Quick Turnaround
Posted: November 25th, 2014 | Author: Tommy Lawlor | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | 222 Comments »Thursday football games aren’t a great idea. There isn’t enough time for players to fully rest up from the prior game. And coaches don’t have enough time to review the previous game and then prepare for the upcoming opponent. Short weeks are tough.
In theory, the team with the best coaching staff should have an advantage. I would definitely take the Eagles staff over the Cowboys. That said, the Dallas coaches have done a great job this year so this isn’t like some past years when I would have given the Eagles a substantial advantage.
Jason Garrett is 2-2 in Thanksgiving games. But his wins came against a bad Miami team and an awful Oakland team. And Dallas needed comebacks to win both games.
The big challenge for Dallas is getting ready for the Eagles offense on a short week. Dallas has 2 games from last year and that experience is invaluable, but Chip Kelly is doing some things differently this year. And Mark Sanchez is a different QB than Nick Foles was.
Beyond just getting ready for the Eagles, Dallas has the challenge of dealing with the Eagles tempo on a short week. Cowboys defenders were on the field for 74 plays on Sunday night. Then they get 4 nights of sleep and it is right back to the field to face an Eagles team that would love to run 75 plays, and at a lightning fast pace.
We remember JJ Watt looking exhausted a few weeks back. Even the best conditioned athletes in the world can get worn down by the Eagles pace. That could be an issue for a Dallas defensive front that loves to rotate on a regular basis. Compounding the issue is that defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli preaches maximum effort more than any other coach in the league. One of the reasons Dallas has had more success this year is simple effort. Their players go hard every second of every play. Will they wear down?
The Eagles could have another possible advantage…Sports Science. One of the focal points for Kelly is recovery. The Eagles do everything they can to help players quickly bounce back from being worn down by games.This could help the Eagles be physically ready on a short week.
Of course all this talk goes out the window if the Eagles can’t cover Dez Bryant and Jason Witten.
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pivotal game as a win this Thursday makes 12-4 likely for either team and 13-3 very possible for Birds
still gotta play seahawks. this game is just a game, still tough games left.
I’ll take 12-4 and like it. Seattle’s D just turned the corner last week. I’m hoping to see the Seahawks humble that Kaepertrash out in San Fran.
My dream highlight is a Seattle pick of Kaepernitwith by Sherman that happens right in front of Harbaugh. Sheman gets pushed out of bounds and promptly slaps Harbaugh right in his face.
Seattles defense is in TROUBLE!!! legion of boom doesnt matter if they can’t stop anyone from running the ball
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Would love to hear some more Jordan Matthews chirping this turkey day…
“Why you on a knee 99?”
http://www.phillymag.com/birds247/2014/11/07/matthews-watt-knee-99/
Jordan Matthews is quickly becoming one of my favorite players.
Can’t wait to see that little troll Marinelli getting worked up on the sidelines. Its funny when every time the camera pans on him he is cursing and looking pissed.
man whoopin dallas would make for the perfect turkey day… losing would be… a very bad turkey day… for my familys sake birds better win!!! HA!!
Can’t wait to show how flawed dallas is.!
Our OL will dominate that DL, shady should break all sorts of tackles with Justin Durrant out with an injury. Think our Defense has a much better shot at shutting down the run game and getting hits on Romo than the Cowboys defense has of shutting down our run game and getting to Sanchez. Eagles win by 10 34-24
Our media is such trash. Biggest game of the year and the news thinks the most important Eagles news to deliver to its viewers is Riley coopers stupid joke that Maclin said wasn’t funny? That’s the question les bowan wasted his credentials on? It’s pathetic what trash Eagles coverage such a passionate franchise is stuck getting. If u have to try to fabricate team drama to have something to write about this week, u are just a hack
riley probably shouldn’t open his mouth, especially since he’s got a track record. if it was a joke it doesn’t come off that way on print considering his play and that he is losing snaps.
He sucks, and he is bitter about it. I guess it’s Newsworthy because we are talking about. That’s all news is about these days. It would be great if Cooper could not suck and just be a shitty person. Instead he sucks and is a shitty person. He is also not worth his contract when Mac gets resigned, and JMatt passes him on the depth chart.
Riley was pretty dumb for what he said.. Poor dude has terrible luck with the media.
he makes his own luck
Its not terrible luck. Last time he got caught saying something at a concert with hundreds of cameras around and thousands of people with their cell cameras on. This time he said it right to a media member. How is that bad luck? That is just being plain stupid.
Bad luck as in he’s always making himself look dumb and the media blows it up more than it needs to be BECAUSE of what happened last year at that concert. He can’t be approached with questions without saying something stupid and therefore, it results in the media making a story out of it.
Rather than focusing on what is sure to be our most important matchup to date, the topic on the Eagles this week is the statements made by Riley Cooper, who the hell cares? Like I said, bad luck. Add in his* stupidity if you must, it doesn’t change the fact it’s just bad luck.
Any other player on any other team, in the same situation, says the same thing, and the reaction is the same. You should hear the things they are covering in Washington…
Again none of that is bad luck. Of course media is going to blow something up. Thats what they do, thats a fact.
How can you read that crap? Less Les is best Les.
Holy moly.. Colt McCoy starting at QB for ‘skins this week.
should have done it weeks ago, skins might have won a couple of games.
Wait, do you actually think Colt McCoy would have won against Tampa or San Fran? Remember, a Colt McCoy led offense has led to 27 points or more exactly *once* in his career, against a moribound QB-free Indy squad. He got dropped from squads for very good reasons.
Please. Cousins was going to be the saviour to right?
#upgrage
While I believe that our run defense will prevent Murray from running all over us, I am having terrible nightmares about the B.Fletcher-D.Bryant match-up.
That was also bad last year. I don’t see how Dallas is any better than the team we dispatched on the way to the division title last season.
Improved defense (they went from historically terrible to below average), and stronger OL. They are a better team.
And so are we. The improvement in the D is only a result of Murray running the ball well enough to reduce the aggregate number of plays ‘Allas is on the field to efend the other team’s O.
Stop the run on Dallas and watch us carve up their efenders like Halloween pumpkins.
I can live with it if Dez Bryant roasts us, but if old ass Jason Witten beats us I will be pissed the hell off.
yeah TE game is going to be rough.
Look for him to have around 50 yards receiving and a short yardage TD. He isnt the same Witten of old. He may have his moments, but i doubt he will kill us.
Well stated!
Was just reading an article on PFT about how Griffen is done in Washington. The article continues on to say the Redskins are going to have to trade him because if they cut him outright Kelly is most likely to pick him up to make Washington look bad. Absolutely the most ridiculous and out of left feild article i have read in ahwile. Its a shame it was written by someone that is supposed to be a profesional and that NBC sports would let something like that be posted on their site. Articles like that are what make supposed credible sites uncredible.
didn’t you know, Kelly needs a running QB to make his offense work
**sarcasm**
Obviously it’s speculation but not that crazy. I do think Kelly could have some interest.
However wouldn’t he be subject to waivers?
He’s still under contract through next year, with an option for one more year, it’s pretty much trade or nothing.
*If* the Skins wanted to (a big if) they could release or trade him without a huge cap hit.
That changes a little if they pick up the option, but if they don’t pick up the option they lose leverage in a trade.
That’s why the article makes no sense to begin with. He would be subject to waivers if cut, so even if he was cut he would never make it through to the eagles, and despite RGIII flaws some team will undoubtedly be willing to part with a day 3 pick.
The only angle that makes sense is the Redskins are terrified of the prospect that he goes to Philly and revives his career. Think of how bad people were freaking out about Djax coming back to bite us, and then realize that he was supposed to be the savior of that franchise, that cripled 3 drafts for them, and how frustrating it would be if they gave up on him only for him to kick their ass twice a year.
That being said I say no thank you.
If Redskins think RG3’s career can be salvage, they should fire Gruden and hire a coach who can do it.
smarter yes.
I would think under Chip we would be more in the market for a 5-7 mil QB not a 15mil plus dude. like that LSU giant kid we faced last week
They will get someone for a trade, around a 3-4th round pick. And honestly, as much as I hate the “Chip needs a running QB” mantra, the scenario is not that crazy. RGIII knew how to pass really well his first year: he was doing mainly all passes, and knew how to stay in the pocket and plant his feet. He lost his mechanics, but one can hope it’s not definitely lost. As a bonus, he was a great option QB, and Chip showed he knew how to do that in the NFL with Vick and even Foles.
The issue for the Eagles would be to deal with Foles, Sanchez and RGIII. But if Sanchez leaves in FA, RGIII competing vs Foles can at least be interesting (as much as I loved Foles coming into this season).
In his first year RG3 didn’t throw the ball very often. He attempted 393 passes, tied for 25th in the league. No full year starter attempted fewer passes. Also the Shanahan passing offense was based off of bootlegs.
The two biggest issues with RG3 are his personality, and how fragile he is. I don’t care how talented he is I’m not interested in having him on the Eagles.
I don’t know if any person can survive in a Redskins environment with the pressure from such a big trade. About the personnality, I’m surprised, he was thought as a “very good guy/leader” when he was in the draft process. I think he’ll be fine in a “normal” environment.
About the number of passes: yes he didn’t attempt a lot of passes, but we don’t have to ask a QB to send 50 passes per game to be good, especially when you can win by running. But the ones he attempted were good. Bootlegs yes, but not only. We’re talking about a 102.4 passer rating with 8.1 average yards/pass.
I agree with his fragility. It’s why the cost would be acceptable.
Can’t see him making the throws to make a team go at pro level. Like vince young there is a small bubble of throws he sees in front of him. Defenses get used to being easy on the sideline throws. Then have lb ss drifting in the middle, stay in lanes and poof. Your team is 6 and 10. Nah. t
RG3 is subject to waivers according to current win%, so I bet you the Jets, Bucs, Titans, Texans etc. would claim him first
Jump balls to dez worry me. I think opposing teams have known for a while that Fletcher and Williams don’t turn to see the ball. Worst that can happen is an incompletion. Romo is accurate enough to put it in a better position for wr than db.
Eagles will be focusing on run, romo might just throw deep ball after deep ball. Eagles front 7 pressure on QB is really streaky and gets their sacks on bad OL and not much on good OL.
For us to win obviously Sanchez has to play at minimum decent, but i think the biggest thing is that Davis comes up with a very good and creative plan to pressure Romo. With to much time he will eat Williams and Fletch up. The best defensive games we have had is when Davis gets creative with his rushing schemes.
More pressure means vulnerability to runs.
No, but it surely means more vulnerability to deep pass plays.
That is why you just dont blitz with reckless abandon. However, if you can determine a specific run is about to happen you can use a blitz to defeat it. We are a very good run stopping team, part of that is blitzing at the right moments.
We already can’t cover Dez and we know that from last year. And Jenkins doesn’t miss that tackle on Dez that Chung did last year in the season finale game.
I hope we employ the Seattle D philosophy from last year. Hold, push, grab. Take the 5 yard penalties and hope that the refs don’t throw a flag on every play.
They’ll kill eagles if they have 2nd and five all game.
Life was so much simpler when we had a defense that would slam opposing QBs into the turf…
RIP Jim Johnson. May you somehow give your blessings to Billy Davis and Marcus Smith this Thursday.
This year we are on the way to 56 sacks, the same amount the 2002 defense had (best defense under Jim Johnson)
Projections mean nothing with this team. Way too inconsistent and the defense is more often on the field than our past defenses.
That defense also allowed less than 300 yards and 15.1 points pr. game.
If the 2014 defense from this point out never allows another score, their ppt allowed will be 17.2…
We have a shitty defense. Yes, they might be on the field a lot due to our offensive scheme(but only 5th in the NFL). Yes, they might have some good stats somewhere(We’re actually top 10 against the run, despite people trying to run on us). But trying to argue that we have a good defense is comical. They’re not, and they dont have to. All they need to be is momentarily great, because we’re an offensive team. Sacks and turnovers and defensive scores and RZ defense are a good way to be momentarily great, but lets be honest. We can’t count on our defense like the Lions and the Cards have been doing so far this season. And we dont need to, we just need them to step up at some of the critical moments. And I will say, they have done a good job of doing that so far.
Consider the original comment was only about slamming QBs into the turf, only thing relevant is sacks.
I know this defense is nothing close to anything under Jim Johnson, but we are right up there in the sack numbers
It’s not just sacks. It’s hitting the quarterback hard, whether it’s a sack or otherwise. Trying to get into his head that way.
I’m not sure the Eagles are taught to hit like that. They are taught(I think) to make the sure, technically correct, tackle/sack.
Which is fine for most players on a team. But you need one or two guys who can do more than that. The kind of guys that opposing quarterbacks can’t help but think about.
I hear ya. I almost think if they change one player(cough, Nate Allen) to a harder hitter, that’ll do wonders. Nobody fears Allen.
Like Jaykwon Jaret???
I love seeing Cox slamming into qbs. That was not meant to be dirty….
I don’t consider our defense shitty. They are fairly effective. What they are not is, in any way, intimidating. There is no one on our defense that any other team feels they need to game plan for. And no one who consistently hits people especially hard.
They’re not shitty. We’re in 2014, not 2004, and the rules in the game have changed what is even possible with D. They’re anywhere from good to average based on advanced stats. The offensive is anywhere from bad to mediocre based on advanced stats.
My favorite coach in the history of Philly sports, RIP JJ
You know who’s not going to have a quick turnaround?
The Deadskins. Who are about to find out why Colt McCoy isn’t a good starter. Er Mah Gahd.
But then again, we’ll just watch Jay Gruden flounder the rest of the way. And probably fired.
At least he’s not going to let RGKnee cause any further damage to his tenure as coach.
Nah, he is riding Colt McCoy to glory right?
Nope, just putting in the player that gives his team the best chance to win right now until he can actually bring in a QB who has some promise.
There is no reason to play RGKnee if he’s going out the door anyway. RG3-10 was never Gruden’s guy, doesn’t know how to play NFL football, and was/is Shanny’s / Allen’s problem.
Gruden will get a real passer in there next year and start building that team properly.
The thing is, there is in no world where Colt McCoy is EVER the best fit of any offense.
If so, that HC/OC does not deserve to coach in the NFL anymore
Boy I want RG3 to end up an Eagle just to see you whine about it 24/7.
lol
It isn’t whining if I’m looking out for the best interest of the team by keeping a horrible football player with a style that doesn’t belong in the NFL out of town. I’m just looking out for everybody.
Uh huh. That’s it.
Who wants to see the game of football reduced to garbage by running QBs?
You’re just going to be grumpy then ’cause “running qbs” are the only ones coming from the College ranks these days.
And the NFC playoff picture was full of them last year. And a “running” Qb won the Superbowl last year. So yeah. Football is ruined. RUINED!!!!!
A few things:
– Wilson ran 3 times for 26 yards in the Super Bowl-
– Wilson is a runner of last resort, he goes through all of his reads and then can run if needed; much like Steve Young or Aaron Rodgers
– Go read some of Greg Cosell’s work on Kaepernitwit, RGKnee, Scam Newton, and/or Johnny Drunkball to get what I’m talking about with poor play. You don’t need to take my word for things because an actual expert has them broken down so well.
Sigh.
Wilson has: 644 yards on the ground this year
He had: 539 yards on the ground last year.
He makes more plays OUT of the pocket than anyone in the league.
Please stop.
You’re so sanctimonious that you “assume” someone doesn’t read or know something b/c they don’t agree with you.
You know what matters Wins and Losses and Championships. You know who’s been in the last two NFC Championship games and Superbowl?
Yeah.
But keep with your theory. Like I said, history isn’t on your side. The change is already made based on how the college ranks choose their QBs.
All that’s left is the screaming and crying.
The last time the Eagles focused on shutting down the run of a balanced offense, they didn’t shut down the QB. I imagine the Boys have studied the Packers tape for clues in case we come out in single high safety looks early.
the good news is Dallas ain’t Green Bay and Romo ain’t Rodgers. Still, they have an offense and that gives them a punchers chance against anyone.
And Williams / Beasley, etc. aren’t Cobb, Adams, etc.
You’re 100% that Romo isn’t Rodgers either. Romo isn’t going to be able to walk up to the LOS, call out a play, and find the open guy with anywhere near the level of ease.
The Eagles trainers also had dudes in the wrong footwear for most of the game. Field conditions won’t be an issue for us in Dallas.
I don’t think it matters who the wr’s are as the Eagles have a hard time shutting down any of them.
This article made me feel really confident about Thursday, until I read the last sentence…
I hope we beat dallas .. going to be some game right guys
I read Jery Jones said Cowboys spent some time during their bye week prepping for this Eagles game.
The coaches may have, but the players are off for several days during the bye as required by the CBA, so they aren’t practicing during that time.
I was mentioning it as amusement (we are in their heads?) rather than being afraid of their extra time.
Chip did the same thing
Gotta get out of here for awhile so I can get back before it starts snowing too much.
Articles say Dallas is terrible vs. the TE. Would the Eagles game plan more for their TE or is JM too much of security for Sanchez? Rightfully so, we should see a ton of Shady. I wouldn’t mind seeing more involvement of our TE’s.
…….
It doesn’t matter if Dallas spent time prepping for the Eagles during their by week. Maybe they benefit with practicing some new offensive twists to their existing plays but there’s not way the defense can prepare during the bye week, play the Giants and immediately fall back to what they practiced.
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“experts” are all of the place about predicting the winner of this game. I just do think Dallas is prepared for this Eagle team that’s about to show up. Maybe in two weeks they’ll be better prepared but not tomorrow. Eagles 38 – Dallas 28
funny people call jmatt sanchez’s security but mac got a similar number of targets from foles. a guy like aj green is a security blanket but no one ever says that about dalton, or brown for the steelers, etc.
when backups practice with 2nd units and the qb and wr/te move to starting units, there’s a comradery. Happens all the time. Wouldn’t be called for that AJ and Dalton etc etc as they are were always the starters…
If we can get our running game going and stop theirs I think we have a good chance. That is my expert and in depth analysis.
I HOPE we beat the Cowboys !!
I dont see us beating Dallas this time. O line is too good and they will shred our corners. Hate to say it, but Dallas 31, Eagles 24.
If we only score 24 points against that defense I’m gonna be surprised to say the least. Their pass d is just as bad as ours.
Their game plan should be to keep it on the ground, shorten the game, get a couple cheap scores with Dez on the CBs. Muck things up so Sachez screws up. That being said, we’re at home and I think we have a slight advantage in this one.
The thanksgiving games are in Dallas right? We play at home next time.
Jeez, you’re right, what was I thinking? I’m, ah, going to have to change my prediction. Just hope Sanchez doesn’t bust out the air guitar, eh?
Dallas is one of the worst home teams in the NFL but they are the only team thats undefeated on the road
Can win same as the 49’ers did. Just get up on them a score or two.
Didn’t Giants do that?
I think the game can go wither way. No team has a true advantage going in.
Bennie Logan and Fletcher Cox already explained that the line in Dallas sucks.
Sanchez always has unforgettable games on Thanksgiving. What could go wrong?
The two year anniversary of the Butt Fumble!
Wow, I thought that was at least 3 years ago. Amazing how quickly that became a timeless classic.
Lol indeed
I think butt fumble was on Thanksgiving?
Yes it was.
This year it’ll be the Butt Recovery.
Kelce falls backwards onto a botched snap, the ball gets stuck between his cheeks, Sanchez plucks it out and throws it 60 yards to Matthews for a TD.
Seems to me that playing Colt McCoy over RGIII is a pretty good way to tank a season that’s already over, regardless of the organization’s feelings on Griffin. Even if they’ve already 100% decided that Griffin is done in Washington, they can’t honestly believe that McCoy or Cousins gives them a better chance to win…? And why would they want to win at this point anyway?
As far as where RGIII ends up, I think the team that makes for the most ironic story line would be the Rams. Washington would have given up 3 firsts and a second, and then the player that they actually traded for.
I hope Ficsher is smarter than that but then again, where else does he have to look? What ever happened to Austin Davis? I saw that Hills has been starting.
Davis got benched a couple of weeks ago because Hill came back from an injury I believe..
Hmmmm, I thought Davis was doing well. Maybe that was just against us lol
He was really solid at one point, was even leading the league in completion percentage.. It had to have been his inconsistency.
yeah blew that cardinals game with 3 picks in the 4th quarter and that was the end of that. fischer was playing for his job a bit, but they’re competitive — like they should be just started out to slow to do anything this year.
It’s Griffins play more than anything. He’s still a work in progress as a passer, and Grudens offense is doing him no favors; couple that with his lack of mobility these days, which was a huge reason he had a such a great rookie year, and it’s not hard to see why he’s fallen.
I dunno…have you seen RGIII play the last few weeks….ugly, man…real ugly.
makes you respect mark sanchez. guy has the butt fumble, but didn’t let that ruin him.
That’s not really true. WAS has been an efficient team with both Kirk Cousins and Colt McCoy. Their stats look like a team that is much better than a 3-8 record.
RG3 is simply awful out there.
Will DeSean have to wait until next year to get his 10 back? #burningquestions
Looks like it.
Over/under for targets against Fletcher on Thursday? My guess is 12-30.
At least 15 targets.
30…haha. Honestly though that sounds about right.
does it mean sconce is a shut down corner if no one throws at him?
Pfffft who needs to throw to the other side when you have like a 90% completion rate against Fletcher.
Covering Dez and Whitten: so how is this done? Do you simply place Kendricks and Bars in on Whitten? Or more Barwin and let Kendricks blitz the he’ll out of Romo? For Dez it’s obvious we need to double team him but we don’t usually do that do we….. Whatever the case I am confident in our d-line so maybe that frees up some bodies in coverage. If you take away Murray, how many weapons do they have left? Dez, Whitten and….. Williams? I would love to see our secondary nab some tasty ints this week!
Wittenberg is great, but he’s hardly scary anymore. He’ll catch his 6-10 balls for 70 yards, but he won’t kill you. Williams is talented but inconsistent, just need to avoid the random big play which is a big concern with our defense. My big concern is Dez in the slot vs a hobbled/short Boykin or a not talented enough Jenkins and Cole Beasley vs our LBs…he will eat them alive with his short area quickness.
We’ve said that about Whitten before. I really hope we double Dez but he is a great receiver and is gonna get his catches. If Beasley does anything against us I’ll be pissed. He is so annoying lol. I wish we still had Meco to flatten him on a crossing route.
witten can kill if the game goes that way. he just hasn’t had to b/c people can’t even stop murray let alone dez. they have legit all pros at each skill position.
True, but being killed by Witten is death by paper cuts. He’s a true all-pro, but at this stage in his career, he’s the least of my worries on that team. IMHO I’m much more concerned with the big plays and quick scores, because that plus an effective run game is what Dallas will need to keep up with our offense.
Biggest key is to slow down that running game and setting the edge up front, we’ve done good against the Stretch run this year by Washington and Arizona. Hopefully we have an advantage there.
do you gamble with the casino blitz like washington??
Biggest advantage for the birds this Thursday is their tempo. Dallas reportedly got off the plane from their return flight from NY at 5am Monday morning. So while the Eagles were getting 10 hrs of sleep Sunday night and getting their recovery started Monday morning the Cowgirls were just getting to sleep as the sun was coming up. It’s hard enough to play the Eagles up tempo on a full weeks rest and preparation. Trying to keep up with us on 2.5 days of prep, with a suspect defense that’s been conditioned all year to expect their offense to keep them off the field, while giving maximum effort with no substitutions in a game where you’re maximally amped up at kick off should damn near impossible.
If we can slow their run game down, and I think our 2gap 3-4 is ideally schemed to stop their stretch run plays, and our offense can avoid multiple 3 and outs to start the game, their defense is going to be sucking wind by the 4th quarter when that initial adrenaline surge from the beginning of the game wears off.
it’s gonna come down to the pickle juice
I’d need to see a doctor if we destroy the Cowboys like we did in that game because my erection will most certainly last more than 4 hours.
Good stuff mate….
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Put it to you this way….After seeing the Titans game, I’m really really confident in the Eagles this week. And I know the initial reaction is who cares that we beat the Titans? That’s not the point. Titans game was the first time I looked at Kelce and Mathis and thought, OK the Rust is completely gone, the best Center and the best left Guard in football are back!…. You watch them in Green Bay, and against Carolina, and you weren’t seeing the players we are accustomed to seeing…but you knew it was only a matter of times til they got back in the swing of things, you just don’t know exactly which week it would be..and then the Titans game, put the film on and it’s pretty easy to see that mathis is back to his caveman ways….
…
I know the Titans suck, I know they had like the worst ranked run defense… But believe it or not. Tne Dallas Cowboys defense doesn’t have a single player as good as Jurell Casey! Not one cowboy defender is even close to Derrick Morgan’s level, let alone Jurrell’s. This is an pver rated dallas defense, and now that Justin Durrant is done for the season, this defense is going to nose dive the rest of this season. The stats, percentages aren’t even better than last years pathetic unit…. The only difference between last years defense and this years defense is Time spent on the field…. Up til now, Cowboys offense and run game has done a great job hide and protecting their defense… But it’s approaching that time of year where everything gets exposed.
…
The mathis and Kelce I saw last week, with the shady I saw last week, is capable of carving this dallas defense up! Cowboys have NFL players too, Demarco is legit, their OL is as good as they say when it comes to run blocking, so we aren’t going to completely shut down their run, but I’d bet we can slow down that run game much much much more than they can slow our run game down…
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look what one of our busts did now: http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2014/11/26/josh-huff-named-nfc-special-teams-player-of-the-week/
why so quiet here?
I’m going to raise another topic from the dead. How much is too much for Maclin? He clearly isn’t putting up the same numbers without Foles. He has been consistent at getting to 900 yards for his entire career so this is clearly his breakout year. Firing his agent may or may not have been good for us but this is a top heavy FA WR class if the Thomas/Dez doesn’t get franchised.
Who is available that might realistically have the opportunity to walk? I’d offer mac ok money more than coop less than djax and just say look at eric decker, do you want to be that?
I’d then trade a 5th for vjax. Coop would hit the bench. Maehl would be gone. Rotation of Mac / Vjax / Huff on outside and Huff / Matthews on inside along with the TEs.
The last time I checked, those two teams don’t really have a ton of cap space. They’ll have to cut people and hope that they’ll take a hometown discount.
denver will cut people. dallas will cut people for sure, those guys are too important. i mean riley cooper is getting paid $5m. I’d throw him into the vjax trade.
Realistically, I would have 0 problems with that if those two guys aren’t available.
No more than 10 million.
SEA game could be ugly, scared ot see us play against good DBs. I partially blame our bad DBs sanchez probably never throws a pick in practice.
just read a story where jerry jones said he likes rgiii. could there be a world where jerry takes rgiii just to keep him from us? would that be almost as good as him taking manziel?
;
I know fans would prefer players say nothing leading up to the game, but I’m actually really liking what I hear from our young defensive lineman..
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Cedrick, Bennie Logan, amd Cox all seem sick and tired of the media telling them about the great dallas OL… Cox was right, same exact line as last year plus a rookie guard. Media keeps talking about how great the dallas OL is, and I’m pleased to hear our defenders starting to get pissed off, like we have a pretty awesome Dline ourselves, and they are going to have to try to Block us!!!! I LIKE THAT! Evolution of a young defense, that DL has grown up, and now that they feel like they can play with anyone, they are going to go hunting for some respect.
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Feel like they went into the GB game praising Rogers and the packers all week, talking about what a test it was, amd they arent going to make the same mistake this week feeling like they have to respect anyone going into this game.
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Our Front 7 is going to be one of the MVPs of this game
not hard given the state of the dbs. i really prefer saying nothing, even though it’s not trash talking the person that talks the most pre-game usually looses.
considering there is still a bunch of offensive playersl,and special teams and an opponent with 53 NFL players. Winning the MVP for our DL isnt as easy as you make it out to be, Tyrone Smith is a damn good player
Crazy how yesterday I posted about having a dream that Marcus Smith got a key interception… Riding in my car about an hour ago, Rob Ellis talked about this dream he had last night that Macus Smith got a key interception that helped us beat the Cowboys……Premonition? LOL
or. . He is among us and read your dream then stole it 🙂
Swagger-jacked my dream? How dare he? I own the iIntellectal rights to my dream, I’m suing!!!!
We all know that once DECEMBER and January roll around, who can run the ball, and who can shut down opponents run game becomes CRUCIAL! Run game is one of the most important components of cold weather football/playoff football…. Looking at the NFC race, all the teams injuries, the players coming back from Injury… Which teams can run the battle when it matters most? Which Defenses can slow down elite run games?
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NFC Championship Game: San Francisco 49ers @ Philadelphia Eagles….
I’m amazed that mccoy is 4th in rushing after how bad it’s looked at many points in the season.
If he finishes with like 1200 behind the jerry springer dysfunctional mess of an OL… It may be more impressive than last years Glorious record setting year
I think it already is, 8-3 behind a patchwork line most of the season is nothing short of impressive.
SF is going into GB and winning?
They did it last year didnt they? Or was it the year before?
They did it twice last year, but to be fair, week 1 and the wc won’t be the situation this year. Rodgers just got back from injury and he wasn’t the Rodgers we are seeing now.
This could change this week since NE is playing there. Right now these are the two hottest teams in the NFL. Maybe Belichik shows us how to do it.
What year did Kapernick go into green bay, run all over the place and beat them in the playoffs? Wasn’t it last year? I swear it was, THATS why packers were pissed they couldn’t draft LB Shazier to run with Kapernick, and why I’m now worried about GB stealing Erik Kendricks from us in the next draft……or am I completely confused? Lol
Yeah, the WC. But Rodgers was only back for 2 weeks at that point. That’s why I’m saying all things being even, them going to GB this year in the divisional round is going to be a tough go for them.
2 years ago. same year they lost to the Ravens in the SB.
I was going to ask who had the higher level OL, the Eagles last year that set historic franchise records or the Cowboys OL this year that everyone is praising, but that’s not even debateable. Our OL last year was a much better pass blocking line then this year Cowboys line with pigeons Free and Leary..
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so I ask, which Line operated at a higher Level Shady McCoy behind his OL last year, or Demarco Murray and the Dallas OL this year, which was the more potent of the two high caliber attacks?
I also got to thinking, what would happen if I wanted to build the best OL possible using playërs from both the Cowboys and Eagles, which players would I use? Yes I know, what offense would we run comes into the equation, but just keep it simple and humor me
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the Easy part is the tackles. Stick Jason Peters on one side and Tyrone Smit on the other, problem solved..
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RG I would have to chose cowboy rookie Zack Martin over Tobin,Herremans and Garner
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Center, Cowboys have a promising second year center who can play, but I would literally take Kelce over any center in the NFL,
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I don’t even have the words to express just how much better of a football player Evan Mathis is than Ronald Leady!
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So my Frankenstein OL would be:
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J. Peters, Z. Martin, J. Kelce, E. Mathis, T. Smith
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Would anyone disagree and build a different line?
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Find it funny how much respect this cowboy OL gets when only two of their 5 players could probably start for us(when we are healthy of course)
J. Peters, E. Mathis. J Kelce, L. Johnson, T. Smith
I didn’t think of that, but you could be right. I like that!
lanes athleticism pulling from the guard position is bad ass…
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So in your eyes, the big bad dallas OL has 1 player who could start on our OL when healthy…
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Curious to see if there is anyone who will take their center over Kelce… There is no way Doug Free or Ronald Leary could ever start over our boys
Yeah i’ll stick with Kelce at C dont think there is any C who could match his athleticism.. Keep Mathis at his natural LG spot.. So 4/5 guys Eagles n 1 Cowgirl i would go with.. Any QB or RB should thrive behind this OL.. Kinda gives you an insight on what position on the OL needs an upgrade too i think
Absolutely…. Also gives you some insight on this dallas OL not being this unbeatable Juggernait the media is making them out to be.
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They are quality run bloclers, but you can’t tell me a line tha only 1 or 2 players at the most could start on our lin, is this big bad line that we should be ashamed of..,
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I’ll admit Dallas has a quality 2nd year center, but I bet my quality 2nd year bennie Logan is going to SMASH,him tomorrow
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zack Martin is a good looking rookie for sure. He is legit. But he is still a rookie, and any rookie who finds cedrick Thornton lined up in front of them won’t be dominant ing the football game. Cedrick isnt a physical freak of nature, what makes him so good is he is a technician. A veteran Technician will win his share of battles against any rookie guard
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And Last but not least, my favorite matchups of the game. fletcher “King” COX vs. Ronald Leary LOL. Fletcher Cox is going to completely dominate this dude. It’s not even going to be close. They better consistent,y help out Leary because he will not be able to stop Fletcher Cox… Fletcher is going to dominate his man, and like this entire season, he probably won’t get the sack, but Cox’s DOMINATION of Leary tomorrow is what’s going to open everything up for Barwin, COle and the rest Of our defense to smash Romo and Murray behind the line of scrimmage…
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Cox vs. Ronald Leary is the biggest individual 1 on 1 mismatch in the entire game!
that’s hard to tell if you’re going by yards then you have a pretty clear answer. But pass blocking?? Did you see the skins game? terrible.
I said…. Shady and the Eagles OL last year, or Demarco Murray and the cowboy OL this year…
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Which has the better RUSHIÑG attack!?!?
and i said if you’re going by yards it’s pretty clear. Demarco’s got 500 more yds and they’ve played Seattle (pretty good at stopping the run). Plus he broke Jim Brown’s record of consecutive games with 100 yds, how is it even close?
I’m Thankful for Jay Gruden benching Bob Smith, put this Giant smile on my face!!!!! Forget the talent, he is ,missing that “leadership” “winner” gene, on top of all his Charecter flaws that will keep him from ever being a good enough QB and leader of men to play the position at the NFL level, he is fragile,His body has already taken a beating…..,..and if all that wasn’t enough, he doesn’t have the work ethic to be successful playing THAT position on THIS level. Reminds me a lot of VICK,lack of work ethic before he went To prison….Once Andy Reid showed him the light, Vick always talked about how he regretted not putting in the work earlier in his career…. thats the impression I ger.
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I wouldn’t want Shannahan or Jay Gruden coaching my Eagles, I don’t know if they can be good head coaches today, but I know that they have been around the game a long time, and have gotten up close looks at what elite NFL QBs look like, and so far, BOB Griff is 0-2. Both NFL coaches who have gotten to work with him, want nothing to do with him. Colt McCoy is STARTING This week! Just wrap your brain around that for a second. All the draft picks they spent to get him, multiple years of not having a first round pick in the draft to get this kid. Think of all the time he has missed due to injury. Skins fans have patiently waited thru all his injuries and all the games he missed, waiting for their Messiah….lol and the kid is actually healthy which is a rare occasion and in late November against the gReat ANDREW Luck, the kid drafted 1 spot ahead of him.. This is supposed to be the showdown of the Great Luck vs, the great Bob griffin, who many said should have been drafted ahead of luck……but Instead, the coach feels more comfortable going into this game,with Colt friggin McCoy, sitting a healthy Bob Griffin on the bench against ANDREW luck and the colts of all teams? Hahahah how Embarressing… What’s funny is imagine how much trouble jay Gruden had to go thru to bench him. You know he had to clear benching Bob Griffin the third with his butt buddy Dan Snyder and the GM…..Jay Gruden was THAT passionate about benching Bob and going with colt friggin McCoy
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This is like my pumpkin pie, and the Eagles whipping on dallas tomorrow is my turkey….what a great thanksgiving holiday this will be
Would you be opposed if RG3 came to the Eagles?
why would anyone want him as an eagle?
he sucks.
and he gets hurt all the time.
i’d honestly take Colt Mcoy before him. colt doesn’t look too bad at all.
I wouldn’t be opposed to the idea.. See if this team n coaching n turn him into something he was thought out to be.. Don’t like his character though comes off as too cocky or privileged or something.. Some humble pie n culture change with a organized franchise might do him good.. If he could be had for a late round pick or cheap then why not? Hurt all the time i hear ya but the same could be said about Foles with him being injured quite in the last couple years
RGIII is at least 2 years behind Foles in developing proper pocket mechanics, most likely infinitely behind him. I put the odds of him developing into an average pocket passer somewhere just short of the odds Foles develops into an elite running threat.
As a third, developmental QB who isn’t expected to do anything but hold a clipboard for at least 2 years? Sure. Doubt that his marketing team would ever accept that.
I see no reason for it… As a QB he has fatal Charecter flaws that will limit you at That position…and he is fragile as it gets,
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I’d honestly rather have Terrell Pryor. RG3 is that screwed up as a passer. It’s not like we can say Robert is a few steps ahead of where Pryor is as a passer, both need to be completely broken down and rebuild as passers, so why not go with Pryor? Bigger, better athlete, better character…and we can always try to transition him to another position.
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I just don’t see what could possibly entice chip to bring RG3 to the Eagles…I can’t say I would be so against it, because I just don’t care THAT much about the 3rd string QB, but I will say that it would really really surprise me, if it were to happen while chip is still here
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I would love to see us sign pryor and have him shadow Brad smith for an offseason…If pryor is smart. He wIll ditch his ego and realize that he can carve out a nice career for himself with that package of size, speed, athleticism if he goes the Brad Smith route, transition to:
Quality Special team player
BIG 6’5 WR
Gadget play QB
Emergency QB on Gameday for a coach like chip that only dresses two QBs
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and supposedly Pryor said he was willing to play another position,.. Hope to see us snatch him up, and spend the offseason developing him. Heck just with his size and strength, if we were to teach him how to block, he could replace Cooper for us, get rid of his stupid mouth amd have a big blockimg WR who is much cheaper than the 4mil we owe riley next year
the eagles should play well tomorrow but we aren’t so great on the road this year.
I really didn’t think we would beat the cowgirls last year to win the division, but we pulled it off, thanks to some timely play by the defense.
This year we have no Chung to account for only Allen, and Casey.
it will be tough because we know we got by last year on the back up QB not Romo. Not that Romo is great but he is playing better this year thanks to the run game. we know what has to happen, chip and Billy know, its just a matter of will it happen? will the cowgirls try to outsmart themselves and pass a lot? should they? why not our pas d isn’t very good and our run d is.
can we gasz there Defense? as bad as they were last year, they played us well didn’t they?
division games anything can happen
Lucky for you the Cowboys are horrible at home, but they happen to be the only undefeated team on the road…
well I guess that cancels itself out then since we aren’t good on the road and they aren’t good at home.
I expect us to beat them at home though.
man if we could sweep these A-holes that would be sweet.
To answer all your question: yes.
Yes I would give up a III for RG.
but he stinks so why?
So did Curtis Marsh and Bryan Smith.
With the talent he has it’s worth the gamble. Let’s see what Chip can do with him.
I’m on the fence. On the one hand I agree with you that he’s got a ton of talent. Unlike Vick, he can fix these issues way earlier in his career.
On the other hand, he is not a locker room guy and from the media down here, seems to be very focused on just him.
If we can fix the latter issues, I’m down. If not, I’m staying away.
I don’t get it.
the guy is injured more often then not and we want him so he can run the read option?
whaaat?
I think a lot of it is coaching.
I would be absolutely SHOCKED if chip wanted anything to do with Bob Griffin….it would really surprise me
Me too, but I was surprised when they went after Sanchez. The one thing I will say about Chip is that he thinks outside of the box.
Sanchez didn’t have the Charecter flaws, that I doubt Robert can ever overcome to be a Super Bowl winning QB
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I always thought there was a ceiling to how much success Donovan could have as a QB, because he didn’t have the right character and personality to lead 53 men on a football field….Mcnabb had tons of success inspight of it,…….Roberts Charecter flaws are way more glaring than Donovan’s ever were, and Donovan didmt have issues in work ethic
Probably because he was never made to work. Snyder gave him a pass, and the culture there is terrible. I’d like to think coming here would change that. It worked for Vick under 2 different coaches. Maybe being cast off will make him want to work hard.
me too.
Yip same view i have on it too.. I would like to see what Chip could do with him in this team n scheme.. Just dont give up the mortgage to acquire him
I’m sure he could get him killed running the ball.
and he could get him benched throwing interceptions.
Curtis Marsh and Bryan Smith? He’s not THAT bad.
3rd round pick? Whoa whoa, I think the skins will be lucky if the can get a 5th for him…most likely have to settle for a 6th…
…I would be pissed if we gave up a 7th for him
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I don’t even see a point in signing him. I’d rather sigń Terrell Prypr
exactly pryor is at least a big guy that can take a hit. RG3 is a little frail bone waiting to be broken
Both pryor and RG3, need to be completely broken down and rebuilt anyway. It’s not like RG3 is more advanced passer than Pryor. They both are at Rock bottom from the pocket…. Might as well take pryor over him
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6’5 240lbs runs a 4.4 and is much more durable than RG3…not only is he more durable but he is also humbled enough to be willing to play another position. So we should sign Pryor, and if chip doesn’t think he is worth rebuilding as a QB, have him shadow Brad Smith and turn Calvin into a WR, gadget play QB, Emergency QB and Special team player
I think ultimately his return will be something like 6th round picks in 2015 and 2016, with the 2016 pick being a higher round based on his performance.
the player to watch this week, and most weeks really, will be SPROLES.
Screen game, little runs, he is going to be big this week.
F DALLAS
I would really like to see a blocked FG returned for a TD. But that means Dallas’s offense crossed the 50 yard line.
Sanchez starting to connect in the screen game might the best thing to happen for the Eagles offense.
And for Sanchez.
Well, my holiday is ruined, cancelled my families flights…. ATleast I can watch the Eagles kick some ass. Fly birdies fly! I love how no one is picking us this week. This is a close matchup, no way that either team should be overlooked. Shows how biased media are towards the Cowboys.l
Even on inside the NFL last night they all picked Dallas. Btw, did anyone watch inside the NFL this week? The highlight video they made of the Titans game was awesome. trent Cole was Mic’ed up, and it basically showed great Uo close angles of all our front 7’s hits and sacks on mettenburger…gave me goosebumps. Awesome highlight
I can’t stop thinking about it what do you guys think we would have to give up to get Mariota not saying we will or won’t I’m just asking what we would have to give to basket out happen
“basket out happen” ??
Autocorrect is evil
Somewhere in the universe, a Cowboys fan is blogging about the upcoming game. “Got to keep that offense off the field…got to feed Demarco the ball again and again…running off seven, eight minute drives behind the best OL in the league…” One thing the Eagles can count on: Dallas will run the ball with frequency and urgency. They will run it on some obvious passing downs, and they will definitely try to run when Eagles are in dime coverage, once or twice. This could be an interesting contrast in the use of time, tempo and running schemes. Dallas wants to eat time, and Chip thinks possession time is irrelevant. Should be a good game.
I’ve read Cowboys blogs. None of those miscreants are that bright.
In the vein of “Time stats,” judging by the average per play time for each offense and defense. The cowboys D will see a play 7.5 seconds quicker than they are used to. The Philly D will see a play 2 seconds later than they are used to. Both of these numbers are good for the Eagles.
Re: Trading a 3rd Rd Pick for Robert Griffin . . . Worth the Risk?
I think the answer’s “yes.”
Here’s how 3rd Rd picks drafted from 1999-2012 have fared:
442 total players selected.
55 of the 442 started at least 3-4 seasons . . . that’s 12.5% of the 442.
29 of those 55 started at least 5-7 seasons . . . that’s 6.5% of the 442
Only 10 of those 55 started at least 7+ seasons . . . just 2% of the draft class.
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So, based on that data, a team has about an 12% chance of getting a just a 3-4 year starter. And the odds go down really fast after year 4.
Maybe Griffin’s finished. I haven’t a clue.
So the question would seem to be, what are the odds that Griffin can be rebuilt into the impact player scouts projected in 2012 . . . as T-Law scouted here:
http://2011.scoutsnotebook.com/robert-griffin-iii/
If it’s 1-in-10, and the result is a QB approximating the player T-Law described, he would seem to be worth a 3rd pick.
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Good teams with extra mid-round picks in the 2015 draft would, it appears, be smart to take a flyer on Griffin.
RESPONSES WELCOME.
We have 2 3rds this year depending what happens with Stevie Johnson but id rather trade a 2nd for Cam, give up some picks for Mariota, trade up in the second for Hundley or just stick with Nick
Also would the Redskins even do business with us honestly I mean a 3rd is pricey regardless I’d be down for a 4 or 5
people guard these picks like gold — rather have a known commodity. 3rd is too high though. rgiii and sanchez are in the same territory to me.
Worth it or not. Washington would trade RGIII for a used seat cushion before they would trade him to a division rival. ;~)
I love your posts. This puts it all in perspective. Good stuff dude.
When you make a trade, you’re not trading for just a player, but for his contract. And the value of that contract is based not only on the quality of the player and chance that he does well; but also on the terms of the contract itself. The rookie contract is the most valuable contract to have because it locks a player in for a few years at a predetermined (and often artificially low) cost.
In RG3’s case, the cost of retention after Year 1 is going to be high, if the option is picked up. And if the option is not picked up, his value is even less.
If trends stay the same:
The Dallas D will see more plays with less defensive rotation than they have been allowed all season.
The Eagles D will be allowed more time between plays than they have all season.
The Dallas strategy of grinding the clock will make no difference due to the Eagles pace.
Since the Eagles are already the best conditioned team in the league, this is nothing but good news for them. If the Eagles play to their averages, there is little chance of Dallas being able to stand up to the sheer number of plays they will face, at the speed they are run if the game is tight late.
[…] I wrote a piece the other day about how the Eagles might have some advantages due to the quick turna…. My point was that the Eagles Sports Science program would likely help the players recover quickly and be physically ready for a Thursday game and that the Eagles superior coaching staff would help them to be mentally prepared for the game. Sure looked like both things happened on Thursday. […]