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.

FOUR THINGS: PS4 EAGLES-JETS

Posted by The BEAST on 2017/08/30
Posted in: Coaching, Defense, Four Things, NFL, Offense, Players, Preview, Roster. Tagged: , , , , , , . 2 Comments

ps4NYJ.jpg

 

GIVEN how spotty the Offensive starters have been, it’s hard to get a real grasp of just who we do or don’t need further down the roster. Our coaching staff is however, more concerned with potential injury, than they are with players getting their shit straight. So instead of starters playing a couple series, they’ll sit. This is hilarious given the fact that we were one of the earliest teams to begin hitting in camp.

Normally this would be the game where coaches looked at the deep end of the roster, to see if guys “on the bubble” made the most of their last opportunity, but this is an unusual year. Nothing (big picture) seems to be at stake here, on either roster. Both teams are just playing out the string. That means the Eagles can get to trying to win the NFC East, and the Jets can get on with tanking in 2017.

So let’s talk about the Four Things we need to focus on for this week versus New York Jr. :

1) Does Warmack earn a chance: I was big on G Chance Warmack before he was drafted, and I still hold out some hope for him to make this roster. That said, I want to see him look like a starter against the Jets back-ups.

2) Coming up big: RB Donnel Pumphrey has so far made the stereotype for smaller RB’s look 100% true. Rushing, receiving, punt returning…so far he’s looked like a boy amongst men doing all of it. He needs to show that he belongs.

3) Cherry picking a LB: We’re thin at LB. Not in number (8), but in terms of playmakers. The fact that Najee Goode is still here, proves that. Last week however, Don Cherry (out of Villanova) gave me reason to hope, with his 42 yard return (no score) of an interception. A strong showing this week could cement a spot for him on the active roster.

4) Groom a great Dane: If you look at QB Dane Evans numbers (0TD, 2INT, 36.2 rating) you think “Yech, yikes and yuck”. Watching him play on the other hand, tells a much different story. We’ve gotten an extensive look at the decidedly underwhelming Matt McGloin. In fact, he leads the NFL this preseason in attempts, completions, and is tied for the lead in interceptions, despite only throwing 1 TD in 3 games. We need to see at least a half from Evans.

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:

We’ll get to see some guys make the team, and others blow their opportunity.

PREDICTION: EAGLES 25 – Jets 13

yeah bitch

INSIDE THE HELMET: OFFENSIVE LINE

Posted by The BEAST on 2017/08/28
Posted in: Coaching, Fans, Inside The Helmet, Offense, Players. Tagged: , , , , , , . Leave a comment

 

WHY can’t the Offensive Line generate push in the run game? Why is the Offensive Line allowing so much pressure on QB Carson Wentz? Everywhere you turn, you hear fans asking one of, or both of these questions. They can’t figure out why a unit with a new starter on it, isn’t performing at a high level. The answer is simple: They haven’t played together enough during “live” fire.

People who don’t know ass about football, will say that our O-line has been going against our D-line for months now. They’ll say that counts as experience. If these people were six years old, that assessment would be cute. However, coming from full grown humans, claiming to be Eagles fans, that shit is nothing short of embarrassing.

Look, let me take you Inside The Helmet:

InsideTheHelmet

The D-lineman who lines up across from you in practice, is a guy you rapidly get to know. Who’s quicker off the snap, you or him? Does he favor his right or his left, with his first step? Does he like to bull rush, rip, or swim? When you lock on, does he club your inner elbow, or does he forklift your wrists to generate a hands to face penalty?

These are just a few things you quickly learn about the man who practices across from you, five days a week. Once he knows what he can’t beat you with, he’ll lean on the things that give him a chance, or an advantage. After all, he also needs to look good, either to hold onto his starting spot, or to make the team period.

+++++

When it comes to practices, players see the same things day in and day out, from the guy across from them. O-linemen are blocking against the same guys, who are executing the same defensive concepts, day in and day out. That means the linemen aren’t exposed to new wrinkles. The only way to see new wrinkles, is to face other teams that run different systems, or the same system with an emphasis on a few different concepts.

This O-Line hasn’t seen enough live fire this preseason. That impacts their ability to act as one cohesive unit, because they don’t get to communicate adjustments to seeing something new, in real-time. Just in the film room. Imagine a chorus line not kicking in unison. This is where our O-line is.

Since the starters are almost guaranteed to sit out this last preseason game, this is where the O-line will still be on opening day. Hopefully that won’t end up with Wentz being carted off the field this year. Given how much abuse he was allowed to take in just one quarter of play vs the Dolphins, any sensible fan would have to be concerned.

hive.jpg

TOUCHDOWNS AND INJURIES

Posted by The BEAST on 2017/08/26
Posted in: Coaching, Offense, Players, Roster, Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

card-nickfoles.jpg

REMEMBER the days where players played the whole first half of the third preseason game? Remember the days when coaches were more interested in a starter actually being effective, and less interested in the name being available? I do. Hey, do you know what the height of irony would be? Never mind. Never mind.

I ask those questions because at the rate we’re going, our offensive line is going to get our QB seriously injured this year. In one quarter of play, versus a team they’d been staring at for a week, our line gave up a sack, a tipped pass, and what looked to be 3 more hits or grabs of QB Carson Wentz.

Those all count as contacts, and that was in just 11 dropbacks! That’s 5 contacts per 11 dropbacks, for a rate of 45.4%. Last year Wentz had 640 dropbacks (607 attempts, 33 sacks). Using last years dropbacks as a model, with a 45% contact rate, Wentz would be contacted 288 times this year, which is 18.0 times per game. Put another way, at that rate Nick Foles will be the starting QB by Week Nine.

Considering that the third game is typically a dress rehearsal, it’s clear that the line isn’t ready to protect the franchise QB yet. They need more time, and more experience in a “live” game situation. The starters need to see action in game four. Especially given that LG Isaac Seumalo is being folded in as a brand new starter. Sadly, they won’t get that time, because despite our O-line’s depth, Head Coach Doug Pederson is shelving his starters to protect them from injury.

The height of irony would be the O-Line getting the franchise QB injured, because we were afraid that they would get injured, while practicing to be effective at keeping the franchise QB from injury. And to think, we may be treated to that exact sight very, very soon.

FOUR THINGS REVIEWED: DOLPHINS (PS)

Posted by The BEAST on 2017/08/25
Posted in: Coaching, Defense, Four Things, NFL, Offense, Players, Reviews. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

THE expectation was that this game would largely be boring, since both teams spent a week facing each other in scrimmages. Logic says that each team would know what to protect against, and how. Instead, due to some sloppiness on our part, the Dolphins were able to hang around in the game. Still, it was a pretty ho-hum event to say that 69 total points were scored in it.

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Eagles 38 – Dolphins 31

The good news is that the passing game seems like it could be a force this year. That however, is largely dependent on whether or not QB Carson Wentz (10 – 6 – 60% – 129 – 2 – 1) takes as much punishment every week, as he took in just one quarter (that’s all the starters played) tonight. RB Corey Clement (9 – 42 – 4.6 – 1 – 0) looked very good leading the ground attack. OLB Mychal Kendricks (0 – 0 – 1 – 0) grabbed his third interception in as many games, bringing it back 31 yards to pay dirt.

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? (Keep in mind, I talk about the starters in the Four Things section. I’ll address the back-ups, later. If at all.)

1) Impact from WR Alshon Jeffery: While I did notice one play with a Safety in the box, most of the time the Safety played deep. Jeffery did his part by catching 2 passes, one of which was a TD off of an inside release into the Safety’s area. That preseason play will have teams not wanting to get beat like that and, so open up room to run inside. This part, I loved. (DONE)

2) Man up: While I came into this game worrying about the Offensive Line’s ability to move men in the run game, I saw a line that also couldn’t keep players from hitting Wentz. (The batted ball that became an interception, had no business being caught. I could do an entire article on that play alone.) (NOT DONE)

3) Establish the Danger Zone: If you had told me that QB Jay Cutler would pick on CB Ronald Darby, I’d have laughed until I ruptured something. But he did, and it worked. Because the Dolphins decided to pick on Darby, there wasn’t nearly as much throwing over the middle as I anticipated. So while this wasn’t done, there really wasn’t much of a chance to do it. Sometimes I have to mark things “done” on a technicality. This time it goes the other way. (NOT DONE)

4) Back to basics: Our O-line didn’t drive men off the line, but they did block well enough for our RB’s to find holes. Tackling was effective enough, but we really weren’t great at getting off of blocks vs the run this week. (DONE)

The weekly score is 2 of 4, bringing our preseason total to 5 of 12. Next week we travel to the giants house, to take on their mentally challenged roommates, the New York Jets.

On The Whole:

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The Eagles had 16 penalties for 147 yards. That’s a football field and a half worth of penalties. They had trouble with their run block synchronization early on. They also failed to keep pass rushers from touching Wentz, even at times when they saw and picked up the blitz. The starters looked undisciplined and rusty. It’s the sort of thing that happens when you don’t get enough “live” action during the preseason. With all the starters sitting next week, we run the risk of going into a VERY winnable Week One game against the Redskins and being too raggedy to beat a bad team.