Sackfest
Posted: December 11th, 2011 | Author: Tommy Lawlor | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | 45 Comments »Sunday’s win over the Dolphins wasn’t pretty offensively, but it was a beautiful game by the defense. The Eagles had 9 sacks and 3 takeaways. The D-line was relentless.
Miami lost LT Jake Long early in the game and then RG Vernon Carey later on. The OL was in for a long day if 100 percent, but missing 2 starters was just too much for the Dolphins to overcome. Jason Babin and Trent Cole each had 3 sacks. Both guys were really good off the edge. Phillip Hunt notched his first NFL sack (for a safety no less). He got pressure on other plays and drew at least one holding flag. Rookie LBs Casey Matthews and Brian Rolle each had sacks. Rolle got another hit on QB Matt Moore that knocked him out of the game.
This is the pass rush that the players, coaches, and front office have been expecting all year. The Eagles had the 9 sacks, but got pressure on other pass plays. They kept the Miami QBs from getting into any comfort zone.
The defense came up big in short yardage situations as well. Miami had several 3rd or 4th and short plays and were stuffed time and again. It wasn’t one guy. The whole front seven came up big on those plays. Derek Landri had another big game. NFL.com only has him with 1 TFL. I thought he had 2. He was disruptive on a regular basis. I really do love watching him play.
The offense started terrible. Mike Vick looked very uncomfortable and was rushing things. The OL wasn’t blocking well and the coaches didn’t help him out either. The coaches made some good adjustments. They put Vick under Center. They started designing quicker pass plays and also had him focus on Brent Celek. This woke Vick and the offense up and they scored 24 points in the 2nd quarter.
The offense went back to struggling in the 2nd half. I get the feeling that Vick’s ribs were bugging him. Jeremy Maclin also got pulled from the game. Andy Reid made it sound like his hamstring had tightened up a bit. You also have to give the Dolphins credit. That defense has been lights out in recent weeks and they looked dominant at times today. Just ask Shady McCoy about that.
Shady started the game 3-22 and things looked pretty good. After that he was 24-16. Uh yes, that is 24 carries for 16 yards. Miami had the DL to control the LOS and they had the LBs to chase down McCoy. They also weren’t afraid to play 8 man fronts and dare us to throw deep.
The Dolphins had not allowed more than 2 TDs since the season opener. They had not allowed a rushing TD in 7 weeks. Despite Shady’s struggles, he did run for 2 scores. The other TD was a terrific pass play from Vick to DJax for a 34-yard score.
The biggest concern on offense is the fact the team got shut down so completely in the 2nd half. That’s something the coaches need to study closely in the next day or two. Miami didn’t have the firepower to mount a comeback, but you can’t count on that in the next couple of games. Mark Sanchez and Tony Romo are better QBs than Matt Moore/JP Losman.
It was good to get a win. The playoff hopes remain alive, even though still a major longshot. Plus, it was just fun to see the guys have some success after the suckfests against NE and SEA. Those were ugly losses.
The Eagles were able to shake off the rust and win an ugly game today. Next up is the Jets and that will require a better showing.
Cheering for the Giants is awkward. Especially tough when their defense is playing such crappy football.
cheering for the Giants is 100% awkward, you just can’t add to the awkwardness, I’m wondering the playoff ramifications of a tie.
I’m not sure but I know we need Dallas to go 1-3. So if they get a .5 game then all they would need to do is win 1 more to eliminate us. I’ll take a Gman win, as awful as it is.
Yeah, this is a good game so far, but feels wrong to WANT the Giants to win.
Eh, not any more awkward than cheering for the Cowboys.
I know there is some serious man crushes here with Landri, and I don’t want to take away from what he has been doing, but I think Cullen Jenkins deserves some credit. He had a few plays were he blew up the play in the backfield today and I think it looks like he has been playing pretty hard throughout the season.
Cullen is great. Love him to death. He’s the high paid star and is expected to make plays. Landri is the guy off the street who makes plays.
Don’t get me wrong, Landri has been playing very well and in terms of the underdog story, certainly is a worthwhile story. I just am mentioning Jenkins because I feel like in general, he has not been given enough credit.
I see where your coming from. I feel Landri has done well, no doubt.
Jenkins has Delivered, simple and plain.
Perhaps the poor play by the D as a unit and the lack of FA impact as a group, and a poor season by the team has overshadowed Jenkins’ very good year.
Pro-bowl nominee, surely.
Makes me sick to watch this crap fest between the cowboys and eagles and know we are better than them. But, one of them will represent the NFC east. I hate Eli manning with a passion, almost as much as I hate Rothlisberger. As much as I want this team to win out, it’s been a long time since the Eagles had a shot at an Elite talent like a top 10 pick. They are gonna get stuck in the 15-18 range and force Howie to brainstorm. Something I’m not interested in.
Funny thing, watching this game, I can say the Eagle defense since game 6 is as good as Dallas and better than the Giants. And both of these teams have had far more continuity than the Eagles. Sure the Giants had some injuries, well, we basically don’t have Dixon or Graham. Dallas has a veteran group and of course, the superstar DC.
We’re so used to criticizing the Eagles we lose perspective.
I do wish we had this Lee guy, but I also wonder if we would’ve been able to develop him like the cowboys have.
With Bill Shuey as our LB coach? You know, the Bill Shuey who got fired and is no longer coaching anywhere?. No…
NFCE champ will be 8-8. There is no pair of teams that I have more confidence in coming back tot he Eagles’ level in Dec than the Giants and Cowboys.
Damn, if only they’d left Dallas a TO to ice his kicker again.
haaaaaaaah that was a classic finish to the Giants Cowboys game. How poetic.
Loved that finish. Epic meltdown by the Cowboys.
Eagles now 2 games back in NFC East race.
And Eli was clutch. Give the man credit. He’s been great in the 4th Q this year.
Now it’s time to root for the young Pirates and the Sexy Rexy ‘Skins.
Tampa helped us in 2008. Be nice to get a repeat of that.
That was a very weird end to a season but, no, I wouldn’t mind them helping us again. This time they have to win though
Although its unfair to compare him to Graham due to injuries….J.P.P. is a freak
Great young player. No doubt about it.
Didn’t the Eagles move up to take Graham, because he was #1 on the Gmen’s board? They c-blocked the giants? I remember hearing that and JPP was their second man.
It really burns me inside every time I watch JPP making big-play after big-play for the Giants, because I’m constantly reminded that the Eagles “brain’ trust moved up in the draft and passed on him for an Graham. Yeah Graham had a nice outing at the Senior Bowl, and obviously impressed Reid and Howie “Fantasy GMOY” Roseman, even the supposed scouting enthusiast Tommy Lawlor. But JPP is an athletic freak. I know Tommy has an affiliation with Eagles, but I have to question the kool-aide sometimes. I don’t how the Birds rated Graham higher than JPP. Give me a freak ATHLETE over an undersized overachiever anyday!!!! The Eagles need burn down and start over on their defensive scouts.
Yeah . . . but Graham was a team captain at Michigan.
Was JPP?
So there!
You’re absolutely correct, I forgot how Howie “Fantasy GMOY” Roseman placed value on replacing real locker room leaders (e.g. Dawkins, BWest, Trotter) with college captains
It really burns me inside every time I watch JPP making big-play after big-play for the Giants, because I’m constantly reminded that the Eagles “brain’ trust moved up in the draft and passed on him for an Graham. Yeah Graham had a nice outing at the Senior Bowl, and obviously impressed Reid and Howie “Fantasy GMOY” Roseman, even the supposed scouting enthusiast Tommy Lawlor. But JPP is an athletic freak. I know Tommy has an affiliation with Eagles, but I have to question the kool-aide sometimes. I don’t how the Birds rated Graham higher than JPP. Give me a freak ATHLETE over an undersized overachiever anyday!!!! The Eagles need burn down and start over on their defensive scouts.
The thing is, if the Eagles had selected him and he had played poorly, a lot of critics would simply point to the fact that he was considered a project and that the Eagles always take on projects.
I have to disagree, JPP was a project but not a project the Eagles go after. The Eagles are known to take undersized players who are quick, not big athletes. JPP was 6’4″ and 275-280lbs coming out of USF. In the Reid era, the Eagles have drafted a DL that size only once and that was Justin Tuck’s roommate at UND.
And I have to think that a big part of the reason that the Eagles have not had success with DL rests on Rory Segrest, the ex-DL coach, who was terrible and needed to be let go in 2009.
Collinsworth sounding like Morton there with his constant praise of Jason Pierre Paul. Come to think of it, why DID we move up to take Brandon Graham?!
The Bird’s drafted Graham because they thought JPP was really auditioning for Cirque du Soleil after watching the video of him at the NFL combine doing 13-17 backflips in a row!!!!!
Good one. Yeah, I actually thought JPP was a boom or bust prospect. Guess we found out which way that went…
Teo going back to ND next year. Luke better friggin declare.
That will help Teo improve as a player. But Luke has nothing to gain by returning for another year. He’d be crazy not to come out.
I agree that it is probably the right move for Teo and that Luke should really come out. I’m just saying now if Luke has a good combine he may go really early.
Can’t wait for a more in depth look at our O’s failing. Had we have won on the back of an offensive domination 38 – 34, there would be little to no talk about it, rather the frailties of Juan’s D.
From my impressions, we had success with quick screens and short passes to Celek, Shady and DeSean. That stopped after the half. This is par for MM, revert back in the hope that his original masterpiece GP will work. Alternatively, if we were running to preserve a lead, why only Shady? He was having a mare in the 2nd half. Ronnie Brown running style seemed to be what was needed to my untrained eye, because LeSean’s evasive style was literally going backwards. But we don’t use 2 backs do we Marty! And why keep running him late in the 4th after the game was won? I have a theory on this one, and it is to do with stat padding to make Marty’s O look better.
Juan gets an A in this game and Marty an F. Will this cause any ire outside of small town in Blighty? It is more likely that Juan will get a pass at best or criticism for allowing Bush to attain 100 yards, and Reid will catch Marty’s ish for the offensive failings.
On a side note, I am sure they’ll fine Rolle later this week for the play that knocked Moore out of the game; well their turnstile #75 better also be fined for his hit on Tapp on the safety, for that was malicious.
i gotta give marty SOME credit for making adjustments in this game. things were not working to start the game. at all. They changed things around, it starts to click.
then the fins countered during half time and that was that. i’m thinking vick’s ribs had more to do with it. (doesnt excuse marty for all of those other things you mentioned)
The thing with adjustments is they only work for so long and then a team with a good coach catches up. The fact that we had to make an adjustment in the first half kind of worried me, actually. The plays we moved the ball on, those long dump offs that went for huge yardage, just aren’t plays you can live on.
[…] Iggles Blitz ” Blog Archive ” SackfestThis is the pass rush that the players, coaches, and front office have been expecting all year. The Eagles had the 9 sacks, but got pressure on other pass plays. They kept the Miami QBs from getting into any comfort zone. […]
Was I just imagining things or did Juan throw out a creative, never before seen, 2-4-5 nickel package (2 DEs, 4, LBs, 5 DBs) yesterday. The DEs were playing the much talked about 9 techniques and the 4 LBs were lined up between the DEs within about 3-4 yds of the LOS. I think I saw it twice and it looked effective both times.
I realize we were playing the Dolphins AND they were shorthanded on the O-Line, but I felt like this was the first time all season that we saw the innovation against protection schemes we were promised when our O-line coach was promoted to DC.
Tommy wrote:
“The biggest concern on offense is the fact the team got shut down so completely in the 2nd half. That’s something the coaches need to study closely in the next day or two”
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That’s been the story all season long.
More recently . . . the Eagles have ZERO points in the 3rd quarter of the last 5 games.
And only 26 points in the 4th quarter of the last 5 games. (The Giants put up 15 and the ‘boys 14 in the 4th quarter last night alone.)
Overall, the Eagles have scored a total of 271 points. Only 108– or 39% — coming in the 2nd half. The Eagles have been blanked on offense in six 4th Qs this year.
Something is seriously wrong with the 2nd half offense. And I don’t put this on the players. Not when a team scores a total of 26 points in 10 straight 2nd-half quarters.
I didn’t realize the O had been so weak in the 2nd half. Can it be anything other than being outcoached?
Undercoached! That brings up a red line from the spell check, as does Mornhinweg. That is because they are both mistakes!
LOL!
I looked but didn’t see any comments about Jackson and Marsh’s trick play on the punt return. We use that all the time when we play touch football, often with the same stupid result. That play has no place in an NFL game.