State of the NFC East

Posted: November 4th, 2014 | Author: | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | 137 Comments »

Every team in the division has now played at least 8 games.

PHI 6-2

DAL 6-3

NYG 3-5

WAS 3-6

We figured the division would be the Eagles and 3 mediocre teams. Dallas has greatly exceeded expectations, but has lost 2 games in a row, including an ugly loss to the Skins. The Giants started off 3-2, but are now heading to rock bottom. They have lost 3 in a row and are getting blown out. The Skins have some real talent, but aren’t a good “team”.

I can see where fans of the other teams might look at the injuries to Nick Foles and DeMeco Ryans as potential game changers. I think the Eagles can overcome both. Mark Sanchez is now the QB and he showed plenty of potential on Sunday. Mychal Kendricks is back at ILB and his return can  help to offset the loss of Ryans. The Eagles are a flawed team that plays sloppy but they win. And they lead the NFC in point differential so it isn’t like they win each week by just a point or two.

I’m not sure what to make of Dallas. They didn’t have Tony Romo on Sunday, but still had a terrific OL, great RB, great WR, great TE and more. And they essentially scored 3 points. There was a pick-6 and a late TD, but for the most of the game the team couldn’t score points. The Cardinals defense is good, but not that good. Maybe QB Brandon Weeden is that bad. Romo will play this week, but it is hard to say what his future is. Bad backs are a concern every game.

And I don’t believe in the Dallas defense. They  have overachieved this year, but part of that is due to the offense. Dallas is 3rd in the league in time of possession. You can’t move the ball on their defense if their offense has the ball. If the offense starts to struggle even a little, that will have a trickle down effect on the defense.

The Giants have now lost 3 games in a row, with 2 of them being embarrassing losses. In the past Tom Coughlin could get the Giants to string together 5 or 6 straight wins, but those teams were loaded with veterans like Justin Tuck, Osi Umenyiora, David Diehl, Chris Snee and so on. The current Giants are a mixture of young players, veteran fill-ins and a few longtime Giants. Think about it. That defense has DRC, Cullen Jenkins and Mike Patterson. I love Patt, but the other two are not high character leader types. JPP is playing better than the previous couple of years, but he isn’t the guy from 2011 who could simply take over games.

Coughlin tried to re-invent the Giants by installing a new offense. That has helped Eli to play better, but the O-line is still a work in progress and the skill players are not exactly Murderer’s Row. The Giants have 24 plays of 20 or more yards. The Eagles have 39. The Giants have had some bad luck with injuries to Rashad Jennings and Odell Beckham, but all the NFC East teams have had to deal with injuries. The Giants won’t be getting any sympathy from anyone on that front.

I don’t think the Giants will totally fall apart like the 2012 Eagles did, but I could see them being a 5 or 6 win team. They don’t exactly have an easy schedule the rest of the year.

The Skins are at the bottom right now, but have the potential to win some games. They have firepower. I still think RG3 can be a really good QB. DeSean Jackson and Pierre Garcon are a terrific set of starting receivers. Jordan Reed is a gifted TE and Washington has a solid run game. The pieces are there for a very good offense. The Skins need better blocking and more consistent QB play, but the offense appears to be heading in the right direction for the long term.

The defense is a mess…again. They shut down the Jags and Texans, but that’s it. Jim Haslett must have pictures of someone. I don’t know how he keeps his job. But I’m glad he does. I certainly don’t anticipate that defense getting substantially better down the stretch.

The Eagles are the best team in the NFC East, both long term and short term.

Unless Mark Sanchez really falls apart, I expect the Eagles to win the division this year. I know some will think this is me being a homer, but I think the Eagles have the most talent in the division. I’d love to tell you the Eagles had an elite roster, but part of that is that the other NFCE teams have some major holes. The one downside to this is that sometimes you need the teams around you to be good in order to push you to become a great team. After all, the goal is to win the Super Bowl, not just the division.

* * * * *

Some fun stat comparisons

JPP – 39 tackles … 3.5 sacks … 4 TFLs … 5 PDs … 1 FF
Brandon Graham – 20 tackles … 3 sacks … 5 TFLs … 0 PDs … 3 FFs

This isn’t about saying who is better since so much goes into that. JPP gets double-teamed a lot more, but he also plays about twice as many snaps. I just think it is interesting to compare the numbers and see tangible production.

Maclin – 45-790-8 … 17.6 ypc … 13 catches of 20 or more yards … 83 targets
DeSean – 36-784-4 … 21.8 ypc … 11 catches of 20 or more yards … 60 targets

Stats aside, Maclin has been a very clutch receiver this year. He has made some terrific grabs along the sideline on key drives at critical points in games. I haven’t seen enough of the Skins to comment on DJax.

To appreciate Mac’s numbers…look at his best in each category.  70 catches, 964 yards, 13.8 ypc, 10 TDs, 15 catches of 20 or more yards. He is on pace to blow those numbers away. Mac already has a career high in catches of 40 or more yards. He’s got 5 this season. Mac will be getting some big bucks soon enough.

* * * * *

There are questions about why Zach Ertz isn’t playing more. The Eagles need Brent Celek on the field as a blocker. When the Eagles go 3-WR, that takes Ertz off the field. When the Eagles want to use the power run game, they go with 2 TEs, but James Casey is the other guy out there. Ertz is a terrific receiver, but his blocking needs a lot of work.

_


137 Comments on “State of the NFC East”

  1. 1 daveH said at 10:57 AM on November 4th, 2014:

    I literally just climbed back in my office window .. way to go level headed thinking my main shrink T Law !!

  2. 2 Dubya said at 10:57 AM on November 4th, 2014:

    Agree completely Tommy I just hope this will be the last of the bad run of injuries. Seems like almost every game someone gets dinged up. Just sucks Foles gets hurt, would love to just have clarity on the QB situation for the future of the team. Just one note, you got Maclin’s and Jackson’s stats mixed. I had to look it up to be sure, no way DJax has 8 touchdowns at this point of the season.

  3. 3 EagleNebula said at 11:11 AM on November 4th, 2014:

    Tommy: I think you switched DeJax and Maclin’s numbers

  4. 4 mtn_green said at 11:11 AM on November 4th, 2014:

    Seems like at the end of season romo is playing high on OxyContin which brings big highs and then let’s him down in the end. Maybe that explains Foles problems, ‘inability to play while high on oxy.’

    Maybe they should test for it at combine.

  5. 5 RogerPodacter said at 11:13 AM on November 4th, 2014:

    DeSean – 45-790-8 … 17.6 ypc … 13 catches of 20 or more yards … 83 targets
    Maclin – 36-784-4 … 21.8 ypc … 11 catches of 20 or more yards … 60 targets

    you got the TDs backwards.
    Mac has 8, Djax only has 4.

    edit: its all reversed. just got the two names mixed up!

  6. 6 ACViking said at 11:31 AM on November 4th, 2014:

    Re: D3FB on the Challenges of Replacing an Experienced ILB (re-post)

    For those who may have missed it in the prior thread . . . .

    Commenter D3FB provided some fantastic “inside football” insights about some of the issues now facing the Eagles in replacing DeMeco Ryans — including how difficult MSmith II’s move from OLB to ILB is.

    For anyone interested in an what actually happens in the moments before and just after the offense snaps the ball, and why Ryans has been so important in the Birds’ system, this is *Do-Not-Miss* material.

    YOU WILL NOT SEE THIS KIND OF ANALYSIS ANYWHERE ELSE.

    (Apologies in advance to those who’ve seen it.)
    _________________

    D3FBstrodamus predicts . . .

    Worst case scenario. Casey regresses to previous form. Acho is no better. MSIII get thrust into the starting role, and while he can hang from a physical standpoint, the mental side of the game is overwhelming for him fans lose their shit and he goes into the tank. (OLB to ILB in this system would be like moving Molk to TE, and then being suprised when he has no clue how to run a post-corner against cover 3).

    From a talent perspective Demeco is an above average starter, but diminishingly so. What he provides is stability and intellect/instinct. So from a talent perspective you can get 80-85% out of the three headed monster of Casey/Acho/Smith.

    The play calling shouldn’t be that big of a problem, the way the team signals in plays. I’m sure the terminology is different but essentially the initial call would be something like Base BAM (Backer and Mike A-gap) Rob3 (cover 3 robber). Kendricks or Casey can get that communicated.

    The big problem is going to be in the cat and mouse game. I don’t know that we are going to see it so much with Cam this week but Rodgers could eat our young with it. Say a team comes out with a wide out on each side, in the shotgun, back offset, a TE and H-back to the right. Now the H-back motions to the left, setting up just behind the LT. That may change the coverage or alignment, cancel a blitz, change who is blitzing. Now the back motions out to the right slot. Changes everything again. QB yells “hot,hot,hot” now you are looking to change the coverage to jump in the passing lanes. Finally the WR split out left comes in motion on a jet sweep. Lots of quickly changing variables that can alter things completely. It’s going to be hard for Jenkins to take over this role. If he’s lining up 10-15 yards off the ball the DL will never hear him. Even if an ILB echos the call, that just adds a delay. And if the DL doesn’t hear and echo the linebacker has to jump up and move him if he has time, and thats assuming the LB is on the right page.

    What Demeco did was all of that plus just his natural reads. So everytime the formation changes he has to pull up a list of four or five plays that the other team likes to run out of that formation. Then immediately presnap read the OL who is his primary read. If the OL “high hats” (sets up for pass pro) he needs to find his man and drop in coverage, continuing to pick up those entering and exiting his zone and communicating that to the players around him. If he gets a run block from the offensive lineman he now has to check his secondary key (backfield action) to determine if it is indeed a run or if it is playaction. If it is run he needs to combine backfield action with the blocking scheme/DL stunts, to determine which hole he needs to fill. Then and only then does it become see ball, get ball.

    -A thesis on ILB play in the 3-4.

    By D3FBstradus LLC.

    The following content is copyrighted for the use of D3FB and his associates.
    Any other unauthorized use of this material can and will be subject to law. Or
    me just shaking my fist, and muttering about meddling kids and a dog.

  7. 7 Henly125 said at 12:49 PM on November 4th, 2014:

    Great analysis!

  8. 8 D3FB said at 5:22 PM on November 4th, 2014:

    Thank you.

  9. 9 mtn_green said at 1:05 PM on November 4th, 2014:

    So many reads in such a quick time, doesn’t bode well for ms3 transition from OLB to ILB. On third and long he can do cover or blue dog blitz. Although sf burned him.

    Ms3 hasn’t played much since sf it seems. Kendricks came back too

  10. 10 teltschikfakeout88 said at 1:16 PM on November 4th, 2014:

    we get it……playing LB at a high level is not just simply see the ball tackle the ball…..for real though…..this note is awesome and shows all the things that Demeco or an experienced pro needs to be able to recognize immediately in order to make the correct call while operating in a very fluid environment……

  11. 11 MattE said at 1:17 PM on November 4th, 2014:

    Any chance Barwin assists in pre-snap reads?

  12. 12 GEAGLE said at 4:52 PM on November 4th, 2014:

    Nope… Time for Kendricks to have his coming of age moment

  13. 13 mksp said at 11:39 AM on November 4th, 2014:

    Tommy – Are you going to write about Nick’s long term future at this point (considering his play, timing of injury, contract, etc), or is it too early to speculate?

  14. 14 ACViking said at 12:04 PM on November 4th, 2014:

    Not to speak for T-Law . . .

    But Foles is already locked in for 2015 under his rookie contract. His performance so far this year wasn’t screaming “irreplaceable.”

    And NFL teams have been slow to extend members of the 2012 draft class already. As they were with the 2011 class.

    Contract extension have become as much of a chess match as 4th Q RZ play calls in the playoffs.

  15. 15 mksp said at 7:23 PM on November 4th, 2014:

    Yeah, I think its obvious at this point that Nick isn’t getting extended.

    But the QB situation right now is as in flux as it has ever been on account of Nick’s performance and now injury, and wait until Sanchez lights it up on Monday.

    This team is built to win now, Chip + Howie both know that. No room for handholding.

  16. 16 mtn_green said at 1:03 PM on November 4th, 2014:

    It seems all teams don’t extend their draft contract players until after the fifth year. Long gone are the days of getting a discount in extending newbie players early. Like Westbrook etc.

  17. 17 GEAGLE said at 4:53 PM on November 4th, 2014:

    Lol

  18. 18 mksp said at 7:23 PM on November 4th, 2014:

    Deep. But I admire your brevity, that’s a new one for you.

  19. 19 GEAGLE said at 8:22 PM on November 4th, 2014:

    Keep reaching to be relevant… Love when you make a post asking your dumb blowhard jackass questions, and no one cares…I always get a kick out of it..normally I just laugh
    ..

    Keep being a bitch, it’s comedic relief LOL

  20. 20 mksp said at 12:41 AM on November 5th, 2014:

    Dude. You’re the least relevant poster on this board. Like three people give a shit what you think. Just because you shit all over the comments section doesn’t make you relevant.

    If you wanted to actually be relevant, you’d start your own blog, and prove me and all your other “haters” wrong. But you don’t have the balls for that because deep down you know nobody gives a shit.

    It’s fine. Whatever gets you through the day brah.

    I personally don’t care, I enjoy the articles here and with the exception of the BS that you alone spew, I like the comments section.

    But you know all this already. Grow up. Move out of your parents basement and stop wearing jerseys. Act like a grown man, will do you good.

  21. 21 mksp said at 12:42 AM on November 5th, 2014:

    Also, you upvoted your own comment. Classy.

  22. 22 CrackSammich said at 11:40 AM on November 4th, 2014:

    All the talk of Maclin’s bet on himself going well makes me incredibly nervous.

  23. 23 ACViking said at 12:01 PM on November 4th, 2014:

    Why “nervous”?

    Who’s to say Jordan Matthews won’t put up huge numbers next year playing Maclin’s spot?

  24. 24 Anders said at 12:56 PM on November 4th, 2014:

    he wouldnt as he no where near the route runner or speedster compared to Maclin (dont care about combine time as its clear on film Matthews do not have that speed)

  25. 25 mtn_green said at 1:01 PM on November 4th, 2014:

    Agreed. Matthews is not a burner. He can catch in red zone though. I predict Matthews will have more touchdowns this year than djax.

    Is huff a burner? Hard to know.

  26. 26 Anders said at 1:03 PM on November 4th, 2014:

    More than Matthews, but still not in the mold of Maclin or Jackson

  27. 27 mtn_green said at 1:22 PM on November 4th, 2014:

    Huff is gonna be a bruiser on screens and short passes.

  28. 28 Jernst said at 1:42 PM on November 4th, 2014:

    I think he means nervous for Maclins health. We’re only halfway thru the year and he hasn’t gotten the contract yet. Seems premature to say it’s paid off for him. I felt the same thing, this is when karma truly is a bitch and right after a slew of articles come out talking about how his gamble paid off and his knee immediately explodes

  29. 29 CrackSammich said at 2:09 PM on November 4th, 2014:

    Perhaps the crappy screenwriting of Hollywood has ruined me. This is how every movie starts, though… Look at how great everything is going! Nothing can stop us now. Oh look, here comes the inciting incident.

    Especially the way things have been going this season in the NFL, nobody has been on top for long. Maybe we should go back to doubting Mac just in case.

  30. 30 ACViking said at 11:58 AM on November 4th, 2014:

    Re: Big Money Maclin

    Flank a talented WR out to the right in Kelly’s offense and — voila — you get huge production and big numbers.

    So just exactly how much is Maclin worth to the Eagles?

    How ’bout on the open market?

    Maclin’s very, very good. To be sure. Far better than Cooper, for example.

    But how much are JMac’s numbers the product of being the go-to WR in Kelly’s system?

    Put a LFitzgerald, a CJohnson, or AJohnson *in their prime* — as Maclin is now — in Kelly’s system, and what kind of numbers would they post?

    D-Jax posted big numbers last year. As JMac is now.

    But D-Jax is not in the class of a primed Fitz, CJ, or AJ.

    Is Maclin?

    So how much will the Eagles pay? How much will Maclin want — which is another way of asking, how does Maclin view himself compared to the NFL’s best receivers.

    Who’s more important in this offense. A Maclin? A McCoy? A QB?

    I think Roseman already has the number in his head for Maclin. Based in part on the team’s valuation of Maclin, the WR position in Kelly’s scheme, and Jordan Matthews.

    The question is whether Roseman’s number will be enough for the Maclin camp — since this is very likely his best chance at a big payday.

    And for a guy who’s suffered two ACL, does Maclin give a *hometown* discount?

  31. 31 D3FB said at 12:03 PM on November 4th, 2014:

    I think the likely figure is going to be somewhere between 9-11.5 million dollars annually. That would pay him like a top 10 WR. With the cap expected to increase significantly over the next few years that would be a fair deal for player and team. Dez Bryant and Demarius Thomas are going to set the market for WR. Both of those players will likely get massive 12-15 million dollars annually. If they sign early and don’t get tagged and wait until summer to work out a deal, it could change the calculus of all WR contracts.

    http://overthecap.com/position/wide-receiver

  32. 32 ACViking said at 12:06 PM on November 4th, 2014:

    D3FB wrote:

    “With the cap expected to increase significantly over the next few years that would be a fair deal for player and team.”

    “Dez Bryant and Demarius Thomas are going to set the market for WR.”
    ______________

    Two bench-mark points.

  33. 33 Sean Stott said at 12:44 PM on November 4th, 2014:

    Definitely bench-marks but Maclin is objectively not in the same class as Bryant and Thomas.

  34. 34 ACViking said at 1:48 PM on November 4th, 2014:

    SS —

    I think that D3FB’s point.

    I concur, as well.

  35. 35 GEAGLE said at 5:11 PM on November 4th, 2014:

    Don’t know about that….good chance, Maclin deal gets done before those contracts

  36. 36 Ark87 said at 12:36 PM on November 4th, 2014:

    I don’t foresee much of a hometown discount coming. Howie and Mac’s agent were ruthless over the off season. It will be interesting.

    I’m not sure the elite WR gets more production than Mac, statistically. Those guys get a ton of attention, it’s not Chips nature to force it to the star, rather exploit the weaknesses cause by the heavy attention his star is getting. We see this with Shady. If you load the box, we will throw it at a Reid-esque rate, even early in the game. If we had Calvin demanding double coverage and the eye’s of a third, we’d be throwing and running everywhere else on the field.

    In fact I’m predicting Maclin’s production (but not level of play) will be going down soon due to the attention he will start getting, at which point it may unleash the flood gates for Ertz, Matthews, McCoy, and maybe even Cooper.

  37. 37 Cafone said at 1:23 PM on November 4th, 2014:

    Ertz is going to have to get on the field more before he can take any of Maclin’s load and it is apparent the coaching staff values Celek’s blocking more than Ertz receiving so far.

    It seems that Huff is getting more and more looks though. I am really liking him so far. I’ll assume he will overcome the turnover issues.

  38. 38 Ark87 said at 1:30 PM on November 4th, 2014:

    I like his play a lot, but the dude has so many costly mistakes per opportunity and I don’t really like his attitude as a rookie. I just don’t know how he’s not in the dog house.

  39. 39 daveH said at 2:13 PM on November 4th, 2014:

    once and if the O line can get a bit more stable, we can see Chip start using Ertz more. I like how CHip has addressed the need for blocking and keeps a solution ready when his need for pass-catching TE’s arises.
    ..
    and on that note I am totally inspired to see Chip run out the clock because we were sofa king worried about that as a fault earlier in the season. Love to see him adapt and learn and keep making moves towards strength.
    I bet he feels his O doesnt need a huge star at any position and leaves Howie to just keep good talent around ..an thus keeping an eye on good value

  40. 40 bsuperfi said at 1:21 PM on November 4th, 2014:

    Another important question is the quality of the WR market this offseason. I consider Maclin just out of that top tier of WRs and agree that Bryant and Thomas will set the market. But what does the WR supply look like outside of these guys?

  41. 41 MattE said at 1:24 PM on November 4th, 2014:

    http://www.spotrac.com/free-agents/nfl/wide-receiver/

    Dez and Demaryius are #1A, Maclin looks to be the 1B on this list… he’s gonna want $10mill / yr… he’s gonna have their production this year, but not track history, so thats the only leverage we got.

  42. 42 bsuperfi said at 1:30 PM on November 4th, 2014:

    Absolutely, but teams on the market for a WR will be looking at the field as a whole (in addition to issues like fit for their particular team). I’m wondering who’s in Maclin’s tier, who’s below, and even what teams will be in the market.

    I’m also wondering about how highly the Eagles value Maclin. I don’t think there’s a hometown discount, but I do wonder if knowledge of scheme and a known culture fit (see the Ed Block Courage Award) will enhance his value to the Eagles.

  43. 43 MattE said at 1:36 PM on November 4th, 2014:

    I’d say from that list Maclin is #1B by himself (not as good as Dez/Demaryius, but better than rest of crop)….. on a side note i checked out the Cowboys and they look like they are in financial trouble next year. Not sure if they can get DeMarco (maybe $6mill-$9mill a year) and Dez ($10mill+ no problem). they have 2.6 times as much dead money as we do…. thank goodness we have good ownership/GM & QB whisperers for coaches.

  44. 44 D3FB said at 3:41 PM on November 4th, 2014:

    Not only is Dez going to be hard to retain, but Denver has to take care of both the Thomas pass catching duo. They’ve already got alot of big salaries. Talib, Manning, Von Miller, Ware, Ward, Sanders, Clady.

  45. 45 JasonKelceThinksYourDumb said at 10:09 PM on November 4th, 2014:

    I wouldn’t mind a post-Celek duo of Ertz and Julius T. Terrifying 22 and 23 groupings Kelly could unleash.

  46. 46 Dan said at 5:22 PM on November 4th, 2014:

    Cobb is probably in the 1B group as well

  47. 47 MattE said at 1:29 PM on November 5th, 2014:

    Agreed, but then again A. Rodgers is throwing him the rock lol

  48. 48 MattE said at 1:26 PM on November 4th, 2014:

    just noticed, but DeMarco and Dez are both set to hit the market next year. Don’t envy that situation.

  49. 49 GEAGLE said at 5:10 PM on November 4th, 2014:

    Chips offense isn’t out their making those tough, insane, clutch catches Maclin is making with games on the line…..Desean was awesome in Chips pffense, but he wasn’t much different of a WR as he was under andy..he was basically the same WR only with more production…..Maclin showing tons of growth in this offense. If he wasn’t a number 1 before, he is a nu,ner 1 WR now…showing much more toughness and growth in the screen game, past few,weeks he has been catching BOMBS stretching defenses, which is all we really miss about Desean….

    Maclin has had some really clutch catches, at the end of games With games on the line. Forget how he is used, just the catches he has made while being tightly covered, bailing his QB out, that’s #1″ WR quality

    I’ll leave the money up to you guys, because I don’t think it’s realistic to think Maclin might not be here next year. Maclin wants to be here, he has a great relationship with QBs and Coaches, I’d be completely shocked if they didn’t work out an extension…Maclin will never reach the open market

  50. 50 Sean Stott said at 12:29 PM on November 4th, 2014:

    I hate PFF as much as the next guy, but they have Riley Cooper ranked as the worst receiver in the NFL right now.

  51. 51 MattE said at 1:02 PM on November 4th, 2014:

    No argument here. How about his blocking grade lol?

  52. 52 EagleNebula said at 2:27 PM on November 4th, 2014:

    A little off topic and not that I think blocking is more important the catching a football for a WR, but there has been some big plays aided by excellent blocking by the WR core as a whole. Even a couple of TDs were sprung because the WR group as a whole did their job blocking on the outside.

  53. 53 Cafone said at 1:33 PM on November 4th, 2014:

    I am one of Cooper’s biggest detractors, but maybe a quarterback change will once again spark a strong second half of the season.

  54. 54 MattE said at 1:38 PM on November 4th, 2014:

    Sanchez loves him some J.Matt, if anyone will see an uptick in targets it will be him.

  55. 55 holeplug said at 12:32 PM on November 4th, 2014:

    current Giants are like a carbon copy of Reid’s last couple of years here where bad drafts slowly rotted the team once some of their stars got old. Couglin is at the throw stuff at a wall phase to save his job. Bring it past their prime vets, fire coordinators, install new scheme without correct personnel to run it.

  56. 56 bsuperfi said at 1:26 PM on November 4th, 2014:

    I’m pretty interested to see how the D plays without Ryans. He’s valued highly, and rightfully so. But he also wasn’t long for the team anyway. I made a similar argument yesterday re Herremans going down, but we need to see what we have at ILB. I’m particularly thinking about Kendricks and Marcus Smith. Kendricks looks like he may have the potential to be a good “leader” from the ILB spot (in addition to being a really good player), but the jury’s still out. Things don’t look good for our first round pick, but it would be nice to see him flash and give us some options about how we deal with drafting/signing an ILB and OLB.

    The Eagles look good to me right now, but not good enough to dispel the window-is-opening-next-year argument. It’s a nice time to see what we have with some seriously meaningful games ahead of us.

  57. 57 Cafone said at 1:29 PM on November 4th, 2014:

    Any comparison of Maclin and Jackson’s numbers misses the point. Those of us that were upset about Jackson’s dismissal weren’t looking forward to another year of Jackson and Cooper, we were looking forward to seeing Jackson and Maclin on the field together.

    We have what looks like a playoff team here. But with Maclin and Jackson together we might be looking at a Super Bowl team.

  58. 58 EagleNebula said at 1:34 PM on November 4th, 2014:

    Yes, in an ideal world we would have 2 top receivers, everyone agrees with that. But the comparisons of production to date is actually worth considering because there was a faction of people who doubted Maclin could be as productive as DJax. Furthermore, for the first few months of the season there were claims that DJax’s departure coupled with the lack of a legitimate deep threat was not only causing a decline in the passing game, but also in the run game and number of explosive plays. The fact that Maclin has shown he can be a productive deep threat is definitely worth discussing with respect to DJax’s production. It has really silenced that faction of the fan base… to some extent.

  59. 59 Cafone said at 1:41 PM on November 4th, 2014:

    I never really doubted Maclin, other than from an injury perspective.

    Maclin is more of a complete receiver. Jackson is more of a unique weapon.

    A much more worthwhile comparison is comparing the Eagles’ #1 and #2 to Washington’s #1 and #2. Washington’s #1, Garcon, has about the same number of catches as Maclin, though in the last few weeks Maclin has taken a sizeable lead in yards. I think we all know who would come out on top in a Jackson/Cooper comparison.

  60. 60 P_P_K said at 1:44 PM on November 4th, 2014:

    I’m hoping we’re going to see a stellar combo in the future with Maclin and Matthews.

  61. 61 Cafone said at 1:46 PM on November 4th, 2014:

    I don’t think you’re going to see that. The Eagles say they like Matthews in the slot and I think that’s where he is going to stay.

    It could become the new “Move Boykin to starting cornerback!”, but the slot receiver is on the field a lot more than nickel back so I don’t think it will be an issue.

  62. 62 anon said at 5:22 PM on November 4th, 2014:

    Matthews doesn’t seem very impressive to me. It’ll be interesting to see if Cody Lattimer plays if Welker is out — I liked him a little more. He’s alright but he doesn’t look “special” with the ball. I think Huff might be better despite the mistakes.

  63. 63 P_P_K said at 9:31 PM on November 4th, 2014:

    Interesting that you see Matthews that way. I have been increasingly impressed with him. I really liked the td catch last week. Not saying I’m right, it’s just interesting how subjective is the “eyeball test.”

  64. 64 EagleNebula said at 1:54 PM on November 4th, 2014:

    I am not being clear, the point I am trying to make is that the statement wasn’t for the rational dialog you are having in terms of the entire WR group. Or really to fans such as yourself who are thinking about the situation as a whole. That is a separate conversation that has nothing to do with why Tommy mentioned the production to date. The statement was more geared to the irrational segment of the fan base who yelled DJax every time something went wrong on offense while ignoring the more obvious issues (like injuries up front and inconsistent play out of the QB). And yes, there was a sizable segment of the fan base doing that.

  65. 65 botto said at 3:02 PM on November 4th, 2014:

    except Jackson doesn’t block at all or try hard if its not coming his way.

  66. 66 GEAGLE said at 5:16 PM on November 4th, 2014:

    I enjoy the close knit team that we have today…. Not many teams could perserve thru the crap that we have… The fact were able to overcome so much and still manage to be one of the best teams in the NFL is because of the character of this team….we faced all types of adversity, times were its looked like we would lose, but you don’t see any Eagles and coaches fighting on the sideline….
    ..
    You don’t hear any eagles getting caught up in their numbers, touches, or any type of selfish behavior… What we miss about Desean on the field, IMO is worth the character/toughness/closeness of this Eagles team

  67. 67 Cafone said at 1:34 PM on November 4th, 2014:

    We are seeing more and more of Josh Huff. Whose snaps is he taking? I am assuming he is taking Cooper’s, but I haven’t actually done any head counts. Does anyone know?

  68. 68 Anders said at 1:37 PM on November 4th, 2014:

    Its Coopers

  69. 69 Cafone said at 1:45 PM on November 4th, 2014:

    That’s encouraging.

    But they did give Cooper a big contract last offseason and I certainly don’t look forward to a #1 and #2 receiver combination of Josh Huff and Riley Cooper next year.

  70. 70 EagleNebula said at 1:56 PM on November 4th, 2014:

    It is a team friendly contract if I remember correctly. I think they can cut ties pretty quickly if he doesn’t step up his game (may be a season or two).

  71. 71 Birds4Life said at 3:16 PM on November 4th, 2014:

    Eagles can get out of the contract after the 2015 season with no dead money. If he doesn’t produce, he will be gone by then, if not before based on his current production.

  72. 72 Mitchell said at 3:55 PM on November 4th, 2014:

    That’s good because 331 yards and 1 td after 8 games is pretty pathetic for a #2. Woof, I could use me some Sammy Coates in my life!

  73. 73 Anders said at 4:20 PM on November 4th, 2014:

    There is a lot of WRs in next years draft Im a big fan of, some will 100% be there later

  74. 74 GermanEagle said at 5:00 PM on November 4th, 2014:

    Don’t think it will top this year’s WR draft class though which could go down as one of the best over the last two decades.

  75. 75 D3FB said at 5:21 PM on November 4th, 2014:

    It could easily be argued that this year is just as good as last year’s crop.

    2014:
    http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/prospectrankings/2014/WR
    2015:
    http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/prospectrankings/2015/WR

  76. 76 mksp said at 7:17 PM on November 4th, 2014:

    Kevin White is my draft crush already.

  77. 77 D3FB said at 8:45 PM on November 4th, 2014:

    I’m a Ty Montgomery guy myself, White can certainly ball though.

  78. 78 Mitchell said at 5:10 PM on November 4th, 2014:

    Coates has been the most impressive I have seen. I watch 5 mins of one of his games and was sold.

  79. 79 Henly125 said at 1:51 PM on November 4th, 2014:

    At the halfway point, what we’ve seen from our team is progress. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, the depth of this Eagles team is what will separate them from the rest of the league. One thing that is deserving of credit is the practice reps the depth players have gotten.

    The unit who has benefitted the most from that approach is the offensive line. Think Matt Tobin here, a player that’s gotten better each week and has become a good run blocker. The same can be said of Molk as well, who did a nice job filling in for Kelce. With Mathis back this week, the left side of our offensive line is set. The injury to Herremans will not hurt this team. His veteran presence is a plus, but given the way Tobin has played, he’s more than likely to fill in at his spot and stay there. Although the O-line faced its share of issues, it has become a stronger unit as the season goes on, thanks to the depth.

    DeMeco Ryan’s brings so much to the defense as far as communication, leadership, instinct, and overall knowledge of the game. His loss will certainly be felt. Having Casey Matthews as our 1st and 2nd down ILB is a positive in terms of his ability to play the run in tight spaces. In his rookie year, I was really hoping he’d pan out; turned out he wasn’t at his best playing in space. He’s almost a completely different player in the 3-4. He’s much more effective in between the tackles, which has benefitted our defense during the absence of Mychal Kendricks. Replacing Ryan’s will NOT be easy, but we have the depth to overcome the loss. The second half of the season will be a huge test for the ILBs, especially Kendricks, who seems to almost always be overlooked. He’ll be known soon enough.

    Had to save the best for last (chuckles) … SANCHIZE! As all of you know, the offense didn’t miss much of a beat when Sanchez was put in. In fact, despite the butt fumbling and the sideline-hotdog-eating nonsense that is placed on Sanchez’s reputation, he’s a much better fit for the scheme than Foles is. Bare with me here, he’s quick, athletic, and has VERY good mechanics.

    That rollout on the red zone throw to Maclin to seal the ball game? That was no fluke. The play action rollout is the staple of Marks game, and he proved that as a Jet. He’s a good play action passer and plays better in space.

    Set aside the knuckle-headed decision making issues he had with the Jets, and watch him play to his strengths in Chip Kelly’s offense. You will see a completely different quarterback. I may have been one of very few fans who liked the move of bringing him in, and may be one of very few who is excited to see how he plays in this offense.

    As the Jets continue to stink it up, Sanchez has a favorable shot to light it up with a talented offense, while playing in place of the guy that replaced the current starting QB on the New York Jets.

    Best believe he will.

  80. 80 daveH said at 4:27 PM on November 4th, 2014:

    holy crap who wrote this ..scrolling up .. damn! nice job Henley125 ! that’s some sweet and reasonable insights!
    really enjoyed the level headed optimism

  81. 81 Henly125 said at 5:23 PM on November 4th, 2014:

    Thanks, bro. Glad I can share my thoughts with you guys.

  82. 82 Dan said at 4:38 PM on November 4th, 2014:

    I find it amazing for people crucifying Foles for turnovers this year jump so quick on the Sanchez bandwagon who has a career turnover to td ratio of over 1.

  83. 83 Henly125 said at 5:22 PM on November 4th, 2014:

    Im not one to bash a quarterback and then move on to the next one, but Foles has underperformed this year. It’s a fact.

    Now, if that fact is leading to the crucifying, that’s unfair for Foles. He has flashed his potential, not as consistently as we’d like, but he has flashed.

    There’s this article that the Eagles have been soured by Foles play this season and have had second thoughts on him being the man going forward. I don’t know how much of this is true, but here’s the link:

    http://www.nj.com/eagles/index.ssf/2014/11/eagles_started_to_sour_on_nick_foles_before_his_injury.html

    However people may feel about Foles, I think he’s a fantastic QB and has a good future in this league. We just can’t ignore how much the offense improved after he got hurt.

    Chip has proven to win in this league despite Foles limited ability as an athlete. Sanchez has an element to his game that Foles does not. He’s much quicker, and is much sharper throwing outside the pocket. That could go a long way in this offense.

    As much as it is unfair to Nick, the same can be said about Sanchez, he hasn’t scratched the surface as a QB yet. To written him off this early in his career, at 27 yrs of age, is unfair. He has a lot to prove, and his chances are higher here than with the Jets.

    Let’s see what happens.

  84. 84 JasonKelceThinksYourDumb said at 10:11 PM on November 4th, 2014:

    Set aside the knuckle-headed decision making issues

    hard to do.

  85. 85 Henly125 said at 2:42 PM on November 4th, 2014:

    http://www.csnphilly.com/football-philadelphia-eagles/celeks-poor-numbers-dont-tell-full-story

    Could Brent Celek possibly be having the best year of his career despite the steep drop in his statistics?

  86. 86 ceedubya9 said at 7:52 AM on November 5th, 2014:

    I hope he doesn’t leave until he retires. Even if he is still here for a while as the no.3 TE

  87. 87 EagleNebula said at 2:48 PM on November 4th, 2014:

    Off topic but something I found interesting regarding the old Time Of Possession (TOP) discussion. Eagles actually controlled the ball for more time than their opponents the last 3 games. Though they did have a few long “slow” bleed the clock drives, I think a big reason has been the defenses ability to get off the field on 3rd down. Even though they have given some key big plays, they really have limited opponents ability to sustain drives of late.

  88. 88 daveH said at 4:29 PM on November 4th, 2014:

    nice point. another example of how CHip keeps fine tuning his skills ..its as if he reads igglesblitz comments!!

  89. 89 mtn_green said at 6:41 PM on November 4th, 2014:

    Chip wants to have the last possession if the first half. And once leading waste time. Both happened in texans game.

  90. 90 EagleNebula said at 8:16 PM on November 4th, 2014:

    The texans, cardinals and giants were unable to sustain drives as well. Not discounting what you are saying since it all comes into play. Against the texans the only eagles’ drive over 4 minutes was the 8 minute drive at the end of the game. Only 3 other drives were over 3 minutes. Houston on the other hand only had 1 drive over 4 minutes, which was a 5 minute drive ending with a punt in the first quarter.

  91. 91 Jeff said at 7:05 PM on November 4th, 2014:

    Maybe it’s just me, but it seems like their pace has slowed a bit on offense. They aren’t running up to the line and snapping as frantically as they were late last year to early this year. Maybe with all the turnovers / constant line personnel changes / issues with executing plays properly, Chips slowed them down a bit. Maybe he’s trying to help his defense out more by keeping them off the field. If they have slowed, that would explain the increased TOP. Curious to see how their pace is now with Sanchez. Maybe they’ll speed up to lightening pace again…

  92. 92 EagleNebula said at 8:17 PM on November 4th, 2014:

    It is most likely a combination of things, but the defense isn’t allowing sustained drives and that plays a significant factor as well. Houston had 4 drives with more than 5 plays and 2 drives that gained over 40 yards out of the 11 drives they had.

  93. 93 Dominik said at 3:00 PM on November 4th, 2014:

    The defense is a mess…again. They shut down the Jags and Texans, but that’s it. Jim Haslett must have pictures of someone. I don’t know how he keeps his job. But I’m glad he does. I certainly don’t anticipate that defense getting substantially better down the stretch.

    I’m totally with you, Tommy, but don’t forget the Cowboys game. Yeah, there was some Brandon Weeden, but there was Romo pre-injury also. And those blitzes were well timed, imho.

    The Cardinals stopped the Cowboys Offense, but they have a good D. The Redskins have poor talent on the D, but Haslett has done a good job against Dallas.

    But like I said, I’m with you overall. Hope Haslett has this job as long as possible. Same goes for Jason Garrett, even though he has some success this year. Jerry Jones will always be a distraction, but I don’t want Sumlin running the show in Dallas.

  94. 94 EagleNebula said at 3:50 PM on November 4th, 2014:

    Divisional games are always strange because the teams tend to know how to play each other. That game also was full of poor decisions across the board and turn overs. As far as having poor coaching in Washington and Dallas, as long as Snyder and Jones are poking their fingers where they don’t belong, those two teams will have substandard coaches and/or their coaches & GM being undermined.

  95. 95 CTAZPA said at 6:27 PM on November 4th, 2014:

    Sumlin = Gimmicky College Coach

    I kid.

  96. 96 GEAGLE said at 4:51 PM on November 4th, 2014:

    If you can’t beat the eagles in the trenches, you don’t concern me… We can analyze til we are blue in the face, but no one in this division can out play our OL or DL, so all the other analysis doesn’t even matter.

    No matter how much success dallas had, and how much everyone kissed their ass for two months, I always maintained that they were a joke, their defense was a mirage, and sooner or later the CLOWNboys would reveal their true colors.

    Again, Giants don’t matter until they rebuild with a new coach and QB

    We gave the skins our best WR and they still dont even matter a little bit..

    NFC east had its moments, but by the end of the year, everything will fall into place, Eagles are the top team, and no one in the division is even close…and Dallas isnt done imploding, they have an entire other level of garbage to reach before this season ends…

    No respect for this division, and the conference will never be more wide open

  97. 97 Ark87 said at 4:56 PM on November 4th, 2014:

    looking at the next game, the Panthers make me nervous, not because they have a chance of winning, they’re garbage, but living in NC, I’ve gotten to see some of their recent games, they are playing physical and knocking the crap out of people (and losing). Would suck to lose more important players beating another garbage team.

  98. 98 OregonDucker said at 5:16 PM on November 4th, 2014:

    In the BCS Championship game against Cam, Chip learned BIG people beat up little people. This game profoundly affected his view of DL and OL. And he will also never forget Cam’s play.

    Make no mistake. This game IS a big deal for Chip. He wants to see DOMINATION by the Eagles in the Panthers game.

  99. 99 GEAGLE said at 6:21 PM on November 4th, 2014:

    Chip got his BCS pay back on Fairley last year when we dominated the lions, running the ball down their throat in the blizzard,..now it’s sCAM Newtons time to feel our wrath

  100. 100 mtn_green said at 6:37 PM on November 4th, 2014:

    I think chip likes the challenge.

  101. 101 D3FB said at 5:16 PM on November 4th, 2014:

    I think the rushing attack is going to be a central component to our success or failure in the upcoming games.
    Carolina’s run D is really bad:
    31st in Yards allowed
    32nd in YPA
    31st in rushing TD’s

    for that matter Green Bay is:
    32nd in yards
    30th in YPA
    28th in TD’s

  102. 102 ceedubya9 said at 7:57 AM on November 5th, 2014:

    Good time of the year to see this run game continue to improve with the help of some of our starting OL back. I’m looking for the 3-headed monster to go to work on Carolina’s run D. If they get going, it will be a loooooong game for the Panthers

  103. 103 GEAGLE said at 5:29 PM on November 4th, 2014:

    Before the Texans game I wrote…”not worried about losing this game, but this is the type of game, you mess around and get your QB hurt”…. And FOles goes down….boy I would have liked to be wrong.
    ..
    You are right, this is another one of those teams that can BE real physical and have another body bag game against… I don’t at all worry about losing this game, but you are absolutely right, we have to worry about at what cost will we get this win? We are getting to that point of the season, where injuries need to stop, and we need to start picking up momentum to ride into the playoffs…..gotta stay healthy..
    ..
    As for the matchup, Ill use my Texans game prediction for this one too…put up more than 24 points, and they won’t be able to beat us….

    But personally, I’d be surprised if Carolina scores more than 17… We shut down Foster who has been running over every defense he faces.. panthers RB are Meh, that OL has issues, stopping their run won’t be a problem for us…which means, Cam Newton,,Kelvin Benjamin and Greg Olsen will have to carry the offense to more than 24pt game? That’s just NOT going to happen… They won’t score more than 17 PTs, and our run game is ready to be unleashed, so it will make whoever the QB is, job much easier and look much better this week..
    ..
    They have a good front 7 for sure, fortunately we aren’t playing them as banged up as we were early in the season
    Their Sevondary has Antone Cason(potential FA target for Eagles props to AC VIKING).. Other than that, secondary is very beatable, and to thought they were overachieving earlier in the year..,

    As long as our OL and DL bring it, we win on Monday night!
    ..
    Last time we were on National TV at the Linc, we shut out the Giants and have them a BEATDOWN they wouldmt forget…

    Prediction BOLD!!! Mykal Kemdrick steps up and out performs Keachly on Monday nght

  104. 104 mtn_green said at 6:36 PM on November 4th, 2014:

    Don’t EVER predict an eagle to be hurt, not even in jest, hypothetical or situational.
    First rule of fandom.

  105. 105 GEAGLE said at 8:19 PM on November 4th, 2014:

    I friggin warned them to take the holding penalties against the Texans rather than let them hit our QB..

    Btw, leagûe needs to step in and make those bums do something about their welfare field which cost Meco his second Achilles… We,shouldnt have to play on a notoriously pathetic field…fix that ghetto west catholic field

  106. 106 Tom W said at 1:32 PM on November 5th, 2014:

    Cason is the worst cornerback in the league this yr and getting benched.

  107. 107 ACViking said at 4:56 PM on November 4th, 2014:

    GE wrote:

    “If you can’t beat the eagles in the trenches, you don’t concern me…”
    ________________

    This is exactly the kind of attitude Andy Reid talked around but never adopted, at least on offense — to the consternation of so many Eagles fans.

    Kelly talks that talk. And generally walks that walk.

    While also staying off the grass at Nova Care.

  108. 108 GEAGLE said at 5:48 PM on November 4th, 2014:

    the battle in the trenches is such a major aspecf of why,games unfold the way they do. the first thing I do when looking at a matchup is list all our OL and DLinema vs. The counterparts on the other team…and if on paper, we have an advantage in 7 or 8 of the 10 matchups. Then I expect to crush that team.

    When I list all the individual matchups in the trenches and the opponent looks like they have 5 of the 10 favorable matchups, those are the teams I fear….fortunately, I am CONVINCED our young DL has grown enough since the saints loss, to hang with any offensive line in the NFL, and everyone knows we boast the best OL when healthy….anyone who claimed dallas, had the best OL is a jackass. Two of their 5 starters not only wouldnt start for us, but Leary and Free wouldn’t even be ahead of Barbre on our depth chart

  109. 109 ACViking said at 4:58 PM on November 4th, 2014:

    “Neither do we” . . . .

    Don’t know if you remember writing that recently.

    Classic.

  110. 110 Avery Greene said at 6:00 PM on November 4th, 2014:

    Dallas is America’s team so everyone wants them to be good. /s

    I like watching the Giants crash and burn, and in a way their problems mirror ours the last season with Reid. I doubt Coughlin will be back next year. Unfortunately, their owner is much like ours and they will go back to being our biggest test in this division. I much prefer it that way, since I like beating that team more than any other team in the division. It’s better when they are good, so it’s that much sweeter when we crush them.

  111. 111 BobSmith77 said at 6:06 PM on November 4th, 2014:

    Problem is this OL isn’t as good as people thought it was even last year and at best I would it would be charitable to call their performance ‘average’ so far.

    With Mathis and Kelce, it is an above average unit but it isn’t a Top 5 unit either. Ditto the Front 7 without Ryans. Both above average units but not great.

    Boys’ OL will give them some trouble but your right thought that the rest of the division is laggards.

  112. 112 GEAGLE said at 6:09 PM on November 4th, 2014:

    Above average? As in a little bit better than the average OL, and there are a handful of much better OL league wide? LOl is this what you are trying to say? Lol

  113. 113 Bleedgreen said at 7:38 PM on November 4th, 2014:

    The even scarier part about the birds o line is that only peters has played this whole season. Assuming the rest of the guys stay healthy (minus herremans), these guys will be fresh and working as a well oiled machine for the stretch run.

    I also think our front 7 may be one of the most underrated in the league. We may now have a premier pass rusher, but those dudes can ball. It was a thing of beauty watching how fundamentally sound they were against the Texans stretch play. They play with such great gap discipline. I feel like people don’t realize how the front 7 works as a dominant unit rather than just a bunch of indivisuals.

  114. 114 MaggieMagpie said at 1:44 AM on November 5th, 2014:

    You’re right. Teamwork. Even JJ Watt can’t win by himself.

  115. 115 anon said at 5:14 PM on November 4th, 2014:

    A little lazy on the djax comment. While i’m a bit of a djax homer he’s CLEARLY the no. WR on that team. Their numbers are strikingly similar (TDs aside) considering what WAS has been doing at QB and as a team generally. Djax is the only person keeping them in games. That said Mac’s been much better than I though he’d be. But no one else catches balls really which I think says more about our receiving core than his stat lines alone…

  116. 116 D3FB said at 5:28 PM on November 4th, 2014:

    The Eagles are distributing the ball around. Other people have plenty of catches.

    Maclin has 45 catches this year.

    Matthews: 32
    Cooper: 31
    Ertz: 25
    Shady: 21
    Sproles: 20
    Celek: 14

    5 other players have at least one reception.

  117. 117 anon said at 5:37 PM on November 4th, 2014:

    Mac’s got almost 3times as many Tds as the next guy (8 vs 3) and twice as many yards as the next bunch of receivers and twice as many targets. My impression was there there’d be no “clear no. 1” between Maclin, Ertz and Coop. It does seem like a lot of plays are schemed toward to getting one guy open 1 vs 1.

  118. 118 D3FB said at 5:49 PM on November 4th, 2014:

    The post route for Maclin is certainly designed for him. But exclude those three big plays and his numbers a more in line with the rest.

  119. 119 anon said at 6:20 PM on November 4th, 2014:

    agree but take away three big plays his target ration is still almost 2:1 compared to other WRs. but I see your point.

  120. 120 EagleNebula said at 8:23 PM on November 4th, 2014:

    It is also only midway through the season and teams are playing them a certain way. With the instability up front and focus on stopping shady, the disparity isn’t all that surprising. Also, Ertz hasn’t been on the field much yet since they need Brent to stay in and block. I wouldn’t be surprised to see a shift in defensive approach which may shake the numbers up a bit.

  121. 121 anon said at 8:56 PM on November 4th, 2014:

    Your edit comment is my whole point I don’t think we have two guys that can beat man w/out scheme. Think we would have. Coop provides no value, he hasn’t been a great blocker in the run game recently either.
    I’m excited for Huff. He’s not really elusive but he plays smash mouth like Chris Polk.

  122. 122 EagleNebula said at 9:05 PM on November 4th, 2014:

    That is a fair criticism. I think the young guys will develop – well I am hopeful the young guys will develop.

  123. 123 A_T_G said at 10:50 PM on November 4th, 2014:

    Or steal Dez away from Dallas. That would be fun, too.

  124. 124 MaggieMagpie said at 1:41 AM on November 5th, 2014:

    Is he a team player?

  125. 125 mksp said at 7:20 PM on November 4th, 2014:

    Somehow feels like Matthews’ 32 receptions are quiet. Not bad for a rook, but also being overshadowed by some of the flashier rookie WRs (ODB, Martavis Bryant recently, John Brown). Benjamin has come down to earth a bit as the drops that we all knew would be an issue are starting to come at a bad time.

  126. 126 EagleNebula said at 8:24 PM on November 4th, 2014:

    With Sanchez coming in Matthews numbers may start to jump like crazy.

  127. 127 jpate said at 5:52 PM on November 4th, 2014:

    I don’t think Jenkins had any character issues

  128. 128 iceberg584 said at 6:46 PM on November 4th, 2014:

    Well, except for that time that he screamed in Andy Reid’s face during a preseason game in 2012. After that happened and there was no real consequence, I knew Reid had lost the team.

  129. 129 Henly125 said at 6:01 PM on November 4th, 2014:

    #CowboySUK … Trending worldwide?

  130. 130 jshort said at 6:53 PM on November 4th, 2014:

    Don’t know if I’d be wanting to play overseas with the handle “America’s Team”.

  131. 131 BobSmith77 said at 6:08 PM on November 4th, 2014:

    Wheeden is that bad. His performance against the Eagles in their opener a few years ago was one of the most pitiful QBs displays I have seen in the last 5 years.

  132. 132 botto said at 6:37 PM on November 4th, 2014:

    yeah vick was awesome that day. almost lost

  133. 133 GENETiC-FREAK said at 6:36 PM on November 4th, 2014:

    Herreman to IR

  134. 134 Henly125 said at 6:42 PM on November 4th, 2014:

    Yep. Bound to happen.

  135. 135 mtn_green said at 6:42 PM on November 4th, 2014:

    Darn. Let the Tobiin era begin.

  136. 136 MaggieMagpie said at 2:15 AM on November 5th, 2014:

    Regarding the imperfect field in Houston. A little history.

    Bill Curry jokingly referred to the Memorial Stadium playing surface as “Astro Dirt.” That field was spartan even by the standards of the time.

    Yankee Stadium wasn’t so hot either.
    Pat Sommerall said the grass was gone by October and a guy almost drowned on the field. It was raining and there was a big puddle of water. A guy was tackled and his head was pushed under the water during the pile on.
    He almost died. It was bad in the sudden death game too. Ameche couldn’t
    crack it in on 4 tries on the goal line because he couldn’t get good traction on the frozen field.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngwK7XjghBU

    Also, in one AFC playoff game(1973?) the Raiders, meaning Madden and Al Davis accused the Steelers of freezing their field, then throwing salt all over so that footing was disastrous for their long-throws-downfield game. Various field conditions were part of the game, like tackling.

  137. 137 Scott J said at 9:45 AM on November 5th, 2014:

    It will be interesting to see if Ertz plays more now that our O-line will be at full strength (minus Herremans). We shouldn’t need Celek in to block as much, and Ertz would be a nice large target for Sanchez. Didn’t Sanchez play a lot with Ertz this summer?