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FOUR THINGS REVIEWED: WK 15: BEARS

Posted by The BEAST on 2022/12/19
Posted in: breakdown, Coaching, Defense, Four Things, NFC East, NFL, Offense, Players, playoffs, Reviews, Roster, Special Teams, stats. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

RUNNING a lot hurts Jalen.

EAGLES 25 – Bears 20

EAGLES STATS:

Categories include an EXCLUSIVE weekly Offensive Line Report (Rushing TD’s (6 points) + 3rd downs converted by handoffs (1 point) + sacks allowed (-2 points) = score); as well as Drive Killer (Int – FR – 4th down Tackles – FF – TD).

New Category Ace is for Kick return TD’s, Returners run-down, kicks blocked, etc.

Passing :(S) QB Jalen Hurts (22/37 – 59.4% – 315 – 0 – 2)

Rushing :(S) QB Jalen Hurts (17 – 61 – 3.5 – 3 – 0)

Receiving : (S) WR A.J. Brown (16 – 9 – 181 – 20.1 – 0)

Offensive Line Report/Enforcer : (3 (18) + 1 (1) – 1 (2) = 17 ) LT Jordan Mailata

Drive Killer :(S) OLB Haason Reddick (0 – 1 – 0 – 1 – 0)

Sack Leader :(S) OLB Haason Reddick (4 – 2.0 – 0 – 1)

Ace : RB Boston Scott: 58 yard KR (3 – 92 – 30.6 – 0)

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

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

DT Javon Hargrave and DE Josh Sweat each had 2 sacks in this game.

1) Lock The Box: Don’t mush-rush. Play the LB’s in shallow zones, and get aggressively after their QB with our front four. That was the call and that’s EXACTLY what we did. Three different Eagles had 2 sacks each, as DT Javon Hargrave (3 – 2.0 – 0 – 0), DE Josh Sweat (6 – 2.0 – 1 – 0) and OLB Haason Reddick (4 – 2.0 – 0 – 1) all laid hands upon Chicago’s QB.

Aside from 95 rushing yards to a run-first QB, we gave up just 62 yards on 15 carries (4.1) to the rest of their team. Some of the yards were in small chunks, but most were in small pieces and slivers. So it was never something they could rely on, or use to complement the rest of their offense. (DONE)

2) Man Coverage on the Corners: Chicago’s top three WR’s COMBINED for 4 catches, 72 yards (18.0 yards per catch), with a 35 yard score on a blown coverage. Our CB’s played up in the receivers faces and reduced them essentially to spectators. (DONE)

3) Use Play-action: You can’t use play-action if you don’t hand the ball off. In the first half of this game RB Miles Sanders (11 – 42 – 3.8 – 0 – 1) carried the ball all of 4 times. That’s a recipe for getting your QB killed. (NOT DONE)

4) Quick Hook: We never got the chance to pull our starters because we never had a 20 point lead. However, the contingency plan of hammering the football was also not even glanced at. (NOT DONE)

****

OLB Haason Reddick with one of of his two sacks

This week 2 of the Four Things was enough for us to grab a the “Dub”. Next week we go to Dallas to clinch the NFC East, and guarantee home-field advantage (and then a neutral site), throughout the playoffs.

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On The Whole:

WR A.J. Brown gets the catch, but no laundry for “some” reason.

Let me get this gripe in, first. I’ve been very vocal about how much wear and tear all the running will put on Hurts. I haven’t talked about punishment. I’ve talked about wear and tear. I don’t know if YOU noticed it, but Hurts looks slower running these days. More catchable. That’s the wear and tear. Like on your own joints!

With Hurts being easier to catch, that means he’s now easier to hit. Notice the kind of hits he took in this game? In September/October no one repeatedly got those sort of shots on him. They did in this one! And he’s only going to keep getting up slower and slower. You want to watch the Cowboys knock him out of a game? Me either. They have to ease up on the called runs.

Thanks to QB Tom Brady and Deflate-gate, I’ve repeatedly talked about how cold weather affects footballs. Early in the game I figured this was why Hurts’ ball placement was so spotty. Turns out his hands were numb, and he was having trouble seeing. He doesn’t think Philly will get as cold as Chicago did. Somebody tell him!

Do I think this team looked past Chicago, to next week’s match-up with Dallas? In the fourth quarter, on the two point conversion, Miles Sanders went into motion, setting off a series of pre-snap shifts. When he went by the TE, Sanders touched him on the rear, that TE shifted and touched the rear of the next man to go into a shift.

For those who don’t know what that was, it was the Eagles running silent, to handle noise. Soldier Field wasn’t loud at that point, so why do that? Because it was practice for next week. The Eagles used this Bears game as a first practice for Dallas. It’s not just players that looked past the Bears. The coaching staff was doing it too.

This is only the beginning.

FOUR THINGS: WK 15: EAGLES – BEARS

Posted by The BEAST on 2022/12/17
Posted in: breakdown, Coaching, Defense, Four Things, Offense, Players, playoffs, Preview, trade. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , . 1 Comment

CLINCHING a playoff spot last week, validates the Eagles efforts so far. Goal number one of any season, in any sport, is to qualify for the playoffs. Well, that part is in the books. Goal number two is to win our division, so that we get to host at least one playoff game.

Standing in the way of that goal, are the run-dimensional Chicago Bears. (See what I did there?) Should be fun to watch QB Jalen Hurts stalk these animals in their den, and fire multiple touchdowns right though the heart of their secondary.

Skinny Batman Alert!!! WR Devonta Smith has 775 receiving yards. He needs 225 more in the next four games, to reach 1,000. The Eagles already have one 1,000 yard receiver in WR A.J. Brown. The franchise has never had two in the same year.

A win pushes us to 13 – 1, and helps us hold onto a two game lead in our division, as well as our two game lead as the NFC’s top team.

A loss sees us sag to 12 – 2. We’d still be the top team in the NFC East, and the NFC, regardless of how Sunday works out. Still, the Bears are an opponent who has already been eliminated from playoff contention. It’s our duty to help them improve their position in this upcoming Draft.

****

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: Bears

1) Lock The Box: Because of QB Justin Fields’ ability to run past pass-rushers, many teams opt to “mush rush” him, where they gradually try to shrink the pocket, instead of penetrating. It usually works, but it allows the Bears to hang around in games they shouldn’t be in. Why give up a ton of easy yards and points?

Here’s what we should do with our front seven. No mush-rush. Full rush our four D-Linemen, and put the LB’S in shallow zones. That way, if and when Fields slips by our Line, we already have LB’s closing on him, and hoping to trade paint. We also need to be ready to corral their RB’s. Once we have the lead, just continue to “dance with the girl who brung ya.” Stick with the strategy.  

2) Man Coverage on the Corners: The Bears receivers are trash, and their QB is no miracle worker. Take them off the board as options immediately, to force the QB to either run, or dump it underneath. Otherwise, he’s putting the ball in harms way.

3) Use Play-action: That immediately means that RB Miles Sanders needs to receive actual hand-offs, to get the defense to bite on the fakes when they happen. Play-action to Sanders, then a deep shot to Devonta Smith, sounds like six already!

4) Quick Hook: At any point, if we get up by 20 points, we need to immediately pull our starters. Two reasons:

1) It protects our players from potential injuries, in a game that could quickly become mean-spirited, if the Bears feel humiliated.

2) The earlier we pull our starters, the more the Bears will feel we don’t take them seriously. Bears players were gut-punched earlier this year, when DE Robert Quinn was traded here. That was followed by a shoryuken, when the Bears traded away LB Roquan Smith. Bears players were publicly questioning what they were playing for. The humiliation of watching us sub early, would send that team into Quit Mode. DO IT! (If we get the chance.)

If we never see a 20 by the 4th quarter, then frequently bring in Offensive Lineman as eligible receivers, then run off-Guard power stuff. Switch to a physical run style. Punish the Bears to advertise that when opponents make us give them our undivided, then there’s going to be trouble.

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

The number one rushing team in the NFL is the Bears. Mostly because 1) their QB is a gifted runner, and 2) in proud Bears tradition, their QB isn’t very good at the QB part of playing QB. So how afraid should we be?

The Bears have lost a lot of close games this season. If we let them hang around, we’ll have problem, later in the game. That’s why getting up early and resting starters, is so important.

[eagles celebrating]

We’re dealing with an opponent that went into the Trade Deadline with a front office screaming “Fire Sale!”. So don’t tell me they want to win a couple for pride. Perhaps the players may, but from the head coach on up, the Bears want to tank to move up in the 2023.

So we should help them out!

****

Prediction: EAGLES 29 – Bears 20

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, you are 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.

SHOULD HOWIE SIGN TREY BURTON?

Posted by The BEAST on 2020/04/18
Posted in: Conversations, free agents, Front Office (F.O.), NFL, Offense, Players, Roster, Special Teams, Super Bowl. Tagged: , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

treyburton

WELL before the Eagles won Super Bowl 52, we knew that TE’s Trey Burton and Brent Celek weren’t coming back to Philadelphia. Burton was about to be a free agent and command a nice chunk of change on the open market. TE Zach Ertz was the headliner in Philly, and there wasn’t enough cap space to sensibly have two high-priced TE’s.

So when the Chicago Bears backed a dump truck full of money (4 years, 32M$) up to Burton’s door, no Eagles fan had hard feelings about it. Absolutely nothing in his history suggested that he should have made even half of that, so the feeling was ‘Sure. He should take the money and run.’ We generally wished Burton well, (as long as he wasn’t playing against us), and everyone turned the page.

Trey_Burton

Well, the Bears just cut Burton after two seasons where he didn’t deliver on a deal that he was never, ever going to live up to. Honestly, Burton isn’t a starting TE. He’s more of a TE 2A/TE 2B type. I mean, statistically speaking, Zach Ertz had Burton’s entire career in 2018. So Burton won’t see another ridiculous payday, which means he’s not going to end up starting anywhere.

But that doesn’t mean that he isn’t valuable. Even highly valuable! Burton plays Special Teams. That’s kick coverage and hands team. He has collegiate experience at QB, HB, WR and TE. For the Eagles he’s lined up all over the place, and we do love to move  our TE’s around. Which we can do, because we have a genuine TE 1 in Ertz.

card.trey.burton

This means that TE Josh Perkins (whom I like), would be the odd man out, but if you had to pick between Burton and Perkins… I mean c’mon, with Burton the Eagles get a Swiss Army knife who’s a better blocker. The only question is, would Burton be okay with the role of TE 3, behind TE Dallas Goedert? If so, then bringing him back here would be a great move for him, and for the team.

Philly Special Trey Burton passing

FOUR THINGS REVIEWED – WK 9 – BEARS

Posted by The BEAST on 2019/11/04
Posted in: Coaching, Conversations, Defense, Four Things, NFL, Offense, Players, Reviews, stats. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

FRUSTRATION. That word kept being applied to the Bears defensive players today, whenever they committed a bone-head penalty. However, the word just as easily could have been used to describe what it was like to see drive after Eagles drive, stall due to spotty play selection in the red zone.

To be honest, this game wasn’t nearly as close as the score, and should have been a blowout before half-time. While it’s impossible to ignore the issues that will be magnified over the next month, or the time being we have a couple days to appreciate being over .500 for at least a week.

Let’s enjoy it for a bit.

2019 Special Teams Bears muff

EAGLES 22 – Bears 14

The one-two punch of RB Jordan Howard (19 – 82 – 4.3 – 1 – 0) and RB Miles Sanders (10 – 42 – 4.2 – 0 – 0 / 3 – 31 – 10.3 – 0) was once again the engine that drove this team. While QB Carson Wentz (26/39 – 66.6% – 239 – 1 – 0) did have a nice day playing catch with TE Zach Ertz (9 – 103 – 11.4 – 1), he’s going to remain handcuffed until we get genuine #1 WR on this team.

New addition DE Genard Avery (1 – 0.5 – 0 – 0) came in and made his presence known. The coming Bye week gives him a chance to study, and get a better grasp of the scheme, before anyone gets much tape of him in it. Could be interesting. DE Brandon Graham (2 – 1 – 0 – 0) continues to find his way to the QB. He was aided today by a lot of early press coverage on the edges. The entire rush was aided by it actually.

2019 Eagles Bear trap.jpeg

Seemed like this would be a game that we could get a couple of turnovers in, but we didn’t force one all game. You know the word “comforting”? Yeah, this the opposite of that.

I hear you asking, “What about all the stuff that stats don’t reveal?” Well, 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) Make OLB Mack a liability: We didn’t really do this. They flip-flopped DE Khalil Mack (4 – 0 – 0 – 0) to try and get him some good looks, but he spent this game largely being negated. That in itself is a great thing since most of his match-ups were one-on-one. What sucks is that we didn’t punish him for being good at something. We didn’t capitalize on him. While what we did was still great, we didn’t do the thing written, so… (NOT DONE)

2) Steal their crutches: We spent an entire game doing this successfully. It wasn’t until we gave them another option, that they gained the slightest bit of life. (DONE)

2019 wentz sacked goldman.jpg

NT Eddie Goldman sacks QB Carson Wentz on opening drive. C Jason Kelce strolls over as the play unfolds.

3) Mix it up: We did a really good job of this in the first half. The second half, not so much. That first drive was awesome, until our interior Offensive line caved, and allowed Wentz to be sacked by NT Eddie Goldman (2 – 1 – 0 – 0). Later we would also give up one to DT Nick Williams (2 – 1 – 0 – 0). Then again, I just said in this year’s second Quarterly Review, that our interior has issues with pass pro. No one else is talking about that though. (DONE)

4) Toss them an anchor: Instead of tossing the Bears an anchor, we gave them a Zero Coverage look, which allowed even their QB, to hit a receiver for a 53 yard gain, which set up a very short TD. Prior to that, it was 19 – 0 and the Bears were reeling. Had they turned the ball over or allowed another score of any kind, the team would have folded like origami. We have got to find a player to inspire some form of emotional killer instinct. (NOT DONE)

So for this week, heading into our Bye, we break even at 2 of 4 things in Four Things. That brings us to a mark of 17 of 36 (.472) for the year.

I don’t set these tasks at higher than basic, and I tailor them to each opponent. So these grades are fair. They are by their very design, timely, unbiased, and stark. Despite having a 5- 4 record, a sub .500 Four Thing score, indicates that we aren’t doing basic things, and thus are a fundamentally bad team.

As things stand today, we do not deserve a playoff appearance. Here’s hoping that we get this turned around.

On The Whole:

2019 Jordan Howard Khalil Mack.jpg

For a second week in a row, we leaned on Jordan Howard and walked off with the ‘W’. We played some press coverage, and saw our Defensive Line cash in for 2.5 sacks.

Guy Fawkes Anonymous mask.jpg

Carson Wentz ignored the voice of Guy Fawkes, and targeted Zach Ertz 11 times. Ertz made plays when his number was called. No WR came close to his production.

Speaking of which, the WR issue has gotten terrifying. Alshon hasn’t looked right since he came back from injury. Frankly, given how much attention he sees, with no other WR threat to cover, I’m amazed that he’s produced much at all. But that’s a discussion for another day. Like tomorrow. The article is already written.

FOUR THINGS – WK 9 – EAGLES – BEARS

Posted by The BEAST on 2019/11/01
Posted in: Coaching, Conversations, Defense, Four Things, NFL, Offense, Players, Preview, Uncategorized, X's and O's. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , . 1 Comment

WK9-CHI

THIS week is all about establishing some momentum going into our Week 10 Bye. We aren’t trying to make a statement. After all, this is only the Bears. Pushing a car already in Neutral, isn’t impressive. And this is pretty much that. The idea here is not to lose our grip, and get backed over by that same car.

With the Packers leading the NFC North at 7 – 1, and the Vikings right on their heels at 6 – 2, the 3 – 4 fourth place Bears, have to know that 2019 is already a wrap for them. Bears fans can whip out their calculators and do some magic math, but the rest of us can hear the Fat Lady clearing her throat.

While it’s highly unlikely that the giants will beat the Cowboys this week, such an outcome would put the Eagles alone atop the NFC East. So long as we also win this week. This means that we have extreme motivation, while the Bears are practically waiting for a mercy killing. Those are the stakes. So let’s get to choppin’!

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

1) Make OLB Mack a liability: The Bears play a 3 – 4, with Khalil Mack as a dedicated rusher at RDE/OLB. His dance partner this week will either be LT Jason Peters, fresh off an injury, or rookie LT Andre Dillard. That sounds like a problem for us, but it doesn’t have to be. Our game plan should include constant inside chipping by the RB, followed by his release into the Flat.

fig2.jpg

The Offensive Line positions in the yellow, denotes who is responsible for blocking which defensive player.

That would allow our LT to speed up his kick slide, and get set-up quickly on the outside, without fear of being beaten quickly inside. If Mack speed rushes outside, the LT is already there. If Mack dips inside, he gets blown up by the RB, long enough for the LT to step up, latch on, and rag-doll him.

That RB in the Flat, is a quick way to punish the Bears for rushing Mack in the first place. I like the idea of using RB Jordan Howard on this.

card.jordan.howard.jpg

He’s a good pass protector, and given the bad rap that Chicago gave him as a receiver, it would be nice to see him grab 5 or 6 passes, in open space, vs a single DB.

2) Steal their crutches: The Bears awful QB throws a lot of short passes to his RB’s. This would be a great week to see one of our players jump one of those routes and take the ball back to the house. I’m looking at you OLB Nate Gerry! It would be nice to see you make a big play, OLB Kamu Grugier-Hill! Hey Malcolm! Get in the middle of one of these upcoming passes.

card.malcolm.jenkins.jpg

This is Nelson Muntz vs Tim Cratchit. We should be able to easily take away the short game, and force a bad QB, into making some pretty dumb throws.

3) Mix it up: While their offense is a punchline, their defense is no joke. Part of that is talent, but most of it is just plain old preparation. They see what teams rely on, and they prep to take away those strengths. While we shouldn’t abandon our strengths, we should throw them a few things they haven’t seen much from us.

Seeing some 11 Personnel with rookie WR J.J. Arcega-Whiteside in the Slot, inside of WR Alshon Jeffery, would be a look that inspires the coverage to roll that way. The aforementioned 5 or 6 passes to Howard in that alignment, could be devastating.

Maybe we could run a FB trap with TE Dallas Geodert? Or maybe a play-action, TE Quick Screen out of 12 Personnel (Heavy right, motion to Twins left)? Like this:Fig3

Surely Eagles coaches are as creative as I am, right? Right?! We’ll see.

4) Toss them an anchor: Usually I like to suggest two ways to attack an opposing defense and two ways to attack their offense. However, the Bears offense is so bad, that taking way their defensive strength, should be enough to cause QB Mitch Trubisky to try and stage a rescue.

He’s like a lifeguard who can’t swim. He’s like a squeamish surgeon. He’s like a tampon made of raw, ground beef. He just makes things worse. So we’ll just take away the run, and when their team needs saving, we will present them the option of Trubisky, more Trubiskly, and only Trubisky.

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:

Defensively, the Eagles are going to make a point of taking away the run. That should get the Bears coaching staff to do some of that cute, gimmicky shit, that they love failing at so much. Rest assured, Trubisky will give us opportunities. We just have to capitalize on them, when he does.

ccard.doug.pederson.jpg
Offensively, HC Doug Pederson understands that we have to dictate the action to a defense as good as the Bears have. It shouldn’t shock you if he dials up a shot down the field on the opening drive. Not on the first three downs, but soon after we pick up our first first down. Expect to see the Eagles being the aggressor early in this one.

The Bears are catching us at the wrong time. I almost feel bad for them.

PREDICTION: EAGLES 27 – Bears 14

yeah-bitch

FOUR THINGS REVIEWED: WILD CARD ROUND : BEARS

Posted by The BEAST on 2019/01/07
Posted in: Coaching, Conversations, Defense, Four Things, NFC East, NFL, Offense, Players, playoffs, Roster, Special Teams, stats. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

ONE win down, three more to go. On the road, with a back-up QB, playing against the league’s top ranked defense. Oh, and down at the half. If it were any other team, that game would have turned into a blowout. Instead, OUR defense came out and showed our opponent the difference between being ranked as the best, and actually being the best.

(It also helped that our opponent kicked the potential game-winning field goal, smack into the upright. For the ELEVENTH time this year. Yes. Eleventh.)

1-doink

EAGLES 16 – Bears 15

QB Nick Foles (25/40 – 62.5% – 266 – 2 – 2) had the worst playoff game of his career. Meanwhile he proved as clutch as a handbag, slinging the go-ahead touchdown on 4th down, to WR Golden Tate (5 – 46 – 9.2 – 1) leaving less than a minute in the game. LT Jason Peters let the world know, that even with a bad wing, he’s still a one-on-one match for one of the best pass rushers in the game.

Touchdown Tate.jpg

The guy playing out of his mind was OLB Nigel Bradham (7 – 0 – 0 – 0). Deflections, tackles for losses, even diving on a loose ball that was an incompletion. His stat line can’t communicate how disruptive he was. S Tre Sullivan (3 – 0 – 0 – 0) got his hand on three passes and played the best game I’ve ever seen from him.

nigel bradham

Nobody made plans for Nigel. So he just wrecked shit.

I hear you asking, “What about all the stuff that stats don’t reveal?” Well, 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) Score more than 22 points: Okay, the Eagles didn’t score 22, but everything else in that section, we did. We left no points on the field due to 4th down gambles. We put the game on their QB. Though we accomplished the spirit of this, the heading wasn’t matched so I put ot down as not. NOT DONE

2) Run the damned ball!: We had 22 handoffs, not 25. We also started G Isaac Seumalo and got no push inside. In a way it’s like the coaching staff was just paying lip service to running. NOT DONE

3) Set hard edges: We didn’t allow a bunch of runs to the outside, and kept the ball-carriers well bottled. DONE

4) Work the edges: The TE’s saw plenty of work, but most of the passes on the outside were for WR’s. Still did the job. DONE

This game saw us snag 2 of 4 of our Four Things goals. Not bad since we got out with the win. Next week we head down to New Orleans, to give them the playoff game they wanted from us so much, last year. Careful what you wish for fellas!

Eagles Bears WC.jpg

On The Whole:

Wanna hear something hilarious? Bears K Cody Parkey (3/4FG, 0/0XP), is in the first year of a four year deal. With 9M$ guaranteed. Yes. You read that right. Guaranteed. Current 49er and former Bears K, Robbie Gould was in the stands watching the game. Did I mention he’s the Bears all-time scorer? I didn’t? Well he’s the Bears all-time leading scorer. Aaaand they probably could have used him. Such a shame that they cut him. Looks like the team came down with a case of that there Karma. Heard it’s been going around and coming around.

Okay, stop laughing, stop laughing. We have our own glaring issue to stare down. This thing where we’re trying to wring one RB out of four players, has me worried. Yes, I said four. RB Boston Scott got to see time in the backfield, picking up at least one blitz.

The inability to manufacture meaningful rushing yards, is a problem. If we don’t figure out how to provide balance, this magic carpet ride likely ends next Sunday.

2-doug declared it.jpg

FOUR THINGS: WILD CARD ROUND: EAGLES-BEARS

Posted by The BEAST on 2019/01/03
Posted in: Coaching, Conversations, Defense, Four Things, Offense, Players, playoffs, Preview. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , . 3 Comments

1 WC-CHI.jpg

GUESS who’s back?

Back again.

Philly’s back.

We got in.

Guess who? It’s that team that nobody wants to see on their schedule! Say hello to 53 guys, pulling together, feeling disrespected, and trying to prove a point while playing with house money! Led by QB Nick Foles who’s trying to lay the groundwork for “Mucho Paper in March”. (You know they’ve been paying him to kill teams, right?) I feel sad for teams that just got an invite to the playoffs, because brother, we’ve been playing playoff ball for WEEKS now.

Die Hard Welcome.jpg

Step One was qualifying for the playoffs. Now for Step Two.

Last year as the #1 seed, the Eagles only had to defend the summit. This year we start at the very bottom of the mountain, and have to slay monsters on our way up. The monsters this week, are the Monsters of the Midway. (And to be fair, the “vs” artwork on their website, is pretty cool.)

Eagles v Bears Chicago website.jpeg

At 12 – 4 and getting to play at home, national pundits are already convinced that the Bears will make short work of the Eagles. We are once again, dismissed as a non-factor in the NFL playoffs. No matter. We still have our trusty bottles of Spite.

SPITE bottle

Yep! Those who do not learn from history, are doomed to see us repeating as Super Bowl Champions.

But first we have to slay THIS monster.

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

1) Score more than 22 points: Score however we can, whenever we can. Don’t roll the dice early on 4th and 2, and such. Just take the field goals. The Bears are 0 – 4 this year when they allow more than just 22 points. They are 2 – 6 when they allow 20 or better. That’s because in “shootout situations” their QB has a tendency to share the football with his opponents. Scoring points puts the game on his shoulders, and he can’t carry that load. So let’s hand him a shovel, and let him bury his own team.

2) Run the damned ball!: It’s a good luck charm and SCREAMED REMINDER, Doug! We need 25 carries. Not only has it worked for us, but 3 out of the 4 Bears losses have come against teams that attempted 25 runs or more.

3) Set hard edges: Let’s keep all runners directly in front of our tacklers. Let’s make tackling easy and hits painful.

4) Work the edges: Like the Redskins, much of the Bears pass rush comes from their OLB’s. That’s a problem against teams like us, who have players like TE Zach Ertz and TE Dallas Goedert.

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:

The last time we played this team (November 26, 2017) we whipped them 31 – 3. They have pretty much every major piece that they had last year. Except for OLB Khalil Mack on defense, and TE Trey Burton of course.

Otherwise this is the same team that we beat the holy hell out of, a little over a year ago. That’s not saying that they haven’t gotten better. What 31 – 3 says, is that there’s a fundamental factor, an elemental vibe if you will, that the Care Bears just have no deep-seated answer for. (Trivia nugget: QB Nick Foles was 3/3 in that game. 21 yards passing.)

To be fair, we were at home and also leaned pretty heavy on RB’s LeGarrette Blount, Jay Ajayi and Corey Clement that day. Scared? Worried? Don’t be. The hatchet that we did them in with was really Zach Ertz.

If you’re worried about the Secondary, we got apretty good day from S’s Malcolm Jenkins and Corey Graham, as well as CB’s Jalen Mills and Rasul Douglas. Hey, aren’t most of those guys playing Sunday? Yeahhhhhh, baby. Feeling a little better? Oh, I knew you would. I knew you would. I knew would.

To make a long story short but always worth the telling, I hear New Orleans is nice this time of year.

PREDICTION: EAGLES 24 – Bears 19

yeah-bitch

OH THEM HIDDEN FEES!

Posted by The BEAST on 2018/09/05
Posted in: Conversations, Defense, Front Office (F.O.), NFL, Players, trade. Tagged: , , , , , , , , . 1 Comment

 

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OAKLAND’S Raiders are my second favorite NFL team, so I feel a need to offer a few words regarding the “The Trade”. I just didn’t think it would be right to do it before I released this week’s Four Things article. Having done that more than 24 hours ago, I feel like it’s now appropriate to me to weigh in.

Don’t get me wrong, DE Khalil Mack is the sort of guy every NFL fan, teammate, coach, GM and owner, wants on their team. From a talent standpoint, losing him hurts the Raiders. No Silver and Black fan can just look at this trade and shrug over it.

However, it’s not nearly as bad for the Raiders as the media is making it sound. While many are quick to judge it by what Oakland lost, I’m not sure that anybody is really asking: “Well what did Chicago gain?” I mean, everybody is asking that question, but I doubt anybody is REALLY asking that question. Because we all know that Mack did well for himself. 

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Understand, while Mack was on the team, the Raiders had a record of 28 – 36. With him, the defense has never finished higher than 21st in yards or 20th in points. Despite his individual sack numbers over the years, the Raiders have never been able to parlay that into an effect which the entire unit could capitalize on. (The Eagles for example, got as much pass-rush as any team in 2017, despite not having a single double digit sack artist.)

The Raiders had 31 sacks in 2017, 25 in 2016, 38 in 2015 and 22 in 2014. They averaged 29 sacks a year with Mack. If they meet or exceed 29 sacks in 2018, it will mathematically be saying that they became more effective as a team, in his absence. And that’s without factoring in whether or not the two first round picks they got for him, turn into decent players.

While I have no idea what Mack and his agent initially asked Oakland for in negotiations, the 6 year, 141M$ extension, gives a hell of a hint. The idea of paying a single DE, 20M$ per year, had to have Oakland thinking “Why?” “Where are the results?” “Six years of paying for more 28 – 36?” From that was born “The Trade”.

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The burden for proving this trade wise isn’t on the Raiders. It never was. The price Oakland paid is all up front. It’s a done deal now. There are no hidden costs or fees on this transaction for them. In exchange for one player, this could become “The Great Trade Robbery 2.0”. The same can’t be said for the Bears. For them this trade is all about what comes next, and that can’t be accurately judged today.

The Bears haven’t been to the playoffs since 2010. That was the last time they won the division. In fact, the last FOUR times the Bears went to the playoffs, they had to win the division to do it. The last time they made the postseason without winning their division, was 1994. Back then it was the NFC Central and there were five teams in it (Chicago, Green Bay, Minnesota, Detroit and Tampa Bay).

When you ink a guy to 22M a year, you’re chasing playoff success. If the Bears win one Super Bowl during Mack’s contract, the trade is great one. If they see the Conference championship 3 of those years, it’s a good trade. If they win the division 4 of those years, (even if they make quick exits), it’s still a successful trade, because it changes the focal point of the division. However, anything short of that is utter failure.