Settle Down
Posted: October 27th, 2015 | Author: Tommy Lawlor | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | 471 Comments »The Eagles are 3-4, not 0-7 . They have won 3 of the last 5 games. There is no long losing streak. Some people are acting as if the sky is falling and this is the worst team in the league or some utter disaster. That’s simply not the case.
Anyone who follows this team is frustrated. They are underachieving, but please keep things in perspective. I realize many fans are being rational, but there are more than a few going on and on about:
- Chip Kelly is a bad coach
- Chip Kelly is a bad GM
- The team doesn’t have any talent
- Why isn’t Kelly getting angry with the players
- Bench everyone who makes mistakes
And so on.
This comes on the heels of the Eagles losing on the road to an undefeated team while playing on a short week. No one has beaten the Panthers this year. Teams going on the road after Monday night games are 3-5 this year. The Panthers were expected to win Sunday night.
Yet somehow this loss has once again launched the gloom and doom campaign by many people. Ugh.
No one is happy right now. But it sure is a lot more interesting (and fun) to me to have an intelligent discussion on what is wrong with the team. Ranting is boring. Anyone can do it. My 7-year old nephew can explain why stuff sucks and why he hates things.
I can’t write pieces on Chip, Sam, the team’s talent level, schemes, etc. all in one day. It takes time for me to get my thoughts together, do some research and write. We’ll get to each subject. It just won’t happen all at once.
For now, let’s talk about what this team is and isn’t.
The Eagles are a mediocre team right now. They are 3-4, but they’ve played a tough schedule. The team is one game out of first place. They still control their destiny. The season isn’t over.
The Ravens and Lions are each 1-6. The Texans are 2-5 with all kinds of controversy swirling around their organization. Ditto that for the Niners. The Colts are 3-4 and also have all kinds of issues. All of those teams had playoff hopes back in the summer. The Colts and Ravens were considered Super Bowl contenders.
Dallas is only half a game back of the Eagles, but they have a 4-game losing streak and are still weeks away from the return of Tony Romo. Their season might essentially be over by the time he gets back.
The Eagles are 17th in points scored, 16th in yards. Their defense is 9th in points allowed and 16th in yards allowed. The Eagles are 2nd in the NFC East in scoring and first in scoring defense. They have the best point differential in the division at +23.
While things are not going as we hoped and there is a ton of valid criticism of the players and coaches, this is not the disaster some people are making it out to be. The season isn’t even halfway done and the Eagles have the pieces in place to get the ship turned around. Notice I didn’t say they’d go 9-0 and storm their way to the Super Bowl. I do think they can still end up with a winning record and in the playoffs.
One of the things that gives me confidence in this team is that they have shown flashes.
- After getting down 20-3 to the Falcons, the Eagles went on a 21-3 run and dominated the game. A missed field goal might have cost them the win.
- The Eagles got up 24-0 on the Jets.
- After getting down 13-0 to the Skins, the Eagles went on a 20-3 run and had the lead late in the game. Missed kicks once again hurt them.
- After falling behind the Saints 7-0, the Eagles went on a 39-3 run and dominated that game.
- After falling behind the Giants 7-0, the Eagles scored 27 unanswered and won the game.
I’ve compared this team to the 2007 Eagles, who never could get above .500. That team had one sensational game, when they blew out the Lions 56-21. They had good runs in a few other games that year, but spent most of the year either losing or playing back and forth in games.
This team was awful against Dallas. There was a 10-0 stretch vs the Panthers, but that was as good as it got. In the other 5 games, the Eagles either won or dominated a long stretch of the game.
The slow starts and lack of consistently good play are keeping this team down. If Kelly and the staff can figure out a way to get the team off to quicker starts, that could be a big help. It is much easier to play when you aren’t down 13, 14 and 17 points in a game.
I don’t know if the Eagles will turn this season around, but I believe they can. There is enough time. There is enough talent.
Oh yeah, and the NFC East is awful.
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Dave Spadaro has hacked Iggles Blitz! OH NOES
“Oh yeah, and the NFC East is awful.”
This.
It’s not the AFC South, but it’s close.
we can’t even be the best at being the worst division lol
you made me wish for more than one upvote with that
So what? Winning an awful division will get you into the playoffs, but that’s it. At which this point this team will promptly get stomped by an actual contender.
That only works out for the Giants. They don’t make the playoffs in 2007 or in 2011 if the Eagles had just won one more game.
Tommy, you are absolutely right in that they aren’t a disaster. And the good news is that the D is actually good, playoff good, after being historically bad not so long ago.
But the bad news is on offense and it seems pretty bad: Some pieces aren’t good, others don’t seem to fit the scheme and, worst of all, our QB appears to be “atrociously mediocre,” if I can coin a new phrase. And you just can’t help but think that the league has caught up with Chip and his playcalling, so he’s lost that edge.
Now Andy was a master coming out of a bye week. We’ll see how Chip does in this situation. He’d better figure it out, though, because not only do we have Dallas first off the bye, but that’s followed by a rejuvenated Dolphins team. If we lose both of those to drop to 3-6, the pitchforks and torches will really come out.
“And you just can’t help but think that the league has caught up with Chip and his playcalling, so he’s lost that edge.” This is bound to happen, there’s two years of tape. We’re not going to break any offensive records with this OL / group of skill position players.
I think chip tried to create a team that was built to sustain drives on short to intermediate plays. I think like a boxer chip is trying to give opposing defenses body shots during the course of the game so that in the fourth quarter the defense is gassed and we’re rolling away with the game. But execution continues to be a problem.
That said the scheme also has been boiled down to really only a handful of plays. I don’t know why that is. Maybe Chip feels like we should only run plays that we know we can execute. Maybe he’s trying to help the o-line which is “battling”.so he’s only calling variations on the 4-5plays that we can run IZR. OZR, Sweep and a couple of pass plays with slightly different route combinations.
Maybe chip’s trying to tank us b/c there’s a QB he likes.
“Come on Ricky. This aint the California penal league. We don’t tank plays for personal reasons, now cut the cry baby shit and let’s finish this thing”.
And you just can’t help but think that the league has caught up with Chip and his playcalling
Seriously? Have you seen the All-22 from the last 2 games? Receivers were constantly open, and Bradford routinely either checked down, threw into coverage, or threw a poor pass. (Or it was dropped.)
I think it’s clear what the problem with offense is.
So…you’re saying it’s Chip, right?
No, it is Fran Duffy and the All-22 coverage. If he had live streaming of that coverage, we could all yell and point at our TVs so Bradford would know where to throw.
You might be on to something. They could put the All-22 on the jumbotron and the crowd could yell where to throw it. I’m not sure what they’d do for road games though.
You could get fans at home involved too. Place symbols above each of the receivers that correspond to buttons on a remote device. Fans all push the button for the receiver to whom they would like to see the ball thrown.
We could make a twitter poll for the fans on the road and unable to watch the game or for fans currently watching at the bar.
RT for Matthews, FAV for Celek. I like it
IB community should be on the feed into Bradford’s helmet, so we all can talk to him at once.
That was the worst fear coming into the season. What is plan B if this is the best he can be?
Sad. Steelers CB Brandon Boykin has played just 23 defensive snaps this season.
atleast he doesnt need to sign there next year. I hope he goes to a cover 2 team. I think he would thrive in that system
I thought they were shifting to more cover 2. Maybe it’s a personnel thing. Maybe the plan was to play more cover 2, but injuries elsewhere caused an issue? Only thing I can think of.
Despite everything that happened, I still like Boykin as a player and person. Really enjoyed that article he wrote. You read that article and you realize how what he actually said got so sensationalized into something different. It’s a shame things aren’t working out for him.
Be careful what you wish for… maybe it’s just a cultural thing between him and Mike Tomlin??
the lesson of the Monkey’s Paw!!!
Chip is too stubborn for needed change.
Time to get fired or at least seriously demoted back to coach only.
( My choice – FIRED )
As usual we Eagle fans suffer as reality of the situation doesn’t hit the brass until multiple seasons of mediocrity goes by.
” don’t worry Bradford will catch fire … Matthews will catch a pass …. Etc ”
Win some games please and win a super bowl before we all die
All good things take time. Besides new head coaches don’t win the SB until their 4th or 5th year, everybody knows that.
We sure have been waiting a long time and groups of 4 or 5 seasons seem to go by so quick ( no SB win ever )
Unwillingness to adjust and change is a bad trait to have in the NFL as a coach and even more as a coach/GM
usually w their second team
Payton and McCarthy come to mind
How old Andy doing in KC…. All those fastballs really showing the league lol
This is why fans don’t run sports teams
How about winning a super bowl at least once
Good teams don’t take steps backwards to championships
They keep moving forward
yeah, that’s pretty much a statement that says absolutely nothing.
“How about winning a Super Bowl this year? You can’t? Or next year? You’re fired!”
Good teams don’t accept mediocrity. That’s why 10-6 wasn’t good enough for Chip. And there are risks in revamping the team. But taking the risks shows, to me, a coach who actually is a good coach who wants more. Who doesn’t settle for mediocrity, which is strangely your problem with Chip.
The last team to win a Super Bowl that had a history of burning through head coaches…
The Rams 16 years ago.
I agree with most of what you’ve said. But just remember that the Sixers don’t settle for mediocrity, and look how that’s turned out!
it’s turned out great so far.
I think you can make an argument that the Sixers are actually closer to winning a title than the Eagles are. They don’t have a lot of talent on the floor right now, but they do have some young guys who appear to be pieces in Noel, Okafor, and Stauskas. And they have tons and tons of assets to continue to build with. Especially if Embiid comes back healthy (a big if obviously) they could turn it around pretty quickly.
I think u can make a better argument that basketball is nowhere near the same as football lol
Good teams don’t accept mediocrity. That’s why 10-6 wasn’t good enough for Chip.
With all due respect, this is a dumb argument. This isn’t the NBA, where a team can consistently win 45-50 games and make the playoffs but won’t stand a chance of winning a title unless they get a superstar, which requires going backwards. Teams make the leap from good to great ALL THE TIME in the NFL. In fact, it is far more common than going from good to mediocre to great, which is what you’re claiming Chip is going to do.
Good teams typically lucked into great QBs and that makes everything easier.
That is a great suggestion. I think you should send a strongly worded letter to the headquarters suggesting the win a Super Bowl. It is possible that they haven’t really considered that possibility.
I blame Ryan Day.
Thats why the back to back 10 win teams we had were blown up. They would never be better. I don’t agree with all the decisions but every move was made with that in mind.
Steps have been taken with improving in mind. So glad we have WAY better cbs than last year and a playmaking safety. Hell all the DBs actually turn their head and play the ball now!
Things will get fixed and I believe Chip win win us a Superbowl. Sometimes things need to get worse to get better. Look at Seahawks from a few years before their SB for example
No seriously, “multiple seasons of mediocrity” is your complaint about the guy who thought 2 seasons at 10-6 wasn’t good enough.
The guy who investigates every possible new advance in science and conditioning is the guy too stubborn to change.
This is good analysis.
His first season he inherited Andy Reid’s players.
His second season he began to eject Reid’s players.
And here we are in his third season his players his people another year without a super bowl ( the goal by the way not just lets see if Sam Bradford can complete a pass or have one good game )
I’m going to quote Tommy here:
“But it sure is a lot more interesting (and fun) to me to have an intelligent discussion on what is wrong with the team. Ranting is boring. Anyone can do it. My 7-year old nephew can explain why stuff sucks and why he hates things.”
This is exactly what Tommy was talking about in this post.
And for all you thickheaded dopes who still don’t get it, Chip isn’t getting fired. Not even if he doesn’t win another game the entire rest of the year.
Nice of you to add traffic to your Uncle Tommy’s website.
Eagles 4-7 in last 11, Panthers have won 10 straight. Maybe it really was ffoles?
Good thing last year doesnt matter anymore lol. otherwise cowboys would be leading division
You can’t bring up stats. Unless you’re comparing them against the rest of the NFC East. If you do that, then the team looks better. (numbers are easy to spin)
Are you kidding? Foles led the league in turnovers when he was in the game in 2014; defense and ST carried this team to wins.
So…maybe it was ST?
Bradford has taken over as one of the league leaders in turnovers, if not THE league leader, this year. Maybe it’s the offense?
When Foles wasn’t throwing picks he was fumbling and when he wasn’t doing either he was having dropped passes.
Foles sure wasn’t great last year. But by every objective measure (individual statistics, team record, etc.) he was better than Bradford is this year. Which is a pretty big indictment of how bad Bradford has been.
Maybe the Panthers were just better. They look like a good team.
I would only like to say one optimistic thing about this team:
They are growing and building a team.
Giants are not growing
Cowboys are not growing
Redskins (might BE ) growing but they still had to rally back down 24 points against the Bucs who are absolute trash and will have a top 5 pick.
Take the bye week to gain perspective and lower expectation. I am generally excited every so often we do make a catch!
I’d be in overall better spirits if we swapped a win vs. Carolina for a loss vs. the Jets or Saints.
Why? What does that change? I can understand wanting to swap a non division win with a division win, but who gives a shit about the style points of wins in September and October? wanting to swap wins is something new to me
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You catch teams at different times of a season, after the cowboy debacle, beating a top defense, undefeated Jets team on the road at that time, was about as big of a win as it gets.. I don’t carre about swapping wins, what bothers me is I wish the Panthers game would finally get us over 500, now we have to win again just to reach 500… That’s what haunts me
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Now I have to wait two weeks and then worry about beating Dallas just to be at 500…. DEPRESSING!!!
He doesn’t like Cam Newton. That’s why.
+5 points for team sonofdman!
I don’t either. Seeing him smile on Sunday was brutal. We could have had that game and I think thats why people are upset.
The big non division win I want is NE. I hate those douches
I cannot stand losing the that overrated grinning turd Scam Newton.
5-0 team on the road after MNF while constantly shooting ourselves in the foot. Panthers were also really high on themselves from beating Seahawks. I believe if we are lucky enough to see them again they will probably lose.
Meh — there’s no back up for anything said there. How can the Cowboys grow with losing their best WR and starting QB?
Give them Romo and Dez is that team doing anything or making any strides?
The best offseason signing we had was Murray. We took their heart and soul on O.
Did u miss the Greg Hardy blow up? That team is a powder Keg by design
Did you see Dallas at 2-0 with Romo and Dez? Did you not see them man handle the eagles week 2? Take away any starting QB and WR … good things don’t happen.
Anybody would have man handled them week 2. Cowboys are 1 dimensional with an old injury prone Romo. Eagles are the best of the worst even with a crappy O
Well we don’t have a starting QB or WR and have played better than them so.. hah lol
My point was that we have room to improve and they are def missing Romos window.
They are growing and building a team.
Where is your evidence for that? I don’t see any consistent upward trend in their play so far.
So growth can only occur linearly?
No. But if you are expecting it to suddenly appear out of an increasingly long track record of mediocrity and inconsistency, your expectations are irrational.
Wait, up above you’re claiming that you can’t go backwards from the excellence of a 10-6 record. Now you’re claiming that 10-6 is mediocre, and can’t expect to grow from it. Which is it? Or are you claiming that 7 games is a long track record?
I honestly think they’re going to stay inconsistent this year. Too much change this past offseason. But I don’t think that that means that they can’t experience growth with a full offseason together and the young guys getting better. Again, no guarantees, but I find your certain doom approach the more irrational one.
Now you’re claiming that 10-6 is mediocre, and can’t expect to grow from it.
That is not what I meant. What I mean is that if you expect them to suddenly be a great team this season, it’s probably irrational. A team that is mediocre and inconsistent through 5, 6, now 7 games, probably is what it appears to be – mediocre and inconsistent. Next year? Yeah, they might be better. But if they finish 7-9 or 8-8 this year, there would be zero reason to expect that. Even if they finish the year on a winning streak and look like they’re pulling it together. Remember how the “Dream Team” won its last four games to finish 8-8 and people thought they might finally be jelling? Didn’t carry over to the next year. Might not this time either.
I find your certain doom approach the more irrational one.
What “certain doom” approach? I haven’t said they will fall apart or anything. I still expect them to finish 9-7, which was my prediction before the season. I’ve said I’ll believe that they’re on the way to being a championship caliber team, and be optimistic about that possibility, when I actually see some evidence of it. “In Chip We Trust” doesn’t cut it for me.
My S/N last year was EaglesD3rdandwrong
“Par” for this team was 11-5.
I needed 4-2 in division, we’re 1-2
I needed 3-1 vs. the NFC South with the only allowable loss being to New Orleans; we’re 1-2
I needed 3-1 vs. the AFC East; we’re 1-0 there
I needed 1-1 vs. Arizona and Detroit; we’re 0-0 there.
So sitting at 3-4 isn’t the end of the world, but
– not being ready to play vs. Atlanta in the opener was putrid
– losing to a diminished Dallas in our building (again) is not acceptable
-%$$(#$&#& game @ Washington is one of those games you don’t want to lose, but you know will happen sometimes
– pass dropping and non-tackling our way to a loss vs. Carolina is also vile.
On a positive note, it was great to beat a very good Jets team, be really on our game for stretches vs. the Saints, and embarrass the Giants on national TV.
So if the Eagles feel like running the table sans a loss vs. New England I’ll be happy. Hell, throw in a loss vs. Arizona (who is actually good) if you want to make us 10-6 with a division title and I can still deal with it.
But @ Dallas, Miami, Tampa, @ Detroit, Buffalo, Washington, and @ NYG need to be wins.
Short of salvaging the season that way, I’m not happy with the season.
Vegas line was what 9? 9.5? you just set an imaginary Par for yourself then got made when it wasn’t met. 11-5 would be a good year. Not average, not par.
I put “par” at 11-5 by looking at quality of opponent and the generally conclusion (from the mouth of the coach especially) that 10-6 wasn’t good enough.
http://i.imgur.com/VmxuFNk.jpg
As inflamed as I am about what’s going on with the team, there is no football based scenario in my mind that would look to change from Chip until the end of 2016. Even if this seasons continues as an up and down failure at 7-9/8-8/9-7, I want to see another year of what Chip can do with the roster and execution. If 2016 were to fall short of legitimate progress to a team that wins playoff games, I could endorse getting rid of Chip.
Calling for a firing of Chip at 3-4 in year 3 is WAY too early for my taste.
But that won’t stop me from aggressively calling out individual problems/failures.
I’m angry enough to want Chip fired, but I’m of the same mindset as far as it being too early in the season. Firing coaches mid season doesn’t do anything unless you’re such a train wreck that it doesn’t matter. I honestly don’t think Lurie will fire him at all and will let the contract play out. There have been enough flashes on offense to warrant continuing with Chip. Lurie is a very patient owner, and I’m actually kind of thankful for that.
Also as head coach, he has put together a solid defense and special teams. He gets the offense going, we’ve got a damn good team.
If you asked Lurie if he was considering firing chip, he would think you are a cute mentally challenged kid
Lots of rambling but the only thing I would agree is that it would be ridiculous to fire Kelly or even talk of it at this point.
Lurie just gave him full control of the organization and the only way they should seriously consider it is if they flounder over the next 2 years including not making the playoffs.
That’s part of the vicious cycle. Who’s fault is that none of the wr’s can catch the ball? or that the OL is playing mediocre at best. There are a lot of individual failures happening right now.
Yeah, I don’t have an ability to pass final blame judgement until the end of Chip’s 4th year.
Good article. Love the 7-year old nephew analogy.
wow, being like spadaro now, spin the positive and barely touch the negative
don’t we all know the negative by now?
We’ve got it more than covered in the comment section. As does literally any other site that writes/reports on football.
Fire chip is an all time low for one of the dumbest fanbases in the game, with the emotional maturity of a 16yr old girl….. Just assemble a bunch on new players, snap your fingers, and if they aren’t firing on all cylnders, blow it up… The moronic philly fan way…
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Superbowl champions are built, not just thrown together and expect to be a world beater immediately ..
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I wanted to beat the panthers so bad, in hopes that it would mean we turned the corner, but we aren’t there yet, not the end of the world in this division, but still frustrating to endure as fans.
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The fact that it would take some time is why some people weren’t thrilled with deciding to rebuild in year 3, but if Chip saw a maxed out ceiling, I appreciate pulling the plug early, instead of spending a few more years on a sinking ship.
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In terms of this season, all that really matters is winning our division and playing our best ball down the stretch…. Nothing that has happened puts this goal out of reach at this point in the season, so while its demoralizing to be back to having to win a game just to get to 500, showering the team with constant negativity Probably won’t help the players and fans get what they want… It’s perfectly fair to criticize a bad game, but when it gets taken a step forward and used to judge the entire season THATs out of line, and pretty stupid… But I’m used to it, from a self proclaimed “knowledgable fan base”.. Lol “they can’t fool us” SMH….
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“No one pulls the wool over the eyes of a Gambini”-my cousin Vinny
The Eagles fan base is awesome. We get enough crap from every idiot out there, without one of our own crapping on us. The hell do you root for, laundry? I don’t have loyalty to a color of jersey, it’s to the family.
Sorry, it’s the dumbest type of fans, the kind that think they are smart..
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And you should know that this comment section ISNT a true reflection of our fans.. This is a more knowledgable community than most of the Eagles fans out there, And if you don’t know that, then your head must live up your ass
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This is a very passionate FANBASE that travels better than almost any FANBASE, but smart, they are NOT!! At least not when it comes to understanding an nfl season… Truth hurts? Tough shit..
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Week 7 and the team is under full assault from media and fans, throwing around firing chip…. Calling that smart and knowledgable is moronic at best
You have to admit, standing ovations for first downs and successful extra points when we struggle to get them are kind of hilarious, who else does that?
Funny? Sure..Passionate? Absolutely….. Smart? You wish…we wish…
Passionate at least. Always here. Always loyal. Funny watching the Giants and Cowboys fans come out of the woodwork when they are winning then scurry under the floorboards like cockroaches in the bad times.
Yes, we are Loyal, even when the team is terrible and we know it, we still show up each week
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ITs really not the fans fault, what chance do they really have when our media is so absurd? Fans take their Ques from the medias narrative. And we have such a terrible, and absurd local medial that our fans really don’t stand a chance.
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We are fortunate that Tom is level headed, won’t speak until he has really thought out his point well and is very informative,, The Majority of our fans aren’t as fortunate, what chance do our fans have as long as they are getting their info from Les Bowans, Mike Missanellis, marcus Hayes, Elliot Parker? As a Fanbase we don’t stand a chance
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You have to admit for the most part, this comment section is much less absurd than other fans who are getting their eagle intell from some Incompetant sources that for some reason got credentials to cover a pro football team, and as beat reporters they now all have become “analysts” and pollute fans with their nonsensical opinipns.. Where in the world did elliot parker get the Idea that he should be handing out his opinipns and Analysis? The problem is our media is lazy as hell and it’s so much easier to give your opinion than it is to go out and get stories to report….
The radio is the absolute worst. We have a solid showing on the internet. People that will break down the all-22 and such. But out-side of an awesome play by play man in Merrill Reese, the guys on the radio are total garbage.
Wait a minute. You said…
“…it’s the dumbest type of fans, the kind that think they are smart…”
…combined with…
“…(t)his is a more knowledgable community than most of the Eagles fans out there…” (sic)
So, you are saying you, I, and Ark87 are part of the group of fans that think they are smarter than most? I am pretty sure that I should be offended by that logic.
We are all frustrated and our judgement is clouded by that at best.
This team has been in EVERY game this year. Need to learn to close games and find a way to win.
Stop dumb penalties
Stop dropping 3rd downs
Stop Snapping the ball early
Stop missing clutch kicks
Stop taking dumb sacks
Other than that we are clicking 😉
So I’m going to be spending the next few hours trying to figure out who Tommy’s pseudonym account is. Kind of funny that the more dysfunctional the team is, the more dysfunctional our comment section is. Winning is the best deodorant for comment sections too?
Well, when we were on the 2 game winning streak the trolls disappeared.
Air also smelled cleaner and food tasted better. Or I wasn’t as hung over.
You would think that… But this year we managed to prove that we are miserable even after wins.. I’m starting to think this is what we really want. We don’t want to win, we just want something to be miserable about ..
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Turn on your local radio, and I’ll be shocked if you can bear to listen for more than half hour.. I can’t even turn CSN on…
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I have had the same thought. It truly seems like the radio stations have found that more people listen when you are complaining about stuff.
6-10 is their sweet spot. Win less and people tune out with frustration. Win more and it becomes harder to have the great “everything is shit” rants.
Can anyone tell me where this rumor of Pope Jordan Playing with an injured hand originated? And exactly what type of hand injury is being rumored?
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It didn’t come from Jordan, he won’t make excuse, all you will here from Jordan is that “OUR QB has been playing GREAT ALL YEAR, and We keep letting him down and Im the #1 culprit”
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I wouldn’t say SAM has played GREAT ALL YEAR, but yes we hAvent done him many favors
Les Bowen I believe.
ranting is boring. As boring(and hallow) as comparing Eagle stats to the rest of the NFC East. That’s the silver lining? LOL.
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Fans are all over the place complaining, even after wins, because the offensive team as a whole is underachieving. It would be easier to see the forest if there was a constant issue happening. WR wide open and Bradford will miss him. Bradford will finally throw a good ball – only to be dropped. WR’s wide open only to have the OL miss blocks and Bradford gets sacked. It’s a vicious cycle. Fans don’t know where to focus their rants. It use to be Coopers fault. Now we need more Cooper. Now it’s Bradfords fault. Wait, it’s the WR. Wrong, it’s CK etc.
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Sometimes you need to bunt to get out of your funk of hitting. Let one or two good things happen and let it steam roll. I do think this team is better than how they are playing.
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Notice – I didn’t say talented. I don’t think they are talented enough(right now) to compete with better than avg teams. Eagles are extremely weak at wr and OL. While I do think they can play better, I don’t expect JM and Huff(or aggie or any of them) to become a dynamic duo this year. I expect Bradford to play better(can he be worse?). Just take those two, Bradford and JM to play better and this team can be more consistent.
This bye week is so important. The Eagle’s haven’t let their frustration show all season until the end of the last game (players shouting “Catch the %&^$ ball!” and some more honest than usual interviews). And that might have had a chance to snowball, but this bye week is like the bell ringing for the fighter stuck on the ropes. The week off is just what everyone needs. Not saying it will save the season (though it might). But I think it will smother the odds of this team falling apart.
the bell rings and the rocky music starts.
chase the chickens
Here is what happens now:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DP3MFBzMH2o
Have we all forgotten how that story ends?
The Eagles are a decent team, probably above-average, just not as good as any of us thought or wanted. That’s due to the offense, specifically Sam, the pass-catchers, the OL.
Can we expect improvement going forward? I say yes, we can expect the offense to improve. They will get out of the catching slump. The OL and Sam, I don’t know. Probably won’t get worse.
It gives us a shot to get into the playoffs. I don’t expect much anymore this year. To be honest, I am not thrilled with the idea of Chip holding the GM reins another offseason, either.
I’d argue they are average/above average with too many flaws. Just a question of whether can end up on the positive ledger in some close games after the bye to end up with 9 wins & win the NFC East.
I’m gonna take a stab at understanding where the frustration is coming from, I think at times this season the team has looked almost comically inept (the Dallas game comes to mind, that was abhorrent) and the expectation that this year we were going to take a step forward and become a more serious contender for the super bowl.
I think those two things combined have made people more aggravated than they might normally be at a 3-4 record.
I’m still wait and see, but I think if Bradford doesn’t get it together and become the guy Chip thought he was going to be then that is pretty foreboding for the team over the next few years, until we can find a franchise guy at the QB spot.
And going 7-9 is going to get them a franchise QB? It’s not. The time to start losing is right now and fire chip kelly.
You.
http://gph.is/16ihXjY
stupid
The one thing I don’t get is the people who are harping about ‘who cares if this team wins 9 games and gets into the playoffs.’
Just don’t understand that logic. The Eagles would be better off going 7-9 and winning a meaningless game in the season finale vs Giants again instead?
You think they will win the super bowl? The team is pathetic.
It’s sort of like being the 7 seed in the NBA playoffs. I mean it’s nice I guess that you’re there, but you’re just going to get bounced by one of the big boys sooner rather than later.
I think Eagles fans in general are jaded to the idea of being just a playoff team, we want a championship.
That being said, I would prefer to be in the playoffs rather than not, just for the fun of it.
I’d have to look but I’d venture a division winner with a home playoff game in the Divisional Round of the NFL playofs has a much better chance of making the Super Bowl or winning it than a 7th seed in the NBA playoffs. Bad analogy.
More an issue that this is arguably the most passionate fan base in the NFL but also the most knee-jerk, foolish one too.
I’d venture that the average division winner with a home playoff game is probably better than this Eagles team.
I think most fan bases are passionate, knee-jerk and foolish. I don’t think we’re special in that regard.
I’ve lived in St Louis, Boston, and SF. Grew up here and I still don’t think any other fan base goes as over board as this one when the team loses or harps/criticizes the team even when the team wins a close game.
we do what we’re good at. Exploit your talents.
Or even when the team wins a 20+ point blow out (see the last two weeks).
No kidding. If we manage to upset the Pats (we won’t), things are going to be just as bad in the other direction.
Wild card teams never win Superbowls?
do you think what youre watching is a wild card winning superbowl team. Or its even remotely possible. Lets see them put together a few first halves first
Do you remember how terrible the Giants looked in 2007 and again in 2011? In 2007, people were screaming to bench Eli half way through the season. In 2011, they barely held off the “Dream team” (sorry) Eagles to win the division at 9-7. If the Jets would have beaten them on X-mas eve, the Eagles would have won the division on tiebreakers at 8-8. In both years they barely got in the playoffs and did not look like a good team, but then got hot and lucky and won the superbowl.
I will always chose making the playoffs over not making the playoffs, no matter how we get in. If you are in, you have a chance to win the super bowl. If not, you don’t. In addition, and probably even more importantly, it is fun to root for your team in a playoff game – even if you don’t expect that team to go all the way.
Yeah I think it is very possible. It’s hard to say if you are watching one in the making. I don’t think any fans of teams that were under performing would ever have expected the run they went on. Take wild card out of the equation and open it up to all teams who have won it recently.
Saint, Colts, Giants both times. I never expected any of those teams to win it all because one side of the ball was really under-preforming. The defense of the Saints and Colts really turned the corner, and the offense for the Giants did the same.
Do I think it is out of the realm of possibility for that to happen to this team? Hell no. Do I think it is the most likely outcome? Hell no. I just think there is a big enough chance, that I would prefer to focus on that and enjoy my football season.
7seed analogy not a great one. The one game nature of NFL playoffs allows for lesser talented teams to be more likely to advance. Plenty of mediocre teams have gone on to make the Superbowl. In just the last decade:
2012: Ravens lose SB on 10-6 record
2011: Giants won SB on a 9-7 record
2010: Packers won SB on 10-6 record
2008: Cardinals lose SB on 9-7 record
2007: Giants win SB on a 10-6 record
2005: Steelers win as 11-5 wildcard
That’s fair, but I’m also accounting for the fact that we’d be in the playoffs only by the graces of being in a very weak division, unless of course we get this boat turned around and start kicking ass the 2nd half of the season.
The only two teams to make the playoffs with sub .500 records both won a game. Crazy shit happens.
Consider this. If all you are only happy winning the Superbowl, you are not going to be happy very much. There is more to following a team than obsessing over ending up with the Lombardi. IMO.
especially as a Philly fan. We can all be miserable all the time or try to enjoy the ride and appreciate progress.
sure, but Bradford is unwatchable. I find talk of the playoffs, bad division etc kind of absurd at this point. Id like to see some solid consistent performances first.
I am also a Spurs fan. Sure, it is nice to win the championships and be a contender every year. For me, it is much like following the Eagles in the early 2000s, where you just knew they were a really good team. That being said, if you go to the Spurstalk forum, you will see that every other post is negative, bitching about Tony Parker or Manu or Matt Bonner. There is a loud and vocal contingent that hates Coach Pop and thinks the Spurs would have won more ‘ships with a competent coach.
Welcome to fandom. Not a country of rational thinkers.
there’s kind of a big difference between the Spurs and the Eagles of the early 2000s. A really big one.
There are at least five really big differences. That’s kind of my point. You would think that with the 5 ‘ships, Spurs fans would be able to kind of sit back in their lazyboys and just relax with a contented smile on their faces. And in fact, many of us do. But there are still dozens of spazzes overreacting to every perceived negative development with a Chicken Little attitude. The other aspect of this is, having the trophies in the bag isn’t _necessarily_ going to make being a fan any happier or more positive.
fair point. I got defensive when you compared the two as if I had to prove we are bigger losers, but I get the point you are making.
that’s surprising
Exactly. This is supposed to be fun!
It was never like this prior to the Reid and McNabb teams raising the bar. For the first three years of the Reid tenure (until the TB loss), people enjoyed following the team and the playoff wins were fun, even if they didn’t make the super bowl. After 2002, the prevailing consensus among the fans became that the only thing that matters is a super bowl win and everything else is a failure. Even now, people act like that whole era was a miserable time and Reid and McNabb were terrible because they never won a super bowl, when it was probably the most fun era of Eagles football that I ever witnessed. That attitude has somehow stuck and now it seems that a large segment of the fanbase can’t enjoy anything unless it is guaranteed to result in a Lombardi trophy.
There is definitely more than just winning a Superbowl that can make a season entertaining or even successful. That being said, what makes a season successful is thay the team appears to be PROGRESSING towards a Superbowl. To me, if this is the product we can expect on the field this season, getting into the playoffs BECAUSE the rest of the division is bad is not progressing towards a Superbowl. In fact, getting into the playoffs when you don’t have a chance and you have a weak record hurts the progression because it knocks you down in terms of draft position. Unless Bradford can turn things around, I’d much rather have the better ammo in the draft to go get the best player we can that will help this team than gain “playoff experience” on a team that still will need lots of changesbefore we are truly successful.
The team isn’t good. Just stop.
Your are the most pathetic troll. Your don’t even inflame others as much as me make me feel sorry for pitiful efforts at doing this.
worst troll ever
Andy Reid can’t coach either
I respect your insight.
lol I appreciate your stage name
tommy, it’s very simple. we’re complaining because almost everything wrong with the team is a self-inflicted wound:
– the biggest gamble Chip made was Bradford, and it’s just not working out right now. by any objective measure, he’s playing bad — even if you exclude drops. the only silver lining is his ability, so far, to stay upright. We all knew how big a risk he was, and why Chip did it, but this is not the kind of thing just swept under the rug
– after all the $ savings at RB from the McCoy trade, we brought in 2 veteran FA running backs (instead of cheap rookies) at a high position cost compared to the rest of the NFL. and Murray may be the biggest disappointment on the team right now
– it is not Chip’s fault JP and Gardner are hurt, but it is his fault we have no OL depth. Just drafting Lane in 3 years as a GM, and giving Stoutland a pile of turds to shine, is unacceptable; especially while kicking a vet to the curb to make a point. And while not a complete dumpster fire, they are not succeeding in making life easy for these amazing N/S runners most of the time.
– the WRs as a group stink right now. I’m actually of the belief Ags could have helped in the CAR game. However, those who thought he was a Maclin clone from day 1 are just nuts. and if Riley Cooper is your current deep threat, things are not going well. After the valuable draft capital spent there the last 2 years, it looks like more upgrades are needed
– thank goodness for the safeties. I am reasonable, after all
the vast majority of the NFL teams playing garbage football right now should not be a defense for the poor execution by many of our players right now, nor the GM and coach who installed them in those slots
Yeah, it kind of feels whatever this team was trying to accomplish hasn’t really worked out, which is frustrating.
The amount of money sunk in Bradford, Murray and Maxwell is significant and none of the three are really doing what we hoped.
….and let’s not even talk about Marcus Smith, second of his name, king of the inactives and lost men
At least he isn’t costing us ~10 million this year ;).
He basically is going down into biggest 1st round busts in recent franchise history next to Jon Harris, Danny Watkins, and Freddie Mitchell.
Weren’t guys done in by injury. Just were complete misses.
Freddie actually played and contributed. I think MSII has only had half a tackle or something so far?
Can’t pin him on Chip the GM though. I think the word was that Chip really didn’t want him at all. That makes no sense to me by the way. Why force a guy on the coach when the coach won’t give him any rope because he isn’t his guy?
I can’t imagine Chip had no say. He was basically the ideal prototype for what Chip wants out of a 34 OLB. Just can’t get the whole NFL thing figured out.
Weren’t there rumblings that MS2 was a big feather in his cap during the power struggle?
maybe, I couldn’t keep up with all those leaks. If we’re to believe that rumor, than shouldn’t we also believe Chip would have taken Taylor Hart in the 3rd? and then we’d be even worse, since
Baby Hines WardHuff wouldn’t be here!So you’d rather have Revis and ??? at RB over Murray and Maxwell? I’m not sure Revis was even available for us (may have wanted to play on the Jets and also may not have wanted to run his butt off for Chip). Murray looks awkward right now, but I don’t think that we as fans know why. He has progressively gotten more aggressive with his run style, so I think the arrow may be pointing up for him. And I’m really not sure what other player we were going to bring in to fix our CB problem… maybe Davon House?
I would have stuck with Mathews, Sproles and Polk at RB, or just not traded Shady in the first place. I wouldn’t have paid for Revis or Maxwell, I would have brought in either a lower tier FA or just trusted that over time draft picks would begin to pan out.
Mostly I would have been less aggressive to the roster churn. I’m not a big believer in high priced FAs being the “solution” to problems, I think it’s good to mix in some FAs, but I think the hit rate on big name guys being the solution is pretty low, and costly when they miss.
That’s fair, but I don’t think our defense would be as solid without Maxwell. He’s not a super hero, but he has been solid (sans Julio Jones).
I have to say Maxwell is doing just about what I expected of him. I thought it was universally understood that we over-paid because of the FA supply, and team demand for corners.
yep. that just happens. we needed him, he checked off all of Chip’s boxes (fit the prerequisites), and was one of the best FAs available at a premium position.
I mean, there are bright spots to be had. Hicks looks great, and as long as the DL is doing they’re job, MK can fly around and blitz (which he’s best at). Still need an edge guy.
——–
If you told me months ago we’d have maybe the very best DL and S play in the entire NFL, yet a losing record at the bye, I would have internet-slapped you
What has Maxwell done really though? I think he’s actually been below my expectations, and I didn’t have super high ones for him in the first place. I thought he’d struggle away from Seattle, but not to this degree.
The Maxwell hate is quickly becoming my biggest pet peeve.
He had a really bad game against Julio Jones in the first game and then gave up a terrible TD pass against Dallas in the second game. Since then, he has played well. He doesn’t completely shut down ever receiver he plays against but so what. No one expected him to do that going into the season. Even when balls are competed against him, he is usually in pretty tight coverage. He also closes and tackles well when passes are completed in front of him. He is a huge upgrade over what we had last year and what we would have had this year without him.
That’s a good pet peeve. My biggest at the moment has to be the media’s obsession with Chip pointing out bad execution. It is quickly reaching my hate for the medias despise for “Fastballs”.
Why in anyone’s name you would devote that sort of thought towards semantics is beyond me.
Its true that he has been a clear upgrade, and I tend to be ok with us overpaying him for that reason. It is what it is, and its not like we gave him Revis money. The one thing that concerns me is that Maxwell seems to be getting beat consistently on the same type of plays. On the shallow crosser over the middle he is too often 3-4 yards behind the receiver. Even the int against the panthers was a good example of that, he just got really lucky on that play. Maybe its a technique thing. But if i am an offensive coordinater somewhere, I am busy now drawing up crossers for my no. 1 receiver to be called in 3rd and seven every time. And thats really concerning. Its one thing to make mistakes. But when you make them systematically, you are making it very easy for the opponent to attack your weaknesses. In this respect Maxwell has a big weakness.
Most of us groaned at the Bradford trade. Not so much because of Bradford, but because of giving up a 2nd round pick for him. A build up of cautious optimism turned to full blown franchise QB speak by the end of preseason.
I’m done assuming Bradford is going to look amazing this season. *BUT I’m not done with Bradford. Coming off back to back ACL seasons is something no other QB has done (I think, though I’d want AC Viking to weigh in on that). On the one hand, you can say that makes the gamble even more foolish… but the way I see it, I need to be patient with a QB who has impressed Chip Kelly enough to give him time to develop. Hopefully, he looks worth the trade next year. (I’m not crying over the loss of Foles because I think Foles was a one hit wonder, and if Chip thought he was more than that he wouldn’t have traded him).
I hated that trade so much. I remember thinking that due to his contract he actually had negative trade value. I do see why Chip did it though. Just not working out right now. Hopefully he can turn it around.
I was flabbergasted with the trade _when I thought the Rams were also giving us a 2nd round pick_. When I found out *we* had to give up the pick?! Ayayay.
When I thought we were getting the pick I thought for sure the Marriota hype was actually real. I didn’t love, but understood that. Didn’t understand the actual motivations of the trade until a few days later when Chip explained it. I at least understood it then.
I have slightly moved off of my “He won’t last the season!” tirade. Though in the back of my mind I expect him to play a complete game only to get injured in the 4th quarter just as all my hopes and dreams start to become realized.
I felt the same and think thats a potential problem with overlord Chip, no one is really there to push back when he falls in love with a player and has to have him. Bradford had a significant NFL sample of bad QB play + was always hurt + was very expensive. The Rams should have had to give up an asset in a trade to take on that awful contract not the other way around.
It was actually Pat that i think sold chip on bradford sine he coached him when he was roy
I hated it at the time, but I understand Chip’s explanation and reasoning for why he was doing it. Take the picks out of it and I think you kind of stole the guy.
I think it could actually work out. Hopeful anyway.
I agree with this, and made a similar point yesterday at 24/7. Even saw the possibility of him getting a Sanchez-esque (or slightly better) deal, all dependent on the rest of the year of course. Assuming this level of play continues, I can’t imagine any GM is so desperate they’d pluck him away for huge $. Chip could keep him for a year and build around Bradford, with a possible contract out after 2016 or at worst a cheap 2017.
oh no, my worst nightmare right there. Not that theres a lot of out there to choose from but your initial point was spot on. Guy is not working out as of yet. Im actually surprised fans want it to happen so bad. Call me a pessimist, negative, whatever. I think people are kidding themselves. Im over the guy completely already, he is what I worried he was post trade. Just dont think the consistency will ever be there.
He’ll win more games and everyone will get excited but I compare it to Vick. I just know it will never work and while they keep trying its just treading water. I think fans need to get over the guy, hes not the answer. Seriously, we now sound like Rams fans pretending there something there, some imaginary ceiling. Not buying it anymore, in some ways I really hope theres more failure which is hard to say just because I dont want him here any longer than this year. Just one mans opinion and it aint changing with a W or 2 in the next few games. I was fooled in preseason, not anymore.
Who else is out there? Thats the question you have to ask everytime you think about not resigning Bradford. He’s playing poorly, but its pretty obvious from the preseason that he has a higher ceiling, if he can put it all together. You don’t just give up on investments like him after a bad season, ESPECIALLY when you can get him at way below market value next year.
I think we all agree those are the issues, but there are positives to be wrought from the bad.
JM and Aghs have talent. If they can realize that talent they can both be special.
Bradford has looked bad, but I feel like he has steadily improved. In the last few games it seems like right about when the announcers talk about how he has no pocket presence he proves them wrong by deftly climbing the pocket or rolling out and getting rid of the ball. He took the one handed sack on Sunday, but other than that he has really been elusive within the pocket and done a good job of avoiding pressure. Just wanted to point out another positive. He really does need to improve a whole heck of a lot though.
Murray is just not running well, and only seems to start running well after Matthews gets a series and he comes in running angry. I honestly think Duce, or whoever, needs change up the rotation.
I don’t want to have a final opinion on a receiver until their 3rd season in the league. Sure, there are prodigies who flash earlier, but there have been enough examples of WRs who didn’t establish themselves until their 3rd year that I think it’s kind of silly to rush to early judgment.
That said, once again I won’t be surprised by anything Chip does in the off-season – he has way more data, and could very well be coming to conclusions about guys based on that data. I could easily see him cutting ties with a high pick who’s not meeting his criteria.
that sleeves sack was so disappointing, we all knew it would happen.
excluding drops bradford is completing like 70% of passes.
and 20% are quick screens lol
yeah it mean the ypa is -3 but the ball is getting there
but drops kills drives and confidence in your guys
Every NFL quarterback deals with drops. Bradford suffered from an inordinately high number on Sunday, but you can’t just say “if his receivers caught all his passes he’d be much better”, because that argument applies to some degree to everyone.
Good post, thanks for writing what I’ve tried to communicate several times without success. We are not bad or reactionary fans for being demanding of better performance from the Eagles. The team and organization needs to get this season turned around and they better get it started vs Dallas.
Billy McMullen : 6 ft 4 in, 215
Jordan Matthews : 6 ft 3 in, 212
Both slot receivers with a penchant to drop the ball. I called it from day 1.
http://i0.kym-cdn.com/entries/icons/facebook/000/014/471/You_Sit_On_A_Throne_Of_Lies.jpg
Not even sure what that means.
He means you didn’t call it. I liked his post.
You did not. I was the first to like his post.
I did call it though.
Hmmm. I just looked at your history and your first post was yesterday.
You know what I called 3 years before the fact? The Niners winning their first super bowl.
I am so smart. SMRT.
why are you stalking me? are you some kind of faggot?
Hey no need to justify to me. I think you are completely wrong anyway. To me this is a blip in a long illustrious career.
yeah 4 100 yard games in 23 games. Almost as illustrious as Beckham Jr. 7 in the same time frame. Really fukcing illustrious.
I think we should draft Hackenberg because he’s almost the same size as Peyton Manning because Manning is awesome so Hack will be too. But EJ Manuel appears to be almost the same size as both. Shit. Now what do we do?
RE: Jordan Matthew’s hand injury. No solid documentation, only “sources close to the situation,” from Les Bowen.
“Sources close to the situation said Jordan Matthews suffered a hand ligament injury three weeks ago that supposedly has resolved, as the Eagles’ wide receiver has labored with dropped passes. ”
http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/sports/eagles/Hand-injury-for-Matthews-Peters-should-be-OK-for-Dallas.html
Don’t understand how the injury resolved itself though. Kind of a puzzling report that was jumbled and not very clear.
BLOW IT UP!!! FIRE EVERYONE! CRUCIFY KELLY!
No seriously. Thanks for this post. People that look at the result in their face and nothing else drives me mad. It’s not like this team has lucked its way into any wins this year (see last year’s team). Every win was earned, and realistically they lost a Redskins game they really should of won. Had they been able to win the Falcons game I would of called that a lucky game. I think I remember at the time saying that I was happy we lost because we didn’t earn it.
They have yet to lose to a *bad* team. Many could object and claim the Redskins were bad. I think that is actually a pretty solid team right now. Also, as mentioned above, we should of beaten them. We beat a very good Jets team on the road. The Saints are proving that they are a pretty good team now, and the Giants were one of the best teams in the NFC when we smashed them down to earth.
I am really disappointed with the performance of the team thus far. They aren’t clicking on all cylinders. IF (big if) that ever happens they can hang with anyone.
Lets have intelligent discussions about what is wrong and right with this team. If you want to say that the team has no talent and suckkkzzorrzz, I am fine with that. Just be ready to back it up with insight when I challenge you on it. Otherwise you really are just Ravens fans. They always either hate or love their team and rarely have intelligent explanations as to why.
http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000567252/article/kirk-cousins-hawking-you-like-that-shirts-for-charity
This would be pathetic, but is somewhat redeemed by the charity angle.
I don’t like Cousins or the skins, but I think this is awesome. Why not have some fun with it and make some money for charity.
right it’s not every day you beat the Bucs.
Plenty of bad to take from the Panthers game, some can be fixed, some will haunt us the rest of the season,,, but there was also some really promising signs to build on..
..
The Bad:
.
1) we have to deal with a drunken idiot kicker that can’t be trusted the rest of the season, and since kicking is so poor league wide, there is NOTHNG we can do about this but ride it out TIL Parkey gets healthy for next year…
.
2) WRs need to grow the hell up FAST! Whoever suggested more Mile AUSTIN which I argued against, I offer my sincerest Appologies… I’m starting to despise Huff to the Poimt that I want to grab him and violently shake the cra out of him. Consistently Incomsistent, please grow up Mr. Huff, TIL then, you can’t be counted on..
..
3) The OL, has improved, but it isn’t where it needs to be yet, and if the injuries DONT stop, allowing us to get the continuity we need, it won’t improve.. We need 5 guys that can get thru the Rest of the season… Injuries will determine if this is fixable or hopeless..
..
4) Run Defense..l so painful watching my beloved front 7 get run on… But it’s a 1 in 19 games ANOMOLY at this point so we will be fine
..
5) a drops fom Wr and RBs,.. No doubt we are capable of bettet
..
The Good:
..
REALLY was encouraged with what I saw from SAM. He was under fire all game, yet for th majority of the game he did a great job of “feeling the pressure” and maneuvering around the pocket to buy time to get a good pass off, and it was wasted clanking off our WRs hands all night,,, SAM showed some toughness, he certainly didn’t playt scared even deciding to run for fist downs to keep our offense on the field… Thru all the pressure he was under with Peters out, and his supporting cast playing like crap, he battled all night and put most of his passes where our WRe should have caught them… This was a gritty game, and SAM did show some Moxy. Watching the game again, I can understand why Chip was so adament about SAM playing well, he was overcoming OL and WR letting him down, yet he stayed in the game and battled all night… Very encouraged from what I saw.
..
SAM has had more successful moments as an Eagle, but against the Panthers was probably the most encouraging performace I saw since the second half in Atlanta.. Hopefully SAM has turned the corner and we see that caliber of play the rest of the season….. WRs are much better than what they have shown, and can’t get any worse than they just showed in carolina,. And it wasn’t just WR, even Sproles dropped an easy pass in the REDZONE and I know for an absolute FACT that Sproles is Better than THAT.. I’m sure Jordan Mathews is capable of more…looks like our run game is getting a little better each week.. Our Seondary looking amazing, Thurmond was the only starting DB that didn’t force a turnover in Carolina..Hicks looked good, KEndricks showed some nice flashes like the sack…
..
It’s als way to soon to be down on Agholar. jordan Mathews rookie year DIDNT get off to a hot start but he had a good second half of his rookie year.. I’m expecting Agholar to follow suit. Very encouraging that even during his struggles this year, he was still getting open, but Bradford and him weren’t o the same page with SAM struggling early.l. I’d be way more concerned if his slow start was due to not being able to get seperaation which has not been the case….. I expect Better from Jordan Mathews, Agholar, Sproles and our Rbs.. The ONLY player I have no expectation for is Huff, simply because so far he can’t be counted on for anything..the talent and ability is there, waiting for his football brain to catchup with his physical ability…
..
Whatever Sam’s “tell” is on the RB swing pass… we need to find a way to exploit that in the next game to fake that pass and go deep.
Im not sure why but it always does seem obvious as soon as the ball is snapped, when that is the call.
Maybe it’s the way he immediately looks over at the RB and stares while he waits for him to get into position.
My guess, though, since it’s been happening over and over, is that the coaching staff is completely unaware of the issue and will never resolve it. (And thus they’ll never think to use it to do a fake.)
haha, exactly, he stares at them right at the snap. All he has to do when he knows its a quick out is look other way for that second that turn back and sling it.
Who knows what get’s him so jumpy on that stupid easy pass… is he worried about choking on the throw? Did he get injured on a swing pass play?
It felt like he was staring down Murray for an eternity in the Carolina game.
same w/ WRs on the crossing routes. If he did the start then went someplace else i’m sure it’d be big gainer.
“Maybe it’s the way he immediately looks over at the RB and stares while he waits for him to get into position.”
That’s pretty subtle. Do you think NFL defenders could actually read something like that? 🙂
hopefully their doing that self scouting, i think some plays would be more successful if he used eye deception.
Thanks for picking up the slack on my overly subtle sarcasm.
That was me on #2 🙂
Also on the run, you have to remember the Demeco wasn’t in there (and Kiko, but we werent counting on him as much). I feel like for that power run game those are the best two ILB (they might be the best 2 anyway… of a DAMN fine group).
The 2 guys responsible for the big runs of the day: Marcus Smith II (nuff said, even though it was a double reverse), and Kendricks (rusty).
Drunken idiot kicker? Lol are you out there throwing down beers with Caleb before training days??
famous Peyton Manning quote, not sure he mentioned drunk though
Is it fair to say that MS is allowed 3 years to mature and get better but Huff has to get better “Fast”? (that’s not to confuse my opinion on Huff, just asking)
“…I want to grab him and violently shake the cra out of him….”
I’m not sure if you can shake him hard enough to make him better, but he seems to have lost a little p.
Everyone needs to relax like Tommy says… yeah the WRs suck… the O-Line is weak at both guards.. lots of new players on both D and Offense. This isn’t college ball where a great coach can out outcoach his adversary across the field. Chip is learning and growing. I’ll just say this… Chip needs to look himself in the mirror and stay positive and keep learning and growing. I wouldn’t wanna face him in 2 or 3 years when he’s going full blast. All these fools talking like Chip doesn’t realize his mistakes and won’t correct them are just that… fools
Few Points – The Eagles need another season to tweak
1.We need a physical mauler at guard. Kelley biggest mistake in my opinion was neglecting O line this off season. Help on the line would alleviate a lot of issues. I will certainly given him more time than one offseason to get the GM thing together.
2. Kicking has been a circus and cost us a few games.
3. Should someone in the media question the approach of QB coach Ryan Day. Is he over his head? Does he just need more time? Since Lazor left the QB position has been plague with poor decisions and shaky fundamentals.
4. Should Bob Bricknell be discussed/questioned? This is my biggest concern. I understand that athletes go through slumps but the entire receiving core underperforming. Even players with a strong history of realiabilty like Matthews are struggling. Is Bricknell approach flawed?
Interesting points!
Regarding point 2 – Sturgis seems to be getting better each week. Hopefully that continues and stabilizes the position.
Regarding point 3 – It is looking more and more like even though the players seemed to not like him very much, Lazor did a great job as QB coach and losing him hurt our team.
Regarding point 4 – This is a great question. Once again, how much effect the position coach has is something that is really hard for fans to judge.
I don’t know, is point 3 causation or correlation?
Good question.
I refuse to blame position coaches for pro level athletes performing. I think they can up a players game but I dont think you can blame them for failures to read a D or catch a ball etc.
I thought that was their whole job.
Specifically teaching them to read a defense, is undoubtedly the coaches responsibility.
ha, at some point the players have to execute and do their job. Blaming position coaches, seriously, is that what its come to? Sounds like petty daily over analysis taken to extremes. Sure, they factor in to a small degree but cmon
I am curious. If the job of the position coach isn’t to teach the mental aspects, e.g. reading defenses, and it isn’t to teach the physical mechanics, e.g. catching, what do you see as the position coach’s job?
to yell More Violence?
I have to be reminded of this in my day to day life.
Do funny signals on the sideline of course!
Overall sure.
But you can’t tell me Azz hasn’t had a large hand in developing that DL.
That Cory Undlin hasn’t had a large hand in the improvement of the DBs.
That Stoutland played no role in being able to get the OL turned around.
yeah undlin gets his credit
Thank you Tommy. The doom and gloom is too much.
This is supposed to be fun. Just because they probably won’t win the Super Bowl this year, doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy the season. The over reaction to every loss and even every bad play in each win is a little over the top.
I noticed that since Chip has been here, he’s barely won any games against playoff teams. We always blow away mediocre and average teams, but we look mediocre when we play good teams, just like when we played Seattle or Green Bay last year, or when the Broncos blew us out in 2013. Only good team we beat last year was the Colts. Not related to the article just wanted to put that out.
What do y’all think about that?
I’m thinking that’s why he blew up a team that went 10-6 two years in a row because he didn’t think they could get to the next level.
Thats where I was going, but on Defense its definitely an upgrade, But it seems like he downgraded on offense it seems like a major downgrade and even before the season started I thought the offense was a downgrade. Idk man somethings not right with Chip’s talent evaluation. My last straw was when he took Sturgis over Novak
the final straw was when he picked the wrong out of work kicker?
Yup because all off season his talent evaluation has been suspect, and that was the final straw
tough crowd. did you attend the workouts that day?
Its been the same way for as long as i an remember. i dont think we’ve ever beat the pats
Hmm, so it’s weird that a slightly above-average team doesn’t usually beat the best teams in the league?
The Broncos went to the SB that year, Seattle did last year and GB should have last year. So yes, we were not SB contenders.
As Tom33 says below Chip made big changes. So he saw what you saw.
Good point. That is exactly why Chip blew up the team that went 10-6.
I don’t think losing to the best teams is all that egregious. I think the bigger take away is that we are consistently beating the teams that we should.
What?? We were beating mediocre & average teams and losing to good ones how’s that not egregious? That’s saying we basically are just average at best
No, average at best would mean we are average or below average. But we are BEATING the mediocre and average teams. That makes us above average. We are losing to the very best teams. That makes us not the best. Neither of those facts are revelations to me.
What has changed is that we haven’t put up mid-year stinker where we get beat by an obviously inferior team simply because we weren’t prepared.
Ok so we were above average in 2014. We had a Top 5 Oline, a 2013 rushing champ who ran 1300 yrds behind a banged up oline in 2014. We had a 1000 yards reveiver in JMac. Why let that go?? And if you are gonna let that talent walk, you bring in equal or better talent, which Chip didn’t. Build around your talent don’t let them go away. Thats all I’m tryna say
That’s what you were trying to say?
In your original post, where you were observing that we haven’t beaten any good teams in 2013 or 2014 and were “average at best”, your point was that we should have kept those players?
My bad then, I didn’t read it that way at all. And I still disagree.
egregious: outstandingly bad; shocking.
Being an average or slightly above-average team is not “outstandingly bad or shocking”.
You and I remember last year’s Seattle game differently. I remember it as losing a heartbreaking dogfight with a competitor that we slightly outmatched but Russel Wilson was just a little to slippery and stole one from us.
Thanks Tommy.
I needed that perspective once again.
I think Tommy’s written a similar article every week, which is a little depressing.
Two issues that have not gotten much if any media coverage:
1. ST is not producing points like they did last year – no returns for TD, mixed results by the kickers. ST scores were a big part of pulling out several victories last season.
2. CB still playing outside technique without jamming the offensive players at the LOS. This has allowed easy releases to the middle of the field for easy receptions and 3rd down conversions (we saw this several times again in the CAR game). This puts our CB in a bad position similar to teaching them not to turn around when defending passes last season.
Here is a good Grantland article on the Eagles and Bradford: http://grantland.com/the-triangle/the-eagles-on-the-brink/
I’d love to hear your take, Tommy, on the above issues and the article by Bill Barnwell re. Bradford. Also check out this great stat charting site: http://www.sportingcharts.com/
Unfortunately, the sportingcharts site does not appear to be accurate. I have been using it to track drops and it is off. It only credits Jordan Matthews with 3. http://www.sportingcharts.com/nfl/stats/drops/2015/
Good catch, pun intended 😉
Ok, well I’ll keep looking, I’ve been trying to find a good stat site for a while
That is what I like to see. Don’t deny responsibility for the pun. Own it.
I see this pass drop theme catching on here…ok, ok, I’ll drop it
But you really can’t let these opportunities slip through your fingers.
there was no way that ST would keep producing points like last year.
No one expected them to, but the overall performance from ST is down considerably all the same. Football Outsiders has our ST ranked #14 in the NFL and projects them to finish #15 if current trends hold true.
Eagles had the #1 ranked ST in their tracker last season. I could see falling to #5 or #10, but beyond that is worth investigating IMO.
I would assume opponents have adjusted their kicking & especially punting approaches to mitigate our return game and it would be interesting to find out what, if anything, Fipp has done to adjust in response. The coverage units seem fine to me, but I do not believe we have generated any turnovers via ST yet (could be wrong about that, not sure)
No stats, but by the eye test the last two weeks, teams are not punting to Sproles, unless they’re in position to drop it inside the 10. Both the Giants and Panthers had short punts angled towards the sidelines when they were kicking from their own half.
Thank you for that information, Bill – I would not punt to Sproles either if I was an opponent, but I guess the question is can anything be done to adjust to that strategy? One way could be to go hard after the punter and force him to rush and/or not be able to directionally kick it as planned.
Not really information as much as my subjective observations, but you’re welcome to them 🙂
I don’t think there’s much to be done, but it is giving the Eagles a field position advantage (IMO), just would need an advanced metric to determine the extent of it. Something along the lines of how much the gross distance of punters decrease from their season average when they play the Eagles. Even that would obviously have its flaws, but it would be a place to start.
“I think it’s fair to say that he is also getting bailed out by his receivers a fair amount of the time, too.”
If he honestly believes this, he hasn’t really watched the games. There haven’t been more than two plays this whole season where a receiver made a play to make Bradford look good. I mean one where Bradford made a bad throw and the receiver caught it anyway. It’s either that or he thinks that a receiver catching a ball that is slightly off from the ideal target point is bailing out the QB, whereas I consider it the WR just doing the minimum to be considered NFL quality.
It boils down to this Tommy: this team looks farther away from winning a Super Bowl than it has at any time since midway through Kelly’s first season. Since the general trajectory for championship coaches is steady improvement until the team is a genuine contender, that’s not good. Yes, they are capable of scraping together 9 wins and sneaking into the playoffs. But if they do, they are going to (a) lose at home to a better wild card team in the first round, or failing that (b) get steamrolled in the divisional round when they have to play a team like Green Bay, Arizona, or Carolina. They don’t consistently do anything well on offense. They turn the ball over way too much. Their defense, while on the whole good, can’t generate a consistent pass rush and gives up too many big plays to function as a true shutdown unit that can carry the team to victory. Special teams have gone from a historic strength last year to a borderline liability this year.
Not all of this is the fault of Kelly. Injuries have hurt. But bad decisions – both personnel and coaching – have absolutely played into it. I don’t want him fired, but he hast to be held accountable.
As a GM, Kelly jettisoned good players or allowed them to walk for vague reasons like “culture”, creating holes in the roster that required expending premium assets (picks and cap space) to fill. This prevented him from being able to address other holes with those resources. He spent huge amounts of cap space on guys who don’t appear to be worth the money in Murray and Maxwell. I’d have rather given Maclin an extra $2 million and role with Mathews and Chris Polk than blow all the money we did on Murray. He gave up a high draft pick to swap out a quarterback who appears to be mediocre but is young and cheap for another quarterback who appears just as mediocre but is old, injury prone, and expensive. These all appeared to be questionable moves when they were made and now that the team is performing poorly on the field I think it’s safe to say there was good reason to question them.
As a coach, Kelly has stubbornly defended players whose play doesn’t merit it (Bradford first and foremost, but other guys as well). He has continued to call plays that haven’t worked all season and show no signs of beginning to work, such as that Murray stretch play. He’s been thoroughly outcoached at least a couple of times this year and has taken too long to adjust to what defenses are doing to shut down his offense.
There’s no way I can look at this as an objective observer and say I’m optimistic about where Kelly’s regime is going. It’s possible he’ll get it turned around, his hand-picked players will start playing better, and he’ll make the coaching adjustments necessary to get this offense consistently performing at a high level. But right now, his resume as an Eagles coach (23-16 record, one playoff appearance, no playoff victories) is less impressive after 2.5 seasons than that of any Eagles coach since Marion Campbell. Think about that. The less rosy scenario – that he’s a good coach but having trouble adjusting to the realities of the NFL game, and a downright lousy GM – is absolutely in play here. He’s earned enough of my goodwill that I think it’s ridiculous to talk about firing him at this point. But if this team continues to struggle and finishes, say, 7-9, he should absolutely 100% be on the hot seat heading into next season.
I don’t think so. He went to Lurie and said I want to make changes b/c the team isn’t good enough. It’s natural to think there might be step back first. If they go 7-9 I really doubt he will be on any hot seat. I don’t get the fire Chip crowd it’s only been 7 games.
If you want to make changes to make a 10-6 team better, you use your draft picks and cap space to fill holes you have. You don’t create new holes, then use those resources to (maybe) patch those while leaving the existing holes unpatched. This isn’t the NBA, you don’t have to go backward to go forward. 7-9 is not acceptable, nor should it be.
You do if you don’t have your QB yet, think your RB isn’t a great fit for your scheme and is likely to be over the hill, your CBs and one safety are hot garbage, and you lack an elite edge rusher. If you think your 10-6 record was the product of some smoke and mirrors and represents the ceiling of the group, you accept that you might have to take a step back to take 2 forward.
Which isn’t to say that there are any guarantees. Just that I don’t think reality works the way you’re assuming it does.
If you think you don’t have your QB yet, you do what the 49ers, Seahawks, etc. did when they felt that they had hit their ceilings with mediocre QBs – use a pick on a talented but raw guy and develop him. You don’t give up a premium asset to trade for another guy who’s never been better than mediocre and is injury-prone and expensive to boot. If your RB isn’t a great fit for your scheme, you don’t swap him out for a different guy who’s also not a great fit for your scheme for different reasons. If you have lack an elite edge rusher or good defensive backs, you address those problems via draft picks and reasonable free agent signings (to Chip’s credit, he did some of the latter, like Thurmond). And if you have good players like Mathis and Jackson, you absolutely do not jettison them for nothing in return, especially when you have no plan B for replacing them.
Actually of the steam rolling teams you mentioned… Green Bay is the only one I would say could steam roll the Eagles, and that’s only if Rodgers is healthy.
Playoffs are just about getting in… from that point on anything can happen.
Playoffs are just about getting in… from that point on anything can happen.
Anything can happen if you’re a team that has a franchise quarterback, and/or a truly elite defense that can shut down top notch opponents in the playoffs, a la the 2012 Ravens or 2007/2011 Giants. Anything does not happen if you’re an inconsistent, mistake-prone team with a mediocre quarterback that gets into the playoffs by virtue of winning a crappy division. When was the last time a team with that profile won a Super Bowl?
Ravens?
edit: also in what world is Eli not mediocre?
Eli is better than mediocre, especially in the playoffs. I would be thrilled if Sam Bradford were as good as Eli.
The point is that both Eli nor Flacco were mediocre during the regular season and then got hot and played amazingly during the playoffs. The hope is that however unlikely, if we get to the playoffs Bradford can get hot and put together a similar run.
The 2011 Giants.
Yep. Barely made the playoffs by winning the NFC East at 9-7.
Eli Manning was inconsistent throughout 2007 and was not considered to be a “franchise quarterback” based on anything other than draft stock before the Giants went on an unlikely and extremely lucky run and won the super bowl.
2007 Giants had an elite defense, particularly an elite pass rush, which carried them to victory. I like this Eagles defense, but do you think they’re holding arguably the best offense of all time to 13 points? I don’t.
No one thought that the 2007 Giants were going to hold the best offense of all time to 13 points. A few weeks earlier, the Giants gave up 38 points to the same Patriots team. During the 2007 season, that “elite” defense also gave up 45 points to Dallas, 35 points to Green Bay, 35 points to the Jets, 41 points to Minnesota, and 21 points to Buffalo.
The Eagles defense has a very good front 7 and creates a lot of turnovers. Is it really out of the realm of possibility that the Eagles defense could get hot and create a lot of turnovers coupled with the offense being opportunistic and taking care of the ball and the Eagles going on a 3-4 game hot streak? It is not probable, but it is possible. You need some luck to win a championship and you also need to get in the playoffs to have a chance.
did you say championship . bwwbwwawahahahahah
Fair points.
I just don’t ever remember seeing a defense playing as well as that Giants defense did in that Super Bowl. And they had been good in the playoffs before that.
I don’t see the Eagles being able to duplicate that, mainly because we don’t have pass rushers as disruptive as Osi Umenyiora, Michael Strahan, or Justin Tuck. I like Connor Barwin fine but nobody will ever confuse him with those guys. And Fletcher Cox, while great, is a 3-4 DE. The only guy I can ever recall being disruptive on that level in that role is Bruce Smith and he was one of the greatest defensive linemen of all time.
wow there is this thing called Wikipedia that shows me the elite rankings of the 2012 Ravens.
Total Defense (YPG): 372.3 (25th)
Passing (YPG): 247 (23rd)
Rushing (YPG): 125.8 (23rd)
Dude that’s better than like 7 teams in the league.
That Ravens defense held the Colts to 9 points and the Patriots to 13 points on the road in the AFC playoffs, and came up with huge stops against the Broncos and 49ers. So while not elite statistically over the course of the entire season, they played elite when it mattered. Flacco played better in 2012 (particularly in the playoffs) than Sam Bradford has ever played. They also got into the playoffs with a so-so record as a good team in a good division, not as the least bad team in a bad division. Not a good comparison.
So, despite not being dominant throughout the season, the Ravens’ defense was able to elevate their game in the playoffs against tough opponents and outperform the expectation based on the regualr season?
It is almost like you are saying, “Playoffs are just about getting in… from that point on anything can happen.”
Those Ravens had a decade-long history of being a very good playoff team and a lot of highly accomplished, playoff-tested veteran players. The Eagles have neither.
You are supporting our point and arguing against your own. That is why we don’t want to give up on the season because of some bad results.
I’m not saying you should give up on the season. Sure, if they do make the playoffs as I expect, I’ll be rooting for exactly the scenario you envision playing out.
I’m just saying “something anomalous happened once” is not sufficient reason for me to be optimistic that it will happen again. Particularly when the teams it did happen for were (IMO) better than this one by a decent margin, and not flawed in as critical a way.
Once again, the 2011 Giants were the least bad team in a bad division.
Flacco got hot, in fact, I think he used a cheat code.
One of the greatest playoff stretches of any QB. And it came out of nowhere.
Sam Bradford played well on Sunday and he has room for improvement. The offensive line and the WR core on the other hand sucks. There’s not much this team can improve in those areas this season.
I’m still clinging to the hope that the o-line can improve their technique individually and as a unit (if they can stay healthy) and that Murray can learn how to run behind them more effectively.
The drops man, the drops… only idea I have for that is stickum.
this won’t calm people down but I think it was Eagles Rewind that did an article once on team variance of play, and it’s better to have higher highs (potential) and lower lows than be average, b/c the playoffs are a very small sample size and a team can make a run.
I’m not saying the Eagles are going to win the SB. I’m only remembering an interesting article.
It’s only better to be high variance if you’re a bad team. Then you might, in any one given game, play at the high end of your variance and beat a better team. But, it’s an unquestionable fact that it’s better to be low variance and consistently good. Only when your opponent is much better than you is it better to be high variance.
The Eagles are bad however, so high variance might let them steal a game or two against a better opponent. Problem is they have high variance half to half within games, but overall pretty low variance from game to game. They’re consistently just below mediocre.
I agree I’d rather be a better team.
The half to half thing presents a particular challenge.
Let’s not be crazy, Matthews is better then he is playing, so is Ertz. Bradford is getting better.
Ryan Mathews is really good.
The defense is playing great.
its 7 games in.
they could get hot or not, probably not too hot…
the main thing is they are not fun to watch right now, and this entertainment after all, and we are not entertained.
that’s the bad part. this so far has been boring ass football.
the last 2 years were much more exciting to watch.
if you want to excite us give it to ryan Mathews more please.
he runs like a running back.
“is better than he is playing” how is that even possible bro?
wow great question, the answer is simple.
he is playing exactly as well as he plays.
Troll alert.
Look at Matthew’s stats. He has 1 game over 100 yards and in that game he caused an interception that ended the game. He flat out can’t play.
We have the same number of losses as the Cowboys and they’re playing without Tony Romo, Dez Bryant, and Randy Gregory.
yeah we don’t have them either
I don’t want those guys… I want Jerome Brown.
uh ok.
i’d take dez anyday. and twice on sundays.
he could drop some balls from Sam too
You are only saying that because the other guy is dead, and would be old if he wasn’t.
In the 2010 NFL draft the Eagles had the 24th and 55th overall picks. Dez Bryant and Sean Lee were taken with those picks. Too bad they were picked by the Cowboys
Is there another decent cowboy from that draft?
Dez could be (awe) Snap
Lee could be Pop (ouch)
We need a Crackle.
One more nail in the coffin of Chip the GM!!!!
He’d probably drop Sam’s balls if he kept throwing picks in the red zone.
Who would have thought when the Eagles schedule came out, that…
– the Falcons, Panthers and Jets would be a combined 16-3 after week 7.
– only one NFC East team had a winning record after week 7.
– the Eagles would be an embarrassing 2-4 against the NFC after week 7.
– the Dolphins would look like a tough opponent in week 10.
– the Thanksgiving game would look like as much of a gimmie as possible…
who would have thought two weeks ago that it would rain today…
The weather channel.
The weather channel was bought by IBM numb nutz.
brilliant.
IBM is down 4% after announcement of an SEC investigation. Stupid head?
Anyone in London.
I don’t think most are saying Kelly is a bad coach. They’re worried that he’s not good enough. I don’t think most are saying Kelly is a bad GM. They’re worried that he’s not good enough. I don’t think most are saying the Eagles don’t have talent. They’re worried that they don’t have enough talent. And so on.
It’s times like this that I think about Big Tuna’s view of the football world. “You are what your record says you are.” And our record is 3-4.
I can hope they turn it around, but until I see differently, past performance is an indicator of future performance.
He is a VERY bad GM.
I think he’s a better GM than you are blog poster.
WEll you are stupid. He has drafted ONE offensive lineman in 4 years. How idiotic is that? He traded away a 2nd round draft choice and 10 million in cap room for a QB who flat out can’t play.
Is he the first coach to swing and miss?
that’s setting the bar really, really, really, low
We have to start somewhere.
It’s funny you mention Big Tuna, because the parallels between his time in NE and Chip’s tenure here are obvious to me, since I was living up there at the time. The simplifying of the play book, the calling of predictable plays in predictable situations, the shedding of talented personalities that he didn’t appreciate, etc. Tuna would tell the irate media “they’re good plays, if they’re executed. If the guys can’t execute, no play will work.” I think it’s about establishing an identity on offense, like “this is OUR play, and we’re going to make you sell out to stop it. And if you do that, we own you.”
Of course, the bad thing about that analogy is that Tuna didn’t win squat in NE.
Here’s whats going to happen. At the end of the season, Jeffrey Laurie is going to sit down with Chip Kelly and tell him, that he is taking away his GM responsibilities and giving them back to Howie Rosemann. Chip Kelly is not going to like that. He will walk out and the next day offer his resignation letter and take a job at Miami or USC or wherever. He will go back to college and win a Championship. But never return to the NFL.
People still banging that back to college drum?
you remember I said it. I am sure I will be bragging about it come December.
You haven’t been around for 24 hours yet. Let’s pump the breaks on making it to December.
your other troll name was more creative at least.. TOMMY BLOCK THE IP address, Please sir!
Its hard to be clever and creative when you’re missing the basic human chromosomes to be those things Don.
well done you need to say nothing more that was perfect.
leave on a high note. leave.
Boy, would a spoiler alert be too much to expect?
I guess there is no reason to follow the team any more. Thanks for ruining the surprise, Jordan Matthews.
I will follow them just to watch Chip Kelly’s head implode and run out of town. THen I will burn a picture of him and put it on YouTUbe.
like any 12 year old would
Or any TRUE Eagles fan who watched this ahole come in and set a franchise back 6 years.
LMAO… 6 years!
Stud OT, stud QB, stud WR, stud WR, gel , win. That’s 6 years.
you love your studs.
What stud offensive tackle and QB did he get rid of? We have the same tackles for a while now? Jackson isn’t shit anyways and is about to get dumped by his current team after this year. Chip didn’t get rid of Maclin, he signed a bigger contract elsewhere.
Im saying we have to draft all of those positions you idiot.
token?
and you kiss a girl for the first time too. Just keep piling on to the dream while you’re at it.
ewww gross. I only let girls kiss my wang.
You get no girls you little bitch shut up. No real man in their right minds says “ewww gross”. That is for 12 year old girls texting eachother. And no man uses the phrase “kiss my wang”.
We have Miss Cleo in the house giving a bunch of bullshit predictions!! I wonder if people in your life take you serious since no one on this board takes you serious.
how excited do you get when you have a red circle next to your name w a number in it?? glad we can make you feel as if you have friends..
This team is built such that when the pieces click, they are going to be a very good team. As long as they can gain an entry to the playoffs and the chemistry clicks at the right time, this team can win anything. So sick of the doom and gloom. This isn’t a baseball team that needs to play 162 games.
You are a total idiot. This team CAN’T click. They are BAD. HORRIBLE. THEY ARE A BAD TEAM. When have they looked good besides the preseason when they were going against vanilla defenses with non-NFL players
well now that you said it in all caps I guess that’s that.
yup.
This is what all of your posts look like on my screen:
http://i.imgur.com/ox8wFCn.png
What does this one look like?
DUDE!
What’s mine say?
like a rorschach
I’m just wondering why he is no longer posting under EaglesfanQQ…
We will see what happens after the bye. Its hard to get up for this team. I’m just about ready for the offseason. I think we finish the season either a game under or over .500
I have to admit, your suggestion is a good one. It really cleans up the comments section nicely. And, if I click the little minus before I even read the comment, I won’t be tempted to respond.
is there a way to do that so if I close out, then come back later that’s all saved? I tend not to keep my IB browser open 24/7.
Not that I know of, but that last part is your main problem.
That is incredibly easy to claim, but can I ask where the evidence of thar is? This team isn’t a “worst in the league” type team by any means, so you would expect them to be able to win some games, but put this team up against some of the better teams, even if we are clicking, I am not sure we win most of those games. This team has real holes at important positions and “chemistry” is not the only issue.
I disagree that it’s easy to claim, when everyone is foaming at the mouth saying the exact opposite. It’s easy to be negative, and take each game as some encapsulation of what the season beholds. It’s harder to see the big picture.
I’m not arguing in the context of being negative or positive. I’m saying what is the evidence that chemistry is the missing link? What is the evidence that we CAN click? It’s a nice thing to say but to me, I am not seeing evidence of that yet so I don’t buy the argument.
I think the team’s preseason results have clouded our judgment on how good this team is. I believe Chip and his staff will make some tweaks to improve the team. However, Bradford and his receivers need to all gel and get on the same page. Despite the number of offensive miscues that we have seen so far, team is potentially a couple of catches and kicks away from a 5-2 record.
If Matthews’ hand and Peters’ back all heal in time for the Cowboys game, the team should be 4-4.
The only thing that I don’t like is Chip Kelly’s “take what the defense shows” philosophy. The unpredictability factor is so important in football when scheming and Chip is losing out by trying to out-execute his opponents with predictable formations/plays. Reminds me of Mike Martz and “the greatest show on turf” Rams. No matter how good the players are, if you don’t scheme properly and be unpredictable, the defense will eventually catch up and shut you down.
I think the team’s preseason results have clouded [the teams and the coaches] judgment on how good this team is.
Good take by Jimmy K on the offense’s over-reliance on the defense creating turnovers and giving them good field position – 36.9% of the offense’s point production has come off of turnovers which ranks 2nd in the NFL.
http://www.phillyvoice.com/eagles-offense-their-defense-unfortunately/
Really an indictment on our ability to move the ball, at all b/c our redzone conversion percentage is no bueno. I would love to be a fly on the wall in the self-assessments by coaching staff this week. Gotta be a lot of hard conversations.
I hope they are having them. Show us the innovation and make this unit work!
I love our defense. Also, I’d like to point out that Chip should be very pleased with the point differential on turnovers… because he said from the outset that is an important stat. Victory!
The comments sections of Eagles blogs are making me lose interest in the game. This place used to be exempt from that, but fuck if this place isn’t just a WIP gripe session these days. Sorry, Tommy, but I’m definitely fair weathering out of here for a while.
Take the week off, get some sun, relax, be back next week and ready to work!
It’s really one guy that;s ruining things right now.
Please don’t let balls take over this comment board. Half the responses are just to nonsense that he says. Which 9/10 times means it’s not productive to a discourse about the birds.
I really wish people would stop feeding the troll. Best thing to do is ignore him. He obviously feeds off of people’s reactions to his BS. It’s really hurting the nice community of rational discussion that has been built here.
Yea, just click the flag button, then click the minus button, and done.
Don’t really need to click the flag, as it probably will send a barrage of emails to Tommy. He knows.
I actually wasn’t sure he was reading until he made some posts specifically addressing the comment section.
So many of our stalwarts stopped posting, and lots of new voices and trolls, so much noise, I wouldn’t blame him for tuning it out.
Anyone know where ACViking is? Always a voice of reason and perspective.
Well, I get the feeling he might not be reading all the comments, too.
I have been wondering the same thing. Him, Balloophi and others are sorely missed
Eh, if he knew/cared, it wouldn’t have gone on so long. As far as I’m concerned, the more emails he gets, the better.
any way to make that happen to all of them? Is there an ignore/block feature on disqus?
<3 this idea. I haven't found one yet.
Tommy,
You missed a spot.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nP1TWcILbcg
Public service anouncement: LongDong=LongDing=SnatchMaster. Please let’s just minimize and ignore.
http://memecrunch.com/meme/6N7MG/picard-do-not-engage/image.jpg
And I know a bunch of people can’t stand my point of view on things, but I hope I don’t get viewed on that level.
I don’t think you are considered a troll. Your opinions, no matter what, are your true opinions and in no way have I ever felt you say ridiculous things just to piss everyone off.
Fair enough. I will say true to myself.
I would estimate that I agree with your point of view less than I disagree with it. I have never once questioned your motives or sincerity, though. Finding my own position, somewhere between your vigilante street justice approach and GEAGLE’s eternal happy place blinders, is what brings me here.
I just come here and yell loudly to see what the echo is like.
I don’t think I’ve ever gotten mad at someone on this board except the new troll.
So, you watching the game tonight? I’m going to try and follow a bit online, but not sure if I’m ready to pull the trigger on the package. I don’t think they’ll look like a team until sometime late next month.
Plus, it seems half the team is injured.
I’ll indulge myself with a few minutes of the Sixers for sure.
And fingers crossed we have a healthy Embiid out there next season.
i hear Stauskas is supposed to suit up tonight
That would be great.
only around 14-16 minutes…Brian Seltzer just tweeted, he spoke with Brett Brown. Satuskas will come off the bench
I hope so. He hasn’t played at all this preseason, though he did play in International play this summer. Not sure if they shut him down to give him a break or not.
yea i just hope his leg is ok
You’re good MM. You only troll the state of New York and Cam Newton.
And Kaepernick.
And I have to use my alternative “Media Mike” screen name on 24/7 (when I there) because the alpha version was banned for kicking dirt on Harry “Norman Braman’s enabler” Gamble’s grave.
Kaeperdick deserves all the fade you throw at him.
lol no way they really banned you for that? That’s unreal brother.
And I wasn’t even using foul language. I hit my teens in the time frame as the Eagles started losing stars with Gamble as the GM and WIP was nuking him over being Braman’s lap dog on a daily basis. My perpetuation of that line of attack on Gamble wasn’t seen as “appropriate” on the day he passed.
A prior twitter handle of my was banned by Ruben Frank for similar lines of discussion when Harry Gamble would come up for discussion.
In short, Harry Gamble presided over the losses of Keith Jackson, Reggie White, Clyde Simmons, Keith Byars, Eric Allen, and Seth Joyner; and said nary a contrary word.
NOT OK
Wow man that absolutely ridiculous and unnecessary. If you don’t want people to voice their opinions on a blog then why even let there be access to comment. It doesn’t make sense. Then on top of it you weren’t using foul language or anything makes it even worst. I guess you are a bad person for being a passionate fan and being unhappy about seeing stars of your favorite team leave said team. Some people are just too sensitive.
Rueben Frank is one of a few Philly reporters that doesn’t seem to get any smarter about the sport he covers with each passing year.
It’s aggravating that guys like Sheil get plucked, but we get stuck with the guys that don’t seem to get any better at their craft.
That’s all well & good but he manages to spew his garbage whether people respond to him or not.
Generally trolls wear themselves out but this one is a special kind of sick. At this point I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to say his presence is really dragging this place down to the point that it is now driving people away. I barely want to come here after a loss because I know I’ll spend the majority of my time minimizing & flagging rather than being able to engage in adult discussion.
Obviously this is not my blog but I don’t know what more someone has to do to get an IP ban. I really wish Tommy would just end this.
Well that’s the thing…no one has completely ignored him. Someone ALWAYS responds. I’m sure they can’t help it.
exactly…his stupid posts always generate a list of responders. He’s getting the reaction he wants so that’s why he keeps coming here.
Sammy Watkins has really turned into a ****
http://static4.businessinsider.com/image/5630f1c6bd86ef17008c5440-600-483/watkinsfans-1.jpg
What a diva and Bills could of gotten OBJ for less (and out of our division) smh.
Hello, Sammy. Mr. Pegula would like to talk to you in his office. You can bring your agent and the team NFLPA rep.
Also, nearly unintelligable. I know rookie salaries are slotted, but invest in some punctuation.
Or just a personal assistant who also has access to your social media accounts. That way you can also blame them for the bad posts and/or likes of things that aren’t ok.
Odds are, the assistant actually had to go to class and do work in college, so they might realize that saying “…that’s gun’ be…” translates to “that’s going to be…” not “…that gone be…” and that everyone wants a response, they don’t “…once a response…”
Every teacher from 5th grade on who gave him a passing grade should cringe reading that.
that once a response is killing me, like do you think he sat around and thought about that?
he’s so right. everyone once a response and they done got it ya’ll.
back to my little job ya’ll.
word
Lets trade for him!
I am sure we told them that’s what chip once difference from chip and you guys y’all think of this after y’all little jobs chip once guys with 100% injury rates have a blessed day
Awww, he pick that up from Shady? cute.
When I hear about him going broke, it will be one of the few times I don’t feel sorry for an athlete for being an idiot.
He gone get a little job, if that’s what he once.
i’m hoping autocorrect is responsible for all of that or at least he could be like my phone got hacked; something
i’m hoping he’s a victim of iphone dictation.
If Greg Hardy wasn’t bad enough.
https://twitter.com/ProFootballTalk/status/659487705114550272
“The team doesn’t have any talent.” They do not have enough talent on the offensive line. Since that is the one position that affects all others, that means the offense is not talented enough. Additionally, as it now stands, the wide receivers are mediocre at best and the QB has at best been inconsistent and at times horrendous. The offense is not good. I do not expect much improvement, if any, the rest of the season. I just do not see an upside amongst the personnel.
Also, Carolina gouging the vaunted front seven for over 200 yards rushing is not a good sign. Carolina’s run game is not that good.
Every week, there seems to be a new position of failure.
Wait, Carolina’s run game is not that good? You’re kidding right? Their entire 6-0 season can be credited to the defense and the running game.
We damn well know their “quarterback” isn’t that good, so that kind of narrows things down to proving your point correct.
hah was waiting for that
If somebody opens a door for me, I’ll gladly walk in!
Their running game is top 3 in the NFL. I’m as disappointed as you that they weren’t good enough to hold up to the challenge, but it’s not like it was some scrub team that did it.
I’m not ready to rip the OL as talentless. They’ve helped our RBs get over 100 yards rushing in the last three games, two of which were top-10 run defenses. Bradford has had time in the pocket.
The offensive woes can almost entirely be put on the receivers. They lead the league in drops. They dropped 20% of Bradford’s throws on Sunday. Those drops stalled drives. OL has nothing to do with that.
Agreed. Barring any future injuries and Peters continued health, the offensive line should be serviceable for the rest of the year. Compared to atrocious at the beginning. But, certainly good enough to have a decent offense if the other pieces start to produce. The drops have been infuriating. You just can’t have 6 of your 12 drives stall on a third down where the ball hits the receivers in the hands and is dropped for what would have been a first down.
Not much we can do about oline this year, but next year, it better be the focus of the entire offseason. If we don’t draft a bunch of lineman in next years draft and hear the same excuse that the guys they were targeting got taken right before their pick again, I’ll have an aneurysm.
They have to target OL next year unless they need another WR. I hope not, but to take a draft and focus on just one or two positions seems good.
Fran Duffy mentioned something about the OL in this years draft being interesting. I hope that’s a good thing.
Maybe they thought they’d have a better draft class this year?
With a first round pick a second round pick that we traded up for using a 3rd and another 3rd rounder spent on WRs in the last two years, I hope they forego that route to improve the position next year unless theres like a Julio Jones type available.
We already have enough young talent at the position. If anything I’d be ok with adding a veteran type player to take over for Riley. But, another rookie WR seems like over kill.
I think Agholar will improve quite a bit by next year too.
Yeah can’t blow another early pick on a wr, especially when tall guys wwith no hands in later rounds.
This OL class is so much deeper with much better fits for us than last years.
With the trade deadline looming (next Tuesday) would you trade for Steve Smith Sr. and how much would you give up?
We got an extra 3rd. But how would he fit in #culture? I’m scared if Matthews drops another ball, Smith might punch him in the face on the sideline. We don’t need a 2nd jaw broken from a punch this NFL season. And I like Matthews and think he’ll fix the dropsies.
I’m against punching your own teammate, but maybe the Pope needs some veteran to look up to and learn from.
SSSr. is a future hall of famer and you can’t help but just adore his passion for the game.
I need a sarcasm font. I know he wouldn’t do that, I was just making light of the situation by making a terrible joke.
He already told the Ravens he will retire before going to another team, so nothing.
I also heard that on Monday Night Football.
So why the suggestion then?
Boredom. 😉
yeah but is that what he once?
Well done.
I’d rather make a run at Anquan Boldin.
SSSr. >>> Boldin.
That being said I wouldn’t mind Alshon from the Bears at all…!
If they are having a fire sale, I’d be all for that.
I feel like if they had a fire sale he would be the one guy off limits. More so even than Forte.
that was a dream of mine for a long time, he’s one of my all time favourite players. I Wish Andy would’ve listened to Harbaugh and drafted him instead of Freddy Mitchell back in the day, He’d be a freakin philly legend today.
Too late now though..He’s retiring
7th round pick
if we could get the ravens to take cooper for him that might make him mad enough to play for us.
nothing to see here! Posted info that someone else already replied with!
So Chip the GM is going to need to add some players in next year’s draft to help improve the team.
HERE WE GO!
Round 1 Pick 21: Max Tuerk, C/OG, Southern California (C+)
Round 3 Pick 3: Spencer Drango, OG, Baylor (A-)
Round 3 Pick 21: Carson Wentz, QB, North Dakota State (B)
Round 4 Pick 14: Travin Dural, WR, LSU (A+)
Round 4 Pick 21: Brandon Shell, OT, South Carolina (B+)
Round 5 Pick 20: Halapoulivaati Vaitai, OT, TCU (A-)
Round 5 Pick 24: Glenn Gronkowski, FB, Kansas State (A+)
Round 6 Pick 21: Joel Heath, DT/DE, Michigan State (B-)
Round 7 Pick 21: Dillon Gordon, TE, LSU (B-)
I upgraded the O-line depth, got a developmental QB, another WR in the pipeline, mini Gronk, D-line depth, and a mass murderer of a blocking TE.
You’re all welcome.
Dude, you must have been bored. 🙂
I wanted to log onto that site to see how it was working……….and it seemed like a fun way to put a positive spin on player acquisition for the future.
And how do you like my boys on West Ham right now?
Payet is a monster
So you got Gronkowski and Hernandez?
What are we going to do with a FB?
FB wins championships my man
Beat me to it.
I love Turek but with the torn ACL I have a hard time seeing him go that high.
Personally my wet dream scenario is
Move back in round 1: Cody Whitehair
Move up into round 2: Max Turek
Round 3: Joe Haeg
Round 4: Eric Striker
Round 4: Devon Cajuste
Round 5: Gunner Kiel
Round 6/7: BPA of CB/DL/TE
So looking ahead, we have 4 very winnable games coming out of the bye: The Tony Romo-less Cowboys, the dysfunctional Miami Dolphins, The hapless Buccaneers (that’s the one I’m certain we’ll win), and inexplicably inept Lions.
Really we were dealt a good hand with the 2nd half of our schedule this year because the Lions and Dolphins are significantly worse teams than we would have anticipated going into the season, so that’s a point in our favor.
Then we have a guaranteed loss to the Patriots. Best case scenario at that point in the season puts us at 7-5. The Bills and Cardinals I think are both tough games, more likely to beat the Bills than the Cardinals. Lets say we split those games, we’re at 8-6.
Then we close against the Giants and the Redskins, which I think we should be able to win (despite losing to the Skins the first time, yuck). That would have us end at 10-6, and potentially a playoff team.
I think that’s the best case scenario we’re looking at record wise, and that’s if we take care of business against the teams we should be able to beat.
There’s not too much room left for stinkers this year, so here’s hoping we can get the sloppy play cleaned up.
Dolphins look better since firing Philbin
I’m trying to be optimistic here, to match the general desired mood of the board right now.
I can’t find it within myself to agree with “the season isn’t even halfway done” we aren’t out of it yet. I’m leaning towards the season is halfway over and this is who we are. Classic glass half full, half empty scenario. Yet another half full, half empty example: When we lose it’s only by a couple points we aren’t getting blown out. Or you could say with the game on the line, only down a couple points, and a chance to win we just can’t get it done.
Also, am I the only person who is calling for Caleb Sturgis’ head on a platter? A case can be made for Bradford, two years off and then new team new playbook. Sturgis is essentially just wearing a different jersey this year. Haven’t done any research but I don’t think the dolphins were running a vastly different field goal play.
Tommy Lawlor you are out of your mind!
See my comment/rebuttal al http://www.philadelphiaeagles.com