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)

****

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.

****

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.

****

PREDICTION: EAGLES 27 – Redskins 12

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

2021 QUARTERLY REPORT CARD: THIRD QUARTER

Posted by The BEAST on 2021/12/12
Posted in: breakdown, Conversations, Defense, Draft, NFC East, Offense, Players, playoffs, report, Reviews, Roster, Special Teams, stats. Tagged: , , , , , , , , . 1 Comment

SEASON Reviews are usually done at the end of the season. A few are also done at the halfway mark. Starting in 2017, Eaglemaniacal.com began treating the season like a game, and breaking it into four quarters.

In 2021, the NFL expanded the season to 17 games, which makes for an uneven split. So this year (at least), these Quarterly Reports will come after Weeks 5, 9, 13, and 17. (Ugh. I hate even looking at that format.)

Since football is a hard sport, we’ll take a hard look at where our team currently stands, in relation to where it started. Then we can discuss where it needs to go next.

STATUS: 6 – 7, 3rd place in the NFC East, (Points per game: +25.9/-22.4)

OPPONENTS:

( W ) Denver                 6 – 6

( W ) New Orleans        5 – 7

( L ) New York giants    4 – 8

( W ) New York Jets      3 – 9

OVERVIEW:

On the one hand Head Coach Nick Sirianni deserves credit for staying the course to get us back into the playoff conversation. On the other hand he deserves the blame for sticking with a Defensive Coordinator who has cost us at least three games (49ers, Bucs, and Chargers.) The giants loss is on Sirianni, for  trying to force-feed a draft bust. Picture us being 9 – 4 right now.

Having found a devastating ground game, the Eagles have managed to battle back to 6 – 7 after a 3 – 6 start, and have turned the season on it’s ear. The players have put themselves in a position to not only make the playoffs, but with some help, possibly even win the East.  

Even now, during the Bye Week, today’s game between Washington (6 – 6) and Dallas (8 – 4) stands to help us out. A Dallas loss keeps them from pulling away definitively with the division. A Washington loss doesn’t allow them to cement the number two spot. So either the top spot or the second spot, should become far less secure before 5:00pm.

Here’s how we look with 4 games left to decide.

GRADES:

QB (C ) – In this last quarter of the season, Jalen Hurts has clearly regressed. His last three games have seen his passing yardage slide from 178 to 147 to 129. His accuracy has gone from 69.5% to 54.1 to 45.1. Touchdown to interception ratio? That has gone from 2:1, to 0:0, to 0:3. Over that same span, his pass attempts have gone from 23 to 24 to 31. So literally, the more he throws, the worse he’s been. Those are facts, and they are beyond dispute.

Gardner Minshew stepping in for an injured Hurts, and throwing for 242 yards, 2 touchdowns, and completing 80% of his passes, only throws more light on the Hurts issue. Granted, it was against the Jets, but it was also a QB in a new system, throwing to guys he hasn’t really worked with. It was our back-up vs their starters, and we scored on 7 of 8 drives, with three touchdown drives to open the game.

Let me say this plainly: Jalen Hurts is NOT progressing in his ability to play NFL QB. This coaching staff (and half the fan base) has been giving him a pass, because of his ability to run.

Minshew just gave fans a taste of a what an Eagles passing game could look like. From here on out, Hurts either has to be better, or the coaches will have to get better at making excuses for why a player advertised as being highly coachable, has not improved in over a season’s worth of play.

RB (A ) – Miles Sanders coughed the ball up a couple of weeks ago, but otherwise has been extremely effective, posting 308 yards and 5.6 yards per tote over this quarter. That has been regardless of whether we were running a Read Option or Traditional run concept. Boston Scott has chipped in 161 yards at a clip of 4.8 per carry.

Until this week Kenneth Gainwell hadn’t been very effective as a runner this quarter. But I guess a game against the Jets will cure that. Jordan Howard was killing defenses with 146 yards on 22 carries (6.6 per tote!). Then he hurt his knee and has missed the last two games.

WR (D ) – A month ago, Devonta Smith had back to back big games, but since then he has been de-emphasized in the passing game, in favor of Jalen Reagor, and Smith has let his frustration be known to his coach. Reagor continues to be a flop in every aspect of the game of football, and the results of force-feeding him the ball (13 targets, 5 catches, 49 yards, 9.8 ypc) has only highlighted how foolish it was to spend a draft pick, or a dollar on him. Quez Watkins ( 14 – 9 – 116 – 12.8 – 0) has played a lot of snaps, but he doesn’t see nearly as many targets as he should.

In the last four games, none of the 5 players at this position has posted 70 yards. No player at this position has seen 10 targets in a game since Week 4. It is doubtless that this position is underperforming, however it is difficult to produce without the football even coming your way.

For all the fanfare that the run game has garnered, those rushing yards would be even easier to come by if opponents had any fear or respect for our outside passing game.

TE (C ) – Dallas Goedert was effective with Hurts (13 – 8 – 90 -11.2 – 0) throwing him the ball. However, with Minshew (6 – 6 – 105 – 17.5 – 2) Goedert could be terrifying over the long-haul. Jack Stoll has seen his snaps take a steep dive, as the coaching staff has been running more 11 than 12 Personnel. So his presence on the field literally is telegraphing R-U-N to defenses. We need to throw him some passes if only to legitimize him as an eligible receiver. Still waiting to glimpse Tyree Jackson’s potential.

OT (A ) – Neither RT Lane Johnson, nor LT Jordan Mailata has missed a single snap this quarter. Also during this stretch, Mailata has gone into the business of making sure his opponents eat some pancakes.

Such a nice young man.

Seriously though, these guys have been distributing Act Right to opponents, almost like a burning bush told them it was their only mission in Life. It’s one of the primary reasons that the Eagles are running for 212 yards per game over these last 4 games. In the last game we piled up 185. With no Jalen Hurts. This position has been amazing.

OG (C ) – Landon Dickerson is the future at LG. Even when Isaac Seumalo comes back from injury. Dickerson is a mauler in the run game. That allows us to run strong anywhere along the line, not just to the right. There are still nuances of pass pro that he has to get down, but that will come with time and facing different types of pass rushers.

Jack “Of All Trades” Driscoll was solid, until he was lost for the season. Replacing him is Nate “Too Big” Herbig. So we have one versatile guy filling in for another versatile guy, who was filling in for a Pro Bowl caliber player. The step down would be massive, if not for the men just to right and to the left of the RG spot. Herbig isn’t the most explosive player (which will hurt us on QB sneaks), but he’s a wide body who isn’t easy to push round.

C (B ) – Jason Kelce Is setting a great example with his attitude and mental toughness, through what has to be his last campaign. He has missed snaps in each of the last 4 games, and it’s becoming apparent that sheer grit and the possibility of a playoff spot, is what is getting him through.

The guy who’s filled in for him has been Nate Herbig. It’s long been rumored that Herbig is Kelce’s successor at the pivot. That would be awesome. While Herbig lacks true explosiveness when playing G, that deficiency is largely negated when snapping the ball.

DE (F ) – Through 4 games this position added 2.5 sacks and 5 hits on QB’s. Josh Sweat and Derek Barnett are playing both fewer snaps in number, and a lesser percentage of the total snaps. That says that the position is becoming more of a rotation. Maybe to light a fire under the starters, maybe to see if the bench was hiding a star. Still, it’s been a low production position. There are other factors at play here, but the bottom line is that through ¾ of a season, this position looks weak.

DT (C ) – Javon Hargrave added 1.5 sacks this quarter to bring him to a career-high 7.5. Fletcher Cox has 3 QB hits this quarter, but no sacks since Week 5. In fact, he has just 1 this season. Oddly enough, whenever he misses a few downs here or there, his absence is immediately felt. Milton Williams looks like a solid rotational pass rusher, but he cannot be confused with an every down difference maker. Hassan Ridgeway started this quarter with is snap share at just 22%, but has seen it tick up each week to 37%.

OLB (C ) – Davion Taylor was making progress as a starter, when he suffered what the Eagles called a knee sprain, which later required surgery, and now has him on IR.

(The Eagles have yet to confirm exactly what the surgery is for, but my experience and my gut says meniscus tear. That’s by no means official, but when they say it in 2022, remember where you heard it first in 2021.)

Due to the injury, Alex Singleton has reclaimed his starting role. He went right back to work as a tackling machine, and had been more impactful than he was before being benched in favor of Taylor. Genard Avery is seeing fewer snaps these days as the Eagles are using more Big Nickel.

MLB (A ) – T.J. Edwards hardly ever leaves the field anymore. This indicates that the Eagles have finally stopped worrying about the rumored “athletic limitations” that stemmed from the 2019 Combine. When given the opportunity, Edwards has shown that he can flat-out play football. It only took two seasons, but being geniuses, the Eagles have swiftly caught on! (Was that too much sarcasm?)

Edwards has not only made tackles, but he’s snagged a pass and recovered fumble, giving him a pair of takeaways this quarter.

S (D ) – Rodney McLeod is no longer an impact player on the back end. He always seems a step (or two) slow, and his tackles lack any authority. I get the feeling that he won’t be back in 2022 and he knows it, which is why he’s playing so passively.

Anthony Harris is like a smaller Landon Collins. He’s more than willing to lay a hit, but he’s not much of a factor vs the pass, as he’s only gotten his hand on a pass ONCE this season.

Marcus Epps just snagged his first pick, and leads players at this position with 4 passes defensed despite playing just 49% of the defensive snaps this season. This position would benefit from making him a starter over McLeod or Harris.

CB (C ) – Darius Slay has posted a sack, an interception, a fumble recovery, and two touchdowns this quarter. He’s been targeted 17 times for 6 completions, and surrendered just 58 yards. Steve Nelson though! Teams seem to be picking on him these days, with 10 completions on 16 targets (62.5%), 109 yards, and two scores allowed. Avonte Maddox has allowed 17/22 (77.2%), for 181, and a score.

Two players giving up over 62% completion rates and over 10 yards per completion, is a recipe for not being able to get off the field. This has to be addressed! Rookie Zech McPhearson has played 70 snaps in the last 4 games, but is 5/2, for just 22 yards. Let me reiterate. In his last 70 snaps, our rookie has been thrown at just five times. FIVE! Keep an eye out for him.

LS (A ) – Last time I did one of these, I mentioned that Rick Lovato didn’t have an tackles yet. In the last 4 games he’s posted 2 solo. The man is a BEAST and an animal!

P (A ) – Arryn Sipos is still averaging 45 yards (45.2) per boot. Of the 12 punts he’s had this quarter, 7 were returned for 65 yards, which is 9.2 per return. Not great, but it’s down nearly 3 yards from the 12 yards per return last quarter. That suggests that his kicking is being timed better with his coverage unit. Improvement is always applauded.

K (A ) – Jake Elliott was 11/11 on extra points and 11/11 on field goals during the quarter. For points he’s been absolute money since Week 7. Absolute. As in no flaws. As in resplendent clarity. If he were a diamond, you could see next and last year in him. Flawless!

Kickoffs however, are increasingly a problem. Of his 26 kickoffs, 19 were touchbacks (70.3%). Could be better, but not alarming. The returns (7 – 221 – 31.5 – 0) are worse than the 22.2 we were giving up last quarter.

At this point, this can’t put on Elliott. At this point, Special Teams Coordinator Michael Clay owns the blame for this. Elliott is what he is. There is enough tape to know this by now. Kickoff duty should have been reassigned by now. Either that or the kickoff strategy should have been altered, to place the ball inside the numbers, to let the coverage unit cup that side of the field, from hash mark to side line.

PR/KR (F ) – WR Jalen Reagor hasn’t exactly set the world on fire with his punt returning (14 – 90 – 6.4 – 0). While he’s doing a ton more returning this quarter vs last report (just one return), he never is a threat to break one. His kick returning (7 – 116 – 16.5 – 0) is equally dreadful.

KC (F ) – This quarter’s 31.5 yard per kickoff return is again, alarming. It seems that we are not able to get this issue under control. On the plus side we’ve gone from allowing 9.5 yards per punt return to 9.4, so improvement must be celebrated.

SINCE LAST QUARTER:

I said that 2 – 2 would probably keep our playoff hopes alive, but that 3 – 1 would almost certainly do the trick. Well we went 3 – 1, and right now, are mathematically on the outside of the playoff picture. However, due to upcoming match-ups for all of the Wild Card candidates, we are still VERY much in the thick of the hunt.

In fact, we could still pull off winning the division.

Here’s how the Eagles win the East: We run the table, and Dallas gets swept by Washington. That’s it. That’s everything that has to happen. That would set it in stone.

MISSION FOR THIS QUARTER:

RUN THE FUCKING TABLE! It’s as simple as 10 wins and we’re in. Right now, I want to see us crack the playoffs and potentially get hot, right when everyone really needs us not to. I want the Eagles to scare the boiled shit out of the NFL, and possibly bring Philly another parade.

So this quarter we have to find a second receiver, so we can keep our run game open. We need a WR besides Devonta to either average 50 yards per game, or score twice in the next two games. Either would work to spread defenses. Jalen Hurts running for touchdowns in the red zone (unless they’re on QB Sneaks) has to stop. We need to diversify our attack.

For those of you watching the Draft picks:

We already have three first round picks, and any team that makes the playoffs is going to be picking 18th and lower. Currently we’re 6 – 7, the Colts are 7 – 6, and the Dolphins are 6 – 7. All of us could make the playoffs this year, which would make those picks better as ammunition for a later Draft.

All of that however, is already in the bag! So while we’re winning, stop thinking about the picks. Picks are for next season. We’re still alive in this one. We need all your positive energy and focus, on a possible parade for this season.

That said, if we lose the next two and fall to 6 – 9, then we should tank, and try to get at least ONE pick in the top 10. But while we have a chance at the playoffs, tanking is OFF the table.

FOUR THINGS REVIEWED: WK 13: Jets

Posted by The BEAST on 2021/12/06
Posted in: breakdown, Coaching, Conversations, Defense, Four Things, NFL, Offense, Players, Reviews, stats. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

EAGLES Aces shoot down Jets.

EAGLES 33 – Jets 18

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 (20/25 – 80.0% – 242 – 2 – 0)

Rushing: (S) RB Miles Sanders (24 – 120 – 5.0 – 0 – 0)

Receiving: (S) TE Dallas Goedert (6 – 6 – 105 – 17.5 – 2)

Offensive Line Report: (1 + 2:1 – 1)

Drive Killer: (R ) S Marcus Epps (1 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0)

Sack Leader: (S) DE Josh Sweat (3 – 1.5 – 0 – 0)

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

1) Play Our Aces: Second and third stringers were sprinkled in here and there, in this game. However, it was mostly just sprinkling in. There was none of the Emotional Fuckwitage of last week’s debacle, with bench players frequently in for key possessions.

Our lead RB had more carries and rushing yards than all Eagles, combined. The weekly mismatch that is our starting TE, led the team in targets and even scored twice. It’s a simple formula folks, and it worked with an unnerving amount of ease. (DONE)

2) Interior Pass Rush: While DT Javon Hargrave (2 – 0.5 – 0 – 0) did get a piece of the QB, the interior pass rush wasn’t nearly as sharp as it needed to be. The knee-jerk response will be to blame the loose coverage, which allowed the Jets to complete passes at will, early in the game. However, the DT’s weren’t rushing into those ‘A’ gaps at the snap, either. The hole in that strategy was never adjusted, and was a game-long unforced error. (NOT DONE)

3) Talent Has To Win: This was not the week to get cute. We simply needed to maul a motherfucker and run the ball. We did.

There were 37 hand-offs and 25 pass attempts, with just 4 QB runs (ratio 37:29). Hand-offs were called 56% of the time. We just butchered and BBQed whichever Human sacrifices the Jets laid on our altar. (DONE)

4) Make secure tackles: Did a great job out there today. OLB Alex Singleton (8 – 0 – 0 – 0) came to play today. Can we talk for a minute, about that killshot that SS Anthony Harris (3 – 0 – 0 – 0) put on RB Tevin Coleman (11 – 58 – 5.2 – 0 – 0)? Coleman got up with a lil’ bit o’the wavy leg. We need more hitting like that. (DONE)

****

That’s 3 of Four Things completed this week and look! It results in an easy win. Go figure that! Our next opponent is the Bye Week.

Hopefully everyone gets the hell away from football for a week. Don’t even watch it. Sleep-in a couple days. Visit family. Catch-up/binge watch a favorite show. Anonymously volunteer as Santa somewhere. Just defrag and come back loose.

The four weeks that follow our Bye, will not be easy. So celebrate this week lads! Have a Bud Light with C Jason Kelce and our other friends.

For when you return, Hell and all of it’s hounds will be waiting for you at the gates off your own home.

****

On The Whole:

I could rant about Defensive Coordinator Johnathan Gannon calling a passive game again, but I won’t. We just need to replace him. See? No muss. No fuss. No rant. I want to talk about something important today.

A mostly healthy group of starters, led by a back-up QB, who (wink) really isn’t a back-up QB. Sounds downright Folseian™ doesn’t it? To some extent that’s probably why Eagles fans have this glow about them right now. It feels familiar. It feels warm. We played a game where even when we were down, you were never really worried.

That 3rd and 19 play, late in the first half. That’s a pivotal moment that begs discussion. If you blink, you can easily miss it’s significance.

WR Quez Watkins (3 – 3 – 60 – 20 – 0) starts out on the right side of the formation, and crosses field to the left-side numbers. The first read apparently isn’t open, but Minshew stays alive in the pocket, and throws the ball between the numbers and the sideline. It’s not a super-accurate pass. Minshew relies on Watkins to meet the ball, and he does for a splendid 22 yard completion.

If QB Jalen Hurts is in there, and his first read isn’t open, what happens? He runs right. He gets out of the pocket, looking down the right sideline. Maybe he runs. Maybe he throws a laser down the right stripe. However, the right isn’t where the open play was. If Hurts is in there, because of his well-known lack of vision, that play to Watkins never happens. This is of supreme importance for several reasons.

Coming into this game, this season Watkins played 12 games with 10 starts. That’s 12 games with 578 snaps played (74%). He came into Week 13 averaging 35.9 yards per game AS A STARTER. The only games where he had 60 yards? This one, and the one where he caught 2 passes for 117 yards, one of which was 91 yards. This is the definition of underutilized.

Establishing a real #2 WR would help loosen things up for the TE, and the #1 WR. And oh yeah, the run too. Better QB play could make other players more dangerous.

The Eagles aren’t about to make a change at QB over the Bye. That’s not what this is about. THIS, is a heads up. This is a snapshot. It’s a jigsaw piece.

Most of the fan base can’t see the puzzle, because right now, we’re standing on it. But have patience Dear Reader. Eventually all will reveal itself. All we have to do, is play a series of games.

FOUR THINGS: WK 13: EAGLES – JETS

Posted by The BEAST on 2021/12/04
Posted in: breakdown, Coaching, Defense, Four Things, NFL, Offense, Players, Preview. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , . 1 Comment

RETURNING to the scene of last week’s crime, and leaving with a different result. That’s the focus for this week. Running the ball with RB Miles Sanders and getting it downfield to WR Devonta Smith, will go a long way to meeting our goal.

Just don’t get cute.

A win gets us to 6 – 7, but Sunday night at 7:30 (unless something weird happens), we will likely still be on the outside looking in, with regards to one of the three Wild Card spots. That said, playoffs can’t be the focus right now. We need to find a way to string wins together first.

A loss drops us to 5 – 8. While it wouldn’t mathematically eliminate us, you have to wonder if it wouldn’t be smart, to go into Draft Assessment Mode.

****

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 Jets:

1) Play Our Aces: A big part of last week’s loss, was the coaching staff constantly rolling out back-up players, then trying to make them into something they aren’t, by forcing-feeding them the ball. The result was that we scored 7 points, and turned the ball over 4 times.

We need to lean on Sanders, Smith and TE Dallas Goedert. When teams get the ball to their best players, it tends to help them win games instead of lose them. We should try that! It’ll likely help a great deal, regardless of who starts at QB.

2) Interior Pass Rush: DT’s Fletcher Cox and Javon Hargrave need to collapse the ‘A’ gaps, and force the Jets young QB out of the pocket. We need to help our opponent make mistakes, not just hope for them.

3) Talent Has To Win: Offensively we will not out-scheme the Jets. Surely QB Joe Flacco has given up the tapes about the Eagles system and play-book. He likely understands it’s nuances better than any QB on our roster, and can communicate those nuances to his defensive coordinator.

So this is not the week to be cute or clever. This is in regards to the run game. This is a week where we have to be stronger at the point of attack, and faster with the ball in our hands. We just have to physically better this week. We just have to maul motherfuckers, and hit holes aggressively.

4) Make secure tackles: Don’t delude yourself into thinking this will be a cake-walk. Cincinnati did that on their way to losing a 31 – 34 shootout. The Jets leading RB has 205 rushing yards before contact, and 225 after contact. At 3 – 8 all they have left to play for is pride.

So don’t get cute. Don’t hold up the runner and claw at the ball. Just stop the ball-carrier’s progress. Wrap up and get him down.

If we do these Four Things,

We should win by 20. The Eagles are the better team. If we show up playing like it, then we could break this thing wide open in the 4th quarter. That however, is the issue. This team came out last week like we didn’t know who we were. We can’t come out playing that way, this week.

Don’t be surprised if QB Gardner Minshew plays at least a half on Sunday.

****

PREDICTION: EAGLES 27 – Jets 12

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

BACK-UP QB JALEN HURTS

Posted by The BEAST on 2021/12/01
Posted in: Conspiracy Corner, Conversations, Crazy Talk, Front Office (F.O.), NFL, Offense, Players, Roster, stats, Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , . 1 Comment

JALEN Hurts won’t be a franchise quarterback. Let me say that up top, in plain and unbroken English. I told you that in June after 4 starts, in October after 10 starts, and in November after 13 starts. Now, 16 starts into his NFL career, I’m saying it again: Jalen Hurts will not, because he cannot, be a franchise QB.

The timing of this article couldn’t have been better. I told some friends (Andrea and Arlette), last week that I would write about this subject. Thanksgiving got in the way, and so I had to delay it. Turns out, that was for the best. Events during this last game have sharpened the points I’m about to make.

Over the last four weeks as the Eagles were piling up rushing yardage, most fans were satisfied. So long as Hurts was running for touchdowns, and leading the team in rushing, no one but me seemed to care that his game as a passer, kept being extremely pedestrian.

Detroit: 9/14 – 64.2% – 103 – 0 – 0. Los Angeles: 11/17 – 64.7% – 162 – 1 – 0. Denver: 16/23 – 69.5% – 178 – 2 – 1. (I won’t pick on the day Hurts had vs the giants. We know how that went.)

But let’s look at the Saints game, which we won in a blowout. Specifically, the stat line put up by Saints QB Trevor Siemian (22/40 – 55.0% – 214 – 3 – 2), vs the stat line by Hurts (13/24 – 54.1% – 147 – 0 – 0).

Siemian was slightly more accurate, got his supporting cast involved, and so, he nearly led a rally. This is despite being a third stringer, without his team’s starting RB, #1 WR, and BOTH Offensive Tackles. Hurts had none of these disadvantages, yet it can be argued that Siemian had a better day as a QB. Especially in regards to getting his teammates involved.

Teammates is another bone I have to pick with Hurts. I keep hearing about how he’s a field general. I keep hearing how he’s focused and competitive. However, during games, especially when we’re down, when I see him on the sideline…he’s just sitting there.

He’s not looking at the tablet. He’s not rallying the crowd. He’s not on one knee, talking to the O-line about protection slides. He’s not in the Offensive Coordinator’s ear, or standing next to his Head Coach. He’s not having an animated discussion about what he sees, to get on the same page with the receivers. He’s just sitting there, looking like he’s sucking on a lemon.

I say this as a man who’s worn pads and has played with multiple QB’s. Jalen’s body language sucks ass. Nothing about him says “Follow ME!” or “I got you.” His swagger is limited to him running for a touchdown. It doesn’t extend to his teammates.

For example, when LT Jordan Mailata pancaked Saints DE Marcus Davenport (because of his treatment of Hurts), was there an acknowledging fist bump or high-five from the QB? Nope. Hurts texted his thanks to Mailata, later that night. A text message! In exchange for sticking up for him! But when Hurts needed consoling after the giants game:

1,000 words, right?

BUT WAIT!!! THERE’S MORE!!!

Hurts may miss the Jets game with a sore ankle. I’ll say that one more time: Hurts may miss the Jets game with a sore ankle. Remember the three touchdowns QB Donovan McNabb threw against the Cardinals in November of 2002, on a broken ankle? Remember QB Carson Wentz tearing his ACL, and staying in one more play, to throw a touchdown vs the Rams, in our 2017 Super Bowl season?

Sore ankle. Those are the words of Head Coach Nick Sirianni. 

I guess benching Hurts is the Eagles way of admitting that he’s a liability if he has to play from the pocket. Seriously. Would a sore ankle shelve Tom Brady? Ben Roethlisberger? Patrick Mahomes? Matt Stafford and Derek Carr have both played through back injuries. How about Brett Favre? Dan Marino played with TWO knee braces. Hell, “sore” never stopped Wentz from suiting up. Is Hurts more delicate than Wentz?

I’m not going to get into Hurts being inaccurate. I won’t mention how he’s slow to read defenses. I won’t mention that he’s ineffective running anything other than a one read system. I won’t mention that when the going got tough in college, he got going to another college, instead of overcoming the challenger.

Did I mention that so far he’s 0 – 4 vs the NFC East? That includes two blowouts vs the Cowboys. They humiliate us every time he starts against them. And of course all he could manage vs the giants, was 7 points. And we tanked against the Redskins, in a game that we were already losing. Like I said, 0 – 4.

I’ll simply ask: Is THIS your leader? Is this the face that you want to represent YOU? My answer is on his shirt, and even Rosa agrees with me.

That’s not to say that Hurts has no place in the NFL. I told you in June that the NFL was moving towards QB being a platoon type position. I told you in September, a week before the season started, that QB Gardner Minshew would play this year, somewhere around Week 8. He played in Week 8.

I’m going to say Hurts has a place in the NFL as a QB. Just not as a franchise. Not even as the Ace QB of a platoon. Think of him as a relief QB. Start thinking of him, as a back-up.