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FOUR THINGS: WK 4: EAGLES – BUCCANEERS

Posted by The BEAST on 2024/09/27
Posted in: breakdown, Coaching, Conversations, Defense, Four Things, Front Office (F.O.), NFL, Offense, Players, Preview. Tagged: , , , , , , , , . 1 Comment

 

LAST week the Saints were the most feared team in the NFL. Well, Head Coach Nick Sirianni didn’t get that memo. Our Eagles went down the Saint’s house, punched them in the mouth, and took a beer from their fridge on the way out. This is despite everyone thinking we’d get run through last week.

See how the NFL’s website did us?

Yeah. We keep receipts.

This week the NFL is feeding us yet another team with a winning record. Fact is, all we’ve beaten have been winners. Green Bay is 2 – 1, Saints are 2 – 1, now we get the 2 – 1 Buccaneers. No 1 – 2 Browns. No 1 – 2 giants. No 0 – 3 Bengals. Yep, winners.

A win gets us to 3 – 1. It gives us a positive to focus on, as we head into a Bye week that seemed too early when the schedule came out. However, now amid all these early, critical injuries, a week of rest may be literally, just what the doctor ordered.

A loss would put us at 2 – 2, with an extra week to sulk as we stressed over getting healthy again.

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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. So here are the Four Things that we need to focus on this week versus: the Buccaneers.

1) Our Reserves Must Gainwell: We are almost definitely going into this game without WR’s A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith, as well as RT Lane Johnson. That means another week of leaning heavily on RB Saquon Barkley and TE Dallas Goedert. The Bucs know this, and will work to take those two away as options.

This means we need at least one of our back-ups, to step up in a big way. A 60 yard day from WR Jahan Dotson, would be great! Or RB Kenneth Gainwell lining up in the slot a few times, and making 40 yards or so catching the ball. WR Johnny Wilson as a red zone threat? These are just examples, but they’re the kind of things we need.

2) Get to Baker: Aside from their win over a Commanders team without a defense, the Bucs are giving up an average of 6 sacks per game. In that pressure-free game vs Washington, QB Baker Mayfield threw for four touchdowns and zero interceptions. In each of his next two games, he threw a touchdown and an interception.

Since he’s clearly a different QB under pressure, LET’S GIVE HIM SOME! The best part is, that most of the sacks on Mayfield have come from defensive linemen. So we shouldn’t need to send blitz after blitz to lay hands on him.

3) Run the Ball: Since we’re missing key weapons on Offense, we clearly need to lean on Saquon for production. That part is a no-brainer. So the Bucs will try to take him away. Which is great! We need them to think exactly that.

We need to get Saquon involved early, in order to sell our play-action. Focusing on him and being drawn out of position, opens up opportunities for our reserves. The more dangerous we make them, the more things loosen up for Saquon to run inside.

4) Own the GCG Box: Deform the pocket and don’t give Mayfield anywhere to step into his deliveries. That Guard-Center-Guard area, not the Tackles, should be our focus this week. Hit them where they’re weakest. If we control their offensive line, we control their offense. Ask the Saints about that one.

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

We’re down three very important players this week, and we’re on the road. Again. Possibly on another sloppy field. Versus a winning opponent. If most teams were facing this degree of difficulty, their coaches would already be planting the seeds of excuses.

Not here.

That says a lot of about the culture of this team. That says a lot about it’s leadership. The last time we faced the Bucs, they blew us out 32 – 9, in the playoffs. Yet, there’s been no talk of revenge or score settling. That says a lot about the focus of this team. Which again, says a lot about the leadership.

There are people out there calling for Sirianni’s firing, because they disagree with his aggressiveness on 4th downs. Ask the giants if they wish Brian Dabol had a little bit of that aggression in him, tonight against Dallas. I’d rather my coach go down swinging, believing in his team, than have him sit and accept a more popular form of losing.

So I’m standing behind my coach. Never stop fightin’ Nick.

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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.

THERE IS NO CONTROVERSY

Posted by The BEAST on 2020/05/07
Posted in: Conversations, Front Office (F.O.), NFC East, Offense, Players, Rivals, Roster, Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

2019ps1 Dillard prtoects Sudfeld.jpg

DRAFTING QB Jalen Hurts won’t lead to controversy on the Eagles team. The national sports media however, has almost nothing to talk or write about, because nothing is happening. Hey, I get it. Unlike me, they get paid to meet deadlines. While I can disappear for days at a time, they have to produce something daily.

Which is why they’re attempting to imply, that there will be disharmony in Philadelphia at the QB position. (I say “attempting to imply”, because to outright say it, they’d have to offer proof, and there isn’t any.) So while you may read a lot of articles about ‘The Controversy!!’, you can just shrug that bullshit off. That is, unless a quote comes from an Eagles player who also gives their name this time.

wentz in pocket.jpg

QB Carson Wentz has an injury history that though often over-stated, cannot be ignored. So there is to be no doubt that Hurts was brought here as the insurance policy for Wentz. That however, is down the line. Hurts is definitely here to be the back-up. Just not in 2020. There are three clear reasons for this:

1) Does anyone remember QB Nate Sudfeld? Sudfeld is your actual #2. He knows the Offense, he knows the players. He may not be spectacular, but when he’s in, you don’t worry.

2) Prior to being drafted, Hurts was said to still need some polishing of his deep ball accuracy, and how often his deliveries are off-schedule. Those are thing that can be fixed with time and experience, but those are two elements he won’t get a ton of any time soon.

3) He will also have an abbreviated Training Camp this year. If Hurts was going to supplant Sudfeld, he’d have to outplay him in camp. There is almost no time to do that. So if Wentz gets hurt while the team still has something to play for, you will see Sudfeld not Hurts, take the field.

So if Hurts is the third stringer, then Wentz is in no danger, thus, ZEE-RO controversy. It’s just math y’all. Don’t be afraid of it.

Nate Sudfeld2.jpg

Granted, if it’s Week 9, the Eagles are 0 – 8, and Wentz gets injured, sure, put the kid in. What’s the worst that could happen? That said, if it’s Week 9, the Eagles are 5 – 3, and Wentz gets hurt, don’t pretend to be surprised when Sudfeld starts Week 10. I told you how it would play out, because it’s obvious to anyone who isn’t trying to manufacture a story.

BTW: There is an upside to all the nonsense. It’s a gift from our rival NFC East fans:

Carson Wentz’s credibility as an NFL QB is never in question. Even from rival fans. So. if they think that Hurts could take the starting spot from Wentz, doesn’t this mean that they see Hurts as a weapon? If Wentz was good enough to win the division 2 of the last 4 years, what do they think Hurts will do? I’m just saying, is all.

Mmm Hmm face

FOUR THINGS: WK 16: EAGLES-RAIDERS

Posted by The BEAST on 2017/12/22
Posted in: Coaching, Defense, Four Things, NFL, Offense, Players, playoffs, Preview. Tagged: , , , , , , , . 1 Comment

W16-OAK

HOME-FIELD advantage isn’t nearly as big a prize as it seems. We’re already guaranteed to play one home game in the Divisional round. Advancing to the NFC Championship game only puts us on the road, if the Vikings make it to the Championship game themselves. That game would be decided by who has the better players on the field, not by which field is under the players.

If DT Fletcher Cox breaks his leg against the Raiders, everyone will say “FUCK! Why was he even out there?!” At that point, chasing a venue would seem pretty stupid.

We don’t need this game. We just want it. Winning this week isn’t about winning this game. It’s about getting our starters through in one piece, and being ready for the playoffs. That’s it. Eyes on the prize.

I’m not saying that we shouldn’t show up. I’m saying, let our back-ups,

finish the year by handing a couple of shitty teams a nice shiny new “L”. Wouldn’t that be awesome? I think so too!

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

1) Don’t get greedy: Don’t play the starters past the half. Beating Oakland for home-field would be meaningless if we lost RT Lane Johnson, but— Look, if a starter insists on playing for future contract purposes, let them play a little. But at that point, (come contract time) it’s on them if they got hurt and wrecked our playoff chances.

2) Smart business decisions: In football the term “business decision” is used to describe a guy whiffing on a tackle, because he was trying not to get hurt. A smart business decision would be to show that you can tackle RB Marshawn Lynch. MARSHAWNJETS

Getting Lynch on the ground will help us on Christmas, and will help players at the negotiating table. (Bonus points to the man who can do it one-on-one.)

3) Serve up play-action: Aside from rookie OLB Nicholas Morrow, Oakland’s LB’s are better at playing forward than backward. They’re also too eager to play to that strength, so getting them to bite on play-action is almost too easy. (NOTE: Morrow has only recently been named a starter on the depth chart. He’s a 216 pound LB who wasn’t a college Safety, didn’t get a Combine invite, and went undrafted. Yet in less than a season, he’s a starter. Keep an eye on this kid.)

4) Get over Under: There’s a good chance that we’ll see the Vikings at some point in the playoffs. Both the Raiders and the Vikings run a 4-3 Under scheme, with players in similar roles up front. This is a chance to “dry test” any inherent weakness in that system. Gamble on couple things to see if they work now, where there’s no cost for crapping out.

If we do all these things, we’re just about guaranteed to win. Now that we’ve covered what should happen, let’s get into what likely will happen:

Everything I mentioned in the Four Things section, can be and should be done, primarily with back-ups this week. If we’re going to chase home-field, fine, chase home-field. Just don’t risk the starters in the process. Don’t do it.

The Raiders are a bad team this year. Last year they weren’t as good as their record indicated, and now all those problems they didn’t address, has even eroded their true strengths. We probably don’t need starters to beat this team. So why get greedy?

“Ah, but a man’s reach should exceed his grasp, Or what’s a heaven for?” Poet Robert Browning said that in 1855, but I doubt he ever had Super Bowl aspirations.

Eagles fans, how improbable has this season already been? Almost no one expected us to be here, but here we are. We are here despite the loss of RB Darren Sproles. Despite the loss of MLB Jordan Hicks. Despite the loss of LT Jason Peters. Despite losing CB Ronald Darby for half of the year. We push on despite the loss of QB Carson Wentz.

What is the maximum allotment of miracles that one team is allowed to ask for? What is the cap on 61 yard field goals by a rookie Kicker from another team’s practice squad? There is a such thing, as being greedy. There is a such thing, as being ungrateful. There is a such thing, as not having the grace to see one’s self in the commission of these sins.

We’re fans, and we don’t get to make the call on who plays and who sits. That said, I’m just hoping that our team doesn’t get greedy, and end up paying the price for it.

PREDICTION: EAGLES 24 – Raiders 20

yeah bitch