Travis Fulgham

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FOUR THINGS: WK 7: EAGLES – GIANTS

Posted by The BEAST on 2020/10/20
Posted in: Coaching, Defense, Four Things, NFC East, NFL, Offense, Players, Preview, Rivals, Special Teams, X's and O's. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , . 1 Comment

THIS week’s opponent is garbage. They are 1 – 5 trash, and they play like 1 – 5 trash. The last two weeks saw us nearly snatch two games, from teams with legitimate Super Bowl aspirations. This year’s giants could never do that. So we need to got out there, and not play down to them. Injuries be damned.

With Dallas (2 – 4) losing to Arizona on Monday, a win over the giants on Thursday would put us at 2 – 4 – 1. Our winning percentage would be .357 to their .333. Pathetic? Sure. But it would still be the division lead? You bet! (Of course until Sunday, when Dallas shit cans Washington.)

The point of Four Things isn’t to predict a winner, it’s to discuss which tactics will practically guarantee our Eagles this win. CAUTION: I don’t have the faintest clue as to what a point spread is, and I know even less about how it works. I know football and that’s IT. If you use FT as a gambling tool, you are trying to lose your money.

So let’s talk about the Four Things we need to focus on this week versus the giants :

1) Hand it off 20 times: The handoffs aren’t about making yards. The giants are stout inside, and we’ll be leaning in RB Boston Scott. So no one expects miracles. The handoffs are to set-up play-action, keep pass rushers off of QB Carson Wentz, and not have our Defense on the field all game long.

2) Be sack religious: Go get the QB! In recent weeks he hasn’t shared the ball as much with opponents, because he hasn’t seen serious pass rush. Pass rush is what our defense does best! So go get him!

3) Spread them out!: The giants run a base 3-4 defense. Being that we we’re down to 3rd and 4th string TE’s, we should run less 12 personnel, and more 11 and 10. Use a Slot WRs to force them out of their base, make them smaller and give ourselves the corners to run the ball. WR’s J.J. Arcega-Whiteside and Travis Fulgham, match-up well as blockers vs the giants Nickel and Dime DB’s.

4) No 50 yard field goal attempts: This is not an indictment on K Jake Elliott’s ability to kick from distance. It’s to put the pressure on the Offense. This is Cortez burning the ships. Let’s be honest, the schedule only gets harder after the Bye. This game is an opportunity to work on and tighten things up. We should be able to win while doing so. If not… then the remainder of the season probably doesn’t matter.

If we do these Four Things, the final score should be:

PREDICTION: EAGLES 24 – giants 16

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

FOUR THINGS REVIEWED: WK 6: Ravens

Posted by The BEAST on 2020/10/19
Posted in: Coaching, Conversations, Defense, Four Things, Front Office (F.O.), NFL, Offense, Players, Reviews, Roster, stats. Tagged: , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

HORSESHOES and hand grenades.

Eagles 28 – Ravens 30

EAGLES LEADERS:

(S) QB Carson Wentz: (21/40 – 52.5% – 213 – 2 – 0)

(S) RB Miles Sanders: (9 – 118 – 13.1 – 0 – 1)

(S) WR Travis Fulgham: (10 – 6 – 75 – 12.5 – 1)

(S) DE Brandon Graham: (5 – 2.0 – 0 – 0)

I hear you asking, “What about all the stuff that stats don’t reveal?” Well, that’s the reason for the 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: Ravens did the Eagles get around to doing? Well let’s see:

TE Jason Croom. You can’t stop him. You can only hope to contain him.

1) Run the ball: Wentz ran 2 called runs in this game. The touchdown and the 4th down conversion he didn’t get. His other 3 runs were from drop backs. That makes the playcalling ratio, 43 passes to 15 called runs. On 58 plays run, we were passing 74% of the time. Not winning football strategy. It’s not a wonder the game got so out of hand. (NOT DONE)

2) Stay disciplined: Outside of their QB, the Ravens ran for 74 yards on 28 carries (2.6 ypc). The Eagles Defensive line did great job of setting the edges, and pursuing runners. While the Ravens did make a few plays (on 37 total carries) our defensive discipline was clearly there today. (DONE)

3) Challenge them vertically, early: That early drop by WR John Hightower did a lot to stem Wentz’s enthusiasm to throw to deep targets. Hightower let the ball hit his pads instead of plucking it with his hands. Thus, making it clear to everyone (including his mother), what the difference between 1st round and 5th round talent, looks like. (NOT DONE)

What you’re seeing here is a TE scoring a rare touchdown against LB Nate Gerry. And yes. That was sarcasm.

4) Set up the Mark: We covered their starting TE too well to bait their QB into attempting to get him the ball much. This would have been a great week to turn one of our weaknesses into a trap, but… They instead made use of the back-up TE. Well isn’t that special? Bless their little hearts. (NOT DONE)

That makes this weeks Four Things score a dismal 1 of 4, bringing the season total to 7 of 24. Hey gang! In addition to being banged up, starting a 3rd string RG, and not currently knowing the injury status of Miles Sanders knee, we get just 4 days to prepare for a divisional game against the giants on THURSDAY! Oh goodie! Oh joy! I’m so happy I could shit Legos.

On The Whole:

Yay. Something something, moral victory, silver lining, next man up, yadda blah. Whatever. We lost. Again.

Valiant comeback my ass! What was that, 4 passes that hit guys in the hands that they dropped?! Miles Sanders, dropping passes, fumbling and getting hurt? I will give a dollar to the first DB who jams a receiver and helps the D-Line get a sack.

For his part, Wentz (YET AGAIN), strapped this team to his back, and attempted to climb Mt. Everest. Wouldn’t it be neat to see a second offensive player show that much competitive fire? I don’t mean WR’s I mean a RB or a TE. I want to see toughness. Ruggedness. I want to see the opposing defense afraid of someone in an Eagles jersey.

RB Boston Scott tripping up Wentz on the 2-point conversion?! You know what? If GM Howie Roseman is going to be a buyer at the trade deadline, one the things I want him to buy, is RB Jordan Howard back from Miami. If they don’t think RB Corey Clement can back-up Sanders, then get me a guy who can. Because Scott ain’t it!

On Defense, everything behind our Front Four feels suspect. There was a play where no fewer than 3 Eagles had a shot at popped up pass, and nobody came down with it! It feels like the scheme is rubbing off on CB Darius Slay, and not the other way around.

Travis Fulgham continues his three game touchdown streak.

NOTE: It was nice to see Travis Fulgham get his first start, but we need to start seeing some combo routes run with TE Zach Ertz. Both to loosen the box and to get more roaming room for whomever is our deep receiver, on the other side.

WHY IS TRAVIS FULGHAM SO GOOD?

Posted by The BEAST on 2020/10/17
Posted in: Conversations, free agents, Offense, Players, Reviews, Roster, stats, Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

OVER the last two games, most Eagles fans have fallen heels-over-head for WR Travis Fulgham. Some love that he’s scored in each of the last two games. Some love that he makes big splash catches.

I love that he’s nothing special.

Seriously, there is nothing about his game that is remotely remarkable. He’s not super-fast. He doesn’t jump super-high. He doesn’t kill defenders with his first step off the line. So if he doesn’t have any amazing traits, why is he so much better than all the other young receivers we’ve drafted since Jeremy Maclin?

The thing that separates Fulgham from Eagles draft picks, is that he has a solid set of fundamentals. He comes back to the ball. He boxes out. He high-points and catches with his hands. Again, nothing special. Just the fundamentals that any receiver should have. I said should.

During Week One, QB Carson Wentz threw two interceptions. One was while trying to connect with rookie WR Jalen Reagor, and the other was an attempt to rookie WR John Hightower. Both were jumping and fading away from the ball, allowing the defender to uncut them. Remember the one to WR J.J. Arcega-Whiteside vs the Rams? Look up those three picks. I’ll wait…

(Whistling. Filing nails. Painting a still-life.)

Oh, you’re back! Did you notice what I was talking about? It jumps right out at you, doesn’t it? From now on, you will NEVER fail to notice it, and wonder how others miss it.

Although WR Alshon Jeffery has crazy leaping skills, his speed isn’t lethal, he’s not the biggest receiver, and he doesn’t have legendary hands. In fact, how would you describe Alshon’s game? Comes back to the ball. Boxes out. High-points. Makes yards after the catch. None of those things are talent based. Those are all skills. They are fundamentals which only come from teaching.

The obvious thing that fans keep missing, is that young Eagles receivers aren’t taught those basics. Fulgham learned it before he got here. Alshon, same thing. Terrell Owens? Kevin Curtis? These guys looked great next to receivers drafted, but untaught by our coaching staffs.

Speaking of which, how DOES former Eagles WR Nelson Agholor, look in Las Vegas this year? He’s only caught 10 balls, but he’s only been thrown 11 passes. That’s a 90% catch rate. Through 5 years with the Eagles, Agholor NEVER had a 90% catch rate through 5 weeks. Not in 2015 (47%), not 2016 (66%), not 2017 (69%), not 2018 (70%), nor 2019 (59%). NEVER.

Crazy what a little coaching can fix.

Some readers may say that I’ve failed to mention Fulgham’s ability to create separation with stems, speed variations in his routes, head fakes, stacking the defender, etc. Those are all skills. Those are all taught things. Every blessed one of them. Just basic fundamentals.

I love that Fulgham’s game is based on fundamentals. It means that if the Eagles decide to sign him long-term, his ability to play won’t disappear with injury, or suddenly with age. When Alshon gets back I look forward to seeing packages that feature them both on the field.

Now if only we can utilize some of that speed we added this year…

FOUR THINGS: WK 6: EAGLES – RAVENS

Posted by The BEAST on 2020/10/15
Posted in: Coaching, Defense, Four Things, NFC East, NFL, Offense, Players, playoffs, Preview. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , . 1 Comment

LAST week we walked into the home of a 3 – 0 team, and almost strolled out with the win. Despite the loss, during the game QB Carson Wentz may found a long-term dance partner in WR Travis Fulgham. GOODY!! Because this week, we get to face a Baltimore secondary that comes into this game allowing a 66.7% completion rate.

We’ve fallen to #2 in the NFC East, and our remaining schedule isn’t an easy one. A win this week, would position us for another crack at the division lead. (Depending on what follows on Monday night.) A loss wouldn’t take us out of contention, but losing more ground this week, would make the remainder of the season, a very heavy lift.

The point of Four Things isn’t to predict a winner, it’s to discuss which tactics will practically guarantee our Eagles this win. CAUTION: I don’t have the faintest clue as to what a point spread is, and I know even less about how it works. I know football and that’s IT. If you use FT as a gambling tool, you are trying to lose your money.

So let’s talk about the Four Things we need to focus on this week versus the Ravens:

1) Run the ball: Last week, RB Miles Sanders had a 74 yard TD run and finished the day with 11 carries and just 80 yards. That’s some bullshit. If Head Coach Doug Pederson was trying to lose the game, he absolutely figured out the way to do it. Throwing the ball all the time isn’t allowing our defense to rest. It’s Chess, not Checkers, Doug.

2) Stay disciplined: Set the edges and don’t chase eye-candy. This season we’ve made it apparent that if you get us running laterally, we can’t play defense. So keep the game North/South. Set a tone that not only helps us win this week, but sends the message to future opponents, that we’ve fixed a major weakness.

3) Challenge them vertically, early: They can score and we can’t stop anyone on defense. So we’ll need points to win. Get our players in an aggressive mindset early, and put our opponent on their heels. Attack. Attack. Attack. Attack.

4) Set up the Mark: TE Mark Andrews is the second most targeted option on their team, and the passes are usually short ones. Bait the QB into feeling secure about going to Andrews, and then step in front of the ball. That would of course be a turnover, but even if it isn’t, it’ll make the QB hesitant when delivering the ball.

If we do these Four Things, the final score should be:

PREDICTION: EAGLES 21 – Ravens 17

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

FOUR THINGS REVIEWED: WK 5: Steelers

Posted by The BEAST on 2020/10/12
Posted in: Coaching, Conversations, Defense, Four Things, NFL, Offense, Players, Reviews, Roster, stats. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

THE Eagles were out-coached. AGAIN.

Eagles 29 – Steelers 38 

EAGLES LEADERS:

(S) QB Carson Wentz: (20/35 – 57.1% – 258 – 2 – 2)

(S) RB Miles Sanders: (11 – 80 – 7.2 – 2 – 0)

(B) WR Travis Fulgham: (13 – 10 – 152 – 15.2 – 1)

(B) DT Javon Hargraves: (1 – 0.5 – 0 – 0)

I hear you asking, “What about all the stuff that stats don’t reveal?” Well, that’s the reason for the 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: Pittsburgh did the Eagles get around to doing? Well let’s see:

1) Jump short routes: Aside from one miss by CB Cre’Von LeBlanc, nobody really tried to do this. Three times, on 3rd down, the Steeler’s QB was able to complete a quick short pass inside and to his right, while Eagles defenders just watched the play happen. He should have never been able to do that twice, let alone three times. Especially without getting his receiver blown up. (NOT DONE)

2) Trim their edges: We didn’t run any RB Screens, but we did make the Out routes come alive today! Fulgham created space, boxed out, and high-pointed the ball, giving Wentz an easy target to go to all day long. WR Greg Ward ran a similar route for his easy 8 yard TD reception. TE Zach Ertz continues to dog it out there. I gave him the benefit of the doubt for 4 weeks, but after watching him let that TE Screen fall incomplete, I have to call him on it. With what he’s putting on tape, no one is giving him George Kittle money. (DONE)

3) Set the edge vs the run: I said that Pittsburgh doesn’t do a lot of WR rushing and coming into this game they hadn’t. Today they took 5 whacks at it, and made us look silly in the process. However, that’s a hard thing to charge to the Defensive Linemen. It’s really something that has to be adjusted for with an alignment that doesn’t pack all the LB’s inside of the DE’s. We took away the interior run game, but our scheme and lack of adjusting it, allowed them options they usually ignore. (NOT DONE)

4) Fight for catches: Right before the Half, J.J. Arcega-Whiteside made a nice 37 yard grab. Other than that, Fulgham didn’t really have to win any contested balls, he found ways to create separation, and give Wentz a clean target. Maybe he can teach his team mates? (NOT DONE)

That gives us a score of 1 of 4 this week (6 of 20 on the year.) Thank goodness we get to face Baltimore next week. NO! You know what? We’ll re-group, get a couple guys back next week, and look at this with fresh eyes.

On The Whole:

We went in shorthanded vs a 3 – 0 team, and made a real game out of it. Silver lining, it looks like Carson Wentz has found a young WR that he trusts. That can only pay dividends going forward. This week Whiteside and WR John Hightower got the start. Next week, if WR’s Alshon Jeffrey and DeSean Jackson are still shelved, then expect Fulgham and Hightower to get the nod.

There were several things that annoyed me: The play selection was ass, again. There were just 12 handoffs in this game, 2 called QB runs, and 38 passes called (2 resulted in QB scrambles). That’s 73% pass to 27%run. Why is it okay that our Defensive Coordinator isn’t capable of making adjustments? How is it that we had no answer for a rookie playing in just his 4th pro game?

We got embarrassed by a rookie. And we got out-coached. The Steelers were flat-out smarter than us. Especially our Defense. We ate Jet Sweeps from a team that hardly runs them! We’ve been so bad at defending those, that opponents include them, just to run them against us. And if it wasn’t bad enough that in-game adjustments aren’t being made, week-to-week adjustments aren’t being made either. I feel like the game was never as close as the score.