Darius Slay

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2022 QUARTERLY REPORT CARD: QUARTER FOUR

Posted by The BEAST on 2023/01/18
Posted in: breakdown, Coaching, Conversations, Defense, NFC East, NFL, Offense, Players, playoffs, report, Reviews, Special Teams, stats. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment
QB Jalen Hurts can only look on as we struggle past a rough patch vs the Saints

SEASON Reviews are usually done at the end of the season. A few are also done at the halfway mark. Starting in 2017, Eaglemaniacal.com began treating the season like a game, and breaking it into four quarters.

In 2021, the NFL expanded the season to 17 games, which makes for an uneven split. So this year (at least), these Quarterly Reports will come after games 5, 9, 13, and 17. (Ugh. I hate even looking at that format.)

Since football is a hard sport, we’ll take a hard look at where our team currently stands, in relation to where it started. Then we can discuss where it needs to go next.

STATUS: 14 – 3, NFC East Winner, NFC #1 Seed

[pic]

OPPONENTS:

(W ) Chicago                    3 – 14

(L ) Dallas                        12 – 5 (5th seed)

(L ) New Orleans            7 – 10

(W ) New York giants     9 – 7 (6th seed)

OVERVIEW:

When do our guys ever make it easy? Our Eagles made us sweat for it. Securing the top seed came all the way down to the last game of the year, due to two losses down the stretch. This was triggered by losing a flurry of key players to injury. In any case, instead of producing excuses, the Eagles produced the wins they needed. Our team didn’t choke when crunch time came around. They instead did what winners do. They reached down, and found the will to be the last one standing. Great practice. We’ll be needing it shortly.

GRADES:

QB: C / Jalen Hurts injured his throwing shoulder vs Chicago. He finished the game, but missed the next two. When he returned in the finale, he clearly wasn’t himself yet . Over the last quarter season, he’s thrown zero touchdowns vs three interceptions. He will exit the regular season with a 14 – 1 record as a starter this season.

Gardner Minshew (42/72 – 58.3% – 629 – 3 – 3) has been unfairly lambasted these last couple of weeks. He’s credited with 3 interceptions, but it’s a very misleading stat. While one was a fatal pick six vs the Saints, the two against the Cowboys were both, literally pulled out of the same receivers hands. In neither game did the coaching staff do much to support him with the run, yet he still managed 34 points against the Cowboys.

RB Miles Sanders laments a fumble as LT Jordan Mailata comforts him.

RB: D / Miles Sanders (55 – 201 – 3.6 – 0 – 2) has been used sparingly over these last four games, not just in terms of volume, but situationally. His touches in the red zone have all but disappeared. Kenneth Gainwell (22 – 57 – 2.5 – 0 – 0) and Boston Scott (11 – 60 – 5.4 – 1 – 0) have been underwhelming, save for Scott’s (9 – 54 – 6.0 – 1 – 0) game against the giants.

In full disclosure, over these last four games this position has suffered as much from coaching as anything else. No early touches to set a tone, or tire out opponents. Running a system set up for movement and a mobile QB, through a pocket passer with no threat of stressing a defense horizontally. My hope is that these games were red herrings regarding our tendencies.

TE: F / Dallas Goedert (16 – 12 – 158 – 13.1 – 0) came back from injury and has been working his way back into his role as the catalyst. Jack Stoll and Grant Calcaterra combined for a 6 yard catch, over the last four games, on just three targets.

WR: C / Devonta Smith (41 – 29 – 421 – 14.5 – 2) on almost any other team would be the guy teams game-planned to stop; but have you met A.J. Brown (43 – 23 – 476 – 20.6 – 1)? While he’s in no media conversation as the best receiver in football, he doesn’t seem to mind it. He just plays like he is. Keep in mind, the numbers you see here, are for just the LAST FOUR GAMES.

Quez Watkins (16 – 7 – 49 – 7.0 – 0) on the other hand, may have played his way out of Philadelphia. Turnovers have been an issue for him, and this quarter saw two balls ripped from his hands for interceptions, in the same game. And it was against DALLAS! Behind Brown and Smith, he has one of the cushiest Slot gigs in the sport, and hasn’t been able to capitalize on it, despite possessing elite speed, and having two coverage draws

Zach Pascal caught a ball for six yards vs the Cowboys, but is mostly a blocker and a decoy. The A.J. and Devonta Show has kept people from noticing that the rest of the Offense is faltering. Notice, only half of this position is producing. And did you do the math? This quarter: 60 catches, but just 3 TD’s. No more smoke and mirrors. This MUST BE addressed.

OT: C / LT Jordan Mialata once again didn’t miss a single snap out of 272 in the quarter. He was flagged just once for a hold, which was declined, in the win over the giants. RT Lane Johnson was Lane Johnson until he suffered a groin injury (torn adductor) vs Dallas. Filling in for him has been Jack Driscoll. He’s held his own, but speed rushes suggest that he could use chipping help, if we have to rely on him long term. Truthfully he’s a much better interior battler than edge guardian.

OG: C / Landon Dickerson has been hit for three penalties for 20 yards this quarter, including a couple of crushers while trailing the Saints by 10 points. Isaac Seumalo hasn’t missed a snap this quarter. He was flagged just once, but it was during a disastrous drive while trailing the Saints by 10. Our recent interior play would be good for most teams, but for this team, it’s below what’s expected based on what’s been previously delivered.

RG Isaac Seumalo ad C Jason Kelce open a crack, just wide enough for RB Boston Scott to shimmy through.

C: B / Jason Kelce hasn’t missed a single one of the 272 snaps during this quarter. He’s had a couple of questionable snaps, but his movement skills are still top tier, and his understanding of angles is honestly second to none in the game.

DE: B / Josh Sweat (10 – 3.5 – 1 – 0) was injured early in the loss vs the Saints, and missed the season finale. Still he managed to return an interception for a touchdown, and add enough sacks to push his total to 11 on the year. Brandon Graham (7 – 2.5 – 0 – 0) also brought his total to 11, posting double digit sacks for the first time in his career. His only start of the year was the season finale, in place of Sweat.

DE Josh Sweat with the pick six.

DT: A/ Fletcher Cox (6 – 1.0 – 0 – 0) finished the season strong, reintroducing himself to opposing passers. Javon Hargrave (14 – 3.0 – 0 – 0) ran his sack total up to 11, becoming one of four Eagles to post double digit sacks in one year. No other team has ever done that. This position is the engine of the Defense.

Milton Williams (9 – 1.0 – 0 – 0) also has 3 tackles for losses over the last three weeks, and plays the edge as well as the inside. Jordan Davis (4 – 0 – 0 – 0) has played in two games this quarter where he didn’t reach 10 snaps. He hasn’t played 20 snaps in a game since Week 6. So you have to wonder what the coaching staff has in mind for the first rounder, who’s been back from his leg injury since Week 13. We’ll have to keep an eye on this.

Linval Joseph (10 – 0 – 0 – 0) is block eater who has seen his snap percentage drop over the last quarter. There may not be much to it, but keep an eye on how much Davis gets to play going forward. Ndamukong Suh (4 – 0.5 – 0 – 0) has been plugging away inside, offering more disruption than Joseph.

OLB Haason Reddick with one of his two sacks in this game.

OLB: C / Haason Reddick (14 – 6.0 – 0 – 2) and throw in 4 tackles for losses this quarter! The 16 sacks he racked up this year, is his career-high. Kyzir White (31 – 1.0 – 0 0 – 0) gets in on stops, but it would be nice if he didn’t let so much of the action be dictated to him. Too often he makes tackles and not plays.

Nakobe Dean (no stats) saw just three defensive snaps this quarter. Three. Patrick Johnson (5 – 0 – 0 – 0) plays on the line more than he stands up, but seems mostly like a place holder in either instance. Coaches may laud his understanding of his role, but those same coaches will take that role, if another player makes two plays in his stead.

MLB: B / T.J. Edwards (44 – 0 – 0 – 0) posted 159 tackles this year, shattering the Eagles all-time record of 137 set just last year, by current Bronco, Alex Singleton. Edwards role in the Defense has definitely become more passive.

S: D / Marcus Epps (24 – 0 – 0 – 0) has just two passes knocked down this quarter, and just 6 this season and no turnovers, despite playing 1,096 snaps. More is needed here. Reed Blankenship (20 – 0 – 0 – 0) started two games and missed one with an injury. K’von Wallace (11 – 0 – 0 – 0) started in the win at Chicago, and recorded 9 stops. Over the last three games he saw just 12 defensive snaps. Chauncey Gardner Johnson (7 – 0 – 0 – 0) came back from injury and started the finale.

CB: D /Darius “Did He Play?” Slay (12 – 0 – 0 – 0) hasn’t produced a big play, since his deflection in Green Bay last quarter. What’s worse, opposing teams no longer fear targeting him. He hasn’t gotten his hands on a pass since Week 6. It would help to see him assert himself soon. James Bradberry (15 – 0 – 0 – 0) is also seeing more challenges, having no picks since Week 9.

Avonte Maddox (9 – 1.0 – 0 – 2) missed the last two games with a toe injury, and it’s unclear whether he’ll play or practice again this season. Josiah Scott (7 – 0 – 1 – 0) has spent this quarter being plucked, roasted and sauced as the Nickle. The job is simply too big for him.

LS: A / Rick Lovato added a tackle to no bad snaps.

P: C / Brett Kern (10 – 408 – 40.8 – 36.6 – 0) was brought in because Arryn Siposs was put on IR. Not a lot of distance, or hang-time, or pin-pointing with his punts; but he’s an aging, late season addition. How much could he possibly have left? Over the last 4 games there have been 5 returns for 42 yards (8.4). Fine under the circumstances, but it suggests a slight out-kicking of the coverage.

K: A / Jake Elliott (9/10 FG, 8/8 XP) has been super reliable. Even from 50+.

PR/KR: D/ Boston Scott (6 – 161 – 26.8 – 0) on Kick-off duty and WR Britain Covey (4 – 44 – 11.0 – 0)

SINCE LAST QUARTER:

After Chicago, the Eagles hit some major injury snags. As a result, we had some trouble securing the win needed to salt away the division and the NFC’s #1 seed. It took until the last game of the season, but it DID get done. While many have questioned the play they see on the field, I’ve had more questions about some of the coaching decisions.

I question the lack of commitment to the run game, during a stretch where the back-up QB had to start. I question a steady diet of off-coverage. I question the sparse use of Miles Sanders, while not elevating RB Trey Sermon from the practice. I question fans who swallow non-answers about these questions.

MISSION FOR THIS QUARTER:

We posted a conference (and league), best record of 14 – 3, which earned us a first round bye in these 2022 – 2023 playoffs. We get to flash our VIP pass, and cruise right past the (peasants) Wild Card round, and hop in at the Divisional level. That puts us one win away from the National Conference Championship, and two wins away from the Super Bowl itself. Once there, everything is on the table. So the mission is simple: WIN. WIN. And then WIN.

FOUR THINGS: WK 13: EAGLES – TITANS

Posted by The BEAST on 2022/12/03
Posted in: breakdown, Coaching, Defense, Four Things, NFL, Offense, Players, playoffs, Preview. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , . 1 Comment

LAST week DT Fletcher Cox, DE Brandon Graham, DE Josh Sweat and OLB Hasaan Reddick combined to knock QB Aaron Rodgers from the game, and setting up the end of his era in Green Bay. This week we turn our gaze to deposing the supposed “king”. Now is not a good time to be considered NFL royalty. Because we’re hunting for another crown.

DT Fletcher Cox on the hunt

A win makes us 11 – 1, and keeps us at the top of the NFL food chain. There are seven seats at the playoff table. That means we have to be better than NINE teams in the conference. Winning an 11th game would mean that we can’t lose more than 6 games this season. EIGHT teams already have 7 or more losses. We’d be two Washington or Seattle losses away, from clinching a playoff spot.

A loss would make us 10 – 2. However, both we and the number two team, are playing non-conference games this week. So no mater how this weekend works out, we’ll keep the top seed. For at least one more week, the NFC belongs to us, and no one can do a goddamn thing but genuflect, and kiss the motherfucking ring.

So let’s go get this win, and kill any hope that the peasants may be harboring.

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The point of Four Things isn’t to predict a winner, it’s to discuss which tactics would give our Eagles the best chance to win this game. So here are the Four Things that we need to focus on this week, versus the: Titans

1) Pick The Fight: The Titans style isn’t one of being particularly clever, but of being physical. The Titans, almost to a man, will be looking to punch us in the mouth. As a team, the Eagles have faced adversity vs weather, on the scoreboard, and with calls by officials. This time, as individual men, they will be tested physically.

As Philadelphians we pride ourselves on being ready to drop the gloves faster than anyone else. Sunday we get to see if our team is as tough as the fans. (It’s RARELY the case though. See: Gang Green Defense, Buddy Ryan) The Titans however, are about that life! Instead of accepting their invitation to a fight, we need to start it, and finish it.

Winning at the line of scrimmage. Tackles that put men on the ground. Hits that draw flags, and send their players to the blue tent. These are the things we need to see Sunday. No finessing our way through this one. We need our toes to tickle their tonsils the hard way.

2) Keep Him Clean: Keeping blockers off of MLB T.J. Edwards will allow him to flow to the Titans 247 pound RB, and meet him in the hole before he can gather any momentum. That means our Defensive Linemen can’t allow Titans offensive linemen to have quick, clean releases off the line of scrimmage.

With their RB being so large, he needs holes, not creases. If we can delay their linemen even half a second, it malforms the hole that the RB needs to run through. If the Defense can trap the RB between the linemen, it’ll be easier to slow their run game. Look, they’re going to run the ball a lot. So we don’t need to shut down their run game, just make it unreliable.

3) Rush for 100 yards: The Titans are 0 – 3 this season when they allow 100 yards rushing. They’re 1 – 4 when their opponent rushes for 75 or more. That said, this one is more about us, and less about them.

Running the ball successfully, is about being able to impose will on someone who is giving their all, not to let it happen. If we can do that against a team as physical as the Titans, we will have sent a POWERFUL message to the entire the NFL. If we cannot, it’s best to know it (and fix it), before we find ourselves in the playoffs.

4) Tight Man Coverage: When I say Titans WR, who’s the first person you think of? Nope, he plays for us now. Think of someone else… Can’t? Neither can anyone else, since their WR’s have COMBINED for just 3 of the Titans 11 receiving scores. No one is afraid of these guys.

Making things worse for them, is QB Ryan Tannehill, the Neapolitan ice cream of NFL QB’s. His 36 – 16 record as a Titan says reliable, but his limitations…

Imagine a slab of this, melting on a styrofoam plate, next to a square of sheet cake. Yum. Tannehill.

Watching Tannehill try to force passes to sub-par receivers, wearing CB’s Darius “Big Play” Slay and James Bradberry, like shadows, should buy enough time for our deep and talented Defensive Line, to shred their lackluster offensive line.

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

This is the game on the schedule that scares me. For many it’s the Dallas re-match, but I’m neither here nor there with that one. That’s a division game. Division games (like footballs) can take funny bounces. See the difference between our Washington games? Yeah. So I’ll see how I feel about Dallas, when that game gets here.

The 7 – 4 Titans score an average of 19.0 points per game, vs allowing 18.6. They don’t have the firepower to reach 30 points, and haven’t all season so far. So this game like many of their other games, they’re going to try and turn into a low scoring brawl. Usually I don’t suggest playing down to an opponent, but we need a good fist fight.

Talent-wise, the Eagles are head and shoulders above the Titans, in most areas. If we bring the same level of physicality to this game as they do, we should win this game in a walk. However, this is a different type of opponent than we’ve faced all year, and we need to be ready to meet that type of challenge in the playoffs.

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Prediction: EAGLES 26 – Titans 17

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.

FOUR THINGS REVIEWED: WK 2: VIKINGS

Posted by The BEAST on 2022/09/20
Posted in: breakdown, Coaching, Defense, Four Things, NFL, Offense, Players, Reviews, Special Teams, stats, The 12. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

WE Slay’d the Vikings, tonight.

EAGLES 24 – Vikings 7

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 (26/31 – 83.8 – 333 – 1 – 1)

Rushing : (S) RB Miles Sanders (17 – 80 – 4.7 – 0 – 0)

Receiving : (S) TE Dallas Goedert (6 – 5 – 82 – 16.4 – 0)

Offensive Line Report/Enforcer : (12 + 1 – 4 = 9) / (S) RT Lane Johnson

Drive Killer :(S) CB Darius Slay (2 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0)

Sack Leader : (S) DT Fletcher Cox (3 – 1.0 – 0 – 1)

Ace : P Arynn Siposs – Touchdown saving tackle on CB, after blocked FG

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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: Vikings did the Eagles actually get around to doing? Well let’s see:

1) Stop Being Lazy Tacklers: Tackling this week was much improved from a week ago. That said, FS Marcus Epps (6 – 0 – 0 – 0) is still leading with his shoulder, and not his hands. Solid tackling helped force the Vikings into 4th and 5, on their two opening drives. After which we scored a second time, putting game permanently out of their reach. (DONE)

2) Don’t Get Rattled: As I said, Minnesota’s victory last week only looked impressive. Then I got under the hood and saw the details and context of it. So I was able to tell you that this week, they would be without the advantage they had last week. The players just had to not get rattled by the Viking’s Week One press clippings. And they didn’t.

Oh, and OLB Zadarius Smith (2 – 0 – 0 – 0), RT Lane Johnson kept him quiet. While we’re on the subject of being kept quiet, tonight CB Darius Slay had three takeaways. Two were interceptions, and the third thing he took away was WR Justin Jefferson (12 – 6 – 48 – 8.0 – 0). Honestly, tonight he was less effective than WR Jalen Reagor (2 – 1 – 7 – 7.0 – 0), who at least didn’t help produce two turnovers. (DONE)

3) Eagles vs Kerrigan: Jalen Hurts for sure threw some balls into the Flat. TE Dallas Goedert, WR Zach Pascal (2 – 2 – 14 – 7.0 – 0) and the RB’s made well use of the space. It was often so wide open that his completion percentage is almost gaudy for this game. (DONE)

4) Work the Hash: With Hurts spreading the wealth, everything was on the table, including the middle of the field. WR A.J. Brown (8 – 5 – 69 – 13.8 – 0) did a lot of his damage over the middle, near the hash. Goedert made some noise there as well. This opened up the area outside the numbers for WR Devonta Smith (7 – 7 – 80 – 11.9 – 0), who low-key put on an absolute clinic, on shaking coverage and presenting a clean target. (DONE)

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This week all 4 of the Four Things were done, and the result was domination from coin toss to shower. Next week, we hop on 95 for three hours, to visit Washington D.C. Once there, we’ll have our first divisional match-up vs the Commanders.

Did I mention that our ex plays there now? Yeah, QB Carson Wentz. Thought he was the one. Even put a ring on it. But Nick complicated that. Still smile when you think of Nick, right? Then there was Jalen. You know Philly’s weakness for dark meat! Randall, Donovan, Mike… (Donovan still ranks as the best we ever had, but shhhh! You have to say that quietly.) Yeah, poor Carson. We didn’t have to do him so dirty.

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On The Whole:

I’m going to get to the gripes first, then I’m going to hand out praise. What the fuck was up with these refs tonight?! There were three bad calls in the first quarter alone. And why was DT Marlon Tuipulotu (1 – 0 – 0 – 0) on the field again? He just gets pushed around vs the run, and offers little pass rush.

There was only one 3rd down hand-off in this entire game. Hurts again, ran the ball (11 – 57 – 5.1 – 2 – 1), too much again. His 28 carries this year, puts him on pace for 238 carries. I don’t know how this coaching staff expects him to absorb that much punishment, and still be an effective passer.

We scored no points in the fourth quarter again. Leads mean nothing late in a game, if the opponent feels as if, or knows outright, that they can get stops. At a certain point. A trailing teams start gambling with house money, with attempts to score. If they can put stops and scores together, they develop a substance called “Hope”. If we allow them hope, they may become inspired, and pull off a comeback. We have to get this fixed.

Now for the praise.

Back in June, in THE 12: #11, I wrote about using WR Quez Watkins (2 – 2 – 69 – 34.5 – 1) to run Go routes from the Slot. That 53 yard thing of beauty that Hurts threw to him, is exactly what I was talking about. With Brown and Smith demanding attention on the outside (plus Goedert), you can’t tell me that we don’t have another 8 of these in the chamber.

In that same article, I said that if Hurts gets better at reading a defense, the entire NFC, not just the East, will be on notice. His reading has clearly improved. It’s still has gaps in it, but gaps are better than the near illiteracy he exhibited at this time last year. His blitz solving skills would also benefit from a former NFL player’s guidance.

Hurts ball placement and timing, were… Look, I wanted improvement, and I believed that he could improve, somewhat. Just not this much, this fast. The question is how physically consistent can he be, as he takes more and more abuse from how the extra hits he takes running.

I’m just glad this wasn’t our situation.

FOUR THINGS: WK 2: EAGLES – VIKINGS

Posted by The BEAST on 2022/09/17
Posted in: breakdown, Coaching, Defense, Four Things, Front Office (F.O.), NFL, Offense, Players, playoffs, Roster. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , . 1 Comment

AFTER churning out 216 yards, 4 touchdowns, and 5.5 yards per carry, all on the ground, guess what we’re getting! A Vikings team that allowed the lowly Packers, to run for 118 yards and a 6.2 yard average. Looks like this HOME OPENER is one of those “Just run the ball” (mainly with RB Miles Sanders) type situations. SO LET’S GO!!!

RB Miles Sanders

A win means going to 2 – 0, and holding onto the division lead by virtue of defeating two conference opponents. A loss makes us .500 and probably puts us in second place. That is, unless the entire division loses out, which would leave things just as they are.

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The point of Four Things isn’t to predict a winner, it’s to discuss which tactics would give our Eagles the best chance to win this game. So here are the Four Things that we need to focus on this week, versus the: Vikings

MLB T.J. Edwards showing what a good tackle looks like.

1) Stop Being Lazy Tacklers: Last week, there were too many repeated instances of our defenders not wrapping up. It also looked as if fatigue was a factor. Players didn’t play during the preseason, so none of them got “seasoned”. They came to camp in workout shape, but never played their way into FOOTBALL shape.

What happened is, they got tired, and the tackle attempts became lazy. Listen, our guys don’t need a refresher in tackling technique. They’re defensive players. They’ve been tackling people for years now. They know how to do it, they just have to not be lazy about it this week.

2) Don’t Get Rattled: Minnesota’s victory last week looks dominant at a glance, but when you get under the hood, context tells a very different story. It was a game where they scored a first quarter, and a late second quarter touchdown. Their final three scores were just field goals. From 17 points in the first half, to just 6 in the second. Green Bay clearly figured out how to slow them down. We can learn from that.

Speaking of the Packers, two of Minny’s key defensive contributors, OLB Zadarius Smith and CB Chandon Sullivan, jumped ship from Green Bay this offseason. So the Viking defense got two guys who could explain Green Bay’s defense, and who had also gone against QB Aaron Rodgers in many practices. So the Vikings had the Packers blueprints! They’ll have no such advantage this week.

3) Eagles vs Kerrigan: From 2017 and 2019, we swept the Redskins for three years straight. Our game plan was simple. Use their strength as a weakness. Since their 3-4 OLB’s (one of which was Ryan Kerrigan) were more like DE’s in a 5-2, the Flat was generally going to be 7-11 (always open). We killed them for years throwing Outs to TE Zach Ertz, and Wheel routes to RB’s like Darren Sproles and Boston Scott.

Fast forward to now. Having OLB’s who are 263, and 272 pound pass rushers, the Vikings actually have DE’s playing more of a 5 – 2 front. With their pass rush coming off the edge, and trying to contain QB Jalen Hurts, this week would be a great week for some RB Screens, and some Outs to TE Dallas Goedert.

4) Work the Hash: Hurts likes to bootleg to his right. Everyone knows it, which is why last week, Detroit repeatedly stacked blitzers on their left edge. Hurts didn’t throw any picks against it, but he was hurried repeatedly. Expect to see that keep happening, until Hurts solves it. Okay now here’s how to solve it: Passes to the TE or the Slot WR right along the hash.

Any edge blitz in a 5 – 2 they’d have to declare early. So they won’t do that. What they’ll more likely do, is walk an ILB up into a gap, and cause an overloaded end. If that happens, then the TE should be immediately open, up the hash. The only way to take that away, would be to drop the OLB, giving Hurts room to run.

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

Last week’s game against the Lions had no business being as hard as it was. We played down to a lesser team, and it may be providing this week’s opponent with more confidence than they would otherwise come to Philly with. Unfortunately, we created that problem, and we’re going to have it until we prove it’s no longer a problem.

As far as covering the Vikings WR’s, that’s why we have CB Darius Slay, and CB James Bradberry. We also have depth there, but the focus will be on forcing QB Kirk Cousins to hold onto the ball. The Vikings don’t run the same offense as Detroit, so stop being haunted by QB Jared Goff’s release time last week. Focus on the opponent in front of us.

If this game were being played in Minnesota, I’d write it up as a loss. There would be too many intangibles against us (opponent confidence, us being haunted by a shaky performance, their crowd, travel, etc.) However, playing here means that that playing field has been leveled.

With a level playing field, it’s down to superior talent and execution. They have a great roster, but they don’t have ours. The Vikings scored 23 points last week. We scored 24 points. In the second quarter last week. They’re a legit team, but not worth worrying over.

FYI: WR Jalen Reagor has started in an NFL Playoff game. WR Justin Jefferson has never even been in an NFL Playoff game.

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Prediction: EAGLES 27 – Vikings 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.

FOUR THINGS: WK 1: EAGLES – LIONS

Posted by The BEAST on 2022/09/10
Posted in: breakdown, Coaching, Defense, Four Things, NFL, Offense, Players. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , . 1 Comment

LOCKED and Loaded. That’s the name of this season. We spent the offseason prepping for an arms race, while the team that won our division seemed to dismantle themselves. They however, aren’t on the menu this week. Detroit is.

Speaking of dismantle, the last time we saw Detroit we hung 44 points on them. In their house! Meanwhile, all they could do was curl into the fetal position, as their coach yelled about biting knee caps. True, they’ve made a few improvements, but c’mon, NOBODY made as many improvements as we did.

There’s a good chance that we can come out of this week, as the only team in the division with a win. While one game isn’t a large lead, it can definitely serve to help set an attitude. You wanna do something big? You start by doing something small.

****

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: Detroit Lions.

1) Run the Ball: Play to our strength, and let QB Jalen Hurts ease into having more of the game put in his hands. His perfect preseason was cute, but he’s about to face a gameplan. As for Detroit, their new 4-3 will feature five guys who our Offensive Line absolutely mauled, manhandled and fucked over, last October. Ultimately Debo-ing them for 4 rushing touchdowns and 236 rushing yards. Seeing five of the same victims, making up a front seven that we romped and frolicked through, all I see is a second helping. Run the ball!

2) Make Goff Run: In six seasons QB Jared Goff has 401 rushing yards. For comparison, through six years, QB Peyton Manning ran for 582. I bring this up to illustrate just how adverse Goff is to running. Anything that changes or challenges his throwing platform, is alien to him. So we need to disabuse him of any sense of comfort and safety. Last year we caught him in the pocket quite a bit, so if he still wants to just stand there… Okay.

Also their starting G Halapoulivaati Vaitai is out. His back-up is having back issues, and their C has a groin issue. Against this line, we sacked Goff five times last year. So their interior is weak, and we have DT’s Fletcher Cox, and Jordan Davis. Get Goff out of the pocket.

3) Challenge Their Receivers: We’ve been hearing about WR D.J. Chark for years now, based solely off of his 2019 season. In the last two seasons, he has just 60 catches for 860 yards, and a 52% catch rate. On the other side is WR Amon-Ra St. Brown. (Love the name. I had a cat named Amon-Ra. Golden tabby with gold eyes.) He’s a bum. Not the cat, the WR. He’s one of those “12 targets, 8 catches, for 73 yards” type of receivers.

Unleash CB’s Darius “Big Play” Slay and James Bradberry! Mug these chumps and get us a pick six. Okay, maybe that’s asking too much, or being too specific. More generally, don’t let either receiver see 100 yards. That sounds about reasonable.

4) Get ‘im!: Wherever CB Jeff Okudah is, that should be the receiver who gets the ball. At least 10 passes have to go to who he’s covering. During his two year career, he’s played a total of 9 games, and ended both years with season-ending injuries. Last year it was his Achilles, and now he gets to try it out vs WR Devonta Smith’s route running, or WR A.J. Brown’s explosiveness. Pick on him. Hound him! Harass him! Make him Vontae Davis 2.0!

Remember when Vontae Davis retired during halftime?
Just said “NOPE!” and grabbed his car keys.

****

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

I want to give the Lions some benefit of the doubt, but the more I look at this game, the more it looks like Mike Tyson vs Queen Eliz- (Nope! Gotta change that now. Wrote that joke nearly two weeks ago and now… You really committed to ruining my joke, Liz! Just leaned all the way in.) Ugh! It looks like Tyson vs Skip Bayless. Yeah. We like that imagery, right? Let’s go with that.

I can’t believe the NFL is going to sanction this match-up. Everything about it is all wrong for the Lions. It’s as if Roger Goodell wrote “SQUEAKY TOY” on a baby, and handed it to a pit-bull.

It’s madness! Their offensive line can’t protect their over-drafted QB. Their defensive front is an affront to the idea of defense. Their WR’s would be average vs an average secondary, and our’s is a shark tank. They have one dangerous CB, and the other is practically wearing a bull’s-eye! But the NFL is going to let this happen anyway? It’s madness!

****

Prediction: EAGLES 30 – Lions 10

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.

#7: SMALLER CUSHIONS PLEASE

Posted by The BEAST on 2022/06/05
Posted in: Coaching, Conversations, free agents, Players, Rants, Roster, The 12. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

CORNERBACKS Darius Slay and James Bradberry are seen as possibly the best starting Man-to-Man duo, in the NFL. If that’s the case, then they should be allowed to play more Man and less Zone. If that happens, then we should see them lining up closer to WR’s, instead of giving them cushions of five yards or more.

Eagles fans spent 2021 calling for the head of Defensive Coordinator Jonathan Gannon. Whether it was the huge cushions, the lack of blitzing, the unimaginative use of the LB’s, we weren’t happy with last year’s meager 29 sacks and 12 interceptions. Eagles brass (who had assembled that roster), hinted that maybe Gannon just needed better players.

So they went out and added a premier pass rusher in LB Hasaan Reddick. Added a premier CB in Bradberry. Even added some speed with LB Kyzir White. And that’s just among the proven NFL veterans! We also added two top-shelf defensive rookie talents. So “a lack of talent to work with” is no longer an excuse in Philadelphia.

Courtesy of NBC Sports Philadelphia.

Now that we have the cover men, we can shrink those cushions and make QB’s hold the ball a second or two longer. That will give our pass rush time to get their mitts on him. Or that QB can be an idiot, and throw the ball against tighter coverage. Sure, every so often that will result in a big play for the opposing offense, but it will also mean more chances at the ball for our Defense.

Giving swagger to a defense requires showing confidence in it first. If you want something to sprout, you have to water it first. Work, THEN results. There are no shortcuts. Being lazy today, only robs you in the future.

We went and got the guys. Now let’s let them play their game.

LET’S PLAY OUR YOUTH

Posted by The BEAST on 2022/05/08
Posted in: Conversations, Defense, Front Office (F.O.), Players, Roster, Special Teams, Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , . 2 Comments
Marcus Epps being congratulated by Rod McLeod on his interception.

MANY Eagles fans were hoping that we would add S Tyrann “Honey Badger” Mathieu. I said in February that we should re-sign FS Rodney McLeod, and I’ve long been pounding the table that S Marcus Epps should take over for McLeod. Well, we seem to be doing the thing I wanted, without the stop-gap move of re-signing McLeod. Which has me thrilled. Let’s play our youth!

I know many fans wanted “a name”. I however, want to see the Eagles produce young, impact players that we either drafted, or claimed off of waivers in their first year or so. Like Marcus Epps. In 2019 he was drafted by the Vikings in the 6th round, and they cut him in September of that same year. He’s been an Eagle ever since. I want to show that we can grow those guys.

The giants are cutting CB James Bradberry. No surprise there. I told you that, in early April. Though he had 4 picks, his yardage allowed is way up. Teams seem to have found something on tape about him that they can exploit. Yet I’m seeing and hearing Eagles fans say that we should bring him in here. Why?! Why do we need to drag in everyone’s fading star?

Why not start CB Zech MacPhearson opposite CB Darius Slay? MacPhearson was low-key amazing last year. (Seriously, click the link.) Facts: 1) Without signing someone else, the Eagles let CB Steven Nelson go; 2) They followed that by not signing, trading for, or drafting a CB.

We traded for picks, a player, signed people, but didn’t add a CB, even in the 6th round. Draft and Free Agent, we completely de-prioritized the Secondary this year. Ignored it! Shunned it! You probably didn’t notice that at all, until just now. The Eagles weren’t at all concerned with finding Nelson’s replacement. Which strongly suggests that they already have one.

When Training Camp starts, if we have any sense, our starting Secondary should look like:

CB Darius Slay

CB Zech MacPhearson

SS Anthony Harris

FS Marcus Epps

NCB Avonte Maddox

K’Von Wallace makes a deposit.

Guys like S K’Von Wallace are going to be in the mix, because the Eagles spent a 4th round pick on him. Honestly, I think I prefer him more as a box Safety than back deep. Even better would be if we saw more of the Two-Deep look, that we were promised last year. Single-high is going to bumpy for almost any young player, so it’s no wonder Wallace is progressing slowly.

Not exactly a shadow in coverage, CB Andre Chachere is more of a NCB. In fact, his play suggests that he too should get a look at the FS spot. His passion and physicality may limit how often QB’s throw into his area, for fear of losing a favorite target to a concussion. He’s also one hell of a gunner on Special Teams, which may work against him getting Defensive snaps.

My point is, we have guys that we should be and could be developing. That said, it’s hard for a young guy to learn from mistakes and show what he’s got, if like Wallace, he only sees 184 snaps in a 17 game season. (It’s 10.8.) Even worse, it becomes almost impossible to develop our young guys, if we keep stacking “names” and fading stars ahead of them.

Look, an NFL roster is a highly fluid thing. So the make up of what we have here, may change as you read this. People get elevated, signed, cut, and moved for all kinds of reasons. Usually for talent, but sometimes as financial easement, or to attract another player. (Example: WR A.J. Brown wanted 80M$ guaranteed to stay in Tennessee. If QB Carson Wentz were still our starter, would Brown have accepted just 57M$ guaranteed to move to Philly? Nope. Brown’s best friend, QB Jalen Hurts made Brown 23M$ more affordable. So we got him at like 30% discount.)

Noooo! Not that Count, DIScount (I regret nothing!!!)

Hey we get it. If an All-Pro CB suddenly becomes available, sure the Front Office is going to chase it. As fans we understand that. We may not always like it, but we get it. That said, while we are still constructed this way, while the roster looks like this, let’s give this version of the Secondary a fair chance. Let’s play our youth.

2022 PHILADELPHIA EAGLES

Posted by The BEAST on 2022/04/15
Posted in: breakdown, Defense, Draft, free agents, Front Office (F.O.), NFC East, Offense, Players, playoffs, Preview, Roster, Special Teams, stats, Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , . 2 Comments

LAST year the Eagles went 9 – 8 and made the playoffs. The year started off with the team going 2 – 5. Then Head Coach Nick Sirianni started babbling about flowers, and how the team was flowers, and how flowers need to be watered daily, and we just knew that he was about to be fired. Instead, the players embraced their inner daffodils, and went on a 7 – 3 tear. What followed was a playoff exit so quick, that the Eagles should have just played the game in street clothes, with their luggage on the sideline. Should fans be excited about the Eagles immediate future, or was 2021 just fool’s gold?

With the NFL Draft just 13 days away, let’s get a look at the Eagles roster, as it stands today:

QB: Jalen Hurts (8 – 7, 61.3, 16/9) for all of his athleticism as a runner (784/5.6/10), he struggles with reading defenses and his timing. In fact, I called him a one read passer, months before anyone else began to talk about it. He can keep drives alive with his legs, but without being a better passer, he’s not maximizing his weapons, which by definition, is holding them back.

Gardner Minshew (1 – 0, 68.3%, 4/1) isn’t a back-up, he’s a second starter. His arm isn’t a rifle and isn’t laser accurate, but those same critiques have been made about the starter. Minshew is hyper-competitive and brings truckloads of swagger. Though he lacks Hurt’s mobility, Minshew can scoot and find the sticks when he needs to.

Though the two players at this position are different in their approaches, the overall effect (and we saw this in 2021 when Hurts was out), is that there isn’t a massive fall-off in efficiency, when either steps in. While this position isn’t remotely top ten, it gets the ball into the end zone reliably, and it’s super-stable. (+)

RB: Miles Sanders (754/5.5./0) didn’t score at all in 2022, but he was the second leading rusher on the team behind the QB, who had two more carries on the year than Sanders. Part of that was Sanders missing five games. The other part of that was that the QB wasn’t of much use if he wasn’t running.

The 5’6” 203 pound Boston Scott (373/4.3/7) was re-signed for some reason. His presence doesn’t make much sense, given that 5’9” 200 pound Kenneth Gainwell (291/4.3/5) is a younger, cheaper version of Scott, and he runs better routes. Also on the roster is 5’9” 193 pound Jason Huntley (70/3.9/0), whose game is also very Scott-like.

Last year when the Eagles run game terrorized the league, they had a powerback in Jordan Howard (406/4.7/3) to wear down defensive interiors. Howard is no longer on the roster, and the Eagles no longer have a physical runner on the roster. Without a physical runner, they will not see the run game dominate that way it did in 2021. (-)

WR: Devonta Smith (64/916/14.3/5) set the all-time Eagles mark for receiving yards by a rookie. His numbers however, are misleading. In nine games (HALF) he caught 3 or fewer balls. In eight games (HALF) he had 50 or fewer receiving yards. In seven games his catch percentage was 50% or lower. These are not the marks of a number one receiver. If you want to argue that Smith isn’t the problem, then be prepared to point out exactly who is.

Quez Watkins (43/647/15.0/1) saw 3 targets or fewer, in ten of the seventeen games he played. He had 50 or fewer receiving yards, fourteen times. The under-use of Watkins is nearly a crime. Speaking of crime, Jalen Reagor (33/299/9.6/2) continues to steal the Eagles money, and murder fan hopes.

Free agent addition Zach Pascal was added due to his familiarity with the Eagles coach, and system. Pascal isn’t a burner, and doesn’t have the best hands. While he may have been signed to add a veteran voice to the position, he doesn’t add an accomplished veteran voice. This position is a sloppy patchwork, and it needs some order put to it. (-)

TE: Dallas Goedert (56/830/14.8/4) Is the total package at TE. Not only is he a good in-line blocker, but he can also be a downfield threat. Jack Stoll (4/22/5.5/0) is a blocker who saw just 5 targets last year. If he can’t be developed into more of a receiving threat, his presence will make covering the other receivers easier.

Tyree Jackson (3/22/7.3/1) was making progress switching from QB to TE, then tore his ACL in the season finale. The Eagles love him, but he’ll likely be on I.R. into the season. Richard Rogers (2/11/5.5.0) was brought back (once again), to provide reliable depth as a receiver. (-)

OT: LT Jordan “IHOP” Mialata is just 24 years old. Massive, mobile, intelligent, and highly aggressive, Mialata is a people mover in the run game, and a brick wall in pass protection. RT Lane Johnson had another All-Pro season and even caught a 5 yard touchdown. The first of his career.

Andre Dillard was once thought of as a bust, now he’s seen as sort of a luxury. Dillard doesn’t supply Mailata’s physical dominance in the run game, but when asked to fill in, he was more than up to the task. Le’Raven Clark is sort of a reclamation project. He was allowed some bad habits in Indy, but the Eagles think they can be cleaned up and net the team a steal. (+)

G: LG Landon Dickerson spent his rookie season putting on a show. He was a huge part of why the Eagles led the NFL in rushing yards and rushing touchdowns. Jack Driscoll is a super-versatile, work-pail guy. He stepped in for the injured Isaac Seumalo, and had nine starts before his year ended on a high ankle sprain.

Nate Herbig isn’t the most athletic fellow, but he’s also not about to walked back into the QB. Sua Opeta is also serviceable. (+)

C: Jason Kelce is widely regarded as the best in the sport. Does that say enough? Depth? Jack Anderson is the back-up and he also plays G. (+)

In A Nutshell: The Offensive Line is the true engine of this unit. Ridiculously deep and versatile, it makes it possible for the team to platoon RB’s, trade TE’s mid-season, start a back-up QB, and still score without benefit of a well-conceived passing attack. There is no skill position that was upgraded during the offseason. (-)

Josh Sweat.

DE: Josh Sweat tied for the team lead with 7.5 sack last year. In past years he’d been a productive blindside rusher. However, when Brandon Graham was injured, Sweat stepped into playing as the strongside rusher, and he seemed over-matched. The responsibilities switch and physicality seemed too much for him initially, but as the year wore on, he picked it up.

Derek Barnett is actually a solid football player. The problem with that, is that he wasn’t drafted merely to be “solid”. As a result, he’s not judged by what he produces, but instead by what he doesn’t produce. That said, while it makes total sense for the Eagles to draft an upgrade over him, it also made sense to bring him back for 2022.

Graham has never been a 10 sack player. So it’s only natural to wonder what he has left at 34, and coming off the torn Achilles tendon, that cost him 2021. He’s been very good at getting pressure, and even better at setting the edge vs the run game. Tarron Jackson would surprise me if he makes the active roster this year.

This position is the epitome of what plagues the Eagles. At this (and other) positions, they Eagles have tons of “good solid” players, and “good solid” locker room guys. What the Eagles need is a player who gets actual sacks, not just pressures. A player who destroys plays, not just disrupts them. This position needs an impact player. (-)

DT: He doesn’t get to the QB like he used to, but Fletcher Cox was brought back for one more year. Him being frequently double-teamed, at least opens things up for others. One of those others, is Javon Hargrave. Hargrave tied for team lead with 7.5 sacks, and had 18 QB hits (more than doubling his previous career high of 8). He also posted a career best 63 tackles, with 9 (career high) being for a loss.

Milton Williams started two games in 2021. Both were against Dallas. Now let us never speak of that again. I’m kidding. Actually if you look at his stat line in both games, you’ll see that his numbers reflected the growth in his game. For example, in the first game he was tentative and waited for help. In the second game…

FEEDING MILTON!

Marlon Tuipulotu played like trash, with a side order of ass last year, but then again I said he would. He’s too slow off the line. Slow motion in college, means you will be a still picture in the NFL. The Eagles added Renell Wren to the roster. Wren is a reclamation project with an injury history. Cincinnati junked him, but the Eagles think they can restore him. 

We’ll see. (+)

OLB: Free agents Haason Reddick and Kyzir White were given nice contracts to come back to the region. Reddick is from New Jersey, but he played football in Philadelphia, in the Eagles stadium, for the Temple Owls. White is from a suburb of Allentown PA, which (depending on traffic on 76), is about an hour and half from Philly. Both grew up being Eagles fans.

Reddick has 23.5 sacks over the last two seasons, and was signed to bolster the pass rush. While the Eagles have had ‘backers who could pass rush, they’ve never employed a designated one in a 4 – 3 system. So this is historic. White reads like a smaller (just 216 pounds), faster version of cast-off Alex Singleton. Sort of a run and chase player.

Davion Taylor was drafted as a third round project two years ago, and aside from durability issues (both seasons ended on I.R.), his play is coming along nicely. This position gives the Eagles a scary Nickel, and a rock-solid base rotation. Patrick Johnson is listed at this position, but really, at 248 he needs to add 7 to 12 pounds, and put his hand on the ground. (+)

T.J. Edwards has EARNED his spot

MLB: T.J. Edwards is so underrated that it’s nearly a criminal offense. His 130 stops were just seven behind the Eagles all-time mark of 137, (set last year by Alex Singleton). Edwards had six games with double digit tackles, and is now the Eagles signal-caller. He had to fight for his role and he won it, no question.

Old rumor on Edwards, was that he’s more Tackle to Tackle, than sideline to sideline. Initially the Eagles seemed to be listening to that, and took him out during passing situations. Despite starting 6 of 8 games, he played about 34% of the defensive snaps, and the Eagles were 3 – 5 for their troubles. Once the Eagles (suddenly!) started leaving him on the field for 95% of the snaps, they went 6 – 2. Then they sat him (and the other starters) for the 21 – 56 loss to Dallas.

Shaun Bradley has become a core Special Teamer, but he doesn’t add much value as depth, due to the fact that he’s only played 131 defensive snaps in 2 years. Incidentally, he and Haason Reddick were college teammates. Davion Taylor also has some experience and value here. (+)

S: Culture change! With longtime mainstay, Rodney McLeod finding a new home in Indy, the Eagles are left with a number of question marks and short-term answers at this position. Expect to see the Eagles spend one of their first five Draft picks here. That said, let’s talk about who’s currently under contract.

Anthony Harris is returning after a less than stellar 2021. While he posted 72 tackles, he had just 1 interception and 3 passes defensed. Marcus Epps is the next most experienced player here, but he’s only started eight games in three seasons. Behind Epps, is K’Von Wallace with six career starts in two seasons. Jared Mayden has no starts in his one year career.

While Epps has shown flashes in limited opportunity, Wallace has seemed slow to pick-up on NFL football. Epps could be very good with more seasoning, but he likely won’t see that opportunity. (-)

CB: The Eagles have seventy of these guys on the roster, but let’s focus on just the top four. Darius Slay posted five takeaways, and three scores, while allowing just 33 receiving yards per game. The guy simply went berserk in 2021.

Zech MacPhearson played 179 defensive snaps as a rookie in 2021. He was targeted all of 17 times, only allowing 9 completions, for 96 yards. That’s 96 yards on 179 snaps. Opposing QB’s saw him out there and opted not to take their chances. He may be why the Eagles elected to let Steven Nelson stroll off into the wilderness.

Avonte Maddox had five starts in the Nickel, and contributed 1 pick and 2 forced fumbles across his 2021 campaign. Andre Chachere is a bigger, more physical Nickel. He allows catches, but he looks to deliver the big hit. Which is why his missed tackle percentage was so high (21.1). A position switch would suit his level of aggression.

The Eagles are still trying to add top-shelf FA talent here. That said, this team could go into Week One with these guys, and it would be a solid group already. (+)

In A Nutshell: Linebacker and pass rush were seen as trouble spots for this defense, and so both deficiencies were addressed. While talent at Safety is a question mark, the players have played in the system , so they’ll know where they need to be, and will know how to communicate. (+)

K: Jake Elliott went 30/33 (90.9%) kicking field goals. All of which were career highs. He was a perfect 3/3 from 50 yards and out. He also hit all 44 extra points. Clutch. (+)

P: Arryn Siposs was having a great 2021, then things got shaky for him down the stretch. In four of the last five games, he averaged under 40 yards per punt. On the season he averaged 43.9, which isn’t bad, but it should have been better. (+)

In A Nutshell: The Eagles can depend on their legs to help bring victories.

BOTTOM LINE:

Offensively this team doesn’t scare anyone passing the ball, and they won’t be as dominant running it this year. Given that the Eagles did nothing talent-wise to improve the Offense so far, it’s going to be hard to supply any sense of urgency to players on that side of the ball.

Defensively, there were a couple of low key changes, with one being a clear upgrade. Also the return of Brandon Graham’s on-field leadership, should pay very high dividends. This side of the ball stands a real chance of being much improved in 2022.

Last year the Eagles got to face a number of weak teams at the end of the year. They made it to 9 – 8, and snuck into the playoffs. Good news everyone! The Eagles get to play the rest of NFC East again this year. Most of which has weakened. So 9 – 8 is not only possible for the Eagles, but likely. Honestly, they are a couple of lucky bounces away from 11 – 6.

FOUR THINGS REVIEWED: WK 10: Broncos

Posted by The BEAST on 2021/11/15
Posted in: breakdown, Coaching, Defense, Four Things, NFC East, Offense, Players, playoffs, Reviews, Special Teams, stats. Tagged: , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

EAGLES Slay Broncos in their home.

EAGLES 30 – Broncos 13

EAGLES STATS:

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).

Passing: (S) QB Jalen Hurts (16/23 – 69.5% – 178 – 2 – 1)

Rushing: (R ) RB Jordan Howard (12 – 83 – 6.9 – 0 – 0)

Receiving: (S) WR Devonta Smith (6 – 4 – 66 – 16.5 – 2)

Offensive Line Report: (0 + 3:0 – 1)

Drive Killer: (S) OLB Davion Taylor (0 – 0 – 0 – 2 – 0)

Sack Leader: (S) DE Derek Barnett (1 – 1.0 – 0 – 0)

****

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: Broncos did the Eagles actually get around to doing? Well let’s see:

1) Press Coverage: I won’t keep you in suspense. Out of all Four Things, this is the only one we did. And as always, it resulted in a “W”. Atlanta, Carolina, Detroit and now Denver. When we play Man Press, we control the game. And why shouldn’t we?! We have two of the NFL better man coverage CB’s.

(FYI: The 4th quarter pass interference call on CB Steve Nelson (1 – 0 – 0 – 0), started with him giving a large cushion. IJS) (DONE)

2) Play-action Inside: We used play-action today, but Hurts absolutely refuses to throw passes in the middle of the field. Nearly everything with him has to be from the numbers and out. (And YES, I’m aware that the second touchdown to Smith was over the middle.) (NOT DONE)

3) Taylor-made Headache: We didn’t send Davion Taylor on any blitzes that I noticed. Yet he still managed to be a headache. That however, isn’t something I can count towards what was written. (NOT DONE)

4) Get Howard In Space: Didn’t even try. The one time it seemed like Howard got loose on a route, Hurts took off running behind him. I have no idea why the coaching staff seems hellbent to under-utilize Howard. (NOT DONE)

****

This week we only pulled off 1 of the Four Things, but man how ONE it was! Next week we host the New Orleans Saints, in an attempt to get our first home win of the season.

****

On The Whole:

We kept the Broncos from sweeping our division, with this win. It also kept us from being swept by the AFC West. This was a game where Offense, Defense and Special Teams contributed. (That blocked field goal by S K’Von Wallace was awesome!) It was our best win of the year so far. 

Brace yourselves! We almost Surtainly have a star in Devonta Smith.

We got one sack today, but all day long we put QB Teddy Bridgewater (22/36 – 61.1% – 226 – 0 – 0) under pressure, and didn’t let him get comfortable, or use his big outside weapons much. Excellent work indeed, but there were a couple of issues in this one. 

Issue One, was with defending the run. We gave up 96 yards on 18 carries, for 5.3 per tote and a score. DE Josh Sweat (1 – 0 – 0 – 0) does not set the edge vs the run. That’s probably because the strong-side, is too strong for him. He’s much better suited to being a speed rushing RDE, than an anchoring LDE.

Issue Two, was with us being in the Shotgun. It already doesn’t help sell play-action, but when we’re in the ‘gun, Hurts play-action mechanics absolutely fall apart. His half-hearted jabs of the football, does more to slow his read, than to slow defenders. Put him back under C.

FOUR THINGS REVIEWED: WK 5: Panthers

Posted by The BEAST on 2021/10/11
Posted in: breakdown, Coaching, Conversations, Defense, Four Things, Offense, Players, Reviews, Roster, stats. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

EAGLES Killmongered that ass!

EAGLES 21 – Panthers 18

EAGLES STATS:

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).

Passing: (S) QB Jalen Hurts (24/37 – 59.4% – 198 – 0 – 1)

Rushing: (S) RB Miles Sanders (11 – 45 – 4.0 – 0 – 0)

Receiving: (S) WR Devonta Smith (8 – 7 – 77 – 11.0 – 0)

Offensive Line Report: (2 +2:0 – 2)

Drive Killer: (S) CB Darius Slay (2 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0)

Sack Leader: (S) DE Josh Sweat (4 – 1.0 – 0 – 0)

****

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: Panthers did the Eagles actually get around to doing? Well let’s see:

1) Run the Damned Ball!: Of the Eagles 13 hand-offs today (11 to Sanders), 4 were on the final drive. Sanders carried 3 times for 22 yards (7.3) on that series, but kept running out of bounds for some reason. Until that point (in the 4th quarter), we’d handed it off only 9 times, yet the Offense couldn’t quite get going. I wonder why…

Miles Sanders had 16 touches (11 rushes, 5 catches for 6 yards), which was his second most this season. He also led the team in rushing. Under Head Coach Nick Sirianni, this has been the recipe for him winning games. He’s 2 – 0 when these two things happen. The goal however, was 16 rushes for Sanders. Didn’t happen. (NOT DONE)

2) Don’t Help Carolina: Limit penalties to 6 or fewer this week. We committed just 6 penalties. Not a great thing, but it was a season low, and a step in the right direction. Give the team credit when they earn it. Lord knows we roast the shit out of them, when they blow it out their asses. (DONE)

3) Back the Line: Our Linebackers did little to dictate the action in the game. It seems like all LB Alex Singleton (13 – 0 – 0 – 0) does anymore, is make tackles at or beyond the first down marker. The other LB’s show up even less than that. If not for LB T.J. Edwards (2 – 0 – 0 – 0) punt block in the 4th quarter, you might not even realize that he played. (NOT DONE)

4) Take Away the Edges: CB Darius Slay shadowed the Panthers #1 WR D.J. Moore (7 – 5 – 42 – 8.4 – 0) today, grabbing two interceptions as a result. On the first, Slay used the sideline to trap the receiver, allowing him to make a play on the ball. CB Steve Nelson (2 – 0 – 1 – 0) used that same technique to sit on a WR, and drive on the ball for his first interception as an Eagle.

The Eagles CB’s took away the outside, by playing aggressive Man Coverage. They were still lining up on cushions, but they were very good at allowing the receivers to run themselves into being covered. With results like this, it will be hard for Defensive Coordinator Jonathan Gannon, to sell anyone on going back to Zone. (DONE)

****

So we did 2 of the Four Things and squeaked out a win. But this is no time for high-fives and handjobs. We have a short week that features the Tampa Bay Buccaneers paying the Linc a visit.

There is no team I hate to have in the Linc, more than Tampa. The last game played at Veteran’s Stadium was our 2002 NFC Championship loss to the Bucs. In 2003 we played them again, and their website ran a video that said “We tore down the Vet” and featured a ship swinging a wrecking ball.

You can’t find that video anywhere, but I will never forgive them for that. If it were up to me, every time Tampa came here, they’d have to play down 10th and Bigler, where Bok High School plays.

****

On The Whole:

Three turnovers, three sacks, and holding the Panthers to 16 points. The Defense is why we won this game. People may try to turn it into a discussion about Jalen Hurts, but the Defense is why we won. Thank our CB’s, and DT Fletcher Cox (1 – 1.0 – 0 – 0). All the attention that he commands inside, has been allowing DT Javon Hargrave (3 – 1.0 – 0 – 0) to strong-arm, Deebo, and generally wreak havoc in this game, and all season so far. Hargrave is currently on a 20 sack pace.

As a DT!

The Offense gave away two points on C Jason Kelce’s errant snap. Also, for the second week in a row, it committed another offensive pass interference penalty, which took 4 points off the board. In retrospect, this game should have been 25 – 16, not 21 – 18.

Offensively, we couldn’t get anything going, because of a total lack of balance in our play-calling. Look. Listen. The first time that Hurts was sacked, was on a play where he used play-action. Didn’t fool that LB. Not one bit. The LB never even slowed. A QB can’t sell play-action, if the offense doesn’t run the ball.

Fundamentals. We’re going to have to do better, from here on out.