FOR what seems like five years now, that’s all anyone has been saying around here. There’s been a ton of speculation that we’re trading WR A.J. Brownto the Patriots. But why? Or a better question might be, for what exactly?
The early speculation is that Brown would be moved for basically a first round pick. Except the Patriots are a team clearly on the rise, that played in the Super Bowl just a few months ago. If they go as far, or even win it all next year, a first round pick from them, is practically a second rounder to us.
Do you think Eagles GM Howie Rosemanwouldn’t realize that? Does Howie strike you as less calculating than that? So why not trade with a team that has an actual first rounder? Perhaps even, a team that makes a habit of picking in the top ten! I’m thinking Jets or Browns.
Listen, I don’t like the idea of trading Brown. I think it’s a seriously stupid idea. But, if we’re doing it anyway, why fuck it up? Get real value in return for him. That way in the future, it helps to cushion the blow that’s likely coming. Which blow?
First, WR DeVonta Smith is great. Let me start by saying that. Having said that, it’s no question that Brown has been the more dominant player, and the one that QB Jalen Hurts has leaned on more. If Brown leaves and Jalen doesn’t look as good, oh my…
You think Hurts gets disrespected NOW? This trade will blow-up entirely in his face. Not Howie’s. Not Offensive Coordinator Sean Mannion. Just Jalen’s. He’ll be the guy who “forced out A.J.” and in doing so, slammed the Eagles window shut. If this trade doesn’t go right, it will be the dismantling of a team that won a Super Bowl just year ago, in blowout fashion. And Hurts will get the blame for it.
TAKING a loss to the Bears has no dishonor in it. However, the way we lost, requires redemption. Our front seven is better than being pushed around like that, and we need an opportunity to prove it.
Lo and behold the Chargers appear! They are a team that believes in running the ball and running it violently. This is perfect! This is the fight that we need, or the fight we need to learn from before the playoffs begin. Understand, Chicago did us a favor by exposing a weakness. The Chargers now get to help us fix it.
With a win we’re 9 – 4, extending our lead over the NFC East, and still in the conversation for winning the #1 Seed in the conference.
A loss drops us to 8 – 5, but still in the lead for the division, though still catchable.
****
The point of Four Thingsisn’t to predict a winner, it’s to discuss which tactics would give our Eagles the best chance to win this game. Often I list fundamentals, as some of the four things. BUT NO MORE! Unless something specific is needed, fundamentals like Running the ball; playing lots of Man Press; and Tackling instead of going for the strip, will be automatically included. (Like the five consonants and a vowel that Wheel Of Fortune automatically spots you.) So here are the Four Things that we need to focus on this week versus: the Chargers.
1) Get Saquon 90 Rushing Yards:We have to get RB Saquon Barkleyback on track. Not the team. Saquon. This team’s identity is as a running team. It’s time to get back to making the main thing the main thing, by doing what we do the main way.
2) Beat On Their QB:They have a QB with a broken (non-passing) hand and they’re starting him anyway. If they were concerned about how much we might hit him, they wouldn’t be doing that. A message about us, is being sent to us, and the rest of the NFL. At the end of the day, they will either be correct to have sent it, or they will have to admit it was a massive mistake.
3) Overwhelm Their Offensive Line:Every team’s offense starts with their offensive line, and the Chargers don’t have a good one. Make a point of showing that. They’re a big group, but not a particularly nimble footed one. Get them on E/T stunts, and diagonal surges.
4) Throw the Uppercut: If they load the box against our run, to keep us from jabbing the body; then we should throw the uppercut and hit them down the seams with TE Dallas Goedertand WR Jahan Dotson. That will keep their Safeties in the middle of the field and set up our Hooks, when we go deep to WR’s A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith.
****
If the Eagles do these Four Things, then we’ll be virtually impossible to beat. That being said…
The Eagles have hit some pretty rough sailing this season, and people are wondering if we’re about to be sunk. That has everyone looking at next week against the Raiders as our “get right” game. That said, I think beating a bottom-feeder should hardly count as getting right. We need to beat a winning team in order to say that we’re righting the ship. So going cross-country to chalk the Chargers in their home, sounds like exactly what we need.
****
WARNING: I don’t have the faintest clue as to what a point spread is, and I know even less about how it works. I know FOOTBALL and that’s it. If you use Four Things as a gambling tool, then you are a fool trying to lose your money, and will deserve it when you do.
Check back in a couple of days forFour Things Reviewed, and we’ll discuss how this game went.
WE defeated Lambeau Field, while the Packers were running around on it. It was a defensive slugfest, where our guys went out and took the ball away for us. Twice. We scored when we needed to, as our K Jake Elliott made a FG, even when their kicker missed. (On both tries.) It wasn’t flamboyant, but we notched all of the Four Thing markers
Now with reinforcements joining our front seven, we’ll have the muscle to contain run games and finish at the QB. Like the raw meat being thrown to us this week. There is no way that this Lions QB can outrun DE Jaylx Hunt, or OLBNolan Smith.
With a win, we move up to 8 – 2. We’d have at least a share of the best record in the conference.
With a loss, we’d be 7 – 3, still atop the NFC East, with a few games cushion.
****
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. Often I list fundamentals, as some of the four things. BUT NO MORE! Unless something specific is needed, fundamentals like Running the ball; playing lots of Man Press; and Tackling instead of going for the strip, will be automatically included. (Like the five consonants and a vowel that Wheel Of Fortune automatically spots you.) So here are the Four Things that we need to focus on this week versus: the Lions
DT Jalen Carter slows down former Raider RB Josh Jacobs.
1) Play the Run First: When the Lions have run for 100 yards or more this season, they are 6 – 0. When they run for fewer than 100 yards, they are 0 – 3. This one seems obvious. Until it’s time to pin our ears back and rush the passer, this defensive front has to be keyed to stop the Lions run game.
Setting the edges and boxing in the runners, has to be the approach that we start out with. If we get a big lead, we can alter that approach. But we have to start out by boxing them in, first. If we let these guys get to the edges of our Defense, it’s going to be a very long evening.
2) GottaFeed the Dawgs:Not hits. Sacks. At least three of them in this game. The Lions QB is a statue. He’s not a guy who’s going to run away from a defense. If we can get him moving and consistently throwing from off-platform, he will likely share the football with us, at least once.
3) Use our Wide Receivers:the Lions don’t have anything remotely like an answer for WR A.J. Brown or WR DeVonta Smith. Odds are, their coach is going to spend his currency on stopping our run game. So the only thing that would keep our receivers from at least 12 total catches between them, would be our play-calling.
4) Run Hurts More:In every game where the Lions faced a mobile QB, that team scored in the area of 30 points. Again, the Lions QB is a statue, so their defense doesn’t see that aspect in practice. Stands to reason that they are not very well versed in stopping it. And that’s where QB Jalen Hurts gives us a huge boost.
We don’t need a specific number of yards, but when the pocket breaks down, don’t scramble, just run. Maybe have one or two designed runs early, to open the threat, and help clear space for RB Saquon Barkley. This is probably something we’d like to save for the playoffs, but this kind of is a playoff game. A win will give us a tie-breaker, and seriously strengthen the Eagles bid for home-field advantage.
****
If the Eagles do these Four Things, then we’ll be virtually impossible to beat. That being said…
The Lions players circled this game when the schedule came out, and we’re playing for playoff level stakes. So have no doubt about it; we will be getting the best punch that the Lions can muster, on Sunday night. This can’t be another game where our coaching staff inexplicably handicaps us, by not using our big guns. We must come out firing.
The Lions (especially their head coach), are always talking like they want a fight, and preaching toughness. This is Philadelphia. We own the market on those two things! Meanwhile, the Lions are just playing at it. Well Sunday, they have an appointment to exchange an ounce of Fuck Around, for a ton of Find Out. Here, kitty kitty….
Because not only will our players be there, but so will many of you. The Lions circled the game, so now we’ll circle the wagons. We rally ‘round the family…
****
WARNING: I don’t have the faintest clue as to what a point spread is, and I know even less about how it works. I know FOOTBALL and that’s it. If you use Four Things as a gambling tool, then you are a fool trying to lose your money, and will deserve it when you do.
Check back in a couple of days for Four Things Reviewed, and we’ll discuss how this game went.
Special Teams Ace: K Jake Elliott1/1 FG and 1/1 XP under windy conditions
****
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: PACKERS did the Eagles actually get around to doing? Well let’s see:
1) Over A Buck Rushing:We put up 111 as a team. Benchmark. The ground was hard packed, and multiple players showed issues with slipping on the grass. I know that (going back to the prior article) I keep harping on the weather, but in these conditions, the stadium itself becomes another opponent.
Saquon faced loaded box after loaded box, but we stuck with the run, feeding him 22 times. Not for nothing, but the formations that we keep coming out in, with the WR’s packed inside, are helping to keep boxes loaded against him. In any case, we got the rushing yardage.(DONE)
WR DeVonta Smith mossing a dude for six.
2) Deal Out Aerial Hurts: I said that getting the ball to our WR’s downfield, was critical to getting this win, and our only touchdown was a 36 yard pass to DeVonta Smith. Benchmark. Without that score this is a 3 – 7 loss. (DONE)
3) Our DT’s Must Penetrate: I said in particular, we needed a big night from DT Jalen Carter (3 tackles). I didn’t say anything about sacks or tackles. What I brought up was, making it difficult for the Packers QB Jordan Love (20/36 – 55.5% – 176 – 0 – 0) to step into his passes. The plan was to affect his releases.
The result was Carter deflecting two of those passes, and Love being forced backward frequently. Once for an 11 yard sack, and again for a forced fumble. Benchmark. Then there was DT Moro Ojomo (no stats) calling out the Packers play before they ran it, resulting in a fumble by RB Josh Jacobs (21 – 74 – 3.5 – 1 – 1). Our DT’s were huge.(DONE)
4) Take Away Anything Easy: Josh Jacobs led all Packers with 5 receptions, as Jordan Love was forced into inaccurate deep passes and checkdowns for most of the game. Benchmark. He finished with 4.9 yards per attempt, 3 sacks, a lost fumble, and a QB rating of 68.8. We reduced him to trash and made the night sheer Hell for him. (DONE)
++++
This week’s Four Things score was 4 of 4. While there wasn’t a great deal of visual spectacle, the benchmarks that were requested were met, as soundly as any 4 of 4 score, I’ve ever recorded here.
Next week we host the Lions in South Philly. Let’s make sure it turns into a zoo.
****
Game Hero: Defensive Co-ordinatorVic Fangio– Fangio spent the night out-coaching Packers head coach Matt LaFleur, seen here ignoring the game while desperately searching for answers against Fangio:
This is what Vic Fangio reduced Green Bay’s coaching staff to.
Vic did that, while simultaneously folding in a brand new trade acquisition OLB Jaelan Phillips (6 – 0.0 – 0 – 1); a player returning from I.R. in OLB Nolan Smith(2 – 1.0 – 0 – 0); and player returning from retirement in DE Brandon Graham(no stats). Did I mention this was done on the road? In Green Bay? In freezing weather? Well it was.
Game goat: CB Jaire Alexander – C’mon man. He didn’t even travel with the team. This is the sort of game that we got him for, and not only doesn’t he suit up, he’s not even on the sideline in street clothes, bonding with the team.
As a result of him not playing, we had to start CB Adoree Jackson (3 tackles). Jackson wasn’t bad, but it’s better when he doesn’t have to be out there.
Note: Alexander has opted to step away from football, to focus on his health. Oddly, if this article had come out on time, I wouldn’t be able to tell you that. I almost revised this and went with Offensive Co-ordinator Kevin Patullo again, but I thought I should stick to my original statement. Besides, I’m sick of mentioning Patullo.
On The Whole: Everyone else seems to have been expecting a shootout, while all I did was talk about how difficult playing in that weather is. In FT, I even alluded to the Packers QB being affected by it: “Think about it, a stressed QB to throwing a slippery brick, deep downfield, without being able to step into it.”
While the Eagles coaching wasn’t very creative, circumstances also didn’t really allow for razzle-dazzle. This was ‘frozen tundra’ throwback football. It was a defensive struggle, in which we won Time of Possession 32 to 27. Let’s save trying to be clever, for when the ball is more catchable.
RB Saquon Barkley’s 41yd catch and run. Dig WR A.J. Brown blocking out front. It’s nothing fancy, just the little things that separate champs from chumps.
My favorite part of this game was establishing our ownership of the Packers. Whether in Brazil, our house, their house, the NFL Rules Committee… Anywhere we see them, we close a car door on their head, and take their wallet. Feels good.
EXPLOSIVE stuff last week, as WR DeVonta Smithand WRA.J. Brown combined for 304 of QBJalen Hurts 326 passing yards. The giants enter this game with the 26th ranked pass defense in the league. So if they decide to sellout against the run like last time… we should have something for that ass!
Winning pushes us to 6 – 2, and a mostly restful Bye week. (Tweaks still must be made.)
A loss, would stall us at 5 – 3 and mean we were swept by the giants. Our record would be enough to keep control of the NFC East for another week, but under these circumstances, almost no one would take us seriously.
****
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. Often I list fundamentals, as some of the four things. BUT NO MORE! Unless something specific is needed, fundamentals likeRunning the ball; playing lots ofMan Press; andTackling instead of going for the strip, will be automatically included. (Like the five consonants and a vowel that Wheel Of Fortune automatically spots you.) So here are the Four Things that we need to focus on this week versus: the giants
1) Slant Against Their Run:Stop playing opposing run games straight up and down! The idea is to get a hat in a gap, to make their RB’s have to do extra work, just to get out of the backfield. The giants don’t exactly employ dangerous cutback runners, so we should, (especially on early downs), slant to a side to clog the lanes.
2) Don’t Abandon Saquon:In both of our losses this year, we got away from running the ball looong before we needed to. In those games RB Saquon Barkley finished with 6 carries in the 17 – 21 loss; and 12 carries in the 17 – 34 loss, (though we abandoned the run when the score was 17 – 20).
This week, if only to give our Defense long enough to catch their breath, we need to play complimentary football, and try to get Barkley in the area of 20 carries. It also helps to sell the play-action, as we just saw vs the Vikings. Nobody buys play-action from the Shotgun. Especially if we never actually hand it off.
3) Target our Wide Receivers:Last game against the giants, Hurts threw for 283 yards, and TE Dallas Goedert had 9 catches for 110 yards and a score. Goedert can run, but he’s no WR. So like last time, the giants will probably be willing to concede him. That would allow them to keep loading up the box, and short-circuiting our run.
If we’re going to create room for our run game, we’re going to have to spread their defense out. That means throwing the ball to the boundaries, and throwing the ball to real speed. We have to seriously threaten the giants this time around.
4) Complete the Sack: We get pressure on QB’s. What we don’t do, is bring them down once we have a hand on them. This results in sustained drives, and letting opponents remain competitive in games they shouldn’t. We got two sacks last time, we need at least four in this one.
****
If the Eagles do these Four Things, then we’ll be virtually impossible to beat. That being said…
The un-retiring of DE Brandon Grahammakes me feel better about this team already. I’ve been saying for weeks now (nowhere on-line) that the Eagles need a spark-plug player, because once Graham retired, we were out of those. I have… concerns over how well he’ll hold up, but having his energy in the locker room should be great for everyone.
****
WARNING: I don’t have the faintest clue as to what a point spread is, and I know even less about how it works. I know FOOTBALL and that’s it. If you use Four Things as a gambling tool, then you are a fool trying to lose your money, and will deserve it when you do.
Check back in a couple of days for Four Things Reviewed, and we’ll discuss how this game went.
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) Get Barkley 18 Carries: Saquon had exactly 18 carries, and every single one of them mattered. Especially with us losing the time of possession 25 minutes to 34. More important than the 44 rushing yards, real hand-offs helped sell the play-action. The last three hand-offs were just to kill clock, and preserve players for next week.
Teams have been absolutely selling out against the run, to prevent Saquon from beating them. Too often this season the Eagles have allowed themselves to be victims of that. Today, we took massive advantage of it. As a result, I think next week, the run game will have much better production. (DONE)
2) Lead the Receivers: I said “Throw the ball to our receivers on the move.” Boy did we ever! Our WR’s averaged 23.3 yards per catch this week! Hurts had five pass plays where the ball was in the air for 20 or more yards. Strikes of 37 (TD), 79 (TD), 28, 26 (TD), and 45 yards, ALL of those passes hit receivers while they were on the move.
WR A.J. Brown draws first blood with a 37 yard TD catch and run.
DeVonta Smith and WR A.J. Brown (6 – 4 – 121 – 30.3 – 2) accounted for 304 of Hurts 326 passing yards. They showed the NFL what can happen if too many resources are committed to stopping our run game, without enough respect for our passing game. Expect more room for Saquon to run, in the near future. (DONE)
3) Pinch the ‘A’ Gaps: We held Minnesota to 89 total yards rushing, but our DT’s still spent too many plays crashing directly into offensive linemen, and not the gaps beside them. As a result we really didn’t get much quick penetration. We made playing defense, harder on ourselves than it should have been. (NOT DONE)
4) Contest TE Releases:We started out doing this on the opening drive; but as the game wore on, I’m not sure if we kept doing it, orif they were just trying chip on the way out. Doesn’t matter. It resulted in few easy TE looks, poor production (10 – 7 – 52 – 7.4 – 0) and the QB reading longer. Which were exactly the tactic and goal. (DONE)
++++
This week’s Four Things score was3 of 4, in a game that we controlled from the outset. Next up, we host a giants team that will be coming in with more confidence than they should. Ahhh, youth!
****
QB Jalen Hurts gunning down the Vikings defense.
Game Hero: Jalen Hurts: While the true foundation of this offensive explosion is Saquon Barkley, it was Hurts who executed and capitalized on the opportunities provided to him. There were no weird overthrows from clean pockets, or unseen receivers running wide open, this week.
Instead, Hurts put on an absolute clinic, with a completion percentage above 82, and a perfect QB rating of 158.3. If your fetish includes QBR numbers, his was 95.2 (whatever that means). I don’t get into the weeds on such metrics. I care about yards and touchdown to interception ratios. Hurts had 326 yards and a 3:0 ratio. He was HIM.
Game goat: CB’s Adoree Jackson/Kelee Ringo: All these guys do is tackle, and neither does so very reliably. Is it possible to get rookie CB Mac McWilliams some snaps?
On The Whole: We controlled the game from start to finish, and doled out gut punch after gut punch, as we went. We repeatedly rocked Minnesota, and we played keep away with the lead, from the moment we went up 7 – 0. But we never got the knockout.
Pass rush, specifically sack production, continues to be a point of worry. Allowing QB’s to constantly escape a tackle, keeps opponents in manageable down and distance situations. As a result, we’re keeping opponents in games that they shouldn’t be in.
OLB Jaylx Hunt returning an interception for a touchdown
We did the same thing again, this week. We just won a game in which we scored 4 touchdowns, over an opponent who scored only 1, and difference in the final score was just 6 points. SIX. Something is very not right with that.
Again, opposing time of possession this week, was 34 minutes them, to 25 us. Part of that is our run game not eating clock. The other part, is when third and ten becomes first and ten, after a QB scrambles away from a sack, 16 yards up the middle. That one happened TODAY!
It’s a detail, but it has a huge ripple effect. We have to start getting QB’s on the ground.
Sack Leader: DE Za’Darius Smith (Sacks:1.0/ FF: 0/ Tackles: 3)
Special Teams Ace: N/A
****
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) Run Fewer Bunch Formations: The Eagles refused to spread their formations. Thus, all the defenders stayed bunched up inside, making it easier to combat our run and run various blitzes. I don’t know which was worse. Hurts inability to get rid of the ball quickly (5 sacks), or the coaching staff not adjusting for his weakness. (NOT DONE)
2) Limit Their Run Game: Hold them under 120 rushing yards. That was the ask. We gave them 130 on some of the least creative, ugliest running I’ve seen since November of 2022, when Washington beat us 21 – 32. After that loss we were still in first place, but we’d been sleepwalking and needed a loss to wake us up.
Sound familiar? Click that link up there, and you’ll shake your head until you feel like a bobblehead doll. Why do Nick Sirianni’s teams KEEP repeating this pattern? (NOT DONE)
3) Don’t Overthink It: The idea was to use our bigger line to run the ball a ton, and overpower their smaller line. Our leading rusher got all of 6 carries. Our 20 million dollar per year, former 2,000 yard rusher, saw just 6 carries. This is not just an oversight. It’s downright unprofessional.
If I’m Owner Jeffrey Lurie, I want a word with Sirianni, not his hired help. I would ask him “Nicholas John, why I’m paying a man 20 million dollars, for 6 carries, in front of our home crowd?” Each time I hear an answer I don’t like, I’m saying, “That’s the wrong answer. Give me the right one.” (Specifically: This won’t happen again.) (NOT DONE)
4) Box Them In: We did a really good job of this, as LB’s Zack Baun (12 – 1.0 – 0 – 0) and Jihaad Campbell (11 tackles) led the team in stops. The scheme did a great job of playing team concept defense. The problem was the silly number of late opportunities the Bronco’s offense got, because the Eagles kept going three and out. (DONE)
++++
This week’s Four Things score was1 of 4. We get a short week here, as we have to be back at it on Thursday night vs the 1 – 4 giants.
****
Game Hero: N/A
Game goat: Head Coach Nick Sirianni – I’m through blaming the Offensive Coordinator. Sirianni preaches situational football, but in real-time, he seems totally unaware of too many situations on his team.
On The Whole: Like that Washington loss n 2022, this loss was overdue. Lack of offensive clarity is the root of this team’s issues. It’s always trying to do two things passably, instead of one thing at a time, well. For instance: Why an RPO, and not an Off-Guard run? Why so many deep routes that meet in the same area? Why does Hurts hold the ball so damned long?!
On Defense, our line is neither slowing the run, nor getting to the QB. Today CB Kelee Ringo(6 tackles) has been more impactful, than DT Jalen Carter (4 tackles). That’s a fact, and it shouldn’t be.
Drive Killer: S C.J. Gardner-Johnson(TD:1/Int: 2/ FR: 0/ 4th down stops: 0/ FF: 0)
Sack Leader: DT Thomas Booker/LB Jeremiah Trotter Jr. (Sacks:0.5 / FF: 0/ Tackles: 5/3)
Special Teams Ace: K Jake Elliott 2/2 FG, 5/5 XP
****
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) Establish the Pass Immediately: Luckily we started the game with a defensive score, because it took three possessions for the Offense to find some traction. By that time it was already the second quarter. (NOT DONE)
RB Saquon Barkley is now one of only nine men, to ever rush for 2000 yards, in an NFL regular season.
2) Lean On the Run: We absolutely nailed this one. Barkley had a season high 31 carries in this one, and they were enough to make him one of just nine men in NFL HISTORY, to rush for 2000 yards in a single season.
Those rushes weren’t just to chase a record. We needed this win to clinch the #2 seed in the playoffs, and ensure that the NFC East, didn’t somehow fall to Washington. We started a back-up QB (Pickett), and when he went down, we played third string QB Tanner Mckee(3/4 – 75.0 – 54 – 2 – 0). So Barkley’s 31 carries were essential.(DONE)
3) Take Away Anything Simple:We did a great job of forcing Dallas QB Cooper Rush (15/28 – 53.7% – 147 – 1 – 2) into uncomfortable situations, and making him air out passes, instead of sticking to the dink and dunk, thatgot him picked off on the first drive of the game!
We rattled him early with a pick six, and he got totally away from who he is as an athlete. He tried to do too much, and it only helped his team sink faster. He was smart enough to get the ball out and avoid sacks, but he just doesn’t have any playmaker in his DNA. He’s a closer (pitcher) forced into starting. He never stood a chance. (DONE)
4) Use Five Man Fronts:We did some of this, but not a huge amount of it. It might have been wise not to, with LB Oren Burks(8 – 0.0 – 0 – 1) starting in place of injured LB Nakobe Dean. As a second level defender, rotating with Jeremiah Trotter Jr. (3 – 0.5 – 0 – 0) the Eagles may have wanted to keep help close to them. (NOT DONE)
Jordan Davis after his fumble recovery
++++
This week’s Four Things score was2 of 4, but it was more than enough. Next week we host the giants, in a game that will have either a ton of significance, or absolutely none at all. At least we now know it’s Sunday at 1:00
****
S C.J. Gardner-Johnson scoring a pick six, with S Reed Blankenship providing an escort.
Game Hero: C.J. Gardner-Johnson – He killed two drives, with interceptions. One he returned for a score, which equaled Dallas’s output for the entire game. He could also be seen calming fellow players down, as Cowboys players kept trying to bait Eagles into penalties, after the play. Given that he was ejected and fined $45,000 last week, this was some fast maturing on his part
Game goat: Defensive Line – We got just one sack, and allowed their mutt of a RB, to get 100 rushing yards.
On The Whole: It was a domination from start to finish. Offense, Defense and Special Teams all showed up and took care of business. We wrapped up a division crown; putting two players into the record books (Barkley’s 2000 rushing yards, and McKee becoming the only QB in NFL history to debut with more than one TD pass, on fewer than five attempts); or choking out a rival in front of a deserving fan base.
Nearly lost in all of this, is the huge day that DeVonta Smith put up. He had three plays where he reached into the Cowboys chest and extracted a still beating heart. A 22 yard score; a 49 yard bomb, that set-up first and goal from the one; and a 25 yard score, just to add battery acid to the wound. Just when an opponent thinks they have A.J. Brown under wraps:
Drive Killer: S C.J. Gardner-Johnson(TD: 0/Int: 1/ FR: 0/ 4th down stops: 0/ FF: 0)
Sack Leader: OLBNolan Smith (Sacks:0.5 / FF: 0/ Tackles: 2)
Special Teams Ace: NA
****
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: BENGALS did the Eagles actually get around to doing? Well let’s see:
1) Invert the Pocket:This didn’t happen. The Eagles seemed to be playing less to penetrate the Bengals interior, but more to muddy it. The result as was our opponent running for a combined total of 58 yards on the day, including 15 contributed by their QB trying to save his neck.
Between them only DT Jordan Davis (1 tackle) recorded a stat; while DT Jalen Carter didn’t get on the board. Part of that was the heavy rotation, which allowed DT Milton Williams(1 – 0.5 – 0 – 0) to get himself half of our only sack for the game. We muddied the blocking, but we didn’t blow it up. (NOT DONE)
2) Get their QB Off His Square:On the Bengals first couple of possessions, it looked like we wouldn’t even try to do this. However, after that, and especially in the second half we got him running around, moving his feet and we even got a pick off of him.
As for the “super dangerous” WR Jamar Chase (11 – 9 – 54 – 6.0 – 1), he caught 4 passes for 23 yards and the score, on the opening possession. After that, for the remainder of the game he had 5 catches for 31 yards. Fundamentals plus Four Things!(DONE)
3) Play-action TOWARDS Hendrickson:The idea was to bait Bengals passrusher DE Trey Hendrickson (4 – 0.0 – 0 – 0), to cut in front of LT Fred Johnson. So we did run some play-action towards Hendrickson. We just didn’t run much of it. Mostly because Hurts only dropped back to pass 22 times all day, while we ran the ball 39 times.
Instead of chasing Hendrickson around the edge, Fred could just get his mitts on him, as he tried to get at the inside gap. But Hendrickson would do that regardless of where the play-action was aimed! Making the day easy for Johnson, who only allowed one pressure in 13 match-ups vs Hendrickson. Freebie! I’ll take it. (DONE)
4) Target Their Linebackers in Coverage: We didn’t do this, but they seemed to be doing it to us. Which only made this much more frustrating to watch. (NOT DONE)
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This weeks Four Things score was 2 of 4, but in addition to that, we handled the fundamentals of Running the ball, Man Press, and Tackling securely. Next week, we welcome Doug Pederson back to the stadium where he has a statue; as he brings his 2 – 6 Jaguars, all the way from Florida, to get their seventh loss.
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Game Hero: Jalen Hurts – The guy scored 4 touchdowns. Fucking right, he’s the hero of the game. Completing 80 percent of his passes, and not turning it over, is also on the list. However, my favorite part of his game this week, was the kind of rushing attempts he had. That more than anything is what I think broke the Bengals spirit.
None of the lame play, where he fakes the hand-off, then runs to the side, doesn’t find an opening, and then lays down to avoid injury. In this one, he would fake the hand-off, then follow the RB through the hole. The other thing he did, was sit in the pocket, then step up and through, only to be presented with open real estate.
Those are SMART runs! They are low risk, and they force the defense to change what they wanted to do, which opens up the deep passing game. BRILLIANT!
Game goat: CB Quinyon Mitchell(2 – 0.0 – 0 – 0) – His coverage is so damned good! But once again, the rookie drops an interception. This can’t keep happening. Maybe he needs daily practice with the JUGS machine…
On The Whole:
After a slow start, the Eagles battled back, made the game essentially 0 – 0, and then proceeded have a 27 – 7 second half. Contributions by new Eagles like Fred Johnson and Saquon Barkley, were beautifully complemented by the youth on this team.
Ever improving LB Nakobe Dean(7 – 0.0 – 0 – 0) recovered a fumble to help seal the game. A heads-up deflection by CB Isaiah Rodgers (1 – 0.0 – 0 – 0), resulted in the most back-breaking turnover, when C.J. Gardner intercepted the ball. And let us not forget the 4th down tackle for loss, by rookie DB Cooper DeJean (3 – 0.0 – 0 – 0)
Drive Killer: S C.J. Gardner Johnson(TD: 0/Int: 0 FR: 0 4th down stops: 1/ FF: 0)
Sack Leader: DT Milton Williams (Sacks:1.0/ FF: 0/ Tackles: 2)
Special Teams Ace: N/A
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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: ATLANTA did the Eagles actually get around to doing? Well let’s see:
1) Own the Line Of Scrimmage: The idea was to be physical with the Falcons offensive line. They don’t make holes at the line like a power running team. Instead they run to areas and try to take advantage of a RB already looking for space. Bumping and delaying the linemen, would have cluttered up the Falcons run game.
Instead what our Defensive Line did, was stand up and run laterally with the Falcons line. No penetration. No edges set. We let that team pile up 152 rushing yards, at a clip of 5.4 yards per carry. (NOT DONE)
2) Take the Free Yardage:I though the Kerrigan Plan would be great for this week. Take advantage of poor outside coverage on Outs and routes in the Flat. When the Eagles went there, it was good. However, we hardly did! Why does this team INSIST on doing everything the hard way? (NOT DONE)
3) Let’s Have Sacks:More bullying the Falcons o-line was prescribed here. Bull rushing the LG was specifically the order of the day. Instead, our d-linemen would standing up out of their stances, and get waltzed back past the QB. There was one sack all day, of a guy who barely moves in the pocket. (NOT DONE)
4) Take the Safeties Off: Employ a pump fake or two on their Safeties, to get DeVonta Smith some one-on-one match-ups. Ironically, the play that sealed our loss, was an interception by a Safety. Can’t help but wonder what a pump fake on that play would have led to. Probably a touchdown, three seconds later. (NOT DONE)
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So this week’s Four Things score is0 of 4. We played (and coached) down to the Falcons, and it allowed them to steal a win. Next week, there is a highly likely chance that we’re going to get dog-walked by the Saints, as we head down to New Orleans, for STD’s and crawfish. Should be fun!
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Game Hero: DeVonta Smith – He was the only player out there who looked like himself, all game long.
Game goat: Head Coach Nick Sirianni– Up 18 – 15, on 3rd and 3, from the 10, with a 1:46 left on a TICKING CLOCK, Sirianni either called or greenlit a passing play. This right here was the problem. It wasn’t Barkley’s dropping of the pass. It was calling any sort of play that wouldn’t let the clock keep ticking down.
Two Brotherly Shoves would have picked up the yardage, and never let the clock stop running. We should be celebrating an 18 – 15 win. Not mourning this 21 – 22 loss.
On The Whole:
Does anyone know what we pay the Defense for? We’re giving up 25.5 points per game, so far. Our DE’s don’t set edges vs the run, and they can’t get within a fifty dollar cab ride of a QB, despite lining up almost in the Wide 9. Our DT’s line up over linemen, instead of in gaps.
At least twice, I saw MLB Nakobe Dean (7 – 0.0 – 0 – 0) covering WR Drake London (7 – 6 – 54 – 9 .0 – 1). Why is a 5’11” MLB covering a 6’4” number one receiver!?? Who drew that shit up? If we play like this on Sunday, We may find ourselves 4th place in the division.
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