Chance Warmack

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FOUR THINGS: WK 3: EAGLES-GIANTS

Posted by The BEAST on 2017/09/21
Posted in: Coaching, Defense, Four Things, NFL, Offense, Players, Preview, Rivals. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , . 1 Comment

W3-NYG

DESPITE two road games, we opened the season 1-1, and (technically, by tie-breaker) atop the NFC East. This Sunday, the Eagles will finally get to play in front the best fans in the nation, and the first sacrifice upon our altar, will be New York’s worst football team. Beating the giants this week further cements our division lead, regardless of how the Foreskins and Cowpies do. So yeah, this week is sort of a big deal in Philly.

The giants aren’t worried about the Eagles. They’re having enough trouble with the vultures circling their 2017 season. The season just started, and already the giants are decomposing so rapidly, that it’s even scaring zombies. I sat through both of their games this year, and I can’t imagine how they’d win this game. I can however, imagine how the Eagles could lose it. We can’t allow that during our home opener. 

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

1) Keep Wentz from wincing: Quick! Guess which QB has been hit the most in the NFL through two weeks. If you said QB Carson Wentz then you were correct. If you’re in denial and need proof here’s a link. (Note: The 9ers and Rams play tonight, so if you read this article after Thursday, one of those teams may own the top spot. It will be somehow worse if they don’t.) Right now, Wentz’s hits and sacks are 9.5 and 4 per week. Those numbers have to come down.

2) Run up the middle: The giants have an explosive pair of edge rushers, but rule of thumb says that we can shutdown their interior rush by running the ball. (Preferably with RB LeGarrette Blount.) If we run the ball up the gut, we’ll tire out their interior, cut their rush off at the knees, and give Wentz a pocket to step up into later in the game. Five to eight such carries in the first half. That’s the soft target depending on how fast we score on drives. (I’d already written most of this article when I found out that Chance Warmack was getting the start at LG, but I’m not changing anything in the article. Just adding this note and doubling down on #2 here.)

3) Avoid blitzing: Our D-Line can shred even good lines. That said, going against the blocking dummies in front of QB Eli Manning, should be cake for us. Better to leave our LB’s in underneath coverage to take away easy completions, and be in a position score if Eli bakes up one of those delicious turnovers that Eagles fans love him for.

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4) Break their spirits early: The giants come into this game averaging 6.5 points per game. That’s a touchdown with no cherry on it. A couple of early sustained scoring drives, where we convert a 4th down or two, putting them where they seem to keep finding themselves every week. It would go a long way towards breaking their spirit, and taking them mentally and emotionally out of the game. While in hostile territory. (This is where the 12th Man really can do some damage.)

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:

(Sniff) (Sniff) You smell that? That smells like DE Derek Barnett’s first sack. DE Vinny Curry is the starter on the right, but I get the feeling that Barnett will see more snaps this week. He’s a first rounder, so you want to sell his jersey to the home crowd. A big splash Sunday would help with that a great deal. Surely the Front Office has made this point to the coach. Enter human turnstile, LT Ereck Flowers, who has stopped fewer people than a Walmart greeter. If Barnett gets a fair number of snaps against him, you know how this ends. 

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You know how this ends.

Philadelphia+Eagles+v+New+York+Giants+YFAxMOeXhGtl

You KNOW how this ends.

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Troy Aikman will mention Reggie White at least once.

Due to a commitment to running the ball, Wentz will be able to set his feet in the pocket, and more importantly, calm the fuck down. His deep balls will become catches, instead of overthrows. TE Zach Ertz may find it harder to operate against SS Landon Collins, but that will just open things up for WR Alshon Jeffery.

I know we aren’t supposed to look past an opponent, because any given blah blah blah, but seriously, I told everyone what the giants deal was BACK IN APRIL. At this point I’m just constantly nodding, pointing and muttering “Yep. See there?”, as the prophecy unfolds in real-time. Enjoy the game and enjoy your Sunday. Oh, and if you have Philadelphia’s defense in fantasy football, START THEM. (I know I will.)

Note: I will be avoiding game threads (except at the half), because I want to yell and dance around, unfettered. Also I don’t want to drop salsa on my keyboard again.

PREDICTION: EAGLES 35 – Giants 13

yeah bitch

FIXING OUR RUN GAME

Posted by The BEAST on 2017/09/20
Posted in: Coaching, Front Office (F.O.), Offense, Players, Roster. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , . 2 Comments

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HEAD Coach Doug Pederson said “We’ve got to get the run game fixed.” That statement came as a shock to me, because I thought the run game had already been neutered. Seriously though, there are a number of things wrong with the run game, but most of it is stuff we can repair in-season. There is no need to start suggesting trades. We can win the division with the roster we already have.

Be warned, this is not a short article. I tried to make it short, but that kept leaving out too many important details. Skimping on details won’t paint an accurate picture. To really understand what’s happening, the coaches need details. If that’s the case, then you can imagine that if we’re really going to understand, us fans also need details. So no shortcuts. Nothing wrong with taking your time, and making sure you do it right.

The first thing we need to do is to drop the cute attitude. Running the ball requires pushing large, aggressive men out of the way, so that another man can produce yardage. It requires brute force. All these wide pitches, Jet Sweeps, all these cute east/west runs…they need to be replaced with more north/south running between the Tackles.

Some of the offensive linemen on this team are mentally soft. Not all of them are eager to impose their will on an opponent, and that’s a problem. An offensive lineman should be a hammer who sees anyone in lined up front of them, as a nail. Any offensive lineman who isn’t eager to mix it up, won’t help much with creating holes up front.

We also need to commit to running the ball early. Early is important, because it wears defenders down as the game goes on. It can be exhausting if the run game gets established early, which is why teams focus on taking it away ASAP. Pass rushing can leave players winded, but it doesn’t physically beat them up like run defense does.

With a pass block, the offensive lineman starts out by shuffling backwards. When he makes contact with a defender, it’s because the defender (with momentum) has run into them. Often while the offensive lineman is still drifting backwards.

With a run block, the offensive lineman surges forward. When he makes contact with a defender, it’s because the (generally bigger and stronger) offensive lineman is dictating where the defender is allowed to be. The defender has to fight through that block, find the RB, and then hopefully participate in the tackle. It’s exhausting.

So we need to adjust our attitude about running, put some hammers out there, and commit to running early. Those are all things we can correct in the next day or so. Those are all internal fixes, and most of them are mental. However there is a physical question that requires an answer: Who are our hammers and who needs to sit down?

Lets start with who needs to sit.

The guy getting most of the blame for this mess is LG Isaac Seumalo. Everywhere you look sportswriters are throwing him under the bus. Even I got in on the act Monday, and that was unfair of me. That was wrong of me. While Seumalo had a horrendous game, he wasn’t alone out there. C Jason Kelce also looked pretty bad. Look at the two of them engaging defenders and sustaining their blocks in these clips. (BTW: I didn’t compile these clips. I saw them a few places on-line and just decided to share them.):

 

I noticed RG Brandon Brooks is generally doing a very good job out there. So it’s not the system, and we don’t need a whole new interior. Take a look a few more clips.

I soured on Kelce early in his career. I’m on record saying that he benefited from playing next to wily veterans like Evan Mathis and then Allen Barbre/Stefen Wisniewski. I’ve said that for years now. Playing next to Seumalo who lacks the experience to compensate for Kelce, we’re now clearly seeing what I’ve been saying. Kelce may be a decent C for systems that require linemen to play in space, but in a more traditional system, his game has too many drawbacks for him to be anything but a liability.

Both Seumalo and Kelce need to sit, if this team is to get the run game on track. That however, means we need two players to step into their places. Those players are Chance Warmack who should get the nod at LG, and Wisniewski who we absolutely need at C. Instantly we’d get more physical up front, and would stop being a lop-sided offense.

We can worry about rebuilding our depth in the off-season. However, to get the run game on track, we already have all the tools that we need. We simply need the will and desire to use our tools. Head Coach Doug Pederson said “We’ve got to get the run game fixed.” This is how we can do it right, and with no shortcuts.

FOUR THINGS REVIEWED: PS4 JETS

Posted by The BEAST on 2017/09/01
Posted in: Defense, Four Things, NFL, Offense, Players, Reviews, Roster, Special Teams. Tagged: , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

WELL nobody who counts, got injured. Do we get a trophy for that now, or…. how does that work? I guess I’m old. I remember when the point of training was training, not avoiding getting hurt in lieu of training. (Soldiers, fire fighters and cops, you may want to talk to your supervisors about not doing things the old way anymore.)

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EAGLES 10 – Jets 16

We held the Jets (and ourselves) to one touchdown. We also held the Jets (and ourselves) to under 100 yards rushing for the game. We put up 181 passing yards (net) to their 140. In four quarters of football, QB Carson Wentz wasn’t hit, hurried or sacked once. Yet somehow I don’t feel the protection plan we used for him vs the Jets, will help us at all vs the Redskins next week. Did I mention that we lost?

I hear you asking, “What about all the stuff that stats don’t reveal?” Well Billy, that’s the reason for these “Four Things” articles. We introduce an idea of what needs addressing BEFORE the game, so that fans have to honestly answer questions about those things, AFTER the game. This helps to get us, and keep us, all on the same page.

So, of the Four Things we were looking for in this last game, what exactly did we see?

1) Does Warmack earn a chance: G Chance Warmack looked like a starter playing against back-ups out there. He looked composed and fully in control in pass protection, and in the run game, his man frequently went backwards. The coaches saw enough, and he was pulled before the half. (DONE)

2) Coming up big: RB Donnel Pumphrey once again looked like a boy amongst men whether he was running (7 – 10 – 1.4 – 0 – 0), receiving (1 – 3 – 3.0 – 0) or punt returning (5 – 9 – 1.8 – 0). He however, did look decent on kickoff returns (3 – 80 – 26.7 – 0). The Eagles may stash him on IR or the Practice Squad, but he’s done nothing to truly earn either. (NOT DONE)

3) Cherry picking a LB: LB Don Cherry (3 – 0 – 0 – 0) made a few stops, and got beaten by a bigger, faster player for a touchdown pass, despite playing coverage as well as he could have in that situation. That said, he didn’t do anything in this one that would get a coach pounding the table to keep him. (NOT DONE)

4) Groom a great Dane: Finally the Eagles got a sample size (in terms of downs) from QB Dane Evans (11 – 23 – 47.8% – 110 – 1 – 1) , to match that of QB Matt McGloin (14 – 21 – 66.6% – 90 – 0 – 0). Evans showed some real niftiness on a couple of plays, especially the 41 yarder he threw as he stared down a defender who was expecting him to keep running. Evans was also the victim of a bogus interception that was clearly dropped and trapped, but for some reason THAT turnover wasn’t reviewed. (Aren’t they supposed to review ALL turnovers?) In any case, while Evans may not make the roster, he did play an entire half, and we were in the game in large part, due to him. (DONE)

So this week’s mark is 2 of 4, which brings the preseason total to 7 out of 16. Here’s hoping that our record this year doesn’t match. Speaking of which, the next Four Things will be for stakes against a division rival.

On The Whole:

Every now and then a low scoring, defensive slug-fest is nice to see. That kind of football, (not this high-flying, 60 pass per game stuff), is primal football. It’s throwback football. Every now and then you need to see a game like that.

This game wasn’t that. This was just two offenses groping for a light-switch in a coal mine. There were several moments where I wondered if these guys even knew what sport they were supposed to be playing. There was no fuzzy-fuzzy, feel-good about this game. For the most part it was like chewing tin foil.

My hope is that our (very well-rested) offensive starters, don’t continue this trend next week.

FOUR THINGS: PS4 EAGLES-JETS

Posted by The BEAST on 2017/08/30
Posted in: Coaching, Defense, Four Things, NFL, Offense, Players, Preview, Roster. Tagged: , , , , , , . 1 Comment

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

PREDICTION: EAGLES 25 – Jets 13

yeah bitch

WHY IS PHILLY BOASTING?

Posted by The BEAST on 2017/06/24
Posted in: Conversations, Defense, Fans, NFL, Offense, Players, Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

I’M excited about the mental development of Carson Wentz, as he makes an effort to be a legitimate franchise QB. I’m ecstatic over the acquisition of G Chance Warmack. I’m extremely happy with the extensions given to T Jason Peters, and C/G Stefen Wisniewski. The addition of DE Chris Long makes us deep with talented pass rushers, and DT Timmy Jernigan will make sure you won’t miss Bennie Logan. We added a ton of proven NFL talent during this offseason.

That all being said, what is with all this boasting already? It’s true. Last week I said we were about to undergo a massive evolutionary jump as a team, but pump the brakes, folks! Pump the brakes! Didn’t we just go 7-9? (Wait no.) Didn’t we just go 7-9, twice? Look, I’m all about optimism and whatnot, but talking to Eagles fans these days, you’d think we were already 14-1 and heading into Week 17. Let’s keep this **** in perspective shall we?

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Most of the talk right now is on how WR Alshon Jeffery will come in and change the Offense by giving Wentz a “big time #1”, “a legit go-to guy”, and “a stud WR”. Well what the fuck? Wasn’t Jeffrey all those things in Chicago when they went 8-8, 5-11, 6-10 and 3-13? This is the same Jeffrey with 26 career touchdowns in 63 career games, right? (This is the part where people blame Jay Cutler, without realizing that in Chicago, Cutler with Jeffery (2012-2016) was more of less the exact same QB without him (2009-2011). Proof you say? Take a look here.)

Let me hip you all to something very important. How Jeffery plays is neither here nor there. It’s not the big issue. Nope. Not even close. The big issue is coverage. (Not pass rush as Sal Palantonio said it is, but coverage.)

Last year, because our CB’s couldn’t even stay with their shadows, our pass rushers didn’t get as many sacks as their talent would indicate they should have. Oh sure, we got a ton of hurries, but a hurry is what they call it when you get to the QB a second too late. (Either that or a penalty.) This season will come down to how consistently (key word!) our coverage can buy 3 and a half seconds for our pass rush. That’s it. That’s the whole season, right there.

Better coverage equals more sacks and turnovers, equals shorter drives, equals fewer chances for opponents to get into scoring range, equals fewer points by touchdown OR field goal, equals fewer points allowed, equals improved chances to win any game we play. All of that starts with coverage, because even great rush (as we saw last year) will be thwarted by quick and easy completions. Not quick and easy throws, but completions.

Unfortunately, no one (but me) seems to want to have that discussion. In a division with Eli Manning, Kirk Cousins, and (to a lesser extent) Dak Prescott, the idea of Defense hardly seems to be a subject around here. That’s disturbing, given it’s importance to the Eagles 2017 season.

Let me repeat a few points I made in my last article. I said to sit back and enjoy the next few years. I said this team’s evolution is a process. I said what we must undergo and undertake cannot be faked, nor simulated. While it would be nice to ride this offseason to a playoff berth, it would be foolish to go around expecting it. (At which point people will act like the Eagles somehow let them down again.)

There is much left to be done before we fans can strut around like we own the division. It’s been years now since we won the East. Years. We don’t own any form of valid bragging rights anymore. You claim bragging rights when you win, and NOT before. That doesn’t mean you can’t talk trash, but until our team can break .500 again, it might be wise to pump the brakes with the boasting.