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FOUR THINGS REVIEWED: WK 2: VIKINGS

Posted by The BEAST on 2022/09/20
Posted in: breakdown, Coaching, Defense, Four Things, NFL, Offense, Players, Reviews, Special Teams, stats, The 12. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

WE Slay’d the Vikings, tonight.

EAGLES 24 – Vikings 7

EAGLES STATS:

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

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

Passing : (S) QB Jalen Hurts (26/31 – 83.8 – 333 – 1 – 1)

Rushing : (S) RB Miles Sanders (17 – 80 – 4.7 – 0 – 0)

Receiving : (S) TE Dallas Goedert (6 – 5 – 82 – 16.4 – 0)

Offensive Line Report/Enforcer : (12 + 1 – 4 = 9) / (S) RT Lane Johnson

Drive Killer :(S) CB Darius Slay (2 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0)

Sack Leader : (S) DT Fletcher Cox (3 – 1.0 – 0 – 1)

Ace : P Arynn Siposs – Touchdown saving tackle on CB, after blocked FG

****

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) Stop Being Lazy Tacklers: Tackling this week was much improved from a week ago. That said, FS Marcus Epps (6 – 0 – 0 – 0) is still leading with his shoulder, and not his hands. Solid tackling helped force the Vikings into 4th and 5, on their two opening drives. After which we scored a second time, putting game permanently out of their reach. (DONE)

2) Don’t Get Rattled: As I said, Minnesota’s victory last week only looked impressive. Then I got under the hood and saw the details and context of it. So I was able to tell you that this week, they would be without the advantage they had last week. The players just had to not get rattled by the Viking’s Week One press clippings. And they didn’t.

Oh, and OLB Zadarius Smith (2 – 0 – 0 – 0), RT Lane Johnson kept him quiet. While we’re on the subject of being kept quiet, tonight CB Darius Slay had three takeaways. Two were interceptions, and the third thing he took away was WR Justin Jefferson (12 – 6 – 48 – 8.0 – 0). Honestly, tonight he was less effective than WR Jalen Reagor (2 – 1 – 7 – 7.0 – 0), who at least didn’t help produce two turnovers. (DONE)

3) Eagles vs Kerrigan: Jalen Hurts for sure threw some balls into the Flat. TE Dallas Goedert, WR Zach Pascal (2 – 2 – 14 – 7.0 – 0) and the RB’s made well use of the space. It was often so wide open that his completion percentage is almost gaudy for this game. (DONE)

4) Work the Hash: With Hurts spreading the wealth, everything was on the table, including the middle of the field. WR A.J. Brown (8 – 5 – 69 – 13.8 – 0) did a lot of his damage over the middle, near the hash. Goedert made some noise there as well. This opened up the area outside the numbers for WR Devonta Smith (7 – 7 – 80 – 11.9 – 0), who low-key put on an absolute clinic, on shaking coverage and presenting a clean target. (DONE)

****

This week all 4 of the Four Things were done, and the result was domination from coin toss to shower. Next week, we hop on 95 for three hours, to visit Washington D.C. Once there, we’ll have our first divisional match-up vs the Commanders.

Did I mention that our ex plays there now? Yeah, QB Carson Wentz. Thought he was the one. Even put a ring on it. But Nick complicated that. Still smile when you think of Nick, right? Then there was Jalen. You know Philly’s weakness for dark meat! Randall, Donovan, Mike… (Donovan still ranks as the best we ever had, but shhhh! You have to say that quietly.) Yeah, poor Carson. We didn’t have to do him so dirty.

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On The Whole:

I’m going to get to the gripes first, then I’m going to hand out praise. What the fuck was up with these refs tonight?! There were three bad calls in the first quarter alone. And why was DT Marlon Tuipulotu (1 – 0 – 0 – 0) on the field again? He just gets pushed around vs the run, and offers little pass rush.

There was only one 3rd down hand-off in this entire game. Hurts again, ran the ball (11 – 57 – 5.1 – 2 – 1), too much again. His 28 carries this year, puts him on pace for 238 carries. I don’t know how this coaching staff expects him to absorb that much punishment, and still be an effective passer.

We scored no points in the fourth quarter again. Leads mean nothing late in a game, if the opponent feels as if, or knows outright, that they can get stops. At a certain point. A trailing teams start gambling with house money, with attempts to score. If they can put stops and scores together, they develop a substance called “Hope”. If we allow them hope, they may become inspired, and pull off a comeback. We have to get this fixed.

Now for the praise.

Back in June, in THE 12: #11, I wrote about using WR Quez Watkins (2 – 2 – 69 – 34.5 – 1) to run Go routes from the Slot. That 53 yard thing of beauty that Hurts threw to him, is exactly what I was talking about. With Brown and Smith demanding attention on the outside (plus Goedert), you can’t tell me that we don’t have another 8 of these in the chamber.

In that same article, I said that if Hurts gets better at reading a defense, the entire NFC, not just the East, will be on notice. His reading has clearly improved. It’s still has gaps in it, but gaps are better than the near illiteracy he exhibited at this time last year. His blitz solving skills would also benefit from a former NFL player’s guidance.

Hurts ball placement and timing, were… Look, I wanted improvement, and I believed that he could improve, somewhat. Just not this much, this fast. The question is how physically consistent can he be, as he takes more and more abuse from how the extra hits he takes running.

I’m just glad this wasn’t our situation.

FOUR THINGS REVIEWED: WK 1: LIONS

Posted by The BEAST on 2022/09/12
Posted in: breakdown, Coaching, Defense, Four Things, NFL, Offense, Players, Reviews, Special Teams, stats. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment
“And, of course, it would be real good to go out there and smack them in the mouth a little bit,”

THEY smacked us in the mouth, and then got knocked out. In their home.

EAGLES 38 – Lions 35

EAGLES STATS:

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

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

Passing : (S) QB Jalen Hurts (18/32 – 56.2% – 243 – 0 – 0)

Rushing : (S) RB Miles Sanders (13 – 96 – 7.3 – 1 – 0)

Receiving : (S) WR A.J. Brown (11 – 10 – 155 – 15.5 – 0)

Offensive Line Report/Enforcer : (4 (24) + 2 (2) – 1 (-2) = 24 pts) / RT Lane Johnson

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

Sack Leader : (S) DT Fletcher Cox (1 – 0.5 – 0 – 0)

Ace : (B) CB Zech MacPhearson (Heads up recovery of onside kick)

****

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

RB Miles Sanders scores his first TD in 2 years. Which is great, because I have him on my fantasy team.

1) Run the Ball: Mixed bag here. This time we’ll say that technically the Eagles did this one, because I didn’t specify hand-offs. (But just this time!) We had 39 runs, against 32 pass attempts, but 17 of those runs were from QB Jalen Hurts, who led the team in carries. Some on designed runs, some on scrambles (often too early) from the pocket.

Listen, it’s real hard to argue with 216 rushing yards, a 5.5 team-wide per carry average, and 4 rushing touchdowns from four different players. That said, Hurts can’t be this big a part of it, if he’s going to be the long-term answer at Quarterback. He’s on a 289 carry pace for this season. It’s unsustainable. It’s ill-advised. Credit for this week, but going forward, “Run the ball” means HAND-OFFS. (DONE)

2) Make Goff Run: I came into this season thinking the Eagles had solved not being able to get pressure, with a four man rush. Well, that problem seems to persist. We didn’t make QB Jared Goff (21/37 – 56.7% – 215 – 2 – 1) run much. We didn’t make him feel unsafe. In fact, despite being behind a makeshift o-line, Goff was largely a statue in the pocket. It was embarrassing. (NOT DONE)

3) Challenge Their Receivers: The mission was to hold WR D.J. Chark (8 – 4 – 52 – 13.0 – 1) and WR Amon-Ra St. Brown (12 – 8 – 64 – 8.0 – 1) to fewer than 100 yards each. The result was that despite each scoring, they had just 116 yards between them. Neither could claim to have had a good game.

This was Bradberry’s first career pick six. He broke his cherry as an Eagle.

As the cherry on top, CB James Bradberry (2 – 0 – 1 – 0) got us a pick six. He sat on an outside route, and was able to get to a ball tipped by OLB Kyzir White (5 – 0 – 0 – 0). (DONE)

4) Get ‘im!: I said at least 8 passes have to be thrown to whomever CB Jeff Okuda (10 – 0 – 0 – 0) was covering. I counted just 5. While Hurts seems to have a good connection with WR A.J. Brown, getting the ball effectively to anyone else, seems to be a challenge. His under-usage of TE Dallas Goedert (4 – 3 – 60 – 20.0 – 0) is practically criminal. Especially when a blitz is telegraphing itself. (NOT DONE)

****

So we open the season at 2 of the Four Things. That’s a .500 marker. Let’s not let that, nor this close score, be an indicator of the sort of year we’ll have.

We’ll look to bounce back next week, vs the 1 – 0 Minnesota Vikings. Ever since we molly-whopped them in the 2017 playoffs, they’ve had our number, with wins in 2018 and 2019. Next week in our home-opener, we’ll be looking to have a stop put to that.

****

On The Whole:

DE Brandon Graham and DT Fletcher Cox bag a Lion on safari.

I’m glad and grateful for the “W”. Let’s say that up-front. The Lions came out jacked up on adrenaline, and had a standing room only sized crowd making noise for them. They punched the Eagles in the mouth, right out of the gate. We didn’t panic. Didn’t point fingers or whine for flags or calls. (More on that in a couple minutes.)

What we did was respond, slow the game down, quiet their adrenaline, take the crowd out of the equation, and prove that once again, this game, the season, all of it, every part of it, is a marathon, not a sprint.

There are however, some things to work on! The effects of Starters not playing during the preseason, showed up in this game. Poor tackling, the Defensive Line sticking to blocks, this is what happens when you don’t tackle to the ground in drills, and you don’t play through blocks in drills. Teaching a technique without the finish, isn’t teaching the technique. This needs to get worked on this week.

Hurts not being able to handle the blitz, is an indictment on this coaching staff. His inability to work out of anything besides the Shotgun, is an indictment on this coaching staff. Running RPO’s would be far more effective if he started out from under Center. Think of how effective it was with a non-running QB like Nick Foles. Coaching staffs should fear Hurts. Instead, they run undisguised blitzes at him, because they know he hasn’t figured them out. This must be worked on.

This CANNOT be tolerated.

Lastly, all of the hits Hurts took after slides today, should have been penalties. Any player in a slide has “given himself up”, and therefore falls under the “defenseless player”umbrella. Head Coach Nick Sirianni has to go to Owner Jeffrey Lurie and get him to write/call/email the referees, and also make an on-air public statement, saying that Hurts should receive proper protections, and not be the victim of “running QB” bias.

FOUR THINGS REVIEWED: WK P3: Dolphins

Posted by The BEAST on 2022/08/28
Posted in: breakdown, Coaching, Defense, Four Things, Offense, Players, Reviews, Special Teams, stats. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

NAH see, what ha’ happened was, right…

EAGLES 10 – Dolphins I don’t wanna talk about it (48)

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

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

Passing:(B) QB Reid Sinnett (12/22 – 54.5% – 104 – “0” – 1)

Rushing:(B) Jason Huntley (11 – 93 – 8.4 – 1 – 0)

Receiving:(B) WR John Hightower (6 – 5 – 52 – 10.4 – 0)

Offensive Line Report/Enforcer: (1 + 2 – 2 = 1) / (S) C Cameron Tom (FR)

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

Sack Leader: (S) LB Patrick Johnson (1 – 1.0 – 0 – 0)

Ace: WR Devon Hall (Forced muff)

****

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

1) Pass Rush: “Someone get a sack”. We didn’t have one all preseason, and LB/DE Patrick Johnson gets one on the opening drive. Good under any circumstances, but given that Miami put out their starters vs our second string, it was doubly impressive. Johnson already has a spot on the active roster, so he didn’t play much after that. (DONE)

2) Some TE involvement: Rookie TE Grant Calcaterra (3 – 2 – 30 – 15.0 – 0) finally wore pads to a preseason game. He made a couple of grabs, including a holding call that wiped out a TD run by RB Kennedy Brooks (9 – 33 – 3.6 – 0 – 0). TE Noah Togiai (2 – 1 – 8 – 8.0 – 0) dropped an easy ball, and failed again to be a difference maker vs back-ups. Still, it was five passes thrown to the TE position, which is involvement. (DONE)

Allen doesn’t make the stop, but he holds him until the cavalry arrives.

3) Kick Return Impact: What was asked for was a big return or two. Instead, the impact we got in the kicking game was WR Devon Allen playing Gunner of Special Teams. On punt coverage, he got downfield so fast that that returner wasn’t even able to take a second step, before Allen was on him. Allen didn’t make the tackle, but he held the guy there and others did. On Allen’s next trip, his proximity made the returner muff the punt. Eagles recovered and we got 3 points out of the deal. This is not what I specified, but I NEEDED a place to praise Allen, and say that he needs a roster spot. (NOT DONE)

4) Flash from a DE: We got the sack from Patrick Johnson, but it was LB Kyron Johnson (5 – 0 – 0 – 0) that had my attention. Damn his 5 tackles! Most of them came with him crossing to the opposite side of the field, to make the stop. While others saw the stops, I saw something else. On almost every snap he played, he crashed down the line, instead of setting the edge. That resulted in miles of open real estate on his side of the line, and at least one score for the Fish. And no one! No one! Not himself, not his teammates, nor the coaches, bade him do anything different. (NOT DONE)

****

Of the Four Things we put up 2 of 4. It wasn’t nearly enough, but there are mitigating circumstances. In any case it hardly matters now. It’s time to focus on Week One and defeating the Lions on 9/11.

****

On The Whole:

We put out our Defensive back-ups playing a 3-3-5 alignment. Clearly our coaching staff wanted to further evaluate some of the DB’s, so they gave more of them an opportunity to play and shine. Miami came out with their offensive starters, and nature took its course. Lions ate sheep.

Former Dolphins QB Reid Sinnett, finally figures out how to throw a touchdown to Miami’s players.

With the Eagles looking to evaluate, and Miami balling out to win an exhibition game, I knew immediately it was going to be a long night at the office. Still the Eagles gave us a few bright spots.

We know that WR Devon Allen can play Gunner as effectively as any player I’ve ever read about, in addition to being able to rotate in as a deep threat on Offense. We saw WR John Hightower use his speed to uncover quickly, and more importantly, he was sure-handed. We should be able to sneak him onto the Practice Squad. We saw S Reed Blankenship (3 – 0 – 0 – 0) bring the attitude and wood tonight. I hope he makes the PS.

FOUR THINGS REVIEWED: WK P2: Browns

Posted by The BEAST on 2022/08/22
Posted in: breakdown, Coaching, Defense, Four Things, Offense, Players, Reviews, Roster, stats, trade. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

THIS win was a very mixed bag.

EAGLES 21 – Browns 20

EAGLES STATS:

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

New 2022 Category Ace, is for Kick return TD’s, Returners run-down, kicks blocked, etc.

Passing: (S) QB Gardner Minshew (14/17 – 82.3% – 142 – 0 – 0)

Rushing: (B) RB Kenneth Gainwell (11 – 46 – 4.1 – 1 – 0)

Receiving: (B) WR Deon Cain (6 – 5 – 66 – 13.2 – 0)

Offensive Line Report / Enforcer: (2 + 5 – 1 = 6) / (S) C Cam Jurgens

Drive Killer: (B) S Jaquiski Tart (0 – 0 – 1 – 0 – 0)

Sack Leader: N/A

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

DT Renell Wren makes a tackle for minimal gain, while being held

1) Don’t get gashed: I know I said that I’d set aside big runs to the outside, but contain was so bad, so often, that I’d be deliberately misleading you if I did that. So I’m throwing it in, as well.

Cleveland rushed for 174 yards on 32 carries (5.4 ypc). Our defensive line got almost nothing in the way of penetration all day, being repeatedly blown off the line throughout the game. (NOT DONE)

2) Cut the Engine: There were far too many upright tackle attempts in this game. Lack of penetration or contain against the run, just made for bad tackle angles in pursuit. As a result, Browns runners were bouncing off of Eagles defenders, like everyone had opposing magnetic charges. It was distressing to see. I was distressed. (NOT DONE)

3) Clean Interior Pocket: All day long, Eagles QB’s enjoyed clean pockets, and huge passing windows. Some of it had to do running so much RPO stuff early, but mostly it was just soundly executed football. Even QB Reid Sinnett’s (4/9 – 44.4% – 69 – 1 – 0) 12 yard run for a first down, was facilitated by a massive alley right in front of him. (DONE)

QB Gardner Minshew had no trouble seeing his receivers in this game.

4) Solid Team Culture: There were plenty of vocal and jovial players from guys who are guaranteed spots on the roster. There wasn’t nearly as much camaraderie amongst players fighting for jobs. This is of course, to be expected from the average person.
It however, speaks to how each man handles pressure. It asks the question: Do I want this man on my team? The Eagles have a certain culture, and to perpetuate it, it helps to have people who intrinsically lean into it. I didn’t see many standard bearers today. (NOT DONE)

****

This week saw the Eagles accomplish 1 of 4 on the Four Things list. Really it was more like three things, as the last one wasn’t strategy, but observation of reactionary behavior(s). In any case, we’ll take the ‘W’ and hope for better next week, against the Miami Dolphins.

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On The Whole:

Lots of mixed feelings today. Tons. But we won, right?! It’s hard to be super-critical of back-ups, and players who won’t be players, in a week. So instead of criticism, how about some praise for a couple of these players.

If we keep six WR’s, Deon Cain has got to be one. I doubt he’d look quite as crisp against starter level players, but his hands, body control, and sideline awareness would all be what they are, against any level of competition. What I don’t want, is us releasing him, and seeing him show up in Dallas. (Given their receiver troubles.) Can’t we just trade Reagor to them, now?

Also WR Devon Allen’s route on that 55 yard bomb. His subtle jab step to the right, widened the alley between the CB and the S. So instead of Sinnett having to throw into a tight window, all he had to do was put the ball in the area code. That little step was delicious! I don’t know if Allen should be one of the six, but he’s certainly got my attention finally. Not for his speed, but that crafty bit of route running.

FOUR THINGS REVIEWED: WILD CARD GAME: Buccaneers

Posted by The BEAST on 2022/01/17
Posted in: breakdown, Coaching, Defense, Four Things, NFL, Offense, Players, playoffs, Reviews, stats. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

THERE were many lessons in this game.

EAGLES 15 – Buccaneers 31

EAGLES STATS:

New categories include an EXCLUSIVE weekly Offensive Line Report (Rushing TD’s + 3rd and 4th downs converted:missed of 2 yards or less – sacks allowed); as well as Drive Killer (Int – FR – 4th down Tackles – FF – TD).

Passing: (S ) QB Jalen Hurts (23/43 – 53.7% – 258 – 1 – 2)

Rushing: (S ) QB Jalen Hurts (8 – 39 – 4.8 – 0 – 0)

Receiving: (S) TE Dallas Goedert (12 – 6 – 92 – 15.3 – 0)

Offensive Line Report: (1 + 0:1 – 2)

Drive Killer: (S ) OLB Alex Singleton (0 – 0 – 1 – 0 – 0)

Sack Leader: (S ) DE Ryan Kerrigan (3 – 1.5 – 0 – 0)

****

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

1) Run the ball to our left: Nope. Hardly even tried. Note: RB Boston Scott (1 – 34 – 34.0 – 1 – 0) had a touchdown run, and RB Miles Sanders (7 – 16 – 2.2 – 0 – 0) had his longest run of the day (14 yards) going to the left. Maybe we should have tried to run more in the first half? I say that because we had 4 just handoffs in the first half. Four.

In fact, we only handed the ball off just NINE times in this game. Which EXACTLY matches what we did in our Week 6 loss to this team. (NOT DONE)

2) See Tom Run: We collected 4 sacks in this game, but in general our coverage was so loose, the ball was quickly out of QB Tom Brady’s (29/37 – 78.3% – 271 – 2 – 0) hand. There was never any chance of making him run to buy time. (NOT DONE)

3) Man Press Coverage: Instead of dictating to the QB by using Man Press coverage, we played soft on the corners, and tried to “confuse” Brady with slight shifts and bails. It was a sign of our stupidity, to be so blatantly disrespectful of a QB who’s career is old enough to drink legally.

We didn’t show him a single thing he hasn’t beaten a hundred times already. It was goofy on our part to suggest it in a meeting. It was full-blown Are-tarded to try to work it into a game. (NOT DONE)

4) Speed Kills: We tried 3 times (not 6) to get the ball deep to a WR. Two were overthrows to WR Quez Watkins (7 – 2 – 35 – 17.5 – 0) and one was an interception while trying to get to WR Devonta Smith (11 – 4 – 60 – 15.0 – 0). Too many passes were being thrown to a double covered Goedert. (NOT DONE)

****

So we did 0 of the FT’s, and we got shit-canned as a result. While some would tell you that 15 – 31 isn’t being shit-canned, you and I would know that those people didn’t actually watch the game.

****

On The Whole:

This one has me in a weird place. While many didn’t give us a chance to win, I almost EXPECTED us to. Yes expected. Given Tampa’s overall injuries, we were clearly the more physically talented team on the field. Given that they suffered injuries during the game, that edge should have been magnified.

The problem with us is mental. Once again, our coaching staff approached this game like they were more afraid of being embarrassed, than they were hungry to win. The play calling on Offense childishly simply, and our Defense had the feel of a preseason game, where a team doesn’t want to reveal too much.

Being that I practically expected a win here, you’d think I’d be angry, or disappointed. Weirdly enough, I’m neither. Instead what I feel, is that this game is THE GAME that truly begins the Nick Sirianni era. All of that first year coach, virtual rookie QB, team in transition bullshit, died today. There are going to be expectations next year, of getting past this point. This game has set the tone for how we view the rest of Sirianni’s reign.

I’m not going to harp on players too much here. I’m not going to talk about the future of Hurts. I’m not going to talk about any first round busts, being absolute fucking trash. I’m not going to talk about the Draft. Not here. Not today. There were many lessons in this game. We need to take the time to unpack them, as we turn our eyes to winning the NFC East in 2022. 

FOUR THINGS REVIEWED: WK 18: Cowboys

Posted by The BEAST on 2022/01/10
Posted in: breakdown, Coaching, Defense, Four Things, NFC East, Offense, Players, playoffs, Reviews, stats. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

PLAYOFF games, here we come!

EAGLES 26 – Cowboys 51

EAGLES STATS:

New categories include an EXCLUSIVE weekly Offensive Line Report (Rushing TD’s + 3rd and 4th downs converted:missed of 2 yards or less – sacks allowed); as well as Drive Killer (Int – FR – 4th down Tackles – FF – TD).

Passing: (S ) QB Gardner Minshew (19/33 – 57.5% – 189 – 2 – 1)

Rushing: (S ) RB Kenneth Gainwell (12 – 78 – 6.5 – 1 – 0)

Receiving: (S ) WR Quez Watkins (7 – 5 – 84 – 16.8 – 1)

Offensive Line Report: (1 + 3:0 – 3)

Drive Killer: No Qualifier

Sack Leader: (R ) CB Josiah Scott (4 – 1 – 0 – 0)

****

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

1) Understand the Moment: I wanted the starters to sit as much as possible. However, I figured our “rookie head coach” would want to rock-paper-scissors for the win, and so play his starters. I just hoped he saw the big picture and didn’t play the starts too much.

Lo and behold! Head Coach Nick Sirianni gave C Jason Kelce one snap, and WR Devonta Smith played just enough downs to set a new franchise record, for receiving yards by a rookie. After that it was all back-ups. Sirianni, understood what was important, and demonstrated it clearly. I’m proud of him. (DONE)

EWOK SLAM!

2) Dig DEEP: “Players you don’t know, making 2 to 4 nice plays after half-time. That’s the ideal situation.” That’s what I said. Well, RB Jason Huntley (13 – 51 – 3.9 – 0 – 0) had a couple of nice runs; and DT Milton Williams’s run stuff in the 3rd quarter, actually got me off my couch. This is exactly what I was talking about, and we did it. (DONE)

3) Going Out In Style: Our starters didn’t play, so this is non-applicable.

4) Do some reckless shit: While WR Greg Ward (1 – 1 – 100% – 2 – 0 – 0) didn’t get a whole series at QB, he did get to throw a redzone pass as a Wildcat QB, on the opening drive. That qualifies! (DONE)

****

That brings this weeks FT score to 3 of 4. Next week we travel to Tampa Bay to face the Buccaneers, in the Wild Card round of the playoffs. Earlier this season they beat us 22 – 28, and were the catalyst for us deciding to run the ball more. Next week we get to thank them, in person.

****

On The Whole:

Who gives a shit? A third of the starters in this game, will be deactivated next week. We owed the NFL one more game, and so we phoned one in. We didn’t tip our hand as to what we might want to run in the playoffs. Hell, from what I could see, it seemed like the Offense ran maybe 8 or 9 different plays, from slightly different alignments. All of which were basic in nature.

How about “rest vs rust”? TE Tyree Jackson (5 – 3 – 22 – 7.3 – 1) tore his ACL. Had that been Dallas Goedert, the fan base would be crucifying Sirianni, and the national media would be calling him an idiot for even playing Goedert in a meaningless game. We went in as the 7th seed, and we came out as the 7th seed. Yet some folks wanted us to battle for 6th? For who? For what?

Instead, our guys got to rest and heal. Because of this week, we’ll go into next week better armed, and with a better chance as we take on last year’s Super Bowl champion. Emphasis on the words last year’s.

FOUR THINGS REVIEWED: WK 17: REDSKINS

Posted by The BEAST on 2022/01/03
Posted in: breakdown, Coaching, Defense, Four Things, NFC East, Offense, Players, playoffs, Reviews, Rivals, Roster, stats. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

CRASHING the playoff party.

EAGLES 20– Redskins 16

EAGLES STATS:

New categories include an EXCLUSIVE weekly Offensive Line Report (Rushing TD’s + 3rd and 4th downs converted:missed of 2 yards or less – sacks allowed); as well as Drive Killer (Int – FR – 4th down Tackles – FF – TD).

Passing: (S ) QB Jalen Hurts (17/26 – 65.3% – 214 – 0 – 0)

Rushing: (S ) RB Boston Scott (14 – 47 – 3.3 – 2 – 0)

Receiving: (S ) TE Dallas Goedert (7 – 6 – 71 – 11.8 – 0)

Offensive Line Report: (2 + 4:5 – 1)

Drive Killer: (S ) FS Rodney McLeod (1 – 0– 0 – 0 – 0)

Sack Leader: (S ) DE Josh Sweat (5 – 1.5 – 0 – 0)

****

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

1) Don’t get cute: Run the ball. That was the edict. Come out running and use the running styles to compliment each other. We did both, running 34 times for 118 yards (3.4 ypc), and two scores. It wasn’t pretty or explosive, but as I said, Boston Scott isn’t a tip of the spear caliber RB. Still, we stuck to our identity and ground out yardage and scores. That was the ask. (DONE)

2) Blitz On Long Downs: There were some 5 man rushes throughout the game, but not consistently enough, as was evinced by QB Taylor Heinicke (27/36 – 75.0% – 247 – 0 – 1), starting off 11/11. We didn’t really turn up the heat on him until the second half. Even then we played such loose coverage, that Washington was a threat to win, until Heinicke’s final pass to FS Rodney McLeod. (NOT DONE)

3) Knock Taylor on his Heinicke: In the second half, we got all over this! After the half, the Defensive Front came out looking to hunt. The pressure went up, and Heinicke kept finding himself running for his life, before ending up horizontal.

While it wasn’t frequently the product of blitzing, we were definitely getting the ball out of his hand earlier, as he became decidedly aware of how much heat we were bringing. (DONE)

4) Mr. Smith goes to Washington: Running the ball would have been easier if we could have emptied the box more. That would have been easy to do if WR Devonta Smith (6 – 3 – 54 – 18.0 – 0) had seen 7 to 8 targets. However, between Smith getting merely 6 targets, WR Quez Watkins (4 – 2 – 15 – 7.5 – 0) being a non-factor, and WR Jalen Reagor (Nope!) being trash, it was hard to stretch the field horizontally to create gaps.

Also, the Eagles spent a lot of time in Bunch Formations, with the receivers close to the Tackles. That allowed defenses to pack in. (NOT DONE)

****

So this week we posted 2 of the Four Things and accordingly, we barely escaped with a win. BUT WE WON!!! Next week we play a practice game against the Cowboys. It has no meaning since both of us have already qualified for the playoffs.

****

On The Whole:

For the second week in a row, we bodied a division rival.

RIP FYT

RIP FYT

We made the rest of their season meaningless. We reduced next week to a chance for their starters to take a pointless injury; or sit and let a back-up destabilize their job security.

And it feels good.

What feels even better, was clinching a playoff spot, with a rookie head coach, who was being mocked (even by me) a few weeks ago, for talking about motherfucking FLOWERS. This Spring I’m planting goddamned daffodils.

Even better than that, was doing it doing it during a rebuild year. (Did you hear that New York?) With a QB who was essentially a rookie. (Did you hear that Washington?) And while it’s true that we haven’t beaten a 10 win team all year, neither has Dallas. So we’re at least as legit as our division winner.

FOUR THINGS REVIEWED: WK 16: giants

Posted by The BEAST on 2021/12/27
Posted in: breakdown, Conversations, Defense, Draft, Fans, Four Things, NFC East, NFL, Offense, Players, playoffs, Reviews, Rivals. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

THERE is no “quit” in this team.

EAGLES 34 – giants 10

EAGLES STATS:

New categories include an EXCLUSIVE weekly Offensive Line Report (Rushing TD’s + 3rd and 4th downs converted:missed of 2 yards or less – sacks allowed); as well as Drive Killer (Int – FR – 4th down Tackles – FF – TD).

Passing: (S ) QB Jalen Hurts (17/29 – 58.6% – 199 – 2 – 0)

Rushing: (S ) RB Miles Sanders (7 – 45 – 6.4 – 0 – 0)

Receiving: (S ) WR Devonta Smith (7 – 5 – 80 – 16.0 – 1)

Offensive Line Report: (2 + 1:2 – 1)

Drive Killer: (S ) OLB Alex Singleton (1 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 1)

Sack Leader: (S ) DE Josh Sweat (4 – 1.0 – 0 – 1)

****

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) Run Jordan for Miles: Sadly, both RB Miles Sanders (7 – 45 – 6.4 – 0 – 0) and RB Jordan Howard (9 – 37 – 4.1 – 0 – 0) were injured during the game, but not before combining for 82 yard on 16 carries (5.1 ypc). When RB Boston Scott (12 – 41 – 3.4 – 1 – 0) was called on to fill-in, he added an early score.

Scott’s contribution to this team is not to be overlooked. However, the loss of pop in his legs as his usage piled up, was noticeable. Again. If Sanders and Howard are going to keep finding their way into street clothes during games, the Eagles are going to need to carry four active players at this position. (DONE)

2) Feature Devonta: Who lead the team in receiving yards? Devonta did! Who led the team in catches? Devonta did that too! Who led the team in targets? Oh my gaw- Was that Devonta? Why yes it was Devonta! Who led the team in touchdown catches? RT Lane Johnson ( 1 – 1 – 1.0 – 1) tied for the team lead with that.

This was a game where we needed our best, to be our best, and Devonta stepped up and was that. His touchdown catch had almost enough toe drag swag, to give me a foot fetish. Right Rex? (DONE)

3) Blow up the Center: We did this, but we did quite a few other things too. This factored in the most, on the interception that QB Jake Fromm (6/17 – 35.2% – 25 – 0 – 1) threw to FS Rod McLeod (1 – 0.0 – 1 – 0). Fromm couldn’t step into his throw, tried to muscle it in, and it sailed on him. Right into McLeod’s mitts.

We were getting away with doing so many different things to Fromm, that the giants pulled him in the third quarter, and sent out QB Mike Glennon (17/27 – 62.9% – 93 – 1 – 1). Glennon came out and threw two touchdowns. If you count the one to Eagles LB Alex Singleton. (DONE)

4) Be Active Pre-snap: We did some of this, but not enough of it. Fromm seemed more flustered by the speed of the game and the pass rush, than he was by the reads. While his percentage looks awful, Fromm didn’t throw the ball into dangerous places, and generally on his incompletions it was easy to understand his decision making. (NOT DONE)

****

So that gives us 3 of the Four Things, and an easy victory to boot. Next week we get to visit Washington! Their team (at 6 – 9) is still mathematically alive for playoff contention. So of course we have to do to them, what we just did to New York.

****

On The Whole:

The Offense can’t afford slow starts like this. Scoring 3 points in an entire half of a game is unacceptable. Of course, that’s what will happen when the head coach gets cute.

Look, the Eagles offensive strength is running the ball. So why were 6 of our first 7 plays, passes? Simple. It was Head Coach Nick Sirianni looking to prove how clever he is. That cost us the game last time. This time he wised up.

As a result, we ENDED THE giants SEASON.

FOUR THINGS REVIEWED: WK 15: REDSKINS

Posted by The BEAST on 2021/12/22
Posted in: breakdown, Coaching, Conversations, Defense, Four Things, NFC East, Offense, Players, playoffs, Reviews, Rivals, Roster, stats. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

WE’LL be .500 for Christmas!

EAGLES 27 – Redskins 17

EAGLES STATS:

New categories include an EXCLUSIVE weekly Offensive Line Report (Rushing TD’s + 3rd and 4th downs converted:missed of 2 yards or less – sacks allowed); as well as Drive Killer (Int – FR – 4th down Tackles – FF – TD).

Passing: (S ) QB Jalen Hurts (20/26 – 76.9% – 296 – 1 – 1)

Rushing: (S ) RB Miles Sanders (18 – 131 – 7.2 – 0 – 0)

Receiving: (S ) TE Dallas Goedert (9 – 7 – 135 – 19.2 – 0)

Offensive Line Report: (2 + 4:2 – 3)

Drive Killer: (S ) DT Fletcher Cox (0 – 0 – 0 – 1 – 0)

Sack Leader: (S ) DT Fletcher Cox (3 – 1.5 – 0 – 1)

****

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: Redskins (1) did the Eagles actually get around to doing? Well let’s see:

1) Use the 12th Man: Eagles fans were out IN FORCE for this one. The idea here was to have the players drive the crowd, but that hardly was necessary. Even when the Eagles were in a 0 – 10 hole to start the game, the crowd was never truly out of it. There were some boos, but really that crowd last night was one of the best I’ve ever seen.

The first 10 points we gave up were the result of weirdness, but no one was worried that level of weirdness was going to happen on every drive, for four straight quarters. It of course didn’t, and a wolf ate a sheep. Nature took it’s course. In part because the crowd never stopped making it hard on the opponent, during cold, dark, misty conditions. Well done Philadelphia. Well done. (DONE)

2) Run the Ball: There were 41 runs to 26 pass attempts (61.1% run). While 8 of those runs were by Hurts, he pulls the ball down so early that it’s not always easy to know what was a called run and what was a legitimate scramble. So from here on out, I’m just lumping his runs in with the handoffs. Otherwise it’s like picking gnat shit out of pepper.

We stuck to our identity, even when down 0 – 10. It allowed us to get a rhythm and settle our QB, who looked tight to start the game. Though he’d missed just one game, in real-time, he hadn’t seen action in nearly a month. We didn’t overplay our hand, or play down to the opponent. As a result we piled up 238 yards on the ground. (DONE)

3) Blitz from our right: Shout out to OLB Genard Avery (1 tackle) had a great run-stuff off the right (which came damned close to being offsides). Aside from that, there was never a concerted effort to get the ball out of the hand of QB Garrett Gilbert (20/31 – 64.5% – 194 – 0 – 0).

Our lack of aggressive defense allowed this kid to look better than he had any right to. Let me say right now, this approach won’t beat Washington twice this year. If we want a sweep in two weeks, we’ll have to dial up far more pressure. (NOT DONE)

4) Don’t force-feed Reagor: Turns out WR Quez Watkins (2 – 2 – 14 – 7.0 – 0) was able to play in this one, so there was no need to overuse WR Jalen Reagor (3 – 3 – 57 – 19.0 – 0). Reagor caught all three of his targets, and even threatened to score once. If calling him “trash” results in him contributing like this, I will call him “heated garbage soup” every week next season.

We forced nothing to him and he had 57 yards. I said in the Third Quarter Report that we need a non-Devonta WR to contribute 50 yards per game, over these last 4. We just got it from Reagor, without force-feeding him. (DONE)

****

That gives us 3 out of the Four Things for this week. In five days, we get to extend five knuckles worth of hospitality to the giants as we host them Sunday afternoon. A win in that game, will make us an above .500 team to bring in the New Year.

****

On The Whole:

As I said, if we put up 25 points, that should do the trick. Even at full strength the Redskins can’t manufacture points very well. Well we put up 27, and they only put up the points they did, because early in the game Jesus Klaus gifted them with a bizarre couple of turnovers.

Jalen Hurts just got his first win over an NFC East opponent. We’re technically still just outside of the picture, but now that we’re 7 – 7, we can legitimately bring up the playoffs as a subject.

When the game was scheduled for Sunday, the plan may have been for QB Gardner Minshew and Hurts to each get snaps. However, this delay allowed Hurts’s ankle to get to full strength. As a result, the only snaps Minshew saw, were the ones played by Hurts. So there is no QB controversy.

(FYI: The QB position is still VERY MUCH under evaluation. There’s just no question about the pecking order. Today.)

FOUR THINGS REVIEWED: WK 13: Jets

Posted by The BEAST on 2021/12/06
Posted in: breakdown, Coaching, Conversations, Defense, Four Things, NFL, Offense, Players, Reviews, stats. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

EAGLES Aces shoot down Jets.

EAGLES 33 – Jets 18

EAGLES STATS:

New categories include an EXCLUSIVE weekly Offensive Line Report (Rushing TD’s + 3rd and 4th downs converted:missed of 2 yards or less – sacks allowed); as well as Drive Killer (Int – FR – 4th down Tackles – FF – TD).

Passing: (S) QB Gardner Minshew (20/25 – 80.0% – 242 – 2 – 0)

Rushing: (S) RB Miles Sanders (24 – 120 – 5.0 – 0 – 0)

Receiving: (S) TE Dallas Goedert (6 – 6 – 105 – 17.5 – 2)

Offensive Line Report: (1 + 2:1 – 1)

Drive Killer: (R ) S Marcus Epps (1 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0)

Sack Leader: (S) DE Josh Sweat (3 – 1.5 – 0 – 0)

****

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) Play Our Aces: Second and third stringers were sprinkled in here and there, in this game. However, it was mostly just sprinkling in. There was none of the Emotional Fuckwitage of last week’s debacle, with bench players frequently in for key possessions.

Our lead RB had more carries and rushing yards than all Eagles, combined. The weekly mismatch that is our starting TE, led the team in targets and even scored twice. It’s a simple formula folks, and it worked with an unnerving amount of ease. (DONE)

2) Interior Pass Rush: While DT Javon Hargrave (2 – 0.5 – 0 – 0) did get a piece of the QB, the interior pass rush wasn’t nearly as sharp as it needed to be. The knee-jerk response will be to blame the loose coverage, which allowed the Jets to complete passes at will, early in the game. However, the DT’s weren’t rushing into those ‘A’ gaps at the snap, either. The hole in that strategy was never adjusted, and was a game-long unforced error. (NOT DONE)

3) Talent Has To Win: This was not the week to get cute. We simply needed to maul a motherfucker and run the ball. We did.

There were 37 hand-offs and 25 pass attempts, with just 4 QB runs (ratio 37:29). Hand-offs were called 56% of the time. We just butchered and BBQed whichever Human sacrifices the Jets laid on our altar. (DONE)

4) Make secure tackles: Did a great job out there today. OLB Alex Singleton (8 – 0 – 0 – 0) came to play today. Can we talk for a minute, about that killshot that SS Anthony Harris (3 – 0 – 0 – 0) put on RB Tevin Coleman (11 – 58 – 5.2 – 0 – 0)? Coleman got up with a lil’ bit o’the wavy leg. We need more hitting like that. (DONE)

****

That’s 3 of Four Things completed this week and look! It results in an easy win. Go figure that! Our next opponent is the Bye Week.

Hopefully everyone gets the hell away from football for a week. Don’t even watch it. Sleep-in a couple days. Visit family. Catch-up/binge watch a favorite show. Anonymously volunteer as Santa somewhere. Just defrag and come back loose.

The four weeks that follow our Bye, will not be easy. So celebrate this week lads! Have a Bud Light with C Jason Kelce and our other friends.

For when you return, Hell and all of it’s hounds will be waiting for you at the gates off your own home.

****

On The Whole:

I could rant about Defensive Coordinator Johnathan Gannon calling a passive game again, but I won’t. We just need to replace him. See? No muss. No fuss. No rant. I want to talk about something important today.

A mostly healthy group of starters, led by a back-up QB, who (wink) really isn’t a back-up QB. Sounds downright Folseian™ doesn’t it? To some extent that’s probably why Eagles fans have this glow about them right now. It feels familiar. It feels warm. We played a game where even when we were down, you were never really worried.

That 3rd and 19 play, late in the first half. That’s a pivotal moment that begs discussion. If you blink, you can easily miss it’s significance.

WR Quez Watkins (3 – 3 – 60 – 20 – 0) starts out on the right side of the formation, and crosses field to the left-side numbers. The first read apparently isn’t open, but Minshew stays alive in the pocket, and throws the ball between the numbers and the sideline. It’s not a super-accurate pass. Minshew relies on Watkins to meet the ball, and he does for a splendid 22 yard completion.

If QB Jalen Hurts is in there, and his first read isn’t open, what happens? He runs right. He gets out of the pocket, looking down the right sideline. Maybe he runs. Maybe he throws a laser down the right stripe. However, the right isn’t where the open play was. If Hurts is in there, because of his well-known lack of vision, that play to Watkins never happens. This is of supreme importance for several reasons.

Coming into this game, this season Watkins played 12 games with 10 starts. That’s 12 games with 578 snaps played (74%). He came into Week 13 averaging 35.9 yards per game AS A STARTER. The only games where he had 60 yards? This one, and the one where he caught 2 passes for 117 yards, one of which was 91 yards. This is the definition of underutilized.

Establishing a real #2 WR would help loosen things up for the TE, and the #1 WR. And oh yeah, the run too. Better QB play could make other players more dangerous.

The Eagles aren’t about to make a change at QB over the Bye. That’s not what this is about. THIS, is a heads up. This is a snapshot. It’s a jigsaw piece.

Most of the fan base can’t see the puzzle, because right now, we’re standing on it. But have patience Dear Reader. Eventually all will reveal itself. All we have to do, is play a series of games.