WORST thing the Eagles can do to QB Jalen Hurts, is to operate with the WR’s in Bunch Formation. You know that thing where three receivers bunch up in a cluster beside the Offensive Line? It’s supposed to create mismatches, but for a QB who is the Floyd Mayweather of football, it pays to keep things closer to Dick and Jane, than Atlas Shrugged for him.
So the Offense should be kept spread out. After all, the idea is to get receivers open. If they line up close to open, before the snap, the job is partly done for them. That, and it forces the opposing defense to declare their assignments. If a defender leaves his assignment to blitz, then his assignment is open. Or if someone was giving help, then their assignment is open.
While we’re on the subject of help, it’s harder for defenders to give it, if they’re spread out. The more space one player is responsible for, the easier it is to bait him into a serious mistake. Given the high use of play-action in our Offense, catching defenders in the wrong place, could happen multiple times per game. That’s harder to make happen, from a bunch formation.
Another benefit of spreading out, is that batted balls are less of threat to us. Batting a ball near a crowd is a dangerous thing for an offense. Better to not gamble.
The worst part of bunching is penalties. Offensive Pass Interference. Illegal picks. These get called when a “rub route” isn’t executed well. Defenders are allowed to jam, and otherwise make contact with receivers within five yards of the line of scrimmage. But when receivers do it, it gets called OPI, or pushing off. Bunches gives the defense a sort of “benefit of the doubt”.
Coaches frequently say that they have to put their players in a better position to succeed, and this is true. However, they also have to put opposing players in the best position to fail. Make our player’s jobs easy, while making their player’s jobs hard. We can start by making it harder for them to help each other, and making it easy for Hurts to read it, when they mess up.
HEAD Coach Nick Siriannineeds 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.
REALIZE this: The only thing that could hold the Eagles back in 2022, is whether or not QB Jalen Hurts can read a defense. This is not me taking a shot at Hurts. Last year I said that we should start him, and though he doesn’t strike me a franchise QB, I still think the job should be his in 2022. So I’m not taking shots.
The last time Hurts took the field, his inability to read a defense was put on national display. He came here not knowing how to read a progression, so the coaching staff put him on a high-low read concept, on the right side of the field. (For when he would scramble right, and then throw the ball down the sideline. Sound familiar?)
As we saw last year, Hurts waits until a receiver is wide open, before throwing the ball. That resulted in a lot of incompletions, and late completions resulting in tackles instead of touchdowns. More important than getting Hurts more WR talent, is him knowing when to get the ball out. He has to be taught how to throw his receivers open. How to put the ball opposite a defender, where the receiver can run under it, and not have to break stride.
Here’s an example: Hurts has been throwing with WR A.J. Brown during the offseason. Still in this video, Brown has to gear down and reach behind him (not in front of him), to make this catch.
Brown having to gear down, gives the defense a better chance to catch up to him. Also, in a game, with his head turned back like this, Brown wouldn’t see a defender closing on him. Ouch!
The easiest way to train Hurts, would be during Training Camp, before the pads go on. Draw up plays, and tell Hurts where the ball should be placed on each route. Coaches on every team already do this of course, but unlike other drills, teaching him to see passing windows, anticipate them, and place the ball, would be the focus, not merely the suggested best practice.
Every year we see plenty of camp reports where a QB’s proficiency is judged by how often the ball hits the ground. Don’t do that this year. Window and placement work means that a LOT of early passes will end up with grass stains. Prior to pads, grass stains don’t equal failure. This is fine tuning. You wouldn’t say a guitarist tuning his guitar was failing at it. Well this is exactly that.
SEASON Reviews are usually done at the end of the season. A few are also done at the halfway mark. Starting in 2017, Eaglemaniacal.com began treating the season like a game, and breaking it into four quarters.
In 2021, the NFL expanded the season to 17 games, which makes for an uneven split. So this year (at least), these Quarterly Reports will come after Weeks 5, 9, 13, and 18. (Ugh. I hate even looking at that format.)
Since football is a hard sport, we’ll take a hard look at where our team currently stands, in relation to where it started. Then we can discuss where it needs to go next.
We’re in the playoffs! Stop and appreciate that for a moment. From a 2 – 5 start with a rookie Head Coach in Nick Sirianni, to 9 – 8 and representing our division in the playoffs. By the way, I want to say that calling us the NFC Least…THAT’S GOTTA GO! The NFC West sent three playoff teams. The NFC North? Just one. The NFC South? Just one. The NFC East sent two. Apparently even our 7th seed Eagles, are better than at Least 9 other teams in the conference. (Mic drop)
GRADES:
QB: (C )During this quarter,Jalen Hurtswent 54/81 (66.6%), with 3 touchdowns vs 1 interception (for 5 total scores and 2 turnovers) He also had three consecutive slow starts vs bad teams. With the high ankle sprain that he’s nursing, he now has to lean on his skills as a passer. Like Dak Prescott, Hurts may possess a lot of locker room intangibles, but as a passer, he cannot be mistaken for a top 10 player at his position.
The question all year long has been: IS HURTS A FRANCHISE QB?
I sent my answer in early, and my answer was “No.” However, for those who wanted to take the whole regular season to assess… Well, here we are, and my answer remains unchanged. If you want to look at the season in its entirety, fine. Let’s wait until after the playoffs.
In fact, the playoffs are the very measuring stick that GM Howie Rosemanused to measure QB Carson Wentz: “We loved Carson, but we played four playoff games” (actually six Howie) “and we’ve needed our backup quarterback for all of them. It’s too important of a position not to have that. I think that just thinking about where we were at the moment, and I think it was the right thing to do. It’s a hard decision, but it was the right thing to do.”
Hurts will go into his first playoff game next week, and so far he doesn’t seem to have mastered the position’s subtleties. Scoring a nod as a Pro Bowl alternate was cute, but no one really cares about that. The Pro Bowl lost the credibility of being real football years ago.
RB: (C ) The best ability is availability, and Miles Sanders (25 – 176 – 7.0 – 0 – 0) has come up short in that, for the second time this season. Concluding this season in street clothes, he will post career lows in rushing attempts, rushing yards, receptions, and receiving yards. Despite 166 touches, he will not post a single touchdown in 2021.
Jordan Howard(35 – 132 – 3.7 – 0 – 0) hasn’t been quite as effective with Sanders out. In fairness, his use has also become more sporadic, in a position that relies on rhythm. With Sanders out, Boston Scott (26 – 88 – 3.3 – 3 – 0) somehow leap-frogged Howard to become the starter. In the season finale Kenneth Gainwell (13 – 82 – 6.3 – 1 – 0) got the start, andJason Huntley (13 – 51 – 3.9 – 0 – 0) was activated.
With Sanders being out and Jalen Hurts nursing a sore ankle, the personality of the run game has shifted severely. It went from battering teams inside, to trying to use a little guys (Scott, Gainwell, Huntley) to exploit creases. Without the physical edge to the run game, the passing game has been negatively impacted, as pass rushers are now staying fresh, longer.
WR: (D ) Devonta Smith(22 – 14 – 215 – 15.3 – 1) failed to reach 100 yards in any game, this (or last) quarter. While his statistical contribution would be great for a #2, his role on this team is that of a #1. More is expected of him! He is either being hindered by his own talent/work ethic, the coaching, or who is throwing to him. Those are the only three choices. Fix the problem.
Quez Watkins (16 – 12 – 156 – 13.0 – 1) is being utilized completely wrong. As a deep threat, he neither sees two long balls per game, nor are many post routes run out of the Slot to keep Safeties from bracketing him deep, to get him one-on-one.
When Greg Ward (7 – 5 – 65 – 13.0 – 1) gets opportunities, he produces. He isn’t as physically gifted as the other receivers, so the coaches aren’t intrigued enough to try to manufacture opportunities for him, like they do with Jalen Reagor(11 – 7 – 91 – 13.0 – 0), who is trash, or J.J. Arcega-Whiteside(3 – 0 – 0 – 0.0 – 0) who is also trash.
TE: (C ) Dallas Goedert (20 – 15 – 234 – 15.6 – 0), and Jack Stoll(1 – 1 – 7 – 7.0 – 0) have been the Eagles 1-2 punch, since the trade of Zach Ertz. As you can see, the 2TE attack has been severely de-emphasized. When Ertz left, no one picked up the slack with regard to the production vacuum. Both Tyree Jackson and Richard Rodgers combined for 5 catches, 33 yards, and touchdown in the season finale. Otherwise neither had a catch all season.
OT: (A ) LT Jordan Mailataand RT Lane Johnsoncontinue to be one of the best duos in the sport. Just to drive that nail further into our opponents coffin, Lane caught a 5 yard TD during our Week 16 runaway victory over the giants. Andre Dillard continues to be high quality depth. Le’Raven Clark on the other hand, is a career back-up, who will never push for a starting gig.
G: (A ) LG Landon Dickerson and RG Nate Herbighave been consistent, and despite being young players with the mounting pressures of a playoff chase on the line, there’s been just one penalty between them since November. That is discipline and poise.
C: (A ) Jason Kelce is a future Hall of Famer.
DE: (D ) Josh Sweatmust have heard me badmouthing him all year, because he’s really turned it up this quarter. In his last three games, he’s added 2.5 sacks, 3 batted passes, and a FF. If badmouthing him makes him play this much better, then let me just say (clears throat) “Josh Sweat ain’t shit! The only way he’ll ever see a QB, is with a telescope. He sets edges worse than Naomi Campbell.”
Violence towards QB’s is apparently against Derek Barnett’s religion. Tarron Jackson hasn’t played a ton, but when he does, he just looks like a guy. Ryan Kerrigan started the last two games and didn’t have much impact at all. A draft pick will be spent here in April.
DT: (B ) Fletcher Cox in his last three games has racked up 2.5 sacks, 10 tackles (3 for losses), 1 forced fumble and 5 QB hits. THAT, is how to roll into the playoffs! Javon Hargrave’s 12 tackles and 5 QB hits, are not to be overlooked.
Hassan Ridgeway is a high motor, rotational guy. He hasn’t produced many stats, but he’s played quite a bit during the last quarter. That likely has been to keep the starters as fresh as possible for the playoffs. The story of the quarter however, has been Milton Williams. The rookie has stepped up, with a sack, 9 tackles (4 for losses), 3 QB hits, and 2 passes knocked down, during these last 4 games.
OLB: (C ) Alex Singleton grabbed 28 tackles, forced a fumble, and returned an interception for a score. All this as he set the Eagles all-time mark, for tackles (137) in a season. He had his 6th double-digit tackle game of the season, with 12 against the giants.
Though Genard Averyhas been used less as a blitzer this quarter, the blitzes have been smarter. As a result he’s added 3 hurries and his only sack of the regular season. To compare, he’d had 1 hurry in game one, and none again until this quarter. Patrick Johnsongot the Week 18 start and turned it into 5 tackles. Still, I think he’d be better as an edge rusher, with his fingers in the dirt.
MLB: (A ) T.J. Edwards had 36 tackles and 2 passes defensed in his last three game. That includes 16 and then 14 tackles, in his last two games. He also has 6 double-digit tackle games this season. In a rare instance where Edwards wasn’t on the field, Shaun Bradley got the Week 18 start and posted 5 tackles.
S: (C ) “Rodney McLeod is no longer an impact player on the back end. He always seems a step (or two) slow, and his tackles lack any authority.” That’s what I said during the last one of these reports. Let me just say now, I’ll have my crow with a side of mashed potatoes, please. McLeod came out of nowhere to grab two picks, in his last two games. Nothing in his play this season indicated that he had anything left in the tank. Then suddenly… Crazy. Just crazy.
Anthony Harris has shown a little more aggression towards the ball with a pass deflection in each of the last two weeks. Marcus Eppsis a solid Nickel player, who is learning to let the game come to him more.K’Von Wallacedoesn’t miss tackles, but unfortunately, tackling seems like all he does.
CB: (B ) Darius Slay and Steve Nelson haven’t been flashy this quarter, but the showing off is there, if you know how to look. In the last 5 games this duo has played, no opponent has reached 20 points in a game. Neither has surrendered 100 yards or a touchdown this quarter.
Avonte Maddox has been making tackles to “cauterize the wound” when receivers make short grabs. However, he could be doing more to influence fewer passes to his zone. Rookie Zech MacPhearson has played 83 snaps, been targeted just 10 times, and allowed 6 completions for 71 yards and no scores. In fact, on the year, he’s played 179 snaps, but been targeted just 17 times, allowing 9 completions for 96 yards and no scores. QB’s avoid throwing at him. Let that sink in too.
Andre Chachere(pronounced sash – sherry), andJosiah Scott are Nickel/Dime types. They will allow a high percentage of completed passes, but they will also stick their whole face in on a tackle as well.
LS: (A ) Rick Lovato. Has done a consistent and reliable job of getting the ball to the leg men.
P: (D ) Arryn Siposs saw his per boot average drop from 45 to 36.9, yards. Of course, of his 11 punts, only 3 were returned, and for just 27 yards. (The longest being 13 yards.) Big picture: It’s 9 yard per return vs 36 yards per punt. That’s a net gain of only 27 yards in field position. We can’t live that way.
K: (A )Jake Elliott was 11/11 on extra points, making him perfect on the year. He nailed 8/9 field goals this quarter. Scoring is not Elliott’s issue. Kickoffs are. On 24 KO this quarter, team’s felt confident enough to return 9 of them (37.5%), for 225 yards (25.0). That’s down from last quarter’s 31.5, but it’s still too much.
PR/KR: (C) Jalen Reagor’s punt returning (8 – 79 – 9.8 – 0) improved last quarter’s. He was however, practically striped of his kick return duties. Kenneth Gainwell took a shot at that. His numbers (7 – 122 – 17.4 – 0) would suggest that the Eagles keep looking.
KC: (D ) Giving up 25 yards per kick return, and 9 yard per punt return, means that our opponents are chipping away at winning the hidden yardage battle.
SINCE LAST QUARTER:
We were in the process of running the table, when an outbreak of Covid-19 forced half of our key players into quarantine. No matter. We won enough games to get to the tournament.
MISSION FOR THIS QUARTER:
We ended with him in 2018. Now we’ll start with him in 2022
The mission for this next quarter is simple. Win one game. Then win a second. Then win a third. Then, win the fourth. We’ve been here before. The stage is just the right size for us. We didn’t come this far, just to get this far. To my dawgs: Keep. On. Running.
LAST week, our back-ups and Practice Squaders lost 26 – 51 in the season finale. Our craven opponent, played their starters for most of that game. Their starters! Still, we racked up 26 points, and 315 yards, with of 149 of those yards on the ground (4.5 ypc). Again, we did that with a bunch of guys who won’t even be on the roster this week.
This week we travel to Tampa Bay, to play a Buccaneers team that found a way to lose to Washington, and was swept by New Orleans this season. Having been shutout (0 – 9) in one of those games. Fellow Eagles fans, if “the goat” can lose to teams that don’t even have a QB, then expect us to surprise a lot of people on Sunday.
Let me let you in on a secret: The Bucs are ranked #3 against the run this year. However, they’ve played a number of teams that already don’t run the ball much. So that #3 is an inflated ranking. When they did play teams that run a lot (Washington, New Orleans, Indianapolis, New England), those games became either losses or went down to the wire.
Understand Eagles fans, we have a chance, and it’s not just a slim one. Our chance has three chins and tops doughnuts with insulin. Don’t let the naysayers sway you. They’re just still trying to be right. (They should have listened to me all along.)
Defeating the Buccaneers, will earn us a trip to Green Bay. Losing to them, will mean a quiet plane ride home. It’s as simple as that. GO BIRDS!!!!
****
The point of Four Thingsisn’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 Buccaneers:
1) Run the ball to our left:That may sound like a no-brainer, but there’s more to it. LTJordan Mailata (24 years old) and LG Landon Dickerson (23 years old) are on their way up. They are massive, powerful, and physical even in their mental approach to the game.
Across from them are what’s left of DT Ndamokung Suh (34) and DE/OLB Jason Pierre Paul (32). Both are coming off of their worst seasons as a pro. They have posted 27 and 31 tackles, respectively this season. They don’t want the heat that our left side brings.
Pound the ball on these guys. DT Vita Vea is just 26 and at the top of his game. However, at 347 pounds, just get him chasing Screens and Stretch runs early in the game. That will get him sucking wind, and take the explosiveness out of his hips. By the third quarter, we should be able to work Tampa’s right side relentlessly.
2) See Tom Run: Ideally we need to get either DT Fletcher Cox, or DT Javon Hargrave to hit QB Tom Brady early in this game. Not pressure him. Actually knock him on his ass. Take away his trust in climbing the pocket. He cannot be allowed to get comfortable in the pocket.
Once Brady can’t step into his throws, periodically blitz MLB T.J. Edwards to flush him out. Force Brady to make throws on the run, to receivers who are filling in, and aren’t used to catching off-platform passes from him. All we need a couple of mistakes.
Brady has never had the strongest arm, but over the years he’s found ways to compensate for what he’s lost physically, with anticipation, timing, and altering his mechanics to suit what he can still do. If we can get him running frequently, we’ll severely alter those mechanics, wreck his timing, and subvert any other trick that he routinely relies on. All in one fell swoop.
3) Man Press Coverage:Don’t attempt to disguise our coverages too much. Brady won’t be fooled by pre-snap hysterics. What will shake him, is knowing that he’s going to have to hold the ball longer than he’s accustomed to, because his receivers aren’t open early. That will allow our pass rush to close in.
We’re not trying to be subtle here. The Buccaneers offense will be without key pieces (WR’s Chris Godwin and Antonio Brown), and some of their returning pieces (RB’s Leonard Fournette and possibly Ronald Jones) are playing through injuries that sidelined them in Week 18.
The Buccaneers are limping and leaking blood. This game is about us pummeling a weakened opponent, and bullying an old man out of the delusion that there is room for the elderly in this sport. His end is very fucking nigh, and on a national stage, WE, US, THE EAGLES, need to show that to the world.
4) Speed Kills:Use our speed and go deep 6 to 8 times in this game. Tampa’s secondary is LOADED with bums. Even at their best! So when they walk a Safety up to help slow our run game, that will leave them in Cover 1 or Cover 3. Meaning that either WR Quez Watkinsor WR Devonta Smith has a one-on-one match-up. That’s when we launch it!
This game should be QBJalen Hurts’s coming out party. Get him on bootlegs and let him launch a few, leading the receiver into the end zone. And when Tampa goes to a Cover 2 or Cover 4, go back to running it down their geriatric throats.
****
If the Eagles do these Four Things, then we’ll be virtually impossible to beat. That being said…
The last time we faced this team, we lost by 6 points, in what was the 6th NFL game that Head Coach Nick Sirianni ever coached. In that game, RB Miles Sanders carried the ball 9 times for 56 yards (6.2ypc). Jalen Hurts ran 10 times and threw 26 attempts. It was one of the worst called games in Eagles history, and still we only lost by 6.
There is no need to be subtle here. This is a beating. This is revenge. This is truth being put on display. Brady is 44 and says he wants to play until he’s 50. OH REALLY?! So we need to put his body to the test. For everyone who says we can’t win because we’re facing the goat, they need to be reminded that we’ve feasted on this goat before.
****
All Four Things Prediction: EAGLES 27 – Buccaneers 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.
LAST week we went to Washington and chalked the Redskins in their home.
SEASON OVER!
That win clinched a playoff berth for us, but also renders this game against the Cowboys sort of anti-climactic. Add to that, the 12 players we put on the Covid list this week, and the volume really gets turned down on this one.
We currently occupy the 7th seed which means our likely first round opponent would be the Rams. If the 49ers lose, it could catapult us from the 7th seed, alllllllll the way up the 6th seed. In which case we’d likely draw Tampa Bay. Who cares? You? Me neither.
This week a win can’t help us and a loss can’t hurt us. Which has people of three minds:
1) Rest the starters, so that we don’t lose anyone before the playoffs.
2) Play to win, because it’s Dallas.
3) Play the starters just for a half, to practice some of our weaknesses.
I’m in camp number THREE. The stakes are no longer based on the climb to the playoffs. We’re there already. The next set of stakes are IN the playoffs. There are no stakes this week. None. So just use this week as an assessment tool/study hall.
There will be stakes again, soon enough.
****
The point of Four Things isn’t to predict a winner, it’s to discuss which tactics will practically guarantee our Eagles this win. CAUTION: I don’t have the faintest clue as to what a point spread is, and I know even less about how it works. I know football and that’s IT. If you use FT as a gambling tool, you are trying to lose your money, and will deserve it when you do.
So let’s talk about the Four Things we need to focus on this week versus the Cowboys:
1) Understand the moment: QB Jalen Hurtsis 0 – 2 vs the Cowboys, having been blown-out both times. Getting him his first win against them, while at home? That would be big for him. Huge in fact. Because calling a QB who can’t beat Dallas, “our franchise”? Nope. Can’t do it. Hurts could use the win. That said, it shouldn’t be our focus.
Seeing the big picture, should be our focus. Use this week to practice things we suck at, and get some game experience for our deep bench. Playing the starters for the full game, or until one of them is injured, would show that Head Coach Nick Sirianni doesn’t understand the moment.
2) Dig DEEP: While a win would be nice, don’t get hung-up watching the scoreboard. Instead, here’s what you should look for: QB Reid Sinnettgetting some action; WRJ.J. Arcega-Whitesidecatching passes; CB Zech McPhearson covering WR Amari Cooper; OT Andre Dillard trying to show that he can run block; LB Patrick Johnsonand LB Shaun Bradley getting 10+ defensive snaps. And maybe a few runs from RB Kerryon Johnson!
Players you don’t know, making 2 to 4 nice plays after half-time. That’s the ideal situation.
3) Going Out In Style:If our starters beat-up on their back-ups, that’s a cheap win. It’s a chicken-shit way to win a game.
Ideally, when our starters leave this game, two things should be true: 1) Dallas’s starters are still out there, and 2) We have the lead. Regardless of how small it is.
That way it can (and WILL), be said that our starters could have won this game, had they played the whole thing.
Besides, Dallas has spent so much money on overpaying starters, that the depth on that team looks like high school JV squad. To stand any chance of winning, they’d have to leave their starters in. Their starters vs our back-ups? What a chicken-shit way to win.
4) Do some reckless shit: This is a game without consequences! Do some stuff that normally would get the coaching staff crucified for trying it. Stuff like:
Not punting all game long.
Giving LS Rick Lovatoa couple of defensive snaps at LB.
Letting WR Greg Ward play QB for a series. (He played it in college.)
Giving LT Jordan Mailata a carry in the redzone
Just something wild and crazy. Look, this is the last home game of the year for Birds fans. It’s a night game, and it’s going to be windy and about 25 degrees. Give those fans something to remember, before our team goes on the road for possibly the next 4 games.
….
If we do these Four Things,
It should build confidence and loosen the entire roster up. It could act to bring more joy to the hard work, of preparing to beat playoff teams. Winning this week would be great. However, this week isn’t about that. It’s about getting everyone focused on a much bigger prize.
That having been said, the last time we faced Dallas, our coaching staff called 39 passes and just 3 handoffs. THREE run plays, all day long. As a team we ran for 64 yards. Jalen Hurts ran 9 times for 35. We had 29 yards on 3 handoffs, and still we didn’t hand the ball off more. RB Jordan Howard wasn’t even on the active roster.
That is NOT the Eagles team that the Cowboys will face this Saturday Night.
This time around, vs a defensive line built to rush the passer, our O-Line needs to practice putting foot to ass. The tone of this game will be 180 degrees from the last one. Those fuckers won’t have any idea of what hit them.
****
PREDICTION: EAGLES 20 – Cowboys 9
Check back in a couple of days for Four Things Reviewed, and we’ll discuss how it went.
New categories include an EXCLUSIVE weekly Offensive Line Report (Rushing TD’s + 3rd and 4th downs converted:missed of 2 yards or less – sacks allowed); as well as Drive Killer (Int – FR – 4th down Tackles – FF – TD).
I hear you asking, “What about all the stuff that stats don’t reveal?” Well, that’s the reason for these Four Things articles. It’s to point out what we need to address BEFORE the game. Then AFTER the game, there’s a no-bullshit assessment of whether or not the Eagles did any of what they needed to do, to ensure the win.
So how much of what I mentioned in Four Things: Redskins did the Eagles actually get around to doing? Well let’s see:
1) Don’t get cute: Run the ball. That was the edict. Come out running and use the running styles to compliment each other. We did both, running 34 times for 118 yards (3.4 ypc), and two scores. It wasn’t pretty or explosive, but as I said, Boston Scott isn’t a tip of the spear caliber RB. Still, we stuck to our identity and ground out yardage and scores. That was the ask. (DONE)
2) Blitz On Long Downs: There were some 5 man rushes throughout the game, but not consistently enough, as was evinced by QB Taylor Heinicke (27/36 – 75.0% – 247 – 0 – 1), starting off 11/11. We didn’t really turn up the heat on him until the second half. Even then we played such loose coverage, that Washington was a threat to win, until Heinicke’s final pass to FS Rodney McLeod. (NOT DONE)
3) Knock Taylor on his Heinicke:In the second half, we got all over this! After the half, the Defensive Front came out looking to hunt. The pressure went up, and Heinicke kept finding himself running for his life, before ending up horizontal.
While it wasn’t frequently the product of blitzing, we were definitely getting the ball out of his hand earlier, as he became decidedly aware of how much heat we were bringing.(DONE)
4) Mr. Smith goes to Washington: Running the ball would have been easier if we could have emptied the box more. That would have been easy to do if WR Devonta Smith (6 – 3 – 54 – 18.0 – 0) had seen 7 to 8 targets. However, between Smith getting merely 6 targets, WR Quez Watkins(4 – 2 – 15 – 7.5 – 0) being a non-factor, and WR Jalen Reagor (Nope!) being trash, it was hard to stretch the field horizontally to create gaps.
Also, the Eagles spent a lot of time in Bunch Formations, with the receivers close to the Tackles. That allowed defenses to pack in. (NOT DONE)
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So this week we posted 2 of the Four Things and accordingly, we barely escaped with a win. BUT WE WON!!! Next week we play a practice game against the Cowboys. It has no meaning since both of us have already qualified for the playoffs.
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On The Whole:
For the second week in a row, we bodied a division rival.
RIP FYT
RIP FYT
We made the rest of their season meaningless. We reduced next week to a chance for their starters to take a pointless injury; or sit and let a back-up destabilize their job security.
And it feels good.
What feels even better, was clinching a playoff spot, with a rookie head coach, who was being mocked (even by me) a few weeks ago, for talking about motherfucking FLOWERS. This Spring I’m planting goddamned daffodils.
Even better than that, was doing it doing it during a rebuild year. (Did you hear that New York?) With a QB who was essentially a rookie. (Did you hear that Washington?) And while it’s true that we haven’t beaten a 10 win team all year, neither has Dallas. So we’re at least as legit as our division winner.
New categories include an EXCLUSIVE weekly Offensive Line Report (Rushing TD’s + 3rd and 4th downs converted:missed of 2 yards or less – sacks allowed); as well as Drive Killer (Int – FR – 4th down Tackles – FF – TD).
I hear you asking, “What about all the stuff that stats don’t reveal?” Well, that’s the reason for these Four Things articles. It’s to point out what we need to address BEFORE the game. Then AFTER the game, there’s a no-bullshit assessment of whether or not the Eagles did any of what they needed to do, to ensure the win.
So how much of what I mentioned in Four Things: Redskins (1)did the Eagles actually get around to doing? Well let’s see:
1) Use the 12th Man:Eagles fans were out IN FORCE for this one. The idea here was to have the players drive the crowd, but that hardly was necessary. Even when the Eagles were in a 0 – 10 hole to start the game, the crowd was never truly out of it. There were some boos, but really that crowd last night was one of the best I’ve ever seen.
The first 10 points we gave up were the result of weirdness, but no one was worried that level of weirdness was going to happen on every drive, for four straight quarters. It of course didn’t, and a wolf ate a sheep. Nature took it’s course. In part because the crowd never stopped making it hard on the opponent, during cold, dark, misty conditions. Well done Philadelphia. Well done.(DONE)
2) Run the Ball: There were 41 runs to 26 pass attempts (61.1% run). While 8 of those runs were by Hurts, he pulls the ball down so early that it’s not always easy to know what was a called run and what was a legitimate scramble. So from here on out, I’m just lumping his runs in with the handoffs. Otherwise it’s like picking gnat shit out of pepper.
We stuck to our identity, even when down 0 – 10. It allowed us to get a rhythm and settle our QB, who looked tight to start the game. Though he’d missed just one game, in real-time, he hadn’t seen action in nearly a month. We didn’t overplay our hand, or play down to the opponent. As a result we piled up 238 yards on the ground.(DONE)
3) Blitz from our right: Shout out to OLB Genard Avery (1 tackle) had a great run-stuff off the right (which came damned close to being offsides). Aside from that, there was never a concerted effort to get the ball out of the hand of QB Garrett Gilbert (20/31 – 64.5% – 194 – 0 – 0).
Our lack of aggressive defense allowed this kid to look better than he had any right to. Let me say right now, this approach won’t beat Washington twice this year. If we want a sweep in two weeks, we’ll have to dial up far more pressure. (NOT DONE)
4) Don’t force-feed Reagor: Turns out WR Quez Watkins (2 – 2 – 14 – 7.0 – 0) was able to play in this one, so there was no need to overuse WRJalen Reagor(3 – 3 – 57 – 19.0 – 0). Reagor caught all three of his targets, and even threatened to score once. If calling him “trash” results in him contributing like this, I will call him “heated garbage soup” every week next season.
We forced nothing to him and he had 57 yards. I said in the Third Quarter Report that we need a non-Devonta WR to contribute 50 yards per game, over these last 4. We just got it from Reagor, without force-feeding him. (DONE)
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That gives us 3 out of the Four Things for this week. In five days, we get to extend five knuckles worth of hospitality to the giants as we host them Sunday afternoon. A win in that game, will make us an above .500 team to bring in the New Year.
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On The Whole:
As I said, if we put up 25 points, that should do the trick. Even at full strength the Redskins can’t manufacture points very well. Well we put up 27, and they only put up the points they did, because early in the game Jesus Klaus gifted them with a bizarre couple of turnovers.
Jalen Hurts just got his first win over an NFC East opponent. We’re technically still just outside of the picture, but now that we’re 7 – 7, we can legitimately bring up the playoffs as a subject.
When the game was scheduled for Sunday, the plan may have been for QB Gardner Minshew and Hurts to each get snaps. However, this delay allowed Hurts’s ankle to get to full strength. As a result, the only snaps Minshew saw, were the ones played by Hurts. So there is no QB controversy.
(FYI: The QB position is still VERY MUCH under evaluation. There’s just no question about the pecking order. Today.)
FOOTBALL is back!!! Well, maybe. If Washington can’t field enough players because of the Covid outbreak on their team, we may be awarded this one by forfeit. Last time I checked, they had 21 players in the Covid Protocol. Sheesh!
Provided that we do get to play, is there a way we can make Washington play in hazmat suits? And can they bring their own benches? We don’t need Covid leaving any Redskins residue on our furniture.
And don’t give me any flack about “dead-naming” the Redskins. When they get around to getting an actual name, I’ll get around to actually using it. Currently what they have, is an adjective, and an adjective should never be a name. Isn’t that right Negro Man, and Menopausal Woman?
See?
With a win, we get to 7 – 7. We’ll likely be just on the outside of the playoff picture, in 8th place. Many speculate that we’d move into 7th place, but they’re ignoring or forgetting that if Minnesota beats Chicago (extremely likely), they’d also be 7 – 7 , with a 5 – 4 conference record to match ours. The difference would be their 3 – 1 division record to our 1 – 2 division record.
To move into the 7th place, we need to win, and for the Vikings to lose.
With a loss, we’d fall to 6 – 8. Even though that would still not mathematically eliminate us, we’d need a lot of things to break our way to qualify. Best to take care of business ourselves.
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The point of Four Things isn’t to predict a winner, it’s to discuss which tactics will practically guarantee our Eagles this win. CAUTION: I don’t have the faintest clue as to what a point spread is, and I know even less about how it works. I know football and that’s IT. If you use FT as a gambling tool, you are trying to lose your money, and will deserve it when you do.
So let’s talk about the Four Things we need to focus on this week versus the Redskins:
1) Use the 12th Man:With a ton of new starters on both sides of the ball for Washington, there are bound to be communication errors here and there. We can magnify that, and make it 100 times worse. Keeping the crowd pumped, will help drive opponent mistakes, which will in turn help excite the crowd, and in turn, make it harder for our opponent to communicate well, etc.
2) Run the Ball: First, running has become our identity. During a playoff push and a playoff run, a team really needs to be in-touch with who and what they are. Second, getting mauled, punked, bullied, rag-dolled, beat-up, and pushed around is demoralizing. We need to break their will to fight back, by punishing them when they do. Passing won’t get that done as viciously.
3) Blitz from our right: Our right is their QB’s left. It’s his blindside. He’s already going to be uncomfortable relying on a makeshift offensive line. Serving him hits that he didn’t see coming, will wreck his focus, and cause him to rush passes, and make mistakes more frequently.
4) Don’t force-feed Reagor: Honestly, the kid is trash. He’s straight-up caustic, burning garbage.
However, with #2 WR Quez Watkins out due to Covid, our remaining WR’s are Jalen Reagor, Greg Ward, and J.J. Arcega-Whiteside. Slim pickings at a time when we needed someone to step up and be the Robin to Devonta Smith’s Batman.
With Watkins out, the Eagles don’t have a second outside threat. Second year WR John Hightower might get called up from the Practice Squad. He has 4.4 speed and he gets open quickly, but his hands are suspect. Or at least they were last year. However, if he plays Sunday and shows that he can hold onto passes…
If we do these Four Things,
We’d better win this damned game! If Washington manages to beat us, we need to deep-six any hope or talk of the playoffs.
We average 25 points per game. Washington is 2 – 4 this year, when their opponent scores 25 points, and those wins were over the giants and Falcons.
Let. Me. Re-iterate.
Washington had to win shootouts, to beat the Falcons and the giants. So if we put up 25, we should be good, right? I’m looking at youJonathan Gannon! And so is this brick that I’m holding. So we’re gonna win, right? Right?! My man!
Oh by the way! Check out what Head Coach Nick Siriannisaid!
Remember the guy who told you about this in June, before we traded for QB Gardner Minshew? And again in September, soon after we traded for Minshew? And again in November?
Of courrrrse. That guy was meeeee. And here we arrrrre.
Exactly where I told you we’d be.
The last time this coaching staff tried to experiment, it led to Jalen Reagor tea-bagging everyone who believed in him. We need to run the table here, so this is no time to get cute or “clever”.
This week is being served up like a softball pitch. It’s practically tee-ball. If the Eagles botch this, we have no right to use the word “playoffs” until the next time we actually qualify.
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PREDICTION: EAGLES 27 – Redskins 12
Check back in a couple of days for Four Things Reviewed, and we’ll discuss how it went.
JALEN Hurtswon’t be a franchise quarterback. Let me say that up top, in plain and unbroken English. I told you that in June after 4 starts, in October after 10 starts, and in November after 13 starts. Now, 16 starts into his NFL career, I’m saying it again: Jalen Hurts will not, because he cannot, be a franchise QB.
The timing of this article couldn’t have been better. I told some friends (Andrea and Arlette), last week that I would write about this subject. Thanksgiving got in the way, and so I had to delay it. Turns out, that was for the best. Events during this last game have sharpened the points I’m about to make.
Over the last four weeks as the Eagles were piling up rushing yardage, most fans were satisfied. So long as Hurts was running for touchdowns, and leading the team in rushing, no one but me seemed to care that his game as a passer, kept being extremely pedestrian.
Detroit: 9/14 – 64.2% – 103 – 0 – 0. Los Angeles: 11/17 – 64.7% – 162 – 1 – 0. Denver: 16/23 – 69.5% – 178 – 2 – 1.(I won’t pick on the day Hurts had vs the giants. We know how that went.)
But let’s look at the Saints game, which we won in a blowout. Specifically, the stat line put up by Saints QB Trevor Siemian (22/40 – 55.0% – 214 – 3 – 2), vs the stat line by Hurts (13/24 – 54.1% – 147 – 0 – 0).
Siemian was slightly more accurate, got his supporting cast involved, and so, he nearly led a rally. This is despite being a third stringer, without his team’s starting RB, #1 WR, and BOTH Offensive Tackles. Hurts had none of these disadvantages, yet it can be argued that Siemian had a better day as a QB. Especially in regards to getting his teammates involved.
Teammates is another bone I have to pick with Hurts. I keep hearing about how he’s a field general. I keep hearing how he’s focused and competitive. However, during games, especially when we’re down, when I see him on the sideline…he’s just sitting there.
He’s not looking at the tablet. He’s not rallying the crowd. He’s not on one knee, talking to the O-line about protection slides. He’s not in the Offensive Coordinator’s ear, or standing next to his Head Coach. He’s not having an animated discussion about what he sees, to get on the same page with the receivers. He’s just sitting there, looking like he’s sucking on a lemon.
I say this as a man who’s worn pads and has played with multiple QB’s. Jalen’s body language sucks ass. Nothing about him says “Follow ME!” or “I got you.” His swagger is limited to him running for a touchdown. It doesn’t extend to his teammates.
For example, when LT Jordan Mailata pancaked Saints DE Marcus Davenport (because of his treatment of Hurts), was there an acknowledging fist bump or high-five from the QB? Nope. Hurts texted his thanks to Mailata, later that night. A text message! In exchange for sticking up for him! But when Hurts needed consoling after the giants game:
1,000 words, right?
BUT WAIT!!! THERE’S MORE!!!
Hurts may miss the Jets game with a sore ankle. I’ll say that one more time: Hurts may miss the Jets game with a sore ankle. Remember the three touchdowns QB Donovan McNabb threw against the Cardinals in November of 2002, on a broken ankle? Remember QB Carson Wentz tearing his ACL, and staying in one more play, to throw a touchdown vs the Rams, in our 2017 Super Bowl season?
Sore ankle. Those are the words of Head Coach Nick Sirianni.
I guess benching Hurts is the Eagles way of admitting that he’s a liability if he has to play from the pocket. Seriously. Would a sore ankle shelve Tom Brady? Ben Roethlisberger? Patrick Mahomes? Matt Stafford and Derek Carrhave both played through back injuries. How about Brett Favre? Dan Marino played with TWO knee braces. Hell, “sore” never stopped Wentz from suiting up. Is Hurts more delicate than Wentz?
I’m not going to get into Hurts being inaccurate. I won’t mention how he’s slow to read defenses. I won’t mention that he’s ineffective running anything other than a one read system. I won’t mention that when the going got tough in college, he got going to another college, instead of overcoming the challenger.
Did I mention that so far he’s 0 – 4 vs the NFC East? That includes two blowouts vs the Cowboys. They humiliate us every time he starts against them. And of course all he could manage vs the giants, was 7 points. And we tanked against the Redskins, in a game that we were already losing. Like I said, 0 – 4.
I’ll simply ask: Is THIS your leader? Is this the face that you want to represent YOU? My answer is on his shirt, and even Rosa agrees with me.
That’s not to say that Hurts has no place in the NFL. I told you in June that the NFL was moving towards QB being a platoon type position. I told you in September, a week before the season started, that QB Gardner Minshewwould play this year, somewhere around Week 8. He played in Week 8.
I’m going to say Hurts has a place in the NFL as a QB. Just not as a franchise. Not even as the Ace QB of a platoon. Think of him as a relief QB. Start thinking of him, as a back-up.
EAGLEMANIACAL.com 