Detailed Game Review – PHI 34, DET 20

Posted: December 12th, 2013 | Author: | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | 146 Comments »

Snow games are cool. There is nothing better than seeing some of the world’s best athletes slipping and sliding all over the field. That said, Sunday’s game wasn’t nearly so fun when the Eagles were losing 14-0. I was a nervous Nellie at that point. But something funny happened.

The Lions went for 2 and didn’t get it.

For some reason, that made all the difference to me. Being down 16-0 would have seemed huge. Trailing 14-0 didn’t seem so bad. Shortly after that, the Eagles got their act together and came alive. A slow start turned into a red hot finish. The 4th quarter must have seemed like an avalanche with all the points and yards the Eagles piled up on the Lions.

Some people wonder if this was a character win. I think you can make a case for that. The Eagles got down 14-0 due to their own mistakes. The offense was stagnant. Nick Foles threw an INT that set up a short TD drive. Then the STs unit allowed Jeremy Ross to return a punt for a TD. The Eagles never went into panic mode. They just kept grinding away and making small adjustments. When things started to click, the Eagles totally took over the game.

I loved the fact that the Eagles domination wasn’t due to crazy turnovers that were run back for scores or that set up the offense with great field position. The Eagles TD drives covered 74, 80, 76, 71 and 60 yards. There were big plays, but they were due to execution and talent. The blocking was outstanding and then Shady McCoy worked his magic once he was into the open field.

I also thought it was great to see how the 2 teams handled the conditions. The Eagles didn’t have a single fumble. They had one high snap that Nick Foles couldn’t handle, but no actual fumbles. I don’t think you could say there were any dropped passes. Foles showed good accuracy on his downfield throws in the 2nd half when conditions cleared a bit. Eagles receivers made some tough catches. The Eagles generally tackled well in space. The Lions were pretty much on the opposite side of all those points. There were fumbles, drops and missed tackles galore. The conditions affected both teams, but the Lions never really overcame them.

The other big difference…explosive playmakers. The Eagles ran 10 more plays than the Lions (68 to 58), but out-gained them by 250 yards. That shows you that the Eagles were getting chunk plays, while the Lions were moving the chains 10 yards at a time.   

COACHING

Chip Kelly didn’t face too many crucial coaching decisions. He and the staff did have to make some serious adjustments in terms of offensive strategy.

The biggest question was whether to kick extra points / field goals or just to go for it. Kelly and Jim Schwartz both went for it. Kelly got lucky when Schwartz decided to try one extra point. That got blocked, which confirmed that going for it was the right thing to do.

OFFENSE

A tale of 2 games. Early on, the Eagles had nothing. I mean nothing. The Eagles had 90 yards in the 1st half, with 74 of those coming on the drive at the end of the half. Nick Foles struggled with his passing. It was too snowy and windy to get the ball downfield. For some reason, he was inconsistent on short throws. The running game wasn’t much better. DeSean Jackson lost 10 yards on a run play. Shady McCoy had 7 carries for 19 yards up until that final drive of the half. Nothing was working.

The offense did come alive on that drive. They weren’t able to get into the end zone, but there were at least some signs of life. The coaches made some tactical adjustments at the half. It also helped quite a bit that the weather improved. The snow and wind died down. The field remained a mess, but there was visibility and you could throw the ball. That changed things.

Field position was also part of the equation. 7 of the Eagles 14 possessions started at or inside their own 20-yard line. The Eagles didn’t start a drive beyond their own 33 until halfway through the 4th quarter. Driving the long field in snowy conditions wasn’t easy. Notice that the Lions only offensive TD came after a turnover gave them a short field.

In the 1st half, a lot of the plays came from under Center. All of the TD runs in the 2nd half came from the shotgun. The offense had to be more conservative early on because of the snow and wind. Once that cleared, the offense adapted and got hot. Foles got some chunk plays in the air and McCoy delivered them on the ground. The Eagles finished with 8 plays of 20 or more yards.

By the time it was all said and done, the offense had 478 yards and 34 points. The Eagles played one of the greatest 4th quarters in NFL history. Had Brent Celek gone into the end zone on his play late in the game, the Eagles would have set the NFL record for points in a single 4th quarter. This was the opposite of recent weeks, when the Eagles would build a big lead and then slow down.

Plays

* Early in the game DJax lined up in the backfield. He got the ball on a toss play and lost 10 yards on the run. I can’t stress how much I hated this call. I’m all for getting DeSean extra touches, but using him on a toss play in snowy conditions? That was a horrible, horrible idea.

* 1st/10. Ball at the DET 19. Coop to the left, but tight to the formation. DeSean far right. Both guys head to the end zone and the right side of it. Definitely looked like backyard football. Not crisp, defined routes at all. Foles said he saw both players and put the ball between them so one of them could make a play. Cooper saw it was over his head and didn’t even try for it. DeSean did a great job of not going out of the back of the end zone and then made a kneeling catch.

* 1st/10. From DET 40. Previous 2 passes went deep to DeSean. Lions had 6 men in the box. Eagles had 5 OL + a TE. That’s a formula for a big play. The Lions walked down a S prior to the snap, but he was to the wide side. Shady took the ball and went straight up the field. He got great blocks and the Eagles had numbers. The deep S missed his tackle and Shady was off to the races. Cooper had one key block and got in the way of another player who was trying to chase Shady down. TD.

* 1st/10. From PHI 43. 11 personnel. All 3 WRs to the left side. Shady lines up right, then goes kinda left, but quickly upfield. Play design was excellent. Blocking was nearly perfect. Shady put a move on Delmas that made him useless and then it was smooth sailing to the end zone. Jason Avant had the key block. He put his DB on the ground and got in the way of the other S for half a second.

* 4th/12. Foles faked hand-off to Shady. Brent Celek blocked DE initially, then released. No one was near him. Foles lofted the ball to him…softly. Celek caught it and ran to the 5 where he went to the ground. He passed on the TD so the Eagles could just kill the clock and seal the game. Westy did this vs Dallas back in 2007. That was Jon Runyan’s idea. Celek played in that game and even made a key catch. Have to think that play stuck with him.

– 2-Point Plays –

* First one was a play-action pass to Shady on the right side. Perfect call, but Nick made a terrible throw. Ball was short. Ugh. Should have been easy 2 points. Easy throw, but just threw a bad pass.

* Foles tried to hit Ertz with quick pass, but that failed. Penalty moved the ball to the 1. Ran dive play to Brown. Good blocking, easy conversion.

* Foles hit Cooper on a crossing route for 2 pts. Used picks to get him open. Legal play, though.

* Bad pass from Foles. Couldn’t tell who it was to. DeSean acted like him. Just a bad pass.

* Handed the ball to Polk and had him run left. Lions stuffed it.

MISC

* 3 of 12 on 3rd downs

* 2 of 3 on 4th downs

* 2 of 4 in the Red Zone

* 2 for 5 on 2-point conversions

* Got the Lions to jump offside several times in the game. Les Bowen reported that the Eagles talked to the officials before the game to warn them that the Lions had a habit of jumping early. That worked.

* Used TEs on wind-back blocks throughout the game. This is when the TE lines up to one side and then goes behind the LOS to block the backside DE. The Eagles even mixed in motion at times to give a different look.

* Got lucky with 2 calls. There was a roughing the passer call on Fairley that helped a drive. It didn’t happen on 3rd down so we can’t say if this was a significant call. It was bad. Fairley did nothing wrong. There was a bizarre holding call on Suh when he pulled Kelce by the arm on a 2-pt conversion. That gave the Eagles another chance and led to 2 points. Suh did hold, but it didn’t affect the play at all and should not have been called. Those 2 points did have impact. They gave the Eagles a 22-20 lead. Still, it wasn’t like the Lions were out of time or chances. Easily could have overcome that call.

Players

QB 

FOLES – Pretty good game. 11-22-179. Had a TD pass. Threw his first pick of the year. Started off very slow. The whole offense was struggling, but part of that was on Nick. He didn’t throw the ball well on short or intermediate passes. At halftime, Foles was 4-10-35. In the 2nd half he was 7-12-144 with a TD. Huge difference.

Upon re-watching the game, I was really impressed with his deep balls in the 2nd half. Foles hit Cooper for 44. He put a ball right on DeSean for a long TD, but that was broken up. He had another deep ball to DeSean that was too long. Foles also put great touch on the late throw to Celek. These passes delivered results and also had to affect the Lions DBs. They couldn’t sell out to stop the run if Foles was going to throw downfield passes like that.

On a day filled with wind and snow, one of the best things you can say about a QB is that he limited his mistakes. Foles had the one snap he couldn’t get hold of. He did fall on the ball rather than trying to make a play. That was smart, as Stafford later proved when he didn’t fall on a fumble and gave the ball to the Eagles. . Foles threw the bad pick. He was off target with a few throws. But for the most part, Foles functioned pretty well.

* INT was a ball that just sailed on him. Had a clean pocket. Cooper was semi-open. Pass just went too high, too far.

* Fell on 2nd Qtr snap that was off target and hit the ground.

* Tried to hit Cooper with a pass in the end zone late in the half. Cooper was kinda open. The pass didn’t have enough velocity and the DB was able to break it up. Pass was from about 20 yards away so it was a tough throw.

* Scrambled for 5 yds in the early 3rd Qtr.

* Took a big hit from Suh on pass play in the early 3rd. Drifted to his right and held the ball as he waited for someone to get open. Finally got rid of the ball, but then took a forceful (clean) hit. Foles head slammed off the ground. Lucky that snow was there to soften the blow.

* Tried to hit Ertz on 3rd/10 in the early 3rd Qtr, but the ball sailed on him.

* Hit Cooper on a post route for a gain of 44 in the mid-3rd. The very next play was the TD to DeSean. Neither throw was great, but Foles put the ball where his guys could make a play. They did. The pass was not pin-point, but was to the right area and it was catchable.

* Made a tough throw late in the 3rd. Opening play of the drive. Cooper was covered by Tulloch. Foles had good protection. He moved up in the pocket and then threw a shot pass to Cooper. There wasn’t much room, but Foles wanted to give his guy a chance. Cooper got away from Tulloch and gained 25 yards on the play. Had a chance to hit DJax for a long TD, but actually overthrew him on that play. Threw the ball deep to DeSean on the very next play. He was doubled and the DBs broke it up. That ball was right on the money.

* Kept the ball on a zone read play and got 20 yards in the early 4th. Smart.

* Made a great throw to Celek to seal the game.

RB

SHADY – Great game. 29-217-2. Those 217 yards are an Eagles record for a game. Shady got off to a very slow start. Took him a while to adjust his running to the conditions. He loves to make lateral cuts. You can’t do that in snow. Shady did adjust and became more of a downhill runner. He then mixed in cuts downfield when he was already on the move. That’s when Shady took the game over and made the Lions look silly, play after play.

Took a big hit in the late 2nd. Fairley got between blockers and went upfield to nail Shady. Had a good block of DE on 3rd Qtr pass play. Had a bad play in the mid-3rd. Got a hand-off deep in Eagles territory. Had immediate penetration. Needed to just stay forward and get back as close to the LOS as possible. Tried to go wide and ended up losing 6 yards. That backed the offense up to the 5-yd line. Not good. Took the ball on the next play and exploded up the middle for 11 yds. Caught short pass in the right flat to open drive in the mid-3rd. Made a couple of guys miss and got 4 yds.

Had an amazing run in the early 4th. Started upfield then made a sharp jump-cut to the left. That got him by DB who had contain. Shady got upfield and put a wicked move on another DB. For some reason, went back inside and got tackled by Suh. Play might have gone for a 71-yd TD if he didn’t go inside at that point. Turned out to be 26-yd run. The lateral cut worked here since Shady was in a zone and the Lions D was wearing down and playing on their heels.

Did have TD runs of 40 and 57 yards. Covered them above.

B BROWN – Good showing. Scored on a 2-pt conversion. Got his first official carry in the early 4th. Took a hand-off and went upfield. Ran through CB’s tackle attempt. Went outside since there was lots of room and got 17 yds on the play. Couldn’t quite get wide enough to turn upfield and score. If he got by Quin, had a TD. Got the final 3 carries of the game. DET sold out to stop the run and Brown lost yards. Had nowhere to go. Still probably danced too much instead of just attacking upfield and hoping for a yard or so. That hurt his overall numbers. Finished 6-19.

POLK – Very good game. Came into the game in the late 2nd Qtr. First run got stuffed for minimal gain. Next run went straight up the middle for 9 yds. Got some carries in the late 4th. First went for 3 yards. Next carry went for 38-yd TD. Made a good read and cut back on the play. Ran though Levy’s tackle attempt and then ran straight for the end zone. No weaving or wiggling. Got carry on 2-pt play, but was stuffed. Had 4 carries for 50 yds.

TE

CELEK – Very good game. Mostly a blocker, though. 2-29 as a receiver. Used creatively as a blocker. Took on DEs and LBs. Sometimes had to seal the backside of a play. Other times had to get the edge so Shady could run outside. Caught screen pass to open the game. Only got a couple of yards. Good block of DE on Shady’s 26-yd run. Helped give Shady the edge. Terrific block on Foles run in the early 4th. Was downfield as a receiver. Saw Foles start running so he turned into a blocker. Gave Foles 5 to 10 extra yards by blocking the DB. Excellent block of DE on Brown’s run to that side in the early 4th. His catch, run and slide at the end of the game was a thing of beauty.

ERTZ – No catches. Had 1 pass come his way. Also had a chance on a 2-pt conversion attempt. Didn’t stand out as a blocker.

CASEY – Was used as a H-back/FB type on a regular basis. Blocked on the edge and on the inside at times. Solid job. No passes came his way.

WR

D JACKSON – Good game. 4-59-1. Helped to keep the chains moving. 3 of his catches went for 1st downs. The other was for a TD. Made a very difficult catch along the right sideline late in the 2nd Qtr. Was open, but had to wait for the ball and was already close to the sideline. Managed to get his feet down and secure the ball. A couple of plays later, caught a quick pass on the outside and fought his way by the CB for a 1st down. Loved seeing that effort. Had key catch of 12 yards on 3rd/11. That moved the chains on what proved to be the first scoring drive of the game. Caught 19-yd TD in the late 3rd. Looked terrible early in the game on a run play. Ran sideways and lost 10 yds.

AVANT – Superb game and didn’t even have a pass come his way. Had some key blocks that helped Shady turn nice runs into long TDs. Great block on Shady’s 57-yd TD. Jason put his DB on the ground, which also put them in the way of Delmas for half a second. Even when the ball didn’t come to his side, Jason made sure his defender wasn’t going to chase the play down from behind.

COOPER – Struggled with Rashean Mathis early on. Had several passes broken up. Caught a quick screen late in the half and got a few yards. That was his first reception. Had a chance for a TD on 4th/7 play, but wasn’t able to secure the ball. Mathis was in his face and got a hand on it. Excellent block of DB on 3rd Qtr run. Kept his guy blocked the whole play and let Shady get up the field. Great catch on post route in the mid-3rd. Got by his CB. Looked back over his shoulder and located the ball. Then adjusted his route and made the catch. Held onto the ball as he hit the ground. Great eyes, concentration and body control. Huge play. Caught a short pass on the next series and turned that into a gain of 25. Caught the ball in traffic, but kept his concentration on the ball and not on the bodies around him. Finished 3-74 as a receiver Was also excellent as a blocker.

SMITH – Caught a short pass in the early 4th and fought his way upfield for 13 yards. Good gain.

MAEHL – Didn’t see him on offense.

OL

* I am not going to mention every time one of the guys slipped while trying to make a block.

PETERS – Had a terrific block in the mid-2nd. Hit Fairley in the side and pushed him securely to Mathis. Then Jason went and blocked the WLB for several yards. Shady got loose to that side for a good gain. Outstanding block on first 2-pt conversion. Stood up the DE and gave Brown plenty of room to run. Good downblock on Shady’s 26-yd run. Bunched up Fairley and at least one LB. The Eagles didn’t run off-tackle very much, but Peters did control his DE throughout the game.

MATHIS – Quiet domination. Didn’t have highlight moments. Just blocked his DT over and over and over. Got the best of Suh and Fairley. Had a strange couple of plays. In the mid-3rd a DT jumped and Mathis touched him. That was ruled as a false start. Same thing happened in the 4th. That was ruled offside. The officials ruled that on the first call the DT didn’t get into the neutral zone, whereas he did on the next one. Did an excellent job of picking up a stunt on 3rd/11. Kept Nick clean & the play led to a 1st down. Very good block of Fairley on Shady’s first TD run. Initially got help from Kelce, but then sustained it. Great combo block on 2-pt conversion. Hit DT from the side to push him to Kelce, then went and blocked LB. Brown had easy way to the end zone. Fell down on Shady’s long TD run. But was somewhat in the way so it seemed to help.

KELCE – I’ll admit I was a bit nervous about Kelce vs Suh. Jason is tough and athletic, but Suh has tremendous power. Kelce more than held his own. He had a 2nd Qtr snap go high. Foles couldn’t catch it, but did fall on the ball. Excellent block on 3rd Qtr run. Pulled left and blocked the WLB. That allowed Shady to bounce the run outside for a good gain. Helped block Fairley on Shady’s TD, then peeled off and sealed LB. Good block of Fairley on Shady’s 57-yd TD. Kept control of him. Good job of blocking on the QB sneak. Didn’t get a ton of movement, but got enough.

HERREMANS – Failed to sustain 3rd Qtr block of Suh. Shady got tackled right that the LOS. Good block of Suh on Shady’s first TD. Got initial help, then took control. Good block of Suh on Shady’s long TD run. Got pushed back by Suh on 3rd/GL from the 1. Shady got back to the 1 and even gained a foot, but Suh made sure he didn’t score. Got his revenge on the next play. Got under Suh’s pads and moved him back enough for Foles to score on a QB sneak.

JOHNSON – Inconsistent. Struggled on some plays when he had to block Suh. Takes time to adjust to a player with Suh’s size, strength and power. Did a good job of helping on Suh on Shady’s first TD. Hit him from the side and pushed Suh to Todd. Then Lane went and blocked a LB. Good downblock of Suh on Foles long run in the early 4th.

BARBRE – DNP

TOBIN – DNP

VANDERVELDE – DNP

KELLY – DNP

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DEFENSE

Good game. The conditions helped the Eagles play their best game of the year. The Lions were held to 228 yards of offense. They only scored one offensive TD.

Bill Davis and his staff spent the week devising a plan for how to deal with Calvin Johnson. The snow came and wiped out that plan. Both teams had to make adustments on the fly. The Eagles alternated between Cover 2 and Cover 3. They didn’t want to let the Lions get deep, but also wanted to have players in the box to stuff the run.

The thing that jumped out at me when I re-watched the game is how well the Eagles LBs played. They were all over the field. They combined to have 17 solo tackles, 2 TFLs, 3 PDs, 1 FF and 1 FR. They didn’t miss many tackles They hustled to the ball so that if a Lion did get by the initial defender, there was someone else there to make the play. This is one of the few times when I’ve been able to say one of the big differences in the game was the Eagles LBs. They were outstanding.

Go beyond the stats. They set the edge on run plays, which force the RBs to stay mostly inside. They got several good hits on Stafford. They were effective in coverage. Really impressive showing.

The best thing the Eagles defense did was limit big plays. Detroit only had 4 plays all day that covered more than 10 yards. The long run was just 8 yards. Detroit was able to sustain drives for a while, but couldn’t drive the long field and score a TD. 3 of the Lions drives that got inside the Eagles 30-yard line ended with fumbles that the Eagle recovered. Bend but don’t break, Mother Nature style.

Calvin Johnson didn’t hurt the Eagles. If I told you before the game that Chris Polk would have more touches, yards and TDs than Megatron, you’d have demanded that I be drug tested immediately. CJ finished with 3 grabs for 49 yards. He got 33 yards on one play. Quiet other than that. The Eagles did a solid job, but clearly Mama Nature was the primary reason for controlling CJ.

MISC

* Lions were 5-15 on 3rd downs

* They were 1-2 on 4th downs

* 1 for 2 in the Red zone

* 1 for 3 on 2-pt conversions

PLAYS

* 3rd/7. Short pass to CJ. Boykin slipped. The S was late getting there and Ryans dove for his legs, but missed. CJ got 8 yds on the play. The conditions made simple situations like this tricky. Closing to the ball quickly and cleanly was tough.

PLAYERS

DL

* All 6 DL did a good job of eating up blockers so the LBs could fly around and make plays.

COX – Good game. Helped tackled the RB on a run right at him in the late 1st Qtr. Blew up mid-2nd Qtr run by driving his OL back into Bell in the backfield. Bell managed to get back to the LOS. Drove LG into backfield, where the RB hit him. Cole then made the tackle. Slanted inside and pushed LG to the middle, which clogged up the inside running lane. RB had nowhere to go. Deflected a 3rd down pass late in the 3rd Qtr. Ball fell harmlessly to the ground.

LOGAN – Credited with being in on 4 tackles. Got a gift TFL when the Lions fumbled a snap and Bennie fell on the guy who recovered it. That happened on the 2nd series. Got in on tackle of RB in the early 2nd Qtr. No gain on the play. Hustled in pursuit and helped MK make tackle of Stafford on scramble in the late 3rd. Did a solid job of controlling the middle of the line.

THORNTON – 4 solo stops and a FF. Had a key play on the 2nd series. Chased down a run from the backside. The RB was 8 yds upfield when Ced hit him and knocked the ball loose. Barwin recovered. DET was inside the Eagles 30 on that series so it was a key stop. Shed the RT and stuffed an inside run in the mid-2nd. Stout vs the run throughout the game.

CURRY – Credited with being in on 4 tackles. Active, disruptive game. Fired off the ball and hit the RB in the backfield in the mid-3rd. No gain. Had limited chances to rush the passer.

GEATHERS – Played both NT and DE. Made the tackle on consecutive run plays at the end of the half.

SQUARE – Backup NT. Got moved off the ball on 1st/GL run in the early 2nd Qtr. TD.

OLB

COLE – Solid game. Credited with 3 tackles and a PD. Rushed off the edge and batted a pass on 2nd Qtr pass play that had gotten screwed up due to Stafford fumble. First tackle came in the mid-2nd when RB got boxed in by F Cox. That let Cole chase the RB down from the backside. Had a nice pass rush moment in the early 4th. Slanted inside and knocked one OL to the ground. Fought past the block of another to get late pressure on Stafford. Used a power rush in the mid-4th. Knocked the crap out of the LT and pushed him back toward Stafford.

BARWIN – Terrific game. Had 6 solo stops, 2 TFLs, FF and a FR. Got a gift TFL when Stafford fumbled the snap on the 2nd series and the RB fell on it. Barwin dove on him for the TFL. Got another TFL on that series. RB tried to bounce a play wide. Barwin was in good position and got him down for a 2-yd loss. On the very next play, Barwin recovered a fumble. Hustled since that run was to the other side of the field. Fought off block of the TE and tackled RB on play to his side late in the 1st Qtr. Stripped the RB in the early 2nd Qtr. Had to fight off block of the TE to get in on the play. Excellent effort. Set the edge on a 2nd Qtr run and then helped Logan stop the RB for no gain. Made tackle on outside run in the late 3rd. Let the RB get wide initially, but hustled to make the stop. Lined up out wide in coverage at times.

GRAHAM – Good game. First time I saw him was the 3rd series. Lined up over the slot receiver. Saw a dive play and flew to the inside and helped tackle the RB. The WR tried to block him, but Graham fought through it. Fought off block of TE to help stop run play to his side in the late 1st Qtr. Helped on a key play in the early 2nd Qtr. Was at RDE. Set the edge and forced the RB to stay inside, where he was hit and fumbled. Stat sheet doesn’t show anything, but Graham played well at both DE and LB. Liked what I saw from him as a run defender.

ILB

KENDRICKS – Another good game. Was in on 5 tackles, had 2 PDs, and a FR. Failed to make tackle of RB to open the 2nd series. Gave up an extra few yards because of that. Attacked the LG on run play, which allowed Ryans to stay clean and stuff an inside run. Got beat by the TE on 3rd/15. Tried to jam him and the TE got by that and Kendricks just couldn’t turn and run quickly enough. The TE had the advantage since he was moving forward the whole play. Got 23 yds. Blitzed upfield on pass play in the late 1st and helped throw off the timing of the throw. Pass was off target. Slipped block of the TE and tackled the RB to open the 2nd Qtr. Nice play. Used his hands to get by the blocker, but stayed square to the LOS and never lost sight of the runner. Broke up a mid-2nd Qtr pass. Was 3rd down. Stafford tried to hit WR over the middle. MK read the play and jumped the route. The ball went through his hands and hit him in the chest, then hit the ground. I’m sure some Lions fans were screaming for PI, but MK was playing the ball. Good no-call. Blitzed up the middle in the early 4th and forced Stafford to throw the ball away. Hustled upfield in the mid-4th and recovered a fumble where Stafford couldn’t secure a snap.

RYANS – Tripped up RB on opening 3rd down play. That kept him short of the chains and forced a punt. Tackled RB after Kendricks miss to open the 2nd series. Scraped to his right and stuffed the RB in the hole on the 2nd series. Hustled out wide to tackle WR on quick pass in the early 2nd Qtr. Blitzed up the middle on 3rd down and hit Stafford just after he released a pass. The throw was off target and broken up. Was slow to get out wide on 4th down pass to Bell in the early 2nd Qtr. DeMeco adjusted the defense before the snap to get everyone covered, but he wasn’t fast enough in the snow to get to the RB on an outside pass. Set up 1st/GL. Chased down Bell after long catch and run. Got good depth on pass drop and broke up pass to CJ on the Lions final play of the game. Was in on 5 tackles and had a PD.

MATTHEWS – Didn’t see him on defense.

KNOTT – Didn’t see him on defense.

GOODE – DNP

S

ALLEN – Quiet game. Went to make a tackle in the mid-4th. Bell was in the middle of a catch and run. Nate went low and Bell jumped over him. Seemed like Nate stayed back for most of the game. Only got in on 1 tackles.

CHUNG – Got in on 3 tackles and recovered a fumble. Came up to help stuff a run at the end of the 1st Qtr. Hustled in to recover a fumble in the early 2nd Qtr. Barwin stripped the ball from the RB and Chung was there to dive on it. Tackled TE after catch over the middle in the late 3rd.

WOLFF – DNP

COLEMAN – Didn’t see him on defense.

CB

FLETCHER – Missed tackle of WR on quick pass and gave up 8 yards. Quiet game. Didn’t have many passes come his way. Credited with 1 tackle.

WILLIAMS – Had 3 solo tackles. Missed tackle of RB on play that bounced out his way. Gave up a 1st down. Got beat by Calvin Johnson for a gain of 33 late in the 1st Qtr. Played off, but didn’t have the closing speed to make a play on the ball. Broke up a 3rd down pass to Durham in the early 2nd. Ball was off-target, but Cary made sure there was no catch. Part of an interesting play in the 4th Qtr. Had good downfield coverage of CJ. Stafford threw the ball, but it was short and to the inside. CJ saw it and went to get the ball. Cary never saw the ball. Luckily the pass was short and CJ couldn’t make the diving grab. Broke up a 2-pt conversion pass due to physical coverage.

BOYKIN – Got lucky when he broke up a 2nd Qtr pass to TE Dickerson down the seam. Boykin was trailing him and had no idea where the ball was. Reached for it as Dickerson started to make the catch. Pass fell incomplete. Quiet day. Not credited with any tackles.

CARMICHAEL – Didn’t see him on defense.

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ST’s

JONES – Okay job. Chip Kelly thought he out-kicked his coverage on the PR TD. Hard to say. Coverage was the main problem. Must have been hard for Jones to know how far a punt would travel in those conditions.

HENERY – No FGs or PATs. Had 6 KOs and none of them were touchbacks. The Lions had 2 touchbacks. Did give up 2 long KORs, including one for a TD. Mainly coverage problems.

KOR – Boykin had 2 returns totaling 41 yards. Not much impact.

PR – I was impressed that DeSean caught the ball cleanly. He kept his hands in his hand-warmer as much as possible. I worried that he would drop a punt or mishandle it and get ripped by the media. Never happened. The Lions were great in coverage. DJax lost 7 yds on 2 returns.

– MISC –

* Looked like Chris Polk was most responsible for the PR TD. He had contain and needed to keep Ross from getting to the sideline. Polk didn’t maintain good lane integrity and let Polk get wide. That negated the pursuit from the other side. TD.

* Casey Matthews had a good tackle of Ross on KO after the first TD.

* KOR TD … I couldn’t tell who was at fault.

* Bennie Logan beat the RG and blocked a PAT. The “RG” was a DL and the kick was low, but that was great effort.

* Other long KOR in the 4th … Jeff Maehl got out of his lane and took a bad angle, letting Ross get free to the outside. Dumb.

GAMEBOOK


146 Comments on “Detailed Game Review – PHI 34, DET 20”

  1. 1 SteveH said at 2:39 AM on December 12th, 2013:

    It’s hard for me to take much away from this game except that we sacked up and imposed our will on them in the 4th quarter, plus Shady is ridiculous even in snow. With the weather being what it was, especially for most of the first half when it was near white out conditions, what can you really take away from that? Both quarterbacks were struggling mightily to throw the ball (I’m guessing in the first quarter they could barely see the receivers running the routes), people struggling to even stand up at times, plays breaking because the defenders would just fall into snow banks. On one play (which really is begging to be made into a GIF) where Shady got negative yards, as the camera panned back to follow the action an official game into view who was literally just struggling to stand up because he’d fallen into the snow. It was hysterical. Foles even admitted on his touchdown throw that he was just tossing it up into the area where he saw we had 2 receivers.

    Games like this are fun (as long as you win) but I don’t know what conclusions you can really draw. I personally just tossed out the idea of making any evaluations of anyone’s play for this one. Can’t fault people for missing tackles in a blizzard.

  2. 2 Matthew Verhoog said at 9:44 AM on December 12th, 2013:

    This is Philadelphia, when life gives you snow you make snowballs.

  3. 3 A_T_G said at 4:32 PM on December 12th, 2013:

    Also, if you run out of batteries to throw.

  4. 4 iceberg584 said at 1:03 PM on December 12th, 2013:

    My big takeaway was that once the weather cleared, and the conditions were closest to resembling a normal game, the Eagles simply took over in all phases (well except STs). That leads me to believe we are genuinely the better team.

  5. 5 Vick or Nick said at 3:07 AM on December 12th, 2013:

    Current Eagles who would make good coaches:

    – Jason Kelce
    – DeMeco Ryans
    – Jason Avant
    – Nick Foles

  6. 6 Phyxius said at 8:38 AM on December 12th, 2013:

    My dream is for Nick to be head coach of this team someday and rename them the Philadelphia Friendships!

  7. 7 jshort said at 11:44 AM on December 12th, 2013:

    Sconces, don’t forget about that dude.

  8. 8 A_T_G said at 4:29 PM on December 12th, 2013:

    He said good coach, not good interior lighting consultant.

  9. 9 Weapon Y said at 6:50 PM on December 12th, 2013:

    It’s amazing that I actually like him now. I used to think he was a selfish, me-first guy. Boy was I wrong.

  10. 10 D3FB said at 12:41 AM on December 13th, 2013:

    I think Coleman and Celek are also very intelligent players who love the game and would also be good coaching candidates.

  11. 11 Champs said at 3:17 AM on December 12th, 2013:

    on the KOR TD, I think it was Fletcher who had contain but was a little late getting there which created the hole

  12. 12 Scott J said at 7:55 AM on December 12th, 2013:

    Besides Shady, I was most impressed with our D only giving up one short TD.

  13. 13 deg0ey said at 8:31 AM on December 12th, 2013:

    I kinda get the impression that Nick’s overthrows were mostly weather related; a combination of expecting to put more on it to get through the wind and underestimating how much his receivers were slowed by the snow.

  14. 14 bill said at 9:39 AM on December 12th, 2013:

    I don’t want to absolve him of all blame, but I do think the fact that he was a 2nd year QB with less than 16 games experience as starter playing in fairly unique conditions means you have to grade on a curve. Plus, according to the players, it was easier to see Eagles than it was Lions because of uniform colors in the early squall – that had to make reads (both pre-snap and in-play) much harder for Foles.
    It was encouraging that Nick figured out that rifling the ball wasn’t working in those conditions, while Stafford kept on gunning it all game, leading to several drops by his receivers.
    All in all, I do think it shows that Foles can overcome adversity and a poor start and still make plays late in a game. I know some people have pointed to a game where RWilson struggled all game and “gutted it out” in the 4th to get a win, ending the day with awful stats, proving that he could overcome adversity. This seems like the same kind of game for Foles.

  15. 15 Mike Roman said at 8:35 AM on December 12th, 2013:

    I was watching the game with three buddies and they were all begging for a FG just to get some points on the board. I argued that a bad snap, a bobble by the holder, lost footing by Henerey, or a block due to any of the above could spell DISASTER. The Lions missed XP quieted them down although they never told me, “you were right”. I’m still pissed about that.

  16. 16 Phyxius said at 8:35 AM on December 12th, 2013:

    This is exactly how I feel when people diss Foles http://youtu.be/TELi8M4nkYs

  17. 17 Mike Roman said at 8:48 AM on December 12th, 2013:

    lol.

  18. 18 T_S_O_P said at 9:16 AM on December 12th, 2013:

    Looking at the gamebook I see that Shady only had 3 negative carries. Wow, how different things are when you aren’t caught up in the game.

  19. 19 TommyLawlor said at 11:29 AM on December 12th, 2013:

    Felt like a lot more.

  20. 20 Matthew Verhoog said at 9:48 AM on December 12th, 2013:

    Things I liked
    The Madden style bombs away offense
    No kicking and 54 points, we should cut Henry the first.
    I think the kick return TD’s may have helped us the Details D was on the field forever and we WOR them down.

  21. 21 fran35 said at 10:45 AM on December 12th, 2013:

    I was exactly *one* game away from completely writing off Shady. Then he comes out and gives this performance. Now I have written him off. He clearly lacks the top end and power to be a productive back in this league. He is only successful because the coaches use a vanilla scheme that caters to his lack of physical ability. The fact that the coaches threw the ball to Celek to ice the game instead of handing it to McCoy speaks volumes regarding their *total* lack of confidence in him. On the other hand, when I see a RB like Matthew Tucker, he possesses all of the physical traits of a *legit* NFL RB. Partner him and Joe Webb as the QB, *dynasty*.

  22. 22 BlindChow said at 11:27 AM on December 12th, 2013:

    Man, you nailed it!

  23. 23 Mac said at 2:25 PM on December 12th, 2013:

    I see a certain someone forgot to log in before up voting this and was registered as a guest user.

  24. 24 Anders said at 11:14 AM on December 12th, 2013:

    This is the first time the Eagles have held 10 consecutive quarterbacks to a passer rating below 90 since 2000.— Reuben Frank (@RoobCSN) 12. december 2013

    Anti last year

  25. 25 bill said at 11:27 AM on December 12th, 2013:

    That’s an amazing stat, when thinking how good some of those defenses have been. Granted, it hasn’t exactly been against a murder’s row, but as everyone is wont to point out, the NFL has gotten progressively more QB friendly over the last decade. And it’s not like the Eagles are stacked with defensive talent at the important pass defense positions (OLB, CB and S) – it’s really a giant feather in Davis and his staff’s hat, IMO.

  26. 26 Anders said at 11:29 AM on December 12th, 2013:

    Consider that passer rating has been going up and we had some great defense in over that period, that is impressive.

    Davis has been a great coach for us and I really like his scheme

  27. 27 A_T_G said at 4:16 PM on December 12th, 2013:

    Is this hat a normal sized hat with an immense feather that they pass around, or is it some Frankensteinian monstrosity that they all wear at the same time? The former would raise concerns of lice, and the latter would limit mobility on the sidelines.

  28. 28 bill said at 4:55 PM on December 12th, 2013:

    I’m envisioning a purple velvet hat, with faux fur trim, with a single large feather. Wearers also often have a, ahem, walking stick.

  29. 29 A_T_G said at 5:11 PM on December 12th, 2013:

    Hopefully they retire the platform shoes with goldfish in them until the weather warms.

  30. 30 BlindChow said at 5:46 PM on December 12th, 2013:

    Here’s a shot from the sideline a couple weeks ago:

    http://i654.photobucket.com/albums/uu267/BoogaFrito/billdavisthepimp.jpg

  31. 31 ACViking said at 2:34 PM on December 12th, 2013:

    The pass-defense stat fits with the Eagles’ overall defensive performance in Weeks 5-13. The Birds are 3rd best overall in points-against.

    The competition’s helped. But still, the NFL’s a pass-happy league.

    ______________

    Who would be the single starting defensive player the Eagles cannot afford to lose right now? (Assume Goode’s healthy by Wk 15)

    Is it Ryans? Kendricks? Thornton or Cox? Bennie Logan (and his 5-0 starting record)?

    My vote is Williams. The man has brought the leadership this team’s been missing since Dawkins left. He’s far from great. But he’s added so much immeasurable value to this defense, I’d hate to see him displaced next year . . . maybe in a couple years.

  32. 32 Anders said at 3:21 PM on December 12th, 2013:

    I say Cox, Logan or Ryans.

    Williams has been better lately, but those guy just bring more to the table.

  33. 33 Mike Flick said at 3:57 PM on December 12th, 2013:

    It has to be one of the LBs/secondary because of the D-line rotation.

    Barwin may be a guy.
    Williams is a good choice.
    Ryans is another possibility.

    It really depends on the matchup. If Wolfe doesn’t come back, it could possibly be Nate Allen? The drop off to Colt is huge.

    Interesting question though, because it is not a clear cut answer.

  34. 34 Tumtum said at 4:40 PM on December 12th, 2013:

    I vote Barwin. I do like your choice though. I have been pounding the Williams drum since before we signed him. Even if he does upset me sometimes. Hey… maybe a guy that elicits emotion is just what the defense needed. Be that negative or positive emotion.

  35. 35 Andy124 said at 4:49 PM on December 12th, 2013:

    Great thing about this defense is how it’s a total team effort, not relying on domination by any one player.

    But since you asked:
    1) Barwin
    2) Ryans
    3) Almost everybody else
    11) Cole (Graham’s showing some signs)

  36. 36 knighn said at 3:21 PM on December 12th, 2013:

    Afraid Roob is off on this one. The number is 9.
    Peyton Manning was above 100 against the Eagles (http://espn.go.com/nfl/boxscore?gameId=330929007 ), and there have only been 9 games since (and one bye week). Now, if Roob is predicting that the Eagles will hold the Vikes’ QB to less than 90, he’s probably correct, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves here.

  37. 37 Anders said at 3:24 PM on December 12th, 2013:

    yea you are right. Frank is normally very good with those stats tho.

  38. 38 knighn said at 3:25 PM on December 12th, 2013:

    Very true.

  39. 39 Mike Flick said at 3:53 PM on December 12th, 2013:

    He just sent it out a week early.

  40. 40 A_T_G said at 4:10 PM on December 12th, 2013:

    But they faced two QBs in GB, does that count?

  41. 41 Anders said at 4:11 PM on December 12th, 2013:

    in theory yes?

  42. 42 mtn_green said at 4:20 PM on December 12th, 2013:

    Technically: Eagles played two QBs in GB
    Roob is right?!

  43. 43 Tumtum said at 4:24 PM on December 12th, 2013:

    Chip Kelly is a different dude, who cares about different stats. Like Tommy mentioned the other day this defense has essentially played 2 more games than some other teams. The conventional mindset then is that this defense is bad. I on the other hand feel like this defense is better than I can remember it being in a very long time. I mean they arn’t as good as 04′, right? What about 08′?

    How can we show on paper that this is unequivocally a good defense? There should be an easy way. I think the defense is at least equally responsible for the winning streak as the offense. Which is great because it always seemed one unit could be pointed at for the teams success. This year the team isn’t great in any one area but (maybe I am getting crazy here?) they are pretty darn good in all 3 phases.

  44. 44 BlindChow said at 12:00 PM on December 12th, 2013:

    I love that the Bears are bringing back Cutler. I hope he’s the QB when we play them. Kempski posted both Cutler and McCown’s numbers for the year:

    http://bloggingthebeast.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/skitch_iphoto.export.skitch7.png

  45. 45 Anders said at 12:31 PM on December 12th, 2013:

    http://overthecap.com/closer-look-mccown-vs-cutler-bears-future-decisions/

    This shows Cutler have played better when you consider who they played against.

  46. 46 BlindChow said at 12:58 PM on December 12th, 2013:

    Fair points. I think rustiness will also be a factor, however. Should be interesting to see what they decide to do.

  47. 47 aub32 said at 12:41 PM on December 12th, 2013:

    Can’t look at numbers in a vacuum. You have to consider opponent as well as the fact the team, specifically the offense, was going to get better during the course of the season since they were all learning a new scheme.

  48. 48 Mac said at 2:23 PM on December 12th, 2013:

    You can if the vacuum has clear sides… it helps if you turn it off though so they’re not spinning around inside.

  49. 49 Mike Flick said at 3:58 PM on December 12th, 2013:

    And if your vacuum stops working put a Cowboys sticker on it, then it will suck for sure.

  50. 50 Anders said at 4:02 PM on December 12th, 2013:

    yea, but it will choke in clutch situations.

  51. 51 ACViking said at 2:28 PM on December 12th, 2013:

    BC:

    I’d like to see the Eagles play the best competition that’s out there during the stretch run.

  52. 52 RobNE said at 3:34 PM on December 12th, 2013:

    ACV I don’t understand this while we are fighting for our playoff lives. If we were out of the playoffs, fine. If we were locked into a specific playoff seed, ok. Why should I want AP to play Sunday. To me there is no “well then we didn’t deserve to get into the playoffs” if we lose b/c it’s not that black and white. Sometimes a team gets a break, gets into the playoffs and goes on a run. If we get in with help then lose, that also does not mean we didn’t deserve it.

    Maybe I was just burnt out (I can’t think of actual scenarios from last year, it’s all a beating), but I am giddy that we try to take advantage of everything. I read how the Eagles get breaks because the other team didn’t have someone available, or somehow the weather only helped us but we would have lost without snow, or we got a good call. Last year none of it would have mattered. This year we take the advantage and sweep the leg. I am enjoying this. Winners get lots of breaks. They are opportunities not to be judged nor looked at with scorn.

    When we three-peat we can turn up the level of difficulty all the way.

  53. 53 ACViking said at 4:21 PM on December 12th, 2013:

    I want to be see how good the Eagles are against the best they can possibly face. Because in the playoffs, I’m pretty sure the quality of opponent is going to go up. By a lot. Best way to prepare for the best is to play the best on your schedule.

    If the Eagles played the likes of Case Keenum every week, I’m not sure we’d know much about them.

  54. 54 Tumtum said at 4:37 PM on December 12th, 2013:

    It sounds as though you are assuming playoffs.

  55. 55 ACViking said at 4:41 PM on December 12th, 2013:

    Yes, I think the NFC East is there for the taking.

  56. 56 Tumtum said at 4:45 PM on December 12th, 2013:

    Maybe its that the sting of recent defeats still hurts, but I feel like every week is a battle to stay alive. So far so good.

    With one loss in the remaining 3 this team could easily be looking at couch gating come January.

  57. 57 RobNE said at 4:47 PM on December 12th, 2013:

    Tumtum: Yes exactly

  58. 58 RobNE said at 4:46 PM on December 12th, 2013:

    there’s a lot of space between there for the taking and Taken (ask Liam Neeson)

  59. 59 ACViking said at 4:58 PM on December 12th, 2013:

    Yes, there’s “a lot of green” between Sunday and the Dallas game.

    But if the Eagles don’t make it, they weren’t good enough. If they do, great.

    All I want is a chance to see the team push itself to a higher level. And better competition does that.

    I really don’t care to see an NFC East banner above the Linc for 2013 and a blow-out loss to a good team in Rd 1.

    But that’s just me.

  60. 60 RobNE said at 5:08 PM on December 12th, 2013:

    I don’t agree that one can say they weren’t “good enough”. It could be a probability exercise where they just lost a game they had a 60% chance of winning. Or they get in and have a 10% chance of getting blown out, and it happens. I’ve seen enough that I want the team in the playoffs, I am no longer hedging for draft slot or wondering if they deserve it. I want in.

    Anyway, have to wrap up things here and don’t want to seem argumentative, so I’ll let it go there. Please have the last word if you want. We are only discussing things in our alternative reality where we control what happens. Where perhaps you would have them win out in all nail biters and I would have them crush our enemies and see them driven before us. Either way, parade!

  61. 61 Tumtum said at 5:12 PM on December 12th, 2013:

    Either one of your paths is acceptable for me. We win in both, right?

  62. 62 BlindChow said at 6:53 PM on December 12th, 2013:

    Yes, there’s “a lot of green” between Sunday and the Dallas game.

    But if the Eagles don’t make it, they weren’t good enough.

    Or, it means it’s a real bummer the two best quarterbacks on the team were injured when they played a lousy Giants team.

    I’ll take the ball whenever and however it bounces our way.

  63. 63 ACViking said at 11:04 PM on December 12th, 2013:

    Birds had their share of breaks this season in terms of injuries to the opposition. I think it all evens out in the end.

  64. 64 RobNE said at 6:38 PM on December 12th, 2013:

    Yes I was assuming playoffs

  65. 65 RobNE said at 4:44 PM on December 12th, 2013:

    But say the chances of us winning in the playoffs is 55% (home game), 40% and 40%. Who knows right? But that’s almost 10% chance roughly to win all 3 and play in the SB. Why would we risk a 10% chance to play in the SB because we want to “see where we are” against the best possible competition now when the result could be no playoffs? The 10% could be 5% or could be 25% but it’s above 0%.

    I don’t understand why we risk that in order to see where we stand, or to improve by being in tough games. You would want to play Denver, the Pats and the Seahawks the last 3 games instead of our schedule?

  66. 66 Tumtum said at 4:46 PM on December 12th, 2013:

    10% seems high…

  67. 67 RobNE said at 4:55 PM on December 12th, 2013:

    I don’t think there are many times when one team is like an 80% favorite if that is what you are considering. Also there is a chance that we host Carolina in the NFC title game, which would significantly raise our odds of winning that game. Anyway, when we clinch the division let’s check Football Outsiders and it will tell us what they think.

  68. 68 ACViking said at 4:52 PM on December 12th, 2013:

    I understand.

    On the other hand, a Kasserine Pass in January makes no one happy.

  69. 69 ACViking said at 4:55 PM on December 12th, 2013:

    Actually, yes, I’d love to see this team playing Denver on Sunday instead of Minnesota. Too bad those games weren’t reversed — because I’ve no doubt the Eagles would have beaten MN in September.

    So, hell, yes. Bring on the best.

  70. 70 RobNE said at 4:59 PM on December 12th, 2013:

    ok I slipped there by using a team we had played, but then I guess you are assigning a loss to the vikings back then? Or changing our record? either way a butterfly somewhere just died or something.

  71. 71 ACViking said at 5:04 PM on December 12th, 2013:

    No. No. No.

    The Eagles will win in Minnesota. Do you have any doubt? The Vikings are competitive. But not a good team this year.

    Yes, I’m making an assumption that in September, the Eagles would’ve won against the Vikes — just as they will on Sunday.

    But even if they lost to the Vikes in September, the Birds would still be tied for 1st place in the NFC East.

    And I’d be getting my wish of seeing them play the Broncos with Foles at QB for the Eagles — while they’re on a 5-game winning streak and the defense is among the best in the NFL.

    So I don’t think any butterflies or vermin have died.

  72. 72 RobNE said at 5:09 PM on December 12th, 2013:

    I have doubt about every game. If we were to win 90% of the time, which I think is very high, then we lose 10% of the time.

  73. 73 Andy124 said at 5:23 PM on December 12th, 2013:

    I think it’s a matter of personal preference. I don’t think this team has reached its end state yet, even for this season. I have a slight preference to see them win 1 to 3 more laughers before facing tougher tests in the playoffs.

    However, if reality dictated that we’d be facing a more daunting test to help better evaluate our team, my preference would be for the more daunting test to help better evaluate our team.

  74. 74 ACViking said at 5:25 PM on December 12th, 2013:

    I really want to see Foles lead the offense against a quality defense (in less than blizzard conditions) and the defense shut down a good offense.

    Then on to Seattle.

  75. 75 ACViking said at 5:29 PM on December 12th, 2013:

    I want to see DOMINATION by the Eagles. No prisoners football.

  76. 76 ACViking said at 5:29 PM on December 12th, 2013:

    I’ve lived through the ’66 Runner Up Bowl. The missed FG in ’78 by a punter. Buddy’s 3 duds in ’88-’90. Watching Dallas pass the Eagles in ’91.

    Those were enough to rip your guts out — especially the Fog Bowl in ’88 and the horribly weak performance in ’89 vs the Rams, because both were on New Year’s Eve.

  77. 77 RobNE said at 5:32 PM on December 12th, 2013:

    my god was ’89 when they rushed 3 guys and our coaching staff had no answer whatsoever. None. Chip would have an answer.

  78. 78 ACViking said at 5:35 PM on December 12th, 2013:

    RobNE . . .

    Glad you’re back.

    Worse than that . . . the Rams sometimes (quite a bit) rushed only 2 guys. A creation of the great “Uncle” Fritz Shurmur (newphew is Eagles’ OC).

    It was a nightmare. Horrible. Cunningham was clueless.
    _____________

    Regarding the last 3 games, I want what you want . . . and I hope to see the Eagles in Seattle where they kick some serious ass.

  79. 79 RobNE said at 6:39 PM on December 12th, 2013:

    Who was coach then, buddy? Terrible

  80. 80 Andy124 said at 8:20 PM on December 12th, 2013:

    The fog bowl was my first real heartbreak. I remember watching from the floor at my grandparents house.

    The there was the broken fist when Tommy Hutton bobbled the snap against Dallas (not a playoff game), then again when McNabb threw the pick six to Ronde to end the comeback attempt.

    2009 would be the worst because of back to back losses to the most hated of the hated. Lower expectations eased the pain a tad.

    These past few seasons have been a special kind of hell for me, so this season is a total gift. As much as this team is raising expectations and hopes, I’m just enjoying watching them play. Next year will be different. But right now, I’m not going to be heartbroken if they don’t measure up against the elite.

  81. 81 BlindChow said at 5:55 PM on December 12th, 2013:

    Yeah, I think you’d learn a lot more about the team seeing them against top tier competition in the playoffs than you would in the miscellaneous regular season games. I read a lot about San Francisco being a tougher opponent than Carolina because they’ve been “playoff tested.” In that case, even if the Eagles are one and done in the playoffs, the experience could have value in future seasons.

    Plus, as far as not being worthy to be in the playoffs: it would tell you nothing to have been one game from the NFC East title, especially if the Matt Barkley game is the difference-maker.

    Anyway, I’ll take whatever fortune luck deems us worthy of receiving; it works both ways, so when it’s in our favor, I say embrace it.

  82. 82 BlindChow said at 3:38 PM on December 12th, 2013:

    Clearly I feel the team isn’t ready to face the Mighty Josh McCown.

  83. 83 ACViking said at 4:18 PM on December 12th, 2013:

    you are too generous

  84. 84 Tumtum said at 4:35 PM on December 12th, 2013:

    Not that I think this is likely, but if they were to win the super bowl they would have to go through a much tougher road than most teams I can remember. I’ll take any break I can get, while I can get them.

    Play offs would go something like this –>> Host the 9ers, Hawks in Sea, Saints in NO, Broncos in Jersey.

    Making it through that murderers row would be pretty friggin impressive.

  85. 85 ACViking said at 4:42 PM on December 12th, 2013:

    The better the competition, the more you elevate your own game. That’s my theory, at least.

  86. 86 Anders said at 2:04 PM on December 12th, 2013:

    I just realized. Eagles OL strength must be in their beards. Kelce is playing better than ever and he got a great beard. Johnson is improving every week and his beard has been getting bigger every week.

    This is also why Danny Watkins wast destined to fail consider that guy couldnt grow a beard at all.

  87. 87 Mike Flick said at 3:59 PM on December 12th, 2013:

    Good point, and this off season we need a guy with dreads. Maybe 2.

  88. 88 Anders said at 4:02 PM on December 12th, 2013:

    Beard+dreads=Jason Peters aka all pro LT. I see 😀

  89. 89 Tumtum said at 4:31 PM on December 12th, 2013:

    He really needs a beard. WTH is problem anyway!

  90. 90 Anders said at 4:32 PM on December 12th, 2013:

    WTH?

  91. 91 A_T_G said at 4:35 PM on December 12th, 2013:

    It’s like a PG-13 WTF.

  92. 92 Anders said at 4:39 PM on December 12th, 2013:

    Then Tumtum’s reply makes no sense for me.

  93. 93 Tumtum said at 4:53 PM on December 12th, 2013:

    My attempt at dry humor. Sorry.

  94. 94 Anders said at 4:58 PM on December 12th, 2013:

    Was you talking about Peters or Watkins when you said he needs a beard?

  95. 95 Tumtum said at 5:13 PM on December 12th, 2013:

    Just my poor attempt at dry humor. Sorry.

  96. 96 T_S_O_P said at 2:39 PM on December 12th, 2013:

    http://chipwagon.typepad.com/eagles/2013/12/it-wasnt-holding-it-was-a-face-mask-penalty.html#comments

    the Chip Wagon showing Suh on Kelce as a face mask not holding. If he wasn’t such a dirty ass, he may of got away with it. He deserved it for the swipe at Nickfolean’s arm earlier.

  97. 97 Anders said at 4:48 PM on December 12th, 2013:

    http://www.nfl.com/videos/philadelphia-eagles/0ap2000000297027/Evan-Mathis-Nick-Foles-always-maintains-his-poise?continuous=true

    “how is Nick Foles in the huddle”

    Most stupid question of the year?

  98. 98 Tumtum said at 4:51 PM on December 12th, 2013:

    “Uh we don’t huddle much..but when we do”

    That was nice of him.

  99. 99 Anders said at 4:52 PM on December 12th, 2013:

    yea, he gave a good diplomatic answer

  100. 100 BlindChow said at 5:12 PM on December 12th, 2013:

    “He screams and screams like a little girl.” wtf?

  101. 101 Flyin said at 4:56 PM on December 12th, 2013:

    This is from NFL.com

    Nick Foles

    Ominous sign for the Vikings and Cowboys’ NFC East title hopes?
    Nick Foles throws a TD on 9.2% of his passes (best in NFL). The Vikings defense has allowed 29 pass TDs this season (worst in NFL).

    I am not a stats guy, how impressive is this TD percentage?

    http://www.nfl.com/photoessays/0ap2000000296938/mindblowing-stats-for-week-15-of-the-2013-season

  102. 102 ACViking said at 5:01 PM on December 12th, 2013:

    if he finished at 9.2, Foles would be in the Top 15 all time.

    But only Peyton Manning’s posted a higher TD% in the post-1979 era (9.9)

    So Foles would be in special company

  103. 103 Anders said at 5:02 PM on December 12th, 2013:

    yep

    http://www.pro-football-reference.com/leaders/pass_td_perc_single_season.htm

    That is great company

  104. 104 Flyin said at 5:11 PM on December 12th, 2013:

    Thanks for the link!

  105. 105 Flyin said at 5:11 PM on December 12th, 2013:

    Wow! That is impressive!

  106. 106 xlGmanlx said at 5:23 PM on December 12th, 2013:

    I know where I stand on the JPP vs Graham talk

  107. 107 Insomniac said at 8:32 PM on December 12th, 2013:

    JPP before injuries as an OLB would have been interesting though.

  108. 108 Anders said at 8:54 PM on December 12th, 2013:

    What about Graham before injury or Washburn or scheme change? 😛

  109. 109 Tumtum said at 5:28 PM on December 12th, 2013:

    Carry Williams = bum hammy. Thats not awesome.

  110. 110 ACViking said at 5:30 PM on December 12th, 2013:

    Corderelle Patterson lined up on the offense’s left. Not a happy Thursday note.

  111. 111 Anders said at 5:30 PM on December 12th, 2013:

    He lines up all over the field.

  112. 112 ACViking said at 5:32 PM on December 12th, 2013:

    I know. Ordinarily he does.

    But if Williams is out there with a weak hamstring, I’d expect to see Minnesota challenge him immediately with their best edge weapon.

    A couple weeks ago, I guess is when I first saw CP at HB. Wow. The kid is ultra talented.

  113. 113 Anders said at 5:33 PM on December 12th, 2013:

    I would have loved Patterson if he dropped to the 2nd.

  114. 114 ACViking said at 5:37 PM on December 12th, 2013:

    Oh . . . Kelly would have done great, great things with him.

    Vikes made a nice move to get back in Rd 1 to get him (I think that’s what they did).

  115. 115 Anders said at 5:39 PM on December 12th, 2013:

    yep http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2013_NFL_Draft#cite_note-23

  116. 116 Anders said at 5:43 PM on December 12th, 2013:

    another crazy thing is. Patterson, Justin Hunter and Da’rick Rogers all played together 1 year in college and they all had crazy good days last week

  117. 117 ACViking said at 5:45 PM on December 12th, 2013:

    I’ve thought about that. Holly crap. Best WR group since the ’78 Steelers

    Did Kiffin recruit all 3? Or Dooley?

    How in hell could Tennessee not be good? Even if they had only a mediocre QB?

  118. 118 Anders said at 5:55 PM on December 12th, 2013:

    I think Hunter was hurt that year and Patterson was just a sophomore. I also think Rogers missed some games that year

  119. 119 ACViking said at 5:57 PM on December 12th, 2013:

    Thanks.

  120. 120 D3FB said at 12:25 AM on December 13th, 2013:

    I know Patterson was only there 1 year after JUCO, so he was definitely a Dooley player.

  121. 121 ACViking said at 5:47 PM on December 12th, 2013:

    Thoughts on whether Eagles should have taken a flyer on Rogers after Buffalo cut him?

    He seems to be settling in with the Colts. No disasters yet at least.

  122. 122 Anders said at 5:57 PM on December 12th, 2013:

    I want us to draft him with the David King pick and after that I hoped we got him as an UDFA.

    I loved when we took a flyer on a talented guy like Bryce Brown in 12 instead of picking a no upside guy like King in 13.

    Also why I hope we might take a flyer on Colt Lyerla in the 7th this year or Logan Thomas if he drops to the 5th.

  123. 123 ACViking said at 5:58 PM on December 12th, 2013:

    Great point. Great argument.

  124. 124 Tumtum said at 7:05 PM on December 12th, 2013:

    I’m with you, but you can’t fault them for adding a 3-4 guy there.

  125. 125 Insomniac said at 8:18 PM on December 12th, 2013:

    Undrafted,waived, and practice squad. We had some chances to get him but I guess he didn’t fit the mold of being a Chip Kelly type of player.

  126. 126 Anders said at 8:46 PM on December 12th, 2013:

    I guess they wanted “clean” standup players this year.

    Every single guy we drafted was either a captain or high character guy.

  127. 127 deshawnbentley said at 8:37 PM on December 12th, 2013:

    imagine Marqise Lee in this offense obamanotbad.jpeg

  128. 128 Anders said at 8:45 PM on December 12th, 2013:

    Agree

  129. 129 Tumtum said at 7:02 PM on December 12th, 2013:

    Tough call. This seems like a good locker room that could deal with that, but at the time it would of been a dicey decision.

  130. 130 D3FB said at 12:24 AM on December 13th, 2013:

    Plus it’s pretty hard to get in trouble in Indianapolis.

  131. 131 Tumtum said at 7:01 PM on December 12th, 2013:

    He is their new Percy Harvin. Perhaps without the attitude or injury problems.

  132. 132 ACViking said at 5:38 PM on December 12th, 2013:

    Watching him run is like watching Eric Dickerson — though CP’s not as big.

  133. 133 ACViking said at 5:43 PM on December 12th, 2013:

    Hey, T-Lawlor:

    I’m beginning to think Chip Kelly’s offense is built around Patton’s 3rd Army offensive that started on 8/1/44.

    Never standing still. Always advancing. Lot’s of end runs. Lots of lightening fast attacks straight ahead.

    And Kelly’s position on sacks? Doesn’t like to pay for the same real estate twice.

  134. 134 Tumtum said at 7:30 PM on December 12th, 2013:

    Chip Kelly is Patton reborn. I like where this is going. When did Patton die? When was Chip born?

  135. 135 Anders said at 8:47 PM on December 12th, 2013:

    To ACViking:

    Here is another freak hybrid player for the OLB position

    http://nfldraftdiamonds.com/elhadji-ndiaye-the-2014-nfl-drafts-super-sleeper/

  136. 136 GENETiC-FREAK said at 9:31 PM on December 12th, 2013:

    Nice!

  137. 137 Insomniac said at 9:50 PM on December 12th, 2013:

    A player with the right mindset and freakish physical talent. What are the chances of him being drafted high like JPP/Ansah?

  138. 138 Anders said at 10:01 PM on December 12th, 2013:

    low. JPP was playing at South Florida. This kid is playing at some crappy division 2 school. That means he most likely wont be taken in the first 3 rounds

  139. 139 ACViking said at 10:58 PM on December 12th, 2013:

    A–

    Great find. Love his character and good feet.
    What choice would you spend on him. I assume his size speed ratio will be really good.

  140. 140 Anders said at 11:12 PM on December 12th, 2013:

    Consider he is only division 2, most likely low 3rd or 4th.

    A division 2 guy, no matter how great is a project.

  141. 141 Insomniac said at 11:55 PM on December 12th, 2013:

    Have you heard of the Furr brothers? I looked at DeRon Furr and he looks like he could be a decent MLB project if he could stay out of trouble.

  142. 142 Anders said at 11:56 PM on December 12th, 2013:

    no. I just saw that link on twitter and thought I would share it as I know people here are interested in this kind of stuff

  143. 143 Insomniac said at 12:08 AM on December 13th, 2013:

    I looked around that site and was interested after some reading. Was hoping someone had more info on this guy since there’s literally only youtube footage of him playing.

  144. 144 ICDogg said at 11:43 PM on December 12th, 2013:

    pic.twitter.com/aRUtwdsrL1

  145. 145 Insomniac said at 11:45 PM on December 12th, 2013:

    That’s hilarious.

  146. 146 Cedric Basedprophet Bost said at 3:24 AM on December 13th, 2013:

    brandon graham was responsible for that punt return td he was pushing a lion like he was blocking i guess he assumed his teamates would make the tackle never tried