EAGLES COACHES AREN’T COORDINATED

Posted by The BEAST on 2016/05/26
Posted in: Coaching, Conspiracy Corner, Draft, Front Office (F.O.), NFL, Offense, Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , , . 6 Comments

supergreen

WAY back on May 13th (13 days ago, less than 2 full weeks), I wrote an article blaming the Eagles organization for creating the problem with Sam Bradford. I got a lot of backlash from my readers, and I have to admit that it stung a little. Fast forward to today and here again they seem to be pulling the rug out from under Bradford.

Two days ago Defensive Coordinator Jim Schwartz said about the QB pecking order here “don’t pre-determine the result of the race.” 

Yesterday on WIP radio, Offensive Coordinator Frank Reich would not cop to the idea of Bradford being the clear Starter.

However, Head Coach Doug Pederson has said things like:

“He’s my guy”. He’s the No. 1 guy. I just want him to embrace that. Let’s not look backward. Let’s look forward.”

“I expect Sam to not look over his shoulder. I expect Sam to look forward. He’s getting himself ready for the season. He’s getting ready for Cleveland. …That is the message I gave him. No need to look over your shoulder. You’re the guy. Let’s embrace it, let’s go.”

Pederson’s quotes aren’t from February or March. They’re from May 17th . Nine days ago. NINE!

How is the team supposed to get on the same page, if the coaching staff can’t? Unless this is a case of the tail wagging the dog, and Pederson is just a figurehead… Seems to me that when the HC makes a call, it’s the job of his staff to back him up. Any misgivings they have with his decisions should be closed door discussions.

For his part, Reich did his best to tap dance around refuting his boss. He muddled around with a statement about how it was necessary to say Bradford was the starter to establish sense of order, but that even with that order established, there must be competition. That by the way, is total horseshit. It completely flies in the face of what Pederson said when he said “No need to look over your shoulder. You’re the guy.” It seems that Doug and Frank need to have closed door discussion.

Schwartz didn’t tap dance. Some have an issue with a Defensive coach talking about QB’s, but I don’t. My issue with Schwartz is that he too, is speaking out of turn on two counts. The first is that he knows what his boss is trying to do, and should back him at least publicly. Second, Schwartz cites his experience with playing QB Matt Stafford as a rookie in Detroit. Trouble is, that doesn’t correlate with this situation at all.

Look, Pederson has it in his head that he wants to develop Carson Wentz instead of throwing him to the wolves. All reports say that Wentz throws a pretty ball that is easy to catch, but there is more to being an NFL QB than that. Making the jump from a FCS college team to the NFL (as Wentz is doing) is a bigger leap than the one Stafford had to make coming from a FBS college team.

The FBS produces better NFL players. Here is a list of FCS teams and a list of FBS teams. This is why even draft scouts called Wentz “developmental”. Sure there’s a chance he could get lucky and be just dandy out there. But the odds are slim that a guy who played against second rate college competition, will hit the ground running as a rookie in the NFL. This is why Pederson wants to develop Wentz, and it is the only reason Bradford is starting.

So if Pederson has a plan, and if he’s already publicly made a decision, shouldn’t that plan and that decision be backed up by his staff? Or are we about to watch the HC have his plan overruled by the staff? And what would Bradford’s reaction be to that? At what point will people begin to acknowledge that he is getting a little bit more screwed by this organization every day? It makes me wonder why they even bothered to re-sign him. I can’t stand Bradford, so it pains me to have to say these things. but fair is fair.

The bottom line here, is that management has destabilized the QB position on this team, and it seems there is no end in sight. I wonder what the next 13 days will bring.

A GUARDED MOMENT

Posted by The BEAST on 2016/05/24
Posted in: Conversations, Draft, Front Office (F.O.), Offense, Players, poll, Roster, Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , , . Leave a comment

 

EAGLES

IT’S week 17 vs Dallas. The Cowboys lead 21 – 16, but the Eagles have the ball. It’s 4th and goal from the 1, the final timeout has been called, and 00:04 remains in the game. The winner of the game gets the NFC East crown. The loser has nothing but 2017 to look forward to, as there will be no Wild Card berth to be had. There are four more ticks of the clock in someone’s year, and it all comes down to the very next play. No one in a green or navy jersey is using their whole seat. And there is only ONE question to ask:

In that situation, which of these rookie Guards would you rather have RB Ryan Mathews run behind?

First up, we have our third round Draft pick Isaac Seumalo.

Next we have undrafted Free Agent Darrell Greene.

Again, the season is down to one last down. One last call. You’ve seen the tapes. So who do YOU go with?

WHERE I STAND ON CARSON WENTZ

Posted by The BEAST on 2016/05/21
Posted in: Conversations, Offense, Players, Roster, Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , . 11 Comments

carson wentz

LOTS of Eagles fans already love rookie Quarterback Carson Wentz because he gives a good interview, and because he’s not Sam Bradford. Well, actor Patrick Stewart meets those qualifications as well, but you wouldn’t want him as the Eagles starting QB, would you? Of course not, because he lacks the merits to be one.

Before we get started, let me put my cards on the table. I wasn’t a fan of moving up to get him, but this isn’t a case of a guy with an ax to grind. Wentz is here. Even if he’s a bust he’ll be here for at least 4 years. If he’s any good he’ll be here for a decade of so. I’ll be 41 soon, so that means Wentz could be here into my 50’s (should I live that long). I’m not looking to spend a decade booing a man who’s just looking to do his best for our team. However, what you respect about me (even if you can’t stand me) is that I’ll tell it to you straight. So here it is.

Michael Vick‘s speed, Joe Flacco‘s cannon, Carson Palmer‘s ability to see passing lanes before they open, Andrew Luck having every tool in the box…people made big deal of those special talents when these guys were drafted. So what are fans and media saying sets Wentz apart?

Well that’s the thing. We haven’t much discussed the actual merits of Carson Wentz as an athlete, have we? Our Front Office spent a lot of capital to move up to get this guy, but I have yet to hear fans gushing over why he is so special. The reason that fans aren’t doing that, is because he isn’t special. I’m not saying that he can’t become a decent to good pro player. What I am saying is that there is nothing about this guy that makes you say “WOW!”

Even though the “Bottom Line” on his Draft Profile gave him a Round One projection, it also described him as “developmental”. On that same profile, while an AFC Scout did say that he possesses intangibles, that scout did not go as far as to say what a single one of those intangible qualities (for example: leadership, toughness, the ability to inspire or keep teammates levelheaded, etc.) were. When Wentz was asked what sets him apart, he said it’s the mental aspect of his game. At which point he defaulted to giving boilerplate answers that any QB (ranking from arm chair to NFL) could give. (Seriously check the link out). It’s all so deliciously vague.

With so much positive but vague talk surrounding the guy, I decided that the truest evidence would lay in how he plays. I wanted to see recent video of him, so I downloaded and watched a few videos of Wentz 2015 games. (Games, not just highlights, mind you.) I repeatedly went over and dissected five of them (Jacksonville, South Dakota, Northern Iowa, Montana and Weber State).

While those teams hardly represent high quality competition, at no point did I feel like I was looking at a man among boys when I saw Wentz play. I saw nothing, and I mean absolutely nothing, special about him. He by no means looked bad out there, but he never looked “WOW!” either.

But don’t take my word for it. Watch THE VIDEOS and look at his ball placement. Look at how often he checks it down, or goes to a first-read pass to the flat. Look at the percentage of overthrows on deep balls from a clean/mostly clean pocket. These things happen to all QB’s, but they happen more often to average QB’s. Oh, and when you watch him run with that gangling style of his, don’t pretend you can’t already see the type of shots he’s going to take at the pro level. Watch the films. I’ll wait….

I’m not saying he’s without any potential. If he’s coached up, he has as much chance as any other athlete to be a decent to good pro. To be clear, what I’m saying is that this guy has no obvious tool in his arsenal that indicates a minimum career .625 win percentage. He lacks an x-factor; but since he’s going to be here for at least the next 4 to 10, 12 years, let’s hope he doesn’t need one.

WE OWN ODELL BECKHAM.

Posted by The BEAST on 2016/05/19
Posted in: Defense, NFL, Players, Rivals, Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

1-Cornie

AS of 5/19/16 Odell Beckham has played the Eagles four times and lost every time. In fact, in three of the four meetings, he’s failed to even reach 65 receiving yards. The only exception was the last game of 2014, when circumstances allowed it to happen. Here’s an except from my game re-cap of our 35-30 victory:

“The only CB who looked good against rookie, WR phenom Odell Beckam was Cary Williams. Whom we’re cutting, by the way! Williams drew Beckham as his assignment for most of the first half, during which Beckham caught 3 passes for 42 yards, with 3 incompletions credited to Williams’ coverage. After the half Jaylen Watkins drew Beckham, who would add a 63 yard TD catch on his way to 12 catches for 185 yards on the day.” 

I just happened to notice this while making the meme you see on this page. So until Cornie Beckham pulls even vs the Eagles, anytime a giants fan brings up his name, just hold up a leash. Because we own that bitch. 

Malcolm Jenkins card2

HOWIE ROSEMAN GOT HOSED

Posted by The BEAST on 2016/05/15
Posted in: Draft, Front Office (F.O.), NFL, Rants, trade, Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , , . 15 Comments

roseman

WHEN the trade with Cleveland happened I said we gave up too much.  Many people disagreed. Their feeling was what we gave up, is what we had to give up, to move up. They were of course, dead wrong. I of course, was right.

As usual.

You want proof that we over paid? How about words directly from Cleveland’s rookie GM Sashi Brown? He by the way, is the guy who hosed Eagles GM Howie Roseman in that horrible trade that we made. Here are Sashi’s words: “I was a little surprised we got as much as we did, but some hard negotiating and (Vice President of Player Personnel Andrew Berry) was a big help in that, keeping me at bay and not pulling the trigger too soon.”

Did I mention that Brown is a rookie in his position? Oh I did?! Okay, keep reading.

He was surprised by what he got and he should have been. In case you need a refresher, aside from swapping spots, here’s what each team got: The Browns acquired a third-rounder and a fourth-rounder in 2016, a first-rounder in 2017 and a second-rounder in 2018. We got a fourth-round pick in 2017. So for the  Eagles, making this trade add up comes down to what we get out of that #2 pick. 

To justify this trade, QB Carson Wentz will have to be no less than the next Brett Favre. He would have to surpass Donovan McNabb in every meaningful way. By that I mean becoming the statistically greatest QB in franchise history, while amassing more wins, playoff wins, and if not one Super Bowl win, then at least two appearances. Considering that we didn’t spend nearly as much to acquire McNabb, it stands to reason that to re-coup value for Wentz, that he has to deliver greater results. That’s just common sense and basic arithmetic. If you possess the former and can do the latter, this is easy for you to grasp.

In the event that Wentz doesn’t reach those benchmarks at some point in his tenure as an Eagle, then the trade comes down to giving Cleveland a third-rounder and a fourth-rounder in 2016, a first-rounder in 2017 and a second-rounder in 2018, in exchange for a fourth-round pick in 2017. So if Wentz doesn’t become the best Eagles QB of all-time, Howie Roseman got hosed. By a rookie no less. 

SAM BRADFORD’S DAMAGE

Posted by The BEAST on 2016/05/13
Posted in: Conspiracy Corner, Conversations, Front Office (F.O.), Offense, Players, Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , , . 1 Comment

Mick

SAM Bradford is by no means a favorite of mine, but let’s be fair here. While there can be no doubt that he damaged his standing in the locker room with his trade demanding, OTA holdout, hissy-fit; his place was made shaky by the Eagles Front Office well before his histrionics ever began.

The first shot was new Eagles Head Coach Doug Pederson talking up Chief’s back-up Chase Daniel as being worthy of starting in mid-February. This is prior to re-signing Sam Bradford on March 1st.

If you recall, Bradford and his agent wanted 25M per year and the Eagles were sending the signal already that they already were looking at Daniel as a guy who could replace Bradford. This says to the locker room that the HC feels their starter could be replaced by a career back-up. That’s damage.

So Bradford re-signs, and the Chase Daniel thing is dismissed as a negotiating ploy. However, eight days later, Daniel is signed to more money than you would normally sign even a good back-up to. This raised eyebrows across the Delaware Valley and even had my guru Rhodie, shaking his head without verbal comment. (If you ask him about it still, he merely chuckles under his breath. I’m not sure what’s going on in that head of his, but my eyes are WIDE open.) If it raised eyebrows among fans and media (some of whom are former NFL players), you can bet it raised eyebrows among Eagles players. More damage.

Following all that, the Eagles then moved heaven and Earth, mortgaged the future, traded the farm (pick your favorite expression) to move up six spots from #8 to #2. At this point the writing was on the wall that they would be selecting a QB. For my part I did my best to look around it, over it, past it… I saw it coming but I HATED the idea. At this point though you can’t say that the speculation was adding to the damage, since nothing was concrete.

Then came the concrete. The Eagles drafted Carson Wentz #2 overall and THAT sent a clear message to not only the roster, but through the entire league. There was nothing subtle about it. For Bradford it was like waking up with a “Dear John” letter nailed to his forehead. His contract had become a countdown. Now everyone in the locker room would know he wasn’t The Man, he was just the guy warming The Man’s seat for him. That’s real damage right there.

So then if Bradford isn’t The Man, who is he?

Sam Bradford is the guy who takes the hits while the O-Line learns the new blocking scheme. Damage.

Sam Bradford is the guy who has to figure things out through trial and error, while Wentz watches the process refine itself. Damage.

Sam Bradford is the guy to absorb the losses on HIS record as the team acclimates to all the new things they have to relearn or unlearn after three years of (TIK). Damage.

Sam Bradford is the patsy in all this. He’s very well paid for the role (no doubt), but he’s the fall guy here. And that situation was set up well in advance of his hissy-fit.

He has undoubtedly lost this locker room and he is no position to get it back. That is unless something unspeakably tragic happens to Wentz and Bradford finally, miraculously finds his niche in the NFL. Aside from that combination of events though, we have to be fair. The Eagles damaged Bradford well before he did.

I’M DEFENSIVE ABOUT THIS LINE

Posted by The BEAST on 2016/05/12
Posted in: Conspiracy Corner, Conversations, Defense, Front Office (F.O.), Players, Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , , , , . Leave a comment

Fletcher Cox card

DEFENSIVE Tackle Fletcher Cox is the piece that will make Defensive Coordinator Jim Schwartz‘s system work. The Defensive Line is what will make this unit as scary as it going to be in 2016. That having been said, Cox is the difference between this being a scary Defense and it being a mid-level to upper mid-level Defense. However, that’s by no means an attempt to slight anyone else on the Line.

DE Vinny Curry is virtually unblockable one-on-one. There were flashes of that of that even before Andy Reid was fired. For three years Reid’s idiot replacement relegated Curry to being a part-time player, and so Curry has never started a game in his pro career. Never. This is despite outproducing the starting starting DE’s in sacks, in two out of his four years in the league, including 2014 when he led Eagles linemen with 9.

DT Bennie Logan is not as much a pass rusher as he is a pocket collapser and a run plugger. Playing NT in the prior regime’s “Multiple 3-4” front, Logan was frequently the subject of interior double teams against which he still more than held his own.

Due to each lineman’s 2-gap responsibility sort of holding them in place, it was easier for blocking schemes to key on our linemen. Many of the plays made by our lineman were through sheer effort and/or talent. Schwartz’s system will not hold the linemen to static gap responsibilities and will allow them to create. This will mark the first time in any of their careers that the scheme will act to help them as players.

The RDE spot will likely go to Brandon Graham who is coming off his best year as a pro, but still hasn’t shown to be the guy we were all hoping he’d be. Whether it’s been the system or injury, the situation just keeps seeming to not quite fit him. Now with Schwartz’s system relying on the Wide 9 technique, it almost seems like Graham is set to repeat his 2012 season if he stays healthy, or his 2011 season if he doesn’t.

The dark-horse to win that spot is Connor Barwin. He has the bigger contract and recent production on his side. However he also has a dismal history of playing with his hand on the ground in the NFL. It would be nice if he surprised me, but I, and many a number of media sources, (and here are some examples: Exhibit A, Exhibit B, Exhibit C) feel that the time to move on from Barwin was this offseason, because he’s not a natural fit in a 4-3. Even Barwin himself is reported to have some questions about how he’ll fit, even going so far as to have requested to be traded to San Fran, where he’d reunite with his former Eagles coach.

When you look at this group there’s plenty to be excited over. It’s not hard to envision this being Year One of a great, young Defense that will act as the team’s backbone for years of deep playoff runs. Which is why it’s important not to dick around with Cox’s contract.

Look, if we’re going to keep him, we’ll have to pay him at some point. What he wants now is ridiculous, but it won’t get any lower after this year. Especially if things go as they should. Cox will cost some team an arm and a leg. The only question is: Will it be us?

While we could always let him walk after 2016, and get a shiny new rookie, you have to weigh the concept of the Mississippi native in a Cowboys jersey in 2017. (You saw how fast they jumped on Cedric Thornton this year.) We can hope the Eagles postpone paying him and hope he doesn’t have a great year this year. (Ugh!) Or we could bite the bullet and realize that at this point the Eagles need him more than he needs the Eagles.

We have some nice players on this Defensive Line, but Cox is clearly the best of them.

PAY THE MAN!

FIRST LOOK AT THE EAGLES DEFENSE

Posted by The BEAST on 2016/05/11
Posted in: Coaching, Defense, NFL, Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , , . Leave a comment

DEFENSIVE Coordinator Jim Schwartz will be running a base 4-3 out of a Wide 9 alignment. This is pretty much the base look that you can expect from the Eagles starting this year:

 

schwartzagram_medium

That is what it looked like when Schwartz ran it in Buffalo and Detroit. Given his hiring here based on those successes, you can safely bet your house that that’s what will be installed here.

For Eagles fans who cringe when you hear the term Wide 9, relax. Let me show you why it’ll be different under Schwartz than it was under Jim Washburn.

First we have Washburn’s version:

wide9washburn2

 

Note the position of Safeties Nate Allen and Kurt Coleman. They are in no position to help the Corners deep. At that time if you recall we played an aggressive man-press coverage. Remember how often Nnamdi Asomugha and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie were beaten deep? Man press is only good up until you lose that press. Once the WR gets that step, the CB has to trail him. At that point Qb’s would just lay the ball out in front of the receiver. With no help deep it was a set-up. We got crushed by the same trick over, and over, and over, and over, and over.

Now we have Schwartz’s version:

wide9schwartz_medium2

 

Do you see where the Safeties are? So the QB can’t just flip the ball out there. He has to hold the ball and scan for the open man. Every second the ball is held it gives the Defense a greater opportunity to make a play by reaching the passer. Our current CB’s Eric Rowe and Nolan Carroll aren’t as talented as Asmougha and DRC, but due to having help deep, they’re going to look a whole lot better.

And so will the Defense.

For a while I’ve been hoping/praying/screaming for a switch from the Single-high Safety look to one that uses two deep Safeties.  Finally we did it. Now it should make the Wide 9 everything it could have been in 2011-2012.

I for one can’t wait.

I NEED YOUR HELP!

Posted by The BEAST on 2016/05/09
Posted in: Uncategorized. Leave a comment

pussboots

CAN we all stop fighting over football for a moment to do something truly noble? Remember MC Hammer? “It’s All Good”, “Two Legit to Quit”, “Turn This Mutha Out” MC Hammer? We all knew he’d fallen on hard times, but I didn’t think it had quite come to this.

Hammer-Tip8-ClickStickPress-1200

Now don’t get me wrong. If Command Strip offered me a bunch of money to be in their commercial, I’d do it too. But to do it as an act of pissing on the already burning pile of my life’s work? I’d probably have an attack of basic frigging dignity, and decline their offer. Unless it had already come to scrounging meals from garbage cans.

mc-hammer-stars-in-a-bizarre-ad-that-sees-the-rapper-trying-to-stop-hammer-time

….Okay so maybe it’s already come to that for him. That’s why I’m proposing the Save MC Hammer Fund. For less than the price of a 76er’s playoff win, you could keep Stanley Whatshisname, from having to to do shit like this…

hammer holding pants

to keep the lights on in his efficiency. (See him there, holding up his pants? SMH.)

So won’t you please send in as little as $200 to try to make sure something like this never happens again. We couldn’t save Bruce Willis from his “Bruno” phase and those Seagram’s wine cooler commercials. But maybe, just maybe we can intervene here, before Hammer is seen in a commercial hawking nails (“Yo man, these nails are PROPER!”) before the Crucifixion.

NOTE: Please do not actually send me any money. If you do it will be put towards the purchase of some Command Strips.

MC-Hammer-for-Command-Brand-feature-288x300

QB SAM BRADFORD RETURNS

Posted by The BEAST on 2016/05/09
Posted in: Conversations, Fans, Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , . Leave a comment

Today's Discussion (Erostile 16 Bold)

EAGLES QB Sam Bradford has returned to the fold and I for one am glad he has. Not because he’s got an arm that can make all the throws, (though he does). Not because he can read a defense, (though he can). I’m glad because now the circus can come to an end.

If I can step outside of football for second, right now it seems like everything is a circus. The state of the country, the political system that drives it, how true love seems now to matter and show less and less… So much has become such a joke that the laughing has long since stopped. It has given way to morbid fascination with seeing how bad these train wrecks can ultimately become.

Seeing a coddled underachiever bellyache over his future, after signing a contract he didn’t deserve, (in defiance of all logic), only added to the air of ridiculousness. It filled fans with impotent anger and robbed us of any enthusiasm we were holding onto heading into the Draft on 4-28. You and I had such hopes for that day. Instead we hit a bump. Then ridiculousness flooded in.

And we sat mired in it. It seemed there would be no way out of the morass. There would be no ending which satisfied all involved. We were heading for a cliff and there was nothing to be done about it. But then a flicker of reason. Both sides looked at what they truly valued and wanted. They came back together. Yes, first it will be touchy as there is still lingering anger and frustration over what has happened.

However, today offers a chance to put that behind us. I don’t want to stay angry. I don’t want to hold onto poison. I want to get past the ridiculousness. I started this year with high hopes and I want them back. So I have to do my part to make that happen. And the same holds true for you. We have to let go of the anger.

Today Sam Bradford comes back, and with him comes a return to the plan. We are looking ahead again. This is not to say that we have forgotten what he has done. This is to say that we cannot move forward the way we want to, (and need to) so long as we drag around old baggage, and pick at old scabs.

Dear fans the circus is closed now. So let’s let go of our anger and look to the future. Because what is coming is greater than what is past.