Alshon Jeffery

All posts tagged Alshon Jeffery

SHOW US THE PROOF!

Posted by The BEAST on 2021/01/26
Posted in: Conversations, Fans, NFL, Offense, Players, Rants, trade, Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

HE’S a diva! He’s babied! He’s uncoachable! He hates Doug Pederson! He’s insubordinate! He wants out of Philadelphia! Why is it that everyone with something bad to say about QB Carson Wentz, isn’t man enough to own his words?

We’ve been reading rumors for over two years now, but strangely, everyone is afraid go on record. I could understand if Carson had gotten a coach fired in the past. Or if he’d gotten WR Alshon Jeffery (largely suspected of being a rumor source) booted off the team. But none of that has ever happened.

On the field, we see a guy with an injury history, playing as hard as we’ve seen ANY QB play. (And yes I’m including Jim Kelly.) We don’t see Carson arguing with teammates on the sideline. When he congratulates them, they don’t pull away from him, or give him the cold shoulder. We watched him give QB Jalen Hurts pointers, even after being benched. We watched that!

So what’s with this “other” Carson Wentz that we keep reading about, but that no one can give us proof of? I have a theory about that.

Carson Wentz is boring. Especially if you’re a sportswriter in a city known for colorful personalities. Like Andy Reid, Carson goes about his business, and then… You don’t hear from him. It’s football, family, and his Audience Of 1 food truck(s). Unless the local scribes want to write about Carson’s love for God (and they don’t), he’s of no use to them. Put bluntly, Carson doesn’t sell papers or generate clicks.

That is, until the media creates a situation where they can portray him as a bad guy. Ah-ha! Now they can challenge him, even force him, to defend his name. Except he doesn’t. He never responds to these rumors. He knows who he is, and he truly has no interest in the circus. Thus, he doesn’t participate in it. Ever. Which is only more infuriating for the media.

Remember the trade that NFL.com reporter Adam Schefter said Carson wanted? Here’s the link to refresh your memory. Remember when Schefter had to walk that shit back, because it wasn’t true? Here’s that link too. Remember when ESPN reporter Chris Mortensen said that Carson would force a trade? Here’s one more link. Since Pederson was fired, Mortensen has been eerily quiet on the subject of Carson Wentz. How ‘bout that?! Carson doesn’t respond. He just lets the truth find it’s own way to us. 

Carson had nothing to say about last year’s rumors, and had even less to say about this year’s speculation. In fact, he’s been radio silent since his December 6th benching at Green Bay. He did skip his year-end exit interview with then Head Coach Doug Pederson, and the local media took off running with that.

Now don’t get me wrong, that move says a ton. But it says so much, that it’s important to clarify EXACTLY what Carson himself, meant by it. His intentions are subject to speculation by us fans. His intentions are not subject to speculation by reporters who are supposed to report facts.

Just as the media is taking liberties by speculating on his intent, I suspect that they may also be exaggerating some of his teammate’s comments. Any statement by an “anonymous source” allows the media to write whatever they like, however they like, while avoiding “lying” specifically.

Phrasing is extremely important.

Let me give you an example from NFL.com itself. This is an excerpt from yesterday’s Michael Silver article. This is his interpretation of an Aaron Rodgers quote, after losing to Tampa Bay. Keep in mind, this section was copy and pasted, with no alteration by me, save for the orange font color:

And when he spoke, I believe he delivered a message to his bosses, one I’d roughly translate thusly: Your way of doing business has to change, or maybe I should be on my way.

“[There are] a lot of guys’ futures that are uncertain,” Rodgers told reporters, “myself included. That’s what’s sad about it most … getting this far. Obviously there’s going to be an end to it at some point, whether we make it past this one or not. Just the uncertainties, (it) is tough, and the finality of it.”

In that quote, Rodgers says dick about the Packers way of doing business. Also, at no point does he suggest that he would leave. Silver entirely ignores both the text, and the subtext of Rodgers words, in order to superimpose his own. Sadly, fans will buy it because a guy at NFL.com wrote it!

There’s an awful lot of character assassination going on, based solely on rumor, from people who are supposed to be experts at verification, and factual reporting. Yet they keep coming up snake-eyes on facts. And as long as we keep letting them substitute rumor for scoop (or letting John Clark get away with reporting what he sees on ESPN) this will keep happening.

Damned shame when a fan/blogger has higher operating standards than professional journalists.

EASILY FIXING THE EAGLES

Posted by The BEAST on 2020/11/18
Posted in: Coaching, Conversations, Front Office (F.O.), NFL, Offense, Players, playoffs, Roster, Super Bowl, The 12, Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , . 3 Comments

WE’RE not a good team right now. To not even be .500 this deep into the season, is a solid indicator that we probably aren’t getting home-field throughout. Understand, the Eagles are a bad team in 2020, but they are not a bad organization. So fixing this will be a lot easier than you might think. In fact, I wrote about that, this February in THE 12. 

Before I launch into it, let me hit the qualifiers, just to get them out of the way:

YES, we are still at the head of the division.

YES, it’s likely that with an infusion of talented veterans, this team will improve at least a little.

YES, if this team hits the postseason, it’s possible that we could get hot.

So, by no means am I throwing in the towel. I plan to be here, loud and obnoxious, every damned week with a smile. Truth is, I’ll take a bad Eagles season over no season at all. It sure beats having to endure yet another loss of something we all enjoy. Even in a bad season, I’m glad I get to root for my Eagles.

So how can I say that this will be easy to fix? First let’s identify the problem. Remember going into this season, we saw a silver lining to our constant injury situation. That silver lining was how much experience our deep bench, and Practice Squad were getting. Lots of experience up and own the roster. In small doses, that IS a great thing.

The issue is how often those players get extended snaps, and even starts. That’s what been necessary for the Eagles. On no other team would CB Avonte Maddox be a starter. Or LB’s Alex Singleton or Duke Riley. Or G’s Sua Opeta and Nate Herbig. Or T’s Jack Driscoll and Matt Pryor. That’s not to say that all of those players are trash, but none of them was penciled in start here, prior to an injury.

You wouldn’t permanently hold a metal bolt with a plastic nut. You wouldn’t long-term drive your car on a doughnut.

Yet this is what the Eagles have had to do for years now. While mixing high quality with lesser quality may buy you a little time, done over a long period, things break down much faster than if you’d mixed good with good.

People don’t compare this 2020 Eagles team against 2019’s or 2018’s. People keep comparing this Eagles team against the 2017 edition. Especially QB Carson Wentz. Given the amount of erosion that has occurred all over this team, the O-Line, RB’s, coaching staff, that’s hardly fair. It also explains what you’re seeing out there.

Now let’s start talking how to fix this. You’ve heard that iron sharpens iron. Imagine if you’re WR Jalen Reagor trying to nail down a starting spot in Training Camp, and your competition is J.J. Arcega-Whiteside. Remember how Ron Jaworski said that Reagor isn’t a disciplined route runner? Didn’t TE Dallas Clark seem to play better, when he was trying to get snaps from TE Zach Ertz?

The solution is simple. Establish a primary back-up, and play favorites. Don’t split snaps evenly behind the starters. Nix heavy rotation at CB, LB, WR. Starve them for snaps. Make the back-ups fight for snaps.

Again, I said all this back in February, in the article ‘STARVE THE KIDS’ . Understand, there is little chance that this can be successfully implemented during the 2020 season. And that’s fine. A bad year fits the Eagles salary cap plans better, anyway.

For example, if WR’s DeSean Jackson and Alshon Jeffery utterly ball-out during the playoffs; or LT Jason Peters makes a few blocks that get him on Sports Center, fans will revolt when they get cut. Especially if we get hot and win the Super Bowl. So this year being a train-wreck is right on schedule.

If Head Coach Doug Pederson wants to see more passion from this team. If he wants to see more of a sense of urgency. If he wants a greater sense of focus. Then he needs to breed a sense of competition, and foster an atmosphere of hunger that drives his roster. That said, Starving The Kids is an easy fix to improve the quality of the 2021 roster. Not just that, but it can be done for free.

FOUR THINGS: WK 10: EAGLES – GIANTS

Posted by The BEAST on 2020/11/13
Posted in: Coaching, Conversations, Defense, Four Things, NFC East, NFL, Offense, Players, Preview, Rivals, Roster. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , . 1 Comment

KEEP the streak alive! The Eagles will be looking to start the second half of the year, like they should have started the first: By putting down a division rival. This is no time to play down to our opponent. Instead, we have to get back to the competent play-calling that made execution and game-flow, seem almost Zen-like.

A win here puts the Eagles at 4 – 4 – 1 (.500), while driving the giants down to 2 – 8. A loss, still has us leading the division, but it lifts everyone behind us. While this isn’t a “must win” game, winning this week would the division lead on a high shelf, in a division full of short arms and legs.

The point of Four Things isn’t to predict a winner, it’s to discuss which tactics will practically guarantee our Eagles this win. CAUTION: 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 FT as a gambling tool, you are trying to lose your money.

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

1) Hand the ball off 20+ times: The only game where I called for 20+ handoffs and we lost, was the Rams game. The other 4 times: 3 wins, 1 tie. To sweeten the pot, we get RB Miles Sanders back this week. To give ourselves the best chance to win, we need to run the ball both early and often. EARLY! And OFTEN!

2) Play gap control defense: The giants seem to have found a runner that they feel good about, in addition to having a QB with some mobility. Take that away early. Force early 3rd and longs, then bring a 5th rusher like MLB T.J. Edwards from their offense’s strong-side. Not from the edge, but between DE Brandon Graham and DT Fletcher Cox. Let their QB see the rush. Speed up the clock in his head, while taking away his favorite scrambling side. Force him to his left. From there he will find ways, maybe even invent ways, to get our Defense the ball.

3) Spread them out: In the last match-up, our Spread formations kept the giants out of their base defense, robbing them of any real pass rush. Do this again, and run the ball down their throats. Getting back WR Alshon Jeffery this week should make this part so easy.

4) Mix up our coverages: In the first meeting, the giants scored a redzone TD by preying on the way Eagles DB’s switch off coverages. It was a film study TD, and I tip my cap to the giants for the excellent prep. Kudos. This time we need to feed them a few looks with similar keys, so that we can bait them into throwing balls into places where they shouldn’t be. It’d be nice to see CB Darius Slay finally get himself a souvenir from this season.

If we do these Four Things, the final score should be:

PREDICTION: EAGLES 30 – giants 14

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

HOW TO HELP CARSON WENTZ.

Posted by The BEAST on 2020/11/11
Posted in: Coaching, Conversations, Front Office (F.O.), NFL, Offense, Players, Roster, X's and O's. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , . 3 Comments

JUST THROW IT AWAY! Why does he keep holding the ball so long?! He’s trying to do too much!

These are the things we keep hearing this season, about QB Carson Wentz. Many people are saying that he’s regressing. If that’s the case then the entire Offense has regressed as well. And not because of Wentz.

When Wentz doesn’t throw the ball away after 4 seconds, that’s a decision. It is a decision when he sees a receiver not uncover, and then continue to hold the ball, and wait for a window. He is making decisions that lead to sacks and turnovers. Let’s acknowledge that right at the top. So we don’t need to debate about it later.

Let me ask a couple questions here. Who repeatedly draws up a bunch of long-ass routes with no check-downs? Was that Wentz? How about those plays where our receiver routes end up in bunches, which attracts defenders, creating no windows? Does Wentz design those? When you see him hold the ball forever, notice how you never yell, “There’s a guy right there!” Why is that?

Carson Wentz, ladies and gents, is largely being fucked over by play design. That’s coaching. Head Coach Doug Pederson is falling victim to the same trap that Andy Reid and TIK, fell victim to. The need to prove how clever they are. Thus, all these offensive coaches that Doug keeps adding to the staff, for “new ideas” and “new perspectives”.

Look, the Eagles won a Super Bowl behind a bruising run game, which opened up a mind-numbingly efficient intermediate passing game, lightly accented by a multifaceted deep game, which involved raw speed on one side, and receiver who’s open even when well covered, on the other. There was nothing “clever” about it.

Not at all.

We just took you to the woodshed.

Since then, we’ve lost Offensive Coordinator Frank Reich, with whom Doug had an almost psychic bond. Then we got away from simple and brutal. Seriously. Three years ago 220 pound RB Corey Clement was our small RB (after RB Darren Sproles was injured.) This year Clement is our big back. Over the last couple of seasons we’ve devolved into a finesse running team, with underachieving TE’s, and a spotty deep passing game.

Literally everything around Wentz has taken a step back. The Offensive Line isn’t as good. The TE position is in serious transition. The run game is soft. At WR we have Travis Fulgham and our fingers crossed. Even the coaching has slid. Yet people have somehow expected Wentz to return to the MVP form of 2017. That only makes sense if you’re incapable of discerning context.

During that 2017 season, he had a high functioning team around him. This year (in case you hadn’t noticed), he’s carrying this team on his back.

I keep waiting for Doug to help him out schematically. The Eagles (and everyone else) use WR motion to get teams to declare man or zone before the snap. But what about getting to dictate where a defender goes, even after the snap? Imagine if every time the opposing defense read it right, you could make them wrong anyway?

It wouldn’t require a new playbook, or totally new philosophy. Just the incorporation of basic concepts like this:

That’s not even a whole play. However, what it does, is show a simple way to manipulate the Safety (X), while quickly getting the ball out of Wentz’s hand. No turnovers plus easy yardage. And again, that’s just a fragment of a play which could be worked in, in numerous places. There are many similar concepts out there.

It’d be nice to see Wentz get a look at a few of them.

WHY IS TRAVIS FULGHAM SO GOOD?

Posted by The BEAST on 2020/10/17
Posted in: Conversations, free agents, Offense, Players, Reviews, Roster, stats, Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

OVER the last two games, most Eagles fans have fallen heels-over-head for WR Travis Fulgham. Some love that he’s scored in each of the last two games. Some love that he makes big splash catches.

I love that he’s nothing special.

Seriously, there is nothing about his game that is remotely remarkable. He’s not super-fast. He doesn’t jump super-high. He doesn’t kill defenders with his first step off the line. So if he doesn’t have any amazing traits, why is he so much better than all the other young receivers we’ve drafted since Jeremy Maclin?

The thing that separates Fulgham from Eagles draft picks, is that he has a solid set of fundamentals. He comes back to the ball. He boxes out. He high-points and catches with his hands. Again, nothing special. Just the fundamentals that any receiver should have. I said should.

During Week One, QB Carson Wentz threw two interceptions. One was while trying to connect with rookie WR Jalen Reagor, and the other was an attempt to rookie WR John Hightower. Both were jumping and fading away from the ball, allowing the defender to uncut them. Remember the one to WR J.J. Arcega-Whiteside vs the Rams? Look up those three picks. I’ll wait…

(Whistling. Filing nails. Painting a still-life.)

Oh, you’re back! Did you notice what I was talking about? It jumps right out at you, doesn’t it? From now on, you will NEVER fail to notice it, and wonder how others miss it.

Although WR Alshon Jeffery has crazy leaping skills, his speed isn’t lethal, he’s not the biggest receiver, and he doesn’t have legendary hands. In fact, how would you describe Alshon’s game? Comes back to the ball. Boxes out. High-points. Makes yards after the catch. None of those things are talent based. Those are all skills. They are fundamentals which only come from teaching.

The obvious thing that fans keep missing, is that young Eagles receivers aren’t taught those basics. Fulgham learned it before he got here. Alshon, same thing. Terrell Owens? Kevin Curtis? These guys looked great next to receivers drafted, but untaught by our coaching staffs.

Speaking of which, how DOES former Eagles WR Nelson Agholor, look in Las Vegas this year? He’s only caught 10 balls, but he’s only been thrown 11 passes. That’s a 90% catch rate. Through 5 years with the Eagles, Agholor NEVER had a 90% catch rate through 5 weeks. Not in 2015 (47%), not 2016 (66%), not 2017 (69%), not 2018 (70%), nor 2019 (59%). NEVER.

Crazy what a little coaching can fix.

Some readers may say that I’ve failed to mention Fulgham’s ability to create separation with stems, speed variations in his routes, head fakes, stacking the defender, etc. Those are all skills. Those are all taught things. Every blessed one of them. Just basic fundamentals.

I love that Fulgham’s game is based on fundamentals. It means that if the Eagles decide to sign him long-term, his ability to play won’t disappear with injury, or suddenly with age. When Alshon gets back I look forward to seeing packages that feature them both on the field.

Now if only we can utilize some of that speed we added this year…

FOUR THINGS: WK 5: EAGLES – STEELERS

Posted by The BEAST on 2020/10/08
Posted in: Coaching, Defense, Four Things, NFL, Offense, Players, Preview. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , . 1 Comment

VICTORY made us the top team in the NFC East, last week. Now it’s time to build on that. The giants (0 – 4), Broncos (1 – 3 (Jets)), and Texans (0 – 4). These are the teams that the Steelers have beaten. Texans by 7, Broncos by 5, giants by 10. Pittsburgh is no one to be afraid of. Especially if QB Carson Wentz gets back either WR Alshon Jeffrey or DeSean Jackson.

A win this week, keeps our lead over the division. Regardless of what our rivals do. It would also get us to .500, and give our roster a chance to feel like they’d weathered a storm together.

The point of Four Things isn’t to predict a winner, it’s to discuss which tactics will practically guarantee our Eagles this win. CAUTION: 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 FT as a gambling tool, you are trying to lose your money.

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

C-F-L!! C-F-L!! LB Alex Singleton’s single pick was worth a ton.

1) Jump short routes: The Steelers passing game looks almost airtight. Their best WR boasts a catch percentage of 89.5, through four games. However, upon closer inspection, it’s clear that the emphasis is to get the ball out of the QB’s hand, as fast as possible. This is why their top two receivers average just 10 yards per catch. We need to jump those short routes. Make plays on the ball. Force them out of their comfort zone, make their 38 year old QB hold the ball longer, and give the NFL’s sack leading defense the time to do what it does.

2) Trim their edges: Want some good news? The Steelers run a similar 3-4 to the one we castrated for years when the Redskins ran it. The 10 yard Out should be there anytime TE Zach Ertz wants it. This would be a great game to see the RB Screen make it’s re-appearance. They should also be highly susceptible to play-action. Conversely, this is NOT a week we want to see Wentz running much.

3) Set the edge vs the run: Pittsburgh doesn’t do a lot of WR rushing. They like to pound it between the Tackles with RB’s, which suits us just fine. Our objective here is not blowing containment on the right side of our Defense. When there is no LB on his outside hip, the RDE has to rush up the field, instead of immediately flattening down the line of scrimmage. We can’t give away big runs to this team and expect to win.

Do you see what Whiteside is doing? Boxed out, bent arms, fading backwards? Yeah. Don’t do ANY of that.

4) Fight for catches: Eagles receivers have to start winning some of these contested passes. It’s frustrating to see receivers on other teams bail out their QB, then listen to announcers chide Wentz for not delivering a perfect ball, every time. Our guys need to treat every throw like it’s their personal property. They wouldn’t let another man snatch their phone, or their car keys, or their paycheck. The ball needs to be prioritized on that level.

If we do all these things we should win, with a score looking like:

PREDICTION: EAGLES 27 – Steelers 21

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

UNSIGNED EAGLES ARE A PROBLEM

Posted by The BEAST on 2020/07/12
Posted in: Conversations, Defense, Draft, free agents, Front Office (F.O.), NFL, Offense, Players, Rants, Roster, Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

TRAINING Camps are rumored to be targeting a July 28th start date. With today being July 12th, that’s a mere 16 days from now. Two weeks and two days, or “Two and two.”

Love Connection Chuck Woolery.jpg

In the meantime, eight of our ten 2020 Draft picks, are still unsigned. To be clear, they will not be able to participate in TC without a contract. Not being able to do so, would slow their learning curve, and limit how early they can become serious contributors. Who do we have yet to sign? Take a look:

1st – No. 21 – WR Jalen Reagor

2nd – No. 53 – QB Jalen Hurts

3rd – No. 103 – LB Davion Taylor

4th – No. 127 – S K’Von Wallace

4th – No. 145 – OT Jack Driscoll

5th – No. 168 – WR John Hightower

6th – No. 196 – LB Shaun Bradley

7th – No. 233 – LB/DE Casey Toohill

Reagor not being signed (at this point), is extremely troubling. WR Alshon Jeffery isn’t expected back anytime soon from his 2019 foot injury. On the other hand, WR DeSean Farrakhan is being made to jump through hoops just to remain an Eagle.

In the event that the Eagles release Djax, the Offense will be right back where it was when the 2019 season ended. By that I mean, leaning on WR Greg Ward, and hoping that WR JJ Arcega-Whiteside can somehow put together the concepts of “get open” and “catch ball”.

Whiteside drops an easy score.

Remember this drop? If he catches this, he scores and we win. We lost 24 – 27. Good times.

The LB position remains an open wound. It would be asking a lot for 3rd round rookie LB Davion Taylor to be the upgrade that we need. However, we’re so thin on talent there, that we basically have to ask for exactly that.

All indications are that the Eagles have big plans for FS K’Von Wallace, but every day that he misses of TC, will be like a week’s worth of make-up time. Rookies who fall behind mentally, become liabilities that opponents will exploit during the season.

Not to downplay the importance of the remaining five Draft picks on the above list, but 1) None of them are signed either, and 2) The three guys that I pointed out, are the guys that the team needs big contributions from in 2020. (If there’s even a season.)

Rookie wages are subject to a wage scale, where every player earns less than the guy drafted ahead of him. So there are already valuation charts that approximate what every rookie should eventually sign for.

paid peanuts

Usually the Eagles have the rookies signed by late April, mid May, but many sportswriters want to speculate that the delay is because of the 2020 Coronavirus pandemic. However, given that Philadelphia moved into the Yellow Phase of the re-opening on June 5th, there is no reason why these deals shouldn’t have been/ couldn’t have been, negotiated in principle over Zoom, and then road tripped to finalize and sign.

Right now, we’re thin at LB and we aren’t signing rookies or veterans. Right now, we’re shaky at Opening Day WR, but instead of signing a top threat, we’re hinting at cutting one of the NFL’s top deep threats. Right now, we have more questions than answers at S, but we aren’t signing or trading for any.

Until we address those things, we can’t even seriously entertain the idea of adding an insurance RB, or getting some help at LT, or spending big coin on an over-hyped DE, who has just 32 sacks in 6 years. GM Howie Roseman, you gotta get it together.

WHAT ABOUT GREG WARD?

Posted by The BEAST on 2020/05/18
Posted in: Coaching, Conversations, Front Office (F.O.), Offense, Players, Roster, stats. Tagged: , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

2019 Greg Ward

BEFORE we go nuts talking about how fast the Eagles have gotten at the WR position, can we talk about how consistent the Eagles are, in regards to how they motivate as coaches? Given how WR Greg Ward stepped up last year, it seems almost a slap in the face that so many say that he may not even have a roster spot when the Eagles next play meaningful game.

Ward served three stints on the Practice Squad, before he finally was given a chance to play in a real NFL game. He played in seven games, starting the final three. In those starts he caught 17 of 21 targets for a catch rate of 80.9%, for 175 yards, as well as chalking CB Josh Norman in his home:

card.WR greg.ward

Overall in those seven games, Ward posted 28 grabs, for 254 yards and that score. Not killer stats, but given that he was essentially tossed into a meat-grinder, where he became the #1 wide receiver by default, Ward responded beautifully.

Hey, look, more speed is great. And unlike other years, not only do we have up-front speed, but we also have speed in reserve. That said, how do the Eagles send the message that stepping up matters, if they leave Ward on the upcoming cutting-room floor?

The answer is: They can’t. Especially if WR J.J. Arcega-Whiteside gets to stay on the roster. 

In a universe that makes sense, the Eagles would keep 6 WR’s instead of our customary 5. Those 6 should be: Alshon Jeffery, DeSean Jackson, Jalen Reagor, Greg Ward, Marquis Goodwin, and Whiteside. The Eagles however, will likely keep just 5, which could make that last spot a toss-up between Ward and Whiteside.

Outside of Jeffery, the Eagles don’t have another big receiver besides Whiteside, so that could be his edge. On the other hand, if the Eagles want a better route runner who uncovers quickly, and gives his QB a place to go with the football, then Ward is the no-brainer, hands-down, pound-the-table choice.

Greg Ward dallas

Odds are that Jeffery will start the season on the Physically Unable to Perform list, so rookie Jalen Reagor will start opposite Djax. When Jeffery gets back, Reagor may end up sliding into the Slot. Until that happens, the Slot will likely be a question mark.

With Goodwin being speed insurance against an injury, don’t expect the Eagles to feature him too much. So in a six receiver group, the Slot role would be in play. In a five receiver group (in that universe that makes sense), it should belong to Ward for at least a few weeks.

Over the last couple of years, I’ve written a couple of articles about Ward. With a little bit of imagination Article 1, Article 2, he could be a reason for opposing coaching staffs to lose plenty of sleep. I just hope that the Eagles coaching staff doesn’t end up being the ones who get caught snoring.

ANTIGONE = STILL HERE

Posted by The BEAST on 2020/05/04
Posted in: Conversations, Defense, Fans, Front Office (F.O.), NFL, Offense, Players, Rants, Roster, trade, Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

DESPITE the rumors that they’d be traded before the 2020 Draft or, traded during the 2020 Draft, both WR Alshon Jeffery and CB Rasul Douglas are still on the roster. This is the second “I was right” article that I wrote over the weekend, and it feels good to post this motherfucker.

CHANGE MY MIND

Felt like not a day went by this Spring, where some folks weren’t running these guys out of town. However, it would seem that the Eagles organization finds them more valuable in an Eagles jersey, than as bargaining chips. I kept telling folks, that sort of thinking didn’t add up? But what do I know?

A lot. Turns out, I know an awful fuck of a lot. Yet some folk insist on being wrong. Maybe it’s part of their diet, and they’ll die if they aren’t fucking up. Who knows? (Probably ME!) But let me give my back and my palm a rest, and get back to talking Eagles, specifically.

I for one am excited by this, and what it does for our chances to repeat as NFC East champs. Understand, that in a year where there will be no OTA’s, no mini-camp, and an abbreviated Training Camp, having guys who have mastered our systems already, is a massive advantage over teams just learning theirs. There is no learning curve for our guys, so they can just hit the ground running.

APTOPIX Vikings Eagles Football

Better still, our new players will have an easier time learning, because everywhere they look is an example of a player who knows what he’s doing, and why. Imagine being new somewhere, and the two other people whom you work directly with, are also new. Think of all the communication errors! Or when everyone thinks something was the other person’s responsibility.

The Eagles have accountable teachers from wall to wall. Why monkey with that? Oh yeah. The other thing is, Alshon and Rasul actually make plays. What fool lets that kind of quality walk out the door, without a bonafide successor in the wings, or for a sweet post-Draft trade package?

So you can shut the rumor machines down. The 2020 Draft has passed, and Alshon and Rasul are still rocking midnight green.

Just as I said they would be.

CHANGE MY MIND

BUILDING THE EAGLES ROSTER

Posted by The BEAST on 2020/04/02
Posted in: Conversations, free agents, Front Office (F.O.), NFL, Offense, Players, Roster, The 12. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , . 2 Comments

 

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WHILE I myself have been critical of General Manager Howie Roseman during the first round of Free Agency, I did remind people (and myself), that it’s still early. There is no need to panic. Also, I have concerns about a number of holes left throughout the entire team. Not just at receiver.

There are a few sportswriters crying about the Eagles not getting QB Carson Wentz any new WR’s. They shook their heads about Roseman saying that the team internally, sees our WR position differently than people do from the outside, and that we have plenty of talent at receiver. I agree with his assessment, having written in support of our current receiving corp, back in early February, as one of my first article in The 12.

2019 Eagles WRs - Good luck trying to sleep

Hey! Remember a year ago when everyone was sure that WR’s Alshon Jeffery, DeSean Jackson, and Nelson Agholor were going to torch the NFL? Remember a few months ago when the excuse was that Carson didn’t have Jeffery, Jackson, and Agholor? So wait. Now he’s getting Jeffery and Jackson back, and everyone is bummed about it? Are people really that upset about losing Agholor? Was he the difference maker? Is… Is that what this is?

Are people really upset that we didn’t get WR Stephon Diggs, who publicly threw his QB under a bus a few times? Are we really upset that we didn’t get WR Robby Anderson, a former Jet who’s not always proven to be coachable, and so had no serious suitors besides Carolina? Are we really upset that we didn’t spend 20 million on WR Amari Cooper, who has a well documented history of losing interest during games? In what way has Breshad Perriman proven himself the equal of either of our starters?

FYI: Trading for WR DeAndre Hopkins was do-able, but he wanted a new deal that the Eagles felt was outside of the team’s price range. Maybe something could have been worked out, but the Eagles want to get younger, and if we’re being honest, I’m not sure how Hopkins would have fit in the Audience Of One locker room, anyway.

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Make no mistake we have plenty of holes on Offense. Too many in fact, to obsess over any one position.

Depending on who you ask, LT is either solid for the next decade, or we have a bust waiting to be exposed and get our QB killed.

There is no insurance behind our starting RB.

If we don’t add some speed at WR, we’re one injury away from being where we were in Week 3 of 2018, and Week 3 of 2019.

Another veteran QB is an absolute must have. Preferably someone with a little mobility. Maybe signing FA’s Blaine Gabbert or Blake Bortles? A trade for Jacoby Brissette would also be a thing of beauty. (Though he would need his deal stretched out to five years.) Not to fuck over QB Nate Sudfeld, but you saw us last year. You can’t ever have too much talent at QB.

The Draft and the second round of Free Agency still lay ahead of us. Would it have been nice to have a few new, shiny pieces by now? Sure. Like I said, I’ve already said as much. But to whine and say silly shit like “Carson’s being hung out to dry.” That’s alarmist and stupid. Don’t be that fan. And ignore such rantings.