JJ Arcega-Whiteside

All posts tagged JJ Arcega-Whiteside

THE END OF AN ERROR

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

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

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

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

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

But this type of thing…

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

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

Happening once is bad enough. Happening more than that…

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

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

PRESEASON: EAGLES/JETS DIGEST

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

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

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

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

+++++

Now to the meat!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

PRESEASON GAME 1: EAGLES vs JETS

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

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

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

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

WR Britain Covey

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

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

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

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

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

I still hate this new logo.

LOOK ON THE ARCEGA-WHITESIDE

Posted by The BEAST on 2022/07/25
Posted in: Conversations, NFC East, Offense, Players, Rivals, Roster, Special Teams, Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

TRANSFORMING from a WR into a TE. The NFC East has two players attempting this transition in 2022. For the Philadelphia Eagles, it’s J.J. Arcega-Whiteside (JJAW). For the Washington Commanders, it’s Antonio Gandy-Golden (AGG).

Both have been disappointments as WR’s, so they and their teams are hoping a position switch will unleash the potential that got them drafted. The overall odds don’t favor either player, but JJAW is the most likely to succeed at this.

During the offseason, JJAW added 12 pounds of muscle to his frame, going from 225 to 237 pounds. While already being an accomplished blocker from the WR spot, the extra padding will help him when he’s asked to line up as an in-line TE, and block for the run.

AGG was drafted with a 4.6 40-time, and played at 218 pounds last year. He’s somewhere in the area of 230 pounds now, and trying to get to 245. His head coach and teammates say that he just needs to learn how to block. If he gets that down, then he’ll– Wait. What? If he can’t block, then why would they try to move him to… Ugh.

Just goes to show, you can take the Redskin off the helmet, but you can’t take the Washington out of the football team.

JJAW has made his bones as a blocker, and he’s become a key Special Teamer. Those two things say that he’s willing to stick his face in there, and do the dirty work. Perfect! That mentality may just transform a bust at WR, into a match-up problem at TE.

Winning contested balls is what caught the Eagles eye. Combined with his 4.49 40-time, GM Howie Roseman leapt to overdraft JJAW, envisioning him as a red zone headache. Now in 2022, drawing coverage mostly from LB’s and SS’s instead of CB’s, he may actually become one. Especially if he can eliminate the high percentage of phantom incompletions that have plagued him so far.

JJAW and AGG. The tale of two WR’s trying to become TE’s. One seems set up to fail. The other could possibly succeed. Even wildly.

I look forward to watching this unfold.

#12: PLUMBER OR JEWELER

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

WHAT ABOUT GREG WARD?

Posted by The BEAST on 2020/05/18
Posted in: Coaching, Conversations, Front Office (F.O.), Offense, Players, Roster, stats. Tagged: , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

2019 Greg Ward

BEFORE we go nuts talking about how fast the Eagles have gotten at the WR position, can we talk about how consistent the Eagles are, in regards to how they motivate as coaches? Given how WR Greg Ward stepped up last year, it seems almost a slap in the face that so many say that he may not even have a roster spot when the Eagles next play meaningful game.

Ward served three stints on the Practice Squad, before he finally was given a chance to play in a real NFL game. He played in seven games, starting the final three. In those starts he caught 17 of 21 targets for a catch rate of 80.9%, for 175 yards, as well as chalking CB Josh Norman in his home:

card.WR greg.ward

Overall in those seven games, Ward posted 28 grabs, for 254 yards and that score. Not killer stats, but given that he was essentially tossed into a meat-grinder, where he became the #1 wide receiver by default, Ward responded beautifully.

Hey, look, more speed is great. And unlike other years, not only do we have up-front speed, but we also have speed in reserve. That said, how do the Eagles send the message that stepping up matters, if they leave Ward on the upcoming cutting-room floor?

The answer is: They can’t. Especially if WR J.J. Arcega-Whiteside gets to stay on the roster. 

In a universe that makes sense, the Eagles would keep 6 WR’s instead of our customary 5. Those 6 should be: Alshon Jeffery, DeSean Jackson, Jalen Reagor, Greg Ward, Marquis Goodwin, and Whiteside. The Eagles however, will likely keep just 5, which could make that last spot a toss-up between Ward and Whiteside.

Outside of Jeffery, the Eagles don’t have another big receiver besides Whiteside, so that could be his edge. On the other hand, if the Eagles want a better route runner who uncovers quickly, and gives his QB a place to go with the football, then Ward is the no-brainer, hands-down, pound-the-table choice.

Greg Ward dallas

Odds are that Jeffery will start the season on the Physically Unable to Perform list, so rookie Jalen Reagor will start opposite Djax. When Jeffery gets back, Reagor may end up sliding into the Slot. Until that happens, the Slot will likely be a question mark.

With Goodwin being speed insurance against an injury, don’t expect the Eagles to feature him too much. So in a six receiver group, the Slot role would be in play. In a five receiver group (in that universe that makes sense), it should belong to Ward for at least a few weeks.

Over the last couple of years, I’ve written a couple of articles about Ward. With a little bit of imagination Article 1, Article 2, he could be a reason for opposing coaching staffs to lose plenty of sleep. I just hope that the Eagles coaching staff doesn’t end up being the ones who get caught snoring.

#12 STARVE THE KIDS

Posted by The BEAST on 2020/02/21
Posted in: Coaching, Conversations, Defense, Offense, Players, Rants, The 12. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , . 1 Comment

THE 12 2020.12

ROOKIE LT Andre Dillard was drafted knowing that he was taking a spot from a Hall of Fame caliber player. As a rookie, DE Derek Barnett split time with veteran DE Vinny Curry. QB Carson Wentz was expected to be our savior, and started Week 1 in 2016. in 2019 RB Miles Sanders was given heavy duty well before he was ready. CB Sidney Jones spent his rookie year hurt, but as soon as he was healthy he was expected to take a spot.

Imagine if JJ Arcega-Whiteside and another rookie WR were told on the first day of camp “Only one of you has a chance to make this team. We will keep the best one. The other one will likely never play another down.” After that, make the survivor wait until Week 4 or 5 to see a single down in the second quarter. That’s how you makes downs and targets count to him. 

Instead, JJAW played Week 1. Week 2 he made 1 catch for 4 yards out of 4 targets. Week 3 he started and made 1 catch for 10 yards on 3 targets. You see the wasted opportunities? That’s heavy action in the first three weeks. That’s 7 targets, 2 catches and 14 yards.

Mike Bolton Office Space disgusted

Eagles coaches have a tendency to do this with draft picks. The coaches give them time on the field, instead of making them fight for it. That needs to change. There needs to be a dogfigh-

mike vick

Sorry Mike. Young players should be made to compete for their opportunities. We need to pit the rookies against each other to make ‘em mean! Feed downs and starts to the winners, and as for the losers…

human slingshot

Because God made us MEN, that’s why

Honestly, I can’t tell you the last time the Eagles had a rookie that made me say “DAMN! That fucker is hungry!” Honestly, when was the last time you said that, or something similar about an Eagles rookie? Not “He’s talented”, but “He’s hungry”. That a guy was making the most of every snap that he got.

If you don’t work, you don’t eat. That needs to be our credo. We need to start raising our rookies that way.

FOUR THINGS – WK 8 – EAGLES – BILLS

Posted by The BEAST on 2019/10/24
Posted in: Coaching, Defense, Four Things, NFL, Offense, Players, Preview. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , . 1 Comment

WK8-BUF

THIS isn’t a “bounce back” game. It’s not a “must win” game. This is a “must play” game. Our Eagles need to show up. All the way up. We’ve seen what happens when they don’t.

batman fall

Our team got shit-canned two weeks in a row. It’s not glamorous, but it’s been known to happen in sports. There is nothing wrong, or undignified in us falling down. The mark of character, is in what happens when we get back up.

Batman the pick up

We are 3 – 4, one game behind in the division, and attempting to right the ship. The Eagles have made a few roster moves to alter the chemistry of what we have on the field. It’s less of an overhaul, and more of a tinkering.

The Bills come in boasting a 5 – 1 record that’s little more than a propped up scheme, made to deceive, odds takers and gamble fiends, who don’t do homework. But that’s not the church you worship at. So, let’s get to choppin’ this fable.

6 – 27. That, is the combined record of the five teams that Buffalo has beaten. Not one of the teams they’ve beaten is .500. Two of them have no wins at all (Miami 0 – 6, Cincy 0 – 7). Oh, and most of them have been close. Buffalo’s billed as a defensive powerhouse, but really, their opponents would have had trouble scoring in a whorehouse.

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

1) Play sound Defense: The Bills don’t have any players that make defensive coaches lose sleep. The receivers are quick, but not fast. The RB is strong, but he’s 80. The line is big, but allows sacks. The QB is mobile, but he shares the football. We just need to play tighter coverage, and wrap up when we tackle. That’s it. Even with our “meh” LB’s, we have enough defensive talent to defuse their offense.

2) Force a #2 WR: Part of what’s killing us isn’t just the lack of a deep threat, but being able to stretch the field horizontally, to create wider lanes for the run game and space for the TE’s inside. In addition to WR Alshon Jeffery, QB Carson Wentz is going to have to “manufacture” a #2 WR. Pick a WR and get him a few passes near the sideline.

3) Move Gerry outside:

card.nate.gerry

MLB (LOL!) Nate Gerry has two straight starts at MLB, and in both games we gave up at least 37 points, and got shelled vs the run. Hey remember who was in the middle for Redskin RB Adrian Peterson’s 90yard TD run against us? Wow! Your memory is excellent! Nate can’t play MLB. As in, period. As in, at all. He just isn’t man enough. Great WS/NLB, but he’s a doormat inside. Put T.J. Edwards there, and move Gerry outside where his ‘tweenerness, is less of a liability.

4) Let’s be assholes: Buffalo has a huge defensive interior. Big, strong, powerful, bulky guys. Guys who can anchor against a running attack, and bull-rush their way to pressure. Let’s get those porky fuckers running laterally. RB Screens, backside TE Screens, play-action… Let’s tire these fat bastards out early, get them sucking wind, and then beat them with a power run-game in the second half. Let the world watch us win by picking on some fat guys. You know, essentially body-shaming full-grown men, in front of a stadium full of children. And their kids.

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:

More loose coverage. Bills QB Josh Allen throws for a season-high 280 yards. WR Nelson Agholor gets to watch WR J.J. Arcega-Whiteside eat into some of his snaps, and see a few targets from Wentz. RB Jordan Howard will see few than 15 carries, but finally break one for 20 yards. The 6’5 237 pound QB who turns the ball over the most, will lose.

We had a stumble, but we are not done. Not by a damned sight.

Success Failure Churchill.png

PREDICTION: EAGLES 28 – Bills 23

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FOUR THINGS – WK 6 – EAGLES – VIKINGS

Posted by The BEAST on 2019/10/11
Posted in: Coaching, Conversations, Defense, Fans, Four Things, NFC East, Offense, Preview, Uncategorized, X's and O's. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , . 1 Comment

WK6-MIN

THIS is the beginning of an absolutely wicked road trip! I swear, it’s like one of the Eagles slept with the schedule maker’s wife. Hey, speaking of DT Fletcher Cox, QB Kirk Cousins might want to dust off his track shoes. His o-line isn’t the stoutest group of pass blockers, and Homewrecker was the only guy who didn’t eat last week.

This is probably the best team we’ll face until our Bye. That said, after a few days of peeking under their hood, this feels like a “W”. Not like we could win, but like we should win. Look, if I can come up with a game plan to beat Minny, then the Eagles coaching staff has surely already done so.

Unless I’m smarter than they are…

article regular-coaching chalkboard.jpg

The Eagles have a statement to make. We need to build up some conference cred, after a couple of early stumbles. A win this week, and we guarantee ourselves another week atop the NFC East.

Also, a loss this week practically invalidates last week’s annihilation of New York. Especially since the division rival right behind us, gets to rag-doll whatever we left of the Jets, this Sunday.

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

2019 Eagles D

1) Stop the run: The idea isn’t to stuff every run. We just need to make it so unreliable that it becomes a liability, and they abandon any real commitment to it. At that point we’ll have taken them out of their wheelhouse, and put them someplace uncomfortable. But how do we do that? What are the nuts and bolts?

Minny likes to give their backs a choice of a high-speed lane, and cutback lane. They do this by getting an extra blocker outside of their Tackles, which triggers defenses to over-pursue. The RB hangs back, reads it and, just picks a hole. The result is every RB on their roster, averaging 5.6 yards per carry or better.

So how do we bring down a charging bull?? We do it with two small, quick tweaks.

Step 1: Staying within our Wide Nine, we use a 4 – 3 Under front with our LB’s. Weakside, Middle and Strongside (WIL, MIKE, SAM).

WIDE NINE 4-3 UNDER

If that Slot WR is worrying you, don’t let it. FB C.J. Ham (yes, Fullback) has 3 starts, and TE Irv Smith has the other 2 so far. So our base Defense may be out there quite a bit until the Vikings scrap the run.

Step 2: Play contain outside of the Tackles, avoid engaging them, and take on the outside blockers, to either force runs back inside, or string them to the sideline.

4-3 UNDER VS MINNY

Again, Minnesota relies on their RB’s to read. That means they can’t hit holes immediately. That will help us trap them in the backfield, and force passing situations. Thus the game will be put in Kirk Cousins’s hands.

2) Protect the ball: Obvious right? For the Vikings this one has more meaning. In their 3 wins, they have forced at least one turnover. In their 2 losses, they don’t have a single one between them. This team needs their opponent to help them. So let’s not do that.

3) Go BIG:

Alshon scores 2.jpg

Three quarters of their secondary is the same one that WR Alshon Jeffery tormented in 2017. They have some tall DB’s, but they’re just tall. They lack the athleticism to play vs size. This would be a nice game to see rookie WR J.J. Arcega-Whiteside emerge as a factor. If not, we still have this guy…

Alshon scores 1.jpg

4) Show fear: That is not a typo. We need to jump on this team, from coin toss to hand shake. We make them play from behind, and then we just keep hitting them.

Early on, we need to be a lioness, desperate to defend her cubs. Later, we need to be a lion ending the next generation of a rival male. At no point should we seem relaxed. Our fear. Our urgency, should be on open display.

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:

The Vikings are as desperate as we are. Their only two losses are divisional, so they are 3-2 and STILL in 4th place. They need this win. Probably more than we do. That means they will come out in their Sunday best, giving 110%, leaving it all out on the hackneyed cliché, yadda blah, and so forth.

Philly Hulk

Would now be a shitty time to mention that all of their wins are against teams that have trouble scoring? The highest ranked offense they’ve beaten so far is 18th. We are not Atlanta, Oakland, or the giants. The Eagles are 7th in scoring. And that’s with a run game that we couldn’t count on half the time, and our top receivers injured.

The Vikings are a run reliant team, not a quick-strike team. They’ll make a ton of catches, because our CB’s play 20 yard cushions. Their QB will complete 700% of his passes, and he’ll roll up a lot of pointless yardage to pad his stats. However, once we take the run away, all they will have left, will be Kirk Cousins. And yes, Kirk. We DO like that.

PREDICTION: EAGLES 28 – Vikings 17

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FOUR THINGS – WK 3 – EAGLES-LIONS

Posted by The BEAST on 2019/09/20
Posted in: Coaching, Defense, Four Things, NFL, Offense, Players, Preview, Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , . 1 Comment

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THIS is the first of two games in a five day span, and we’re already teetering on the knife’s edge of being sub .500. We need this game. The Atlanta loss was a hard one. It was just such a weird game, that it’s hard to take a solid lesson from it. So it’s best to just accept our bright and shiny “L”, move on, and get to making sure we don’t get ourselves another one this weekend.

The Eagles need to establish themselves as a serious contender this year. We’re talented, and deep, but how much of our roster is really hungry? This game isn’t about a rudderless Lions team. It’s about who the Eagles want to be this season. It’s about whether or not we can regain, and keep our focus.

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

1) Run with power: The Lions are highly susceptible to the run. We need to feed it to them by the fistful. Not with RB Miles Sanders. He didn’t deserve to be jumped ahead of RB Jordan Howard and Karma is seeing fit to make us pay for that. Run the ball with the guy who knows what he’s doing.

2) No Cover Zero: If our CB’s really are the problem, then they need support deep. That’s just coaching. If they don’t need the support then show us something different.

3) Hit Stafford from the blindside: We need to speed up the clock in QB Matt Stafford’s head. We need a sack or two from DE Derek Barnett. DE Vinny Curry can also deliver, but it’s high time we saw some production from Barnett. Especially with Lions LT Taylor Decker either out or nursing a back injury.

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4) Unleash the deep ball: With WR’s DeSean Jackson and Alshon Jeffrey on the shelf, the thought will be that the Eagles don’t have the firepower that we did before. While there is an element of truth to that, the fact is we still have weapons. We should make that point known early, with a deep jump ball to J.J. Arcege-Whiteside, to open up room inside for the power run game.

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:

Sanders will get the start and evenly split carries with Howard. The Eagles are trying very hard to make stars out of their young guys, and we haven’t heard that there’ll be a change in the depth chart. With TE Alex Ellis added to the active roster, the plan is probably to run more 12 Personnel like the staff wanted to do last week. It’ll be interesting to see how that works out, since Ellis isn’t said to be special neither as a receiver nor a blocker.

With TE Dallas Goedert as our 2nd TE, teams might have been more reluctant to load the box, but Goedert is out. With Ellis being sort of a lucky camp body, until he teaches opponents otherwise, he won’t command that same respect.

HUNTING

Defense is a mixed bag. We got three picks last week, lost by just 4, and it still felt like we got gutted all night long. An evolutionary step needs to take place this week, but it’s unlikely to happen. Something has to happen to give the pass rush time to get home.

Keep an eye on the deep Safety in this game. Don’t expect much Cover Zero this week. In any case, even with the injuries, the Eagles depth is hard to ignore. Add in that they play here at home and the Eagles go from a team that could win a close one, to one that could win this handily. Especially if they have any kind of Offensive balance.

PREDICTION: EAGLES 26 – Lions 16

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