preseason

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PRESEASON FOUR THINGS REVIEWED: WK 3: Bengals

Posted by The BEAST on 2026/08/31
Posted in: Coaching, Conversations, Defense, Four Things, Offense, Players, preseason, Reviews, stats, Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

THANK goodness it’s over.

EAGLES 13 – Bengals 30

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So how much of what I mentioned in Preseason Four Things: BENGALS did the Eagles actually get around to doing? Well let’s see:

1) Second Unit Run Game: I wanted to see if we had another runner who could be a serious threat on the ground and I was pleasantly surprised by RB Dameon Pierce (4 – 44 – 11 – 0 – 0). Until he got hurt. (DONE)

2) Sitting This One Out: I wanted to see LB Jeremiah Trotter Jr. and QB Tanner McKee (12/22 – 54.5% – 55 – 0 – 1), sit this game out. Obviously it happened for Trotter, but McKee got stuck playing nearly an entire half.

The idea that the Eagles coaching staff still feels the need to evaluate between McKee and QB Andy Dalton (12/19 – 63.1% – 104 – 1 – 0), is concerning. Dalton is 38, has played 16 years and never won anything of any significance. He owns an 84 – 83 – 2 record as a starter. We’ve seen his ceiling. Every practice rep that McKee loses to this guy, just further stunts McKee’s development by this staff. This is irresponsible. (NOT DONE)

3) Payton’s Place: Give QB Cole Payton (0/2 – 0.0% – 0 – 0 – 0) the second half and see what he can do with it, to help his development. Didn’t happen. (NOT DONE)

4) Any Reason For Hope: Hoping for something to hang hope onto regarding our kick return game, we got nothing. (NOT DONE)

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This week’s Four Things score was 1 of 4. Mercifully the preseason is over, so when we next see the Eagles, we’ll be watching our starters. But that’s two weeks away.

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Game Hero: S Andre Sam (3 – 0.0 – 0 – 2) forced a fumble and recovered two, before hurting his leg and having to be driven off the field on a cart. Like RB Pierce, if a player started strong this week, they were leaving the game early.

Game goat: Offensive Coordinator Sean Mannion – Again, I understand the strategy of vanilla playcalling in the preseason. That said, the over-reliance on routes under five yards and RB dump-offs, isn’t on the players. That’s on whomever is calling the plays. That lack of aggression, isn’t how you develop killer instinct, or a sense of urgency in young players.

On The Whole: If I didn’t have to write about it, I wouldn’t have finished watching the game.

FOUR THINGS: PS1: EAGLES – RAVENS

Posted by The BEAST on 2026/08/15
Posted in: breakdown, Conversations, Defense, Four Things, free agents, Offense, Players, Roster. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , . 1 Comment

WHILE I can’t speak for you, fellow Birds fan, I can tell you that I’m starving for some Eagles football. I also want to get a look at the core concepts of the new offensive system being run by Offensive Co-ordinator Sean Mannion. More QB under C. More pre-snap motion. More play-action. And even better, play-action that teams have to respect now.

Whether we win or lose this game is meaningless, but that doesn’t make the game itself meaningless. Some of the guys we’ll see in this game, will be playing for their right to an NFL career. Their very dreams will be on the line. So I expect a spirited and lively display out there.

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The point of Four Things isn’t to predict a winner. It’s to discuss which tactics will give our Eagles the best chance to defeat this week’s opponent. Except in preseason. Winning would be nice, but these games aren’t for that. They’re for helping us establish depth, and to perhaps uncover a gem or two.

So here’s what I’ll be keeping an eye on, in this match-up

DT Ty Robinson from 2025

1) The Defensive Interior: Winning the point of contact is key So, I want to see how often DT Ty Robinson and DT Uar Bernard, gain penetration, stone a blocker, or otherwise impact a play at the line of scrimmage.

2) Flip-Flop: We know that rookie OT Markel Bell is seeing extensive work at RT, especially with him being mentioned as RT Lane Johnson’s heir apparent. The question is: How much work will he see at LT, tonight? It’s a great time to see if he’s up to playing the Swing, at the NFL level.

3) A Second Look: WR Hollywood Brown was brought in to be the vertical threat here, but so far the dude is showing why he’s on his fourth team in eight years.

WR Quez Watkins scores in 2022

Interestingly, after a two year hiatus, WR Quez Watkins is making a return in Eagles green. Like Brown, Watkins is a speed merchant, with a rep for not being clutch. I’ll be keeping a keen eye on these guys.

4) Bottom of the Roster: I want to look a couple of long-shots in, RB Ja’Quinden Jackson and TE Stone Smart, to see if they can make a case for themselves. Not necessarily to make the active roster, but see they can get into the discussion. These are likely Practice Squad guys, but I like parts of their game.

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Not going too deep on this one. Been a while since I just sort of sat back, and watched a game as a fan. I think I’m going to mostly focus on that, with this game. I’ll round into shape in time for the season, but for right now… I’m just glad to be cheering for my Birds again.

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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.

FOUR THINGS REVIEWED: WK PS3: Jets

Posted by The BEAST on 2025/08/25
Posted in: breakdown, Conversations, Defense, Four Things, NFL, Offense, Players, preseason, Reviews, Special Teams, stats. Tagged: , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

AN ugly, meaningless win.

EAGLES 19 – Jets 17

RB Montrelle Johnson scores the Eagles lone TD.

EAGLES STATS:

Passing: QB Kyle McCord (15/35 – 42.8% – 136 – 0 – 1)

Rushing: RB Montrell Johnson (15 – 57 – 3.8 – 1 – 0)

Receiving: WR Terrace Marshall (7 – 5 – 51 – 10.2 – 0)

Drive Killer: CB Parry Nickerson (TD: 0/Int: 1/ FR: 0/ 4th down stops: 0/ FF: 0)

Sack Leader: OLB Antwaun Powell-Ryland (Sacks: 1.0/ FF: 1/ Tackles: 1)

Special Teams Ace: K Jake Elliott (4/4 FG, 53 and 51, 1/1 XP)

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

1) Better Run Blocking: Our three RB’s combined for 25 – 76 – 3.0 – 1 – 0, on the ground, which fell well short of the 110 yards/4.4ypc benchmarks. In fairness though, I was hoping to see OL Matt Pryor moved inside to G for this game. Instead, he didn’t even dress. Still it was an improvement over last week’s performance vs the Browns (NOT DONE)

2) McCord Pushing the Ball Downfield: I wanted to see him start the first half. Got it. I wanted to see him attempt between 4 and 6 passes of at least 20 yards in the air. He threw 4, including a head-scratcher of an interception into double coverage, while his #1 option was wide open on an Out route. (DONE)

3) Penetration and Protection From the DT’s: We did a better job of this in the first half than we did in the second. Inconsistent effort earns no praise. (NOT DONE)

4) No Significant Injuries: CB Eli Ricks got kicked in the dick, but he’ll be fine (DONE)

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This week’s Four Things score was 2 of 4, but it’s preseason and most of those guys won’t even be here by Thursday. So there is literally no way to make the any of that game matter.

Our next game is a REAL ONE. We hang the Super Bowl banner, at home, while facing the Dallas Cowboys to start the season. Meanwhile their team is falling apart in front of America. Oh my god. I practically need a cigarette after just SAYING that.

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CB Parry Nickerson celebrates his interception.

Game Hero: CB Parry Nickerson (3 – 0.0 – 1 – 0) – The guy played his heart out. If he isn’t playing here in a week, he’ll still be somewhere in the NFL, drawing a paycheck.

Game goat: Head Coach Nick Sirianni – McCord was out there drowning, and the coaching staff simply let him. That was cold.

On The Whole: The game was a formality and now it’s over. There was nothing in it worthy of deep analysis.

FOUR THINGS: PS1: Bengals

Posted by The BEAST on 2025/08/07
Posted in: breakdown, Coaching, Conversations, Defense, Four Things, Offense, Players, Reviews, Roster, Training Camp. Tagged: , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

TONIGHT we’re getting our first taste of the 2025 Eagles season! New Offensive Coordinator Kevin Patullo, will get his feet wet a little bit! We’ll also begin the process of whittling all the players in Training Camp, down to a 53 man roster.

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The point of Four Things isn’t to predict a winner. It’s to discuss which tactics will give our Eagles the best chance to defeat this week’s opponent. Except in preseason. Winning would be nice, but these games aren’t for that. They’re for helping us establish depth, and to perhaps uncover a gem or two.

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So even if the score quickly becomes lopsided, what should we be looking for in this game?

1) Who Plays: In previous seasons our starters didn’t play and it’s led to some slow starts. Especially in games at the beginning of the season. Will this be addressed this year, by giving our starters a chance to shake the rust off, as early as opposing players do?

2) Which WR Stands Out: The WR4 position becomes WR3 in the event of an injury to a starter. So which WR plays this game like the ball is his, whenever it’s thrown to him? That’s the guy we’ll want to win the #4 spot.

3) Who Is Patullo On 4th Down: Surely circumstances will also play a hand in the decisions, but I for one, am interested to see how aggressive our OC is, when his back is to the wall.

4) Defensive Line Pressure: Our back-up line will spend a lot of time out there. Do they get much pressure as a unit? Do they protect the LB’s effectively? Who is the standout?

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Prediction: Eagles 20 – Bengals 28

The Eagles will be using this game as an evaluation tool. Cincy on the other hand, has been a factory for bad news. Their ownership will want a win, just to have something to wave at their fanbase, as a sign that things are going well. Meanwhile we just…

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 you will deserve it when you do.

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

FOUR THINGS REVIEWED: WK PS3: Vikings

Posted by The BEAST on 2024/08/26
Posted in: breakdown, Conversations, Defense, Four Things, Offense, Players, Reviews, Roster, stats. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment
WR Joseph Ngata has a ball bounce off his hands, into the waiting arms of a Vikings player. It was that kind of day.

NO silver linings in this one, folks.

EAGLES 3 – Vikings 26

EAGLES STATS:

Passing: QB Tanner McKee (13/21 – 61.9% – 115 – 0 – 1)

Rushing: RB Tyrion Davis-Price (12 – 56 – 4.6 – 0 – 1)

Receiving: WR Griffin Herbert (3 – 3 – 48 – 16.0 – 0)

Drive Killer: N/A (TD: /Int: / FR: / 4th down stops: / FF: )

Sack Leader: Four players (Sacks: 1.0/ FF: / Tackles: )

Special Teams Ace: K Jake Elliott 1/1 FG

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

1) Starters Must Play: Not only did most starters not play, they and key back-ups, didn’t even dress. For example, WR Britain Covey didn’t dress. Rookies Jalyx Hunt (LB) and Will Shipley (RB) didn’t dress. Interestingly enough, LB Nolan Smith started and played quite a bit. But hey! This is okay. It’s allllll okay! Right?

The Eagles, particularly the Offense, better not come out stale, or loaded with miscues in Brazil, during the season opener. If they do, expect to hear from many of us fans, about how not playing our starters even a single snap in the preseason, was wrong-head and dumb. (NOT DONE)

2) Offensive Line Must Deliver: This was rendered meaningless, because many of the players who were out there, will be cut before close of business on Tuesday. This essentially gives us nothing of substance, to judge. (NOT DONE)

3) Make A Defensive Statement: If the Eagles Defense made any statement on Saturday, it’s that we can’t stop anyone. However, as I said, most of the people who played later into the game yesterday, won’t be around come dawn on Wednesday. (NOT DONE)

4) No Contributors Play the Second Half: Well this one was certainly a freebie! (DONE)

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This week’s Four Things score is 1 of 3, with a corresponding 3 – 26 score for our troubles. Thus endeth the preseason. When next we see this team, the games, the results, will count.

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Game Hero: Nobody. The closest thing we have there, is McKee attempting a 4th and goal touchdown pass, with a guy pulling on his leg. A completion would have made it a boss moment. Instead it was a turnover on downs.

Game goat: DB Cooper DeJean (2 – 0 – 0 – 0) He got a little better as the game wore on, but that first drive saw him commit an illegal contact penalty that erased an interception by S Tristin McCollum (9 – 0 – 0 – 0), who played well. Instead of a taking away the ball and ending that drive, we allowed a touchdown.

On The Whole: All the Eagles coaching staff wanted out of this one, was to get a deep look at the back-end of the roster. Good thing too, because a couple of those guys popped. For example, LB Oren Burks (6 – 1.0 – 0 – 0). He also nearly added an interception to his stats. I’d be surprised if he doesn’t end up on the Practice Squad.

LB Oren Burks nearly picks off a pass

It’s hard to get too concerned about the way this went down. Most of the guys we saw playing in this game will be looking for regular jobs in less than a month. However, in two weeks, our best guys will be playing an away game, in a game that counts, without even one dress rehearsal. If you’re a a little bit worried, you aren’t a whiner. It just means you’re sane.

QB Tanner McKee fumbles while being sacked.

FOUR THINGS: WK PS3: EAGLES – VIKINGS

Posted by The BEAST on 2024/08/23
Posted in: breakdown, Coaching, Conversations, Defense, Four Things, Offense, Players, Roster, trade. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , . 1 Comment

WITH the 14 – 13 win over the Patriots, we moved to 2 – 0 and locked in a winning preseason. We capitalized on a couple of key turnovers, one changing the momentum of the game, and the other sealing the win. This week we go against a Vikings team whose starting QB is a turnover machine. If he doesn’t play, then it should be even easier to take the ball away.

Usually going undefeated in the preseason is a fool’s errand. Teams that chase it to “set a winning tone” often do it at great cost. Costs like, playing their starters more than their opponents; game-planning vs a team that didn’t; exposing their playbook too early, etc. In short, they run greater injury risk, and tip their hand.

They miss out on getting deep looks at their rosters, to make the best choices when building depth, in a sport where injuries are inevitable. Thee teams frequently compromise their ability to win real games, in pursuit of false wins. We however, went a different route.

The Eagles won both games essentially without playing our starters. Even let our back-ups play their way out of a hole, in that second game. There can be no better test of depth than that. Grit isn’t usually something you see in a preseason game, but our second and third stringers showed quite a bit of it, in two down-to-the-wire games.

A win here would have no bearing on anything, but it would be nice to get.

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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. So here are the Four Things that we need to focus on this week versus: the Vikings

Offensive Co-ordinator Kellen Moore

1) Starters Must Play: Particularly with the addition of WR Jahan Dotson via trade yesterday. He’s had no opportunity to acclimate to QB Jalen Hurts, and we don’t have another preseason game or inter-team practice, until 2025. So give Dotson one or two simple things to do, and let him and Hurts have a couple of series to experiment with it.

We also need to let our starting Offensive Line get its feet wet, with C Cam Jurgens running the pivot, during real action. If there are any wrinkles to iron out, finding it out now, is better than finding it out in Brazil.

2) Offensive Line Must Deliver: Aside from keeping the QB upright, we need to see the interior run game come alive. We need holes, not creases. We need the line of scrimmage moved forward, before the RB hits that hole.

3) Make A Defensive Statement: We need a sack from a starting defensive lineman. So far we’ve done nothing to communicate to the rest of the NFL, that their QB’s aren’t safe against us. That needs to change this week.

4) No Key Contributors Play the Second Half: Playing the starters and key back-ups for three series is great. It’s even ideal. That said, they shouldn’t play an entire half; and under NO circumstances should they play a single down, after the half. They shouldn’t even leave the locker room with pads on.

Injuries are not on a schedule. They don’t happen after X number of snaps. However, the more snaps played, the greater the risk. So let’s not take on too much risk. Besides, winning this game with starters is meaningless. So don’t even attempt it.

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

Mostly what we want from this game is a little practice, and to get out of it mostly healthy. If we cando those two things, then even if we lose 0 – 99, it’ll still be a productive game.

Just a couple more notes on the O-Line. C Jason Kelce was undersized for the position. It’s why he spent the first half of his career getting handled. Then Offensive Line coach Jeff Stoutland shows up, and teaches Kelce how to use his gifts, so he can offset being smallish. The result is, five years from now Kelce will be putting on a gold jacket.

Jurgens is similar in build and athleticism to Kelce, but I think he might be a little stronger than Kelce was early on. I’m interested to see if Jurgens will also be a finesse player, or if he’ll bring a little more of the hammer to his game.

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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.

FOUR THINGS REVIEWED: WK PS2: Patriots

Posted by The BEAST on 2024/08/18
Posted in: breakdown, Coaching, Conversations, Defense, Four Things, Offense, Players, Reviews, stats. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment
RB Kendall Milton punches in a short touchdown

YET another thrilla, not in Phila!

EAGLES 14 – Patriots 13

EAGLES STATS:

Passing: (B) QB Tanner McKee (15/19 – 78.9% – 140 – 0 – 0)

Rushing: (B) RB Tyrion Davis-Price (4 – 28 – 7.0 – 0 – 0)

Receiving: (B) WR Joseph Ngata (5 – 5 – 88 – 17.6 – 0)

Drive Killer: FS Avonte Maddox (TD: 0/Int: 1/ FR: 0/ 4th down stops: 0/ FF: 0)

Sack Leader: OLB Nolan Smith (Sacks: 1.0/ FF: 0/ Tackles: 1)

Special Teams Ace: WR John Ross 2KR, 68 yards, 34.0 avg

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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: 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. ILB Zack 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)

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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.

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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.

FOUR THINGS: WK PS2: EAGLES – PATRIOTS

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

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

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

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The point of Four Things isn’t to predict a winner, it’s to discuss which tactics would give our Eagles the best chance to win the game. Except in preseason. These games are just tune-ups. So here are the Four Things that we need to focus on tuning up, this week versus the: Patriots

Head Coach Nick Sirianni and QB Jalen Hurts.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Prediction: EAGLES 24 – Patriots 10

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

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

FOUR THINGS REVIEWED: PS3 : COLTS

Posted by The BEAST on 2023/08/25
Posted in: breakdown, Coaching, Defense, Four Things, NFL, Offense, Players, Reviews, Roster, Special Teams, stats. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment
WR Devon Allen on his 73 yard opening kick return

NOT a bad showing.

EAGLES 13 – Colts 27

Passing: QB Tanner McKee (19/34 – 55.8) – 158 – 0 – 0)

Rushing: RB Trey Sermon (16 – 30 – 1.8 – 1 – 0)

Receiving: WR Deon Cain (6 – 62 – 10.3 – 0)

Defensive Leader: LB Tyree Maddox-Williams (7 – 0.0 – 1 – 0)

****

The broad strokes are usually covered by lots of other publications and podcasts. You can go a hundred places and read the same four or five bullet points, mentioned in ninety-seven of those places. Stats aside, what about the Four Things you came here to review, right? Let’s see if we scored a HIT or a MISS on the areas I discussed.

1) Do The Starters Play?: Nope. Not a single solitary down. In fact, a number of Eagles didn’t even dress for this one. AGAIN! Third string RB Rashaan Penny, WR Olamide Zaccheaus (I actually spelled that right, on my first attempt), are examples of new players who didn’t dress.

And hey, for those who are still out there debating about who starts alongside FS Reed Blankenship: It’s SS Terrelle Edmunds. He didn’t even dress, but rookie Sydney Brown played; and K’Von Wallace was still out there in the fourth quarter. Glad I could settle that for you. MISS

2) Tanner vs Their Twos: The Colts went one better for us, and left their starters out there for the entire first half. While McKee’s accuracy stayed right around 50% again, the game didn’t look too big for him. So mentally there’s something to work with there.

As far as his actual play, he had trouble connecting on intermediate and long throws. The ball often seems to leave the palm and heel of his hand, instead of his fingertips. The result is, instead of a spiral, it seems to travel more like a shot put. Better secondaries will feast on that, if we don’t fix that. HIT

3) Play Ian Book: QB Ian Book went 11/15 – 73.3% – 80 – 0 – 0, with the ball coming out quickly and sharply. He looked nothing like the gun-shy player from the Browns game. Like McKee, Book wasn’t successful throwing the ball downfield. Still, the player we saw tonight, looked like he’d be worth a Practice Squad/developmental spot. HIT

4) Something Special: On the opening kick of the game, WR Devon Allen bobbled the ball, then recovered it and tore off a 73 yard return to set-up the game’s opening touchdown. He also had a big tackle for no gain on a punt. HIT

****

Who Looked Good:

LB Tyreek Maddox-Williams – (See above) We just signed this guy yesterday, but like VISA, the Philadelphia native, was everywhere you wanted to be. Once he got in the game in the second half, he seemed to constantly be flashing. We need to find spot for him. LB Ben VanSumeren (17 – 0.0 – 0 – 0) had many more tackles than TMW, but he didn’t flash as much potential, or generate a takeaway.

QB Ian Book – He seemed to find his poise and his pocket presence. Whether diving for the needed yardage on a scramble, or spiking the ball on first down to stop the clock, his command of the moment was beyond reproach.

TE Tyree Jackson – Showed a MUCH better awareness of presenting as a target for his QB. His stats (3 – 31 – 10.3 – 0) were modest, but they also indicate that he could be a very QB friendly target this season.

Who Looked Bad:

RB Kennedy Brooks – His day (2 – 16 – 8.0 – 0 – 0) was punctuated by being wide open, and dropping what would have been a walk-in touchdown. At no point this preseason, did he demonstrate a reason for another team to want him.

The Offensive Line – They allowed 3 sacks in this game, three tackles for a loss, and showed no ability open holes consistently.

WR Joseph Ngata – While he did do some good things out there (2 – 32 – 16.0 – 0), his fumble killed a promising drive.

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On The Whole:

Given that we had a bunch of twos and threes, going against the Colts starters for a half, it’s hard not to give the Eagles a ton of credit. That’s not an attempt at finding a moral victory. It’s a preseason game. Nobody cares about the “W” or the “L”. What counts here is how hard our guys competed. It contributes to the ongoing culture.

FOUR THINGS: WK PS3: EAGLES – COLTS

Posted by The BEAST on 2023/08/23
Posted in: Coaching, Defense, Draft, Fans, Four Things, NFL, Offense, Players, Rants, Special Teams, Training Camp. Tagged: , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

TWO weeks a go we lost 19 – 20. Last week was an 18 – 18 tie. So if the pattern holds up, we should be due for a 17 – 16 win. Who wants to get The Wave going?… Me either.

I’m hearing that rookie S Sydney Brown may start this game, so that may be something to get excited over. But is this a week where the only focus is to escape without any key injuries? Or are the Eagles interested in getting a better look at the players, before sending them away to become stars on another team. We’ve had a few of those.

My favorite story is LB Lee Woodall, who played at West Chester, and was a driver for Eagles players in Training Camp for a year or two, back when TC was held there. He was never on our roster, but he was right under our noses, before he was on anyone else’s radar.

Then in 1994 we drafted LB Ryan McCoy (a 237 pound LB, with 5.09 40-speed), in the 6th round. The 9ers grabbed Woodall eight spots later, and he went to a couple of Pro Bowls while playing for them. Finished 6th in defensive rookie of the year votes. Did I mention the two Pro Bowls? Back when those still meant something. McCoy played one year. In the World League. With London.

So yeah, let’s make sure we get a good, long look at our roster this week.

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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. Except in the preseason. At which point the wins are usually less valuable than the losses.

1) Do the Starters Play?: Even if it’s just a series. The notion of them not logging a single down in the preseason, seriously has me thinking of organizing a boycott of next year’s preseason games. Fans have been paying real money, for tickets and parking, to go watch players who have no shot of making even the Practice Squad. But the NFL doesn’t care, because television revenue is where the action is.

I figure if we drive the television rating into the tank for a year, the NFL would get the message that fans actually have standards. As it is, they’re feeding us a preseason with no players; a flag football Pro Bowl; a Thursday night slate that features unrested teams, resulting in some shitty shitty games; and Super Bowl half-time shows aimed at a demographic that they KNOW they don’t attract. I’m sick of it.

2) Tanner vs Their Twos: If the Starters don’t play, then QB Marcus Mariota shouldn’t either. If the idea is to protect everyone with a carved out role, then he should make the list of those who don’t even dress. Who should start is QB Tanner McKee.

Lots of fans are clamoring for McKee to be the back-up over Mariota, and it’s a dumb idea. There is too much he doesn’t know about the NFL, (in terms of defenses, how to prepare, the pressures of dealing with money, etc.) for him to be one hit away from having to lead a franchise that EXPECTS to return to the Super Bowl, AND win it this year.

That’s not to say that he hasn’t intrigued, but he’s looked good (not great) against third stringers and lower, so far. So give him the pressure of a start, and let him play against second stringers, to see if he can elevate his game. He likely can’t just yet, but it’ll give the coaches a much more focused light on where he needs development. Focus on maybe making him the 2024 back-up, but develop him first.

3) Play Ian Book: This pun MUST be made! (Ahem) Before we close the book on Ian, we have to see more than FOUR pass attempts from him. That’s all he had in the first preseason game, and he didn’t play in the second one. Bailing on a guy after just FOUR preseason pass attempts, is the polar opposite of doing due diligence. Play Ian Book. It costs us nothing if he sucks again. 

4) Something Special: It would be great to see someone do something special, on Special Teams. It used to be the x-factor of our team, but in recent years it seems as if the team can’t spot coaching talent for a full third of the team.

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During the offseason, my articles don’t really have hard deadlines. However, once the season starts, I need to have my rhythm and routine re-established. So preseason for the teams, is also preseason for me. True story, if it weren’t for that fact, I wouldn’t even watch this next game. I wouldn’t have finished the last one.

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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, 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.