Detailed Game Review – PHI 33, DAL 10
Posted: December 5th, 2014 | Author: Tommy Lawlor | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | 113 Comments »The Eagles went to Dallas on Thanksgiving with a lot on the line. The Eagles needed to show the world they could win on the road against a team with a winning record. Not to mention, first place and control of the NFC East was at stake. And there is just something about facing Dallas, especially on national TV. You feel like you’re playing to save the Earth from an evil menace.
And that’s exactly what the Eagles did. They drove a stake right through the heart of the RomoMurrayJones creature and let the world see just how weak it really is. As Tony Bruno would say…”Beautiful.”
It felt to me like the pregame hype was all on Dallas. They had the great O-line. They had DeMarco Murray. Their defense was statistically superior. And Tony Romo was gutting it out through injuries, showing what a great, tough leader he was. Then the Eagles D-line shut down Murray and started pounding on Romo. The Eagles offense moved at breakneck speed and LeSean McCoy was the runner with the highlight runs and all the yards. Mark Sanchez was far and away the superior QB on Thanksgiving.
That’s when the Dallas bitching machine got activated. Romo’s back didn’t respond well to the short week. The team was tired from a short week after a tough, emotional game vs the Giants. Guess what? You should have whipped the Giants like the Eagles did. And if your starting players aren’t healthy, put in the backups. Sanchez wasn’t the Eagles starting QB.
The Eagles were far and away the superior team on Thanksgiving. They won the battle on the LOS. They made plays in space. It sure felt like they had a schematic advantage as well. Not some crazy gameplan that was completely original, but just the coaches were very well prepared and called an excellent game.
While the Eagles were dominant on Thanksgiving, they were far from perfect. McCoy fumbled and gave the ball to Dallas at the 13-yard line. Sanchez missed a wide open Brad Smith for what should have been a TD. Cary Williams wiped out an INT with a sloppy penalty. The Eagles were only 1 for 5 in the Red Zone. If the Eagles played just a bit better, they could have scored 45 points. Or more. Instead, they had to settle for a 33-10 win.
Dallas is still a talented team. They didn’t look right on Thanksgiving, but the Eagles did have something to do with that. I’m sure the Boys will play much better when they come to Philly. Still, the Eagles look like the completely superior team. They sure played like it in Dallas.
COACHING
Chip Kelly and the staff did a great job of getting the players prepared on a short week. The game was so lopsided that there weren’t a whole lot of key coaching decisions for Chip Kelly. He challenged a play late and lost. I didn’t have any real issues with how he managed the game.
The offensive gameplan was good. They threw short a lot and kept the chains moving. That wore down the Dallas defense and helped McCoy to have a huge day.
Bill Davis and his staff did a great job in shutting down Jason Witten and limiting Murray.
OFFENSE
MISC
* 8 of 15 on 3rd downs
* only 1 for 5 in the Red zone
* Threw 24 passes in the 1st half, 5 in the 2nd.
* One adjustment that Kelly did make was having Sanchez run the ball a couple of times. Dallas was going after McCoy hard. Sanchez kept the ball a few times. He ran for a TD and had a 13-yard run in the 4th Qtr that helped set up a FG.
Players
QB
SANCHEZ – Good game. 20-29-217. Threw for 1 TD and didn’t have any picks. 7 for 28 with a TD as a runner (including 2 for -1 on kneel downs). Played a smart game. The Eagles threw a lot of short, quick passes over the middle. That kept the Eagles from 3rd/long situations and helped to sustain drives. Sanchez mostly threw the ball well. He did have one off-target pass that cost the team a TD. Brad Smith came wide open on a WR screen where he faked blocking and then went upfield. It is the perfect complement to the screen. Defenders see you block over and over and over. Then you slip upfield the one time and you’re uncovered. Sanchez rushed the throw and was off the mark. There was also a fade pass to Cooper that was poorly thrown. Sanchez was too up the field with the pass. He needed that on the back shoulder and to the outside. I thought he mostly made good decisions. One I’d like to have back was 3rd/3 in scoring territory. Sanchez forced the ball to Ertz near the goal line. McCoy was all alone in the flat and had space to work with. He would have gotten the 1st and had a chance for a TD.
The biggest thing for me is that Sanchez didn’t throw any picks and didn’t force any throws into situations where the ball might be picked. He did throw to covered players a couple of times, but put the ball in the right spot so that defenders couldn’t get to it, but his guys still had a chance to make the grab.
-MISC-
* Good timing with Sproles. Those two had been off on short throws recently. They connected a few times in this game and the timing was perfect, which helped Sproles turn quick throws into TDs.
* Kept the ball on read-option and ran for short TD. Not the smoothest or prettiest play, but it worked.
* Threw deep for Mac on 2nd drive, but was off target. That was the only deep throw of the game. Sanchez was on the move on the play and was just trying to see if he could make something happen.
* Terrific pass to Matthews for the TD. Hit him on the move and let Matthews use RAC yards for the TD.
* Great read and throw to Mac on 2nd/20. Beat Cover 2 perfectly. Put the ball behind the CB but in front of the S. Hit Mac in stride, which helped him add RAC yards and turn that into a 58-yard gain.
* Dumped the ball to Sproles on 3rd/long. Didn’t get the first but added most of it. No risk with 10 point lead.
* Forced a ball toward Celek on a seam route in scoring territory. He was well covered and the ball was overthrown. Not a good read, but thankfully Sanchez was essentially throwing the ball away.
RB
SHADY – Biggest game of the year. Went 25-159-1. Had runs of 38, 36 and 19 yards. Got the ball on a beautiful mis-direction play on the opening drive. Initial design looked like a run to the left, but then McCoy went left. The backside of the defense had gone with the initial flow and McCoy had a ton of room. Used a good fake on Church down the field to get an extra 5 yds. Continually made the Dallas Safeties look inept. They struggled to tackle him in the open field. Fumbled in the 3rd Qtr. Tripped over Lane Johnson and the ball came loose. Impressive TD run in the mid-3rd. Hit the hole and went a bit right. Got by arm tackle of the S and then curved the run back to the middle to get away from pursuit. Good mixture of speed, power and elusiveness. Had another fumble late in the game, but his butt was clearly down. That was the Butt Non-Fumble.
SPROLES – Only had 1 carry, but went for 13 yds. Caught 3 passes for 19 yds. Those touches netted him 3 1st downs. That’s efficiency. Ran on 3rd/1 and got 13 yds. Read hie blocks and bounced the play out wide for a good gain. Caught a pass in the flat on 3rd/2 and got 4 yds to keep the opening drive going. Ran a simple out route in the late 2nd on 3rd down and the LB had no chance to stick with him. Only a short gain, but moved the chains and it was a high percentage play.
POLK – Had a chance to be the blowout workhorse. Finished 11-49. Ran N-S and hard. Just missed breaking a couple of those runs for nice gains. Love watching his toughness and physical style after seeing Shady make all kinds of moves on the defense for 3 Qtrs.
TE
CELEK – Very good game as a blocker. Quiet as a receiver – 1 catch for 7 yds. That was a simple pass over the middle in the 2nd Qtr. Good seal block of DB paved way for Shady on 19-yd run. Had a great block of DE on Shady run to his side for 10 yds. Engaged the guy quickly and sustained the block for several seconds. Sustained blocks all game long. Moved his guy off the spot several times.
ERTZ – Very quiet game. The Eagles played mostly 3 WRs, with Celek as the blocking TE. Ertz had one pass come his way. Sanchez tried to hit him in the end zone, but they couldn’t connect. Got held on a 2nd Qtr pass play so that drew a flag and kept a drive alive.
CASEY – Did some blocking, mostly in the 2nd half. Nothing noteworthy.
WR
MACLIN – 8-108. Good game. Had a huge play on 2nd/20. Got behind the CB, but was in front of the S. Sanchez hit Mac on the run and he could then cut back to the middle. Turned that into a gain of 58 yards. Thought he might score, but the D hustled in pursuit and had the angle on him. Mostly caught short passes. My favorite grab came in the 4th Qtr. Got a short throw over the middle on 3rd down and Mac dove to get the 1st. Eagles were up big, but he wanted to keep those chains moving. Also showed good awareness.
MATTHEWS – 4-51-1. Caught TD pass on crossing route on play-action pass. Showed good speed as he got into the end zone. Caught a couple of crossing passes on play-action throws.
COOPER – 4-32. Caught several short passes over the middle, which helped to move the chains or set up short 3rd down situations. Stood out as a blocker on runs and pass plays.
HUFF – No catches, but did get a snap at RB late in the game. Ran for 7 yds. Read his blocks well and got upfield. Played some RB early on at Oregon so this wasn’t completely new to him.
SMITH – Had one pass come his way. Was wide open for a TD, but Sanchez just missed him. Came on a WR screen where Smith didn’t block but instead went downfield for the throw. Great call, just an errant pass. Blocked well in the run game. Was on the field blocking when McCoy ran for his long TD.
OL
* Sanchez got sacked once. He didn’t even get hit very much. The OL played really well.
PETERS – Terrific block of DE on initial 3rd down. Was able to seal him and get Sproles an open lane to the outside. Pulled and had a good kick-out block of a DB on a 2nd Qtr run. Didn’t see him beat once in pass pro.
MATHIS – Had a strong sequence in the 2nd Qtr. Picked up blitzing LB on run play and allowed Shady to still get upfield for a few yds. A couple of plays later he handled a stunt well. Blocked his DT, who then went into Peters. Mathis got the DE who looped inside. Kept Sanchez from getting hit. Had dominant pass block of DT in the early 3rd that allowed Sanchez to easily run for a 1st down. Huge void to run to. Good job on Shady’s TD. Got upfield and blocked a LB.
KELCE – You almost take him for granted. Gets off the ball so quickly play after play that you don’t always appreciate it. Makes reach blocks look easy, and they can be a key part of the Eagles run game. Great block on Shady’s TD run. Got off the ball quickly and got his hands on the DT. Move the guy to the right and gave Shady a nice running lane.
GARDNER – Another start at RG and a pretty good showing. Read a stunt well early in the game and made a clean block of the looping DE. Pulled and had a good kick-out block to clear the way for Shady to run for 19 yds. Was beaten by DT in the early 2nd Qtr. Guy hit Sanchez and got FF. Gardner hustled to recover the ball. Kept a bad play from being a terrible play. Excellent seal block of LB on Shady’s TD. Totally controlled his guy and gave Shady a ton of room to work with. Pass pro can be shaky at times, but a good run blocker.
JOHNSON – Shoved a Cowboy DE to the ground on play-action pass. Jon Runyan would have been impressed. Got the guy with another nasty block a few plays later. Did an excellent job of getting off the ball on run plays away from him. Was able to reach the DL to his inside and sustain that block. Had a good downblock of DL on 4th Qtr run that Shady almost turned into a TD. Good job in pass pro.
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DEFENSE
MISC
* Witten – covered at all times. The Eagles were creative. They used at least 5 guys to cover him: Kendricks, Barwin, Jenkins, Allen, Carroll. I can’t remember if Trent Cole ever had him. Dallas had him block and then late-release a few times. The Eagles had a player watching him on those plays and then release with him. As the Eagles like to say, they plastered him. There were eyes on Witten on every pass play. He had 2 passe come his way. He caught 1 for 8 yards. Great design and execution. Romo and Witten weren’t always sure who would be jumping out on him… the OLB, ILB or DB.
* Interesting stacks with DL and ILBs. Murray is a cutback runner. It looked like Davis staggered the DL and ILBs at times so that if the DL flowed one way, the ILBs would be a step in front or behind them. This took away the frontside and backside of plays. Murray was forced to run between the tackles. Pursuing LBs can go too fast, but if you stagger where they line up, they’ll be getting to the hole just as the runner is looking at it or going up through it. Cutback lanes just weren’t there for Murray and that’s a huge part of his game. \
* The Eagles tackled well. Murray is tough to get down, but the Eagles got him in space a few times. There were some yards after contact (a Murray specialty), but not as many as usual for him.
* Dallas was 4 for 12 on 3rd downs
* 0 for 1 on 4th down
*
PLAYERS
DL
COX – Great game. Made plays and was regularly disruptive. Had 4 solo tackles, a TFL and a sack. Got moved around so he could pick on multiple blockers. Dallas tried to run wide to the right with him on that side. Shoved the RG back and forced Murray upfield, where LBs were waiting for him. Shed the block of the RG and just engulfed Murray on a run that came right at him. Just stood up the LT on a play that came at him and gave Murray nowhere to go. Moved to the other side for the next play and blew up 3rd down. Drove the RG backward and then got off the block and held Dunbar to just 1 yd on 3rd/3. Shot the G/C gap on run play near the goal line and got Murray down for a TFL. Used a club move to beat Leary for a sack in the mid-3rd. Also showed good agility on the play. Doesn’t move like a normal big man.
LOGAN – Active game. Got off his blocks and chased plays from behind. Only had 1 solo tackle, but played a big part in controlling Murray.
THORNTON – Good game. Was in on 3 tackles and a key part of the run defense. Did a terrific job of pursuing plays from the backside. Outstanding on plays that came his way. Gave RT Doug Free fits. Hustled downfield and popped Witten after a short catch.
CURRY – Got a bit of a gift sack. Lined up at LDT. Romo got the snap unexpectedly and Curry went right by his guy, then tapped Romo after he’d fallen to the ground. Hustled out wide and got a nice shot on Romo after Barwin flushed him in the late 3rd. Romo did not throw the ball well after that play.
BAIR – Got some good push on pass plays in the 2nd half. Solid vs the run.
B. ALLEN – Solid vs the run.
OLB
COLE – Didn’t make plays, but had a good game. Had 3 solo tackles. Showed his hustle when he got upfield on a screen and was right in Romo’s face, then went downfield and made the tackle of Murray. Let himself get blocked to the inside on 3rd Qtr play and Murray almost got a TD. Sloppy D by Trent. Did a great job on the next play. Fired into the LT and moved him back, which boxed Murray in and helped Cox get a TFL. Got some pressure on Romo in the 2nd half.
BARWIN – Good game. Had 4 solo tackles and a TFL. Also covered well when asked to do that. Helped to shut down Witten. Hustled down the LOS on run play away from him and tackled Murray when he tried to cutback. Missed tackle of Murray on screen, but it didn’t cost any extra yards. Rushed hard off the edge and forced Romo to dump the ball to Randle, which resulted in a TFL. Disrupted a 3rd/3 play even though the ball never got near him. Dallas tried to seal him so Dunbar could get wide, but Barwin saw that coming and fought to stay as wide as possible. Dunbar saw this and stayed inside, where he was stopped. Read a 4th Qtr screen perfectly and tackled Murray for a loss. Got him at the one-foot line, just missing a safety. Got a shot on Romo late in the game.
GRAHAM – Had 3 solo tackles and a sack. Did a terrific job of setting the edge on a run to the right side. Engaged RT Doug Free and pushed him back into Murray, then pursuit made the tackle from behind. Showed real good power on that play. Just threw the LG to the ground and stormed upfield for a sack in the mid-3rd. Got him off-balance with an inside step and then used power to floor him. Hit Romo a couple of plays later, but after the ball was out. Used a good inside move to get by Free and land a good shot on Romo in the early 4th Qtr. Another good showing.
ILB
KENDRICKS – Terrific game. Did a good job of filling on run plays. Murray isn’t easy to bring down when he hits the hole hard, but MK stood him up and made the play a couple of times. Chased down Cole Beasley on a screen pass where he got loose for a nice gain. Made a really impressive tackle in the early 2nd Qtr. Murray caught a pass in the flat. Kendricks got his arm and pulled Murray down and sort of slung him out of bounds. It is tough to tackle him in space. Kendricks made sure he wasn’t going anywhere unless that arm came off. Made a terrific play in the 4th Qtr. Dallas had 4th/1. MK shot gap and nailed Murray for a 6-yard loss. Led the Eagles with 7 tackles (6 solo) and added a TFL.
MATTHEWS – Solid showing. Was in on 3 tackles and had a sack. Prevented a TD by quickly flowing to the outside and tackling Murray at the 1. Then got blocked by the C and Murray scored up the middle on the next play. Frederick dominated him on that play. Generally did a good job of being in his gap and forcing Murray to try to cut back. Tackled Witten in space after a short catch. Got his sack in the 3rd Qtr. Dallas false-started, but there was no call. That threw off the rhythm of the play. Casey blitzed and got by Tyron Smith to tag Romo, who had fallen down. Was in the right gap most of the time and helped take away running lanes for Murray.
S
N. ALLEN – Great fumble recovery late in the 1st half. Boykin stripped the ball from the slot guy, but it was right by the sideline. Nate was headed over to help tackle and saw the ball. He showed good body control as he came to a stop and dove on the ball without going out of bounds. If any part of him is out, that is a dead ball and stays with Dallas. Instead, Eagles ball in FG range. Did not have a strong performance as a run defender in the box. Still more hesitant than you’d like. Doesn’t trust his eyes. Did hustle and force Murray out of bounds on run play inside the 10. Prevented a TD. Picked off a pass in the mid-3rd, but it was wiped out by a Cary Williams penalty. Picked off a pass late in the game. Romo was under pressure and just threw the ball up for grabs.
JENKINS – Got TFL on the opening drive. Forced Randle out of bounds after catch in the flat. Was in on a couple of other tackles. Got a borderline dirty hit on WR after Williams INT in the 3rd Qtr. Just ran the guy over while he stood there.
CB
FLETCHER – Good game. Broke up a 3rd down pass to stop the opening drive. He and Bryant were both handsy on the play, but Fletcher might have gotten away with some holding. Beaten by Bryant for 38-yd catch in the late 1st Qtr. Had good coverage, but was a great throw and catch. Credited with 2 pass break-ups. Was able to regularly stick with his guy. Also active in run support. Had 5 solo tackles.
WILLIAMS – Good game. Had 2 PBUs and an INT. Broke up pass to Bryant on the opening drive. Read the route and then broke on the ball. Called for holding in the mid-3rd and that wiped out an INT by Nate. Good call. Picked off an errant pass in the late 3rd. Romo just made a poor throw. Cary did have to make a diving catch. Had 3 solo stops.
BOYKIN – Good game. Had 3 tackles and a FF. Gave up some short catches to Beasley, but kept him under control. Made a big play late in the 1st half. Slot receiver Cole Beasley had caught a short pass and was headed for the sideline. Boykin tackled him and knocked the ball out in the process. Nate recovered.
CARROLL – Moved out to LCB in the 3rd for a few plays when Fletcher had an equipment issue. Beaten by Bryant for 9 yds on 3rd/8. Still had tight coverage, but Byant made a tough catch. Did a good job on Romo when he covered him. Finished with 2 solo tackles.
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ST’s
JONES – Averaged 49 yards per punt. 2 of 3 were in the 20, but did have one touchback.
PARKEY – 4 for 4 on FGs. Only 2 of 6 KOs were touchbacks. Some were returned from the end zone. I’m not sure if Dallas was just being aggressive or if his KOs lacked good hang time. There was talk of a groin issue affecting his kicks.
KOR – All 3 were touchbacks.
PR – Sproles was 3-32 as a PR. Couldn’t break a long return.
– MISC –
* Bradley Fletcher did a good job on KO of not letting returner get outside of him. Was able to force the guy out of bounds.
* Downed a punt inside the 5. Pair of Cowboys ran into each other and Huff was able to fly over and down the punt. Good awareness, effort.
* Brandon Graham did a great job on the KO to open the 3rd Qtr. Ran over his blocker and went and got in on the tackle. Just floored the guy.
* Did a good job of forcing the KOR out of bounds after a long return in the mid-3rd. Looked like Dallas might take that one all the way for a minute.
* Carroll downed a punt at the 4.
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This rivalry is not what it was back in the day during the times of montgomery, jaworski, and sisemore. i do a radio show on sju campus. check out the interview i did with jerry sisemore. Dallas Sucks!
http://sportsandrants.blogspot.com/2014/11/philadelphia-eagles-interviews.html
The rivalry was far better than that in the 80s with Buddy, sorry to say. Far more entertaining.
Bounty Bowl
Don’t forget about the Pork chop bowl! Oh or how about Irvin ending his career on the vet’s turf? Good times 🙂
I’d rather have playoff success than just being happy with winning two games against Dallas every year! Chip will bring success – Buddy never did
No one mentioned anything about Chip. I’m comparing the rivalry from the Jaworski/Montgomery era to the Buddy era. Sure, Jaworski and company won the big championship game. But the Ryan era was all time great in terms of sheer entertainment value with the Dallas rivalry.
Yes of course anyone sane would trade actual victories in the playoffs over Buddy Ryan soundbites. But that’s not what I was talking about.
Then you’re not an eagles fan. Beating the cowgirls means EVERYTHING!!! Playoff success or not beating Dallas 2x a year is the stuff that legends are made of. Never lose sight of that. F Dallas.
Great analysis Tommy, as always.
Second to none.
Watching the Duck game as I type – Wow, the Duck offense is not hitting on all cylinders and yet the 1st half score is 23 – 0.
What is interesting is how well the Duck D is covering, in some ways, for the misfires on offense. Yet, the tempo is giving the O such opportunities to score that in a bumbling way they still are putting points on the board – 23 instead of 45. Amazing how Chip’s legacy lives on.
Can’t wait for Sunday.
That was a tough game LOL, poor Arizona… Actually eff Arizona, good job Oregon.
now you are 1-2 vs AZ in the last 14 months. let’s what next year brings.
So sad Mariota is gonna rot on some terrible team. He will have to go no 1.
He makes incredible nfl throws.
I almost wish that giants could get him just so he doesn’t end up in Jax or oak. But then the eagles fan says, please end up in Jax or oak or another afc team.
They need to let him rot for a year on the bench in a proper apprenticeship if they want any return on that investment. There is a lot he needs to do in order to be a proper NFL QB.
The talent is there, but Greg Cosell identified a lot that Mariota isn’t able to do yet in order to be long-term success as an NFL QB.
Most likely end up in Tampa after a trade up.
I really do not hope Giants get Mariota.
Shame Tedford left Tampa. He’d be awesome into taking a full year to craft Mariota into Rodgers.
I can see the Giants trading up for him. Unless Tampa fires Lovie Smith so quickly (which isn’t out of the question, but they’re a cheap franchise and probably wouldn’t want to pay for two HC).
It’s almost a done deal that Coughlin “retires” and it’s a perfect opportunity for the new guy to get a potentially great QB. Eli sucks and everything, but can start the season with Mariota on the bench.
The Giants are a pretty well run organization and this type of move fits with how they work.
Although I’d counter that they need to build up that o-line first. They’ll get that dude killed in 2 games.
Sure. But I don’t think they’re starting the guy from day 1.
As much as we’d like to see them get another top 5 pick after next season, they may not be picking low enough to make the move.
I’m very likely wrong here, it’s just something I can see playing out.
They just drafted a qb that many were somewhat high on
Yeah, I could see them spending a ton of picks on o-lline and trying to build around Nassib at first.
I’m still not convinced we see anybody but Eli under center next year for the Giants.
New regime is coming in. Maybe they’ll get a Chip Kelly who can turn their mid-round pick into a probowler (LOL), but usually new coaches are looking for “their guy”.
The good thing is their GM is not known for trading up.
They did get Eli that way -although it was a messed up scenario.
That was another GM
Ced needs his new contract and needs more media love. Dude is an anchor on his side.
You know what else he needs more of? Sack lunches! NOM NOM NOM!!!
He’s starting to get penetration now too for a guy who has concrete shoes on lol…
Eagles will pay thorton. He will make starter DT money. Allen and Bair aren’t good enough to avoid paying him bank.
And there is supposed to be some Taylor Hart guy ready to step in and play next year.
DL depth is coming along nicely. Bair and Allen are a huge surprise.
Logan is just awesome from the start.
So hard to believe cox was having such a uneventful off-season and everyone was worried about regression, now he is dominating. This front 7 gives me hope
My point on this last week was that Cox, along with the rest of the D-line, was so terrible vs. the Saints in that choke playoff game loss that it became the defining lens through which we had to evaluate the D for 6 or 7 months.
Cox and Logan have really answered the bell this year.
They were both really solid last year too besides the saints loss..
.,,
Consider that in 28 games since billy Davis has been calling the defense only two RBs gained 100 yards against us, 1 last year, and 1 this year… You don’t only give up 100 yards to 1 rusher all last year with coz and Bennie playing poor defense
He was always penetrating. Nobody notices until climax.
That kind of size simply doesn’t go unnoticed, must have been in the wrong gap
After all the hype, it was so entertaining to see Dallas’ O line traumatized from being penetrated over & over by enormous & highly aggressive Cox.
I’m watching Playbook on NFL Network. Their bold predictions? McCoy will have less than 48 yards rushing. Seattle will hold the Eagles to 20 but they will score at least 30.
Love the lack of respect for our team. /s
To be honest I could see McCoy getting crushed in this game and the Eagles only scoring 20. Where Seattle’s 30 comes from is a joke of a prediction.
If we lost this game 16-13, 17-16, 20-16, 23-20, or something like that would be more appropriate.
I def agree that if we lose it would be in the teens… coach Brian Billick made that insane prediction..l sounds to me like a bitter old man, who is pissedthat he interviewed for Eagles coaching job, and chip got it instead
we will score over 20 again and SEA will score under 20 again.
It’s too bad when a media fool makes a dumb prediction like that you can’t immediately push a button on your remote to bet him $100 he is wrong. Should be a requirement, put your money where your mouth is or get off the air.
Omg I would be able to never have to work again lol
…
At the very least media member should be subject to a yearly reviews of all the work of the past year, if they didn’t turn out to be accurate ATleast 50% of the time, they should lose their job… You got morons polluting the minds of hundreds of thousands of fans have them going around parroting just false crap… Fans care too much about this sport to be subject to clueless inaccurate media
We get no credit week after week. It’s whatever at this point. Those guys like their favorites.
We all know the reason for Ertz poor stats, but to be honest he may be considered the biggest disappointment so far after all this hyperbole in the off season.
I’m more upset that McCoy isn’t on pace for 2,000 rushing, 500 receiving, and 24 combined TDs.
Nobody burned an early round fantasy draft pick on Ertz.
I’m with Mike. I’d sacrifice many hyped up sophomores to get shady’s mojo working.
It’s unbelievably great that chip worked through the running problems and never abandoned the run (AZ was taking what defense gives). Another coach would have abandoned the run game instead of playing celek more and essentially doubling down.
F Dallas. We smoked them down in Dallas and they made excuses. We’ll smoke them up here next week and they’ll make more excuses.
They’re an embarrassment.
The last smackdown of the Cowboys was in Dallas. Just wait until we get them in Philly.
Romo’s hangnail is giving him problems in his release. But he’ll tough it out.
His vaginal yeast infection is delaying his throws.
Are we really calling out the guy playing through a broken rib and a broken back for his toughness right now?
yes
I be honest, but after watching Mariota this whole season, I wouldnt mind doing a RG3 style trade for him.
Mariota is by the far the best QB to come out since Luck (I say Mariota is better than RG3 coming out)
He’ll need an apprenticeship for a year before he can play in an NFL system. Greg Cosell spoke extensively on Ross Tucker’s show a few weeks ago about what Mariota needs to do in order to be a guy who can make NFL level reads and throws from the pocket. His talent is great, but he needs to get out of any dead-end type running.
I want him playing like Rodgers in the NFL not Kaepernitwit.
I know Cosell is very good, but I disagree.
99% of college QBs (even Andrew Luck) didnt play in anything close to an NFL offense or against anything close to an NFL defense.
Crosses fingers, please go to afc, please go to afc.
We don’t have enough to trade up, it’s not even close.
oakland has wanted to trade out of the top of the draft for years now, now that they have a young QB, I assume they will be very eager to try and get value for that top pick…. Of course, I think we would be FULL RETARD to mortgage a bunch of drafts for a young QB… Probably cost 3 first round picks ATleast…mrather get a first round safety and two first round corners and have a stacked team with the QBs we have,,,
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Trading up would be so dumb, I can’t imagine us entertaining such a thing, unless like Wisenhunt And theitans see FOles as a baby Rothlisberger type……. The only way we would ever trade up is if trading FOles can get us Marriotta without taking too many of our draft picks away. And I doubt FOles stock has THAT type of value right now leagûe wide…
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The ONLY WAY I would be ok with going to get Marriotta, is if landing him ensures chip Kelly remains our coach for like a decade,,, if Chip is so high on that kid that it would ensure him being here for at least 5 more years, I would entertain it…. But Sanchez would have to play lights out the rest of the way to be ok with giving up Nick to go with Sanchez while Martiotta develops a bit
Dam you are so high on Nick that its all about him for you not wanting to trade for Mariota?
If Chip gets Mariota, he would 99% be here a decade unless Mariota flops.
We have, question is if Howie would be willing to part way with around 9 top 100 picks
RGIII trade was three 1s and a 2. That was to go from 7 to 2. Julio Jones trade to go from 27 to 7 was two 1 a 2 and two 4s. Plus there are going to be about 15 teams picking ahead of us that would be willing to give up two or three first round picks. A couple of extra second and third round picks from the Eagles is a lot less valuable than a bunch of ones from the jets or titans etc.
yeah, because that worked out so well for washington
We have better overall roster and coaching so cant compare
still it’s a lot, A LOT, of picks for 1 guy. i think howie is smart enough to know not to put all your eggs in 1 basket.
mariota over winston? i’d take guy who’s undefeated tossing from the pocket.
You want the guy with 17 ints from the pocket versus the guy with 2? Having over 1 int per game is super bad for any QB in college
“Got the ball on a beautiful mis-direction play on the opening drive.
Initial design looked like a run to the left, but then McCoy went left.”
Kelly is a genius. Best misdirection ever.
Just kidding. 😉
Watched Seattles last 3 games, their OL is going to get destroyed by our DL…..
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Max Ungar can’t go, free agent backüp Guard Lemuel JeanPierre is going to lineup at Center in front of Bennie Logan, not only will Bennie Blow him up all game long, but on the road Jeanpierre and that line have had communication problems.. not only will he have a monster Bennie going hard at him all game, but he will be struggling to hear and communicate pre snap now that we have a home field advantage…
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RT rookie Britt is going to get destroyed by Connar Barwin… The rookie RT and the backup Center should have a lot of trouble with all the twisting and stunting we do, as well as our blitz packages when they will be struggling to communicate pre snap…
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DGR shows COLE and BG had a good game even if Tyrone Smith was lined up against them, they should be able to beat Russel Okung enough to be disruptive and make some plays tomorrow…Britt and Okung won’t be able to stop our OLBs from setting the edge…
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I expect our Offensive line to have much more success against their front 7, then their OL is able to have against our front 7….. Expecting our Run game, to out produce Seattles… BEASTMODE is no joke, “I’m bout that action Boss!” But he is going to struggle when our DL kicks his OL’s ass
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Since Billy Davis became Defensive coordinator 28 games ago, only two runningbacks have been able to gain 100 yards against this Defense… 26 out of 28 runningbacks were held under 100 yards, they were shutting down run games last year, and we are much much tougher against the run now….
I so hope you are right.
Did you see what our DL did to awesome rookie guard Zack Martin? What are they going to do to rookie Britt when he can’t,hear anything on the road? Win the line of scrimmage, u win the game….. JeanPierre and Britt, two pigeons to feast on!!!
Stunts loops, zero blitz that two drop back, double a gap, fake double a gap, psycho time square blitz. They all line up all over. Don’t forget number two in sacks.
All that and zack Martin went from pro bowler at beginning of turkey game to ‘Sack Martin’ by end of game.
Barwin and BG are going to abuse Justin Britt…
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Mayock had a 5th round grade on him, seattle drafted him at the end of round two…big 6’6 325 sum-a-ma-bitch… Lol too stiff to keep up with Barwin flying off the edge… BG will get leverage on his big ass on bull rush him into Wilson’s lap
Add a green dog blitz or two while we are at it, and now you are speaking my language!! Lol
Why run when the secondary is all but wide open?
Cliff Avril, Bennett, Bruce Irvin vs. Lane and Jason Peters
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Barwin, BG, COLE vs, rookie RT Britt and Okung..
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Advantage Eagles…
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The seattle seahawks still have some really nice pass rushing weapons, but with red BRyant gone and Mebane injured, their run stuffing interior Defensive lineman are weaker than seattle has had the last 3 years… People who think our run game is getting shut down this week are in for a rude awakening, who cares about Seattles LB’s if they don’t have interior defensive lineman that can keep mathis and Kelce from going hunting for LB’s
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Our run stuffing interior lineman are soooo much better than Seattles… Yet “experts” are saying shady won’t gain the 48 yards he needs to set the franchise record? Shady will rack up almost double the years that we allow Marshawn to get……
Can someone explain to me why hitting a defenseless Gunner isn’t a spot foul? Harris got the penalty for the hit, but it was counted from the 20 since it was a Touchback (and it only was a TB because Harris hit Carroll inside the 5). From the 20, half the distance, 10 Yard line.
So what the NFL is doing with this rule is to reward a nasty hit that can cause any kind of injuries for the Gunner with a 6 Yard (in this case) gain, up to 9 Yards if we’re talking about the 1 Yard line. Total nonsense, imho.
It’s the same logic with Pass Interference. If you reward the player for a Penalty (and a 50 Yard pass who couldn’t be caught because of PI will be a 15 Yard penalty is a reward for the DB) you will get many penalties. And this can’t be in the interest of the game, not for the NFL money wise, not for the fans.
The players will be fined for the hits (in the Punt/Touchback case), but I think every coach appreciates it if a player gains “free” yards for you. And that could be more valuable than the fine.
No one can explain any rules in the NFL because the NFL rule making has sucked for decades.
Be careful, you are writing a neggative comment regarding the NFL on a site that is based on an NFL team. Expect to find a fine in your mailbox within the next 7-10 business days.
I said the exact same thing.
What he did i have really never seen before. I just dont think there was a precedant for it.
That’s kind of an excuse. Don’t know why we both haven’t seen it before, though, because it was the right thing to do from Harris – from a Cowboys perspective. Ball at the 10 is a whole different ball game than ball at the 4.
I think a big part of the reason you dont see it is player to player respect. He did that with malice, that was clear to see. He had obvious intention to hurt Carrol. He went harder then what was necessary. Let me make this clear. I am not a fan of how soft football is becoming, but what he did crossed the line. Players gennerally respect each other and i think thats why you dont see that as much. The extent of it wasnt necessary.
The extend wasn’t necessary, of course. But you don’t have to hit the player like Harris did to get what you want.
And to me, personally, I think Harris is a d*ck. But I can’t say I blame the player if there is a rule loophole that helps your team win.
It’s like big corporations finding loopholes for not paying taxes. It sucks, but the loophole is there – close it, then this things won’t happen.
To add to what i said below its not really an excuse. Sometimes you cant make a rule for something when you have never seen it before. You cant think of everything before it happens. Just like the judicial system. New laws are made because times and technology among other things are changing. You cant always make a law for something if you didnt kow it was going to happen. We are humans, our rules and laws change over time and events. I wouldnt be suprised at all if this offseason when the owners have their annual get together that this pops up and a rule regarding it is made.
Well, you can’t make rules or laws for anything. But I think someone could have had this idea in the past, to be honest with you. It’s not that out of the box.
I watched the game with the sound off so that I could listen to Merrill and Mike. With the TV broadcast muted it really highlighted how much attention was being given to the cowboys. Pregame they were showing the cowboys bench, after a cowboys td they showed the cowboys bench, after an Eagles td cut to the cowboys bench. I’m just so glad we whupped ’em
They didn’t show enough of Jerruh looking pissed off. More of that is needed.
We don’t do the ball control thing, but man did the Chargers offense dominate seattle defense. They just Mauled them from start to finish, holding on to the ball for 40 plus minutes, running all over seattle defense… Rivers was surgical in the short and intermediate pass game.. This gave me hope, because rivers didn’t need to go down field to beat them, so hopefully kelly can orchestrate a game plan like last week where Sanchez only threw past 20 yards twice.. Keep everything short, intermediate, seattle defense will give you the check down and underneath stuff all game, because they trust their defense to swarm, make the tackle and limit YArds after Catch…but our skill position players should be able to make some things happen after the catch, so hopefully we can win this game without asking Sanchez to go down field against the LOB too often..
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Cheifs turned it over twice, and seattle had zero turnovers and Cheifs still won.. Seems like seattle struggles more with the 3-4 defense, just like Dallas which is horrible against 3-4 defense, because it really screws up their blocking schemes, they don’t get the same angles that they can double team lik they do when they face a 4 man line…no surprise they couldn’t run the ball against us at all last week…. We will force dallas to completely change its run game next week.
As long as we keep having the advantage in about 70% of the 10 individual 1 on 1 matchups in the battle of the treaches im going to continue to expect to see the Eagles win.,, there isnt a team on our schedule the rest of the regular season including seattle that should be able to win the line of scrimmage against us, so I expect to run the table, as long as we continue to enjoy good health along the offensive and defensive line…
Random, but say Chip had Weaver before his nasty knee injury, do you see Chip using him? Dude had serious talent for a FB.
Hate to say it but I’d forgotten about Weaver. Yea, he was becoming one of my favorites, too. Shame what happened to him.
ill never forget that 40 yard catch he made one handed on a bomb running straight down the middle of the feild. Completely smoked the LB. The man could do all. 260 pounds but he could run, was agile for that size, could catch, and was a good blocker. Good team leader also. After the 2009 season Eagles gave him th biggest contract ever given to a FB. He deserved it. Really was a shame with that injury. God it was awfull. More i think about it, i think Chip would have loved him and used him in some pretty creative ways. Esspecially in RZ.
Great post.
Probably wpuld have tried to turn him into a Hback I guess… Or just use him as a power RB…. I don’t think we would have started using a lead blocker just because weaver was on the roster
No, thats not Chips style. However he was talented enough to use him in other ways, but i think if he were in for a play and Chip realized the play would work with a lead blocker, then im sure he would audible to do it.
I actually think u could be absolutely right. When our media was pestering the offensive genius about why we weren’t seeing shady and sproles in the backfield together, Chip brushed them off by giving them a complete bullshit answer of “because stylistically it’s not like one can block for the other”..,while that’s true, you could fake a handoff to sproles going right and pitch it to shady going left, and the defender will chase sproles and be out of the play as if he was blocked, so that answer was complete nonsense, the fact that chip would say one back can’t block for the other on the fly probably suggest he would be open to it if he had a big blocking Fb like Weaver who could also run like a RB
What’s everyone’s biggest concern for tomorrow’s game?
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Seahawks defense probably isn’t going to respect Sanchez or our Wide Recievers other than Maclin.. Curious if Sanchez can be successful against elite secondary or If his short comings will allow them to sell out and try to stop shady?
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I assume they will sell out to try and stop the run, and try to force Sanchez to beat them… Sanchez will have to help out the running game at times, whether he has to keep the ball and run with it when they leave him open or he will have to make some throws down field and make them respect him…. Fortunately when our Line and Celek are healthy, I like our ability to run on anyone, even a defense selling out to try and not let us run
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Also curious about our skill players snap count this week. Have a feeling Riley snaps will be at an all time low, while Sproles plays the most snaps he has all year, lining up everywhere.. Also have a feeling we dust off Ertz for this matchup. ERTZ, Pope Jordan and Sproles should be our main Recieving weapons this year working the middle of the field… if Sherman is shutting down Maclin, wouldn’t mind letting him get a few snaps in the a lot like his Missouri days..
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Hope to see Lane split out wide to the left with Maclin stacked behind him, throw a screen to Maclin and let Lane rough Sherman up
Wilsons legs, and Seattles secondary.
Yeah Sanchez being baited by the Legion of Boom is definitely a concern. I have been pleased with Sanchez play, but I think fans and media are getting really carried away with his play. IT has been good, but still has so much to prove before we can really be sold on him…. I don’t know that he can go all season winning only attempting two passes over 20 yards per game, at some point a good defense will take away the short intermediate stuff and force him to have to go down field…what happens then? He could be successful, he has completed a few deep passes(but we can count them on one hand), but he isn’t even close to having proved it…
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Curious to see if we can run the ball against a defense that won’t respect our passing game, and load Up, selling Out to stop shady, and if we are struggling to run the ball. Can Sanchez make enough plays against an elite Sevondary to free up their strangle hold on our run game?? Maybe he can, but it hasn’t been answered yet, and I find it foolish to get carried away with less than a handful of games worth of sample size,,,and questions that still need answering…
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I don’t mean to rain on anyones Sanchez parade, I hope he does answer all these questions and goes on to be awesome, but until he does people are getting carried away with the Sanchez love…. I’m rooting for him. Just because I believe in FOles doesn’t mean I wamt Sanchez to fail, I would gladly welcome a QB battle if it’s between two quality starting caliber QBs
The fact that they have very athletic and fast LBs such as Wagner does worry me. One thing that Sanchez has trouble reading are LBs dropping back when not expected. I would not be suprised at all on obvious passing downs they act as though they are going to blitz and then very quickly try to drop back to prevent the middle of the feild being open.
Yes, that is my worry too. Both Chancellor and Wagner are fast and tricky. You need to be careful about your decisions with Seattle.
We have got to get the run game moving. If not, we lose.
Pump fakes to get them 1 step in the wrong direction may be vital when passing in middle today.
I dont think Maclin will go off this game but i do think he has the abilityto win his 1v1 on Sherman now and then
I agree. My concern isnt actually Maclin. He runs really sharp routes that will work against anyone.. I’m just not sure about Sanchez getting it to him past Sherman consistently without Sherm baiting him and making us pay…
Agree, a CB can have great coverage on a WR, but if the QB makes an accurate throw it may still be a completion. Sherman will most of the time be pretty tight on Maclin, if Sanchez makes an accurate throw then it may be a completion. Now if Sanchez’s throw is a little behind or on the numbers instead of outfront it may be a pick.
I keep being negative, but most of my negativity is preceded by “I’m just not sure he can”…. That’s just because we haven’t seen it yet, but in fairness it’s not like he has had opportunities to prove it but has failed..just because I haven’t seen it yet, doesn’t mean he won’t prove to be capable of it. Win or lose I appreciate a real test like the defending champs late in the season so we can have a opportunity to find out… We beat on enough average to bad teams. Great to have a challenge like this late in the season..a win against defending champ could really spring board this young team to get hot and go on a run…if Sanchez can put the points up on L.O.B I’ll be satisfied that my questions have been answered…
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Weird to have more questions about chips offense than my beloved defense…
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Seahawks special teams coverage it’s are pathetic and sproles and our special teams are ELITE. So they need to be elite tomorrow, feast on a weak coverage units, put some points on the board. Sproles has to take one to the house. we are Elite, their ST is pathetic on paper, that advantage needs to materialize tomorrow and special teams has to make some
BIGTIME plays… Just winning field position against a tough D and an Offense that struggles would be a huge boost. But we are too good to not score this week on ST. Maragos needs to make them pay for not paying him to stay
One thing i have noticed is that when he is throwing in middle of feild he does lead his receivers and allows them to gain YAC. He acctually does it pretty damn well. Example, Mathews TD. On the throw to Ertz he put it really only where Ertz could get it, the safety just made a great play but had no chance for a pick. Another example was the throw to Sproles that got the first down. Hit him in stride and Sproles was only stopped from a large gain by a shoe string tackle from the LB. Yet again another example was the hitch route where he hit Cooper for the first. He threw the ball a little low so that the defender didnt have a chance to swat at the ball and hands as much as he would have if it was thrown at the numbers. His overall placement of his throws has really suprised and impressed me. It was something Foles was struggling with at points earlier in the season.
Injuries.
Seattle ball control. Limited possessions. Erratic play from Sanchez.
I want to see a lot of 22 set and innovative schemes. We need to see a lot of new, confusing schemes. And we absolutely have to establish the run to open up clean passing lanes.
Chip needs to mind-frack Carroll and his D. 47 – 20 again Chip!
trouble in paradise
http://deadspin.com/jay-gruden-may-lose-his-job-unless-he-makes-nice-with-r-1667806859
As much as I have a love/hate relationship with Sherman..I wouldn’t mind seeing Shady juking the shit out of Kam and “accidentally” take Sherman out ala Patrick Chung style.