Drive Killer: S C.J. Gardner Johnson(TD: 0/Int: 0 FR: 0 4th down stops: 1/ FF: 0)
Sack Leader: DT Milton Williams (Sacks:1.0/ FF: 0/ Tackles: 2)
Special Teams Ace: N/A
****
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: ATLANTA did the Eagles actually get around to doing? Well let’s see:
1) Own the Line Of Scrimmage: The idea was to be physical with the Falcons offensive line. They don’t make holes at the line like a power running team. Instead they run to areas and try to take advantage of a RB already looking for space. Bumping and delaying the linemen, would have cluttered up the Falcons run game.
Instead what our Defensive Line did, was stand up and run laterally with the Falcons line. No penetration. No edges set. We let that team pile up 152 rushing yards, at a clip of 5.4 yards per carry. (NOT DONE)
2) Take the Free Yardage:I though the Kerrigan Plan would be great for this week. Take advantage of poor outside coverage on Outs and routes in the Flat. When the Eagles went there, it was good. However, we hardly did! Why does this team INSIST on doing everything the hard way? (NOT DONE)
3) Let’s Have Sacks:More bullying the Falcons o-line was prescribed here. Bull rushing the LG was specifically the order of the day. Instead, our d-linemen would standing up out of their stances, and get waltzed back past the QB. There was one sack all day, of a guy who barely moves in the pocket. (NOT DONE)
4) Take the Safeties Off: Employ a pump fake or two on their Safeties, to get DeVonta Smith some one-on-one match-ups. Ironically, the play that sealed our loss, was an interception by a Safety. Can’t help but wonder what a pump fake on that play would have led to. Probably a touchdown, three seconds later. (NOT DONE)
++++
So this week’s Four Things score is0 of 4. We played (and coached) down to the Falcons, and it allowed them to steal a win. Next week, there is a highly likely chance that we’re going to get dog-walked by the Saints, as we head down to New Orleans, for STD’s and crawfish. Should be fun!
****
Game Hero: DeVonta Smith – He was the only player out there who looked like himself, all game long.
Game goat: Head Coach Nick Sirianni– Up 18 – 15, on 3rd and 3, from the 10, with a 1:46 left on a TICKING CLOCK, Sirianni either called or greenlit a passing play. This right here was the problem. It wasn’t Barkley’s dropping of the pass. It was calling any sort of play that wouldn’t let the clock keep ticking down.
Two Brotherly Shoves would have picked up the yardage, and never let the clock stop running. We should be celebrating an 18 – 15 win. Not mourning this 21 – 22 loss.
On The Whole:
Does anyone know what we pay the Defense for? We’re giving up 25.5 points per game, so far. Our DE’s don’t set edges vs the run, and they can’t get within a fifty dollar cab ride of a QB, despite lining up almost in the Wide 9. Our DT’s line up over linemen, instead of in gaps.
At least twice, I saw MLB Nakobe Dean (7 – 0.0 – 0 – 0) covering WR Drake London (7 – 6 – 54 – 9 .0 – 1). Why is a 5’11” MLB covering a 6’4” number one receiver!?? Who drew that shit up? If we play like this on Sunday, We may find ourselves 4th place in the division.
Sack Leader: OLB Nolan Smith (Sacks:1.0/ FF: 0/ Tackles: 1)
Special Teams Ace: WRJohn Ross 2KR, 68 yards, 34.0 avg
****
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: PATRIOTS did the Eagles actually get around to doing? Well let’s see:
1) Starters Must Play:Nope! Yet again Head Coach Nick Sirianni teased the possibility of playing his starters, and then decided not to. If the Eagles come out firing on all cylinders Week One, then he was right. However, if they come out looking at all out of sync, then he’ll have some ‘splaining to do. (NOT DONE)
2) Stop the Inside Run: With the starters not out there, this is tough to gauge. Statistically, our back-ups did a decent job vs starters. So that’s something to hang our hats on. The guys we put out there, did the job, in this game. ILBZack Baun made a couple nice plays vs the run. (DONE)
QB Tanner McKee in a pretty pocket
3) Open Up the Offense: Yes. This happened. When third stringer Tanner McKee came in, he ran the exact same system that back-up QB Kenny Pickett(11/13 – 67 – 84.6 – 0 – 0) had been running. The difference was that McKee had time to air out more passes.(DONE)
4) Show Up:We didn’t come out and play down to a less talented team. What we did was worse. Our coaching staff, removed any sense of urgency from this game, by not even dressing most of our starters. The result was a close win, sealed by a fluke fumbled snap, instead of an outright blowout. (NOT DONE)
++++
This week’s Four Things score is 2 of 4. Understandably, that 50/50 score, produced a coin flip of a win. Maybe we’ll be better next week, when the Vikings visit South Philly.
****
Let’s go Brandon Smith! His fumble recovery sealed the win.
Game Hero: QB Tanner McKee – Led the team’s only touchdown drive, and looked very in command of the playbook out there. I almost wanted to give this to LB Brandon Smith for sealing the victory, but he only recovered the fumble. He in no way forced that final turnover.
Game goat: “Starting” Offensive Line – Yes, I know that our back-up O-line was out there against the Patriots starters, but they put Pickett in a no-win situation. Due to sloppy protection, Pickett was forced to rely on short passes. Trying to get the ball downfield, he was sacked 4 times. Some are saying that he’s afraid to open up the offense. Still others say, that he’s holding the ball too long.
Just a note. Both the pass protection and run game production picked up once RG Tyler Steen left with an injury, and giants cast-off Nick Gates came in. I’m not saying that Steen was the problem. I’m saying that Gates was a stabilizer. I’m on record already, saying that I don’t think much of Steen. He has yet to prove me wrong.
On The Whole: It’s hard to say, given how much of this roster will be looking for real jobs in two weeks. Did our back-ups produce an uneven game? Or did a number of future burger flippers, personal trainers, and UPS deliverymen, just give themselves stories that will be passed down like heirlooms?
In any case, until we see our actual starters take the field, these games will be hard to truly evaluate.
PLEASE do not watch this preseason game trying to discern whether the Eagles “fixed” what was wrong last year. Nothing you see in this game, will indicate that. Especially since Head Coach Nick Siriannidoesn’t like to play starters much in the preseason.
What you should be looking for, is how different ‘Motion’ will make the Offense look. What you should be looking for, is how each of our MLB’s performs. What you should be looking for, is Big Dom.
A win or a loss is meaningless this week. What matters, is how hard guys play. What matters, is if they’re upset with mistakes. At this point in the year, passion should hang in the air so heavy, that you could scoop it by the handful. How bad do we want it, at the outset?
****
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 Ravens:
From 2023, Jason Kelce imparting some wisdom to Cam Jurgens
1) Running the Ball Inside: Teams already disrespect QB Jalen Hurts, by throwing the sort of blitzes at him, that only rookies usually see. To relieve pressure on him, we have to be able to run. With the retirement of C Jason Kelce, we need to immediately establish that opponents must respect C Cam Jurgens.
What that means, is a few early runs between the C and one of the G’s. Real runs, not theBrotherly Shove. Hell, we shouldn’t even attempt one of those this week. It’d be nice to see rookie RB Kendall Milton get a couple of early totes, against better players.
2) Stopping the Run: As last season ended, it seemed like our Defensive Line had worn down, as they kept losing ground at the point of attack. They didn’t even occupy blocks to free up our LB’s, and allow them to flow to the play. It became hard to watch. With the retirement of DT Fletcher Cox, guys like DT Jordan Davis must show improvement.
DT’s Jordan Davis and Jalen Carter are the future.
In this regard, Baltimore is probably the stiffest test the NFL can throw at us. They are the absolute best test we hope for. Given that we see them again in Week 13, it would also be a huge confidence boost, if we can contain, or even stop their run game.
3) Dynamic Slot Play:Adding a good Slot WR to this Offense, would make it corrosive to even the best defenses. This is where another WR needs to step-up, as a complement to WRA.J. Brown and WR Devonta Smith. A good Slot will also loosen the box for our run game.
I think WR Britain Covey is already a lock at WR5 as a KR/PR. So between the DJax-like speed of WR John Ross, and the 6’6” frame of WR Johnny Wilson, those are the two candidates that I hope become our WR’s 3 and 4. In the event of an injury, WR Austin Watkins needs a long look here.
4) Contested Routes: It’s not enough for our Secondary to make tackles after completions. It’s not enough to contest a completion, late in the receiver’s route. We need for our Defensive Backs to be running with their receiver for most of, if not the entire route.
Playing off-coverage, and letting receivers quickly get to their spots, lets the opposing QB get the ball out of his hand, fast. This retards the pass rush, and then everyone blames the Defensive Line for not getting sacks. We need to make QB’s search for openings, and in the process, hold that ball longer.
****
If the Eagles do these Four Things, then they will be sowing seeds for massive success this season. We need to see indications on the field, that they have turned the page from whatever ailed them at the end of last season. These Four Things would make that case beyond the shadow of a doubt!
On a personal note, I’m sure well see some WR Screens, but I don’t want to see one on 4th and 12 again! I will absolutely lose my shit, if that happens. Regardless of if we convert or not. I’m looking forward to seeing this new look Offense; but with us moving to basically a 3-4 Defense, I’m a little less enthused about this side of the ball.
But we’ll see.
****
Prediction: EAGLES 13 – Ravens 27
Why: Road game and the Eagles will be playing to evaluate, not really to win.
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.
NOW with contracts and everything being official, let’s have a REAL dialogue. I’ve refrained from participation in the fascination with, and the spreading of, rumors. As a result, I’ve been largely silent on all things football.
Just to maintain that consistency, I was even mum on Jason Kelce(see what I did there?), and Fletcher Coxretiring. I also remained silent when DE Brandon Graham resigned for a final year. Instead, I elected to address that stuff and the first week of Free Agency, all at once.
Signing Our Own:
This is always the most important part, but no one ever mentions why that is. Well, the reason is continuity. When you have a good thing going (close locker room, solid culture, etc.) the best guys to teach it to new guys, are the guys who are already there. Hemorrhaging players every year depletes that, and sends the message that you don’t reward your own.
In addition to Graham, we locked down a few of our key guys, including LG Landon Dickerson, P Braden Mann, LS Rick Lovato, and K Jake Elliott. Those moves may seem shrug-worthy, but they are indicative of a team with a strong nucleus. Letting TEJack Stoll walk, and re-signing TE Albert Okwuegbunam, signals that we may have gotten more dangerous at TE2.
Adding Firepower:
Our opening move of the FA period brought us DE Bryce Huff. Huff is a 6’3 255 pound pass rusher, who made his bones lining up in the Wide Nine. While he gets lots of pressure vs the pass, his ability to defend the run is compromised by him being lightweight, and lining up in a fashion that creates running lanes. Our scheme must compensate for that.
RB Saquon Barkley looks to finally defeat the Cowboys. He’s 0 – 10 lifetime against them.
Our splashiest move, was adding RB Saquon Barkley. He’s a 230 pound guy, but he doesn’t play up to that weight. Often his runs are angled directly to the sideline, and he makes lots of “business decisions”. To his credit, he’s a true three-down back, as he is an explosive runner, a gifted route runner, and is solid at blitz pick-up. Skill-wise, he’s the whole package.
Better still, in three of his six seasons, he’s posted 1,400+ all-purpose yards. This is despite never having a QB, or a quality offensive line, or receivers (besides OBJ) who scared anyone. Now he’s being added to a roster that has all of those things. We’re loaded with killers!
Our most significant move (so far), is probably bringing back NCB/S Chauncey Gardner-Johnson. He wanted too much money last year, so we let him fuck off to Detroit. The move turned out to be… Let’s say, less than great for him, or us. So both sides kissed and made up. This move allows us to shore-up a Secondary that became a glaring weakness last year.
Less Obvious Moves:
ILB Devin White could be in for a career year.
Other defensive additions include ILB Devin White. Sadly, we’ll likely be moving back to a 3-4 base, meaning that the Eagles have to prioritize LB now. White spent last last year as an OLB and had his worst year as a pro. On a 1 year deal, he’ll be looking to ball out. (Incidentally, going to a 3-4 may have hastened Cox’s retirement. He didn’t enjoy being a 3-4 DE under Chip Kelly, and probably wasn’t interested in doing it again, at his age.)
We added LB Zach Baum, but I’m not sure what he’s supposed to be. LBJulian Okwara was technically added before the FA period, but I didn’t weigh in on him. He plays at 100mph, understands that his long arms can keep him free of blockers, and can even drop into space. The Lions played the IR stash game with him (off and on), but the Eagles might let him play.
On offense, C Matt Hennessy is likely here to be depth. While he’s listed often as a C/G, he played very little there, before going on IR with a knee injury in 2022 and missing all of 2023. Expecting him (307 pounds) to be ready to win the RG spot, might be asking too much.
The addition that I think could be sneaky good, is WR DeVante Parker. Long have I been caterwauling for the Eagles to get another big bodied Slot, with a big catch radius, in the mold ofJordan Matthews (not retired). Parker spent a couple years as the #1 in Miami, but he’s really more of a #2. So the Slot role should be cake for a guy like him.
Finally, we come to QB Kenny Pickett, whom the Steelers practically gave away. The early speculation is that either he has an attitude problem, or that he flat-out can’t play. Both are hilarious suppositions. During Pickett’s two seasons (26 starts, 14 – 12), he has shared a QB room with both Mason Rudolphand Mitch Trubisky. All were let go after 2023.
Sounds to me, like Pittsy has a QB coaching issue. Which is why they brought in a veteran QB (Russell Wilson), who doesn’t need developing. In the meantime, Pickett (if he wants), can develop here for a year or two, and maybe become trade bait. This lets me segue to my final point.
Coaching. It’s why we fell apart last year. No one has said that officially. However, we have all these pundits who want a stated reason, and Head Coach Nick Sirianni to dispense mea culpas like goldfish food, and then promise that it won’t happen again. Those pundits are idiots. That won’t happen. The reason we fell apart was coaching. We all watched it.
We didn’t fall apart because of bad coaching. We fell apart due to inexperienced coaching. The problem with a roomful of young guys, is no one has “Been There, Done That” on their resume. So the trust just cannot be there. So everyone tightens up, and the whole thing limbos into Shitsville. Even if you like and respect a guy, you need something to hang your faith on.
The team likes and respects Nick, but when the wheels fell off the Defense, he didn’t have any answers, and neither did young guys Sean Desai or Matt Patricia, so the team went into a spiral. This year, the Eagles have a BTDT guy in Defensive Coordinator Vic Fangio. He is (for my money), the single biggest acquisition of this offseason, and the clearest sign of us being all in.
Note:With all the speculation immediately following the game, I wanted to hang back a day or two, before putting my take out there. What’s the point of being one more voice yelling, right? Instead, I chose to step back a bit, then mosey up, once I didn’t have to raise my voice to be heard.
Drive Killer: NA (TD: /Int: / FR: / 4th down stops: / FF: )
Sack Leader: DE Brandon Graham (Sacks:1.0/ FF: 0/ Tackles: 3) *3TFL
Special Teams Ace: NA
****
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: BUCCANEERSdid the Eagles actually get around to doing? Well let’s see:
1) Run To Set-up the Pass:Considering that Hurts dislocated a finger on his passing hand just a week ago, the smart money was on the team leaning on the run in this game. At the half, Swift had 4 carries for 16 yards.
Was our passing game helping us score points at a blistering pace? No. We had 9 points at the half. Then we of course, made no adjustments after the half. Which of course, resulted in us scoring 9 fewer points, in the second half. Maybe you are wondering why we didn’t run the ball, like we did when we beat this team a few months ago.
Well, Head Coach Nick Sirianni figured, if running the ball was the obvious thing to do, then of course he shouldn’t run the ball, thereby taking his opponents by surprise. But his opponents would expect him to deduce that, so of course he should run the ball. Ah ha! Laughable that they would think that he’d fall for such an amateurish ploy! So instead, Coach Nick poisoned all of our cups. And Tampa watched as we all died. Brilliant. (NOT DONE)
2) Get the Ball Out Quickly: The idea (again) was to help the QB with the injured finger. Here’s a copy and pasted excerpt from Four Things : Give him some short routes, especially over the middle, where he can take advantage of a blitzer. The Buccaneers like to blitz S Antoine Winfield Jr., and they need to be made to pay for that.
Instead, the plan was to hold the ball forever, in the face of the blitz, and try to force deep passes to a VERY covered Devonta Smith. And shit kiddies, sometimes it even worked!
This isn’t a real stat, but to Eagles fans, it sure as hell FEELS like it is.
Other times, the plan was to rely on a play that hasn’t worked all season: The WR Screen. Everyone look under your chair! WR Screens for everyone!!! You get a Screen! And you get a Screen! And you get a Screen! And Devonta already covered in the backfield? He gets a Screen too! See my forehead? Yeah, put the bullet right here. Right the fuck here! (NOT DONE)
3) Challenge the Throws:The idea was for the Secondary to contest throws, but you have to be somewhere in the zip code of the receiver, or not running into each other, to contest passes.
In this game (and for the last month), this Secondary has convinced me that a group of blind kindergarteners, couldn’t possibly be worse at covering NFL receivers. And it just kept getting worse and worse! Luckily, the season has ended. Because at this rate of decline, I am abjectly terrified to find out what they’d look like, in another two weeks. (NOT DONE)
4) Box the MLB: Keeping the MLB in the box, instead of dropping him into a shallow zone, would force the Bucs to assign a blocker to him, which wouldn’t allow them to double team a defensive lineman. Today instead of LB Nick Morrow (10 – 0.0 – 0 – 0) playing the middle, LB Zach Cunningham(9 – 0.0 – 0 – 0) took over those duties.
Early on, seeing Cunningham in the box made me feel great. Then an offensive lineman sauntered out to block him, and Cunningham stuck to that block like Velcro. (Aw, noice!) We were frequently gashed vs the run early, but the front seven seemed to settle things down somewhat later in the game.
Also, to his credit, Cunningham did get his hands on two passes over the middle, nearly intercepting one of them. (DONE)
++++
So this week we completed just 1 of the Four Things, as the score indicates. Next stop, the Hefty bags outside of our lockers.
****
WR Devonta Smith on a 56 yard catch and run
Game Hero: Devonta Smith – The young man balled out. Using his killer route running, he still put up nearly a buck fifty, despite the opposing secondary keying on him, as our only downfield threat. Anyone wondering if he could be #1 WR, just had that question resoundingly answered. If this team had a legit Slot who worked the middle of the field, this Offense would break scoreboards.
Game goat: The coaching staff – The shitty gameplan was bad enough, but not making adjustments after the half is unforgivable. Anyway you cut it, we’re getting new coordinators. The only question is, are we also getting a new coach? We’d be stupid to fire Sirianni, but then again, I said it was stupid to fire Doug Pederson.
On The Whole:
At no point did some of our players look fired up about playing in this game. For many of our players, this game was the first opportunity towards “unfinished business”. However, for guys who weren’t here last year, and who came from teams with cultures of failure, the stakes were not the same for them. That motivation simply didn’t exist.
There was also an air of tightness about the team. (Has been for weeks now.) The play, the play-calling… All of it seemed less geared towards succeeding, and more geared towards not failing. The trust was gone. The energy was gone. The joy was gone. Football is a hard sport to win when one of those is missing, but it’s impossible to win when all three are.
Picking on individual aspects of this loss, is a pointless endeavor. Especially since many of the failings will change with new personnel. I however, need to discuss the Eagles inability to handle the blitz, and the Secondary’s inability to play defense.
Jalen Hurts is in his fourth year as a professional, and his third as a starter. Despite that, the kind of blitzes that the Bucs threw at him, are the kind that teams throw at rookies. And Hurst responded like one, with rushed throw aways, and backing up extra steps, from the Shotgun.
QB Jalen Hurts under pressure.
His inability to punish a blitz, comes down to one of two possibilities. The first is, perhaps our coaches aren’t allowing him the freedom to change even a single route, upon recognition of a possible blitz. The second possibility is, Hurts simply isn’t smart enough to read, process, and adjust to increased pressure. Only one of those can be fixed with coaching. The other says the Eagles need to draft a 1st round QB.
As for the Secondary, coverage, tackle angles, tackle execution, all of it. These are the things they get paid to do. None of them are paid to run city government, or build spacecraft, or handle spin control for Kanye West. And yet, to a man, no one was doing what they get paid to do out there.
CB James Bradberry getting beaten like a drum. Again!
Easy knee-jerk response is “Cut ‘em!”. With guys on one year deals? Sure! See ya! Bye! However, not everyone’s contract will allow for that, without putting the Eagles on the hook for dead money, on par with that of a rebuilding team. So we have to tread lightly here. Weakening ourselves, is strengthening our division rivals.
Special Teams Ace: LB Ben VanSumeren downed punt at the 3 yard line.
****
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) Contain the Run: Watching giants RB Saquon Barkley (18 – 46 – 2.6 – 2) run for two easy scores, made things look far worse than they were. However, on 21 hand-offs, the Eagles allowed just 65 yards (3.0 ypc). The only longs run that were difficult to pin inside, were scrambles by their QB. (DONE)
2) Get To the QB: The ask was for three or four sacks in this one; but all we came away with were 2 first half sacks. With our Secondary playing like every opposing receiver is dripping with Covid-19, the ball came out quickly, to wide open targets. It retarded our pass rush, and let their back-up QB nearly throw for 300 yards. (NOT DONE)
3) Spread and Run: The Eagles opted mostly for clumping the receivers on the ends of the Offensive Line. This had a way of pulling defenders into the box, and making it much easier to blitz our QB’s. There were a few nice runs by Gainwell (including a beautiful 32 yarder). Otherwise, nope. (NOT DONE)
4) Go Deep Aggressively:We didn’t connect on any passes of 20 yards or longer, but we did launch a few, which helped loosen the box up for Eagles runners (16 – 83 – 5.1 – 0 – 0). Sadly, we had just 16 hand-offs, compared with 36 pass attempts. When your back-up QB is shouldering most of that workload, that’s usually not going to be a winning combination.
WR Quez Watkins snags a 16 yard TD. (Possibly his last catch as an Eagle.)
Still, I said that 3 or 4 deep shots in a game is respectable; but 5 or more is putting your next opponent on notice. The NFL defines a “deep pass” in its official play-by-play as any pass that travels more than 15 yards downfield in the air. The Eagles attempted 9 such passes. (DONE)
++++
This week we managed 2 of the Four Things, in a loss. That ties up the season at 11 – 6, with us in the 5th seed, traveling to back to Tampa Bay, for a prime time Wild Card game. This team owns two five game win streaks this year. Starting Monday, we only need a four game streak.
****
Game Hero: QB Marcus Mariota – He came in and completed 65% of his passes, made actual use of Quez Watkins, and showed enough mobility to keep an air of dynamism in the Offense. He dived more than he slid, and the interception he threw, was on a play concept that we fans have been calling stupid, since last year.
QB Marcus Mariota and a bunch of guys off the bench, put up 10 points, and avoid a shut-out.
While the Eagles may want to go younger at back-up next year, Mariota made a decent case for why he should get another year of Head Coach Nick Sirianni’s system under his belt.
Game goat: The Circumstances – Even if the Eagles won this game, we weren’t going to get that 2nd seed. As I said in Four Things, “Barring an inspired act of God, Dallas isn’t going to lose to Washington, which makes the outcome of our game practically meaningless”.
And I was right.
Which is why I said that, this game is a “total freebie”, and we should use it as a tune-up. To his credit, Sirianni tried to straddle the line, and (kind of) took a swipe at winning. (You know. Just in case Washington stumbled over that miracle.)
Once it became clear that Washington was toast, and we got a second starter sent to the blue medical tent, Sirianni said “Neeeee-ope!” and yanked all his key players, for the playoff run that we’re about to make.
Can’t complain at all about the way he handled any of that.
On The Whole:
Getting the sweep on the giants would have been nice, but given how we started the game without three key starters (WR Devonta Smith, RB D’Andre Swift, and DT Fletcher Cox); it’s hard to judge the sputtering Offense, too harshly. (But feel free to mock our Defense!)
Once WR A.J. Brown (1 – 1 – 9 – 9.0 – 0) fumbled during an apparent knee injury, and after QBJalen Hurts (7/16 – 43.7% – 55 – 0 – 1) had his finger dislocated, and was less effective when he tried to play through it, ALL key players were pulled.
QB Jalen Hurts finger. (Just a dislocation, no fracturing.)
While we did look flat at the start, there was never any point, where we going to get emotionally interested in this game. While we saw little to imply that the Eagles were coming out of their funk, in fairness, we also didn’t see much from the starters at all.
IN last week’s loss, we handed the ball off 24 times for 95 yards (3.9ypc). Unless things get out of hand quickly, it’s going to take that sort of commitment to the running the ball, to win this game. While RB Boston Scott has been the boogeyman against the giants, most of the carries need to go to Philly native RB D’Andre Swift.
While this city is famous for its cheesesteaks, hoagies and roast pork sandwiches, we also love a good cutlet. So lets hope that DEJosh Sweatand OLB Haason Reddick bring their appetites, because the giants are known for allowing multiple servings. So mangia! Mangia, boys! Don’t leave anything left.
Grabbing the win would move us to 11 – 4, and end our three game losing streak. Which would make for a great Christmas present. It would also put us a step closer to winning the NFC East, for the second year in a row.
Losing means 10 – 5, and another week of fans acting like the season is over, for a team already guaranteed a playoff spot.
****
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 giants.
DE Brandon Graham gets a sack
1) Go Get Some Cutlets: Five sacks in this one should be our minimum goal. In seven games, giants QB Tommy “Cutlets” DeVito has been sacked 35 times. This would indicate that perhaps his offensive line isn’t very good.
We’ve gotten some impressive play as of late, from DT Jalen Carter and DT Fletcher Cox. The hope is that we can get our edge rushers going as well. Both Sweat and Reddick were quiet last week. Reddick has yet to force a fumble all season. Changing both would help the team immensely.
2) Secure the Run: Usually it’s either “set the edges” or “play the ‘A’ gaps”. This week it’s both. We have injuries to our LB’s, so there might be a lot of subbing going on. This is a great opportunity for miscues, because someone isn’t in their run fit. Our D-Line has to set the lanes and boundaries, so everything is easier for back-ups to read.
Bottling up the run on first and second, sets us up for third and long. When we see third and six or longer, we have got to make plays that get us off the field. Making tackles at the sticks won’t cut it. They’ll just play for the markers.
3) Spread and Run: It’s an overly simplistic strategy, but right now the Eagles offensively need a re-set back to fundamentals. Asking the Eagles to play from under Center is out of the question. It would fix a ton of what’s wrong with us, but it won’t happen. So the next best thing, would be to stretch the box laterally.
LT Jordan Mailata and RB Boston Scott
Every week, I chart how many runs we have of 10 yards or more, and at no point have we had more than four in a game. We had four vs the Vikings, Bucs, and Chiefs. Half of these were from our QB. If we can stretch the box laterally, and get Swift to the second level quickly, maybe he can break a couple of these run.
4) Passes On the Rusher: While giants OLB Kayvon Thibodeaux is listed as a LB, he’s basically a DE. If he’s not going to line-up outside of the Tackle and not drop into coverage, then we need to be about the business of attacking the Flat on his side. Why not take something they’re likely to give us, all game long?
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If the Eagles do these Four Things, then we’ll be virtually impossible to beat. That being said…
This past week, Head Coach Nick Sirianni said this offense (meaning the system), is the same offense from the last two years, and it’s being run the same way. I don’t doubt that the playbook is the same. (Notice that opponents seem to have figured us out.) What is bullshit, is that it’s being run the same way.
It doesn’t matter who gets the blame for fucking up the offense. If Sirianni wants it, hey, I’m happy to give him shit for it. Whether it’s Sirianni or Offensive Coordinator Brian Johnson, the play-calling is atrocious to the point of almost being amateurish. Heavy Shotgun; no motion; called QB runs on first down; route concepts that look like they came off of Madden ‘96. All of those are bad things.
And don’t say that we were fine with it when were winning, because TONS of us weren’t. Sirianni and the players, this very season, repeatedly stood at the podium after games, saying the team had yet to play it’s best football, and then seemed confused when fans weren’t thrilled with “a win being a win”.
It was also an issue last year. Not starting fast. Or starting fast and then letting opponents creep back into games. So this year’s issues aren’t new. We want to see an Eagles team consistently give us four quarters of good football. And we want to see a head coach who can get that out of his players.
I think this run of games is more important to Nick Sirianni than many might expect. To go from the one seed, to not winning the division… I’m not sure how team Owner Jeff Luriewould stomach that. So I think this is a must win game for Sirianni.
I have no hard news to back that up. It’s just my gut feeling. That being said, my gut has an extremely good track record, in regards to this team.
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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.
Special Teams Ace: P Braden Mann 4th down punt fake, 28yd pass
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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: COWBOYSdid the Eagles actually get around to doing? Well let’s see:
1) Use A Brute Force Run Game:We didn’t really lean into handing the ball off, until the second half when we were down 6 – 24. Nearly all of the runs were between the Tackles, which was good. Not so good, was how often these tried to utilize misdirection from the Shotgun. That will fool fans in the stands, far more often than players on field.
Our leading rusher had just 11 carries, against 28 dropbacks, and 5 designed QB runs. I guess there’s a Zen sort of alignment in not investing in the RB position financially, since we no longer invest in it philosophically.
The Philadelphia region RESOUNDINGLY implored the team, to not be stupid this week, but alas, Head Coach Nick Sirianni and Offensive Coordinator Brian Johnson, could not help themselves. Nor the players they coach. Insult to injury: None of the three fumbles we lost, were by a RB. (NOT DONE)
Rookie DT Jalen Carter recovers fumble forced by DT Fletcher Cox, and takes it back for SIX!
2) Take Away the Quick Throws: At times we did this. We played more Man Press, challenged more passes, and got their QB to hold the ball longer than he wanted to, at times. The problem was, we didn’t do it consistently. This is an aspect to build on. I just hope they see that during film review. (NOT DONE)
3) Win the Turnover Battle:HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!
Okay, seriously, we gave away two red zone fumbles and a bonus third one, while only getting one in return. The lost fumbles are uncharacteristic for WR’s A.J. Brown and Devonta Smith (10 – 5 – 73 – 14.6 – 0). So there’s nothing to panic about with these two. Can’t say that for Hurts though, as fumbles are anything but rare for him.
Look. the turnover battle is hard to win, if you depend on your opponent to give you gifts. Turnovers have to be forced, and the two best ways to get turnovers; are violent hits on the ball (for fumbles), or close coverage (for interceptions). Our zone coverage and drag down tackling while pulling at the ball, won’t get the job done. (NOT DONE)
4) Spread Them Out: Not much was done to spread the Cowboys defense horizontally, until they decided to do so when blitzing. For a team that loves to throw Screen routes, we didn’t see one thrown to a RB all night. Even with frequent blitzing. (NOT DONE)
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This week we did none of the Four Things, which led to the shit-canning that we endured for a second week on national television. Next week we’re on national television again, as we travel to Seattle to beat up on the Seahawks.
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DT Fletcher Cox forces a fumble.
Game Hero: DT Fletcher Cox (1 – 1.0 – 0 – 0) – Forced the fumble that was recovered by DT Jalen Carter and returned for a touchdown. This week’s hero designation could have gone to Carter, or Haason Reddick. It was razor thin. What tipped the scale for me, was Cox’s postgame interview at his locker.
It wasn’t just what Cox said, it was how he said it. He didn’t keep making attempts to leave. He stood there and answered the questions. He expressed trust in his locker room, and issued a challenge to the true leaders and elite players on this team. He was calm, and even keeled. He was every bit the leader the Eagles need right now.
Game goat: Jalen Hurts – The stoic body language may work for when the team is winning, but when we’re being embarrassed on national television, someone has to keep the troops dialed in and focused, and he cannot be counted on for that.
Rallying the troops?
For the record, I’ve never been a fan of Hurts’ sideline demeanor, as my nature is very different. On a sideline, I was Brian Dawkins. Bill Romanowski. An agitated doberman roaming without a leash. I was fire, and rage, and an absolute head-case. But I was always a constant source of energy for my side. I was downright contagious at times.
Watching the postgame show, it was interesting to see pundits who’d been praising Hurts’ stoic body language, suddenly say they didn’t like it. They said he was almost sulking. To be fair to Hurts, I didn’t see much different from how he usually is. What I think is happening here, is that losing is robbing him of the benefit of the doubt. Which is bullshit. Ride with his demeanor or don’t. Don’t waffle on him.
During his first couple of years, the local media largely backed off of our young QB. Then last year, and up until now, all the winning brought passes for his flaws. So Jalen Hurts has never experienced the Philadelphia media with their claws out. It’s been easy going the whole time he’s been here.
Well, losing the number one seed, by losing to Dallas, while giving away the ball in the red zone, and appearing visibly dispassionate about the whole thing, may end up changing some things for him. Very shortly, he may end up experiencing pressure and adversity that he can’t simply transfer out of.
On The Whole:
Before I get into it. I won’t discuss Defensive Coordinator Sean Desai, because I’m tired of saying the same shit over and over, with Sirianni never making sure that change happens. But add to the regular defensive woes, our three offensive fumbles, and suddenly Desai is largely off my hook this week.
Missed it byyyyy that much!
This was another one where we were out-coached folks! Fundamentals? What are those!? Instead of trying to win the game, once again our coaching staff was hell-bent on showing us how clever they are. The result was three drives ending in turnovers, two ending in field goals, and one turned over on downs.
While Brian Johnson can’t be blamed for those fumbles, Nick Sirianni certainly can. His team came out flat, played uninspired, and ended up looking tighter and tenser as the game wore on. In instances like that, a team needs someone to rally them back into the fight, and ignite their pride and their passions.
Knowing that his QB either can’t be, or won’t be that guy, Sirianni needs to be that spark. He can’t just be a preening cheerleader, posing with his kids after his team wins. He also needs to be someone his players can lean on during adversity IN games, not just a blah-blah guy between the games.
Understand, the Eagles didn’t just lose this game. We were thoroughly defeated in it. Both from the inside and the outside. It won’t take much to fix what ails us, but it WILL require actually fixing it. Let’s see if darling Nicky has more in store for us than lip service this week.
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: 49ers did the Eagles actually get around to doing? Well let’s see:
1) Impose Our Will By Running: HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! Run the ball? What’s that? There were 48 dropbacks between Jalen Hurts and QB Marcus Mariota (2/3 – 66.6% – 16 – 0 – 0). This was balanced against all of NINE hand-offs, ALL. GAME. LONG.
NINE.
The less we run, the worse we lose, and in this game we got our teeth stomped through our assholes. I cannot recall an ass-whipping, so richly deserved by an offensive coaching staff. The loss I saw coming from half a year away, but the score did take me just a little by surprise.
However, it literally got to a point where I wasn’t even the least bit upset about the score. Or even the NINE hand-offs. No, that’s not totally honest. I’m understating it. There came a point where I was almost gleefully waiting for Head Coach Nick Sirianni’s presser, to see if he would tell us that Offensive Coordinator Brian Johnson is still doing a good job.
The way this game was called was indefensible. Speaking of indefensible… You know what? Later. I’ll get to that shortly. But the Offense! Even when we had a lead, the attitude was pass-pass-pass. Starting RB D’Andre Swift (6 – 13 – 2.1 – 0 – 0) took the bulk of the team’s NINE hand-offs. (NOT DONE)
2) Take Away Short, Quick Throws: We did a great job of this on the first two possessions. We even played five men on the Defensive Line. Then we just stopped doing it. WTF!? I wish I could get Defensive Coordinator Sean Desaiin a locked room for five minutes. Just to repeatedly give him five solid reasons to improve.
We didn’t get beaten by deep throws. It was short throws, run after the catch, and S Reed Blankenship (7 – 0.0 – 0 – 0) repeatedly whiffing on tackles, that killed us. Have you seen how active General Manager Howie Rosemanhas been at trying to upgrade the S position? I sense a first or second round Draft pick being spent here. (NOT DONE)
3) Go Deep Early: We did not. Oddly, despite him being back, we didn’t try deploying WR Quez Watkins(4 – 3 – 28 – 9.3 – 0) as deep threat. He was solid catching the ball, with his targets being mostly around the sidelines. (NOT DONE)
4) Set the Edges: Yet again, this was something we started out doing. A lot of it was from a five man line. Then we just bailed and went to a four man line, for the most part. Even when they started pounding us behind their LT, we didn’t slide the line, add a man, or rush the LT’s outside hip to slow him getting to his landmarks.
Let me just say this, so it can’t be said, that you haven’t seen it somewhere. We have got to stop playing Haason Reddick at LDE. He really seems to be wearing down faster and faster in games. At his best, he’s an OLB playing from a five man rush, which we rarely do anymore. Didn’t think anyone could make me miss Jonathan Gannon. (NOT DONE)
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This week we nailed ZERO ofFour Things, and as a result, we got absolutely keistered over it. We can get this taste out of our mouths with a win over Dallas, next week.
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Game Hero: WRDevonta Smith (11 – 9 – 96 – 10.6 – 1) – There wasn’t a whole lot to feel good about in this game, but Devonta had a pretty gutsy game out there. That 21 yard pick-up on 3rd and 19 was a thing of beauty. Watching his skinny ass power through tackle attempts, (in heavy traffic) had me on my feet, pounding my chest.
He had a couple catches today where he didn’t go down, but was instead pushed out of bounds. At one point he was German Suplexed, sparking a sideline blow-up that resulted in a 49er player, and the Eagles Head of Security, being removed from the field. And still Devonta played on.
Game goat: The Eagles Entire Coaching Staff – Top to bottom it almost looked like they were trying not to win this game. Never attempting a run game. Adjusting away from what was working on Defense. Using Quez Watkins exclusively on short routes. Not subbing out players who repeatedly missed tackles.
Every one of those things is a deliberate decision, and a result of coach’s call. We can complain about player execution, but if players are put in poor positions, it’s nearly impossible for them to be successful.
On The Whole:
This loss was pretty much always coming. I said it was in April, July, and even Friday. To us, it was the third game in thirteen days, with a division rival a week away. That’s the game that REALLY counts for something. For us, the 49ers was sort of a trap game. Simple as that. Their team needed this “rematch” for their wounded self-image. For us it was Sunday.
The fact is, we into the 49er’s grudge match, with no stakes for us. We started the game as the NFC’s #1 team, and we came out of it that way. If the 49ers had scored 1,000,000 points, that was never going to change. I’m sure our guys cared, but c’mon, we’ve just played two back to back wars; and we have another one coming up next Sunday.
We weren’t as into it as they were, and we were NEVER going to be. Again, I said this in April, in July, and just this past Friday. That was confirmed by our coaching staff almost looking like they didn’t even HAVE a gameplan. We deserved the loss! But honestly, did any issue we showed, surprise you? Of course not. We’ve seen these issues all season.
A win would have been nice; but if I told you that I cared about this loss, I’d be lying hard enough to have lightning strike ALL of us Eagles fans. This game was a write-off. Look at who still leads in the standings. A win over Dallas Sunday, will make this loss mean even less.
And so…MOVING ON!
As far getting that win, it would be nice to see us address things like the Offensive play calling, and actually disguising some of our underneath coverages. We need to generate turnovers, and as long as our coverages are paint by numbers, no one will have a hard time against them.
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