Butt-Whipped

Posted: September 29th, 2013 | Author: | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | 152 Comments »

That was uglier than I expected. I thought the Eagles would score in the 20’s and the final might be 35-27 or something like that.

Not even close.

Denver scored at will on offense. They added a pair of STs touchdowns. And their defense had a pretty good showing.

Lots of blame to go around for this. The roster isn’t talented enough. The schemes weren’t good in this game. And the players did a poor job of executing. But other than that…

Some fans are really angry and really down. I don’t understand why. Denver is the best team in the NFL right now. And the Eagles are a work in progress. I know that getting whipped is never fun to watch, but I’ve said all along that you must keep your expectations in check with this Eagles team.

The 1-3 Eagles have lost to the 2-2 Chargers, 4-0 Chiefs and 4-0 Broncos. Upcoming games against bad Giants and Bucs teams will give us a better idea of who/what the Eagles really are. If the Eagles are 1-5…we’ll know this is another very bad team. I don’t anticipate that happening, but I can’t say that with great conviction.

Right now the Eagles are making too many mistakes. A drop by Brent Celek kills a drive. A holding call on Evan Mathis kills a drive. Najee Goode gets out of his coverage lane on a kickoff and Holliday goes for a TD. There were any number of blown coverages and missed tackles on defense. A flawed team like the Eagles can’t win games like this.

It is going to take time for Chip Kelly to get this team turned around. You have to be patient. Ray Rhodes started 1-3. Andy Reid started 0-4.

Bill Davis and the defense will get ripped to shreds, but I’m just as bothered by the starters only scoring 13 points. I figured this game would be a shootout or something close to that. The 13 points did come in the 1st half. The 3rd quarter produced 13 plays, but no points. That is simply not acceptable for a group that has plenty of good talent.

And STs…I have no idea what is up with that group. They were great all summer. They were great for 2 weeks. The last 2 games they have been awful. This team cannot compete with top teams if the kicking game is giving points away. Ol Crazy Eyes needs to work his magic and get that bunch turned around in a hurry.

I’ll write some more later tonight.

Go enjoy the series finale for Breaking Bad. Or the premiere of Homeland. Or go chug 12 PBRs. Try to let go of this game for a few minutes.

The one bit of good news…

DAL 2-2

PHI 1-3

WAS 1-3

NYG 0-4

_


152 Comments on “Butt-Whipped”

  1. 1 nopain23 said at 7:55 PM on September 29th, 2013:

    REX RYAN..defensive coach of the Iggles in 2014..what say you Tommy????

  2. 2 awful waffle said at 8:11 PM on September 29th, 2013:

    I’d take him in a heart beat as defensive coordinator.

  3. 3 BC1968 said at 8:16 PM on September 29th, 2013:

    How long are they going to give this guy who’s never done anything anywhere?

  4. 4 Buge Halls said at 8:54 PM on September 29th, 2013:

    Are you talking about Mike Vick or the coaching staff?

  5. 5 Obed Torres said at 7:58 PM on September 29th, 2013:

    I can see a reason for fans being upset… this team is executing worse as the season continues. Each performance has had more critical mistakes and sloppy play than the previous.

    That is a cause for concern. Also, it makes each game less entertaining.

    I Thought a lot of the sloppy play was a symptom of poor coaching in previous years.

  6. 6 xeynon said at 8:05 PM on September 29th, 2013:

    this team is executing worse as the season continues.

    Part of this is that the opposition has been getting stronger and stronger. The Redskins stink, the Chargers appear to be decent, the Chiefs are a playoff-caliber team, and the Broncos are one of the two best teams in the NFL. Tommy’s right that the next two weeks, when we get to play bad opponents, will be telling.

  7. 7 BobSmith77 said at 8:13 PM on September 29th, 2013:

    Penalties, mental mistakes, and subpar execution on ST coverage teams again today though were really troubling.

  8. 8 xeynon said at 8:15 PM on September 29th, 2013:

    Yes, but you tend to make more mental mistakes when you’re under pressure to be perfect to even compete.

  9. 9 BobSmith77 said at 8:18 PM on September 29th, 2013:

    True. I didn’t have any expectations for this season and didn’t want Vick back to see what Foles/Barkley had. I didn’t care if they won this year because it was a roster that needs a real makeover that couldn’t be fixed in just a single offseason.

    The next 2 weeks will really tell you where this team is though. If they split the next 2 games and struggle to win, the Eagles are a bottom-feeder team again headed to a 4-6 win season.

  10. 10 BlindChow said at 8:19 PM on September 29th, 2013:

    But, hey, better draft pick!

  11. 11 BC1968 said at 8:19 PM on September 29th, 2013:

    You really did have to be perfect and try and exchange point for point. That killed me when Celek dropped that pass and had to go for a fg. Can’t trade fg’s for td’s. But then the offense decided not to do anything the rest of the day anyways.

  12. 12 the guy said at 7:58 PM on September 29th, 2013:

    I don’t understand why I’m upset either. I genuinely expected them to lose. I’m disappointed anyway.

    The only reason I can come up with is it reminded me too much of last year’s team.

  13. 13 Jason_E said at 8:09 PM on September 29th, 2013:

    I think you hit it. Inefficient offense, bad ST, missed assignments and questionable coverages on D — and penalties all around. Not to mention that 2012 “we give up” look that they seemed to carry through the second half.

  14. 14 A_T_G said at 8:18 PM on September 29th, 2013:

    I know some people are a little touchy about Vick tonight, but seeing that shot of him on the end of the bench all alone, with that pouty look on his face when the offense came off after the worthless touchdown brought back some bad memories. There were a lot of shots of that look last year.

  15. 15 Jeff M. said at 7:59 PM on September 29th, 2013:

    The punt before the two-minute warning. I’m still reeling from it. With Chip, I expected innovation, risk-taking, not cowering to conventional “feel of the game” strategy. Everything about the decision defied what I thought Chip was all about. Am I alone in making such a big deal out of it?

  16. 16 DROQQA said at 8:11 PM on September 29th, 2013:

    Agreed. Despite all the hype, Chip’s 4th down decision making is just as terrible as every other coach. I got all excited after that first 4th down against the ‘Skins, but since then it’s been the typical punt/kick on 4th and short garbage. Sigh.

  17. 17 BlindChow said at 8:18 PM on September 29th, 2013:

    Looks like he didn’t trust his offense either.

  18. 18 Jeff M. said at 9:17 PM on September 29th, 2013:

    Yep…going for it on 4th down on the opening drive against WAS without BLINKING, I thought that was the kind of strategy we were going to be seeing all year long. Maybe that’s not realistic. Maybe he was just in awe of Denver. Not sure – but I didn’t realize I was signing up for the game management of Ronnie Rivera either. Hopefully it’s just a blip – maybe it is.

  19. 19 Finlay Jones said at 8:11 PM on September 29th, 2013:

    add it to not going for 2, and the short FGs. Different in a game with close teams, but needed to take risks to have any shot. Played conservatively, and STILL got smoked.

  20. 20 Bob Brewer said at 8:11 PM on September 29th, 2013:

    No you aren’t. He should have gone for it, but I think he thought it was a one score game at the time and he didn’t want Denver to go in with momentum from a fourth down stop.

    But what is concerning is that he didn’t trust Henery there, and with good reason.

  21. 21 mksp said at 8:13 PM on September 29th, 2013:

    you go for it there and miss, and denver goes down and scores a TD before half. gets ball back after half. next thing you know you’re down 35-13. in hindsight……

    with that said, i wish he went for it.

  22. 22 Finlay Jones said at 8:14 PM on September 29th, 2013:

    we were down 35-13 anyway, and 28-13 shortly after half time. That is all simply more reason why he should have gone for it.

  23. 23 mksp said at 8:15 PM on September 29th, 2013:

    thats why i said “in hindsight….” – i get it. just noting what i was thinking at the time.

  24. 24 Finlay Jones said at 8:19 PM on September 29th, 2013:

    your thinking was as flawed as Kelly’s then

  25. 25 mksp said at 8:25 PM on September 29th, 2013:

    Right. OK, way to be a dick for no reason.

  26. 26 Finlay Jones said at 8:29 PM on September 29th, 2013:

    Not being a dick, compared you to Kelly, the biggest football genius since forever! (Sorry)

  27. 27 BC1968 said at 8:15 PM on September 29th, 2013:

    They got real lucky they didn’t score anyways> First the punt sucked and they gained only 16 yards net, but the personal foul penalty drove them back to the ten. Then they proceeded to let Peyton drive them all the down like nothing and a Moreno penalty stopped them from even getting a fg.

  28. 28 DROQQA said at 8:16 PM on September 29th, 2013:

    The 16 yards gained from punting means absolutely nothing when Peyton Manning is the other teams’ QB. It was a terrible decision.

  29. 29 BC1968 said at 8:20 PM on September 29th, 2013:

    You’re right, the point was to try and drive them back further. Which didn’t matter anyway. The only thing that saved the Eagles were two personal foul penalties at the end of the half.

  30. 30 laeagle said at 11:05 PM on September 29th, 2013:

    No. Bad understanding. You go for it when you are driving the ball and controlling the clock. The second a timeout is involved, it changes things. You go for the smart play then. Only go for the 2 pts when you have them on their heels. Once there’s a timeout, you don’t have them on their heels.

  31. 31 awful waffle said at 8:01 PM on September 29th, 2013:

    Very frustrating team. I get it’s early, but we still kill ourselves with bad penalties, drops, and red zone inefficiency. Still can’t tackle or make plays on defense.

    Also, honestly, can’t help but be a bit mad… at Andy Reid. Left this team with NOTHING on defense and gets to go to a team that was seemingly a QB and solid coach away from being a legitimate playoff contender. He should have to take all those bad draft picks with him.

  32. 32 Finlay Jones said at 8:12 PM on September 29th, 2013:

    Go look at our drafting from 08-11. Then drink some booze to numb the pain.

  33. 33 Joe Minx said at 9:00 PM on September 29th, 2013:

    You ought to be more than a bit mad. Reid, Roseman, & Lurie are the biggest reasons this team looks like the steaming pile of crap it did today.

  34. 34 DarthBanner said at 9:53 PM on September 29th, 2013:

    Well, Lets see what Andy’s Chiefs do when not playing the likes of Jacksonville and the pathetic NFC east…

  35. 35 Scott J said at 8:01 PM on September 29th, 2013:

    10 days to lay an egg.

  36. 36 BlindChow said at 8:01 PM on September 29th, 2013:

    How does draft positioning work for playoff teams? Do the wild card losers automatically get picks 21-24, regardless of final record?

    I really hope the Eagles don’t get into the playoffs by default, because they just won’t be able to compete with the teams that that got there on merit, and it would suck for that to be the reason they don’t have a higher draft pick.

  37. 37 brza said at 8:23 PM on September 29th, 2013:

    Yes, if you make the playoffs the lowest possible pick you can have is 21. Each round the losers are sorted in order of their record. So WC losers 21-24. Div. 25-28. Conference 29-30.

    So going 7-9/8-8, winning the division and losing the first round of the playoffs is the worst possible situation.

  38. 38 A_T_G said at 8:30 PM on September 29th, 2013:

    Good info, I didn’t know how the playoff teams were slotted.

    I wonder if we could turn down a playoff birth…

  39. 39 TommyLawlor said at 11:11 PM on September 29th, 2013:

    We need some luck before that problem even arises.

  40. 40 xeynon said at 8:02 PM on September 29th, 2013:

    I don’t understand being too angry or upset either. This is a rebuilding year and needs to be acknowledged as such. This team has massive holes. There are only three or maybe four clear keepers on the defensive side of the roster (Cox, Kendricks, Barwin, and…Logan? Fletcher? Wolff?). The offensive line is counting on a rookie at a critical position in Lane Johnson and taking its lumps as a result. The receiving corps lacks any sort of depth and is really missing Jeremy Maclin. The quarterback isn’t very good. And the special teams units are made up of a lot of guys who wouldn’t be on the roster of a decent NFL team. It’s a bad team. They’re not going to win or even compete against an elite opponent like Denver, especially on the road. With good coaching and execution the ceiling is mediocrity.

    I think we should look at this year like an extended preseason. Are our young players improving? Do we have guys who look like they could grow into foundational pieces for the next winning Eagles team? Is the team buying into Kelly’s program and improving as the year goes along? These are the critical questions. If they are answered affirmatively and we look like we could springboard ourselves into a better 2014 I will consider this season a success. It’s 1999 all over again.

  41. 41 BobSmith77 said at 8:11 PM on September 29th, 2013:

    Excellent that ’99 team had some very good defensive components already in place. This team is an utter wasteland on defense right now.

  42. 42 xeynon said at 8:19 PM on September 29th, 2013:

    Well, it’s sort of a mirror image of the ’99 team actually. That team had some good defensive pieces already in place but was atrocious on offense (the receivers were Charles Johnson and Torrance Small, the best skill position player was Duce Staley, who nobody would argue was anything more than a decent NFL running back, and other than Tra Thomas the offensive line was made up of stiffs and journeymen). In Jackson, McCoy, Brown, Johnson, Ertz, etc. this team has some offensive building blocks already around.

  43. 43 Finlay Jones said at 8:31 PM on September 29th, 2013:

    Overall, Reid inherited a much more talented team. Plus a good qb to draft (but deserves credit for picking McNabb)

  44. 44 Iskar36 said at 8:02 PM on September 29th, 2013:

    “Some fans are really angry and really down. I don’t understand why.
    Denver is the best team in the NFL right now. And the Eagles are a work
    in progress. I know that getting whipped is never fun to watch, but I’ve
    said all along that you must keep your expectations in check with this
    Eagles team.”

    I have to disagree with you here. I understand keeping your expectations in check, but there is a difference between being beaten and being embarrassed. We were woefully bad in this game, and Eagles fans have every right to be upset about that. Yes, this team is a work in progress, but part of that term is “progress”. Right now, we are not seeing any of that since the first game.

    Obviously it is very early in the season, and things will change over the course of the year, but being upset over being embarrassed is a reasonable emotion. I think it is fair to say that while expecting to win was unlikely, expecting to be more competitive was a reasonable expectation.

  45. 45 Andy124 said at 8:20 PM on September 29th, 2013:

    Agreed about the lack of progress being disconcerting on a human level. I’ll say this, we want to see week to week improvement and that’s what the cliche says to expect. I think dividing the season in to thirds and hoping to see improvement from one third to the next is probably a little more realistic, so we still have time to hope for that.

  46. 46 Iskar36 said at 8:29 PM on September 29th, 2013:

    No question about that. I’m not saying we need to give up on CK already, or anything like that or even remotely close to that. Still, if anything, so far, it looks like we have taken steps backwards rather than forwards. CK will make adjustments moving forward and I think most of us believe those adjustments will be good more often than they are bad. Like I said, it is still VERY EARLY, but saying “we expected to lose and we lost” is too simplistic for me. The way we lost was troubling and that is what fans should be upset with.

  47. 47 Finlay Jones said at 8:32 PM on September 29th, 2013:

    I thought Kelly was meant to be good at making in game adjustments, yet our offense was shut down in third q.

  48. 48 Andy124 said at 8:35 PM on September 29th, 2013:

    Channeling My Blue Heaven, I’m whichuYou just made a really good point and I was trying to put a little more positive spin on it.

  49. 49 Iskar36 said at 11:20 PM on September 29th, 2013:

    I have no problem with someone disagreeing with me (as noted by the down vote). You’re entirely entitled to your opinion. I’m just really curious what that person’s argument is. Don’t mean to call you out, and you very well might have a very strong argument against mine. Just curious…

  50. 50 BlindChow said at 8:06 PM on September 29th, 2013:

    I’m actually concerned with the offense. This is two weeks in a row we were effectively shut down. Time for some adjustments, whether it’s scheming against teams that play man coverage, or quicker passes to aid an ineffective O-Line, or something. The offense was the one thing I thought we could count on (and last week, I assumed it was the turnovers that were the problem!).

  51. 51 shah8 said at 8:10 PM on September 29th, 2013:

    Maybe if we sent Maclin several gallons a week of Lourdes water?

    Teams are selling out against *our* short passing game with all that man coverage, but we can’t sell out on the short passing game of anyone else. Not too many of those big runs today. Liked to see that BB *finally* got a ball in space. We just have some really critical talent deficiencies everywhere. We’re also probably running low on confidence as well.

  52. 52 Iskar36 said at 8:10 PM on September 29th, 2013:

    Agreed. The offense has too many talented players for the starters to be held to only 13 points. On top of that, in previous games, you could put blame on a guy like Vick turning the ball over or playing poorly. That was not the case in this game. He did not play great by any means, but he by no means held the offense back. The offense was simply incredibly disappointing from an overall standpoint.

  53. 53 BC1968 said at 8:26 PM on September 29th, 2013:

    The offensive line and the receivers are just real bad on this team and no one expected that.

  54. 54 Finlay Jones said at 8:13 PM on September 29th, 2013:

    the reason we couldnt keep it interesting a little longer. We all knew Manning would torch us. The O getting shut out in 3rd quarter was a nasty surprised.

  55. 55 Bob Brewer said at 8:14 PM on September 29th, 2013:

    I agree, they should be putting up better numbers. But the red zone troubles really highlights Vick’s weakness, lack of quick decision making.

  56. 56 A Big Butt and a Smile said at 12:29 AM on September 30th, 2013:

    Lack of quality receivers is the issue there. All the “quick” decision making in the world isn’t gonna make receivers catch balls.

    Vick has his issued, but at the moment he’s way down on the list of problems. That Maclin injury is real painful right now.

  57. 57 BC1968 said at 8:22 PM on September 29th, 2013:

    Didn’t think this offensive line was going to suck this bad. Also, Riley Cooper couldn’t get open against a 70 year old lady.

  58. 58 Finlay Jones said at 8:10 PM on September 29th, 2013:

    We could/should have beaten the chargers, and if we had I’d be feeling a lot better. I’m also disappointed with the O in the second half. I want to see the O moving every game.

  59. 59 Sean Scheinfeld said at 8:15 PM on September 29th, 2013:

    The only thing I’m disappointed with is the largely vanilla feel to the offense. Everyone keeps fixating on how the offense has gone downhill since playing Washington, but that decline has coincided with much more conventional playcalling. Where are the read-options? Where are the bubble screens, the packaged plays? We’re seeing much more Andy Reid/Pat Shurmur west coast than Chip Kelly spread and that is the worst part about the losing streak for me.

  60. 60 BlindChow said at 8:22 PM on September 29th, 2013:

    It looks a lot like Shurmur’s work last year for Cleveland (though the Eagles are running it far more than the Browns did, thankfully).

  61. 61 ceteris_paribus1776 said at 8:20 PM on September 29th, 2013:

    For all this “talent” on offense if Shady isn’t taking one to the house or Desean getting past safeties this team can’t score… This team will feast on lesser defenses all year and fall short against quality opponents. Red zone problems are player personnel issue not a scheme issue as I’ve said a million times.

  62. 62 xeynon said at 8:24 PM on September 29th, 2013:

    Look at the components that make for excellent red zone offense – a mauling offensive line that can open holes in the running game without relying on trickery, big, talented receivers who can win jump balls, and a quarterback who is decisive and pinpoint accurate – and you realize we don’t have any of the three. The defense is a bigger problem but there are issues on offense as well.

  63. 63 BlindChow said at 8:25 PM on September 29th, 2013:

    Didn’t Welker score two touchdowns in the red zone? I think scheme has a lot to do with it, not just the size of the receiver (and yes, Welker even scores red zone touchdowns against GOOD defenses…).

  64. 64 BC1968 said at 8:28 PM on September 29th, 2013:

    There’s no one on this receiver core that can compliment Jackson and Celek drops too many balls nowadays.

  65. 65 Matthew Verhoog said at 8:27 PM on September 29th, 2013:

    Did it seem to anyone else that our WR’s were getting held?

  66. 66 jackpotsdad said at 8:30 PM on September 29th, 2013:

    We’re 1 and 3 and most people pegged us to be 2 and 2 at this point (loss to Denver, split between Washington and KC, win against SD). We haven’t done that and got a “surprise” win against Washington at their turf and lost winnable games against SD and KC.

    We’re mediocre. Offensively strong, defensively weak. This means we will win games because teams other than the Denvers, SFs and Seattles will not easily withstand 450 yards of offense (which we piled on Denver today). We will lose games because the defense will simply give games away.

    I think that’s okay…

    You have to start somewhere and you can only correct things if you know what’s wrong. Our defense is terribad, but probably not in the places where we think. We had 1 sack, 3 TFL, 2 hits on a HoF QB that will laugh in your face with so little pressure.

    Anyhow, cheers to mediocrity

  67. 67 JaketheSnake said at 8:36 PM on September 29th, 2013:

    why are the fans down? why Tommy? do you have do ask why? because Kelly’s schemes look crappier each week….his players can’t play his scheme but now they are regressing and not trying…his gameplan is conservative and he continues to do the wrong thing like punting in the first half…..that’s call playing to lose…..I have long term concerns….chip better rent and not buy.

  68. 68 BlindChow said at 1:27 AM on September 30th, 2013:

    My big concern is his complete lack of adjustment from last week. They just repeated KC’s gameplan, and we had no answer. I thought Chip was supposed to be great at adjusting. Did he even do anything different this week?

  69. 69 Tom from Hungary said at 8:36 PM on September 29th, 2013:

    It was painful to watch how the defense had absolutely no answer to Peyton Manning and the Denver offense. Even with moderate or low expectations coming into the game, I came away disappointed with the defense’s performance. If I’m not mistaken they “only” gave up 38 points and most people expected the Broncos to score in the thirties before the game. Still, the way they played just projected the image of a flat out bad defense and little to no promise for the immediate future (this is just my opinion). We all know that the defense lacks talent, that they are transitioning to 3-4 and that the opposing QB today was a future Hall of Famer. I, however, also wonder how much of today’s performance is on Billy Davis.

    Also, what is with our receivers not getting separation (this looked to be the case on several plays) and Henery missing long FGs?

    I hope the locker room sticks together and the players focus on the Giants instead of the 1-3 record start. The NFC East is still up for grabs.

  70. 70 Andy124 said at 8:39 PM on September 29th, 2013:

    most people expected the Broncos to score in the thirties before the game. Still, the way they played just projected the image of a flat out bad defenseThis leads me wondering what people think a defense that gives up “in the thirties” usually looks like.

  71. 71 Tom from Hungary said at 8:53 PM on September 29th, 2013:

    You are absolutely right that people usually expect a defense to give up more than 30 points because they think that defense is bad, and if so, it should not be surprising when that defense turns in a poor performance. I might not have made it clear enough in my last post that I think the Eagles D’s performance was disappointing and bad beyond my expectations and now it made me wonder about Billy Davis as a long term solution for the defensive coordinator job. Still, we are only 4 games in the season and against KC they showed at least some promise, and as Tommy has pointed out many times, there are just too many other issues with this D. Maybe just reality struck me hard today 🙂

  72. 72 Andy124 said at 8:58 PM on September 29th, 2013:

    I understand. I think we’re all in the same boat. We are smart enough to understand that our D is below average and Denver is scoring like crazy, so we should expect them to score a lot. But then when we see it, it looks a lot worse than just the number of points we told ourselves to expect. I share your concerns about Bill D. I take comfort in thinking that he is experienced in facilitating conversions to the 3-4 and has tended to set up his successors for, well, success.

  73. 73 Weapon Y said at 8:41 PM on September 29th, 2013:

    It is frustrating watching Andy run this team into the ground the past few years and then go onto have a 4-0 record with the perfect quarterback for his system. He’ll win Coach of the Year while everybody tries to pressure Chip in returning to the NCAA. To be clear, I do think Chip is a much better coach than Andy, but it is obvious how untalented this Eagles team is at the moment. We need an overhaul on both offense and defense. Chip is going to have a real hard time getting this team ready. The only solace I can take is that the rest of the NFC East is just as inept as the Eagles, if not more.

  74. 74 Joe Minx said at 9:04 PM on September 29th, 2013:

    It’s disgusting, especially given his failures with personnel, & now all of a sudden he had an epiphany in KC that maybe he ought to give that up, & voila. Lurie should have taken that power from him years ago.

  75. 75 P_P_K said at 9:50 PM on September 29th, 2013:

    I’m glad to hear someone else feels this way. Andy left us with his crap and he fell into a goldmine. Pisses me off.
    I think it’s too early to compare the two coaches.

  76. 76 A_T_G said at 8:46 PM on September 29th, 2013:

    I just want to go on record as being disappointed in the defense. Despite posting suggestions with ample time to implement them, Davis went “traditional.” Not a single play with Cox at safety, no plays where Boykins jumps up and hangs from the cable camera, no plays where Nate tries the “I got your nose!” trick. Just an utter lack of creativity… or innovation.

  77. 77 Andy124 said at 8:50 PM on September 29th, 2013:

    What were you watching? They tried the “reverse psychology”, not covering this guy so you won’t throw to him, the “false sense of security” there’s no pressure on the qb so he’ll second guess himself and the “run and take the ball out of Peyton’s hands” by intentionally letting them run the ball effectively. The creativity was jumping off the screen!

  78. 78 A_T_G said at 8:56 PM on September 29th, 2013:

    Wow. Davis is creative on a whole other level. Innovative… no, but creative.

    Now, when future opponents watch the tape, they will be afraid that next time the guy will be left wide open as a trap. Meta-creativity. Wow.

  79. 79 Andy124 said at 9:02 PM on September 29th, 2013:

    Up-vote for “meta-creativity”.

  80. 80 SteveH said at 8:54 PM on September 29th, 2013:

    We did run the don’t block on the punt block play though, so obviously Dave Fipp was thinking outside the box.

  81. 81 A_T_G said at 9:00 PM on September 29th, 2013:

    That play will set up the don’t-block-on-the-punt-fake-to-the-screen-pass play when we face Denver in the SB in a few months.

  82. 82 Erik Richardson said at 8:49 PM on September 29th, 2013:

    How can Celek continue to start and continually drop very important plays?

  83. 83 Andy124 said at 8:53 PM on September 29th, 2013:

    fwiw, Celek caught 50% of the passes thrown to him, which is basically the same as Vick’s overall completion percentage. His track record has shown him to have below average hands the last couple years. That’s just his new reality. But it’s not, I think, to some absurd degree.

  84. 84 Mitchell said at 8:54 PM on September 29th, 2013:

    Because he trucks people and Ertz drops passes too.

  85. 85 A_T_G said at 8:49 PM on September 29th, 2013:

    I am angry because I got to face Peyton, Welker, and Prater in my fantasy league today. I started Brady over Vick today, so I still have a chance. All I need is Brady to score about 7 touchdowns.

  86. 86 Vick or Nick said at 8:58 PM on September 29th, 2013:

    Some Quick Hits…

    1. The talent gap between the Broncos and the Eagles is a mile high (no pun intended). Broncos have done a good job of drafting and signing the right FAs. That’s how you win in this league.

    2. This offense is really missing Jeremy Maclin. Really Badly. For all the criticism of his soft play, he was good at getting open against man coverage for intermediate routes. He was our best size-speed combo receiver.

    3. I mentioned this last week. Eagles needed to play press against Broncos to take away those lethal slants and screens. They didn’t. They were playing off coverage most of the game and paid the price. I’ve already seen Manning tear up teams throwing screens and slants. At least force him to throw deep with a single high safety (lower percentage play). Might give up a big play but so what? Couldn’t stop him playing off. All that did was waste time.

    4. Broncos are really good but have they really been challenged by a top defense? Ravens aren’t the same without Ray Lewis and Ed Reed. Giants, Raiders, and Eagles are all in the bottom 10 of the league. Not taking anything away from Manning and their offense. But I’d be hesitant to call them great.

    5. Chip Kelly’s Attitude. “90% of people don’t care about your problems, 10% are glad you have them”. He’s sending the right message to the team: There’s no time to feel sorry for yourselves. Have to stick together. Move forward.

  87. 87 A_T_G said at 9:09 PM on September 29th, 2013:

    1a. No pun intended, my ass. Own it, it was a good one.

    1b. Signing the right FAs, like DRC? I think they have been better than us in more ways than just gathering players.

    4. Yes, I am pretty sure they are great.

    5. Yep, absolutely.

  88. 88 Vick or Nick said at 2:09 AM on September 30th, 2013:

    Ugh. Seeing DRC make more plays in one game than he did all of last year made my blood boil. I was talking about Welker tho. He’s really put that offense over the top.

  89. 89 BC1968 said at 9:01 PM on September 29th, 2013:

    How did the punter do?

  90. 90 Media Mike said at 9:03 PM on September 29th, 2013:

    What would make for a better time at the same time next week would be:
    – A big win over the hated G men
    – Eli Manning with a broken leg
    – Victor Cruz concussed prior to any lame salsa dancing
    – Jason Peters stoning that overrated and injured bum JPP
    – Shady McCoy going for 200+ and making Rolle blow out a knee on a juke
    – DeSean getting a few TDs and a 15 yard penality on one for running up the sideline and pegging Coughlin in his face with the football
    – A few thousand Giants fans jumping into the swamp and never being heard from again.
    Yeah F New York.

  91. 91 Media Mike said at 9:27 PM on September 29th, 2013:

    Disclaimer: I like to sit at home and pretend I’m a tough guy by wishing violence and injuries to others.

  92. 92 Andy124 said at 9:29 PM on September 29th, 2013:

    Drinking tonight? lol

  93. 93 sprawl said at 10:13 PM on September 29th, 2013:

    I’ll admit I fantasized about Peyton Manning getting a career-ending injury while filming one of his annoying commercials =(

  94. 94 Media Mike said at 5:13 AM on September 30th, 2013:

    Stolen screen name. Off-topic personal attack.

  95. 95 Buge Halls said at 9:09 PM on September 29th, 2013:

    The problem is, Vick is a great fantasy football QB but a lousy NFL QB – just like McNabb was. Tons of yards passing, some running, maybe even a few TDs sprinkled in. But the wins are few and far between! He’s 1-9 in his last 10 starts!

    And, yes I know he doesn’t play defense or STs, but he needs to put up more points than what he’s been doing.

  96. 96 Iskar36 said at 9:13 PM on September 29th, 2013:

    “Just like McNabb was.”

    Wow, could not disagree with you more. McNabb may not have been elite, but he was far from being a “lousy NFL QB”. I’d LOVE to have McNabb QBing this team right now over Vick.

  97. 97 Andy124 said at 9:13 PM on September 29th, 2013:

    Please don’t compare Vick to McNabb. Those to are so freaking different I don’t even want to get in to it.

  98. 98 A_T_G said at 9:13 PM on September 29th, 2013:

    You have a good point there, why doesn’t Vick need to contribute on special teams? He should be asked to help out, no sliding is required.

  99. 99 Buge Halls said at 9:44 PM on September 29th, 2013:

    obviously missed my entire point

  100. 100 Gary said at 10:01 PM on September 29th, 2013:

    Fairly certain he was joking.

  101. 101 Tyler Phillips said at 9:17 PM on September 29th, 2013:

    The Eagles defense is so bad that they’re on pace to give up 7148 yards this season. The 2012 Saints gave up 7042 yards, which was the worst total in NFL history.–credit to Jimmy “hack” Kempski

  102. 102 Iskar36 said at 9:21 PM on September 29th, 2013:

    WHOA WHOA WHOA! I thought we were implementing the “blame Jimmy for everything” tactic, not the “credit him for alarming data” tactic.

  103. 103 Tyler Phillips said at 9:26 PM on September 29th, 2013:

    I was shocked at the competence myself.

  104. 104 P_P_K said at 9:47 PM on September 29th, 2013:

    Did you guys see this: http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/sports/eagles/Handing-out-10-awards-from-the-Eagles-Broncos-game.html
    Our hometown hero is turning into quite the talented sportswriter.

  105. 105 Andy124 said at 9:22 PM on September 29th, 2013:

    Ok, so I’ve spewed a few silver lining posts.I have to say this. If we lose next week, the sky if falling. The season is over. Forget about winning the day. Focus on winning tomorrow.

  106. 106 Iskar36 said at 9:28 PM on September 29th, 2013:

    Ok, this made me laugh:

    Bob Vetrone Jr.
    ‏@BoopStats

    Nick Foles (155.2) had a higher passer rating than Peyton Manning (146.0) Sunday.

    Clearly, the Broncos should trade Manning for Foles immediately.

  107. 107 Andy124 said at 9:29 PM on September 29th, 2013:

    I would approve this trade.

  108. 108 A_T_G said at 9:45 PM on September 29th, 2013:

    And replace one aging QB with another?

  109. 109 Iskar36 said at 9:47 PM on September 29th, 2013:

    Well, clearly they would have to add in a conditional 2nd or 3rd to justify that age difference. I figured that went without saying.

  110. 110 Mac said at 9:34 PM on September 29th, 2013:

    Update: the better team won today. Eagles overpowered in every single phase of the game. Prediction: they will play better next week. For me the game is over so I’m going to spend time with my beautiful wife and perhaps log some time in MWO.

    Who among you can add even a single win to this season by worry?

  111. 111 Andy124 said at 9:37 PM on September 29th, 2013:

    Tommy can. He can do anything given enough PBR and funyuns.

  112. 112 Thorin said at 9:50 PM on September 29th, 2013:

    I am struck by how much the offense looks like last year’s offense. I get that the defenses are playing single-safety looks and daring us to throw deep, but that’s a trap. They’re just forcing Kelly to choose plays the offense can’t execute well enough. He has to see that.

    You need to be able to force the key parts of your offense so the defense has to become unbalanced to stop it. Right now, even though defenses are putting 10 men near the line, they’re not really unbalanced. We’re playing on their terms.

  113. 113 Thorin said at 10:06 PM on September 29th, 2013:

    Sorry to reply to myself, but I was reading the Denver blogger’s breakdown of our offense that you linked to, Tommy: http://www.itsalloverfatman.com/broncos/entry/digesting-the-eagles

    I haven’t seen that offense in weeks. Defenses are crowding the line, fine, but we can’t fall back into a typical downfield passing attack when they do that because the Eagles personnel is no good at it.

  114. 114 BobSmith77 said at 10:12 PM on September 29th, 2013:

    ‘Thank you sir!, May I have another!’

  115. 115 BobSmith77 said at 10:14 PM on September 29th, 2013:

    As crazy as it sounds, this game didn’t get me that down although I was disappointed about the large amount of penalties and crummy special teams play again.

    I really wish the Giants would have won today though. I would have felt better about the Eagles’ chances next week.

  116. 116 eagleyankfan said at 10:53 PM on September 29th, 2013:

    I’m with you BS77. Game didn’t get me down. I figured they’d give up 42 points at least. Game went as expected. Someone, maybe it was Tommy, that said — we did expect a little better from the offense. I agree with that. Still fun to watch this team.

  117. 117 eagleyankfan said at 10:20 PM on September 29th, 2013:

    You can play well and lose. That’s acceptable. You play horrible and lose, that’s what’s not acceptable. I’ve said(asked?) 2 things a million times. 1) progress. I don’t care if we lose as long as we’re headed in the right direction. There’s no progress. We know this team doesn’t have talent — but that’s not an excuse for not executing well. 2) I’ve asked since Vick was name the starter — what does this team gain by starting Vick? Oh wait — it gives us the best chance to win. Good thing he gives us a chance to win. I won’t even get into the “this offense is made of DJ” thing.

  118. 118 BC1968 said at 10:25 PM on September 29th, 2013:

    He does give them the best chance to win, the problem is that he won’t be here when this team is, or hopefully will be, a contender. So at point do you want to tank the season? I know you’re going to say now, but that’s not going to happen with a new coach coming up on his 5th game in the NFL ever.

  119. 119 eagleyankfan said at 10:41 PM on September 29th, 2013:

    well, why would it be tanking the season? Were the 49’ers tanking their season last year when they benched their starter? Was Cleveland tanking the season 2 weeks ago when their starter got hurt and started who? I think too much is made by the media(than believed by the fans) that young QB’s can’t excel early I their career. I still don’t believe Vick gives them the best chance to win, nor the best option(as you said) for the future. There’s zero benefit starting Vick.

  120. 120 Andy124 said at 10:41 PM on September 29th, 2013:

    Hoyer

  121. 121 eagleyankfan said at 10:43 PM on September 29th, 2013:

    lol, I know. it was a point I was making….

  122. 122 Andy124 said at 10:44 PM on September 29th, 2013:

    yankeeseagleswhat, just trying to help, if that is your name.

  123. 123 eagleyankfan said at 10:46 PM on September 29th, 2013:

    I don’t get your point. you know what lol is right? it’s joking. I’m not attacking you….

  124. 124 Andy124 said at 10:52 PM on September 29th, 2013:

    I’m going to go out on a limb and guess that the reason you don’t get my point is that I don’t have one. 🙂 I just have fun guessing people’s names from other sights. Someone at BGN posts with the name yaneeseaglewhat or something similar.

  125. 125 eagleyankfan said at 10:55 PM on September 29th, 2013:

    :). Nah, not me. I keep the same name. I use to post under Spuds articles under my name(eagleyankfan), but I don’t there anymore. I just post here now. I like the way Tommy tells it like it is … except when he post about Allen. I think they’re related

  126. 126 Andy124 said at 10:56 PM on September 29th, 2013:

    Oh well. At least we agree that I didn’t have a point. 🙂

  127. 127 47_Ronin said at 11:05 PM on September 29th, 2013:

    You can argue over Vick, but realistically does Foles project to a better outcome? No. KC exposed a weakness in the Eagles offense, play man coverage on the receivers and box DJac with a safety = passing game is stifled. At least Vick has the speed (please note that word) to run and still make a play. Foles wouldn’t have a chance with the current offensive line play and lack of dynamic WRs.

  128. 128 Pennguino said at 1:03 AM on September 30th, 2013:

    That was the same thing they said last year. Foles would get killed behind the same line. Foles played better and the team actually scored more points with a lesser line and lesser dynamic players.

    After the first game, the offense has slowly been converted to what Vick wants. Long ball heroism. The SD game the WR’s were running wide open and Vick was hardly challenged to make a read other than the first option. KC game there were open receivers and the back out of the back field was open.

    The bubble screens and the quick passes are not Vicks best passes. Thats why they are gone. Even though they have proven to be good plays.

    As far as for your first sentence, Foles does not have enough game time to have a fair evaluation. Even if he started next week, as he should. He will not have enough game time in this system with Kelly for at least 6-8 games to see if there is development. Give Vick two more starts and see what happens. The Giants and the Bucs suck. If the offense can’t score 30 pints a game, heck at least 25 then he needs to be benched and develop the kid.

  129. 129 RC5000 said at 11:12 PM on September 29th, 2013:

    Broken record.

  130. 130 BC1968 said at 10:23 PM on September 29th, 2013:

    It seems what I saw during the game was better than I thought. Hearing a lot of people breaking down the game, not fans, analysts, especially Didinger who is the best of them all, talking about Vick had a good game, not great, but he only did with what he had. He hit receivers when they were open, which was rarely, was getting hit or in trouble when he set his foot because of a terrible O-line. I think it’s derangement QB syndrome(or VIck) in this town, if it’s a bad game the QB couldn’t have had a game. That’s not always the case, even in a blowout of epic proportions.

  131. 131 eagleyankfan said at 10:34 PM on September 29th, 2013:

    whatever helps you sleep at night…

  132. 132 RC5000 said at 11:09 PM on September 29th, 2013:

    I’ve already evaluated Vick and understand what he is and what his limitations are. You can throw out the Broncos game if you want, Vick did nothing to change my mind.

  133. 133 eagleyankfan said at 10:23 PM on September 29th, 2013:

    Chip said (and I quote) — there are 3 ways to make this team — 1) special teams 2) Special teams and 3) special teams. Good thing we kept Mathews(et al) because of their special teams play.

  134. 134 BobSmith77 said at 10:42 PM on September 29th, 2013:

    More disconcerting things on offense:

    1. Celek with a butterfingers act in the red zone early on. I would love to see his numbers in the red zone the last few years but it seems liked he has struggled there. Doesn’t seem to matter who is the coach but this team has had struggles in the red zone for a while now.

    2. Brown tried to take it outside again today all day and did nothing. He doesn’t like running the ball between the tackles and doesn’t have the speed/agility to bust it outside. I bet Polk start to get more carries from him in the coming weeks.

    3. Have you seen Me? Ertz and Casey have 5 catches now in 4 games.

    4. An overwhelming O-line performance for the 2nd week including more struggles from the right-side of the line. Johnson is a rookie and I don’t mind him struggling a bit. Herremans has been mediocre to terrible. If the Eagles had anyone to push Herremans, I wonder how long Herremans would get to stay in a starting role.

    5. Only 17 catches by the other WRs (Cooper, Avant) with pedestrian YAC and production.

  135. 135 Andy124 said at 10:47 PM on September 29th, 2013:

    I believe you meant to say underwhelming. And Barbre seemed to be the perfect push for any (non-center) OL where current performance counted more than track record.

  136. 136 anon said at 12:29 AM on September 30th, 2013:

    O-line struggled b/c playing that scheme in altitude.

  137. 137 Telmert said at 10:53 PM on September 29th, 2013:

    I’m wondering if we were asking the wrong question during the off season – we were talking about whether Vick could run Kelly’s offense. The question should have been whether Kelly could coach Vick’s offense. The passing offense looks the same as it has the last few years. Deep drops, wait for routes to develop, no anticipation throws, no bubble screens, no quick throws, terrible screen game, very few throws to the backs in the flat. Shady has been targeted 7 times so far this season – they’ve attempted more bombs 40 yards down the field than throws to the most dangerous open field runner in the league. Did they even run any plays today out of their double-stack formation?

    The difference from some of the things we saw in preseason and vs Washington to what we’re seeing now is shocking. I don’t know whether Vick is passing up the quick offense options, or Kelly is calling for down field throws, but it’s bad either way.

  138. 138 eagleyankfan said at 11:01 PM on September 29th, 2013:

    I think a question would be — how much of that IS Vick holding on the ball too long? I was under the impression that this was suppose to be an offense that gets rid of the ball quickly. Just doesn’t seem that way. I’m curious to know why.

  139. 139 anon said at 12:28 AM on September 30th, 2013:

    Receivers can’t get open. Teams just play press on our guys and we don’t have the talent to win 1 on 1. If you can’t win one on one the offense doesnt work b/c the defense can still cover the run game.

    Kelly’s special plays are built off having numbers and spreading the field, but if you’re outmatched on talent / can’t get the run game working then the scheme doesn’t work.

  140. 140 SteveH said at 11:06 PM on September 29th, 2013:

    Chin up Eagles fans, the Falcons are 1-3 as well!

  141. 141 RC5000 said at 11:47 PM on September 29th, 2013:

    Not quite yet, it’s interesting anyway. Julio Jones catch at 14 yd line it is 30-23 with over a minute left.

  142. 142 A_T_G said at 11:51 PM on September 29th, 2013:

    Amazingly, not one Matty Ice reference on the pass.

  143. 143 Tom33 said at 11:30 PM on September 29th, 2013:

    Manning had 4 TD passes, which is basically average for him this year. So, not really surprising or even upsetting.

    Special teams, on the other hand, gave up 14 points between the blocked punt and kick return. Can’t have that in any game, but especially deadly in this game.

    The real disappointment is the offense. The running game is still very good, but the passing game is very vanilla. Why does the first WR screen happen on the final drive of the game? Where are the creative formations that make the defense commit pre-snap? I guess I expected to see more of Kelly in the passing game, but I feel like all I see is Shurmur.

  144. 144 RC5000 said at 11:37 PM on September 29th, 2013:

    Vick is a downfield passer. Kelly/Shurmur talked many times about Vick’s strengths and tailoring the offense to the QB(s).

  145. 145 ezgreene said at 11:39 PM on September 29th, 2013:

    I agree. Don’t understand fans being angry or disappointed. This ism a year for installing and evaluating. The offense is, for the first time I can ever remember, interesting. The defense is missing talent, but Logan is getting time, Wulff got time. Thornton seems a decent fit. Maybe in four weeks we can see one of the safties from the PS.

    I’d like to see Foles, but I know nothing about football.

  146. 146 BlindChow said at 12:55 AM on September 30th, 2013:

    Nothing interesting about the offense this week.

  147. 147 bridgecoach said at 12:24 AM on September 30th, 2013:

    Breaking Bad: Sun. 4:15pm

  148. 148 BobSmith77 said at 12:58 AM on September 30th, 2013:

    2 last observations:

    – Do the Eagles have a single instinctive player on defense? I would say no.

    – Can Billy Davis stop doing exotic (e.g., putting a DL on the slot receiver) that are just plain stupid and result in big plays/TDs?

    There isn’t a lot of talent here on defense especially in the secondary but I do think the 3-4 scheme/Billy Davis are bigger issues right now.

  149. 149 BlindChow said at 1:21 AM on September 30th, 2013:

    Davis called a Boykin slot blitz ON THE GOALLINE. Ugh. The one place where Manning will get the ball out quickly because the routes are guaranteed to be shorter.

    Naturally, no one bothered to cover Welker.

  150. 150 BlindChow said at 1:19 AM on September 30th, 2013:

    Even though I totally discount the notion that defaulting into the playoffs because your team is slightly less awful than your divisional rivals is a worthwhile accomplishment, it does have one possible benefit: the Eagles players will want to get into the playoffs, and the fact they can still theoretically win the NFC East will make it less likely they quit on the season after today’s embarrassment.

  151. 151 Cafone said at 1:45 AM on September 30th, 2013:

    We really got screwed by the officials today. First there was the obvious open field holding that wasn’t called on the kick-off return. Then the BS pass interference call in the end zone that put Denver at the goal line. It’s impossible to keep with Denver’s scoring pace when the officials are giving them free touchdowns.

  152. 152 teltschikfakeout88 said at 8:44 AM on September 30th, 2013:

    Connor Barwin quoted as saying…”we couldn’t stop them….” Insert despondent look….aka: #noshitshirlock