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!!!

rick dance.gif

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!

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.