LT Jordan Mailata comforts RB Miles Sanders after his fumble.
WE fumbled the game away
EAGLES 34 – Cowboys 40
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.
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: Cowboysdid the Eagles actually get around to doing? Well let’s see:
One of TWO interception taken from WR Quez Watkins
1) Make their OLB’s Cover:They came out in a 4-2-5 alignment, moving OLB Micah Parsons (3 – 0 – 0 – 0) all around the formation to try and create a mismatch. While Minshew was under a fair amount of pressure during the game, Dallas collected no sacks all game long. We failed in this aspect, but we may gain a new tactic after this film study. (NOT DONE)
2) Punish the Blitz: Aside from a 21 yard pass to RBKenny Gainwell (4 – 1 7 – 4.2 – 0 – 0 / 4 – 4 – 41 – 10.2 – 0), at no point did we catch them over-exposed during a blitz. Also, more could have been done with play-action. (NOT DONE)
3) Take Away the Quick Stuff:Slot WR Ceedee Lamb (11 – 10 – 120 – 12.0 – 2) was immediately into his routes. The timing routes were so good, that their QB could have almost played with his eyes closed. (NOT DONE)
Sacks. Pick Sixes. DE Josh Sweat did it all.
4) Squeeze and Occupy the Gaps: Well executed. Cowboys RB’s ran for 74 yards on 25 carries (2.96ypc). This also opened up pass rush opportunities, leading to six sacks.(DONE)
****
Sadly, we rung up just 1 of the Four Things this week, but we’ll see this team again, soon. Having not taken care of business this week, we need to play another meaningful game next week vs the Saints. Which in all truth, may be the best thing for our playoff run.
****
On The Whole:
FIRST! That interception by Josh Sweat was a amazing. The last time I saw a play like that, I was making it at age 15. It was just street ball. No pads. I’ve never seen that play made in pads, and couldn’t believe it when I saw it. The degree of difficulty to make that play in pads… I need to give Sweat props, before going into the postmortem.
Two fumbles. One by RB Miles Sanders where he simply lost the handle; and an inexplicable one by RB Boston Scott (0 – 0 – 0.0 – 0 – 1) where he took a handoff and for whatever reason never closed his arms over the ball. Worse was WR Quez Watkins(5 – 1 – 19 – 19.0 – 0) giving up two interceptions by letting the defender take the ball out of his hands.
Don’t tell me how competitive each man on the team is, when I see a lack of hunger this pronounced. Next season it might be wise to distill Watkins, RB Boston Scott, and KR Britain Covey’s roster spots into a back-up WR or RB, who has college KR experience. Our third round pick should be a GREAT place to find that player.
Aside from the four turnovers, there was the 3rd and 30 that we allowed the Cowboys to convert. While everyone else is harping on the coverage, the real problem was the lack of pressure that allowed the clean look, on a pin-point pass, delivered with follow through. Just a four man rush on 3rd and 30? It was clear that was the plan pre-snap, so I was in my living room screaming for five. Screaming! So the catch wasn’t surprising.
Overall, I didn’t see anything that worries me for the rubber match in a few weeks. Do I see us forcing just one punt, and giving the ball away four times, again? Not at all. I also don’t see us holding their RB’s to 74 yards, but the tactic for playing them will jump off any game tape. A six point loss, with four turnovers, playing with our back-up QB? Plenty of confidence for when we see them next.
OUR win over the Bears came at a cost, as our QB Jalen, hurts with (what we’re told is) a shoulder sprain. (See wha’ aw deed there? (Yes! And then I wrote with Sharlto Copley’s accent. You’re welcome!) In any case, we toughed our way past injury, brutal cold, and an opponent that I warned last week, that we can’t let hang around.
This week’s opponent doesn’t do so well against the run. Given that running the ball is a strength of ours, it can be the Trojan Horse that we use to sneak in our passing game this week. In that way we’d exploit a glaring Cowboys weakness, while strategically attacking what would normally be a strength that they rely on.
QB Gardner Minshew. Dallas, you have a problem.
A win here makes us 14 – 1, and uncatchable both as the winner of the NFC East, and as the #1 seed in the NFC. A win here also means, the only playoff game we’d play on the road, would be the Super Bowl. A win here would have the NFL looking at Eagles back-up QB Gardner Minshew and thinking, “Oh shit. Not again”
A loss puts us at 13 – 2 , leaving the division winner, and #1 seed in question for at least one more week. Which is why this game will be a NASTY one. Anyone who thinks they want it more than we do, is about to find themselves slumped over a fire hydrant. (Had to go old school, to paint that picture.)
****
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: Cowboys
WR A.J. Brown for six ahead of olb/DE Micah Parsons
1) Make their OLB’s Cover:It’s a given that OLB Micah Parsons is just a pass rusher. He’s a good one, but he’s exploitable in coverage and against the run. Almost to the point of being a liability. So run at him. Also have TE Dallas Goedert motion to Parson’s outside hip, so that when he pass rushes, he leaves Goedert open at the snap. Easy money until the Cowboys make Parsons cover.
The other OLB Anthony Barr doesn’t see as many snaps due to Nickel and Dime packages, but with his his age (30), weight (250), and injury history to his right leg, he’s no match for either WR Quez Watkins or WR Zach Pascal. Line them up on his outside leg and run him out of the box. Or even better, sub him out for smaller.
2) Punish the Blitz:The Cowboys like to walk S Donovan Wilson up into the ‘A’ and ‘B’ gaps to let him rush the QB practically unblocked. They’ve gotten him 4 sacks and 8 QB hits off of this tactic. Said the Little Tailor “Ahhh, but I know a trick worth two of that!”
With Hurts out of the game, it’s an automatic that hand-offs are back on the menu. So use play-action. No! Better yet, abuse play-action. Get the blitzer to honor the RB, so that Minshew has a second longer to let a receiver come uncovered on a quick route up the seam. Or put RB Miles Sanders in motion for a Quick Screen pass.
3) Take Away the Quick Stuff:Of course CB’s Darius “Big Play” Slay andJames Bradberry will play aggressively, but NCB Avonte Maddox needs to delay receivers releases into their patterns. Give no quick timing throws to QB Dak Prescott. We don’t have to shut the receivers down, just throw Prescott off.
Get their routes unfolding at a slower rate, than Prescott’s muscle memory. That doesn’t mean slow the game down for him! The pass rush is still coming at full speed! Due to a rash of interceptions, he’s said last week that he has to do a better job of assessing risk. Get him holding the ball a little longer, and get some sack/fumbles.
Our BACK-UPS at DT: Marvin Williams, Linval Joseph, Ndamukong Suh. This is so damned unfair.
4) Squeeze and Occupy the Gaps:This game will be won or lost at the Line Of Scrimmage. We don’t need to tackle their RB’s for a loss on every play. However, if we get bodies in the gaps and narrow run holes, (that goes for the ‘C’ gaps too!) it gives us time to get population to the football, and slow their run game down.
We don’t need to shut down their run, just make it unreliable. The more bodies we can put in gaps, the cleaner MLB T.J. Edwards stays. So take the run off the table and force Prescott to have to carry his team.
****
If the Eagles do these Four Things, then we’ll be virtually impossible to beat. That being said…
This is going to be a physical game, since both teams need the win. We need it to be able to rest players, and maybe practice new concepts for the playoffs. A win allows us to give some guys a day of two off. Just like Spring baseball.
Goosebumps.
The Cowboys on the other hand, need this game to have a mathematical chance at the East’s 2022 banner. A loss here will lock them in as the 5th seed. Yet they couldn’t afford to rest starters, with Prescott’s interception issue not being resolved. They need more reps to work on what’s wrong with their passing game.
So the Cowboys have to play the next two games hard, and then play Wild Card week. If we start the pounding on Saturday, they should be fall apart tender by the time we see them in four to five weeks. So let’s get to tenderizing!
Oh, and expect a nail-biter.
****
Prediction: EAGLES 21 – Cowboys 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.
ARMING for a Super Bowl run. That’s the whole point in making a mid-season trade. It’s getting that last piece, which should put your team over the hump. It’s shoring up a glaring weakness, or giving an obvious strength the Barry Bonds treatment. It’s saying “Damn the consequences. I’m all in!”
Defensive line and pass rush, are already deep and dominant areas for this Eagles team. There isn’t an NFC team that can beat us now. Adding Dallas Cowboys DE DeMarcus Lawrence to this team, would almost act as a reservation to play in the upcoming Super Bowl.
Understand, this move is highly unlikely at the moment. The current NFL playoff structure includes seven teams, three of which are Wild Cards. If the playoffs started today, Dallas would be in as the sixth seed. With playoff hopes still alive, no team is parting ways with a player like Lawrence.
That said, the November 1st trade deadline is two Cowboys games away from now, and currently there are six, 3 – 3 teams in the NFC. The math will turn suddenly and sharply for at least one of these teams. If the the 4 – 2 Cowboys split these next two weeks, they’d be 5 – 3. If they drop both, they’re 4 – 4 with a very murky franchise picture going forward.
Get this: Lawrence is 30 years old, and set to count 35M$ against the 2023 salary cap. He last had a 10 sack season in 2018. Since then, he’s put up 5.0, 6.5, 3.0, and currently sits at 3.0 through six games. This year, that’s half a sack per game. Over seventeen games that projects as just 8.5 sacks, and he’s under contract until 2025, when he’ll be 33.
Hell, with DE’s Chauncey Gholston and Sam Williams waiting in the wings, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones might welcome a chance to dump Lawrence’s contract. Especially if he can get us to cough up a second rounder and fourth rounder in 2023; or a 2023 second, and a 2024 third.
For the Eagles it would also work out well. Part of Lawrence’s production issues have to do with him never having an interior presence like DT Fletcher Cox. With OLB Hasaan Reddick on his left arm, and Cox on his right, there may not be enough players left to block him! Lawrence isn’t a long term building block, but he can be this year’s Chris Longor Michael Bennett, and really help further a playoff run.
As far as figuring out the money, The Eagles are already projected to have a loose estimate of 11M in cap space for 2023; they should have about 10M in rollover; and no one knows exactly what the cap ceiling will be. Also General ManagerHowie Roseman can take a bad contract, and turn that water into wine. So if you think of the money as an impediment, DON’T.
I’m writing this on my personal laptop, with my work laptop open to my lock screen. The picture on that screen, is of the Eagles 2018 parade. Super Bowl MVP Nick Foles is holding the trophy in the air, as the bus travels (the wrong way) on 15th Street. Crazy thing is, I’m in this picture. (Don’t look for me. Even I can’t make me out in this shot, and I know exactly where I’m standing in it.)
Super Bowl MVP Nick Foles holds up the Lombardi trophy, in front of the Municipal Services Building. Kevin Bacon’s father Edmund, designed it. FYI: When this was taken, I was standing across the street from it, with no clue that I’d ever work there. I work there now. Life can be funny.
This trade would put us in a real position to see another one of these, at seasons end. Again, this move is highly unlikely at the moment. So share the shit out this article! Spread the rumor! Speak it into existence. We have two weeks to get it to the right set of ears, and maybe make it happen. Be that 12th man, and I’ll see you on in February on 15th Street.
GENERALLY when I talk football, it’s about my Eagles. I tend to keep mum about our rivals, unless we have a game coming up against one of them. Otherwise, I’ve reserved most talk about them for my Pre-Draft Preview,which drops each April. (Look for it!)
In 2017 however, I decided to try something new, and give our fan base a running commentary of what the division is doing around us. This ensures that Eagles fans actually are the NFL’s best informed, and most knowledgeable fans. (Provided that you visit this site often.) These updates will come out three times during the season: After Weeks 6, 12, and 17.
*****
This is where things are today:
Washington Commanders:2 – 4, 4th place
The Commanders score 17 points per game and give up 22. That’s the whole story with this team. That’s it. Per game, they are one stop and one score away from being a winning team. However, their big problem, is poor team culture.
The initial tone for team culture, is always set by the head coach. In this case it’s one of easy answers and finger-pointing. Where you have finger-pointing, you will also find low accountability, and a lack of unity. This was demonstrated by head Ron Rivera, when he was asked about why his team was behind other teams in the division, and he responded with “Quarterback.”
He could have said “Injuries.” His team’s best RB, Brian Robinson was shot prior to this season, but he fought to come back; and has just made his first start in one of this team’s two wins. Their best defensive player, DE Chase Young has been out since last season. They’re missing two-fifths of their offensive line.
Yet Rivera went with “Quarterback.”, seemingly dumping the whole mess on QB Carson Wentz. This is despite the fact that Wentz was traded for, because the team was already a mess, and they were hoping he could help clean it up.
With this noise going on, you’d never know that even without Chase Young, this team has five players with at least three sacks. You’d never know that this team is 57% in the red zone. You’d never know that Carson Wentz leads the division with 10 touchdown passes, despite being sacked 23 times already.
QB Taylor Heinicke won’t have anyone to pitch woo to him in 2022
Oh! Speaking of sacks, Wentz has a broken finger on his throwing hand, and QB Taylor Heinicke will be the starter for at least the next three weeks. Also, there is no firm date for Young’s return, and the NFL is preparing to remove the owner, from the team with the stadium that literally shits on it’s fans.
President of the Cooper Rush fan club.
Dallas Cowboys:4 – 2, 3rd place
While losing to Tampa Bay, in the season opener, QB Dak Prescott broke his thumb. A disaster for some teams, but not for the Cowboys. Stepping in for Prescott, was the man, the myth, the legend, the inevitable Hall of Famer, QB Cooper Rush. Like a velvet Mona Lisa hanging in an Applebee’s restroom, he was truly magnificent!
Rush scorched NFL scoreboards from New York to Los Angeles (both were road games!), with four touchdowns in only four weeks, whilst leading the Cowboys to four straight victories. Ever the perfect professional pocket passer, he ran only when he needed to, racking up 9 yards on 9 carries. You could not stop him, you could only hope to contain him!
Coming along for that four game ride, was the Cowboys 3rd ranked defense, which allowed 13.5 points per game, over that stretch. It was nice to see them making their small contribution to Cooper’s cause. OLB Micah Parsons racked up 6 sacks, and was being compared to Hall of Famer Lawrence Taylor. It was four weeks of utter bliss!
Then there were some troubles in Philadelphia.
Unfortunately, in Rush’s last start, the clock failed his comeback effort, by not providing him with enough time. Also, there may or may not have been, three interceptions thrown by Rush. But this isn’t about assigning blame. Besides, it was Parsons fault for letting down Cooper and therefore the whole team. He isn’t nearly as good at getting sacks, when he’s made to cover receivers. There is simply no accountability with him.
So the Cowboys fell from 4 – 1 to 4 – 2. Sadly enough, Dak Prescott gets the start this week vs. Detroit. Even if the Cowboys win, it won’t be the same. There won’t be that Rush that fans get when Coopity-Coop is out there.
New York giants:5 – 1, 2nd place
Even though the prior two teams are absolute circuses, the giants are the team that makes me laugh the hardest. The funniest part is that nobody else seems to see it yet. Not the team, the media, most fans… It’s an absolute riot! After this article you will totally have a different take on their season. I guarantee it. (In my head, I can hear Bill Burr reading this article, and it’s fuckin’ awesome.)
When a team falls short in the playoffs, they go out and get more offensive or defensive firepower. They add a WR, or a TE. Maybe beef up the o-line. They add a pass rusher or strengthen their secondary. Maybe replace a shaky Kicker. The part that double-digit win teams don’t monkey with, is the QB.
A team’s entire offense runs through the QB. Everything from his pre-snap read, his cadence, his way of processing checks, the way he wants the ball snapped, the way he reads a defense, who he relies on in certain situations. And then there’s the idea that the new QB has to learn an entire play-book, and new players, while playing what would be a tougher schedule.
So winning teams don’t mess with their QB situation.
Hey, did I mention that the giants opted to not pick up the fifth year on QB Daniel Jones’s rookie deal? I didn’t? Well, the giants opted to not pick up the fifth year on QB Daniel Jones’s rookie deal. That makes him a free agent after this year. So now if they want him to come back in 2023, they have to pay the guy more than they would have, if they’d just picked up his 22M$ option.
Sometimes winning is worse…
So the giants are on the verge of either giving Daniel Jones a multi-year contract, for more than 27M$. Or, if they don’t, they have to start all over, and hope that the next guy isn’t worse. What do I mean by worse? Do you see what’s happening with QB Russell Wilson in Denver? Or they could draft the next Ryan Leafwhile hoping for a Peyton Manning.
If you’re a fan of the giants, your team is either teasing you with ONE good season, or damning you to four more years of Jones. He’s either your starter next year, or he isn’t. There isn’t a third option! Oh yeah, right now RB Saquon Barkley leads the entire NFL with 771 yards from scrimmage. (Had I led with that, giants fans would have been on the ceiling. Mentioned now, it hardly matters to them. Which goes to show, you can troll a fan base with good news.)
Now if you’re a giants fan, every win will seem like a month added to a prison sentence. If you’re a rival fan, every win makes you giggle a little. Even if they beat your team, there’s sort of a silver lining there, because you know you’ll get ‘em next time. A ten win season is the worst possible scenario for their front office. Imagine having to justify dismantling a ten win team, to 8.8 million people. That’s what they’re facing if they keep winning!
Oh yeah, and their defense is playing extremely well. Ranked 7th in the league! (To giants fans, that just felt like a stab wound.)
*****
So that’s the state of our division rivals as our Eagles head into the Week 7 Bye. See ya in six weeks everybody!
RB Miles Sanders draws first blood on 5 yard TD run
KING of the fucking NFL hill! STILL!
EAGLES 26 – Cowboys 17
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.
Rushing : (S) RB Miles Sanders (18 – 71 – 3.9 – 1 – 0)
Receiving : (S) WR A.J. Brown (8 – 5 – 67 – 13.4 – 1)
Offensive Line Report/Enforcer : (1 + 1 – 4 = (-1)) / NA
Drive Killer : (S) SS Chauncey Gardner-Johnson (2 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0)
Sack Leader : N/A
Ace :K Jake Elliott: 51 yard FG
****
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: COWBOYSdid the Eagles actually get around to doing? Well let’s see:
1) Score points:I said three touchdowns should put this game out of the Cowboys reach, and it did. Hell., the 20 points we’d scored by half-time, were enough to win the game. Our Eagles are not the offensively challenged weaklings, that the Cowboys schedule had been feeding them.
If anything, this game highlighted all of the Cowboys offensive shortcomings, which had heretofore been washed aside, due to the fact that they were winning games. In any case, mission accomplished.(DONE)
WR A.J. Brown showing that all 11’s are not created equal
2) Drop the Mic(ah): While the world was probably looking for a blocking scheme designed to double OLB Micah Parsons (4 – 0.0 – 0 – 0) all day, the smarter thing was to punish the Cowboys for trying to “fake the funk”. Dallas lines him up at LB, but uses him like a lineman. They think it’s clever, but it just means that down in and down out, they won’t have a LB out there, doing LB things. We penalized that. And how!
The idea was to use TEDallas Goedert (5 – 2 – 22 – 11.0 – 0) to either force Parsons into coverage, or beat him with short passes. Well, using more than just Goedert, we did both. Parsons had a couple of hurries once RT Lane Johnson left the game with a concussion, but he had no sacks, and he was beaten by A.J. Brown for a 15 yard touchdown. (DONE)
3) Stay At Home:This was done fairly well in the first half, and completely abandoned in the second. Particularly on the right side of our Defensive Line. The containment was soft. There was no edge.
I was also frustrated with the slow adjustment to the Cowboys double teaming DT Fletcher Cox (3 – 0 – 0 – 0). Using DT Jordan Davis (1 – 0 – 0 – 0) to bullrush the opposing C, would have been the ideal counter. It would have localized the double team and given MLBT.J. Edwards (8 – 0 – 0 – 0), some clean shots at the ball carrier. Instead, we got the ball run down our throats for 134 yards. (NOT DONE)
4)Rush Rush: The idea was to force QB Cooper Rush (18/38 – 47.3 – 181 – 1 – 3) to reset his feet, and not allow the plays to run on schedule. The Cowboys like to roll him out so that he can 1 Mississippi 2 Mississippi 3 Mississippi and throw, after the route has developed. Which says that he always knows where he’s going with the ball.
So instead of trying to fool him, the coverage was kept tight, which made every throw about whether or not he had the zip to get it in. Well, his weak arm is partly what kept him undrafted. One late pass was deflected and picked.
SS Chauncey Gardner-Johnson with one his TWO thefts
Another was flat-out picked.
CB Darius Slay gallops in front of a pass and picks it off.
Another was badly under-thrown and picked before it could be incomplete. (DONE)
****
This week we got 3 of the Four Things done, and so naturally we also got the ‘W’. Next week we have a way too early Bye Week, followed by a visit from the Pittsburgh Steelers, who have given a rookie QB the keys to the kingdom.
****
On The Whole:
Despite the game announcers talking about a “momentum shift”, when Dallas finally managed to score a touchdown in the third quarter, this game was never as close as the score. What had happened was, the Eagles once again fell asleep at half-time.
This team is 6 – 0 and has yet to put together a complete game. On one hand, it means that we haven’t seen this team’s ceiling yet. On the other hand, it suggests that this coaching staff has no clue of how to get this team there.
Well, now they get a week to try and figure it out.
UNDEFEATED. Still! We overcame adversity in the desert, snatching 139 rushing yards from a team that was only giving up 87 per game. This week we get a division rival that has given up 117 rushing yards per game, while only facing bottom feeder offenses.
They lean on their defense, which features a voracious pass rush, which was fortunate enough to face FOUR struggling offensive lines (and lost to one of them). Our Offensive Line, led by RT Lane Johnson, C Jason Kelce, and LT Jordan Mailata, is not struggling. Our Line is physical and dominant.
We’re told that styles make fights? Well, ding…ding.
A win raises us to 6 – 0, and keeps us at the head of the NFL table. With our opponent being 4 – 1, they are currently one game behind our 5 – 0. A win here opens up our lead in the East, putting distance between the two teams. A loss pulls us even record-wise, but would give them the lead in the East, by head-to-head tie-breaker.
****
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: Cowboys
1) Score points: There’s a stat that says the Cowboys defense hasn’t allowed any opponent three touchdowns in any game this season. That’s 100% true. However, a lot of context is left out of that. Every team they’ve faced, already has trouble scoring three touchdowns in ANY game.
I’m fond of saying that the Universe’s favorite flavor of justice, is irony. So since we’re talking about not being able to score three touchdowns, the Cowboys offense is also in that club this season. Our Eagles on the other hand, have done it EVERY WEEK, except last week. Three touchdowns should put this game out of the Cowboys reach.
2) Drop the Mic(ah): Getting TE Dallas Goedert some quick, short passes would make the day super easy for QB Jalen Hurts. The Cowboys almost exclusively use OLB Micah Parsons as a pass rusher off the edge. So when he rushes forward, there’s going to be a vacated area right behind where he was lined up. That vacated area is where Goedert needs to camp out. So either Goedert gets to feast, or Parsons has to cover.
Just some quick short passes, where Goedert can quickly turn upfield for an extra 4 yards or more. Eventually their secondary will load the box to stop the run, and those short passes. Whenever that happens, Goedert can chip Parsons, to give Hurts time to take advantage of one-on ones-on the outside, or WR Quez Watkins down the hash.
3) Stay At Home: Same as most weeks. Just get DE’s Brandon Graham and Josh Sweat to set hard edges against the run. With RB Ezekiel Elliott no longer being very explosive, and RB Tony Pollard needing a build-up to break tackles; the easiest way to contain the Cowboys run game, is to bottle it up behind their line. The idea is to take away the run early, and put the game on QB Cooper Rush’s shoulders.
4) Rush Rush: The left side of the Cowboys offensive line is a car wreck. C Tyler Biadasz is no Travis Frederick. G Connor McGovern is the guy they passed over, to sign and start what’s left ofJason Peters, who will apparently put on red pumps and work that corner, for anyone who offers league minimum. But with Peters injured (show of hands if you’re surprised), the Cowboys now have to start the guy they said “Naw” to. At LT is penalty king Tyler Smith.
The game here is simple. DT’s Jordan Davis and Javon Hargrave help collapse the left side of the line, and make Rush reset his feet. He’s smart, and knows where he’s going with the ball, due to his familiarity with the system. So don’t waste time trying to trick him or fool him. Instead, make it about the physical limitations that kept him from getting drafted. His lack of arm strength, foot speed, and needing plays to run on schedule.
****
If the Eagles do these Four Things, then we’ll be virtually impossible to beat. That being said…
The Bengals scoring offense, ranked (17th) is the highest ranked scoring offense that the Cowboys have faced. The Eagles have faced Detroit (3rd), Minnesota (12th) and Jacksonville (15th). The Cowboys average 18.6 points per game. We average 27.0 and have yet to score fewer than 20. They’ve reached 24 points once this season. We put up 24 points in a quarter. Twice so far.
The Cowboys are an over-hyped defense, coupled with an over-hyped QB, that have both had tons of mediocrity somehow omitted from their stories. Let me contextualize this Cowboys defense, and their “amazing”pass rush. Four of the five teams they’ve faced, have deep offensive line problems:
* Tampa Bay lost two starters to I.R. during the preseason and one more during the first game vs the Cowboys.
*Washington’s C and one of their G’s (who is also their back-up C), are on I.R.
*The Bengals troubles go back to last season, and their offseason answers (one of which is former Cowboy La’el Collins) have blown up on the launch pad.
*The Rams have both of their G’s on I.R. and their C is gutting out a foot injury. It’s why they’ve given up 21 sacks and average just 62 rushing yards per game. (Perspective: We average 160.0)
The Cowboys offense has scored all of 7 touchdowns in five games. Sorry, that’s 7 touchdowns in four games. (Tampa Bay held them to a single field goal.) Despite those facts, everywhere you look, there’s more praise for their QB because he’s 4 – 0 this season.
We’ve seen adversity and they’ve been handed roll-over games. Yet the media wants to talk like this is a meeting of two evenly matched teams?! Naw. You gotta miss me with that trash.
****
Prediction: EAGLES 28 – Cowboys 16
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.
CLEVELAND Browns QB DeShaun Watson, seems to have a new accuser every 6 hours or so. It’s gotten so bad, that people are speculating about what it will take for the Browns to weasel out of the record, fully guaranteed, 230M$ contract that they signed Watson to, just a few months ago.
My guess however, is that as long as no criminal charges are filed, the Browns will stick with Watson. Come Hell or high water. Because they have to. They have almost no other option.
In order to pry Watson away from the Texans, the Browns parted with their:
2022 first round pick (CB Derek Stingley Jr.)
2023 first round pick
2024 first round pick
2022 fourth round pick (RB Dameon Pierce)
2023 third round pick
2024 fourth round pick
This was in exchange for Watson, and a lowly 2024 sixth round draft pick.
Understand, if the Browns cut Watson with him never playing a down for them, they will have effectively given the Texans three first round picks, a third round pick, and two fourth round picks, in exchange for just one sixth round pick. This would be six picks for one. With every pick the Texans get, being of much greater value than the one they gave up.
It would be the greatest hosing in sports history. The Texans could surpass the Great Trade Robbery, pulled off by the Dallas Cowboys in 1990. In that trade, the Cowboys sent RB Herschel Walker, two third rounders, a fifth rounder, and a tenth rounder to Minnesota; in exchange for three first rounders, three second rounders, one third rounder, one sixth rounder, and four players.
This is before Jimmy Johnson’s draft pick valuation chart changed the way the NFL executives viewed draft picks. So keep in mind, no one (not coaches, GMs, owners) looked at picks like we see them now. Imagine a caveman stubbing his toe on a brick of gold, before it ever had any value assigned to it. To him it was just a stupid rock. In 1990, a pick was more or less, just a pick.
One player and three picks, for four players and eight picks. As lopsided as the GTR was, Minnesota still had Walker (the focal point of that entire trade) play for them, and they won the third round exchange, (two for one). With the Browns, if Watson doesn’t play, everything, literally every single thing, that the Browns gave up, is more than the one thing they got.
If the Browns cut Watson, the NFL will not rescind the trade. Some of those picks have already been cashed in. So that part of it is DONE. Complete. Finito. So the Browns have to stick with Watson, come Hell or high water. If they don’t, it only makes their foolishness look even worse.
Even worse for the Browns would be if they cut him, and Watson ends up back in the NFL. Someplace like New York or Pittsburgh, on a 4 year, 175M$ deal, 100M guaranteed, and laden with reachable incentives. At that point this trade would get a nickname (maybe the Cleveland Crappy Ending™), that would for ever define the city of Cleveland.
As for Herschel Walker, he spent three seasons going 21 – 22 overall as a Viking, and one playoff win. The only team he would ever have a career winning mark with, would be the Philadelphia Eagles (26 – 22), and one playoff win. With Dallas (34 – 56) and the New York giants (5 – 11), Walker (86 – 111) would never win a playoff game.
If the Browns are dumb enough to cut Watson now, then the Texans will surpass the mark left by the Cowboys. I never thought I’d see the day when a franchise out-dumbed the GTR, but my dear reader, get your Gallagher poncho out of storage. We may be about to witness some messy history.
KEEP in mind, when these predictions come out, no one knows who will be drafted by which team. So this is an assessment of the team, as it is staffed by veteran players with track records.
While rookies may contribute heavily to their team, they don’t usually shake up the NFC East as a division. That being said, there’s a pretty good chance that what you see here, will be how it shakes out for the year.
If you’ve read all of the articles leading up to this, you’ll understand my conclusion. Good job! If you didn’t, you’ll likely be annoyed because YOU did a bad job of preparing. (Read the supporting articles!)
CONTEXT!
Now let’s look at 2022:
Offense, defense, special teams. Three units, multiplied times four teams, equals twelve total units in the division. Easy math, right? Out of twelve units, only three units across the division either stayed strong or got stronger. Nine units however, either stayed weak or got noticeably weaker during the free agency period. Put plainly, so far the NFC East is already weaker than it was in 2021.
Strongest Offense: DALLAS
They have all kinds of issues with their offensive line, but they have a real QB, and they have the most dangerous collection of skill players in the division. Philadelphia has a great offensive line situation, which allows for the smoke and mirrors, which they use to offset a lack of WR talent or a QB who can read a defense.
Weakest Offense: NEW YORK
Their offensive line is shit. It’s just shit! They have the least talented QB in the division. In fact, it can now be argued that he might not be as good as his new back-up (eventual replacement). Their RB clearly has his eye on the exit, and they lost their underachieving TE, and replaced him with- No. They’re about to draft a TE. They have to be. There’s no way they can be serious about going into 2022 with him as the starter.
Strongest Defense: PHILADELPHIA
This was the easiest call. In 2021 the Eagles surrendered fewer passing yards and fewer rushing yards than the Cowboys. The Cowboys allowed 21.1 points per game to the Eagles 22.6. From that, the Eagles added not just a pass rusher, but a sack artist, as well also upgrading speed at LB. The Cowboys lost a starting DE and a starting S, then replaced neither with a player of similar caliber. The other two teams aren’t even part of this conversation.
Weakest Defense: NEW YORK
New defensive coordinator, a soft secondary, and a bunch of edge players, but no real DE’s or OLB’s. This is the current state of the defensive side of the ball in New York. It’s a toolbox full of hammers and mallets, but no screwdrivers, pliers, wrenches or even a tape measure. And at some point in the next two weeks, a kid out of college will be expected to provide a spark of hope. Yikes.
Strongest Special Teams: PHILADELPHIA
Washington has the much better punting situation, but Philadelphia has a far superior kicking game. However, since punts never produce last minute wins, the edge goes to points.
Weakest Special Teams: DALLAS
New York’s punting situation isn’t “bad”, it’s more of a big question mark. The kicking situation in Dallas however, is pure comedy. This team does such an amazing job of fucking this up every year! They deserve a round of applause for the work they do. I mean c’mon, it has to be deliberate. No one is this bad, this long, without a supreme level of effort being put into it.
PROJECTED WINNER: DALLAS
You’re thinking “Philadelphia won two of these categories to Dallas’s one. So how can Dallas still be the favorite?!”
For the record I totally agree, except there’s two things nagging my mind:
The first thing is, 17 – 37, and 21 – 41. Those are the scores that Dallas has won by, in the two games Jalen Hurts started against them. Those aren’t just loses, they’re blowouts. While Dallas continues to dominate Hurts, picking the Eagles as the favorite is out of the question.
The second thing is, a two game sweep has an effective difference of four games. The make-up distance in a playoff race, between let’s say 4 – 6 vs 6 – 4, is four games. If the Cowboys sweep the Eagles again, that gap would be very hard to make up. Given that the last Eagles QB to beat Dallas was Carson Wentz, there is nothing in recent history to indicate that the Eagles will turn this around this season.
DARK HORSE WINNER: PHILADELPHIA
Overall, Philadelphia looks like the strongest team in the East. The issue is at their QB position. Which is huge. If Jalen Hurts were to take a a couple of steps forward in being able to read defenses, and utilizing his second WR, this Eagles team would sweep the division, and win it in a walk. However, until we see that for Philadelphia, QB is a huge question mark at best, and a liability at worst.
LAST year Dallas went 12 – 5 and won the NFC East. They earned a home playoff game. Then they proceeded to shit the bed 17 – 23, against a 6th seed 49ers team. People will want to critique how the last play of that game went down, but the fact is, the game shouldn’t have even been a contest. This has long been the story of the Cowboys. The larger, deeper issues are frequently ignored, in favor of shiny distractions. That said, is this the year they change the story?
With the NFL Draft being 13 days away, this is what the Cowboys roster currently looks like:
QB: Dak Prescott (11 – 5, 68.8%, 37/10) won his division, and posted career highs in completion percentage and touchdown passes. This included 13 TD’s and 0 interceptions over the final four games. He also had five games with 300+ yards passing, and five games with a completion percentage over 75.
Those stats point to him being back from the ankle injury that stole his 2020 season. Well, mostly back. One of the things that has helped Prescott in the past, has been being big and mobile, not just a big target. In an average year with 16 starts, Prescott averaged 60 rushes, 305 yards, 5.0 pyc, and 5 scores. Last season his numbers were (48 – 146 – 3.2 – 1). Keep an eye out.
Preseason Hall of Famer Cooper Rush (1 – 0, 63.8% – 3/1) added to his legend when he went undefeated in 2021. Filling in for Prescott during Week Eight, Rush put 325 yards on the Vikings, in a 20 – 16 Cowboys win. Seems that this position is worth every penny being spent on it. Ben “Bring It On” DiNucci is also still cashing his paychecks. (+)
RB: For the fifth year in a row, Ezekiel Elliott (1002/4.2/10) saw his rushing yards per game decline. He was held to fewer than 50 rushing yards in eight games last year. He only cracked the century mark twice. He did manage to rush for 1,000 yards though. That has to count for something. I guess.
Tony Pollard (719/5.5/2) is an average player. Fortunately for him, he seems to know it, so he hits holes as quickly as he can. He’s not a threat to break a 60 yard run, so he makes up for it by producing smaller chunk runs, more consistently. As long as his 205 pound frame is playing the “RB 1B” role, fans will wonder why he doesn’t get more than 8 carries per game.
Dallas also has three FB’s on the roster, most recently signing free agent Ryan Nall. They won’t keep three, so this is clearly an “iron sharpens iron” type of move. In any case, look for the team to flashback to the 1990’s, to re-emphasize lead blocking. Just the fact that they’ll be the only team doing it, will make them very hard to prepare for. Especially for a generation of defenders who wouldn’t be familiar with FB as a routine weapon. (+)
WR: I said last year that three was a crowd here, and I was right. However instead of ditching Michael Gallup (35/445/12.7/2), they traded Amari Cooper(68/865/12.7/8) to Cleveland. This means that CeeDee Lamb (79/1102/13.9/6) has graduated from Robin to Batman.
Over his first couple of years, even in a lesser role, Lamb has been plagued by drops and lapses in focus. Now that he’s going to have more intense attention focused on him, there have to be serious questions about if he’s mentally ready for the role.
Gallup lost nearly half of last year being on I.R with a calf injury. He then played in eight games before tearing his ACL, and going on I.R. again. His return goal is Week One. Which would mean no training camp. Steelers free agent James Washington (24/285/11.9/2), was signed to a one year deal. Essentially swapping out Cooper for Washington. That is clearly a step down.
There can be no arguing that this group is several steps back from what they were a year ago. That said, if Gallup can stay healthy in 2022, this trio could still be dangerous. (+)
TE: Boom! Dallas hit Dalton Schultz (78/808/10.4/8) with the franchise tag, before anyone else could take a shot at luring him away with a long-term deal. Schultz proved to be a sure-handed security blanket in 2021. While not an explosive athlete, his presence in the red zone will help provide the run game with more room to operate.
After cutting Blake Jarwin, there are bodies, but there really is no reserve talent here. Given the amount of traffic that will come Schultz’s way, this position will produce. However, if Schultz can’t stay healthy this season, this position is screwed. They are literally one player deep here. Just one. Uno. Single-ito! (-)
With friends like these…
OT: At the moment LT Tyron Smith and swingman Terence Steele are the only real game in town. Smith hasn’t played a full season since 2015. Last year he played just 11 o f 17, and this year he’ll be 32. Not a good look! Steele has been more of a fill-in than a regular starter. Some weeks he played on the right, and when Smith was out, Steele played left.
While the talent is decent here, there is absolutely no consistency or reliability here. Making matters worse, there is no real depth. They have Isaac Alarcon, Josh Ball, and Aviante Collins. None of whom played a single down of football in 2021. (-)
G: All-Pro Zack Martin gives this line a rally point at RG, but he’s likely going to spend a good portion of 2022, helping the guy who will be working on his right-hand side. Babysitting doesn’t allow a player to operate at maximum ferocity. So expect the right-side of the line to suffer. At least early in the year.
Connor McGovern is still on the roster and started six games in 2021. However, it’s hard to pin down just how the Cowboys organization views him. At the moment he’s the clear LG, but a single flap of butterfly wings in China, might change that. Matt Farniok played a total of 23 offensive snaps, late in three games in 2021. The average score of those games: 50 – 14.
Right now it seems like there’s a weakened right, and the left is largely a question mark. Maybe the Draft is where an answer will come from, but as of this moment. This position is weak. (-)
C: Tyler Biadasz was the only lineman to start every game, so hooray for durability. He also had 9 penalties in 2021, which was second only to a guy who’s no longer a Cowboy. At this point no one seems entirely sold on Biadasz. That’s largely because he’s still being unfairly compared to Travis Frederick. A guy named Braylon Jones is the back-up. Iffy starter and no depth? (-)
In A Nutshell: The Cowboys have weapons, but right now, they lack reliable players on the offensive line. Employing a throwback wrinkle like routine lead blocking, might help the run game, but it’s going to hurt the passing game. There is no way to put a FB on the field, without taking some speed off the field. Should be interesting to watch. (-)
DE: DeMarcus Lawrence is no longer a premier pass rusher, but he can still get pressures. He also sets a pretty good edge vs the run, making things easier for those playing behind him. Free agent Donte Fowler looks to inherit the starting role vacated by Randy Gregory (DEN). Fowler had a couple of good years in 2017and 2019. The Cowboys are hoping to re-ignite that.
Dorance Armstrong will give a good effort, but is by no means a special player. Which is why Fowler was added. Tarell Basham is just a back-up. He plays from a two point stance, and at 6’4” that leaves his chest exposed at the snap. He also spends far too much time watching football, while he’s on the field. They also have some guy named Chauncey Golston. (-)
DT: Osa Odighizuwa got the fan base excited with how disruptive he can be, but his 280 pound frame seemed to wear down over just 14 weeks. No shame in that for a rookie, but this year he won’t be a rookie. Keep an eye on him. Carlos Watkins won’t cost any coaching staff a single wink of sleep. Yet Dallas re-signed him.
Neville Gallimore missed most of 2021, but once healthy, he took over for Odighizuwa, and was sort of “Meh”. Quinton Bohanna is a 360 pound gap plugger, who changes direction as well as an Applebee’s. This position is a cry for help. (-)
OLB: Defensive Rookie of the Year Micah Parsons is the total package. He pass rushes. He covers. He slices, he dices, is non-stick, and stain resistant! Parsons has been hyped as the next Lawrence Taylor, likely stemming from Parson’s 13 sacks as a rookie. That said, despite playing 904 snaps on defense, he only produced 84 tackles, and just two games with 10 or more tackles.
On the other side is Leighton Vander Neck. Sorry. Vander Esch. Injuries have rendered him half the player that he was as a rookie, which is why the Cowboys signed him to a one year “prove it” deal. Vander Esch hasn’t recorded 50 solo tackles since 2018, and playing outside in this system, will almost ensure that he doesn’t again in 2022. There is no depth here. (+)
MLB: I said last year, moving 211 pound FS Keanu Neal, to LB was stupid, and it turns out that I was right. AGAIN! Neal is now in Tampa, and now it seems that the middle will be manned by (drum roll) Luke Gifford?
Gifford played 32 defensive snaps in 2021. He only played 1 defensive snap in 2020. Maybe he won the coaching staff’s trust with those additional 31 snaps? It would not surprise me to see Vander Esch take over this spot. However until the subject comes up, I can only “speculate.” (-)
S: Jayron Kearse came into 2021 having played 73 games with just 12 starts. In 2021 he was given 15 starts, and had a pretty “meh” year. Just 2 interceptions, but he did lead the team in tackles (101). It was enough to convert last year’s prove it contract, into a two year pact.
Malik Hooker and Donovan Wilson are former starters who are under 27 years old. Both will likely compete for the other starting spot. Unless a player is drafted high here. (-)
CB: Trevon Diggs led the NFL with 11 interceptions. Cowboys fans would like for that to be the whole story, but it isn’t. He had 11 interceptions, because teams didn’t shy away from targeting him 103 times. Why not target a guy giving up 907 passing yards and 16.8 yards per catch? (For contrast the Eagles Darius Slay was targeted just 85 times, gave up 10.7 yards per catch, and just 535 yards.)
Anthony Brown’s first year under the new defensive system yielded 16 starts, 71 tackles, 3 picks and 17 passes defensed. All were career highs. Surely he’s looking forward to 2022. Jourdan Lewis started 13 games as the Nickle and also saw career highs in interceptions (3), tackles (61), and passes defensed (11). Kelvin Joseph rounds out the top four. How trash do you have to be to have played in 80 games with just 1 start, in your rookie year? Ask C.J. Goodwin. He knows. (+)
In A Nutshell: It’s the Cowboys. So whether they over or underachieve, you always expect to see a ton of talent on this team. So when looking at this unit, it’s amazing to see how hollow it is, right down the middle. Three positions: DT, MLB, and S, seem to be waiting to find salvation in the draft. Not wise. (-)
K: Chris Naggar is what people in sportscasting call, “a landmine”. Just one slip of the tongue… Dear Cowboys fans: You’ll be comforted to know that Naggar is experienced, and has never missed an NFL field goal attempt. He hit the 37 yarder that he kicked last year. He however, was just 1/2 (50%) on extra points. I have Brett Maher’s phone number if you want it… Hell, right now Bill Maher might be a better option than what you have. (-)
P: Bryan Anger was re-signed after averaging a career best 48.4 yards per punt, with 0 blocked, and opponents averaging just 6.5 yard per return (+)
In A Nutshell: I spent 4 years as a comedy writer, and even my twisted imagination couldn’t come up with something like the Cowboys Kicker situation. It’s pure comedy. For rival fans, it’s the gift that keeps on giving. (-)
BOTTOM LINE:
The Cowboys are in trouble. They have spent so much money (QB, RB) and draft capital (WR’s, CB’s, LB’s) on peripheral players, that they haven’t made sure that they can win in the trenches. On either side of the ball. Unless something huge happens, Dallas is going to spend 2022 getting out-physicalled, and never really get a chance to find their footing in many games. The lack of quality depth (OT, TE, G, DE, DT LB, and S) means that when injuries start to hit, the drop-offs will be dramatic. This team feels 8 – 9, but we’ll call it 9 – 8 because New York is still in the division.
New categories include an EXCLUSIVE weekly Offensive Line Report (Rushing TD’s + 3rd and 4th downs converted:missed of 2 yards or less – sacks allowed); as well as Drive Killer (Int – FR – 4th down Tackles – FF – TD).
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: Cowboys did the Eagles actually get around to doing? Well let’s see:
1) Understand the Moment: I wanted the starters to sit as much as possible. However, I figured our “rookie head coach” would want to rock-paper-scissors for the win, and so play his starters. I just hoped he saw the big picture and didn’t play the starts too much.
Lo and behold! Head Coach Nick Siriannigave CJason Kelce one snap, and WR Devonta Smithplayed just enough downs to set a new franchise record, for receiving yards by a rookie. After that it was all back-ups. Sirianni, understood what was important, and demonstrated it clearly. I’m proud of him. (DONE)
EWOK SLAM!
2) Dig DEEP: “Players you don’t know, making 2 to 4 nice plays after half-time. That’s the ideal situation.” That’s what I said. Well, RB Jason Huntley (13 – 51 – 3.9 – 0 – 0) had a couple of nice runs; and DT Milton Williams’s run stuff in the 3rd quarter, actually got me off my couch. This is exactly what I was talking about, and we did it. (DONE)
3) Going Out In Style:Our starters didn’t play, so this is non-applicable.
4) Do some reckless shit: While WR Greg Ward (1 – 1 – 100% – 2 – 0 – 0) didn’t get a whole series at QB, he did get to throw a redzone pass as a Wildcat QB, on the opening drive. That qualifies! (DONE)
****
That brings this weeks FT score to 3 of 4. Next week we travel to Tampa Bay to face the Buccaneers, in the Wild Card round of the playoffs. Earlier this season they beat us 22 – 28, and were the catalyst for us deciding to run the ball more. Next week we get to thank them, in person.
****
On The Whole:
Who gives a shit? A third of the starters in this game, will be deactivated next week. We owed the NFL one more game, and so we phoned one in. We didn’t tip our hand as to what we might want to run in the playoffs. Hell, from what I could see, it seemed like the Offense ran maybe 8 or 9 different plays, from slightly different alignments. All of which were basic in nature.
How about “rest vs rust”? TE Tyree Jackson (5 – 3 – 22 – 7.3 – 1) tore his ACL. Had that been Dallas Goedert, the fan base would be crucifying Sirianni, and the national media would be calling him an idiot for even playing Goedert in a meaningless game. We went in as the 7th seed, and we came out as the 7th seed. Yet some folks wanted us to battle for 6th? For who? For what?
Instead, our guys got to rest and heal. Because of this week, we’ll go into next week better armed, and with a better chance as we take on last year’s Super Bowl champion. Emphasis on the words last year’s.
EAGLEMANIACAL.com 