COMEBACKS don’t start with an incredible rally of energy, and tearing off tank tops. They don’t start with a furious flurry of punches. They start with not quitting in the first place. They start with you believing, when perhaps no one else did. After someone shouted directly at you “YOU CAN’T WIN!” and you kept going anyway. Comebacks begin when you keep trying. When you keep digging, and suddenly…
You hit paydirt.
This Sunday, the Eagles will be starting QB Joe Milton, in attempt to provide a spark to this Offense. For the last three games, QB Tanner McKee has given his best effort. However, his athletic limitations, are a throbbing weakness in an offensive system, that has yet to prove its own legitimacy.
Milton possesses outright physical gifts that McKee does not. He has a rocket launcher for an arm, and despite being the size of an elephant, he runs like a deer. His physical “go get it” running style, will quickly endear him to Eagles fans. If you haven’t seen this kid play, get ready. He’ll probably make your jaw drop once or twice. Especially in that Kelly Green uniform!
Winning this game breaks a six game skid, puts us at 3 – 6, and keeps alive our outside chance of winning the division, and going to the playoffs.
Losing this game would drop us to 2 – 7. Even though I don’t believe in bailing on a season while still mathematically alive, the people who run the Eagles may feel differently. They might decide to start positioning for the 2027 NFL Draft. As of right now, we’d hold the number six pick in that Draft.
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The point of Four Things isn’t to predict a winner, it’s to discuss which tactics would give our Eagles the best chance to win this game. Often I list fundamentals, as some of the four things. BUT NO MORE! Unless something specific is needed, fundamentals like Running the ball; playing lots of Man Press; and Tackling instead of going for the strip, will be automatically included. (Like the five consonants and a vowel that Wheel Of Fortune automatically spots you.) So here are the Four Things that we need to focus on this week versus: the giants
RB Saquon Barkley gives young fan TD ball
1) Run It Left: Let’s get RB Saquon Barkley some carries behind LG Landon Dickerson and LT Jordan Mailata, and wear down that giants defensive line. This is a division game, so it’s probably going to be a fight until the end. So let’s take away their tools as the fight goes on. So that later on, they have nothing to defend themselves with, and more importantly, nothing to attack us with.
2) Go Deep Early: Let’s get a couple of passes more than twenty yards in the air, in the first quarter. Everyone knows the reputation of Milton’s strong arm. If we make them afraid of us using it, we can keep them in Cover Two, Cover Four, Tampa Two type coverage, where the box isn’t loaded. That will provide our run game room to take hold early, eat up clock, and keep our Defense off the field.
3) Set the Right Edge: Their LT is going to play, but he’s nursing a groin injury. Instead of having our RDE’s crashing down in front of him and making it easy for him; have the rush go upfield where that LT has to open his legs. Get fatigue to set in faster, and then beat him later in the game, for sacks that kill their drives and help us get the victory.
This would also allow our RDT to get more isolated one-on-ones. If LDT Jalen Carter is drawing a double-team on most downs, give the RDT a two-way-go on each play! That’s better than our RDE crashing down beside him, clogging the ‘B’ gap, allowing their LG to pinch the ‘A’ gap and getting away with an easy down.
4) Smaller Cushions: These six, seven, and eight yard cushions are killing this Defense. Because guys are open at the snap of the ball, our four man pass rush stands nearly no chance in hell of getting to the opposing QB. This stuff is Football 101! Worse than that, it’s obvious when you see it. This adjustment should have been made weeks ago.
Also, if we actually cover receivers tighter, we stand a chance at coming down with some of these deflections and bobbled passes. Imagine that! Turnovers! In our favor!
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If the Eagles do these Four Things, then we’ll be virtually impossible to beat. That being said…
On the one hand, our Defense is being read the riot act for allowing 100 yards rushing in every game so far. On the other hand, I don’t understand why DT Moro Ojomo is getting more snaps than DT Jordan Davis. So far this year Ojomo is playing 60% of the defensive snaps, while Davis is seeing just 51%. Carter has so far played 83%. It’s nearly impossible for Davis to live up to a star contract, if he’s subbed in and out like a back-up.
I’m extremely curious to see what our Offense is going to look like with a young, physically gifted, and hungry QB. Will the coaching staff play to his strengths? Or will they turn the field into a training simulator, in an attempt to refine Milton’s weak points? Specifically his erratic accuracy, which is why we’re his third team in three years.
Side note: The Eagles are 2 – 0 this year when reaching 24 points.
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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, then you are a fool 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.
