Monday Night Misc
Posted: December 9th, 2013 | Author: Tommy Lawlor | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | 100 Comments »First up, Go Bears. Dallas is at Chicago for MNF. It is bitterly cold. Hopefully that will bring out the worst in Romo and the gang.
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Adrian Peterson says he’s planning to play on Sunday. I like hearing that. I want the Eagles to be tested as much as possible. AP is the Vikings one great player. I’d prefer to see him on the field.
For those who think I’m nuts, my point is that I don’t want the Eagles catching every break on the way to the postseason. I want the Eagles to earn this. If the Eagles do make the playoffs and have to face Marshawn Lynch or Frank Gore, wouldn’t it be nice if they could look back to a previous matchup with a big, physical RB?
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Some of you have asked about Jason Avant and his declining numbers with Nick Foles at QB. The first thing you have to realize is that the Eagles just don’t throw the ball as much. Nick Foles would need to complete 40 passes in each of the final 3 games to come close to last season’s completion total. There will probably be around 60 fewer completions. They have to come from somewhere.
Last year Foles and Avant had great chemistry. I thought they would be a good duo moving forward. This year the offense is just different. Foles is pushing the ball downfield and that means he’s going to Riley Cooper and DeSean Jackson.
Avant remains a terrific blocker and good slot receiver, but you want the ball going to Coop and not him. Avant has 11 career TD catches. Coop has 7 this year. Jason will move the chains, but he’s just not a playmaker. With fewer passes being thrown, you want more big plays.
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Should Chris Polk start to get some of Bryce Brown’s carries?
This is a tricky question. Brown has been hit in the backfield quite a bit. His rushing numbers are not all his fault. I don’t know if the coaches aren’t using him right or if Brown is slow i adapting to the new scheme.
Polk was perfect for the snow game. Polk is a downhill runner. He’s not going to cut too much and he won’t go down on first contact. He’ll push the pile and drag some tacklers.
I am all for anything that gets more RBs involved. I love Shady to death, but also like getting some touches for the backup RBs.
Wasn’t it great to see all 3 RBs handle the ball a ton yesterday and not fumble once? 39 carries. No fumbles. That is really impressive on a day when the Lions put the ball on the ground left and right. I won’t go so far as to say I fully trust Bryce Brown with the ball in critical moments, but he is being a lot more careful with the way he carries the ball.
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Earl Wolff is set to practice on Tuesday. That’s good news. Patrick Chung has been up and down. I’d love to be able to mix Wolff back into the lineup and see if he can help. Wolff played well before getting hurt.
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Go Bears!!!
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It’s weird how I’m simultaneously glad that AP is playing and that Jordan Reed/Andre Ellington/Reggie Bush missed the game.
I suppose it’s because the Eagles were fighting for a playoff spot then, but now have to prove the deserve it?
Right.
I think it is probably more a case of your faith in humanity being restored in seeing that there are still RBs out there willing to step onto the field against our defense.
It’s kind of fun getting to root for the Bears. It happens so rarely.
The Cowboys secondary looks pretty awful. I think the next big step in the “Nick Foles March to Greatness” is going to Dallas and shredding that defense after what happened in October.
The Bears run defense is awful. Shocking to see how bad they are.
If DeMarco Murray can do this, what will Shady do?
I look forward to finding out.
Hate to jinx it, but Shady really should gash them. Especially with how bad their linebackers are. If he can get to the second level, he should run wild.
You mean they are playing defense in tonight’s game? The warmest guy on the field must be da bears punter.
I’m not so sure Avant is a good slot receiver anymore. By some metrics, he’s among the most inefficient in the league.
I get the feeling that we will see Brad Smith phased into the slot receiver role a bit down the stretch. It was already happening a bit yesterday. It also looks like Damaris Johnson has been banished or something.
I am pretty sure that the scouts meant #13 Darius Johnson and we are just now discovering the mix-up. I wonder if we could send a tape to the league office and ask them to correct the mistake.
Can we use Arians’s FedEx account?
Marlon Favorite thinks this was a bad attempt at flying tackle
That is fantastic. Couldn’t happen to a better team.
Alshon Jeffery scares me. Some of his catches are absolutely insane.
Maybe it will snow.
Our pass rush and CBs are better than the Cowboys, but yea he is scary.
randy moss jr. his build, his vertical, the way his hands always seem to be right over the db’s helmet to make a catch. amazing
He doesn’t have Randy’s speed. I think he compares better to his running mate B-Marsh or Vincent Jackson.
The Bears WRs are kinda scary.
Yeah, people are writing that game off as a win, but they look very good offensively.
So will the Bears game be the first time the Eagles call 100% run plays?
They better.
Kelly might see something in the secondary he thought he could exploit.
Well, I won’t have to decide which game to watch, not that this was tough this year.
As far as challenges are concerned, I’m not sure this counts, whether AD plays or not. As of now, I think this team gets creamed against SF Sea NO Car. I think this team would have a hard time winning against any decent team that’s not making mistakes or having a bad day. They can win, but the talent seriously isn’t there for winning against any excellent teams.
In part, this is because I’ve gotten more sour on Foles. I understood that it was a blizzard out there, but there was quite a few negative plays, if not too traumatic results-wise. In particular, there was a very Colt McCoy-like stink to his passing efforts. I wasn’t really down about it right after the game, since we won, but watching SF Sea (which was a great game even if it was all vanilla playcalling), and then NO Car, and now Dal Chi, they all just drove in the point that the offense is a total gimmick passingwise. I appreciated the two throws to Djax’s comeback routes, and I appreciated that for once, all the deep balls were not thrown short, but I did not appreciate some pretty awful passing attempts, like that attempt at slant? to Cooper that was thrown low and behind. Foles is simply not talented enough that people can forgive blown plays of the number he had yesterday. I’m not really asking for star QB play. I’m just asking for what the Bears are getting out of McCown, or what the Texans have gotten out of Schaub many of these years. In a sense, probably by the end of the Vikings game, I’m really going to give up any notion that Foles can be a credible NFL starter. Fine, he’ll be your Napoleon Dynamite at QB, but I have extreme doubts that Kelly was privately happy with Foles’ performance yesterday. As such, this game of starting an autotuned QB has its usual end–same as McCoy, Tebow, Chris Simms, etc. He’ll come to earth (and may already have), especially the next year, the snickers by the other team fanbases, and then the usual slow-walk to a competent QB of some kind, while part of the fanbase whines and whines and whines. Makes me hope the Vikings will be good next year if that does play out.
The defense is playing well, but this is entirely an artifact of the front seven doing a good job handling the pass rush and rush defense. The secondary really is rather weak. Any offense that doesn’t make mistakes is going to be able to score more than 21 on that defense. Writ large, that’s sort of what happened to the Carolina defense last night. Couldn’t get an ounce of pressure on Brees, which resulted in Brees just picking apart that back end.
Right now, insanely jealous of the Bears for Alshon Jeffery. I very very much wanted Alshon for the Eagles. And looking back, it’s still bizarre how often teams will draft people who can’t catch, thinking they can make them reliable players. Stephen Hill was drafted before Jeffery. Having watched Hill, I knew the Jets made a biiiiiiiiig mista-ake…
Jeffery would be wasted on the Eagles without a talent the caliber of Joe Webb to get him the ball.
The way Avant is wasted? Because we ain’t running any sort of complex offense?
Don’t write off the defense so quickly. You say that an offense that doesn’t make mistakes would be able to exploit the secondary, but you are not acknowledging the fact that some of the greatest things the front seven are doing is forcing those mistakes, and the secondary is able to capitalize. I take this secondary over the secondary of last year any day of the week.
That’s true. The play of the DL against Arizona’s OL probably was the chief reason we won against Arizona. My issue is that it’s just not quite that talented–Think about how Carolina’s DL went against NO’s OL. Now, this was misleading because both teams, but especially Carolina were in postseason preseason mode, and wasn’t showing anything nice right now. However, you can still see just how technically good Bree’s protection is. We go up against that, with just Fletcher Cox doing more than playing good (as he’s still the only DL that can really make plays), we are not going to get pressure against Brees without serious LB commitments, which probably will not work.
We need one more top talent either in the front seven or in the secondary.
Watch Brees’ protection against the Jets.
Cox+Curry should be able to get inside pressure against that OL.
The Panthers DL however live by outside pressure by Johnson+Hardy
Maybe, but if an opposing team scores on every drive and then prevents our offense from scoring we’d totally lose that game, yo.
of course Foles is going to come back to earth, who is claiming he will be the highest rated QB every year (granted, by a flawed measuring system)? straw man? all of the comments here are something like “wow, this is a great ride maybe we don’t have to spend a high pick on a QB now. I wonder Foles’ ceiling is.” That is what I read here and I’ve read all the comments since Foles was drafted.
I don’t know how one objectively can say the Eagles would get creamed by every NFC playoff opponent. That just isn’t how football works. There isn’t that much of a gap between most playoff teams. There are a ton of factors that go into who wins. If you ran a computer program the expected outcomes would be much tighter in range than a blow out against us. But it could happen. But if you called a lower probability outcome (like heads 5 times in a row), and it happens that doesn’t even make you smarter than everyone.
Finally, your opinion on the team and Foles is well known. You don’t have to make it more and more outlandish to get page hits or anything. No outcome at all that he could be an adequate NFL starter? None?? There is no outcome that you could be wrong? Clearly you missed your calling unless this is Shanny.
“I’m just asking for what the Bears are getting out of McCown, or what the Texans have gotten out of Schaub”
So, you want less from the QB position?
Wait, never mind we knew that already: Vick.
Wow. A team that was 4-12 last year and is obviously turning things around takes 1st place in their Division, and this is your observation? If a tree falls in the forest and no one is around to hear it, do you still criticize the sound it makes? C’mon, brother, balance in all things.
Care to explain how this passing offense is gimmick?
The stable of this pass offense is Hi-Lo crossers, scissors routes and 4 verticals. Those 3 route combinations is the most basic routes there is in any offensive play book and there is nothing gimmick about them
“Horrific tackling!”
Sounds like the Cowboy’s D.
death, taxes and cowboys choking in Dec.
Nice.
the cowboys do look terrible. The Bears offense doesn’t look that bad, though.
shady might run for 300 against them. their defense is hot garbage.
I don’t know. I’m not sure he’d run for huge yardage, because the Bears will completely sell out on the run in a way they didn’t do against Dallas. It depends on how the score is going, how the Eagles passing game is going, etc. The potential is there for a beatdown, but…you know…any given Sunday.
You’re right about any given Sunday, but the Bears run defense has been awful all season. They can’t stop anyone, regardless of if they sell out against the run or not.
Did they sell out against the run when they played the Vikings?
The Bears defense couldnt stop Tommy chasing a PBR and pudding cup I was dragging on a string through the LOS.
No one could stop that.
Watching the Dallas/Bears game I think we can beat both of these teams in the next 3 weeks.
It is interesting that the announcers keep talking about injuries and how the Dallas defence is bad because of that. But they never mention the lack of quality depth that Jerry puts together. Every year they have depth issues on one of the sides of the ball, and it always gets blamed on injuries. The pack won with what, 11 starters out? Jerry always signs big names (who underperform) to huge contracts and has no money left for depth. Yet he never gets blame except for a few writers (mainly JimmyK). Blows my mind.
Great point.
I don’t know Dallas’ roster all that well. How many defensive starters were actually out to start the game?
0, unless you count Spencer
The Packers won that year with only 17 healthy guys on the team. By the end of the season, they were down to filling the roster with cardboard standees from the local video store.
And I don’t care if it was a cardboard cutout, seeing Angelina Jolie at center was awesome.
Sean Lee out. Uh oh.
you know Rodgers’ shoulder is feeling alot better as he watches this game. Sunday by 8pm, could have 2 game lead.
That’d be nice.
cowboys defense has magical healing powers
I don’t think Rodgers would have anything to fear, even if he wasn’t healthy.
in wheelchair, playing lefthanded…gawd, this is great!
No, that’s NOT NICE! We’re dependent on the playoffs being some nobody like the Lions.
The Packers would be a horrible opponent for us!
what are you complaing about? eagles would only play packers in nfccg at philly. wildcards are sf and caro, gb has zero chance of being wild card.. eagles only get it as division winner 3rd or 4th, best case is 3rd w/ resting starters final week.
Ah, thx
and then,
/me shivers…
I want a NFC North team not GB, please. Dallas miraculously winning a wild card would be nice, too.
DA BEARS!!!!
Wow, I just turned this on…lol
Who wants to bet that ESPN is going to show Tony Romo’s fourth quarter comeback stats?
Cowherd will special guest represent the stats.
How many yards will McCoy get against this Bears defense?
More than 10 less than 300?
Take that to vegas, sir.
If there’s a blizzard that day, maybe 350.
If there’s snow, I want at least one more Celek slide.
Garrett is all like, Fuck it, let’s just get our running backs some stats.
So would you rather play McCown or Cutler? Seems like Cutler is much more mistake-prone…
not sure. but if i’m the Bear’s front office, know which check i prefer writing.
Ideally we’d play them both… a rusty Cutler that gets benched and McCown comes in with a Barkley’esque deficit to overcome.
McCown threw a bunch of near INTs that were dropped tonight and I think Boykin is tired of doing pushups
McCown had 4 dropped/called back ints in the first half alone. Not sure he is more mistake prone, I just think he has shared some of that Nick Foles elixir.
Just hope the secondary can keep their finger in dike and try to run rough shod. Lets fit them for wooden shoes.
More concerned about AP having something to pove for the time being.
First you said you don’t want to catch every break for the Eagles on their way to the playoffs and then you root for the Bears?! How dare you, Tommy!
On that note, Go Bears!!!
Did you make it to the game?
Yes we did! Thankfully we arrived the night before. At the game it was just amazing. I barely could tell where the 50 yard line was. But it was worth it! 🙂
Yeah, that game was pretty hard to top
You caught a classic game.
first place outright, awesome!
woot woot!
First time we’ve truly been in first place with no game in hand. We went from first to second without even playing a game during our bye week. woo hoo…..3 games left and in first place? Last year seems like years ago
“Three games this year where a team did not punt. Two of them were against the Cowboys.”
That is awesome.
The number of times we punted in the first meeting more than makes up for it.
oh the weather outside is frightful, and so are the cowboys in December. i think thats how that song goes.
Do you know the story about how Nero was laughing while Rome was burning? It shows how cruel of a person Nero was. Am I sick fuck for watching this game to the final second to see Dallas getting destroyed even though the game was over for a long time?
(yes I know the story about Nero was made up)
The difference is that was Rome, decent place. No one will fault you for watching the Dallas team burn to the ground. Dallas sucks.
Just came on here myself, but had to watch a little post game …lol…
Nero was laughing because it was December and Romo is always burning this time of year.
anyone following whether Rodgers can play next week?
I am not worried about degree of difficulty or getting help from other teams. Let’s worry about that when we three peat. A big part of why the Pats are in the SB every other year is b/c their division is god awful and the Pats get a bye all the time. Luck is good, don’t act like we have to triple earn everything. I’m not saying I want planes to blow up, but catching breaks here and there is totally part of the game.
Think back to our injuries (1991 Randall), center out for the Rams NFC championship game, we fumble first play they score and we barely lose, the fog bowl (!!! we could have won the SB that year). I am not going to, at any point before we win at least one SB, comment that we need to be tested or earn it more, or that I don’t mind if we don’t make the playoffs because if we didn’t pass some test of beating a specific team we didn’t deserve it.
according to my fantasy news, he’s being medically checked today and then assessed/evaluated tomorrow. should know wed or thurs. I think he practiced in pads 1 day last week, that should continue; at this point it’s more a question of re-injury
pic.twitter.com/AXmMTc59UW
Is anyone else kind of impressed with Josh McCown? He has a strong arm, very accurate, and makes good audibles. Too bad he’s not 10 years younger. He looks really good for a career backup.
I don’t think Chicago should retain Jay Cutler. He’s not a special player, not someone worth paying that much money to. If I had a pool of QBs to choose from I think Cutler would be around the 20th QB I’d pick. Is it a stretch to say that a rookie can come in next year and be more productive than Cutler?
Cutler is still better than McCown. McCown should have been intercepted at least 3 times in this game.