FOUR THINGS REVIEWED: WEEK 8: 49ERS

Posted by The BEAST on 2017/10/30
Posted in: Coaching, Defense, Four Things, NFL, Offense, Players, Reviews, stats. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

 

THIS was supposed to be a trap game. You know it and I know it. However, the injuries we suffered last week, left a couple of our guys with something to prove in this one. That, combined with some suck-ass weather, and just flat-out more talent, was more than enough to send San Francisco to 0-8.

NUMBER ONE SEED PERIOD

EAGLES 33 – 49ers 10

Alshon Jeffery (2 – 62 – 31.0 – 1) had more yards on his 53 yard touchdown catch-and-run, than any 49ers player had rushing or receiving all day. The Defense collected 4 sacks, 13 hits, and two interceptions, one of which returned for a touchdown by CB Jalen Mills (2 – 0 – 1 – 0). QB Carson Wentz (18/32 – 56.2% – 211 – 2 – 1) didn’t have a great day but, he was still effective at keeping the Offense at full-size. At no point did it feel like, or look like the Eagles were dialing the playbook down, in order to make life easier on our back-up LT.

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) Win the blitz: The 9ers didn’t really blitz Wentz very much, and they didn’t really need to. They got decent pressure for most of the game, with just their line. While RT Halapoulivaati Vaitai wasn’t the disaster most of us were expecting, the lines of communication between he and LG Stefen Wisniewski, must improve ASAP. That said, once the Eagles went to a no-huddle approach, Wentz himself was much sharper and quicker at getting the ball out. (DONE)

2) Air it out: It would be nice if more of our long attempts became long completions, but the aim of this week wasn’t necessarily the completions. As I said the point was to show faith in the O-line, clear space for the run game, and show other teams that the loss of LT Jason Peters, will not shrink the playbook or stop us from attacking. If this goal were a bell, we’d have rung it hard enough to put a crack in it. (DONE)

3) Put the top on: Containing WR Marquis Goodwin was going to be key for clogging up the rest of San Fran’s offense. While he was questionable to play due to his back, he was active for the game. That was of no help to the 9ers, as the only thing Goodwin caught on Sunday, was possibly a cold. (DONE)

4) Turn up the heat: 13 hits and 4 sacks sounds like we dialed up a lot of blitzes, but really we didn’t. Didn’t need to, since we can generally get pressure with 4 rushers. That and the 49ers offensive linemen were dropping like teenage girls at Beatles performance. We didn’t really get this one done, but who cares? We got the result without doing the work. (NOT DONE)

This weeks score is 3 out of 4, bringing us to 26 of 32 on the season. Next week’s dance with the Denver Broncos may prove to be a little tougher, but at least we don’t have to play at Mile High next week. (And yeah, I’m aware that their stadium is called Sports Authority Field at Mile High. I just hate the shitty names that arenas have these days. And to me it’s still PATTISON station, not AT&T station.)

On The Whole:

We beat an opponent that we were supposed to beat. Even if we hadn’t dominated, it wouldn’t have mattered, because we won a trap game. That’s the important part. When a team becomes elite, most of their games are trap games, because few opponents will be elite. So instead of fearing trap games, get used to them.

We took two major injuries last week, and still rolled over an NFL team. LT Vaitai didn’t give up a billion sacks, and MLB Joe Walker (2 – 0 – 0 – 0) wasn’t a target that the 49ers could pick on all day. Detractors will tell you that San Fran wasn’t exactly the stiffest test, and that would be true. However, the 49ers were the only team on the schedule this week.

While no one was looking, the Eagles pulled off a balanced Offensive attack with 32 pass to 27 called runs. Speaking of running the ball, I told you to expect RB LeGarrette Blount (16 – 48 – 3 – 1 – 0) to carry the ball a season-high 18 times, and I was wrong. He only matched his season-high of 16 carries. RB Corey Clement (10 – 54 – 5.4 – 0 – 0) can now say there was a week when he led the team he rooted for as a child, in rushing yards. And he can say he did it as an undrafted rookie.

Defense was the story of the day. Once again we took away an opponent’s run game and left their QB to do everything all by himself. This game marked the third time in eight games that our opponent’s leading rusher was their QB. All this defense does is take, even though it’s by no means at full strength right now.

Be afraid NFL. This 7-1 team still has room to get MUCH better.

FOUR THINGS: WK 8: EAGLES-49ERS

Posted by The BEAST on 2017/10/27
Posted in: Coaching, Defense, Four Things, Offense, Players, Preview. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , . 2 Comments

W8-SF

THIS week we’re coming off of a win, in which we suffered two devastating, season-ending losses to LT Jason Peters and MLB Jordan Hicks. It’s been a season fraught with injuries that we’ve managed to mask, mitigate or otherwise overcome completely. However, there is a growing concern among some Eagles fans and media, that this team has run out of miracles.

This is going to be a very interesting game. A 6-1 Eagles team, playing in Philly against an 0-7 San Fran team. In most years this would be a trap game. This would be the game where the Eagles took an opponent lightly, came out flat, and were left saying…

da fuck

Instead, we got yet another visit from (that bitch) the Injury Bug last week, and it’s left us with questions. Questions like, Will the season fall apart now? Can the coaching staff make enough adjustments to offset the losses? Is there enough talent on the roster to give coaches any decent options? This game will be about answering those questions.

So let’s talk about the Four Things we need to focus on this week versus the 49ers :

1) Win the blitz: After LT Jason Peters was injured, the logical assumption was that RT Lane Johnson would take over the left spot, and back-up OT Halapoulivaati Vaitai would play the right, where he could be helped by a TE. NOPE! Head Coach Doug Pederson is leaving Johnson at RT, and starting (yes starting) Vaitai at LT. That means our RB’s will spend a lot of time lined up on the left to help Vaitai. If the RB’s are blocking left, expect blitzes from the middle and the right. QB Carson Wentz has to identify blitzers quickly and get that ball out of his hands. Otherwise this game will become a nightmare.

2) Air it out: While Wentz can’t spend all day holding the ball, at times we really do need to throw the ball deep this week. We need to show teams that losing Peters didn’t shrink our playbook, so not respecting our WR’s will be costly. In the long-run this helps out our run game. More than that, we need to demonstrate to our own O-line, that the staff still trusts them.

3) Put the top on: The most dangerous player on the 49ers offense is WR Marquise Goodwin. The guy is faster than a rumor, and if San Fran really knew what they had, they might be 5-2 instead of 0-7. We have to contain Goodwin, thereby keeping the rest of their offense in front of us, instead behind us. Goodwin is on the injury list with a “back injury”, but until he’s ruled “out”, he’s still as dangerous as honesty in a PC world.

4) Turn up the heat: Show blitz on practically every 2nd and 3rd down, but only bring it when the distance is 8 yards, or more. Getting to the 49ers QB isn’t hard at all. No need to overextend and expose ourselves and give up one or more big, catch-and-run plays underneath. The idea is to get MLB Joe Walker mentally involved and then keep him dialed in, emotionally. He’s a back-up, but he can’t look like a back-up out there. Otherwise, the 49ers will key on him and give themselves a chance.

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:

Offensively, the Eagles are going to give Vaitai help, by having RB’s watch that LT/LG gap for blitzers or rips inside. That, calls for a heavy dose of the big RB LeGarrette Blount this week. He may be allowed to develop a rhythm running the ball, since he should be out there in pass protection so much. (Having him out there and not really giving him the ball eventually tips our play-call to the 9ers. Why help them out?) So expect Blount to run the ball a season-high 18 times. Not using Blount in pass-pro, is an invitation for disaster.

So much is up in the air on Defense. It’s likely that Walker will be asked to make scaled down zone drops, and just attack his run fits. There would be no sense in the coaches telling him to go out there and make plays. He first has to get familiar with not just what he should be doing, but others around him as well.

It has to be expected that our MLB will be targeted in the passing game. While it would be nonsense for coaches to tell him to make plays, let me say AS A FAN, he has to make one or two plays, when they come at him. Otherwise, he will be seen as our weak link.

On the whole, we’ll win because even with as injured as we are, we still have more flat-out talent than San Francisco.

PREDICTION: EAGLES 27 – 49ers 10

yeah bitch

SURVIVING OUR INJURIES

Posted by The BEAST on 2017/10/25
Posted in: Defense, Front Office (F.O.), Offense, Players, Roster, Special Teams, Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

wounded eagle

THIS fucking sucks. It’s bad enough that we lost LT Jason Peters and MLB Jordan Hicks for the season. Having to rely on OT Halapoulivaati Vaitai, and MLB Joe Walker, only makes matters worse, because there currently is no safety net behind those guys. Oh wait! It gets better! To add a dash of salt to the cut on our eyeball, there is the distinct possibility that we’ve seen the last of Peters.

Hicks on the other hand will be back here next year. Whether or not he comes back as a starter, has a lot to do with how Walker handles these last 9 games. Depth at LB has been an issue for this team for over a decade now. Like Guard, it is not a position we do a good job of drafting or stocking up on.

The word on the street, in every news paper, and on every website, is that RT Lane Johnson will move to LT to protect QB Carson Wentz’s blindside. This will relegate Vaitai, to RT. Given that Vaitai has problems against speed, or quickness, or strength, or persistence, I’m hoping that the coaching staff will get him more TE help.

Not giving Vaitai TE help would just be an act of arrogance. It could also lead to a career-ending moment for our franchise QB. Few things could be as embarrassing as starting the year as the 6 – 1, number one team in the NFL, only to implode completely and mortgage the future; over nothing more than an unwillingness to adjust the Offensive scheme a little.

I like Walker as a Special Teamer, and he’s fine for giving your starter a breather here and there. He just never seems eager to mix it up or control the area from DE to DE. You want a MLB to piss all over that area, and mark it as HIS. In all truth, during the preseason, I liked LB Don Cherry much more than I liked Walker. Maybe we’ll see Cherry back in here soon. (Gotta work on his tendency to shuffle his feet before hitting the gas, though.)

I’m not sure what can be done to help Walker. Hicks has a reputation for being a ballhawk, so QB’s weren’t too interested in challenging him when he was in coverage. Given that Walker is only 236 and isn’t a thumper, I’m hoping that coverage will be where he excels, and that we can get some tipped passes and a cheap interception (or four) from QB’s testing him.

Three days ago, I wrote another article about how I’m not worried about any of the other teams in the NFC, stopping us in the playoffs. I wanted to wait until after the Redskins game to release it, so that I wouldn’t jinx the win by writing 6 – 1, before it actually happened. Then these injuries happened. I may still release the article after we demolish San Francisco, but right now, I hardly feel like talking shit.

FOUR THINGS REVIEWED: WEEK 7: REDSKINS

Posted by The BEAST on 2017/10/24
Posted in: Coaching, Defense, Four Things, NFL, Offense, Players, Reviews, Rivals, stats. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

HOW SWEEP IT IS! For the first time since 2013, the Eagles have swept the Washington Redskins. We now find ourselves alone atop the entire NFL, at 6-1. As far as the NFC East is concerned, we have a 3 game lead over both the Redskins and the Cowboys. We’ve been in or won every game we’ve played so far, regardless of our opponent. Even if they happen to be wearing stripes and baseball caps.

zach romps.jpg

EAGLES 34 – Redskins 24

QB Carson Wentz (17/25 – 68.0% – 268 – 4 – 1) was the story of this game. Not only did he have a stellar game passing, but he led the team in rushing (8 – 63 – 7.8 – 0 – 0). This included a near sack, that had him emerge from the middle of a clusterfuck, only to run for a 21 yard game. While it wasn’t Steve Young’s 49 yard touchdown run vs the Vikings, that highlight will follow Wentz for as long as there is an NFL. By the end of that game I almost expected Wentz to spike the football and ascend into Heaven. Defensively, rookie DE Derek Barnett (3 – 2 – 0 – 0) broke his sack cherry and recorded two whole sacks, to add to the half-sack he earned last week. We also managed to hold the Redskins RB’s to 54 yards rushing 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) Ertz so good: Once again it was the TE Zach Ertz Show (5 – 89 – 17.8 – 1) as he led the team in catches and receiving yards. Washington simply has no answer for Ertz. This was demonstrated when ‘skins ILB Mason Foster (4 – 0.5 – 0 – 0), was torched for a 46 yard catch. It was further demonstrated when Ertz caught short pass from Wentz, juked a ‘skins Safety clean out of his jockstrap, and then calmly strolled into the end zone. (DONE)

2) Cover 2 Robber: MLB Jordan Hicks (no stats) left the game early, and OLB Mychal Kendricks was already out with an injury. So there was no reasonable way to expect 2nd string MLB Joe Walker (no stats), to be able to direct a mixed bag of other substitute players, in any coverage that wasn’t basic in nature. It allowed for some easy completions over the middle, but really it was the best we could muster under the circumstances. (NOT DONE)

3) Tick-tock, Tick-tock: We didn’t run many overload blitzes on the right side of the Defense, but we did have a rookie DE beat ‘skins LT Trent Williams for two sacks. While we did establish Williams as a liability, the idea was to get the ‘skins QB to rush his passes. Instead he completed 30 out of 40 (75%). (NOT DONE)

4) Run the rock: Aside from Wentz’s 8 runs, the Eagles run to pass ratio was 25 : 25. Dead-even in play selection. You cannot ask for better. (DONE)

This week’s Four Things score is 2 out of 4, which is exactly what we did in Week One. That brings our season total to 23 of 28, or 82%. next week’”contest” against the 49ers should be cake.

On The Whole:

We took care of business. We beat a team that we should be able to beat. We got to see our young QB add more stories to his local legend. Our coaching staff stayed with the run all game long, despite only garnering 2.5 yards per run (minus Wentz’s numbers). So there were a bunch of positives in this game

On the other hand, losing LT Jason Peters to a leg injury during the game, was blow.

FOUR THINGS: WK 7: EAGLES-REDSKINS

Posted by The BEAST on 2017/10/21
Posted in: Coaching, Defense, Four Things, NFL, Offense, Players, Preview, Rivals, Roster, X's and O's. Tagged: , , , , , , , , . 3 Comments

W7-WAS

THERE’S a lot riding on this game. Right now the Eagles have the best record in the sport. We’re running away with not only the division, but the entire conference. The cherry on top? This could be our first sweep of the Redskins, since 2013. The great thing about being an underdog is that, all the pressure to perform is on the favorite. Fellow Eagles fans, that pressure is ours now, and we want that pressure.

There may be talk that the ‘skins are more desperate. They are not. There may be talk that they need this game more. They do not. If we were to lose, then all of our rivals would breathe a sigh of relief, and wake up Tuesday feeling as if they still had a shot at our division. And that, we cannot take. This game will be hard-fought. Too much is at stake for either team to stand quietly aside.

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

1) Ertz so good: In our last meeting, TE Zach Ertz torched the ‘skins for 93 yards on 8 catches. They do an absolutely horrible job of covering TE’s because their 3-4 defense, sacrifices coverage for pass rush. With that sort of built-in deficiency, Offensive Coordinator Frank Reich, should have a great platform on which to base our passing attack.

2) Cover Two Robber: Alternate base Cover Two with some Cover Two Robber.

Cover Two Robber

Prior to the snap, Robber coverage looks just like base coverage. On long downs, QB Kirk Cousins would need to hold the ball longer, to make sure the middle was truly safe to throw into. The longer we can make him hold the ball, the more likely our pass rush can sack him, or tip his passes.

3) Tick-tock, Tick-tock: LT Trent Williams isn’t at full strength due to a knee injury a couple weeks back. However, like a true pro, he’s playing through it. Totally respectable. Completely commendable. Humiliate him. Make his teammates see him as a liability, by running some overload blitzes on his side, since he can’t adjust as quickly now. Force Cousins to rush his passes, when he hears phantom footsteps.

4) Run the rock: This is less to challenge Washington’s 8th ranked run defense, and more to set up play-action for later in the game. Last time against them, we came out firing deep. This time we should save that for after the half, either to seize momentum or strangle any remaining hope that they managed to muster in the locker room.

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 ‘skins are the NFL’s #10 rushing team, but that has more to do with volume of carries, than any real success running the ball. Rookie RB Samaje Perine runs with all the elusiveness of Winston Churchill, and RB Rob Kelley is always injured. So they scare no one.

To compensate, the Redskins will try to use RB Chris Thompson to cause misalignments and mismatches. Every game in which Thompson has amassed 100 yards from scrimmage, the ‘skins have won. In every game where he didn’t, they’ve lost.

Our defensive scheme kept Thompson corralled well enough before, even without having to make special preparations. It’s safe to assume that it would do so again. No need to even make it one of the Four Things.

Though Washington comes into Philly with both of their top CB’s on the injury report, I get the impression that they aren’t nearly so wounded as we’ve been led to believe. They may want to bait us into throwing deep against them early. Deep passes give them time to get to QB Carson Wentz, and keep higher percentage passes out of Ertz’s hands.

The last time we faced the skins we averaged 2.4 yards per run, because we hadn’t shuffled the line yet. Much has changed in six weeks, so expect Head Coach Doug Pederson to lean on RB LeGarrette Blount, especially early. When the ‘skins start to load the box, look for play-action to seal the deal. Watch this one while holding your brooms.

PREDICTION: EAGLES 28 – Redskins 19

yeah bitch

THE RIVALS (Pt 1 of 3)

Posted by The BEAST on 2017/10/18
Posted in: Coaching, Conversations, Defense, Four Things, Offense, Players, Reviews, Rivals, stats. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , . 1 Comment

morpheus2.png

DOUG Pederson and the Eagles won’t grace the field until Monday, which means the Four Things article I’d normally release Thursday, won’t hit until Friday. Needing something to write about until then, I decided to do a quick review of our division rivals. I’ll do one this week, during the Bye, and right after the regular season.

So lets dive in.

New York Giants: 1 – 5, 4th in the NFC East

Carl Brutananadilewski

(Reading this in my Carl of ‘Aqua Teen Hunger Force’ voice.)

Big Blue’s offense is ranked 29th in the league, averaging 17 and a half, (we’ll call it 18) points per game. That however, is a misleading stat, since they put up at least 22 points in each of the last 4 games. The defense has yet to allow any opponent 30 points.

Offensively, this is half a team. They can’t really run the football and as a result, it makes QB Eli Manning a sitting duck in the pocket. In the last two games they’ve gotten good yardage out of RB Orleans Darkwa, but he has a 4 year history of being…let’s say “delicate”. (FYI: Last week’s 21 carries was the first time in 4 years that he rushed the ball more than 12 times in a game.) Like I said, delicate. While most people wouldn’t see season-ending injuries to WR’s Brandon Marshall and Odell Beckham as good things, it may actually turn out to be just that. While talented, both of those guys are headcases, and headcases are rarely ever good for a locker room. Further proof of that is the Giants got their first win of the year, after losing both nutjobs and having neither on the sideline during the game.

Defensively, I said in April that they’d miss DT Johnathan Hankins, and no truer words have ever been spoken. Last year they finished up as the 3rd ranked rushing defense. Today they are 25th. The fact is, the LB’s are just ordinary guys. Or bums. It’s okay to call them bums. With a better line in front of them, they do okay. However, without a great line, they’re being exposed on a weekly basis. There’s talent in the secondary, but there are also some behind the scenes personality clashes, that has led to benching CB Eli Apple, and suspending yet another headcase in CB Dominique Rodger-Cromartie. With all three of the team’s nutjobs left off the team plane, the team managed to T.C.B. in the Bronco’s high altitude hell-hole, bringing back a “W” for the New York faithful, (who didn’t already jump ship to the Jets.)

(No longer doing my Carl voice.)

Mathematically, the giants could run the table and finish 11-5. Realistically, the giants will have to find a consistent run game to entertain any hope of sniffing 7-9. The upcoming game against the Seahawks will tell a lot about this team going forward. Especially now that the locker room will be less chaotic.

Dallas Cowboys: 2 – 3, 3rd in NFC East

sadburn!

While the team is 9th in points per game (25.0), they are 29th in points allowed (26.4). Offensively, the losses suffered during the offseason to their line (Doug Free (retired), Ron Leary (Broncos)) have taken a visible toll on their run game. 2016 rushing leader RB Ezekiel Elliott has seen his average yards per carry drop from 5.0 (through 5 games last year) to 3.7 so far in 2017. He’s also seen his rushing yards drop from 546 (through 5 games in 2016) to 393, on exactly FOUR fewer carries. As the Cowboys are a run first team, it’s easy to see why they seem to be stalling out.

Defensively, it’s just DE Demarcus Lawrence (8.5 sacks) and some guys. While some may want to blame Defensive Coordinator Rod Marinelli, the truth is that Dallas’s Front Office has no talent for spotting defensive talent. For example, DT Cedric Thornton was cut in favor of DT Stephen Paea who just up and retired last week, due to a knee injury that wasn’t even chronic. For another example, they threw a bunch of cash at CB Nolan Carroll and then just released him after Week 5, despite the fact that the team has been hemorrhaging points since they sat him (during) after Week 2. Project players like LB’s Jaylon Smith and Sean Lee, as well as DE’s Taco Charlton and DT David Irving, are why there is never any stability to build from on the Cowboys defense. They are the reverse of how the Offensive Line was built.

Offensively this team can still be an effective unit, even if Elliott were to miss time for any reason. The answer to their problem is that they have to be less of a run first team, and put more of the weight on QB Dak Prescott. Defensively, there is nothing to be done about this mess during the season. There simply isn’t enough talent on that side of the roster. If Dallas can find a way to put up 35 points per game, they can make a run for the division. Otherwise, they should start developing their 2018 Draft plan.

Washington Redskins: 3 – 2, 2nd in the NFC East

!Exitment! I mean excitement

All things considered, the Redskins aren’t in bad shape at this point. They’re finding ways to win against teams like the 49ers and the slumping Raiders. They’ve also managed to keep all but one opponent (Philadelphia), under 30 points. They’ve even gotten their pesky Bye week out of the way early. Surely that has to be a good thing, right?

Offensively, last week they finally got around to starting their best skill player in RB Chris Thompson. QB Kirk Cousins sports a passer rating of 106.4, despite not having a true #1 or #2 WR anywhere on (or even near) the roster. Cousins has also only been sacked 8 times this year, and only four times since Week One vs Philadelphia. (4 sacks that game). (And two fumbles.) (Both lost.) (One for a touchdown.)

Defensively, Washington is 8th in the NFL vs the run, and they’ve picked off 5 passes for an average of 1 per game. (Only 12 teams have more than 5 interceptions. Philadelphia is one.) The Redskins allow 22.6 points per game, which is 19th in the NFL. If they were about to go against a top 10 Offense (one that was 6th in scoring, 3rd in yards, 9th in passing, 5th in rushing) it might seem like they were over-matched, but for the average week, it’s not a bad defense to have. Just not, you know, going against a top 10 Offense.

Overall, the Redskins aren’t in a bad spot. At least record-wise. As far as the schedule… There’s still plenty of football to be played, and “any given Sunday”, right? On offense since they can rely on their QB, maybe they’ll go nuts and help him out next week, by starting their best player for just the second time this season. On defense they seem to play better against teams already having offensive problems. Kind of a weird coincidence right? If they can continue to play opponents like that, this team will hoist a Lombardi at the end of this season. 

So that’s the state of our division rivals as your Eagles head into Week 7 vs the Washington Redskins. The next time I do one of these, we’ll be heading into Week 11 vs the Dallas Cowboys.

rampage

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.

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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?

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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

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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