FOUR THINGS REVIEWED: WEEK 6: PANTHERS

Posted by The BEAST on 2017/10/13
Posted in: Coaching, Defense, Four Things, NFL, Offense, Players, Reviews, Roster, stats. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , . 1 Comment

SIX weeks in and we’ve gone from the bottom of the NFC East, to the top of the entire NFC. There are still 10 more games to play before the division is officially awarded to anyone, and no one has forgotten that. However, since the Eagles don’t play for another 11 days, it’s cool if we take two or three days to celebrate our milestone.

Zach Ertz,Daryl Worley

EAGLES 28 – Panthers 23

QB Carson Wentz (16/30 – 53.3% – 222 – 3 – 0) did his thing again. Despite being under constant pressure last night, Carson went sprinkling touchdowns like flakes in a goldfish bowl. TE Zach Ertz (2 – 18 – 9.0 – 2) didn’t catch a lot of balls, but each one he caught drew blood. The much maligned Eagles Secondary picked off Carolina’s QB three times and allowed him zero touchdown passes. (The Panthers one TD pass was against a back-up LB.) We also limited them to 80 yards rushing, 71 by their QB, and the other NINE yards were on 14 carries.

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) Dictate the action: My exact words were: “keep the Panthers offense in front of us, and tackle well.” Well, “RB” Christian McCaffrey (10rec – 56 – 5.6 – 1) and WR Kelvin Benjamin (9 – 99 – 11.0 – 0) were allowed routes in front of defenders and then tackled or pushed out of bounds quickly. We took away any chance for the Panthers to be explosive. (DONE)

2) Get pressure early: We did this not just early, but all game long. Fletcher Cox (0 – 0.5 – 0 – 0) with pressure up the middle, got a hand on a pass in the second quarter that resulted in an interception by rookie CB Rasul Douglas (2 – 0 – 1 – 0). It was one of three on the night. (A fourth was called back due to a penalty away from the ball.) (DONE)

3) Rip up the seams: Instead of Carolina going into their Nickel whenever WR Nelson Agholor (4 – 55 – 13.7 – 1) came on the field, they stayed in their base and were torched along the seams for all three of our touchdowns. Even Rookie WR Mack Hollins (2 – 38 – 19.0 – 0) had the biggest game of his young career so far. (DONE)

4) Send a message: It had to be proven that we could run against a top ranked run defense and we did. We use a balanced attack featuring 30 passes to 21 called rushes. RB LeGarrette Blount (14 – 67 – 4.7 – 0 – 0) getting the bulk of that work and doing it between the Tackles. Future opponents will see the way we did that against a stout Carolina defense, and think “Oh shit.” Overall we ran for 101 yards (3.7 per tote) against a team that had only given up 100 yards this year once before (against the Saints, who blew them out). Speaking of sending a message, did you see LB Nigel Bradham (7 – 0 – 0 – 0) out there? He was playing like someone owed him money. If we see the Panthers again in the playoffs, we now know how to tranq that kitty. (DONE)

Sweet bubbly Studebaker! That’s back-to-back weeks of 4 out of 4 scores. That brings the seasons running total to 21 of 24. Either I’m psychic or I really know my shit. Either way, when they do what I write, they win. So let’s hope they keep reading these articles. Especially next week, as we prepare to sweep the Redskins.

cam jammed

On The Whole:

As you can see, this was more or less the game I was expecting. I was momentarily thrown by the announcement that RT Lane Johnson would be out. However, after taking another look, I was sure of my pick, and reassured my friends and readers thusly.

On that note, something has to be done about protecting Wentz. I kept waiting to see Ertz moved in-line beside RT Halapoulivaati Vaitai. If only to help by chip blocking. There were some instances of it, but not nearly enough of them, especially early on, when RB’s were being asked to pick up blitzes. And can we PLEASE never ask RB Kenjon Barner (5 – 7 – 1.4 – 0 – 0/ 1rec – 9 – 9.0 – 0), to pick up anymore blitzes? Getting Wentz murdered because we trusted an undersized fill-in, to protect his blindside, will seem silly in hindsight. How about we just not go there?

Speaking of Barner, I have no idea why has to get so many touches on Offense. Last week it was 5 touches, this week it was 6. If he was really that great with the ball in his hands, he wouldn’t have been at home to answer his phone, after Darren Sproles was injured. Stop letting him steal touches from RB Corey Clement (2 – 2 – 1.0 – 0 – 0)!

Shit. Almost forgot to talk about the Panthers. People make a big deal out of their QB running, but when he does, he stops thinking about his team. As I said, “Old intel says that you don’t want Newton running, but that is very old intel, indeed.” You saw where he ran for a score and celebrated by showboating on a victory lap? Aside from that, when asked to be a leader, it was all slumped shoulders and interceptions.

The sad part is that now people will say that we’ve finally played someone respectable, even though we just faced the worst QB we’ve seen so far (in regards to leadership and intangibles). Whatever dude! Turn up the music and pass me an Angry Orchard. I’m celebrating my team’s climb from the bottom to the top. And will be doing so until at least Sunday.

NUMBER ONE SEED

FOUR THINGS: WK 6: EAGLES-PANTHERS

Posted by The BEAST on 2017/10/11
Posted in: Coaching, Defense, Four Things, NFL, Offense, Players, Preview. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , . 2 Comments

 

W6-CAR

THIS game is bigger than just this game. One Panthers player has already said that it’s for the top seed in the NFC. There are still 10 games beyond this one, but still, the significance of early momentum is not wasted on either side.

We have a 4-1 record, but all of our wins were against sub.500 teams. The one winning team that we faced, beat us. They barely escaped with their lives, but a “W” is still a “W”. Yet there’s a mumbled perception out there, that the Eagles may not be for real.

Planting a flag in the chest of the Panthers would change the entire conversation, with regards to whether the Eagles are the real deal.

While there’s a lot of football still to be played after Thursday, this game is a pretty big deal. This is almost a midseason playoff game for us. It’s great practice and we need to show that we can win it.

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

1) Dictate the action: The Panthers only loss this year involved taking away the outside passing game, and forcing everything into the lap of rookie WR Christian McCaffrey. (Yeah, he’s listed at RB, but that’s like calling a Pug, a dog. It’s more title than truth.) So the idea is to keep the Panthers offense in front of us, and tackle well.

2) Get pressure early: Getting back DT Fletcher Cox should help here immensely. Get pressure up the gut, force QB Cam Newton out of the pocket, and make him alter his launch point. Old intel says that you don’t want Newton running, but that is very old intel, indeed. After suffering concussions in 2015 and 2016, Newton has altered his style of play. He doesn’t run as much, and his yards per carry has gone down. Put another way, QB Carson Wentz has been more effective as a runner (26 – 108 – 4.2), than Newton (29 – 90 – 3.1). Newton also frustrates easily and goes into funks when he makes mistakes. If we take his head out of the game early, we’ll own the night.

3) Rip up the seams: Carolina has very good LB’s, but neither OLB is even 6’2”, and both lack the man skills to handle TE Zach Ertz or WR Mack Hollins. Seeing WR Nelson Agholor step on the field, would be enough to take Carolina out of their base.

4) Send a message: No one expects us to do well against the Panther’s run defense. Run anyway. While it may not contribute many yards, it will help keep Wentz upright and healthy. It will also show upcoming opponents that we can grind down even a good team. We can use this game to attack an opponent’s confidence weeks in advance.

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:

The Panthers are pretty nice about letting people meet their QB (15 sacks), and they aren’t very good at running the ball. The result is that they’re a fairly one-dimensional offense. A shaky O-line and one dimensional offense is fine against Bill Davis, but it may get your QB killed against Jim Schwartz. The upshot is, they’re going to try and hide their flaws by attacking our reputedly weak Secondary. With Newton out of the pocket, that will be a mistake.

ccard.jim.schwartz

When facing QB’s like Brian Hoyer and Tyrod Taylor, the Panthers give up an average of 3 points. One field goal. When facing QB’s like Tom Brady, Drew Brees and Matt Stafford, the Panthers give up an average of 29.3 points. Or four touchdowns. So which group would you say Wentz is closer to?

Expect Wentz to put on a clinic Thursday night. You may even see Newton taking notes. Unless Carolina plays more Nickel, I have no idea how they intend to handle Ertz. However, if they line up in Nickel, I have no idea how they intend to handle RB LeGarrette Blount. My guess is that the Panthers will spend Thursday night grasping for answers that stay tantalizingly, just out of reach.

PREDICTION: EAGLES 28 – Panthers 21

yeah bitch

FOUR THINGS REVIEWED: WEEK 5: CARDINALS

Posted by The BEAST on 2017/10/09
Posted in: Coaching, Defense, Four Things, NFL, Offense, Players, Reviews, Roster, stats. Tagged: , , , , , , , . 1 Comment

THIS game was a case of a good team dominating a bad one. We went out and handled the business we needed to. Good teams beat the teams they should beat, battle teams on their level, and struggle while learning from teams above them. The Eagles are doing just that, in 2017.

torreyTD

EAGLES 34 – Cardinals 7

The Eagles led from whistle to gun in this one. QB Carson Wentz (21/30 – 70.0% – 304 – 4 – 1) gifted 4 different receivers with a scoring pass, including 72 and 59 yard strikes respectively to WR Nelson Agholor (4 – 93 – 23.2 – 1) and WR Torrey Smith (3 – 70 – 23.3 – 1). The play-calling was pretty even with 30 passes to 27 called runs. (Wentz would add 11 yards on 6 more carries.) The Defense again played admirably given the players we’re missing due to injury. It only makes a fan more excited to think of what may happen when we get a guy or two back. Especially a CB who can catch.

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?

card.nelson.agholor

1) Jailbreak!: We needed to get to QB Carson Palmer (28/44 – 63.6% – 291 – 1 – 0) and we did. We added 2 sacks and 7 hits to the mountain of abuse Palmer is already absorbing this season. What his completion percentage won’t tell you, is how many of his passes were from his heel, not his toe, and how little room he had to step up. This is an area where we were MUCH better than the numbers indicate. (DONE)

2) Keep things straight: We took WR Larry Fitzgerald (6 – 51 – 8.5 – 0) away from the Cardinals. We blanked him in the first quarter, and didn’t allow him a catch until 26 seconds before the half. You can thank CB Jalen Mills (4 – 0 – 0 – 0) for that. (DONE)

3) Hit it hard: We gave Arizona’s 10th ranked, but undersized run defense a solid punch in the mouth. We split 21 carries between RB LeGarrette Blount (14 – 74 – 3.3 – 0 – 0), and RB Corey Clement (7 – 17 – 2.4 – 0 – 0), mostly running between the Tackles. That helped to keep the pass rush at bay, resulting in Wentz being hit 3 times and sacked just once. Both are season lows. RB Kenjon Barner (5 – 23 – 4.6 – 0 – 0) pitched in with some runs to the outside. (DONE)

4) Full throat: Philadelphia, you were loud and beautiful! Then again, with the warm, wet weather and what the players were doing, it’s not like it was hard to stay dialed into the game. (DONE)

This week the Eagles ran the table, and rung up a perfect 4 out of 4! That brings the season tally to 14 of 20. (That’s 70% if your tracking it.) That said, things get harder next week.The Chiefs were a big test for Week Two, and we went in with little to no expectations. Most of us wrote that off as a loss and just wanted to be competitive.

This next one is different. We WANT this one. The winner of this next one will be alone atop the NFC, at least for a few days. I don’t  know about you, but I want to be able to say that our team is the best. If only for a week or so. So lets meet back here on Wednesday, and discuss how we get that “W”.

On The Whole:

This was a brutally efficient game. Think about it. Despite two touchdown passes over 50 yards, this game never felt like the Eagles were looking for quick strikes. Just like in the Chargers game, it had a cold-hearted, tick-tock-tick-tock, feel to it. We converted 64% of our 3rd downs. Seriously, 64%! For perspective, we came into this game converting at 50%.

Despite injury and a shuffling of the Offensive Line, this team only gets better and better with each passing week. It learns and adapts. It exploits weaknesses and finds ways to undermine strengths. It loses players and then reloads with another, while in full stride, and it never stops working. It never stops hunting. It is methodical. Clinical. Brutally efficient.

And as of today, it locked it’s eyes, on Carolina.

SEASON REVIEW: FIRST QUARTER

Posted by The BEAST on 2017/10/06
Posted in: Coaching, Defense, Offense, Players, Reviews, Roster, Special Teams. Tagged: , , , , , , . 5 Comments

SEASON Reviews are usually done at the end of the season. (Duh.) A few are done at the halfway mark, and at the end. This year, Eaglemaniacal.com will treat the season like a game, and break it into four quarters. Since football is a hard sport, we’ll take a hard look, at where our team stands in relation to where it started, and where it needs to go.

STATUS:

3-1 overall, 2-0 division, 2-0 conference, sole leader of the NFC East

LEADER 1.jpg

OPPONENTS:

W Redskins (2-2)

L Chiefs (4-0)

W Giants (0-4)

W Chargers (0-4)

OVERVIEW:

The quick read here is, even though we’re 3-1, we haven’t exactly beaten the NFL’s toughest teams, due to their combined record of 2 -10. That however, isn’t exactly a fair measurement. Even if we’d beaten the Chiefs and were 4 – 0, the combined record of teams we’d beaten would still be 5 -11.

We can’t control that our opponents have sucked. We can only play whoever is on the schedule. Then again, if we keep piling up wins, in the end it won’t matter how many of our opponents sucked. What will matter is that we didn’t, and so we won the division.

Each of those wins showed a young Eagles team that doesn’t panic when our opponents surge and grab momentum. What our one loss doesn’t show, is that the game was legitimately on the line, until literally the very last second. And we never resorted to a desperate, last ditch, buffoonery of laterals, that resulted in the other team scoring.

If you watch the tape, the Eagles are not a team you want to see on your schedule.

POSITION GRADES:

QB: (A) While Carson Wentz isn’t burning up any record books right now, but he’s playing big in big moments, and taking better care of the football than last year. He also helms the NFL’s 11th ranked passing offense, and 7th ranked scoring offense.

card.carson.wentz.jpg

RB: (A) We lost Darren Sproles and not only didn’t we miss a beat, we picked up the pace. How many teams could do that? At 143 yards per game, the Eagles are the NFL’s 3rd ranked rushing attack. Just two weeks ago we couldn’t run the ball at all. We swapped out one Offensive Lineman and suddenly the RB position is utterly dominant. LeGarrette Blount went from not logging a single carry in Week 2, to being 13th in the league in rushing yards (249).

TE: (B) Zach Ertz is the leading Tight End in the NFL in receptions, yards, and first downs. The only knock on him is his 1:1 TD/Turnover ratio.

card.zach.ertz.jpg

WR: (C ) They block downfield and clear out space for the run game, but more is to be expected of a #1 and #2 receiver, than to be respectively #2 and #4 on the team in receptions. Alshon Jeffrey is on a 1-year prove it contract, and isn’t making much of a case for a big payday, in league flush with WR talent. Torrey Smith is failing to pull in too many deep throws. If he doesn’t actually start snagging some of those, he may find himself replaced in the line-up with someone like Marcus Johnson, or Mack Hollins.

OT: (A) Jason Peters and Lane Johnson have been rock solid on the ends.

card.jason.peters.jpg

OG: (B) This grade is based on the position as it currently stands. For the first two games we couldn’t run the ball and most of the pressure Wentz faced came from up the middle. Once Isaac Seumalo was benched, the Eagles run game exploded to 3rd in the NFL. The roation of Chance Warmack and Stefen Wisniewski has propelled the run game and eliminated free shots on Wentz.

C: (C ) When Suemalo was the LG, Jason Kelce wasn’t playing well. Now that better players are starting at LG, Kelce is respectable again. This is clearly a case of a player being a along for the ride and not being difference maker himself.

DE: (B) Brandon Graham and Vinny Curry are doing a very good job against the run, but the pass rush has fallen off in the last two weeks. Chris Long has been invaluable (on and off the field). Rookie Derek Barnett is playing better than his stat-line would indicate.

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DT: (A) We average a sack per game from the interior linemen. Fletcher Cox went down with an injury, so Beau Allen stepped up and handled his business. Timmy Jernigan has already been worth the price of the trade it took to acquire him.

OLB: (B) Nigel Bradham is doing a solid job against the run, setting the boundary so that Graham can focus on rushing upfield. Mychal Kendricks is back to looking like the OLB who played under Andy Reid, and no longer like the ILB who played under Chip Kelly. Painfully thin at this position.

MLB: (C ) Jordan Hicks isn’t making splash plays, but he’s acting as the eraser for any mistakes the interior line allow to slip through. It would be nice to see him make his presence felt however.

S: (D) Instead of making plays this position is literally just a safety net. Starters Malcolm Jenkins and Rodney McLeod have no turnovers and just one pass defensed between them. McLeod did miss game with an injury but his fill-in Chris Maragos fared no better. This position has to be more than just a passenger.

CB: (C ) Most people rate the Corners lower, but the off-technique they play, is part of the system. Until the Defensive Coordinator alters that, we’ll keep seeing huge cushions and uncontested releases. Once they engage however, the Corners do make plays on passes and have even managed to snag 3 picks. And this is despite the position being ravaged by injury. 

LS: (A) The less you hear about Rick Lovato, the better he’s playing.

P: (A) Donnie Jones! 14 punts, only 6 of which were returned, with a 40.1 yard net from an average 44.0 yard punt. That means even when a return does happen, it’s only for about 3.9 yards. This guy is hanging it up there like a beast.

K: (B) The position is in flux, so I can’t give it an “A”. However, having options, is pretty nice problem to have. Jake Elliott has come on for the injured Caleb Sturgis, and become the reliable long range weapon that Sturgis never was. Elliot clearly has more upside here, but Eagles have to be careful about how they handle Sturgis. They have to be mindful of the message they send to the other players, regarding getting hurt.

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PR/KR: (D) Losing Sproles was a blow. His replacement, RB Kenjon Barner, has just 6 career punt returns. Three of which came in last weeks game. RB Wendell Smallwood is the most dangerous return man on the roster right now. However, given his expanded role on Offense now, it remains to be seen how much KR duty he’ll actually still see.

KC: (B ) With Sturgis kicking off 4 of his 6 (66.6%) kicks were returned for an average of 19.3 yards. Under Elliott only 5 of 17 kickoffs (29.4%), have been returned, for an average of 26.0 yards. FYI: None of Elliott’s last 7 kickoffs were returned. TE Trey Burton‘s onside recovery against the Chiefs, is the poster example for Special Teams hustle, focus and intensity.

SINCE LAST QUARTER:

This is the first quarter of the season. Some might use the preseason or prior season as a set-up to talk about these first four games, but that wouldn’t tell an accurate tale.

The prior season doesn’t line up, because the roster has had too much turnover to compare things apples to apples. The preseason doesn’t line up because the starters didn’t play much because there was no intense focus on winning. Again, it’s a poor apples to apples comparison.

MISSION FOR THIS QUARTER:

We beat a team that had had our number. We proved we could win close games. We proved we could win physical games. We fixed a broken Offensive Line, on the fly. Those things all required mental toughness, which is an internal aspect. With this being a young team, this second quarter of the year still requires an internal focus.

The mission for this quarter is Swagger. Less playing it safe, and a few more gambles at making plays which establish our own momentum, and kills an opponent’s. This is where individual Eagles need to show up as difference makers. Especially on Defense. This is the point of the year where we must demonstrate an ability to impose our will on opponents. Not just take what we’re given.

home

FOUR THINGS: WK 5: EAGLES-CARDINALS

Posted by The BEAST on 2017/10/05
Posted in: Coaching, Defense, Four Things, NFL, Offense, Players, Preview. Tagged: , , , , , , . 1 Comment

 

W5-ARI

LOOKING to build on our first place standing in the NFC East, the Eagles come back to the Linc this Sunday, to defend the home turf against the Arizona Cardinals. The Cards find themselves 3rd out of 4th in the NFC West, chasing the first place Rams, with whom we’ll have at, Week 14.

The Cards are by no means a good or complete team. You know how a scarecrow has the shape of a person, but has hay and stuff poking out of different places? Especially after  once it’s seen some use? That’s the Cardinals as a team. They look like a team with legit parts (such as QB Carson Palmer and FS Tyrann Mathieu). Smart birds however, can see past the window dressing, and will not be deterred in going about their business.

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

1) Jailbreak!: No team in the sport allows more hits on their QB than the Cardinals. No team allows more sacks, either. Unlike our Carson, their Carson has all the mobility of a 1971 Zenith. 1971 Zenith Color TV

We need to find a way to get to him.

2) Keep things straight: Don’t let WR Larry Fitzgerald run uncontested slants. He’s the Cards leading receiver, but it’s not like he can run away from anyone anymore. He (and Arizona’s passing game) gets by on quick hitters. If he crosses into the middle make sure he’s greeted by a LB. We already retired (long-time Cardinal) Anquan Boldin, so lets finish the job, and send him his old partner.

3) Hit it hard: Arizona has the NFL’s 10th best run defense, but it’s an undersized front that CAN BE overpowered. In fact, 250 pounds of angry man, sounds like just the instrument of destruction needed to do that job. Especially if it’s an 80 degree day like the forecast calls for.

4) Full throat: This one is for the 12th Man. Noise carries farther and fades slower in warm weather. Arizona is the NFL’s dead last rushing offense. Everything they do is dependent on throwing the ball, which requires being able to hear intricate play-calls. Stay loud, regardless of how things go. You may literally be able to yell the team back into the game if we get down.

 

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:

Remember the Detroit game last year? This is a lot like that game. It’s a totally winnable trap game, against a conference opponent. Players had a hard time getting emotionally up for that Detroit game. We came out flat, played that game on auto-pilot, and it cost us. I suspect this game will be similar, unless the fans can pump the players up.

Making the playoffs is about winning the games you should win, and splitting some of the harder games. This is a game we should win. The Cards don’t have enough tools to hang with us, but if our guys play flat, that will lend life to Arizona. Especially their passing game. The game should keep you interested, but we should get control of it well before the end.

PREDICTION: EAGLES 27 – Cardinals 21

yeah bitch

FOUR THINGS REVIEWED: WK 4: CHARGERS

Posted by The BEAST on 2017/10/02
Posted in: Coaching, Defense, Four Things, NFL, Offense, Players, Reviews, Special Teams, stats. Tagged: , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

APPARENTLY the Eagles have two NFL stadiums. With the way the crowd acted out there in Los Angeles, you’d never know that the Eagles weren’t playing at home. (Jeff Lurie, don’t you go getting any bright ideas about moving my team!) We started the week with a tie-breaker lead in the NFC East, but we’re at a point now, where we need to start pulling away from the rest. This week was a major step in that direction.

jeffery TD

WR Alshon Jeffery catches 8 yard touchdown. Image courtesy of Philly.com

EAGLES 26 – Chargers 24

This game wasn’t as close as the score. At no point did the Chargers ever have a lead. At no point did the Eagles deviate from the script. From the outset, we grabbed the Chargers by the throat, pinned them to a wall, and began to bludgeon them into unconsciousness. Not punching like with knuckles, but pounding, like with the side of the fist. 

I told you there’d be a 100 yard rusher, and that was RB LeGarrette Blount (16 – 136 – 8.5 – 0 – 0). RB Wendell Smallwood (10 – 34 – 3.4 – 1 – 0/ 4rec – 45 – 11.2 – 0) also got in on the act,  chipping in a TD on a goal line, dive behind LG Stefen Wisniewski. Our Defense held the Chargers to just 58 yards on the ground, despite giving up a 35 yard TD run. K Jake Elliott (4/4 – 2/2x) nailed every one of his field goal attempts, each of which was from 40 yards or better. K Caleb Sturgis may want to break out the resume polish.

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) Don’t go changin…: Shutting down the Chargers run game is a key to stopping them, but it doesn’t require a team going overboard and putting fifty-leven men in the box. We played it straight, took away the run and made them one-dimensional. (DONE)

2) Start the presses! : The Chargers “only” completed 57.8% of their passes which is down dramatically from the prior two weeks (75 and 74.4%). That however, wasn’t due to receivers being challenged at the line. STILL this week free releases were everywhere. It’s why this was a 2 point win instead of a 20 point win. The Chargers had no business posting a touchdown in this game. None whatsoever. (NOT DONE)

3) Run the damned ball: 42 rushes. 31 passes. (DONE)

4) Air it out: QB Carson Wentz (17/31 – 54.8% – 242 – 1 – 0) threw that monkey deep, a few times. Having to respect that, meant there was no way for Charger Safeties to help their front seven stop Blount, as he romped and frolicked in their wilderness. (DONE)

This weeks score is a rock solid 3 out of 4. By rock solid, I mean that everything that that was DONE, was really done, not just “technically”done. That brings the season’s mark to 10 out of 16. (I gotta say, 10 out of 16 sort of has a nice ring to it.) Next week, the 2-2 Arizona Cardinals will be stopping by the Linc, to pick up a shiny new “L” to hang around their necks. Should be fun!

On The Whole:

This was an excellent win. It was a cold-hearted, physical, methodical bludgeoning, and we did it on the road.

We did it despite injury. We did it without panicking when the lead was twice cut to two points. We did it because we could, and because they couldn’t stop us, and because we KNEW they couldn’t stop us.

We ran them over. Not like a truck, but like a steamroller. It was slow and it was agonizing. You could see the day, as it played out across the countenance of the Chargers QB. How he yelled and screamed. Cussed and howled. All for nothing. Even when granted the touchdown he pleaded for, his team was damned all the same. All the same.

Of course…there are things we can improve upon. But now, after THIS win, THIS way, is not the time to get into discussing flaws. Now is for enjoying and relishing. Because this, was an excellent win.

FOUR THINGS: WK 4: EAGLES-CHARGERS

Posted by The BEAST on 2017/09/28
Posted in: Coaching, Defense, Four Things, NFL, Offense, Players, Preview, Roster. Tagged: , , , , , , , , . 3 Comments

W4-LAC

YOU know what would be nice? A win streak. Streak meaning, more than one win in row. So far this season reads like a cardiograph. Up, down, up, down. (And often it does that during a game!) Now is the week we need to start seeing it all come together.

After the emotional high that was last week’s walk-off field goal, it’s only natural if the players (and even the fans here), seem a little flat this week. That’s why it’s so great that this is a road game, biiiiitch!!!

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Our team gets to go into hostile territory, and get into the foxhole mentality that we’ve seen developing over the weeks. Now is not the time for this team to get too confident. Winning another fist-fight, is just what we need.

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

1) Don’t go changin… : The knee-jerk reaction will be to overload the box, to stop RB Melvin Gordon, and that’s not necessary. Gordon is a workhorse, not a home run hitter. Loading the box only opens things up for other players. Taking away his help shuts down the QB, and puts the game squarely in Gordon’s lap. He alone can’t outscore the Eagles. Nothing in his career even hints at such an ability.

2) Start the presses! : Over the last two weeks we’ve allowed completion percentages of 75 and 74.4% respectively. No team’s playoff hopes can survive that. Especially against big WR’s like the Chargers have. If were going to have any chance at winning this game, we have to challenge these receivers at the line more than we’ve been doing in the recent past.

3) Run the damned ball: We need to run in first down to keep third downs manageable. Also, the Chargers give up 4.7 yard per run, and are the 31st ranked run defense in the NFL. They give up an average of 32 minutes in time of possession. Our re-couping Defense could use some extended rest between drives. Especially with Arizona coming up next week. There is literally a yellow brick road to this win.

ybr-win

That’s right. I got Rick Sanchez and Judy Garland in the SAME article. You get a 1,000 cool points if you can tell me which one put down more booze.

4) Air it out: QB Carson Wentz was less than stellar last week, but the run game carried him. And that’s a good thing! It shows that opponents must plan for our entire team, and thus creates more breathing room for Wentz. That said, he needs to air it out this week. If the run game is to become a serious weapon, it needs space created for it.

wentzsprolesblitz

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:

The Eagles will look to keep it simple early. Young team, away game, loud venue, emotional win a week ago. Head Coach Doug Pederson will want to settle his players, and get them dialed in, before breaking out the big boy stick. TE Zach Ertz will be involved earlier than last week, due to Kyle Emanuel being an OTTO and not a true OLB. (Think of an OTTO as a 3-4 OLB playing in a 4-3 scheme, with all the limitations of a 3-4 OLB playing in a 4-3 scheme.) If the Chargers don’t pull Emanuel off the field a lot, Ertz may go to Canton based on this game.

If you’ve been waiting to see an Eagles RB have a 100 yard day, this could be your week! Given that the Chargers LB’s are an undersized bunch, second level blocking will be key in this game to springing any long runs.

On Defense if we don’t press the receivers we’ll never get a chance to get in QB Phillip River’s face. He will eat us alive and it won’t matter how many yards we run for. We will get neither pressure, nor turnovers, and we may come away with a shiny new “L”. We MUST play some press coverage. I however can’t say that we will for sure.

We should score 20 points in this game, at least. How we play on defense will determine whether or not the Chargers stay with us and turn what should be a blowout into a shootout. Right now based on how our Secondary has played since last season, I have to go with shootout.

PREDICTION: EAGLES 20 – Chargers 17

yeah bitch

SPROLES INJURY MAY SPUR DEEP PLAYOFF RUN

Posted by The BEAST on 2017/09/27
Posted in: Coaching, Front Office (F.O.), NFL, Offense, Players, Roster. Tagged: , , , , , , , , . 1 Comment

card.darren.sproles.jpg

BLOWING an ACL while breaking your arm on the same play, is the body’s way of saying “Hey dude, why don’t you read the retirement pamphlet that I got ya”. While I feel bad for RB Darren Sproles, this turn of events has me sort of excited for the Eagles future.

Have you ever wanted to pull your hair out on 3rd and 6, when the QB (Sam Bradford or Carson Wentz), saw nothing downfield, then checked it to Sproles on the right, near the line of scrimmage, for not a first down? You can see that play in your head can’t you. We’ve seen it a lot, right? Too much in fact.

That play used to happen so often, because Sproles is one of the rare RB’s in the NFL who can make something out of it. Frequently he didn’t, but he did often enough for the coaching staff to leave it in as a staple. As a result it became a wobbly crutch, and I for one hated it.

Well good news! That play isn’t really an option anymore. While all of our RB’s can catch, none of them specialize in it. That means the play-calling on first and second down, has to reflect that now. That means the coaching staff has to grow. They must now add a new wrinkle that the NFL has no tape on. Sound good? Well it’s not even the best part.

Every season (going back to Andy Reid’s third year) has involved bringing players who fit the scheme. Coming into this camp, players like Sproles, RB Donnel Pumphrey, and WR Jordan Matthews, were our short passing game. However, with those players now gone, the coaching staff must work scheme towards the strength of the roster, instead working the roster to fit the scheme. They don’t have to scrap the scheme, but they do have to seriously tweak it now.

So what are we working with? Take a look.

blunt force trauma

RB LeGarrette Blount – 6’0” / 250lbs. RB Wendell Smallwood – 5’10” / 208lbs. RB Corey Clement – 5’10” / 220lbs. RB Kenjon Barner – 5’9” /195

usa-wendell-smallwood-corey-clement

Wendell Smallwood and Corey Clement

This is the first Eagles RB group since 2003 (Duce Staley, Brian Westbrook, and Correll Buckhalter) to feature more than one big back and a downhill blocking O-line. Our run game back then wasn’t perimeter based, it was between the Tackles. This is also before B-West had ever caught 50 balls in a season.

Eagles RBs

Duuuuuuce!, B-West, and Buck

People forget how good we were back then. All three of those RB’s averaged between 4.3 and 5.2 yards per carry, and had at least 675 yards from scrimmage. EACH. Good thing too, because we had to lean on them. In fact, their play put a spotlight on how weak the WR’s were, and so the Front Office stopped fighting us fans, traded for Terrell Owens.

Reminiscent of that Offense, are the players we now have at RB. We also have Wentz, who seems to have found his inner Randall Cunningham. Add that to a much better WR group than any from the Reid-era, along with TE Zach Ertz, who is head and shoulders over Chad Lewis. The Offensive Line just got a quick re-tool, and responded with their best game of the young season. Now just wait until it gels.

What we’re talking about here, is an Offense that works in any temperature, any weather, dome or open air, day or night. The talent is playoff caliber. In fact, the talent is deep-run playoff caliber. We just need to see the play-calling to match.

Sproles injury seems like a dark cloud, but only on the surface. The silver lining is, it will force the coaching staff to take a hard look at some things. The removal of our crutch will force growth, that will pull Doug Pederson further from his Reid upbringing, and more into the guy who brings this city it’s first Super Bowl parade.

Remember where you read that first.

REBUILDING OUR SPECIAL TEAMS

Posted by The BEAST on 2017/09/26
Posted in: Conversations, NFL, Players, Roster, Special Teams. Tagged: , , , , , , , , . 1 Comment

SO far I have yet to see a headline asking the question, so I decided to ask it myself. With K Caleb Sturgis being near automatic from 39 yards and in, but shaky from anything 40 yards and greater, should the Eagles decide to stick with and develop a rookie who has already set a franchise record, in just his second pro game?

card.jake.elliott

Rookie K Jake Elliott was drafted by Cincinnati in the fifth round, but released due to missing “too many easy kicks” (and not for inadequate leg strength, as this website erroneously reported yesterday). Once Sturgis injured his hip, we needed a guy. So we grabbed Elliott off of Cincy’s Practice Squad. Given that Sturgis (on a one year deal) was never the long-term answer at K, this might all be falling neatly into place.

In fact, when you take an objective look at our Special Teams unit, you see age and lack of depth throughout. P Donnie Jones is in year 14, at age 37. RB/PR Darren Sproles just sustained two season- (and likely career) -ending injuries, but when he went down, WR Torrey Smith took over PR duty and returned the first punt of his career. We also allowed ace Special Teamer OLB Bryan Braman to walk this off-season, and kick coverage has certainly been affected.

This raises some interesting questions about the Eagles long-term Special Teams situation. Right now our most dangerous KR, is RB Wendell Smallwood. That could be an issue if he’s to play serious minutes on Offense. And do we really want our #2 WR returning punts, with almost zero experience?

My suggestion would be to develop Elliott. I’d also limit Smallwood’s Offensive snaps to keep him fresh for kick returns. I’d essentially swap him on the depth chart with RB Corey Clement.

Then I’d add an experienced PR, since we don’t have one on the roster. My thought? Bring back “preseason legend” WR Paul Turner. Hell, he’s even returned a punt for a touchdown, remember?  I’d also add a young P with a history of playing QB (even high school), to the Practice Squad and develop him into a sort of Tom Tupa QB/P . (Showing my age on that one.)

That would roll a third string QB and a P, into one guy. That would also discourage opponents from aggressively trying to block any punts or field goals, that he was the holder for. Just a few things to think about, since Sunday was such a pivotal day for Special Teams here.

FOUR THINGS REVIEWED: WEEK 3: GIANTS (p1)

Posted by The BEAST on 2017/09/25
Posted in: Coaching, Defense, Four Things, NFL, Offense, Players, Reviews, Rivals, Roster, Special Teams. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

OH. MY. GOD. That ending! It looked like we were heading into overtime, and suddenly, the giants hopes for their first win of the season were literally kicked to death, on national TV. The giants fell to the toe of a castoff, rookie Kicker, who (by the way) set the record for the longest field goal in our franchise’s history. I (wrongly) predicted a blowout, but this was so much sweeter. The only way it could have been more poetic, is if it had happened in the Meadowlands.

card-corey.clement

Eagles 27 – giants 24

A 61 yard field goal off the foot of rookie K Jake Elliott (3/3x – 2/3f – 61), will be the headline you see the most today, but that shouldn’t overshadow the Eagles play selection of 39 runs to 31 passes. Especially early on, when we were feeding RB LeGarrette Blount (12 – 67 – 5.5 – 1 – 0) and RB Wendell Smallwood (12 – 71 – 5.9 – 0 – 0). All game long, we stuck with, and relied on the run. Even in the 4th quarter when we were down. In fact, our only second half touchdown was produced by area native and rookie RB Corey Clement (6 – 22 – 3.6 – 1 – 0) on a 15 yard run inside of the games final six minutes.
During the game we lost DT Fletcher Cox (1 – 0 – 0 – 0) and MLB Jordan Hicks (0.5 – 0 – 0 – 0) from an already paper -thin defensive line-up, that had already forced S Chris Maragos (4 – 0 – 0 – 0) into just the 3rd start of his 8 year career. Amazingly, for the first time this season, the Eagles didn’t record a single sack.

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) Keep Wentz from wincing: The NFL’s official stat line says that QB Carson Wentz (21/31 – 67.7% – 176 – 1 – 0) was hit 4 times and sacked 3 times since last week. While the sack number is still too high, both numbers ARE lower than the 9.5/4 figures that he came into the game averaging. We still need improvement, but this one… (DONE)

2) Run up the middle: We did the hell out of this. G Chance Warmack got the start, and we went right to work battering the middle of the giants line, instead of a bunch of cutesy runs outside and/or delayed handoffs. It was a pleasure to see. Warmack ended up sitting during the middle of the game, and was replaced by G/C Stephen Wisnewski (not LG Isaac Seumalo) for a spell, but Warmack would later come back to the game. (DONE)

3) Avoid blitzing: We really didn’t do much blitzing, likely because with so many injuries, we had to borrow LB’s to supplement underneath coverage, in order to simplify the Secondary’s area of focus, which robbed us of pass rush. We gotta get some guys back, soon! (DONE)

4) Break their spirits early: The giants came into the game looking like they were expecting a knockout blow. But we kept not delivering one. When fatigue hit our Defense in the 4th, the giants got a gimme touchdown that cut the score in half. Then when Zach Ertz’s (8 – 55 – 6.8 – 1 – 0) fumble set them up for an easy score, suddenly the giants were in the game, and had more spirit than I’ve seen from them in 2017. (I watched all three of their games.) Had we taken care of business early, it wouldn’t have become a fight later. (NOT DONE)

This week’s score is a solid 3 out of 4, bringing the year up to 7 of 12. Next week we head west again, to take on Chargers team that is not quite the pushover that their 0-3 record might suggest. Look up who they lost to and how, you’ll see what I mean.

On The Whole:

I keep saying that this team needs to be in a fight, and for a second week in a row we got one. This one against a division rival, who had to leave Lincoln Financial Field, feeling as if they were cursed. A miraculous 61 yard field goal off the foot of a rookie who was released due to insufficient leg strength, has to leave a team feeling gutted.

However, before we start planning parades, maybe we should take a stark look at yesterday for what it was, and what it wasn’t.

Troy Aikman (who did mention Reggie White), repeatedly mentioned our soft coverage and how receivers weren’t being challenged at the line of scrimmage at all. The result was QB Eli Manning (35/47 – 74.4% – 336 – 3 – 2) completing 74.4% of his passes. Last week QB Alex Smith completed 75%. You can’t get a defense off the field vs that sort of completion percentage. What’s more, the ball gets out quickly, so there’s no chance for even a statue like Manning to get sacked. We have GOT TO play more man.

The run game was amazing (39 – 193 – 4.9 – 2). It was on par with the game we played against Atlanta last year (38 – 208 – 5.5 – 2). Both of these games were largely behind the same O-line personnel, so we have the players to run this approach, we simply need to set them to that task more often. These best part however, was that we showed we could win even when our QB isn’t at his best.

Right now, there are some highly correctable coaching tweaks needed, and a few guys out with injuries. That said, we have no issues with talent or heart on this team. Everything that ails us, is correctable with what we already have, in-house. Keep it going, keep it going!