FOUR THINGS: WK 3: EAGLES-GIANTS

Posted by The BEAST on 2017/09/21
Posted in: Coaching, Defense, Four Things, NFL, Offense, Players, Preview, Rivals. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , . 1 Comment

W3-NYG

DESPITE two road games, we opened the season 1-1, and (technically, by tie-breaker) atop the NFC East. This Sunday, the Eagles will finally get to play in front the best fans in the nation, and the first sacrifice upon our altar, will be New York’s worst football team. Beating the giants this week further cements our division lead, regardless of how the Foreskins and Cowpies do. So yeah, this week is sort of a big deal in Philly.

The giants aren’t worried about the Eagles. They’re having enough trouble with the vultures circling their 2017 season. The season just started, and already the giants are decomposing so rapidly, that it’s even scaring zombies. I sat through both of their games this year, and I can’t imagine how they’d win this game. I can however, imagine how the Eagles could lose it. We can’t allow that during our home opener. 

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

1) Keep Wentz from wincing: Quick! Guess which QB has been hit the most in the NFL through two weeks. If you said QB Carson Wentz then you were correct. If you’re in denial and need proof here’s a link. (Note: The 9ers and Rams play tonight, so if you read this article after Thursday, one of those teams may own the top spot. It will be somehow worse if they don’t.) Right now, Wentz’s hits and sacks are 9.5 and 4 per week. Those numbers have to come down.

2) Run up the middle: The giants have an explosive pair of edge rushers, but rule of thumb says that we can shutdown their interior rush by running the ball. (Preferably with RB LeGarrette Blount.) If we run the ball up the gut, we’ll tire out their interior, cut their rush off at the knees, and give Wentz a pocket to step up into later in the game. Five to eight such carries in the first half. That’s the soft target depending on how fast we score on drives. (I’d already written most of this article when I found out that Chance Warmack was getting the start at LG, but I’m not changing anything in the article. Just adding this note and doubling down on #2 here.)

3) Avoid blitzing: Our D-Line can shred even good lines. That said, going against the blocking dummies in front of QB Eli Manning, should be cake for us. Better to leave our LB’s in underneath coverage to take away easy completions, and be in a position score if Eli bakes up one of those delicious turnovers that Eagles fans love him for.

nme2017eLITEMANNING

4) Break their spirits early: The giants come into this game averaging 6.5 points per game. That’s a touchdown with no cherry on it. A couple of early sustained scoring drives, where we convert a 4th down or two, putting them where they seem to keep finding themselves every week. It would go a long way towards breaking their spirit, and taking them mentally and emotionally out of the game. While in hostile territory. (This is where the 12th Man really can do some damage.)

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:

(Sniff) (Sniff) You smell that? That smells like DE Derek Barnett’s first sack. DE Vinny Curry is the starter on the right, but I get the feeling that Barnett will see more snaps this week. He’s a first rounder, so you want to sell his jersey to the home crowd. A big splash Sunday would help with that a great deal. Surely the Front Office has made this point to the coach. Enter human turnstile, LT Ereck Flowers, who has stopped fewer people than a Walmart greeter. If Barnett gets a fair number of snaps against him, you know how this ends. 

framed-players-vinnycurry.connorbarwin

You know how this ends.

Philadelphia+Eagles+v+New+York+Giants+YFAxMOeXhGtl

You KNOW how this ends.

card.vinny.curry

Troy Aikman will mention Reggie White at least once.

Due to a commitment to running the ball, Wentz will be able to set his feet in the pocket, and more importantly, calm the fuck down. His deep balls will become catches, instead of overthrows. TE Zach Ertz may find it harder to operate against SS Landon Collins, but that will just open things up for WR Alshon Jeffery.

I know we aren’t supposed to look past an opponent, because any given blah blah blah, but seriously, I told everyone what the giants deal was BACK IN APRIL. At this point I’m just constantly nodding, pointing and muttering “Yep. See there?”, as the prophecy unfolds in real-time. Enjoy the game and enjoy your Sunday. Oh, and if you have Philadelphia’s defense in fantasy football, START THEM. (I know I will.)

Note: I will be avoiding game threads (except at the half), because I want to yell and dance around, unfettered. Also I don’t want to drop salsa on my keyboard again.

PREDICTION: EAGLES 35 – Giants 13

yeah bitch

FIXING OUR RUN GAME

Posted by The BEAST on 2017/09/20
Posted in: Coaching, Front Office (F.O.), Offense, Players, Roster. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , . 2 Comments

headshot

HEAD Coach Doug Pederson said “We’ve got to get the run game fixed.” That statement came as a shock to me, because I thought the run game had already been neutered. Seriously though, there are a number of things wrong with the run game, but most of it is stuff we can repair in-season. There is no need to start suggesting trades. We can win the division with the roster we already have.

Be warned, this is not a short article. I tried to make it short, but that kept leaving out too many important details. Skimping on details won’t paint an accurate picture. To really understand what’s happening, the coaches need details. If that’s the case, then you can imagine that if we’re really going to understand, us fans also need details. So no shortcuts. Nothing wrong with taking your time, and making sure you do it right.

The first thing we need to do is to drop the cute attitude. Running the ball requires pushing large, aggressive men out of the way, so that another man can produce yardage. It requires brute force. All these wide pitches, Jet Sweeps, all these cute east/west runs…they need to be replaced with more north/south running between the Tackles.

Some of the offensive linemen on this team are mentally soft. Not all of them are eager to impose their will on an opponent, and that’s a problem. An offensive lineman should be a hammer who sees anyone in lined up front of them, as a nail. Any offensive lineman who isn’t eager to mix it up, won’t help much with creating holes up front.

We also need to commit to running the ball early. Early is important, because it wears defenders down as the game goes on. It can be exhausting if the run game gets established early, which is why teams focus on taking it away ASAP. Pass rushing can leave players winded, but it doesn’t physically beat them up like run defense does.

With a pass block, the offensive lineman starts out by shuffling backwards. When he makes contact with a defender, it’s because the defender (with momentum) has run into them. Often while the offensive lineman is still drifting backwards.

With a run block, the offensive lineman surges forward. When he makes contact with a defender, it’s because the (generally bigger and stronger) offensive lineman is dictating where the defender is allowed to be. The defender has to fight through that block, find the RB, and then hopefully participate in the tackle. It’s exhausting.

So we need to adjust our attitude about running, put some hammers out there, and commit to running early. Those are all things we can correct in the next day or so. Those are all internal fixes, and most of them are mental. However there is a physical question that requires an answer: Who are our hammers and who needs to sit down?

Lets start with who needs to sit.

The guy getting most of the blame for this mess is LG Isaac Seumalo. Everywhere you look sportswriters are throwing him under the bus. Even I got in on the act Monday, and that was unfair of me. That was wrong of me. While Seumalo had a horrendous game, he wasn’t alone out there. C Jason Kelce also looked pretty bad. Look at the two of them engaging defenders and sustaining their blocks in these clips. (BTW: I didn’t compile these clips. I saw them a few places on-line and just decided to share them.):

 

I noticed RG Brandon Brooks is generally doing a very good job out there. So it’s not the system, and we don’t need a whole new interior. Take a look a few more clips.

I soured on Kelce early in his career. I’m on record saying that he benefited from playing next to wily veterans like Evan Mathis and then Allen Barbre/Stefen Wisniewski. I’ve said that for years now. Playing next to Seumalo who lacks the experience to compensate for Kelce, we’re now clearly seeing what I’ve been saying. Kelce may be a decent C for systems that require linemen to play in space, but in a more traditional system, his game has too many drawbacks for him to be anything but a liability.

Both Seumalo and Kelce need to sit, if this team is to get the run game on track. That however, means we need two players to step into their places. Those players are Chance Warmack who should get the nod at LG, and Wisniewski who we absolutely need at C. Instantly we’d get more physical up front, and would stop being a lop-sided offense.

We can worry about rebuilding our depth in the off-season. However, to get the run game on track, we already have all the tools that we need. We simply need the will and desire to use our tools. Head Coach Doug Pederson said “We’ve got to get the run game fixed.” This is how we can do it right, and with no shortcuts.

FOUR THINGS REVIEWED: WK 2: CHIEFS

Posted by The BEAST on 2017/09/18
Posted in: Coaching, Defense, Four Things, NFL, Offense, Players, Reviews, stats. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , . 1 Comment

ANY Eagles fan who’s angry over this game, is missing the point. This game didn’t end in a kneel down. There was no victory formation for Kansas City. Up until the second that final incompletion rested on the ground, the hearts of the Chiefs team, coaching staff, and fans, were solidly lodged in their throats. This is the game our team NEEDED.

wentzsprolesblitz.jpg

Eagles 20 – Chief 27

The game came down to a Hail Mary by QB Carson Wentz (25/46 – 54.3 – 333 – 2 – 1). Wentz (get this) was also our leading rusher on the day (4 – 55 – 13.7 – 0). WR Alshon Jeffrey (7 – 92 – 13.1 – 1) scored his first touchdown as an Eagle, and TE Zach Ertz (5 – 97 – 19.4) chipped in with nearly 100 yards of his own. That included a 53 yard pass he caught off of a Chiefs player, in a play so bizarre the only thing missing was ‘Benny Hill’ theme music.

Our Defensive Line notched 4 sacks against Alex Smith (21/28 – 75% – 251 – 1 – 0), but failed to record a single turnover this week.

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) Slow the rush: My prescription was to use short passes to Ertz to force the OLB’s into coverage like we did with the Redskins last week. The Eagles used that tactic, but they used a different player, RB Darren Sproles (10 – 48 – 4.8 – 0/ 2 – 30 – 15.0 – 0) to achieve the desired result. Point is, the tactic worked pretty well. (Until later in the game, when we had to abandon it to play catch-up.) (DONE)

2) Tick, Tick, BOOM: Except on the quick routes to Sproles, it seemed like Wentz spent the day holding the ball entirely too long, while waiting for receivers to uncover. This is going to get him killed. Especially with LG Isaac Seumalo acting as an Uber for defensive linemen (he gave up 3 sacks to Chris Jones). (NOT DONE)

3) No front-side blitzes!: We kept the blitzes tucked out of Alex Smith’s sight and the results were a sack from the left by OLB Mychal Kendricks (2 – 1 – 0 – 0), and a soul-rattling shot from up the gut, by MLB Jordan “Cowboy Killer” Hicks (1 – 2 – 0 – 0). Despite his 75% completion percentage, we kept Smith from sitting in the pocket and from holding the ball long enough for deep routes to unfold. We kept him uncomfortable and settling for short and intermediate routes. (DONE)

4) ImPRESSive coverage: We came out playing with big cushions again, which is why Smith was able to connect on ¾ of his passes. That completion percentage is alarming, and we can’t reliably that to help us win games. We make it way too easy for QB’s to cheat our defense of well-earned sacks. (NOT DONE)

This weeks score is 2 out of 4. That brings our team to 4 of 8 for the year. We’re .500 at hitting our goals, and we’re .500 in the standings. See a pattern? We have to be better next week vs the giants. Otherwise we’ll lose at home to a laughingstock.

On The Whole:

Since being an Eagles fan almost automatically makes a person a fan of the ‘Rocky’ franchise, I’m going to take you back to a moment. Seriously. Don’t skip the video.

In this instance the entire NFL is Apollo, and the Eagles are Rocky. While Rocky didn’t win the first fight, he never stopped trying. He kept coming. He was relentless. It was his heart not his fists, which made it possible for him to eventually be a champion.

Did you see us vs the Chiefs? We never relented. We never hung our heads. Our team’s body language didn’t sag. Not after injury. Not after big plays. Not after being down by two touchdowns. We kept coming after them. We kept on fighting. We never gave up. We JUST. KEPT. COMING. That’s our heart. That’s why we’ll succeed in the long run.

I was proud of the way our guys played in that game. Even more so, I was proud of their demeanor after the shit start to hit the fan. Down 14 points with just 6 minutes and change left? Come on. Most young teams would have started phoning it in. But not this team. That onside kick recovery by TE Trey Burton (1 – 10 – 10.0 – 0)? That was pure desire. The tape will show him clearly out-hustling everyone else on the field. You can’t fake that. It’s either in you or it’s not.

Despite all my glowing rhetoric, we did however lose the game. That’s because in some areas we just aren’t good enough yet. (More on that later.) Due to this game and an opponent of this caliber, our coaching staff was gifted with enough clear indicators of what we must improve, before we meet up with Washington again, in what will be a pivotal Week 7 match-up. (Remember where you read that first!)

 

DARREN SPROLES REPLACEMENT

Posted by The BEAST on 2017/09/15
Posted in: Conversations, Front Office (F.O.), NFL, Players, Rants, Special Teams. Tagged: , , , , , . 1 Comment

BRINGING in Byron Marshall and Donnel Pumphrey was a mistake. In the last two years, the Eagles have brought in two players, who’s specific purpose (ostensibly), is to replace RB Darren Sproles when he leaves the Eagles. The mistake wasn’t the Front Office adding Marshall or Pumphrey. The mistake was the mission to replace Sproles in the first place. Everything we add to that mission only makes it worse.

Let’s start with the question that only I seem to be asking:

“Why do we need to replace Darren Sproles?”

card.darren.sproles

When Sproles leaves, we’ll need another RB. One who can catch and make you miss in the open field, isn’t a bad thing to have at all. However, why is it that when we look for a replacement, we look at WR/RB tweeners and not genuine RB’s? Is there some rule that says that a 3rd down back must be slight of frame? Is there some rule that says that a 3rd down back is barred from being a dependable option at RB, should the starter go down? That seems to be the type of guy the Eagles want replacing Sproles.

How about a 3rd down RB like C.J. Prosise, or T.J. Yeldon, or Duke Johnson? Is there some reason that Corey Clement can’t be our 3rd down back? He would certainly offer schematic versatility. Seriously, what’s wrong with being THREE legit RB’s deep? Considering the abuse that RB’s take, real depth (not specialists) at the position would be a major asset.

What really irritates me about the entire process of replacing Sproles, is that it probably can’t be done. Darren Sproles is an anomaly. Think of another 190 pound RB who can contribute on offense, and scare an opponent every time a punt touches his gloves, while playing at 30+ years of age. Go ahead. I’ll wait….

Sproles is rare from the get-go, but that never seems to get acknowledged. Spending a draft pick on trying to replace him, is like blowing a paycheck on water, to practice turning it into wine. Trying to duplicate a miracle through mundane means, is the worst indication that you don’t know what you have. For the Front Office to not realize such specialness in a player, it is nothing short of a football tragedy.

There is ONE Darren Sproles. Just one. He isn’t duplicable. He isn’t replaceable. Further attempts at trying to do either, will likely just result in more disappointment. Let’s appreciate Sproles while we still have him here, and when he leaves, let’s focus on adding a good football player and not an after-market part.

FOUR THINGS: WK 2: EAGLES-CHIEFS

Posted by The BEAST on 2017/09/14
Posted in: Coaching, Defense, Four Things, NFL, Offense, Players, Preview, Roster, X's and O's. Tagged: , , , , , , , . 1 Comment

W2-KC

PROTÉGÉ vs Mentor. Doug Pederson vs Andy Reid. Two men who know how the other thinks. Two teams that began the season by making strong statements, both beating a team that seemingly had their number. Both looking to avoid a stumble in the race for their respective divisions.

Depending on how hard fought this game is, this is the sort of game and opponent, where even in a loss, a coach can extract legitimate moral victories as growth points. That being said, I want to talk about how we can win. The Eagles come into this game with more on the line than last week. A win this week puts not only the NFC East on notice, but also would show our young players that we’re ready to swap with elites.

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

1) Slow the rush: The Chiefs play a 3-4 where the thrust of their pass rush (like the Redskins), is generated from the OLB position. That means it can be defused in the same fashion. With a big ol’ dose of TE Zach Ertz applied early and often, it should be enough to ward off the sort of headaches that K.C. normally causes for QB’s.

2) Tick, Tick, BOOM: QB Carson Wentz needs routes to open up faster, so he can get the ball out of his hand quicker. Much of the harassment he suffered vs Washington, had to do with the fact that 4, and 5 seconds into the play, Wentz was still scanning for an open man. Those routes have to deploy faster this week.

3) No front-side blitzes!: QB Alex Smith is a cagey bastard. He’s savvy, and doesn’t rattle easily. Even worse, he can also run a little. If he sees a blitz coming, he has more than enough presence of mind to handle it quickly. Extra pressure needs to come from his blindside. We have to accelerate the clock in his head, and force him to throw short passes, instead of letting him feel comfortable enough to let deep routes unfold.

4) ImPRESSive coverage: CB Ronald Darby was the fastest guy in our Secondary, but I have a weird feeling that he may not play this week. (I don’t know, call it a hunch.) That said, our Corners must lay hands on WR Tyreek Hill. The guy is a burner, and if we just allow him clean releases into his routes, he will hit the jets and smoke us like Tyrone Biggums.

tyrone biggums.gif

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 most impactful players on KC’s front seven are LOLB Justin Houston (55) and LILB Derrick Johnson (56). The remaining five players are more like role-players than true playmakers. To disguise that, the Chiefs like to walk their ILB’s up to the line, to create confusion in the blocking scheme, and set up isolation match-ups. Like so:

Likely 9.17.17

While that gambit does create havoc quickly, I’ve noticed that it can also leave them vulnerable to off-Guard runs. Like this:

ogrun

I’d dance a jig to see the Eagles run this play 3 to 5 times, but I have the sinking suspicion that we won’t see that. Instead we’ll opt to run it up the gut, where C Jason Kelce is no match for NT Bennie Logan. Unless the Eagles wise up, we’ll have to be carried by our passing game again. That passing game should be a lot smoother with Safety Eric Berry out of the line-up.

If you’re worried that the Chiefs will score at will this week, don’t. Alex Smith’s game last week was sponsored largely by the Patriots pass mush. (And no, that’s not a typo.) This week Eagles will come to town bringing the heat. So Smith won’t look at all like the guy from last week, who completed 80% of his passes and tossed 4 tuds.

The Eagles biggest hurdle in this game won’t be anything the Chiefs present. Nothing Kansas City does is hard to decipher or understand. Our challenge will be whether or not we’re willing to impose our will, once the game goes from being a chess match, to a wrestling match. For the Eagles that aspect is still a work in progress.

PREDICTION: EAGLES 21 – Chiefs 29

fat

FOUR THINGS REVIEWED: WK 1: REDSKINS

Posted by The BEAST on 2017/09/11
Posted in: Coaching, Defense, Four Things, NFL, Offense, Players, Reviews, Rivals, stats. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

wentz fireworks

PHILADELPHIA’S 2017 season began with more on the line than just one win. 2016 saw the hiring of a new Head Coach in Doug Pederson. A new coaching staff followed, and they dismantled the roster in order to re-make it, to re-format it, to re-build it with the winning formula of the Andy Reid era. The 2017 season has the Eagles on the hook to show that the re-build has taken, and that we can now legitimately set our sights on winning the NFC East.

GRAHAM N COX

DE Brandon Graham strips the Redskins QB, and DT Fletcher Cox zeros in on the loose ball.

EAGLES 30 – Redskins 17

Right from the door, we got the monkey off our back, and sent a strong message to the division. For the last two years, we’d gone 7-9. For the last two years, we’d been swept by the Redskins. Yesterday afternoon with our defeat of Washington (in their home), we officially showed our division that we as a team, have turned a corner.

It wasn’t a pretty win. As a team we ran for only 58 yards on 24 attempts (2.4 ypc); QB Carson Wentz (26/39 – 66.6% – 307 – 2 – 1) had two turnovers (one was a fumble); and WR Alshon Jeffery (3 – 38 – 12.6 – 0) was reduced to a well paid spectator. On the other hand, our Defensive Line notched all four of our sacks. The Defense also collected three fumble recoveries, and an interception at the goal line by CB Jalen Mills (8 – 0 – 1 – 0). All this despite the early loss of starting CB Ronald Darby (ankle dislocation).

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) Build a fortress: Protecting Wentz was of supreme importance in this game. That’s true every week, but against how Washington plays defense, it’s more key. The only weapon in their arsenal is pass rush. They don’t have a second aspect they can build off of, if their pass rush fails. Wentz was sacked twice and hurried eight times, but mostly he had a ton of time to stand in the pocket. (DONE)

2) Slow the rush: Getting the ball quickly and early to TE Zach Ertz (8 – 93 – 11.6 – 0), seems to have been a key part of the game plan this week and it was great to see. It also dragged Redskins OLB Ryan Kerrigan (2 – 0.5 – 1 – 0) into a shallow zone, where he snagged a pick-six on a tipped ball bound for RB Darren Sproles (5rec – 43 – 8.6 – 0). It’s never good to give up a pick-six, but it was just one play. Kerrigan’s ass had to be in coverage and not rushing the passer to get it, right? Wentz mostly had decent time to complete passes, right? Ertz was involved early and often, right? (DONE)

3) Empty their pocket: Kirk Cousins (23/40 – 57.5 – 240 – 1 – 1) too often, had too much room to survey the field and step into his passes. He was even the ‘skins leading rusher with 30 yards on 4 runs, right up the gut. We got away with that this week, but if we don’t do a better job of forcing QB’s off their marks this year, we’re dead meat. (NOT DONE)

4) Fish in a barrel: The Redskins receivers did run routes in the middle of the field, but that wasn’t due to being re-routed by us. Our CB’s got in no one’s face, and gave up too many easy releases inside, which did nothing to throw off the timing of the ‘skins passing game. (NOT DONE)

That starts the year off with a 2 out of 4 score. Most of the time that won’t yield such a comfortable win margin, but then again the ‘skins suck ass.

On The Whole:

It wasn’t the prettiest win, but given that it was the first game of the season, played by a young team, on the road against a team with a psychological edge, and after not playing much at all during preseason… Overall, it was a damned fine way to open the season. I’m proud of our guys.

Next week, we go west to visit Andy Reid and his merry band of Patriot killers. It should be a tough game, and great test for the core of our re-built roster. Our team needs some adversity at this stage of it’s development, and a tough win or a hard fought loss (and maybe a brawl), would be good for them right now.

While I won’t guarantee a win next week, in the next Four Things, we’ll discuss what we need to do, to leave K.C. with that almighty “W”.

cox fumble rumble.jpg

DT Fletcher Cox goes ball deep in the end zone.

FOUR THINGS: WK 1: EAGLES-REDSKINS

Posted by The BEAST on 2017/09/08
Posted in: Coaching, Defense, Four Things, NFL, Offense, Players, Preview, Rivals, X's and O's. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , . 1 Comment

W1-WAS

LAST year we were swept by the Redskins, in two games separated by a total of 12 points. While Washington won both games, they didn’t run away with either one. Thus, the Eagles spent the off-season prepping for an arms race. Meanwhile, (for some reason) the Redskins began disarming themselves on both sides of the ball. Thus, at least on paper, we’re clearly the stronger team now.

Let me speak plain. Recently the ‘skins have owned us, beating us in each of our last five meetings. While we’ll get two cracks at them this season, nothing would be as emphatic as choking them out in their own home, while making thousands of their fans watch helplessly. A win this week would put the division on notice from Day One. We’re already the better team. We need to seize the opportunity to show it.

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

1) Build a fortress: QB Carson Wentz must be protected. Nothing we saw in the preseason indicates that our running game is ready to carry it’s weight yet, so we’ll have to lean on the passing game. That doesn’t work if Wentz is on his back, counting clouds. Protection is the primary key to this game.

2) Slow the rush: The Redskins are a 3-4 team that rushes it’s OLB’s. An OLB can’t rush the QB and cover the TE at the same time. So getting the ball quickly to TE Zach Ertz means either the ‘skins have to take a rusher away, or bring down a Safety to cover him. That would leave either WR Alshon Jeffrey or WR Torrey Smith with a one-on-one match-up. Surely putting a Safety on Ertz seems somehow more distasteful than taking away a pass rusher. So get Ertz the ball quickly. And do it early in the game.

3) Empty their pocket: Habitually inverting the pocket (even if we don’t sack QB Kirk Cousins), will go a long way to disrupting the ‘skins passing attack. Cousins won’t beat us with his feet, and is only so-so at throwing on the move. We need to force him to problem-solve, instead of allowing him to execute the offense.

4) Fish in a barrel: We need to corral their passing game, by re-routing their receivers closer to the numbers and to the middle of the field.

FedEx Field

The idea is to increase traffic, making deflections and misfires more costly. Doing this means that Cousins is going to complete passes, but we need to stay patient and diligent with this approach. If we let the ‘skins have a big day passing to the outside, this game becomes a shootout, and shootouts are anybody’s game.

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 Redskins will want to spread us out, to create space so they can run the ball inside. They’re going to start on Offense by playing in 11 Personnel (3WR’s, 1 TE, and 1 RB). This means we’ll likely open the game in the Nickel, looking something like this on Defense:

Likely 9.10.17

Again, we have to re-route receivers as close to the middle as we can, in order to make deflections and misfires more costly, as well as to limit YAC (yards after catch). Increased traffic in the area will also cause Cousins to hold the ball longer, allowing our pass rushers extra seconds to get home.

On Offense, I would be surprised if the Eagles had a huge day running the ball. Alshon Jeffrey will draw CB Josh Norman, but that shouldn’t be an issue. Last year vs Norman (when he only had QB Matt Barkley throwing to him), Jeffery had 5 catches on 10 targets, and 92 yards. This year Jeffrey has Carson Wentz throwing to him, and a much more dangerous supporting cast, than he has played with since Brandon Marshall left Chicago.

Because of that cast, Norman won’t get much help from teammates, since they each have their own nightmares to deal with. For example, CB Bashaud Breeland is stuck with covering blazingly fast Torrey Smith. (FYI: Speed isn’t something Breeland is known for.) Washington’s 3rd CB Kendall Fuller likely draws WR Nelson Agholor as his dance partner for the day. The bottom line is, even the very top of the Redskins secondary isn’t equipped to handle the Eagles receivers. If Wentz gets decent protection the Eagles win, in a game that won’t be as close as the final score.

PREDICTION: EAGLES 24 – Redskins 20

yeah bitch

REACTION TO THE 2017 ROSTER

Posted by The BEAST on 2017/09/03
Posted in: Coaching, Defense, Draft, NFL, Offense, Players, Roster, Special Teams. Tagged: , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

lack of surprise

WHEN Training Camp opened up, we more or less already knew who we’d be relying on this season. We also had a pretty good handle on who was more or less just a “camp body”. For the most part the Eagles roster has shaped up along those lines. For the most part the guys who earned spots have made the cut.

For the most part.

At QB we got a Wentz/Foles pairing, which surprises no one. Given that our 3rd string TE can fill in at emergency QB, there’s no need to stockpile three, while #1 and #2 are healthy. Speaking of TE, that position also shook out as predicted.

I wish I could say that I was surprised that RB Donnel Pumphrey made the roster. He did nothing to earn the spot, but the Eagles brass doesn’t care to discard a 4th round pick. That will unfortunately send a message to players about how this organization views and rewards performance.

Marcus Johnson was already a stretch, but somehow WR Shelton Gibson made the roster, while Bryce Treggs didn’t. This too will send a message to players about how this organization views and rewards performance. Then again we did spend a draft pick on him…(smh)

Offensive Line seems a little light at 8 players. Then again, even the 9 that I predicted seemed light. Ideally you want at least a back-up for every starter. (This also does wonders in practice.) It’s hard to “push” a young player who doesn’t have to look over his shoulder. Sacred cow status sends the wrong message.

It would have been nice to keep Alex McCalister, but there is just no sane way to keep 6 DE’s on this roster. We’re already pushing it with 5 (and that’s only because Curry can be kicked inside on pass rush downs). Still, if McCalister could cover even a little, he’d have been re-cast as an OLB and probably would challenged for a starting job.

Unfortunately the DT position played out as I thought it would. The Eagles kept 7th round pick Elijah Qualls, and cut the free agents. For the record I’m far less impressed with Qualls than some are. With no starts in the preseason, Qualls faced the bottom of an opponents roster in every game . That wasn’t so for Justin Hamliton, a free agent whom Qualls beat out. Then again at #5 on the depth chart, it will hardly matter.

At LB the Eagles went with 6 players not 7 (3 OLB , 3 MLB). I’m guessing that they aren’t done here. 6 LB’s is too few to go into a season with. You need LB’s on Special Teams to beat blocks faster, close out areas, and draw block in the back penalties. We can’t use starters to fill in there, because it tires them out for defensive downs. Right now we’re at 6, but I’d be appalled if it didn’t change by kick-off.

We kept 5 Safeties. I was sure of four of them. The 5th was something like a surprise, without actually being one. I don’t know what to say about this group. Until about midseason last year, this position had been the strength of our Secondary. Since midway through last season, the only place we’ve seen them is on the backs of milk cartons. I’m hoping this changes, because lord knows we have the talent.

The position causing our coaching staff the most headache is CB. I expected them to keep 6, if only to have options during the year. Instead the Eagles went with 5. Considering that 2 of these guys are defensive starters, and a third may play heavy minutes at Nickel, it seems weird to only keep 5 total.

+++++

On the whole, I want to be a lot more optimistic about this roster than I am. However, there are some serious deficiencies built into it now. Most glaringly, it looks like Special Teams and/or Offensive line depth, took a hit in order to accommodate 3 draft picks who failed to demonstrate that they can help this team, one iota. That said, adjustments still have to be made, so we’ll see how that shakes out.

peeweeskeet

GUESS THE 2017 ROSTER!

Posted by The BEAST on 2017/09/01
Posted in: Conversations, Defense, Offense, Players, Roster, Special Teams. Tagged: , , , , , . Leave a comment

THE Eagles never fail to surprise me with a handful of personnel decisions every year. Nevertheless, I rarely miss an opportunity to try and guess the 53 man roster. I’m never 100% right, but it’s just good fun. This is my take on what I think our roster should look like for the 2017-2018 season. Give it a look and tell me what you think we’ll look like in a week.

OFFENSE: 23

card.jason.peters.jpg

QB: (2) Carson Wentz and Nick Foles. (I don’t really see the Eagles holding onto 3 active QB’s to start the season. That may change as it wears on, but Week One, I expect just two.)

RB: (4) LeGarrette Blount, Wendell Smallwood, Darren Sproles, Corey Clement. (I’m thinking Smallwood is the teams primary Kick (not Punt) Returner.)

WR: (5) Alshon Jeffery, Torrey Smith, Nelson Agholor, Mack Hollins, Bryce Treggs. (The last spot may go to Marcus Johnson, but it shouldn’t.)

TE: (3) Zach Ertz, Brent Celek, Trey Burton. (I liked some of what I saw from Billy Brown, but Burton gives us more versatility, which is awesome in a 3rd stringer.)

OT: (4) Jason Peters, Lane Johnson, Dillon Gordon, Halapoulivati Vaitai.

G: (4) Brandon Brooks, Isaac Seumalo, Stefen Wisniewski, Chance Warmack. (I think Warmack sealed his deal in the last preseason game, which allows Wisniewski to serve more as a reserve Center.)

C: (1) Jason Kelce

 

DEFENSE: 27

card-graham and curry

DE: (5) Brandon Graham, Vinny Curry, Derek Barnett, Chris Long, Steven Means. (I hate the idea of dropping Alex McCalister and possibly seeing him end up with a division rival. But you can’t keep everybody.)

DT: (5) Fletcher Cox, Timmy Jernigan, Beau Allen, Destiny Vaeao, Elijah Qualls. (We likely don’t keep 5, but if we do, Qualls sticks because he’s a draft pick. I’d rather keep Gabe Wright or Josh Hamilton.)

OLB: (4) Nigel Bradham, Mychal Kendricks, Kamu Grugier-Hill, Don Cherry. (KGH and Cherry are mostly Special Teamers. If DE Alex McCalister were even half-decent dropping into zone coverage, a case could be made to shoehorn him in here.)

ILB: (2) Jordan Hicks, Najee Goode, Joe Walker. (Walker makes it based on Special Teams play.)

S: (4) Malcolm Jenkins, Rodney McLeod, Chris Maragos, Jaylen Watkins

CB: (6) Ronald Darby, Jalen Mills, Patrick Robinson, Rasul Douglas, Dexter McDougle, C.J. Smith

 

SPECIAL TEAMS: 3

K: Caleb Sturgis

P: Donnie Jones

LS: Rick Lovato

<<TOTAL ROSTER: 53>>

Dammit Carson!

FOUR THINGS REVIEWED: PS4 JETS

Posted by The BEAST on 2017/09/01
Posted in: Defense, Four Things, NFL, Offense, Players, Reviews, Roster, Special Teams. Tagged: , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

WELL nobody who counts, got injured. Do we get a trophy for that now, or…. how does that work? I guess I’m old. I remember when the point of training was training, not avoiding getting hurt in lieu of training. (Soldiers, fire fighters and cops, you may want to talk to your supervisors about not doing things the old way anymore.)

jets slap.jpg

EAGLES 10 – Jets 16

We held the Jets (and ourselves) to one touchdown. We also held the Jets (and ourselves) to under 100 yards rushing for the game. We put up 181 passing yards (net) to their 140. In four quarters of football, QB Carson Wentz wasn’t hit, hurried or sacked once. Yet somehow I don’t feel the protection plan we used for him vs the Jets, will help us at all vs the Redskins next week. Did I mention that we lost?

I hear you asking, “What about all the stuff that stats don’t reveal?” Well Billy, 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) Does Warmack earn a chance: G Chance Warmack looked like a starter playing against back-ups out there. He looked composed and fully in control in pass protection, and in the run game, his man frequently went backwards. The coaches saw enough, and he was pulled before the half. (DONE)

2) Coming up big: RB Donnel Pumphrey once again looked like a boy amongst men whether he was running (7 – 10 – 1.4 – 0 – 0), receiving (1 – 3 – 3.0 – 0) or punt returning (5 – 9 – 1.8 – 0). He however, did look decent on kickoff returns (3 – 80 – 26.7 – 0). The Eagles may stash him on IR or the Practice Squad, but he’s done nothing to truly earn either. (NOT DONE)

3) Cherry picking a LB: LB Don Cherry (3 – 0 – 0 – 0) made a few stops, and got beaten by a bigger, faster player for a touchdown pass, despite playing coverage as well as he could have in that situation. That said, he didn’t do anything in this one that would get a coach pounding the table to keep him. (NOT DONE)

4) Groom a great Dane: Finally the Eagles got a sample size (in terms of downs) from QB Dane Evans (11 – 23 – 47.8% – 110 – 1 – 1) , to match that of QB Matt McGloin (14 – 21 – 66.6% – 90 – 0 – 0). Evans showed some real niftiness on a couple of plays, especially the 41 yarder he threw as he stared down a defender who was expecting him to keep running. Evans was also the victim of a bogus interception that was clearly dropped and trapped, but for some reason THAT turnover wasn’t reviewed. (Aren’t they supposed to review ALL turnovers?) In any case, while Evans may not make the roster, he did play an entire half, and we were in the game in large part, due to him. (DONE)

So this week’s mark is 2 of 4, which brings the preseason total to 7 out of 16. Here’s hoping that our record this year doesn’t match. Speaking of which, the next Four Things will be for stakes against a division rival.

On The Whole:

Every now and then a low scoring, defensive slug-fest is nice to see. That kind of football, (not this high-flying, 60 pass per game stuff), is primal football. It’s throwback football. Every now and then you need to see a game like that.

This game wasn’t that. This was just two offenses groping for a light-switch in a coal mine. There were several moments where I wondered if these guys even knew what sport they were supposed to be playing. There was no fuzzy-fuzzy, feel-good about this game. For the most part it was like chewing tin foil.

My hope is that our (very well-rested) offensive starters, don’t continue this trend next week.