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FOUR THINGS: WK 4: EAGLES – JAGUARS

Posted by The BEAST on 2022/10/01
Posted in: breakdown, Coaching, Defense, Four Things, NFL, Offense, Players. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , . 1 Comment

HEAD Coach Nick Sirianni has your Philadelphia Eagles entering this week as THE Number One team in the NFC. Not just the NFC East, but the whole damned National Football CONFERENCE. After last weeks dismantling of division rival Washington, we get to take on AFC South division leader, Jacksonville.

On the menu this week, is Head Coach Doug Pederson, the same man who led us to our first Super Bowl win. The same man who’s statue outside Lincoln Financial commemorates ‘The Philly Special’. That same Doug Pederson has the Jags looking and playing like a real franchise. And we’re going to beat his ass as a reward for it.

We come into this game as the only undefeated team in the NFC. A win only extends our hold on that title for another week. Losing would still leave us in first place in the East. Even if Dallas beats Washington, we lead by virtue of conference tie-breaker. Or if New York (likely) beats Chicago, we lead by virtue of a divisional tie-breaker. So any way you cut it, the East is ours for at least the next two weeks.

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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: Jaguars

1) Man Up: Doug Pederson’s scheme (same as when he was here), emphasizes movement of the ball down the field. The focus wasn’t on big plays, but on keeping the ball moving, the chains moving, the defense resting. If the opponent doesn’t have the ball, the ability to win isn’t in their hands. That subtle quicksand, Venus Fly-trap approach shows itself in Jacksonville’s QB getting the ball out of his hand quickly.

Of their top 4 starting receivers, only one of them averages 10+ yards per catch. So getting CB’s Darius Slay and James Bradberry playing man and taking away the quick throw, will immediately get the Jags off schedule, and make them improvise constantly. In a new system, with new parts, and that means mistakes. Mistakes with the football means turnovers.

2) Box Them In: They have a pair of RB’s both 210+ pounds, running behind a decent offensive line. The interior of their line has a few intangibles, but they aren’t the most stout or physical group we’ll face this year. What’s left of (former Redskin) Brandon Scherff headlines that group, but injuries have kept him to 14 games or fewer for, each of the last 5 years.

This week is operation “Stymie and Trap”. Same as last week against Washington. Have DT’s Fletcher Cox and Jordan Davis clog up the middle, and early on, mix our DE’s and DT’s to set the edges. Force everything to the arms of MLB T.J. Edwards. Later in the game, DE’s Brandon Graham and Josh Sweat can go hunting with fresher legs, against a QB that Jacksonville likes to get out on bootlegs, for throws downfield.

3) The Kerrigan Plan: The Jaguars run a 3 – 4 defense that features 262 and 275 pound OLB’s. They play like 5 – 2 DE’s than 3 – 4 LB’s, in that they don’t really cover. (One of them did pick off QB Carson Wentz throwing a Middle Screen.) For us OLB Hassan Reddick pass rushes, but he’s 235 and also drops into coverage. (More than fans like.)

When an opposing defense has that OLB defect, we can run the Kerrigan Plan. I call it that because, Washington used to run similar scheme led by OLB Ryan Kerrigan. Great pass rusher, but it was easy to complete short RB passes, and TE routes to his (and the other OLB’s) side. Worked like a charm for years. We just beat the Vikings with it.

4) Run in the Second Half: The Jaguars are a second half team. So don’t let them get the opportunity to work their mojo. Run the ball, by which I mean, hand it off to RB Miles Sanders. He averages more career yardage after contact, than any of our backs, and even RB Ezekiel Elliott. Put that to work for us! Let quicksand work in our favor.

If the Eagles lead at the half, risking QB Jalen Hurts becoming Jalen hurts, is a dumb idea. We don’t need him on designed runs at that point. If the Eagles trail at the half, then we need to stabilize the Offense, and limit the Jaguars opportunity to pile on more points. In either case, we need to run the ball after the half.

* Disclaimer: No giants players were mentioned in the writing of this article.

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

The plan is to exit Sunday as the NFL’s only undefeated team. Standing in our way, is a coach who knows many of our players. Not just as players, but as men. I have some coaching in my background, so let me tell you why this week presents a very stiff challenge.

Part of Doug’s job here, was to motivate his players. To get them to push themselves. To push even when they didn’t want to. Even when it hurt. That means he had to understand what made each of them tick. To be able to get into their heads, he had to know each man’s carrot, and each man’s stick.

Every note he’s ever taken about a player. Which concepts he had to help them understand better. Which weakness he had to mask, because coaching wouldn’t fix it. All of that, will be used against us on Sunday. Which is why we need to keep it simple. If this game comes down to scheme and adjustments, Doug will kill Nick. Doug is far smarter and more experienced. He also understands game flow better, so he doesn’t have to give up play-calling. The Jags have the better coach. Period.

We need this game to come down to talent and execution. If we execute properly, the Jags just aren’t talented enough, nor well-constructed enough to keep pace. We should score easily enough, the only question is: How well will our Defense do?

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Prediction: EAGLES 26 – Jaguars 23

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.

TRADING FOR YANNICK NGAKOUE

Posted by The BEAST on 2020/04/09
Posted in: Conversations, Defense, Fans, Front Office (F.O.), NFC East, Players, Roster, trade. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , . 1 Comment

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DEFENSIVE End Yannick Ngakoue is trying to convince the Jacksonville Jaguars to trade him. Along with his many requests to be elsewhere, are a number of dropped hints as to where he’d like to go. If his hint list did not include the Eagles, I would totally ignore this story. But it does. So I can’t.

Lots of Eagles fans want the Front Office to trade for Ngakoue. He represents something that the Eagles have lacked for a long time now. He’s a pass rusher that opponents will feel they have to game plan for. Not to devalue DE Brandon Graham, but tell me about the year where Graham recorded 10 sacks or more. Don’t waste time looking. For Graham there is no such year.

In fact, the last time an Eagles DE recorded 10 sacks or more in a season was 2011. DE Jason Babin had 18, and DE Trent Cole had 11. No Eagles defensive lineman would notch 10 sacks again, until DT Fletcher Cox posted 10 in 2018.

So yeah. Many Eagles fans are excited by the elements that Ngakoue can add to our Defense. They have visions of double digit sack years dancing in their heads. To which I can only respond:

Excuse me.

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Excuse me. I just want to ask a question:

Can Ngakoue thrive as a DE in the NFC East?

Three quarters of the NFC East plays in cities that get inclement weather. None of those teams plays in a dome. Three quarters of the NFC East plays in stadiums near large bodies of water. That means humidity in the air and on the ball, early in the season. It means frost on the turf, and a dry, slick ball, late in the season.

Because the weather can impact the passing game significantly, our division is married to the run in ways that other divisions don’t have to be. Defending the run requires bulk to keep players from wearing down later in the year. It’s why there are no 246 pound starting DE’s in this division. Now guess how much Ngakoue weighs.

Understand, Ngakoue is from Washington D.C., and he played college ball at Maryland. He knows what weather in the region looks like. He grew up with it, and he can undoubtedly add some weight. If he does though, will we be getting the player that we saw with the Jags, or will we be getting Jevon Kearse 2.0?

Funny story, true story. At 11:37 this morning I went looking for a picture of Ngakoue to place in this article. While doing so, I noticed that while there are dozens of pictures of him sacking QB’s, aside from this picture,

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it’s really hard to find any pictures of him tackling a RB. (Not that this is a tackle either.) You just can’t live that way in the NFC East. In this division, DE’s also have to play the run.

Also, watching him try to force his way out of Jacksonville makes me very uncomfortable. I’m fine with him wanting to leave. He’s entitled to wanting a different work environment. What I’m not fine with, is the way he’s making a show of it.

He says he wants to go to a team with a winning culture. One of the reasons Jacksonville doesn’t have a winning culture, is because they have players who make individual choices like the path he’s chosen. True strength of character would be to create a winning culture. Instead, he wants to immigrate to a place where the work has already been done. That’s suspect behavior.

You probably expected me to rant about why he’s not worth what Jacksonville is asking in return for him. Fact is, to me it never even needs to get that far. To heck with trading for him. I wouldn’t sign him, if he were an Unrestricted Free Agent. Keep reading.

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Other fans see his sacks, and look past all the red flags. He’s talented yes, but he’s a showboat who doesn’t bring more to the table than stats. That’s the antithesis of the Eagles locker room culture. He’s all wrong for the mental make-up of my team. For that reason, he’s better suited to the Browns, Steelers or Cowboys. Or of course, the Jaguars.

FOUR THINGS REVIEWED – WK PS2 – JAGUARS

Posted by The BEAST on 2019/08/16
Posted in: Conversations, Defense, Four Things, NFL, Offense, Players, Reviews, stats. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

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THE night belonged to fourth string, rookie QB Clayton Thorson (16/26 – 61.5% – 175 – 1 – 1). That wasn’t the plan, but after third string, journeyman QB Cody Kessler (1 /4 – 25.0 – 11 – 0 – 0) was knocked from the game, Thorson was all we had left. That’s because back-up QB Nate Sudfeld was out with the broken left wrist he suffered last week, and Starting QB Carson Wentz is still not being allowed to wipe his own ass, for fear of injury. (I wasn’t big on the Colin Kaepernick idea, but now I uh… mmm, uhhh… Maybe?)

DE’s Daeshon Hall (2 – 2 – 0 – 0) forced a fumble on one of his two sacks and practically sewed up the #4 DE spot. If we keep 5 of those, then DE Shareef Miller (3 – 1 – 0 – 0) has to have a wide lead on DE Josh Sweat (bupkiss – nope – zero – BONK!). DT/DE Aziz Shittu (1 – 1 – 0 – 0) got his hand on two passes, and did what he’s always done here since 2016: Flash in the preseason before getting caught in a numbers game.

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HEY! Here’s a thought. It’s probably good that QB Nick Foles didn’t play last night. His 6th round, rookie, back-up, QB Gardner Minshew (19/29 – 65.5% – 202 – 0 – 0) left the game with a rating of 85.7. Last week Minshew was (7/14 – 50.0 – 46 – 0 – 0) with a rating of 57.4. We’d have made Foles look like goddamned Joe Montana out there.

For Thorson’s part, I already saw some growth in him. In my Ideal 53 article, I called him a poor man’s Wentz. In my 2019 Draft Report, I said he reminded me of Carson. I said he didn’t seem to have Carson’s willingness to stick the ball into tight spaces, I made the allowance for that to be a lack of trust in his college weapons. WELP! I nailed the hell out of that one.

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EAGLES 24 – Jaguars 10

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) Starters need to play a quarter: Players who wanted to play, played. S Malcolm Jenkins (2 – 0 – 0 – 0) and DE Brandon Graham (no stats, great pressure though), are two examples of that. Players who didn’t want to play, sat. If I start talking about that, this section will become an article. Let’s put a pin in that. (NOT DONE)

2) Go deep to Djax: Can’t if he doesn’t play! (NOT DONE)

3) Look good running the ball: Impossible to gauge with so many different players touching the ball, who won’t be touching it much when the games count. (NOT DONE)

4) Generate some pass rush up the gut: The line did a much better job of collapsing the pocket and clogging up the lanes, which allowed us to record 4 sacks on the night. (DONE)

Yet again we end with a score of 1 out of 4, which brings our preseason tally to 2 of 8. Next week the Baltimore Ravens run into the Linc, and we get to watch their QB move his lips as he tries to read our Defense. Should be fun!

On The Whole:

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What is there to say? Three weeks from now, most of the sacrificial lambs who played that game, will be working in a call center, or learning how to operate a forklift. That’s not knocking honest, decent work. (I’ve done both of those myself.) However, we came out of that game with no additional information about the players who will impact the season. Particularly those new to the team.

It was a sloppy, entertaining exhibition, but on the whole it left me as a fan, more worried about this team, than I’ve been since Chip Kelly went 10 – 6 in his first year. That 10 – 6 record was built on an unsustainable model. While many fans were seduced by the immediate gratification of a playoff berth, I saw the cracks in the dam. I warned you about the flood. Well, now I see cracks again.

In a year where the Dallas Cowboys are undermining themselves and trying to hand us the NFC East, we seem intent on undermining ourselves and making sure they keep it.

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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REDSKINS, giants, ERECK FLOWERS

Posted by The BEAST on 2019/06/19
Posted in: Conversations, free agents, Front Office (F.O.), NFC East, Offense, Players, Rivals, Roster, trade, Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

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SEEMS like the Redskins are going to make an upgrade to their offensive line. Not a serious upgrade (Chase Roullier is still the Center), but an upgrade none the less. Specifically, they are moving free agent OT Ereck Flowers to LG. The move is pure genius. Which is probably why I saw it coming AND TOLD YOU THAT IT WAS, two months before the Redskins put it out there. 

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Flowers has been a train wreck at OT, both on the left and the right spots, whether for the giants, Jaguars, or a brief stint in mini-camp for Washington in the absence of LT Trent Williams (who may have played his last snap in DC).

True to form, the brain-trusts both in New York and Jacksonville failed to realize that a powerful mountain of a man who has trouble with speedy/agile opponents, might be better off being moved one space over. The Redskins sort of stumbled over it, and lo and behold, it should work out well for them. Hooray!

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Trying to play devil’s advocate it would have made sense not to move him to G, if the giants or Jags had a pair of All-Pro’s both at RG and LG. However, neither team had ONE such player at the time. The giants have since drafted Will Hernandez, who ‘Will’ likely be a good one for a years to come. (And no, I’m not sorry for that pun.) However, I can’t even play devil’s advocate on this one.

The notion that both teams tried him at only two out of five spots, the same two spots mind you, with one team (Jacksonville) knowing the that his prior team tried the same thing, is pure FARCE.

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Somewhere out there in NFL-Land, are two front offices loaded with professionals who have degrees, and references, Who’ve logged hundreds, possibly thousands of hours lifetime, of pouring over the details of scouting, and draft minutia, player background investigations, along with interviews they have sat in on, and/or conducted, to say nothing of all the football they’ve watched. The notion that NOT ONE of these professionals ever said “Hey. Could that guy move over just one spot?” is mind-boggling. 

Yet there Flowers sits. Smiling that Lennie Small smile. About to greatly benefit a division rival, when he should still be in NY keeping them from having to trade for grossly overpaid journeymen like Kevin Zeitler. Moves like this are why giants fans are always so sad and frustrated.

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If Flowers goes onto have a great year in 2019, a handful of people in two cities (but especially New York) should be tied to a stake, doused with gasoline, and simply walked away from. They will likely, accidentally, agree upon a way to set themselves on fire.

WHY NOT KEEP NICK FOLES?

Posted by The BEAST on 2019/02/21
Posted in: Conversations, free agents, Front Office (F.O.), NFL, Offense, Players, Roster, trade, Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , . 3 Comments

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FRANCHISE Tag? Transition Tag? Tag him and trade him? Tag you’re it? Chatter right now is about whether or not the Eagles will tag and trade, QB Nick Foles.

There’s growing speculation that they Eagles won’t, because if they can’t trade him, we’re stuck paying him roughly 25M$ to be a back-up, due to the tag. Growing speculation is that the Eagles can’t afford that gamble, and so may have to let Foles walk as a Free Agent, free and clear.

That means all interested teams have to do, is sit and wait us out.

The problem is in the form of trade partners. There are teams who have established QB, who aren’t going anywhere in 2019:

PHI – Carson Wentz

NYG – Eli Manning

DAL – Dak Prescott

MIN – Kirk Cousins

GB – Aaron Rogers

DET – Matt Stafford

CHI – Mitch Trubisky

NO – Drew Brees

ATL – Matt Ryan

CAR – Cam Newton

TB – Jameis Winston

SF – Jimmy Garafolo

SEA – Russell Wilson

LAR – Jared Goff

NE – Tom Brady

PIT – Ben Roethlisberger

BAL – Lamar Jackson

CLE – Baker Mayfield (I got halfway through typing Johnny Manziel)

CIN – Andy Dalton

IND – Andrew Luck

TEN – Marcus Mariota

HOU – Deshaun Watson

KC – Pat Mahomes

LAC – Phillip Rivers

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That’s 24 of 32 teams that wouldn’t gamble what they have for a shot a Foles. The remaining eight:

WAS – Is still waiting for an updated timetable for Alex Smith’s rehab.

ARI – Drafted Josh Rosen last year. Speculation is that Rosen could end up in NE, which would open up a possible landing spot for Foles near the place where he played college ball.

NYJ – Are content to let Sam Darnold continue his on the job training.

BUF – Josh Allen had a bad rookie year, but he was last year’s #7 overall pick, so the Bills can’t give up on him this soon.

MIA – Does Ryan Tannehill get another year? Do they draft a QB? No one has a clue what’s going on with the Fins.

JAC – Blake Bortles bags are packed and sitting by the door. While this team could draft a passer, they’re built to win now, and so would best be served by an experienced hand with playoff pedigree.

OAK – Derek Carr is the guy. The only reason he’s in this group and not the other, is the unpredictability of the Raiders Front Office.

DEN – Just traded for what’s left of Joe Flacco.

Of that group, only Washington, Arizona, and Jacksonville really seem to be in the market for a QB. Which poses a problem for the Eagles, when it comes to trying to trade Foles. Fewer possible trade partners, means we have less leverage to uh…incentivize teams to give us something juicy for Foles.

However, a choked market also means it will be harder for Foles as a FA. If few spots want to add a starter, he could just end up a back-up elsewhere. That is unless he wants to start for Washington or Arizona, two programs currently in turmoil. Dysfunction almost made him retire once. Jacksonville seems like the best fit, but we shouldn’t just let them grab him. Right?

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Hey! Here’s a crazy thought. What if we kept him? He’s frequently said that he loves it here. He’s also said that who he plays with, and the environment he plays in, matters to him. So why not put that to the test? He wants to play FA, okay. Offer him 50M$ over 5 years, with 3 of those years guaranteed. 

Aside from the current Joe Flacco (18M) / Case Keenum (21M) situation in Denver, there is no back-up in football approaching 10M per year. None. Done this way, Foles gets to stay in a place he loves, in a system that plays to his strengths, as he soaks up crazy bench fees, while staying pretty healthy to boot. And if we do need him to step in here or there, his coaches, teammates, and even he himself, has no jitters about what to expect.

He is the ultimate insurance policy for THIS CITY, and he should, and could be paid like it.

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This literally settles everything, and makes a deep strike at making sure that Nick Foles never wears another teams colors, ever again.

FOUR THINGS REVIEWED: WK8 : JAGUARS

Posted by The BEAST on 2018/10/29
Posted in: Coaching, Conversations, Defense, Four Things, Offense, Players, Reviews, stats, trade. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

TOLD you we were going to win. That anger. That prep that I said the Eagles were doing… While our opponents were out partying and getting arrested, after practice, we had a curfew. It was a business trip. And we took care of business.

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EAGLES 24 – Jaguars 18

QB Carson Wentz (21/30 – 70.0% – 286 – 3 – 1) was out there slinging it, running it (8 – 24 – 3.0 – 0 – 1) and catching it (1 – 4 – 4.0 – 0). He was making a tackle, making copies, making coffee, making it HAPPEN hallelujah! He said after the Panthers loss, that we needed to show what we were made of. This week he showed up, and showed two continents what Philly royalty looks like. Grace and ferocity on full display.

Rookie RB Josh Adams (9 – 61 – 6.7 – 0 – 0) got the most extensive play of his young career, and the Bucks County native led the team in both carries and rushing yards. WR Jordan Matthews (4 – 93 – 23.2 – 0) had his biggest game since his return, leading the team in receiving yards, and being in a three-way (tee-hee) tie for the lead in receptions.

MLB Jordan Hicks (8 – 1.5 – 0 – 0) led the team in tackles, but it would have been great to see him play more shallow underneath coverage, to take away those Crossing routes, and limit QB scrambles. DE Chris Long (2 – 2.0 – 0 – 0) grabbed a pair of sacks to bring his season total to 3 so far. If he finishes the year with an even 6.0, I’ll laugh myself stupid. (I won’t say why. You’ll just have to google his career, and look for yourself.) Rookie CB Avonte Maddox (4 – 0 – 0 – 0) filling in at FS, went full-blown kamikaze on a Jaguar WR, forcing a fumble and our only turnover of the game.

I hear you asking, “What about all the stuff that stats don’t reveal?” Well, Billy 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.

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

1) Run the damned ball: This is about raw numbers. We ran the ball 28 times, but 6 of those were Wentz, so of course not all of those were planned. Aside from Wentz, there were 22 called runs in the game. Wentz attempted 30 passes and was sacked 4 times, so that’s 34 called pass plays. That ratio is 34:22 pass vs run. In those 56 plays, we only ran it 39.2% of the time. Again, that’s if you take out those 6 Wentz rushes. They may not count as pure, called plays, but opponents regard these sorts of plays as if they are. (Remember when the Jags QB was running? It was real wasn’t it? Same thing here.) Adding in those 6 rushes, you get a ratio of 34:28, on 62 plays. That has us running it on 45.1% of our plays. A 60/40 split, which is what I’ve been preaching for weeks now. DONE

2) Activate the Machine: We didn’t force a single turnover from QB Blake Bortles and Jaymes (24/41 – 58.5% – 286 – 1 – 0). That’s an alarming statement, and as an Eagles fan, it’s the first thing that has truly scared me all season long. I’ve been concerned about other things, but not being able to get the ball from Bortles indicates that upcoming games are going to brutal. NOT DONE

3) Pick your poison: We worked the edges with our running game. It resulted in Josh Adams breaking a 21 yard gallop, and getting our TE’s open for two touchdown grabs, and of course RB Wendell Smallwood (8 – 24 – 3.0 – 0 – 0/ 2 – 42 – 21.0 – 1) on a virtually untouched 36 yard Backside Screen. These were literally the very plays I mentioned in this section, this week. DONE (Like a motherfucker.)

4) Send FIVE sometimes: This didn’t happen often, but we got two of our four sacks on blitzes. I can’t say this any plainer. It speaks for itself. Do this more, Jim! DONE

This week our Eagles planted our flag in 3 out of 4 goals, bringing the season tally to 14 of 32. It’s not a great percentage, but it is us lifting ourselves up, out of the muck. It’ll be a slow climb, but at least our Week 8 Bye will be the sweeter for the victory we get to savor. After that, for Week 9 we get our first match-up with the Dallas Cowboys.

On The Whole:

A struggling Eagles team were without either of our starting Offensive Tackles a one point in this game. Head Coach Doug Pederson shifted and shuffled personnel along the O-line, to find some stability and productivity. RT Lane Johnson was lost for a month with an MCL sprain, but LT Jason Peters return to action gave us the needed boost to finish and close-out this victory.

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That being said, a solution needs to be found for depth at OT. While everyone seems to be hoping that the Eagles land Pittsburgh RB LeVeon Bell, trading for an OT might make more sense in the immediate and long-term. (Besides, if we’re going to trade for a RB, it should be LeGarrette Blount. Cheaper to trade for, cheaper to pay, and he knows the system already.)

Something has to be done about our Defense not being able to get off the field, at the end of games. Watching team after team convert 3rd and longs, and 4th and more than one, is getting embarrassing. Especially combined with how few turnovers we generate anymore. We gotta get to work fixing this Defense.

 

 

FOUR THINGS: WK 8: EAGLES-JAGUARS

Posted by The BEAST on 2018/10/25
Posted in: Coaching, Defense, Four Things, NFL, Offense, Players, Preview, X's and O's. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , . 2 Comments

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WE’RE going to win this week. Not just because the Jaguars are in a tailspin. The first reason we’re going to win, is because our PLAYERS embarrassed themselves last week, and they’re actually angry about it. Been awhile around these parts, since that emotion was part of a week’s prep. The second reason, is the silence. The silence is to be feared.tally marks2.jpg

The Eagles nest was quiet like this, last year before the Rams game. WIN. The Eagles nest was quiet like this, last year before the Vikings game. WIN. People sometimes forget that beyond being a winning team, the Eagles are actually a good team. When we dot I’s and cross T’s, NOBODY, Rams, Vikings, Patriots, NOBODY wants to be lined up across from us. Even when we’re wounded badly.

So expect a win. Count on it. Bet on it. Book it.

This week our 3 – 4 Eagles face off against a 3 – 4 Jaguars team. Head Coach Doug Pederson is the most important person in this match-up. It’s only Week 8 and his Eagles team has once again taken key injuries at a host of positions (RDT, RDE, FS, FS2, RB, RB2, NCB), and are banged up at both OT spots. That being said, there is enough talent to still beat this opponent. Coach just has to focus it through the right lens.

Given our defensive problems, the focus needs to be on out-gunning the Jags. If it turns into a boring field goal-fest, as long as we win, I don’t care. However the trick to beating Jacksonville is turning the game into a shootout, knowing damned well that they don’t have the firepower to keep up with us.

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While WR Alshon Jeffery and TE Zach Ertz have been money in 2018, it would be great to see QB Carson Wentz launch a couple to WR Shelton Gibson, who was drafted to be a big play threat. It seems like a lid was slammed shut over the Offense when WR Mike Wallace went on IR, and we need to do something about blowing that lid off, so we can scare teams again.

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

1) Run the damned ball: This shouldn’t have to be said so much. BUT!! It seems that Philly is cursed to have head coaches (Andy Reid, Chip Kelly, now Doug) who don’t believe running is necessary. In any case, let me recite the mantra again for those who are new to this site: Running brings a Safety into the box, opening up the deep ball. Running slows pass rushers by making them read. The QB doesn’t get hit on run plays. Running eats clock and gives the Defense time to rest. Running beats up defensive linemen, and makes them less explosive pass rushers later in the game. Run the BALL! Oh yeah. As a side note (pure sarcasm right there), Jacksonville is 25th in the NFL against the run. They are the SEVENTH WORST RUN DEFENSE! Again, just a side note.

2) Activate the Machine: Jaguars QB Blake Bortles is a turnover machine, but he’s still an NFL starting QB. That means to get mistakes from him, we have to force him to make them. Luckily the Jags give us an easy route to that. Their interior O-line is banged up and weren’t very good when they were healthy. If our D-line can get pressure up the middle and force Bortles to his LEFT, our chances of getting him to give us the ball, go through the roof. Remember we need him to go back, and to the left. Back, and to the left. Back. And to the left.

3) Pick your poison: (Building on the RUN THE DAMNED BALL theme.) The Jaguars have tons of speed on the edges, but they lack the size needed to hold up to being shoved around by NFL O-linemen. We need to attack their edges with off-Tackle runs, so that they over-commit, and open up Zack Ertz in the intermediate passing game, as well as play-action backside Screens.

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4) Send FIVE sometimes: Everyone knows that Defensive Coordinator Jim Schwartz doesn’t like to blitz. He feels that our four man rush gets enough heat on the QB. While we may be getting heat on QB’s, we aren’t cooking them at the rate we need to. Schwartz needs to stop being so damned predictable. We need him to stop showing off the same inability to learn and make adjustments, which got him fired in Detroit. Yes, we won a Super Bowl with him as DC, but we allowed 33 points in that game, and his unit had one sack all day long.

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:

Understand, the worst thing that a team or an athlete can be, is comfortable. Books. Interviews. We went from “No one likes us” to “Everybody loves us”. Hungry dogs run faster, remember? But us. The players, coaches… We got civilized.

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But then! Last week! We embarrassed ourselves. And we realized that it was US that did it to ourselves! Now the Eagles now seem uncomfortable. Making matters worse for Jacksonville is, by virtue of playing in London for each of the last 6 years, they’ve become the adopted home team. The Eagles are heading into amateur hostile territory, with a chip on their shoulders now.

While the Jaguars will be desperate for a win to get back in contention for their division, they lack the tools to fend off a focused Eagles team. The Bottom Line is that we have have Carson Wentz, while all they have is Blake Bortles. God forbid something happens to Wentz, we have QB Nick Foles, and they still have Blake Bortles. Let’s pray that we don’t knock Bortles out of the game.

PREDICTION: EAGLES 27 – Jaguars 14

yeah-bitch

THE BEST D-LINE IN THE NFL

Posted by The BEAST on 2018/04/02
Posted in: Conversations, Defense, Front Office (F.O.), NFL, Players, Reviews, Roster. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , . 3 Comments

 

Best line?

WHEN the Los Angeles Rams went out and signed free agent DT Ndamokung Suh, the cry heard ‘round the world was that the Rams now had the best defensive line in the NFL. Pairing Suh with DE Aaron Donald is talked about like it’s the end-all be-all in the NFL. People are talking like the Rams are now the favorite to win the Super Bowl in 2019.

Whoa now. Hold up. Pump the brakes.

The Rams will boast an extremely scary interior, that is just as disruptive against the run as the pass. But still it’s just two guys. One of which will be learning to switch from being a 4-3 DT to either a 3-4 DE or NT.

They play a 3-4, so you have to look at the front five, not four. Take a look up and down their ROSTER and you won’t see another player to fear. DE Michael Brockers? He has 19 sacks in 6 years, after being selected 14th overall in 2012. Everyone else is a career back-up who’ll now be counted on to make difference. (I guess.)

With the Minnesota Vikings (4-3) there are four legitimate headaches with Everson Griffen, Linval Joseph, Sheldon Richardson, and Danielle Hunter. Not two guys, four. The Jacksonville Jaguars have 3 game wreckers in Calais Campbell, Malik Jackson, and Yannick Ngakoue.

Then of course there’s the grand-daddy of them all, the Philadelphia Eagles.

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DE Brandon Graham

The Eagles boast Fletcher Cox, Timmy Jernigan and Haloti Ngata at DT. At DE There’s Brandon Graham, Chris Long, and Derek Barnett. We lost DE Vinny Curry and all we could find to replace him with was some guy named Michael Bennett. That’s SEVEN players. The Eagles are literally, TWO defensive lines deep.

We don’t just have starters better than the Rams starters, we have better back-ups than the Rams starters. (DE Steven Means and DT Destiny Vaeao don’t qualify for this list because of who’s in front of them, but if Bennett misses any time, you’ll see those two make a serious contribution in his absence.)

Even if we were to throw out things like sacks and hurries as a measure of an individual player’s effectiveness, there’s the fact that the Eagles as a team, allowed just 79.2 rushing yards per game, to the Rams 122.3. That’s number one vs fifth worst. Also our key players aren’t in their first year of the scheme.

So all this big talk about the Rams D-line is ridiculous. The Rams don’t have the best D-line in the NFL. Hell, they don’t even have the best D-line in the conference. Those distinctions BOTH belong to the Eagles.

As things stand, the Rams D-line may not even be as good at the Vikings. IJS.