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PRESEASON FOUR THINGS: WK P3: EAGLES – BENGALS

Posted by The BEAST on 2026/08/28
Posted in: breakdown, Coaching, Conversations, Four Things, Offense, Players, preseason, Rants, Roster, Special Teams, Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

TONIGHT, for the first time since January 11th, football will finally be played in Philadelphia again. Expect many people showing up to work wearing green. The words “Go Birds” outnumbering air molecules. The feel of an approaching September…

While the wins and losses won’t be counted in the record, the stakes for some players, will be monumental. Some careers will be ended before they even get started, and some guys may flash and rescue their career in final quarter of the final game. Just like 7th round S Kurt Coleman did in 2010, turning a near pink slip into a ten year career, with a Pro Bowl nod in 2015. So eyes open, Eagles fans. You never know what you might see.

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The point of Four Things isn’t to predict a winner. It’s to discuss which tactics will give our Eagles the best chance to defeat this week’s opponent. Except in preseason. Winning would be nice, but these games aren’t for that. They’re for helping us establish depth, and to perhaps uncover a gem or two.

So here’s what I’ll be keeping an eye on, in this match-up:

RB Will Shipley

1) Second Unit Run Game: While RB’s Will Shipley and Carson Steele appear to be gamers vs reserves; we’ve seen Shipley run out of gas in a playoff game, and Steele is more of a small FB than a starting RB. If either has to start due to injury, our ground game isn’t scaring anybody.

I want to see competition for that fourth string/Practice Squad RB spot. So far all we’ve seen is Steele. I don’t recall a single carry from RB Dameon Pierce, and Jordan Mims was just signed on Monday. It would be nice to see that we have a third guy who can break a game open.

2) Sitting This One Out: I don’t want to see LB Jeremiah Trotter Jr., or Ty Robinson in pads for this one. Those roster spots are secure. There is no need to expose them to an injury risk. Same for QB Tanner McKee.
Ideally, QB Andy Dalton would get the first half. That way he can put out some tape, and maybe he can catch-on with another team. Because we should be about the business of cutting him.

3) Payton’s Place: Give QB Cole Payton the entire second half, to start grooming him as our third stringer, (and possibly future second stringer). As a fifth round pick, his next contract will be very controllable. Especially if QB Jalen Hurts doesn’t miss much time over the next few years, so Payton can’t put much on tape. Steep him in the system and develop him as a long-term back-up, as a way to stash cost-controlled depth.

4) Any Reason For Hope: Since mostly third stringers will play this game, it’s bound to be a little sloppy here and there. So big runs, big catches, and kick returns may be exaggerated from what we’d see in the regular season. Meaning any that we see, have be taken with a grain of salt.

Still, even if it’s false hope, PLEASE give me something to look forward to, with our kick return game! Do you realize that WR Britain Covey has never returned a kickoff for more than 30 yards? Can we get something going? A 50 yard kickoff return? A 35 yard punt return? Something? Anything?? PLEASE!?

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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.

FOUR THINGS REVIEWED: WK P1: Ravens

Posted by The BEAST on 2026/08/17
Posted in: breakdown, Conversations, Defense, Four Things, Offense, Players, preseason, stats. Tagged: , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

DT Ty Robinson celebrates getting a sack. 

 

ENDURING the process.

EAGLES 7 – Ravens 24

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

1) The Defensive Interior: Looked pretty good out there. DT Ty Robinson (2 – 1.0 – 0 – 0) was essentially lined up at DE and did a nice job of getting upfield to create pressure. With his body type and physical style;I said last year that he was my favorite pick of the Draft, and that I thought if played at LDE, would be special. He played RDE in this one, but the telling was there.

Taken at face value, DT Uar Bernard (no stats) was a mixed bag. However, given that this was his very first competitive football game ever played, he was outstanding. He has a ton of technique stuff to iron out, but his passion and power were on display here. If he doesn’t let this year discourage him, the Eagles have a find on their hands. (+)

2) Flip-Flop: I suppose it was wise to not overwhelm rookie RT Markel Bell. He didn’t play any snaps at LT. He just stuck to RT, and didn’t do anything dumb. Nothing eye-popping, but he at least looked like he belonged out there. (+)

3) A Second Look: First, WR Hollywood Brown (1 – 1 – 4 – 4.0 – 0) caught the only pass thrown to him. That’s to his credit. That said, a four yard route to speedster, playing against second stringers in a vanilla cover scheme, was a pretty weak play-call. Offensive Coordinator Sean Mannion: Step you game up next week.

I wanted to see what WR Quez Watkins (no receiving stats) would do with any passes coming his way. Not one did. (-)

4) Bottom of the Roster: Of the two long-shots that I was keeping an eye on, only RB Ja’Quindon Jackson (1 catch for 11 yards), saw any action. (-)

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Next week we travel to face off against the New England Patriots. So far their forecast calls for rain, so don’t expect a whole lot of throwing the ball around. Unless the forecast changes by then.

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Game Hero: QB Cole Payton – (4/9 – 44.4 – 37 – 1 – 0) racking up 45 rushing yards on 3 carries, Payton provided the spark that kept the Eagles from being shutout.

Game goat: OC Sean Mannion – For a guy trying to establish himself and get his feet wet for real competition in less than a month, he didn’t seem very interested in challenging himself. The most of the routes were of the dink and dunk variety, leading to us seeing TE Eli Stowers (3 – 3 – 12 – 4.0 – 0) catch the same pass, three times for nearly the same result each time.

On The Whole:

I ended up more disappointed by the play-calling, more than anything else. The Ravens racked up yards more than points, but that largely had to do with our Offense not being able to stay on the field.