POOR EZEKIEL ELLIOTT

Posted by The BEAST on 2019/08/22
Posted in: Conversations, Front Office (F.O.), NFC East, Offense, Players, Rivals, Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , . 1 Comment

ezekewok

ALL jokes aside, I feel bad for RB Ezekiel Elliott, and RB Melvin Gordon. And for that matter pretty much any football player who holds out seeking more money. I say football player, because holdout situations are more common in pro football. By far.

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It’s an indication of a broken system. More on that in just a moment.

Whenever an athlete holds out, the fans almost always side against the guy that they spent years rooting for. Elliott is no different here. People who bought his jersey are now calling him “a diva” and “a baby”. They want him to “just go back and play” on his current contract. Which is hilarious. It will never happen. That’s why Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, quickly made him an offer.

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Why do fans want him to go back? Because they feel like their team needs him. Not his back-ups. Not a rookie. Not an aging free agent, who was sitting on his couch, hoping for his phone to ring. Cowboys fans want Elliott. They feel they need him. So if he’s so valuable, why are the fans against him being paid like he’s so valuable? Why not pay “the best” RB, like the best RB? This question vexes me.

You know what? Why not just forget about him, and focus on winning the division with who’s on the roster? LOL. We all know the reason for that. The mediocre QB who wants more money than he’s worth, will be even less than mediocre without his best crutch.

Without signing Elliott, the Cowboys don’t stand a chance of winning the division. Last year they swept an injury decimated Eagles team (9 – 7), and still only finished one game ahead (10 – 6), despite being a mostly healthy team. Without Elliott, the Cowboys go from predator to…

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As for the broken system. The primary reason that players hold out, is because they want deals that generally will challenge or exceed the salary cap. So as a matter of sound accounting practice, the first ask practically has to elicit a “No” response from organization. This is S.O.P. Then both sides get into negotiations as to how to make the player’s deal cap friendly.

But hold on! Who decides on what the salary cap is? You? Me? Congress? The ghost of Steve Jobs? No. It’s the owners. This is a self-imposed problem. It’s an artificial cap, imposed by the owners themselves, so later they can say to players “I can’t do nothin’ for you, man”.

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For instance, without the salary cap, how easy would it be for the Cowboys (worth 5 billion, remember), to pay Elliott even as much as 14M per year? Doing the math, without the cap, that 14M is .0028% of the team’s total value. Putting that in working class terms (aka you and me money): That’s like you have $1,000 in your pocket, and someone you claim to value highly, asks you for $2.80. 

However, with a salary cap, a billionaire can point to the guy who he profits off of, and say,professor hinkle.jpeg

“Look at him! Isn’t he greedy? He wants more than we have to give! He’s stealing from his teammates.” Mind you, those teammates are also laboring under the manufactured problem, known as the cap.

It’s the old Abbott and Costello ‘Two Tens for a Five’ routine. (It’s just 1:18. Totally worth your time. This smile is on me.)

They get you with the fast talk about Cabo, or an off-hand joke. Meanwhile just beyond your focus, is the blurry world of what’s really going on, i.e. this broken system. A system that’s deliberately being kept in a broken state. I mean, don’t you find it weird that the owners are never responsible for any of the mess that they legislate?

Fuck it. Let’s just keep blaming the players, right?

FUCK YOU, NICK FOLES.

Posted by The BEAST on 2019/08/21
Posted in: Coaching, Crazy Talk, Fans, Front Office (F.O.), Offense, Players, playoffs, Rants, Rivals, Roster. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment
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This used to be my avatar when I wrote on Yardbarker. This is before I learned how to use Photoshop. (Which today I never use.)

“FUCK you, Nick Foles.” Every Eagles back-up QB has to think that at least twice a day. From the moment that QB Nick Foles’s fingertips made contact with a Lombardi trophy (not THE Lombardi Trophy), a disturbingly large percentage of Eagles fans began a bizarre fascination with the back-up QB position on this roster. This has added undue pressure to a position that really should be devoid of it, and is on 31 other rosters

Don’t get it twisted. I love the guy, but unlike most fans, I recognize, and can admit that what Foles did in 2017, was an anomaly. However last year in 2018, when fractures were detected in QB Carson Wentz’s back, the coaching staff (over Wentz’s protests), decided to shut him down for the last five games of the year. Fans here hardly blinked. “Foles won one Super Bowl, now he’ll do it again” seemed to be the consensus.

That’s really weird for three reasons. First, back in 2017 when Foles didn’t look so hot vs the Raiders (as opposed to his record setting day in 2013), he had plenty of doubters in the fan base. I on the other hand, pumped him up, while putting out stuff like:

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The original meme had ‘back-up’ in quotation marks, but it made the words space funny. It also had the numeral 6 instead of the word.

The second thing that makes it weird is, even with Foles gone now, there is still a ton of focus on the back-up spot. In fact, right now it’s getting more press than the starting role. That’s a fact. Some of that has to do with Wentz not playing in the preseason, some of it is due to injuries, but a lot of it is full-on interest in the back-ups here.

The third thing that makes this weird is, the perception that’s overriding reality. The narrative is that back-up QB Nick Foles won the Super Bowl. It’s a cute story, but it’s a myth. It’s a complete and total fabrication. An outright, bold-faced LIE. Foles was never a back-up here. He was our second starter. I explained that in an article from last year. (If you didn’t read that one, please do. As an Eagles fan you’re missing out if you don’t.)

The reality is that only one QB per year will win the Super Bowl. In most cases it will be an Opening Day starting QB who does so. The 31 other Opening Day starters, will fail in their annual mission. For a back-up to win that game is rare. It’s happened for every team in the NFC East, and yet it is still not the norm. Far from it. However, this is the lens that our back-ups are now viewed through.

One last thing, and someone has to have the balls say this. The scrutiny on back-ups wouldn’t be so sharp if Eagles fans were as confident about Wentz not getting hurt, as many profess to be. Basically I’m saying: 

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I see a lot of Eagles fans verbally sparring with rival fans. Then later on, I see those same Eagles fans discussing whether or not our back-up can win games in the playoffs. I feel like Eagles fans need to either trust Wentz, or PUBLICLY own up to not trusting him. If you trust your starter, the back-up discussions should evaporate.

That’s all part of the legacy that Foles has left here. He has exited stage right, and left a spotlight on that role. For that, I’m sure that a couple times a day, those who now have to assume his mantle, must either think or say very quietly “Fuck you, Nick Foles.”

And thank you.

Foles holds the trophy aloft approaching LOVE Park

FOUR THINGS – WK PS3 – EAGLES-RAVENS

Posted by The BEAST on 2019/08/19
Posted in: Coaching, Defense, Four Things, NFL, Offense, Players, Preview, Roster, Special Teams. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , . 1 Comment

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APPARENTLY the preseason is no longer a period for Starters to knock off rust and sharpen edges. That leaves as it’s only function, to serve as an elimination chamber for the bottom 24.6% of the roster.

Seriously, of the 53 man roster to assemble, 40 of them (75.4%) started OTA’s as locks to make the team. That means only 13 spots were EVER up in the air. Six of those now look to have been locked down by, WR J.J. Arcega-Whiteside, T Halapoulivaati Vaitai, G/C Stefen Wisniewski, DE’s Daeshon Hall and Shareef Miller, and LB L.J. Fort.

So over these next two weeks, this team will play two games, to decide on 7 players. Most of whom will spend much of the season not being among the 46 who actually dress.

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These next two games basically seem like “Change my mind” games for players like RB’s Wendell Smallwood and Josh Adams; WR’s Marken Michel and Mack Hollins; OL Matt Pryor and Jordan Mailata; DL Josh Sweat and Treyvon Hester; LB T.J. Edwards; SS’s Andrew Sendejo, and Johnathan Cyprien. (I think we all have always known who our 6 CB’s will be.) Basically this is the week that Special Teams gets built.

Those players need a strong showing over these next two weeks, to create a numbers crunch on another part of the roster.

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

1) Root for your guy: If you have a pet long-shot that you’ve been rooting for, now is your time to shine baby! Send some psychic vibes out, and if your guy gets makes the cut, you can claim credit for helping. My pet long-shot: WR Greg Ward. It would have been TE Will Tye, but with TE Richard Rodgers missing so much time, and Tye playing well, it’s unlikely that Tye needs any help.

2) Hassan Chop: The Eagles coveted DT Hassan Ridgeway for years, and so traded for him during the 2019 Draft. He suffered a concussion in our first preseason game and missed the second. He’s back at practice so, it’s likely he’ll play. The question is can he legit beat out Hester? He needs to show up here.

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Never thought I’d use THIS card again. Wow. You can even see LB Mychal Kendricks in the background there. 

3) Starter Watch: Last week, a handful of starter level players (SS Malcolm Jenkins, DE’s Brandon Graham and Vinny Curry) asked Head Coach Doug Pederson if they could play at least a little. It will be interesting to see if those same players play a little this week, or if more players decide to join them.

4) Staying focused: At this point, unless you’re rooting for a guy, there are no stakes. It will be hard not to channel surf, but try not to in the first half at least. That feels weird to say, because this used to be the game where Starters played an entire half, and you got a good feel for what they were trying to hang their hat on.

If we do all these things, we’re just about guaranteed to win. Now that we’ve covered what should happen, let’s get into what likely will happen:

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The Eagles are just killing time during some league mandated games. So QB Josh McCown should make his Eagles debut, despite not really knowing the playbook yet. It’d be weird to see him start the first half, but to see him start the second half seems apropos.

Beyond that, who really knows. Expect a lot of flags as players desperate to get into the “maybe” conversation, play too aggressively or carelessly due to adrenaline and emotion. Players like: DE Eli Harold, CB Orlando Scandrick, and RB Donnel Pumphrey.

Baltimore has played their Starters in both games so far, suggesting that they follow the traditional preseason model, not the new one that we’re on. Odds are that both from a talent standpoint and a polish standpoint, they will eat us alive if we spend another game serving sheep to lion.

And it could get ugly, early.

PREDICTION: EAGLES 17 – Ravens 24

JOSH McCOWN NEEDS RIGGING

Posted by The BEAST on 2019/08/18
Posted in: Conversations, free agents, Offense, Players, playoffs, Rants, Roster, Super Bowl, The 12. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

 

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WITH the Eagles QB room turning into an infirmary, our Front Office went out and signed QB Josh McCown to a 1year, 2M$ deal, that’s worth up to 5.4M with incentives. Lots of fans seem happy with the signing. To me, he’s the Human version of the Kobayashi Maru, the ill-fated ship in Star Trek II’s ‘No win scenario” simulation. So I flat out don’t like the signing. Let me breakdown why.

First off, this signing only has real impact if QB Carson Wentz gets seriously hurt in the first three or four weeks of the season. If that’s the case then we’re fucked already. Yeah yeah, I know, 2017. I was on here making memes about believing in QB Nick Foles when most of the fan base was doubting him. Remember these:

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This was after the giants game

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That said, 2017 was an anomaly, and 2018 proved it. Back-ups are back-ups for a reason. Don’t let nostalgia get the story twisted.

Speaking of back-ups, I’m hearing that McCown might be ahead of QB Nate Sudfeld on the depth chart, when Sudfeld comes back to active duty. That would be FARCE! McCown will have to be spoon-fed an Offense, that Sudfeld is already steeped in. McCown will have to develop his timing and touch with each receiver, whereas Sudfeld already has that. McCown will have to learn all the blocking protections.

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Like Pat Ryan and Mark Sanchez, McCown continues a long tradition of Jets who can to the Eagles to secure their place in the Hall Of Fame.

Unless we’re going to scale back the playbook for him. That usually makes a team predictable, no?

Some are touting McCown’s 17 years of NFL experience. However, what he has lots of experience at, is losing. His career mark as a starter is 23 – 53 (.302). No team he has ever started 10 games for, has EVER seen the playoffs. No team he has started even 7 games for, has ever finished with a .500 record. He’s everything you claim to hate about Sam Bradford. (Minus the sleeves.)

So playing McCown is essentially waving a white flag over the season. If it comes down to us leaning on a non-Wentz QB, why not lean on Sudfeld, or a QB like Clayton Thorson, whom we spent a draft pick on? If we’re just going to roll over and play for Draft position, then doesn’t it make more sense to develop our youth, so that the team has leverage in any possible holdout situation, and doesn’t end up where the Dallas Cowboys currently are?

This McCown signing make zero sense. It’d have made more sense to have WR Greg Ward take a few snaps per week at QB. He’s played the position at a high level in college and could be our 4th string/emergency QB. (It would also put us in position to do what I suggested in THE 12.)

Some look at the surface of this signing and they see a 17 year vet, with a name they recognize. They see that as a good thing. I look under the hood of this signing and I see a (well-traveled) 17 year vet, with a name I recognize (as not being good enough to win). There’s no way I can be happy with this.

Unless we can rig the simulation…

FOUR THINGS REVIEWED – WK PS2 – JAGUARS

Posted by The BEAST on 2019/08/16
Posted in: Conversations, Defense, Four Things, NFL, Offense, Players, Reviews, stats. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

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THE night belonged to fourth string, rookie QB Clayton Thorson (16/26 – 61.5% – 175 – 1 – 1). That wasn’t the plan, but after third string, journeyman QB Cody Kessler (1 /4 – 25.0 – 11 – 0 – 0) was knocked from the game, Thorson was all we had left. That’s because back-up QB Nate Sudfeld was out with the broken left wrist he suffered last week, and Starting QB Carson Wentz is still not being allowed to wipe his own ass, for fear of injury. (I wasn’t big on the Colin Kaepernick idea, but now I uh… mmm, uhhh… Maybe?)

DE’s Daeshon Hall (2 – 2 – 0 – 0) forced a fumble on one of his two sacks and practically sewed up the #4 DE spot. If we keep 5 of those, then DE Shareef Miller (3 – 1 – 0 – 0) has to have a wide lead on DE Josh Sweat (bupkiss – nope – zero – BONK!). DT/DE Aziz Shittu (1 – 1 – 0 – 0) got his hand on two passes, and did what he’s always done here since 2016: Flash in the preseason before getting caught in a numbers game.

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HEY! Here’s a thought. It’s probably good that QB Nick Foles didn’t play last night. His 6th round, rookie, back-up, QB Gardner Minshew (19/29 – 65.5% – 202 – 0 – 0) left the game with a rating of 85.7. Last week Minshew was (7/14 – 50.0 – 46 – 0 – 0) with a rating of 57.4. We’d have made Foles look like goddamned Joe Montana out there.

For Thorson’s part, I already saw some growth in him. In my Ideal 53 article, I called him a poor man’s Wentz. In my 2019 Draft Report, I said he reminded me of Carson. I said he didn’t seem to have Carson’s willingness to stick the ball into tight spaces, I made the allowance for that to be a lack of trust in his college weapons. WELP! I nailed the hell out of that one.

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EAGLES 24 – Jaguars 10

I hear you asking, “What about all the stuff that stats don’t reveal?” Well, that’s the reason for these “Four Things” articles. We introduce an idea of what needs addressing BEFORE the game, so that fans have to honestly answer questions about those things, AFTER the game. This helps to get us, and keep us, all on the same page.

So, of the Four Things we were looking for in this last game, what exactly did we see?

1) Starters need to play a quarter: Players who wanted to play, played. S Malcolm Jenkins (2 – 0 – 0 – 0) and DE Brandon Graham (no stats, great pressure though), are two examples of that. Players who didn’t want to play, sat. If I start talking about that, this section will become an article. Let’s put a pin in that. (NOT DONE)

2) Go deep to Djax: Can’t if he doesn’t play! (NOT DONE)

3) Look good running the ball: Impossible to gauge with so many different players touching the ball, who won’t be touching it much when the games count. (NOT DONE)

4) Generate some pass rush up the gut: The line did a much better job of collapsing the pocket and clogging up the lanes, which allowed us to record 4 sacks on the night. (DONE)

Yet again we end with a score of 1 out of 4, which brings our preseason tally to 2 of 8. Next week the Baltimore Ravens run into the Linc, and we get to watch their QB move his lips as he tries to read our Defense. Should be fun!

On The Whole:

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What is there to say? Three weeks from now, most of the sacrificial lambs who played that game, will be working in a call center, or learning how to operate a forklift. That’s not knocking honest, decent work. (I’ve done both of those myself.) However, we came out of that game with no additional information about the players who will impact the season. Particularly those new to the team.

It was a sloppy, entertaining exhibition, but on the whole it left me as a fan, more worried about this team, than I’ve been since Chip Kelly went 10 – 6 in his first year. That 10 – 6 record was built on an unsustainable model. While many fans were seduced by the immediate gratification of a playoff berth, I saw the cracks in the dam. I warned you about the flood. Well, now I see cracks again.

In a year where the Dallas Cowboys are undermining themselves and trying to hand us the NFC East, we seem intent on undermining ourselves and making sure they keep it.

EAGLES WIN WAR WITH COWBOYS

Posted by The BEAST on 2019/08/14
Posted in: Conspiracy Corner, Conversations, Front Office (F.O.), NFC East, NFL, Offense, Players, Rivals, stats, Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

THE Cowboys swept the Eagles in 2018. That was a classic case of winning a battle, but losing a war. Make no mistake, from a long-term perspective, the Cowboys have already lost this war, because the Eagles have effectively shut any Super Bowl window that the Cowboys may have had.

2019-Nailed it Carsons deal

When I said that, I was under the impression that the financial issues that Dallas is enduring now, wouldn’t hit until March of 2020. I figured QB Dak Prescott would play out his rookie deal quietly. I figured WR Amari Cooper would play out his deal quietly. I figured RB Ezekiel Elliott would play out his deal as well, mostly quietly.

I saw this financial bind coming, I just didn’t think their players would trigger it. There was no way to see this coming. Had you told me in June, that Dallas would be going through this in 2019, I’d have dismissed it as a delusional fantasy, from a rival fan. I’d have said “You’re playing at FARCE! There’s no way the Cowboys players would derail their own team in that fashion!”

Yet here we are. So then, why do I credit the Eagles with what is happening in Dallas. How does QB Carson Wentz signing his contract, derail an entire franchise 1,500 miles away? How can the two things be connected? Surely I’m grasping at straws, right?

I’m going to keep this VERY simple. I’m going to draw three Simple Lines of Reasoning, and make it so that anybody who’s literate will understand it. There is no rocket science here. There is no “fuzzy math”. There is no smoke, nor mirrors. Here we go.

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(FACT) Wentz signs his deal in Philly for 32M$ per year on his extension.

(SLR) Dak Prescott in Dallas realizes that he hasn’t missed any games, he has won two division titles, he has played in actual playoff games, and head to head he “owns” Wentz. Prescott thinks he deserves more money.

(FACT) At the end of 2019 the Cowboys have to re-sign both Prescott, and Amari Cooper. If Prescott and the Cowboys don’t reach a deal during the season, Prescott will be Franchise tagged at about 33.9M$ per year. Cooper will command between 18 and 20M$ per year, and is a MUST HAVE, to legitimize Prescott’s tagged cap figure. On the low side, that comes in at 51.9M for those two players in 2020.

(SLR) Ezekiel Elliott has two years remaining on his rookie deal, but realizes that all of his potential extension money is going out the door NOW. Especially if he gets hurt, or has already been hurt, and is hiding it from the team to keep his value from depreciating. Powerbacks don’t have long NFL careers. If he or his doctor already sees a coming issue, he HAS TO hold out now. Once Prescott and Cooper have their checks in hand, there’ll be no more room at the feeding trough in two years.

(FACT) The Cowboys could’ve locked Prescott up for about 27M$ per year last year, but they didn’t. Prescott being paid less than QB’s Russell Wilson (35M per year, 1SB win, 2 appearances), Ben Rothlisberger (34M, 2SB wins), and Aaron Rodgers (33.5M, 1 SB win), was one thing. However, when Wentz with ZERO playoff wins, signed for 32M, it changed the valuation metrics.

(SLR) Prescott could sign with the Cowboys for a one year extension, and then once the new CBA is done, (with a much higher cap figure), then giving him a deal of 35M to 42M would be an easy lift. However, salary figures are ego driven. It’s not just about how many dollars a contract is worth, it’s also about what percentage of the cap can you get a team to commit to just you as a player. Making 34M of a 188M cap (18.0%), is less valuable than making 45M of a 260M cap (17.3%). There’s a difference of 9M in dollars, but it’s not about the dollars. Prescott can make up that 9M on an endorsement deal for Ford pick-up trucks, or Charles Schwab investments or whatever. It’s about being able to say “I mattered this much.” “I was this important to them.” “Once upon a time, I was the top. I was the pinnacle.” The QB that had to wait four rounds to hear his name, wants to say that he made it. In that regard he HAS TO beat Wentz’s deal. It otherwise invalidates beating his stats.

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People keep missing the forest for the trees. We live in age of loud voices, too much make-up, and movement for the sake of movement. What are you saying? Who are you underneath all that? Where are you really trying to go? Nuance now seems lost on most people. People disregard the small details, even though they influence everything.

Like the way one small signature in South Philly, tore down an entire franchise in Dallas.

FOUR THINGS – WK PS2 – EAGLES – JAGUARS

Posted by The BEAST on 2019/08/12
Posted in: Coaching, Defense, Four Things, NFL, Offense, Players, Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , . 1 Comment

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LAST week’s preseason game was a chance to learn, and to grow, and to experiment. We were handed an opportunity, and we just (smh) chucked it out a window. I picture a closed door, the smell of mary-joowanna, loud giggling, and Head Coach Doug Pederson inside saying “Let’s bench everybody! Like everybody, everybody. Will the coach let us do that? Oh shit. We’re like the same guy. Yeah. Tell him that we’re benching everybody”.

With any luck, MJ

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won’t show up this week.

This week. It’s just preseason. It doesn’t count. The point is studying. Yadda-blah yadda-blah. Have I said all the necessary boilerplate? Good.

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Remember when this guy was OUR Opening Day starter?

This game will feature a duel between QB Carson Wentz and QB Nick Foles. They will both likely play less than a quarter, and will be running vanilla versions of their respective offensive systems.

While neither played in their team’s opener, both teams will feel a need to rebound after poor showings as the Eagles lost 10 – 27 to the Tennessee Titans, and the Jags got absolutely shit-canned 0 – 29 by the Baltimore Ravens. (Seriously. They got blown out by a team that can’t even score points.)

Of the Four Things we need to focus on, three are from last week, because we didn’t even attempt them, so we still need to see how they shake out.

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

1) Starters need to play a quarter: One quarter, that’s it. We need a few looks at how some of the new guys (DT Malik Jackson, WR DeSean Jackson, MLB Zach Brown) are meshing. While we don’t want to overwork those guys, we need a large enough sample size to be able to say “Okay, X has got this” or “X needs to work on such and such”.

2) Go deep to Djax: Not too much this week. One shot over 30 yards should be good. The idea is to test the chemistry between Djax and QB Carson Wentz. If there are any bugs in their timing, now is the best time to throw interceptions. Also, the longer we wait to “unveil the weapon”, the more pressure there will be for it to work, when people first see it. Get the ‘Oooh Ahhh Ohhh’s’ out of the way early.

3) Look good running the ball: Despite all the buzz about rookie RB Miles Sanders, the guy we need to have a big year is RB Jordan Howard. Finishing with a stat-line of (5 – 20 – 4.0 – 0 – 0) with a 10 yard run somewhere in there, would be a solid indicator that we’re better off now, than we were during the playoffs.

4) Generate some pass rush up the gut: DT’s getting turned parallel to the line of scrimmage has to stop. And ( Yo Malik!), it has to stop, THIS WEEK. We can’t have another week of QB’s standing flat-footed and delivering strikes.

If we do all these things, we’re just about guaranteed to win. Ignore that. This is still a classroom. Now that we’ve covered what should happen, let’s get into what likely will happen:

Everybody important will be on a pitch count, so it’s too early to forecast which player to watch out for, or who might have a breakout day. Thus, like last week, this week and likely the next two of these, I will keep things really really general. I hate it more than you do, but that’s part in parcel of these next four weeks.

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The Snow Bowl

Neither team played their starting QB last week, and so now a rush has to be put on getting both offenses to gel. This puts both of these teams on the same clock, and makes them easier for me to read in advance.

Since the starters on both teams likely won’t log a down in PsG4, this game will serve as the measuring stick, and then PsG3 will be the dress rehearsal. So expect a little razzle dazzle mixed into both game plans. Less for winning’s sake, and more just to energize the psyche of the rosters. However, when the starting QB’s come out, expect the game to slow to an ugly crawl.

The Jags have homefield advantage, but the Eagles have the more polished roster, with more dangerous players on offense. Seriously, the Jags added WR’s Chris Conley and Terrelle Pryor to bolster their receiving corps. Yes. That, Terrelle Pryor. Him. They’re giving him actual money to catch passes. So we should win this one. The wins don’t count, but if we lose to these pussycats, I’ll dust off my panic button. I won’t press it yet, but I’ll get out of storage with my Chip Kelly memes.

PREDICTION: EAGLES 16 – Jaguars 13

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WHAT’S REALLY THE MATTER?

Posted by The BEAST on 2019/08/11
Posted in: Conversations, Defense, NFL, Offense, Players, Rants, Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

EVERYTHING matters. If that’s to be believed, then why didn’t our starters play at least a series on Thursday? Don’t hand me injuries. These are football players. They aren’t fine china. They need to be ready and up to speed for opening day, and from what we saw in this first game, at least the depth on this roster looks anything but ready.

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The coaching staff having so many players not even warm-up, speaks either to fear of injury, or a casual attitude towards the preseason. Neither is good for programming the mindset of rookie players. It’s hard to teach them that “everything matters” in practice, and with diet, and with study, and with training, when the staff regards some games as not mattering.

Instead, we were served up second stringers given the opportunity to impress, and push for more playing time during the season, (if not a re-order of the depth chart). However, few of those players did anything to catch an eye. There was an appalling lack of urgency and energy on their part. It didn’t really look as it much was at stake for them.

Some players showed up. TE Dallas Goedert made the most of his opportunity, looking downright uncoverable against starting level talent.

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QB Nate Sudfeld looked poised and polished, even after his injury. I was confident about him when I wrote my Pre-Draft Prediction in April, and he’s been everything I said he was. Rookie LT Andre Dillard already has me thinking he should be above OT Halapoulivaati Vaitai on the depth chart at LT. MLB Zach Brown looked like a seasoned pro, and LB L.J. Fort, looked like a roster must-have.

Some players who entered the game as second stringers, may have hurt their cases to make the final roster. DE Josh Sweat has yet to make his presence consistently felt. He seems incapable of stringing two good downs, back to back. LB Nate Gerry simply doesn’t the instincts for LB. The coaches want to see him as a fast, athletic LB; but really he’s a slow S, playing about 15 to 20 pounds too heavy. OL Matt Pryor is a guy I’ve been pulling for, but his mental errors are drive killers. Being a penalty magnet will have officials paying him more attention, and that alone could be enough to keep him off a roster. The fumble by RB Josh Adams held open the door for unremarkable RB Wendell Smallwood.

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Many people would include WR Marken Michel as a standout, but his 75 yard TD catch was just one catch, on one attempt, of a 50-50 ball. A larger sample size is needed. Conversely, SS Johnathan Cyprien blew an assignment and helped give up a TD pass. That’s from a relatively small sample of downs, from a player who just got here, with a year’s worth of rust to knock off.

As a fan I’m hoping that the Eagles pick it up, and look sharper in this next preseason game. I have my doubts about that however. RT Lane Johnson has already been shutdown for the remainder of the preseason, due to a knee issue that he’d play through during the season. Thus, he will not log a single down before he sees Redskin OLB Ryan Kerrigan, Week One. (Pretty cool, right Carson?)

There is no push from behind and no pull from ahead, so far. If the Eagles don’t start treating things like they truly matter, the derailment of this 2019-2020 season will be an inside job. That’s the everything. That’s what we have to understand. After that, nothing else matters.

Metallica Nothing Else Matters

FOUR THINGS REVIEWED – WK PS1 – TITANS

Posted by The BEAST on 2019/08/09
Posted in: Conversations, Defense, Four Things, Offense, Players, Rants, Reviews, stats. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

IF you hadn’t already heard, QB Nate Sudfeld has a non-season ending broken left wrist. QB Cody Kessler is your back-up. I’m looking for my whelm, but it’s under something right now.

Until last night I didn’t know that you could waste a meaningless game, but the Eagles sure as hell learned me “reeeal gewwwd”. I expected more urgency and purpose from our coaching staff. Silly me.

Eagles 10 – Titans 27 

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Mumble mumble mumble. Bitch bitch bitch. Grumble rant weep string of profanities.

I hear you asking, “What about all the stuff that stats don’t reveal?” Well, that’s the reason for these “Four Things” articles. We introduce an idea of what needs addressing BEFORE the game, so that fans have to honestly answer questions about those things, AFTER the game. This helps to get us, and keep us, all on the same page.

So, of the Four Things we were looking for in this last game, what exactly did we see?

1) Starters need to play a quarter: NOPE! Didn’t even dress. (NOT DONE)

2) Go deep to DJax: Again, didn’t dress, and even the sideline interview was shallow. (NOT DONE)

3) Look good running the ball: Let’s see… 16 handoffs, for 36 yards. That’s (carry the 12…) 2.25 per tote. You read that right. That’s not a typo. It was two and a motherfucking point two-five yards per carry! RB Jordan Howard (3 – 8 – 2.7 – 0 – 0) didn’t do much to signal that our run game has turned the corner. Then again, neither did anyone else. Isn’t that right, Josh “Do you want fries with that?” Adams? (NOT DONE)

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4) Testing LB depth: LB Zach Brown was stout against the run and didn’t invite any passes thrown his way in coverage. That made me happy. I thought that LB L.J. Fort looked very good out there. Especially in coverage. LB Nate Gerry overran his run fit on one play, and gave up a long run up the middle. It was shades of the 90 yard run that he surrendered to Redskins RB Adrian Peterson last season. The middle is probably the wrong spot for Gerry. S Johnathan Cyprien looked good when acting as a LB, but missed his deep S assignment, and helped give up a touchdown that at first looked like it was on Fort. The Eagles need to clearly define Cyprien’s role. (DONE)

So that brings us a Four Things score of 1 out of 4. In a lot of ways this was a wasted week, because any questions you had about the starters are still unanswered. Questions about the back-ups? Still unanswered. Maybe we’ll get some of those answers next week when we go visit QB Nick Foles down at his new digs in Jacksonville. QB Carson Wentz (if he dresses) vs Nick Foles. Should be a hot one!

On The Whole:

The thing about playing back-up exclusively in Preseason Game 4 is that there is no next game, and cutdowns are right on the back of that. There is real pressure to be had in that situation. Players reveal themselves in those moments.

Playing back-ups exclusively in the first game, takes the pressure is off, because they know they get a second audition in PsG 4. Did you see a sense of urgency out there last night? I know I sure didn’t.

I’m not trying to ruin anyone’s enthusiasm, but if the theme of this year is that everything matters, then this game should have looked as if the coaching staff took it seriously.

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There were some positives however. LT Andre Dillard looked flat out amazing for a a rookie, in his NFL debut. He was poised and cagey, despite not being physically overwhelming. DE Shareef Miller could end up as the 5th end in the rotation. He did a good job of setting the edge, and pressing the action upfield. His hand-fighting still needs work, though.

FOUR THINGS – PS WK 1 – EAGLES-TITANS

Posted by The BEAST on 2019/08/05
Posted in: Coaching, Defense, Four Things, NFL, Offense, Players, Roster. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , . 1 Comment

PS1-TEN

EVERYTHING matters. That’s the theme of this season according to Eagles Head Coach Doug Pederson. Last year we had a number of injuries that held us back. There can be no disputing that. However, Doug also said, that at this time last year, the team (him included), let some of the little things slide. The result of letting things slide, was a 9-7 finish, and playoff games on the road. So the emphasis this year, is on the details.

This game here will allow us a chance to see what happens to player discipline and attention to detail, when the pressure gets turned on. Given that half the roster is about to watch their dreams of being an NFL player die in about a month, you had better believe that everyone is…

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The Titans finished last year at 9-7 for the third straight year in a row. Offensively they suck ass, but they have a top 10 defense, which they used to beat us (23 – 26 OT) last year. Time to get revenge right? RIGHT?!

Meh.

This game isn’t about winning it. The object here isn’t to win the game. The object is to use the game as a test of who has bought into what we’re doing. The object is to see who gives that all out effort, that ball out effort. To see who’s been studying their playbook. To see who is playing assignment sound football, and trusting his teammate to do the same.

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If we win, great. It would mean as much as a loss right now, but hey, we’ll take it. A win this week however, needs to be a mere byproduct of building this team.

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

1) Starters need to play a quarter: One quarter, that’s it. We need a few looks at how some of the new guys (DT Malik Jackson, WR DeSean Jackson, MLB Zach Brown) are meshing. While we don’t want to overwork those guys, we need a large enough sample size to be able to say “Okay, X has got this” or “X needs to work on such and such”.

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2) Go deep to Djax: Not too much this week. One shot over 30 yards should be good. The idea is to test the chemistry between Djax and QB Carson Wentz. If there are any bugs in their timing, now is the best time to throw interceptions. Also, the longer we wait to “unveil the weapon”, the more pressure there will be for it to work, when people first see it. Get the ‘Oooh Ahhh Ohhh’s’ out of the way early.

3) Look good running the ball: Despite all the buzz about rookie RB Miles Sanders, the guy we need to have a big year is RB Jordan Howard. Finishing with a stat-line of (5 – 20 – 4.0 – 0 – 0) with a 10 yard run somewhere in there, would be a solid indicator that we’re better off now, than we were during the playoffs.

4) Testing LB depth: The Eagles will likely keep six LB’s, and this game may tell you who they’ll be. OLB Nigel Bradham is still nursing a foot injury and OLB Kamu Grugier-Hill will miss months with a knee injury. So we should get a good look at Zach Brown. Brown can play the run in his sleep, but how well he executes our coverage concepts, could affect the number of Slant, TE Curl, and Crossing routes that teams try to run against us. LB’s Nate Gerry and L.J. Fort likely stick as Special Teams players, but KGH’s injury opens the door for rookie T.J. Edwards to close out Paul Worrilow’s career. Recent signee Johnathan Cyprien is an in the box S, who may be used in the Nickle LB role and used to also push Gerry.

If we do all these things, we’re just about guaranteed to win. Scratch that for now. If we do all these things, it will help us win a lot of games LATER. When they actually count.

Now that we’ve covered what should happen, let’s get into what likely will happen:

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Both teams will run pretty vanilla packages because that’s what happens in the preseason. Especially early in the preseason, which actually favors Tennessee. They’re a defensive team, with a pedestrian QB (Marcus Mariota), and a 247 pound RB (Derrick Henry), coached by a former LB (Mike Vrabel). The Titans would like to make every game, a fist-fight in a phone booth. Preseason suits that style.

While the Eagles are experts of 11-personnel (3WR, 1RB, 1TE), Doug has said he wants to use more 12-personnel (2WR, 1RB, 2TE). This game would be a great lab in which to conduct that experiment. So expect to see less “Air Coryell”, and more “modified Erhardt-Perkins”, from us. Expect to see us do less head-hunting, and more working the body.

Final score be damned, I want to see a lead after the first quarter. Something like10 – 6 would be fine. After that we can be outscored 3 – 21 for all I care. (QB Ryan Tannehill is their back-up, after all.) The Eagles will take some shots, but ultimately this game isn’t a contest, it’s a classroom.

PREDICTION: EAGLES 17 – Titans 24

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