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FOUR THINGS REVIEWED – WK13 – DOLPHINS

Posted by The BEAST on 2019/12/03
Posted in: Coaching, Defense, Four Things, Offense, Players, Reviews, Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

(Disclaimer: I did not see the 4th quarter. I was stuck on 676, and then the 30th Street Station exit, trying to get a loved one to their bus back to D.C. )

DISCLAIMER aside, I saw quite enough during the three quarters that I did see. I saw a Defense that still can’t cover legit deep threats. I saw a Defense that still doesn’t think it needs to make adjustments. I saw our Defense get SHELLED by two players essentially playing catch all day.

There was a point this year, where we won games if the Offense could score 30+ points. Now we’re at a point where even 31 points isn’t enough against a team like the Dolphins. The longer DC Jim Schwartz is in Philadelphia, the further we will get from ever seeing another deep playoff run.

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This is what happens when you don’t re-route a WR early in the play.

Eagles 31 – Dolphins 37

I don’t want to hear people blaming QB Carson Wentz (28/46 – 60.8% – 310 – 3 – 1) for this mess. He was by no means awesome, but he was the main reason we scored 31 points. WR’s Alshon Jeffery (9 – 137 – 15.2 – 1) and Nelson Agholor (3 – 41 – 13.6 – 0) did what was expected of them and reminded us of what we’ve lacked, for the last two weeks.

We also got a solid effort from RB Miles Sanders (17 – 83 – 4.8 – 0 – 0 / 5 – 22 – 4.4 – 1) who had a very Brian Westbrook sort of day. He was productive both with and without the football. However, you could still feel the absence of RB Jordan Howard. We haven’t won since he left the line-up.

The Defense thinking that the game opening interception was enough, packed up and went to the beach after the opening drive. Jim Schwartz wasn’t so much out-coached, as he was more shown that his scheme is an obsolete, propped up gimmick, that even bad teams can beat, because it’s more philosophy than well thought out concept.

I hear you asking, “What about all the stuff that stats don’t reveal?” Well, that’s the reason for these “Four Things” articles. We introduce an idea of what needs addressing BEFORE the game, so that fans have to honestly answer questions about those things, AFTER the game. This helps to get us, and keep us, all on the same page.

So, of the Four Things we were looking for in this last game, what exactly did we see?

2019 Alshon Jeffery scores miami.jpg

Alshon wills his way into the endzone. We need him back in 2020. 

1) Show up and show out: The Offense showed up. Alshon reminded people that when he’s not gimpy, he’s still very much a problem. Agholor showed us a little of what he can do with the ball in his hands. Sanders displayed a promising amount of poise and stability for this Offense today. My hat is off to those guys and those efforts.
By and large though, everyone else either did their job merely adequately, or didn’t show up at all. (NOT DONE)

2) Shut down the pass: HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!! (NOT DONE)

3) Show ‘em something new: Wentz threw a checkdown TD, and the staff got him out on more bootlegs this week. Aside from that, we more or less ran the same stuff we always run. (NOT DONE)

4) 1-2-3 THROW!: Wentz didn’t hold the ball too long for the most part. I was most impressed by an early throw to WR JJ Arcega-Whiteside (1 – 15 – 15.0 – 1) that fell incomplete because JJAW didn’t get open soon enough. Wentz put the ball on him anyway, and that sort of said to the kid “Get your ass open early.” (DONE)

That brings our Four Things score for the week to 1 of 4, and the yearly tally to 23 of 48. Next week the giants visit the Linc, and I can’t wait to see what sort of weird, trick play, touchdown we get beat for in that one! (My money is on a Sweep and lateral to the Center.)

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World’s. Easiest. Touchdown.

On The Whole:

Let’s not insult our own intelligence on this. There is no way a team like the Dolphins should score 37 points. Anyone looking beyond that, is trying to ignore a fire in their lap.

The Eagles lost because our Defense can’t stop the pass. Not couldn’t, as in “just this game”. Can’t, as in “this has been an ongoing problem for three years now”.

I keep writing paragraphs and cutting them out, because they’re less about this game and more about the over-arching problem here. I’m left stunned that the problem was so simple, and yet no one could figure out a way to counter it.

FOUR THINGS REVIEWED – WK12 – SEAHAWKS

Posted by The BEAST on 2019/11/25
Posted in: Coaching, Conversations, Defense, Four Things, Offense, playoffs, Reviews, stats. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

2019 wentz sack sea2.jpg

THIS was yet another weird one. We did most of the Four Things, and still lost badly. Make no mistake, this was a bad loss. The score was close, but the game never felt like it was.

There are going to be people who want to blame our QB. If you want to do that, stop reading NOW. This article will discuss what actually happened in this game. There will be no knee-jerk over-emotionalizing,or revisionist history here. I want to see my team improve. I never look to shit on them, just because a loss was frustrating.

Eagles 9 – Seahawks 17

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This wasn’t a good game by QB Carson Wentz (33/45 – 73.3% – 256 – 1 – 2). That said, his two most reliable WR’s today, were WR Greg Ward (6 – 40 – 6.6 – 0) and WR Jordan Matthews (3 – 27 – 9.0 – 0). So let’s not pretend Wentz is somehow an awful QB all of a sudden.

2019 Greg Ward.jpg

Last week Ward was on the Practice Squad, and three weeks ago Matthews was home on his couch, watching the Eagles. Well Matthews started today. Yeah, you heard me. Started. Only the world’s most ignorant fan looks at that sentence and says “So?” Everyone else gets that timing has to be ironed out, and the playbook still needs to be digested.

While Wentz was off target a few times today, so was QB Russell Wilson (13/25 – 52.0% – 200 – 1 – 1), as the gusting wind affected both passers, costing each team a possible TD. The biggest difference between the two, was that Wentz lost two fumbles to Wilson’s one. Wentz was also credited with a fumble that hit RB Miles Sanders (12 – 63 – 5.2 – 0 – 0) directly in the bread basket.

The Defense was stellar yet again. We collected 6 sacks on Wilson

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and for most of the game, it took a trick play to yield the game’s only TD. SS Malcolm Jenkins (2 – 2.0 – 0 – 0) and FS Rod McLeod (3 – 1.0 – 1 – 1) , both nabbed sacks. McLeod also added a forced fumble and a pick.

I hear you asking, “What about all the stuff that stats don’t reveal?” Well, that’s the reason for these “Four Things” articles. We introduce an idea of what needs addressing BEFORE the game, so that fans have to honestly answer questions about those things, AFTER the game. This helps to get us, and keep us, all on the same page.

So, of the Four Things we were looking for in this last game, what exactly did we see?

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1) Hit QB Russell Wilson: We got 6 sacks of this guy. WOW. Didn’t see that coming. However, since we got back CB Jalen Mills (5 – 0 – 0 – 0) DC Jim Schwartz has been letting our CB’s play a lot more physically. (Makes you almost wonder what could have been if that were the case back before the Offense was injured.) In any case we hit Wilson and combined with the wind, forced him into a pretty pedestrian day. (DONE)

2) Stay in-line: Rookie LEFT TACKLE Andre Dillard was pressed into starting at RT and naturally struggled. Even with TE help. Eventually he was benched in favor of OT Halapoulivaati Vaitai, who should have gotten this weeks reps and started, in the first place.
In any case, we gave a lot of TE help to the RT position. Even played some Jumbo package. The notion that Vaitai couldn’t block long enough to sell Screens passes, tells you how badly we missed RT Lane Johnson (concussion). Still, we did consistently provide the help (DONE)

3) Use play-action to create space: We did plenty of this in the first half. We did almost none once the score was 17 – 3 , but who would we have been fooling? When the game was in contention, we stuck with play-action pretty well.

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I wasn’t a fan of the routes selected in the play-calling. TE Zach Ertz (12 – 91 – 7.5 – 1) was often double and even triple covered. It seemed to me that there should have been a few Slant and Sluggo routes dialed up in the second half. If only to take advantage of the spacing, or shake them out of those doubles. (DONE)

4) Don’t clutch Agholor: We didn’t lean on WR Nelson Agholor on third and fourth down this week. Which is good since he wasn’t in uniform this week. This game allowed him to either sit back and beat himself up over his drops, or gives him a bird’s-eye view that the problems in this Offense, and at his position, are not just him.

We have to get him out of his head a little bit. He almost certainly won’t be back in 2020, but for the remainder of 2019, he IS here. He IS an Eagle. So we need him up and functional, if we’re serious about a playoff push. (NOT APPLICABLE)

This week’s Four Things score is 3 for 4, bringing our season total to 22 of 44. The good news is, fundamentally we were pointed in the right direction. The bad news is, we simply haven’t had the weapons. Tough break, but it is what it is. With a little luck we’ll better armed, and will keep our vision next week against the Dolphins.

On The Whole:

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There were a few things that irritated me about this game. One of which was the previously mentioned lack of adjustments off of Ertz being covered by sometimes three Seahawks players. Why was no one else open? And why did it take so long or Wentz to throw a ball down the sideline to a WR (Arcega-Whiteside)?

There were also instances of guys just standing around. On one play, both of our TE’s lined up on the right, ran short routes right near each other (ugh), and then they just sort of…stopped. No scramble drill, no extending the route. They just mostly stood there. Like they were waiting for a bus! Another was a run by Miles Sanders that saw Arcega-Whiteside standing and watching him be tackled by three Seahawks. No block. No pushing the pile. Just spectating.

This isn’t just one guy. A pervasive lack of effort speaks to a coaching issue. It speaks to why C Jason Kelce has become so inconsistent. It speaks to why it took back-up G Matt Tobin to finally get a block that put a man on his ass. (It speaks to why Agholor didn’t lay out for a pass a few weeks ago.) It speaks to why Wentz feels like he has to do it all on his own.

This game had a lot to do with not having weapons, but there are also a few things that need to be tidied up, if we’re going to make any noise in the playoffs.

WHHHHHA??? Did I just predict this loss, and still say playoffs? challenge_accepted

Yes. I did. Stay tuned. Stay dialed in. See you back here, soon.

FOUR THINGS REVIEWED – WK 11 – PATRIOTS

Posted by The BEAST on 2019/11/18
Posted in: Coaching, Conversations, Defense, Four Things, Front Office (F.O.), NFC East, Offense, Players, Reviews, stats. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

WINNING this game would have been a huge emotional boost to the roster. That said, let’s not pretend that this 7 point loss to the Patriots, is somehow a mark of shame.

Our #1 RB and #1 WR were both on the shelf this week. Our #2 WR is on IR. We signed two former Eagles off of their couches this week. And still we had a shot on the final drive.

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Eagles 10 – Patriots 17

First and foremost, we need to tip our caps to DC Jim Schwartz for calling a hell of game. There were actual downs when we played some man press. I almost cried. The result was holding a well oiled offense to 17 points. Here’s hoping that this weeks lessons are remembered next week.

Our WR’s caught 6 of 17 targets, although most of the incompletions to WR Jordan Matthews (1 – 6 – 6.0 – 0) were the result of QB Carson Wentz (20/40 – 214 – 50.0 – 1 – 0) sailing the ball too tall towards the sideline. Seems like someone was missing their Alshon. Speaking of Alshon, Wentz threw TE Zach Ertz (9 – 94 – 10.4 – 0) 11 passes. Over a quarter of his attempts, for nearly half of his completions. 

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Wentz did hit TE Dallas Goedert (3 – 36 – 12.0 – 1) with an absolute laser, for a 5 yard score to cap a 95 yard 1st quarter drive. Other than that drive, we spent the day dead in the water on Offense. Rookie RB Miles Sanders (11 – 38 – 3.4 – 0 – 0), teamed with reserve RB Boston Scott (7 – 26 – 3.7 – 0 – 0) to produce all of 64 yards on 18 handoffs (3.5ypc). RB Jay Ajayi never sniffed the field.

Wentz was sacked either five or five hundred times. It seemed when the protection wasn’t breaking down on him, he held the ball like a WR was supposed to walk up and ask him for it. (Maybe that would have worked better than them running routes.)

I hear you asking, “What about all the stuff that stats don’t reveal?” Well, that’s the reason for these “Four Things” articles. We introduce an idea of what needs addressing BEFORE the game, so that fans have to honestly answer questions about those things, AFTER the game. This helps to get us, and keep us, all on the same page.

So, of the Four Things we were looking for in this last game, what exactly did we see?

1) Use play-action bootlegs: Yeah, there was no attempt at this one. Head Coach Doug Pederson seemed to leave a lot of meat on the bone coaching this week, and this is one such aspect. Especially after LT Jason Peters had to exit the game. The scheme seemed to call for Carson to hang in the pocket like a side of beef. Here in Philly there’s an image that goes with that.

rocky punching beef.jpg

(NOT DONE)

2) Get Brady to moonwalk: We did a brilliant job of this in the first half, and for most of the third quarter. Brady pretty much couldn’t step into his throws, and it forced them into resorting to a trick play for their only touchdown. (DONE)

3) Pry that clam open: We attacked the FS on the opening play of the game and attacked that area on the Goedert score. Otherwise we mostly threw Crossers, Outs and Curls. There wasn’t much challenging the Patriots downfield on the inside. Weird because that’s where you’d expect to see Jordan Matthews and the TE’s making their money this week. (NOT DONE)

4) Take care of the ball: Wentz lost the ball on a sack-fumble, but given the number of hits on him, especially after losing both OT’s, we did a decent job of protecting the ball. (DONE)

This week’s Four Things score is 2 of 4, bringing the season total to 19 of 40. We’ll need to be sharper than that vs a Seattle team that has had our number since Russell Wilson was drafted there.

On The Whole:

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Wentz at the presser, somehow not pleading for help.

Offensively we were a nightmare. When I put Four Things out last Wednesday, WR Alshon Jeffery and RB Jordan Howard had not yet been ruled out. While that list was compiled with them in mind, it wasn’t dependent on them. That said, I have no doubt that if one one or both of those players had played, it would have changed the end result.

While you may see me as the eternal optimist, I can’t help but point out three obvious and irrefutable truths here:

1) This may be a bad team from a personnel standpoint, but they are still a good team as far as sticking together. (i.e. not throwing each other under the bus.)

2) The Front Office is pushing for results, and thus setting a tone downstream.

3) The Eagles are still in the hunt for the division crown.

grabz

 

FOUR THINGS REVIEWED – WK 9 – BEARS

Posted by The BEAST on 2019/11/04
Posted in: Coaching, Conversations, Defense, Four Things, NFL, Offense, Players, Reviews, stats. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

FRUSTRATION. That word kept being applied to the Bears defensive players today, whenever they committed a bone-head penalty. However, the word just as easily could have been used to describe what it was like to see drive after Eagles drive, stall due to spotty play selection in the red zone.

To be honest, this game wasn’t nearly as close as the score, and should have been a blowout before half-time. While it’s impossible to ignore the issues that will be magnified over the next month, or the time being we have a couple days to appreciate being over .500 for at least a week.

Let’s enjoy it for a bit.

2019 Special Teams Bears muff

EAGLES 22 – Bears 14

The one-two punch of RB Jordan Howard (19 – 82 – 4.3 – 1 – 0) and RB Miles Sanders (10 – 42 – 4.2 – 0 – 0 / 3 – 31 – 10.3 – 0) was once again the engine that drove this team. While QB Carson Wentz (26/39 – 66.6% – 239 – 1 – 0) did have a nice day playing catch with TE Zach Ertz (9 – 103 – 11.4 – 1), he’s going to remain handcuffed until we get genuine #1 WR on this team.

New addition DE Genard Avery (1 – 0.5 – 0 – 0) came in and made his presence known. The coming Bye week gives him a chance to study, and get a better grasp of the scheme, before anyone gets much tape of him in it. Could be interesting. DE Brandon Graham (2 – 1 – 0 – 0) continues to find his way to the QB. He was aided today by a lot of early press coverage on the edges. The entire rush was aided by it actually.

2019 Eagles Bear trap.jpeg

Seemed like this would be a game that we could get a couple of turnovers in, but we didn’t force one all game. You know the word “comforting”? Yeah, this the opposite of that.

I hear you asking, “What about all the stuff that stats don’t reveal?” Well, that’s the reason for these “Four Things” articles. We introduce an idea of what needs addressing BEFORE the game, so that fans have to honestly answer questions about those things, AFTER the game. This helps to get us, and keep us, all on the same page.

So, of the Four Things we were looking for in this last game, what exactly did we see?

1) Make OLB Mack a liability: We didn’t really do this. They flip-flopped DE Khalil Mack (4 – 0 – 0 – 0) to try and get him some good looks, but he spent this game largely being negated. That in itself is a great thing since most of his match-ups were one-on-one. What sucks is that we didn’t punish him for being good at something. We didn’t capitalize on him. While what we did was still great, we didn’t do the thing written, so… (NOT DONE)

2) Steal their crutches: We spent an entire game doing this successfully. It wasn’t until we gave them another option, that they gained the slightest bit of life. (DONE)

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NT Eddie Goldman sacks QB Carson Wentz on opening drive. C Jason Kelce strolls over as the play unfolds.

3) Mix it up: We did a really good job of this in the first half. The second half, not so much. That first drive was awesome, until our interior Offensive line caved, and allowed Wentz to be sacked by NT Eddie Goldman (2 – 1 – 0 – 0). Later we would also give up one to DT Nick Williams (2 – 1 – 0 – 0). Then again, I just said in this year’s second Quarterly Review, that our interior has issues with pass pro. No one else is talking about that though. (DONE)

4) Toss them an anchor: Instead of tossing the Bears an anchor, we gave them a Zero Coverage look, which allowed even their QB, to hit a receiver for a 53 yard gain, which set up a very short TD. Prior to that, it was 19 – 0 and the Bears were reeling. Had they turned the ball over or allowed another score of any kind, the team would have folded like origami. We have got to find a player to inspire some form of emotional killer instinct. (NOT DONE)

So for this week, heading into our Bye, we break even at 2 of 4 things in Four Things. That brings us to a mark of 17 of 36 (.472) for the year.

I don’t set these tasks at higher than basic, and I tailor them to each opponent. So these grades are fair. They are by their very design, timely, unbiased, and stark. Despite having a 5- 4 record, a sub .500 Four Thing score, indicates that we aren’t doing basic things, and thus are a fundamentally bad team.

As things stand today, we do not deserve a playoff appearance. Here’s hoping that we get this turned around.

On The Whole:

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For a second week in a row, we leaned on Jordan Howard and walked off with the ‘W’. We played some press coverage, and saw our Defensive Line cash in for 2.5 sacks.

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Carson Wentz ignored the voice of Guy Fawkes, and targeted Zach Ertz 11 times. Ertz made plays when his number was called. No WR came close to his production.

Speaking of which, the WR issue has gotten terrifying. Alshon hasn’t looked right since he came back from injury. Frankly, given how much attention he sees, with no other WR threat to cover, I’m amazed that he’s produced much at all. But that’s a discussion for another day. Like tomorrow. The article is already written.

2019 SEASON REVIEW: SECOND QUARTER

Posted by The BEAST on 2019/11/02
Posted in: Conversations, Defense, Four Things, free agents, Offense, Players, Reviews, Roster, Special Teams, Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , . 1 Comment

SEASON Reviews are usually done at the end of the season. (Duh, right?) A few are done at the halfway mark, and/or at the end. Starting in 2017, Eaglemaniacal.com began treating the season like a game, and breaking it into four quarters. Since football is a hard sport, we’ll take a hard look at where our team stands at the moment (in relation to where it started), and where it needs to go next.

STATUS: 4 – 4, 1 – 1 division, 2 – 4 conference, 2nd in the NFC East

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OPPONENTS:

W: New York Jets (1 – 6)

L: Minnesota Vikings (6 – 2)

L: Dallas Cowboys (4 – 3)

W: Buffalo Bills (5 – 2)

Combined: 16 – 13

OVERVIEW:

The Mission for this quarter was to suck less against the pass. Despite the prison shower scene that was the Vikings game, the Eagles moved from 32nd in the NFL, allowing 328 passing yards per game; to 20th, allowing 256. Not great, but still a marked improvement.

Injuries continue to be a major factor, as not only are they numerous, but every one of them seems severe. This has led to serious issues with communication and continuity.

GRADES: (These are not seasonal grades. They are grades for just these last FOUR games.)

QB: (A) Carson Wentz.

2019 Wentz is a gunslingerThere is a lot of blame to go around regarding this teams struggles, but NONE of it belongs to Wentz. Over the last 4 games he has improved his completion percentage and yards per pass. This is despite only having one WR to throw to. (This isn’t to undercut the TE position, but WR’s open up a defense, and Wentz is dealing with a stunted field every week.) In only one of the last four games has he reached 200 yards passing, but over the last three he’s run for 70. He hasn’t been remotely flashy, but he’s been more than most could hope for given his lack of tools.

RB: (B) The Eagles coaching staff learned in the first quarter, that rookie Miles Sanders is a better potato than a steak. Thus they began featuring Jordan Howard instead. Smart move. Feeding him early has proven good for our win column. Howard just had the team’s first game with 20 or more carries, since week 10 of last season. Sanders is coming into his own as a receiver, which will now allow for formations that put both backs on the field at the same time, and make audibles nearly terrifying for a defense. Boston Scott was added to the roster Week 6, after Corey Clement went on IR. Scott came in showing some wiggle, but has seemed less and less effective with each passing week. Darren Sproles has missed three of the last four games, but will be back to kick-off our second half of the season, this week. This position has been very productive with the ball, and needs to see it more

TE: (A) This position has improved in yardage, yards per catch, and touchdowns. Zach Ertz’s Bing Crosby, used to be a fine solo act, but Dallas Goedert’s Danny Kaye has proven to be a perfect complement. Though Ertz caught fewer balls in Q2, the position is seeing steady usage, with 28 catches in Q1, and 26 in Q2. Both players have seen their average yards per catch improve from Q1 to Q2. Ertz went from 10.6 to 13.0, and Goedert went from 8.0 to 10.7. This one-two punch has managed to help keep the passing game afloat, despite working in more crowded space than they should be.

WR: (D) If not for Alshon Jeffrey, this grade would be a bloody‘F’ served cold, with a side of spittle flecked profanity. No regular words. Just profanity strung end to end for roughly a paragraph.

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Jeffery has in these last four games, caught 22 balls for 230 yards (10.4ypc) and 1 TD. Those numbers seem meager until you realize, he’s done that while teams could key on him as our only outside threat. Put in perspective, during that same span, the other three active players at this position have combined for 11 catches for 93 yards (8.4ypc), and zero scores. Oh yeah, and all of those numbers belong to Nelson Agholor. Mack Hollins and J.J. Arcega-Whiteside have so far been a waste of the coaching staff’s time. Even when given an opportunity, they seem afraid of it. Seriously, is there some reason why Greg Ward isn’t on the active roster?

OT: (B) Lane Johnson finally gave up a “sack” to Cowboys DE DeMarcus Lawrence, when Lawrence knocked a ball out of Wentz’s hand. It took ten games for Lawrence to get that “sack” and he still has yet to actually tackle our QB. Ten games equals five years. THAT is who Lane Johnson is. When Jason Peters is out there, he’s still Jason Peters. There’s a reason that announcers hardly ever breathe his name, without using the words “Hall of Fame” somewhere in the same sentence. The trouble is, he can’t stay healthy anymore. The edge simply askes to much of him now.

Which brings us to the real story of this section, rookie Andre Dillard. Dillard gave up a sack in his first start, but has otherwise looked far better than a rookie half a season into his pro career has any real right to. It’s clear that Dillard has learned as much as the bench can teach him. At this point the only way to improve him is to let him play. That’s no knock on Peters. In fact, a move inside might add a couple of years to his career. That might even let him someday retire, without ever suffering a serious decline in his game.

OG: (C) Gotta take some issue with this position. Isaac Seumalo and Brandon Brooks have been very good at opening holes in the run game, and aces at blocking for the QB Sneak. They have not been anywhere near as good when dealing with pass rushers in the “A” gaps. Wentz is frequently in more trouble from right ahead of him, than from the edges. Would it kill them to re-direct rushers outside, and give Wentz clear passing windows, or let him pick-up cheap rushing yardage? The lack of time n the pocket, is (to my thinking) also part of why our deep passing game has been a problem.

C: (D) Jason Kelce’s game has sort of gone into the tank since he became a new dad. It happens. It’s unavoidable. All his routines change. His sleep is affected. Possibly having arguments that spring from nowhere, when everything was great five minutes ago…

As a result, snaps are getting sprayed around, line adjustments to interior pressure are either being misread, miscalled or not called at all. And then there’s the getting run over. Fact is, he was also talking about retirement last year. His head is just not where it was three years ago. That’s a fact. (Which would explain the Eagles serious push at the position this offseason.)

DE: (C) In Q1 this position produced 30 tackles and 1 sack. In Q2 it produced 45 tackles and 10.5 sacks. Brandon Graham has led that charge with 19 tackles and 5 sacks, with at least 1 sack in three of Q2’s games. Derek Barnett added at least half a sack in three of the four games. Vinny Curry has piled up 10 tackles in Q2 as opposed to the 2 he had in Q1. This position is doing it’s best to pick up slack from a decimated interior line. The knocks on them are speed chasing down QB’s who escape the pocket and playing the edge too flat, instead of playing contain first. In truth, problem two may be causing problem one.

DT: (C) Fletcher Cox has been trying to play the role of two men. 17 tackles and 2.5 sacks in the last four games, while trying to be a teacher and emotional motivator. Hassan Ridgeway stepped up to fill the void left by Malik Jackson and Tim Jernigan, neither of whom played in Q2. Ridgeway added 6 tackles and 2 sacks in three games, before himself having to be put on IR.

OLB: (D) This grade is only this high because I’m listing Nate Gerry as Outside instead of Middle. He had one game as the starter in the middle, the other three games were on the outside. In two of the three games on the outside, Gerry has managed a splash play. (An interception for a TD in one game, and a sack in another.) Nigel Bradham was already having a lesser Q2, but then he missed the last two games with an injury. Kamu Grugier-Hill is a pretty good Special Teamer, but he can’t make an impact as a starter. When Bradham comes back, it should be he and Gerry who get the starting nod.

2019 Nate Gerry

MLB: (F) We cut the guy who started two of the last four games. Then we had Gerry start vs Dallas, and that went as well as picking a bar fight with Connor McGregor. Last game saw rookie T.J. Edwards record either 5 tackles or 3 tackles, depending on which NFL stat page you visit. Right after the game on Sunday, the box score had it at 1 tackle. In any case, it was an odd number, and he didn’t make any standout moments happen. Here’s hoping his game picks up.

S: (D) We sacrifice the ability to defend the pass, in order to more or less, lock down the run. As a result, this position is rarely even in a position to make a play on the ball, for us. Malcolm Jenkins has essentially become a Nickel LB with where he’s deployed, and his stats in Q2 (23 tackles, 2 passes defensed) back that up. Rod McLeod playing back deep, knocks down far more passes than Jenkins, right? McLeod has all of one pass defensed in Q2. It was his interception vs a Jets rookie who was greener than his helmet. Andrew Sendejo also had an interception in Q2. The talent is here. The biggest issue with this position, is how they are deployed.

CB: (D) Of 5 active roster players at this position, NONE of them has started more than three games in Q2. Injuries have decimated this position for the last two years. A lack of continuity, coupled with a bullshit system, have led to breakdowns in the Secondary that almost border on tragedy.

LS: (A) Nothing to complain (or rave) about.

P: (A) Cameron Johnston may be the best part of our Defense. 15 punts, 5 returns for all of 30 yards, in the last 4 games. These are all improvements over his Q1 numbers (14 punts, 6 returned for 47 yards).

2019 Eagles D.jpg

K: (A) Jake Elliott isn’t called on much, but when he is, he hits his kicks. 9/9 kicking Field Goals and 19/20 on extra points, with his miss being in a swirling Buffalo wind that even they had trouble kicking into.

PR/KR: (B) With the injury to Darren Sproles, Boston Scott has filled in and done a decent job with punts. Miles Sanders needs to get better at knowing when to take the easy 25.

KC: (C ) 20 kickoffs, 4 returns for 96 yards (24.0ypr). Not bad numbers, but nothing exciting.

SINCE LAST QUARTER:

Pass defense improved. Sack production has returned to the Defensive Line. We discovered our run game. Those are all actual improvements from Q1 to Q2.

MISSION FOR THIS QUARTER:

Cultivate a second WR. We need to lighten Alshon’s load and create more room inside for the run.

FOUR THINGS REVIEWED – WK8 – BILLS

Posted by The BEAST on 2019/10/27
Posted in: Coaching, Defense, Four Things, NFL, Offense, Players, playoffs, Reviews, stats. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

2019 Eagles Trunk

FOR anybody who thinks less of Head Coach Doug Pederson’s ability to call a game, since the departure of Frank Reich, I present for you, Doug’s hairy ass to kiss. It may take a couple of days before you see this said elsewhere, but Doug just put on one hell of a coaching exhibition.

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It’s one thing to be 3 – 4, and put together a game plan to beat a 5 – 1 home team. It’s quite another to have to totally adjust on the fly, due to weather conditions that favored that 5 – 1 home team, and still beat the hell out of them.

EAGLES 31 – Bills 13

Rookie RB Miles Sanders (3 – 74 – 24.6 – 1 – 0 / 3 – 44 – 14.6 – 0) ripped off a 65 yard touchdown run for his first ever rushing score. He also caught all three balls thrown to him. RB Jordan Howard (23 – 96 – 4.1 – 1 – 0) spent the game battering a stout defensive interior. This should leave little question around the NFL of how much damage we could do if we committed to the run, more often.

How you see the passing game will be determined by if you’re a “glass half-full” or “glass half-empty” type. While not posting awesome stats, QB Carson Wentz (12/24 – 70.8% – 172 – 1 – 0 / 8 – 35 – 4.3 – 0 – 0) was brutally effective this week. He was a stone-cold killer out there today.

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Defensively, DT Fletcher Cox (4 – 1.5 – 0 – 1) put the interior on his shoulders, and looked to terrorize early on. LB Nate Gerry (5 – 1 – 0 – 0) was moved outside where he was able to make an immediate impact on our defensive speed. The stat sheet won’t show the plays made by SS Malcolm Jenkins (5 – 0 – 0 – 0). Given how much heat he was under this week for comments (largely true) made by a former team mate, he needed a game like this.

I hear you asking, “What about all the stuff that stats don’t reveal?” Well, that’s the reason for these “Four Things” articles. We introduce an idea of what needs addressing BEFORE the game, so that fans have to honestly answer questions about those things, AFTER the game. This helps to get us, and keep us, all on the same page.

So, of the Four Things we were looking for in this last game, what exactly did we see?

1) Play sound Defense: With the exception of a couple of hits that should have been wrap ups by FS Rod McLeod (4 – 0 – 0 – 0) the Eagles played very solid football. Gone were the million swipes at a ball, instead of getting the man on the ground. Plays on the football in the air, were crisp. Edge containment in a four man rush remains an issue, but that would solve easily by bringing five more often.

We did give WR Cole Beasley (3 – 41 – 13.6 – 1) a 14 yard scoring catch, while in Single-high, but we seemed to get it together after that, playing what looked mostly like a loose Zone. We got burned on a blitz using that. It has definite red zone potential, but were weeks away from it being playoff game ready. All in all, we did what we needed to here. (DONE)

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2) Force a #2 WR: Once again WR Alshon Jeffery (4 – 64 – 16.0 – 0) led the position in catches. Our #2 WR was (drum roll please…) Nelson Agholor (4 – 7 – 1.7 – 0). Combined, our WR’s caught 8 passes for 71 yards (8.8ypc), on 10 targets. We will not make the playoff this way. Something has to change, and change soon. (NOT DONE)

3) Move Gerry outside: This happened. I was surprised when I saw the starting line-up had LB Nate Gerry at OLB instead of MLB. Rookie LB T.J. Edwards (1 – 0 – 0 – 0) instead got the start inside. This is exactly what I said we needed to do, and it yielded the results that I suspected that it would.

Edwards didn’t look very good, but he’s a rookie who is more familiar with being a traditional 4-3 MLB. The Wide Nine concept we play moves the MLB around much more, and pulls him out of the middle of the box. This is largely why the Bills QB was able to motor-motor putt-putt for 44 yards on 8 carries.

No matter. Gerry made play after play on the perimeter and that was the point. Move him from being a glaring liability to a decisive advantage. (DONE)

2016 Mack Truck

4) Let’s be assholes: The idea was to tire out their big guys in the middle, and then hit them with the power run game later. What did we do? Well, shit. You’d think I wrote the Eagles game plan this week.

We came out with a no-huddle. We ran Agholor on a jet-sweep. Hit Sanders with a neat little Screen pass. All in the first quarter! By the time we started hammering them with Howard, he was Optimus Prime mowing down defenders as the reflected off his grill. We not only did this, we did the hell out of this. (DONE)

This weeks Four Things score is 3 of 4. That brings our annual tally to 15 of 32. That’s still a sub .500 mark, which explains how we’re sitting at 4 – 4 halfway through the year. Next weeks game against the Bears gives us a chance to get over .500 in both regards. We’ll see how it goes.

On The Whole:

The 31 – 13 score looks way more dominant than it actually was. We nearly went into the half down 3 – 7, until a stupid mistake by Buffalo, led to our first touchdown of the game. We were up to our standard of play for the third quarter, and by the time the smoke cleared, Buffalo’s lack of offensive talent was looking at an insurmountable 13 – 24 deficit.

Looking at the game honestly, there were a number of things to be concerned about if you’re an Eagles fan.

For instance, how is Nelson Agholor the second best WR on this team? Doesn’t that have to mean that everyone beyond him is absolute trash? If we have better than, or equal to Agholor, then we need to start seeing that motherfucker get 4 or 5 targets in a game.

What about OLB Kamu Grugier-Hill (2 – 0 – 0 – 0)? What exactly is his ‘thing’? Is he a pass rusher, a ball-hawk? What is the thing we’re expecting out of him, besides two tackles per game? As a starter.

This isn’t to say that I’m unhappy with this win. It IS to say that with 8 games in the books, the playoff push is officially underway. It’s a subject now. Not so much seeding, not home-field advantage. But division leaders and wild cards, are definitely up for discussion now.

If we’re to get into that discussion, we need to tighten up some of these issues, tout suite.

FOUR THINGS REVIEWED – WK 6 – VIKINGS

Posted by The BEAST on 2019/10/14
Posted in: Coaching, Conversations, Defense, Four Things, Offense, Players, Reviews, stats, Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

Jim schwartz vikings loss.jpg

WE were exposed in this game. There are certain flaws and deficiencies we can hide against a bottom-feeder, doormat team like the Jets. However, a team like Minnesota while riddled with their own flaws, required us to be more on top of hiding ours.

Instead, we put them on display like a buffet.

EAGLES 20 – Vikings 38

There were very few bright spots in this game. For the Eagles. While QB Carson Wentz (26/40 – 65.0% – 306 – 2 – 1) threw for over 300 and rushed for 23, the entire Offense was hampered all day by the lack of a second wideout. Our leader in receiving yardage was RB Miles Sanders (3 – 6 – 2.0 – 0 – 0 / 3 – 86 – 28.9 – 1) on a day when he’d score his first pro touchdown.

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It’s hard to tell if WR Alshon Jeffery (10 – 76 – 7.6 – 1) had a big day. He had 10 grabs on 12 targets, but his yardage was meager. He was not used as explosively as he can be. It’s not that he was dropping deep passes, it that he mostly wasn’t even running intermediate routes!

Defensively, our pass rush fell back to Earth, getting one sack all day. That was courtesy of DE Brandon Graham (3 – 1 – 0 – 0). Then again it’s hard to get pressure when there’s no Safety help deep and a second rate QB gets to play catch, instead of football for most of the game.

I hear you asking, “What about all the stuff that stats don’t reveal?” Well, that’s the reason for these “Four Things” articles. We introduce an idea of what needs addressing BEFORE the game, so that fans have to honestly answer questions about those things, AFTER the game. This helps to get us, and keep us, all on the same page.

So, of the Four Things we were looking for in this last game, what exactly did we see?

1) Stop the run: For most of the game, the Eagles did exactly that, and for there were even a few downs where they ended up in a 4-3 Under look. But alas! While DC Jim Schwartz could have stopped the run with that 43U, he’s addicted to bringing a Safety into the box. The result was no deep help, which resulted in us getting shelled early. (NOT DONE)

2) Protect the ball: One pick from Wentz late in the contest, after the Vikes had already tagged every wall. Can’t hate on that. (DONE)

3) Go BIG: Alshon Jeffery saw 12 targets and pulled in 10 of them. TE Zach Ertz (4 – 54 – 13.5 – 0) saw 9 targets, and TE Dallas Goedert (5 – 48 – 9.6 – 0) saw 8 targets. That’s 29 of Wentz’s 40 attempts going to big boys. It’s a shame there was no outside threat, to open up the inside and let those monsters roam a bit more, but all in due time. (DONE)

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This is the WR opposite Alshon Jeffery

4) Show fear: At one point we were down 3 – 17, and FOX showed a shot of our sideline. There were players smiling. This confused me, so I double checked the score. 3 – 17. Vikings. No fear. No urgency. By the time Wentz was slamming his helmet at the end of the 3rd, over two fuck-ups by C Jason Kelce, it was well past time for that. (Those fuck-ups by the way: The first, was not snapping the ball while Wentz was screaming for it, which led to a delay of game. The second, was on the down immediately after, when a guy came straight down the pipe and sacked Wentz.) (NOT DONE)

That makes this week’s score 2 of 4, and our season total to 12 of 24. A .500 mark, for a .500 team. Next week we journey to Jerry World, to face our division rivals, the Dallas Cowboys. Both of us are 3 – 3, so the winner gets to sit alone atop the division at 4 – 3, and bragging rights about beating them in their own home. (See what I did there?)

On The Whole:

At least for a half. So mad that I had to laugh. Kirk went to work, on Steph’s gift of grab.

No deep Safety.

Funeral dirge played on a violin. Corner without help in the back. They runnin’ by him.

No adjustments.

Write me as traitor, or you can call me hater. But I’ve had it up to here, with defenseless coordinators. Either this staff, has to adjust the system. Or someone needs to take away their keys, then dismiss them.