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.
****
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
1) The Defensive Interior:Winning the point of contact is key So, I want to see how often DT Ty Robinsonand 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 RTLane 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.
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.
****
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.
****
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: 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.
ANOTHERThrilla In South Phila, last week. Down ten at the half, our Eagles battled back and won the game, with a walk-off touchdown by Mr. Clutch, QB Jalen Hurts. It was almost unfair. I practically knew it was in the bag. The world was on fire, and I sat calmly watching, while shelling and eating pecans.
When the shit hit the fan, we didn’t point fingers. We didn’t flinch. We shut our mouths, and we got to work. Eventually we climbed out of the hole we’d dug ourselves, and reached the peak called ‘Victory’.
This week’s opponent isn’t built like us. Talking is the thing they do best. Followed by whining. Followed by complaining. Eventually, if you go far enough down the list, I hear that they’re supposed to be good at playing football.
A win and we go to 11 – 1, maintaining a two game lead in the NFC East. (It’s too early to get wrapped up in other scenarios, just yet.)
A loss would stall us at 10 – 2. We’d still have a one game lead in the East, but it would be a lot easier to encroach on our turf.
****
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 theFour Things that we need to focus on this week versus: the 49ers
1) Impose Our Will By Running: By running, I mean handing the ball off. I get a feeling in my gut that they’re going to try to hurt our QB, and I don’t think we should hand them extra opportunities to do so. The Eagles like RB D’Andre Swift to top out around 14 carries, so 15 or more would be a great way to take hits off of Hurts.
We have a massive and powerful Offensive Line. We should be unleashing it early and often. The 9ers are a bit undersized up front, and their D-line is the source of their pass rush. So we should beat on them early, to tire their pass rushers out late.
2) Take Away Short, Quick Throws: Using more Man-Press on the corners, and bumping their TE at the line, would be great. Anything to get their QB to hold the ball just a second or two longer. Also, would it kill LB Nick Morrow(or anybody)to unleash a vicious hit on someone running across the middle?
3) Go Deep, Early:We need to clear space underneath for the run game. The best way to do that quickly, is to test the 49ers commitment to stopping our deep passing game. The sooner we create that space underneath, the easier the entire game will be for our Offense.
If the last few games are any indicator, WR A.J. Brown will see heavy double-team action for most of the day. If that holds true, then run Brown on Slant routes, and let WR Devonta Smith and WR Quez Watkinsbe the deep options.
4) Set the Edges:The 9ers are going to use a lot of pre-snap movement, in order to confuse us. Our guys need to stay in our lanes, trust the scheme, and their teammates. If our DE’s set the edges of the line, it makes it easier for our LB’s to read, and fill their run gaps. No need to play undisciplined football.
****
If the Eagles do these Four Things, then we’ll be virtually impossible to beat. That being said…
Months ago I predicted this to be a loss for our Eagles. Today I’m not so sure. And I LOVE that.
After the Eagles dominated in the NFC Championship game, the 49ers ran around screaming and crying like Michael Jackson filming a Pepsi commercial. (Look it up.)
The 9ers talked shit in the national media for months, even alluding to this up-coming game between us. It was clear that they’d built this game up into their Super Bowl. Meanwhile for us, it would just be another game. With the 9ers being so much more invested in this game since March, it was easy to see them winning this game.
They more or less went silent once the season started. Until this last week or so. Once again they’re running their mouths. This time though, it’s a little different. Eagles players have shown some annoyance over that, with some clapping back essentially “Come onnnnnn, wit’ it!”
The Eagles are 10 – 1. Playing at home. On a hot streak defeating quality opponents, yet it’s us that gets labeled (in gambling) as the underdog vs an 8 – 3 team. So the Eagles may be feeling just a tad disrespected. And what better way to dismiss that feeling, than grinding an opponent like the 9ers, under our boot heel.
I expect a good old-fashioned street fight. I expect fighting. Maybe an ejection. I expect to lose a player for the season. (Whether it’s an Eagle or a 49er remains to be seen.) I expect my six pack of Pepto Bismol to still not do the job. This should be a a good one.
****
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 forFour Things Reviewed, and we’ll discuss how this game went.
While any idiot can say “Hey let’s sign every high-priced Free Agent on the market”. THE 12 focuses on what we can do with what we already have, to fix or improve our team.
INJURIES happen and football isn’t a safe sport. That said, maybe we shouldn’t have our top two WR’s, running lots of routes which take them inside the numbers painted on the field. While we can’t be skittish about playing them, routing them through S’s and LB’s, is a lot like dancing in front of tigers with handfuls of steak. Eventually it ends badly.
So let’s do less of that in 2023. I didn’t say let’s not do it, just do it less. I mean this especially about Brown, because he’s the one who does it more.
Taken as a pair, WRs A.J. Brown and Devonta Smith, not QB Jalen Hurts, are the straw that stirs the Eagles Offense. Defenses having to respect two full service receivers at all levels (shallow/intermediate/deep), is what opens up the field for the run game. Adding Hurts slows opposing defense’s reaction time vs the run, as they have to also account for him.
That’s not saying that Hurts is unimportant. It’s saying that he was a different QB before Brown got here, and we don’t have much depth at WR. Let me put it in plain English: If Brown goes down, WR Quez Watkins is the starter opposite Smith again. Like 2021 when we went 9 – 8, stumbled into the playoffs and were quickly dismissed, with our illiterate QB.
Now Hurts was clearly better in 2022, but I don’t want to find out that he’s largely “Brown dependent”. Better to keep Brown healthy, and the rest of the NFL scratching their heads over how Hurts got so good, so fast.
If we had more depth at WR, or if Quez hadn’t been a disaster in 2022, I wouldn’t be as worried about health at this position. However, knowing how and why the Eagles Offense works, I also understand how fast it can all unravel. So let’s be more careful with our top two WR’s.
While any idiot can say “Hey let’s sign every high-priced Free Agent on the market”. THE 12 focuses on what we can do with what we already have, to fix or improve our team.
SPORTS is great source for mixed metaphors. Yelling that a team should “work the body” (run more); or that they should “go to the upstairs” (throw it deep down the sideline); are two examples of football borrowing expressions from boxing. Well I’m borrowing yet another: We need to throw more uppercuts.
By this I mean, deep throws down the middle of the field. I’m comparing this kind of pass to an uppercut, because while it’s going to the upstairs, it’s taking a different route. Like an uppercut, it’s thrown behind the defense. If the defense can recover, the fight just goes on. However, if the uppercut lands, (if that deep pass connects), it can be a devastating blow.
A deep pass down the sideline often involves a CB and/or a FS with an angle, helping to run down the WR. A deep pass in the middle is usually against a FS. Look, usually a FS is a S, because he can’t run like a CB. If he also has no angle on the completed pass, then it’s just a footrace to the goal post. This is utterly devastating.
WR Quez Watkins rips the Vikings hearts out, during Monday Night Football, with this 53 yard score.
The Eagles have a couple of players who can make this into a real problem. First is WR Quez Watkins. The Eagles have used him like this on occasion, but I have no idea why they don’t abuse this as an option. He has blazing speed and and good enough hands to make uncontested catches. Throwing him open on a deep route needs to happen few times per game.
Second is WR Devon Allen. He’s an Olympic sprinter with 4..5 speed, who had a strong preseason last year, and spent 2022 on our Practice Squad. While WR Olamide Zacchaeus isn’t the burner the other two are, he has a talent for finding soft spots in the coverage, and making yards after the catch. Though at 5’8 he could be a difficult target to hit deep.
So we have the firepower to throw more uppercuts. The only question there is, will we?
LT Jordan Mailata comforts RB Miles Sanders after his fumble.
WE fumbled the game away
EAGLES 34 – Cowboys 40
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.
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:
One of TWO interception taken from WR Quez Watkins
1) Make their OLB’s Cover:They came out in a 4-2-5 alignment, moving OLB Micah Parsons (3 – 0 – 0 – 0) all around the formation to try and create a mismatch. While Minshew was under a fair amount of pressure during the game, Dallas collected no sacks all game long. We failed in this aspect, but we may gain a new tactic after this film study. (NOT DONE)
2) Punish the Blitz: Aside from a 21 yard pass to RBKenny Gainwell (4 – 1 7 – 4.2 – 0 – 0 / 4 – 4 – 41 – 10.2 – 0), at no point did we catch them over-exposed during a blitz. Also, more could have been done with play-action. (NOT DONE)
3) Take Away the Quick Stuff:Slot WR Ceedee Lamb (11 – 10 – 120 – 12.0 – 2) was immediately into his routes. The timing routes were so good, that their QB could have almost played with his eyes closed. (NOT DONE)
Sacks. Pick Sixes. DE Josh Sweat did it all.
4) Squeeze and Occupy the Gaps: Well executed. Cowboys RB’s ran for 74 yards on 25 carries (2.96ypc). This also opened up pass rush opportunities, leading to six sacks.(DONE)
****
Sadly, we rung up just 1 of the Four Things this week, but we’ll see this team again, soon. Having not taken care of business this week, we need to play another meaningful game next week vs the Saints. Which in all truth, may be the best thing for our playoff run.
****
On The Whole:
FIRST! That interception by Josh Sweat was a amazing. The last time I saw a play like that, I was making it at age 15. It was just street ball. No pads. I’ve never seen that play made in pads, and couldn’t believe it when I saw it. The degree of difficulty to make that play in pads… I need to give Sweat props, before going into the postmortem.
Two fumbles. One by RB Miles Sanders where he simply lost the handle; and an inexplicable one by RB Boston Scott (0 – 0 – 0.0 – 0 – 1) where he took a handoff and for whatever reason never closed his arms over the ball. Worse was WR Quez Watkins(5 – 1 – 19 – 19.0 – 0) giving up two interceptions by letting the defender take the ball out of his hands.
Don’t tell me how competitive each man on the team is, when I see a lack of hunger this pronounced. Next season it might be wise to distill Watkins, RB Boston Scott, and KR Britain Covey’s roster spots into a back-up WR or RB, who has college KR experience. Our third round pick should be a GREAT place to find that player.
Aside from the four turnovers, there was the 3rd and 30 that we allowed the Cowboys to convert. While everyone else is harping on the coverage, the real problem was the lack of pressure that allowed the clean look, on a pin-point pass, delivered with follow through. Just a four man rush on 3rd and 30? It was clear that was the plan pre-snap, so I was in my living room screaming for five. Screaming! So the catch wasn’t surprising.
Overall, I didn’t see anything that worries me for the rubber match in a few weeks. Do I see us forcing just one punt, and giving the ball away four times, again? Not at all. I also don’t see us holding their RB’s to 74 yards, but the tactic for playing them will jump off any game tape. A six point loss, with four turnovers, playing with our back-up QB? Plenty of confidence for when we see them next.
BEATING the Colts last week was the sort of gritty, character building exercise, which will serve the Eagles well down the stretch. We took a jab to the chin, but shook off the cobwebs, then fought off both the Colts and the referees. (I’ve been refraining from making an issue of the officiating, but it’s getting ridiculous.)
Offensive Coordinator Shane Steichenneeds to get his head out of his ass, and start involving RB Miles Sandersfrom start to finish. Running is this Offense’s identity. When we get away from that, it makes life easier to opponents. The Packers have given up 25+ points in five games this season. We need to help them allow a sixth.
A win gives us 10! That of course would make us 10 – 1, keeping us at the head of the NFC East, and entire NFC itself. We are currently in 100% control of our own outcome.
A loss would stall us out at 9 – 2, but we’d still be at the head of the division, and the conference. Even though we’d be tied at 9 – 2 with Minnesota, our head to head victory over them, gives us the outright tie-breaker.
****
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: Packers.
1) Hit Their Quarterback:Aaron Rodgers is playing with a broken thumb on his passing hand. It has already led to some of his routine passes getting away from him, or coming out without their typical spins. We need to get hits, not just heat on him. We need to repeatedly introduce his body to the Earth.
This isn’t about hurting his thumb. It’s for getting inside his head. He can be made to emotionally check out of games; and I can’t think of faster way to make that happen, than to beat him up when he’s injured. Also, when trying to protect himself, if his feet aren’t set, it just magnifies the ball delivery issue he’s having.
2) Miles of Screens: The Packers are another 3 – 4 team, that’s actually more of a 5 – 2. Also their best pass rusher is on I.R., with a rookie replacing him. Normally I would say “Run the Kerrigan Plan” and run up the score. However, with TE Dallas Goederton I.R., we have yet to see a back-up TE emerge, who can be the tip of the spear.
Instead of trying to force back-ups to be heroes, we should throw a few Screens to RB Miles Sanders. I said to RB Miles Sanders. Not WR A.J. Brown. Not RB Boston Scott. Let our WR’s keep the defense spread, then throw the ball to a player who can break a tackle. Make the Packers take a pass rusher off the field, to be able to cover us.
3) Wrap It Up, B!:We only have one loss. So teams are still trying to figure out the formula, or the blueprint…, incantation(?) for beating us. The best guess they have now, is still “Run the ball a ton, and control the clock”. The thinking now is that the Washington made it work, but Indianapolis couldn’t keep making it work.
We’re going to see that approach until we’ve made it abundantly clear that Washington was a fluke. Our Defense has shown that they know where their run fits are. The entire issue is tackling. Once we started doing a better job of that last week, Indianapolis’s run game dried up. We’ll need a second week of that.
4) Deep Down the Middle: Over the last three weeks WR Quez Watkins has seen more attempts to get him involved in the Offense. That could pay dividends this week. The Packers have a pair of good Corners, so the middle is probably the easiest place to attack going deep. (Though CB Rasul Douglas has trouble with real speed.)
Playing a virtual 5 – 2, the Packers hurt their pass rush every time they take away an “OLB” to play a Nickel or a Dime. This what they’d have to do to cover Watkins (or Sanders in the Screen game). Covering Watkins with a starting S leaves either WR A.J. Brown, or WR Devonta Smithwith a one on one match-up.
So it’s pick your poison. They can hurt their pass rush to play Nickel/Dime. OR they can consistently create a one on one. OR they can try to cover Watkins with a 270 pound LB, which would be the same as not covering him at all. Wait. It doesn’t have to be Watkins. Just get the ball deep to WHOMEVER lines up in the Slot. Hows that?
****
If the Eagles do these Four Things, then we’ll be virtually impossible to beat. That being said…
I can’t tell you the last time I saw a 9 – 1 team get less buzz.
While I have never put stock in Power Rankings, it does feel nice when I see the Eagles atop the list. Wednesday night the NFL had us at #2. Behind the 8 – 2 Chiefs.
Right now, the blueprint for beating us, mentions running the ball and keeping our Offense off the field. It does NOT mention how that formula also required THREE turnovers (one of which was bullshit), to produce a five point lead, which was in jeopardy until the final play of the game. Glazed right on over that.
The consensus is that we haven’t played anybody. Until somebody else beats a team that we beat. Then suddenly, that team that we beat is good, and we get a sort of grudging acknowledgement (not respect), for having beaten them first.
If the NFL treated us and promoted us like they do a few other teams, we’d have grown less hungry, and we’d be 7 – 3 or 6 – 4 today. Keep it up, dumbasses! I might just have to buy stock in dog masks.
And lo’ ! Down in the valley slept the Packers (and the remainder of our schedule), unaware that the disrespect that has been snowballing, is about to trigger an avalanche.
****
Prediction: EAGLES 27 – Packers 18
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.
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.
Drive Killer : (S) MLB T.J. Edwards (0 – 1 – 0 – 0 – 0)
Sack Leader : (S) DE Brandon Graham (3 – 1.0 – 0 – 0)
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: Colts did the Eagles actually get around to doing? Well let’s see:
QB Jalen Hurts with THE DAGGER!
1) Run the Ball: I established at the beginning of the season that “Run the ball” means “hand it off”. That has to be clarified with a QB like Hurts. His running isn’t always a called run by the coaching staff. In fact, it rarely is. So our commitment to running can’t be determined by his carries, regardless of how many he has in a game.
That said, Hurts carried the ball 16 times today. The three RB’s on the roster combined for just 17. Starting RB Miles Sanders(13 – 47 – 3.6 – 0 – 0) had all of 5 carries in the first half, and was frequently subbed out for lesser players, who keep proving that. We made our bones running the ball. It’s our identity. Getting away from it is the primary reason why it keeps looking like the Eagles have forgotten how to play offense. (NOT DONE)
2) Drop’em!: Little bit of irony on this one, but we’ll take it. Our Defense had a bad opening drive, where the Colts rushed for 50 yards, on a 75 yard drive for their touchdown. Singular. They ran for 99 yards on the day, again with 50 of it on that first drive.
We got punched in the face, tightened our chinstraps, and went back in. Face first. You see the final score, right? We put players down and weren’t having all that pile pushing nonsense. At one point the Colts thought they had a pile moving, but we held the ball carrier up and FS Marcus Epps (5 – 0 – 0 – 0) clawed the ball out of his hand, and Edwards recovered. But we didn’t spend the game doing that! (DONE)
WR Quez Watkins goes in for six!
3) Open up the Passing Game:Without TE Dallas Goedert here to catch half a dozen TE Screens, the ball had to be distributed differently this week. That 22 yard TD to WR Quez Watkins (2 – 2 – 31 – 15.5 – 1), across the deep middle was exactly the sort of attempt that we need to see on a weekly.
Better still Smith, wasn’t running a bunch of six yard routes, which helped create room for Hurts to take off. Shallow routes stymie the run game by keeping defenders close to the line of scrimmage. Run those turkeys off! We did a great job of that this week with the route running alone. The completions were icing on the cake. (DONE)
4) Get Heat On Matty Ice: We got 4 sacks on him, but we really didn’t seem to rattle him much. The ball was where it needed to be, when it needed to be there. Honestly, to look at him, to look at his eyes (check it out if you catch a re-broadcast), I don’t think there was much we could have done to rattle him.
I think his benching a couple weeks ago, shook him harder than any sack ever could. As a former player, I should have taken that into consideration. Calling for us to rattle him, was a lost cause in the first place. Like frequent reader Andrea, he’s an Exton product. We were never going to shake him. (NOT DONE)
****
This week we got 2 of the Four Things, and walked out of Indy with a GUARANTEED WINNING RECORD for the 2022 season. Now we get to “welcome” Green Bay to the Linc, in prime-time, to see if they want to contribute to our pile of W’s.
****
On The Whole:
DE Brandon Graham checks for bullshit flags.
ONCE AGAIN, THE NFL’S NUMBER ONE TEAM, AT 9 – 1!
How ‘bout them Cowboys! Doing something useful for a change, and dropping Minnesota to 8 – 2, for us. That gives us not only the head-to-head tie-breaker over Minny, but a one game margin of error at the head of the Conference.
New York being literally run over for an ‘L’ of their own, makes them and Dallas both 7 – 3, and gives us a TWO game margin of error in the Division. This means rooting for the giants to beat the Cowboys on Turkey Day, to ruin a Dallas sweep and dampen any tie-breaker advantage. Big picture, folks!
Now back to THIS game itself!
DT’s Ndamukong Suh and Linval Joseph combine for a sack in their first game as Eagles.
First of all, hats off to Defensive Line Coach Tracy Rockerfor integrating DT’s Ndamukong Suh (2 – 0.5 – 0 – 0) and Linval Joseph (4 – 0.5 – 0 – 0) in less than a week. Hell, Joseph even started this game. We gave up 152 rushing yards on Monday. We gave up just 99 six days later.
But enough handjobs and high-fives. I have few serious gripes. There was entirely too much of the Eagles trying to be cute, and giving carries to a couple of RB’s who don’t break tackles. Hurts picked up a game deciding first down on 4th and 2, late in the 4th quarter, but the handoff to RB Boston Scott (2 – 4 – 2.0 – 0 – 0) on the prior 3rd and 4, was a bad call. That’s a down for a franchise QB, not a back-up RB.
Also on Hurts fumble, why was Sanders blocking DE Yannick Ngakoue (3 – 1.5 – 0 – 0) one-on one? On a down like that either a better protecting need to be called or Hurts has to get that ball out of his hand immediately.
WE’VE been told that WR Quez Watkins is going to be working in the Slot, a lot more this year. In an earlier article, I said that we should use Watkins and RB Kenneth Gainwellas a one-two punch in the Slot. Picture it: We pound teams with 12 Personnel, then we make them chase either raw speed, or short area shiftiness. Nasty! Just plain nasty!
When the Eagles won the Super Bowl following the 2017 season, they did it behind WR Torrey Smith taking the top off of defenses, and allowing room for TE Zach Ertz to work underneath. Having to keep a Safety over Ertz, made it easier to get balls downfield, into WR Alshon Jeffrey’s insane catch radius. Having to cover all of that, is what opened up the room for the run game to pile up 2115 yards (132 ypg).
For the next couple of years, the Eagles tried to replicate that formula, first replacing Smith with WR Mike Wallace (2018), who was hurt two games into the season; and then re-uniting with WR DeSean Jackson (2019), who was hurt three games into the season. (Note: It’s not that the formula didn’t work, it’s that we didn’t have the horses to run it.)
Well, now we have a new formula, and I personally LOVE it! I’ve been saying since DJax was here, that we should put our burner in the Slot, not on the Outside. This one move does more than the old formula does, and it does it much more simply.
Watkins in the Slot running “Go” and clear-out routes right down the middle, means that a defense in Single-high coverage, can offer no help to their CB’s. That frequently puts WR Devonta Smith and WR A.J. Brown in one-on-one coverage, on opposite sides of the field. Imagine a CB alone in space with Brown, after the catch. Damned near animal cruelty, right?
Watkins in the Slot running “Go” and clear-out routes right down the middle, means that a defense in Cover Two, has to squeeze the Safeties together, instead of letting them drift out to help the CB’s. (See above result.) This means committing extra resources to coverage. So now instead of four back deep, they have five back deep.
Five back deep, means a six man front. It means they’re in Nickel. Ladies and gentlemen, have you met our run game? Give a hand to RB Miles Sanders! And playing the part of Charlie Mack, I give you LT Jordan Mailata, and LG Landon Dickerson!
First out da limo.
Oh wait! We haven’t even started on TE Dallas Goedert on 15 yard Outs, after play-action. Watkins in the Slot will also force teams to declare more coverages, making pre-snap reads easier for QB Jalen Hurts. (This is where spreading the Offense really gets it’s mojo workin’.) All of which is done easily with Watkins being a speed merchant.
I hear you ask: How dangerous can a speed merchant really be? I mentioned Torrey Smith earlier. In 2017 he played in all 16 games, catching just 36 balls for 430 yards (11.9) and just 2 TD’s. Small numbers, right? However, it was his presence that made him the catalyst for the entire Offense. The loss of that, was 75% of why the Eagles looked so disjointed in 2018 and 2019.
Folks, people are predicting us to win the East, but I… I might already be looking past that. I’m telling you, if Hurts can read defenses better in 2022, the entire NFC (not just the East), is on notice. Rams, Bucs, Green Bay AT Lambeau. All of that. We want ALL the smoke.
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 Watkinswill 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.
DT Ty Robinson from 2025
WR Quez Watkins scores in 2022
