follow proper protocols, and had outbreaks of Covid among their players and coaches, faced possible forfeitures as a consequence. Well, the instant that was tested, that policy flew right out the window.

Understand, the NFL is currently discussing moving other games as well. So it’s entirely possible that the giants game could also be moved. However, that ripple of a short week WILL show up in the next four. Given that we’re at the low-end of a playoff push, and ALL FOUR of these games are against division opponents, this is some ultimate fuckery.

This is some bullshit!

FOUR THINGS: WK 15: EAGLES – REDSKINS

Posted by The BEAST on 2021/12/17
Posted in: breakdown, Coaching, Defense, Four Things, NFC East, NFL, Offense, Players, playoffs, Preview, Rivals. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , . 1 Comment

FOOTBALL is back!!! Well, maybe. If Washington can’t field enough players because of the Covid outbreak on their team, we may be awarded this one by forfeit. Last time I checked, they had 21 players in the Covid Protocol. Sheesh!

Provided that we do get to play, is there a way we can make Washington play in hazmat suits? And can they bring their own benches? We don’t need Covid leaving any Redskins residue on our furniture.

And don’t give me any flack about “dead-naming” the Redskins. When they get around to getting an actual name, I’ll get around to actually using it. Currently what they have, is an adjective, and an adjective should never be a name. Isn’t that right Negro Man, and Menopausal Woman?

See?

With a win, we get to 7 – 7. We’ll likely be just on the outside of the playoff picture, in 8th place. Many speculate that we’d move into 7th place, but they’re ignoring or forgetting that if Minnesota beats Chicago (extremely likely), they’d also be 7 – 7 , with a 5 – 4 conference record to match ours. The difference would be their 3 – 1 division record to our 1 – 2 division record.

To move into the 7th place, we need to win, and for the Vikings to lose.

With a loss, we’d fall to 6 – 8. Even though that would still not mathematically eliminate us, we’d need a lot of things to break our way to qualify. Best to take care of business ourselves.

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The point of Four Things isn’t to predict a winner, it’s to discuss which tactics will practically guarantee our Eagles this win. CAUTION: I don’t have the faintest clue as to what a point spread is, and I know even less about how it works. I know football and that’s IT. If you use FT as a gambling tool, you are trying to lose your money, and will deserve it when you do.

So let’s talk about the Four Things we need to focus on this week versus the Redskins:

1) Use the 12th Man: With a ton of new starters on both sides of the ball for Washington, there are bound to be communication errors here and there. We can magnify that, and make it 100 times worse. Keeping the crowd pumped, will help drive opponent mistakes, which will in turn help excite the crowd, and in turn, make it harder for our opponent to communicate well, etc.

2) Run the Ball: First, running has become our identity. During a playoff push and a playoff run, a team really needs to be in-touch with who and what they are. Second, getting mauled, punked, bullied, rag-dolled, beat-up, and pushed around is demoralizing. We need to break their will to fight back, by punishing them when they do. Passing won’t get that done as viciously.

3) Blitz from our right: Our right is their QB’s left. It’s his blindside. He’s already going to be uncomfortable relying on a makeshift offensive line. Serving him hits that he didn’t see coming, will wreck his focus, and cause him to rush passes, and make mistakes more frequently.

4) Don’t force-feed Reagor: Honestly, the kid is trash. He’s straight-up caustic, burning garbage.

However, with #2 WR Quez Watkins out due to Covid, our remaining WR’s are Jalen Reagor, Greg Ward, and J.J. Arcega-Whiteside. Slim pickings at a time when we needed someone to step up and be the Robin to Devonta Smith’s Batman.

With Watkins out, the Eagles don’t have a second outside threat. Second year WR John Hightower might get called up from the Practice Squad. He has 4.4 speed and he gets open quickly, but his hands are suspect. Or at least they were last year. However, if he plays Sunday and shows that he can hold onto passes… 

If we do these Four Things,

We’d better win this damned game! If Washington manages to beat us, we need to deep-six any hope or talk of the playoffs.

We average 25 points per game. Washington is 2 – 4 this year, when their opponent scores 25 points, and those wins were over the giants and Falcons.

Let. Me. Re-iterate.

Washington had to win shootouts, to beat the Falcons and the giants. So if we put up 25, we should be good, right? I’m looking at you Jonathan Gannon! And so is this brick that I’m holding. So we’re gonna win, right? Right?! My man!

Oh by the way! Check out what Head Coach Nick Sirianni said!

Remember the guy who told you about this in June, before we traded for QB Gardner Minshew? And again in September, soon after we traded for Minshew? And again in November?

Of courrrrse. That guy was meeeee. And here we arrrrre.

Exactly where I told you we’d be. 

The last time this coaching staff tried to experiment, it led to Jalen Reagor tea-bagging everyone who believed in him. We need to run the table here, so this is no time to get cute or “clever”.

This week is being served up like a softball pitch. It’s practically tee-ball. If the Eagles botch this, we have no right to use the word “playoffs” until the next time we actually qualify.

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PREDICTION: EAGLES 27 – Redskins 12

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