Kenneth Gainwell

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FOUR THINGS REVIEWED: DIVISIONAL ROUND: GIANTS

Posted by The BEAST on 2023/01/22
Posted in: breakdown, Coaching, Defense, Four Things, NFC Championship, NFC East, NFL, Offense, Players, playoffs, Reviews, Rivals, stats. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment
RB Kenneth Gainwell rips off 35 yard touchdown run on a day where he was also a giant killer

TOLD you we wouldn’t lose.

EAGLES 38 – giants 7

EAGLES STATS:

Categories include an EXCLUSIVE weekly Offensive Line Report (Rushing TD’s (6 points) + 3rd downs converted by handoffs (1 point) + sacks allowed (-2 points) = score); as well as Drive Killer (Int – FR – 4th down Tackles – FF – TD).

New Category Ace is for Kick return TD’s, Returners run-down, kicks blocked, etc.

Passing :(S) QB Jalen Hurts (16/24 – 66.6% – 154 – 2 – 0)

Rushing : (B) RB Kenneth Gainwell (12 – 112 – 9.3 –1 – 0)

Receiving :(S) WR Devonta Smith (10 – 6 – 61 – 10.1 – 1)

Offensive Line Report/Enforcer : (3 (18) + 5 (5) – 1 (-2) = 21) RT Lane Johnson

Drive Killer : (S) CB James Bradberry (1 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0)

Sack Leader : (S) DE Josh Sweat (2 – 1.5 – 0 – 1)

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:

1) Feed Miles Sanders: Early on the Eagles made a point of feeding RB Miles Sanders (17 – 90 – 5.2 – 0 – 0), who led the team in carries. It wasn’t until the 4th drive that Philadelphia began using Sanders to impose our will on New York, but once we did, a tone was set, and then the volume was cranked way up.

We ran for 268 yards on those scrubs. Kenneth Gainwell led the team with 112 yards, but RB Boston Scott (6 – 32 – 5.3 – 1 – 0) also chipped in. Our run game allowed us to control the clock for 35:43 of the 60 minute contest. As a result our defense was well rested, and able to play fast and relentless. We used one side of the ball to enhance another. Excellent! (DONE)

2) Time for the Kerrigan Plan: Getting the ball to TE Dallas Goedert (5 – 5 – 58 – 11.6 – 1) worked like a charm! We were able to get it to him at will. Though we surely left some money on the table, the run game was too efficient to turn away from.

In the meantime, covering Goedert popped the giants defense open like a steamed clam. Since the run game kept chewing up real estate, there was no need to overdo things. That said, next week’s opponent won’t be getting much sleep this week. (DONE)

3) Set those edges HARD: We were a lot better about this in the middle of the game. We started slow and finished slow with this, but we did enough to make their run game unreliable, which was the entire point. (DONE)

4) You Shall Not Pass: Show everyone EXACTLY who QB Daniel Jones (15/27 – 55.5% – 135 – 0 – 1) really is. For weeks now, we’ve been hearing how awesome this awful QB is. The idea was to take away the run (CHECK!), put the game on his shoulders (CHECK!), and see just how great this overblown bust really is.

OLB Haason Reddick chops down QB Daniel Jones

We spent the game harassing him, and sacking him 5 times. He was not up to the pressure of the moment, and in no way resembled the QB who tore into a fraudulent Vikings team last week. See his numbers? See that final score? (DONE)

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This week we hit ALL FOUR THINGS, and how! Next week some other poor sucker has to make the trip to Philadelphia for the NFC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME, just to be put on a plane, and sent home to clean out their lockers. No clue who they’ll be, but with any luck it’ll be San Francisco.

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On The Whole:

This game was worse than the 48 – 22 blowout from a few weeks ago. Not only was the point margin larger, but we dominated across the board. Anyone in the giants organization who doesn’t now see that the giants are years behind the Eagles, doesn’t have an opinion worth listening to.

I NEED EAGLES FOOTBALL

Posted by The BEAST on 2022/08/01
Posted in: Conversations, Defense, Fans, Offense, Players, playoffs, Rants, Roster, The 12, Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

THE players have returned. I watch QB Jalen Hurts joke and pal around with the fellas. Player’s children run across the field, carrying footballs. Bubble wrap appears on a helmet. All of this just SO cute! And I don’t give a damn about any of it. Because bitterness is all that I can taste.

We lost a playoff game. On national television. In humiliating fashion. Our QB was exposed for reading defenses as well as a JUGGS machine. Our Defense was as well-carved as any Thanksgiving bird to ever grace my table. Sadly, that was my last taste of real football. I’ve been walking around with this taste, this distaste, in my mouth, since Sunday January 16th.

I tried to cleanse it with some NFL games rebroadcast on NFL Network. I tried to banish it with the upstart USFL. I even sampled Canadian, hoping that a different flavor might distract me. But this taste. I can’t get this taste out of my mouth. I can’t make this go away, until I finally can get what I crave. What I need.

I need Eagles football.

I haven’t written about Training Camp yet, because it hasn’t started yet. It’s still early. Guys are running around in shorts and no pads, and that’s necessary. Trust me, I get that. It’s Level Two conditioning. I only played semi-pro, but from high school on up, some things about football are universal. Level One conditioning you do on your own, but L2 introduces competition: Are you better than him, and him, and him, and him? Can you get better? SHOW US!!!

Football however… Real football, doesn’t start until the hitting does. It’s easy for athletes to be tough guys in shorts, but repeatedly getting hit in 90 degree weather, with a fiberglass oven on your head… Not every man is built for that. I can remember showing up to camps in May, and seeing 120 – 150 guys. Each thinking he was NFL bound! Then the grind would start. By early September there’d be just 40 to 45 guys left. One of which would be me.

But the Eagles.

All the improvements we’ve supposedly made… To be honest, to this point I’m not seeing them. For instance, the offseason footwork program that Hurts went through in California. I was hoping to see him committing it to muscle memory, but he still bounces after his drops, and doesn’t consistently step into his passes, leading to this

Notice how the ball is (still) BEHIND WR A.J. Brown? Given how much time he and QB Jalen Hurts spend working with each other in the offseason, this is concerning to still be seeing almost in August.

I mentioned this back in May and so far, it looks the same. As I said, it’s early. (But I’d still like to see improvement from May.)

Aside from the hitting, I’m waiting for Friday, August 12th. In what should be a vanilla preseason game, I’m hoping to see improvement in the Eagles habits:

I want to see how often Hurts get the ball out, as his drop ends.

I want to see the Defense give up fewer 8 to 10 yard completions, inside the numbers.

I want to see a LB’s cover a TE for three seconds.

I want to see RB Kenneth Gainwell finish runs by falling forward.

I don’t need to see a ton, but I need to see something. Just a little something to tell me that 2022 will be different. And to help me to finally, begin to get this taste, out of my mouth.

#4: GAINWELL IN THE SLOT

Posted by The BEAST on 2022/06/02
Posted in: breakdown, Coaching, Offense, Players, Roster, The 12, X's and O's. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , . 1 Comment

VERSATILITY is the cornerstone of RB Kenneth Gainwell’s game, and we need to find a way to make that a regular problem for our opponents. While Gainewell isn’t the most physical RB, he is an actual RB. He’s not a trumped up WR playing the spot, like Antonio Gibson in Washington. Gainwell can take hits, hold onto the ball, and participate in blitz pick-ups. So there was also no need to trade for a WR (Deebo Samuels), who does RB impersonations.

The thing about Gainwell, is that in college he played RB and WR. Then in his first pro season, he proved to be a natural route runner, and a reliable pass catcher. So why not let him line up as a Slot WR this year? Not every down! I’m not even suggesting to start him there. In fact, it’s best if he lines up all over the formation (RB, WR, proctologist, etc.) and is frequently motioned.

This way we can use our personnel groupings to create, then exploit mismatches. With the addition of WR A.J. Brown on the perimeter, the talk is that WR Quez Watkins will see much more time in the Slot. Imagine being the NCB who just had to cover Watkins, and now sees a fresh Gainwell jog out across from them. It’s unfair isn’t it?! It’s just plain mean! We need to do that!

Hack the bone. Twist the knife! Find an unfair advantage, then use it early and often. Abuse our power! Think of it. This year, Watkins and Gainwell in the Slot. Last year it was WR Jalen Reagor. Christ on crutches, can you say “major fucking upgrade”? I knew you could.

This is a one-two punch that needs to happen.

2021 EAGLES DRAFT REPORT

Posted by The BEAST on 2021/05/03
Posted in: breakdown, Conversations, Defense, Draft, Front Office (F.O.), NFL, Offense, Players, Roster. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , . 2 Comments

LIKE the 2020 Draft, this wasn’t a draft that was meant to produce a bunch of immediate starters. Most of the picks here were made with an eye towards restocking the shelves, in order to avoid desperation down the road. That being said, an upper-tier CB would have been great.

Round 1 (12th overall): WR DeVonta Smith (H)

Remember when I told you “Ignore all this nonsense about “guys competing for the starting job”. Jalen Hurts is the guy.” With their first pick in this draft, The Front Office put the entire farcical notion of an honest competition to bed, and then killed it with a shovel in it’s sleep.

Smith comes in as a rookie who doesn’t have to win over the confidence of the starting QB. In fact, his very presence does something unheard of among rookies: His history and chemistry with QB Jalen Hurts, actually helps legitimize the notion of Hurts as the starter, despite all the question marks about Hurts himself.

Whether stemming his route, running the route, or running after the catch, he has an easy, graceful, long stride that is damned near hypnotic. He has reliable hands, and is willing to block despite not being very good at it. I expect him to start, and have a 1,000 yard, 8 TD season.

Round 2 (37th overall): C Landon Dickerson (H)

I love everything about the way he plays, but I hate his injury history:

ACL tear ended his freshman year.

Ankle injury ended his sophomore year.

Another ankle injury ended his first junior year. He then red-shirted.

He completed his second junior year.

ACL injury ended his senior season.

Dickerson is the post-Jason Kelce plan. Again, I love his play. He’s powerful and mean. He’s also bigger than Kelce and appears to have a better anchor. While Kelce will no doubt be a Hall of Famer, we have watched him for a over a decade be ridden back into QB’s from Michael Vick to Jalen Hurts. I don’t see that being an issue with Dickerson.

This pick is the primary example of what I meant when I said restocking. Having to rehab, he’s clearly not meant to contribute in 2021, but that high pick means that his contribution is expected soon.

Round 3 (73rd overall): DT Milton Williams (Q)

At 284 pounds, and possessing an average college first step, he will be a liability against the run in the NFL. If he’s exclusively played as a 3rd down interior pass rusher, he might find a role. If he’s moved to weak-side DE, he may even find a way to start some games. Otherwise, this just seems like a bad pick.

Round 4 (123rd overall): CB Zech McPhearson (Q)

I can’t offer a solid opinion on him, because all I could find was highlight videos. There was no video that showed who he is down-in and down-out. In the limited bits that I can piece together (from other player’s videos), he looks more like a FS than CB. I’m at a loss for why we waited until 123 to grab a CB.

Round 5 (150th overall): RB Kenneth Gainwell (H)

Last year I wanted WR/RB Antonio Gibson out of Memphis, but Washington got him. This year the Eagles went and got us RB/WR Kenneth Gainwell out of Memphis. While Gainwell is smaller, between the two players, at this stage of their college career, Gainwell is clearly the more natural receiver, and a better blocker. (Just ask Micah Parsons.) Neither runs very hard

Gainwell is an immediate upgrade over RB Boston Scott, though neither of them have that “take it to the house” type speed. His ability to be split out, and run routes like a WR, allows the Eagles to move him around the formation, even while RB Miles Sanders is on the field. We could line up in the I Formation, and audible to Empty, and every bit of that would have to be respected. Look. I’ve got goosebumps!

Round 6 (189th overall): DT Marlon Tuipulotu (M)

Heavy footed and doesn’t gain penetration. Even when the play is run away from him. He may have been good enough to start at his college, but he’ll likely be out of here before training camp is over.

Round 6 (191st overall): DE Tarron Jackson (Q)

Lacks decent first step, because he never really gets into a three point stance. Lines up almost sitting on his heels. When he plays out of two point stance, he gets a much better jump. That however, basically makes him a situational player, who offers nothing vs the run. Again, his biggest flaw can be fixed with coaching, but he still doesn’t seem to have a high ceiling beyond that.

Round 6 (224th overall) : S JaCoby Stevens (M)

Early word has the Eagles wanting to move this 212 pound S to LB. Either move would be a mistake. He lacks a feel for pass coverage as a S, but he doesn’t shed blocks or tackle well enough to be a LB. He also doesn’t initiate contact, and ends up watching more football than he plays. Honestly, it looks like he gets stuck trying to read where the play is going, instead of locking down his area, and forcing plays into the shark tank.

Round 7 (234th overall): EDGE Patrick Johnson (H)

I hate seeing the term “Edge”. Is he lining up at DE or OLB? The responsibilities are very different. Their techniques are very different. Usually “Edge” means either LB who can’t cover, or undersized DE. At 240 pounds, Johnson looks to be the latter.

Despite my bitching about a title, I like what I see on tape. The guy sets the edge before pass rushing, or chasing a tackle. He is nimble enough for stunts, uses his hands to shed blocks, and can cover in an underneath zone. Unfortunately he lines up at DE in a two point stance, which almost eliminates him as being useful vs the run. If he’s going to do that, he needs to move to OLB.

Otherwise, he needs to add 12 pounds and put his hand on the ground.

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For this year’s haul, I’d have to say we had four hits, two misses, and three that we’re waiting to see about. Let’s math!

With 9 players drafted, (H)its being worth 2, (M)isses 0, and (Q)uestionables 1, we had a possible score of 18, and scored 11. As a grade, that’s a 61% out of 100. If you recall, 65 was a ‘D’ in school. Not a great haul, Howie. Then again, it is just a restocking.