FOUR THINGS: WK 4: EAGLES – BUCCANEERS

Posted by The BEAST on 2025/09/26
Posted in: breakdown, Coaching, Conversations, Defense, Four Things, Offense, Players, Preview. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , . 1 Comment

 

COMING back during the “Silencing of the Rams” last week, the Eagles showed the entire league; that even if they’re an undefeated team, with a 19 point lead, your ass ain’t safe! This team is going to fight for four quarters. As made evident by DT Jordan Davis blocking a field goal, and returning it 61 yards for a touchdown, to ice the game.

The Buccaneers have had to comeback in each of their three wins, against opponents with a combined record of 1 – 8. Last week they were up 23 – 6 over the Jets, and ended up having to comeback and win it 29 – 27. The Eagles are a much stiffer test than that. When we get a lead: We keep it.

A win over the Buccaneers makes us a perfect 4 – 0. That would be good enough to be at least tied for top record in the NFC. It would also be the cannibalization of a second consecutive, undefeated, conference opponent.

A loss would leave us at 3 – 1, and falling a step behind in the race for home-field advantage.

****

The point of Four Things isn’t to predict a winner, it’s to discuss which tactics would give our Eagles the best chance to win this game. Often I list fundamentals, as some of the four things. BUT NO MORE! Unless something specific is needed, fundamentals like Running the ball; playing lots of Man Press; and Tackling instead of going for the strip, will be automatically included. (Like the five consonants and a vowel that Wheel Of Fortune automatically spots you.) So here are the Four Things that we need to focus on this week versus: the Buccaneers

1) Feed the Dawgs: Last time we saw this team, we were without WR A.J. Brown, WR DeVonta Smith, and RT Lane Johnson. While RB Saquon Barkley started, RB Kenny Gainwell had to play nearly half the game in his place. The Buccaneers jumped out to a 24 – 0 lead, but that game still ended 16 – 33, with our back-ups getting as close as 16 – 30.

Whole different monster this Sunday. Time to feed the dawgs! Time to get the ball to our big players! Time to let ‘em eat! If we’re going to provide room for Barkley to run, then Smith and Brown need to see at least seven targets each.

2) Set the Edges: Their QB likes to run. Keep him and any RB’s in the Tackle Box, where our hitters can get clean killshots on them in the hole. This is going to be a hot, and humid game. So drive up the frustration, and beat fatigue into them. Take away the required energy for them to stage late heroics.

3) Keep Their Receivers Wide: Clean releases to the inside have to be minimized to give our Safeties room to jump passes. The Buccaneer’s QB is willing to share the football, but you have to bait his natural arrogance, first. Challenge him to dot the sideline and then cut off his access. Especially from an unsettled platform.

4) Blitz the Blitz: We need QB Jalen Hurts to punish the blitz. The Buccaneers SLB is Haason Reddick. On a blitz, we all know that Reddick ain’t covering. So when Reddick rushes in, anyone lined up in front of him, will have a open release along the hash. Unless a Safety picks them up… meaning one-on-one on the outside.

We need Hurts to see that, and hit that quickly. We’re going to continue to see these quick blitzes and loaded boxes until he starts to change the narrative, that he’s susceptible to them.

****

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

Managing the heat is going to be important. The heat itself, the moisture loss, possible cramping. Seems like job for pickle juice. It’s already proven it’s worth to this franchise during the Pickle Juice Game.

Back in 2000, we beat the brakes off the Cowboys 41 – 14 (in their own home) because we were better prepared for the 109 degree temperature. In fact, temperatures on the field were in excess of 120 degrees. Their players were folding like origami, while we chugged along, mostly by chugging pickle juice.

Athlete Josh Mansour drinks a shot of pickle juice during a National Rugby League match in 2017

If we can somewhat even the environmental odds, then we can just let the better roster and better coaching staff, decide the outcome of this game.

****

WARNING: I don’t have the faintest clue as to what a point spread is, and I know even less about how it works. I know FOOTBALL and that’s it. If you use Four Things as a gambling tool, then you are a fool trying to lose your money, and will deserve it when you do.

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

FOUR THINGS REVIEWED: WK 3: Rams

Posted by The BEAST on 2025/09/22
Posted in: breakdown, Coaching, Conversations, Defense, Four Things, Offense, Players, Reviews, Special Teams, stats. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . 1 Comment
The game was put on QB Jalen Hurts shoulders and the Eagles are 3 – 0

THE Thrilla in South Phila!

EAGLES 33 – Rams 26

.

EAGLES STATS:

Passing: QB Jalen Hurts (21/32 – 65.6% – 226 – 3 – 0)

Rushing: RB Saquon Barkley (18 – 46 – 2.6 – 0 – 0)

Receiving: WR A.J. Brown (10 – 6 – 109 – 18.1 – 1)

Drive Killer: DT Jordan Davis (TD: 1/Int: 0/ FR: 1/ 4th down stops: 1/ FF: 0)

Sack Leader: DT Jordan Davis (Sacks: 1.0/ FF: 0/ Tackles: 5)

Special Teams Ace: DT Jordan Davis 1FG Block, recovery, scoop and score

****

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

1) Pound the Rock: In the first half, Saquon Barkley had 7 carries for 13 yards (1.8ypc). We didn’t do enough to establish the inside run, and the passes to Saquon, behind the Line of Scrimmage, only served to keep defenders close to the line. We doubled down on beating ourselves here.

WR A.J. Brown breaking the fuck out of a tackle

Things opened up in the second half, as Jalen Hurts just started winging the ball to A.J. Brown, which opened up the box, just enough for Saquon to be legitimate threat on his remaining 11 carries for 33 yards (3.0ypc). If we’d come out with this mindset, there would have never been a 19 point hole to climb out of. (NOT DONE)

2) Make Their QB Run: Right off the bat, I’ll say that we didn’t do this. However, we might have either, just spoiled the Rams entire season, by exposing a tell to their future opponents; or set ourselves up to beat them again in the playoffs.

QB Matt Stafford (19/33 – 57.5% – 196 – 2 – 1) when facing pressure, more often elected to throw off his back foot, or not step into a throw, instead of scramble. The result was that more than a few of his passes were uncharacteristically high or long, of their target. That could be useful information if we face them in the playoffs. (NOT DONE)

3) Involve Goedert Early: It wasn’t until the third quarter when TE Dallas Goedert (2 – 1 – 33 – 33.0 – 1) saw a target. It was an easy 33 yard strike for a touchdown. Right down the hash. He only saw two targets on the day. Not having to cover him, kept the box loaded and neutered our run game. Great job, Kevin! (NOT DONE)

4) Let’s Safety Dance: It was a relatively quiet day for rookie S Andrew Mukuba (3 tackles) who spent much of the day in deep coverage, because CB Adoree Jackson (5 tackles) is a liability. After he went out with an injury, CB Jakorian Bennett (5 tackles) took over as the guy who allows completions. (DONE)

++++

This week’s Four Things score was 1 of 4. Which is exactly how we ended up being down 7 – 26 in the third quarter. The thing is, we’re a team that can push past adversity, and the Rams are a team that unravels when they get punched in the mouth. That won’t be the case next week. Next on the docket are the Buccaneers, and they seem to thrive on getting punched in the mouth. Worse yet, they’ve had our number as of recently.

(Fun Fact: We played away at the Bucs on 9/28/24 and it was 88 degrees. This year we play away at the Bucs on 9/29/25. As of now, the weather forecast calls for 88 degrees.)

****

DT Jordan Davis didn’t just block this field goal, he damned near caught it.

Game Hero: DT Jordan Davis – Our only sack. A fourth down Tackle For Loss. A field goal block to win the game. The scoop and score after the block, was just icing on the cake and a reward for me having started the Eagles DST in my fantasy football league. (If I win tomorrow, Davis’s TD will be a key reason why.)

All game long, the Rams K was getting credit for knuckle-balling his kickoffs, so that they would dribble along the ground, making it hard for our returners to corral them. What I think happened, was too much of the his kickoff mechanics, found their way into his field goal mechanics. Hence the low trajectory and two blocks.

Game goat: Offensive Co-ordinator Kevin Patullo – He called the first half of game like he doesn’t know who his players are. Once the decision was made to let our QB throw down the field, the entire game changed complexion. Which proves that the only thing missing initially, was his will to threaten our opponent.

Listen, when Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniels is fired, I would love to see him added to this staff as a “consultant” or whatever, and transitioned to OC in 2026. His head coaching run in Miami was so disastrous, that it’ll be years before he gets another nibble. So we’d get to keep an offensive innovator for multiple years.

On The Whole: Once LB Zack Baun (7 – 0.0 – 1 – 0) intercepted Stafford on the Rams first drive, and we scored a touchdown off of it, I just knew that we were about to blowout the Rams. And then, all four of our frickin’ wheels fell off the car.

The Rams beat us deep for six (getting the extra point), and then we surrendered four field goals, while being shutout of the second quarter. At the half it was 7 – 19. After the half, we fumbled our first possession, and the Rams added another touchdown. Now we were down 7 – 26. A deficit of 19 points.

As a teen, I read that a final difference of 20 points, is a blowout. I have used that metric as a guideline for over thirty years now. It’s why I never said that we blew the Chiefs out, in the Super Bowl. Today however, we were in danger of being blown out at home.

WR DeVonta Smith catches the game winning touchdown.

Then, as if flipping a switch, Jalen Hurts threw Geodert a touchdown. The Rams punted, and Hurts throws Brown a touchdown. Suddenly were down by five points. They go out on downs. We go out on downs. Then DT Jalen Carter (3 tackles) blocks a FG! Are you serious!? Hurts throws WR DeVonta Smith (9 – 8 – 60 – 7.5 – 1) a touchdown, and for the first time since the first quarter, we have the lead!

We go for two, and miss it. Our lead is one point, and the Rams have ball.

The Rams only need a field goal and have 1:48 to get it. They play to ensure that our Offense will not see the ball again. With three seconds left in the game, the Rams attempt a 44 yard field goal.

IT’S BLOCKED! The Eagles have w- Wait! Did Jordan Davis recover the football! He did! He’s running with it! There’s a convoy behind him! Look at the big man go, look at- Oh my god, he’s going to score! There are no flags! HE’S IN THE ENDZONE!

DT Jordan Davis returns a field goal that he blocked and recovered, 61 yards for a touchdown

This game was one for the books. But it still doesn’t get Patullo off the hook! Mike McDaniels in Philadelphia? Think about it.

FOUR THINGS: WK 3: EAGLES – RAMS

Posted by The BEAST on 2025/09/19
Posted in: Coaching, Defense, Four Things, Offense, Players, Preview. Tagged: , , , , , , , , . 1 Comment

WE cemented our place above the Chiefs, in their house, no less! Our Defense stepped up big-time, with rookie S Andrew Mukuba stealing what could have been the go-ahead score for them.

Despite our Offense being one-sided, we were able to lean on our run game. Instead of a bunch of flashy long runs, we took a ground and pound approach. This week we should be able to pull that off again, behind an Offensive Line that averages 329 per man, vs a Rams front five that averages 281.

A win moves us to 3 – 0, and keeps us in sole position at the top of the division.

A loss, would see us held to 2 – 1, and expose us to the possibility of falling to second in the division.

****

The point of Four Things isn’t to predict a winner, it’s to discuss which tactics would give our Eagles the best chance to win this game. Often I list fundamentals, as some of the four things. BUT NO MORE! Unless something specific is needed, fundamentals like Running the ball; playing lots of Man Press; and Tackling instead of going for the strip, will be automatically included. (Like the five consonants and a vowel that Wheel Of Fortune automatically spots you.) So here are the Four Things that we need to focus on this week versus: the Rams

1) Pound the Rock: Again, we have a significant size advantage up front. In both games last year when we faced them, we were sporting an average size of 338 pounds per man, and were throwing dudes out of the club with the regularity of a sunrise. Just for clarity, 24 hours per day, a sunrise is always happening somewhere in the world. The result was TWO 200 yard rushing games from RB Saquon Barkley.

We’ve slimmed down by an average of 9 pounds per man, but it still should result in a relentlessly vulgar display of power. There’s a really good chance we’ll be looking at 8 and 9 and 15 man boxes, in order to stop our run game. If that happens, there had better be some audibles to get the ball quickly into WR A.J. Brown’s hands.

2) Make Their QB Run: Their QB is 37, and he has a bad back. He’s also never been much of a runner. To put numbers to that, last year he ran 30 times for 41 yards. On the other hand, if we let him stand in the pocket and throw the ball, he will perform surgery on our Defense, and remove it’s heart. This would be a great week to get a blindside sack (or four) from DE Jalyx Hunt.

3) Involve Goedert Early: The Rams OLB’s are pass rushers. They won’t spend much time trying to cover TE Dallas Goedert. That means either an ILB comes from the inside and makes running the ball easier; or a S has to come down, putting the Rams in Single-high coverage. That will give one or both of our WR’s one-on-one match-ups.

The earlier Goedert gets passes completed to him, the sooner this effect begins to take place. It also doesn’t hurt that he’s a very good run blocker. Either passing should be easy or running should. Best of all, it’ll be really easy to read which one the Rams are surrendering.

4) Let’s Safety Dance: Make sure that CB Adoree Jackson has help back deep. Honestly, I don’t trust him vs either of the Rams top two options. If the catch gets made, we at least need to be able to make the tackle.

****

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

This is a battle of two unbeaten teams, that met in the playoffs. When that game is discussed, what keeps coming up isn’t the Rams loss. Instead, what gets brought up is that they mighta/coulda/shoulda/maybe had a shot at beating the Eagles in that game. An Eagles win here, makes that discussion not worth having anymore.

****

WARNING: I don’t have the faintest clue as to what a point spread is, and I know even less about how it works. I know FOOTBALL and that’s it. If you use Four Things as a gambling tool, then you are a fool trying to lose your money, and will deserve it when you do.

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

FOUR THINGS REVIEWED: WK 2: Chiefs

Posted by The BEAST on 2025/09/15
Posted in: breakdown, Coaching, Conversations, Defense, Four Things, free agents, Offense, Players, report, Reviews, Special Teams, stats. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment
RB Saquon Barkley scores on a 13 yard run.

THE Eagles are solidly the NFL’s chiefs now.

EAGLES 20 – Chiefs 17

 

Passing: QB Jalen Hurts (15/22 – 68.1% – 101 – 0 – 0)

Rushing: RB Saquon Barkley (22 – 88 – 4.0 – 1 – 0)

Receiving: WR DeVonta Smith (6 – 4 – 53 – 13.5 – 0)

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

Sack Leader: DT Moro Ojomo (Sacks: 1.0/ FF: 0/ Tackles: 2)

Special Teams Ace: K Jake Elliott (2/2 FG (2 from 50+), 2/2 XP)

****

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

DE Za’Darius Smith makes his presence felt on QB Patrick Mahomes

1) Right Side, Strong Side: We didn’t do many shifts at all along the Defensive Line, but LB walks-ups? Defensive Co-ordinator Vic Fangio, uncharacteristically leaned heavy on the blitz in this game. Rookie LB Jihaad Campbell (7 tackles) spent a lot of time not just walking up into the gap between the RDT and RDE, he also was sent on blitzes, and put hits on the opposing QB.

We collected 2 sacks in this game, and 1.5 came from the right side of our D-Line. Moro Ojomo (2 – 1.0 – 0 – 0) got a solo, and newly signed RDE Za’Darius Smith (4 – 0.5 – 0 – 0) helped finish a sack started by rookie Andrew Mukuba (6 – 0.5 – 1 – 0). We got what we needed and didn’t allow their QB to trust his blindside. (DONE)

2) Trigger Their PTSD: Like the Super Bowl, the Chiefs not only ran loaded boxes, but they ran run blitzes to stymie our run game. This was to expected. At least by me. The Eagles from Offensive Co-ordinator Kevin Patullo, to QB Jalen Hurts, seemed confused and surprised by it.

Instead of adjusting and calling hot routes and crosses, to get the ball out of Hurt’s hand and burn the blitz, it seemed like every route was for twenty yards or more. If Patullo adjusted his approach, or if Hurts had audibled a route here or there, it might have made our Offense’s night easier all around. (NOT DONE)

3) Much Smaller Cushions: CB Quinyon Mitchell (3 tackles) and NCB Cooper DeJean (8 tackles) seemed to get the memo. However, CB Adoree Jackson (1 tackle) continued to be a fucking liability out there. We should just cut him, and if CB Kelee Ringo (2 tackles) is truly a worse option than Jackson, we should just cut him too.

I would like to say that since two-thirds of the CB’s got the message, this is a passing grade. However, given how inviting Jackson makes anyone he covers, we’re like a car on three tires and brake rotor. (NOT DONE)

4) Spread the Ball Around: No fewer than seven different Eagles caught a ball in this game. SEVEN! That ball was indeed spread around this week. This one was indeed done.

It is however, the emptiest “done” I can recall in a long time. Our top two receivers combined for 80 yards on 9 catches. There was just one completion for a gain of double digits. Seeing that, you might assume that Hurts spent the day burning the blitz. He did not. What he did, was stand in the pocket for too long, too often. But still… (DONE)

++++

This week’s Four Things score was 2 of 4, and if it was lower we’d be looking at a loss. Next week, we get another 2024 – 2025 playoffs re-match. This time against the 2 – 0 Rams.

****

S Andrew Mukuba robs a future HOF player in the endzone, for his first career interception.

Game Hero: S Andrew Mukuba – His interception in the endzone, killed a potential Chiefs scoring drive and set us up for the 20 – 10 lead, that would carry us past a late Chiefs rally. He also got home, on our first sack of the year. (Although it took Za’Darius Smith’s help to finish it off.)

Game goat: QB Jalen Hurts – While new OC Patullo is the man responsible for strategizing our attack, Hurts is the one under Center, reading the defense and making adjustments, pre-snap. At least he’s supposed to be. Right?

The problem is, we have two straight weeks of him being stymied by the same defensive element, namely heavy blitzing. He has yet to throw a short pass to hot route, that burns the defense for serious run after the catch yardage. We will continue to see this element, until he demonstrates that he will make teams pay for it.

On The Whole: It’s a “W”. Earned in the home of a Super Bowl caliber team, that everyone was calling a potential dynasty and expecting to three-peat, just 219 days ago. Whatever excuse people were willing to make for the Chiefs Super Bowl loss, the Eagles even in an ugly game, proved that the excuses are invalid and we are simply the superior team now.

The Eagles, not the Chiefs are the team to beat in the NFL.

The Eagles, not the Chiefs are the class of the NFL.

The Eagles, are now the team to be discussed as a potential dynasty.

The Eagles are the team climbing to repeat as World Champions.

FOUR THINGS: WK 2: EAGLES – CHIEFS

Posted by The BEAST on 2025/09/12
Posted in: breakdown, Coaching, Defense, Four Things, NFC East, Offense, Players, Super Bowl. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , . 1 Comment

DESPITE losing DT Jalen Carter before the first snap, we rallied against a division opponent and came away with the “W”. We used our run game to dictate both the action and the pace, which is not something our upcoming opponent can do. That means they’ll be reliant on passing to move the ball. So, we’ll just have to turn up the heat on our pass rush this week.

A win and we’re 2 – 0, alone atop the NFC East.

A loss, could drop us into a three way tie for the top of the division.

****

The point of Four Things isn’t to predict a winner, it’s to discuss which tactics would give our Eagles the best chance to win this game. Often I list fundamentals, as some of the four things. BUT NO MORE! Unless something specific is needed, fundamentals like Running the ball; playing lots of Man Press; and Tackling instead of going for the strip, will be automatically included. (Like the five consonants and a vowel that Wheel Of Fortune automatically spots you.) So here are the Four Things that we need to focus on this week versus: the Chiefs.

DT Jordan Davis will need to be huge this week.

1) Right Side, Strong Side: The Chiefs LT will be starting the second game of his career on Sunday. Their LG will be starting his fourth. So the right side of our Defensive Line has to be dominant. The best way to do that, is get inside of those inexperienced heads. To confuse them and make them less sure of their reads.

Running a bunch of stunts, might be doing too much. However, some line shifts and LB walk-ups, will definitely stress the blocking calls/assignments. Especially when it happens closer to the snap. The Chiefs are a passing team. They cannot operate effectively if we strip away their faith in their blindside protection.

2) Trigger Their PTSD: In the Super Bowl, the Chiefs ran a lot of eight man boxes to take away RB Saquon Barkley. We also saw a ton of that last week vs the Cowboys. The result was Barkley being held to 60-ish yards in both games. While we did win both games, we can’t let teams think they can just keep employing this tactic.

An eight man box means, at least one of our WR’s is one-on-one, with little to no deep help. We need to exploit that coverage, like we did with “The Dagger”.

WR DeVonta Smith catches 46 yard “Dagger”

We need to make the Chiefs an example to the league, about what happens when opponents load up against the Philadelphia Eagles run game.

3) Much Smaller Cushions: Half of what kept the Cowboys drives alive last week, was our CB’s lining up too far off the receiver, and practically conceding the underneath pass. If we give the Chiefs a similar look, this game will become a shootout, when it should us blowing the Chiefs out.

Instead of five and six yard cushions, reduce the space to three yards, max. Give the DB’s a chance to jump a quick pass, or give the pass rush time to get home. To get Mahomes. If we aren’t going to play Bump and Run, at least stop just turning receivers loose.

4) Spread the Ball Around: Part of what is hurting our run game, is the ball not finding enough different players. Teams know who we’re trying to get the ball to, so they don’t worry about having to defend our other options.

By all means, get the ball to our main dudes. Just try to get WR Jahan Dotson another pass that’s 20+ yards in the air. A Screen to RB A.J. Dillon, could be extremely dangerous. Let’s get WR John Metchie involved.

****

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

The Chiefs are coached by some guy named Andy Reid. He’s the Batman of NFL coaches, in that he’s almost unbeatable with extra prep time. Reid lost his first game of the season and has eight days to prepare, instead of the usual six.

On the other hand, the Chiefs have dropped their last two vs the Eagles; one of which was a manhandling during the Super Bowl; and now they’re dealing with a couple of key injuries, to a roster that even at full capacity wasn’t anywhere near as talented as the Eagles.

I’d like to say that this should be a good game, but it really shouldn’t. Unless the Eagles play down to the Chiefs, this one shouldn’t be close. I’m thinking 17 – 7 at the half, and 31 – 14 when everyone heads to the locker rooms.

****

WARNING: I don’t have the faintest clue as to what a point spread is, and I know even less about how it works. I know FOOTBALL and that’s it. If you use Four Things as a gambling tool, then you are a fool trying to lose your money, and will deserve it when you do.

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

FOUR THINGS REVIEWED: WK 1: Cowboys

Posted by The BEAST on 2025/09/05
Posted in: breakdown, Coaching, Defense, Four Things, NFC East, Offense, Players, Reviews, Rivals, Special Teams, stats. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

NOT exactly a banner night.

EAGLES 24 – Cowboys 20

 

EAGLES STATS:

Passing: QB Jalen Hurts (19/23 – 82.6% – 152 – 0 – 0)

Rushing: QB Jalen Hurts (14 – 62 – 4.4 – 2 – 0)

Receiving: WR Jahan Dotson (3 – 3 – 59 – 19.6 – 0)

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

Sack Leader: N/A (Sacks: / FF: / Tackles: )

Special Teams Ace: P Braden Mann (3 punts – 48.7avg – 2 inside 20)

****

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:

QB Jalen Hurts dives for the touchdown

1) Don’t Get Bullied: Dallas (as anticipated) over-committed to stopping the run. All night long, there were eight players (and on a couple of occasions, 9 players) in the box. Instead of audibling around it, we took plenty of opportunities to crash directly into it.

We opted to meet them in the street, and slugged it out. In the first half they seemed to be keeping pace, but by the end of the third quarter, it was clear that they simply lack the artillery to hang with us in a firefight. So we didn’t get bullied, and we still established our run game. (DONE)

2) Play the Hits: At no point did we get the Dallas QB on the ground. I would say it looked like we left our pass rush at home, but we played this game AT HOME. This was embarrassing. (NOT DONE)

3) Settle the Hash: The goal was 7 to 10 targets to WR Jahan Dotson and TE Dallas Goedert (7 – 7 – 44 – 6.2 – 0). They came up with 10 exactly, and our three RB’s (24 – 96 – 4.0 – 1 – 0) laid the groundwork for the 62 rushing yard added by Hurts. This was despite the loaded boxes we saw all night long. (DONE)

4) Take Their Heart Away: We didn’t really ever go to our five man defensive front, as DT Jalen Carter was ejected before the first snap of the game, for spitting on the Dallas QB. Stepping up was DT Jordan Davis (6 – 0.0 – 0 – 0), who had to play more snaps than usual. He managed a tackle for loss and pass deflection, but he’s still playing too upright at the snap. (NOT DONE)

++++

This week’s Four Things score was 2 of 4. It wasn’t pretty, but it’s still a “W”. Luckily we get ten days to tend to our injured, and find our pass rush, before we visit the Chiefs.

****

Game Hero: WR Ceedee Lamb (13 – 7 – 110 – 15.7 – 0) – He had 4 drops (3 in the second half), that hit him in the hands. Seems like 136 million dollars would buy a clutch grab, here or there. In any case, his efforts helped the Eagles win this one.

Game goat: Jalen Carter (no stats) – Getting thrown out of the game before the first snap, is all at once a new low to be ashamed of, and a new low to be celebrated! The Eagles were deep enough however, to make up for the loss. We’ll see what further punishment the league intends to hand down.

On The Whole: Not a big fan of the way the game was called by Offensive Co-ordinator Kevin Patullo. At no point did we try to exploit their weakened secondary. This resulted in WR A.J. Brown (1 – 1 – 8 – 8.0 – 0) going nearly the entire game without noticing that he wasn’t being targeted. It had the feeling of playing down to the opponent.

FOUR THINGS: WK 1: EAGLES – COWBOYS

Posted by The BEAST on 2025/09/03
Posted in: Coaching, Conversations, Defense, Four Things, NFC East, NFL, Offense, Players, Rivals. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , . 1 Comment

SUPER BOWL CHAMPIONS! We’re starting the season at home, vs the Cowboys, and we’re hanging our Super Bowl banner with them on the field! After which, we’re going to tie another beating to their asses, and send them back home, with a shiny new “L”.

The Cowboys were 29th in the league at stopping the run last year. Want to guess which team was the only one that had a RB run for 2,000 yards last year? It was the Eagles! We had RB Saquon Barkley gouging teams for chunk plays, on a near weekly basis. Which is likely the approach we’re going to attempt this week.

At least at first.

A win over a division rival in the first week, would give our Eagles a two game gap over the Cowboys. Unfortunately, because the giants and Commanders are playing each other, the winner of that game enjoys the same sort of divisional leg up.

A loss, that would put our team, two games back. So let’s avoid that.

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The point of Four Things isn’t to predict a winner, it’s to discuss which tactics would give our Eagles the best chance to win this game. Often I list fundamentals, as some of the four things. BUT NO MORE! Unless something specific is needed, fundamentals like Running the ball; playing lots of Man Press; and Tackling instead of going for the strip, will be automatically included. (Like the five consonants and a vowel that Wheel Of Fortune automatically spots you.) So here are the Four Things that we need to focus on this week versus: the Cowboys.

WR DeVonta Smith goes for 6!

1) Don’t Get Bullied: This season, every defense we face, at the top of their To-Do List, will be stopping Saquon. This is especially true of the Cowboys, after their owner traded away their best pass rushing LB, for a run defending DT. They will come in with a point to make, and we cannot let them get away with attempting to make it.

During the Super Bowl, the Chiefs threw everything they had at stopping Saquon, and while they did hold him to just 57 yards on 25 carries (2.2ypc), they committed so much to it, that Super Bowl MVP QB Jalen Hurts was out there essentially playing catch with WR’s A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith. If the Cowboys want to follow that plan, we should exploit it.

2) Play the Hits: Their 32 year-old QB is coming back from a leg injury, which cost him the last nine games of the year. So let’s knock him down, early. Make him pick himself up off the ground a few times. Get Father Time whispering in his ear.

Ultimately the idea is to force the Cowboys coaching staff to go with more max protect, and limit how many receivers our guys have to cover.

(Unless it’s their plan to let him get beat up, so they can get their back-up out there… But I’m not one to gossip!)

3) Settle the Hash: All the talk is about the Cowboys trying to improve vs the run, while proving that they can still rush the passer. That points to an over-commitment to their front seven, and exploitable holes in their secondary. (See: Jalen Hurts in Super Bowl 59.)

Get the ball to TE Dallas Goedert and WR Jahan Dotson. Set a goal of 10 targets and 7 catches. The yards don’t matter, it’s the higher number of targets that are important. The idea is to force the Cowboys to cover, to loosen the box, and facilitate our run game. To do that, we have to be better this year at involving the TE and Slot WR.

4) Take Their Heart Away: When the Eagles go to our five man defensive line, DT Jordan Davis has to move the line of scrimmage backward, as often as possible. That means driving the C (the heart of their blocking schemes), back into the running lanes, and warping the pocket, so that the QB can’t step up into his passes.

Taking away the C also means that he can’t help the G’s, which would allow DT Jalen Carter a few opportunities to play without being double-teamed.

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

The traps here, are potential overconfidence, and underestimation of the opponent. Our players have to show up. Not just their names or reputations. We have to run, hustle, hit, and communicate at maximum effort. One down at a time. It sounds corny, but it’s how teams are built. It’s how games are won. It’s how trophies are hoisted.

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WARNING: I don’t have the faintest clue as to what a point spread is, and I know even less about how it works. I know FOOTBALL and that’s it. If you use Four Things as a gambling tool, then you are a fool trying to lose your money, and will deserve it when you do.

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

2025 NFC EAST PROJECTED WINNER

Posted by The BEAST on 2025/09/01
Posted in: breakdown, Conversations, Crazy Talk, Defense, NFC East, Offense, Preview, Rivals, Special Teams, trade. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , . 1 Comment

Note: Like lasts year’s article, this one is a weeks late. Unlike last year’s article, I still got it in before the season started. I was waiting to see how the holdouts of Commanders WR Terry McLaurin, and Cowboys LB Micah Parsons worked out, so I had an idea of how to stack those two teams. Well, I guess the Cowboys set us all straight on that one!

Strongest Offense: PHILADELPHIA – Aside from a lack of depth at TE, the Eagles are set across the board. They have possibly the best O-Line in football; one of the deepest WR rooms in the league; a generational talent at RB; and a QB who just keeps winning. Shove in an unstoppable short yardage play, and they are practically without weakness.

Weakest Offense: NEW YORK – Their starting QB is four losses away from being benched in favor of a rookie who had a nice preseason. Their RB room (long on effort, short on talent) has “high apple pie in the sky hopes”. The WR’s played in this system last year and were anything but dangerous. With a vet they might improve, but if a rookie gets out there… TE is a car crash, but worst of all is a the o-line, which is shaky everywhere but Center.

Strongest Defense: PHILADELPHIA – While some players were lost to free agency, the number two defense in the NFL was A) already starting from a position of strength (unlike their division rivals), and B) did a good job of restocking the cupboard. (Except at CB.) The Eagles are absolutely loaded up front, and the Safety problem is more about choosing a style, and not about a lack of talent. The Eagles wanted to have two stars at CB, but the second position is manned by good not great players.

Weakest Defense: DALLAS – Last year they had the 31st ranked defense in the NFL. Then they traded away Parsons, on the doorstep of the season, at at time when they can’t do anything to mitigate the loss. Now they have a bunch of well paid defensive backs, who will be playing behind less pressure up front. Unless the Cowboys have a huge surprise up their sleeve, this will again be one of the worst units in the sport.

Strongest Special Teams: DALLAS – Their Kicker has the strongest leg in the division, and he doesn’t have a history of being spotty. The Eagles have the best Punter, but taken as a pair, the legs in Dallas have the edge.

Weakest Special Teams: WASHINGTON – What put the Commanders here, is bringing an indoor Kicker to the outdoors, in the Mid-Atlantic region, during Fall/Winter weather. Did I mention that he struggles from 50+?

Projected Winner: PHILADELPHIA – By a country mile. The NFC East should have it’s first repeat winner since 2004, when the Eagles secured a fourth straight division crown.

Darkhorse Winner: WASHINGTON – Even with as bad as their defense is, they at least don’t appear to be trying to tank the 2025 season. If the Eagles stumble, the Commanders could have a puncher’s chance at keeping the “No Repeat” streak, alive.

FOUR THINGS REVIEWED: WK PS3: Jets

Posted by The BEAST on 2025/08/25
Posted in: breakdown, Conversations, Defense, Four Things, NFL, Offense, Players, preseason, Reviews, Special Teams, stats. Tagged: , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

AN ugly, meaningless win.

EAGLES 19 – Jets 17

RB Montrelle Johnson scores the Eagles lone TD.

EAGLES STATS:

Passing: QB Kyle McCord (15/35 – 42.8% – 136 – 0 – 1)

Rushing: RB Montrell Johnson (15 – 57 – 3.8 – 1 – 0)

Receiving: WR Terrace Marshall (7 – 5 – 51 – 10.2 – 0)

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

Sack Leader: OLB Antwaun Powell-Ryland (Sacks: 1.0/ FF: 1/ Tackles: 1)

Special Teams Ace: K Jake Elliott (4/4 FG, 53 and 51, 1/1 XP)

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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) Better Run Blocking: Our three RB’s combined for 25 – 76 – 3.0 – 1 – 0, on the ground, which fell well short of the 110 yards/4.4ypc benchmarks. In fairness though, I was hoping to see OL Matt Pryor moved inside to G for this game. Instead, he didn’t even dress. Still it was an improvement over last week’s performance vs the Browns (NOT DONE)

2) McCord Pushing the Ball Downfield: I wanted to see him start the first half. Got it. I wanted to see him attempt between 4 and 6 passes of at least 20 yards in the air. He threw 4, including a head-scratcher of an interception into double coverage, while his #1 option was wide open on an Out route. (DONE)

3) Penetration and Protection From the DT’s: We did a better job of this in the first half than we did in the second. Inconsistent effort earns no praise. (NOT DONE)

4) No Significant Injuries: CB Eli Ricks got kicked in the dick, but he’ll be fine (DONE)

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This week’s Four Things score was 2 of 4, but it’s preseason and most of those guys won’t even be here by Thursday. So there is literally no way to make the any of that game matter.

Our next game is a REAL ONE. We hang the Super Bowl banner, at home, while facing the Dallas Cowboys to start the season. Meanwhile their team is falling apart in front of America. Oh my god. I practically need a cigarette after just SAYING that.

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CB Parry Nickerson celebrates his interception.

Game Hero: CB Parry Nickerson (3 – 0.0 – 1 – 0) – The guy played his heart out. If he isn’t playing here in a week, he’ll still be somewhere in the NFL, drawing a paycheck.

Game goat: Head Coach Nick Sirianni – McCord was out there drowning, and the coaching staff simply let him. That was cold.

On The Whole: The game was a formality and now it’s over. There was nothing in it worthy of deep analysis.

FOUR THINGS: WK PS3: EAGLES – JETS

Posted by The BEAST on 2025/08/21
Posted in: Coaching, Conversations, Defense, Four Things, NFL, Offense, Players, playoffs, Preview. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , . 1 Comment

WHEW! We sure did shit the bed against Cleveland! At least rookie S Andrew Mukuba came to play. His two takeaways led to all 13 of our points in that game. Well, the Jets historically, love sharing the football. So maybe Mukuba, or even other Eagles defenders, will convince the Jets to share their football with us.

With this being the third and final preseason game, if we leave this game with no significant injuries, then it’s a win. And that’s regardless of whatever is on the scoreboard.

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The point of Four Things isn’t to predict a winner, it’s to discuss which tactics would give our Eagles the best chance to win this game. Often I list fundamentals, as some of the Four Things. BUT NO MORE! Unless something specific is needed, fundamentals like Running the ball; playing lots of Man Press; and Tackling instead of going for the strip, will be automatically included. (Like the five consonants and a vowel that Wheel Of Fortune automatically spots you.) So here are the Four Things that we need to focus on this week versus: the Jets.

1) Better Run Blocking: Last week our bacl-up Offensive Linemen could only muster enough running room to produce 33 yards on 19 carries. Don’t do the math, unless you want to cry. This week it would be nice to see OL Matt Pryor moved inside to G, where he’s better than he is at OT. Which I said last week, in the Eagles 2025 Preview.

I don’t expect to see starters playing, but I do expect to see back-ups trying to prove themselves worthy of a start. Benchmarks? If I’m pulling numbers out of thin air… Oh, 110 rushing yards as a team, with a 4.4 yard average, would be nice.

2) McCord Pushing the Ball Downfield: Against the Browns, our QB’s hardly attempted any passes downfield. Dink and dunk passing, keeps coverage close to the line of scrimmage. Close coverage also helps in shutting down the run. As a result, we couldn’t move the ball at all.

This week I’d like to see QB Kyle McCord start the first half, and attempt 4 to 6 passes that travel at least 20 yards in the air. I don’t want him to play the whole game, but I want to see him be aggressive while he’s out there.

3) Penetration and Protection from the DT’s: Penetration. For these first two games, our back-up DT’s have gotten pushed off the line, a lot more than I’m comfortable with. It would be great to see them getting past blockers and start causing more disruption.

Protection. Instead of getting pushed back into the lap of a LB trying to make a play, we need to see DT’s occupying blockers at or behind the line, and allowing clean LB’s to flow to the ballcarrier.

4) No Significant Injuries: It’s football. The football gods demand tribute, so injuries are a matter of when, not if. Just please, no key players.

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

Since Head Coach Nick Sirianni took over, we don’t really play our starters in the preseason, and we start slow every year as a result. Expect the same thing this year. We also make the playoffs every year, so…. I guess, expect the same thing this year.

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WARNING: I don’t have the faintest clue as to what a point spread is, and I know even less about how it works. I know FOOTBALL and that’s it. If you use Four Things as a gambling tool, then you are a fool trying to lose your money, and will deserve it when you do.

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