Detailed Game Review – PHI 33, WAS 27
Posted: September 11th, 2013 | Author: Tommy Lawlor | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | 229 Comments »Great win, good game.
The Eagles winning on the road against last year’s division champs is a great thing. FedEx Field was a raucous place. Skins fans were celebrating RG3’s return to the field. They were on Cloud Nine. There were going to beat the lowly Eagles and put College Kelly in his place. Life was going to be good, as the Skins offense marched up and down the field for score after score. No way the Eagles patchwork defense could handle the Skins juggernaut offense.
But a funny thing happened on the way to that outcome.
The Eagles happened.
Kelly’s up-tempo attack moved at a blistering pace. The Eagles defense made big plays. Dave Fipp’s STs unit was even better than the offense or defense. Oh yeah…and that Shady McCoy guy did his thing.
Next thing you know it is the 3rd quarter and the Eagles lead 33-7. Wowzers. I did not see that coming. I thought people were sleeping on the Eagles, but I figured it would be shootout the Eagles could win with a couple of extra big plays. Instead the Eagles built a huge lead and then had to hang on as RG3 awoke from his slumber and led Washington to 14 points in the 4th quarter. The blowout win became more about survival than celebration for Eagles Nation, but that didn’t matter much. Beating the rival Skins was fun. Doing it at their place and on MNF made the win all the sweeter.
The win was great, but the performance was flawed. Coach Chip Kelly and his staff have plenty of things to fix. The offense left too many points on the field. The defense couldn’t put the hammer down on the Skins. There were some mental mistakes and too many penalties. This happens every year in the opener. Problems arise and the coaches must solve them. NFL teams don’t play a full game with their starters until the regular season so that’s when you discover what issues must be addressed.
As a fan, it feels great to be 1-0. The Eagles had the same record last year, but won a very ugly game over a bad Browns team. This year the Eagles played pretty well and beat a good Skins team. The win also gets the team off to a good start in the division. The Eagles have already matched 2012’s win total in division games.
I’ll admit to having a moment of panic. Vick’s pass that was ruled a fumble and returned for a TD brought up nightmares. There were so many Red Zone turnovers in 2011 and 2012 that I’ll forever be scarred. All I could think was “Chip Kelly, meet Mike Vick and the Eagles Red Zone offense.” Luckily neither Kelly nor the team went into panic mode with me. They marched right back down the field and kicked a FG. They scored TDs on 2 other Red Zone possessions and that helped them to win the game. I don’t know if that win exorcised the demons of 2012 or if it just got them under control for now.
COACHING
Chip had a pretty good debut, but he’s got a few things to work on. I loved the decision to go for it on 4th/1 on opening drive. No hesitation. He trusted his instincts and what he’d done in his past.
I don’t know how Kelly was with replay challenges at Oregon, but he’s off to a bad start in that category. He made a poor decisions to challenge the Ertz non-catch. I don’t know if he was going off someone else’s advice or that was strictly his decision. Can only challenge if you feel there is compelling evidence that the call will be overturned.
Kelly has to figure out what to do in the 2nd half of games. Should he slow the attack down? Should he stay pedal to the metal? He also needed to play the backup RBs more. My guess is that he didn’t fully trust Brown/Polk due to fumbling issues and Kelly saw the Skins game as critical. Just a hunch, though.
There was a point in the 2nd half when he should have called a timeout instead of letting the offense take a delay of game penalty.
I thought the overall strategies were excellent.
The Eagles knew the Skins had a vulnerable secondary. So they went with 3 WRs for much of the game. That kept the Skins in their Nickel D a lot. But Kelly put a twist on that. Old friend Andy Reid would have seen a vulnerable secondary and thrown the ball over and over. Kelly knew the DBs struggled to cover and tackle so he ran on them. Vick only threw 25 passes. The Skins had the 30th ranked pass defense last year. In this game they had a rookie and a backup as the starting Safeties. The #3 CB was a rookie. And Kelly ran on this bunch. Beautiful.
Bill Davis did a fantastic job with the defense in the 1st half and part of the 3rd quarter. He blitzed a lot and gave lots of different looks to the Skins. That worked well. He was more vanilla in the 4th quarter and the results weren’t good.
OFFENSE
PLAYS
* 4th/1. Opening drive. Kecle sealed backside DT. Todd, Lane doubled the playside DT. Mathis pulled to the right and he and Celek got the DE, LB on that side. Shady took the ball and went hard up the field. No hesitation. Got the 1st down easily.
* The no-huddle can backfire at times. Shady had a tough, winding run through traffic to get the Eagles inside the 10. He then ran a lazy (or tired) route on the next play. That’s when Vick had the pass deflected and ruled an INT. If Shady gets more upfield, the pass would have been more obvious as a forward pass. I don’t know that Vick could have gotten the ball over Kerrigan so it might have just been thrown away.
* 1st/10. Right after Morris fumble. Eagles got TD pass to DeSean. Stole a play from the Saints. Play-action pass with good protection and a couple of receivers downfield. Cooper runs a deep cross to occupy one DB. DeSean goes behind him and is able to run by the CB. There is no S help since he moved up on Cooper. Celek and Ertz blocked at the LOS.
* 2nd/7. The Eagles gave the look of a bubble screen to the left. LBs bit on that. Celek got upfield and behind them. Vick fired a bullet pass to him for the TD. DBs were in the area, but Vick had the arm strength and accuracy to make that throw.
* 1st/10. Late in the half. Eagles ran a totally new formation. Had Peters split out wide left and Johnson wide right. Only 3 OL, Vick and Shady in the box. Skins had 2 DL and 3 LBs in there. 3 blockers took out 3 defenders. Kerrigan charged at Vick. Only Fletcher was left to stop Shady. LeSean got upfield for 11 yds. Had tons of room.
* 1st/GL. Read option. Defense went for Shady. Vick kept the ball and ran straight up the field for the TD.
MISC
* Eagles used lots of formations early on.
* They used an unbalanced line several times during the game. Jason Peters would slide over beside Lane Johnson. Other times Johnson would line up to the inside of Peters on the left side.
* The Skins ran some blitzes that caught players off guard. Shady went out on a pass route and watched a LB run by him into the backfield. Looked pretty obvious to me, but I don’t know what was called. Kelly said after the game that noise led to some communication problems.
PLAYERS
QB
VICK – Good game, but has some things to work on. Went 15-25-203. Threw 2 TDs. Didn’t have a pick or true fumble. Was blamed for the non-pass/fumble, but that was a bogus call. I wasn’t thrilled with Mike throwing that ball since Kerrigan was there in the line of sight, but this wasn’t quite like some of the turnovers from years past. I thought Mike did a good job of running the no-huddle attack. His decision-making was pretty good. He generally got the ball out quickly. Vick didn’t throw any deep balls.
Loved his early pass to Brent Celek. Hit him up the seam with a quick laser. Celek was 9 yds upfield and then added 18 RAC yds. Simple, safe play for good gain. Perfect throw. Missed Brent on corner route down by the Red Zone. Brent was wide open vs ILB and Vick had a clean pocket. Just threw a sloppy pass that was a yard too wide. Vick made me nervous on the opening drive when he scrambled to his right and then tried to get the ball to Celek inside the 5. The ball was deflected and went into the endzone. It came closest to DJax back there, but we have seen Red Zone INTs from Vick the last couple of years so I was nervous. Missed Jason Avant with a pass that would have put them inside the 5. Like Celek, he was wide open. I think Vick threw the ball too sidearm and that caused it to go wide by a yard or so. A more over the top delivery may have helped with the accuracy. Wasn’t under pressure. Missed Ertz on the next play. That pass was too high, but Ertz at least had a chance with it. Terrific execution and throw on the TD to DeSean. Ran for 1st down on 3rd/9. Got down, but since he went down head first, still took a good shot from Deangelo Hall. Made one bonehead play in the 3rd Qtr. Ran out of bounds with the ball for a loss rather than throwing it away. Best throw of the night may have been the TD to Celek. Brent was in traffic, although not tightly covered. Vick did have to deal with some pressure, but was still able to make a strong, accurate throw. I don’t know that Foles or Barkley pulls that pass off. Vick showed good accuracy on his quick throws to DeSean. That allowed DJax to get RAC yds. Vick added a huge run late in the game. He took off to the left and got up the field for 36 yards. That flipped the field and gave the offense a bit of momentum. Finished 9-54-1 as a runner.
The biggest concern coming out of this game is wear and tear. Vick took a few shots as a pocket passer. He took some hits while running. He also went upfield to block for McCoy on some runs. He won’t be able to stay on the field if he tries to keep that up. We all love his tough guy approach, but I’d prefer he protect himself a bit more. Sounds like Kelly will talk to him about blocking for McCoy. No reason to do that unless it is a huge moment in a tight game.
RB
SHADY – Why waste words on this bum? Can’t even run for 185 yards. Ugh.
Actually I will limit what I say for the simple reason that words don’t do him justice. You literally must see some of his cuts and moves to truly appreciate them. Shady played for Andy Reid for 4 years. He had 30 carries once (vs DAL in 2011). Shady had 31 carries in his first game with Kelly. That’s kinda crazy. 184 yards was the second highest total in his career.
The thing I loved about his running is that he didn’t try to turn everything into a big play. There were some short yardage situations when Shady went straight ahead. He was willing to settle for the 2 and 3-yard gains when they were needed. That wasn’t the case when he was younger. When Shady did decide to make guys miss, he had some spectacular moments. His TD run was a thing of beauty. Shady is the only guy who ever made Rambo look helpless (though Bacarri, not John J.).
B BROWN – Under-used and the coaches know it. Was 9-25 on the ground. Numbers weren’t great, but had some bad luck. There was a 5-yard loss, 1-yd loss and carry for 0. Eagles kept trying to get him wide on the outside zone and it wasn’t working well. Did better when running N-S. Had an impressive run where the used his strength to push the pile and punish defenders. Did a good job of protecting the ball. No fumbles or anything close.
Made a poor cut block attempt late in the 1st Qtr. Tried to take out Orakpo, but whiffed. Wasn’t due to lack of effort. Threw himself at the target. Just went too low and an athletic guy like Orakpo jumped over him, then hit Vick. Coaches will work with him on that. Must be able to protect the QB if you’re going to be on the field.
POLK – Didn’t play on offense.
TE
CELEK – Good game. 2-56-1. How many TEs average 28 yds per catch? If he was a bit faster, might have had a huge play early in the game. Vick hit him with a pop pass going up the seam and Brent had no one in front of him. Got chased down by CB Josh Wilson. Still got 28 yds on the play (19 RAC yds). No drops. Blocking was solid. Generally good in the run game. Didn’t have any “wow” blocks. Called for holding late in the 3rd Qtr on a pass play. Made matters worse by griping to the officials and getting an additional penalty.
ERTZ – Welcome to the NFL. 1-11 as a receiver. Had a crucial drop. Came on 3rd/10 play. Ertz blocked initially, then released into a pass route. Got open and Vick hit him with a good throw. You can argue there was Pass Int on the play, but Ertz needs to make that catch. Just couldn’t hold onto it as he went to the ground. First NFL catch came late in the 1st Qtr. Ran short route up the left seam and was wide open. Vick put the ball low, but Ertz went down and made the grab, then rolled for the 1st down. Blocking needs work. Good effort, but must use better technique. Didn’t play a ton since the Eagles were in 3 WRs so much.
CASEY – Only played a couple of snaps on offense. Strictly a matchup situation. Kelly wanted to face WAS’s Nickel D.
IGWENAGU – DNP
WR
D JACKSON – Terrific game. This is the DeSean we’ve wanted to see for a couple of years. Wasn’t just a threat. Actually produced in this game, going 7-104-1. Caught screen on 3rd play of the game. Love that. Gone are the days of DJax going deep over and over. Get him the ball and let him make plays. Got the ball 4 yds behind the LOS and still got 16 yds on the play. Even better. Jackson had a chance to run out of bounds early, but initially went inside and then cut out wide to get out of bounds. I have no problem with DJax avoiding hits by getting out, but in the past he was too quick to do that. Here he got a good gain and then played it safe. That’s smart football. Opened the 2nd drive by making a short catch and then using his great acceleration to explode up the field for a gain of 26. Caught a pass on crossing route in the mid-2nd and got upfield for the 1st down. Then went out of bounds. Got tackled late by Deangelo Hall and that drew a flag. DeSean jumped up and shoved Hall. He wasn’t penalized for that, but probably should have been. Has to be smart. If the Skins are dumb enough to give you 15 yds, take ’em. Don’t give them right back.
Mixed results with his blocking. Had some good blocks, but needs to more consistently get in there and occupy his defender.
AVANT – Quiet game. 2-13. Called for OPI. Jason was blocking for short pass and play got delayed. Not his fault. Terrific downfield cut block on Shady’s TD run. Made an impressive catch on pass that was low in the 4th Qtr. Got control of the ball and then headed upfield. Defender hit him from behind and knocked the ball loose.
COOPER – 2-14 as a receiver. Both were short catches on the left side. Vick tried to hit him with a deep ball, but a DB was able to break it up. Cooper got open in a scramble situation and could have delivered a big play, but Vick didn’t see him and a DB came over quickly. Had some very good blocks. Still had a couple of plays where he wasn’t able to sustain and keep his guy under control.
D JOHNSON – Played very little on offense.
MAEHL – Played very little on offense.
OL
* Many people asked about why Todd would tapp Kelce prior to snaps. It appears the Eagles are using an interesting system. Most times the C will look between his legs and see the QB raise his foot when he’s ready for the snap. Todd looks back at Vick. He gets some signal, then taps Kelce to alert him Vick is ready for the snap. That allows Kelce to keep his eyes on the defense.
PETERS – Good game, but wasn’t dominant. Brian Orakpo made Jason work. JP didn’t give up a sack and generally won his battle, but you could see he was a bit rusty. When he did cleanly get his hands on Orakpo, it was over. Still has an incredible combination of strength and agility. Uses his hands really well. Pulled to the inside on play and hit London Fletcher from the side, knocking him to the ground. Missed block of Orakpo on Shady run. If Peters makes that, Shady has a ton of room to run. Orakpo fired hard to the inside and caught him off guard. Good block on Shady’s TD run. Sealed the DE to the outside and sustained the block.
BARBRE – Played LT for 2 snaps in the 2nd Qtr when Peters went out. Didn’t do anything of note.
MATHIS – Mostly a good game. Got away with a hold of Bowen on the pass/fumble play. Didn’t affect the play, but the refs for some reason didn’t throw a flag. Helped Kelce double team a DT and drive him 5 yds off the ball to give Bryce Brown a huge area to run through. Had a good reach block of the NT on run up the middle. Gave Shady good lane, but DB came down quickly and limited the play. Called for holding in the 2nd Qtr. Questionable call. Tried to block Orakpo. Brian spun to get away and Mathis grabbed his jersey for half a second and then let go. Vick had already run by at that point. Pulled to his left and had a good block of Rambo that let Shady get up the sidelines for 5 yds. Good job on Shady’s TD run. Mathis and Kelce did a good job of getting movement when they doubled on DL.
KELCE – Up and down game. Struggled with Barry Cofield, but had some terrific moments aside from that. Had a great block on run play to the right. Jason pulled out wide. He hit London Fletcher at the 45 and sustained the block until he put Fletcher on the ground at the 31. Un-friggin-believable. Go to 7:20 of the 1st Qtr to see that. Got over-powered by NT in pass pro. Held on the play, but still got beat. Pulled to his left on a run play late in the 1st half and put Fletcher on the ground again. Didn’t move him downfield, but still made an impressive block. Missed block of Cofield on run play and Barry knocked the crap out of Shady for a loss. Called for holding on run play late in the game. Crucial play. Took the Eagles out of FG range. He and Mathis were very effective when double-teaming DL. Kelce consistently fired off the ball and was a catalyst on run plays. His burst helped get the play flowing, whether left or right. Shady could then read the blocks and decide whether to run or cut back. I think Kelly is going to love Kelce.
HERREMANS – Up and down game. Did a pretty good job of blocking DL on run plays. Missed LB on play where Vick kept the ball and ran to that side. Play had potential if Todd got the backer. Barry Cofield drove Todd into the backfield on 3rd/9 with good power rush. Forced Vick to run. Failed to block Kerrigan on pass play. DL over Todd slanted hard inside and Kelce got him. Todd didn’t get Kerrigan at all. Big sack. Todd got driven backward by Cofield on power rush in the mid-2nd Qtr, then held him but didn’t get called for it. On the next play a blitzing LB flew by Todd and into the backfield. I don’t know how Todd didn’t see him.
JOHNSON – Solid game. Beaten by Kerrigan on pass play. Didn’t give up, though, and was able to keep him occupied as Vick slipped to the outside. Got confused and failed to block Kerrigan on pass play. Blitzing LB is the one who got the sack, but Kerrigan blew up the play. Johnson has to know to take the guy going to the inside. Lined up on the left side on Shady’s TD run. Had an outstanding block of DT Bowen. Gave Shady a big lane. Generally controlled Kerrigan when he faced him on pass play. Lane also did a good job as a run blocker. You would think a rookie playing in an up-tempo attack and being moved around might struggle, but that wasn’t the case. Still adjusting to pro football and has his moments, but is physically ready.
TOBIN – DNP
VANDERVELDE – DNP
KELLY – DNP
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DEFENSE
Terrific 1st half by the defense. The 3rd quarter was acceptable, but not good. Things got ugly in the 4th quarter. The Skins gained 175 yards and scored 14 points. They had another drive that ended in Eagles territory.
We have to focus on RG3 for part of this. He was rusty in the 1st half and really struggled. He got better as the game went along. He got some help from the Eagles. The coaches began using some backups in the 2nd half, due to injury and fatigue. The Skins took advantage of that.
I wish Bill Davis had run a conventional Nickel look in the 2nd half (4-2-5). He kept using the 3-3-5 look and blitzing off it. With the score 33-7, I wanted to see Graham at LDE and Cole at RDE with Cox and Thornton inside. I’m not sure if Graham and Cole were ever on the field together. The Skins RT struggled all game long. I really wanted to see Graham light him up, but the coaches mostly kept BG on the other side.
I did like the aggressive blitzing approach that Davis took for the first 3 quarters. He turned Cole, Kendricks and Ryans loose and let them attack. The DBs got to blitz. Allen, Chung, Williams and Boykin all were turned loose as blitzers. The Eagles only finished with 3 sacks, but they got regular pressure. RG3 didn’t have a clean pocket for much of the game. He took some big hits and got up sl0w a couple of times.
The pass rush disappeared for parts of the 4th quarter. This is where it would have been so nice to have Vinny Curry in the game. His burst off the ball would have given fits to the Skins OGs. He also could have eaten up snaps at DE and OLB. The Eagles offense failed to sustain drives in the 4th and that kept the defense on the field. The Skins were going no-huddle and that wore the D down.
I don’t think Davis went to a prevent defense in the 4th. He still did mix in some blitzes. I do think he ran some softer coverages, giving up short completions. You can tell that the Eagles need better backup CBs. Boykin is good in the slot, but less effective outside. Poyer should be learning right now, not playing.
I love the fact that there weren’t any bad blown assignments. No Skins receiver was just running wide open. The defense played with a lot of energy and aggression. They flew to the football and gang-tackled most of the time. The defense came up with 3 takeaways and a safety. I don’t think the defense is as good as they looked early on and I don’t think they’re as bad as they looked late. I think this unit can be good enough to help the Eagles win some games.
MISC
* RG3 started off 13 of 25. He then went 17 of 24. He really did wake up.
* WAS was 2 of 10 on 3rd downs.
* They were 2 of 3 in the Red Zone.
* Skins only ran 18 times for 74 yards.
* They only had 2 plays longer than 20 yards and both came on the final drive.
PLAYS
* Opening 3rd down. Cole at RDE in 3-3-5 look. Barwin, Kendricks and Ryans were the LBs. Barwin rushed the RG. 4 rushed overall. Ryans covered the RB. MK took the TE in the flat. Boykin got the INT while covering down the field.
* Skins first good play came when they lined guys up to the outside and drew Kendricks, Allen out there and then ran to the other side. Got 15 yds.
* The Skins had a bunch set to their right. Kendricks, Allen and Boykin had some confusion about getting lined up. They were bumping into each other just before the ball was snapped. The pass was incomplete, but Kendricks and Boykin talked after the play, as they tried to figure out who should have been where. Didn’t look like the petty sniping we saw last year, but rather guys talking to each other.
* There was a play in the early 4th where Boykin, Nate and Bradley Fletcher failed to get WR Josh Morgan down. Should have limited him to 10 yds, but he fought upfield for 19. Sloppy tackling.
PLAYERS
DL
COX – Quiet for the first 3 Qtrs of the game. Wasn’t much of a factor against the run. Came alive in the 4th Qtr as a pass rusher. Got loose up the middle and got a big shot on RG3 in the early 4th. Beat the RT and got a sack late in the game. Used quick burst and a good rip move to get the sack. Drove the RT back to RG3 and flushed him on the final drive. Cox then chased him out of bounds, giving up just a short gain. Great speed, hustle from the big fella.
SOPOAGA – Solid game. Played better than what we saw in the preseason. Still not the NT that some probably hoped for. Won his share of battles when single-blocked. Didn’t face many double-teams, but did get moved back a yard or two when he faced them. RG tried to block him in the 3rd and Sopes pushed him back a yard. That drew holding call on the RG. Chased RG3 out in space after Geathers flushed him in the 3rd Qtr. Forced an incompletion.
THORNTON – Good game. Got good push from DT late in the 1st half when rushing the passer. Shed block of RG and tackled Morris on inside run. Had chance to get Helu for a loss on 3rd/1, but couldn’t get hold of him cleanly. Did get a TFL when he chased down RB from the backside in the 3rd Qtr. Drove the C right back to RG3 on the play where Ryans got his sack. Great explosion, power from Ced on that play. Batted a pass in the mid-4th. Effective inside rusher. Tough run defender. Finished with 3 tackles, TFL, PD. One play he’d like to have back is the TD run by Morris. Ced hustled down the LOS and left a huge cutback lane. If Ced was more under control there, might have made the tackle.
CURRY – DNP.
GEATHERS – Backup LDE. Showed some flashes. Drove the RT back to RG3 and then dove for the QB. Didn’t get him, but showed good power. On the next play, drove the RG back to RG3. Had a couple of more plays where he showed good power. Needs to be able to finish plays.
LOGAN – Played both DE and NT. Drew a holding call on the C late in the 3rd Qtr. Overall had kind of a quiet game. Was on the field plenty, but didn’t stand out.
SQUARE – Solid showing. Mostly played NT. The Skins didn’t run right at him so Square was able to be effective. Used his hands well to fight off blockers. Got some pressure on pass plays. Moved well laterally on runs. I was pleasantly surprised by Square’s performance.
OLB
COLE – Good game. On his first snap of the season, Cole flew down the LOS and hit RB Alfred Morris, knocking the ball out. The Eagles recovered. Got a gift safety on the 3rd series of the game. RG3 made a poor toss and Morris couldn’t catch it. This was in the end zone. Morris covered the ball and Cole dove on him for the easy 2 points. Got TFL on the next play when run came his way. Got by blocker and wrapped up Morris for short loss. Drew holding call on TE Paulsen on run to his side. Trent just shoved Paulsen out of the way so he could get to the RB and Paulsen grabbed his arm and wouldn’t let go. Got a good hit on RG3 on deep ball in the mid-2nd Qtr. On the next snap, Cole blew up a run. Got by a pair of blockers and hit the RB in the backfield. Runner managed to get back to the LOS. Cole got hits on RG3 on several plays. Some were in the backfield, others up the field and one out in space. Trent was in the right spot and took his shots when he could. Credited with 4 tackles, TFL and a FF.
BARWIN – Set the edge on run play to open the 2nd series. RB was forced to stay deep and bounce the run out further to the outside. Pursuit helped get a TFL. Made good open field tackle on WR screen on early 2nd Qtr play. Most impressive moment came on 3rd/long play. Eagles rushed just 3. Barwin beat the RT and RG3 took off the other way. Barwin chased him down and only gave up a couple of yards on the play. Great hustle, impressive speed. Beat block of TE to get some pressure in the early 3rd. Jumped offside in the early 4th and that led to sloppy play where Skins got 19 yds. Had a chance for a sack in the mid-4th. Split blockers and got into the backfield, but RG3 used his voodoo moves to escape from Barwin. Got pressure off the edge on the next play, which was 4th/15. That kept RG3 from getting zip on the ball and allowed Williams to knock it down. Showed his versatility. Covered. Rushed. Played the run. Sometimes rushed off the edge. Other times came inside and tried to shoot gaps.
GRAHAM – Played some DE late in the half. Used power moves a couple of times. Beat LT Trent Williams with a speed move and got pressure on RG3 on one play. Played some OLB in the 2nd half. Blew up a run play. Drove the TE back, then drove the LT back. RB had nowhere to go and pursuit got him for a TFL, but Graham made the play. Had a chance to rush the passer a lot in the 4th Qtr and wasn’t getting pressure. LT did a good job on him. I was disappointed that Brandon got a chance to rush the passer in a known passing situation and didn’t get more pressure.
ILB
KENDRICKS – Good game. All over the place. Made things happen. Recovered fumble on opening play. Cole knocked it loose and it came right to Mychal. Helped get TFL on next series. Barwin did a good job of setting the edge. That gave MK a good angle to the runner and he flew over to help knock the guy out of bounds. Did a great job on the play of staying square to the LOS. Did a good job on a screen pas in the mid-1st Qtr. Read the play, moved through traffic and made a good wrap-up tackle. Exploded up the middle on a blitz at the end of the half and literally slammed RG3 to the ground. Clean, but hard hit. Shed block of FB and tackled Morris on 3rd Qtr run. Got a big hit on RG3 late in the 3rd Qtr and forced an errant pass. Credited with 10 total tackles, TFL, FR and a couple of QB hits.
RYANS – Wasn’t as flashy as Kendricks, but re-watch the game and you’ll be impressed. Blitzed in the 3rd Qtr and drove the LG back close to RG3. Good power for an ILB. Did that on some run plays as well. Gave me Trotter flashbacks. Ryans isn’t 260, but he runs into blockers at full speed and will knock the crap out of them. Ran over the LG on a pass play just after that. So much fun to watch. Got a sack in the mid-3rd. Came on a Green Dog. That is when the RB stays in to block. Ryans was supposed to cover him. When the RB stays in, the LB has a green light to blitz (known as a dog in older football circles). Active tackler in the run game. None were standout plays. Had a big hit on CB Bradley Fletcher that gave him an apparent concussion. Did a good job with making on-field adjustments to the defense.
MATTHEWS – Played some defense in the 2nd half.
KNOTT – Played some on defense. Came over and hit receiver after catch over the middle. Should have made a wrap-up tackle. Showed good hustle on a run play. Got out wide and helped gang-tackle a RB.
GOODE – Didn’t see him on defense.
S
ALLEN – More of the same. Didn’t make any mistakes, but also failed to stand out. Was in on 6 total tackles. Blitzed in the early 3rd, but RG3 got rid of the ball before anyone could get near him. Threw pick to Williams on that play. Came up in run support to help Thornton with TFL in the 3rd Qtr. Made tackle of TE after catch over the middle. Slung him to the ground. Solid tackle. There were a couple of plays where he was too passive in trying to help make tackles, but overall he was effectively aggressive.
CHUNG – Mixed bag. Good vs the run. Was in on 7 total tackles. Blitzed up the middle and helped pressure RG3 into an errant throw. Came flying up in run support and made a strong tackle of Morris. Made a clean tackle of Moss in the early 4th Qtr. Awful job at the end of the game. Eagles were in Cover 3. Chung needed to stay deeper than the deepest. Let WR get behind him. Compounded that by mis-timing his jump and letting the ball over his head. TD for the Skins. Should have been incompletion or a pick. Chung can’t make coverage mistakes like that.
WOLFF – Played very little on defense.
COLEMAN – Didn’t see him on defense.
CB
FLETCHER – Had 4 solo stops. Made a strong, physical tackle of Garcon after catch in the early 3rd. Had tight coverage of Robinson on 4th Qtr pass and kept it from being completed. More effective when pressing than playing off, but we knew that already. Got knocked out of the game late by a hit from Ryans. Could have used him on that final drive.
WILLIAMS – Good game. Had tight downfield coverage on deep ball to Garcon. Incompletion. Got a sack in the 2nd Qtr. WR lined up tight to the formation. Cary fired off the edge and hit RG3 from the backside. He jumped on his back. Physical takedown. Some CBs can blitz, but don’t know how to finish. Cary did a good job of getting RG3 down. Made a beautiful diving INT in the early 3rd. Great hands on the play. Made a great play on 4th/15. Saw RG3 put the ball over the middle to Robinson. Cary flew over and knocked it away without any contact. Great read and break on the ball.
HUGHES – DNP
BOYKIN – Good game. Came up with his first NFL INT on the opening 3rd down play. Was in the slot. Stayed underneath the receiver since he had S help over the top. RG3 forced the ball into coverage and Boykin made the pick. Blitzed on 3rd down in early 2nd Qtr. Started outside, but looped hard to the inside and came free up the middle. RG3 got rid of the ball just before BB got there. Tackled Helu on 3rd down run play. Gave up a couple of yds, but made a good stop. Broke up pass to Moss over the middle in the mid-4th. Great body control to get in front of the WR and knock the ball away, but without contact. Got to blitz on a few plays. Funny to see Boykin going against OTs.
POYER – Played on defense in the 2nd half. Gave up a TD to Hankerson. Played off and was simply slow to close to the receiver after he made the catch. Easily ran into the endzone. Had good coverage of Moss in the 4th on 3rd/2 play along the sideline, but missed the ball by inches and Moss made the grab. Made good tackle of Garcon late in the game after a short catch. Closed to the ball quickly on that play. Got better as the game went along, but looked like a rookie.
=============================================================
ST’s
I’m pretty sure Dave Fipp is the greatest coach ever. He makes Bear Bryant and Vince Lombardi look like hacks. Amazing what a difference a year makes. The Eagles STs are actually…good.
JONES – Good game. First punt was fair caught at the 4-yd line. Another punt was fielded inside the 10. Put a punt out of bounds at the 6-yd line. Had another punt fair caught at the 11-yd line. 4 of his 6 punts were downed inside the 20. Had a long of 61.
HENERY – Nailed a 48-yd FG. Actually kicked it twice. Kelly decided to challenge a play just as Henery was making the kick. I wondered if that would affect Henery, but he came back after the challenge was denied and that kick was even straighter than the first. Plenty of distance. 3 of his 6 KOs were touchbacks. The other 3 had good depth and were well-covered.
– MISC –
KOR – Damaris returned one from deep in the endzone and got 27 yds on that. He was desperate to take a chance. Other KOs he showed good discipline and stayed in the endzone. DeSean returned the free kick after the safety and got 10 yds on that.
PR – There was one fair catch and a couple of punts that went out of b0unds.
* Anderson, Casey combined for good stop on punt return in the early 2nd Qtr.
* Chris Polk made a great tackle in KO coverage. That pinned the Skins at the 9-yd line.
* Najee Goode and Brandon Boykin combined for a good tackle in KO coverage late in the half.
* Brandon Boykin had a good night as a gunner on punts.
* Brandon Graham flew downfield to make a good tackle in punt coverage.
* Jordan Poyer made a good stop in punt coverage.
* The onside kick at the end of the game was nerve-wracking. Jason Avant had the ball come right to him, but he couldn’t make a clean grab. He did get control of the ball as others got to him. Jake Knott flew over and jumped on Avant, to shield him from Skins players. Not pretty, but effective.
_
* 1st/10. Right after Morris fumble. Eagles got TD pass to DeSean. Stole a play from the Saints. Play-action pass with good protection and a couple of receivers downfield. Cooper runs a deep cross to occupy one DB. DeSean goes behind him and is able to run by the CB. There is no S help since he moved up on Cooper. Celek and Ertz blocked at the LOS.
do you have any comments about vick being under center for this play? it was something that gruden and the other guy were really harping on. i did see vick in shotgun a lot, but i can’t remember if it was for like 99% of the plays or not…
what would be different for him being under center? what would be different from the defensive point of view?
It’ll be interesting to see if they use this formation again and run out of it, now that such a big deal was made about it on national television. Since it was one of the few (the only?) times Vick was under center, opposing defensive coordinators might be expecting the same play-action pass play…
Forgot to mention that. He was under Center. That helped with the mechanics of the play. He faked to Shady and also needed to get depth on the drop so he could look downfield.
so being under center was more about faking the handoff to shady than anything else? ok, that makes sense. i wasnt sure why they were making such a big deal about it at the time.
that’s why it’s important for a qb to be able play from under center. Allows for misdirection in running plays and play-action passes along with the standard suite of passes.
I myself was surprised it was so dominated by shotgun, but I think that was dictated by weak Epithets defensive backfield.
and this is kind of upsetting to me:
Kelly said after the game that noise led to some communication problems.
after we heard all summer about the different practice playlists and music and noise and everything, its surprising to me that noise would be a problem…
wasn’t there a report that chip wanted the stadium to play music while the eagles have the ball? so its just like how we practiced all summer? (which is still shocking to me, i would have thought you can’t do that, but i guess its your stadium and you can play music when your offense is on the field if you really want to…)
This was the OL’s first full game together. It was their first time in a true road environment. You have to give them a chance to work some things out.
I know that music playing while our offense has the ball at home games was discussed on here, but are they really going to do it?
Im very happy about Johnsons’s play. Watch out opposing DEs and LBs once Johnson figures the whole thing out.
its just insane how effective he is this early…and for him to be this effective being moved all around the place, it’s just scary impressive..Words can’t even describe how excited I am about him..
…
loving this defense finally getting some turnovers…Boykin dropped a bunch of INTs in the PS, but as soon as the bright lights came on, he was money..
…
Nothing made me happier them seeing Kendricks, Cox, Cary, Meco, Barwin, and Cole not just play good Defense, but playing VIOLENT defense. Dudes weren’t just making tackles, they were delivering the BOOM!!! And it’s been years since I saw that.
…
I have to appologize to Trent Cole…I had no idea he still had this in him. he looks completely rejuvenated and looks in significantly better shape them he has these past two years..
…
Curry has to dress. I don’t care if we don’t play him in the first half..but when you have a lead and are trying to limit big plays so the opponent can’t get back in the game(2nd half) his explosion of the LOS is too valuable to keep in street clothes…
…
Watching Billy Davis PC live at the moment…Love this man!!M There were portions of Monday’s game, that I thought JJ was calling the deffense
Joekel, on the other hand, had a horrible day, Sunday.
Since Bradley Fletcher suffered a concussion, Boykin will move to outside. Is Poyer gonna play the slot? Im little nervous about that. We were already thin at depth at CB..
Poyer or Hughes
Is Bradley definitely not playing on Sunday?
…
Nvmd…Billy Davis just said its day to day, and he hopes Bradley can play Sunday, but they just aren’t sure yet
I don’t think he’s been ruled out. But I’m not sure there is enough time for him to get all the way through the concussion protocols in time for him to be cleared to play.
yea, i don’t think there is any way to predict the return on a concussion. some guys bounce back almost immediately… others could take a while.
But if I’m not mistaken it takes 6 full days to go through the steps necessary to clear someone to play and they only have 5 1/2.
oh! if that is the case, then you are absolutely right, there is no way that he can make it to this game. i would think the coaches would rule him ‘out’ for the game already, though.
i hope the process takes 6 days from a medical standpoint and not 6 days because of paperwork/administration/foot dragging. if thats the case, if the concussion occurred during a sunday game, he could return next sunday (if he passes the earliest tests). but if the concussion occurred on a monday game, he is forced to be out of the next sunday game? that just seems unfair… assuming there is no medical reason for it, anyway.
It appears there one day of rest, one day with light activity, one day with sport specific activity (no contact), one day with full training but no contact, one day with full contact, and then play. So actually it is a possibility. But when does he get a full contact practice… since I don’t think there is a full contact practice on Saturday.
many thanks for taking the time to figure this stuff out!
He needs to be cleared first. I think it is most likely he wont play
Boykin should stay in the slot when they need a slot corner. He might also get a share of time on the outside when they are using 2 corners.
Prater can play the slot.
And Hughes could play outside.
Serious question: had people really not heard the word ‘sconces’ before Cary used it? I’m all for making fun of him and calling him ‘sconces,’ for the excuse he made as much as the word. Everyone seems to be saying he brought this strange word to town, but I’ll be blown away if people had really never heard it used.
A side note: more sconce puns please. Tommy, maybe you could call an article about Cary’s redemption “Sconce upon a time” or “Fool me sconce.”
the only time i’ve heard of it is watching hgtv when home with the parents for the weekend. lol. even then its “sconce? wtf is a sconce?” followed with “why do they have such a stupid name for that?”
That would be unSconcionable.
I actually went shopping with my father for sconces once, many years ago, so I’m well familiar with the word. He had a tiny condo down the shore in Margate and he wanted some pleasant lighting that would not take up floor space.
I don’t know what college Cary went to, but I hope it was Wis-sconce-in.
I believe it. That’d be a place he could really ensconce himself.
…and sconcentrate on his studies.
Sconce puns are a great idea.
Honestly…I don’t know if I’d ever heard the word. I’m not a home owner nor a decorator. And I avoid Home Depot and Lowes. Sconces just aren’t part of my world.
Well you are very lucky Cary ushered in a cultural Renaissconce.
I concur.
was that the slickest sconce pun yet?
Leave Sconce alone. Sconce is FUN to say. Quit criticizing Sconce. Sconce lit it up.
Sconces lights it up. Yes.
As an edumacated summabitch, I know my architecture. I, too, was surprised people hadn’t heard it before.
It is an awesomely hilarious nickname though.
I like it as a nickname too. It reminds me of Toonces the cat from SNL who drove a car and always crashed it. Also, “Patches, I”m depended on you, son…” “Sconces, your defendin’ for us, son…”
Sounds like Cofield had a hell of a game for the skins.
Think you overrate Square, one good pass rush singled against the center, otherwise he couldn’t get movement at the LOS, at least Geathers can bull rush. They really missed Curry in the second half, Thornton and Cox played too many snaps because no one else can pass rush, Graham was used inside with little impact, Logan has no moves, and forget Sopoaga.
Barwin’s future is ILB, he just isn’t explosive enough outside as a pass rusher but has great speed and athleticism, I think he’ll be like Timmons, more effective inside where he can drop and blitz but not try to beat an OT off the snap. Adding an OLB who’s a true pass rusher like Kerrigan should be an offseason priority.
Barwins future is ILB???? I don’t see it!
I’m not Square’s biggest supporter. I’d rather have Curry out there. But I thought Square played well.
Unless we spend a high draft pick, I doubt we will get a good OLB. The only good OLB in FA next year is Orakpo, but no way he leaves Washington
gladly spend one on Van Noy
Van Noy’s a safety, though may be convertible. I would dance a jig in wooden clogs if we got Van Noy.
Stanford and Notre dame also have some Dlinemen and OLBs worth keeping an eye on
Khalil Mack from Buffalo or Hubbard from Bama
Both should be first or second round picks…I like Mack alot
Assuming we’re talking about the same guy, Kyle Van Noy is listed as a linebacker on BYU’s website.
yeah I assumed he was making a joke….
Anthony Barr if I could pick any OLB.
I know we got Foles, but right now my no. 1 wish for the first round is a QB because of Vicks age and health. I hope a few of the RS freshmen QBs comes out.
I don’t expect us to pick high enough to get Barr…but yeah, sure I’d love an athletic Monster like him..
….
I have a feeling Chip is going to pull out all the stops to get Marriotta…you know me, Defense defense defense, so that’s not what I would do, just what I feel like Chip will want to do…
..
Monday Cataldi asked Chip, have you ever had a QB with all the talent and gifts that Vick has?
..
chip answered “the kid in Oregon is pretty good”…
…
if we are going to be a duck haven(lol) then I would hope to get the big guns from Oregon Lyeria, Marriotta, Olomu
I think even getting a player like Gardner would be nice. Mariota would be my 2nd option after Bridgewater.
I saw Chris Brown (from smartfootball.com) say that he thinks Luck is the perfect Chip Kelly QB and I agree and Bridgewater really reminds me of Luck (and Rodgers)
I don’t disagree at all….just hoping we will be significantly better then it would take to land Bridgewater….and I’m not sure we would be willing to mortgage two drafts to trade up and go get him
haha true, I think we are in around spot 15, still a good spot to get a good QB.
Especially if a lot of these kids have a good year and it’s the deep QB draft that it’s supposed to be
Chipper, get ready for Philly and Lincoln Financial Field. We are bringing the noise this Sunday.
RIGHT! Chip keeps talking about how impressed he was to hear the Eagles chants in the crowd in Washington…well just wait til we blow the doors off the Linc on Friday….I hope the fans provide such a Rabbid atmosphere on Sunday that it makes Seattles arena sound like a church
Will be coming down from Syracuse on Sunday–only got to go down to the Linc once before but couldn’t miss Chip Kelly’s home opener!
You shoulda seen the Birds at Franklin Field.
Great site lines. Great prices. And Schmidt’s beer.
Freshman football for Roman catholic high school we practiced at Franklin field lol….carrying our pads all the way from broad n Vine lol
Ah, Schmidt’s. Made with cold, clear Delaware River water.
Cheers man!!! You are a smart man, Sunday will be rocking at the linc….are you familiar with South Philly. Or do you need some food recommendations?
At the end of the day, win or lose (hopefully win), all fans want is effort and hustle on every play. We rarely got that last year. Just happy to not be frustrated every friggin weekend this year.
Can’t help but feel it’s such a disappointment that Maclin went down for the season. Feel like he could’ve really been another weapon in this offense.
Couple of things:
– The Eagles only scored over 30 points in exactly one game in 2012. I hope there are many other games where they score over 30 points in 2013!
– Tommy – you use the number 0 instead of the letter O in certain words. Why do you do this? I’ve noticed it a few times so I think it must be intentional!
7yPiN’ NUm93R2 iN5734D 0f L3773R2 M4K32 J00 4 h4X0R
Typin’ numbers instead of letters makes you (joo) a hater (hator)?
haxor. Leet speak for awesome.
Oh, call me a n00b. Wasn’t really familiar with all of Leet Speak. Might have to go back and watch the movie Hackers. We get to see Angelina Jolie before she was a big star (and yes: she was already hot!)
Reminds me about the WWII joke. The U.S. code breakers would include this little bit of numbers and letters in their messages and see if the Germans could figure it out.
5370H55V 0773H
Turns out that it was just a message to the Germans!
(Hint: turn it over)
Is this true about the code breakers? I’m fascinated by that kind of stuff.
I don’t think so! Just think it’s a old joke.
I typed some of this on a laptop. My fat fingers don’t do well in tight spaces.
Ah. OK. So no subliminal messages where you are wishing for the defense to pitch a shutout!
This is so good some revisionist history is in order.
It’s better than the alternative: Tommy is actually a spy and he uses the 0s as a code to communicate to his co-conspirators!
To obtain a special dialing wand, please mash the keyboard with your palm now.
And I was busy trying to make anagrams out of the zero words
Never thought I’d enjoy reading the Skins Twitter feed so much..
Haslett says he’s watched 23-24 Oregon films and preseason Eagles film. “If they can do anything else, God bless ‘em.”
https://twitter.com/Redskins/statuses/375652394014482432
and –
Haslett on up-tempo: “It hasn’t been a problem to this point…we worked
through training camp and I don’t think it will be an issue.”
https://twitter.com/Redskins/statuses/375651210000207872
London Fletcher said it was the longest first quarter of his career lol….poor guy didn’t stand a chance lol..
…
could you imagine what it must have felt like to be Jim Haslett on Monday night? Hahahahah couldn’t have been much fun lol
I absolutely love beating on a division rival at home…but what I enjoy more is having a BIGTIME performance yet still a lot of mistakes which provide us an opportunity to grow and improve…you learn the most from mistakes, we made plenty on Monday,,.fortunately it looks like we have some great teachers on this coaching staff
even better than beating a division rival at home is beating them in their house ; )
Hell yeah!!!!!
No one is complaining about the failure to tackle to the ground in training camp; it would seem that it isn’t a problem after all
Dennis Kelly, Brandon Hughes practicing
Nice!!
Do you think Chip’s plan to play music before offensive snaps (together with SD’s short week to prepare) will give us an edge? I haven’t heard more about this since a month or so ago.
We certainy have a BIGTIME edge going into this home opener..
…
San Diego just played the late Monday night game, now they have a short week to get prepared and travel cross country..Haslett is in our division so he has been preparing for the Eagles all summer…How much work could the Chargers really have put in this summer worrying about the Eagles who play in a different conference?
…
Eagles need to take this opportunity to make a statement at the linc!!
…
The only scary part for me is that the chargers blew a big league and could be pissed!!!
careful, that goes both ways – the eagles offense has also been preparing for the redskins all offseason since they are in the division.
if you assume that the chargers don’t put in a lot of work to prepare for us, i wouldn’t assume that we put in a lot of work to prepare for them either.
The chargers don’t run some drastically different offense then anything the NFL has ever seen!!…no one has a comparable advantage to us in terms of the element of surprise
random note:
is it weird that we play 3 of our 4 AFC opponents back to back to back like this?
week 2 chargers
week 3 chiefs
week 4 broncos
….
some time later: raiders
Andy is doing the same against the NFC east… I think it’s largely because they’re pushing as many division games as they can to the end of the season to keep things interesting.
Tommy, you mentioned that Vick threw only 25 times, but one thing I found interesting is that while we were run heavy by the end of the game, Chip was extremely balanced until we got a large lead. I think at halftime or shortly after it, someone pointed out that we had a run/pass ratio of 22 runs and 22 passes. So it seems that Chip wasn’t truly run heavy, but balanced the attack and then used the run game to protect the lead.
Yup…Vick only threw 5 passes in the second half
What’s interesting is if most of the plays were run/pass reads, then it was the Redskins defense that kept us balanced…
I don’t get why they kept running Brown outside. The 90 degree cut upfield really isn’t in his arsenal. He’s so much better running N/S.
I disagree that Allen’s slinging the receiver down was a good tackle. How many times have we seen DB’s try that and the runner manages to keep his balance and keep running. Wrap up and stay wrapped!
For Nates wimpy standards it was a good tackle … Lol JK
I think they were playing run all the way at that point and there probably was nothing there for him on the inside.
Sorry but you have to run Brown outside a good amount. I’m not sure exactly what you’re trying to say about him running outside.
I’m not going to break it down but the blocking wasn’t there and the play wasn’t there. OL was worn down too I think and the defense made some adjustments.
I think I’d like to see him recognize when the play isn’t there more often and just put his head down and maximize runs then. It’s something he needs to work on but also remember he still has an inexperience factor.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bj2dT5NNu9g
Thanks for linking to the video. It reinforced my point very well! Almost all of Brown’s highlights were of the north/south variety. The only run that started wide then cut upfield early was because Herreman got pushed far into the backfield into his path.
You’re also helping to make my point when you talk about him not recognizing when it’s not there and to turn and put his head down. Basically, that’s what I was saying.
I’m not saying never run him outside (that would be stupid) – I’m just saying that’s not where his elite skills show up most frequently. Bryce running wide should mostly be to keep the defense honest. Almost always, Bryce needs great blocking so he can turn the corner, or the run gets strung out. Other backs are great at going wide, finding a crack, and cutting the play upfield. That’s not Bryce’s forte.
This is all just a general point. Bryce had crap blocking on those outside runs along with the D keying on the run, so I get that he had no chance. I’m a huge Brown fan and I want him to be the Thunder to McCoy’s lightning.
Fair enough, I think you are talking about stretch plays run to the very outside and also him at times not reading it correctly and trying to get the corner when it isn’t there. I agree with that.
The purpose of the video was to better clarify that you only wanted to run him inside that was all really. He’s not only an inside pound it runner
The blocking needs to be there and I absolutely agree with you he needs to recognize better but in general he is still a part time back and still learning since he didn’t even play much in college.
I love Bryce also as long as he keeps improving on holding that ball. I was mainly making the point that he isn’t just a short yardage pound it inside runner.
On browns big loss their was immediate penetration which pushed him wide and then he had no chance.
Mike Vick only attempted 5 passes in the second half….take that Andy!
..
That drop by Ertz should have never happened..Vick had Cooper wide open for a TD on the same side as Ertz
If that’s the play I’m thinking of, Rambo was actually very close by and could have picked that ball off. Ertz was the right throw.
Probably not thinking about the same play, because the play I’m talking about, Gruden made a big deal about how open Cooper was and even showed the window Vick had to get the ball to cooper…both Cooper and Ertz were on the left side so Gruden was shocked that Vick didn’t see Riley…I’m not trying to be overly critical of Vick, because I thought he ran this offense extremely well especially considering he hasn’t been studying it that long
our defense got 13 takeaways in all of 2012. A new scheme, riddled with young players and new additions that still need time to Gel got off to a heckuva start on the road.
1)Safety (more on the skins then us, I know I know)
2) Cole forcing a fumble that we immediately score a TD to Desean on
3) Boykin securing an INT after countless PS drops
4) Cary coming up with a beautiful INT
….
we talk about how much the Offense looks like Oregon, well so far, our opportunistic defense, swarming and forcing TO’s looks a lot like Oregon as well. as long as Chips offense keeps the pressure on opponents, I think we can get accustomed to the same type of defense
Though it should be mentioned that the Eagles had 4 turnovers in the first game of 2012 as well. What is noteworthy, however, is the Redskins were not a turnover-prone team last year.
RG3 hadn’t thrown 2 picks in a game since he was in high school.
I can’t help watching this game over and over again lol…Just watched Kelce-Dogg completely abuse London Fletcher
An easy fix would be to disallow the “injured” player from returning on that drive. That would open the possibility that a key defensive player might not be available to help if/when the offensive team is in the red zone.
I would have the defensive player sit out 15 minutes before being eligible to return to the game…it’s flat out cheating, it compromises the integrity of the game, and I’m not even just talking about Eagles football. I don’t like it…you should be forced to stop anything an offense throws at you without looking for chinsy loopholes
It’s only cheating if the player isn’t actually injured. Cramping does occur in real life (McCoy had to take a few plays off on Monday), so it would be a shame to have our own defensive players get benched for an entire quarter for a legitimate medical issue.
This is true,..especially when playing at an unusually fast pace, some real ones do need to be accounted for, but there is no way I believe that they were all legit, so I probably have to concede to your way lol…If you leave stop the offenses flow due to any injury, you aren’t eligible to return til the following series…sounds fair, I can co sign that!…but one way or another it does seriously need to be addressed..they can’t just do othing and accept this, especially with the way the league is evolving…it’s not like we are the only team trying to push the pace, we just happen to be the ones who know how to do it best 🙂
Yeah, the Dallas players were accusing Cullen Jenkins of faking when he went down during their no-huddle on Sunday. I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s some movement on addressing this next off-season, seeing as how it’s becoming more of a national news story this year.
I rewatched the whole offensive part of the game yesterday, since
it was tougher to get a grasp of what was going on when the ball is
snapped every fifteen seconds. I was interested in the plays and the options Vick had. There really wasn’t a great variety of plays.
Chip called a few base plays multiple times. Here’s a few that he
called quite a few times. I took screenshots, but it seems the best way to post them in these comments are with links to the URLs. If I upload them via disqus, every picture goes to the bottom of the post. So, each of the imgur.com links pertain to the paragraph that precedes it.
First, there was a run/pass option. Vick reads the defender who
would cover the tight end. The offensive line run blocks. They’re
blocking for the run option. If it is a pass, it will be a quick
pass to the tight end, and not even Peters can block five yards down
field that quickly.
http://i.imgur.com/Amh8rje.jpg
If the defender crashed and sold out for the run during the
handoff, Vick would pull the ball back and throw it to the tight-end,
who ran a straight route down the middle of the field. In this case,
the defender played the run.
http://i.imgur.com/Sd5Tkmj.jpg
The play went to the tight end for a big gain.
http://i.imgur.com/83YhsJt.jpg
Later in the game, Chip called the same play. I highlighted the
defender Vick is going to read.
http://i.imgur.com/81GiIRE.jpg
This time, the defender covers Celek.
http://i.imgur.com/IFIhWM6.jpg
Vick hands it off to Shady for a big gain.
http://i.imgur.com/pZb8ejY.jpg
Here’s the same exact play run a third time. This time, the tight
end, Ertz, is on the near side of the field
http://i.imgur.com/ok1zAc3.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/oUbdmFQ.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/okooIYM.jpg
Here’s a run/pass option that Chip called at least 7 times. It’s
the same idea as the last play, except Vick reads the slot corner,
and the pass option is a WR screen.
http://i.imgur.com/QfB4fiw.jpg
The defender crashes.
http://i.imgur.com/Ly6BBZL.jpg
Vick passes it to Desean for a big gain.
http://i.imgur.com/IHonxDt.jpg
The very next play, Chip calls the same play, except to the
opposite side of the field.
http://i.imgur.com/Wp1kUWJ.jpg
This time, the corner covers the flat.
http://i.imgur.com/StXNVon.jpg
Vick hands it off to Shady for a big run.
http://i.imgur.com/rKvNGj3.jpg
This is the play that was called when Mccoy got the ball inside
the 5 yard line just before the backward pass that traveled forward.
There was a formation where both tackles lined up on one side of
the field. Celek lined up next to the guard on the backside. On
this play Celek chipped the backside DE, who Vick would then read.
If he stayed home, Vick hands it off. The backside guard goes behind
Celek and blocks the outside guy. (Most likely the backside OLB).
Kelce and another playside lineman would pull towards the run side.
(On one play Kelce and Mathis pulled. On another it was Kelce and
Johnson.)
http://i.imgur.com/MzcZGpT.jpg
Vick saw that the Defensive End stays home, so he hands it off to
McCoy.
http://i.imgur.com/NFCHy6b.jpg
Mccoy then runs behind a wall of blockers. On this play, he has
Kelce, Herremans, Johnson, Peters, Celek and 2 Wrs all blocking in
front of him.
http://i.imgur.com/oXGk8WN.jpg
Two plays later, Chip called the same play to the opposite side of
the field. Once again, Vick reads the DE.
http://i.imgur.com/fY1Z4fy.jpg
This time the DE crashes and plays the RB.
http://i.imgur.com/xzv3oi1.jpg
Vick keeps it and should have had a decent gain. Unfortunately,
Celek fell down immediately, and Herremans whiffs on his block and
Vick has a minimal gain.
http://i.imgur.com/XrDeIpl.jpg
Besides these plays, there were a lot of regular zone reads. In
the second half, the playcalling became more vanilla. It was
mostly zone reads or fake zone reads(Vick sells that he has the ball,
but it wasn’t really an option. Also, the backside OLB is blocked).
The defense was able to put another player in the box with no threat
to pass on a lot of the plays. In my opinion, he should have done a
few more of the pass/run options in the second half to keep the
defense honest. Chip wanted to waste as much clock as possible, and
it did work. He just cut it a little too close.
Thank you, most illuminating…
Nice work mate!
Pretty great x’s and o’s. Eagles probably have the best fans in the league.
Great stuff. Thanks.
Vick really displayed some beautiful touch on some passes that you just didn’t see in his arsenal back in the Atlanta days…
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some things to clean up:
Chip talked about it….He can’t be throwing blocks for Shady downfield..I love the fiery competitor in him, but that has never really been in doubt. He needs to be smarter..
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Take a friggin sack for crying out loud!! Stop this ridiculousness before we have to pay for it. keeps getting away with trying to complete a pass, inches away from his back hitting the ground during a safety…It needs to friggin stop! He has gotten away with it so far this year, but we all know that it’s gonna KILL US if it doesn’t stop..
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in the Illustrious words of the Scholars otherwise known as “The Wu Tang Clan””” PROTECT YA NECK!!! I’m not wasting another moment of my life after this ever talking about him sliding again. Chip yesterday basically publicaly admitted to giving up on trying to get him to hook slide, hopefully Vick finds a way to protect himself for the first time in I don’t know how many seasons…If he is taking so many snaps and valuable game experience away from Foles, hopefully he isn’t wasting it
“Shady played for Andy Reid for 4 years. He had 30 carries once (vs DAL in 2011). Shady had 31 carries in his first game with Kelly. ”
You know what they said about Michael Jordan: The only person to hold him under 20 ppg was his coach at UNC, Dean Smith!
Wait…the baseball player?
I think he meant the basketball player from UPENN’s 2000 team
I’m looking at this in a positive light. Shady has less wear on his body than most backs who are in their 5th year. And I can’t wait until Shady runs wild on the Chiefs. Show Andy what a running game looks like.
thanks toSheil and Tim for getting Currys agent to start talking about a trade…Thank you for bringing this extra BS to my beloved team days after such a glorious win and a start of a new era….appreciate this typical Philly media Drama induced Bull shit(excuse my language but WTF)…
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WTF was the need for them to contact Currys agent? every time they get the urge to do this crap, I wish they would just stop and do another all 22….if those two are becoming like this, we have lost all hope for local media coverage
GIF of Vick getting the ball out in 1.3 seconds and completing to Celek
http://i.minus.com/ibewcipI51FRIr.gif
Just heard that on average, our Oline provided its QB the most amount of time then any Oline in week 1….
That has to be on account of how tired/confused the Redskins defense was.
Coaching certainly aided the Oline…..Finally someone did more then just talk about putting players in a position to succeed
Yeah, I watched the Alabama game two weeks ago, and their O-line looked awful. The announcers mentioned how almost all of last year’s OL went to the NFL, but they never mentioned that Coach Stoutland did as well.
Interesting that that might be Alabama’s undoing this year…
Very good point…wonder how Stoutland feels about all chips wacky Oline formations?
..It’s awesome to see a coach really think outside the box and get creative with every position on the team…both chip and Davis will get creative with all our guys which is very exciting for me….Even if your creativity isn’t effective it still “rents space in the minds” of opposing coaches and players…Chargerrs might not see lane and Peters flexed out wide, but they better spend some time practicing for it…the more we give them to think about, the more we spread them thin
Packers have run this play since the Favre/Chmura era.
Next time the Packers are one, watch for Rodgers to run it, too. As quick as Vick did it, if you blink you’ll miss Rodgers.
Yeah… other QBs do it too, but it’s not what I normally have grown to expect from Vick.
Check.
upvote for gifs.
Down vote for slowing down my comp..lol Jk
This is awesome: http://www.grantland.com/blog/the-triangle/post/_/id/74191/the-power-of-the-chip-kelly-offense
Note that Vick missed a couple throws, and probably more importantly some reads. He has to trust the playcall and trust his reads. First game, so can’t be too critical yet, but you know the missed reads will be something Chip will “discuss” with Mike during film sessions.
Since the Eagles took down the defending NFC East champions, they have seen their Super Bowl odds go from 50-1 to 25-1 on Bovada.com. Only 11 teams have a higher chance of winning the Super Bowl than the Eagles, with seven of those teams being in the NFC. The Dallas Cowboys are the only team in the NFC East (22-1) than the Eagles.
The line for this weeks game agains the Chargers also continues to go up. The Eagles opened as six-point favorites vs. San Diego, but that has gone up to nine-points.
Nice! I kinda feel bad for odds makers. WTH will they do about the over/UNDERS for the Denver game? Lol
Interesting about the Chargers… The two teams had very similar games; both had blow-out first halves, but ended where one play different could have made the difference between winning and losing. But since it went one way for the Eagles and the other for the Chargers, the Chargers are being marginalized.
It was interesting to read the post-game coverage of the Chargers, which can be summed up as “same old Chargers.” You know that’s how the write-ups would have been if the Eagles had coughed up their 4th quarter lead by the end of the game.
A few years ago the Chargers had both one of the best offenses and one of the best defenses, and yet their special teams made so many crucial mistakes that they lost several games to bad teams.
After 14 years we finally see the proper effects of play action fakes
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Polk had an awesome ST tackle on the kickoff following the Celek TD that put us up 19-2
Just a comment on the first review play by Chip…
It wasn’t all his fault. I was at the game and the Homers running the replays in the stadium weren’t showing anything on the screens on the field until right as the Skins lined up to snap, so he only had a split second to make the decision. I didn’t think that stuff was allowed by the NFL, but it changed later so maybe they had issues, who knows. Maybe his guys in the booth had access. As Cooper (?) was going down, it almost looked like he held it on his helmet and kept if off the ground. It was across the field from Chip, so he made a gut-check and went for it. Better to waste the (as it turns out) unneeded time out. At least it wasn’t Reid calling a T.O. because they were getting the play in too slow!
i’m assuming you are talking about the challenge on the failed catch by Ertz.
i was under the impression that the home team can choose to show or not show replays within their stadium. is there a recent change to it that i missed?
an even worse scenario – taking the timeout to see a replay and think it over… then challenging it and getting it wrong : P
The announcers always talk about the head coach hearing something from “the booth” about whether or not to challenge. I figured this meant they had access to sideline footage or whatever so they could replay it. But after the Baltimore-Denver game, John Harbaugh made it sound like the booth simply watched the TV coverage, and were therefore at the whim of whoever is showing the game that day/night.
(Incidentally, Harbaugh blamed NBC for not showing the replay on the Wes Welker non-catch which would have stalled a crucial Denver drive; this was a lie, as NBC showed the replay repeatedly, with Collinsworth wondering why Harbaugh wasn’t challenging…all before the next Denver snap.)
The Eagles had the ball, and were preparing a field goal. They had as long as the play clock allowed to decide to challenge.
Re: Curry & Graham
T-Law:
If Curry’s inactive again and Graham’s relegated to the occasional appearance in the base defense and rushing from the right side, then I have to wonder how much difference exists between the perception a good number of us have about those guys versus what Kelly’s staff thinks of them.
Especially regarding Curry.
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GEagle . . . sorry, but I think the Curry situation is legit news.
The kid was talked up all preseason by lots of folks on this site. He’s a second-year 2nd round pick by an organization that’s blown entire drafts recently. And then he’s made inactive by the new head coach.
Seems to me, an inquiry needed to be made.
And if an agent’s openly talking trade, I’d surmise it’s not because his client’s been told by the staff he’s going to be big in the team’s plans this year.
But who knows. That’s why the next couple weeks should be helpful.
I would agree if it weren’t the first game..
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We played aN opponent that everyone knew was going to be run oriented offense. Curry is allegedly our pass specialist who struggles against the run. We only dressed 6 linemen…if we play the Broncos in week 4 and Curry doesn’t dress, then you have a point..seeking out drama in week 1 after a win is just Bullshit!!!! You have plenty of material to write articles about, no need to overreact or create BS for this team after 1 decision….
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This crap journalism would never be seen if I was a Green Bay fan, or a niners fan….Just because we are a big market, doesn’t mean you need to cover this team like a trashy flavor of love reality show
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Wanna talk to his agent? Fine…but how about you pocket the damn news for a week or two so you can actually see how things unfold before you bring any extra drama to our doorstep
I’ve hardly reached any firm conclusions.
Hence, I wrote: “But who knows. That’s why the next couple weeks should be helpful.”
But the way Curry’s been handled — in the last preseason game and Game 1 — raise a yellow flag.
And Graham, compared to Cole, looks to be trailing significantly. Has been all summer.
But time will tell.
Graham certainly looks way behind Cole. I don’t argue just for the sake of arguments, I’m right enough to where I can comfortably admit when I’m wrong 🙂
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Ok so if you agree that it’s too soon to judge then what would be so wrong about Tim and Sheil waiting a week or two to see how things unfold against pass happy teams before bringing this crap to our doorstep?
I don’t think it’s “crap.”
I think Curry being inactive against the Wfc was itself newsworthy — and his agent saying the “t” word raised the heat.
If T&S don’t call the agent, maybe some other writer/blogger does . . . like your man Florio (kidding!).
Then T&S wouldn’t look so good.
T&S have no loyalty to the Eagles when it comes to putting food on their respective family tables.
Nor should they.
Maybe the best we can say is Spadaro sat on the story.
Yes, probably someone else would have contacted his agent, and Then I would be roasting someone else…but since Tim and Sheil are typically not BS drama queens,it’s seriously disappointing for me to see them go that route….lol I’m sure their families would still have enough food to eat if Florio beat them to publishing this drama lol…
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to see two guys, who are capable of such quality journalism, go the “Florio” route is extremely disappointing. We have more then enough Florios in our Local media. We need more TandS, and Less Florio..
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if Jeff McLane or “more is”Les Bowan did that crap, I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised, but to see them do it, at a time where there is so much to write about, just rubs me the Wrong way….as an Eagles fan I deal with enough Drama from the players over the course of a year, I don’t need media that is supposed to represent Us, adding to it…..I’m sure their blog could have survived Florio publishing the story before them…
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What positivity could they possibly have gotten out of Calling Currys agent after an inactive? What good could possibly come of it? publicly acknowledging him on the trading block lowers his value(and it isn’t sky high to begin with)…NOTHING GOOD could have resulted from picking up the phone and calling his agent, so why do it after such a big win?….two weeks, three weeks, inactive, now the story is undeniable and they would be irresponsible not to release it…but releasing it now, is the equivalent of a trashy flavor of love reality show….Get Clicks on your blog with QUALITY, not sensationalized BS drama
Pocketing news that is going to get page views like that is simply bad journalism. Shiel and Tim’s job is to dig up stories that get page views and interest fans. It’s not their job to bury a story to protect the team and avoid team distractions. If they find a story that a players agent is potentially seeking a trade, it is their responsibility to report it. You may not like that the story is a distraction or that the agent said what he said, but complaining that it was reported, as long as the report is accurate, makes no sense to me.
After 1 inactive…THERE IS NO STORY!!!! After 3 in actives it’s responsible journalism!!!
I doubt the agent is seeking a trade. By the sound of the article, it sound like Tim asked the agent a direct question about Curry’s future and the agent just answered.
Exactly!!! There was NO STORY…they tried to create one, a negative one at that, and that rubs me the wrong way….I don’t care if it was the beloved Tim and Sheil, the great Tom LAwlor, or Hacks like Les and McLane, I don’t play favorites, and I will always call it like I see it……If I can go out of my way to praise Tim and Sheil for 99% of their work, I should be able to keep it real the few times I have a problem with it!!!
Hope Chipper has a long list of offensive assistance, and ST’s coaches. If this continues, they’re going to be a hot commodity in off season
Re: Hits on Vick
T-Law:
It seemed that defensive players on the Washington football club were hitting Vick on a bunch of read-option handoffs. I couldn’t tell for sure because (i) the camera followed the runner, and (ii) replays were limited.
But it seemed as though Vick was peeling himself off the ground on a number of McCoy running plays. On a few runs where McCoy was stopped close to the LOS, the camera appeared to catch Vick getting up and a Wfc player walking back to the defensive side.
Your help — and everyone else’s — is welcomed.
Can’t help you here mate, but I too would love some clarification on this topic
I didnt see him get hit on McCoy runs outside of the plays where Vick decided to play full back. All Vick’s hits either come in the pocket or on his scrambles (seems the worst was his long scrambled where it seems like he pulled his groin)
If you notice it in the future, maybe write the time down and check it out when the all-22 comes out? Or if you don’t have Game Rewind I’m sure you could post the times and those with it could have a look.
Tommy,
Don’t know if it was mentioned below, but the Guard tapping the Center has been around for a few years. I first saw the Colts use it while Peyton was there. It definitely makes life a little easier for the Center.
I think some colleges use it as well. Maybe Alabama, which would make sense on account of Stoutland…
Any Skins players that stood out to you? Seemed like Rambo was around a lot.
For me Kerrigan and Perry Riley on D is two really good players (I think Kerrigan is better than Orakpo right now). Hankerson and Trent Williams had good games for the Skins
Yeah, I quickly scooped up Hankerson for Fantasy…Riley did look pretty good. I thought Rambo looked bad, but other seems to have a different point of view on him
Rambo is worse than Nate Allen in terms of tackling. Yes he had a lot of tackles, but he also missed like 10
Yeah that’s how I saw it as well…was kind of surprised to see so much Rambo positivity because I didn’t see it
Chip was in studio with Spadaro today
http://www.philadelphiaeagles.com/multimedia/videos/Press-Conference-Bill-Davis/81f39e13-b088-411a-813b-59082a2b9474
Love the honesty. Davis might end up failing as a DC, but I could listen to him talk all day.
He will not fail my friend!!! Philly will fall in love with the brand of defensive football he brings to this city!!!….but yeah, I was loving his PC earlier….I couldn’t be happier with our defensive front 7 coaches..I’m no too familiar with our secondary coaches
Tommy,
I feel guilty asking you to do more when you’re already putting so much effort into these things, but it would be awesome if you gave the time mark for more of the plays that you talk about, like you did with Kelce. It’s really nice to be able to go to the play and read your analysis side by side.
I didn’t get a chance to watch the Chargers/Texans game…how does San Diego look?
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was their Oline a complete mess?
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was Rivers erratic?
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How was their run game?
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I’m clueless as to their defense, are they good? What’s their strength?
see here: http://www.boltsfromtheblue.com/2013/9/11/4717822/week-1-grades-houston-texans-at-san-diego-chargers
A lot of low grades. Dunlap seemingly had a lot of help and did ok. Their front 7 on D is good (according to the blog), but secondary is not.
thanks man
Wow, a 28-7 lead, and they only ran it 6 times in the second half.
You sure you aren’t mistaking it for the Cheifs stats? Lol
Great win, great win great win!
My only real down notes:
Jason Avant should be criticized more for that horribly sloppy fumble and the horrific job in trying to cover the on-side kick. That wasn’t good enough by far.
Kelce either needs to get in the %(#&%$&%# weight room or we need to get a better center. I’m tired of seeing him shoved around by NTs/DTs.
Nate Allen is a gigantic stupid ass. He totally washed himself out of the play on the Morris TD run. You can find it under the “video” tab under the Redskins score on NFL.com
http://www.nfl.com/gamecenter/2013090900/2013/REG1/eagles@redskins#menu=highlights&tab=recap
Kelce did get pushed around at times, but other times he did some amazing stuff out there..
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Avant certain,y shouldnt get a fe pass, but it’s like we kind of trust him to correct it(ATleast that’s how I feel)
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I promised not to rip Nate during the season, so please feel free to rip him for me! Lol
Dude, look at the Morris TD run. 100% Allen’s fault. He “Trottered” his way out of contain.
Keep going….give him another shot for me!!! Lol
On Avant, recovering a bouncing ball the shape of a football is one of the hardest things to do reliably. I look at how unnatural he looked on that kick, and what it seemed like to me was he anticipated it to come up to his hips and it only ended up at his knees. I’m not sure how correctable something like that is for anybody because nobody can ever really predict how the thing is gonna move.
That is fair, but can people stop fluffing Avant for his “great hands” 24/7 and can Avant stop waiving his hands at fictional characters every time he makes a catch?
Well, the great hands people talk about are there. The guy has several circus catches every year, even a few onehanded. I can’t think of a single drop I’ve seen him have off the top of my head. That’s possible when the ball is moving nice and predictable through the air. When it’s rolling and bouncing on the ground, Jesus, I don’t envy any of those guys.
How about the end of the Redskins game in 2010 when Kolb hit him directly in the hands for what would have been a game winning (and bye week producing) TD………but was dropped.
Yeah. That’s the only one I could come up with though. He’s been money his whole career, especially on third down. There’s just that one play against him in, what, eight years now?
I hear you, but I wanted that win! And I totally wouldn’t ride Avant as much as I do except for his nonsense hands in the air celebration.
No point hating on a man for having religion. Makes you come across as a petty jerk.
There was at least one more since then but I don’t remember exactly when. I just remember chatting about it when it happened and referring to that same play against the Skins. It was also a perfectly thrown pass then.
There’s no need to hate on a man for having religion. Makes you come across as a petty jerk.
I have religion as well, but I don’t make a show of it at my place of employment. The “fictitious character” comment was trolling on my part, so I’ll own that. I’m sure I have similar beliefs to Avant. I just hate that celebration because players of non-Christian faiths would be destroyed over similar celebrations, so I feel the need to razz Avant, Tebow, etc. Football is a secular event.
Don’t know how my comment ended up there… But I call BS on your claim about players with other faiths. Plus, Avant’s celebration is what, half a second? He isn’t pushing it on anyone. If that’s how he keeps himself humble, then good for him.
Well I find it an annoyance, and you don’t. It happens.
He dropped a perfect pass in Washington a couple of years ago that probably cost us the game, but he’s had very good hands almost all of the time.
Not enough praise for the defense completion shutting down the TEs, a problem that has plagued us for years. Now it was just one game, but if we can shut down Gates and make Rivers erratic, I will be very excited..
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I want to check out a chargers message board to see how their fans feel about their team flying cross country to take part in our track meet lol
Mosher just said that he expects to see Vinny Curry dress this week. “Chargers are a passing team and if he doesn’t dress then it’s says a lot about what they think of Vinny Curry(negative connotation)”………I have to say that I really agree. I wasn’t happy with the deactivation on Monday, but I didn’t feel any crazy overeaction to it. But for me, if he doesn’t dress especially against the Charger, Denver and maybe even the pass happy Cheifs, then we have a serious problem on our hands….and his future would look seriously grim.
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I’m hoping that this was more of a message to Vinny designed to light a fire under his butt for either A) ST play or B) Run defense gap discapline..I’m hoping they are trying to get more out of him instead of a case whe Henry just don’t like him or should I say Don’t value him or think much of him in these schemes…
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.Here’s my problem, He was a top 50 talent(who many viewed as a first round talent) who was basically redshirted his rookie year by a senile old bat of a Dline coach. If you don’t value Vinny curry as a future member of this team then why not trade him at the end of the preseason when he looked like our best defensive player? Why decrease his value by deactivating him. We spent a second round pick on him and we could get away with not losing too much value after his rookie year because of the playing veteran favorites Washburn built up after last year mess…..but if you are planning on trading him, Then why aren’t we saraficing 1 roster spot to not devalue him completely…You can’t tell me that you can’t find a way to showcase a pass rushers ability without him being too much of a liability. A 4-3 pass rusher is one of the most valued players in this league…I don’t see how it’s possible for us to not like him, and not be able to find value for him…we had the redskins playing from behind, they had to abandon the rush…it was the perfect time to unleash Curry, pin his ears back and get after it…not only would it have helped us, but it would have helped his value if we are trying to shop him….If I know this. Then I know our coaches and Howie know this….which leads me to believe that they are trying to send the kid a message more then it being a case of not valuing him and trying to shop him…
Hopefully they don’t keep him benched as punishment for his agent speaking out…
Our late game pass D was already punished enough. Curry is the best guy on the roster for getting to the QB from DE if you’re only rushing 3 guys. It was inexcusable to have him inactive in favor of Geathers.
All I know is that Curry wants it Bad!! This dude is one of us, and he lives this game..the 2013 Talented Monster version of Vince Papale…When they do stop jerking him around, and he gets on the field…There Will Be Hell To Pay for some QB!!!..
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He will Explode of the LOS
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He will beat Olinemen
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He will Violently Hit a QB
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Just watch what happens when we finally unleash him. I’m telling you right now, the will be hell to pay and some poor schmuck QB will feel his violent Wrath!!!!
RIP Philip Rivers.
That’s what I’m talkin bout!!!!
Tommy, great DGR. First one of the season. Eagles football is here!
Also, 170+ comments already. Your rep is getting around, more guys are reading and participating. Well done.
Nah, 152 of them are by GEagle.
Seriously. That needs to stop. It’s making the site unreadable.
Hahahahahahaha
I think my favorite moment of the game was when the Eagles were driving (Vick’s TD run drive?) and Shady was running wild. He got up from the tackle, moved to where he could see the coaches, and signaled “one more, one more” with his hand. He stayed in, they snapped the ball and he ran for 10 yards down to the 20, then jogged to the sideline.
That sequence just encapsulated the greatest parts of this game (and games to come?) for me. Players were having fun, we cared more about what we were doing than what the opponent was doing, and the communication and coordination was smooth.
I think we have the most fun team in football. Guys just having fun out there.
I heard Kelly compared to a conductor (the musical kind) Monday night. It struck me as very observant. He showed emotion and enthusiasm, but also looked like everything that happened was something he had already anticipated. The way he moved around, talking to players after a mistake, calling plays at a frenetic pace, and celebrating success without ever looking like he was rushing or caught off guard really inspires confidence in me, and I bet it has the same effect on players.
The complete and total non-hesitation on the 4&1 call was refreshing.
Those who watched the game more than once, did Vick make the incorrect read on a few of the handoffs? Specifically, it looked live like a few times he decided that even though the DE didn’t crash down the line, he could beat the guy and kept it for a short gain.
I would rather see Vick instructed not to keep the ball himself unless the first guy he needs to deal with is 5 yards down field. Of course, if he is going to play fullback after he hands it off, maybe that wouldn’t keep him any safer…
He’s not always reading the end. The read will not always lead to huge gains. It looks like generally we was making the right reads (basically every option is a read play). Sometimes other missed lead blocks so runs weren’t for long gains, bu i think if you take away those short gains you hurt what the offense is trying to do.
The plays I am picturing looked to be the standard inside zone read variety with the unblocked DE on the backside. They looked to be the same play as the one where the DE did crash, and Vick took off for a long run.
Nice review Tommy. I liked what I saw in the first half a great deal. I believe one more TD then coast would have went more smoothly. But it is new and refreshing to shock opponents instead of what we’ve seen the past few years.
D started out on fire but the skins got moving and took what we have them to almost comeback. Good stuff overall looking forward IMO. Chip is smart.
Our newest parent, GermanEagle, comments recently how much he enjoys watching the compressed version of other teams games, just play after play with none of the down time. I thought that was an extremely timely comment, since we all now get to experience the same effect when the Eagles have the ball.
There are certain officiating crews that I am loathe to watch because 1) I see incompetence, 2) I see inconsistency or 3) I see a certain vindictiveness towards, specifically, Vick and/or Philadelphia in general. When I saw we had Ron Winter’s crew Monday evening, I expected all three. Thus, I wasn’t shocked to see Vick getting up slowly pass after pass, handoff after handoff. I wasn’t shocked to see DC linemen with arms bear hugging Eagles DL. And I wasn’t shocked to see an incomplete pass incorrectly called a lateral. Hopefully, that’s the last we’ll see of that group this season.
Don’t forget calling Peters for a false start when the DL was 3 steps across the neutral zone and going right past him.
That was a legit call. The defensive player isn’t offsides until the ball is snapped, he touches someone, or he makes the offensive lineman flinch in reaction. Peters moved to force the issue.
It was the right call, but it’s a rule that is called very inconsistently.
Tommy and others, do you think Kelly backed off a bit since he was thinking about being respectful and not over killing in his debut?
Kelly learned a good lesson. Desean Jackson said he thinks the team should have stayed at the tempo that got them to be successful. I think there will be a middle ground, but I love to hear the aggressive attitude.
Kelly usually lets off the gas when the score is 21 pts. or more. It’s a chance to get the 2s and 3s in the game. He also does not want to run up the score given the bad blood throughout the league that would engender – specially with a division rival.
However, he has admitted that he let up too quickly in the Skins game. I think the middle ground on tempo is appropriate – you don’t want to get your starters hurt and you want to run time off the clock. You can platoon the 2s and 3s but keep hitting hard.
I think Chip is learning that the NFL game is a different animal. Possible Strategy: Stab it in the heart and cut its head off!!!
Yep, he’s still got a few things to figure out.
Is it just me, or did the offense not spread the ball around at all. I know the whole idea is to get the ball in the hands of your play-makers, but guys like Celek, Desean, and Shady are going to get worn out early on. I thought for sure we were going to see some DJ2, and Casey, at least more Polk, and Brown. I didn’t notice all that much of a rotation on the DL either. Maybe I am just used to seeing Washburn constantly putting fresh guy s in there.
If your best playmakers are in the game, why wouldn’t you want to have them make most of the plays?
But the back-ups didn’t even get any snaps. DJ2 was in there for 1 snap, Casey for 2 kneel downs, Polk 0, Maehl 2 snaps…. You gotta let guys catch their breath.
Well, I can’t argue with you there. They still have to figure some of that out.
Ehhh… 2nd half has me worried, vick couldnt ice the game and the defense wasnt doing anything, playing prevent?? yike ehehehehe ehehehe hehehe
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