Detailed Game Review – PHI 13, BAL 6
Posted: August 13th, 2011 | Author: Tommy Lawlor | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | 54 Comments »Good showing by the Eagles in the 2011 PS opener. The starting offense played well. They had 1 drive and it resulted in a TD. A Red Zone TD, no less. We quickly got Vick and Shady out of the game. Things were up and down after that, which was expected. We’ve got a new blocking scheme and a bunch of new players. You cannot think the team will be crisp and efficient under those circumstances. The idiot announcers kept going on and on about all the running plays with Vince Young and Ronnie Brown in the game. Is Andy Reid changing his offense? Uh, no. We had a makeshift O-line, new RB, and QB who’s had less than a week of practice. Of course you’re going to run the ball. I have no idea how that notion escaped the broadcasters.
The defense was very impressive. The new scheme was well executed. Jim Washburn and Juan Castillo obviously know how to teach. Just as important, the scheme fits the players well. Guys were doing things that looked natural to them. The D-line got a lot of penetration vs the run and kept regular pressure on the Ravens QBs.
There are a couple of things to keep in mind. The Ravens O-line is no juggernaut, starters or backups. They also don’t have a good set of WRs or a polished passing game. A rookie QB played about 3 quarters of the game. All of these things helped our pass rush. I was still highly impressed, but we do need to keep circumstances in perspective when judging what goes on in the preseason.
The same is true for our backup O-lines. They struggled at times. It wasn’t simply a lack of talent. The Ravens blitzing really got to us. We had quite a few negative plays where a CB or S was coming free on the QB. Some of those were draws and screens. You’re really vulnerable to DB blitzes. The results weren’t good, but it wasn’t lack of talent or bad execution so much as the right play call. I like our backups on the interior of the line. The OTs are definitely a work in progress.
Speaking of play calling, I thought Juan Castillo had a good night. The defense didn’t look confused or lost with any regularity. There were some screw-ups, but those are expected in the PS opener. Overall I thought the defense looked pretty polished considering the circumstances…semi-new scheme, new coaches, new players, no real offseason.
You’ll see in my player notes that I didn’t have much to say about the CBs. Baltimore has a mediocre passing game and our guys just weren’t challenged, starters or backups. There wasn’t a whole lot to take away. Let’s hope Pittsburgh is a better test. I need to find out about Marsh, Hughes, Lindley, etc.
The new KO rule is boring, but does protect players. I can understand that. I think touchbacks will go down once late fall/winter gets here and the ball isn’t traveling as well.
OFFENSE
VICK — Good start. 4-6-74. TD. Looked good. Mike wasn’t impressive last summer, but had a great year. He’s off to a good start this summer. Let’s hope that bodes well for another great season.
KAFKA — Up and down. Threw bad INT. Forced the ball into coverage and doesn’t have the arm to do that. Struggled initially, but did get better in the 2nd half. Hit WR on crossing route for 1st down. Good on short throws to TE. Used a hard count effectively. Ravens jumped a few times. Made a very good hot read vs corner blitz. Hit Hall with quick, accurate throw for nice gain. Made a gutsy throw to Gerald Jones on 3rd/long from our endzone. Kafka knew he was going to get hit, but focused on the throw. That moved the chains and helped with field position. Kafka needs work as a passer, but he’s got guts and seems like a natural leader. We can work on the passing skills. The intangibles are something you either have or don’t. He does.
YOUNG — Limited showing. He was given simple pass plays. When his read wasn’t there, got ready to run. Did show off his elusiveness. Highlight may have been 3rd/14. Escaped sack, ran upfield, and then saw Hall. Got him a pass just before the line and Chad turned that into a nice gain. Threw high pass to Higgins, but he caught it. Called for grounding on blown up screen pass, but had no choice. Lewis was lost in a scrum and a blitzer was all over him. Vince is able to make things happen because of his natural talent. We saw that in the game. He is not a consistent, polished QB in any way, shape, or form. I hope we see progress as he practices and gets more comfortable in the offense.
32 SCHMITT — Somewhat quiet game. Ran for 1st on 3rd/1. Got 1.1 yds on the dive play.
39 HAVILI — Played, but didn’t stand out.
25 MCCOY — Limited snaps. Gets an A+ because he came out healthy.
36 BROWN — Pretty good showing. Got a lot of work, running and receiving. Had 10 touches. Okay speed, good power. Liked what I saw. Better blocking would have really helped him.
27 D. LEWIS — #3 RB. Good showing from a player I’ve had my doubts about. Good gain on screen pass – 16 yds. Showed vision, burst, and toughness. Ran well on his carries. Didn’t go down on first contact. Able to make himself small and find small running creases. That may sound silly because of his size, but some small guys don’t use their size to their advantage. Lewis did. Had an okay block of blitzing LB. Went low on the guy and got him, but the guy was able to get off the block and pressure Kafka. That was on the INT play. Dion did his job. Ideally, you’d like him to put the guy down or sustain the block. Pick wasn’t his fault. Sloppy pass block in the late 3rd. Made a good read and saw the guy coming. Block was too casual and the blitzer got free and hit Kafka.
43 COOPER — First pass block wasn’t real impressive. Didn’t make clean contact. Looked unsure. Ran for nice gain on draw play. Showed some burst. Ran hard. No hesitation. Made a tough catch on a dump pass that Kafka should have thrown into the stands. Lost yds. Good concentration, hands by Cooper. Showed promise as a receiver.
34 BUCKLEY — Stuffed ILB on blitz up middle. Good block No touches.
33 LOCKE — Played late. Had a 12-yard run.
14 R. COOPER — Made a sensational catch to set up our TD. Saw Vick moving and went downfield. Went up in the air for the ball. Got it. Ed Reed pulled down one arm, but Riley had the ball secure in the other. Landed awkwardly and I feared he might have hurt his knee, but only left the game for a play or two. Catch showed his skill and athleticism.
81 AVANT — Good start. Made one tough catch. Almost made a sensational TD catch, but didn’t have enough room to get control of the ball and both feet in.
16 C HALL — Solid game. Caught 5 passes for 82 yards. Knows how to get open. Benefited from Vince’s scrambling. Caught a pass from him and turned that into a long gain. Caught a quick pass over the middle to move the chains in the early 3rd. The problem with Chad is speed. I like his quickness and elusiveness, but I just don’t see a guy who can take advantage of situations. Chad will get into space and you’ll expect to see a big play, but he’s quickly tackled. He runs hard, but just doesn’t show the speed I think a guy his size needs. I was hoping he would look faster this year, but that doesn’t seem to be the case.
17 JL HIGGINS — Made one good catch. Vince put the ball up high, but Johnnie Lee was able to go up and get it. Dropped a pass from Young. Didn’t show a whole lot as a WR. Wasn’t able to return a punt or kickoff.
83 R HARPER — Smooth hands, good RAC on catch over middle in early 3rd. Caught a short pass in the late 3rd and was hit by about 30 Ravens. Tough guy. Real impressive play in early 4th. Used good move to beat press, get open on slant. Snagged the ball with his hands. Had LB coming to hit him, but stayed focused. Caught WR screen and got blasted by 20 Ravens. Harper looks like a WCO receiver. He’s willing to work the middle and take a hit. Hands catcher. Not sure how athletic he is, but I was impressed with his performance.
87 CELEK — Vick tried to hit him on opening drive on intermediate route. Brent couldn’t make the catch. Couldn’t tell if the defender hit the ball at all. Would have been a tough catch. TD was simple play. Run 3 yards and then turn around. Essentially box out the LB and let Vick throw it to you. Easy, but well executed. Good start to the preseason.
82 B HARBOR — Had a couple of good blocks on run plays to his side. Tried to kill someone downfield on a play, but the LB moved and Clay missed him. Would have been a fun block if the guy hadn’t been looking. Didn’t have any passes come his way.
88 D LEE — Good block of LB on 3rd/1 run to his side. Caught a short dump-off pass and ran for 1st down. Caught a short pass over the middle. Caught a short pass down the seam in the early 3rd. Had a poor run block in the 3rd Qtr. Lee might be the best #3 TE we’ve had here in Philly. I still don’t know if he’ll make the team, but he’s a quality player.
48 M WEBB — Caught a short pass on 3rd/1. Moved the chains.
85 C INGRAM — Played, but failed to stand out. No passes came his way.
67 J JACKSON — Played early on. Looked good. Nice to have him healthy for a change.
63 D WATKINS — We ran right behind him on 3rd/1. Danny sealed DT to the inside, gave Schmitt a small area to hit. Failed to get clean block on Pryce on Vick’s long pass. Danny looked confused for some reason. Sloppy block. Got pushed back by Cody on GL run, but was able to stop the penetration and gain control mid-play. Pulled left on run play and had nice block of DE. Looked good on the move. Played less than I thought he would. You can see his physical gifts. Talented player. Just needs reps. Real curious to see him in a couple of weeks. Danny is a quick learner and he should improve as he gets more work.
64 R HARRIS — Got beat on consecutive plays by inside move. One resulted in a batted pass. Can’t have DEs getting free inside. Make them beat you outside. Really good with his hands. Gets some pop when he’s engaging defenders. Impressive. Whiffed on DE on run play to his side. I think Harris may be getting a bit over-hyped by some reporters. Can be a solid RT, but he’s not a special player or anything close to that.
62 KELCE — Got pushed back a step on short ydg run. Got his feet under him and then was able to put the DT on the ground. Good block of LB on draw. Stuck with it for almost 5 yds. Had good block of Cody on run play that went outside. Jason got into him quickly and pushed him back a step, then sustained the block. Blitzing LB went by him on run play. Jason wasn’t expecting the ILB to blitz and looked shocked when he saw the guy run by him. Welcome to life vs BAL. And PIT, NYJ, etc. Quick burst, swim move by #90 gave him trouble in pass pro. Did short pull to outside on pass play to get blitzer. Well executed. NT got by him on RZ pass play and pressured Kafka into hurried throw. Consistently got to LBs on run plays. Able to get to the 2nd level, engage, and sustain. Good start for him. Wasn’t physically overwhelmed at all. I’m not sure how I feel about him starting this year, but you can see he’s the C of the future for sure.
68 A HOWARD — #2 LT. Let DE get free to the inside late in the 1st Qtr. Easy sack. Can’t have that. Good block on draw. Pushed DE upfield and created running lane. Made good initial block on 3rd/long, but then let the DE get free to the inside. Ugh. Should have sacked VY, but Vince went all Vince on the Ravens and made something out of it. Good block of LB on run to his side. Gave Brown room to run. Good pass block of DE on 2nd/long. Austin does have naturally good feet. Gave up inside to DE on pass play late in half. Played some RT in the 4th Qtr. Austin really needs to get into shape.
69 E MATHIS — #2 LG. Good block on 3rd/1 run that came to his side. Cleared small space for Brown. Had good upfield block of LB on run play. good block of DT on run to his side. Stuck with it. Good leverage. Played some RT late in the game when a couple of OTs had gotten hurt.
77 M MCGLYNN — Took over RG late in the 1st Qtr. Up and down in pass pro. Good effort. Pulled left on run. Dove at LB, but basically whiffed. Had a good drive block of DT on run play. Poor block out in space on screen. Looked like he was trying to cut a LB, but really just fell down. Now he’s trying to kill the worms. Leave those poor creatures alone. Beaten cleanly by #90 with rip move on RZ pass. That led to FF and long TD return. Fumble was overturned by replay, but still a bad block by Mike. Moved to C in the late 3rd. I don’t think McGlynn is going to make the team. He just doesn’t look natural in the new system. We’ll see if he gets better in the next few weeks. Can be a good player, but needs the right system. Meant to be RG in a run heavy offense.
77 J VANDERVELDE — #3 LG. Got driven back in pass pro and that flushed Kafka. Got pushed back again in pass pro. #96. Good feet. Moves well laterally. Seemed better in the 2nd half. Good reach block on run that went away from him. Kept DT from getting to Lewis for TFL. Pulls well. Made a sloppy block of LB in pass pro and the guy was able to pressure Kafka. Shifted to RG late in the game. Beaten by #90 in pass pro. Guy hit Kafka, forced bad throw.
78 F TUPOU — Didn’t see him play much.
65 K DUNLAP — #2 RT. Up and down game. Continues to give too much ground in pass pro. That’s last year’s system. Did have a very good down block on 3rd/1. Caved in a defender and gave Lewis space to run for 1st. Had a false start penalty. Good block on draw. Shoved DE upfield, then got partial shot on LB.
66 D REYNOLDS — #4 LG. Didn’t stand out.
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DEFENSE
* Great team D on early screen. Babin used spin move and ran into Rice. Casey was waiting to the outside. Dixon was on the inside. Both guys read the play and weren’t about to let Rice free. Flacco had to throw the ball away.
* Pressure from the front line resulted in multiple false start penalties.
58 COLE — Blew up run by knocking LT back, shedding block, and then getting RB for no gain. Got an early sack by driving LT back. Babin got pressure as did Jenkins. Trent finished off the play. Great start to the year.
75 PARKER — Didn’t really catch my eye. I don’t think he played much.
68 HARGROVE — Played LDT/NT. Got RB for minimal gain. Bounced off a block and found himself at the right spot at the right time. Active player. Flows to the football. Not always smooth, but stays on the move.
97 JENKINS — RDT, UT. Got a big hit on Flacco on first play of game. Had to work to get free, but finally did an planted Joe in the ground. Showed good quickness off the ball. I’m going to enjoy watching him this year.
93 BABIN — Played with the starters on 2nd series. Flew off the edge and really chased inside runs. BAL saw that and burned him with bootleg. Luckily we covered well behind Babin. Knocked the RT down with a spin move. Impressive. Almost got a sack, but Cole selfishly beat him to the QB. Must talk to Trent about sharing.
55 D TAPP — Got TFL on early run play. LT blew his assignment and didn’t make the block. Opened the 2nd Qtr with a sack. Got under Oher and shoved his arms away. Then took inside route to get sack. Used good burst and his hands to cleanly get by LT for sack late in the half. Tapp played in this type of system in college and he looks like a natural in it. Real impressive showing.
52 TEO — Played RDE. Got off block of TE and came close to TFL of RB. Drove the LT back on a pass play and helped to flush out the QB. Played at least one snap at DT. Pass play. Was blocked pretty well. Fought off cut block and got RB on inside run. Excellent bull rush in 3rd Qtr. Drove LT straight to QB, flushed Taylor, created sack for Landri. Got a sack late in the game. Good burst off the ball. Blitzers came up the middle and Taylor had nowhere to run. Needs to be more regular with pressure off the edge, but had some good moments.
90 DIXON — Quiet game. Played with backup DTs. Had effective bull rushes on a couple of plays, but didn’t really stand out. Not sure if he’s slow in learning the system, still bothered by injury, or playing his way into shape.
73 LANDRI — Helped Tapp on early TFL. Relentless player. Isn’t going to slow down until the whistle blows. Got sack in 3rd Qtr. Teo flushed QB and Derek was there to finish the play. Used spin move on that play to stay unblocked. If he continues to play like that, will make serious push for roster spot. Excellent fit for W-9.
64 M FAVORITE — Wow. Opened some eyes with his game. Good push on 2nd Qtr pass. Drove LG back to QB. Tapp got sack on the play. Real good power by MF. Got push vs RG on another pass play. Shed RG and tackled RB on play that came his way. Drove C backward on pass late in the half and actually knocked the guy on his butt. Shed block of OL and got RB down for no gain. Really hustled when the ball went out wide or the play got behind him. Got pressure up middle late in game and helped Hunt get sack. Celebrated by rubbing his (big) belly. My new hero.
76 P HUNT — Mostly LDE. Really good with his hands. Quick off the ball. Used good spin move to shoot to the inside and pressure QB. Used bull rush to knock RT back, then dove for the QB. Couldn’t quite get him. Used good burst, swim move to get pressure in 3rd Qtr. Unblocked on late pass play in 3rd Qtr. Flushed Taylor and forced him into bad throw, INT. RZ play. Used bull rush to drive RT backward and pressure QB. Jumped offside on pass play late in the game. Blew by the LT late in the game. Sacked Taylor. Hit him hard enough to knock his helmet off. I hope the coaches give him some reps vs starting OTs in the coming weeks. I want to see if Hunt can beat them. Might be a good pass rushing specialist.
72 C THORNTON — Has exceptional quickness off the ball. Still learning. Drew penalty for knocking helmet off OL. Gets off balance after firing off the ball. Must play under better control. Got knocked on his butt by double team on pass play. Disrupted a 4th Qtr run play with penetration.
The biggest issue right now is that Cedric gets going so quickly, he is out in front of his feet. That makes it easy for OL to knock him down or push him away. Love the burst, but you must keep your feet under you so that you’ve got balance and power.
65 C WILSON — Played LDE. Has some quickness off the ball. Good tackle on run play that came his way in the late 3rd. Got away with late hit on QB in the 4th Qtr.
94 NOONAN — Played some. Longshot, but he plays hard. Excellent effort.
51 CHANEY — Ray Rice burned us for a good gain on a quick pass play on the opening drive. I think Chaney was at fault. He blitzed, then pivoted when he saw Rice going out. Chaney went into chase mode. Had to deal with several cut blocks. Fought off one and tackled RB. Did a good job of getting on RBs who went out to the flats on pass plays.
50 MATTHEWS — Read run play and flowed to the ball, but RB cut back to other side. DT got him. Read screen play correctly and got into good position. Covered TE well on 3rd down pass where Cole got sack. Didn’t stand out vs run. He had to deal with blocks a couple of times. Got off one pretty well. Another one the OL got the better of the situation. Casey needs technique work. He’s got to aggressively get into the blocker and try to win the battle. The most impressive thing for me was that Casey played smart. He read plays well. He knew his assignments. Casey showed excellent field vision in college and again at the Senior Bowl. That’s with him in the NFL as well. Very underrated part of being a MLB.
53 FOKOU — Just slammed FB to the ground on run play that was designed to come at him. Used his hands well to fend off blockers. Moise is like a bull in a china shop. He just throws things around. Real tough, physical player.
57 K CLAYTON — Flew out to tackle TE after short catch. Real good speed by KC. Stuck tight to RBs on short pass plays. Really popped RB who tried to release on pass route. Knocked the guy off balance. Knocked receiver down in the flat after pass fell incomplete. Good to see him being more physical. I hadn’t been impressed by practice clips, but looked good in the game.
96 G. LLOYD — Made a good tackle vs run in early 2nd. Flowed to his right and made the stop. RB got a couple of yards. Fought off a block before getting out wide. Looked stiff, slow on one play. Taylor scrambled. Lloyd couldn’t change direction fluidly to pursue him. Had to literally stop, turn, and then run. Not good. Made real good play on short yardage run. Shed block and got to RB quickly on inside run. Did give up the yard though. Looked slow as he worked toward a run play to his right late in the 3rd. Real good vs inside runs. Speed is a major question.
59 B ROLLE — Played in the #2 D and #2 Nickel. Good hit on TE after short catch in 2nd Qtr. Got outside quickly and put the guy down firmly. Got cut on run play up the middle in late 3rd. Wasn’t able to make the stop. Was a bit awkward out in space vs TEs. Effective blitzer. Hustled to tackle WR who got away from Calvin on final drive. Blitzed up middle and hit Taylor on final play. Helped to force incompletion. Led the team with 4 tackles. Solid beginning for him. I know he’s short and not all that big, but I would love to see him get a shot at MLB in a preseason game.
48 JEANTY — Tackled RB in flat after short pass.
42 COLEMAN — Got beat early in the game. Had tight coverage on Pitta, but his back was to QB and he never made a good play on the ball. Should have been PBU. Might have been INT. Got in on a couple of tackles. Has a thicker build this year.
29 ALLEN — Showed a good burst when chasing down Rice after long gain on pass play. That’s all I wanted to see.
26 J JARRETT — Picked off pass in early 2nd Qtr. Overthrow that came right to him. Showed good awareness, hands on the play. Made a nice return as well. Had pretty good coverage late in the half on pass to WR along sideline. JJ got over quickly and pass was off target. Got in on tackle on one KO return.
25 J PAGE — Came up quickly to hit receiver after catch over the middle. Came up and really popped TE after catch over middle. Picked off Taylor in RZ. QB was flushed, Page stepped in front of pass. Real good showing. Played himself into serious roster consideration.
30 C ANDERSON — Made shoestring tackle of RB after catch and run in 4th. Made a good pick on overthrow in the 4th, but only got one foot in.
Did okay, but needs to pick up the pace with Jarrad Page playing the way he did. I don’t think we’ll keep 5 Safeties.
45 J ADAMS — Got physical hit on WR running down sideline after catch. Got big hit on RB who was trying to catch pass in endzone. He was bobbling ball, but Adams sealed the deal by hitting him hard in the back.
21 HANSON — Had tight coverage on Boldin on early 3rd down play. Had him in the slot. Flacco threw to Boldin, but wasn’t able to complete the pass.
31 C MARSH — Tight coverage led to overthrow by Taylor and INT for Jarrett. Sloppy angle, missed tackle on WR screen in 3rd Qr. Same result on another quick pass to WR on same drive. Liked what I saw in cover skills. Must work on tackling.
38 J CALVIN — Missed tackle of WR after quick screen pass to him. Ditto that late in the game. Broke up a quick pass on Ravens final drive. Sloppy tackle attempt in RZ on final drive. He’s a longshot anyway, sloppy tackling isn’t going to impress the other 31 teams watching the game tape.
27 HUGHES — Didn’t have any passes come his way. I was really hoping to get a better feel for him.
I’m on the road so you can ask questions, but I’m not sure about when I’ll be able to answer.
No Lindley notes?
One thing that I’ve noticed with Cedric Thornton at both Lehigh and vs. Baltimore is that he is so quick that he cannot get his hands up or arms extended. He is running into the problem that keeps young D-Lineman from ever developing. If he can slow down a little bit and get that extension, he may develop into a Cullen Jenkins-esque player. A guy I really like. Just gets his hands tangled up and he becomes a wasted body out there.
My fear with him is trying too hard, getting cut, and some 3-4 team snatching him off waivers/Practice Squad and putting him at DE to never be heard from again.
I foresee about 4 or 5 sacks for Hunt. One real interesting thing about him is how much other players root for him. Three days at Lehigh and listening to the DLine, I’ve heard a lot of praise for him from Trent Cole and Babin (and of course from the ever-screaming Washburn.)
Lloyd 96 is painfully slow. Akeem is running with the second team at MLB. I expect a waiver-wire move at some point.
Marsh 31 has been impressing. Think he might be the guy to force Mmmbop out of town.
Great write up Tommy! Love ’em as always
Thanks again for the great write-up !!! We all love them and the hard work you put into the web site every week. A labor of love obviously, but greatly appreciated by all regardless.
Impressive start. Cautiously optimistic. Can’t help but think of how stupid a move it was for Sapp to run away pouting. He could have been another stud in this system. You know he probably would have participated in the sack-fest. It reminds me of that guy who quit the Beetles. That’s right, almost no one remembers his name ……….
Tommy, great write up. If this is the quality we get for pre-season, I’m psyched for the regular season reviews. My favorite part is that Shady came out healthy. I predict a huge year for him.
All hail the mighty Iggles Blitz!
@MoneyDavid
Pete Best lost out on being a Beatle. I think the band canned him in favor of Ringo. Now that’s a hard “I coulda’ been…”
Mathis at RT til Justice gets back? Something to consider if Harris doesn’t turn it around.
Rod Harper has a million guys ahead of him, but he returned a punt for a TD in preseason for NO, timed as low as 4.38, plays slot well. Higgins has more experience but hasn’t improved as a RS or done much at WR. Then you have guys like Moss and Cooper who didn’t get many returns in college but had a few and could be good. Locke would seem to have the most potential as a RS, tho KOs his college specialty are being devalued, he has the speed to be good with punt. I agree Hall seems like possible slot guy, slightly slower than Avant and considerably shorter, perhaps granted the annual ritual of a cut to see if he fits in elsewhere followed by a possible return.
Marlon Favorite’s celebration has been widely praised for style points as it isn’t overly demonstrative, humorous, slightly self deprecating, I liked it.. it would be fun if his 10th NFL stop is a charm.
meant to say “i agree’ Hall doesn’t show the speed, then quit that sentence
I like those box out plays with Celek. If you have a TE who can do that why not get some easy yards until the defense adjusts to it. I never understood why we didn’t do more of that unless its just not in the Eagles long pass DNA.
@izzylangfan
Isn’t that how they used to use Chad Lewis?
Chad Hall has yet to impress me. He looks better than last year, but still slow. He’s basically a 5’8″ possession receiver. Yeah, no thanks.
Tapp was more impressive the 2nd time i watched the game because he beat Oher badly twice, everyone was beating #79 but Tapp beat Oher once for a sack and again for a pressure. I think Babin will want to show he is not a one year wonder, i expect big things from him.
Our dline rotation is gonna b sick this year, and Cole and Parker will stay fresh for late season push.We havent even seen Laws or Patterson play yet. Im not overreacting to a preseason game, without this game i am excited. I love that we have Wash
I would love to see Lewis more, he should def win the 3rd rback roster spot. I agree about Mcglyn, even though he is versatile i think he is gone. On the screen where he just fell down, Kelce ran out and got a nice block to help Lewis pick up another couple yards. Im not a big Higgins fan, he just doesnt look the part at reciever. I take Hall over him, unless Higgins impresses as a return guy. Austin Howard looked pretty bad at times
Very nice written article, love your work tommy. Do you have any idea why the eagles have such a poor announce team for tv? Couldn’t a team of say Spadaro and Ike Reece do better? And whats the reason the radio crew can’t work both for a PS?
I love Hugh Douglas and Co talking about how maybe we will run more and when is the last time you saw 5 straight run plays blah blah. VY has practiced for a week, of course we will run it alot. We do that every preseason anyways when the backups come in. That guy from the canadian league had like 20 carries last year. And they really wanted us to know that Mudd was playin a lot of golf
The sad part is the announcing was better than last year.
Kafka just doesnt seem to have a strong enough arm. I was a big Kolb fan and people say he doesnt have a strong arm, his arm strenght seems much better than Kafka. Kolb had nice zip to his balls. I hope VY gets better quick just in case we need him, i think Kafka can be the #2 but i dont think he is ready yet
@matt
I agree. Hugh Douglas makes Tony Siragusa look like Pat Summerall.
good read on castillo, this makes me like him
http://www.nationalfootballpost.com/Who-is-Juan-Castillo.html
Anybody watching the NYG-CAR game right now?
Jason Pierre-Paul, drafted two spots after Brandon Graham, has 7 tackles and 2 sacks in one quarter of work.
He looks like the second coming of Jevon Kearse. Could be primed for a huge season this year… and the Eagles could have had him with the 13th pick in the 2010 draft. Mike Mayock had him ranked #1 of all DEs, but the Eagles had to reach for a midget DE who projected better as 3-4 OLB and who is now on injured and likely out for the season.
If the Eagles could draft decently, they wouldn’t have to blow all this money on free agents to shore up positions (such as LDE) they should have filled already with drafted players.
And no, you can’t predict injuries, but Graham sucked before he was injured anyway. The point is that nobody projected Graham any higher than the late 20s in the draft anyway, and few projected him as a 4-3 DE. The consensus best 4-3 LDEs were Derrick Morgan and Jason Pierre Paul according to draft analysts at the time. Mike Mayock, the top draft guru, loved Pierre-Paul. And why pick a 6’0″-6’1″ guy over someone with freakish athletic ability at 6’6″ anyway? Does that make any sense? Does it take a genius to realize the big guy is probably going to be a better DE, a position which the player has to beat 300+ lb 6’5″+ monster OTs?
@Morton
As I understand it, JPP wasn’t on the Eagles board at all due to character concerns. So, while it appears at this point that he may have been a better pick than BG, I can’t criticize. As for Morgan, I guess the Eagles just saw differently in the evaluation. Not an isolated incident though for one of their 1st rounders. They’ve had trouble in that round for a while now. I’m not sure we can point to one reason.
@Morton
You’re judging JPP based on his performance against the Carolina Panthers? In a preseason game?
I’m not saying you’re wrong…but he wouldn’t be the first guy who shows up big in the preseason and then can’t live up to it in real games. Particularly since it’s the Panthers.
morton
how did u come to the conclusion that BG sucked before he got hurt, and the JPP was good? i am just trying to follow ur logic. i like learning but i need to know how u came up with this before i can follow what u r saying. and saying that JPP is taller doesnt help me.
@ Morton
Gotta love looking back at what-could-have-been draft moments based on one quarter. In the preseason. Playing against what was the worst team in the NFL with one of the more dreadful QBs in the NFL (Clausen).
Also, gotta love “misremembering” draft analyses because you don’t like said pick. If I remember correctly, most draft analysts were putting Graham on the same pedestal as Morgan and Pierre-Paul. Hell, Schefter claimed he would win DROY. And our very own Jim Washburn (who I would imagine has a very seasoned eye for DL talent) wanted Graham the most of the three.
Take out the two-game stretch where he actually played well against terrible offensive lines (WAS and JAX) and his numbers for the year are 19 tackles (10 solo) and .5 sack.
I’m not saying Graham had a better season than him nor am I saying JPP isn’t primed to have a good year, but sans the injury he’s just not that much better (if at all) than Graham, whose numbers were affected by misuse by some bumbling coaching.
PS. 6’1 players have an advantage over 6’5 players in that they can more easily get underneath the tackle and use that leverage to push (usually tall) OTs back and take advantage of them. Pretty basic pass-rushing philosophy. It’s harder for taller DEs to do that since the OT doesn’t need to bend over or change his posture.
Graham might be slightly shorter than most elite DEs but an inch or two (or three) is hardly a difference-maker.
@Morton
Why do you keep making me go back and find these comments every time JPP has a decent game and you pretend that you knew he was going to be a stud all along?
“There are rumors that the Eagles are targeting ‘Jason Pierre-Paul’ from USF – if they pick this guy I will punch a wall. He has ‘bust’ written all over him.”
– Morton, IgglesBlog, 4/21/10
“If the Eagles pick Jason Pierre-Paul or Carlos Dunlap, they will regret it for years to come.”
– Morton, IgglesBlog, 4/21/10
Aw, no worries, I just bookmarked it for future reference.
@ Morton
Last time I checked Jim Washburn was really high on Brandon Graham in last years draft.
When was the last time Mike Mayock coached a D-line? Oh yea… that’s what I thought.
Remember that the sun doesn’t shine on the same dog’s ass everyday. Mayock wiffs on just as many prospects as he hits on. He may be one of the better talking heads around draft time, but if he was the best scout ever, don’t you think he would be getting paid to scout instead of blowing wind on NFL network?
Morton
Correct me if I’m wrong, but weren’t you saying that the good performance of the eagle’s d in a preseason game meant nothing as far as the regular season was concerned?
Also, Derrik Morgan had a worse year than Graham (went on IR in October after a so-so start).
PFF is not god but they go of facts and not opinions, guess hwo is their Dend on their all rookie team?
http://www.profootballfocus.com/blog/2011/01/19/the-profootballfocus-com-all-rookie-team/
Correct me if I’m wrong, but weren’t you saying that the good performance of the eagle’s d in a preseason game meant nothing as far as the regular season was concerned?
Here is a write up last year after the giants game, guess who PFF thinks the most impressive player on D was that game?
http://www.profootballfocus.com/blog/2010/11/22/re-focused-week-11-giants-at-eagles/
Also last year Lombardi reported that an NFC east team cursed and threw something when we picked BG, basically they were pissed that we got him because they were going to take him, we traded down to jump ahead of the Giants so i would have to think it was them
Come on Morton, You need to bring your A game if you’re going to bash THIS team. You just threw up a softball and 6 people simultaneously knocked it into the right field bleachers.
just in case u need another PFF game where they liked BG
but one that did was that of Graham (+3.8). Returning from injury and getting more snaps than incumbent starter Parker (42 to 36), Graham showed some of the pass-rushing skills that led to the Eagles trading up for him. Playing predominantly at DE but getting occasional snaps at DT, Graham collected three hits and four pressures against the Colts in 31 rushes. He also wasn’t a liability in the run game (+0.1), as has been the case before
http://www.profootballfocus.com/blog/2010/11/11/re-focused-week-9-colts-at-eagles/
Anyway, back to the regularly scheduled programming. Is it fair to say that the Ravens were not good enough to help us sort out the logjams at CB, DE and DT?
McDermott missed out on Asomugha, Jenkins, and DRC but he’s got Considine and Omar Gaither.
I hope they bubble wrap Jenkins as much as possible during the regular season, up two scores. The problem is that all the DTs have endurance issues, except perhaps Landri and Thornton.
its hard to see hwo played well at corner. the dline looked better than they really were because of #79. the dline played great but #79 def made them look better.
do we keep usually 5 or 6 dends?
if it is only 5 i could see Hunt givin Teo a run. Teo just hasnt showed much to me. This game was probably his best he beat #79 a few times but i think he needs to play well in the next few games or he will be in jeapordy. Teo made BG look like a superstar last year. I hope Teo gets one more year
cole/babin/parker/tapp/hunt/teo
Sometimes I feel like Morton just writes this stuff to see if he can get a rise out of us.
Maybe he’s actually Tommy’s alter ego, when he feels like he needs to release some negative energy.
I would *love* to see what BG would be able to do in this new wide 9 system. Seems like the kind of place where he could really do some damage. Its really a shame about his injury.
Tommy, over on the TATE blog and with your review here, should I read that Akeem saw very little of the field? He is somewhat of a known commodity but with a new co-ordinator, a flip-flopping of OLB responsibilites, playing behind a DL lined up quite differnetly, I’d of expected more playing time? What’s occuring?
LOL @ ATG destroying Morton – This guy is just one of the best trolls I’ve ever seen
When I think back at last season, I feel like Andy Reid used Chad Hall a LOT more than his stats show. His 2010 numbers were:
11 rec – 151 yards – 1 TD
9 rushes – 29 yards – 0 TD
And just about all those receiving yards came against the Cowboys in Week 17.
So I guess this debate over Chad Hall making the roster is just not that important. Ultimately, we’re talking about the 5th or 6th WR who will see few opportunities anyway.
@Jason-E
I agree about Chad Hall. I don’t think he’ll be on the roster and I’m not even convinced he’s an NFL caliber receiver.
I think if Chad Hall had decent NFL speed he would be a great player. Dude knows how to play, gets open, never drops a ball, has great football IQ, etc. Really too bad for him he wasn’t blessed with more natural speed because everything else is there.
alcatraz0109: This is no revisionism. Most draft experts at the time had Graham ranked BELOW Morgan and Pierre-Paul. Check out walterfootball’s rankings: http://walterfootball.com/draft2010DE.php and read their report on Graham in which they consider him a “better college than pro player”: http://walterfootball.com/scoutingreport2010bgraham.php. And here is Mike Mayock’s list of “top 5 by position” posted prior to the 2010 draft: http://www.nfl.com/draft/story?id=09000d5d817178e3. He clearly ranks Graham below Pierre-Paul (#1) and Morgan (#2) and if you watch his videos he claims Graham is merely a situational rusher better fit for a 3-4 defense and that Pierre-Paul has unlimited athletic potential. Regarding your other point, that if you “take out” some games for JPP, he has a worse year… well you can’t do that. Why not take out the sack that Graham had against the Bears in which the dumb Bears RT simply didn’t even try to block him? Or take out the “sack” he had of Drew Stanton last year in which he tackled him as he was scrambling up the middle? The point is that a sack is a sack and JPP has had more than Graham so far, and will probably have a 10+ sack season this year while Graham does stretching exercises on the sidelines.
ATG: I can’t lie; I didn’t like JPP at all on the eve of the 2010 draft, HOWEVER, smarter people than me (Mike Mayock, for example) considered him the #1 DE in the draft, and had Graham ranked #3-#4 on their big boards. In retrospect I have to defer to their wisdom and evaluation skills. I just wish that the Eagles FO had deferred to the wisdom of Mayock and others as well, because it’s apparent so far that JPP will have the better career than Graham. After all, isn’t this why Howie Roseman & co. are given their 6-figure (or more) paychecks? To evaluate the talent properly? If a guy like Mayock can nail it why can’t these guys who are being paid alot of money by Jeffrey Lurie?
CVD: Profootballfocus is very unreliable when evaluating players because they evaluate them with ordinary game footage from TV broadcasts and that is worlds away from All-22 footage. And it’s also subjective which means that you’re hoping someone’s bias doesn’t show. They had Quintin Mikell ranked as the #1 safety in the NFL last year. I know Mikell is a solid player, but #1 safety? Really? That makes me very skeptical of their grading system.
Two points:
1) Maybe I’m hallucinating, but doesn’t Hunt look bigger than advertised? At least as big as Parker, and he was bullrushing as well as using a quick first step. He was 6’1 244 out of college, but I’d bet he’s at least 250+lbs now. In some ways he’s very similar to Cole, short DE who bulked up with a great first step and good short area athleticism.
2) Chad Hall is the prototypical slot WR who’s become more prevalent, Bess, Welker, Amendola, none threaten to break a 4.6 40, but combine great quickness, agility, precise route running and good hands to become a QB’s best friend.
Hunt outplayed Te’O in game 1 AND from most of the clips I’ve seen in training camp.
Furthermore, Hunt was the best CFL defensive player last year. That may not seem like a big deal, but CFL OTs > College OTs. Heck, he faced constant double-teams.
Hunt is killing Te’O’s odds.
austin
i thought the same thing, i was thinking that cant be hunt, he must have bulked up.
right now i take chad hall over some of what i have seen from the other 5th 6th recievers. if u find ways to make plays in games, i will take that over speed that is never utilized in games. i know some guys have tons of speed and tons of potential but if it never shows up in games its useless, like MR L Booker
chad hall was a rookie last year that took 2 years off of football. not sayin he is a stud but if he makes more plays than these other guys, i will take him as a 5th guy. that being said, i would like to see someone play well especially as a return guy and force us to cut hall
i think dlines r looking good all around the league so far. maybe it takes some time for these olineman to get it going. we will see next game, either way i think our dline will be much better than last year.
RT is the only spot that worries me. U got a rookie at RG and who knows what at RT
re: Morton
And here’s the irony of ironies about this guy: he was actually PUSHING for the Eagles to DRAFT Brandon Graham for MONTHS. Just go back and research the old EaglesBlog site, which unlike ATG, I’m not willing to do (but was pleased to see he had). (About a week before the draft, Morton switched to drafting a safety.) I’m not one to jump on a bashing bandwagon, but Morton, at least be honest about your positions.
Terrific write-up, as always. Been looking forward to it, and you delivered. IgglesBlitz has firmly taken the lead as my first stop for Eagles-related articles. Kudos to everyone here(which includes all the dudes here in the comments section).
I too was surprised that Danny “Belefleur” Watkins was only in for 2 series. Sirius NFL Radio was live at Lehigh today, and while interviewing Andy Reid, Reid seemed to chastize Watkins a bit about the holdout. Said that he’s looked the part physically but has been confused at times, and that he’s trying to “dramatically play catch-up.” I’m sure its just tough love.
They also said that Steve Smith is out there running routes. Terrific news. Maybe he really will be ready for some late-September action?
First-time poster here… Tommy, awesome, awesome blog! Thanks so much for sustaining us thru the long dark offseason that was the lockout. I’ve been reading your stuff for years. It is unparalleled.
Anybody see this report – speculation that the Pats will cut Haynesworth? http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/blog/shutdown_corner/post/Are-Haynesworth-and-Ochocinco-not-long-for-the-P?urn=nfl-wp5073#remaining-content
Think it would be too late to work him at this point in the preseason?
@ Havana Omelet
I’d like to believe that article just because one fewer good player on the Pats team will make it easier for us to beat them in the Super Bowl, but it just doesn’t sound like it’s happening. The article’s point is to say that the Pats _could_ release either guy without cap issues….and then using that as a starting point to speculate that they _will_. Is that what others are getting?
@ Havan Omelet, Anirudh
While at the beach last week, I wondered about the status of Haynesworth when the Pats signed another DT free agent and reports were that Haynesworth hadn’t practiced in 3 days.
Honestly, not working out in DC is one thing, but if he is also a turd for the Pats, the team that made Randy Moss into respectable guy, then I am not so sure he is worth the effort.
actually CVD Lorenzo Booker was 9-47 rushing, 3-32 receiving Sat. night, after catching 28 passes as a rookie. Hall had 11 catches as a rookie.
The problem with keeping a potential slot guy like Hall is they already have Avant and Smith, and after giving Hall all the preseason punt and KO returns last year, they bailed on him because he couldn’t return well and made a major misjudgement. So I’d want a 6th WR to be able to return kicks and play wideout, like Harper and Moss, or an extra RB who returns kicks.
Can someone find/create a gif of Marlon Favorite doing his post-sack belly rub celebration from Thursdays preseason game? I will love you forever if you can
Keenan Clayton is a beast. he has been known since his days at Oklahoma and last year to slack off in practice, but the guy does mentaly prepare and is a good linebacker. Yea so if you see practice clips and he isnt doing so well its because hes one of those players that knows what to do after only a couple reps, he doesnt need to be constantly taught what to do when he already knows. I wanna see him as the starter at WILL
@ Morton
Your latter post sums up my frustration with your earlier posts. First, you mention that we are now in retrospect, i.e. hindsight. Second, you question why one wouldn’t defer to the expert opinion.
I would submit that
1. While hindsight is 20/20, we do not yet have enough distance to gain that perspective.
2. The true experts in the field are the guys making the evaluations with millions of dollars riding on their accuracy. Although you disagree, there are few teams that have guys that do better than ours. Again, I think perspective comes into play. A fan judges his own team in a different light.
3. You mix in current information, such as injury, and use it as evidence of the stupidity of the past decision.
4. The superior tone in which you chastise the FO, when you are clearly on record as having the same uncertainty. Of course you did, everyone does every year. That is why the draft is fun. You now suggest deferring to the experts as the way to go, but at the time were threatening to inflict bodily harm on yourself had they done so.
As advice, and take it or leave it, remember your audience. Everyone who reads your comments came here to read about the team they support. Many times we question the team’s decisions. If you question them as an interested party, you foster discussion. If you attack them, others will defend them.