Doug Pederson

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FOUR THINGS – WK 4 – EAGLES-PACKERS

Posted by The BEAST on 2019/09/24
Posted in: Coaching, Crazy Talk, Defense, Four Things, Offense, Players, Preview, Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , . 1 Comment

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FOR the Eagles this is one of those ‘bad news/good news/great news’ things. The bad news is, this game will be the Packers third in a row at home, so they won’t have any travel fatigue. The good news is, the Packers also had a Sunday game, so they’ll also be coming off of a short week. (Sauce for the goose.) The great news is, rushing yardage, passing yardage, total yardage, or points per game, the Packers offensively rank no higher than 24th in any of those categories.

For the Packers the bad news is, unlike the first three weeks, they have to play against QB Carson Wentz, not a Draft bust, or an overpaid hack, or a has-been who’s winding his career down. The good news is, that they get to play at home again. The great news is, they seem to have found a defense. (Unless of course, their defense is just the result of playing poor offenses…)

Dear Eagles Faithful: A record of 1 – 2 can still become a record of 14 – 2. That’s not to say that the Eagles actually have 14 – 2 potential, but it is me saying, “Relax” (right Aaron?)

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We just came off of a couple close losses where injuries were a massive factor. We get a little healthier here, with TE Dallas Goedert being full go, and WR Alshon Jeffery not a 100%, but probably able to give us something.

So this season is far too young for panic. We’d need seven more losses to just to finish sub .500 and we’re clearly better than 7 more losses.

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

1) Work the body to bring down the head: Run the ball downhill, early. The Packers NT Kenny Clark is an active NT. His game is not one of anchoring, then eating space and absorbing blocks. That means we can get our G’s up to the second level on those 230 pound LB’s, gash out some big ol’ runs, and pull their SS into the box. Later in the game when their front seven is tired, Carson would be able to get plenty of time in the pocket to go deep off of play-action.

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2) Don’t let Rodgers relax: He’s a pretty good and fairly aggressive scrambler, so when I suggest getting him to run, it’s well considered. Bringing heat from his right, will force him to his left. He can make those throws, but they are among his least sharp passes. Also he tends to hold the ball longer in those instances, which gives us more time to lay tooth-rattling hits on him. (I said this same thing in 2016. In fact, I copy and pasted (then italicized) this from that edition. We didn’t do it in 2016, en route to a 13 – 27 loss. Let’s see if our HC has learned from that.)

3) Generate two turnovers: The Packers offense is sputtering and is hardly the model of efficiency. Now is the time to be opportunistic, and force errors on a team that is already uncomfortable with it’s performance so far. Besides, we can’t keep coughing up 26.0 per game and expect to win. Two or more turnovers should be enough to put down a team with a sputtering offense.

4) Lots of play-action on 2nd down: Let’s keep the pocket clean, keep Carson’s jersey clean, and buy an extra step for receivers to uncover early. Throw in a pump fake here and there, and deep shots will be there for the taking. (Just make sure we catch them.)

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:

DC Jim Schwartz will keep calling blitzes, instead of allowing our CB’s to play some man-press. HC Doug Pederson will keep running the ball with RB Wayne Gallman, instead of RB Jordan Howard. (FYI: Gallman is the back-up to RB Saquon Barkley. See what I did there? ) When these things happen I will finally become a version of Michael Douglas in ‘Falling Down’.

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Regardless, I think this is a game that the Eagles coaching staff doesn’t lose. In fact, unfortunately I think they win this one their way, almost in spite of all common wisdom. After we win, the coaching staff will think they’re right about ignoring what they keep hearing from us fans. And the media. And former players. And fortune cookies. Whatever. Just get us the “W”. We can resume the argument when we’re 2 – 2.

PREDICTION: EAGLES 27 – Packers 20

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COACHING IS THE PROBLEM

Posted by The BEAST on 2019/09/18
Posted in: Coaching, Conversations, Defense, NFL, Offense, Rants, Uncategorized, X's and O's. Tagged: , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

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DOUG Pederson is the Head Coach of this team, and so the buck stops with him. When a problem arises, it is his job to fix it or assign it to someone who can. So when a problem persists, it is only fair to question either his solution(s), or his faith in those he assigns to solve that problem.

In particular, this time I mean the Defense.

The Eagles Defensive Line is loaded both in terms of talent and depth. So why is it that through two weeks, facing 87 pass attempts, the Eagles D-Line has all of one sack. Last week we played a banged-up Falcons o-line, which lost another starter during the game, and still, it took a Safety blitz to get our lone sack of the game. If the Defensive Line is so dangerous, why aren’t we getting more heat on QB’s?

The answer is loose coverage. Playing off of receivers is allowing the QB to get the ball out quickly, to wide open receivers. Our linemen never have a chance to get close. Put bluntly, our shitty coverage is cutting the balls off of our pass rush. We are holding the barrel of the shotgun against our heads for our opponents.

Some people’s knee-jerk reaction is to blame the players. “This guy is bum!” “That guy is bum!” “Everyone is a bum!” You know what? Fuck it. Let’s explore that. Let’s split this issue to the white meat, and then put it in the ground forever.

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For the sake of argument, let’s play Devil’s Advocate and say that ALL of our Starters are bums. Who decides that week in and week out, that these same guys get to start? That would be the Defensive Coordinator Jim Schwartz. If a guy can’t play, you bench him. Right?

Let’s increase our advocacy of the Devil, and say that maybe these players are the best he has, and the guys behind them are even worse bums. Still then, if he knows these guys are deficient players, wouldn’t it make sense to put them in positions that maximize their talent, and doesn’t expose their flaws? Who’s job is that? Oh, yeah. Jim Schwartz.

Now we’re gonna go over to our Devil’s Advocate machine, crank it to 11, and yank off the knob: Maybe these guys are just the worst bums EVER, and there is no talent to maximize. Since no individual has the skill to erase a guy all day long, our default needs to be a team concept, which doesn’t put too much responsibility on any one player. You know, instead of playing Cover Zero and getting Cris Collinsworth fondling himself over our all-out blitzing, maybe a Cover Two shell would be a great call against the highest paid WR in the history of the sport of American Football? Maybe?

Who’s call is that to make?

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Look at you, getting it right on the first try!

Even playing Devil’s Advocate and blaming the players, it’s still a coach’s job to manage both success and degrees of failure. The reality however, is that all of these players are not bums. Actually none of them are. What’s happening here is the squandering of a metric fuck-ton of talent. And it’s Schwartz that’s doing the squandering.

Think of all the best CB’s that you’ve ever seen. The Eric Allen, Darrelle Revis, Jalen Ramsey, Josh Nor- sorry, Charles Woodson type, are all aggressive, man to man guys, who benefited from Safety help over the top. Playing five yard cushions in Cover Zero, or in ‘Rock n Roll’ coverage, is the antithesis of that kind of coverage. And the results are speaking for themselves. 

Our D-Line is great. Our LB’s are improperly utilized. Our Secondary is a dumpster fire. Schwartz is killing us by coaching only a third of our Defense with any degree of competence. Recent evidence shows that the other two units are robbing that one of it’s effectiveness. Make no mistake, fellow fans, this is on the coaching.

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It’s time for Doug to take Old Yeller out back. He’s the Head Coach, and it’s time to put ol’ boy, down.

FOUR THINGS – WK 2 – EAGLES-FALCONS

Posted by The BEAST on 2019/09/12
Posted in: Coaching, Conversations, Defense, Four Things, NFC East, NFL, Offense, Players, Preview, The 12. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , . 1 Comment

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LAST week’s win was great for two reasons. First, it was a tone setter for the season, both because we won the game, and for how we won it. Second, it was a win against a division foe. Now the Eagles look to build momentum by stacking a conference win, behind a division win.

The Falcons were humiliated last week by the Vikings, who left cleat marks in the Falcons chests, running for 172 yards and 4.5 ypc. The Vikings only had to throw the ball TEN TIMES all game long. The Falcons will want to prove to the world that they are nobody’s bitches, as they defend their home field against an Eagles team that throat punches them, every time we see each other.

The Eagles comeback victory last week was great to watch, but let’s be honest, it was just the Redskins. We pummeled a kindergartner, but somehow managed to let it be a contest first. Not really a point of bragging. So this week we need to prove that we can beat a team that’s capable of playing past Week 17. Otherwise, next week’s victory over Detroit will mean a lot less.

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

1) Run Howard: Ron Howard.jpg

Noooo, not Ron Howard, run Howard! As in RB Jordan Howard. Atlanta has several undersized players on their front seven, which is how they got victimized so badly by Minnesota last week. That lack of size isn’t something they can resolve this season, particularly in time for this game. So it’s a weakness we should exploit. After last week’s aerial assault, the Falcons will be looking to “Prevent” that from happening to them. A physical run game, vs a smallish front seven, playing a loose box to start… We need to do this.

2) Dissolve the Pocket: Shifting our DT’s right, (QB’s left) on 3rd and long, would let us torch half the pocket and get Matty Ice, running. Not jogging, running. We need to get QB Matt Ryan moving. Not just re-setting his feet in the pocket, because he’s a good enough athlete for that. We need to make him throw while on the run. If we can get him running, the up and down motion will help vary the heights on his launch points. If we can bother his release, we’ve already bothered his delivery. That gives our defenders a better chance of intercepting him.

3) Finish Him!: Stop hunting the strip early in games. Just make the tackle. Back in 2017 I said the same thing in THE 12 . More often it’s situations not players, that really create turnovers. Early in games, offensive players don’t have tired arms and hands. They aren’t yet desperate to make something happen. Overthinking usually makes you miss your goal. Same thing with our Defense. They need to make the tackle, not allow the mistakes of the past (Vernon Davis 48 yard TD) to repeat themselves. Focus on the mission and accomplish what we set out to do. That’s what we winners do.

THE W

4) Deliver Liver Punches: Play-action passes to TE Zach Ertz, and WR Nelson Agholor, will gut this defense specifically. It’s small because it’s built around speed and trust in the initial read, to magnify the effects of it’s speed. Conversely, when this defense makes a small read error, it’s a BIG execution error. Running the ball tough then using play-action on short passes, would have us taking yardage in chunks in the second half.

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:

This is a no nonsense, no fooling around type of game here. Both teams need this game for different reasons. It’s not a “must win” scenario. It’s way too early for that talk. But winning early decreases the odds of having to play “must win” games, during the regular season.

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The Falcons run game was almost non-existent last week. 24 of their 73 yards came off of Matt Ryan’s legs. So look for them to try to establish that early. After a combined 10 catches for 95 yards (and 2 TD’s), expect WR’s Julio Jones and Calvin Ridley to keep the Falcons in the game late into the 3rd quarter at least, and possibly up until the last play.

In advance I’d like to thank our 20 yard cushions, for making this game more stressful than it needs to be.

On Offense, I think Head Coach Doug Pederson will see the light and lean less on smaller RB’s this week. The fireworks from last week served to put teams on notice, but it can’t be the bread and butter of this team. Unless Atlanta serves up numerous breakdowns in their secondary, this week will be about establishing who the 2019 Eagles are truly trying to be.

In the end, the Eagles have more weapons, are deeper, and have a better idea of who were are, and of who we are not. The Falcons still seem to be finding their identity, and because of that, will commit more acts of over-reach. At least one of which will prove fatal.

PREDICTION: EAGLES 27 – Falcons 22

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FOUR THINGS – WK PS4 – EAGLES-JETS

Posted by The BEAST on 2019/08/28
Posted in: Conversations, Fans, Four Things, NFL, Preview, Rants, Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

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LET’S talk about what’s at stake this week. Nothing. We know who the Starters are. We know who the second units are. The third stringers will spend the year being activated and deactivated. Is that what we’re watching too see?

Besides, we play the Jets in like six weeks. We’re not showing them anything worth seeing. We won’t even be hinting at anything in this game. 

I mean c’mon, rookie OT Brett Toth, who signed a three year deal a week ago, is currently a liability as a pass blocker, and has yet to see any preseason action. Even if he doesn’t play a snap in this game, we already KNOW he’s guaranteed a spot on the practice squad.

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So there are zero stakes for the team, and the final score is a shrug to the team. Aside from a handful of guys who want more audition tape, all anyone wants, is to avoid getting hurt. That’s it. That’s what everyone is playing for. (BTW: If a player is still compiling tape in preseason week four, they’ve already told teams enough.)

I spent from Sunday until Wednesday trying to figure out why any of us should care about this last preseason game, when it’s evident that the team itself is just going through the motions, due to obligation. Here’s what I came up with: Just don’t watch it.

Why pump direct ratings via cable boxes, Nielsen boxes, and satellite receivers, to a league that doesn’t see fit to offer you a decent product? “Here piggy piggy. You’ll consume it because it’s sort of football.” Really?

Between football players who don’t have to play, baseball players who don’t have to hustle, and basketball players who think it’s cool to go years without being able to shoot a basketball, teams just don’t worry about giving fans quality anymore.

Are we their bitches? Are we their whores? I can’t speak for you, but I for one, am certainly not. If we the fans don’t send some sort of message, we’re going to keep seeing this. Or worse. So I’m taking this week off, and I’m asking you to do the same.

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

1) Work: If you work nights, don’t bother trying to find places watch the game out of the view of your supervisor. Why risk a write-up for a game that doesn’t matter? Wait until the games count, to run that kind of risk. Right Carson?

2) A night out: While lots of fans will crowd into sports bars, and stay home to catch the game, so the theaters should have fewer people in them. Same with restaurants that don’t have televisions in them. Take advantage of the extra elbow room.

3) Grocery shopping: If your favorite supermarket is open until 10p.m. or later, then by 7:30 or so, sports fans with talking pets (small kids), have generally cleared out of the building. If you show up at 8:00, you should be able to have an almost leisurely experience shopping. It’s not as good as 10a.m. on a Tuesday, but it’s pretty close. (Note: This may permanently change when you shop.)

4) Decorate: Spend the night decorating for Thanksgiving. Turkey Day is a huge football holiday, and it seldom gets the attention it deserves, since Christmas always waylays it’s mojo. Friday August 30th is still very much Summer. I can hardly think of a better end to Summer next month, than barbecuing in 80 degree weather, with Pilgrims in your window, and a giant inflatable turkey behind you.

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:

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You will watch the game. You can’t help it. You’ve missed football for too long, to ignore it for a week. The season is just too finite, and you don’t want to waste a second of it.

I on the other hand, am dead ass serious about not watching this game. (I may see a few seconds here or there while channel surfing, but I will not be staying. By no means.) Because I won’t be watching it, Head Coach Doug Pederson will elect to play his Starters for a series or two. Rest assured I will nod in amused irony when you all tell me about, it the following day.

(Side note: The Eagles have been putting a LOT of emphasis on adding to that RT spot recently. Halapoulivaati Vaitai, Jordan Mailata, Brett Toth… They don’t keep taking swings like this, at any other spot on the line. We might want to keep an eye on Lane Johnson this season.)

PREDICTION: EAGLES 20 – Jets 17

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FOUR THINGS – WK PS2 – EAGLES – JAGUARS

Posted by The BEAST on 2019/08/12
Posted in: Coaching, Defense, Four Things, NFL, Offense, Players, Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , . 1 Comment

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LAST week’s preseason game was a chance to learn, and to grow, and to experiment. We were handed an opportunity, and we just (smh) chucked it out a window. I picture a closed door, the smell of mary-joowanna, loud giggling, and Head Coach Doug Pederson inside saying “Let’s bench everybody! Like everybody, everybody. Will the coach let us do that? Oh shit. We’re like the same guy. Yeah. Tell him that we’re benching everybody”.

With any luck, MJ

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won’t show up this week.

This week. It’s just preseason. It doesn’t count. The point is studying. Yadda-blah yadda-blah. Have I said all the necessary boilerplate? Good.

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Remember when this guy was OUR Opening Day starter?

This game will feature a duel between QB Carson Wentz and QB Nick Foles. They will both likely play less than a quarter, and will be running vanilla versions of their respective offensive systems.

While neither played in their team’s opener, both teams will feel a need to rebound after poor showings as the Eagles lost 10 – 27 to the Tennessee Titans, and the Jags got absolutely shit-canned 0 – 29 by the Baltimore Ravens. (Seriously. They got blown out by a team that can’t even score points.)

Of the Four Things we need to focus on, three are from last week, because we didn’t even attempt them, so we still need to see how they shake out.

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

1) Starters need to play a quarter: One quarter, that’s it. We need a few looks at how some of the new guys (DT Malik Jackson, WR DeSean Jackson, MLB Zach Brown) are meshing. While we don’t want to overwork those guys, we need a large enough sample size to be able to say “Okay, X has got this” or “X needs to work on such and such”.

2) Go deep to Djax: Not too much this week. One shot over 30 yards should be good. The idea is to test the chemistry between Djax and QB Carson Wentz. If there are any bugs in their timing, now is the best time to throw interceptions. Also, the longer we wait to “unveil the weapon”, the more pressure there will be for it to work, when people first see it. Get the ‘Oooh Ahhh Ohhh’s’ out of the way early.

3) Look good running the ball: Despite all the buzz about rookie RB Miles Sanders, the guy we need to have a big year is RB Jordan Howard. Finishing with a stat-line of (5 – 20 – 4.0 – 0 – 0) with a 10 yard run somewhere in there, would be a solid indicator that we’re better off now, than we were during the playoffs.

4) Generate some pass rush up the gut: DT’s getting turned parallel to the line of scrimmage has to stop. And ( Yo Malik!), it has to stop, THIS WEEK. We can’t have another week of QB’s standing flat-footed and delivering strikes.

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

Everybody important will be on a pitch count, so it’s too early to forecast which player to watch out for, or who might have a breakout day. Thus, like last week, this week and likely the next two of these, I will keep things really really general. I hate it more than you do, but that’s part in parcel of these next four weeks.

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The Snow Bowl

Neither team played their starting QB last week, and so now a rush has to be put on getting both offenses to gel. This puts both of these teams on the same clock, and makes them easier for me to read in advance.

Since the starters on both teams likely won’t log a down in PsG4, this game will serve as the measuring stick, and then PsG3 will be the dress rehearsal. So expect a little razzle dazzle mixed into both game plans. Less for winning’s sake, and more just to energize the psyche of the rosters. However, when the starting QB’s come out, expect the game to slow to an ugly crawl.

The Jags have homefield advantage, but the Eagles have the more polished roster, with more dangerous players on offense. Seriously, the Jags added WR’s Chris Conley and Terrelle Pryor to bolster their receiving corps. Yes. That, Terrelle Pryor. Him. They’re giving him actual money to catch passes. So we should win this one. The wins don’t count, but if we lose to these pussycats, I’ll dust off my panic button. I won’t press it yet, but I’ll get out of storage with my Chip Kelly memes.

PREDICTION: EAGLES 16 – Jaguars 13

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FOUR THINGS – PS WK 1 – EAGLES-TITANS

Posted by The BEAST on 2019/08/05
Posted in: Coaching, Defense, Four Things, NFL, Offense, Players, Roster. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , . 1 Comment

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EVERYTHING matters. That’s the theme of this season according to Eagles Head Coach Doug Pederson. Last year we had a number of injuries that held us back. There can be no disputing that. However, Doug also said, that at this time last year, the team (him included), let some of the little things slide. The result of letting things slide, was a 9-7 finish, and playoff games on the road. So the emphasis this year, is on the details.

This game here will allow us a chance to see what happens to player discipline and attention to detail, when the pressure gets turned on. Given that half the roster is about to watch their dreams of being an NFL player die in about a month, you had better believe that everyone is…

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The Titans finished last year at 9-7 for the third straight year in a row. Offensively they suck ass, but they have a top 10 defense, which they used to beat us (23 – 26 OT) last year. Time to get revenge right? RIGHT?!

Meh.

This game isn’t about winning it. The object here isn’t to win the game. The object is to use the game as a test of who has bought into what we’re doing. The object is to see who gives that all out effort, that ball out effort. To see who’s been studying their playbook. To see who is playing assignment sound football, and trusting his teammate to do the same.

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If we win, great. It would mean as much as a loss right now, but hey, we’ll take it. A win this week however, needs to be a mere byproduct of building this team.

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

1) Starters need to play a quarter: One quarter, that’s it. We need a few looks at how some of the new guys (DT Malik Jackson, WR DeSean Jackson, MLB Zach Brown) are meshing. While we don’t want to overwork those guys, we need a large enough sample size to be able to say “Okay, X has got this” or “X needs to work on such and such”.

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2) Go deep to Djax: Not too much this week. One shot over 30 yards should be good. The idea is to test the chemistry between Djax and QB Carson Wentz. If there are any bugs in their timing, now is the best time to throw interceptions. Also, the longer we wait to “unveil the weapon”, the more pressure there will be for it to work, when people first see it. Get the ‘Oooh Ahhh Ohhh’s’ out of the way early.

3) Look good running the ball: Despite all the buzz about rookie RB Miles Sanders, the guy we need to have a big year is RB Jordan Howard. Finishing with a stat-line of (5 – 20 – 4.0 – 0 – 0) with a 10 yard run somewhere in there, would be a solid indicator that we’re better off now, than we were during the playoffs.

4) Testing LB depth: The Eagles will likely keep six LB’s, and this game may tell you who they’ll be. OLB Nigel Bradham is still nursing a foot injury and OLB Kamu Grugier-Hill will miss months with a knee injury. So we should get a good look at Zach Brown. Brown can play the run in his sleep, but how well he executes our coverage concepts, could affect the number of Slant, TE Curl, and Crossing routes that teams try to run against us. LB’s Nate Gerry and L.J. Fort likely stick as Special Teams players, but KGH’s injury opens the door for rookie T.J. Edwards to close out Paul Worrilow’s career. Recent signee Johnathan Cyprien is an in the box S, who may be used in the Nickle LB role and used to also push Gerry.

If we do all these things, we’re just about guaranteed to win. Scratch that for now. If we do all these things, it will help us win a lot of games LATER. When they actually count.

Now that we’ve covered what should happen, let’s get into what likely will happen:

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Both teams will run pretty vanilla packages because that’s what happens in the preseason. Especially early in the preseason, which actually favors Tennessee. They’re a defensive team, with a pedestrian QB (Marcus Mariota), and a 247 pound RB (Derrick Henry), coached by a former LB (Mike Vrabel). The Titans would like to make every game, a fist-fight in a phone booth. Preseason suits that style.

While the Eagles are experts of 11-personnel (3WR, 1RB, 1TE), Doug has said he wants to use more 12-personnel (2WR, 1RB, 2TE). This game would be a great lab in which to conduct that experiment. So expect to see less “Air Coryell”, and more “modified Erhardt-Perkins”, from us. Expect to see us do less head-hunting, and more working the body.

Final score be damned, I want to see a lead after the first quarter. Something like10 – 6 would be fine. After that we can be outscored 3 – 21 for all I care. (QB Ryan Tannehill is their back-up, after all.) The Eagles will take some shots, but ultimately this game isn’t a contest, it’s a classroom.

PREDICTION: EAGLES 17 – Titans 24

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HOW TO SWEEP THE NFC EAST: COWBOYS

Posted by The BEAST on 2019/06/29
Posted in: Coaching, Defense, NFC East, Offense, Players, playoffs, Preview, Rivals, Roster, stats, Super Bowl, Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

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FREE Agency rounds 1 and 2 have passed, as has the Draft. At this point, teams have basically added all their desired starters and key depth. Now it’s just a matter of seeing who everyone loses between now (with stupid vacation injuries), and the end of Training Camp. This article assumes the Eagles operating at their peak vs rivals operating at their peak, for 17 straight weeks.

Here, is how the Eagles can sweep the NFC East in 2019. Today we’ll talk about the Cowboys.

2019 - Criminal.jpgDefensively the Cowboys haven’t been hard for the Eagles to score points against. In 6 meetings since Doug Pederson took over as Head Coach of the Eagles, the Eagles are 2 – 4, but the average score of those games is 21.6 Eagles – 18.8 Cowboys. (It’s true. Look it up.) Minus the 0 – 6 game where the Eagles played mostly third stringers, the Eagles average 26.0 points per game vs Dallas.

This indicates that the Offensive system is fine doing what it does, and that Pederson and staff already have a feel for how to call a game in real-time, vs this team. The Cowboys trading for DE Robert Quinn, would have had the ability to shift those tones…had the Eagles not on the same day, traded for RB Jordan Howard.

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If the Eagles feed Howard (see what I did there), it’ll force Dallas to put leashes on their pass rushers, to keep Howard from exploiting open edges. This means QB Carson Wentz would see more manageable 3rd downs, and wouldn’t have to hold the ball long enough for Quinn to make much of an impact. Even without a run game last year, the Eagles managed 20 points or more in both games. A run game will only make the Offense smoother, if not more effective.

Offensively the Cowboys managed all of 15 points in two games against the Eagles in 2017. However in 2018, given the Eagles Secondary issues, the Cowboys exploded for 56 points. QB Dak Prescott threw 4 touchdowns against the Eagles in 2018 (two games), when he’d only thrown a total of 3 in two previous seasons (four games). Still, both 2018 games were hotly contested, with the margins of victory in both games being 7 and 6 points.

With the Eagles Secondary on the mend from a million injuries in 2018, odds are that the Cowboys go back to the 14.25 points per game they averaged in the first four games against the Eagles, instead of the 28.0 points per game they posted in 2018.

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That said, Dallas is a deeper and more talented team than our other two rivals, and so a sweep here will take work. The Eagles have to take away all the parts of the Cowboys offense that make it stable. Everything that makes it run on time, has to be made to run slightly off-schedule. Force them to have to subsist on the big play. That is, if they can make enough of them to sustain drives.

The key to beating the Cowboys offense will be to overwhelm their offensive line. Get into the backfield and make plays run “off-script.” Dictate to the RB where the hole has been moved to, and have a tackler waiting. Make the QB reset his feet, to disrupt short timing routes. Fake a blitz, and have a deep route audibled to a shallow one. Basically hand them death by 1,000 cuts.

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Cowboys watching the Eagles in the 2019 – 2020 playoffs.

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