Jeremiah Trotter Jr.

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FOUR THINGS REVIEWED: WK 18: giants

Posted by The BEAST on 2025/01/08
Posted in: breakdown, Conversations, Defense, Four Things, NFC East, Offense, Players, playoffs, Rivals, Special Teams, stats. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment
So. Guess who won the NFC East.

BACK-UPS handled business.

 

EAGLES 20 – giants 13

 

EAGLES STATS:

Passing: QB Tanner McKee (27/41 – 65.8% – 269 – 2 – 0)

Rushing: RB Will Shipley (10 – 32 – 3.2 – 0 – 0)

Receiving: WR Jahan Dotson (11 – 7 – 94 – 13.4 – 0)

Drive Killer: S Sydney Brown (TD: 0/Int: 1/ FR: 0/ 4th down stops:0 / FF: 0)

Sack Leader: NONE (Sacks: / FF: / Tackles: )

Special Teams Ace: N/A

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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: GIANTS did the Eagles actually get around to doing? Well let’s see:

TE E.J. Jenkins catches his first NFL pass, and it’s for a touchdown.

1) Two Long Looks: The first look was supposed to be of McKee, and we got that. He looked in control and in command at all times. At no point did he ever seem flustered. Even when he had to corral two high snaps. He put up 269 and 2 scores with back-up receivers, behind a back-up O-line, with no run support, against starters. He has a few things to clean up, but McKee is legit.

The other long look was WR Johnny Wilson (5 – 3 – 24 – 8.0 – 0). He played 65 snaps (96%), but was wholly unremarkable. (DONE)

2) Give Elliott Some Practice: K Jake Elliott was 2/3 kicking field goals. Sadly, his miss was from just 39 yards away. So he got some work, but I don’t know if that helped at all. (DONE)

3) Make It Make Sense: The idea was to get a look at what WR Jahan Dotson would do with 4 or more targets. What he did was lead the team in targets (11), catches (7), and receiving yardage (94). With zero drops.

WR Jahan Dotson.

Dotson did this with a third string QB, versus a starting secondary. This only points out that there’s been no good reason on Earth, why he shouldn’t already be a larger part of this Offense. Someone needs to get their shit together. (DONE)

4) Value Combo Players: I was looking at a few players, but CB Isaiah Rodgers (2 tackles) was the player I’d mentioned in FT. I was hoping to see some value in him as a kick returner. What he showed were two returns, one for 24 yards, the other for 51. That’s an average of 37.5 yards. Not bad. (DONE)

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This week’s Four Things score was a perfect 4 of 4, which is a perfect way to close out the regular season. Now, onto the playoffs, to send the Packers, packing up for their offseason!

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Game Hero: QB Tanner McKee – Given his lack of support from the run game, McKee had to carry the Offense. No fancy runs. No 4th down punt fakes. Just a straight-forward, pocket passer carving up a defense.

Game goat: The Running Backs – Before we come down too hard on our back-up O-Line, consider that our two principle RB’s in this game, have been lackluster runners this entire season. Even behind the starting line. The fact is, we don’t have any depth to take seriously at this position.

On The Whole:

S Sydney Brown seals the game with an interception

We got the sweep, and we got to thoroughly out-class a division rival. That said, our inability to generate even a single sack, was a concern. It also needs to be said that everyone who’s played MLB for us this year has looked pretty good. Oren Burks (17 – 0 – 0 – 0) wore the green dot, and did a good job managing it. It makes me wonder if Zack Baun (DNP) is mostly a product of the system here. Not for nothing, but I think Jeremiah Trotter Jr (11 – 0 – 0 – 0) looked pretty good out there as well.

FOUR THINGS: WK PS2: EAGLES – PATRIOTS

Posted by The BEAST on 2024/08/14
Posted in: breakdown, Coaching, Conversations, Defense, Four Things, NFL, Offense, Players. Tagged: , , , , , , , , . 1 Comment

LAST weeks thrilling victory over the Ravens, featured an impressive game from our young defensive backs. Given that this week’s opponent doesn’t have a top tier QB, I would expect that trend to continue in this game.

If we can win this game, great. The focus however, should be on getting a good look at the roster, and getting a sense of what needs tightening up, before Week One. Besides, now that we have one preseason win, I don’t care if we win another one or not. Just so long as we didn’t go 0 – 3.

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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 the game. Except in preseason. These games are just tune-ups. So here are the Four Things that we need to focus on tuning up, this week versus the: Patriots

Head Coach Nick Sirianni and QB Jalen Hurts.

1) Starters Must Play: The last time our starters played, we were blown out and utterly humiliated in front of the nation, 9 – 32. That finish got two coordinators fired, and many thought the head coach should have followed them. We jumped out to a 10 – 0 record, and still didn’t win the division. I tell you, we collapsed! This Eagles team has nothing to rest on their laurels about. Get the starters out there!

2) Stop the Inside Run: We seemed to get gashed inside, during the early part of last weeks game. The overall game numbers looked okay, but most games won’t come down to our third stringers vs theirs. How our starters handle other starters will decide most games. So we need to be sharp there.

I won’t get into specifics about how we should attack, because I have no idea who will play or how much. (For either side.) What I will say is, I need to see more from ILB Zach Baun this week. If he’s going to be a starter, he can’t watch as much football as he did last week. If he does, LB’s Nakobe Dean and Jeremiah Trotter Jr., should see reps.

3) Open Up the Offense: Last week’s Dink-And-Dunk-athon led to no turnovers and a win. Alright! Go Birds! That said, it also made it hard to score, since every scoring drive was 150 plays long. Taking a few downfield shots helps loosen the box, for the run game. It’d be nice to see a couple of completions over 20 yards in the air.

4) Show Up: The Patriots as a team, are not as talented as we are. That’s not even debatable. I just don’t want our guys to come out and play down to them. I don’t care about the win or loss, but if we play how were supposed to, this is a double digit win.

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

They might have no interest in doing these things. There may be other things the coaching staff wants to get a look at. So just enjoy the game.

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Prediction: EAGLES 24 – Patriots 10

WARNING: I don’t have the faintest clue as to what a point spread is, and I know even less about how it works. I know football and that’s IT. If you use Four Things as a gambling tool, you are trying to lose your money, and will deserve it when you do.

Check back in a couple of days for Four Things Reviewed, and we’ll discuss how this game went.

FOUR THINGS REVIEWED: WK PS1: RAVENS

Posted by The BEAST on 2024/08/12
Posted in: breakdown, Conversations, Defense, Four Things, Offense, Players, Reviews, Special Teams, stats. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

EAGLES clutch gene kicks in.

EAGLES 16 – Ravens 13

EAGLES STATS:

Passing: QB Kenny Pickett (14/22 – 63.6% – 89 – 1 – 0)

Rushing: RB Kendall Milton (9 – 39 – 4.3 – 0 – 0)

Receiving: WR John Ross (5 – 3 – 28 – 9.3 – 0)

Drive Killer: LB Patrick Johnson (TD: 0/Int: 0/ FR:1 / 4th down stops: 0 / FF: 1)

Sack Leader: LB Patrick Johnson (Sacks: 1.0/ FF: 1/ Tackles: 4)

Special Teams Ace: K Jake Elliott 1/ 2 XP, 1/2 FG, with 49yd game winner

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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: RAVENS did the Eagles actually get around to doing? Well let’s see:

RB Kendall Milton

1) Running the Ball Inside: None of what I was looking for mattered, because the starters didn’t play. RB Kendall Milton did get to play, and he led the team in rushing. Sadly it was later, against fellow third stringers. I wanted to see him vs players above his level. Meh, maybe next week. (NOT DONE)

2) Stopping the Run: We were better in the second half at stopping the run. Neither the D-Line, nor ILB’s Devin White (1 tackle) or Zach Baun (1 tackle), seemed to be out there imposing their will. In fact, the only ILB that seemed to remember how to slip a block, was ILB Jeremiah Trotter Jr. (you have no idea how much my chest just swelled when I typed that) (6 tackles, 1 sack).

During the season I would make this a passing grade, because finishing strong matters more than starting fast. However, in preseason games, the stronger competition comes out early, and leaves before it’s late. So the model is upside down right now. Thus I have to say… (NOT DONE)

3) Dynamic Slot Play: There was no dynamic WR play of any kind. The routes were super-vanilla, and the passes were short and quick, rarely going 10 yards down the field. It was Dink-And-Dunk mania. Somewhere out there, Sam Bradford was watching, and wondering when he would get a statue.

On a more positive note, WR John Ross (one of the guys I’m rooting for), led the team in catches and receiving yards. He did it playing against type, and acting as a possession receiver, instead of a downfield threat. Not bad but, (NOT DONE)

4) Contested Routes: Initially, it seemed we were in for a long night of easily surrendered completions. Next thing you know, CB Quinyon Mitchell (dropped interception), and CB Kelee Ringo (2 passes knocked down) were making it clear that throwing the ball in their direction, could prove costly.

In the end, the Ravens were held to 99 yards on 10/22 pass attempts (45.5%). The sticky coverage helped the Eagles notch 3 sacks on the night. That final sack by LB/DE Patrick Johnson, helped the Birds pull out a last second victory. Without good coverage, that’s a quick attempt instead of a turnover. (DONE)

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So going 1 of 4 in this one, was enough to eek out a 3 point win, on the road. I’ll take it! Next week, we travel up to New England, where maybe we see a starter next week.

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Game Hero: LB Patrick Johnson – I know some people will give it to K Jake Elliott, because he had to actually make the field goal to break the 13 – 13 tie. However, he had already missed his chance to be the hero. It was only Johnson’s sack/forced fumble/fumble recovery that led to Elliott getting that second opportunity.

Game goat: K Jake Elliott – Don’t look so surprised! Had he not missed an early extra point, we wouldn’t have needed him to make the field goal that he missed. Luckily, thanks to LB Patrick Johnson, Elliott got another shot at a game winner, and he nailed it.

On The Whole: I still wanted to see the starters. There is too much new on this team (co-ordinators, players, systems, etc.), to assume that the starters will be ready to go Week One, without any preseason reps. Especially given how they were blown out and humiliated, in the last game we played that mattered.