Game Preview – GB

The injury to Aaron Rodgers has changed the vibe of Sunday’s meeting with the Packers. That’s my perception, anyway. I hope the players are as locked in as ever.

This is an important game for the Eagles. A win would get them back to 5-5 and keep them right in the middle of the division race. Dallas has a tough game with the Saints on Sunday night. The Giants only have 2 wins and the Skins already lost on Thursday night.

I wrote a preview for PE.com.

I think the matchups favor the Eagles. Green Bay wants to run. The Eagles should handle that well. The Packers struggle with pass defense. Nick Foles can chuck it around. The Packers have some tackling issues. That’s not good for an offense like the Eagles that spreads you out. And so on.

I’m not dismissing the Packers. They still have plenty of talent. I just think the matchups work in the Eagles favor for once.

Should I be this confident? Am I nuts?

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We’ve talked about Nick Foles playing well in the Red Zone. I wrote a piece for BGN that has some eye-opening numbers. Really surprised me just how good he’s been.

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Sheil Kapadia wrote a long piece on Friday that pretty much covers the Eagles from 1492 through this week. Very thorough stuff.

The first part of the piece is about Jeff Stoutland and his OL. Always love when we have comments from the OL coach.

There were some random nuggets after that and this one really stood out to me.

2. You’ll often hear coaches talk about how well their teams have practiced. For the Eagles, though, there are actual measurements attached to that statement. Players wear devices that track their movements and activity when they’re on the field. Leading up to the Raiders game, it was clear they had stepped things up a notch.

“I think everybody – on offense, on defense, on special teams – understood two games down, 3-5, this is… the whole work week was an intense work week,” Kelce said. “They monitor how we move and everything. They said that was the best practice we’ve ever had since the season started. The work week and preparation, everything we did leading up to it and then everybody understanding that this is almost a must-win game, guys were definitely flying around. If we can keep playing like that, we’re gonna be tough to beat.”

Interesting that the team practiced so well and then played so well. Kelly wants that kind of consistent excellence. He doesn’t want a team getting up for big games. He wants them to be great for every game. The way you do that is by performing at a high level each and every day. It starts in practice.

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Jeff McLane posted his Eagles Insights column on Friday. Always good stuff.

Inside the game

Further proof that Jerry Azzinaro is more than just a defensive line coach for the Eagles came from safety Earl Wolff, who said earlier this week that the assistant sometimes gives tips to the defensive backs.

“Basically, he knows the whole defense in and out,” Wolff said. “A lot of times when we’re out there he’s . . . watching from the back, so if he sees us do something wrong, he’ll come up to us and help us.”

Azzinaro, who coached under Kelly at Oregon, also has the title of assistant head coach.

The Eagles are one of the few teams in the NFL that brings practice-squad players to away games.

Tight end Emil Igwenagu spent part of last year on the practice squad and said he wasn’t even on the sideline for home games. He opened this season on the 53-man roster, was released, and later was brought back to the practice squad.

“I would think the purpose is to have everybody feel like they’re part of the team,” Igwenagu said.

Practice squad players can’t be active on game days. Igwenagu said they are permitted to work out on the field before 53-man roster players warm up.

Nick Foles has not tossed an interception this season. He also has yet to fumble.

The Eagles quarterback did not profess to know why, but he started wearing a glove on his left, non-throwing hand in Week 2.

“It just gives me more grip on the ball when I’m in the pocket holding onto it,” Foles said. “These guys are so strong and physical, they swat the ball.”

And here’s a good stat.

12-291-4

Riley Cooper’s receiving numbers (catches-yards-touchdowns) in four games with Nick Foles at quarterback. With Michael Vick in six games, he caught eight passes for 93 yards and one score.

I predicted that Cooper’s numbers would go up with Foles. My reasoning is that Cooper fails to get ideal separation and Foles would be more likely to throw to him while covered. Vick has a habit of wanting his targets to be clearly open.

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