FOUR THINGS: WK 14: EAGLES – PANTHERS

Posted by The BEAST on 2024/12/07
Posted in: breakdown, Coaching, Conversations, Defense, Four Things, NFC East, Offense, X's and O's. Tagged: , , , , , , , . 1 Comment

PHYSICALITY. After last week’s domination of the Ravens, that’s the word that keeps popping up, in relation to the Eagles. Whether it’s our unstoppable Brotherly Shove, or our unblockable DT Jalen Carter; everyone now expects the Eagles to just beat up opponents. And they aren’t wrong about that.

This week we host a Panthers team that, despite still being awful, has been improving of late. The thing is, they aren’t a very physical or mentally clever ball club. That however, is no reason to “play down” to them. Now is the time of year when we should be sharpening our skill at putting opponents away, as early as possible.

With a win, we rise to 11 – 2, tightening our grip on the NFC East crown.

With a loss, we stall at 10 – 3, and still lead the NFC East.

****

The point of Four Things isn’t to predict a winner, it’s to discuss which tactics would give our Eagles the best chance to win this game. Often I list fundamentals, as some of the four things. BUT NO MORE! Unless something specific is needed, fundamentals like Running the ball; playing lots of Man Press; and Tackling instead of going for the strip, will be automatically included. (Like the five consonants and a vowel that Wheel Of Fortune automatically spots you.) So here are the Four Things that we need to focus on this week versus: the Panthers

RB Saquon Barkley makes a 25 yard house-call.

1) Get the TE Involved: Last week the Offense was stagnant, punting on each of our first four drives. Then a quick pass to TE Dallas Goedert out in the Flat, turned into a 17 yard TD. While the points we nice, that pass forced the Ravens to stretch their defense laterally, thinning out the middle and making it easier for RB Saquon Barkley to do his thing. That pass helped to stabilize the Offense.

This week, Goedert is out with a knee issue. Practice Squad TE C.J. Ozumah has been moved to the active roster, but what we really need is, for TE Grant Calcaterra to step up and produce something like 5 catches for 40 yards on Sunday. The earlier he’s involved, the better.

2) Show Blitzes Off Carter: Opposing teams have decided to frequently double-team Jalen Carter. While he’s been good at physically beating those doubles; our coaching hasn’t done a good job of scheming him free; or of making the decision to double him, a costly one. There’s an easy way to rectify that.

Walking a blitzer up between Carter and the DE, immediately means either:

A) the G has to block the blitzer, and the C must go one-on-one with Carter; OR

B) the double on Carter stays, but the T has to pick up the blitzer, letting the DE go unblocked.

C) No change in the blocking scheme, would mean the blitzer runs free, unless the RB can to pick him up. Which is a real problem if the play is a run. So let’s show blitzes off of Carter’s outside hip.

3) Take Away Quick Passes: We need to show a lot of blitz, but rarely bring one. The real focus should be clouding and crowding the receivers early in their routes.

LB Zack Baun helps himself to a fresh turnover.

Since his return from being benched, the Panther’s young QB has made getting the ball out of his hand quickly, a major priority. We want to either force him to hold the ball longer, or to quickly force the ball into dangerous places. Mentally, we want him to feel like he’s regressing.

The guy they have at C is just a guy. He didn’t have a true position even in college, was a 6th round pick, and is only starting because the real starter was lost for the year. This will be just the 11th start of his six year career, in a position he’s still learning. With a young QB! Versus our D-Line!! The idea here isn’t to batter them. It’s to confuse. Demoralize. Bring out those feelings of Impostor Syndrome, and let the errors compound from there.

4) Take YES For An Answer: We are the number one rushing offense in the NFL. We are going against the dead worst rushing defense in the NFL. So I’m not even going to say it, because it shouldn’t need saying. What I will say is, If we get up big, let the young guys eat. Give the pups their chance at the prey.

****

If the Eagles do these Four Things, then we’ll be virtually impossible to beat. That being said…

The mission here, is to NOT play with our food, and have another game like the Jaguars (W 28 – 23). This is where we should start signaling that we can take care of business. We want to break this team’s will to compete, and have them take themselves out of the game. This week there are only two objectives,1) Win, and 2) Don’t struggle to do it.

****

WARNING: I don’t have the faintest clue as to what a point spread is, and I know even less about how it works. I know FOOTBALL and that’s it. If you use Four Things as a gambling tool, then you are a fool trying to lose your money, and will deserve it when you do.

Check back in a couple of days for Four Things Reviewed, and we’ll discuss how this game went.

FOUR THINGS REVIEWED: WK 13: Ravens

Posted by The BEAST on 2024/12/02
Posted in: breakdown, Conversations, Defense, Four Things, Offense, Players, playoffs, Reviews, Special Teams, stats. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment
Rookie NCB Cooper DeJean de-cleats RB Derrick Henry one on one, in the open field

TEST grade: A+

 

EAGLES 24 – Ravens 19

 

EAGLES STATS:

Passing: QB Jalen Hurts (11/19 – 57.8 – 119 – 1 – 0)

Rushing: RB Saquon Barkley (23 – 107 – 4.6 – 1 – 1)

Receiving: WR A.J. Brown (6 – 5 – 66 – 13.2 – 0)

Drive Killer: S Tristin McCollum (TD: 0/Int: 0/ FR: 0/ 4th down stops: 0/ FF: 0)

Sack Leader: DT Jalen Carter (Sacks: 1.0/ FF: 0/ Tackles: 4)

Special Teams Ace: WR Jahan Dotson (1 – 1 – 7 – 7.0 – 0) Onside recovery to seal game

****

I hear you asking, “What about all the stuff that stats don’t reveal?” Well, that’s the reason for these Four Things articles. It’s to point out what we need to address BEFORE the game. Then AFTER the game, there’s a no-bullshit assessment of whether or not the Eagles did any of what they needed to do, to ensure the win.

So how much of what I mentioned in Four Things: RAVENS did the Eagles actually get around to doing? Well let’s see:

1) Control the Tackle Box: As prescribed, our Defensive Line didn’t get blown off the line of scrimmage. In fact, it as it was DT Jordan Davis (2 tackles) that spent most of the game getting double-teamed, DT Jalen Carter practically lived in the Ravens backfield with 3 of his 4 tackles being for a loss, including him blowing up a Jet Sweep on his own.

DT Jalen Carter blows up a Jet Sweep

We also did a solid job of setting the edges and bottling the runs inside. Maybe a little too good, as we ended up being gashed for a couple of RB Screens. But the adjustment was made on that, to the tune of rookie NCB Cooper DeJean de-cleating the Ravens 250 pound, starting RB. (DONE)

2) Unleash Goedert: We came out and punted FOUR TIMES, before Jalen Hurts attempted a pass to TE Dallas Goedert (4 – 3 – 35 – 11.6 – 1). It was good for a 17 yard touchdown and the Offense opened up from there. That pass didn’t happen until Goedert collided with the Ravens star S, who then had to be checked for a concussion.

It shouldn’t have to take nearly K.O.ing a guy, to get the QB to look Goedert’s way.

However, once that did, the complexion of the game slanted. The best example happened on RB Saquon Barkley’s 25 yard touchdown run: Goedert was lined up on the left side of LT Jordan Mialata. The ball was snapped. The hand-off went to Barkley who stepped right, going behind RG Mekhi Becton and disappearing into the swirling mass of Humanity. Ravens LB #23 Trenton Simpson (4 tackles) who was lined up in the box, doesn’t flow to his left to follow Barkley. Instead, he steps down and to his right, in the direction of a blocking Goedert. This ensures no back-side pursuit, and 25 yards later it’s Saquon and taxes. .

Once Goedert was established as a threat, the Ravens had to deal with him. Which made life easier for the entire Offense. We took our time getting around to it, but we got it (DONE)

3) Keep Our Linebackers Clean: Brother, the Ravens offensive line had more than they could handle up front with our Defensive Line. This let LB Nakobe Dean (10 – 0.0 – 0 – 0) and LB Zack Baun (13 – 1.0 – 0 – 1) bring two arms to their tackles, and not get dragged around by a RB bigger than either of them.

LB Zack Baun brings down RB Derrick Henry for a loss

We used some 5 – 2 alignments early, but shifted out of it later in the game, as our four man line proved able enough at clogging running lanes and keeping the opposing RBs trapped behind thetrash. (DONE)

4) Take Deep Shots Early: We took one early to WR A.J. Brown, and then backed away from any hint of a downfield passing attack. Part of it felt like the Eagles couldn’t force the issue with WR DeVonta Smith being out; but part of it feels like trying to preserve Brown, in a game that featured just 21 dropbacks compared to 24 hand-offs. There were also 9 QB runs, but those runs have to be thought of as a third category. (NOT DONE)

++++

This week’s Four Things score was 3 of 4. We got off to a slow start with the Offensive stuff, but on Defense we were killing it from the door. Next week we host a Carolina team, that recently has forgotten that they are doormats. It’s time someone reminded them.

****

Game Hero: The Defense – Our Offense couldn’t muster a single point in two of the four quarters in this game. We opened up with four straight punts and our QB started 0/4 passing. The last 7 of the Ravens 19 points were garbage time cosmetics, in a half of football, that saw them essentially shutout when the game was still in question. Keep in mind this was done without the Defense garnering a single turnover. S Tristin McCollum almost had one, on a 4th down pass break-up.

Game goat: The Officiating – I am amazed at how the most penalized team in the league, played us so cleanly! And I would have liked to see a replay of the Ravens QB’s 39 yard run, which somehow resulted in a flag being picked up. Dear NFL, why no replay after a 39 yard run??? Is this a new policy?

On The Whole:

This game was a measuring stick, to assess whether or not the 2024 Eagles, are really a deep playoff caliber team. We answered that with a resounding FUCK YEAH!!

We out-ran, out-tackled, out-toughed, and flat out-played the Ravens in their OWN HOME. Save for a garbage time run, that should have been brought back by penalty, we shut this team out of an entire half of the game. The second half. You know, the important one.

And don’t ask me about the Barkley/Henry MVP match-up. I think we tucked that baby neatly into a crib, and shot him into space. Man, we even had two kicks downed inside the five, by two different players. So even Special Teams was crackling with energy.

The slow offensive starts have to be resolved, but I’m not sure what can be done to make that happen. As Barkley surges to prominence, it almost seems like Hurts is sleepwalking more and more. Poise is one thing, but a lack of urgency is quite another.

We’re a deep playoff team, but if a team can jump on us 14 – 0 like the Buccaneers did, (our loss 16 – 33), we’re in trouble.

Side note: For what it’s worth, I didn’t like the look in A.J. Brown’s eyes, during his post-game interview at his locker. He said all the right things, but… I’ll let you look it up for yourself. You tell me.

FOUR THINGS: WK 13: EAGLES – RAVENS

Posted by The BEAST on 2024/11/30
Posted in: breakdown, Coaching, Defense, Four Things, NFC East, Offense, Players, playoffs. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , . 1 Comment

THAT Rams game was a statement win. Despite missing WR DeVonta Smith (hamstring), the Eagles still scored nearly 40 points, while rushing for over 300 yards, and even got 100 yards and a TD from WR A.J. Brown.

If we get Smith back, we just might end up terrorizing this week’s opponent, as they are the second worst pass defense in the entire league. Their problem isn’t a lack of talent or experience. It’s a fatal flaw built into the very structure of their defensive philosophy, and it has reared it’s head in each of their four losses.

This is a measuring stick game. This game will tell us that we are either ready for a deep playoff run; or it will tell us what needs tightening up, before the playoffs start. Win or lose, we needed a game like this.

A win raises us to 10 – 2, and ensures that we will hold the division lead, at least until our Week 16 re-match with Washington.

A loss would stall us at 9 – 3. We would however, still enjoy a 2 game in-division cushion over Washington.

****

The point of Four Things isn’t to predict a winner, it’s to discuss which tactics would give our Eagles the best chance to win this game. Often I list fundamentals, as some of the four things. BUT NO MORE! Unless something specific is needed, fundamentals like Running the ball; playing lots of Man Press; and Tackling instead of going for the strip, will be automatically included. (Like the five consonants and a vowel that Wheel Of Fortune automatically spots you.) So here are the Four Things that we need to focus on this week versus: the Ravens

1) Control the Tackle Box: We have to make sure that two keys happen against the Ravens offensive line. The first key, is not allowing the middle of our Defensive Line to get blown off the Line of Scrimmage. With DT Jalen Carter getting double-teamed a lot, we’re going to need DT Jordan Davis to blow up a couple of inside runs.

The second key, is setting the edge. This will also help contain QB scrambles, and any Jet Sweep action. Setting the edge is where we are going to miss DE Brandon Graham (I.R.), the most. If we do both of those things, we’ll congest the running lanes and make it harder for them on the ground.

2) Unleash Goedert: The Ravens play a 3 – 4 defense, and their primary pass rush comes from their OLB’s. It’s a fatal flaw built into the very structure of the Raven’s philosophy of defense. That plays right into the Kerrigan Plan (if don’t know what that is already, click that link), and TE Dallas Goedert is exactly the man to execute that plan.

For a TE to be disruptive to the Ravens, he doesn’t need a bunch of yards or catches. He just needs to be important enough to the offense, that the Ravens have to pull an ILB to the outside, or keep a S over the TE. Either of these moves will weaken interior of the box. And you know what happens if the box is loose! Ohhh, say can you ‘quon…

Just get Goedert going early. He doesn’t need to finish the day with a ton of stats. We just need to force the Ravens to cover him. Or, if they choose not to, let him keep doing damage. We don’t need specific numbers from him, but you’ll recognize his impact if the interior run game looks good.

3) Keep Our Linebackers Clean: Tackling the Ravens RB will be a chore. Especially if he gets up a head of steam. Fortunately for us, he’s really big, at roughly 250 pounds. So he won’t fit through the smaller holes, and we can trap him in the trash on early downs, to help set up third and longs.

However, for those downs when he does see a decent hole, we need LB Nakobe Dean and LB Zack Baun to meet him in those holes. So blockers have to be kept off of them, so that they can see, and bring both arms cleanly to their tackle attempts. That might mean using more of the 5 – 2 alignment than we have been recently.

4) Take Deep Shots Early: To make Goedert more effective, and thereby open up the run, we need to get the ball downfield. That will clear space for the intermediate stuff. It’s not about making the catch (though it would be nice if we do). It’s about making the attempts. So don’t be bummed if a couple of early bombs don’t connect. Those passes are for stabilizing the Offense.

****

If the Eagles do these Four Things, then we’ll be virtually impossible to beat. That being said…

This game is a Test. This is to see if we are Conference Championship game material. While a road win over an 8 – 4 team, would strongly suggest that we are ready for a run; a loss (at this point in the season), doesn’t mean that we aren’t. It would just be pointing out the things we need to work on.

Understand, right now, as long as we don’t get blown out, either result is a good result, due to the caliber of our competition. Why pad our late season, with bottom-feeder wins? That’s what the Cowboys do, and what happens to them in the playoffs? Like clockwork, you can almost set your calendars to Dallas losing in the Divisional round. It should damned near be a holiday!

Look, let’s take this test, and dissect it afterwards. Win or lose. The goal is a parade in February, and this Sunday in December, is an important study tool in helping us to accomplish that.

****

WARNING: I don’t have the faintest clue as to what a point spread is, and I know even less about how it works. I know FOOTBALL and that’s it. If you use Four Things as a gambling tool, then you are a fool trying to lose your money, and will deserve it when you do.

Check back in a couple of days for Four Things Reviewed, and we’ll discuss how this game went.

FOUR THINGS REVIEWED: WK 12: Rams

Posted by The BEAST on 2024/11/26
Posted in: breakdown, Conversations, Defense, Four Things, Offense, playoffs, Reviews, Special Teams, stats. Tagged: , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

EAGLES run over Rams.

 

EAGLES 37 – Rams 20

 

EAGLES STATS:

Passing: QB Jalen Hurts (15/22 – 68.1% – 179 – 1 – 0)

Rushing: RB Saquon Barkley (26 – 255 – 9.8 – 2 – 0)

Receiving: WR A.J. Brown (7 – 6 – 109 – 18.1 – 1)

Drive Killer: LB Nakobe Dean (TD: 0/Int: 0/ FR: 1/ 4th down stops: 0/ FF: 0)

Sack Leader: DT Milton Williams (Sacks: 2.0/ FF: 1/ Tackles: 2)

Special Teams Ace: TE Dallas Goedert onside kick recovery

****

I hear you asking, “What about all the stuff that stats don’t reveal?” Well, that’s the reason for these Four Things articles. It’s to point out what we need to address BEFORE the game. Then AFTER the game, there’s a no-bullshit assessment of whether or not the Eagles did any of what they needed to do, to ensure the win.

So how much of what I mentioned in Four Things: RAMS did the Eagles actually get around to doing? Well let’s see:

1) Don’t Get Cute: As the second part of this key, I said that TE Dallas Goedert (5 – 4 – 19 – 4.7 – 0) should see eight targets in this game. He didn’t, because we were already killing them with the first part of this key. My exact words were: “We are a running team, and our rushing attack is led by RB Saquon Barkley. Stick to that.”

SHEESH! Did we ever! We ran for 314 yards and 3 TD’s. Our Offensive Line cut off backside pursuits, while providing holes big enough for a motorcycle. Saquon had a 70 yard touchdown run, on the first play of the second half; and a 72 yard touchdown run in the 4th quarter. He was hardly touched for either. This is unfair. I love it! (DONE)

2) Send the Dawgs: The Rams tried to scare us early, with their rushing attack. On their first drive, they notched 47 of the 92 rushing yards that they’d get all night. Then we forced a fumble and recovered it, ending that drive. As I said in FT, they can’t make a living on their run game, so they must lean on the pass (17 runs, 38 dropbacks).

DT Milton Williams gets one of his his two sacks here

So the call in FT, was to beat up on the opposing QB. Well, we sacked him four times, and knocked him down a bunch more. He didn’t turn the ball over, but we did get him to fumble, and kept him rattled to the tune of 0 for 8 on third down. (DONE)

3) Get An Early Touchdown: We got just one drive in the first quarter, and it became a field goal. (NOT DONE)

4) Blitz Over Their Right Tackle: I don’t recall a single edge blitz in this game. When we did blitz, it was through the middle. We didn’t really need to bring extra bodies, since our Front Four were doing such an effective job. (NOT DONE)

++++

This week’s Four Things score was 2 of 4. We need to solve our first quarter scoring issue. We can’t have a serious discussion about a deep playoff run, if we don’t. Playoff caliber teams will make short work of us.

Speaking of playoff caliber teams, our next match-up is a measuring stick against one. Specifically the Baltimore Ravens, who come in with the NFL’s #2 rusher. Take a guess at who’s #1.

****

Game Hero: RB Saquon Barkley – (Admit it. That segue was Hall Of Fame worthy.) He piled up 255 rushing yards, on 26 carries, vs Hurts 22 pass attempts. He set an Eagles all-time rushing record for a single game, and he even showed off as a receiver (4 – 4 – 47 – 11.7 – 0), bringing his individual yardage total to 302 yards.

Game goat: Injuries – It was bad enough to lose CB Darius Slay (3 tackles) to a concussion; but losing DE Brandon Graham (2 – 1.0 – 0 – 0) to a torn tricep for the remainder of the season, was a stab in the belly. Finding out that the injury could be the epitaph of his career, was just twisting the knife.

On The Whole: Except for a few big plays by the Eagles, this game was largely a fist-fight in a phone-booth. The Rams seemed like they wanted to go toe-to-toe with us on that, but in the end, they simply didn’t have the stamina for it. Once a few of the LB’s were thrown out the club, they seemed to lose the desire to play tough.

Funny thing is, the Eagles were shorthanded with WR DeVonta Smith, out with a hammy. And it didn’t seem to disrupt much. We largely didn’t do anything fancy, and honestly, it felt like we were trying to milk the clock, from the moment we first got the ball.

It was a good, solid, no-nonsense win.

How the Eagles roll into Los Angeles:

FOUR THINGS: WK 12: EAGLES – RAMS

Posted by The BEAST on 2024/11/22
Posted in: Coaching, Defense, Four Things, NFC East, Offense, Players. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , . 1 Comment

DEFEATING the Commanders opened up our lead in the NFC East. We took away their healthy run game, and made them one-dimensional. Now we get a Rams team that doesn’t exactly excel at rushing. After his 2 sack game against this team last year, DT Jalen Carter must be licking his chops.

With a win, we improve to 9 – 2, maintaining a solid hold on first place in the division, as well as our temporary second place in conference seeding.

A loss would see us stumble to 8 – 3, but we would still maintain first place. Even if Washington defeats Dallas and goes to 8 – 4.

****

The point of Four Things isn’t to predict a winner, it’s to discuss which tactics would give our Eagles the best chance to win this game. Often I list fundamentals, as some of the four things. BUT NO MORE! Unless something specific is needed, fundamentals like Running the ball; playing lots of Man Press; and Tackling instead of going for the strip, will be automatically included. (Like the five consonants and a vowel that Wheel Of Fortune automatically spots you.) So here are the Four Things that we need to focus on this week versus: the Rams

1) Don’t Get Cute: We are a running team, and our rushing attack is led by RB Saquon Barkley. Stick to that. TE Dallas Goedert is a nightmare for the Rams, because they don’t start a LB who can cover. This should be a game where Goedert sees 8 targets. There is no need to overthink how to attack this opponent.

2) Send the Dawgs: The Rams aren’t good enough running the ball, to make a living at it. Which leaves them leaning on the pass, behind a so-so offensive line, with a QB who has -7 rushing yards on the year. And now the bad news. While they do have a couple of good possession receivers, we have CB Quinyon “Quinyanamo Bay” Mitchell and NCB Cooper DeJean.

Whomever Mitchell ends up covering, may as well just stay home. Add to that the inside match-up of Cooper DeJean vs Cooper Kupp, and you can expect their statue of a QB to get caught holding onto the ball few times. Beat him up. Set the dogs on him.

3) Get An Early Touchdown: We do a great job of adjusting and coming back in games, but we have to stop playing with our food. We have too many games where we have to claw back in. Not this game. Not vs this team. Not while we’re on the road. Score early.

4) Blitz Over Their Right Tackle: Their starting RT is coming back from an ankle injury, and his fill-in also sustained an ankle injury. That’s a severe disadvantage vs a speed rush. Especially since their QB is right-handed, and this will flush him left.

****

If the Eagles do these Four Things, then we’ll be virtually impossible to beat. That being said…

Head Coach Nick Sirianni has already defeated Sean McVay. By the way, Sirianni did it with Sean Desai as the Eagles defensive boss. Now Desai works for McVay. Meanwhile, we have Vic Fangio and a top 10 defense.

We defeated this team last season, in their home stadium. Now we get to do it again. We played this team last season, and we won 23 – 14. Now we get to do it again. We defeated this team last year, when they still had DT Aaron Donald, and when we didn’t have Saquon. Well, at least that will be a different way to lose to us.

****

WARNING: I don’t have the faintest clue as to what a point spread is, and I know even less about how it works. I know FOOTBALL and that’s it. If you use Four Things as a gambling tool, then you are a fool trying to lose your money, and will deserve it when you do.

Check back in a couple of days for Four Things Reviewed, and we’ll discuss how this game went.

FOUR THINGS REVIEWED: WK 11: Commanders

Posted by The BEAST on 2024/11/16
Posted in: breakdown, Coaching, Defense, Four Things, NFC East, Offense, Players, playoffs, Reviews, Special Teams, stats. Tagged: , , , , , , . Leave a comment

 

RB Saquon Barkley makes like the Post Office eagle, and delivers

EAGLES 26 – Commanders 18

 

EAGLES STATS:

Passing: QB Jalen Hurts (18/28– 64.2 – 221 – 0 – 0)

Rushing: RB Saquon Barkley (26 – 146 – 5.6 – 2 – 0)

Receiving: WR A.J. Brown (8 – 5 – 65 – 13.0 – 0)

Drive Killer: S Reed Blankenship (TD: 0/Int: 1/ FR: 0/ 4th down stops: 0/ FF: 0)

Sack Leader: DE Brandon Graham (3way tie) (Sacks: 1.0/ FF: 0/ Tackles: 3)

Special Teams Ace: TE Dallas Goedert (5 – 5 – 61 – 12.2 – 0) Onside kick recovery

****

I hear you asking, “What about all the stuff that stats don’t reveal?” Well, that’s the reason for these Four Things articles. It’s to point out what we need to address BEFORE the game. Then AFTER the game, there’s a no-bullshit assessment of whether or not the Eagles did any of what they needed to do, to ensure the win.

So how much of what I mentioned in Four Things: COMMANDERS did the Eagles actually get around to doing? Well let’s see:

1) Run ‘Em Down: I said lean on the run. We did it. We ran the ball 40 times and threw it 28. I said do it, even if it’s not working early. We did it. And eventually the Commanders ran out of gas and were gashed for a 23 yard TD, followed by a 39 yard TD run. Those two scores are what won us the game.

C Cam “Beef” Jurgens throws a dude “out the club”, during RB Saquon Barkley’s 39 yard touchdown run, right through the heart of the Washington defense.

I called for 30 non-QB runs in this one, and we hit that number exactly on the head. I said Barkley needs to go over his typical 22 carries and he logged 26. We stuck to our guns in this one, and were rewarded for it in the end. (DONE)

2) Torment Single-high Coverage: We really didn’t get anywhere close to this one. While Washington didn’t give us a lot of Single-high looks, when they did, the routes seemed to shy away from exploiting it. Which is what helped make things more difficult for Saquon early on. (NOT DONE)

3) Hit Their Quarterback: You know what’s hard to heal while playing football, every week? Broken ribs. Especially on a frame without much padding. I had my suspicions that QB Jayden Daniels (22/32 – 68.8% – 191 – 1 – 1) would still look labored while playing and this game absolutely confirmed what I thought.

MLB Zack Baun and S Reed Blankenship force QB Jayden Daniels out of bounds on 4th down, short of the first down.

We sacked him three times, and hit him a bunch more. When he ran the ball, instead of being a weapon, he was almost a liability (7 – 18 – 2.57 – 0 – 0). He also threw a number of passes that hit the ground short of their target. (DONE)

4) Jump A Couple of Short Passes: Oh yeah! LB Zack Baun (14 – 0.0 – 0 – 0) had a nice pass breakup of a crossing route over the middle with a diving swat. And while it wasn’t exactly a “short” route, Reed Blankenship’s interception out of Robber Coverage, was a TEXTBOOK example of jumping a route.

A few more picks like that, and more opposing QB’s will start holding the ball longer, simply because they don’t trust their eyes. This game helped to set a beautiful precedent. (DONE)

++++

This week’s Four Things score was 3 of 4 things. If not for the sluggish start, this game could have been a runaway. Regardless, we got the ‘W’. Now we get a little extra rest, and prepare for the Rams not tomorrow, but the following Sunday night. That’s right, kiddies! It’s a prime time game. So those of us with a gray hair or two, may want to get a nap around 2:00. Wake up around 6 and have some chili. Damn. I have a plan now.

****

Game Hero: RB Saquon Barkley – The team kept hammering him into the defense. Not like the slashing blade, but like the pommel of a sword. Beating, and badgering forward, stubbornly. We made it a war of attrition, and we just kept hitting Washington in the ribs.

We worked the body until the head came down, and once it was exposed, Saquon JFK’ed them. Twice. He scored on a 23 yard run off the right side; and a 39 yarder directly through their heart. If I hadn’t already turned off my conscience, I would have felt bad for the poor Redsk- oops! Commanders.

Game goat: K Jake Elliott – (2/4 FG, 2/3 XP) That’s seven points that he LEFT on the field. Three kicks that went wide left of the uprights. Three in a row! It wasn’t particularly windy. His LS and Holder were the same as always. He just was off. And stayed off for too long.

On The Whole: Believe it or not, unlike most, I have not spent the season harping on the team’s slow starts. However….

Look, this is a problem that needs to be solved. We are seven games away from the playoffs. That caliber of team will not just let us up for air, if we find ourselves drowning 3 – 10, in the third quarter. We have got to get better at hurting opponents early.

That said, let’s get to enjoying being in first place.

FOUR THINGS: WK 11: EAGLES – COMMANDERS

Posted by The BEAST on 2024/11/13
Posted in: Conversations, Crazy Talk, Defense, Four Things, NFC East, Offense, Players, Rivals, Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , , , , , , . 1 Comment

CRUSHING Dallas to move into first place. Was there ever a more joyful sentence? On a short week, we get to face the team that was in first place, before we took the spot. Defensive Coordinator Vic Fangio, gets to sink his teeth into a 7 – 3 Commanders offense, led by a rookie QB. Meanwhile, RB Saquon Barkley gets to square off against the 28th ranked rushing defense in the league.

Winning moves us to 8 – 2, and expands our division lead over Washington. It would also maintain our position as the number two team in the conference, currently behind Detroit (8 – 1).

If we were to lose, we’d be 7 – 3, and back in second place in the division.

****

The point of Four Things isn’t to predict a winner, it’s to discuss which tactics would give our Eagles the best chance to win this game. Often I list fundamentals, as some of the four things. BUT NO MORE! Unless something specific is needed, fundamentals like Running the ball; playing lots of Man Press; and Tackling instead of going for the strip, will be automatically included. (Like the five consonants and a vowel that Wheel Of Fortune automatically spots you.) So here are the Four Things that we need to focus on this week versus: The Commanders

1) Run ‘Em Down: This isn’t my typical “Run the ball” request. This is a game, where we should lean heavy on the run. Even if it’s not working early. The Commanders are awful against the run. On Sunday, they gave up 140 rushing yards, as the Steelers wore them down and wore them out, with their physical, downhill style.

The Commanders have not yet had time to physically recover, and with DT Jonathan Allen on Injured Reserve, they are no match for an Eagles line which will get back LT Jordan Mailata. There should be a game that sees 30 non-QB rushing attempts, with Saquon seeing more than 22.

2) Torment Single-high Coverage: The Commanders awful run defense, will frequently borrow a Safety to help load the box against our run game. When that happens, there will only be one Safety back deep to help with coverage, and he can’t help double both WR A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith. One of them will have a one-on-one match-up.

When that happens, even if it’s third and one, there needs to be an audible called, and whomever the Safety doesn’t help cover, gets the football. We need to keep the box open, so that Saquon has room to operate.

3) Hit Their Quarterback: Even if we don’t get sacks, just hit him as early, and as often as possible. He’s a slender rookie, playing through a rib injury. Since sustaining that rib injury, his accuracy has declined sharply. Prior to the injury, the team was averaging 29.6 points per game. In his three games since, they haven’t seen 29 points.

QB Carson Wentz no longer plays for Washington, but in the path of DT Jordan Davis, this is what QB Jayden Daniels needs to look like

Hitting him isn’t about scaring him. It’s about scaring his coaches. To prevent them from calling certain things. That organization has been looking for a franchise QB since 1993. Now that they may have him, they’ll want to guard against RG3-ing him. If we can get his coaches to be his first obstacle, the entire game is much easier.

4) Jump A Couple of Short Passes: With the underneath coverage that we’ve been playing recently, it’s time to take it to the next step. The Commanders like to throw to their RB’s. Awesome! Those are great routes to jump. Or jumping a crossing route! Both excellent examples of routes to jump.

****

If the Eagles do these Four Things, then we’ll be virtually impossible to beat. That being said…

Win or lose, it sets up an awesome Week 16 re-match. It could even get flexed to prime time, given the current status of both the 3 – 7 Cowboys, and the 4 – 6 Buccaneers. For now, they are scheduled for the 8:15 slot, while our game is at 1:00. Again, for now.

****

WARNING: I don’t have the faintest clue as to what a point spread is, and I know even less about how it works. I know FOOTBALL and that’s it. If you use Four Things as a gambling tool, then you are a fool trying to lose your money, and will deserve it when you do.

Check back in a couple of days for Four Things Reviewed, and we’ll discuss how this game went.

FOUR THINGS REVIEWED: WK 10: Cowboys

Posted by The BEAST on 2024/11/11
Posted in: breakdown, Conversations, Defense, Four Things, NFC East, Offense, Players, Reviews, Rivals, Special Teams, stats. Tagged: , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

 

LB Zack Baun forcing one of two fumbles

EAGLES get five turnovers, in blowout.

 

EAGLES 34 – Cowboys 6

 

EAGLES STATS:

Passing: QB Jalen Hurts (14/20 – 70.0% – 202 – 2 – 1)

Rushing: RB Saquon Barkley (14 – 66 – 4.7 – 0 – 0)

Receiving: WR Arthur Brown (7 – 5 – 109 – 21.8 – 0)

Drive Killer: LB Zack Baun (TD: 0/Int: 0/ FR: 1/ 4th down stops: 0/ FF: 2)

Sack Leader: DE Bryce Huff (Sacks: 1.0/ FF: 1/ Tackles: 1)

Special Teams Ace: K Jake Elliott 10 points on 2/2 FG and 4/4 XP

****

I hear you asking, “What about all the stuff that stats don’t reveal?” Well, that’s the reason for these Four Things articles. It’s to point out what we need to address BEFORE the game. Then AFTER the game, there’s a no-bullshit assessment of whether or not the Eagles did any of what they needed to do, to ensure the win.

So how much of what I mentioned in  Four Things: COWBOYS did the Eagles actually get around to doing? Well let’s see:

1) Take Away Anything Simple: QB Cooper Rush (13/23 – 56.5% – 45 – 0 – 0) and QB Trey Lance (4/6 – 66.6% – 21 – 0 – 1) never really had underneath or intermediate options, so instead they threw a few fruitless attempts downfield, but mostly kept dumping it off, on passes around the line of scrimmage. At that point the Eagles just made the tackles.

We entirely boxed up their passing game at 2.2 yards per pass attempt (17/29 – 58.6% – 66 – 0 – 1), and used the same coverage concept, to control their run game (24 – 97 – 4.0 – 0 – 1). We did the fuck out of this. It won’t work every week, but we need to keep this concept on speed dial. (DONE)

2) Play-action Should Be Deadly: Play-action was used effectively in this game, but not in the way that I mentioned here. Who cares? We won! On a very positive note, our TE’s and WR’s three and four were meaningfully involved.

TE Dallas Goedert scores!

Retuning from injury TE Dallas Goedert (3 – 2 – 25 – 12.5 – 1) struck paydirt, as did rookie WR4 Johnny Wilson (1 – 1 – 5 – 5.0 – 1). For the second week in a row WR3 Jahan Dotson (1 – 1 – 27 – 27.0 – 0) grabbed a pass over 25 yards. Even though this wasn’t done, there is a silver lining. (NOT DONE)

3) Blitz From the Defense’s Left: We didn’t do much blitzing in this one. Instead, our four man pass rush benefited, from the coverage concept we were running. We got three sacks and three fumble recoveries out of it. Can’t be mad at that! (NOT DONE)

4) Take the Points, Nick!: Head Coach Nick Sirianni was great in this one! He took the points that were available. He didn’t gamble with either the situation or his player’s health. (DONE)

++++

This week’s Four Things score was 2 of 4, but what a 2 of 4! It was- Nope! No time to dwell on it. Four days from now, we host the 7 – 3 Commanders, in a battle to keep first place in the NFC East.

****

LB Zack Baun forcing RB Ezekiel Elliott to cough up the ball near the goal line

Game Hero: LB Zack Baun – He was part of THREE, of our five turnover in this game, he forced two fumbles. One was recovered by S Reed Blankenship (4 – 0.0 – 0 – 0) and the other by DB Cooper DeJean (2 – 0.0 – 0 – 0). He also recovered a fumble forced by DE Bryce Huff.

Game goat: QB Jalen Hurts – He had two first half turnovers (1 interception, 1 fumble), keeping this game an actual game, for longer than it should have been. He also invited five first half sacks, with his tendency to hold the ball too long.

On The Whole: Lots of people will tell you that Dallas was without their starting QB for this game. That’s wrong. Cooper Rush is their starter now. He’s never played on any other team, so he knows Dallas’s system. He had a week’s worth of prep for this game. He had reps with the Ones. So we defeated their starter.

Saquon Barkley had 14 rushing attempts and he caught 1 pass, for a total of 15 touches. I said it would be nice if he had 16 touches or fewer; because we need to lighten his workload. That is, if we don’t want him to be gassed for the playoffs. Besides, it first gives him a break in anticipation of the game against the Commanders on Thursday.

So right now we’re on a five game win streak, we sit atop the division, and right now we seem to be getting better every, single week. I don’t know about you, but I’m feeling pretty good about the season right now.

FOUR THINGS: WK 10: EAGLES – COWBOYS

Posted by The BEAST on 2024/11/08
Posted in: Coaching, Conversations, Defense, Four Things, free agents, NFC East, Offense, Players, Rivals, Special Teams, stats. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , . 1 Comment

LAST week’s victory over the Jaguars, saw contributions from all three phases (Offense, Defense, and Special Teams). Our guys are motivated. They’re bringing energy and enthusiasm to the field, and it’s yielding results. They’re demonstrating faith in Head Coach Nick Sirianni, and in field general, QB Jalen Hurts.

This week’s opponent, the Cowboys, are well… somewhat less enthused. They started the season with head full of expectations, a chestful of hype, and a roster that was razor thin on depth. And now, a rash of injuries is exposing that.

A win over the Cowboys, would raise us to 7 – 2, and one of the four best records in the NFC. Coupled with a possible Washington loss to Pittsburgh, the Eagles would move into first place in the East.

A loss would freeze us at 6 – 3, but we’d still be in second place in the division, regardless of the outcome of any division game.

****

The point of Four Things isn’t to predict a winner, it’s to discuss which tactics would give our Eagles the best chance to win this game. Often I list fundamentals, as some of the four things. BUT NO MORE! Unless something specific is needed, fundamentals like Running the ball; playing lots of Man Press; and Tackling instead of going for the strip, will be automatically included. (Like the five consonants and a vowel that Wheel Of Fortune automatically spots you.) So here are the Four Things that we need to focus on this week versus: the Cowboys

LB Zack Baun gets interception vs the Jaguars

1) Take Away Anything Simple: Back-up QB Cooper Rush doesn’t have a cannon for an arm. It’s part of what kept him undrafted. Also, in seven seasons, on 35 rushing attempts he has 11 yards. That is not a typo. That’s an average of 0.3 yards per carry, over his career. So he’s not going to beat us with his legs. Cooper can’t rush.

Where he does make his money, is on quick reads, from short to intermediate range. Last week we clouded the short area, with Man Coverage or delayed Zone drops. Time for a second helping of that. We need to take away anything easy, and force him to read. Make him risk the ball on deep throws, or eat sacks.

2) Play-action Should Be Deadly: With RB Saquon Barkley just 75 yards away from hitting 1,000 rushing yards in half a season; expect the Cowboys to place stopping him, high on their to-do list. Since their defensive line can be pushed around, it won’t take much to get their LB’s to overcommit to fakes hand-offs, opening up chunk passing plays behind them.

Instead of running our top two guys through a shark tank, this would be a great place to see our TE’s and third and fourth receivers get heavily involved. Still, regardless of who does it, there should be plenty of easy yardage between the numbers, if we employ play-action properly.

3) Blitz From the Defense’s Left: This is can be used for Rush, but it’s being dropped in here, just in-case the Cowboys trot out QB Trey Lance. The coverage key should be enough to help out vs the run, but another wrinkle will be needed to deal with Lance, because he can be a dangerous runner.

LB Nolan Smith ending the march of Danny Dimes.

Rush likes to bootleg, and Lance just likes to run. Both are right-handed, so we should bring OLB Nolan Smith right up the path that they’re running themselves into. Neither is an effective passer going to his left. So their natural tendency to go right, will make them help us, to put them in harm’s way.

4) Take the Points, Nick!: We’re going against a one-dimensional offense, being led by a low ceiling QB. Said another way, Jalen Hurts has more TD passes (10) this season, than Rush has in his entire seven year career (9). So Rush likely won’t light up the scoreboard.

That means every point we add, is extra weight on their already sputtering offense. This means points are at a premium, Nick. Points. So fourth and two, from the twenty-two, is not “Go for it”, Nick. Not this week. It’s a field goal. Say it with me, Nick: IT’S A FIELD GOAL.

That’s not to say that we shouldn’t be aggressive, but the Brotherly Shove hasn’t been nearly as effective with LT Lafoga Mialata on the shelf. I commend the job that LT Fred Johnson has done, but “Next Man Up!” doesn’t mean “next man equal”. Gamble accordingly.

****

If the Eagles do these Four Things, then we’ll be virtually impossible to beat. That being said…

RB Saquon Barkley houses another one.

You know what would be great this week? If Saquon gets 16 carries or less, and RB Kenneth Gainwell gets 10 and makes at least 40 yards off of them. Saquon is at 22 touches per game this year, putting him on pace for 374. Twice in his career he’s hit a ceiling of 352. Might be smart to ease up on his workload.

Going to Dallas and getting the win, while Saquon hits 1,000 rushing yards at the halfway mark…That would be like winning against the giants too. The only way it could be sweeter, is if Washington loses. Like it did on Tuesday. (Sorry, had to get a shot in there.)

****

WARNING: I don’t have the faintest clue as to what a point spread is, and I know even less about how it works. I know FOOTBALL and that’s it. If you use Four Things as a gambling tool, then you are a fool trying to lose your money, and will deserve it when you do.

Check back in a couple of days for Four Things Reviewed, and we’ll discuss how this game went.

FOUR THINGS REVIEWED: WK 9: Jaguars

Posted by The BEAST on 2024/11/05
Posted in: breakdown, Coaching, Conversations, Defense, Four Things, Offense, Players, report, Special Teams, stats, Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

THIS game was too exciting.

 

EAGLES 28 – Jaguars 23

EAGLES STATS:

Passing: QB Jalen Hurts (18/24 – 75.0% – 230 – 2 – 0)

Rushing: RB Saquon Barkley (27 – 159 – 5.8 – 1 – 1*)

Receiving: WR DeVonta Smith (6 – 4 – 87 – 21.7 – 1)

Drive Killer: LB Nakobe Dean (TD: 0/Int: 1/ FR: 0/ 4th down stops: 0/ FF: 0)

Sack Leader: DE Josh Sweat (Sacks: 2.0/ FF: 0/ Tackles: 4)

Special Teams Ace: S Sydney Brown FF on punt coverage (CB Kelee Ringo FR)

****

I hear you asking, “What about all the stuff that stats don’t reveal?” Well, that’s the reason for these Four Things articles. It’s to point out what we need to address BEFORE the game. Then AFTER the game, there’s a no-bullshit assessment of whether or not the Eagles did any of what they needed to do, to ensure the win.

So how much of what I mentioned in Four Things: JAGUARS did the Eagles actually get around to doing? Well let’s see:

1) More Jalen Under Center: We started out doing a fair amount of this, but we got away from it too often. The first drive featured 3 plays Under Center (UC), vs 4 in Shotgun. Balanced, right? In the half’s remaining five drives, Hurts was UC exactly 6 times. That’s 9 times in the first half. We ran 11 plays UC in the second half, for a total of 20 all game long. Out of 73 offensive plays.

The worst part of all of this, is that we scored each of our 5 TD’s, from the Shotgun. Even Barkley’s 19 yard run was a delayed hand-off from the ‘gun. (NOT DONE)

2) Screen Their Ends: We flat out didn’t even try to do this. (NOT DONE)

3) Lots of Defensive Shifts: The Jags started out with a back-up LG, playing next to a newly minted starting LT. Then the LG went down and a third stringer went in. This should have been an eight sack day, but instead, we got just two. No attempt was made to confuse their blocking scheme, and our Defensive Line played from where they lined up.

Look, I get it. The Jags don’t have a good line, so there’s no need to put out tape, that better teams can use to scout us. Makes total sense. But we could have showed something. (NOT DONE)

4) Take Away the Short Pass: We did an exceptional job with this. Our LB’s didn’t just drop into weak zones, they played some Man Coverage vs RB’s and TE’s, instead of getting caught covering top shelf WR’s. There were times when we let their QB complete quick passes and other times where we tightened the screws. The alternation proved effective.

I mentioned that taking away the short windows would help us make the most of deflections, and what happened? LB Zach Baun (10 – 0.0 – 1 – 0) managed to grab an interception because of exactly this. Josh Sweat also notched a great 3rd down sack. (DONE)

++++

This week’s Four Things score was 1 of 4. If the Jags were a better team, we probably would have lost this game. Fortunately for us, they’re a shaky team, with deep injury problems. We’re being served a second helping of that, next week! The Eagles travel down to Dallas, to take on the (0 – 3 at home) Cowboys.

****

LB Nakobe Dean seals the win with an interception in the endzone, as LB Zack Baun looks on

Game Hero: LB Nakobe Dean – It’s very easy to make the case that this should have been Hurts or Barkley. However, it was Dean that stepped up, trusted his gut and made a play on the ball, to seal our victory. If that play doesn’t get made, and the receiver catches it, we’re looking at a 29 – 28 ballgame with seconds left. Dean rescued us.

Game goat: Replay Assistance – Even with using replay, the officiating crew got the fumble by Barkley wrong. That fumble recovery was subsequently returned for a touchdown by Jacksonville.

If that bogus 7 points weren’t on the board, the Eagles win 28 – 16. Had we gotten to keep that ball, and scored a field goal, that final would have been 31 – 16. And had we scored a touchdown, we’d have ended the day 35 – 16. Well, 33 – 16. We’d have gone for two and missed it.

On The Whole: I have bad news. You can’t separate the coach from his victories. Yes, Head Coach Nick Sirianni, did take extra points off the board several times. However, it was his game-planning that led to the touchdowns I n the first place. You may not like his antics, or the way he wears his heart on his sleeve. You may hate his over aggressiveness. That said, he gets his guys motivated and ready to play on Sundays.