Billy D and The D
Posted: October 21st, 2015 | Author: Tommy Lawlor | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | 288 Comments »I love watching the Bill Davis press conferences. Davis is a coach’s coach. He isn’t a defensive genius like Buddy Ryan, Bud Carson or Jim Johnson. They won’t be writing books about his defensive ideas and how they changed the game of football.
Davis knows who and what he is. He’s comfortable enough to focus on doing what’s best for the team. That means running the scheme the head coach wants and tailoring it to the players he has. Compare that to a guy like Rob Ryan. He is constantly trying to outsmart opponents by being as complex as possible. That’s great on paper, but his players fail to execute the schemes on a regular basis because there is just too much going on. Ryan worked for Bill Belichick, who does the same things. The difference is that Belichick is a freak and a great teacher. Ryan isn’t.
Davis could come up with complex wrinkles if he wanted, but generally keeps things straightforward. He seems to be very focused on fundamentals and execution than scheming. Davis gets somewhat creative, but again, builds his plans in a way to make them work. He ran a lot of Nickel in 2013. Last year, due to personnel issues, Davis played more Dime, with Nolan Carroll used in the role of a LB. This year Davis is running a lot more Nickel.
Davis didn’t say anything groundbreaking, but he had some really good points. He talked about how the players have taken ownership of the defense. They make suggestions to Davis on how to deal with issues by adjusting a coverage or running a stunt or whatever is needed for that particular case. As he puts it, they know what is in the defensive toolbox and which tool to use for that issue.
It really is good when players feel that comfortable with a scheme. And “ownership” is an interesting word. Buddy’s players loved his 46 Defense. It was his scheme in 1986 when he took over the Eagles. It was their scheme by 1989. They knew it inside-out and took pride in running it.
You can bet Fletcher Cox and Vinny Curry were not happy when Davis came in with the 3-4 a couple of years ago. Cox is now one of the most dominant defenders in the league and Curry is a huge part of the sub-packages. Having a veteran leader like DeMeco Ryans in the middle of the defense had to help tremendously. He knows how to bridge the gap between the players and coaches. Last year Malcolm Jenkins came in from the Saints and provided that same kind of presence on the back end of the defense. He is a great leader, teacher and communicator.
The players bought in slowly but surely. Now the scheme is in Year 3 and the defense is among the best in the league. When you have the right mixture of talent and leadership, good things are going to happen.
Davis talked about mental toughness and how important that is. I just happened to be thinking about this the other day. I watched the Steelers play the Cardinals. Pittsburgh has some issues on defense. They’ve got a banged up OL. Big Ben is out and Mike Vick was not playing well. But that team had a certain resilience to them. They were tough, physically and mentally. When third string QB Landry Jones came in the game, the team took off and ended up beating the Cardinals comfortably.
The Steelers have had that toughness for years. Last year they went 11-5. In 2013 they started the season 0-4. Mike Tomlin didn’t panic. The team kept grinding and finished 8-8. That toughness goes all the way back to 1992 when Bill Cowher took over and built the Steelers into a very physical football team. Tomlin replaced him and has the same kind of personality and presence. Assistants and players came and went. The toughness stayed. As long as the right leaders are there to pass it on to the next generation, the toughness can keep on going.
You might have a bad game. You might have a losing streak. But if you have the right people, they will work through that stuff. Davis talked about this in relation to Monday night. He gave the example that the defense came off the field after the opening drive upset that they’d made mistakes and allowed the TD. Instead of panicking, the players worked out solutions and then went right back to work.
The Eagles shut the Giants down after that initial drive. The players had been caught off guard by some things the Giants did. The players adjusted and also got their feet under them. Opening drives can be deceiving, good and bad. A team can come out too high or too low. There can be one little mistake or one player making a play. Fans tend to go crazy based on what they see. The Giants looked like a machine after one drive. The Eagles looked inept.
After the initial drive, the Giants were held scoreless and only gained 172 yards. The Eagles scored 20 points on offense and gained 422 yards. That’s domination, but you wouldn’t have known it at 8:50 on Monday night. That looked like a blowout in the making…for the Giants.
Oops.
Chip Kelly catches some flak for his comments about culture and character, but I think there is real value in that. You saw a good example on Monday night.
One other point from Davis, this unit does have excellent chemistry. Ryans and Jenkins are great leaders. So is Connor Barwin. Cox has a big personality and is a leader in his own way. Walter Thurmond feels like a perfect fit for this team. Nolan Carroll is an overachiever. Brandon Graham is getting used in a variety of ways and that limits his chances to just line up wide and go get the QB. You don’t hear him complaining at all.
I think it really says something about what a good core of people this defense has that a rookie like Jordan Hicks can fit in as well as a role player like E.J. Biggers, along with Thurmond and Kiko Alonso. This is a very eclectic group, but they seem to get along well. More importantly, they play well together. The 2011 defense had talent, but lacked chemistry. This group has both.
I’m excited to see how the defense plays the rest of the year. There will be ups and downs, but I’m betting on more ups.
*****
About Davis and X’s and O’s…he can be somewhat creative. He had Graham at NT and Cox lining up like an ILB in a blitz package against the Giants. He does creative things. Davis just doesn’t overdo them and focuses on his players rather than his ideas.
Jimmy Bama wrote a post on something Davis talked about. The Eagles tricked Eli into the pick-six.
*****
I have to say that he’s grown on me. I used to skip many of his PCs. Shurmur has a good sense of humor and does what he can to answer questions, but won’t give away plays/secrets.
_
josh innes vs jimmy bama, who u got tommy? maybe a tag team? tommy and jimmy vs innes and hollie thomas? lmfao
Innes – anybody doesn’t deserve to go head to head with the Bamma-Lawlor tandom. i can’t stand that guy.
What happened between the two? What was said?
idk everything, but you can go check their twitters for a taste, but innes was also talking ish on the radio about him, but i didnt hear it
I can’t say I see the defense as having talent that matches its level of play right now. There are some really strong players, but other than cox, kendricks, amd Alonso (and maybe Logan these days) no one has ever jumped off the screen at me. Two of these guys aren’t even playing, but the d is crazy good.
I think it’s a testament to a few things. Consistency for sure (which makes it so hard to evaluate our players on the other side of the ball). Smart, communicative players like tommy says. And Davis. I like our defensive players, but they’re playing beyond themselves as a unit. Really fun to watch.
There is a blurred line between “god given talent” and talent from being prepared. Is the intelligent man the one who doesn’t study but knows all the answers or the one who does and can answer the same? Two sides of the same coin perhaps.
No they have good talent . Basically every position and the front seven is very talented and we have arguably the best ILB group in the NFL and one of the best safety tandems this year. Barwin is a beast too. So is Curry.
Jenkins and Hicks haven’t jumped out at you?
I think you’re off on this man.
Logan is VERY good, he deserves more than the parenthetical.
Hicks is a legit talent.
Jenkins & Thurmond are playing smart and fast.
Barwin is doing Barwin things.
I’ve been disappointed with Brandon Graham’s play this year, but he destroyed Flowers last week, so hopefully things are turning around for him.
Cox is a truly dominant freak of nature talent.
Bennie Logan is hands down one of the best NT in all of football, and unbelievably fleet of foot for his size and ability to anchor against double teams.
Vinny Curry has one of the more freakish first steps in the entire NFL for a defensive lineman. Watch that man when he gets to pin his ears back as a pass rusher and he’s a yard or two in front of the rest of the defensive line almost immediately after the ball is snapped.
Jordan Hicks was the steal of the draft and is playing like an all-pro.
DeMeco Ryans is a solid savy vet.
Connor Barwin isn’t the classic Demarcus Ware 3-4 pass rushing end that usually generates all the media attention, but he’s a huge human, that moves incredibly well, is one of the best OLB in coverage in the league, and is damn good at rushing the passer when he gets the opportunity.
Kiko and Kendricks haven’t played much yet, but they are both top playmakers at their position.
Malcolm Jenkins is playing like a man possessed at S, and has all the talent in the world. He was a relatively high first round pick for a reason.
Walter Thurmond has been the perfect fit for us at safety and is playing like a guy who was born to play FS.
And, Carroll and Maxwell are both solid underrated CBs, same goes for Graham at OLB.
So, where’s the weak spot. This is an extremely talented defense from top to bottom with some great depth in the front 7.
I think the issue is that a lot of these players are young, or just coming into their own, so you’re not used to hearing them be mentioned as elite players, but make no mistake about it, they are elite, even if they haven’t yet received the national recognition that they most certainly will with time, especially if the Eagles start to win.
Weakness is depth in the secondary.
Biggest difference between the Offense and the Defense right now is that the Defense is making plays.
Defense if forcing turnovers, creating pressure, tackling, controlling the line of scrimmage.
Offense on the other hand:
Dropping passes, Throwing interceptions. Allowing penetration and not communicating on the line (improved v. NYG, for what its worth). Fumbling. Not making tough catches.
Hope Sam and the offense can get it together.
Yeah, quite a gap there at the moment. And besides “execution,” there’s plenty to be concerned about in regards to the talent on the offensive side of the ball…
Yea, this team really misses an outside WR that’s a true threat. Right now our best outside WR is Riley Cooper. And, our second best outside WR is Miles Austin. I don’t see too many defensive coordinators loosing sleep over that pairing any time soon.
Would be a huge boost to this offense if Huff or Agholar started to break out, but I’m not holding my breath.
Yea it’s shocking to see a Chip Kelly offense look so lost. They literally look like they’ve never practiced at all some times.
I don’t want to get ahead of myself, but some aspects of this defense remind me of the 2008 defense (the last great Eagles defense and perhaps JJ’s finest in his amazing career).
Get embarrassed in an early season Monday Night Football away game? Check (MNF vs. Falcons week 1 this year, MNF vs. Cowboys week 2 2008).
Start to whip into shape with a dominant run defense, an opportunistic pass defense, a high priced FA cornerback addition, a young emerging middle linebacker, and a deep dline with one dominant star? Check (YPC allowed; turnovers; Maxwell/Samuel, although Samuel was a better player; Hicks/Bradley; Cox/Cole, although I’d probably characterize Cox as more dominant).
Having much better LB play than anyone would’ve assumed? Check (Bradley/Gocong/Gaither; Kendricks/Hicks/Ryans/Barwin/Graham/Alonso).
Really good safety tandem? Check (Dawkins/Mikell; Jenkins/Thurmond).
Having to carry an offense that many assumed would be the superior unit? CHECK CHECK CHECK.
I think this defense has a better front 7 but the 2008 defense had a much better back 7 when you compared Samuel/Brown to Maxwell/Carroll. But it’s a fun comparison to make. If we make the NFC Championship Game just to lose to stupid Bruce Arians I will be cheesed off.
Caroll/Maxwell shouldn’t even be in the same breath as Asante/Brown.
Considering they’re completely different types of cornerbacks, I’d have to say I agree.
Caroll/Maxwell seem to be more similar skill set wise, brown was a thumper and Samuel ball hawk. Davis likes the mirror image back 7.
(2) CBs that are ok at everything or Samuel who won’t tackle and brown who wasn’t a huge playmaker.
Some good points in Tommy’s piece.
No mention of the fact that Carroll seems to have displaced Maxwell (who may some day be known as Chip’s Nnamdi Osomugha) as the primary cover corner. Speaking of Maxwell, can anyone explain why he plays so close to the LOS, and yet never seems to get a hand on the receiver in order to disrupt his route? Besides being ineffective, it also appears counter-productive.
When it comes to Shurmer, there are more questions than answers… Why does he do a PC? What is his role in the offense? Obviously Chip is the OC, besides being play caller, HC, GM, etc…
shurmer sits up above makes me wonder if hes responsible for half time adjustments.
Well at least that would be something. Have they made many good adjustments at HT? I’m thinking no… maybe in the Atlanta game?? Jets?
They have been better in the second half in every game except the Dallas and Jets games.
I blame the Jets game on our 24 point lead. For some reason they got conservative in that half.
Definitely
Well written Tommy!! Funyuns and PBR for you!!
Personally, I love dominant, physical defenses that stuff the run and create turnovers (who doesn’t), but I mean in preference to fancy high scoring offenses, if you have to choose one or the other. Defense will keep you in games and cover many sins. Good teams like the Packers with questionable D’s can lose games they should win. BTW, i am also thrilled about the punt ST’s – they rarely get enough credit for establishing great field position when the offense sputters or when the defense forces punts – those are the same as turnovers when you get good returns. Kudos to Chip for getting the players and coach to excel there.
I hope Agholor comes back and starts balling. We can’t afford to have all 3 WRs taken in the Chip Kelly era to just be “solid” at their best especially given their draft positions. Jordan Matthews needs to be locked into a room with a jugs machine until he doesn’tdrop a pass. Oh and keep him plus Huff away from interviews. Fans don’t like it when you’re not good and act like you’re the shit.
If Bradford continues his Bradford-ism then I really hope that we don’t bring him back. I rather bank on a younger potential that isn’t scarred for life like Bradford.
OL needs to revamped. I don’t know who’s out there yet but at this rate we might be out of position to get a top 3 OT but might be able to snag the best OG in the draft.
I wasn’t as pissed at the Hicks pick as some people because I watched some tape on him before the draft and liked what I saw. My biggest issue was that we had two good ILBs in front of him so how were we going to get him playing time and…Lael Collins was still there to be taken. Well that solved itself. if someone called and asked for Kiko, I would ask them for their best OL without a doubt.
Rowe might need to start rowing his damn boat harder up and down the Schuylkill since the history of Chip’s second picks hasn’t been making the impact that we hoped they would . Maxwell is getting better every week and that’s not saying much because he was one of the worst starters in the league. Caroll has been solid and Thurmond a pleasant surprise.
Kelce. What’s wrong man? I know Peters wanted to hype up Barbre..but man you guys are dead wrong and do need Mathis next to you.
Agree on the defense getting better and better. In fact, I sent a recap to a couple of the twits on. NFLN. I have to disagree that the Steelers got tough in 1992. Here is just one of the many members of that team who were tough a long time ago.
‘Rocky Bleier played 11 seasons with the Steelers, 10 of them under Chuck Noll, and started at fullback alongside Franco Harris in all four of Pittsburgh’s Super Bowl wins in the ’70s. He was awarded a Purple Heart and a Bronze Star for his service in Vietnam.’
Bleier came back with legs badly wounded and the Steelers kept him on the roster for TWO years while he rehabbed. Paid off, didn’t it.
“Pat Shurmur’s PC is here.”
Hah, loved the end of that one. To Ray Diddy proposing a hypothetical on what went wrong on the receivers running the wrong route since Pat wouldn’t be specific: “Yeah. Very insightful.”
That’s how you ask a question, guys.
Tip of the iceberg for this defense. If Kiko and Kendricks can get healthy after the bye week they’re going to be a tough out for any team in the league.
Well, STAY healthy…
I think Kendricks will always have injury problems. He looks too heavy for his frame… hence his hamstring and calf injuries. Either he needs to rethink his training regimen or lose some weight… which won’t be good for an ILB.
It is definitely getting concerning that he has now missed multiple games two years in a row with lower limb soft muscle, non-contact injuries. Calf and hamstring injuries are almost always due to conditioning and/or an imbalance in the strengths of opposing muscles…the very thing that sports science was supposed to protect us against. I have no good answer to why it hasn’t worked at all for Kendricks.
I am cautiously optimistic about our defense. I know that they are near the top of the league in many categories right know, but I am not ready to say for sure that they are there for the long haul. I hope the guys will prove me wrong and form a top 5 defense for years to come, though I will be just as happy if they stick around in the top 10.
With that said, our D-Line is great, there is no denying that! I would love to see, however, as surprising as it may be, the Eagles spending an early pick (a first rounder or one of the third rounders) in the draft next April on the defensive line. The guys we have up front are young and awesome, but in my opinion building on your strengths, thus ensuring they remain your strengths is a sound strategy. As it turned out, picking an ILB in May was a good idea, even though seemingly we already had more than enough good players at that spot.
I share both the optimism and general level of satisfaction with the results so far, but sill remain somewhat reticent to fully invest in the D due to some of the prior bad acts they’ve committed.
Yeah, we had a shut out last year against the Giants, and I seem to remember similar optimism about the defense. I’m not convinced it won’t fall apart as the year progresses, just like it did last year.
You should change your name to HungarianEagle lol
Maybe just “Turul”?
“The Turul is the most important bird in the origin myth of theMagyars (Hungarian people). It is a divine messenger, and perches on top of the tree of life along with the other spirits of unborn children in the form of birds. The Turul became a symbol of power, strength, and nobility, and it is still used today on the coat of arms of theHungarian Army, the Counter Terrorism Centre and the Office of National Security.[1][2]”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turul
He’s probably just an American living in Hungary like I live me in Asia… but very interesting fact about Hungarian culture. Pre-Christian European culture is fascinating…
Oh, no, sir! I am a Hungarian who loves football, and of course, the Eagles! 🙂
Cool… I never knew American football was popular in Hungary.
I agree with you. You can never have enough playmakers. Best player available is always the best draft strategy imho.
Agreed, BPA all the way.
A few of us had a pretty full Davis convo two articles ago, so I’ll leave that alone again.
The “Chip Kelly catches some flak for his comments about culture and character, but I think there is real value in that. You saw a good example on Monday night.” stuff is interesting to me.
I don’t get why people flame Kelly over this. Tommy’s right to highlight the flack, but I can’t imagine anybody wants a team full of guys that underachieve or don’t play hard. I’ll still grouse over the individual moves I don’t like (Jackson, Mathis), but I wouldn’t want the Niners “culture” where Kapernick thinks there isn’t anything wrong with his mechanics.
Mathis move was a tempest in a teapot. Jackson was a great move. As players like Thurmond, Hicks, Jenkins, Logan, Barwin and others continue to show up, it’s time to stop freaking out over Kelly’s ability to GM.
Kelly’s principal 3 moves last offseason (signing Murray, signing Maxwell, and trading for Bradford) have had very mediocre results so far not to mention the Eagles owe huge money to both Murray & Maxwell over the next few seasons and don’t have their 2nd round pick next year.
Overall, his moves have been solid. Kind of funny, but if anything it’s the coaching job that might be questioned this year.
They are 3-3 and the only move that really stands out is the Thurmond signing. Maybe drafting hicks too.
Bradford had been worst of the worst rated qbs in the game, Murray is on pace to rush for less than 700 yards with subpar production when he touches the ball, and maxwell has been more down than up.
Just maybe on Hicks? Maybe you’re being a little harsh. 😉
I’d say so far, that Maxwell had a rough start in Atlanta and a play or to otherwise where he’s looked bad, but since then has not been more down than up. He’s nowhere near worth the money we’re paying him, but he’s certainly an upgrade over Cary.
Signing Ryan Mathews was a good move at a reasonable price and he’s played very well to this point and contracts aside should be getting a bigger workload than Murray for sure.
Murray was not a shrewd move, and I hate the amount of guaranteed money tied up in our RBs when that seems like one of the easier positions to stock for cheap.
The Thurmond signing has been a huge success. He’s playing like a top 5 safety and him and Jenkins may have finally solved our safety woes.
Resigning Graham was a good move that was done relatively cheaply and still provides us the freedom financially to upgrade should a stud OLB come available.
Jordan Hicks has been the steal of the draft and is playing like an all-pro.
Bringing DeMeco back has proven to be a really good move. I’m shocked at how well he’s recovered from that Achilles injury.
Nolan Carroll has been a massive improvement on Bradley Fletcher.
Releasing Cole and Herremans were both good moves as both of them appear to be finished.
Bringing in Kiko hasn’t paid off yet since he’s been hurt, so we can’t judge that move entirely yet. And, I think the Bradford trade is also too soon to fully evaluate. If he continues playing like he did Monday night for the rest of year, yea…we wasted a 2nd round pick, if he fixes a few mechanical and timing issues as he rounds back into playing form we might have our franchise QB.
But, overall, I think there are a lot more positives than negatives in his first year as GM.
People don’t complain because they want players with poor character, they complain because they want good players and they feel that Chip seeks culture at the expense of getting/keeping good players. They are just further down the continuum (that can’t be spelled right) than you are.
I agree that it is hard to understanding those people’s reaction. Honestly, I see your reaction on Jackson and Mathis the same way. In my work, I get to see how one or two of the wrong attitudes can sway the whole group from doing what they can and what they should to doing only what they have to. So, to me, I agree that the talent Jackson and Mathis offer is more easily replaced than the impact of having guys working towards a goal instead of working to meet a requirement.
I think it was not being exactly what Chip was looking for personality-wise, mixed with the fact that they were all big personalities who played football well. Locker rooms gravitate towards these guys.
Otherwise it’s just a matter of leadership. Groups can help keep troubled players in line. See Dez Bryant. They have to baby him but it pays big dividends.
Maybe, after you have a system established, your authority secured and your players fully committed. Then you can consider bringing in a wild card and seeing if he can stay in line. After the third SB trophy I will be all for it.
People love to go:
We could have had Marcus Peters!
And forget about Titus Young.
Could have had Bradley Roby
Forgetting about Justin Blackmon
COuld have had Martavius Bryant
Forget about Limas Sweed
The draft is a crap shoot in many respects. Gotta play the odds and stack the deck as best you can in your favor.
And, the draft is littered with talented players that failed because of #culture, with a scattering of a few truly insane talents that overcame their lack of commitment or just plain knuckleheadedness.
So, I agree. You can’t look at the outliers and base your draft strategy on that.
so, you’re ok the personalities of Diva Jackson and “give me more money or else” Mathis but don’t like Kap’s? Or are you saying, you don’t care about culture — you want talent?
…..
I’ll never understand how people don’t get the DJ and Mathis thing. Clear cut reasons IMHO.
I think cutting Mathis is a bit deeper than the media and us fans know. Who knows what happened behind closed doors? It was hubris that Mathis thought he could strong arm Chip for more money. I imagine his wife is pissed lol. It’s not like he was a perennial pro bowler… just an arrogant guy. I just don’t get guys like that. How much money does a person want? I only played sports in high school and wasn’t very good… but I can only imagine if I were a pro I would rather make average money and have the joy and gratitude that I was a part of a future Super Bowl team… maybe being a strong team player contributing that success… than trying to strong arm the new GM for a better deal after I just signed a contract 2 years prior.
Mark Saltveit has mentioned in the past about some issues between Mathis and Peters.
oh yeah?
I never read that.
interesting
Yea…apparently, Mathis would routinely revert to using Howard Mudd techniques which involved attacking forward in pass protection rather than setting back and creating a continuous wall of blockers.
This would open up a huge hole to Peters’ inside that he’d now have to defend against an edge rusher that had tons of space to work with, plus potential blitzers that had a freeway to run through.
If Peters’ couldn’t make the block it looked like he blew the play to the ley observer. Meanwhile, Mathis is fully engaged with the DT at the LOS instead of setting back in concert with Peters, so to the guys at PFF, they see Mathis blocking a guy and that guy is stonewalled and they give him a positive grade, while his actions directly lead to a pressure that Peters gets dinged for.
I’ve heard some reports that other players saw it as a selfish style of play which was only compounded when Mathis would come in waiving his PFF grades around claiming to be the best guard in pro football and asking for more money.
It is my opinion that guys like you and I will NEVER understand the thought processes of men who are told from 5th grade on that they are gods and deserve offerings from us mortals.
That is as much an overreaction in other direction. These are guys playing with non-guaranteed contracts, who have limited/very-limited NFL careers, and most likely playing a profession which will lead to the onset of disabilities and likely a shortened life span.
Both of you are right IMO. I really cannot possibly understand being a “chosen one” from youth and then joining a storied elite fraternity like the NFL, it’s just too far away from my experience. How do you not turn out spoiled like that? On the other hand, the price these guys pay is too high IMO, esp. for the 99% of them that don’t hit the big time.
On a side note, the cockiest Mofos around have to be NBA players. Some of them will treat you like you don’t even exist. But I’ve met a couple, Barkley, Brian Grant, that were memorably cool.
Fran’s piece is great this week:
http://www.philadelphiaeagles.com/news/article-1/Eagle-Eye-A-Fun-Defense-To-Watch/dd10ff3d-6ee7-4976-a2b3-a419dac06492
“Look at [Hicks] slip the block on this play and make the tackle on the back. I showed this play to former Eagles linebacker Ike Reese in preparation for this week’s “Eagles Game Plan” show and his eyes got wide before he said, ‘Wow, that’s a veteran move.’
There are plenty of examples of Hicks displaying a veteran presence at the position, where traits like his athleticism and physicality aren’t always the reason why he makes the play. Hicks is instinctive. He’s patient. He’s always playing under control. He doesn’t overpursue plays to the outside. He’s been the total package and there’s a reason why Greg Cosell from NFL Films told me on the podcast this week he thinks he’s been the Eagles’ best linebacker so far this season.”
I think the most encouraging thing about this defense is that Billy D isn’t doing anything amazing and isn’t outsmarting the competition. Everything we have been doing are stable, repeatable, and fundamentally sound.
We aren’t getting big plays from guys abandoning their zone to jump a route or Lito Sheppard being a Cowboy killer and rising to the game or some fancy twist that no one has ever seen before. We are playing solid defense, and just winning the battles. That is sustainable.
MVP so far may be Hicks. Stability at LB with all of the injuries has been a big reason for the success.
Can’t wait to see what Billy does with 4 quality ILB’s. If they can rotate and stay fresh, it should be a fun ride.
I feel about Hicks the way I felt when Trent Cole starting showing his stuff. The future is bright for our young lb.
“Chip Kelly catches some flak for his comments about culture and character, but I think there is real value in that.” — What is the value? Until culture and character = SB — what value can it have?
So nothing has value until it wins a SB?
Not what I’m saying. I’m saying, don’t crow about something that has value — when that value hasn’t equated to anything yet. There are no parades for teams with the best culture….
Imagine you’ve committed to writing a new article about the Eagles nearly every single day. Can you imagine how hard it must be to figure out what to write about? If Tommy waited until the end of the season to evaluate all the decisions that have been made, there would be a lot of blank spaces. Everything we say is contingent upon what happens in the future. Remember how many world views were busted open when Chip went crazy this past offseason and made so many odd, dramatic moves.
It’s just Eagles water cooler talk. It’s what we do.
and during a water cooler talk, I’d tell whoever brings up culture is someone who’s listening to the media too much and “culture” is over rated. Which is what I do here. It’s a conversation. I did say “Tommy you suck” and I’m also not here to be a crony and love everything Tommy does n says. Opinions are what this board is for…
Sure. I happen to agree with your general point, btw. Lots of teams manage to get to 3-3 in a variety of unsavory or noble ways. I was far more impressed by Reid’s businesslike teams that seemed to get 11 or 12 wins by almost just being more professional than everyone else. There was a lot of #culture there. Chip has a long way to go before seriously putting him in that company IMO.
And using the “until you win a Super Bowl” opinion as your premise adds nothing to the conversation. So the only models that work are ones that have already won a Super Bowl? That approach is what has kept the league in such a copycat mode and the coaching carousel a constant recycling of same old same old.
As for Chip’s culture and character approach, there’s not been enough games played to render a verdict on the success/failure of the premise. Chip’s got a group of football-focused, team-minded players willing to sacrifice individual glory for team gain. What’s wrong with that? Personally, as Chip’s culture takes root in the Eagles’ organization, and the Eagles core leaders establish the mindset and expectations for being an Eagle, I can see Chip taking flyers on talent with character concerns, much like the Patriots have done.
…or the best talent … or the best gameplan … or the best staff … or the best facilities…
So basically, you’re arguing to not enjoy your team UNTIL it wins the super bowl. I’d rather be a fan and enjoy the ride. Obviously, there’s the opposite extreme from your position, but I don’t think Tommy’s acknowledgment of the value of culture even comes close to that. Winning a super bowl is a “big picture” thing, and it involves a fair dash of luck. You’re choosing to be completely miserable if the only way you can enjoy the process is for the team to win it all every year.
I’m not arguing to not enjoy my team. There are realists. There are fans. There are blinded fans. You can chose to be which every one you want. You want to stand and clap for Bradford — go ahead. I see a QB who’s thrown the second most INTS in the entire NFL. I see that as a problem, but I guess you don’t. I’m enjoying a lot from this team but I also see the weakness/terrible play. If you can chose to ignore them, I chose to talk about how they can improve…
This will help.
http://www.nonstopparty.co.uk/images/_lib/green-jumbo-glasses-6894-478-1365357182000.jpg
There’s a star on those glasses. Are these secret Cowboys glasses?
Coises! I’ve been foiled again!
that’s hilarious — I almost wrote “you can chose to see the team with green glasses on”!!! lol
Yep. Acknowledging the role of culture in this team coming back from an 0-2 start, where everything was going wrong, is absolutely wearing green tinted glasses. I’d much rather be the person who gets a $100,000 inheritance from an aunt I never knew and be upset that it wasn’t $1,000,000.
Where did Bradford come into this? We were talking about culture, and specifically Tommy’s reference to it. I’m not ‘clapping for’ Bradford, this was his worst game, and that’s saying a lot. I’m not willing to bury him yet, given the circumstances, but I understand people who have made up their minds already. What I didn’t understand was arguing that you can’t acknowledge the value that culture brings to an endeavor until that endeavor is ultimately fully successful. It’s especially weird for the NFL, when so many factors go into winning the super bowl, and if any one of them is missing (including, as I noted, luck!), well, it’s better luck next year.
Saying you can’t enjoy the fruits of one of the factors until a super bowl is won seems to have the cart before the horse.
Don’t make the same mistake as the fools who act like chip doesn’t care about talent as long as he has Charechter and Culture which is a bunch of nonsense,, all Chip has been trying to say is that for him, Talemt is NOT ENOUGH! Chip wants the Talent that also comes with intelligence, charchter and a strong Culture where as some other scumbag coaches will overlook all types of charchter flaws as long as the talemt is there..
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Takes a real imbecile to ridicule chip for wamting MORE than Talent..
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People act like chip cut a bunch of Big names and replaced them with C level talent which is just a load of crap… If the blowhards havent noticed we have an extremely talented roster who so far has just been scratching the surface. if Chip can get all this talemt to play as a team to its full potential, no one will be able to pretend that chip doesn’t care about talent
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For some coaches Talent is EVERYTHING and they will overlook any bad charchter. See GReg Hardy and the Cowboys,… All chip has ever said is that he wants MORE than talent,. Nothing annoys me more than analyst ripping chip because he wants Charechter as if we got rid of a bunch of superstars and didn’t replace them with Hugh end talent…
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Just look at chips defense, how can anyone say he doesn’t care about Talent?
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1st round Picks: Cox, BG, Jenkins, demeco Ryan, MS2
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2nd round picks: Barwin, curry, KEndricks. ROWE, KIKO,
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3rd round picks: Logan, Hicka
…
That’s plenty of high end talent, and that’s just on the defensive side of the ball,
Bingo. See my reply above. If you have a great coach(and I do think he’s still a cheater and I don’t like him, but us resume is second to none) and a very talented team — suddenly you have great culture and that’s why you’re winning? I don’t buy that at all. Yankees have the best “culture” of any MLB team because they’ve won the most WS? Oh and by the way, 96, 98,99,00 they not only had amazing pitching, they had the greatest closer in the history of baseball. So, I can then say — the Yankees have the best culture EVER!
….
I’m not saying CK doesn’t value character. I believe 100% he does.
The early 00’s patriots come to mind.
isn’t that confusing great coaching(and talent) vs. culture? What culture did they have?
The whole “Patriot way” mantra is built on their high character leaders of the early 00’s. It wasn’t until 5 years in or so that Bellicheck started taking chances on talented knuckleheads, and only then because he felt he had the proper culture to help keep those players in line. Those players have been a mixed bag for the Pats.
It’s not like Kelly is avoiding talent completely for the sake of culture. He’s added some pretty talented players. He just feels that self starters bring an extra edge.
http://www.richwithinspiration.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/c42f66513e4dd00237efb9159020596a.jpg
Also from Walsh: Good talent with bad attitude equals bad talent.
Great reads yesterday and today. Thanks.
I’ve not been a huge fan of Bill Davis, but there’s not a whole lot to complain about. Defense is playing really well even with the injuries at ILB and along the dline.
I think we can contain the Panthers on Sunday. Cam’s ability to run is an x-factor, but I’m not all that concerned. I’m just not sure how the offense is going to look.
yeah no one is sure how the offense will look week to week.
Odd observation of the day that may be a false perception:
The bleach skunk the was popularized by ODB (right?) and earliest seen in the NFL on Tyrann Mathieu (right?) is everywhere now (seems like it).
A) it looks lame
B) stop acting like ODB’s kid brother
C) I don’t think any eagles have gone with the look (right?) and I’m hoping the rivalry fueled that
I think ODB can pull that off cause he’s awesome and has swagger with a youthful style too… honestly who on the Eagles could pull that off?
Almost no one can pull the look off but it doesn’t stop way too many people from trying.
I like it honestly lol. Skinnier dudes though. The fatties, nope.
Just for that, I’m going to do it and post a picture. 🙂
Dare ya’.
haha
Barwin – would give it a Taxi Driver meets Dead Rising 2 look.
Generation gap?
I still haven’t gotten used to people covering all available real estate with tats, which were slightly seedy in my day, and the giant expanding black ear or nose rings that stretch out the skin indefinitely still give me a double take. On the other hand, I am a guy with long hair.
Well, if I had any hair left it would be long so…
but-but I’m only 28 and and…damn kids… CRAP I’m getting old!
Tattoos don’t have the stigma they once had…. everybody has them now… Veterinarians, dentist, military, teachers….
That was his point.
I know.. I was agreeing
face tattoos and over-kill gauges are still billboards for not wanting a real job. (sorry face tattoo/giant gauge Eagle fans, we’re Eagles family but I’m not hiring you, I’m a total bigot)
That why the make long sleeve shirts….
Face Tattoos are at your own risk
Our most popular wedding officiant here in Arizona (I play for lots of weddings) has his arms all tatted up. A bride (they tend to be early 30s once told me about it enthusiastically. Of course, for his ceremonies, he wears a suit and looks totally conservative.
There was a recent study about beards and whether they are a negative in the courtroom. Apparently the result is that if the beard is neatly-trimmed, there is no negative bias associated with it.
Agreed. Looks so bad. I see gauges I think lazy. I see face tat I think criminal.
Can’t quite figure out, though, why anyone would pay a bunch of money to a total stranger to stick needles full of ink under their skin. The same inks are used to print newspapers, by the way. Yuck!
Long hair is old school — the best school, the only school.
https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/3a/41/86/3a41866b7f662062ead0a4d560c7b0e2.jpg
It might be an LSU thing. I think Jarvis Landry also has the same terrible hair cut. Thankfully Bennie Logan hasn’t gone with that look.
I think the blonde highlights on fohawks and dreads is a southern thing… like still wearing Gold jewelry in 2015
I may be wrong though
Mr T disagrees.
http://spinoff.comicbookresources.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/mr-t.jpeg
Clubber Lang!
Wow, two Mr. T references in the same post? I just mentioned him above without having seen this first.
It must have taken a good hour to get all that chain mail settled just right before filming. Not only had to look right but couldn’t swing wildly around and slap him in the face or strangle him in action scenes!
Uh, what, I wear a chain. My uncle calls it a Mr. T starter kit.
Seems like it is just a early 20s thing in general tbh.
Sean Andrews had a similar style with red instead of bleached.
Have you seen Damontre Moores red hair? Talk about ridiculuos
The Eagles have talon’ed their way up to #7 in DVOA, 20th in O, 3rd in D, 14th in ST. I think 7th is not too far from what many of us thought they’d be this year.
What about last year? They ended last year at #7 in DVOA, 13th in O, 10th in D. 1st in ST.
So Chip is not just a college coach? (Not directed at you, just media)
10-6, 10-6, 3-3. I would say not.
Gotta improve on special teams 🙂
I think that punt block for a TD is going to hamper the ranking for a couple more weeks.
Now if the ST gets us a TD or blocks a FG/Punt – it’ll go up the rankings a bit more.
Plus, Un-Sturgis has missed both extra points and field goals.
The missed XPs and FGs earlier in the year have downgraded the ST grades.
I think the three and outs have hurt ST ability to pin the punt inside the 20/10/5, too.
On a related note, CAR is ranked 11/5/30 for O/D/ST in DVOA, and they are also ranked as the most consistent team in terms of performance (Eagles are the 5th least consistent).
However, their past schedule is ranked 32nd (easiest in the league), whereas ours is ranked 19th.
What is this?! A happy story about the D? Feels good man. Feels good.
Hopefully we get them on both sides soon.
Just wait til we give up 17 points and 325 yards.
The pitchfork brigade will be back screaming for Billy Davis’s head.
Oh ho ho ho yes. Just the thought has me polishing the pitchfork (all connotations and innuendos apply). Cartharsis cometh for you Bill D! I’ve got all the “Greatest Hits” of complaints lined up squarely to be placed on one man’s shoulders! I’M READY!
I won’t, I promise. I’ve learned my lesson.
30+ points and 500 yards, I may revert for a week. But 6 weeks in and I feel pretty good about where they are.
Maybe the Patriots can do that to our defense but I doubt any of the other teams on this roster will torch our defense
I don’t know if we match up so well against their short passing game. I’d really, really like to win that game.
Probably depends on how many three-man rushes led to those stats 😉
I’m a member of the pitchfork brigade but firing any coordinator midseason makes no sense unless things are a flat out disaster with multiple players openly rebuking their coordinator.
If this defense finishes Top 10 in most categories, then I was wrong and Davis deserves credit. I am willing to bet when all is said and done they are middle-of-the-pack/bottom third in most categories again.
I don’t think Davis is a bad coordinator or completely overmatched. Just don’t think he gets more out of his talent with his scheme & approach.
I feel like you haven’t watched the games?
How will a top-3 run defense suddenly revert to “middle-of-the pack / bottom third” in most categories?
Especially considering we have a 6 game sample size amoungst teams of every talent level.
http://www.phillyvoice.com/eagles-one-of-best-defenses-nfl/
If we finish middle of the pack in raw counting stats then Davis has more than done his job given the number of plays they have to face due to our offense.
Also the scheme and approach is mandated by Kelly.
Depends if the 17 and 325 comes in one half or the entire game.
So, we should be able to stop their run very well – panthers then need to rely on Cam’s arm (and legs…), right? Ginn and Olsen? I know they are 5-0 but their opponents combined have, what, less than 10 wins?
I’m cautiously optimistic. If they keep Olsen into block, that leaves more time for the DL to get to Cam. If he decides to run, I feel good about our LB pursuit. If he decides to throw, I feel good about a double on Olsen.
The OL has been opening up better holes for Murray. This is a good defense, but I don’t think they are as good as the Jets D that is stout front to back. If they give help to the weaker secondary, we might be able to get some solid runs. I’d be happy with 3-4 a clip on this defense. If we pass, I like the wheel route or TE option. If they decide to drop their LBs in coverage to stop those, one of our WR should be able to get free somewhere on the field.
Depends Sean Lee had a huge day against us, will be very important for us to get to second level or LK will have a similar day .
That defensive rush to the QB has to be on their minds. They can’t run the ball + the Eagles run “D” probably equals 50 yards top to their starting RB. This might come down to containment during the pass rush. Not sure if the Eagles ever do this, but what about a “spy” on Cam?
Hey, Tommy, I appreciate the article, but I was really looking to continue complaining. Do you have anything for that? Cooper, Bradford… Doesn’t matter to me what I complain about! I’ll hang up and listen.
first time
long time?
Cooper has caught 22% of Sam’s TD throws…
Meanwhile JPP has found a solution to protect his hand and return to action…
i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s–6lRFdrY7–/1365304773044995985.jpg
Now he can develop a split personality and have the puppet talk trash to opposing OL. Or even better, have the puppet talk trash to him.
JPP: I’m gonna blow by you and make you feel dumb.
Pup: LOL, Oh JPP, always talking trash with the 2 finger salute.
JPP: Shutup! I’m working.
Pup: Working my last nerve…
I gotta work on the routine, but he could make it classic.
I like it. I am hearing Mr. T and a fake, high-pitched scratchy whisper.
Not this?
http://i.ytimg.com/vi/q6tD_rGGJPY/hqdefault.jpg
Clearly, Triumph is an Eagles fan.
Really good breakdown of kickoffs by Chipwagon:
http://chipwagon.typepad.com/eagles/2015/10/breaking-down-the-kickoff-return.html#more
BTW — Jordan Hicks epitomizes why BPA is the only way to draft.
Cox is starting to get more national attention but Logan has impressed me almost as much.
Really has made a lot of progress since the Saints’ playoff game where a lot of blame got laid at his feet.
I honestly think he is more consistently disruptive. Might be due to the attention paid to cox, but it sure looks like it is vs double teams quite a bit. Not a knock on Cox by any means by the way.
Any 2 gapper who not only eats up blocks but also can shed the blockers regularly and be disruptive is a rare thing to have and we have two of them.
TWO beasts in the middle is going to give opposing coaches nightmares all season. You can’t double them both, and she you do they still make the play.
Thornton is no slouch, he is just getting overlooked now that bennie and Cox are so fantastic..
Take that a step further, two gappers who can eat double teams, shed and make the tackle, while also bringing some Pass rush to the table.. #RARE
It seems to rubbing off a bit of Ceddy as well!
That is good. We don’t allow Cox knockin’ around here.
Lol shocker, a quality player improved a ton since his rookie season… Who could have ever guessed it? He has Only been our NT anchor for a defense that only allowed one 100yard rusher in the last 24 games, and Logan only led NT in tackles last year, eating double teams, shedding them and still making the tackle… Bout time he gets the respect he deserved… Now gotta wait and see how long it takes National media to realize we have one of the top NT in football
Non-sequitor and don’t you normally bring up that rookie can be and shouldn’t be expected to contribute in their 1st year even if they are a 1st round pick?
If I recall, I’m not sure that blame was even warranted — I don’t think Logan played nearly as much, as Davis changed up schemes some to better stop the pass, and it was mostly the other players getting run over in the run game.
Hi Tommy, just wanted to say yours is really the only blog or article I ever go to, to actually read about the eagles. well written, positive, informative and interesting always.
thank you!
The mix of positive with realism is refreshing. I do recall seeing your name on 24/7 a time or two, though. ;~)
yeah for sure but I don’t read the articles, they seem pretty lame usually, I only talk to the commenters as they tend to annoy me!
Hey. At least you don’t get ostracized!
Looking like no Agholor again this week.
Apparently MRI just came back showing a high ankle sprain and he may miss multiple weeks. I never thought I’d be saying this but Riley Cooper better be good to go this week.
Not sure Coop will play…. Going to need Huff to have a big week..
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Fortunately jordan Mathews terrorized this defense last year for something crazy like 7 catches 130yards and 2TDs,,
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Carolina IS probably going to struggle to score more than 20 on us… This won’t be a game where our offense will have to be spectacular… run the ball, and let our defense carry us..
This team gave us some trouble with the run last year mostly because of Kuechly. I remember thinking, “it’s real hard running with 8 in the box”. go back and watch film, oh look 5 blockers on 5 defenders and Kuechly is 2-gapping over freaking Jason Peters and making the tackle. F-ing A man.
What I like about facing Carolina is that their two ILBs are so great, that McDermott will probably ask one of them stay with Sproles one on one with no help, and i adore Keachly, but I’ll take Sproles running routes against any LB any day….keachly was out for a while, last week was his first game, hopefully we are catching him at a point where he is working hikself back into game shape
Kendricks not even on the practice report so it looks like he will be a go.
Edit he was a full participant. But still listed with (knee)
That would be great. He has the speed to keep Cam in check when he runs it.
He and Barwin will likely split the responsibility of spying Newton. Hicks too probably.
If there’s a single flaw to Kendricks’ game it’s finishing tackles against TEs, and by extension, large QBs.
I don’t remember last years game against Carolina, but did they run a lot of read-option? Saw a little bit of the Seattle game and they ran a good amount of it against them, and did it pretty successfully. The middle of their line blocked pretty well and Jonathan Stewart ran hard as always. The biggest surprise to me was Cam’s accuracy, he threaded it more than a few times and it might have been the best pro game i’ve seen him play
As for their D, the front 7 played exceptional and got pressure on Wilson. Weakest part of their unit seems to be the safety’s …going to be tough to score points, can’t make dumb mistakes throwing the football like last 2 weeks
Once the Sea Hawks get their converted tight end and 2 defensive linemen into offensive line shape, they’ll give Wilson much better protection. Don’t forget they traded their All Pro center for Graham as well.
No, Cam had a bad ankle, didn’t try much read option… Plus our pass rush is too Discaplined in gap control and we are too good at rushiñg the passer as a cohesive unit, cutting off escape lanes, with one pass rusher often flushing the QB out into one of our other pass rushers waiting arms..
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We actually used Barwin to spy Cam last year, only that Billy did something really tricky. instead of spying a QB from the LB spot which is what we usually see, Barwin lined up close to the line of scrimmage, forcing the panthers to count him in their protection calls, but when the ball was snapped, Connar wouldny Rush,he would spy.. Basically we used barwin as a spy, but used his threat of pass rush to screw with the Panthes OL protection, because they would have to account for Barwin, but he wouldn’t Rush which caused confusion in their blocking schemes allowing some other eagles pass rushers to run free…
“Next time Philly sees a top Defense, Billy Davis will be our DC”-GEAGLE in 2013
LOL.
Wait. LOL.
Why don’t you share your other predictions from 2013?
DEEEEONN JOrdanz, baby!
Bust.
By the end of that game, I just wanted to go down onto the field, hug Cam Newton, and whisper “it’s not your fault” in his ear…I’ve never seen a QB in all my years so completely demoralized and destroyed by such a relentless pass rush that he was that game. He was sacked 9 times and was on his ass on 3 seconds after the ball snapped every single time he dropped back to pass.
I watched an ex-coach, who has no job now, btw, give his opinion about the Eagles defense.. He said the interior linemen were pretty good, the OLBs needed to improve and he picked out one DB, who this genius said should have been called for PI several times during the MNF game. As if ANY defensive back couldn’t be called several times a game. Listening to this twit, you would have assumed the Eagles lost. What he said about the offense was, “If you are depending on Riley Cooper to be your deep threat, you’re in trouble.” Not a single word about WR injuries. Idiot stick also picked the Giants to win the division because they are getting better when their WRs come back from their injuries.
Ultimately it makes me wonder if there is any kind of accurate information out there about ANY team.
Was his name Brian Billick?
Kevin Gilbride. I recently saw Billick do a 360 about the Eagles because someone else was critical. I think maybe sometimes he just wants to be a Sh!Te disturber. It probably pays better.
Oh my, Gilbride is the worst!
Well duh he’s a longtime friend of Coughlin and worked for him for years. His opinion is worthless to me.
Kevin “Kill-Drive” according to some Giants fans.
Reading every other comment on this board would lead to believe the Eagles lost this week.
cam is going to catch a Beating sunday… Unlike Drew Brees and Eli, Cam doesn’t get the ball out lightning quick, he holds it and looks for X plays down field which gives our pass rushers time to fuck his world up again..
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If the Panthes can’t run the ball, they won’t be able to sustain drives up and down the field, which makes them very reliant on X plays, but X plays take time to unfold and holding the ball against our Front 7 isnt a great a idea… No one runs on our wall, I see Cam getting frustrated and start fixating on making big plays down field, where Walter Thurmond will be waiting in his Robber Role
Cox made it sound like we are about to give the NFL payback for their bullshit allowing Suggs to Tee Off on Bradford when he wasn’t a threat to run..NFL claims that QBs can be hit on run plays, so no surprise we hear Cox talk about how we will have to Hit Cam all night, even when he hands the ball off…
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Newton can thank Terrell Suggs and DeanBlandino the blowhard for the beating he will take on sunday night…. Have fun running into our wall of two gapping Monsters all night… Poor Jonathon Stewart will be asked to run into a wall all night
Can someone explain to me why Jordan Hicks isn’t showing up on the pro bowl voting?
Early in the season? He’s a rookie? Everyone who doesn’t see Eagle games believes the negative narrative? He probably will not receive ROY consideration either. They mostly are on the offense.
Good thing there is a DROY and OROY awards so hopefully towards the end of the year Hicks is on that DROY ballot.
His early year stats have to be similar to what kiko’s were and they were all over him right up until he got hurt. Not as many ints for sure, but he is everywhere.
Agreed Ark. I remember Kempski putting up an article a couple weeks back comparing Hicks’ stats to other rookies playing well and he was right at the top of most categories. If he continues seeing a lot of playing time, which I think he’s earned even if Kendricks and Kiko come back healthy, he should be a top contender for the award.
Eric KEndricks,vic Beasly, Marcus Peters, Landon Collins, leonard Williams… Some promising rookies league wide this year, but If Hicks ISNT at least considered with these defensive rookies, it will be a sham.
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Sure I’d love to see hicks win the award, but we don’t need that to khow we have a stud on our hands..
Cow hasn’t made a Probowl yet, and you are surprised Hicks has to wait more than 5 games to get pro bowl recognition?
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You typically don’t make a ProBowl the first year you deserve it, usually the nation doesmt catch up til your 2nd season deserving to make the pro bowl
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Pro bowl is worthless anyways.. All pro is what matters
I’m talking about the voting on NFL.com
I think (could be wrong) the ballots are generated by depth charts. Takes a couple weeks for them to change.
Is it a Freudian slip that the first word of your response to LeatherWallet is Cow?
Speaking of which
https://twitter.com/InsultComicDog/status/649066920591925248
You’re worried that our rookie, 4th string ILB isn’t getting the props he deserves? Like TD said, DROY is where Hicks might get some attention.
Yes. I’m an Eagles fan, why wouldn’t you expect something extreme?
Mr. Lawler, sir, once again I am chuffed as a pig in slop and challenged to digest and reconcile your pithy insights. I don’t quite see the distinction between Messrs Ryan and Davis that you – and probably many others do. B. Ryan was an exceptional finder of dedicated, brutally tough punishers, and his capacity to acquire the human instruments to maximize his 46 defense was, to me, as critical as, if not more critical than, his scheming, coaching and play-calling. When B. Davis arrived on the scene, there were multiple holes that needed to be filled before ANY DC could turn that unit around.
While some coaches are born to coach, others are uniquely ill-fitted to the task. Lombardi and Walsh epitomized the former (and there are a few others), and the latter are probably too many to name. Between those poles, I would place B. Ryan, the DC and B.Davis. I really think that if a dynamic edge rusher was acquired by the Eagles close to the time of Davis’ arrival in Philly, the DB and Safety issues of ’13 and last year would have been far less glaring, and Davis would be more appreciated. Coaching is real, culture is real, but if the players aren’t capable, genius schemes and heartfelt camaraderie are wasted.
On the subject of the Steelers and their toughness, I would demur. Former Eagle Bill Cowher was a fine coach, but the Steelers identity was formed in the 70’s. Cowher took over the reigns from Chuck Noll (another guy born to coach). A fairly obscure Steeler scout became the linchpin that loaded that franchise with top talent. More than any coach, I believe it is the players who leave the deepest mark on the franchise’s identity. That scouts name was Bill Nunn, and I leave you with his obit from last year:
http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/10896670/bill-nunn-served-scout-pittsburgh-steelers-almost-50-years-dies-89
Interesting Thurs night Game, by two ex powerhouses who are both struggling.. Funny how their young QBs are no longer Gods when you strip them of their elite OL, run game, and top defenses..
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Seattle is 2-4 but it’s actually much worse than That… They probably should have lost the Lions game which was gifted to them by the Incompetant refs, so if you take away the Lions win, THE ONLY team seattle beat was the friggin Bears who are so bad that they were having a mini fire sale in the first month of the season..
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Kapernick QB ingelligence is like a small baby above that of Rg3 (not a compliment)… But KAPERNICK has been getting his ass kicked by seattle the last few years, if he is ever going to get revenge it would have to be tonight against seahawks team with a terrible OL, and a Legion of Boom that has been a mess since Cary Joined them…
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LOL PFF has Richard Sherman rated as like the 81st best corner after the first 6 games…
I’d love to see Seattle lose and fall to 2-5, at a time where their locker room is probabky as fragile as it’s ever been…. this Franchise HASNT recovered from blowing the SB… Trading your center for a pussy TE that won’t block, when you like to play Physical power football was just dumb, they traded Substance for Jimmy Graham’s flash, and now their OL is in shambles… stoutpand fixed our OL, what’s their excuse?
Wilson is still carrying a very high rating and completing almost 70% of his passes. Seattle is struggling for sure, but I’m not putting on shred of that on Wilson.
If you want to mock Kaep; I’m all in.
You take Maxwell off that team and they go to pieces.
you add Williams, the pieces catch fire and disintegrate
I think Seattle loses tonight. They are on the road vs a team that plays well at home.
Not so fast………………….
I like Seattle with a big bounce back win.
Something isn’t right in Seattle this year.
I had a sad feeling you’re right (they were my NFC Superbowl pick), but San Fran is good for what ails you.
Besides the Packers who haven’t lost, they’ve played pretty well at home beating both the Vikings and Ravens.
Totally true, but Seattle owns them. We’ll see soon enough.
This is hysterical, Spadaro and Marcus Hayes are like a step away from fist fighting on CSN,,, im sure it’s easy to guess why
Marcus Hayes is a miserable man…..that is all
I have no clue who’d I’d root for in that. I cannot stand Marcus Hayes, but Spuds is such a vile mouthpiece for the organization. I don’t mind his nonsense on team produced fluff, but appears on legit talk platforms should end.
Something that went a little under the radar, Najee Goode has always been solid for us. Felt bad for him that he had to get cut because we had an absolutely absurd amount of depth. I’m glad he was available for us to bring in. Teams need to go ahead and take notice, this is a fine back up, some terrible line backers out there.
“cox has a big personalty”??? Fletcher has been one of my favorite players for years, but I have no clue how you get the impression that he has a Big personality? Not that it’s a bad thing or a good thing, but Fletch is a shy, quiet, country boy usually deflecting praise to the secondary or his linemates.. He is just now starting to come out of his shell a bit… Cox is like the last person I would expect to be labeled as a Big Personalty…. Vinny Curry and his Ric Flair alter Ego is probably the biggest personality of the group..
Not that i’m happy about the possibility of both Agholor and Cooper missing this game, but if it means chip will decide to go with more Two-tight end sets??? I think i can get into that. I said after the Giants game i would like to see Sam under center more to start out games too because i think it will benefit the running game, especially with Demarco and in turn will help Sam make easier throws out of play action.
Another similar event between the last 2 home Giant games, Both Sam and Foles TD passes (Nick had two last year) came from plays under center w/ a play fake which caused a reciever to get wide open over the top. Carolina’s safeties are veterans but not much there in speed and overall talent…hell i remember when Sam was a Ram he threw a pick to Roman Harper which should have been taken to the house, but Sam Chased him down from behind and made the tackle
Kendricks Probable. I’ve got wood.
knock on it
We discussed this hours ago, we don’t allow Cox knockin’ around here.
Probably going to pull his hamstring again.
what was wrong with Carolinas defense last year when we played them?
Sanchez played well if I remember right, so what was the problem with them?
was anyone out?
Big game coming for Samuel…again
McDermott.
If I remember correctly Carolina completely shut down the run game and Sanchez just ate them up through the air. Josh Norman is playing at a very high level though this year so it wont be nearly as easy.
Norman is really good, but he can’t cover 5 guys.
Do the Eagles have 5 guys that can actually catch the ball?
Hmmmm. Do they have to catch it on every attempt?
Good question. Umm I think they may have to catch a couple. Times are hard when I am really hoping Coop plays. Lets hope Chip sticks to his 2 TE sets, I think that can work against Carolina. Plus Celek shredded them last year so maybe he can sneak a really good game in this week.
Yes. Just not on the same play. Bradford not only has to find the open receiver on a given play, he also needs to guess whose turn it is to be able to catch and get it to that guy!
wait just a minute..Sanchez killed them through the air?
Mark sanchez? Butt Fumble noodle arm .
I doubt that happened.
must’ve been scheme, or culture, but not sanchez.
Trust me Botto it was hard for me to say that as I hate to even mention mr butt fumble but yea man he toasted them. I’m pretty sure Celek joined J-Matt in going over 100 yards receiving in that game.
yeah it was an awesome night.
another time sproles broke a teams back with a return.
wasn’t the shutout game against the gmen all about Nicks 2 picks also?
I believe we shut out the Giants because Eli sucks?
yeah but the story last year was similar, we crushed them but the whole storyline was the 2 picks nick threw, that were awful, and this year we crushed them and its about sam sucking too.
I just find it amusing, the repeat.
That’ll happen.
again?
geez
I’m sure we’ll beat Tampa by 30, but with 2 INTs so you can get another dose of it this year.
haha yeah, but jameis could have a game against us you never know
I’m going to say “not happening” on that one.
I believe we shut out the giants because victor dropped the ball..
And he only dropped the ball because he shredded his knee.
you mean when Karma reached up and grabbed his knee as punishment for salsa dancing?
That was Andrew Bynum.
Chip the GM is terrible.
https://twitter.com/evansilva/status/657199465758138368
Only because Fletcher got cut by New England.
to be fair, all of us could have GM’ed those decisions pretty easily.
There were a lot of people who wanted to keep CW instead of paying Maxwell. I’d have kept Fletcher over CW.
I wanted to pay Chris Harris, but that a-hole wanted to stay in Denver.
I was happy with whoever wasn’t CW or Allen.
its true they both had a few moments that weren’t awful, I liked fletcher better too. cary Williams is a big huge baby
fletcher sucked, how could you like him, CW sucked too as he does now, Im glad they’re gone, I am the senate
He tried. that’s the only thing I can think of. He went out and tried hard every play. CW was the opposite of that. Fletcher would try and tackle and didn’t avoid contact, CW didn’t.
So who is pumped for a big Temple win tonight?
I hope they keep winning.
Especially vs. scum of the earth Notre Dame next week.
How much can a QB change his mechanics in-season? Have previous QBs been able to do this and have more success?
https://twitter.com/ZBerm/status/657261395013189632
I’d look at it more of them strength training his legs in order to improve his delivery, rather than a mechanical change.
Throwing motion not so much. That’s all muscle memory that’s as unique as a signature. Asking someone like Tebow to change his throwing mechanics is asking him to move his arm in a completely unnatural way (for him), in a way that he’s never before moved it. It’s the same reason that you can’t just think your way through throwing lefty if you’ve always been right handed. But, you can focus on having your feet under you and driving the ball with your legs and make that happen because it’s part of a motion you’ve done in the past a bunch, you’re just in a rut of not doing it properly at the moment.
Properly setting your feet and driving the ball is something Sam’s always done in the past, and not something thats nearly as complicated as the arms throwing motion. It’s something I think you can easily fix with added mental emphasis. Basically, you just can’t get so caught up in the mental whirlwind of making your reads and figuring the offense out that you forget to set your feet and drive the ball.
You can’t overhaul mechanics in season (I personally hate doing anything more than minor tweaks overall), but this sounds more like technique refinement. It’s not overhauling his throwing motion, but more in line with a CB focusing on staying low during his transitions, or an OL focusing on hand placement.
I read that as the Eagles spending some more time on whatever drills they’ve implemented to build up that technique.
It’s not gonna change overnight.
McManus with an outstanding piece on Azzinaro:
http://www.phillymag.com/birds247/2015/10/22/the-teachings-of-professor-azzinaro/
Thanks for posting this. That was terrific.
OT but for those who care about QBs in the draft, I just heard 2016 QB prospect Carson Wentz year and career at ND State is probably over. He is out 6-8 weeks with a broken wrist. They need to make FCS playoffs and probably win a couple playoff games for him to have any chance of playing for them again. But ND state fans sound negative about their playoff chance.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaaf/2015/10/20/ndsu-starting-quarterback-carson-wentz-suffers-wrist-injury/74262154/
OMG simms is literally brain dead. I bet there isn’t a single person in America who would have a positive comment about his commentary. How is it possible he is on national TV twice a week
i’m watching the game with the sound turned down, just playing music at a reasonable volume…..so much better!
I don’t understand how Phil Simms is on CBS’s A team. He never shuts up and half of what he spouts is nonsense. The other half tends to just be wrong.
I like him outside of games. Just have it on in background now so can’t say much about tonight.
Tomsula looks like he’s in a constant state of disbelief.
Most people are when they watch this version of the 49ers.
Yeah they’re pretty terrible.
Remember back when the only thought during a Seattle/49ers game was that these two teams are in a separate class from the rest of the league?
Kempski picked us. We r doooomed
Kaep is either concussed, or was trying to communicate using morse code in a pattern of rapid and long blinks.
Temple’s RB Jahad Thomas has got some pretty quick feet
cant wait for next week. First time in my life I think Ive had any rooting interest in college football where I really cared. Watching last night felt strange that way lol. You think gameday folks would go to North Philly?
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