Friday Night Q&A

Posted: October 23rd, 2015 | Author: | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | 133 Comments »

I’m still wrapping up my DGR and working on a Panthers preview. For now, let me answer some questions I’ve gotten recently.

Why is Chris Maragos playing on defense?  He is the #3 Safety for now. In some Nickel and Dime sets, the Eagles use Walter Thurmond or Malcolm Jenkins in the slot. When they do that, they need someone else to play Safety. Jerome Couplin is a player they like, but they don’t trust him as much as Maragos right now. Eric Rowe has practiced some at Safety, but the Eagles prefer to have him at CB for now. He could play S if needed.

Maragos is smart and tackles well. He generally plays deep and just comes up to tackle the ball. When he’s got things in front of him and can attack the ball, Maragos is effective. You don’t want him in man coverage too much. You don’t want him playing deep center too much

Why isn’t Sproles getting as many touches? I don’t think this is by any kind of design. Ryan Mathews is running really well right now. The team is trying to get DeMarco Murray going so they may be feeding him some extra touches. Sproles gets touches every game. They’re just a bit down right now. There will be a game where he’s got the hot hand and he’ll get extra touches.

Offensive players do get tired as well, but they have an advantage. Offensive players know what is going on before the snap. Reacting and chasing burn more energy. Think about OL/DL. On a run play, the O-linemen fire off the ball and block a certain direction. Defenders have to take on those blocks, shed them and then go for the football. Pass rushing eats up a ton of energy. The OL can use positioning to win half his battle. The defender has to explode off the ball and fight his way through the block. If that happens, the play is just half over. The guy has to go for the QB and then possibly turn and run to chase the ball downfield. Skill players are being rotated while back seven defenders stay on the field.

Here is a list of football books that I keep posted.

I recently read a couple of interesting books. I read Joe Posnanski’s book on Joe Paterno. That was great. There is a lot about Paterno’s life that is worth studying and really fascinated me. Posnanski covered the Sandusky situation and did about as good a job as you can of being fair to Paterno, but also pointing out the questions that haunt us to this day.

I’m a lifelong PSU fan and had no idea how much Paterno and Sandusky didn’t get along. That shocked me. It was great to read about some of the players that came before my time.

I just finished a book called Hail to the Redskins by Adam Lazarus. It focused on Joe Gibbs and while I hate the Skins I do love reading about great coaches. I didn’t know nearly enough about Gibbs. I was disappointed in how limited the book was with X’s and O’s, but Lazarus did a fantastic job of telling stories and covering a lot of ground. He skipped over the Body Bag Game way too quickly.

Will PSU QB Christian Hackenburg be a 1st round pick? Not right now.  I think a more accurate question is whether he goes in the Top 100. Hack has NFL talent. The problem is that he’s not a polished QB and makes way too many errors. Pocket passers like him need to look the part. Hack doesn’t. Matt Ryan was a pure pocket passer at Boston College. You could see he was a polished QB. He carried his team on his back at times. He could lead them down the field in clutch situations. And he could come up big in big games.

Hack needs a ton of work. Seems like a good kid and I wish him the best, but I don’t see someone ready for the NFL right now.

McDermott did a solid job as DC for the Eagles. The team was 12th in yards allowed in the NFL in both years. The big problem on the field was Red Zone defense. Those teams were historically bad. Awful, actually.

Andy Reid let McDermott go for a few reasons. Part of it was giving up too many points. Part was also personality. McDermott built a great reputation in Philly as he worked his way up through the organization. He did not handle becoming DC very well. My guess is that he was trying to assert his authority to be taken the right way since he was replacing a legend, Jim Johnson. McDermott ruffled the feathers of players, fellow coaches and outsiders. Reid knew he could coach, but also knew McDermott needed a change of scenery, to escape the shadow of JJ.

McDermott has been helped in Carolina by the presence of Ron Rivera, also a defensive coach. The two of them work well together.

Bowles had terrible luck in Philly. He was brought here to be the DBs coach. He took over as DC in 2012 after 6 games. Bowles wasn’t running his scheme and those weren’t his players. He tweaked the scheme a bit each week to get more comfortable with it, but the players had already mentally checked out. Remember that late in the year Reid had to call DRC to his office and basically shame him into tackling.

Bowles was handed a mess and did the best he could. He’s proven since then that when given time to run his scheme and find his players, he can produce one heck of a defense.

_

133 Comments on “Friday Night Q&A”

  1. 1 Tumtum said at 9:36 PM on October 23rd, 2015:

    First time I’ve heard about the ruffling of feathers by Sean. Very interesting. Wanted him to work so bad, could see the talent. Glad he is doings I well with another ex eagle.

  2. 2 McNabbulousness said at 12:04 AM on October 24th, 2015:

    yeah never heard that either. i always thought he was unfairly scapegoated bc he didn’t have the personnel/talent on the field. JJ’s scheme required solid 2ndary play. they just didn’t have that which led to them throwing the likes of kurt coleman (unfairly, being a great late rd pickup) to the wolves.

  3. 3 Media Mike said at 6:42 AM on October 24th, 2015:

    But that talent / personnel was good enough to be 12th in yards. When it came time to play mental chess vs. the OC on the other team; McDermott failed miserably.

  4. 4 McNabbulousness said at 11:44 PM on October 24th, 2015:

    idk man, im not sold that was the case. he’s doing pretty well for himself in CAR.

  5. 5 stephenstempo said at 9:54 AM on October 24th, 2015:

    Really? I don’t know I thought that was pretty common knowledge that he came in with a pretty heavy chip on his shoulder and lost the players because they expected awesome lovable assistant McDermott and they got hard assed brazen DC Mcdermott. A lot of people thought he was overcompensating because he was replacing JJ.

  6. 6 Media Mike said at 10:08 AM on October 24th, 2015:

    Yup. Great position coach, but unable to be the top defensive staffer on a team.

  7. 7 Tumtum said at 10:57 AM on October 24th, 2015:

    I recall the possibly overly complicating scheme because he had all these plans for so long. I remember trying to get players to do stuff they didn’t seem fully comfortable with. Just don’t remember the jerk stuff. Though at the time I literally only had the Eagles website on my arsenal of Eagles media… That might have been around the time my beloved dgr disappeared from the boards and I didn’t get the memo about this place for a while.

  8. 8 ChoTime said at 11:35 AM on October 24th, 2015:

    Tommy was all over the personality aspect when it came out, but you were lost in the wasteland of Tate. It’s okay, you’re safe now.

  9. 9 A Roy said at 4:51 PM on October 24th, 2015:

    This board went berserk because he had 58 drop into coverage. Hardly anyone complained when CK&Co did the same thing.

  10. 10 Media Mike said at 4:52 PM on October 24th, 2015:

    58 went berserk over it as well. It wasn’t McDermott did that sometimes; it was that it was done to the determent of generating pass rush in a straight up manner.

  11. 11 A Roy said at 4:56 PM on October 24th, 2015:

    I didn’t know Cole was berserk about it.

  12. 12 Media Mike said at 4:58 PM on October 24th, 2015:

    http://www.bleedinggreennation.com/2011/1/17/1939986/some-eagles-players-wanted-sean-mcdermott-gone

    Cole was not into it. At all.

  13. 13 TheTazmanianDevil said at 10:28 PM on October 23rd, 2015:

    Hate this situations when you have the right person in the wrong time.

  14. 14 EagleNebula said at 12:25 AM on October 24th, 2015:

    Almost as bad as the wrong person at the right time (like having a bad coach with good personnel or a good team woth a bad QB)

  15. 15 ICDogg said at 2:31 AM on October 24th, 2015:

    This is becoming strangely like the lyrics to a Dr. John song

  16. 16 mattwill said at 7:46 AM on October 24th, 2015:

    That would be a triumph

  17. 17 TheTazmanianDevil said at 10:21 AM on October 24th, 2015:

    Or a juggernaut defense with a struggling O.

  18. 18 Media Mike said at 10:28 AM on October 24th, 2015:

    http://projectfandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Im-the-Juggernaut-bitch.gif

  19. 19 ChoTime said at 11:35 AM on October 24th, 2015:

    I immediately started thinking back to my youth.

  20. 20 Insomniac said at 1:45 AM on October 24th, 2015:

    2010 Vick without Chip Kelly?

  21. 21 Media Mike said at 7:10 AM on October 24th, 2015:

    That is a fascinating and interesting conjecture.

    My personal favorite one is the 92 Eagles with a living Jerome Brown.

  22. 22 stephenstempo said at 9:52 AM on October 24th, 2015:

    Hell if Mcnabb had only come out 10 years later he would demolish in Kelly’s offense. He was a good QB that could run and was physical, you would have HAD to account for him but he tried to look to pass first. Always thought Reid’s offense was a bit of an odd fit for him.

  23. 23 Media Mike said at 10:09 AM on October 24th, 2015:

    Underrated part of McNabb’s game. He was so smart at looking to pass first (and not thrown an INT) rather than run at the first hint of pressure. Shame he never got his footwork together well enough to be a more accurate passer on a consistent basis.

  24. 24 ChoTime said at 11:37 AM on October 24th, 2015:

    McNabb always took the company line, but did he ever put in the work to improve his skills? Do you think Kelly would have #culturedumped him?

  25. 25 Media Mike said at 11:38 AM on October 24th, 2015:

    I think Kelly would have found a QB coach to get McNabb’s feet right.

  26. 26 BlindChow said at 12:00 PM on October 24th, 2015:

    Yeah the guy he got for Bradford has worked wonders…

  27. 27 Sb2bowl said at 12:35 PM on October 24th, 2015:

    Give it time, friend. Even a blindChow finds a bone occasionally.

  28. 28 Mr. Magee said at 9:03 PM on October 24th, 2015:

    Apparently Chip brought in a feet guy, not a head guy

  29. 29 Mr. Magee said at 9:02 PM on October 24th, 2015:

    Upvote for #culturedump

  30. 30 Insomniac said at 6:31 PM on October 24th, 2015:

    McNabb would still be throwing balls in the dirt regardless of any offensive system. No thanks.

  31. 31 Media Mike said at 6:42 AM on October 24th, 2015:

    I’d agree completely when talking Todd Bowles and Dick Jauron.

  32. 32 Media Mike said at 6:41 AM on October 24th, 2015:

    Sean McDermott; good grief.

    He had enough talent on that D to allow it to finish 12th in yards allowed, but when it came time to coach those guys up in the Red Zone (where coaching is magnified and athletes really lack enough space to run around in the same way) McDermott had an all time worst result in 2010.

    Not bottom few teams of the league bad.
    Not last in the league bad.
    IT WAS THE WORST IN THE NFL IN DECADES BAD

    http://articles.philly.com/2011-01-17/sports/27033114_1_eagles-safety-quintin-mikell-new-coordinator-defensive-backs-coach

    Now the guy walks into a prime situation in Carolina with Ron Rivera’s D. I’m glad he’s not out of work, but to act like what goes on in Carolina is anything other than a construct of Rivera being a defensive architect is laughable. When discussed nationally on Sirius NFL shows, that D is referred to as “Ron Rivera’s Defense.” And none of those commentators are Philly people with an axe to grind.

  33. 33 FairOaks said at 2:09 PM on October 24th, 2015:

    McDermott was always supposed to be a very good coach. But he was not ready for the DC position with the Eagles — he was just the last good defensive coach left when JJ died. I’m sure he could have evolved into a good DC in time, but he didn’t have that time here (and was going to have to make lots of mistakes before he could figure it out). Panthers was a great situation for him because of Rivera — that would avoid the biggest mistakes, having a head coach who understood your job. For all I know, he’d be ready to be an independent DC now (and may start getting head coaching interviews soon).

  34. 34 Mr. Magee said at 9:07 PM on October 24th, 2015:

    Yeah, kinda like referring to “Pat Shurmer’s offense,” lol

  35. 35 Media Mike said at 7:03 AM on October 24th, 2015:

    I can tell Penn State is having a down year because I’m more excited to watch the West Ham / Chelsea game this morning, and the Terrance Crawford (plus GGG replay) tonight than I am any game on the college slate.

    I can (for now) watch most NFL games, but I don’t find the style of football played by a lot of college teams to be as worth my time to watch as I did 5, 10, and 15 years ago.

  36. 36 ICDogg said at 11:33 AM on October 24th, 2015:

    I don’t watch a lot of college ball but I have marked Notre Dame vs. Temple on my calendar.

  37. 37 Media Mike said at 11:37 AM on October 24th, 2015:

    Go Owls. I hope all of these fake ND fans who ran D minus averages at Archbishop Wood and Bishop Useless go home depressed and miserable around midnight.

  38. 38 Bert's Bells said at 12:53 PM on October 24th, 2015:

    Ah, the people who never stepped foot in a college but are Notre Dame fans because they think they’re “Irish”.

  39. 39 The original AG said at 4:27 PM on October 24th, 2015:

    A lot like Cowboys fans that have never been to Dallas.

  40. 40 A Roy said at 4:46 PM on October 24th, 2015:

    Most of em are all hat and no cattle.

  41. 41 Bert's Bells said at 6:47 PM on October 24th, 2015:

    If you’ve actually been to DFW, there’s no way you’d cheer for anything from that hellhole.

  42. 42 SteveH said at 9:49 AM on October 24th, 2015:

    I wonder if it was a mistake to not try and retain Bowles long term, despite the train wreck of a 2012 season. Conjecture, Billy D as your D-coord or Todd Bowles?

  43. 43 Media Mike said at 10:10 AM on October 24th, 2015:

    Who even knows what Bowles wanted after being stuck with cleaning up Juanita’s mess.

    And it might have been impossible to have him stay when his old college coach came calling.

  44. 44 A Roy said at 4:45 PM on October 24th, 2015:

    AR’s mess. Juan Castillo was put in a no win situation with a horrible DL coach. And you are perpetuating the slur. Please refrain.

  45. 45 Gary Barnes said at 10:12 AM on October 24th, 2015:

    Chip chose Davis and he has kept him so he obviously believes he is the best fit to run what Chip wants him to run on D. I’m not sure if Bowles was available when that choice was made, but Chip has shown he’s willing to move mountains to get certain people in the organization. If he thought Bowles was the best guy, I’d bet he would have gone after him.

  46. 46 Media Mike said at 10:14 AM on October 24th, 2015:

    There is no measure that exists that would give you Billy Davis is a better D-coordinator than Bowles. None.

    But you’re correct that stylistically what Chip wanted could have been a better fit with Billy than Bowles.

    And I don’t know if anybody in the league was getting Todd if Arians wanted him.

  47. 47 anon said at 10:45 AM on October 24th, 2015:

    Chip talked about this. He said when he came he talked to bowles but also wanted to talk to other people, based on philly’s D the prior year it would have been hard to keep TB just because. He said Bowles basically already had the AZ job.

  48. 48 D3FB said at 11:54 AM on October 24th, 2015:

    Stylistically Bowles has a very different vision for defense than Kelly. It would be akin to making Chip the OC for Marty Schottenheimer.

  49. 49 Media Mike said at 12:26 PM on October 24th, 2015:

    Careful with that.

    If Chip keeps getting 10 and 11 win seasons, division titles, and playoff game chokes at home……………………he could get put on the Shottenheimer list!

  50. 50 HawaiianEagle said at 1:31 PM on October 24th, 2015:

    Bengals…

  51. 51 Sb2bowl said at 12:39 PM on October 24th, 2015:

    Was that a playoff win/loss comment? Oh, how disappointing that game against NO was in 2013 🙁

  52. 52 SteveH said at 1:32 PM on October 24th, 2015:

    Shame it wasn’t a fit, would have been nice.

  53. 53 mksp said at 2:27 PM on October 24th, 2015:

    Fletcher Cox would have 10 sacks a year though.

  54. 54 D3FB said at 5:08 PM on October 24th, 2015:

    He’s got 5 through 6 games right now.

  55. 55 Sb2bowl said at 12:38 PM on October 24th, 2015:

    Doesn’t seem like Bowles runs a 2 gap system, which is what Chip wanted. Imagine how gassed Bowles’ defense would be with this scheme

  56. 56 ChoTime said at 11:45 AM on October 24th, 2015:

    Guys on 24/7 betting on Carolina. I think we’re going to win. Can’t tell if it’s homerism on my part. The Panthers are solid but unspectacular. They aren’t going to run up the score without some major luck on their part IMO. We are favored in DVOA, 17% to 11%. I like our front 7 against Cam (the secondary, not so much, I could see some ownage if he gets free). Their special teams is ranked near the bottom of the league (30th in DVOA) and we have some good returners. Looks like a toss-up game, really.

  57. 57 Media Mike said at 11:46 AM on October 24th, 2015:

    Hard to pick against a 5-0 team in their own building, but

    – Cam is WAY overrated
    – Carolina has been taking a victory lap all week due to a win in Seattle over a team with a losing record
    – We match up well

  58. 58 Tumtum said at 12:19 PM on October 24th, 2015:

    I dunno man Can just gets it done. He isn’t really flashy. He just seems to do what needs to be done. Like a better Eli

  59. 59 HawaiianEagle said at 12:22 PM on October 24th, 2015:

    I would suggest ours is possibly the best D they will play thus far. We’ll see which Cam shows vs our D. He better cause they won’t run on us…

  60. 60 Media Mike said at 12:22 PM on October 24th, 2015:

    23rd passer rating.

    Not good.

  61. 61 GEAGLE said at 4:10 PM on October 24th, 2015:

    Gotta give Cam resect this year because he seems to be making playërs around him better… We have won games without Bradford being good, yet I don’t thinki Pathers can win without Cam having a solid game..
    .
    But I feel really good going into this game, and expect our Defense to be the stars of the next two PrimeTime Sunday night games against Carolina n the Cowboys.. Our secondary did a good job getting coverage sacks the last two weeks against Saints and Giants who have better Wrs than Carolina, and two QB’s that get the ball out much faster than Cam does..
    Panthers want to run the ball which plays to the strength of our team, and his passing game is basically taking shots down field looking to make a few big plays, but to throw down field, he has to hold onto the ball which is risky business when facing our Front 7 while his OL is better at run blocking than they are in pass protection
    ..
    I would Love to see our run game have a big day, establish itself early so we ease sam along as a game manager early and unleash him as the game goes on… But it won’t be easy because Carolina is stronger defending the run, evident by shutting down Marshawn Lynch, but our OL should settle down and really start to click soon, and when that happens they should be a much bettet OL than what Seattle had blocking for Lynch
    .
    im expecting us to win this game, but it would be great to see SAM have a good game and go into the bye week Feeling good
    ..
    In order to beat us, Cam has to have a monster game, assuming our run defense plays to the level they have played the past 24 games..

  62. 62 Tumtum said at 12:18 PM on October 24th, 2015:

    They have to be favorite. This team needs to show they can win a close game.

  63. 63 unhinged said at 1:12 PM on October 24th, 2015:

    This game has bellwether written all over it. Carolina is 5-0, mainly because that is a talented, physical defense that doesn’t make many mistakes. Kelly and his offense will probably have no greater test all season. I don’t expect Eagles to win, but if they do, postseason is highly probable.

  64. 64 HawaiianEagle said at 1:15 PM on October 24th, 2015:

    If we don’t turn it over I’d say we have a great shot.

  65. 65 unhinged said at 1:38 PM on October 24th, 2015:

    I’ll buy that, particularly if Panthers O beats itself, which is not automatic, but not impossible either. Eagles offense, and SB particularly, needs to play their best game to prove their mettle against the league’s best.

  66. 66 GEAGLE said at 3:44 PM on October 24th, 2015:

    I don’t think we need the Pathers O to beat Itself, because I think our Defense has turned the corner Since losing the skins game.. After dominating the saints and Giant offenses, im thinking this prime time game going into the bye week is the Perfect Platform against a Hot QB leading an undefeated team for our Defense to prove to the Nation that we have finally Arrived.. Don’t think we need the Panthers offense to beat themselves and give us THIS win, because we are fully capable of our Defense going into their house, punching them in the mouth Early and TAKING THIS GAME from them..
    ..
    I think our Defense, special teams and running backs are capable of carrying us to this win, but if SAM is ready to finally play his best game, we should beat this team and it not even be close..
    ..
    If SAM isn’t ready to have a good game, our defense will just beat Cam down to Bradfords level.. We can win without bradford playing a great game, where as I don’t believe this Panthers team can win without Cam leading them to the win..
    ..
    I’m thinking we get this win and go into the bye week with some nice momentum, but it sure would be great if SAM also has a good game and gets to go into the bye week feeling good about his last performance

  67. 67 GEAGLE said at 1:39 PM on October 24th, 2015:

    Carolina has to be respected for the strong start of the season they have had. Good chance Panthers make the playoffs.. But if we are able to make the playoffs, the Panthers are probably the potential playoff teams that I would most want to get matched up against in round .. I wouldn’t Call Carolina a fraud at all. With Kelvin Benjamin hurt, you gotta respect how Cam has been playing with such limited weapons around him… But the NFL is about matchuos, and this is the potential playoff team that I feel we match up against the best…
    ..
    Their will be some key battles in this game, and If we get the best of the majority of these matchups, we should be in a great position to win this game and go into the bye week having won 4 of the last 5 games, with one defensive stop against Kirk cousins away from going into the bye on a 5 game winning streak.. This game is HUGE FOR US.
    ..
    Obviously the turnover battle is going to play a big roll in this game. Carolina ARENT world beaters, but they aren’t a team That we can get away with turning the ball over as much as we did against the Giants.. But 3rd down and turnover battles are always crucial to every game.. beyond that. We will need to win the majority of these match ups:

  68. 68 GEAGLE said at 1:54 PM on October 24th, 2015:

    Eagles ELITE run Defense vs a,Carolina offense that will try to run like 35 times if we allow them to. panthers have been more reliant on the run than any team, so if we are able To stonewall their run game like we usually do, it’s going to put a big monkey wrench in their plans.. The Eagles run game has looked like its been improving each week since the first two weeks when our run game was Putrid. Carolina has a pretty solid defense, but we had success on the road against Tougher defense (Jets) than we will face in Carolina..
    ..
    It’s NOT Enough for our run defense to just stonewall their run game, we also need our Run game to have some success and help implement our tempo, and try to wear them down a bit
    ..
    the Offense that can run the ball on Sunday will have a major advantage over two teams who’s passing game hasn’t been anything special.. So both our Run Defense, and offensive run game are going to have to show up and have a big game on prime time…Carolina run defense is no slouch, they shutdown BEASTMODE last week, but SEattles OL is in much worse state on ours..I like our chances to run for 100-150 yards which would put us in a good posituon to win this game
    .
    And if we are actually able To score early and make Carolina play from Behind, while we are shutting Down their run game, I doubt they have the Fire power to be able to beat us if we force them to abandon their run game and start slinging it trying to play Catch up

  69. 69 GEAGLE said at 2:31 PM on October 24th, 2015:

    BATTLE OF THE TE’s………If defenses DONT allow Carolina to run the ball all day, forcing them to throw more than they want to, they aren’t a very scary team.. Gotta give Cam respect, kid playing some good ball, making a dollar out of 15cents and raising the game of the B and C level weapons he has to throw to.
    ..
    Greg Olsen is crucial to the Panthers offense, if a defense can shut Olsen down and not allow Carolina to run the ball 35 times, their supporting cast of WRs most likely won’t be able to make enough plays to carry the offense.
    ..
    So this weeks TE battle is BIGTIME.. Fortunately for us. The Eagles have done the best job defending TEs this year than anytning we seen in a long time. For YEARS, TEs have been abusing our defense, those days are over…
    malcolm Jenkins who is playing at an all pro level will be the most eagle responsible for keeping Olsen in Check, but against a great player like Olsen, it really helps if we can throw different guys at him so that he can’t get comfortable against Jenkins all game. Fortunately we have more than just Jenkins who is capable of matching up with TEs.. When Barwin isn’t pass rushing or spying Cam like last year, im sure we will see him match up against Olsen a few times and try to get physical with him, but besides Jenkins and Barwin, we could see Hicks, Maxwell, Thurmond and even Marcus Smith all get a few snaps to match up against Olsen and try and try to keep him from getting comfortable…Again, Jenkins will be the most responsible for this matchup, but the more people we can thow at him, the harder it will be for Olsen to “Figure out” the defender, adjust, and make us pay..
    ..
    Zack ERTZ at this point ISNT on Olsens level, but ERTZ really should have a favorable matchup finding Old Man Roman Harper matched up against him. Roman Harper was always Stronger against the run than he is in coverage, now that Harper is getting up their in age, Shame on Zack ERTZ and Bradford if they don’t light Harper up when we find him matched up with ERTZ.. It would be HUGE if the defense, ERTZ and Celek all step up and ensure that our TEs actually produce more than Olsen does against us. easier said than done but Jenkins is really playing out of his mind, as is Thurmond and our LB, and Cam doesn’t get the ball out quick like Brees and Eli, so I’m hoping the pass rush, Jenkins and the LBs, ERTZ and Celek all step up and do their part to help us get more production from our TEs than our Defense allows Olsen to get …
    ..
    If we able to get more production from our TEs and Rbs than their Carolina counterparts, the score won’t even be close. It would be a route
    ..
    As solid as our Defense has been aganst TEs this year, it will get even Nastier when we can also stick Kemdricks and KIKO against TEs.. KIKO, Jenkins and Barwin, thats as tôugh of a machup as any TE will encounter..

  70. 70 GEAGLE said at 3:32 PM on October 24th, 2015:

    BEAT UP CAM, while continuing to PROTECT SAM..
    ..
    Carolina OL is much better at runblocking than they are in pass protection, where as our line has been pass blocking well all season while waiting for the run blocking to improve.. This is a pretty nice fundamental advantage when it comes to whos QB is getting the bigger Beating,
    .
    On the other side of the ball, I think the Panthers DL is much better Run Blocking and they are still trying to replace the Beastly pass rush they had two years ago, another big advantage for us when it comes to the pass rushing Battle
    ..
    Saints and Giants have better WR than Panthers, and Cam doesn’t get the ball out quick like Eli and Brees who we Beat to a pulp.. Think of the coverage sacks our DBs got the past two weeks.. We should see the eagles beat up Cam without having to blitz which allows us to double team Olsen or whoever is getting open, where as I don’t think their DL will be able to get to SAM without Blitzing.. And I don’t Know how willimg they will be to blitz us after Jordan Mathews Destroyed them Last year for his best NFL performance to Date, and im sure McDermott and Keachly still have NIGHTMARES about what Sproles did to that defense last time he was in their Division two years ago..
    ..
    In Fairness to the Panthers, Cam is the first QB we face who is really Mobile and Big, so we can’t try to blast him, we have to focus on sound tackling To get him down when we have him in our cross hairs,… Fortunately one of my favorite aspects of our DL is how they are selfless and so gap Discaplined, rushing the passer as a cohesive Unit, cutting off QB escape lanes and chasing him into the waiting arms of our other pass rushers which is what you need to be able to contain mobile QBs.. Once again, we will need our Front 7 to dominate this game, and I believe the defense has turned the corner since giving up the game against the skins..
    ..
    beat up Cam, while continuing to keep SAM clean and hopefully this is the week Bradford starts to trust his blockers, plant his feet and throw with his proper mechanics and when he does that he is capable of getting HOT..hopefully facing Cam who has been playing so well, will be the game Bradford turns it around and shows his full potential in this offense, but even if SAM isn’t spectacular, we should be able To win enough of these key battles to win the Game..
    ..
    Take the QBs out of the equation and I think we are the much better team because we can win games even when Bradford doeamt play well, where as the Panthers need Cam to Play great to be able to win games….it would be nice to see Bradfords breakout performance this week, but going into the bye week, just worry about scoring one more game than the Panthers and we can worry about getting SAM going during the bye week

  71. 71 Gary Barnes said at 2:29 PM on October 24th, 2015:

    22 NFL teams have records of .500 or worse right now…so roughly 2/3 of the league is mediocre to awful. I’ve always been an Eagles fan rather than NFL fan, but the product now is so poor it is eroding even my enjoyment of my Eagles. Endless penalties, inscrutable rules, commercials every 5 seconds, zero flow and rhythm to the games, sloppy play and lack of fundamentals all over and a total over-saturation of hype have sucked any vitality or integrity from the league/game IMO.

    I assume nothing from the league side will change unless the $$ flow is impacted and the media/networks seem perfectly happy riding the gravy train without any qualms, but hopefully some people of integrity will step in and stop the free fall at some point.

    They need to establish a minor league system outside of the college structure for legitimate talent development – stop the current student/athlete fraud; if people want to play football & get paid instead of go to college, fine, let them enter the draft and either make the NFL roster or be assigned to the minors. Let college be for people who actually want to be students and play sports as part of a normal educational process. Focus the colleges back on their real mission: education rather than big business.

    They need massive reform on the rule book and how/who calls the games. The striped shirts decide/impact way too many games, are so incompetent and the league holds them to zero accountability. The rules need to be majorly simplified so everyone knows what means what and the striped shirts need to be held to the highest standards of performance possible. Blandino needs to be fired asap and a respected and independent person appointed to the that position with full authority to fire/suspend officiating personnel, but also cannot be strong armed by the NFL, teams, NFLPA or media networks.

    Personnel (players, coaches, executives, owners) discipline needs to be taken out of the NFL’s exclusive hands and done in a far more fair, transparent and consistent manner, involving independent authorities whenever possible to avoid vendettas by the league office or NFLPA and also clarify the rules so everyone knows what the expectations are for any offense and there are not the arbitrary disparities we see in judgements now.

    Sorry for the off-topic rant; just sick of watching the NFL building burn with no one seeming to notice or do anything to save it.

  72. 72 meteorologist said at 3:00 PM on October 24th, 2015:

    Preach

  73. 73 A_T_G said at 4:01 PM on October 24th, 2015:

    But we don’t have so many sub500 teams because they are all terrible, part of it is that we have so many really good teams. There are just as many wins as there were this week last year.

    During the Thursday Night game they showed the two stats that there are more undefeated teams than there have been in years, and that there are also more teams below .500. Then they acted like it was strange to have both things happen the same year. No, one helps cause the other.

  74. 74 Bert's Bells said at 4:11 PM on October 24th, 2015:

    I did the math and oddly enough there are the same number of wins as there are losses.

    (OK I didn’t actually do any math)

  75. 75 A Roy said at 4:40 PM on October 24th, 2015:

    Hard to believe. Reading here all week, I thought the Eagles lost and thus, there were more losses than wins.

  76. 76 D3FB said at 5:12 PM on October 24th, 2015:

    Almost like at the end of the year the league will have 512 wins and 512 losses.

  77. 77 Nailed It! said at 5:24 PM on October 24th, 2015:

    Seems fishy.

  78. 78 Media Mike said at 6:02 PM on October 24th, 2015:

    Donovan McNabb would like to take this chance to remind you of the rule about ties. It is a very tricky rule.

  79. 79 MagsHarvestMoon said at 9:57 PM on October 24th, 2015:

    Parity = mediocrity.

  80. 80 unhinged said at 4:39 PM on October 24th, 2015:

    The gravy train begins with the willingness of so many fans to cough up pay-per-view monies to watch a game out of market and many national games not played on sunday. Far from “burning”, the NFL is sated by the gazillion fantasy patrons and their fastidious scrutiny of anything touching on the NFL product. I am an addict, I’ll admit, but I draw the line at not paying a penny to see ANY NFL game, and apart from an $8.00/month Netflix charge, I don’t pay for ANY TV.
    I agree with your preference to abolish the pretense of the “student-athlete”, but I have to disagree with your stated reason: The NFL is not the cause of the college football charade, it is the hucksters inside the admin buildings. University presidents and provosts making millions because they deliver a winning program or a contending one. This is where those who do so little receive so much, and it is tax payers and aspiring students who are taken for a ride.
    I don’t really think that mediocrity in NFL is a big problem. Salary cap and draft rules promote an equilibrium that puts a premium on coaching, chemistry, good fortune and talent evaluation. The term “on any given sunday” still has meaning for millions of onlookers who follow their team.

  81. 81 anon said at 6:03 PM on October 24th, 2015:

    Think coaching is really the issue . Also rule changes mean that of you don’t have one of those qbs it’s hard to compete .

  82. 82 MagsHarvestMoon said at 9:56 PM on October 24th, 2015:

    Agree on education, although it will never happen. Who is powerful enough and could function without any political interference? Agree on officiating. Too many are incompetent or biased or poorly trained. Unfortunately everything within the NFL will not change much as long as multi-billionaire dictators (and proud of it) are in control. There are a few exceptions, no doubt, but not many. Also don’t forget, the multi-billionaires play golf with the CEO’s of the media conglomerates and they all contribute heavily to some politicians’ Bahamian bank accounts. Sometimes the cynicism is too strong to contain.

  83. 83 ChoTime said at 10:09 PM on October 24th, 2015:

    Yeah, I agree, but things aren’t heading that way.

  84. 84 RC5000 said at 3:25 PM on October 24th, 2015:

    what the hell

    A woman arrested on a DUI charge crashed into a crowd of spectators Saturday during the Oklahoma State University homecoming parade, killing three people and injuring nearly two dozen others, police said.

    Gibbs said three people were killed and 22 were injured in the crash Saturday morning, including eight who were airlifted to hospitals with critical injuries.

    http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/13959618/vehicle-crashes-spectators-oklahoma-state-homecoming-parade

  85. 85 Will:↑↑↓↓←→←→BA said at 4:34 PM on October 24th, 2015:

    damn Shame… I cant stand people who drive under the influence.

  86. 86 The original AG said at 6:31 PM on October 24th, 2015:

    She’s 25. I hate to say this, but she’s a dumb kid. It’s a shame that it got out of hand for her and people died. Had a friend who died in a drunk driving accident when she was 21. Most people that age don’t think about the consequences. I didn’t when I was that age.

  87. 87 HawaiianEagle said at 6:32 PM on October 24th, 2015:

    Agree. It was probably at that age the last time I drove under the influence (and I’m 55 now…)

  88. 88 The original AG said at 6:34 PM on October 24th, 2015:

    It didn’t start to click for me until around that age as well. I’m 39 now and considering how stupid I was in my mid-20s, I’m glad nothing bad happened.

  89. 89 SteveH said at 7:27 PM on October 24th, 2015:

    Sometimes it’s just luck.

  90. 90 MagsHarvestMoon said at 9:47 PM on October 24th, 2015:

    Recently in my area, a 17-year-old who had only been driving for a few months tried to take a corner too fast, careened over the curb and killed a student standing at a bus stop. The road was a bit wet, the young driver was clueless, no other impairment. What if 12 people had been waiting for the bus?

  91. 91 Insomniac said at 6:36 PM on October 24th, 2015:

    She’s not a kid. Most people my age (I’m 23) fear losing money or doing anything stupid to make you look bad in job interviews now.

  92. 92 The original AG said at 6:40 PM on October 24th, 2015:

    Fair point about kid, so maybe I should have said young adult. As with that age group and figuring out life, you have a large portion that represents people trying to get it together, and another large portion that doesn’t and will continue to live the same way into their older age.

  93. 93 Media Mike said at 4:55 PM on October 24th, 2015:

    Probably a relation of either Oklahoma’s or Kansas’s governor.

  94. 94 ChoTime said at 10:07 PM on October 24th, 2015:

    That really sucks.

  95. 95 anon said at 4:38 PM on October 24th, 2015:

    Also I really like the Friday Night Q&A

  96. 96 Media Mike said at 4:56 PM on October 24th, 2015:

    Agree. Cool format.

  97. 97 GEAGLE said at 4:44 PM on October 24th, 2015:

    Cooper and Huff are both going to play Sunday, but hopefully they can make it thru the entire game since im assuming Both are playing Banged up. Which ever finds himself lined up across from the emerging Ballhawk Josh Norman better know what he is doing, not have any dumb mental errors, run sharp routes and Attack the ball, because you do not want to give this Norman kid chances to get an INT..
    ..
    I am in awe of how good MUFASA looks at his age, less than a year removed from tearing his Achilles. I NEVER Imagined he would be ready to start the season and playing at the level we saw in the Giants game. They compared his injury to a tweak he also had in the skins game, which he was able to come back from Quickily and play the next week. So I’m hoping Mufasa is able to go on Sunday and get thru the game healthy because as much as I look forward to seeing us add KEndricks and KIKO to our defense, the pesky nature of KEndricks hamstring injuries makes me prefer if Mufasa and hicks can handle this game, while Mychal sits this last game out, in hopes he comes back fully healthy after the bye week along with KIKO both ready for the Dallas game, and hopefully play the rest of the season without suffering any set backs.. With all the snaps our Defense plays it would be great to rotate 4 ILBs like we do with our DL and try to keep them healthy. as great as Hicks has been, can’t be short suted, Hicks, Mufasa, KIKO and Kemdricks all have been injured and had to miss game time the last couple of years.
    .,
    After playing 3 different RG the first 4 weeks, we are finally getting some OL continuity and hopefully this current group can get thru this 3rd game in a row healthy, and continuing to improve a little from the previous week, go into the bye healthy, and by the time we play the Cowboys, this current OL will have been together for a month so hopefully we start to see our run game really take off and become one of the elite rushing teams we thought we could be..
    ..
    Great to finally have Thornton, Bair and our full DL rotation healthy
    ..
    marcus Smith got some playing time the last two games, hopefully he continues to build from it and start making plays and consistently contributing a bit to our Beastly front 7 rotation..
    ..
    Shame we don’t know much about Agholars injury, It’s NO GUARENTEE that he gets over a high ankle sprain in time to play Dallas. But by now we already know chip won’t tell us… Heck we are lucky we got the KIKO return for the Cowboys game timeline out of chip..
    ..
    Even tho we are almost back at full strength, I hope we keep Bair and MS2 activated for game day even tho we already have 6 healthy DL. Bair has earned the right to play, and not for nothing but he contributes when you give the man reps… Keep him in the rotation

  98. 98 anon said at 4:46 PM on October 24th, 2015:

    Might be time to call TO. Our WR situation is turrrrrible.

  99. 99 GEAGLE said at 4:59 PM on October 24th, 2015:

    If this current group of WRs were a group of Maxed out veterans I wouuld agree,.. But with young talent, we just stay the course and our kids will improve, hopefully in the immediate future..
    ..
    We would probably be feeling much better about Huff right now had Tobin not gotten in his way and that 10 yard screen could have been a 40 yard TD giving him TDs in back to back weeks.
    ..
    I’d Bet anything we haven’t seen the best of Jordan Mathews yet this year. At some point Jordan and SAM will get on the same page and see Jordan start to produce at the level we know he is capable of.. He had 7 catches for 138yards and 2 TDs against this Panther defense last year, im sure that gives him some confidence going into this game. Jordan Claims that him and SAM have put in a bunch of extra work on their REDZONE and 3rd round routes this week, hopefully we see it pay off..
    ..
    The stupid rookie mistakes Agholar has made will get cleaned up at some point when the kid gets comfortable, but Allegedly he has been solid in terms of getting open with his route running early this year but him and SAM just haven’t gotten on the same page with… I have to think at some point this season he will get comfortable, start clicking with SAM, and eliminate the rookie mistakes..
    ..
    At this age it be foolish to expect Coop to improve, he is a veteran who has been in this offense for years… But no way I believe that our WRs DONT play at a higher level than we have seen at some point this season, hopefully sooner rather than Later

  100. 100 anon said at 5:59 PM on October 24th, 2015:

    Think issue with Jordan is that he’s just in the slot .He only runs a couple of routes. Hard to get open in man when people know the routes or in zone where they know exactly where you’ll be looking for the ball. Makes it easier for a lb to cover him since he isn’t especially shifty. With ags out hopefully we see him outside. Not even sure who will be outside in 3 wide sets, coop and miles Austin?

  101. 101 Will:↑↑↓↓←→←→BA said at 5:21 PM on October 24th, 2015:

    I think our QB situation is making it a lot worse than it actually is… I mean, guys are still getting open and behind the defense.

  102. 102 jshort said at 7:31 PM on October 24th, 2015:

    What do you mean? He’s only 2nd to the one and only Peyton Manning.

  103. 103 Media Mike said at 4:56 PM on October 24th, 2015:

    Maybe Cooper can run block Josh Norman and discuss the current country music scene?

  104. 104 ChoTime said at 10:04 PM on October 24th, 2015:

    I wonder if Cooper would be getting Piggly Wiggly endorsements or something if he played in Carolina. I lived in South Carolina… but I heard NC is better.

  105. 105 MagsHarvestMoon said at 10:09 PM on October 24th, 2015:

    Piggly with hair?

    http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4w_Xr8ch9hk/T4MR_fmpglI/AAAAAAAAEoU/XQ4cjpsWlTc/s1600/2012-03-14RHawk592VisayanWartyPig.jpg

  106. 106 ChoTime said at 10:11 PM on October 24th, 2015:

    I take it that, fortunately for you, you haven’t spent much time in the South. It’s a supermarket chain.

    https://www.pigglywiggly.com/

  107. 107 MagsHarvestMoon said at 10:13 PM on October 24th, 2015:

    I know what Piggly Wiggly is. You mentioned Cooper, who is somewhat known for his hair. Not many hairy pigs around. The pic just struck me as humorous, within the conversation.

  108. 108 HawaiianEagle said at 6:29 PM on October 24th, 2015:

    According to Kendricks (on BGN) is he going to play…

  109. 109 The original AG said at 6:36 PM on October 24th, 2015:

    https://twitter.com/JClarkCSN/status/658015123689381888

  110. 110 Insomniac said at 6:38 PM on October 24th, 2015:

    I feel bad for Kiko. Dude is never healthy and has his possible replacement looking even better than he does.

  111. 111 GEAGLE said at 5:03 PM on October 24th, 2015:

    I can NEVER resist “a football life randall Cunningham”, whenever it comes on, I just have to watch,,,. Just started at 5pm..

  112. 112 RC5000 said at 6:29 PM on October 24th, 2015:

    Tennessee takes 14-13 lead over Bama but 5:49 left.

  113. 113 JoeBlow said at 7:12 PM on October 24th, 2015:

    Nice battle in the trenches tonight with Ole Miss LT Laremy Tunsil and Texas A&M Edge Rusher Myles Garrett. Tunsil regarded as the top LT by most people coming into next years draft. Garrett is still a pup but looks like a future top 5 pick

  114. 114 Media Mike said at 7:13 PM on October 24th, 2015:

    I’ll be rooting for the rusher just to see if he can slap around Kim Kelly’s low life arch criminal nephew on Ole Miss.

  115. 115 A_T_G said at 7:24 PM on October 24th, 2015:

    It is unfortunate to play OT and have a name so close to turnstile.

  116. 116 JoeBlow said at 7:31 PM on October 24th, 2015:

    Yea it does, most pundits and experts think he’s the best, i’m not real crazy about him. He is definitely big, strong and athletic, but he plays really lazy sometimes. Ole Miss WR Laquan Treadwell gets a lot of comps to Dez Bryant, I am a big fan of his

  117. 117 MagsHarvestMoon said at 9:38 PM on October 24th, 2015:

    Why does Garrett’s name sound familiar? I don’t watch much college yet … hmm.

  118. 118 JoeBlow said at 9:47 PM on October 24th, 2015:

    he’s starting to get some hype or notice, whatever you want to call it, only a sophmore, already has great size/weight 6’5″/265, still has a lot to learn but he’s a freak of nature

  119. 119 MagsHarvestMoon said at 10:03 PM on October 24th, 2015:

    It just seems I’ve heard the name before. Maybe an uncle played 20 years ago? Or maybe I’m just thinking of something else altogether? McGarrett? ;~D

    http://www.posters.ws/images/341529/jack_lord.jpg

  120. 120 The original AG said at 8:50 PM on October 24th, 2015:

    More evidence to feed Murray the ball!!!!

    https://twitter.com/ColleenWolfeNFL/status/656455989114200064

  121. 121 myartz04 said at 9:00 PM on October 24th, 2015:

    I know this wasn’t your intention so don’t think I’m disagreeing to just be a jerk…but stats like that have always bothered me because it’s like the circle of life of a football game. Generally when you win you end up running more and thus have a better record. But if it was as easy as that, why not hand him the ball 20 straight times and now you have practically a guaranteed win.

  122. 122 The original AG said at 9:02 PM on October 24th, 2015:

    Fair point. I don’t think it’s necessarily just feeding Murray, but I think both Murray and Mathews need to carry the ball a combined 35+ times a game. We can include Sproles in that, but I do think this is how they will win games by relying on the run.

  123. 123 myartz04 said at 9:05 PM on October 24th, 2015:

    Running game and play action passing is beautiful football. Hoping for some of that tomorrow.

  124. 124 myartz04 said at 9:05 PM on October 24th, 2015:

    Not to mention a good game by Demarco means a good game for my fantasy 🙂

  125. 125 MagsHarvestMoon said at 9:36 PM on October 24th, 2015:

    I understand that Chip wants to run the ball. However, some of the parts of the team haven’t been working so well together, namely offensive line, tight ends, etc. Some personnel changes needed to be made. Notice the 2 TE sets the last couple of games? Prior to this change there was a little story around that some defenders on other teams noticed that when Celek was on the field there was a 70% chance the play would be a run? Vice versa with Ertz. It really seems almost like the first 5 games or so were like training camp. Maybe because of injuries and because of so many new players this season. This team is just about ready to start gelling, especially after the bye week. A bit like the first few years of Andy’s reign.

  126. 126 The original AG said at 9:38 PM on October 24th, 2015:

    This is my feeling as well. I’ve seen improvement every week (sans Bradford) and I really think this team could catch fire.

  127. 127 ChoTime said at 10:01 PM on October 24th, 2015:

    Yeah, I would say that’s a meathead stat except it’s a girl. I guess girls can be meatheads… (no disrespect to TheOAG of course)

  128. 128 MagsHarvestMoon said at 10:05 PM on October 24th, 2015:

    Perhaps it was just an idle thought, like 20 million others on Twitter.

  129. 129 ChoTime said at 10:13 PM on October 24th, 2015:

    From now on, every time I read a twitter repost, I’m going to do it with the “Deep Thoughts from Jack Handy” music.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CjfSGPJo-cg&list=PLfpbZvWz5uKsMnGlsoDUnXjn_TfrGBJKO

  130. 130 MagsHarvestMoon said at 10:16 PM on October 24th, 2015:

    I’ve seen some of those, although I prefer a simple ‘Deep thoughts from such a shallow mind’. Not intended for present company, of course!

  131. 131 EagleNebula said at 12:10 AM on October 25th, 2015:

    You are correctly pointing out causality vs. correlation. The stat is describing a correlation within a data set without properly determining the causation or whether the information is meaningful in the manner intended. This is a very common.

  132. 132 Joe Minx said at 10:14 PM on October 24th, 2015:

    I hate to be contrarian gentlemen, but I just don’t have a very good feeling about this game. Panthers have a very intricate running game & will be very motivated to avenge the b-slapping we gave them last year, especially at home. I just feel like at the end of the game we’re going to be scratching our heads wondering how we allowed them to do some of what they did.

  133. 133 ChoTime said at 10:20 PM on October 24th, 2015:

    It’s okay, they’re a good team. Could go either way.