Style Points
Posted: October 6th, 2015 | Author: Tommy Lawlor | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | 227 Comments »Results matter.
But they can also be deceiving. That’s how some teams with a great record lose early in the playoffs, while a team with a lesser record can go win the Super bowl.
The Chiefs got off to a great start in 2013, going 9-0. They were thought of as the best team in the league for a while. They lost in the first round of the playoffs. What happened?
KC played a brutally soft schedule for the early part of the year. That 9-0 looked nice, but was Charmin soft. The Chiefs went 2-5 down the stretch, losing to the Broncos (twice), Chargers (twice) and Colts. Those teams all made the playoffs that year. The Chiefs beat bad teams, but couldn’t handle better competition.
Chip Kelly made the point on Monday that the Eagles were two kicks (actually three) away from being 3-1 and everyone being happy. I do agree that if the Eagles had made those kicks, the vibe around this team would be very different.
We don’t know for sure the Eagles would have won those games. Making those kicks would have had a ripple affect in those games and you just don’t know how things would have played out. But for now, let’s assume the Eagles did win and were 3-1. That would be nice.
But style points would still matter. The Eagles have not played a soft schedule to this point. It looked that way on paper in the offseason, but things turned out differently. The issue with style points is how the Eagles played.
Last year the Eagles won ugly. It helped them to get out to a 9-3 start. When the Eagles played tough competition late in the year, winning ugly didn’t work. The sloppy football caught up with them and the team went 1-3 down the stretch and missed the playoffs.
The 2015 Eagles beat the Jets in an ugly game. They built a 24-0 lead and then hung on for dear life. The Eagles fell behind in the opener 20-3 and then came back to lead 24-23, only to lose 26-24. Sunday the team fell behind 13-0. They came back and led 20-16, but ended up losing 23-20.
Even if the Eagles won those games…that is still bad football.
The Eagles played a good half in three of four games this year. They haven’t come close to playing a good game. Being 3-1 would help buy time for the team to figure things out. Instead, the Eagles are 1-3 and there is basically no margin for error. That isn’t to say the team has to go undefeated, but they need to play with a real sense of desperation and urgency.
If there is anything really positive from Sunday, it was the way Sam Bradford came alive in the 2nd half. As I wrote in my PE.com column on the game:
Bradford looked different in this game than any time the rest of the year. He was aggressive with his passes. You want a quarterback to take what the defense gives him, but he does have to take some chances. The throw to Matthews down the seam was a great example. Matthews was kind of open, but it was a very tight window. Bradford put the ball up over the defender and give his receiver a chance to make a play. Matthews did just that, going up for the ball and then taking a big hit as he came down. Bradford had a 14-yard scramble. That was good to see. He also played with emotion. This is the Sam Bradford we’ve wanted to see all year.
Sam threw for 195 yards and 3 scores after halftime. He was fired up.
I loved the scramble. If there is room to run, go do it. And he then executed the best slide by an Eagles QB that I think we’ve ever seen. Be smart, but also be aggressive.
The Saints run an aggressive defense. They will take chances with their corners. Bradford will have chances to attack them vertically. We’ll see if he does that. If he can carry some of the edge from last Sunday over to this upcoming week, maybe the Eagles can get off to a good start.
And just as important, maybe they can actually play a complete game. At this point, I think we’d all be excited for three good quarters.
Joking aside, as important as actually winning a game is, it is just as important to see the team play well. There isn’t much point to the Eagles putting together some ugly wins and then backing into the playoffs. That team is going to lose.
What about 2008? The Eagles didn’t make the playoffs until 7pm on the final day of the year!!!
While that team did back in with some luck (thank you Houston and Oakland), the 2008 Eagles did have some impressive games on their resume. They blew out the Rams in the opener. They won a terrific game vs the Steelers. They beat the Falcons, who were a playoff team. They crushed the Cardinals on Thanksgiving night. There was a dramatic late season win over the Giants, on the road. And the 44-6 demolition of Dallas sealed the deal.
Those Eagles had some impressive losses. They lost a wild shootout at Dallas early in the year. There was a tough loss to the Giants on Sunday night at midseason. Those games came down to the final possession. Most people remember the ugly games, the tie with Cincy and the loss to the Ravens, but the 2008 season featured more good football than people realize.
By the end of the year, that team was tested and showed they could play with just about anybody, and even beat some of the best teams in the league.
The 2015 Eagles haven’t come close to playing their best level of football. They can get better. They can become a much better team. But this thing could also fall apart and we could be looking at a 5-11 season. I don’t think that will happen, but after this start, I can’t deny that possibility exists.
A 1-3 start is just that, a 1-3 start. The 2015 season is still wide open. That said, the clock is ticking. The Eagles better start winning soon, and just as importantly, they better start playing good football.
*****
One quick note about the previous discussion on execution. Some of you responded by saying “That’s still on Chip Kelly.” And then you went on to cite a bunch of different reasons.
Of course Chip Kelly is ultimately responsible for this team. No one denies that. Chip has said plenty of times over the past few years that coaches win or they get fired. And almost every coach is eventually fired.
The difference here is that I’m trying to understand the errors during a game vs trying to find a single scapegoat. If I thought Chip Kelly was holding this team and this franchise back, I’d be screaming for him to get fired. I don’t think that is anywhere close to being the case.
Kelly is part of the problem. The players are the ones making the mistakes, but Kelly and his staff are not fixing the mistakes, which is their job. I tend to think Kelly and the staff will get them fixed over time. Some of you feel different and that is fine.
I just tend to think coach-ripping is too prevalent in sports. I get the need to rant. I do it myself, but I usually come to my senses in a few minutes and then become analytical.
I’ll stop there for now. I need to do a full post on the subject of coaches.
*****
Quick personal note. Thank you to all of you who offered a kind word in regard to my mom’s health. She is home now and doing well. She went to the doctor today and got some good news so things are headed in the right direction for now.
I really appreciate all the support from all of you. Now get back to booing Santa Claus. We wouldn’t want to ruin the national media’s narrative of Eagles fans would we?
_
Your mother’s improving health is great news! I hope that trend continues.
Nice to have a silver lining on this season
Agree anon. Only Tommy could provide one.
You are by far the most sensible Eagles writer! I always enjoy reading your pieces!
Very good points. Being 3-1 at this point would be putting paint on crap. I guess its time to see what kind of Coach Kelly really is and what kind of team this really is.
Chiefs weren’t the only 2013 team that beat a bunch of bad teams and backed into the playoffs
Touche.
But no one called the Eagles the best team in football either.
Dear Mrs. Lawlor, All of us here on Iggles Blitz are happy you are doing well. We wish you the best.
P.S. Are you also an Eagles fan?
She is not a football fan, but does pull for the Eagles in hopes my sanity will last a bit longer.
Every Mom wants her son to be a good boy.
Please do give her our best wishes.
Yes additional respects to Mama Law.
Tommy, what are your thoughts on the predictable read sweeping run plays we try all game and can’t execute? Do you think it’s blocking, or defenses gearing up for it every time we are in a running situation?
Since the sweep is 90% of the runs, I’d say it’s the defenses keying on it. Matthews made bank running up the middle of the field two weeks ago.
To Tommy’s mom — glad you’re getting better! Your son’s a solid dude.
To Tommy — sorry this season has been such a bummer so far.
To Derek Sarley — get to the point, man. I don’t see any actual x’s and o’s analysis here: http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/sports/eagles/Video-analysis-Why-the-Eagles-cant-run.html
???
That Sarley post is really good. Demonstrates that McCoy’s ability to dance and dodge was actually more valuable and important to Chip’s offensive scheme succeeding than a lot of people have given it credit for.
For me, the biggest problem with this team is Bradford. I totally agree with what Kempski wrote after the Washington Football Team game:
“Bradford’s numbers were good against the Redskins, but they were
misleading. He made three very good deep throws, but was otherwise
erratic, and did not pass the eye test.”
I have no faith that this team will ever go anywhere with him as QB. He is St. Louis Bradford, not Oklahoma Bradford. You can make all the excuses you want for him, but bottom-line, he just doesn’t pass the eye test. And 53 games into his pro career, I don’t see him somehow magically turning it around.
I completely disagree. When Bradford had protection, he threw four touchdowns in about a half of play, despite not having run support.
Saying Bradford didn’t pass the eye test is like saying you think your Camaro is losing some power to an incorrect fuel mix, while driving around on four flat tires. The OL is such a problem, that it is impossible to evaluate the rest.
Also people seems to ignore Bradford finally went deep.
Im sure Bradford can have a perfect game, and some people will still complain
Saying Bradford didn’t pass the eye test is like saying you think your Camaro is losing some power to an incorrect fuel mix, while driving around on four flat tires. The OL is such a problem, that it is impossible to evaluate the rest.
Funny, this logic didn’t dissuade people from concluding Foles and Sanchez aren’t good enough based on last season. Both of them had to deal with an OL that was as bad or worse at times.
Fair point, but I’m always wary of a counter-argument that slips in an indefinite plural pronoun. In this case, I honestly don’t remember whether ATG bashed Foles or not last year. Personally, I know I defended him based on this same exact argument (that the OL stank). I’m giving Bradford the same benefit, AND acknowledging that Bradford’s second half this week was as impressive as any half of football that Nick or Sanchez played last year (and Sanchez had multiple games with a much better line than what the other two dealt with). So, at least with respect to me, your counter-argument kinda falls flat.
I’m not calling out ATG in particular. Just noting that a lot of people decided that the mediocre play of the QBs last year was grounds for concluding the position required making an (expensive) change, but are giving Bradford a pass on similarly mediocre play this year, despite the fact that in both situations the QB had to deal with significant adverse circumstances.
I’m not inclined to cut Bradford as much slack as some others are. Firstly, the line hasn’t been nearly as bad in pass pro as it has been run blocking. And secondly, I think truly elite QBs – of the sort Kelly sold Bradford as being – are capable of overcoming bad line play. Tom Brady has two rookies starting on the interior of his OL and the tackles aren’t the caliber of Peters and Johnson. It’s not stopping him. Luck plays behind one of the worst lines in the league, and while it has resulted in him making some hurried throws and bad decisions, it hasn’t stopped him from consistently putting up good completion, yardage, and scoring numbers. Hell, even Foles is doing more than Bradford in St. Louis, against better defenses and behind a line nobody would call elite (though he does have the advantage of a competent running game).
We gave up a pretty good package to get Bradford. He should be expected to perform like a top 10 quarterback given what it cost to get him, and so far he has not come close.
Well, “top 10” and “like Luck and Brady” are two separate categories for me. Never thought Bradford was going to be Brady, Rodgers, Luck level. Just thought he’d be good enough to win it all in this system with playmakers around him. So far, the whole offense has been bad, so I’m not going to change gears now and complain that he’s not putting the offense on his back and willing it to succeed. He can still be worth what they paid for him and not be a Brady, Luck, Rodgers level quarterback.
Plus, like it or not, Bradford has an extra mitigating factor – not playing a game in 2 years. So what you see right now is not necessarily what you get, long-term. I’m not saying it’s going to happen, or even that it’s likely at this point. But I’ve seen enough from him to think it’s still a reasonable possibility.
The one argument for Bradford over Foles is that Bradford has been in this system for all of four games. Foles had two years in it.
Yes, but Bradford played in a similar up-tempo, spread happy system in college. This system is supposed to be a natural fit for him, unlike for Foles. Doesn’t look like it though.
“AND acknowledging that Bradford’s second half this week was as impressive as any half of football that Nick or Sanchez played last year”
Whoa. While Foles did not play up to snuff last year, that Redskins game last year was about unbelievable. He kept getting annihilated by the Redskins D line and kept getting back up. Remember the earhole block by Jason Baker? That was a character win. Not sure what his stat line ended up with, but he threw for alot of yards and carried the team to a victory in a shootout (kirk Cousins has made a career out of looking like a superstar against us)
If you could harness the power of denial to produce energy, we could tell OPEC to fuck off forever. We’ve seen a few plays of good QB play with no sign of consistency from play to play or game to game.
Aswan dam perhaps?
I tend to agree. Bradford has had flashes of brilliance, but then so did Foles and Sanchez last season. And I’m skeptical that his good second half against the Redskins means he’s getting it together given that (1) he was doing it against a defense missing its best coverage guy and with its second best coverage guy hobbled by injury, (2) he played an even better second half against the Falcons in week 1 and then looked like hot garbage against the Dallas the next week, and (3) he’s 28 years old, has been in the league half a decade, and has always had trouble being consistent.
I was far from sold on Foles as the long-term answer, but so far Bradford hasn’t looked anything like it either. I hated that trade when it happened, hate it even more now, and will REALLY hate it when the Rams are on the clock with our second round pick next spring. Especially if it’s a high second rounder, which is looking increasingly likely.
Tommy,
Things in order of importance:
1. Glad to hear your mom is doing better! I hope the trend continues.
2. I agree with you that while Chip as coach has been part of the problem thus far, he can also turn things around. But what about Chip the GM? To me that’s the real cause for concern. He hasn’t been good with contracts ($1 mil guaranteed to Miles Austin??) or draft picks (a 2nd in the Bradford trade?) or resource allocation (we’re spending how much on running backs?) and has been way too quick to get rid of talented players who don’t fit his model personality type. If you can only coach and acquire players who fit your specific personality criteria, that’s a pretty shallow talent pool to start with.
I don’t think anyone can reasonably argue the team is MORE talented than it was when he took over personnel, and that really concerns me. The Eagles have always been flush with draft picks and cap space since Reid took over, and I’d hate to see that important foundation crumble.
Tommy (and D3FB, if possible), I’d love your perspective on the recent criticisms of Kelly by Mark Schlereth. It seems the guy realized he’d get a Twitter hit bonanza by ripping on the Eagles. He had some particular things to say about our blocking scheme and how it’s just flat out stupid, and that no one else does it like we do. I’d love to hear some insight from someone on this topic with actual knowledge and no need to drive hits by fanning the flames of Eagle fandom’s passion. Seriously, if there’s a legit criticism there, i’d love to hear it, but it seems to me that some people in the media are bashing on Chip and company just because it’s fashionable (and without seeming to remember any part of the last 2 seasons).
And glad your mom’s better. As I said before, that’s more important than any of this crap.
There was a similar question last week when it came out and D3FB weighed in. He included much more detail, but the gist was that the comments were not only hyperbolic, pile-on click bait, but that they were also wrong and assholish.
Schlereth has been a doubter since Day 1, it is not a recent development. He played and is thus grounded in both the Redskins offense under Gibbs (won 1 SB there) and the Denver system under Shanahan (won 2 SB there). That really is why he questions Chip’s scheme and approach – he thinks it can work against certain defenses, but not against the good/great ones and will never translate to winning a SB.
One of the things Schlereth ranted about was how the Eagles do strict man to man blocking on the front side of running plays. Is this accurate at all? I thought that they typically do zone blocking. Their main run plays are called the inside zone and outside zone.
It’s funny, because I recall people bitching that Chip’s insistence on zone blocking is the problem. “Just put a hat on a hat” is one of the more common criticisms I’ve heard. To my limited football eye, it certainly looks like zone blocking is part of the problem when guys are letting people shoot by them.
It would be pretty funny if Schlereth’s main complaint was complete bullshit, and bullshit from someone who used to play the position. Though it certainly wouldn’t surprise me.
It’s zone, that’s why so many double teams / guys missed in space. Line isn’t communicating well so ZB looks dumb, but it’s unclear to me that we could be DL just man blocking.
So then I’m not crazy. So maybe someone intelligent in the media could ask Schlereth why he has such a problem with all the man blocking Chip is doing, that isn’t happening. It’s amazing to me that someone who used to freaking block for a living could get this so wrong. And yet be so self-righteous about it.
Yep – Schlereth’s rant was complete bullshit. The Eagles run a zone blocking scheme with lots of pulling linemen added in. Which is why they get blown up a lot when the defense runs a stunt. Suddenly the pulling guard doesn’t have anybody to block because the defensive end or linebacker is running behind him to the handoff!
Yep. That’s why Tobin and Kelce have fooled people at times. A pulling O lineman is supposed to maul a LB or safety when he can gets his hands on him. But straight up block a big DT? Thats where their deficiencies become obvious (with the exclusion of Jason Peters circa 2010).
I responded to Jernst a couple days ago. It’s in this thread. It’s pretty long with alot of links so I cant just copy and paste. Here’s the thread, it’s about 20 comments down.
http://igglesblitz.com/2015/10/skins-talk-2/#disqus_thread
Thanks, good info. I just came back from listening Sirius NFL in the car, where my ears were subjected to the wise Sir Jamie Dukes ranting about Chip. Let me see if you can guess the points he harped on. Yep, you guessed it:
* TOUGHNESS (“blah blah blah TOUGHNESS blah blah blah”)
* Scurrying back to college
* College coach
* Genius
I really want Chip and Co. to fix things quickly. Just to shut up the nonstop banter of these no talent ass clowns.
If anyone’s interested in starting a website that calls out poor/bullshit announcers on a regular basis, let me know. I think the market needs that kind of sanity check. And these clowns need to be exposed for the toadying frauds they are.
Note: I’m not complaining about the media in general, or people who post things I don’t agree with. Just people who post/say stupid things that are based on only the most cursory of analysis, and yet who claim to be “experts”.
Can we fire chip and get Sean Payton
No thanks.
Nice rant on ranting. 😉
Good to hear your Mom is doing better. Family always comes first.
Tommy, yes many fans are pointing at Chip right now and for good reason. And yes, “execution” is a big part of the problem right now. But, as some have commented prior, don’t you believe a large part of the problem is that Chip grossly miscalculated being able to go into the season with two journeyman OGs to be his starters? And perhaps the people he has on the O-line are not capable of executing at a starter level? That’s why they were journeymen, backups in the first place…poor execution.
The Guards on the line aren’t the main issue. Peters has been putrid. Kelce has been disappointing. No one before the season saw that what we considered a strong part of the line would be giving us issues.
Gardner was playing much better when he got hurt, one of the better guys on the line. Interestingly, the offense did a little better when Peters got hurt. I’m wondering if he’s too injured to make a difference – so maybe they sit him?
This coaching staff is slow to replace starters, but sometimes if it’s forced it works out. That’s an issue, but I’m not ready to rip CK for the Gs when the LT is getting beat on the edge and the C is getting pushed around.
Peters and Kelce have had their problems, but Barbre has been bafflingly bad. Like, “this guy couldn’t even start on most D1 college teams right now” bad. And it’s not physical, generally. He’s not getting out-quicked or out-muscled. He’s just not making the right decisions time after time. To me, Barbre is the main issue with the offense. Everyone else has been inconsistent, which is also a problem, but Barbre has been consistently bad. That bad of a performance has ripple effects throughout the offense.
I won’t argue Barbre. I feel the entire left side of the line is bad, which is probably why they are trying to run behind LJ. If it makes you feel better, Barbre didn’t practice yesterday (injury) and we may see someone else there this week. I’m disappointed that there really wasn’t any competition at that spot in the preseason.
But I feel Peters and Kelce have been just as bad. I’m hoping it’s just injury issues with Peters and it’s something that will improve. Kelce, I’m not sure about. I don’t know if he needs to bulk up/add weight or if the coaches need to give him more help to the inside.
Funny when Peters went out, Tobin moved over and he and Kelly were okay for awhile. I’d like to see the line minus the injured guys (sans LJ) and see if that might be the issue.
Kelce is too small to make up for bad guard play. JP hasn’t looked himself but he’s still better than his replacement.
I’ve been wondering the entire season if Peters has been hurt. Either that or age pounced on him hard!
The Giant’s entire line is like that. Journeyman. Many lines in the NFL are. What we had that they all didn’t was Peters, Kelce, and Johnson. The problem hasn’t been the journeymen so much as the supposedly established players.
Everyone can rip the line because the play has been horrible. But while I’m sorry Chip didn’t address the guard position as well as I would have liked, the blame here is very much on those guys and their execution, more than “Chip the GM”. Now maybe he should have seen their dropoff, but that’s a different criticism than “he didn’t address the G position”.
Everyone in Phila knew the Chiefs wud die quick in the playoffs because we know their cosch sucks
Yeah and they lost three RBs in the game.
Great point. Yep Buck had it tough on the injury front and bWest also…a hand slap hurt his foot once. That was frustrating
makes no sense
Oh sorry i w as referring back to the seemingly relentless injuries that faced correl buckhalter and brian westbrook
Andy Reid actually won games. WHy do you hate Andy Reid? He took us to the Super Bowl and people still hate him. Year in and year out the team was a contender and idiot Eagles fans think he sucks. You are going to have a lot of time to think back on the glory days of the Eagles because they are going to suck for a LONg LONG time.
I think he is a hypocrite. Snubbed the press and fans at every press conf. And he acted like he knew more than everyone. And he didnt.
His performance in final 2 minutes of super bowl, like joe buck asked, had us screaming at the tv. All time embarrassing.
He easily couldve paid Trotter. And TO and avoided that wreck of a season.
His sons are jerks and its ok to hold him accountable.
I.liked him at first but his holier than thou attitude helped me see thru his shallow uster.
His record is only a hair better than rich kotite.
We dont have to be a fan just because he gave us some some wonderful moments.
The hated ray rhodes drafted Dawk. Fat Andy let him walk
Ha that rhymes
They were in the game with a chance to win and the Patriots cheated. I don’t know how you can blame Reid for under performing in the Super Bowl. He had them in there with a chance to win.
And all the things you describe him as is exactly the same as Chip. At least you could get a valid injury report from Reid. Chip gives you NOTHING.
They were in the game. Good enuf for me. Please explain andy’s 2 minute brain meltdown so i can move past it.
Im being serious.
He had his flaws to be sure, but Reid is in the conversation for the title of greatest coach in Eagles history. If you don’t appreciate what he did for this franchise you’re a moron.
Yup i dig his shit ty win loss pct a hair above rich kotite … please explain that to me so i can get past it and ill call myself a more ron and send you a co payment
Kotite wasn’t a good coach but had a decent winning percentage.
But judging from the way you spell, you don’t need to fail to appreciate Reid for me to conclude that you’re a moron.
Spelling insult really. Tanks buddy.
Please stop pretending you’re an Eagles fan.
I tend to think Kelly will get them fired over time
..
I agree w you exactly Tommy except forv1 letter… see if you can tell whivh one i changed
“I just tend to think coach-ripping is too prevalent in sports. I get the need to rant. I do it myself, but I usually come to my senses in a few minutes and then become analytical.” I’d imagine – if you are being truly analytical – you’d come to same conclusion. Last 8 games, Eagles are 2-6. After finishing 1-3 last season CK said he knew the team needed to be blown up. Which he did. He build his own team. He went out and got his own WR’s, QB and RB’s. And is now the same record as the team he said he had to blow up.
…..
I can’t buy into “no one is the scapegoat” here. What phase of the offense is playing well? So nobody is at fault for 11 guys on the offense not playing well? Or are do we include 11 players, OL coach, TE coach, QB coach etc etc? When a whole ‘process’ isn’t working, isn’t the person who put it all together at fault?
…..
What’s the point in comparing this team(or any team) to teams years ago? That’s like betting on black when red came out. One outcome has zero to do with the next outcome. Pointless.
…..
Silver lining — Eagles are 1 game back of 1st place 🙂
I do not understand how illustrating multiple moves made by Chip that have backfired and hurt the team is “coach-ripping”? I think that is perfectly valid criticism and part of any legit discussion of this season so far.
Of course the players and coaches are responsible as well and everyone needs to work together to fix the issues.
But Chip demanded all the power as GM and head coach. Lurie gave it to him and since then we are 1-3 and playing some of the ugliest Eagles football I’ve seen in decades. That has not happened by accident or bad luck or injuries.
We are also 2-6 going back into last season when defenses fully adjusted to our scheme and implemented ways to attack/impact it. Outside of the 1st half vs the Jets where he made definite scheme changes to help the OL, run game and Bradford, Chip has been slow and inconsistent in adapting to the new reality. Most games this season, he has needed halftime to adjust, but then by the 4th quarter the defenses have adjusted back and Chip cannot respond.
We all want the Eagles and Chip to succeed and finally bring us a SB trophy. Hopefully he and they can get it done. I have more doubts now than I did before, but still believe they can perform much better.
Great post.
Great news about your mom, Tommy. We’re all glad to hear it!
I just hope that Bradford built some confidence off of the 2nd half of the Washington game (not including the last drive of course). The deep throws he mad were on the money. If he can wake up, the improved QB play will cover up a lot of the deficiencies of the team and it will be one less thing the team needs to fix.
We hoped he’d build off the 2nd half of Atlanta, too. I’m not holding my breath that he looks any different during the first half this week.
I think the difference is that:
1 – He’s throwing more accurate on the run
2 – Anticipation throws are something we haven’t had
3 – Threw well deep
4 – Generally he’s making the right reads
5 – No TOs in two games
Right off the bat, he’s better than anyone we’ve had playing last year.
I’m not going to knock him for overthrowing a couple times, that happens to all QBs. But I’m seeing improvement and comfort from him.
Definitely saw a step forward for him. Doesn’t mean he can’t backslide, but the improvement was noticeable, especially since the run game was complete garbage.
If he keeps improving a bit each week, then we have to be happy about him moving forward.
But he hasn’t improved from week to week. He was okay against Atlanta, excellent in the second half. He sucked against Dallas and was bad against the Jets. He was bad in the first half against the Redskins and good in the second half.
I don’t see any consistent trend there.
thats great but he has to do it for more than a quarter a game. Until then Im not buying it. He would still have to do some stuff vs good teams and at the end of games as well. Of course all that goes hand in hand with coach and O line, WR actually catching the ball etc.
I can understand that. I’m just looking for any sign of life really. The offense has been so abysmal this year, that I’ll take any kind of improvement from anyone.
Yep. As much as we love to believe in the storyline of progression from one week to the next during an NFL season, the reality is there is little evidence that one week affects the outcome of another week. We definitely saw improvements in the second half against the Redskins, but I’m not sure you can actually “build on that”. Hope to repeat it, sure, but it’s not like when they start playing next Sunday, they will start off at the same level of play they ended with against the Redskins.
No, you can’t really build on a performance, but you can increase the understanding in the offense. Knowledge of the offense is something you can build, and I question how well Bradford understands the offense given his limited play time this offseason.
I’m expecting another up and down performance, but I’m hoping he continues to build confidence. As much as I’d like to see Chip fired at this point, I’m still hoping they turn it around and least start to look competent.
This is definitely a fair argument on how the team may build on the second half. With that said, I’m not sure I believe Bradford’s knowledge of the offense drastically was improved between the first and second half of a football game. I think your point would be much stronger if what we saw was improvements week to week, but we saw improvements that were within a single game. I just don’t get the sense that the evidence there suggests a sudden better grasp of the offense.
Of course you could argue that part of the first half struggles were due to the offensive line play. So who knows. I certainly hope you are right and I am wrong.
Thing is, I don’t think the variables being measured here are necessarily subject to linear treatment. More likely, we’re going to see “tipping points,” where 3 weeks of progress only show results at the end. With Bradford, I can certainly make a case that it’s at least an open question. With Barbre, I see no reason to believe that he’ll ever be more than what he’s shown so far. That’s the distinction I have, right now.
i don’t think he had an epiphany during halftime or anything ridiculous like that, but I do wonder if they maybe simplified things and ran with something he’s more comfortable with. Inconsistent performance with more ups and downs indicates to me he’s still thinking too much.
I’m hoping I’m right too if only because I am sick to death of watching god awful football. But obviously, the key to getting better is definitely better performance by the Oline which may or may not ever happen.
Amen. How excited was the fan base after that 2nd half.
24/7 has an article up about some of Bradford’s anticipation throws. He’s making me a believer. Of all things, I think he’s the one. Let’s hope they get this OL figured out.
Good to hear about your mom.
Tommy, I have to say even though the offensive line has been messy this year, I really like the progression I’m seeing from Bradford. At the very least I feel we’ve upgraded there. Our defense is much improved over last year.
What we have to hope for is that the OLine figures it out, or starts to figure it out this week. IMO, this is the only thing holding back the team right now.
Honestly man… I like your commentary in most cases but your posts about this team seem delusionally optimistic to me.
I think it’s more likely that this team completely falls apart, Chip gets fired, and Bradford walks as a FA than that they get it together and make a deep playoff run. Backing into the playoffs and becoming first round roadkill seems like the realistic best case scenario to me.
I’m not looking for a deep playoff run, those ideas left after the Dallas game. The defense has been playing well. The offense has spurts, but a lot of that can be pinpointed to the offensive line.
All I want to see is a little more offensive consistency each week. I responded to someone two days ago and said if they could just play 3 good quarters I’d be happy. Maybe a full game is too much to ask at this point. Little improvement can snowball, and maybe they get hot toward the end of the year and make the playoffs.
Heck, I’d be happy if the OL didn’t just flat out miss assignments. I think that could help like 50% of the issues.
I don’t understand why Chip receives such vitriol. Bissinger saying he should be fired. Who decides to fire a coach after 3 games unless you are a really dysfunctional franchise (hi Dolphins!). Some “analysts” are just so angry that others like Chip and said some nice things about him in the past, and/or take Chip to be so arrogant, that they are just blind with rage.
I guess it’s all click bait but it makes it really awful to follow my favorite team in all of sports.
I think it’s because each year, the news becomes more opinion (not just in sports tho) and you get this love/hate relationship in the media based on how the team is doing or how popular the entity they are talking about.
If the Eagles went on an 8 game winning streak, many of these same analysts will talk about how they knew they could turn it around, blah, blah, blah.
Honestly, Bissinger has no credibility for me. His article on Nick Foles was such a load of BS that I can’t take anything he says seriously.
I think the problem with Chip its that there very polarized views of him. While guys like Bissinger or Heath Evans are idiotic for trying to find every reason to dislike Chip, I think there is an equally annoying group (that becomes particularly loud obviously when we win), that label Chip a “genius” and have a hard time being critical of him.
Personally, I’ve said it many times that the “In Chip We Trust” mantra is incredibly undeserved. When I say that, I’m not saying it to mean that Chip is a bad coach or an idiot for making bad decisions, but instead, I’m arguing that even if you think Chip is a very good coach, he seems to have gotten a pass from the pro-Chip group that is not necessarily warranted. The moves and decisions he has made may work out but they also may not, and “I trust Chip” is not enough evidence in my mind to blow off the possibility that they won’t. Still, you often see “In Chip I Trust” used as justification pretty much on its own. Because of that, guys that aren’t pro-Chip (and are also idiotic) must feel like they have to be even louder and more obnoxious with their anti-Chip sentiment so they leap on any opportunity to argue their point.
Just heard Heath Evans on WIP. He did not at all come across as the dumb, rabid anti-Chip zealot he’s made out to be. His criticisms actually sounded pretty reasonable.
i actually don’t mind Heath as much as some others, he does make a decent attempt to point out things throughout the year that he sees wrong with the team. He has even handed out compliments to Chip throughout this offseason, he usually finishes just saying ” i just wish chip would slow down his tempo, that’s all”
He still does get his troll on at times…and we are not the only fanbase he irks
calling his teams soft isnt all that wrong either unfortunately
“The Eagles have not played a soft schedule to this point”
Huh?????
The Cheifs three losses combined this year are to teams with a combined 12-0 record. that is not a soft schedule. Cowboys with so many injuries and Redskins…thats soft.
Is this a misprint?
2008 was so awesome. The RB we drafted on the Texans had the biggest game of his life…against Chicago? I was mowing the lawn and heard they won. Imediately bet the Eagles and the clobbered the FUCK out of Dallas. Those were the days. What we have now is not even a team. I dont like most of the players on this team. How can anyone like Demarco or Bradford or Ryan Matthews or Maxwell. I hate all of those guys.
Look there was the Eagles pre-Chip Kelly and then there are the Eagles with-Chip Kelly. Comparing the the two shouldn’t be done. The pre-chip kelly teams had heart. These guys are so young and dumb there is no heart. And the veterans see the writing on the wall. THey see how the other veterans were jettisoned out of town so they just keep their mouth shut and take care of themselves. The culture there is of Hitler era. EVERYTHING is Chip. and he sucks.
“The culture there is of Hitler era.”
Uncool.
as if we havent had enough over used nazzziii references the last decade, lets use them in sports.
I think it’s awful but I guess it’s also indicative of how great it is to have First Amendment rights.
Very off topic, but this is such a great story. I heard this from an old man who survived nazzii Germany. He and his wife immigrated to the US. Shortly after they arrived, they were in a restaurant and someone was loudly proclaiming, “Truman is a bum” The guy grabbed his wife and they ran out of the restaurant.
Telling the story, he said, “At that time I was afraid. I later learned, ‘Truman is a bum, Eisnehower is a bum, they are all bums’.”
He would have had a heart attack here in Arizona with how much they go on about Obama.
It’s what it is. Total dictatorship.
Winning = OK. Belechick has the same mentality but because he wins, its OK. When the Eagles start to win all will be forgotten/forgiven.
THey are going to start with this offensive line? I will bet you a lot of money that doesnt happen. There’s no fixing this.
If that were truly the case (no fixing) then we are ALL dumb because we keep coming back…
Ah, if only they had a Lazor gun in the ’30s, they could have avoided all that nasty unpleasantness in Europe. Too bad they didn’t have a Lazor gun, right?
What the fukc does this even mean? NOBODY GETS YOUR HUMOR. YOU AREN’T FUNNY stop trying. You fukcing boob
Hopefully, we can all remember to leave our Lazors in 2013, like Chip did, and move on. Did you remember?
Tommy my main point is it is good to hear your Mom’s health is headed in the right direction. Glad to hear it.
Cool.
read: please don’t ban me.
Why has Miles Austin passed Huff on the depth chart? If that is really the case then Huff is not working out.
its because huff said the cowboys knew the eagles plays. then two days later huff said whatever chip said after he was asked about it again. nothing to do with talent just another chip personal grudge. so sick of this shit.
If Huff had been a regular and had been contributing I might agree with you. Since we really don’t know what Huff can do (other than 1 return for a TD) – it might be talent.
exactly, fans pretending to know how players feel is hilariously dumb
your opinion
Then ask chip
Huff’s advanced stats last year were bottom of the barrel.
-48 DVOA, that’s amazing to do that much damage in just 18 passes. His rushing stats are great, though. http://www.footballoutsiders.com/player/41743/josh-huff
I just think the team has a lack of talent on the OL and it doesn’t win enough battles to sustain drives. Basically we need three OL next year, assuming Peters needs to be replaced, which means we keep him and work someone in his spot for 2018.
Im not buying the whole dissolving locker room dynamic BS. Ill never buy
those stories until they are absolutely there and a mess like the
Dolphins. Fans pretend that players dont understand what its like to
answer dumb questions from the media after losing. They also think
players are super sensitive about being thrown under some imaginary bus.
Until its real its simply just imaginary and fans trying to glean stuff
out of quotes. So dumb. Rip the system and play all you want but the
second you start pretending to know the feelings of players you lose me.
Im not denying it doesnt happen but its a lot less often than people
think. The way a staff and players feel is usually vastly different than
fans
and media. Being a professional goes a long way and even guys competing
in losing seasons all over the league. This includes playing hard for
really bad QBs and coaches no matter what the outsiders are saying. Often with half a season to go so of course youll hear disgruntled quotes as the losing is happening but its not always indicative of a crumbling locker room.
I’m also fine with how Chip calls plays and designs the offense. Basically you look and see guys getting open and the run game is simple but half the league does similar things. So many teams run a zone block left, zone block right inside/outside sweep configurations. I like power I and fullbacks but… not a big advantage from it.
After 35 years of watching this game, most of the stuff in the run game is pretty obvious.
Then about drafting to your board or drafting to the system or drafting BPA. All of those have worked or have not. I can’t find a clear pattern. Normally the number 1 thing is finding a QB.
I’m taking this rough start better then most because I understand that what you see in September can be very misleading and teams don’t play at the samthe level all year, the good teams grow significantly over the course of the season.. But one thing that I can’t help to be bothered by is that the Patriots are basically using 8 OL in every game and we are scrambling just to get 5 OL playing decent,,,
.,
If our Wr aren’t getting open why keep 3 on the field? If rather see a 7 or 8 lineman heavy package that can block for the run and buy time for play action passes instead of running 3 WR out there all day
The OL right now is the only thing that concerns me.
That’s a very fair concern.. Tho I’m probably more concerned about the OL injuries then I am about these offensive lineman getting it together and playing a better brand of ball..
.
Sure guys like Dennis Kelly are NOT world beaters, but just a year ago we watched the OL Start off the season with serious issues after the entire OL went down in the first two games with the exception of Peters.. Fortunately ST really helped pick up some of the scoring slack which was HUGE, but as the season played out a little, a OL that was a mess and couldn’t get shady going was able to get it together and started to get shady and the Offense going until Sanchez ran out of steam and we ended the season slumping,.
..
I’d probably rather play the rest of the season with Tobin, Dennis and Josh Andrews, then to not get any continuity and play the rest of the season with guys playing musical chairs with the OL in and out of the OL every other week… iD rather play with our worst lineman and let them gel together thru
Continuity as the season unfolds, then to have to shuffle the OL every week for the rest of the year… We desperately need 5 ol that can stay in The lineup long enough to play our way out of this mess…
..
As someone who has only ever played in the trenches, what really still gives me hope and confidence that this OL can turn it around is the FACT that we are a drastically better pass blocking ol, then we are at run blocking, and it shouldn’t be that way, every OL to ever play the game would rather run block instead of pass blocking, so the fact that we are drastically better at pass blocking and so damn inept at Run blocking to me says that the run blocking problems are all based on not getting the continuity to Gel yet, first and foremost.. i have NO doubt that we have lineman who can run block better than anything we are seeing, hopefully just like last year we can eventually get some stability at OL and see these players grow into better run blocking unit..
..
To back that up, we don’t believe in the giant power lineman, we want the lighter more athletic lineman, so in order to effectively run block against bigger Defensive lineman, this run scheme is based off combo blocks which require experience playing next to the same guy, so they can grow to be on the same page and properly execute combo blocks and know when they can peel off and go hunting for LBs and safeties at the next level…
..
We clearly don’t look like an OL that has gelled into a cohesive unit yet especially in the run game, and it’s just not something that you can achieve with any number of practice reps… The one fair criticism is maybe we should have played the starters more together in the preseason , but injuries are such a major part of this game, and when you look around and see all the terrible injuries in the preseason and how battered we are today after 4 games, it’s really hard for me to crucify Chip for choosing to go into the season as healthy as possible while using the first month as the preseason, even tho it’s been such a rough start clearly mostly because so many new players have yet to gel into one team.. Even tho we are seeing all these early season problems, when we get to next years preseason, I’m probably still going to prefer to not risk our players in the preseason..How do I complain about opting to prioritize going Into the season healthy? As much as l fans and media run their mouth now, Imagine how much shit these fools would be talking if our players suffered the preseason injuries that plagues most teams,,,
..
The one possibly fair argument is that because this wasn’t a normal offseason since we changed so many players, maybe this was the one preseason where we should have played starters, but with Bradfords injury histpry is still hard for me to argue with not risking important players in August..
,,
It isn’t paying off right now, but for me it’s a mistake to not take a look at the big picture. Whether we get it together or not this year, there are players who even if we don’t see their true value this year, still could end up being great Eagles in the next couple of years, for example if the OL is just injured all year and can’t get anything going this year which I don’t believe will be the case, guys like Demarco, Sproles and Mathews I would still be thrilled to have going into the next two seasons when we add OL talent.. Personnel that hasn’t looked so great in September I’m still thrilled to have for the next few years..
.,
Take Sam Bradford for example, as much as we all want to see him practice this new offense for a month, play 6 quarters in the preseason and light the nfl on fire his first month playing in this offense when he hasn’t played in like a year and a half, whether Sam goes on to have a spectacular season of a horrible season, for me the MOST Important thing that can happen to this franchise is Bradford managing to play every game this season and get thru the next offseason without suffering an injury…id rather get eliminated in the first round this year but see Sam take every single snap at QB all year and go into the offseason healthy, then to see Bradford miss playing time this year but Bradford and Sanchez managing to take us to the conference title game..
..
There is Nothing better that can happen this season then Bradford taking every snap this year and remain healthy enough to play the next 4 years without missing more then a couple games
..
Even if Sam explodes and becomes the comeback player of the year, I would still expect him to be a better QB In years two and three of this offense, especially if the team around him continues to progress by guys improving and adding better players..
..
If Sam get hurt again, for me that would be worst for this franchise than one year of taking an 8-8 step back..
..
Even tho he hasn’t looked good and hasn’t played a complete game, THe talent is undeniable and we see the mental capacity to be a great QB (in flashes)…if for the first time in his career he can put together multiple seasons of good health In the Same offense which is somethings this kid has NEVER had, I still have total faith that he can be a better Franchise QB than ANYTHING we will be able to get on the field for us at QB the next 3 years.. Even if we lucky and find the next tom Brady in the 6th round, the kid will still need at least 3 years to grow into a QB that will do better then Bradford will do if he is able to stay healthy the next few years..
..
As bad as this start has been, Bradford is at least starting to help us forget about his injuries.. I’m no longer holding my breath every time he gets hit, or even last week where he started to run a bit
Really? You’re not also concerned about receivers with the dropsies, the total lack of production from any pass catcher other than Jordan Matthews, the scattershot play of the starting QB, the lack of a pass rush, the Fletcher-esque toastability of the big money FA acquisition at CB, or the fact that we have a street FA kicker who just missed two chip shots in his first outing with the team? I’d love to live in that world.
They are trying to run against a light box. So they are using more 11 personnel with they hope that they can run against nickel. If we can’t rung on nickel doubt we can run against heavy packages. NE is throwing the ball 60 times a game. We might have to do the same but we don’t have Tom Brady or a bunch of quick guys that are foot at getting open, or gronk .
I somewhat agree Geagle. In our last exchange I mentioned starting Burton which jives with your heavy package.
I am very disappointed in the D’s performance at the end, a 90 yard drive by the Skins hurt, but I have to remember that they were on the field way, way too long. They had to be gassed.
Chip needs scheme changes to accommodate the skill set of our current players. If he does not do this, then it’s going to be a brutal season. I’ve never seen a Chip O execute this poorly.
Yeah with this team bb would have changed his offensive approach after week one instead of just being out of ideas
I thought that was supposed to be one of CK’s best assets. Adjust, change, over come. So far, not this year.
I’ve already posted this a couple of times, but the biggest and best change Chip can make this year is getting some Stickum for those WR and RBs. He can draw up the plays, but can’t physically go catch the damn ball.
I hate to say it, but I’d like to see a serious dose of read action with Bradford encouraged to run a little. He actually looks decent when moving. And I’m not sure how many run/pass packaged plays the team is running, but I think I’d like to see more. A lot more. I don’t want to see Kelly become more conventional by adapting to his players and the media pressure because that would ruin what potentially makes him special. I’d really like to see him double down.
I also keep wondering what happened to certain elements of the offense, like the orbit motion or the TE pop pass? It’s not like these things are magic bullets, but when combined with some other changes, they could help.
Oh after seeing Bradford move around last week, pick up yards with his feet and slide better than I seen any Eagle QB slide in God knows how long, and after seeing him elude some pass rushers and throw so well on the move, I think Bradford ABSOLUTELY needs to step it up, and help our run game by running a few read options and keeping them for 5-10 yards before sliding… All Bradford has to do is pick up two
First downs when they don’t respect him as an option to run, and it changes EVERYTHING and should help these RB’s get things going,, chip definitely has to prepare bRadford to keep a few of those runs and pick up a first down:. You can be the slowest person on the field, but if you run for two first downs, watch how quickily the defense starts to
Respect that threat,.. Like Sam helped us out by going deep last week, he needs to once again help us out and run with the ball 2-3 times..
…
But with a struggling OL, after Bradford showed the ability to throw on the move, chip needs to roll him out a few times so he can just focus on throwing the ball, instead of having to worry about our struggling OL holding up for him… Roll him away from pocket and run those crossing routes with Jordan, Agholar, Sproles and Ertz… Especially after we mix in a few deep balls out of max prove too play action and start attacking on some dig routes down field:,. The loss was so bad that Bradford isn’t getting credit for some big time throws in tight window last week, and the easy throws like slow coop on a bomb, were created by Sam looking off the safety so he wouldn’t able help banged up Culliver In time to stop coop and Miles from getting behind the defense.. Sam took a few promising step forward, if he an build on them NOW and
Continue to progress it would be Huge For us:.. The Defense has plenty kinks to work out, but if Sam can start putting up 28-32 points a game, I’m confident our defense could really work with that and see this team go on a run.. Put a few more points on the board and offense hold the ball 5 more minutes per game,’while the Defense continues to grow, and we should able to go on a nice run.,, but since we hav no kicking game, it’s going to take Bradford showing growth and ThE ST and offense combining for at least 28 points each week while our defense starts getting some sacks I’m bunches and forcing more turnover is what it would take to go on a crazy 2 month win streak like we did in 2013
Have you ever seen the run game this shitty at Oregon while Chip was running the show?
Not that I recall. Even with injuries, Chip adjusted the scheme to hurt the D. He does not seem to be doing this in the NFL.
Wonder what effect, if any, Shurmur has on play calling. Seems like they go with game plan A in the first half, then see how D is reacting and switch to gameplan B in the second half.
but then you signal the defense to load the box
why can’t the WRs get open?
Ones a rookie who isn’t consistent yet, Coop and Austin suck and basically attributed their rare catches to all the attention Jordan is commanding running across the field… And Huff is too stupid to shut his mouth long enough to get out of his dog house,,
,,
Last week I heard a few rumors that huff was punished, not exactly sure why, but I assume it was for opening his mouth to the media and bringing more drama into our locker room than we were already dealing with. Was the rumblings of his punishment true? I can’t confirm it or refute it either way, but he went on to play 4 snaps catching a few kick offs in the end zone:.. Does the knucklehead learn his lesson and shut his fucking mouth? Of course not.. After chip said Huff not playing was a simple matter of him getting hurt the day before the jets game and not practicing enough to play in the Skins game, what does this moron do? Hours after chip made those statements trying to squash it’s of being punished, huff goes and he tells a media media member that he was health and ready to play but had been passed on the depth chart by Miles and Coop,,, so if he really was punished for airing out locker room issues to a bunch of media vultures who were already bringing Nonstop negativity to where our guys are trying to practice and get ready For a game, he clearly hasn’t learned his lesson, again opening his big mouth hours after chip tried to squash the drama..
..
If I see Huff play another 4 snaps on Sunday after practicing this week, I’d take it as a confirmation from these rumors,
,,
The one saving grace about our WRs is that they are so young they can be realistically expected to improve as the year progresses
Sometimes an overabundance of statistical analysis is stupid. Case in point.
haha, I’ve been wondering for a couple days now why we are also 5 point favorites this week. Yea it’s another 1-3 squad were facing and we are home, although i don’t think home field has been to kind to the birds. I’m just thinking about if Vegas actually thinks were a still a decent team or still trying to cash in on all the preseason hype?
Vegas doesn’t make predictions, it responds to the bets people are placing.
Basically, the public has no clue. People tend to predict games (at least at the beginning of the season) based on last year’s results. The Saints were awful last year, the Eagles were 10-6. Thus, they bet on the Eagles.
is this what they referred to on MikenMike this morning. I couldnt believe anywhere would have them favorites to still win the division. Where stats based nonsense is just wrong because actually watching a team matters.
does anyone know what kind of data and information they use to determine this stuff?
I think they publish results that return a true value to the formula where (the number of clicks generated/1000) plus (the percentage likelihood of making sense * 100) must be greater than or equal to 100.
Again, I was told there would be no math.
but it is only true if the integral of clicks has its lower limit set to infinity!
No, stupid statistical analysis is stupid. ESPN specializes in stupid stats. Check these out. An abundance, but not stupid: http://www.footballoutsiders.com/stats/playoffodds
FO gives us a 24% chance to make the playoffs. Seems about right.
My mind is in a pretzel.
Numbers are your friend. Math is not hard. Pain doesn’t hurt. etc.
If we dig a little deeper, a 38% chance of winning the division and a 24% chance of making the playoffs means that, by statistical analysis (38% – 24%), there is at least a 14% chance that the world will end during the week between the season ending and the playoffs beginning.
Now, you are probably thinking, “Big deal, 14% chance? There is probably a 14% chance on any given day that Tebow will ascend with his chosen following and leave the rest of us to an eternity of Eagle-like hype followed by Browns-like seasons.” You would be right, but you are forgetting that this risk continues for an entire week
By the additive property of percentages, the one that says if you try 10% harder than you thought, then you could you are giving 110% effort, for the entire week, 14%+14%+14%+14%+14%+14%+14% = 7(14%) = 98%.
That’s right, the statistics above prove that there is a 98% chance the world will end between January 3, 2016 and January 10, 2016. So, while we will never see our beloved Eagles hoisting a Lombardi trophy, at least we didn’t waste cap space on a signing bonus extending Bradford.
wait wait we have a 2% chance of making it out alive with a trophy then?
that’s better then our record would indicate
Statistically speaking, or best chance is if society goes into the panic of the end. Sproles can single-handedly sneak into NFL headquarters, steal the trophy, and sneak back to Philly.
The true irony would come thousands of years from now when the inhabitants of the Earth find the remains and conclude that Philly must of been the Sparta of the era, clinging to the idol that so many city-states seemed to covet, even at the last moments.
Nice analysis, but everyone knows that with a little swagger which will lead to better execution, the OL will be able to block the armies of Armageddon and Sammy B will finally get it together and throw the hammer for a long bomb with that arm talent; Thor will catch it and the end of the world will be averted!
Well sure, but calculating swagger and execution involves fractions. I didn’t want to intimidate any visiting Cowboy fans.
Now that’s funny
On open letter to the goode people of Igglesblitze: Please stoppeth the complaints about ye olde media, viz. Mr. Evans, Mr. Schlereth, Mr. Bowens, etc, etc, etc. It has becometh tiresome and such behavior is characteristic of ninnies.
Indeed. Ninny like behavior!
people are going to discuss whatever they want to discuss if it pertains to eagles football, if you don’t like it then don’t read it
Carry on, ninny!
Oh, the irony of complaining about people complaining about other people.
stop complaining about irony
Someone said it smelt kind of irony on Eagles blogs, but that was actually the Steelers.
it’s Steely, Dan, not irony Dan.
Wait, is this the Iggles Blitz version of the song that never ends?
Just too many people that learned about irony from Alanis Morissette and enjoy publicly displaying it.
Easy Fix – Move on to another blog
does that include the like Collinsworth? If so, I won’t say a word. If not, man does he suck.
Understand the sentiment, but at times this comments section of any Eagles related website could be called “Iggles Bitch”
IgglesBitch, that’s awesome, I’m going to steal that.
Just to state the very obvious, seems like fans and players just have to wait for the 0-line to improve before Eagles are playoff contenders, with a combination of improved health and improved communication and chemistry.
Three seasons ago the Cowboys had pretty much what was being called the worst o-line in the league. Then two or three years of hitting on early round o-line draft picks, they are considered the best line – but that took at least two years.
Are there any cases of an o-line, as badly playing as the eagles are now, improving their play drastically in the middle of a season?
I would think there have been teams that have discovered through injuries etc. that their o-line is holding the offense back early in the season, but still have made the playoffs.
How do teams change their offense to compensate for injuries to their o-lines in the middle of the season? And is Kelly willing to make such changes?
the Pats last year. After the Chiefs game.
*drops mike, walks away*
I still can’t get the beginning of the Redskins games out of my head. Announcers comment that the Redskins are 0 for the season on that 3rd and long … 1st down. Then the announcers, that’s the Redskins longest run(I think it was a run) of the season. Hm, 3 other teams managed not to screw that up but somehow, the Eagles like to be THAT team. (I’m not harping the defense, I just hate when that happens to the Eagles).
…..
Losing helps lose focus on how great the Safeties and D line is playing.
Please don’t ever bring that up again. I’m not sure how many times I said the word “what?” while that was happening.
good thing is that we’re less used to seeing that — remember the wide 9 years? dudes were busting huge runs every game. What’s annoying to me is that we got beat on basically the same play.
Curry shot outside and gave up the inside every time that last drive
yeah that was def his gap to cover — must have been channeling his inner bryce brown.
BG killed us not setting the Edge and letting the runner get outside and turn the corner on us, and what really hurts is that’s something BG is pretty damn good at and sets the edge consistently against really good LT and helps shut down teams run game.. The skins tried the stretch play behind Trent Williams all day and BG held up really well contributing to our normally elite run defense, so it’s really damn frustrating to see a guy make such a costly mistake when he is being asked to do something he has pretty much proved to be great at..
..
People think chip makes excuses or talks out his ass when he says it’s a few little execution problems that are making a difference between winning and losing, but if you know the technique that is required, you can see that we really are being held back by really small technical Mistakes from guys that are better than the mistakes they are making.. iD take BG and Barwin to Set the edge all damn day against any Tackle or TE and RB in the game and trust that they hold down that edge and don’t allow The RB to get outside, it’s something they have consistently done well For years.. It’s really small mistakes like this from different guys that are keeping us from from seeing us play to our ability,., so when chip says its execution, and that it’s not something too big for these players he really isn’t lying.., of course there are always going to be coaching calls that weren’t the perfect calls that chip and Billy would want back, hopefully we can avoid them at key moments, but a guy like chip is always trying to grow as a coach, we are always self scouting, it’s friggin understood that as coach/GM ultimately it’s all on him, and he had told the media a bunch of times that if he doesn’t win e won’t be here alluding to being fired, so it’s crazy for me to see the media spin it like he is trying to blame the players and not himself, simply because they are so fucking stupid that they think throwing away the offense in week 5 would be the answer..,
.. I
If players are playing to the best of their ability and we still can’t do anything and get our asses handed to us, then you can question scheme, if you have good enough players to execute your scheme, but When we are being held up by small technical mistakes that we have seen guys consistently be able to execute, the media is Friggin Moronic to think chip should throw away the playbook and start over in October..of course it’s execution.. A good player making a key drop on a critical 3rd down isn’t a friggin issue with the offense, it doesn’t mean the
Defense has figured us out, it doesn’t mean the WR is incapable of doing what we are asking.. A kicker missing 35 Yard FGs isn’t a reason to throw away our playbook..
,.
So much of this is completely small,’correctable, execution mistakes that our guys don’t usually make…our OL has been a mess, mostly due to injuries,.. even if we added a better young OL or two, we would still be having the Same exact problems because injures would have kept them from gelling playing next to the same guy.,,
..
We are dealing with tough times, plenty of real mistakes that we have to worry about, shame that our media is such a joke that they don’t even know what real issues to talk about are., there is nothing
Wrong with our Offense, no one has figured us out, our OLineman simply aren’t winning at the line of scrimmage and that will shut Down any wce and any QB/WR/RB… Yes we could have added better OL or two, but injuries would have kept them from the Continuity needed to Gel which is our Main problem..
;,
I’m at the point where I don’t even care who our 5 OL are, I just a care that whichever 5 are able to play Sunday, they stay healthy enough to keep playing together from now to the bye week.. If we keep running lineman in and out of the line up, for me that would be the hardest thing to overcome
The wide 9 might be to defense what Chip Kelly is to offense
well, our safety missed an easy (looked easy anyway) tackle on that long 3rd down run…
I’m still mad at the Dallas game. Like if the offense had just 1 TD drive and ST didn’t give up a TD, they could have won the game.
reminds you of last year
It really is a shame that we cant enjoy guys who are playing at such a high
Level like Jenkins who along with Chip/Billy converting Thurmond to safety have managed to end the decade long safety drought putting an end to the curse of getting rid of Dawk..
..
Friggin Bennie and Cox are playing out of their minds. Teams are happy just to have a NT that can take up a double team, Bennie takes on double teams, splits them and still drops RBs in the backfield, and he was able to move to DE last week, play a lot of snaps and be just as impressive while
Bea stepped up and held down the NT spot for more snaps than we ever asked of him.
.
BG who last year began to show a gnack for forcing Fumbles started to build on that with his “lawn Mower” forced fumble against the skins
..
Nolan has had a solid first 4 games transition to starting outside corner
..
as someone that has no desire to ever see a rookie corner, Rowe has held up about as well we I could ever hope from a rookie corner, especially when he is getting thrown into a starting role after the first series when he didn’t go into the game practicing to start outside.. When the lights come on, Rowe seems to step up.. And what’s really impressive that guys like Malcolm have pointed to, he is getting Beaten early in routes and is able to stay calm and use his athleticism to recover and find a way to make the play at the end.. Once he grows as a corner and starts to actually win at the beginning of the route to combine with his play making and recovering ability, he could end up being scary good NFL corner for a long time.
..
Jordan hicks is a friggin godsend, who has basically become the
defensive version of Pope Mathews.
,
VInny just had one of his best games in terms of pressing the QB all day often bullrushing Lineman into the QBs lap as if they were David Molk.
..
We are getting a lot of great efforts on defense and we are really close to getting where we need to be as a defense.. Have to clean up the 3rd and long draws and screens, improve our disguise not allowing Qbs to get us to tip our intentions… I’d like to see us tighten up our technique for when we go 0 coverage and blitz the house on 3rd and long. We are still making small technical mistakes that are keeping us from executing the all out blitz effectively to where you force the QB to throw it right away for 6 yards on 3rd and 10 and see our physical corners make the tackle short of a first down.. With Rowe, Nolan, Maxwell, tHurmond and Jenkins all having some size and physicality to tackle well as corners, we have the personally to become a great at cover 0, blitz the hours like we were Under Jim Johnsom when he forced you to throw right away on 3rd and the corners made the tackle short of first down and get us off the
Field.. Still making some small mistakes stopping us from really being great at that, for example the corners should be about 7 yards off, and be on a completely flat foot read, so when the ball is snapped they need to stand still, not backup at all, remain flat footed ready to explode and make the tackle short of the first down, or be able to turn and run in case they try throwing it over top.. We aren’t talking about rocket science above our players level of intelligence.. A few really small things all around that we can clean up that would make the
Difference between a good Defense and great defense.
..
Another example is the two key runs we gave up on the last drive. BG is one of the strongest players on our team and him and Barwin for the most part have been studs at setting the edge and not letting the RB get outside them, on the second run, Tremt Williams beat BG, he lost contain and the runner got to the edge and gashed us on a key Play.. BG is better than that, he has set the edge well for years..but it was extremely costly last week. If BG sets that edge like he has consistently against great tackles like Tyrone and the Cowboys run game and Tremt and the skins who tried that stretch play to his side all day and get shut down til it killed us at the end..
..
So many minor mistakes, that our guys are fully capable of cleaning up, that are making a difference between winning and losing on Sunday.. They don’t call it “the game of inches” for nothing… Gotta clean it up NOW
defense is playing well considering they are on the field so much. But there’s no excused for not stopping skins 90yd drive to end the game (probably b/c we didn’t have many starters playing at that point).
Though i guess one could argue that even if we did stop them we’d have gone 3 and out and given he ball back.
The first and last drives of the game really ruined what would have been an excellent effort by the defense against Cousins who played a good game, especially when considering the real life factors that they had to overcome, like only having 4 of 7 defensive lineman, two backup ILBs, Rowe having to play the entire game outside,.
..
I know uneducated blowhards think we were dumb for
Not blitzing him every time, but Barwin went INTO detail about how much time they put into studying the opponent and How they saw that Cousins is actually better against the blitz because it’s a predetermined read. All he had to do is play with the cadence til he knows where the blitz is coming from and that gives him a predetermined pre snap read, eluding to when he tore up our blitz last year.. Thru study they concluded that Cousins struggles more when you
Drop guys into coverage and he has to scan the entire field and determine where to go with ball, so they felt that blitzing him would be playing to his strengths…, give the little shit his due, Vinny had his best pass rush percentage game, and we had him in our
Crosshairs a few key times and the little shithead stepped up and made some big throws,… But it’s a shame that a hard fought quality effort by a really banged up defense was wasted because of a bad first drive and a costly final drive…
Interesting considering we had 1 sack and the first game where he didn’t throw any picks. Makes you wonder if their theory was wrong.
[…] 1-3, there is still a full season to be played. Igglesblitz.com highlights that sometimes the most dominant teams in the beginning aren’t the […]
From top to bottom this has been a horrible start.. So many coaches and players have to be better than what they have shown so far, but for me, the way this fanbase and media is acting, is for more disgusting than the horrendous play we have seen this start this season.
..
There is plenty I think chip has to do much better than he has so far this year, but nothing is more despicable and disgusting to me than to see People who have worshipped at the Chip Kelly alter for two years, to behave the way they are after a rough September start., professional players shouldn’t be coddled, and this start absolutely deserves to be criticized because it flat out hasn’t been good ENOUGH across the board, but we have players who really do care, who are really taking this to heart like Kelce who hasn’t been good enough either,. We have a kid like Lane Johnson who played thu an MCL and sprained ankle without leaving the field last week, and is Now going into nthiw next game Completely banged up, yet it doesn’t even cross this kids mind to “Tap out”… I understand being down on this team for 24 hours after a horrible loss, but it’s September and we have a team of players who clearly do care, we should have thicker skin than to make life outside of Novacarr completely unbearable for these players for an entire week getting ready to go into an important game against a team as desperate as we are…. After the world was on their knees blowing chip, to see so many of those people ready to chase chip out of philly after a bad September is me
Disgusting than anything I have seen on the field this year.. It’s absolutely fair to be critical of bad performances, but we can still be critical while also supporting our team at such an important time Instead of adding to these players adversity….
..
Even tho chip has so far been able to have us contend for playoffs these past two years, and even tho chip absolutely lives in the Now and doesn’t want to talk about two years from now, if you look closely at what Chip and Lurie have told us, while we want to win now, this has ALWAYS been about BUILDING a Program, and we decided to have a rebuild on the fly year sort of like what Andy tried in 2010…, Going into last year, the Giants had an uncharacteristically busy offseason, bringing in 27 new players, and I remember talking about how even tho they added so much talent, it was going to take them time to gel 27 new players so I expected the Giants to have a “step back” year, and now a year later, it’s starting to click a little for that team.. So it was probably foolish for me to get carried away by the hype and think we would see this amazing starting point where we just blow the
Doors off teams to start this season even tho we basically had the same offseason this year that the Giants had last year and I knew the Giants would need to take a step backward while they give 27 new players time to Gel..
..
At some spots we still need to clearly add talent, but Even if we can upgrade 15 players right now, we still will need to be patient and give those 15 new players time to gel with this team, so IMO we WILL NEVER
Get where we want to be as a contender until we give this new roster time to gel which can ONLY happen by going thru the adversity of games and working week in and week out to overcome them: MORE than Anything (besides good health), we need the same damn players to get to play together for at least half a season.,. now that doesn’t mean we have to go 1-7 while these guys Gel, but holding this team each week to Bullshit college blowout standards where we can’t even enjoy a win unless it’s 53-6 blowout where we show no chink in the armor for 60 minutes is absurd.,, right now, we are in a dog fight! I don’t care how bad it looks, score more than 1 point more than the opponent each week and I’m THRILLED!!! Fuck the style points RIGHT NOW, whether it’s the Offense, defense or te ST needs to step up and play out of its mind again, whatever… But someone needs to step up and claw n scratch us to a win..
..
It’s No secret that this isn’t going to be a one week fix. Even if we have a great win against the saints, we still have about another Month of growing to go before we have any chance at gelling into a team we thought we would see, so while that happens, we need to find a way to stay in the playoff picture, because if we can get to the second half of the season, within a game or two of the division lead ( at the worst), I have NO DOUBT that sooner or later these talents players are going to come together, learn
To play together and come the second half of the
Season we will start to see some of that talented eagle team we thought we would see this year…, I really really believe in the talent level of this roster and the Charechter of this group, so My expectation is we will see a very different eagle team in the second half of the season, but when our problem is lack of continuity, we can’t get this turned around if some of these injuries don’t stop,.Guys need to play together a few weeks in a row, playing in the same scheme, lining up next to the Samr teammates and what freighters me is that we are so damn banged up right now, I feel like we will have to really claw and scratch to win enough to remain in the hunt, until we can get to the bye week and give guys a chance to really get their bodies right..
…
I’ll be at the Linc Sunday, there is no hope of our despicable blowhard
Media, but I hope to see a stadium Sunday full of 55,000 people that are ready to support this team and do its part to give us any home edge possible and stay In the game even if we have to endure a few rough spurts… Hopefully the Eagles make it easy on us and perform and show fight on Sunday..
..
it’s Wednesday, we have beaten on chip and these players from every angle enough for one week, time to turn this around and support this city in
Hopes we can find a way to score 1 more point than the saints this Sunday..
..
We have a legendary QB coming to Philly on Sunday leading a team just as desperate as we are.. It’s going to be a gritty battle, probably ugly at some points, and there are NO easy games for us at this current state of the team.. We need this bad!!!
Death, taxes, and GEAGLE complaining about fans and the media in 1500 word posts.
Get a life dude.
We get it, you do not like Geagle.
or is obsessed with Geagle
Amen. It’s just ridiculous.. If you can’t make your point in a few short paragraphs, it’s not worth posting
Still a football board… Let the kid post if he wants.
Didn’t say he shouldn’t be allowed to do it
Please allow Nailed it to tell you that you must allow GE to post what he wants.
I know, right
Come on guys, this year is far from over! We gotta stop all this lyin around shit! Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor!?
Seriously?
lol
sorry I’m high
You Europeans really think Americans are stupid, don’t you?
We do follow a sport run by supervillians which destroys the minds and bodies of our favorite athletes. So that’s dumb, I guess.
I hear you… We are 1 game away from first place and Dallas is about to play the Patriots and the skins have to deal with the Falcons and the skins are starting to lose key Players.. I’ll be shocked if Jordan Reed ever plays again, let alone if he even has a shot to be back before November. kids is dealing with like his 7th
Concussion, desean is still weeks away, Culliver is a hobbled CB on the field, I don’t know how a corner can get his legs healthy if he continues to play every Sunday, deangelo Hall is out.., Dashon Goldson lets Riley friggin Cooper get behind him and that Battered secondary will basically need to find a way to slow down Julio and A hungry Roddy, with a RB Devonte Freeman doing as much damage as any RB league wide.. hopefully the Falcons play to their potential and don’t have a let down game like the Bills did against the Giants..
..
The Eagles came into this season having made the most drastic changes in the division, like last years Giants team that added 27 new players, I think our division rivals so far are pissing away an opportunity to put us in a big hole early in the season.. Assuming injuries don’t murder us the rest of the entire season, this group is going to improve..,The concern is the NOW, we basically need to find a way to hang on and remain in striking distance of the division lead til we get to the damn bye week… Of course that won’t mean anything unless the injury rate starts to slow the fuck down a bit for us..
…
But If I’m the Giants, my entire focus is stepping on the Eagles throat NOW and putting more and more pressure on us., the Next 3 Eagles games are so damn important, we need to win at least 2 of these 3 games, and the one loss CAN NOT be the Giants game.. fortunately I feel like our defense matches up pretty well with the Giants and Cam Newton although he is playing at his highest level we have seen, but I really like how our defense matches up with those offenses and with the OL so banged up, The Defense and ST need to go into these next 3 games expecting to play at a high level and get this Offense to the bye week where lineman can rest up, or get whatever backup needs to play really up to speed…
..
These next 3 games are huge, and it’s going to have to start with this defense. With the exception of the first and last defensive drives of the skins game, I was proud of how our defense stepped up and for the most part was able to overcome being short Thornton, Hart, Bair, basically 3 of our 7 DlIneman out, rookie Rowe playing the entire game outside, and a other week with what should be our two backup ILBs.,.. If the defense makes that last drive stop winning us the game, it would have been pretty damn impressive for a team dealing with so many key injuries on defense.. It’s one thing to know a guy isn’t going to be available on Sunday at least you can try to get someone else ready, it’s REALLY going to put you in a bind when 3 guys you are expecting to start, who have prepared to start, are lost at the beginning of the game, and it’s a shame the defense couldn’t hang on because they were on their way to an impressive Herculean effort considering what they were being asked to overcome.. I really do feel good about the talent on defense and hopefully they can rebound and keep this team a float til we get to the bye week and tfe offense can get some of their issues taken care of..
..
I so looked forward to revenge against the saints at the beginning of the season, but at 1-3, seeing a desperate 1-3 saints team coming into town is pretty friggin scary to me. It might be an ugly game but it should be a physical, nasty dog fight.. In 2013 we were in this same exact position, 1-3,.. And THIS was the week they started to turn it around. Can’t keep on counting on the division to suck, we REALLY NEED to win this game, and BEAT the Giants.. If we can pull that off, as banged up as we are, overcoming such adversity could do wonders for the gelling process…
Toga Party?? Toga party!
Toga party? I’m shitting my pants going into this week, wearing a White toga is way too risky for my current bowl situation when we are at risk to drop to a 1-4 abyss
raise your hand if you read all of this
What this situation calls for is a really futile effort.
Toga Toga Toga!
Everyone thought Chip was brain dead…
Flounder? Why Flounder?
*burps*
Why Not?
Chip when telling Lurie he wanted GM power, probably
And we’re just the ones to do it.
One of my favorite responses from this blog:
I made that joke a few years ago and German Eagle, fairly new to the community, took offense. Something along the lines of, “We Germans can be blamed for a lot of shit, but that wasn’t us.”
Ha, a few people below me did not get the reference.
Yeah, well, was that Mickey Mouse I saw blitzkrieging across France?
A positive sign, one of the few right now is that there is NO shortage of local media at Novavare each day that aren’t holding back and completely ripping Chip and this team a new one.. Think it’s fair to say, they aren’t taking it easy on chip at all, the team is under fire, yet even tho these media members have their claws out right now, I have still heard a few of them, when asked if Chip is losing the locker room or if the team is starting to fracture, media members who have pulled no punches have all responded: Absolutely not and report that this team really is still completely United and that’s critical if we want to have any chance at overcoming this..
.,
Coaches like Bellichick have used situations like this to take a “us against the world stance” that has united some of those teams and helped them get things turned around.. I have No idea if chip believes in this as a similar motivational tool., I have no idea what chips style is. Some coaches will show their team and epic boxing fight to try and motivate their teams going into a game, some coaches will have the video guy make highlight videos of every single negative word said about them, and use the “we’ll show them” as a motivational tool.. Some coaches pass out motivational sayings or passages from anything From the bible to makieveli or tHe art of war..
..
I have no idea what chips motivational style is, it’s something I haven’t seen our media uncover and write much about…but one thing I noticed is the last time the Eagles were under this type of fire from every national blowhard taking their cheap shots now at us, to the local media and Fans being so agitated, was going into the Jets game, and this team left early, got away from philly,’practiced at Monmouth and we responded with by far our best game (only win) and the banged up OL didn’t have a lucky day against some scrubs, they came together, stepped up an had their best effort against MOMSTER tandem of Wilkerson and Leonard dub…. The joy of the jets win lasted one week, and now we are facing a scary 1-3 start and to make matters worse we are ravaged by injuries… Going Into this game is scary like it was going into the jets game playing to avoid an 0-3 start.., we responded to that adversity, I sure as hell hope we can come together and do it again on Sunday but it damn sure isn’t going to be easy against another desperate team, and in our current state, there are NO easy games that we should take a win for granted,. Scary times as an eagle fan… There is NO WORSE position to be in as a fan of any sport than when the Eagles season is over by Halloween, and we have some very good players on this team that experienced that feeling a few years back in 2012… Is Bennie Logan, Thornton, Meco, Cox going to let the
Team that eliminated them from the playoffs and had every fool calling to draft Logan’s replacement, who pissed away key Eagles jEnkins and Sproles, is that the team we will allow to walk into our house again Sunday and rip our hearts out and completely embarrass us? As men, I sure as hell hope they do whatever it takes to stop the saints
From hurting us so badly AGAIN!!
execute or be executed
Amen.
LJ at left tackle? natural progression of things?
I hope not…that wouldn’t add to the continuity we are lacking. Lane has already been asked to play next to 3 different right guard in 4 games, I’d rather NOT now ask him to go play on the left side next to Barber who is the one guard he hasnt practiced next to all summer,. Also if Lane has to play LT it probably means JP can’t go, and I don’t see why I would ever root for that scenario… And when Lane has a sprain MCL and ankle, why go thru this drastic change if aren’t even sure Lane will be able to remain on the field til we get to the bye week.,
.,
ideally, JP and Lane take a Monster dose of the best pain killers and hopefully the adrenaline of going into a game with our backs against the
Wall is enough to help both Lane and JP endure an entire game at their
Normal spots..,
,.
JP has been playing thru injury since week 1, I’m not ready to assume that will be the beginning of a quick decline after how well he played last year… Better hope this isn’t the beginning of the end for JP.. God forbid, that’s the last thing we need to deal with now..
..
I think the single best thing we can do is stay the
Course…drill the shit out of fundamentals til it starts to turn…
I hear you brother. Not a fan of players assuming new roles unless ABSOLUTELY necessary. With a little luck (if we have any this year) they all play their normal positions.
Fortunately Barbre practices in full… Would be awesome if we can keep both lane and JP on the field Playing at a reasonable level til the bye week.. We responded when our backs were against the wall and got the run going against the jets.. Hopefully we can pull it off again fighting to avoid a 1-4 start against an average at best saints defense
[…] 1-3, there is still a full season to be played. Igglesblitz.com highlights that sometimes the most dominant teams in the beginning aren’t the […]
https://twitter.com/RoobCSN/status/651814338320330752
cant argue
Lane Johnson, best quote on the Eagles right now!
Duh. Get er’ done for a change guys.
Hey QQ – lend Sammy some of your butt. You have enough spare to speak out of yours.
Can this team even beat the BYE week? Jokes aside..I feel like we’ll beat the Saints.
Me too.
When i’m hopeless with the eagles I always come here to read some of your articles to regain my optimism, Tommy. Thank you!
Best regards from Brazil!!