DGR – PS Opener – CHI 34, PHI 28

Posted: August 15th, 2014 | Author: | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | 2 Comments »

I’m sorry this is so late. I had a crazy weekend that limited my ability to study the game and write about it. That spilled over to this week and yada yada yada. So here we are ready for Game #2 and I’m finally done with the review of the opener. Because I’m running so far behind with this, I’m not going to cover the starters very much. They only played part of the 1st Qtr and it was hardly compelling football.

* * * * *

***1st Team***

FOLES – Up and down game. Threw a couple of INTs and made some questionable decisions, but a lot of that was due to sloppy blocking by his OL. They really struggled and Foles did not handle pressure well. He’s trying to avoid sacks this year and ended up forcing the ball into coverage. Not good on his part. There were some plays where he looked good, but the offense could never get into a rhythm and his night ended in the 1st Qtr.

OL – Bad night. The offensive line struggled in a big way on Friday night. I was surprised to see them play so sloppy. And it was “them”…as in the whole line. Actually, Todd Herremans is the one guy who I didn’t see get clearly beat or make a major mistake.

Jason Kelce got driven right back into Foles lap on one play. Evan Mathis had 2 holding penalties. Jason Peters had one holding penalty. Allen Barbre struggled in pass pro on a couple of plays. The line didn’t magically just start to suck. This isn’t about age or talent. They just played poorly. The one thing that stuck out to me with Mathis and Barbre is that they let defenders get into their body. Linemen need to get their hands on defenders quickly to try and control them. The guys were slow to do that and the rushers got the best of them.

KENDRICKS – Had good coverage on a couple of plays. Looked as though he was playing more under control as well. That would be a big step forward for the very talented ILB.

JENKINS – Good game. Brought a physical presence to the secondary. Came up and hit guys in the run game or if they caught passes over the middle. Not a vicious Wes Hopkins type of thumper, but let guys know he was there. Looked like a leader on the field. Brought some energy to the defense.

ALLEN – Blitzed off the edge on 1st Qtr pass and drew a holding call on the RB. Had an INT when pressure forced the QB to loft the ball on a downfield pass. Wasn’t involved in a lot of tackles, but did a good job of coming up aggressively and taking good angles to the ball. Looked more decisive than last year. Encouraging start.

***2nd Team***

SANCHEZ – Good showing. Beautiful seam throw to Ertz for long gain in early 2nd Qtr. Bad decision on 1st/GL. Needed to hand the ball to the RB or run it himself. Throwing out wide was poor choice. Was very good when he got the ball to Ertz. Looked comfortable running the no-huddle offense. Made smart decisions aside from the GL play. Threw the ball well. Hail Mary going into halftime went 68 yards in the air. Injured his shoulder last summer with the Jets so it was good to see him air the ball out like that.

TUCKER – Good and bad. 8 carries for 40 yards and 2 TDs. The first TD showed good effort, toughness. Had to lower his head and grind his way into the end zone. Had a 24-yard run on that drive that helped to get things going. Showed speed on that play. Looked good catching a dump off pass on the right side. Got upfield for a 1st down. His 2nd TD was a quick hitter to the left side. Then he had a bad fumble in 3rd Qtr. Slipped and as he came down, the ball hit the back of an OL’s shoe. The ball came loose and the Bears got it. You never want to fumble when defenders aren’t involved.

ERTZ – 4-60. Loved the way he got open, caught the ball and then got RAC yards. Looked like a veteran. Was smooth. There wasn’t hesitation in his game. Knew what he was doing and looked crisp as he made cuts and moved on the run. Blocking still needs work.

MATTHEWS – Up and down game. Caught short pass in RZ, then got upfield for an extra yard or two. Almost made impressive catch down the right side. CB got a hand on the ball and knocked it loose as they went to the ground. Took a big hit on a crossing route from Adrian Wilson (230-lb SS) and bounced right up. That’s the kind of size and physicality you want over the middle of the field. Caught pass on crossing route on 3rd/4. Was able to stretch and get the 1st down. Failed to catch a ball down the right side from Barkley. The pass was behind him and Matthews made a good adjustment, but he wasn’t able to hold onto the ball. I think it was thrown behind him intentionally, to keep it away from the DBs. Had a bad drop on a short throw to the left side. The ball just went through his hands. Finished 4-14.

HUFF – Only catch came on short, quick throw in 2nd Qtr. Came inside and Sanchez hit him on crossing route. The ball came out as Huff hit the ground. Called fumble initially, then reversed. Very close. Huff needs to hold onto the ball to impress his coaches. Bad luck on some other passes. QB slipped on one and the throw was erratic. Poor throw on another led to an incompletion.

GARDNER – Backup LT. Good game. Really caved in his DL on the 2nd TD run. Got things flowing right and took out his guy, leaving a cutback lane. Poor block on final play of the half. Whiffed on rusher. Good block on screen pass TD. Didn’t leave the LOS. Made sure to block the defender right by him, who would have had a shot at Fluellen. Looked good in pass pro. Moved his feet well and kept his hands active. Was able to engage defenders and adjust to their movments. Didn’t lunge or reach. Looked comfortable. Really surprised to see him look that good.

TOBIN – Backup LG. Played a lot of OT last summer, but is better suited for OG. Good combo block on the first TD run. Very good block on Tucker’s long run to the left side. Combined with Gardner to open a big hole for Fluellen in the mid-3rd. Effective block on screen pass TD. Got upfield and got just enough of defender to let Fluellen get by. Played with confidence and was aggressive. Physical run blocker and effective pass protector.

MOLK – Backup C. Up and down game. Got pushed back by DT on long pass to Ertz. Pulled left and had a good block of LB on Tucker’s long run. Not nearly as athletic as Kelce, but solid. Failed to control the DT on inside run play. Guy stopped Tucker for short gain. Threw a DT to the ground on one pass play. Can anchor when he gets his feet set and locks onto a defender. Excellent block on screen pass TD. Got upfield and took out a defender by cutting him.

KELLY – Backup RG. Not aggressive enough with his hands. Also tends to stop moving his feet laterally when he does engage a rusher. Had some good moments in the run game when he got off the ball quickly and got good push. Didn’t look good enough to impress me, but showed potential.

L JOHNSON – Backup RT. Should have dominated the competition, but didn’t. Needs to play like a starter, even if he’s with the backups for now.

CURRY – Mostly LDE. Explosive, disruptive. Just missed sack on 3rd/long. Screen play, but Curry was so quick he threw off the timing. Bears tried to block him with a WR on a run play. Curry fired upfield and should have had a TFL, but couldn’t get hold of the RB.

ALLEN – Backup NT. Very good showing. Looked strong, powerful. Also showed some agility and athleticism. Drove the C back into the QB on pass play where Palmer almost fumbled. Very good power on that play. Slanted left on a couple of plays. Looked like he was very athletic, but part of that was by design. Loved the way he battled blockers. Showed heavy hands.

BAIR – Very impressive. Quick off the ball. Showed pass rush skill on one play. Also looked comfortable at 2-gapping. Willing to take on blockers and has enough ability to make some plays.

HART – Played some DE and some NT. Had a TFL when he chased down a run from behind. Quick off the ball, then hustled. Chased down a RB and tackled him from behind on a screen pass. Good speed, great hustle.

M SMITH- Solid, but unspectacular. Showed the speed to chase down the ball from the back side. Subtle, but impressive play in the mid-2nd. Lined up in the slot. Jammed and then released the receiver. Took on a TE who came that way to block him. Smith got off the block and tackled the RB on a draw play. Batted down a screen pass in the mid-2nd. Showed real good burst on 3rd Qtr rush, but RT rode him wide.

GRAHAM- Slanted hard to inside, beat LG to hit QB and create INT for Allen. Beat the LT with an inside move and got in the QB’s face.

GOODE – Active game. Around the ball a lot. Got the RB on a draw play, but still gave up 4 yards.

PHILLIPS – Didn’t stand out as good or bad overall. Had some good moments where he looked like a solid run defender. Beaten by TE for TD. Had good coverage, but never played the ball.

* Sack was impressive. Curry got by the RG. Bair drove back the LG. Smith, Graham brought pressure off the edge. Pocket collapsed on QB and Curry had the sack. No escape route.

* Goode, Acho alternated with Matthews and Phillips.

***3rd/4th Team***

BARKLEY – Best throw came over the middle to Casey. Throw had some velocity and was dead on the money. Gain of 24. Solid throw to the sideline for a completion. Poor throw to Matthews on the right side. Ball had nothing on it and DB broke it up. Threw screen pass to Fluellen for TD. Sold the play well. Looked like he made a terrible throw right after the muffed punt recovery. A Safety came down in the box late so I’m guessing Matt wanted to get the ball downfield. Huff went down the left sideline and Barkley tried to get him the ball, but it was underthrown and picked off. It is possible that Huff ran the wrong route or Barkley was trying to throw a back shoulder fade, but it sure appeared to be just a bad throw. Made a good throw to Casey over the middle on 3rd down to move the chains. Slipped in the pocket when he tried to connect with Huff in the early 4th Qtr. I was hoping Barkley would look better since he is in Year #2.

FLUELLEN – Showed better burst than I anticipated. Good run to the left side for 15 yards on his first run. Had a good hole, but didn’t hesitate. Stayed N-S and showed some speed.

GRAF – Easily looked the best of the #3 OL. Played LT. Aggressive run blocker. Limited athlete so pass pro will always be an issue, but used his hands well and got in the right spot to keep his body between the rusher and the QB.

#3 OL – Bamiro needs work. Too grabby. You can’t question his strength, but he doesn’t block well. Most of the #3 OL looked awkward. Hard to tell if that was jitters or if the players just aren’t that smooth.

BURTON – Willing blocker.
KRUGER – Got off sloppy block, then got TFL on run that came his way. Got pressure on QB on botched play where the QB rolled his way. Didn’t show much in the way of physicality. Looked athletic at times. Got some pressure in the mid-3rd, but was unblocked on the play. Had one impressive play where he shed the RT and stuffed a RB.

MAYS – Made one nice play in the 4th when he shed a block and stuffed the RB.

KELIIKIPI – Looked stout at times. Showed the ability to move laterally. Helped himself. Could develop into a NT.

T LONG – Unblocked off the edge. Hit the QB hard and drew a flag. Hit came from ROLB. Looked fine to me, but they may have ruled his right arm hit the QB’s head. Tipped pass in the 3rd Qtr. Long is very likable for many reasons, but he doesn’t have the burst you want in a primary pass rusher.

BRAMAN – Athletic. Showed good burst off the edge. Did a good job of setting the edge on a run to his side. Made a bonehead play when he was called for a facemask penalty late in the game. The RB had nowhere to go. No reason to be grabby. Has some LB potential.

REYNOLDS – Impressed me. Showed good man cover skills when pressing and playing on WR in early 3rd. Helped make a physical tackle of a TE after a short catch. Broke up pass to WR in the end zone. Smart play. Didn’t see the ball, but anticipated it. Came up quickly in run support.

WATKINS – Burned for long TD in the mid-3rd. Failed to get a jam on the receiver, who then went right by Watkins and got open for the huge gainer. Missed tackle of WR on quick throw to the outside. Blitzed from the slot and forced a throw away. Seemed to lose a receiver on a pass play. Let him go, as if he expected another DB there, but looked like JW should have stuck with the guy. Came up with an impressive INT in the 2nd half. Showed good awareness on the play as he read the QB and the route. Got into position and then made a tough catch.

MARAGOS – Good showing. First player to Nate Allen to help him celebrate his INT. Love the energy and enthusiasm he brings. Good tackle vs run. Went under/by pulling OL and took out a RB headed to the outside in the early 3rd Qtr. Had poor angle on long TD in the mid-3rd. Did a really good job when plays were in front of him and he could attack the runner/receiver.

MARSH – Broke up 2-pt conversion pass. Looked good in man coverage. Had a sloppy play in zone coverage where he left a WR all alone and he turned that into a TD. He’s definitely improved.

***STs***

* On a 1st Qtr punt you see Boykin, Maragos and Braman down quickly in coverage. Those are your 3 best STers. Good to see them playing that way.

* Interesting moment late in the 1st Qtr. Josh Huff is tackled after a short KOR. He’s got a whole bunch of Bears on top of him. Maragos runs back and drags him out of the pile. No other Eagle paid attention. This may seem small, but little things like this are how you build a cohesive STs unit where the players have a bond.

* Long KOR. As much as we talked about the lack of good returners in 2013, the blocking was also an issue. Josh Huff had a huge running lane on his long TD run. Just about everyone did their job. Jason Phillips got a piece of the last guy who had a good chance to make the play.

* Arrelious Benn blew up a KOR by taking out a blocker, who then took out the KOR. Tucker did help get in on that tackle.

* Casey Matthews made a good tackle in KO coverage.

* Henery had 2 touchbacks.

* Came up with a FR on a muffed punt. Maragos was first downfield and knocked the ball away from the Bear trying to recover it. Several Eagles went for the ball, but Acho finally got control of it.

GAMEBOOK

Eagles depth chart

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2 Comments on “DGR – PS Opener – CHI 34, PHI 28”

  1. 1 tdilla said at 10:59 PM on August 15th, 2014:

    Tommy’s DGR’s are the highlight of my week.

  2. 2 Raul Estrada said at 1:32 AM on August 18th, 2014:

    Might be a good idea to put up the DGRs around the eve of their next game to kinda give a pre-game show feel and perhaps take the feeling of a deadline burden off you to work on more game film and possibly better consistency on detailed intricacies on X, O, and STs.

    You can still do a mini-DGR right after each game, but keep it simple as to what stood out the most to you from the team’s strengths and weaknesses.