Jack Stoll

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FOUR THINGS: WK 14: EAGLES – GIANTS

Posted by The BEAST on 2022/12/09
Posted in: breakdown, Coaching, Defense, Four Things, NFC East, NFL, Offense, Players, playoffs, Preview, Rivals, Roster. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , . 1 Comment

YOU know you beat a team’s ass, when it precipitates a firing. Our passing game, led by QB Jalen Hurts, absolutely torched what was supposed to be one of the NFL’s toughest teams. Well, this week expect to see a lot of RB Miles Sanders running the ball right down the giants throats.

A win puts us at 12 – 1, and clinches the first of the NFC’s seven playoffs spots. Despite currently boasting the NFL’s best record, the success of other teams, has so far kept us from locking down a playoff berth yet. Once we get this ‘W’ we can start talking about clinching the division, and so forth. But one thing at a time. Let’s clinch this berth.

A loss would leave us at 11 – 2, but still atop the NFC East. We’d also retain the top spot in the NFC even if the Vikings win and go to 11 – 2 themselves. Having beaten them, we own the tie-breaker.

We’ve come very far, but we haven’t quite come far enough, yet. Though near impossible, it all could still just fall apart, and be for nothing. Winning this game guarantees that that can’t happen. So a little less conversation. Let’s take care of business.

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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) The T.J. and Nakobe Show: The national media predicted that MLB T.J. Edwards would lose his starting spot to rookie LB Nakobe Dean. I on the other hand, repeatedly said not so fast. Well, Edwards is third in the NFC in tackles (109), and having a career year so far. Dean saw his first extended action last week, when LB Kyzir White went down, and Dean acquitted himself well, making 6 stops in just 15 snaps..

These two LB’s need to see more time on the field together. Their ability to read, shed blocks, and make solid dependable tackles, is exactly what’s needed to hold giants RB Saquon Barkley to under 4 yards per carry.  At that point, the game will shift to the shoulders of QB Daniel Jones.

Jones isn’t strong enough to carry the team, and Barkley is wearing down. He’s up to 282 touches this year, and hasn’t had this many touches (and counting) since he was a rookie, many injuries ago. He’s already hitting a wall.

2) Run Miles Run: This isn’t the week for QB runs. This needs to be the week of Miles Sanders, and his Offensive Line. The giants are susceptible to the run for a couple of reasons. We need to be smart enough to take advantage of the easy road they’ve paved for us, and just let our O-Line tee off on them.

The giants have large DT’s and they generally play them for over 80% of the snaps in a game. That is not a typo. The giants are already wearing their guys out, for us. There are also locker room concerns. Some players have complained to the media, about their playing time. Run defense is an attitude as much as anything else. Without the right attitude, there is no cohesion, and vice versa.

3) Use A Release Valve: The giants are yet another 3 – 4 defense that plays more like a 5 – 2 with pass rushing OLB’s who can’t cover. If TE Dallas Goedert weren’t on I.R. I’d say use the “Kerrigan Plan” to loosen the box. Goedert’s back-up, TE Jack Stoll isn’t as fluid a route runner, so that strategy has to change.

Having Stoll directly challenge ILB Micah McFadden in his area, and throwing him a couple of early passes, would help open space up for the run game. Micah is trash in coverage, and should be exploitable on quick hitters. Once Stoll is established as a target not a decoy, they have to cover him. Thus pulling a man away from the inside of the box.

4) Don’t Collapse: We need to keep scoring in the second half. Stalling out on points is not an option this week. This is where adjustments will become key. We are facing a division rival. They know us. So there won’t be any long range surprises. This will be a test of whether or not Head Coach Nick Sirianni, can spot an opening DURING a fight and exploit it.

The giants have seven wins, but three of them (TEN, BAL, GB) have more to do with their opponent collapsing, than anything giants did to change the course of those games. Don’t collapse. Don’t help them. This is where our Eagles start to learn what it means to put an opponent away. This is early prep for the playoffs.

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

For the first time this season, the Eagles are playing for actual stakes. This game will give us a real idea of how much killer instinct this team has innately.

Every proficient killer requires training and discipline. You have to learn and master your weapon(s). You have to understand your prey, and why it behaves the way it does. What drives it. What it fears, and what it thinks it has mastery of. You have to know where your breaking point is. What your own limits are. When to run and when to settle. Settle. Breathe. Effective killers aren’t born. They are made.

This week we will see if the Eagles have a talent for this sort of work. If they play with their prey and let it escape (Novice). Or if they strike heavy, and then squeeze out life before an opponent can develop hope of survival (Prodigy).

Been a while since I’ve looked as forward to a game, as I am this one.

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Prediction: EAGLES 28 – giants 16

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.

THE END OF AN ERROR

Posted by The BEAST on 2022/08/16
Posted in: Conversations, Draft, Front Office (F.O.), NFL, Offense, Players, Roster, Special Teams, trade, Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

GOODBYE WR/TE J.J. Arcega-Whiteside. The Eagles cut short the WR to TE experiment, and traded him to the Seattle Seahawks, in exchange for a player they were going to cut anyway. Looking at the rest of the TE’s on the roster, I had hoped the experiment would pan out, and provide some depth. Maybe someone on the Eagles media staff, passed along my article about TE Jack Stoll. Let’s hope!

When Arcega-Whiteside was over-drafted in the second round of the 2019 NFL Draft, everyone’s JJAW dropped. (C’mon, I’m never going to get to use that again.) The biggest knock against him, was being picked seven spots ahead of Seahawks WR D.K. Metcalf. In all fairness though, eight WR’s were picked ahead of Metcalf, including WR A.J. Brown.

A.J. Brown and D.K. Metcalf. (Apparently having initials instead of a first name, gets you ripped.)

While the fan base can’t blame JJAW for being drafted where he was, people can certainly held him responsible for never panning out as an offensive weapon. Where you get picked is someone else’s doing. Who you mold yourself into, is your own doing. To his credit, he did become a core Special Teamer, and was a heck of a blocker for the run game.

But this type of thing…

Dropping what would have been a game winning TD, then getting clowned by a DB that he’d beaten.

And let’s not even get into Umbrella-gate.

Happening once is bad enough. Happening more than that…

In a city like Philadelphia, that doesn’t take long to wear thin. But he’s getting a chance at a new start, in a city that is interested in him not as a TE, but as a WR/TE. Perhaps even pairing him and Metcalf in the red zone, as big targets who can also be relied upon as blockers.

As for the player that we got back in the trade, he’s NCB/S Ugo Amadi. He’s now one of either thirteen CB’s, or one of eight S’s, on this roster. If you want a look at his highlight tape, it includes being traded for JJAW. So don’t get too excited. But hey, the guy could flash in this system. Even if he doesn’t, injuries shape rosters too. Just like trades.

PRESEASON: EAGLES/JETS DIGEST

Posted by The BEAST on 2022/08/13
Posted in: breakdown, Defense, NFL, Offense, Players, Reviews, Roster, Special Teams, stats. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

EAGLES QB Jalen Hurts (6/6 – 100% – 80 – 1 – 0), came out and did his thing. I said that I was going to focus on four other players, and I’ll get to them shortly. However, first there’s some housekeeping to be done. In that same article, I said that I would also be watching the Jalens. Here’s what I saw.

On the surface, Hurts stats look great. What they don’t tell you, is that he was decisive with the ball, threw over the middle, and threw a scoring strike to his left, from the pocket. His first passing attempt was a carbon copy of 2021, but after that, he used the whole field. His feet still dance a little after his drop, but the ball is coming out quicker. Progress is apparent.

Seeing action with the second string, I have to admit that WR Jalen Reagor (4 – 3 – 26 – 8.6 – 0), was reliable. I’m by no means a fan of his, and was hoping he’d get a chance to make an eye-popping play, to increase trade interest. Sadly, he never really had a chance to stand out, as the play-calling was milquetoast. Screens and shallow dump-offs, were pretty much all that was on tonight’s menu.

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Now to the meat!

I said I wanted to get a look at J.J. Arcega-Whiteside’s transition to TE from WR. I specifically wanted to see his in-line blocking. Didn’t happen. Though he played Special Teams all night, I only noticed him on a couple of Offensive plays in the fourth quarter. One was a pass that was thrown behind him. The other was on the Eagles final play.

How it looks: The Eagles know, just like LB Shaun Bradley (1 – 0 – 0 – 0), JJAW is a core Special Teamer who has upside on regular downs. When they did deploy him, it wasn’t as a blocker, but as a receiver. Even on the “Hail Mary” (that was never thrown), the coaching staff had him out there.

On Defense, I wanted to see if the Eagles used LB Patrick Johnson more like a LB or a DE. They did neither. He played a great deal of that game, coming out with the second unit. He primarily lined up as a 4 – 3 DE, but never put his hand in the dirt. Instead he played in a crouch that had his center of gravity far too high, on every snap.

How it looks: Tonight I guess they wanted to see him at rush DE, but he really didn’t generate much pressure, or influence any plays. In fact, he frequently got washed up-field, past QB’s when pass rushing, and he didn’t set the edge well, vs the run. If the Eagles want him to be a rusher, the coaching staff needs to teach him some counters.

My third subject was WR Britain Covey. His only chance to make this roster, is as a KR/PR. For all the buzz he’s been generating during Training Camp, he looked downright ordinary in his debut. He was even shown-up by RB Jason Huntley (16 – 48 – 3.0 – 1 – 1 / 5 – 4 – 39 – 9.7 – 0), who cracked off a 43 yard return in the 3rd quarter.

How it looks: There is no way a 5’8” 173lb WR without blazing speed, makes this roster. Or even the Practice Squad. Covey has two more games to show that he’s an extraordinary returner. Otherwise, he’s toast.

Finally we come to TE Jack Stoll (1 – 1 – 6 – 6.0 – 0). I wanted to see if the Eagles would go to him as a receiving option. Well, he caught a 6 yarder, less than a minute into the game. Then… Nothing after that. Wasn’t even targeted again.

How it looks: TE Noah Togiai (4 – 4 – 29 – 7.2 – 0) caught all of his targets and even ripped one away from a defender. That said, he looked slow against third stringers, and doesn’t offer much as a blocker. Stoll’s 2022 roster spot and role, are all but etched in stone. That is unless another TE can suddenly become a better in-line blocker.

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I didn’t talk about most of the names that everyone else is talking about, because everyone is talking about those. You’ve already read/watched/heard/been tweeted at about those. You don’t come to me for common, so I never give it to you. You come to me, specifically for what you can’t get anywhere else. And I’m glad that you do. (I just wish you would COMMENT more.)

Listen, even with as terrible as announcer Ross Tucker was tonight, he did (ad nauseum) get one thing correct: Some of those second and third string guys, will help determine the outcome of games this year. He mentioned the ascension of RB Boston Scott and WR Greg Ward from the Practice Squad a few years ago.

That had me looking for this year’s eye-catching third stringer.

The Eagles coaches did everything they could to sell us Jason Huntley, but I was far more impressed by RB Kennedy Brooks (7 – 26 – 3.7 – 0 – 0 / 1 – 1 – 2 – 2.0 – 1). He was not easily stopped, and fell forward at the end of his runs. Even his touchdown catch involved him lowering his shoulder to get into the end zone.

I’ve been talking up DT Renell Wren (2 – 0 – 0 – 0) since we picked him up this Spring. He’s a big (6’5, 320), strong, feisty presence. The problem has been injuries, which is why Cincinnati gave up on him. Tonight, he got in on a tackle, and made a stop on a play ran away from him. Wren’s biggest problem now, is who’s ahead of him at DT: Milton Williams, Jordan Davis, Javon Hargarve, and Fletcher Cox.

So far, I’m rooting for these two. They likely won’t make the 47 man, so I’m hoping that we they aren’t stolen (especially by a rival) before we can put them on the PS. I hope to see them pop again next week at Cleveland.

PRESEASON GAME 1: EAGLES vs JETS

Posted by The BEAST on 2022/08/11
Posted in: breakdown, Conversations, Defense, Four Things, Offense, Players, Roster, Special Teams, The 12, trade. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

NORMALLY I would do a Four Things article here. Just to get in a little “Live” practice. Like the players will be doing. Or should be doing. Instead, since the starters will play less than a quarter, I’m going to focus more on players, than on tactics this week. Besides, no one is game-planning for this game anyway. Why should I outwork the coaches?

Yes. For the 7 downs that he plays, I will be looking for how fast the ball comes out of QB Jalen Hurts hand, after his dropback. Yes. I will have an eye on WR Jalen Reagor as the team showcases him as trade bait. Yes, I will watch the Jalens. That said, my real focus Friday night, will be elsewhere.

There are certain players that have piqued my interest over the offseason. Some players that I’m flat-out rooting for: FS Marcus Epps, WR Britain Covey, TE Jack Stoll, (all of whom I wrote articles about in THE 12 ), and CB Zech MacPhearson.

WR Britain Covey

Then there are players with stories that have intrigued me: WR J.J. Arcega-Whiteside’s transition to TE; WR Quez Watkins usage in the Slot; LB Patrick Johnson in his second year; and the rejuvenation of CB James Bradberry, whom I erroneously referred to in May , as a “fading star”.

There won’t be any deep strategizing– (isn’t it weird when you have to add a word to Word’s dictionary?) –so instead of trying to separate gnat shit from pepper, I’ll have my eye on a few of these guys tomorrow night. Namely, Covey (during kick returns), Stoll (as a receiving option), JJAW (specifically his in-line blocking); and Johnson (getting snaps at DE vs true LB).

Preseason games have always been watered down events, but ever since this latest Collective Bargaining Agreement, coaches are more concerned with making sure their starters are available Week One, than making sure that the team is any good for Week One.

So, during this game, we’ll get one or two series of the players we paid to see, then an hour of back-ups, followed by Practice Squaders and guys who’ll be at your job, filling out applications in three weeks. (Wow. I almost said something waaaaay depressing here. Something about euthanizing a dream. Quick! Here’s a picture of a cute piglet.)

In the meantime, tomorrow we’ll get to see the sausage get made, and hear every chop and squeal. So I don’t think I really need to roll out a full-on, Four Things article for this game. I’m just going to keep an eye on FOUR GUYS, while I eat Five Guys. Then I’ll write about them, so we can start to build a working picture of how deep, multi-faceted, and resilient this team really is.

I still hate this new logo.

#12: PLUMBER OR JEWELER

Posted by The BEAST on 2022/06/10
Posted in: breakdown, Conversations, Offense, Players, Roster, The 12, Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , . 1 Comment

PRESSURE can bursts pipes, or make diamonds. So do we need a plumber, or a jeweler? Understand, TE J.J. Arcega-Whiteside switching position from WR, isn’t just pressure on him. The Eagles also have quite a bit at stake. In fact, it could be argued that the stakes are higher for the team, than for the player. The Eagles need for this move to work, more than JJAW does.

Aside from TE Dallas Goedert, the Eagles don’t have a receiver at the TE position. That’s where JJAW needs to come in. We know he can block and play Special Teams, and we need him for those things already. We just have to see if the change in positional coaching, will change his perspective enough to make him a respectable option, if he should have to start.

JJAW runs well enough. The issue is his reliability as a receiver. On a career 35 targets, he has just 16 catches for a 45% catch rate. Keep in mind, only 3 of those 19 incompletions are drops, but still, that 45% catch rate almost makes him a member of the opposing defense. Aside from the 3 drops, he’s had 16 phantom (balls not dropped) incompletions. Those are his worst enemy.

Little things like allowing himself to be undercut, and not attacking the ball. It’s not a drop, but this incompletion (interception) is very much on JJAW

Whether it’s miscommunication on routes, being late to signal when open, not being physical coming back to the ball, whatever. These are some of the things that cause phantom incompletions. The difference between being a talented WR, and being a professional one, is technique. JJAW wasn’t getting WR technique, so the team is hoping a different perspective will give the team access to his physical talents.

The Birds re-signed TE Richard Rogers, but if they were serious about him, they wouldn’t have a total of seven TE’s on a roster, likely to only carry three. TE Jack Stoll is a very good blocker whom I discussed in a prior installment. Stoll can be a chain mover, but he’s never going to be a match-up headache.

Rookie TE Grant Calcaterra has had so many concussions that he no longer has a count. Some media outlets report the number as three, but anything you read quoting Calcaterra (before he unretired), hints STRONGLY that the number is well north of that. Well north. The fact that there is no solid number reported anywhere, is terrifying in itself.

Promising young TE Tyree Jackson is still rehabbing a blown ACL, and TE Noah Togiai is getting cut. Early. So this preseason JJAW has to be put through the ringer. At least a dozen targets in the preseason, and some work in-line. He can’t be some pet guy that we’re stashing on the roster. Both the player and the team need to find a way to make this work.

This guy was drafted to be a redzone threat. With a running QB, he could be a nightmare.

Given his Combine scouting, I don’t know why this move wasn’t made years ago. No matter. If both sides can make this work, the Eagles might end up with a player very similar to former TE Jordan Reed. (Minus the concussions.) He wouldn’t be a steal, but he certainly wouldn’t be a wasted second round pick anymore.

#6: JACK STOLL FOR H-BACK

Posted by The BEAST on 2022/06/04
Posted in: Coaching, Crazy Talk, Offense, Players, Roster, The 12, Uncategorized, X's and O's. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , . 2 Comments

HEAD Coach Nick Sirianni needs to develop TE Jack Stoll into a weapon. Relax, I’m not suggesting that we try to make him into TE Zach Ertz. Stoll probably couldn’t gain 1,000 yards on 1,000 catches. What he can do is block. What he did do, was contribute mightily to the Eagles 2,715 rushing yards last year. What he didn’t do was help other players get open.

Last year, on 331 offensive snaps, Stoll saw just 5 passes come his way, catching 4 of them for 22 yards (5.5ypc). That can’t happen in 2022. We need to make opponents respect Stoll as a threat, to stop them from doubling our other weapons. Playing him at H-Back would be a subtle way to help get the ball in his hands a little (or a lot) more.

For those who don’t know, an H-Back is essentially a TE/FB hybrid. Where as an in-line (regular) TE lines up on the line of scrimmage next to the Offensive Tackle, an H-Back lines up behind the line of scrimmage (like a FB). Often a yard or so behind the Tackle, but he can be lined up anywhere back there. And that’s the point.

The ‘H’ in this diagram is the H-Back. See how he’s behind the Offensive Line? This puts him technically in the backfield. He can shift to “in-line” TE, as long as one one of the WR’s comes off the line of scrimmage. He can also go into motion, and end up pre-snap anywhere in the backfield.

Keep in mind, our run game still NEEDS him out there. As an H-Back, Stoll’s TE blocking is still in play, because he can line up outside of the Tackle. Lined up inside the Tackle, he can be used more like a FB. That means he can lead-block for RB Miles Sanders, or be in a better position to push QB Jalen Hurts from behind, on QB Sneaks.

Drawing up a TE Screen for him coming out of the backfield, can have more wrinkles than a Screen where he starts out as an in-line TE. Plus, if he receives a hand-off here and there, opponents also have to respect him on play-action. Right now we do none of these things with him. None of them.

Oh, and here’s the best part of playing him at H-Back. That FB aspect? The Dallas Cowboys are looking to pull the FB position out of mothballs. The Ravens have FB Patrick Ricard, but he has just 32 touches in five years. Rumor has the Cowboys using their new FB in the Daryl Johnston mold. (FYI: Johnston averaged about 47 touches per year. And won two Super Bowls.)

Given that the NFL has made the FB irrelevant for a little over a decade, it’s fair to say that most defenders don’t know how to approach it. If we use Stoll at H-Back and have him practice there, our Defense will have familiarity with it when they see it. Thus a division rival has no surprise or secret weapon against us. Plus it’ll help our other weapons get open! Ta-daaa!

On 331 snaps, he was practically ignored, and we never capitalized on it. Seriously. How many times did we let opponents off the hook in the red zone? That lack of vision can’t happen again in 2022. We have a 100% off the radar, surprise weapon lurking on our roster. Let’s make the guy dangerous!

If you’re confused: YES. He did wear #47 in the pre-season, but he switched to 89 later.