2019 – EAGLES

Posted by The BEAST on 2019/04/18
Posted in: Conversations, Defense, Front Office (F.O.), NFC East, NFL, Offense, Players, playoffs, Preview, Roster, Special Teams, stats, Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , . 1 Comment

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LAST year… the Eagles were 4 – 2 in the division and 9 – 7 overall, to finish 2nd in the NFC East. An aggressive injury bug decimated the Secondary, causing the team to start 13 different players over the course of the season. Despite a 30th ranked pass defense, the team managed to finish 12th in points allowed (21.8 per game). Injuries at RB contributed to a 28th ranked rushing attack, for a team that finished 18th in scoring (22.9 per game). A second year in a row of losing the starting QB didn’t help matters, although the team still finished 7th in passing yards.

That was last year. Keeping in mind that though the Draft will change some of this, the following is a report on how the team looks today, prior to the NFL Draft….

OFFENSE

QB:

Carson Wentz hasn’t lasted 16 games in either of the last two seasons. Right now the “Injury Prone” label is following him around, waiting to get his autograph. Two or more missed games (due to injury) in 2019, and Carson will be scribbling his signature. It’ll only be fair.

When healthy (or even semi-healthy) Wentz is a bonafide killer. Whether throwing a touchdown with two blown ligaments in his knee, or completing 70% of his passes with a broken bone in his back, there is no denying that the guy can ball. Even during the worst of times. His yards per game, yards per pass, and QBR has improved every year. Regardless of injury. Sometimes in the face of injury.

The back-up is Nate Sudfeld. The former Redskin draft pick, has been a solid and smart pick-up for Philadelphia. He’s doesn’t make stupid mistakes, protects the ball and makes a defense’s job difficult. There are teams who can’t say that about their starters. Luis Perez reads well and has a solid arm, but has to learn to step into his throws. (+)

RB:

Jordan Howard is a downhill runner who can pass protect, and pick up short yardage. That means he’s a four down back, not a three down back. He’s been working on improving his pass catching, as his catch percentage was just 58% in 2016. It rose to 71.9% in 2017, and then to 76.9% in 2018. (Those numbers are on par with former teammate Tarik Cohen’s 2017 and 2018 catch rates of 74.6% and 78.0% respectively. The Bear’s excuse for playing Howard less, was total bullshit.)

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Corey Clement was hampered by an early hamstring injury, before tearing his ACL in December. The undrafted Clement flashes feature-back size, solid running, and top-tier catching ability (80% career rate). Word is, he will be the pass catcher out of the backfield, replacing Darren Sproles, if Sproles doesn’t come back in 2019.

Wendell Smallwood (87 – 364 – 4.2 – 3) was given six starts last year, and was never a threat to break one. (His longest run of the season was 15 yards. His career long is 26.) Josh Adams (120 – 511 – 4.3 – 3) started five games, and led the team in rushing yards. Adams (a native Philadelphian), has all the tools physically, but lacks any aggression. Like Smallwood, he’ll get the yards that are blocked for him, but (to this point) is nothing special.

The combined numbers (207 – 875 – 4.22 – 6) aren’t bad, but they’re misleading. They’re the result of the Eagles system carrying players, not the other way around. Better athletes would have put up better numbers with the same opportunities. Still, while Smallwood and Adams are by no means starting caliber, they are a luxury, even enviable, as 3rd and 4th stringers. (+)

WR:

Alshon Jeffery is a monster when called upon. The problem is, that his number isn’t called often enough. In fact, in 6 of 13 games last season, he failed to record even 50 yards, and his touchdowns dropped from 9 in 2017, to 6 in 2018. In 2018 Nelson Agholor established a new career-high in receptions (64), but saw his touchdown production go from 8 to 4.

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The King of Deep Threats, DeSean Jackson, was brought back to Philly in a trade, providing the Eagles with the kind of speed that was the catalyst for their 2017 Super Bowl run. Jackson is coming off of a 700+ yard year, where he led the NFL with an 18.9 yard per catch average. So even at 32, he still has the wheels to take the top off of defenses, open up the run game, and provide others room to roam underneath.

There is also Mack Hollins, a 6’4” sprinter who spent last year on I.R. He has already shown highlight ability in games that count. If he can stay healthy, he is all upside. Charles D. Johnson is also on the list. While Johnson is well-traveled (to say the least), he’s 6’2”, 217, has 4.39 speed, and has started 17 NFL games. The Eagles plucked him from the defunct American Alliance of Football after he posted 45 – 687 – 15.2 – 5, largely against former NFL players. That should be plenty good for a 4th or 5th spot. (+)

TE:

Zach Ertz is one of the best in the game, but there’s plenty of room for improvement. Last season Ertz set the NFL’s all-time record, for catches in a season (116) at this position. He was very productive (116 – 1163 – 10.0 – 8) partly due to volume. He didn’t however, provide a lot of bang for the buck. In 116 receptions, he only had 8 scoring plays, and zero catches of 35 yards or more. In 2017 he had 8 scores on 42 fewer passes and two plays of 40+. Either he needs to become more of game-breaker, or he needs to see fewer targets.

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Dallas Goedert had a rookie season that was eerily similar to Ertz’s. The guy was nothing but dependable, and turned out to be a better blocker than advertised. He’s also more physical after the catch than Ertz is. When he gets a better understanding of spacing in the NFL, he’s going to produce a lot of broken tackle highlights, and likely become too expensive to keep. But he’s under contract until 2021, so expect him to play here until 2020 at the very least. (+)

OL:

C Jason Kelce, who graded out as the best at his position in 2018. But what about the guys on either side of him?

RG Brandon Brooks is still rehabbing his ACL, the timetable on him isn’t clear yet. When he comes back, his explosiveness won’t come back immediately. Lane Johnson is one of the best, if not the best RT, in the NFL. He frequently faces down top pass rushers, but doesn’t get nearly the fanfare that he deserves, because he plays on the wrong end of the line.

LG now belongs solely to Isaac Seumalo. He’s serviceable. He knows the system and the assignments. However, “the tape don’t lie”. By no means can he be mistaken for great, or for a battler in the trenches. LT Jason Peters reworked his contract to come back for 2019. Peters had some moments when he still looked like a premiere OT, but too often in 2018 he looked ordinary. And few times he looked worse than ordinary.

Waiting in the wings are guys like OT Jordan Mailata and OT Matt Pryor. Mailata is a former rugby player trying to make the jump to NFL football. Matt Pryor is a marginal OT, who might be a Pro Bowl caliber G if the Eagles kick him inside. That move would be both wise and similar to what they did with college OT’s turned pro OG’s, Shawn Andrews and Todd Herremans.

Swing T Halapoulivaati Vaitai is the top back-up, but if the team trusted him, they wouldn’t still be trying to manufacture answers at OT. This was the 28th ranked rushing attack and they had 40 sacks allowed in 2018. These are not good markers. (-)

In a nutshell:

The injury bug that hit the Eagles as hard as it did in 2018, wouldn’t have been as devastating if the shelves had been better stocked. Depth should enable a team to keep doing what they do. If it doesn’t, it’s not depth.

For example, Wendell Smallwood, couldn’t fill the role of RB Jay Ajayi, in any regard. Thus Smallwood wasn’t depth, just a body, and the results spoke for themselves when he played. The same can be said at OT right now, and it’s why when WR Mike Wallace went down, the Eagles offense (for weeks) went with him.

Offense

That said, this team has a ton of weapons and has started to address it’s depth issue everywhere except the Offensive Line. (Thus far.) Barring a third straight year of an injury bug, the 2019 edition of the Offense should perform better than the 2018 edition, even if the O-Line is largely the same. (+)

DEFENSE

DE:

While most pass rushers need to get sacks to get new deals at 31, Brandon Graham managed it as the King of Hurries. Derek Barnett is returning from a shoulder injury that cost him 10 games last season. He looked very good before he got hurt, but if Graham is going to get hurries, then Barnett needs to emerge as the closer and get sacks.

The reserves here could start on many teams. Returning to the fold is Vinny Curry. He was a massive part of the 2017 run, as he held the edge vs the run and made it easier for players on his hip to exploit gaps, and win one-on-ones. Chris Long is still on the roster, but contemplating retirement. Despite not starting at all, he had 6.5 sacks last year, his best since 2013. (+)

DT/NT:

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Fletcher Cox is an absolute beast. He’s coming off of a 10.5 sack season which is now his best as a pro. He chews up double-teams and punishes teams for trying to put a single man on him. Next to him will be Malik Jackson. Jackson is disruptive vs the pass, but how he’ll look vs the run, playing in this Wide 9 system, is a real question that no one seems to be asking.

Treyvon Hester won the Eagles a playoff game by getting a finger on, thus changing the trajectory, of the Double-Doink Field Goal at Chicago. During the rest of last year he and Bruce Hector were the tail end of a deep rotation, which included ends stealing downs inside. (+)

OLB:

Nigel Bradham

Nigel Bradham does it all. Covers, rushes the passer, plays the run effectively. He’s a solid run-and-chase ‘backer, who’s still on the field for the Nickel package. After spending the first half of 2018 trying to make the jump from Special Teamer to Starter, Kamu Grugier-Hill seemed to figure it out. There’s been mention of him playing more in 2019 and maybe even assuming some duties inside.

The only knock on this position is that it’s poorly stocked, at just two players. Due to the Eagles playing as much Nickel as they do, they don’t prioritize having many true players at this position, opting instead for hybrid/tweeners, like KGH used to be. (+)

M/ILB:

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Last season tweener Nate Gerry got two starts and it was a mixed bag. He moves well, but is too light in the loafers to take on linemen at the point of attack. He may be better suited to the outside. L.J. Fort was brought in but he’s a career back-up.

Paul Worrilow was expected to contribute last year, but a torn ACL on the first practice of OTA’s, snuffed that out. He last saw football relevance in 2015, and if he doesn’t make a strong comeback in 2019, he won’t see it again. This is not a strong position for this team. (-)

S:

Consummate leader SS Malcolm Jenkins yet again left his stamp on a season, being the only Week One Starter to survive a rampant injury bug, that tore through the Eagles 2018 Secondary. He posted 97 tackles, the second highest of his career. FS Rodney McLeod returns from injury after missing 13 games in 2018 with a torn MCL. This is a Pro Bowl level pairing if McLeod is ready for Week One.

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FS Tre Sullivan played strong during the second half of 2018 and into the playoffs. He was critical on a number of downs during the win at Chicago. Due to so many players on the roster being able to provide downs at SS/hybrid ‘backer, Andrew Sendejo has too much strong competition to have a real shot to make the roster. (+)

CB:

The upside of a vicious injury bug is that, it causes many players to gain experience and coaches to learn early on, just who can and can’t play. The Eagles are literally six players deep at this position. Five of whom can say that they’ve played well in at least one start last year.

Starting at the bottom is Sidney Jones who can’t yet claim a great start, but has the tools to be a Starter and possibly a very good one. Next up is Cre’von LeBlanc. He’s the guy who picked off Drew Brees on the opening play of a playoff game last year. Avonte Maddox was the rookie drafted to play another position, but got pressed into starting nine games, including seven (five regular season, and both playoff) at this position. Rasul Douglas picked up seven regular and both playoff starts, and not only played the pass well, but started to quickly diagnose and blow up screen passes, before they could even unfold.

And now the Starters! Ronald Darby and Jalen Mills. Mills played eight games and was not having a great year when he got hurt. It wasn’t awful, but he’d set a standard in 2017, that he wasn’t living up to. Darby deflected 12 balls in just nine starts before he got hurt. This team is ridiculously deep at this position. (+)

DEFENSE

In a nutshell:

Despite an injury bug last year, this team was the 12th hardest team to score against in the NFL. The 2019 season will see them fully re-loaded, and rich with new experience and confidence, up and down the roster. (+)

SPECIAL TEAMS

P:

Cameron Johnston had an uneven rookie year. His net average was over 40 (42.7), but 31 of his 61 punts (50.8%) were returned for 194 yards. That’s not a lot of yardage, but that’s too many times his kicks left a returner thinking that he had a chance. (-)

K:

Jake Elliott hit 26/31 (83.6%) for the second year in a row. He was less clutch (2/5) from 50+, but was no longer shaky from 30-39 (10/11). His kickoffs were much better, as only 24 of his 82 kickoffs left the end zone, which helps out the Defense immensely. (+)

RS:

While as a team the Eagles gave better than they got, still there was no one who reached 500, or even 400 kick return yards. (-)

In a nutshell:

This unit lacks the juice it once had. Some of that can be laid at the feet of rule changes, but it’s up to the staff to adapt to not get plowed under by the rules. So far that hasn’t happened. (-)

Bottom Line:

Even decimated by injuries, this was a 9 win team in 2018. Hard to imagine them finishing worse with more weapons this year.

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2019 – COWBOYS

Posted by The BEAST on 2019/04/17
Posted in: Conversations, free agents, Front Office (F.O.), NFC East, NFL, Offense, Players, playoffs, Preview, Rivals, Roster, Special Teams, stats, trade, Uncategorized, X's and O's. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

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LAST year… the Cowboys went 5 – 1 in the division, and 10 – 6 overall to win the NFC East. This was due to riding a top 10 defensive unit, which allowed just 20.2 points against per game, (6th), and held opponents to 329.2 yards per game (7th). A midseason trade to open up the offense, helped the team increase it’s scoring from 20.0 points per game (Weeks 1 – 6) , to 22.1 points per game (Weeks 9 – 17). That scoring jump helped them finish 22nd in scoring (21.2 points per game) for the year. They won a Wild Card playoff game against the Seahawks, before falling to the Rams in the Divisional

That was last year. Keeping in mind that though the Draft will change some of this, the following is a report on how the team looks today, prior to the NFL Draft….

OFFENSE

QB:

Dak Prescott is good for 28 touchdowns per year (22 passing, 6 rushing). Look it up. You can practically set your watch by the regularity with which he hits those very numbers. After trading a 1st round pick to acquire a new weapon in mid-2018, Prescott saw his QBR go up, his yards per game went up, and his completion percentage went up. The team’s win percentage also went up. Prescott is backed up by Preseason Hall of Famer, Cooper Rush. What’s not to love?! (+)

RB:

In 2018 Ezekiel Elliott logged 381 touches, for 2,001 yards from scrimmage. He caught a career-high 77 passes for a career-high 567 yards, and a career-high 3 touchdown receptions, which equaled his previous career total . In fact, the 77 passes he caught, eclipsed his previous career total of 58. Expect another high usage year out of him. Especially with a contract year coming up!

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There is currently no back-up on the roster of any significance, should Elliott miss any time. In fact, the QB was the second leading rusher on this team last year, with 305 yards, and he also had the second-most carries with 75. But depth is the sort of worry that other teams have. Depth isn’t an issue so long as Elliott is healthy. What’s not to love?! (+)

WR:

Amari Cooper came over via a Week 7 trade for a first round Draft pick in 2019. Cooper quickly became the focal point of the team’s passing attack. While his stats weren’t great in four of his first nine games with the team, they were his first nine games with the team. In 2019 he’ll have an entire training camp to better absorb the new offense. His biggest contribution however, is in forcing teams to take a Safety out of the box, which opens up the run game.

As far as other receivers, there isn’t much on paper. Given his youth, Michael Gallup seems to have the most upside. The further Allen Hurns gets from 2015, the more he looks like a one year wonder. Once again he shit the bed in 2018, with 7 starts but only posting 295 yards and 2 scores.

Tavon Austin will operate in the Slot now. While he’s been a talent tease since he became a pro, his brief time with this team looks different than anything else in his career. As a Ram for five seasons (2013 – 2017) he averaged 8.7 yards per reception. However, with this team in 2018, he averaged 17.5, though it was on a small sample size of just 8 catches.

So Austin is about to get a new lease on- Wait. No. Randall Cobb will be the Slot guy! Almost forgot all about Cobb. Which means that Austin will… Awww shit. Sorry dude! So Cobb will do here, what he was doing in Green Bay over these last few years. By which I mean, he’ll be proving to everyone that he peaked in 2014. Looking at how old his game is, it’s hard to remember sometimes that Cobb is only 28 years old. Noah Brown is a good blocker, and averages almost 10 yards per catch, over the course of his career. What’s not to love?! (+)

TE:

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Jason Witten unretired! Yayyyy! And he did it in the same abrupt style, in which he decided to retire during the 2018 NFL Draft! Wahooo! In fact, his retirement was so abrupt, that the last one of these that I did, he was still in. For the good of We The People, the team lured Witten out of the broadcast booth. For the good of this part of their team, they lured him back onto the gridiron.

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Every gamble this team has made on young players at this position, has blown up in their face, so the team hopes it can wring one more season out of Witten.

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Even if it matches his 2017 season of (63 – 560 – 8.9 – 5), it will still be comparable to what all three players at this position, (all of whom are grown men, who want be, and expect to be taken seriously), produced last year (56 – 594 – 10.6 – 4). The best part? Two of those three players are STILL on this roster! Did I mention that 2017 is considered to be Witten’s worst year? Wow! What’s not to love?! (+)

OL:

So let’s start with the results. In 2016 this line allowed 28 sacks. In 2017 they allowed 32. (That’s 60 in two years.) In 2018, this mostly healthy line, allowed 56 sacks. That’s passing. What about rushing? In 2016 they ran for 2,396 yards and 4.80 per carry. In 2017 it was 2,170 for a 4.52 average. In 2018 the total was 1,963 and 4.47. Passing or rushing, these are all downward trends, which indicate a line that is becoming easier to defeat. Not easy, but definitely easier.

In 2018 OT La’el Collins and C Joe Looney both played and started 16 games. G Zack Martin 14, OT Tyron Smith 13, rookie G Connor Williams played 13, but started 10. As the NFL goes, that’s a really healthy o-line. Missing all of last season with Guillain-Barré Syndrome (an autoimmune disease) was C Travis Frederick. (He also had shoulder surgery this past January.) While his loss was significant, it’s not as if he was replaced by a novice, or like losing him occurred in Week 7 or 8.

The good news is that Frederick received treatment and is on the mend. He’s already working out at the team’s facilities. So this unit should return everyone, with Frederick being a hopeful upgrade over Looney. However, after a year of autoimmune therapy for an incurable disease, compounded by shoulder woes, it’s unreasonable to immediately expect Frederick to pick up at the level that he last played at.

On one hand, 1,900 rushing yards and a 4.47 yard per carry average, are numbers that every other team in the division would have loved to have. On the other hand, in 2018 the 56 sacks allowed were second worst in the NFL, and only 6 teams allowed more hits (107) on their QB. (None of those 6 were division rivals.) If protecting the QB counts, then this unit is in need of an overhaul. If we’re just going off of rushing numbers, and past Pro Bowl nods, then what’s not to love? (+)

In a nutshell:

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This unit is a lot like a case of Legos in 1983. It looks like wow, a lot of great pieces! At first glance. Doors! Windows! Shutters! Little wheels, big wheels, skinny flats, and even some single-dot pieces! But a closer look reveals no hinges, no completely-flat tops, no rounded single-dot pieces, no four-dot rotating disks! It has lots of parts, but it lacks the little things that tie everything together, and make something mundane, into something amazing.

This offense lacks the little things. It lacks finesse, depth and everywhere you look, it seems that the talent is already maxed out. Prescott is almost clockwork with what he delivers, year in and year out. Elliott will put up 2,000 more hard-earned yards this year. Cooper will loosen things up enough for it all to work. The parts have and will operate, but they’ve never transcended, because there’s been no maestro to tie it all together.

They are unlikely to find that maestro in 2019. The team promoted last years QB coach, Kellen Moore, to offensive coordinator, with just last year as his only coaching experience. They also hired Jon Kitna, to be Prescott’s new QB coach, right off of 7 years of coaching high school. No pro or college coaching experience. Just high school.

It’s impossible to call this a bad or talent-poor offense. What it is, is an offense with a lot of loose ends, and no established vision. Given that the o-line is steadily getting worse, and trying to improve on the back of a man who will never be fully healthy again, it’s almost rotting from the inside, out. They have players, but they don’t have an offense yet. (-)

DEFENSE

DE:

DeMarcus Lawrence signed a long-term deal.

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With that off of his mind, he should be able to focus on playing. Now, instead of being insurance in case Lawrence didn’t sign, Robert Quinn can be the other bookend, and a force multiplier vs the pass. Taco Charleton started the first 7 games last year, and earned himself a seat on the bench in the process. However, until Randy Gregory weeds out his indefinite suspension, Charleton may find a shot at redemption. Tyrone Crawford offers the versatility to kick inside on pass rush downs. (+)

DT/NT:

Antwuan Woods and Maliek Collins more or less space-eaters that occupy blocks to allow other players to make stops. The team was banking on David Irving to develop into their interior pass rush threat, but that plan has gone up in smoke. This position is a clear weak spot, and the sort of defensive hole that teams invest a first round pick into repairing. (-)

OLB:

In his rookie season, Leighton Vander Esch led his team with 140 tackles, picked off 2 passes, and edged Sean Lee out of his starting job. By the way, 102 of those stops were solos. Let me say that again. A rookie picked up 102 solo tackles, playing on the outside. This guy is a problem. With that being the case, a huge 2019 season is expected of him.

Lee missed 9 of 16 games last year, but was re-worked his deal to avoid becoming a cap casualty. Since moving to the outside, he’s become a shadow of the force he used to be on the inside. Now he’s a liability in coverage, and offers no value as a pass rusher. There are other bodies here, but no one who would be considered a lock to make the roster. (+)

M/ILB:

Jaylon Smith makes stops, gets to the passer, and defends in space. He has the full toolkit to be the man in the middle. Joe Thomas is the back-up who you’ll never see. His game and his name makes it seem like he’s in the Witness Protection Program. (+)

S:

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The thinking is that newly signed George Iloka is an upgrade over incumbent SS Jeff Heath, but Iloka’s track record tells a different story. While Heath has played his way into starting, Iloka has played his way onto two different teams and onto the last team’s bench. Heath also appears to have better hands and faster feet, but unfortunately, he isn’t 6’4” like Iloka. Who at this point, is more of an “in the box” type.

Xavier Woods is a 6th round pick who made the team take notice of him. He’s a FS who makes a point of getting his fingerprints on the football. Kavon Frazier started the first 2 games of 2018. He started off strong, but petered out, finding it difficult to make an impact on a game if he wasn’t starting in it.

There’s a good mix of youth and experience here, the question is who starts at the Strong spot, and are they an asset or liability in beyond intermediate coverage. Then again, even if Heath starts with Woods, this defense was 13th vs the pass in 2018. (+)

CB:

Chidobe Awuzie, and Byron Jones aren’t ball-hawks (4 total interceptions in 2 years), but they do get fingers on the football. Anthony Brown (3 picks in 2 years) is the Nickel, who chips in on blitzes. Jourdan Lewis (2 pick, 2 years) who has some career starts, provides depth and experience.

In the last two years, the four top players at this position, have intercepted a grand total of NINE passes. That explains why their tackle and passes defensed numbers are so high, since they are frequently targeted, by opposing passers. While no one fears this grouping they have played together for two years and will provide a consistent result that the defensive coaching staff can build off of. (+)

In a nutshell:

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Lawrence, Quinn, Esch, and Smith give this team enough ammo to disrupt pretty much any blocking scheme. That is, if the interior d-line holds up. The secondary isn’t great, but they understand their roles and the concept that they play. Or have played. Surely there will be some changes made by incoming secondary coach Kris Richard. Time will only tell if he improves the secondary, or over-reaches and exposes them. However, until then, this is still a top 10 unit. (+)

SPECIAL TEAMS

P:

Chris Jones didn’t have a good 2018. Of his 60 punts, 30 were returned for 254 yards (8.4 yards per). His net was just 39.6 yards per punt, and fewer than a third of them (17), were down inside the 20, or fair caught (16). He’s not exactly an asset. (-)

K:

Brett Maher’s rookie season featured an accuracy mark of 80.6%. Not great. When working from 50+, he was money in the bank, making 6 of 7 (85.7%). Working 40-49 yards out, his accuracy fell precipitously to 63.6% (7 of 11), and 30-39 wasn’t great either at 75% (6 of 8). His kickoffs are also…not great? His placement isn’t coinciding with the arrival of his coverage team, and thus the unit allowed an average of 26.5 yards per kickoff return. (-)

RS:

WR Tavon Austin returned 10 punts for 58 yards, with a long of 22 yards. The team as a whole, through SIXTEEN games, returned 13 kickoffs for all of 283 yards, with an average of 21.8 yards per. Naturally none of those resulted in scores. (-)

In a nutshell:

This unit does no favors for either the offense or the defense. It as to be wondered how many games per year this unit is costing the team. (-)

Bottom Line:

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There is talent all over this roster, but no one seems to know how to tie it all together. Worse yet, they’re about to hand the reigns of their most talented unit (the offense), over to two coaches green enough to be mistaken for broccoli. On their sheer talent, and the goofy mismanagement of half the division, Dallas should be able to muster at least 8 wins, in 2019

2019 – GIANTS

Posted by The BEAST on 2019/04/16
Posted in: Conversations, Defense, free agents, Front Office (F.O.), NFC East, NFL, Offense, Players, Preview, Rivals, Roster, stats, Uncategorized, X's and O's. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

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LAST year… the giants went 1 – 5 in the division (again), and 5 – 11 overall, improving on their 2017 mark of 3 – 13. They were 16th in the NFL in scoring (369 points), but 23rd in points allowed (412 points). At mid-season GM Dave Gettleman traded away a few talented players, but saved his biggest trick for this offseason when he traded away WR Odell Beckham, and best pass rusher DE Olivier Vernon, effectively relegating them to last years news.

That was last year. Keeping in mind that though the Draft will change some of this, the following is a report on how the team looks today, prior to the NFL Draft….

OFFENSE

QB:

Eli Manning finished last year throwing for almost 4,300 yards, completed a career-high 66% of his passes, threw 21 touchdowns, averaged 7.5 yards per pass (his highest since 2011), and had his fourth highest QBR (92.4) of his 15 year career. All despite being sacked 47 times, which was also a career high. (39 was his previous high).

On paper there is no question that he can still play. However if you watch him play, Father Time is clearly tugging on his elbow. (Almost literally.) His eyes can see openings that his arm can’t fire the ball through fast enough. He’s still sort of getting away with it, but when his game expires, it will do so suddenly. Likely in the middle of a game. Definitely in the middle of a season. Perhaps this one.

Behind Manning are two QB’s with a combined resume of 6 years and 19 pass attempts. Manning is still viable as you read this, but he’s like milk being stored on a window sill. (-)

RB:

Saquon Barkley was the absolute truth last year, and the best back in the NFC East by a wide margin. On just 352 touches, he posted 2,000 yards from scrimmage, 15 TD’s, and seven, yes SEVEN plays of 50 yards or more. However, given the teams offseason losses, it’s hard to imagine that he’ll have as much success in 2019, despite what will likely be a heavier workload. Behind him are Paul Perkins and Wayne Gallman. Both are trash, so they shouldn’t play much. As long as Barkley is healthy and starting, this team is strong at this position. (+)

WR:

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Did you hear the one about the team that paid two Slot receivers nearly 80 million dollars? It looks as if the number one option is now Sterling Shepard which is a hoot! He says he looks forward to leading. No. I’m not making this up. I guess he’s seen as more dangerous than Golden Tate. Both are possession receivers who can’t really stretch the field, but each will be expecting to start 16 games. Even if one of them plays in the Slot, the closest thing the team has to an established downfield weapon, is Russell Shepard (no relation). Don’t look his career up, you’ll only hurt your eyes.

Former first round pick Corey Coleman is on the roster (his third team in two years), but he was used mostly as a return man in 2018. So there is no telling where, or if he figures into the offensive plan. If the idea is to somehow reclaim Coleman’s lost value, it would explain why the GM put a first round tender on him, essentially driving up Coleman’s price, in a market where the only suitor was his current team. So yeah. No individual receiver on the roster, nor this grouping as a whole, will scare an NFL secondary, and maybe not even some collegiate ones. (-)


TE:
Evan Engram was selected 23rd overall two years ago, and has yet to produce his first 100 yard game. This is odd, because he sees roughly 8 targets per game. This is perplexing, because he should be a weekly match-up headache, gifted with explosive play-making athleticism. This is significant, because he can’t block, so if he doesn’t offer value as a weapon, he has no value on the field. Especially given the talent he’s been surrounded with since setting foot in the NFL. While he can’t be called a “bust”, he’s basically been “just a guy”, from Day 1. Rhett Ellison is more of a blocker, and everyone behind him is a glorified camp body. (-)

OL:

So last year during Free Agency, this team went out and gave an assload of money to LT Nate Solder. Even after that, I said that it wouldn’t be enough and I nailed it. They proceeded to give up 47 sacks in 2018, which was a dramatic increase over the 34 they surrendered in 2017. So to bolster the line, they traded for G Kevin Zeitler, still playing on a big 2017 contract from the Browns, after earning it doing this for the Bengals:

I’m not kidding. These are actually listed as highlights. I included this link, just so people can’t say that I’m picking on the guy.

So far this unit looks like the Hindenburg. (-)

In a nutshell:

With a passing game predicated on short quick passes, expect crowed boxes which will make running the ball very tough this year. Nothing about the offensive roster says that this team is trying to win now. I’m guessing the plan here is to give Manning no protection, no run game, no targets to throw to, and watch him get pummeled until he’s injured, or can’t stand it and requests his own benching. At that point, it’s a re-build that fans will blame the player for forcing. After which the team can take a couple of years, with the fan’s blessing, and no real dip in attendance. (-)

DEFENSE

DE:

While the team’s leading pass rusher from last year is in Cleveland now, the good news is that B.J. Hill is still here. Hill had 5.5 sacks last year (3 in one game against the Bears). Olsen Pierre was brought over from Arizona, in hopes of rekindling past success, with DC James Bettcher, his 2017 DC in Arizona. He’ll likely have to battle for the other end spot, with R.J. McIntosh. Aside from Hill, there are far more questions than answers at this spot. It’s hard to imagine that they open OTA’s in this condition. (-)

DT/NT:

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Dalvin Tomlinson won’t offer much interior rush, but he’ll absorb blockers and allow other defenders to get to the ball-carrier. There is however, no depth behind him. (+)

OLB:

Lorenzo Carter was third on the team with 4 sacks in 2018, which was also his rookie season. This means that this organization has a vested interest in seeing this pick pan out. Expect him to start. Across from him is another former Cardinal, Markus Golden. Golden had 12.5 sacks in 2016 (under Bettcher), but he tore his ACL in early 2017, and only collected 2.5 sacks through all of 2018. He may also be looking to rekindle past success with his old DC.

Kareem Martin started 7 games here last year, so he offers experience. While Carter is a true LB, everyone else here is more of a DE, and they can be taken advantage of in coverage. This group is far more about rushing the QB than anything else. That said they have the experience with it. If they get the proper support, there’s no reason why they can’t be effective. (+)

ILB/MLB:

Alec Ogletree picked off FIVE passes last year and returned 2 for touchdowns. He’s a complete LB and it was a stroke of genius to sign him last year. B.J. Goodson is coming off of his best year as a pro. 13 starts, 61 tackles, and 2 interceptions, are all career highs. Between these two players, this defense compiled 7 picks. Tae Davis is more of a S/LB tweener, but he had a very promising rookie year in 2018, which makes this position downright terrifying and maybe the best in the division. (+)

S:

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So the front office went and raided Arizona and Cleveland, for help in the secondary. The haul from those heists include Jabrill Peppers and Antoine Bethea. Not exactly a ballhawking pair. Also, both seem more suited to in the box play. It remains to be seen who will have to handle the deep coverage, unless they want to trust it to Micheal Thomas. Also not a ballhawk. While there is a ton of NFL experience here, it doesn’t appear that this position can keep up with the firepower of some passing offenses in the division. (-)

CB:

Janoris Jenkins is overrated as a play-maker. Over the last three seasons he’s defensed 42 passes, but come away with just 8 of them. Still, he can be expected to deliver top-tier coverage. After 2018’s mid-season “fire sale”, Grant Haley got 9 straight starts in the Slot to finish the year. Word is that Ann Veal, (sorry) Sam Beal, who missed his entire rookie season with a non-contact, non-pad, recurring shoulder injury which occurred during OTA’s, will be counted on to start in 2019, in order to justify the 3rd round pick the team shelled out for him in 2018’s Supplemental Draft. And depth is non-existent. (-)

In a nutshell:

It’s concerning that a number of former Cardinals that have come over in the last two seasons, and are pushing for serious playing time. This is despite not being very successful before getting here, yet still displacing young players drafted by this team. Olsen Pierre, Markus Golden, CB Ronald Zamfort, Kareem Martin, are all examples of this. Only Antoine Bethea carries a history of consistent, high level play.

Still, it would be disingenuous to pretend not to see DC Bettecher’s vision, once the parts have been laid out, and a bird’s eye view of them can be taken. So it would be unfair to say that this unit looks bad for 2019. It’s 100% fair however, to say that there are too many question marks at key spots. Who is the pass rusher on the d-line? Can the OLB’s be relied on for anything other than pass rush? How does this team defend the pass beyond 20 yards and in the flat? Too many question marks. Too many holes. (-)

SPECIAL TEAMS

P:

Riley Dixon was brought in from Denver last year and had a pretty good run. On 71 punts, only 27 were returned for 177 yards (6.5 per), and no scores. With an average punt of 45.4 yards, he had a net of 41.8. Meaning he doesn’t generally leave much meat on the bone for returners. (+)

K:

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Signing another K last offseason really lit a fire under Aldrick Rosas. After a crappy rookie year, he rebounded in 2018 to hit 32 of 33 field goals, and 31 of 32 extra points, roughly 97% in both categories. (+)

RS:

While a few players took a crack at returning punts, no player broke 90 yards for the season, let alone took one to the house. Corey Coleman posted 598 kickoff return yards for an average of 26.0, and three returns of 40+, but no scores here either. The return game isn’t a liability, but it’s also not a huge plus. (+)

In a nutshell:

Seems like the team has finally decided to get their act together here. Hidden yardage and reliable kicking helped keep this team in games they shouldn’t have been in. With all the key players returning in 2019, there’s no reason to expect that they won’t find a way to improve yet again. (+)

Bottom Line:

You can’t win a football game if you can’t score. You can’t win a football game if you can’t stop the other guy from scoring. The giants look like they’re about to have both problems. If they can find a savior in the Draft, then they might find a way to 6 – 10. Otherwise, for New Yorkers looking for football worth watching, you may want to buy tickets to a Jets game.

2019- REDSKINS

Posted by The BEAST on 2019/04/15
Posted in: Conversations, Defense, NFC East, NFL, Offense, Players, Preview, Reviews, Rivals, Roster, Special Teams, Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , , , , , , . 1 Comment

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LAST year… the Redskins finished 2 – 4 in the division and 7 – 9 overall. They got out to pretty good 6 – 3 start, but then were decimated by major injuries to their…seemingly everything. They ended the season ranked near dead last in scoring (29th), yards (28th), passing (28th). Defensively, they at least held their own in points allowed (15th). The 7 – 9 finish left many feeling that the team’s nucleus was solid, and that they have almost all of the pieces needed, for a run at the NFC East throne.

That was last year. Keeping in mind that though the Draft will change some of this, the following is a report on how the team looks today, prior to the NFL Draft….

OFFENSE

QB:

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With the devastating leg injury to Alex Smith still being re-habbed, the team needed a starter. So signing Case Keenum would be easy to understand/forgive. But giving up something, anything (a player, a pick, half of a ham sandwich, whatever), to acquire a passer with a 26 – 28 career mark as a starter, is practically a cry for help. Listen…. “Someone stop us, PLEASE!” Did you hear that? Keenum’s only two playoff games include a loss that dumb luck turned into a win, and then getting absolutely shelled and exposed as a fraud a week later. And they traded for this guy! Which basically tells Colt McCoy how little faith the team has in him. (-)

RB:

With the devastating leg injury to Derrius Guice being rehabbed, the team needed a starter. Enter Samaje Perrine who spent a good deal of 2018 as a healthy scratch.

At the age of 33, Adrian Peterson ran for over 1,000 yards, even breaking a 90 yard touchdown run vs the Eagles. (In a game where he still failed to rush for 100 yards). As a reward, the team gave the now 34 year old, a new 2 year deal. (Cry for help?) Chris Thompson spent lat year being dinged up by injuries, and as a result couldn’t offer an effective change of pace option. Between Peterson, Guice, and Thompson, this team should be a competent enough backfield. Provided they don’t have to face too many loaded boxes. (+)


WR:

With the devastating leg injury to Cam Sims last year, this team was being given a glimpse of what was to come. Sims (based on a great 2018 camp), had the staff eager to deploy the weapon that everyone else had overlooked. Then got hurt Week One. Then halfway through the year, Paul Richardson had a shoulder injury which derailed the team’s plans to add some explosiveness. But to be fair, it already wasn’t going well before he got hurt. For the third year in a row, Josh Doctson failed to crack 600 yards in a season. Not bad for a guy selected 22nd overall, three years ago. And Brian Quick is also on the roster! Sims, Richardson, and Doctson are all back this year, but that line-up isn’t even scary on paper. (-)


TE:

With the dev- Sorry. Got into a rhythm. Remember when Jordan Reed was scary? He probably doesn’t either. Calm down! That wasn’t a concussion joke! That was just pointing out that it’s been a few seasons since he was problem for anyone trying to cover him. Weird stat: He’s never had a 40 yard reception. That said, still he was a weekly headache. He used to be that good. He’s still above average as receiving option, but no one to fear anymore. For the last three years, Vernon Davis has done such a good job of picking up the slack for Reed, that it makes no sense for him to still be #2 on the depth chart. Both are more receivers than blockers, and that is where Jeremy Sprinkle comes in. It’s a solid group, but there’s no need to game plan for them. (+)

OL:

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With o-line devastated by injuries last year, it was just one more reason why the offense became trash last year. During the first 7 games the team was 5 – 2 having already lost G Shawn Lauvao for the year. Then they lost Brandon Scherff (one of football’s top Guards) for the year. Then they lost Trent Williams for few games. Then they lost some back-ups. To pronounce their line as “bad” and leave it at that, is to ignore context. Ignoring context is how you miss obvious things, like what the line will do in 2019.

Four of last year’s Week One starters (LT Trent Williams, C Chase Roullier, RG Brandon Scherff, RT Morgan Moses) will be back in those same spots. The upgrade, and YES, it’s an upgrade, is Ereck Flowers at LG. Flowers has spent the last four years being trash as an OT. He can’t handle movement on the edge, but he’s a brute of a man if he can get his mitts on a guy. Playing inside puts him in a phone-booth, and his 2019 season will make his prior two NFL teams look like idiots for not spotting the obvious. (+)

In a nutshell:

If this was rugby, then Washington would have a team. However, this game revolves heavily around the forward pass. This team lacks the players to be highly effective at throwing the ball. Unless the Draft brings a miracle, this offense will keep this team out of the postseason and drafting in the top 15, in 2020. (-)

DEFENSE

DE:

600 pounds of problem. Johnathan Allen, and Matt Ioannidis, put together 15.5 sacks and 92 tackles between them. For players at this position in a 3-4 system, those are impressive numbers. That says that the interior of this defense is getting off of blocks. This groups Achilles Heel is that there is no quality depth behind the starters. There are players listed as defensive linemen, but that usually means “roster body”. (+)

DT/NT:

In his rookie year what did Daron Payne do? He posted 56 tackles, 5 sacks, and 3 passes defensed. His effectiveness was contagious along the entire d-line. Now he has a year’s experience under his belt. The only Achilles Heel here, is the complete lack of quality depth behind him. (+)

OLB:

Ryan Kerrigan churned out double digit sacks (13) again. With the departure of Preston Smith, it looks today as if the guy inheriting the other stating nod will be Shaun Dion Hamilton. Or possibly Marcus Smith. Outside of Kerrigan, this position is ALL question marks. Given the one dimensional way that it’s utilized, even if the picture were settled it might just be borderline. (-)


M/ILB:

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Mason Foster is the clean-up guy in the middle. They released Zach Brown, but don’t appear to have an answer as to who will replace him. Reuben Foster is the guy they’ll count on to fill those shoes. He’s yet to prove that he’s a game-changer at this level. (-)

S:

Landing SS Landon Collins might be a bigger deal on a team with a real FS. However, with Montae Nicholson, and Deshazor Everett, being the the top options, it looks like this team overpaid for yet another player at this position, who doesn’t specialize in coverage. It’s a little bit goofy, and it almost ensures that this team will end up on the receiving end of a few nasty blowouts this season. (-)

CB:

They need Josh Norman to be a superstar. That’s what the head coach said about 2019. The truth is that Norman has been fine. The rest? Fabian Moreau? When a guy can play 15 games but only gets 10 starts, you know the coaches are still looking for someone they can trust. Quinton Dunbar, Danny Johnson and Greg Stroman? They all spent 2018 being moved around, in and out of the line-up, and by year’s end the coaching staff still didn’t (and still don’t) have an answer for 2019. (-)

In a nutshell:

In case you didn’t notice: DE Johnathan Allen, DT Daron Payne, LB Reuben Foster, LB Shaun Dion Hamilton, LB Ryan Anderson, and SS Landon Collins ALL played for Alabama within the last 5 years. Maybe the GM is trying to reassemble the college unit?

In any case, there are holes everywhere along this unit. There is zero depth anywhere, and in some areas, the starters themselves are suspect. No Draft day miracle can save this unit this year. (-)

SPECIAL TEAMS

P:

Tress Way recorded the best net average (41.5) of his career, so far. Only 31 of his 79 (39%) of his punts were returned, 41 of which were downed inside the 20. Unfortunately, he didn’t do many favors for his coverage team, and thus they allowed 9.8 yard per punt return and brought one back for a score. He isn’t amazing, but he’s consistent and seems to be making small improvements. (+)

K:

Dustin Hopkins established a career bests with his longest field goal (56 yards) and accuracy (89.7%). Just 13 of his 70 kickoffs (18.5%) were returned for a total of 295 yards and no scores. (+)

RS:

Nine players had a crack at returning kicks and or punts, yet not one player cracked a 50 yard play, a score, or even 300 yards for the season. This is a hole. (-)

In a nutshell:

The kicking game is solid. The toes are reliable, and the coverage teams know what to expect, year to year. That means coaches can get an idea of what the hidden yardage battle will look like for them, from week to week. The return game has to get fixed though. That’s keeping a pretty average unit, from being a really good one. (+)

Bottom Line:

This is shaping up to be a team that can’t score, or stop anybody. They also lack a Special Teams unit that can give them a chance to steal momentum in a game here and there. At the end of 2018, the problems were clear. They needed a 2019 QB, some receivers, some defensive stability, and a secondary that could cover. So far they’ve addressed none of these things. This is a team that can easily lose 14 games this year. But they’re an NFC East team, dammit! Surely they can find their way to at least 5 -11.

#12 QUALITY, NOT QUANTITY

Posted by The BEAST on 2019/04/13
Posted in: Coaching, Defense, Offense, Players, playoffs, Roster, The 12, Uncategorized, X's and O's. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

12-QUALITY, NOT QUANTITY.jpg

WHEN injuries happen, it’s important to have proper back-ups. Proper as in, fits the scheme, so they can step right in and allow a continuation of the program. If a back-up requires the coaches to re-vamp the system, or implement a drastic scale-back on how much of the playbook can be used, then someone (the GM) didn’t do their job building the roster.

This isn’t me suggesting roster moves here. I NEVER do that in The 12. It would be antithetical to why I started this series in the first place. What I will do however, is discuss the idea of adopting and adapting the vision to build proper back-ups. That way we can take a true, next man up approach. Like the 2017 Eagles did.

Quality depth isn’t just about talent. Quality depth actually is more often about a back-up being prepared to play, and understanding their role if they have to start for an extended length of time. This is about being prepared if certain players were to become unavailable.

Players such as:

WR DeSean Jackson – Brought here to take the lid off of defenses, we saw what happens to the Offense in a year where we had a deep threat for 16 games (Torrey Smith). We also saw what happened when we lost our deep threat (Mike Wallace) in the second game. In the event that Jackson goes down, the next most logical player to step up would be WR Mack Hollins.

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Mack Hollins rocking his former number 10 jersey, celebrating a 64 yard TD vs the Redskins.

Hollins missed all of 2018 with a sports hernia, followed by a groin injury. While he doesn’t have Djax’s speed (who does?), he has legit wheels and hands. Plus with that 6’4” frame, he’d be a nightmare for any secondary. Especially one already trying to cope with WR Alshon Jeffery and TE Zach Ertz.

DT Fletcher Cox – While there are a few guys at DT, there is of course no one who can fill Cox’s shoes. However, splitting his duties could lessen the blow if we have to do with out him. DT Trayvon Hester vs the run on 1st down, or 2nd and short, and DE Vinny Curry playing inside on 2nd and long and 3rd downs.

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Vinny.

Again, this isn’t about replacing talent, it’s about players understanding their roles and doing what they’re good at. In that way they can focus on delivering, when called upon.

SS Malcolm Jenkins – I’ve had my eye on S Tre Sullivan for a couple of years now.

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He didn’t make the cut in 2017, but he got to play a little in 2018. He was big in the playoff game vs Chicago, mostly in a FS role. Sullivan can be prone to the stupid penalty, but he’s got a hitter’s mentality, and plays with confidence and passion. He’s an emotional leader waiting to happen.

QB Carson Wentz – QB Nate Sudfeld is the back-up now.

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He’s played here for two years, knows the system, the playbook, and has played well when he’s stepped on the field. The key to Sudfeld is in making sure that he doesn’t think it’s his job to “win” games. Have him just focus on his job, and let the outcome take care of itself.

RB Jordan Howard – RB Corey Clement battled a leg injury early last year that kept him from being his best.

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The Eagles allowed he, and Wendell Smallwood to duke it out for the nod when RB Jay Ajayi was lost for the year. Clement was eventually lost for the year, and Smallwood got the nod until the staff couldn’t take it anymore, and started RB Josh Adams. Based on what we have now, Clement should be the #2 here. It’s time.

For pretty much everything else, the Eagles have either proven depth , or they have burning needs. Positions like DE, G, CB, TE, WR are pretty well stocked, and the Eagles can mix and match to exploit match-ups. Positions like MLB, reserve LT, reserve OLB, are already dumpster fires, and no amount of spin, or putting lipstick on a pig, will cover that up.

For some positions, the Draft can’t get here fast enough, but for others… A little planning now would keep us rolling smoothly over obstacles, and into the playoffs.

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#11 EFFECTIVE TARGETING

Posted by The BEAST on 2019/04/12
Posted in: Coaching, Offense, Players, Roster, stats, Super Bowl, The 12, Uncategorized, X's and O's. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

11-EFFECTIVE TARGETING

THIS one is less about “adopt and adapt”, and more about “get back to get back”. What that means is, to get back to the Super Bowl, we have to get back to what REALLY got us there, and what really won it for us. What we need to get back to, is giving the QB room to operate the Offense.

Two years ago, WR Torrey Smith took the lid off of defenses, and allowed the QB to render our intermediate passing game, as safe as a short passing game. Smith himself didn’t do a lot of statistical damage (36 – 430 – 11.9 – 2), despite playing in every game.

The real damage that Smith did, was open up the defense underneath, which then allowed players like WR Nelson Agholor (62 – 768 – 12.4 – 8) and TE Zach Ertz (74 – 824 – 11.1 – 8) to have career years.

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2015. A Bills player gets a stiff arm to the mug and it Ertz so good. Eagles win 23 – 20

With so many receivers to cover in the intermediate area, that loosened up the box and allowed the Eagles to run for over 2,000 yards, despite not having a superstar RB on the roster.

Replacing Smith in 2018, was WR Mike Wallace, who was brought in to fill the role of deep threat. Wallace was hurt in the second game of the season, and never caught a single pass. Having lost it’s catalyst, the offense never seemed to find it’s legs until around Week 12.

At no point did the running game ever recover.

Now we have the King of the Deep Threats, WR DeSean Jackson, back on our roster.

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2010. DJax hangs 210 yards on the Cowboys, including this 91 yard pimp-hand, drawn across the spitter. Eagles win 30 – 27

If we say enough prayers for his hamstrings, he’ll likely give us more as a receiver than Smith did, which means that he’ll be a very credible threat, thus opening up the Offense.

That means we have to use him. The more targets he sees (and catches), the more afraid opposing coaching staffs will be of him. That doesn’t mean he should become our number one WR! Far from it.

Assuming QB Carson Wentz attempts 40 passes per game, the actual target pecking order should look something like Ertz (9), WR Alshon Jeffery (9), Agholor (7), Jackson (6).

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Mind you, those numbers represent how many targets (not catches), those players need to see in a game. (Those remaining 9 attempts could go to RB’s and reserve players.)

If you notice, that’s 15 to the outside, and 16 to the inside, per game. Again, the remaining 9 passes are all crimes of opportunity. The idea is to make the game between the hashmarks a high percentage one. Run or pass, with the top coming off the defense, the deck is stacked in our favor at every snap.

We just need to make sure Djax sees enough targets.

And to pray for those hammies.

#10 BENCH ANKLE-BITERS

Posted by The BEAST on 2019/04/11
Posted in: Coaching, Defense, Players, The 12, Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , . 1 Comment

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AFTER last year’s season-ending injury to FS Rod McLeod, S Corey Graham stepped in as our starter. Graham is a seasoned NFL veteran, who’d already played a year in this system, with this team. He’s solid as far diagnosing plays, and has good ball-skills. The only problem with him is, he’s an ankle-biter.

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Shitty tackler, but in coverage he was money in 2017. (BTW 38 – 7)

Ankle-biters are defensive players who frequently make “business decisions”, instead of striking through opponents. To avoid taking any punishment themselves, they dive at legs and feet instead of making chest up, wrap-up tackles. They attempt to make stops by tripping an opponent up, or leading with a shoulder, while their head is turned away from their target.

Ankle-biting is not only cowardly, but it leads to too many missed tackles, and free yardage. It allows ball carries to “fall forward”, which is often the difference between a punt and a first down. It also means that there is no chance to cause a fumble.

Notice however, that I don’t say that they should be cut from the team. Ankle-biters do have a place on an NFL roster. On every NFL roster, in fact. As poor performers, they can function in ways that no All-Pro player ever could.

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Big Red in 1999. If we don’t win this next Super Bowl, I want him to win it.

Adopting and adapting the tactic of Andy Reid, he made an example of a poor performing veteran, in favor of a young player with upside, once that veteran gave him the opening.

Older Eagles fans my recall George Hegamin. For those who do not, or who likely have (justifiably) forgotten him, here is an excerpt from Wikipedia:
“with the arrival of new head coach Andy Reid, (Hegamin) walked out of training camp for one day, after being told of his demotion in favor of rookie Doug Brzezinski. When he came back, Reid made him push a blocking sled the length of a practice field under the heat, in front of some players, coaches, executives and the media. He eventually was cut on September 4, 1999.”

So you add a few, but keep just a couple. Poor tacklers make NFL rosters every single year, because frequently these players have other skills that give them specific situational value.

One specific situation, is when ball-skills are needed. Hail Marys, Prevent, Picket Fence, or anytime the object is to discourage the ball being thrown to a specific receiver, are all examples of this situation. At which point, tackling becomes less of a priority.

Another specific condition would be the Gunner position on punt returns. When the object is to quickly get down-field, and herd the returner into an area of containment, speed is the most important asset. So yet again, outright tackling becomes less of a priority.

Yet a third specific situation, is in developing young players. If a more veteran player loses playing time to a younger player, because that young player makes better tackles, it tells the young guy to keep doing what he’s doing. Keep seeing what he hits. Keep wrapping up. Keep striking through opponents. Once more, good tackling is less of a priority.

A poor tackler can even be used to make a few good tacklers. If he sits. Subbing in a poor tackler due to injury is one thing. However, when you start a poor tackler among your original 11 (for example us starting CB Ronald Darby), it sends the wrong message, and can stall development throughout the secondary.

There are likely other situations, but you get the idea. These players are not completely without value. So keep a couple ankle-biters, just mostly sit them.

#9 WRECK THAT POCKET

Posted by The BEAST on 2019/04/10
Posted in: Coaching, Defense, Inside The Helmet, Uncategorized, X's and O's. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

9-WRECK THAT POCKET

OPPOSING QB’s cannot be allowed to plant their feet. When a QB can stand in the pocket, our Defense has a hard time stopping an opponent. That’s true for any team, but what makes it so telling for us, is how bad we look when that one thing doesn’t go our way. It’s like pulling on a thread and unraveling a sweater.

We have been just that easy to solve for smart coaches. Forgive my analogy dear reader, but our flaw has become as easy to ignore, as a burning cross.

That’s why every defensive game plan needs to come with keys specific to each opposing offensive line, for how to attack the central part of the pocket, discard obstacles, rip apart the protective layer, and get at the QB inside.

Different o-line coaches teach different techniques, to get the desired performance from their line. Since coaches vary, techniques will vary. No matter how good a technique is, it has an Achilles heel. Every technique has, and every technique always will. We just need to determine what they use, before we can exploit it.

For example, the splits (distance between linemen) may vary. Whether pass-blockers shoot both hands early, or stagger them. The depth on a kick-slide may vary, as some coaches want full extension, and others want players more under control. There are pluses to each of these things, but definite minuses to each, as well.

Week to week, we should be attacking the weakness of the technique, in order to break the protection down at what would be it’s cellular level. Imagine if all five linemen were somehow wrong on every snap. (This next sentence might be a little confusing, so take it slow.) We’d be exploiting what was wrong, with what was right, about what an opponent has relied on since OTA’s.

Eagle DLine

On a weekly basis we should adopt and adapt tactics of Sun Tzu, not only to defeat the opponent, but to make it impossible for opponents to get a handle of us in film study. “Be extremely subtle even to the point of formlessness. Be extremely mysterious even to the point of soundlessness. Thereby you can be the director of the opponent’s fate.” In this way, we become impossible to solve. In this way, we no longer unravel.

 

#8 QB HOLDING

Posted by The BEAST on 2019/04/09
Posted in: Coaching, NFL, Players, Rants, Special Teams, The 12, Uncategorized, X's and O's. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , . 2 Comments

8-QB HOLDING

I’VE said this before and I’ll keep saying it every year, until we do it. If you want to increase the accuracy of the Kicker, use a QB as his Holder on Field Goal attempts.

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K Jake Elliott has a career accuracy rating of 83.9%. He was 26/31 in his first year. He was 26/31 in his second year. He’s had none of his kicks blocked (knock wood), thus far. That’s not for a lack of teams trying though.

That of course has to factor into him working to get his kicks away sooner. However, if given a second or second and a half longer, to dial in… Hey, that can only help him out. But what does that have to do with a QB playing Holder?

If a QB is the Holder, it means that any FG attempt could be a fake. It means every FG attempt could be a fake. (Especially with Doug as the coach.) If the kicking team packs the line, then the defense has to crowd them and gets to attempt a block. However, if it’s 4th and 4, and the wing players line up outside, then the defense has to pull potential blockers away from the kick, to cover what could otherwise become a completely uncovered receiver.

This tells the Kicker that he has a little more time and breathing room for his kick. And it would all stem from using a QB as the Holder, as the Saints did here with QB Luke McCown

This play might not have happened had the defense identified and respected the personnel that was on the field.

We need to adapt and adopt tactics which make teams uneasy about how they approach US. At the same time, these seemingly small wrinkles can supply our own players with a greater sense of calm and confidence.

#7 DUELING RETURNERS

Posted by The BEAST on 2019/04/08
Posted in: Coaching, Players, Rants, Special Teams, The 12, Uncategorized, X's and O's. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

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SPECIAL Teams has really fallen off here in Philadelphia over these last couple years. Some of it is player loss. Some of it is rule changes. Regardless, something needs to be done to make this unit’s presence felt again.

I still have faith in Special Teams Coordinator Dave Fipp. However, over the years he’s lost some key coverage specialists (LB Bryan Braman, S Chris Maragos, TE Trey Burton),

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and has either missed out on the availability of our primary return specialist (2017, 2018 PR Darren Sproles) with injury, or lost them completely (2015 KR Josh Huff, 2018 KR Kenjon Barner).

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A major part of the problem has been trying to give the Punt Returner job to one guy, and the Kickoff Returner job to one guy. When that player gets hurt (or cut for driving through Jersey with hollow-points and weed in his car), then other players get pressed into the duty. At that point the fill-ins are never as good.

Also with the new kickoff rules, KR’s are encouraged to take touchbacks rather than try to make something happen. How does the Offense begin an aggressive drive with kneeling? It’s psychologically counter-intuitive. Where is the spirit of competition?

It’s that very problem which gives rise to my solution. These jobs need to be split. Two PR’s and two KR’s.

BOOM! Right away the competition comes back. While I could end this article right there, and claim Supreme Victory, I have an even better idea…

To make things sweeter, Starters on the team could put money into a pot (maybe each Starter puts in 300$ per week, for a weekly pot of 6,600$, which can roll over.) When a returner breaks one for a touchdown, they get the whole pot. If a coverage guy forces a fumble, he splits the pot with whomever recovers the fumble. If more than one of these things happen in a game, then all of those players split the pot.

The coaches could give Special Teamers who commit no penalties, or who down balls inside the 5, an extra day off during the week. Holds and blocks in the back, would practically disappear. Near fanatical hustle would be evident on every play. From every player!

All throughout each aspect of Special Teams there would be improvement. Players would be competing with each other, and playing for short-term bragging rights. (After all, these weekly pots wouldn’t really make that big of difference to these guys financially.)

Our Special Teams is merely fine today. However, if we adopt and and adapt the Seahawks practice of encouraging competition among teammates, we will be ensuring ourselves of a unit that pushes themselves, and also each other. When teammates do that, excellence is sure to follow.