Divisional Round

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FOUR THINGS: PLAYOFFS: DIVISIONAL ROUND: EAGLES – GIANTS

Posted by The BEAST on 2023/01/19
Posted in: breakdown, Coaching, Defense, Four Things, NFC Championship, NFC East, NFL, Offense, Players, playoffs, Preview, Rivals, Roster. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , . 1 Comment

DEFEATING the giants was enough to earn us the NFC East, the 1st seed in the NFC, and a bye week. Well apparently, sweeping them isn’t enough to convince their fans, nor the national sports media, that in this third match-up, they’re still thoroughly outclassed by us, this season.

We blew them out 48 – 22 in Week 14. They played their back-ups in Week 18, and the score was closer at 22 – 16. Because their second loss wasn’t as embarrassing, it has given their fans hope for a different result in these playoffs.

Understand, they have hope because no one is mentioning that we were up 19 – 0 in the third, realized that we had the NFC East in the bag, and started to pack it in.

No one mentions our injuries, or that we scarcely used some starters.

No one mentions how vanilla, how almost preseason level, our gameplan was.

Their fans ignore these things, so they can keep their playoff hopes on life support.

One of these teams won 14 games and swept the other. It’s high time we reminded these “giants”, of just who is who. As for their hopes, I can only say:

Winning sends us to the NFC Championship game.

There will be no losing.

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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: giants.

1) Feed Miles Sanders: The Biggest difference between our 48 – 22 win and our 22 – 16 win was that in the blowout, we fed RB Miles Sanders early and set a tone for the game. He had a career high 144 rushing yards that day. (Read that last sentence one more time.) In the second game we sprinkled him in here and there. He never got a rhythm, and the Offense was lopsided. (For a few reasons to be fair.)

No pitch counts. No worrying about tomorrow. Feed him. Set a physical tone and use the run game to give our Defense enough of a breather between drives. The giants are going to want to control the clock with ball control. However, if we burn time from our side too, they won’t be able to stick with it, once we’re holding the lead.

2) Time for the Kerrigan Plan: For those who want a deeper explanation, details of the Kerrigan Plan are  HERE. For other who just want me to nutshell it: The giants basically run a 5-2 scheme. So they can be exploited by certain routes. This is partly why RB Boston Scott has mangled that team during his career.

They giants make a point of occupying the TE with one ILB, so the RB has an easier time hitting holes and getting open. With Scott’s small stature, the remaining ILB has to be right when guessing where Scott will pop out of. (Like a high stress game of Whack-A-Mole.) The giants can be right on 8 carries, but it only takes being wrong once for this to happen:

3) Set those edges HARD: Funnel their RB’s back inside, toward waiting MLB T.J. Edwards. We’ve done it in both prior games, and it’s taken the teeth out of their run game both times. If it ain’t broke, LEAVE ‘LONE! LEAVE ‘LONE!

Also, QB Daniel Jones has become a very enthusiastic runner of the football over his last couple of games. Good for him! He really seems to have found his bliss. So yeah, we need to tone that down for him. Again, T.J. will be sitting back there. Being affectionate as always.

4) You Shall Not Pass: People have gotten carried away with the last couple of games by Daniel Jones. So the Eagles should remind everyone of exactly who he is. This is a man, who is in his best year as a pro, having thrown just 15 touchdowns in 16 games. (Folks, if I start talking about the double standard, my face will melt off.)

Meanwhile, the national media has the nerve to talk like the giants have a chance here. We managed to curb-stomp this guy in a game in which he didn’t even turn the ball over; and this is how they act?! Oh no, hell no! We are NOT running from this son-of-a-bitch! Take away the run game, and make this fraud play with his team draped across his shoulders.

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

Nothing is an automatic. That’s why the games are played. Still, the Eagles are the far superior team, so this game should be feeding sheep to lions. The narrative that the giants have a chance, is entirely borne out of the final score from two weeks ago, and not how the game went.

Allow me to read from the Book of Eaglemaniacal and take you back:

Miles Sanders who played 45 snaps in the blowout, only played 29 in the second match-up. This was even though the Eagles coaches weren’t running QB Jalen Hurts. So our early ground game was practically nil. Despite that, our drives netted us a touchdown and four field goals, putting us up 19 – 0. That score again was 19 to crickets.

We needed to either win that game, or have the Dallas Cowboys lose, in order to clinch our division. A bit of scoreboard watching, revealed that Washington was already cooking Dallas. So of course, we mentally shrugged midway through the third quarter. We were up 19 – 0 and our actual competition, wasn’t even in the game we were playing. I seriously think if the lead hit 20, our starters would have been pulled.

Gambling with house money, with nothing to lose, the giants took chances with the ball, and let it all hang out. They finally got 3 points on the board with 50 seconds left in the third. Put bluntly: They didn’t check in, until we were already checking out. So their points were essentially scored in garbage time.

This, lads and lasses, is what has fools thinking the giants will leave Philadelphia with anything other than the scratches and bruises from our brooms.

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Prediction: EAGLES 28 – giants 13

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: DIVISIONAL ROUND: EAGLES-SAINTS

Posted by The BEAST on 2019/01/10
Posted in: Coaching, Defense, Four Things, NFL, Offense, Players, playoffs, Preview, X's and O's. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , . 5 Comments

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REVENGE. Pay back. Bounties. Eagles players like LT Jason Peters have actually used those words. Earlier this year the Saints pasted us, 7 – 48. Did the Eagles players sulk? Did they feel sorry for themselves and mail the rest of the season in? They did neither of these things.

What the Eagles players did was meet as MEN. They talked about being embarrassed. They spoke of pride. They used it to resurrect a season that others had written off and were already throwing dirt on. And now, through teamwork and sheer will, the Eagles find themselves facing the same Saints team.

But they will do it, as a different Eagles team. Revenge.

I’m sure by now, most of you have heard about the cute stunt pulled by elderly Frankie Muniz.

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If you haven’t, let me nutshell it for you: He grabbed the Saints Super Bowl trophy and 225K in cash (representing an NFL player’s SB bonus), wheeled both into their locker room, and told the players if they want these, they have to win “three fucking games”.

I guess that no one told them that QB Nick Foles, has been making extra cake for killing motherfuckers since the Rams game! Bonuses of 250K for each regular season victim. Then a cool 1M, for that ice-in-his-veins, game-winning touchdown drive last week against the Bears in a playoff game.

FYI Saints: Eagles Owner Jeff Lurie, ripped that Wanted poster off the Bears carcass and nailed it to your team’s forehead for THIS week. Because this week we’re playing for revenge, and revenge is a dish best served, with a big ol’ bottle of ice cold Spite.

SPITE bottle

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

1) Spread the Ball: In 3 losses (TB1, DAL, CAR2) the Saints opponent had 3 receivers with 50 yards or better. In 5 close wins/near losses (CLE, ATL, BAL, PIT, CAR1) the opponent had just 2 receivers with 50 yards or better. Spreading the ball loosens up this defense.

2) Sack Attack: Since 2015, the Saints are undefeated when their opponent doesn’t record a sack. In our loss to them this year, we couldn’t get within a 50$ cab ride of the QB, and he dissected us on national television. Our mission couldn’t be clearer here. Get those hands UP to obstruct his line of sight, to make him hold the ball and give the pass rush time to hunt.

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3) Win Rushing yards: In all three losses, the Saints opponent led in rushing yards. So run it 25 times, not 11 like last time.

4) Take away the short pass: Don’t allow the RB easy releases into pass routes. Again, the idea is to make the QB hold the ball. As the rush gets closer, it gets harder for him to see over. Especially if those hands are up. It forces the ball more up than out, giving defenders a split second more to get to under the ball.

If we do all these things, we’re just about guaranteed to win. Now that we’ve covered what should happen, let’s get into what likely will happen:

Like Chicago, Eagles fans will NOT take over this venue. We will indeed be playing in a raucous and hostile environment, where it seems the very building is against us. With Chicago it was the field, in New Orleans it will be noise.

We’ll work to settle the nerves of our young Secondary, and get them to trust the communication. Once that happens, we can work on quieting that crowd.

New Orleans is going to try and come at us with a run game that they were able to lean on last time. But this time we’ll be ready for that. If their QB attempts to go by the film of how we played them the last time, this could end up as THE biggest debacle in his career.

PREDICTION: EAGLES 26 – Saints 19

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FOUR THINGS REVIEWED: DIVISIONAL ROUND: FALCONS

Posted by The BEAST on 2018/01/14
Posted in: Coaching, Defense, Four Things, NFL, Offense, Players, playoffs, Reviews, Roster, stats. Tagged: , , , , , , , , . 1 Comment

UNDERDOGS. That’s what we were. Despite being 13 – 3, the #1 seed in the NFC, and having home-field advantage throughout the playoffs, we came into the game as an underdog. In fact, no #1 seed, playing at home had ever been an underdog in NFL history until someone decided that, we were over-matched and could not defend our home turf. Well. We saw how that shit ended, didn’t we?

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Matt Ryan sacked by Rod McLeod.  Courtesy Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

QB Nick Foles (23/30 – 76.6% – 246 – 0 – 0) didn’t have a stellar game. All he did was distribute the ball in a saavy, veteran manner, to eight different receivers. He did not push the ball downfield much. Then again he was playing against Cover Three, so why would he. That’s why I said what I said in Four Things. (More on that, down the page.)

While no Eagles Offensive player seemed to do much damage statistically, there were enough collective moments, to sustain a couple of long drives and put points on the board. RB Jay Ajayi (15 – 54 – 3.6 – 0 – 1/ 3 – 44 – 14.6 – 0) was the workhorse and looked much better than his yard per carry average indicates. Same with RB LeGarrette Blount (9 – 19 – 2.1 – 1 – 0). WR Alshon Jeffery (4 – 61 – 15.2 – 0) led the Eagles in receiving yards, catching three of his passes on one drive. That proved that he can find a rhythm with Foles, so should put those questions to sleep now.

DT Fletcher Cox (7 – 1 – 0 – 0) was a terrorist out there.

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Cox spent the game blowing up the interior of Atlanta’s offensive line, recking their inside run game and not giving QB Matt Ryan (22/36 – 61.1% – 210 – 1 – 0) a pocket to step up into, most of the time.

The biggest killer in the game however, was K Jake Elliott (0/1x, 3/3fg, 53L).

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His five wittle piggies put up the last 9 points of the game, which helped the Eagles capture the lead and then surge ahead.

I hear you asking, “What about all the stuff that stats don’t reveal?” Well, that’s the reason for these “Four Things” articles. We introduce an idea of what needs addressing BEFORE the game, so that fans have to honestly answer questions about those things, AFTER the game. This helps to get us, and keep us, all on the same page.

So, of the Four Things we were looking for in this last game, what exactly did we see?

1) Run. The. Ball: I said we need to run it at least 25 times. There were 27 called (i.e. non-QB) runs to 30 passes. We won time of possession 32:06 to 27:54, gave our Defense time to breathe, and limited Atlanta’s opportunities to score points. (DONE)

2) A thousand cuts: High percentage passes to the TE’s outside of the numbers. Foles said, okay, and I might do you one better! Not only did he get TE’s Zach Ertz (3 – 32 – 10.6 – 0), and Brent Celek (1 – 6 – 6.0 – 0), but he also hit Alshon Jeffery 4 times and snuck in 5 passes to RB Corey Clement (5rec – 31 – 6.2 – 0). Why not? With Atlanta playing Cover Three, it left things like Slant routes, Screens and Crosses open. Foles isn’t flashy, but he is saavy. Teams thinking he’s harmless is probably his deadliest asset. (DONE)

3) Alter the launch: The idea was to get Matt Ryan to throw while moving or resetting his feet. We did that quite a bit (thank you Fletcher Cox). The hope was to get a turnover or two out of him. Well, we didn’t get a turnover, but what we DID do was hold him to 5.8 yard per attempt. That matched his lowest mark of the year, during a Week 4 loss to Buffalo. (DONE)

4) Stay grounded: It’s points like THIS ONE HERE, that separates me from other would-be experts. Nine days ago, the NFL and it’s media bag were praising, lauding, exalting Los Angeles Rams coach Sean McVay, for being such a young genius. Such a prodigy! Wait no, it was “coaching supernova”. That’s what they called him. And then there’s this-

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His career mark is 11-6! It was amazing that they could speak with that much of his shaft in their collective windpipe.

Then what happened last week? He got locked into a close game against the Falcons, panicked because he’s as green as peas, and stopped running the ball, even though his team was doing it better. Experience counts! Our coaching staff is battle-tested, so even when we were down, even though our average run (on paper) was 3.0 yards per carry, we stuck with it. We stayed grounded. We stayed balanced. (DONE)

At half-time I wasn’t sure about some of these, but Nick Foles has a nice second half and in doing so, helped the Eagles deliver a 4 out of 4 Four Things score. This will be out well before we know who our next victim is, so I can’t really offer a tempting tidbit for next week yet.

On The Whole:

It was more grit than glitter. More spit than polish. War of attrition, is what I called this game after the half. This game was about will. It was about who wanted it more, and who had the players who could seize the moment.

In the end (as I said), we were deeper and more talented. The Falcons were no match for us. They were never going to be. While some will point out that we only scored 15 points, we also only allowed 10. Meaning we only needed 11.

I told you not to worry about Foles, didn’t I?

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Foles isn’t a Lincoln Continental, he’s more like a Buick LaCrosse. As an Eagles QB, he’s been solid and efficient. Trouble is, solid and efficient are not sexy adjectives, and people like their QB’s to be attached to sexy adjectives. The actual problem isn’t the QB. It’s people perception of him, despite the fact that in Eagles green, he’s 18 -11 (.620) as an Eagles QB. (That’s about 9.9 wins per 16 games.)

No single Eagle won this game. There was no outlandish performance by any one player. This was a team effort. That’s how this team has won 14 games this year. It’s how they’ll keep winning. This year.

How Eagles haters look today:

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