Devonta Smith

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DJAX OR D-HOP?

Posted by The BEAST on 2023/05/28
Posted in: Conversations, free agents, Front Office (F.O.), NFL, Offense, Players, Roster, Special Teams. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , . 1 Comment

DESEAN Jackson wants to retire as an Eagle; and WR DeAndre Hopkins listed Philadelphia as one of the places that he wouldn’t mind playing. So should we be interested? If so, which should we be interested in?

I won’t try to keep you in suspense. The answer is: Both. Depending on the money.

First, let’s deal with DJax. He absolutely should retire as an Eagle. If he wants to sign for a day and retire, sure, why not. He’s earned it. However, if he wants one last ride to chase a ring, as a limited contributor, he’d instantly become our best option at Punt Returner. We could give him WR Britain Covey’s roster spot. He’d certainly give us more as receiving option.

Now, let’s talk D-Hop. Let me use a word that nobody wants to hear: Injury. In the event of a long-term injury to either WR A.J. Brown or Devonta Smith, then WR Quez Watkins becomes our #2 receiver. Are you okay with that? I know I’m not! Last year we were disappointed in how Watkins handled being #3. Picture him having to fill-in for A.J. Brown!

Hopkins represents depth. While he hasn’t posted elite numbers in the last two years, no one doubts his ability to perform at a high level. While Hopkins may not have Watkins’s elite speed, he’s a better route runner, and his hands are near infinitely better. In the event of an injury to Brown or Smith, Hopkins can fill-in as a #2, easily.

Right now our WR depth is Brown, Smith, and Watkins. After that, we have Covey, Greg Ward, (Olympic sprinter) Devon Allen, Olamide Zaccheaus, Tyrie Cleveland, Charleston Rambo, and a couple of undrafted rookies. After Watkins, only Ward has ever caught a ball from QB Jalen Hurts. That was back in 2021.

Restructure that as Brown, Smith, Hopkins, Watkins and DJax. This covers depth, insurance, Special Teams, and legacy. Besides, wouldn’t it be nice to see Watkins and DJax absolutely blowing the lid off of a defense? Putting them on the field together would have opponents lining their Safeties up in the parking lot. Imagine all the room to run on first and ten!

Keeping Ward, Allen, and one more on the Practice Squad, keeps us ready for DJax’s hamstrings to act up again. It’s an annual event, which is why I said limited contributor. However, for every down he can give us (especially in the postseason), he still has the ability to affect and aggravate a defense, just by lining up. As he reminded folks as recently as November 27th…

Hey, remember this one?

Hurts to Djax for an 81 yarder in 2020.

So yeah. The answer is both.

FOUR THINGS: WK 15: EAGLES – BEARS

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

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

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

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

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

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

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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: Bears

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

[eagles celebrating]

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

So we should help them out!

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Prediction: EAGLES 29 – Bears 20

WARNING: I don’t have the faintest clue as to what a point spread is, and I know even less about how it works. I know football and that’s IT. If you use Four Things as a gambling tool, you are trying to lose your money, and will deserve it when you do.

Check back in a couple of days for Four Things Reviewed, and we’ll discuss how this game went.

FOUR THINGS REVIEWED: WK 10: COMMANDERS

Posted by The BEAST on 2022/11/15
Posted in: breakdown, Coaching, Defense, Four Things, NFC East, NFL, Offense, Players, Reviews, Rivals, Roster, stats. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

WE lost.

EAGLES 21 – Commanders 32

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 (17/26 – 65.3% – 175 – 2 – 1)

Rushing : (S) RB Miles Sanders (12 – 54 – 4.5 – 0 – 0)

Receiving : (B) WR Quez Watkins (4 – 4 – 80 – 20.0 – 0)

Offensive Line Report/Enforcer : (6 + 1 – 2 = 5) C Jason Kelce

Drive Killer : (S) DE Josh Sweat (0 – 0 – 0 – 1 – 0)

Sack Leader : (S) DE Josh Sweat (2 – 1.0 – 0 – 1)

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

1) Set hard edges: Can’t really complain about this one, though. Washington didn’t do a great job of running the ball (44 – 142 – 3.2 – 1 – 0), but they did commit to it. So it was enough to do two very important things A) Keep the ball out of our Offense’s hands; and B) Tire out our Defensive Front seven.

We wanted Washington to run inside, and Washington wanted to run inside. So in a weird sense, both teams got what they wanted. At least on first and second downs. There were many third downs that were marked as 3rd and 1, that were more like 3rd and a foot, foot and a half. Unfortunately, even though these runs happened where we wanted, those were easy to convert, and kept our Defense on the field. Still we kept most runs bottled, and no one broke anything crazy. (DONE)

2) Invert the Pocket: Nawp! Their QB not only made a habit of getting the ball out quickly, but we didn’t push the pocket in the middle much. That’s a little harder to do, when a defensive lineman is gassed from eating double helpings of run blocking.

Of course, our pass rush wasn’t helped at all, by all the off-coverage that was called in this game. For half the game, I had trouble figuring out who Defensive Coordinator Jonathan Gannon wanted to win the game. There was more heat in the second half, but by then Washington had a full head of confidence. (NOT DONE)

3) Run the Ball More: In our victory, there were 21 hand-offs, so in this one, the order was for MORE of that. Instead, in this game there were just 14 hand-offs, with all of 2 (to two different RB’s), in the first half. (NOT DONE)

4) Devonta De Decoy: I said that if Washington doesn’t shade to whichever side WR Devonta Smith (8 – 6 – 39 – 6.5 – 1) is on, then the Eagles should do what we did in the first game and, let Smith put on a clinic. And we did just that!

Sadly, with us not running the ball, Smith didn’t have as much room to operate and ended the night averaging under seven yards per catch. It also created no room to roam for the other receivers. So this was clearly done, but the spirit of it was corrupted by a lack of commitment to core football. (DONE)

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Despite doing 2 of the Four Things, we lost still lost the game. Next week do battle with the NFL’s strangest situation, as we travel to Indianapolis to take on the 4 – 5 – 1 Colts.

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On The Whole:

This game was a well-deserved loss. The Eagles did everything they could to lose this game, and the more I think about it, the more grateful I am for the loss. To non-Eagles fans that will come across like bullshit. Fuck ‘em. As an Eagles fan, keep reading and you will soon get where I’m coming from. (And you’ll likely agree.)

Right now, it’s 3:33a.m. I’ve changed the cat litter, grabbed a shower, and put dinner in the crock-pot. My point is, before I started writing, I had some time to think, instead of just writing in the moment. So much of that game didn’t sit right with me, and eventually I figured out what it was. It felt like Chip Kelly was coaching.

Remember scoring quickly and leaving the Defense out there, unable to get off the field? Remember having our Defense grow more and more tired as the game went on? Then there was Gannon doing his Bill Davis impersonation. Big time talent at CB, playing on huge cushions, making sure that we couldn’t get pass rush. Remember two seasons of 10 – 6, that led to zero playoff wins?

I would rather lose this game, and have Head Coach Nick Sirianni learn that he can’t get away with Kelly-ing, then to have him (and the team), think that this is a viable formula. Take the loss now, so that we don’t try this shit in the playoffs. Take it now, so that we don’t take it against a Colts team, coached by a guy with a 20 – 16 high school coaching record.

Look, we got away with sleepwalking against the Texans last week, which is probably why we came out so flat this week. We got away with it last week. Taking this loss to an inferior Washington team is embarrassing, but not humiliating. It’s a decent wake-up call, but it won’t wreck anyone’s confidence. It’s just a hard slap in the face.

Better still, teams are going to look at this as the blueprint for how to beat us. Heavy run, control the clock, get turnovers from each of our top four receivers. There are no subtleties about that formula. Nothing is nebulous. Everything is broad. So it gives the Eagles things to work on both as a Defense, and as an Offense.

It gives us some specific things to focus on, which could go a long way to fixing the problems we’ve been having all season long. Things like not playing well for four quarters. Taking our foot off the gas. This loss could make us stronger than we truly were, when we were undefeated. So I’m grateful that it came exactly where it did.

There are no moral victories here. This isn’t about silver linings. In fact, if we don’t put in the work, there’s no reason for optimism. However after this, if this team puts in the work, our best football will be here shortly.

FOUR THINGS: WK 10: EAGLES – COMMANDERS

Posted by The BEAST on 2022/11/12
Posted in: breakdown, Coaching, Defense, Four Things, NFC East, Offense, Players, playoffs, Preview, Rivals. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , . 1 Comment

UNSTOPPABLE. We rolled through Houston last week, while practically in sleep mode. I still can’t tell if it was funny, that they were so helpless once we stopped hitting the snooze button; or if it was terrifying, that even playing sub-optimal football, we still cruised to a double-digit win margin.

This week we get shot at sweeping the Commanders. Understand, the last time we faced them, we rolled over them 24 – 8, in their house. A freak scene in their backfield the last time we hit it, sacking their QB nine times. That’s not a typo. It was NINE TIMES, with DE Brandon Graham leading the way with 2.5. This time they have a lesser QB back there. This time they’re in our house, not their’s. This time, we have an immediate goal.

And they, are standing in our way.

A win here, puts us at nine victories for the year, guaranteeing us to finish above the .500 mark. A win here, means that we swept a division rival. A win here, sees the Eagles at the head of the NFL table, for yet another week. A win here, makes the Eagles 9 – 0 for the first time in franchise history. A loss would see us at 8 – 1, but still atop both the NFC East, and the NFL. Damn. It’s good to be the king. 

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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: Commanders

1) Set hard edges: This is another repeat from the last time. It shouldn’t be hard to do this since neither of the Commanders runners are Toss or Sweep guys. So they likely won’t fight us on it. They mostly like to run between the Tackles, and we want them trying to do exactly that.

The idea is to gum up the middle, define where the trouble spots will be, and let MLB T.J. Edwards patrol those lanes. Once their run game is contained, then we can pin our ears back and hunt the QB.

2) Invert the Pocket: The Commanders are healthier up front than they were the last time, but we just need to be disruptive. Send DT’s Fletcher Cox and Javon Hargrave through the ‘A’ gaps. Force their QB to move his feet, so he can’t set them, and drive the ball. We just got 9 sacks and a couple batted passes doing this to QB Carson Wentz.

This time we face back-up QB Taylor Heinicke, who’s 4 inches shorter, with an arm nowhere near as strong as Wentz’s. He plays the same brand of “hero ball” that Wentz does. However, unlike Wentz, Heinicke knows that he’s playing with house money, so he’ll play without fear of getting yanked. His eyes see openings that his arm can’t deliver on, and that’s where the Eagles need to capitalize (or should I say Capitol-ize? Get it?!)

If we can keep his feet moving, the ball will sail on him. And we have SS Chauncey Gardner-Johnson lurking out there. It’s unreasonable to expect as many sacks as the last time, but last time we didn’t get any interceptions. Let’s see how that shakes out Monday night.

3) Run the Ball More: Last time we played, QB Jalen Hurts was sacked 3 times. He had 35 pass attempts and ran 9 times. That’s 44 plays with the ball in his hand. Conversely, there were only 21 hand-offs. So it’s not a wonder that Hurts spent the day getting beat to shit.

How about not letting them tee off on Hurts? (I mean, if our playoff hopes are serious.) We didn’t do a great job of running the ball last time (30 – 72 – 2.4 – 0 – 0), but a hand-off isn’t always about yardage. Sometimes it’s about keeping the defense honest, and stopping them from pinning their ears back to hunt your QB. Capiche?

4) Devonta De Decoy: Earlier this season WR Devonta Smith lit the Commanders secondary on fire for 8 grabs, for 169 yards, including this crazy, 45 yard, ladder climb.

I would expect them to shade Safety coverage to his side early, in this game.

If they don’t shade to Smith’s side, then we should just pick up where we left off. Use Smith to put on another clinic on dissection of a secondary. If they do make the adjustment, then play-action towards Smith, should repeatedly result in a pair of one-on-ones to the opposite side. At which point Hurts just has to deliver the ball to a spot.

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

This is far from a replay of the last game. The interior of their offensive line is back, but we’re missing DT Jordan Davis (I.R.), who was a huge part of our win over them. They’ll also have the services of their hard running rookie RB, who gives them a presence they just didn’t have, when last we met.

So expect them to be more physical. Expect them to try and make this game into a street fight. Usually as a Philadelphian, I would say, “Pack a lunch and come on wit’ it! ‘Cause we’re going all 15 rounds.” But not this time.

We have playoff hopes. They don’t. We don’t need to spend any more time or energy on this opponent, than it takes to put them down. We know what’s coming. This is just us deciding how it’s going to play out. We’re the better team, but this game isn’t about proving that. We’re just taking care of business. We’re walking into a room, shooting an animal with a bag on it’s head, turning on heel, and walking out. That’s it.

This isn’t a game. It’s an execution. Just like last time.

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Prediction: EAGLES 29 – Commanders 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.

FOUR THINGS REVIEWED: WK 3: COMMANDERS

Posted by The BEAST on 2022/09/26
Posted in: breakdown, Coaching, Defense, Four Things, NFC East, NFL, Offense, Players, Reviews, Rivals, Roster, stats. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment
OLB Hassan Reddick and DT Fletcher Cox have a meeting at QB Carson Wentz

THIS wasn’t a game. It was an execution.

EAGLES 24 – Commanders 8

EAGLES STATS:

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

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

Passing : (S) QB Jalen Hurts (22/35 – 62.8% – 340 – 3 – 0)

Rushing : (S) RB Miles Sanders (15 – 46 – 3.0 – 0 – 0)

Receiving : (S) WR Devonta Smith(12 – 8 – 169 – 21.1 – 1)

Offensive Line Report/Enforcer : (0 + 0 – 3 = -6) / NA

Drive Killer : (B) CB Avonte Maddox (0 – 0 – 1 – 0 – 0)

Sack Leader : (S) Brandon Graham (4 – 2.5 – 0 – 1)

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

Rookie DT Jordan Davis deflects Wentz’s first attempt.

1) Invert the pocket: From the start the Eagles were on this. QB Carson Wentz (24/43 – 55.8% – 240 – 0 – 0) had no room to step-up, and was a sitting duck for 9 sacks on the day. His first attempt was deflected by rookie DT Jordan Davis (no stats), after which: The hunt, was ON! DT Fletcher Cox (2 – 1.5 – 0 – 0) is up to 3 sacks for the young season, where he had just 3.5 in 2021. DT Javon Hargrave (2 – 1.0 – 0 – 0) had a fumble recovery.

Added to this, was the Commanders in ability to run the ball. They were held to 77 yards on 22 carries (3.5), as the Eagles focused on clogging up the middle of the field. In fact 22 of those yards were from Wentz on three scrambles. Without those numbers, the Redsk- Commanders, ran for 55 yards on 19 carries (2.8). (DONE)

2) Go Deep Off Play-action: We didn’t get around to this until the second quarter, but when we did, it drew a 17 yard pass interference call. There were quite a few deep shots, but almost none of them came with the use of play-action which made things more difficult throughout the game. This was technically done, but was woefully underutilized. (DONE)

3) Score in the Fourth: Not only did the Offense not score in the fourth quarter, we began it by giving up a safety. For the third time in three games, the team fizzled out in the second half. This is beyond embarrassing. It is downright alarming.
The Eagles have scored 86 points this season, with 65 of them in the second quarter of games. We’ve scored just 7 in the first quarter (Vikings), 14 in the third (Lions). Zero in the fourth. In fact, the Offense is now giving up points directly. (NOT DONE)

DE Brandon Graham wreaked havoc in this one.

4) Set the Edges: And OB-HOY did they! Our man Brandon Graham (2.5 sacks) ATE TODAY! On the other side of the line DE Josh Sweat (2 – 1.5 – 0 – 0) ATE TODAY! On top of which, they kept the action bottled up, making it easier to close in on the QB. Of course, the Commanders offense featuring a seven step drop, only helps to facilitate DE’s getting to their QB. (It’s why they gave the Lions five sacks last week.)

Our DE play was aggressive, but more importantly it was sound. Contain, then rush. It’s the mindset they should bring every week, regardless of it’s a mobile QB or a statue; a power RB, or a slasher. Good technique yields consistent results, and often consistent rewards. This having been said, I still think Graham’s replacement should be top priority in the next Draft. (DONE)

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This week saw 3 of Four Things accomplished. This week we got to smack up the QB who helped us win our first Super Bowl, and next week we try to smack up the Head Coach who won it for us. Feels like the schedule makers just felt like being bastards, and making us look like friggin’ ingrates.

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On The Whole:

Alright. Same as last week. Gripes then glory. Let’s start.

So much of the credit for this win will go to Jalen Hurts and that’s a shame. It’s damned near criminal. He essentially phoned in the second half of this game, like he’s been doing since the season started. I wonder what it would look like if he played a whole game.

If I was RB Miles Sanders I’d start preserving my body for my next team. I wouldn’t come back to the Eagles. The way they dick around with his playing time, (in a contract year, no less!) is disgusting. Especially since the coaches keep putting lesser players on the field, in his stead. Neither back-up can break an arm tackle, and one is absolute liability in pass protection. It’s part what’s wrong with the Offense in the second half of games.

Between not playing our best players in key situations, and doing silly shit like having Devonta Smith return a punt, we’re only outsmarting ourselves. We should have buried Washington in the second half! Their back-up QB should have started the 4th quarter. But noooo! We’re too busy being fucking clever, while posting no points in three quarters.

And now for a happy tune. I want to start with Avonte Maddox tackling a TE, 67 pounds heavier than himself, in a goal line situation, to force a turnover on downs. Trap game, my ass!

WR A.J. “Swoll Batman” Brown

Eagles WR’s played outstanding today. Devonta (Skinny Batman) of course, played out of his mind today. The there was (Swoll Batman) WR A.J. Brown (10 – 5 – 85 – 17.0 – 1) who pulled a man with him into the endzone after a 9 yard strike from Hurts. Unfortunately (Fast Batman) WR Quez Watkins (no stats) only saw one target today.

Jalen Hurts had a very good first half. No turnovers, didn’t run too much, or too soon. He looked good in the pocket. His protection probably would have been better, if the play-calling involved handing off the ball more.

Remember when everyone assumed MLB T.J. Edwards would lose his starting gig to a rookie? Remember when I said not so fast?

THESE LB’s! MLB T.J. Edwards (9 – 1.0 – 0 – 0), and OLB Kyzir White (8 – 0 – 0 – 0) were out there cleaning up whatever slipped through the D-Line. OLB Hassan Reddick (2 – 1.5 – 0 – 1) also ATE TODAY!

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.

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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: 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!

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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.

EAGLES FREE AGENT ADDITIONS

Posted by The BEAST on 2022/02/19
Posted in: Conversations, Defense, free agents, Front Office (F.O.), NFL, Offense, Players, Rivals, Roster. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

WITH ten draft picks this year, the smart move is to use them to further the Eagles youth movement. There is no sense in signing bunch of, or trading early picks for, older and more expensive players this year. Judiciously signing a few however, can add immediate bounce throughout a roster. Here are the three that we should add.

DE: Emmanuel Ogbah from Miami would be the centerpiece of my free agency mission. Getting a bigger, and more physical LDE, will allow Josh Sweat to go back to using his speed at RDE, making our Defensive Line a lot more effective. Understand though, Miami comes into free agency with more cap space than anyone, and they’ll want to keep their proven pass rusher.

Of course, while Miami has tons of cash, they’re going to have a new head coach in 2022. Also, the NFL may be trying to take the team away from owner Stephen Ross, due to allegations that he attempted to pay his last head coach, to throw games.

Vegas (and I don’t mean the Raiders), won’t look too kindly on that, with legalized gambling being a cash cow. So if Ross “dies” in 2022, don’t be shocked. I mean the guy is 81, but if saaaay, he blows his own head off (wink), and afterwards cleans his fingerprints off the shotgun, we’ll all know what’s what.

The upcoming circus that’s about to surround a 9 – 8 Dolphins team which missed the playoffs, should be enough to encourage Ogbah to move to greener pastures. While many teams can offer him a boatload of cash, no other team can offer him a chance to play with two DT’s that demand as much double-team attention. That means a ton of one-on-one opportunities for Ogbah.

Imagine it: DE Emmanuel Ogbah , DT Fletcher Cox, DT Javon Hargrave, and DE Josh Sweat. A physically stronger left side, with Sweat bringing the explosiveness that Derek Barnett always lacked from the blindside. Improved play on the back-end would make this Defense monstrous.

TE: While Jack Stoll is a good blocker, he’s no threat as a receiver. That makes Richard Rogers our go-to, behind Dallas Goedert. Rodgers is credible, but we have to do better here. (Ironically, Zach Ertz is a free agent, but I’m pretty sure we won’t be seeing him back here.)

As of today, the Cowboys, (according to Over The Cap) find themselves (-21M$) in salary cap hell, for 2022. That means 25 year old Dalton Schultz could be an easy steal, which would help us, while at the same time, harming a rival. If we can’t get him to come here, at least we should be able to bid, and drive up the price that Dallas re-signs him to.

WR: HEAR ME OUT! I know this is gonna sound crazy at first, but it makes all the sense in the world. We should bring back DeSean Jackson. (I’ll give you a minute to shake your head, and call me nuts.)

Are you done? Alright, Fine. Take another minute.

Now the explanation. Devonta Smith thinks that he would benefit from having a veteran in the locker room. That being the case, if we add a seasoned veteran, we don’t want them to hinder the Eagles youth development, by playing too many downs. Quez Watkins won’t get better from not playing. (Same with the rookie WR we should draft.)

DJax has a ton of wisdom to impart to a WR room. Especially to Smith. DJax has been a #1 threat. He’s seen double coverage, bracket coverage, shaded coverage meant to contain him, and he’s produced anyway. He’s seen ups and downs off the field. He’s taken care of his body, well enough to still be a deep threat at 87 years old. This is even more important when you realize how slender DJax is. A trait that Smith shares.

Though DJax still has an ability to be dangerous (2021: 20rec, 454yards, 22.7*ypc, 2TD), his hamstrings won’t let him play a ton of downs. Which is GREAT! He shouldn’t be a starter. He should be a role player. Which also means he shouldn’t be too expensive.

(*Led NFL)

Wise, cheap, still lethal, and he won’t try to overshadow the young men we’re trying to develop. Go ahead. Find someone else who ticks all of those boxes, in this year’s free agency. I’ll wait… In fact, I’ll spot you the list so you don’t have to look for it.

Emmanuel Sanders?! Last year he was a starter in Buffalo. No way he gives up chasing a ring with QB Josh Allen, to play for a QB who can’t read defenses. NEXT! AJ. Green? He’s going back to Arizona. Next! Mohamed Sanu? He was never Batman. He wasn’t even Robin! He was Batgirl for most of his career. I don’t want Devonta learning how to be Batman, from Batgirl. Do you?

So there it is. Those are the primary three players I would target in this year’s first round of free agency. We’ll take a look at the post-Draft cuts, with an eye towards KR’s, and big RB’s. Then we’ll look for veteran defenders after the June 1st cuts.

FOUR THINGS REVIEWED: WK 16: giants

Posted by The BEAST on 2021/12/27
Posted in: breakdown, Conversations, Defense, Draft, Fans, Four Things, NFC East, NFL, Offense, Players, playoffs, Reviews, Rivals. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

THERE is no “quit” in this team.

EAGLES 34 – giants 10

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 (17/29 – 58.6% – 199 – 2 – 0)

Rushing: (S ) RB Miles Sanders (7 – 45 – 6.4 – 0 – 0)

Receiving: (S ) WR Devonta Smith (7 – 5 – 80 – 16.0 – 1)

Offensive Line Report: (2 + 1:2 – 1)

Drive Killer: (S ) OLB Alex Singleton (1 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 1)

Sack Leader: (S ) DE Josh Sweat (4 – 1.0 – 0 – 1)

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

1) Run Jordan for Miles: Sadly, both RB Miles Sanders (7 – 45 – 6.4 – 0 – 0) and RB Jordan Howard (9 – 37 – 4.1 – 0 – 0) were injured during the game, but not before combining for 82 yard on 16 carries (5.1 ypc). When RB Boston Scott (12 – 41 – 3.4 – 1 – 0) was called on to fill-in, he added an early score.

Scott’s contribution to this team is not to be overlooked. However, the loss of pop in his legs as his usage piled up, was noticeable. Again. If Sanders and Howard are going to keep finding their way into street clothes during games, the Eagles are going to need to carry four active players at this position. (DONE)

2) Feature Devonta: Who lead the team in receiving yards? Devonta did! Who led the team in catches? Devonta did that too! Who led the team in targets? Oh my gaw- Was that Devonta? Why yes it was Devonta! Who led the team in touchdown catches? RT Lane Johnson ( 1 – 1 – 1.0 – 1) tied for the team lead with that.

This was a game where we needed our best, to be our best, and Devonta stepped up and was that. His touchdown catch had almost enough toe drag swag, to give me a foot fetish. Right Rex? (DONE)

3) Blow up the Center: We did this, but we did quite a few other things too. This factored in the most, on the interception that QB Jake Fromm (6/17 – 35.2% – 25 – 0 – 1) threw to FS Rod McLeod (1 – 0.0 – 1 – 0). Fromm couldn’t step into his throw, tried to muscle it in, and it sailed on him. Right into McLeod’s mitts.

We were getting away with doing so many different things to Fromm, that the giants pulled him in the third quarter, and sent out QB Mike Glennon (17/27 – 62.9% – 93 – 1 – 1). Glennon came out and threw two touchdowns. If you count the one to Eagles LB Alex Singleton. (DONE)

4) Be Active Pre-snap: We did some of this, but not enough of it. Fromm seemed more flustered by the speed of the game and the pass rush, than he was by the reads. While his percentage looks awful, Fromm didn’t throw the ball into dangerous places, and generally on his incompletions it was easy to understand his decision making. (NOT DONE)

****

So that gives us 3 of the Four Things, and an easy victory to boot. Next week we get to visit Washington! Their team (at 6 – 9) is still mathematically alive for playoff contention. So of course we have to do to them, what we just did to New York.

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On The Whole:

The Offense can’t afford slow starts like this. Scoring 3 points in an entire half of a game is unacceptable. Of course, that’s what will happen when the head coach gets cute.

Look, the Eagles offensive strength is running the ball. So why were 6 of our first 7 plays, passes? Simple. It was Head Coach Nick Sirianni looking to prove how clever he is. That cost us the game last time. This time he wised up.

As a result, we ENDED THE giants SEASON.

FOUR THINGS: WK 16: EAGLES – giants

Posted by The BEAST on 2021/12/26
Posted in: breakdown, Coaching, Defense, Four Things, NFC East, Offense, Players, playoffs, Preview, Rivals, Roster. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , . 1 Comment

WASHINGTON got tossed last week, and now it’s New York’s turn. This game, instead of being cute like last time, expect a brutal, grinding effort, from our no nonsense ground attack.

From a purely mathematical standpoint, the giants have yet be officially eliminated from the playoff picture. No matter. At 1:00 today, the Eagles will be walking Ol’ Yeller out to where the red fern grows. And that should be that.

Win or lose this week, our playoff chances will still be alive, likely with us on the outside looking in. However, an Eagles win combined with several things, could put us on the inside. If we win and go to 8 – 7, then with :

A Vikings loss to the Rams, MIN falls to 7 – 8, putting Philadelphia in the 7th seed.

That’s it. That’s all the help we need for now.

****

The point of Four Things isn’t to predict a winner, it’s to discuss which tactics will practically guarantee our Eagles this win. CAUTION: 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 FT as a gambling tool, you are trying to lose your money, and will deserve it when you do.

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

1) Run Jordan for Miles: I said this the last time and we didn’t do it en route to a 7 – 13 loss. Look, the giants are a division rival. They’re wise to the Read Option, because we showed it last year under Pederson. Now they’ve seen it under Sirianni. Being cute won’t beat a division rival. Being a rival requires exploiting their faults, with your built-in advantages.

Last time, we faced this team, our rushing attack was spearheaded by QB Jalen Hurts and RB Boston Scott. Between them, they accounted for all 4 of our turnovers. Scott is a plucky guy, but he’s small and he wears down. No one wants to admit it, but our opponents know it.

Rotating RB Miles Sanders with RB Jordan Howard, is how you tire out a defensive front. That one-two, working of the body, allows Hurts to maximize his potential. We did it wrong the last time, and we couldn’t manage 10 points because of it. This isn’t rocket science.

2) Feature Devonta: Our coaches have spent weeks manufacturing passing yards, instead of saying “My guy can flat-out beat your guy”. We need to be able to push the ball down the field, to keep space open for the run game. That’s where WR Devonta Smith comes in. In the last game, we showed the giants that they don’t even have to cover WR Jalen Reagor. So we need an actual threat. Which we drafted Smith to be. Right?

It’s time to see if we have that, in Smith. If we do, then we just may have the QB/WR combo that we need for the future. If we don’t, then we may need to figure out which end of that QB/WR combo needs tweaking. This is the time of year, not September, when that test means the most.

3) Blow up the Center: giants QB Jake Fromm is making his first NFL start in this game. The strategy that most teams use on inexperienced QB’s, is to try forcing mistakes by blitzing the young fella. We can do better than that. We can rush the “A” gaps and take away Fromm’s ability to stand in, or climb the pocket.

Better still, inverting the pocket won’t allow Fromm to step into his throws. A first start, versus a Philly crowd, and suddenly he can’t even trust his own delivery? That has all the makings of a Pompeiian picnic for New York.

4) Be Active Pre-snap: Everybody knows, QB’s like to look at the alignment of the Secondary pre-snap. Just to get an idea of whether or not there is an easy throw to be made. “Are there any gimmies?” We should let Fromm get a look pre-snap, and then subtly shift the alignment once or twice on him.

The idea is to get him to second guess his placement on his passes. We want to feed him doubt on most downs, and punish his team when he’s confident on others.

If we do these Four Things,

We will walk away from this game above .500, and with our playoff hopes intact. No doubt. 

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PREDICTION: EAGLES 28 – giants 13

Check back in a couple of days for Four Things Reviewed, and we’ll discuss how it went.

FOUR THINGS: WK 13: EAGLES – JETS

Posted by The BEAST on 2021/12/04
Posted in: breakdown, Coaching, Defense, Four Things, NFL, Offense, Players, Preview. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , . 1 Comment

RETURNING to the scene of last week’s crime, and leaving with a different result. That’s the focus for this week. Running the ball with RB Miles Sanders and getting it downfield to WR Devonta Smith, will go a long way to meeting our goal.

Just don’t get cute.

A win gets us to 6 – 7, but Sunday night at 7:30 (unless something weird happens), we will likely still be on the outside looking in, with regards to one of the three Wild Card spots. That said, playoffs can’t be the focus right now. We need to find a way to string wins together first.

A loss drops us to 5 – 8. While it wouldn’t mathematically eliminate us, you have to wonder if it wouldn’t be smart, to go into Draft Assessment Mode.

****

The point of Four Things isn’t to predict a winner, it’s to discuss which tactics will practically guarantee our Eagles this win. CAUTION: 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 FT as a gambling tool, you are trying to lose your money, and will deserve it when you do.

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

1) Play Our Aces: A big part of last week’s loss, was the coaching staff constantly rolling out back-up players, then trying to make them into something they aren’t, by forcing-feeding them the ball. The result was that we scored 7 points, and turned the ball over 4 times.

We need to lean on Sanders, Smith and TE Dallas Goedert. When teams get the ball to their best players, it tends to help them win games instead of lose them. We should try that! It’ll likely help a great deal, regardless of who starts at QB.

2) Interior Pass Rush: DT’s Fletcher Cox and Javon Hargrave need to collapse the ‘A’ gaps, and force the Jets young QB out of the pocket. We need to help our opponent make mistakes, not just hope for them.

3) Talent Has To Win: Offensively we will not out-scheme the Jets. Surely QB Joe Flacco has given up the tapes about the Eagles system and play-book. He likely understands it’s nuances better than any QB on our roster, and can communicate those nuances to his defensive coordinator.

So this is not the week to be cute or clever. This is in regards to the run game. This is a week where we have to be stronger at the point of attack, and faster with the ball in our hands. We just have to physically better this week. We just have to maul motherfuckers, and hit holes aggressively.

4) Make secure tackles: Don’t delude yourself into thinking this will be a cake-walk. Cincinnati did that on their way to losing a 31 – 34 shootout. The Jets leading RB has 205 rushing yards before contact, and 225 after contact. At 3 – 8 all they have left to play for is pride.

So don’t get cute. Don’t hold up the runner and claw at the ball. Just stop the ball-carrier’s progress. Wrap up and get him down.

If we do these Four Things,

We should win by 20. The Eagles are the better team. If we show up playing like it, then we could break this thing wide open in the 4th quarter. That however, is the issue. This team came out last week like we didn’t know who we were. We can’t come out playing that way, this week.

Don’t be surprised if QB Gardner Minshew plays at least a half on Sunday.

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PREDICTION: EAGLES 27 – Jets 12

Check back in a couple of days for Four Things Reviewed, and we’ll discuss how it went.