Big Step Forward
Posted: November 9th, 2015 | Author: Tommy Lawlor | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | 294 Comments »What comes first, the chicken or the egg?
Think about some of the big plays from Sunday night. DeMarco Murray caught a pass on a wheel route and turned that into a gain of 44. Zach Ertz made a terrific catch down the right side that gained 27 yards and set up a FG. You may also remember a play in overtime where Jordan Matthews caught a pass over the middle and raced 41 yards for the winning TD.
Did Sam Bradford do something differently?
Or did his receivers just finally start making plays?
It doesn’t really matter what happened, only that the Eagles passing game came alive. There were 6 pass plays of at least 27 yards. Jordan Matthews had 3 of those plays. Finally, a game where a WR made several big plays. Riley Cooper and Miles Austin delivered long TDs vs the Skins. Josh Huff had some good plays in the win over the Saints. But Matthews was 9-133-1, the best game by an Eagles WR all year long.
Matthews has battled drops all year, but caught the ball well on Sunday night. He went up against Byron Jones, the Cowboys standout rookie DB, most of the game and got the best of him most of the time. Jones did break up a short pass in the end zone and that was a very impressive play. Not only did Matthews catch the ball, but he added RAC yards. He was fast, elusive and tough. Matthews doesn’t go down on first contact. He will break arm tackles and force you to get him down. Dallas failed to do that on the overtime play and that won the game.
Bradford has had his issues this year. But he needs help. He needs receivers to quit dropping passes and he needs them to start making plays. Both things happened last night and the results were fantastic.
Bradford didn’t throw any INTs. He generally made good decisions. That was probably his best game in terms of accuracy. He had good pocket presence. Even on the winning TD, he threw the ball just a moment before getting hit. There were several plays where I yelled “Throw it!” as a defender was closing in on him. Sam did that each time and it resulted in some key plays. Since I’m a team guy, I won’t take credit for that. I’ll let Sam have it.
Nobody is putting Bradford in the Hall of Fame just yet. He played well against Dallas, but is still 28th in the league in QB rating. He’s got to play even better if the Eagles want this to end up a successful season. Last night was a good performance. The Eagles had a makeshift OL. They were on the road. They were without a couple of key WRs. The offense still put up good numbers and made key plays. Bradford and his pass catchers were a huge part of that.
Let’s hope they build off this.
The Eagles need Agholor, Huff, Cooper and Austin to make more plays. This offense can’t be RB-TE-slot and put up big numbers on a consistent basis. The WRs have to step up. Maybe the big game from Jordan Matthews will prove to be a spark.
*****
The offense had TD drives of 80, 95 and 90 yards. They had a 67-yard drive for a FG. Another FG drive went 45 yards. There were no short fields.
That’s impressive.
*****
A hero I failed to acknowledge last night is Caleb Sturgis.
He hit all 3 of his extra points. He hit a chip shot 31-yard FG. His greatest moment as an Eagle came when he nailed a 53-yard FG at the 1:51 mark. That was one clutch kick.
Even more impressive, Chip Kelly said after the game that there was a bit of win on that side of the field.
*****
A lot of people have tried to write-off the Eagles offense. The NFL solved Chip Kelly. They don’t have the right players. They haven’t drafted an OL since 1978. And on and on.
Since Week 3, the Eagles have rushed 192 times for 903 yards (4.8 average).
— Brandon Lee Gowton (@BrandonGowton) November 9, 2015
In 3 of last 4 games, Eagles have had 150+ rush yds & 250+ passing yds. Only once have they had more such games in an entire season [1953].
— Reuben Frank (@RoobCSN) November 9, 2015
There are still issues to be fixed, but the offense isn’t nearly as bad as some try to make it out to be. The running game has really come alive. The passing game is showing real signs of life.
Lots of reasons for optimism.
_
In my mind, the biggest key is that the offense moves the ball regardless of who’s playing on the OL. That’s a great sign. Reminds me of the early AR years where Juan would find some no-name guy (Artis Hicks, Jamaal Jackson) and dominate.
Brandon Graham learning the ragdoll rip is the perfect counter to his bullrush.
Loved that Collinsworth was like. “Best LT in the game.” Then boom, Graham smokes him for 2(?) sacks.
Yup, 2 strip sacks. The game would have been hugely different had we recovered either of those. Good game from #55 outside of the bonehead taunting penalty.
Yeah, did all of that happen in one drive? Graham had a nice play right after the taunt, but I forget what it was. And I think that drive began with a strip sack near their endzone.
I’m fairly certain the taunting and at least one of thos came pretty much back to back.
He tackled McFadden in the backfield for a loss right after the taunting penalty.
ah yes, thanks
Does Kelly look better at RT than RG?
Yes. Leverage due to his height less of an issue. Also more time to diagnose, and cleaner lines of sight. He’s always been a bit awkward at G.
He doesn’t have great T feet, but he’s really long, so as long as he get’s his angles right and you give him some help he can be solid out there in spurts.
Thanks
Clearly
Great win and great to see the offense start to click and make plays when the game was on the line. Hicks is prooving to be a real surprise as a rookie, and has been clutch filling in as our other three lb’s have been injured at one point or another. Going to savor this one today….
Huge win and I agree the players who we needed to play better did so: Bradford, Matthews, Murray, the OL, Ertz, Graham, Kendricks etc. Great signs. Hopefully, this buries Dallas and we go on a run to reel in the Giants. Games vs Miami, TB and Detroit have to be wins before we run the gauntlet of NE, BUF and ARZ.
Chip and the offense still need to figure out why they start so slow and why it seems they need halftime adjustments before they can produce consistently. They need to get that first 1st down and build from there. The defense still needs to get more QB pressure and get off the field on 3rd down. They made Cassel look much better than he is and the little slot WR on the Cowboys made the coverage look really bad. They continue to get burned across the middle and give free releases to the inside.
If I had to take a completely uneducated guess as to why they start slow It’s because since their offense is so simplistic, they rely on their opponents becoming fatigued in order to drive the ball downfield. The players are too fresh in the first quarter for it to make that big a difference.
Dallas wasn’t suddenly confused by Kelly’s play calls. They just didn’t have the legs or lungs to keep pace as the game carried on.
I think you could be onto something there, but whatever the reasons, Chip needs to figure it out and adjust. Our schedule is soft in the immediate future, but even mediocre/bad teams can cause problems if your offense cannot score and puts their defense on the field for nearly 40 mins every game. Against the Pats and Cards, we’ll definitely need to be much more consistent throughout the game. If we get behind in those games, it will be very difficult to come back.
Agreed. A ‘3 and out’ to start the game against Pats and Cards will be hard to overcome as it’ll probably mean we’re playing from behind.
Nor Sean Lee, later in the game. Carolina had Kuechly all game long though.
pessimists gonna pessimize but this was a great game. we still need to fix lots of things, but this team has the potential to get hot down the stretch.
Definitely, this might be the first game this season where both teams seem to play well and played hard. The only unit on the field that sucked was the refs.
This is overkill in the other direction though. It is a game the Eagles had to win if they wanted to keep their season relevant. They did and now have 3 upcoming games that are all winnable.
Kelly talks about focusing only on each week but even I think he knows this is a mediocre club that is going to struggle to win each week even against weaker teams.
it’s overkill to say that the team has the potential to get hot?
I’m amazed by the amount of complaining on the radio right now. Great win last night. Team is not perfect but let’s not be crazy.
I’m not surprised. Again, the fan base wants to win a SB and was sold visions that Chip was finally the guy who could make that dream a reality by the media and organization (to a lesser extent than the media).
Most fans see progress as linear, each game, each victory, each season builds on the last and eventually we are a legit contender for the title and win it. Most forget that each game and season are ultimately distinct and that most teams gel as the season goes on and should be better/more cohesive down the stretch than they were at the beginning. They forget how important health and luck are in determining a season’s success. They forget that the NFL is built on parity and a hard salary cap.
They saw 10-6 the first season which was unexpected and raised the bar even higher.
Last year was another 10-6 season, but the team was flawed and Chip was given carte blanche to overhaul the roster to align it better with his program. Chip demanded that power and Lurie gave it to him. The media and most fans were on board.
This season is viewed by most as a major dissappointment so far – we are 4-4 and have played some of the worst football I’ve seen from an Eagles squad in 15-20 years. Most of Chip’s moves have not panned out or shown only small flashes of success so far.
The linear progress folks see movement in the wrong direction; instead of moving up we seem to be lower down on the ladder.
The media has done an about face on Chip, claiming all along they had their doubts and knew his system would only work to a certain extent in the NFL when most understand they were touting Chip as a genius, guru and wizard all wrapped into one.
Good victories, especially against 2-5 teams who we had to go into OT to beat, are not enough to turn the tide of skepticism. Only a playoff berth will start to do that and a playoff win would knock it down IMO. That is the bar and it has been that way since before the season began.
Other people seem to say that too about the Eagles playing the worst football and seem to have collective amnesia. This is a mediocre team that is flawed in several aspects but there have been several other Eagles’ teams since ’05 that fit that same description too.
You can’t win a super bowl unless you are playing in the super bowl. You can’t play in the super bowl if you do not make the playoffs. You can’t make the playoffs unless you win games in the regular season, which we did yesterday.
Playing a perfect game now does not guarantee anything. We played a flawless game against Dallas on Thanksgiving last year and then lost three straight and didn’t make the playoffs.
I think we complain when we win and rationalize when we lose.
the most positive days come after losses and the worst days are after wins.
Great to see the run game come alive, starting to really gain some confidence with the change of pace whenever our 3 RBs enter the game, especially Ryan Mathews
Jordan Hicks is a beast!..enough said
Keeping the interior of the line together was the right move. That GCG combo is so important on the combo blocks and passing off stunts/twists. Also Dennis Kelly showed he’s a good backup. I don’t know if I want him out there for a full 16 but it’s nice to know he can be called on to start in spots.
Yeah, Dennis Kelly played his butt off yesterday in a situation where he could have been the single point of failure. It was also nice to Lane Johnson play well at left tackle. That bodes well for the offensive line rebuild that is going to need to happen starting this offseason.
Side note: Bradford has officially played half the season, so the Eagles will receive no draft picks from the Rams.
Things that surprised me:
– Figured the scoring would increase in the 2nd half as the defenses tired a bit but I was surprised how quickly things moved for both offenses in the 4th qtr.
– Sturgis making that 53-yard FG. Figure was at best 50% odds to make that and probably closer to 40%. I thought the Eagles were going to win this game going but that the Boys would win late once it was tied up 21-21 largely because of Sturgis. Kept the Eagles’ season relevant or at least for a few more weeks.
– Murray late in the 2nd half and in OT. He got his legs stretched out twice on the sideline and he wasn’t 100%. Thought he ran timidly a bit in the 1st half but that notably changed in the 2nd half and especially OT. He was hitting tacklers, popping right back up, and much more energetic and decisive in his body language. Been looking for that version of Murray almost all season.
– How little respect the Boys have for Maxwell. He was targeted early and often in the 1st matchup by the Boys with some nice results. They repeatedly went at him late in the 4th qtr even though Bryant was having trouble even getting back to the line of the scrimmage.
The PI calls on Maxwell in the last drive were horse shit. Ticky-tack calls at best. I thought he played well overall and I thought Carroll also calmed down after the first couple of completions on him.
Also while I like Jenkins overall, he did not have a good game last night.
Repeatedly putting him on Beasley thought was a matchup failure. It’s hard to blame a player when he gets placed in a situation or matchup where he is likely to struggle or perform poorly.
The calls were ticky-tacky calls that could have gone either way but Maxwell was still grabbing/clutching a lot too.
Jenkins was put in a bad situation, absolutely, but he just did not look good. He also had some issues tackling.
There was a lot of contact between both players on those penalties, but I think the refs need to let that slide if its not egregious. Calling Jenkins for tackling Witten was necessary.
Malcom tacking Witten after those egregious DPI calls was a welcome moment of comic relief. I was just chuckling saying to myself, “Welp, if they’re gonna call everything like that, might as well do it 100%”. Kinda felt like Jenkins was trying to make a point to the refs.
He did that on purpose, every DB should have tackled their man. Gives them no shot at the TD. Still takes 5 seconds off the clock and maximum 5 yard penalty. Awesome heads up play by Jenkins.
Exactly great moment of situational football meets game theory.
but the difference between say a 57 yarder and 52 yarder is huge.
49 v. 44
Bailey made a 44 yarder, so its the difference between that and a 49 yarder. Worth the 0 risk of a TD IMO
ok thanks. not sure what the odds are but that’s much different than 57 v. 52. Prob not bad to just tackle everyone.
yeah that was something I’ve never seen before
Edelman is going to wreck us so damn bad when we play the Patriots lol. I’ve written that game off.
it’s going to be ugly. Boy would I like to win that game.
same here, but I’m pretty sure that would use up the rest of our mojo. Like that incredible win against the Giants in 2010. Used up the rest of 2010, 11, and 12’s mojo for that damn win.
In retrospect, totally worth it.
When we kick their ass, I want someone to “photochop” this picture.
https://twitter.com/PeteBlackburn/status/562990671104315393/photo/1?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Last night felt like a L for so long. I kept waiting for the other foot to drop. Luck was against us last night, and we still kicked his ass. BG two sack FF, both of which the offense got back very luckily. The refs were really sticking it to us. MK hold, every call against Max, cept maybe one. The lack of noticing the illegal formation in the 4th quarter that let Dallas tie the game (oh btw they also made one of those terrible PI calls against us that play). Baily dinks a FG in. A guy NAMED LUCKY has the best KOR against us in a million years. The Matt Cassle play that could of easily been a sack, and then should of easily been an INT, but turned into a TD.
In a game where it just felt like everything was going the wrong way, the team just stuck with it, against a team that had their back against the wall, and won. It wasn’t pretty but it was impressive.
The offense still didn’t have the greatest showing. Pretty late in the 4th they had only scored 17 points of offense. The defense really is the reason the team wins. There are problems to fix, but this is a great win to build on.
I was shocked we overcame 2 penalties on that overtime drive. Penalties have been killing us, they have been reliably killing drived for us all season. Seems like I can count on one hand the amount of times we converted a first down after suffering a penalty. To do it twice in one drive was clutch, and a 4th down conversion!
It looked like a combination of things to me. With the exception of a few shaky throws, Bradford did look a lot better. And the receivers certainly made more plays. Here’s hoping this is the start of a genuine upward trend and not just another peak in the peaks-and-valleys pattern we’ve seen so far this season.
How many times did the Eagles use a 2 TE set again last night? It seemed like a fair amount again especially after Cooper went out.
Excited to see what Ags can do now that the run game is working, amazing how a strong run game opens up the pass. He hasnt been healthy in games where the run started to really push us downfield consistently. I’m looking at him to start showing up on the regular now, and I will give him a pass for the first few games.
That wheel route that Sam threw to Murray was nice. Those are the throws we were hoping to be more the norm than the exception. We’ve started seeing a few very nice throws for a few games now. He seems to be playing much better. These drops are still killing us. The one that Huff dropped, rather set up like a volleyball, could have been a real killer.
Notice he didn’t get targeted again? Sad to have to just totally go away from guys… but I don’t blame them.
man he sure can block though lol (snark aside he did have a nice downfield block keeping a guy from stopping Jordan Matthews short of the TD)
I honestly think that’s the only reason he stays on the field. He’s unreliable at best as a receiver.
He does very nice things when he actually catches.
I like Huff. Just like Mattews, if he could catch he could really contribute.
same, it bothers me they don’t let him contribute on the KR’s unless he absolutely has to on a short kick.
The thing I noticed watching it this morning was the only “bad” throw was the out route to matthews in the end zone that Jones broke up. And even that wasn’t awful but more, not preferred placement (he was booting to the right, it’s a tough throw)
I think Matthews is to blame as well. He flattened that route out and allowed it to be under cut. He had no one behind him and could have rounded the route deeper into the endzone to give a better throwing angle
Ehhh. He doesn’t know that presnap. And the goal on that route is to get as much lateral seperation as quick as possible. If the ball is thrown a tick early or leads him just a bit more it’s an easy TD.
Its just a part of route running. Like find a spot to sit in the zone or breaking off a route. I’m nit picking, but Miles Austin made the same mistake in an earlier game and Sam was picked off.
Leading was my thought. As you said not a horrible throw but if he leads him more it’s a possible touchdown. Jones was fully laid out to knock that one down.
Did we “miss” with Jones? Agholor has not been able to produce much (yes, he has been hurt) so far, but I’ve seen things I like from Jones.
I know it’s early yet for both of them but early returns show Jones as more productive…even though Matthews beat him on that game winning TD.
I was a big fan of Jones predraft. I wanted Dupree or Jones at 20.
In the long run though Agholor should emerge as a good WR, and Rowe should be a solid starting CB2, so we should be ok.
Good points, thanks. Is Rowe getting any non ST snaps? I saw him early in the season getting some time but haven’t noticed him out there.
Not the end of the world that he (Rowe) hasn’t seen the field much but, that position really needs On The Job Training to increase effectiveness. (don’t they all?)
Lito Shepherd and Sheldon Brown come to mind.
He’s gotten 109 snaps this season. So he’s gotten his beak wet. DBs take a long time to develop. I’m not too worried. He’s gotten some experience and will have a year in the system. I would prefer to resign Nolan Carrol but if not I feel comfortable penciling Rowe in as a starter next year.
I saw that, put a little touch on that and it should be an easy TD (gives Jordan a shot at a devastating drop though)
18/11/5 seemed to work quite nicely and it seems like Kelly is sticking to ~20 carries for Murray; ~10 carries for Matthews; and ~5 carries for Sproles per game.
Stuck to that since the Saints game and it seems to work for this offense with Matthews averaging ~6 yds/carry and Sproles/Murray at ~4 yds/carry since then.
Imagine Kelly will stick with that along with the 2 TE sets he has been using more as long as running game remains so productive and the Eagles have the issues they do at WR.
Guess we shouldn’t be surprised anymore that divisional games against backup QBs are tough. Crazy night, lots of bad luck but still won.
One note on the Reuben Frank stat: No team has ever played at this pace in the NFL, so volume stats will be inflated. So the yardage is not impressive, IMO. However, I’ll take 4.8 y/c.
So because of the pace they play the stats are not impressive? Cmon guy that’s ridiculous.The Patriots play at fast pace as well so should everyone discount the numbers they put up?
LOL it hasn’t even been 24 hours and people are already picking paint off the win
I know there’s always those few that are never satisfied but this guy is constantly preaching advanced analytics and nit picking things about the team but some things are just ludicrous.
TD, I like you, but your logic is just… damn.
Cho for the most part I enjoy your posts but discrediting the Eagles for the pace of play is a little too much man.
Yeah, but if they aren’t getting first downs, then they can run all the volume they want; they still only get 3 plays. Greater volume is at least indicative of getting 1st downs and breaking runs into the secondary.
Looks like we’re 15th in the L for 3 and outs. http://www.sportingcharts.com/nfl/stats/three-and-out-percentage/2015/
And they were probably worse off with 3 and outs before last night. They’ve certainly improved on 3 and outs since wk 2.
What I mean is that it inflates it, but not to an absurd degree. It’s like football outsiders says, “winning teams run the ball, not running teams win.” It’s a cause vs correlation mistake, and I’m arguing that our rise in volume yards at least correlates to better play at least somewhat.
Running stats on good teams are often inflated in general because they run to eat clock when they have a lead, and they run late when teams are exhausted.
YPC is a better stat, and it’s good to see that reflecting our play, but volume yards isn’t worthless.
I know what you’re saying. It’s just that raw yardage is too often used as a surrogate for performance and–as you know–it’s more complicated than that. They do seem to be playing better on O as a team, just haven’t really put it together.
They definitely have not put it together, especially not in the first qtr.
I know they’re committed to DeMarco as the starter, but I wish they would give the first series to Matthews. They can still give Murray the lions share, but if they could just hurt the D on the first possession, then that takes some pressure off Bradford.
In general, agreed — per game stats are harder to relate to the rest of the league; it’s better to go per play or per drive.
But… if it’s something this offense hasn’t done the two previous years under Kelly as well, then it could well be something telling.
Some pace adjusted stats:
Offensively:
5.3 Yards per Play (22nd)
ARI best with 6.7
Median is 5.5
49ers worst with 4.8
Defensively:
We are allowing 5.3 YPP (9th)
DEN best with 4.2 (nobody else below 4.8)
Median is 5.55
SAINTS worst at 6.5
We are 15th in YPP differential.
Last 4 games offensively:
DAL: 6.4 ypp
CAR: 4.3 ypp
NYG: 5.6 ypp
NO: 6.6 ypp
So actually last night even from a pace adjusted standpoint was good for the offense.
Good stuff, man.
The dallas stat matches up with all those bog explosive plays we had in the game…more snaps increases our potential for those plays…
Is it me or has Kendricks played poorly since he has come back especially in coverage?
it’s not you, he stinks. i think he’s been even worse in the run game, maybe it’s the hamstring. There was a play early in the game where the Cowboys ran Mcfadden to the left side and Kendricks shot right through the hole and should have made a tackle in the backfield, but instead he just froze and let Mcfadden run around him, it was pretty bad
I thought he was better in the 2nd half. More decisive when diagnosing the plays.
The refs had a bad night all around. We all noticed the bad calls against the Eagles, but there was a play in the first where Maxwell lined up wayyyy in the neutral zone in tight slot left. That slot receiver went in motion and Maxwell followed. Somebody else motioned to slot left, and the DB on *him* lined up wayyyyy in the neutral zone. No call.
What surprised me is how they made some calls so quickly that were bad ones (Mathews fumble that was overruled) or their delays/hesitation at making others.
Even Michaels made 2 underhanded comments about the penalties called in the 2nd half including that hold on Kendricks when Collingsworth mentioned it being a penalty and Michaels stated in a deadpan fashion ‘or not.’
The Mathews non-fumble was probably the right call to make on the field. None of the refs had seen what happened, so send it to the replays. But that’s only the right call because of their intial screw up–It’s kind of unforgivable for none of them to have seen it.
Can’t say enough about that Sturgis kick – that was the key play of the game in my opinion.
I thought it was a bad move by Chip at the time and was going to cost us the game (by giving Dallas good field position after what I assumed would be a miss).
He’s still Caleb Sturgis, but for one night he was David Akers in my book.
There was the final TD, the long FG, and Romo not in pads, but there are few sights of fall splendor in Chipland better than “(9:49 – 2nd Quarter) Timeout #2 by DAL at 09:49” after eight straight no huddle plays – gold from the mad scientist’s smithy.
I think that was around the point we were treated to an image of Greg Hardy hunched over and gasping for breath. That was kind of awesome.
If we could play O in the first quarter the cumulative effect on the opposing D in the 2nd half could really be something. I’m sure that is what Chip is aiming for, I just hope one day I see it.
That was like rare and refreshing fruit!
Then player after player stayed down after each play. I’m worried that Chip’s knacker them out strategy can be a little negated by players feigning injuries all the time.
“Why couldn’t the Cowboys make a defensive play?”
Bob Sturm, Dallas Morning News: “To me
there are a couple things. Tonight, the longer the game went on, the
more gassed they looked. They looked exhausted. That’s where the gap
integrity on the Philadelphia run plays got compromised, especially
around the right edge. Once that started becoming a problem, the Cowboys
tried to cheat against the run and guys got loose in the secondary.”
That’s how the blueprint was supposed to play out.
Even though Murray finally played a really good game, it still looks like Mathews is the better back right now. I don’t think there any chance at this point that Mathews is going to get substantially more touches, but I’m wondering about whether he could “start.” The dude just seems to get a few extra yards every play, whether running around the edge or straight up the middle, with his power and size. Could be key for getting those crucial first downs early in the game and preventing three and outs.
The one thing I was hoping with Kelly is that he wouldn’t bang his head against the wall over and over. He’s adjusted somewhat this season — the 2 TE set is a good example. But he really needs to be more flexible about how he’s opening up the game.
Murray also had 78 yards receiving. Mathews had a bad drop during the game. I think some of Mathews success comes from being a different back than Murray. Two different running styles, and I think he hits the edge better than Murray.
Mathew’s change of direction and short burst really help set him apart in talent and buy him space on the field. I think Murray looks healthier (and therefore better) now, and I appreciate having both backs.
Is anyone expecting us to lose any of the next 3 games? I sure dont. These next three games are going to be winnable and we will be favored. I dont see the Eagles being able to afford to lose the next 3. I know you take it one week at a time, but man I hope they hit a stride here mid season.
Lets keep kicking ass in the run game that is our bread n’ butter.
Right now I don’t expect to win any game. I’m going into every week just strapped in for the ride.
Yup, I absolutely expect sloppily-played dogfights against Miami and Tampa Bay – especially in the first halves, and especially if Bradford starts throwing it to the other team again.
I go into every game expecting the them to play like ish for the 1st quarter. That way, I’m never disappointed. It’s the “Heart Healthy Eagles Fan” approach.
I think we could drop one. I would call us favorites in all three, but Blaine Gabbert just beat the friggin Falcons yesterday. The NFL is weird.
-DET is a short week, those always are weird
-Bucs aren’t great but a sloppy game and it could get hairy
-I would put Miami in the talented but flawed camp. On their day they can beat anybody, they just seem to be having alot of bad days
In the end though I don’t see either the Giants or Eagles being able to open more than a 1 game lead on the other headed into week 17 for all the marbles. (Fortunately I think we’re a little better off right now on tie breakers)
FWIW Gabbert didn’t surprise everyone, I bet some good money on the 49ers to WIN as 3:1 underdogs. Gabbert is a better QB than Kaepernick.
“Gabbert is a better QB than Kaepernick” said no one ever lol. That is a bold statement there Sean. I know Kaepernick has been terrible this year but don’t let one good Gabbert game make you forget about how truly horrible he has been in his career which basically has been him being the worst QB in the NFL.
He was picked very highly for a reason. He has all the tools that Kaepernick has, but was stuck on a dreadful Jags team.
Kaepernick will always have a 1 second handicap against coverage because he telegraphs all of his throws with a baseball pitcher windup.
I get what you’re saying Sean but lets also not forget how many QBs were drafted high that were outright busts. Gabbert was a reach in the 1st place by a bad team with bad decision makers. He was good in college but there is nothing special about Gabbert at all. I am fully aware of Kaepernick’s deficiencies but for all his faults he is still a better QB then Gabbert, and that isn’t saying much.
I understand what you’re saying about high first picks, but he was not considered a reach at the time. He is extremely athletic and was viewed as a great passer with a strong arm. His 40 time was less than .1 seconds slower than Kaepernick’s.
Also, Kaepernick has baby hands, hence his fumble history.
Hm. So you’re saying he’s kind of like Bradford?
god that’s going to be a stressful week 17.
I love it but hate it.
I love it, as long as we win in the end.
Not being a team that wins Superbowls, few games are more memorable than ones like that.
Odi et amo. quare id faciam, fortasse requiris?
nescio, sed fieri sentio et excrucior.
exactly.
Obstinata mente perfer obdura.
One mental mistake that bothered me that I haven’t seen mentioned yet. On the Eagles’ field goal drive late in the 4th quarter, Murray and Matthews both scurried out of bounds after decent pick-ups stopping the clock – and it looked like they were deliberately doing so. Each team had their full complement of timeouts and there will nearly three minutes left – time wasn’t going to be an issue on the Eagles’ drive, but we were in a position to make it a grave issue on Dallas’ drive. Instead, we kick the field goal and they get the ball with two timeouts and about 1:45 left, and it felt like a certainty that they would equalize, or even win on a touchdown.
I agree that’s a ton of time in this offense, I think they just thought they needed to conserve time before it was true.
Dallas was down a timeout. Murray’s play came deep in the Eagles’ end, and I won’t fault him for that — conserving time is still a good idea there. But in retrospect, after that really big gain, I do wish Matthews had stayed in bounds — that play changed the situation a lot as it was a much shorter field afterwards. If he had stayed in, the Eagles could have let the clock get to the 2-minute warning with all 3 timeouts still left, and tried to take more clock out while having a breather to prepare some plays.
Yeah that bothered me some too.
LOL – I love when Heath Evans gets mad at the Eagles winning.
The way that guy trolls Eagles fans to stay relevant is comical. He is horrible. By the way he had us losing this game. Of course he did. When he was doing rest of the season expectations everyone else on set was actually laughing at him. It really is just a bad job of trolling. Unfortunately it works and get him attention that keeps him employed.
I actually really liked him as a player too..
I’m sure its been said already, but man I was happy for Matthews for having such a great game, and the game winner, that guy puts in the work and deserved to have a big game when we needed it. he was clutch when we need it most.
Bradford played well, also happy for Murray for going into to dallas and sticking it to them.
and man Hicks?
I hope he is ok, that guy is insane!
Is it weird that I was glad that they made that fg to tie the game? I wanted us to win the game on offense, not on a lucky missed fg. Obviously I would have felt stupid if we ended up losing but this win felt so much better the way it ended than if we had won on a missed f
Luck is surely not a reason why we won. That FG made sure of it.
I don’t think winning on a missed FG is a lucky win
Dallas’ kicker has been so automatic I didn’t even watch the kick. When I heard the clang… But of course it kicks in.
Real close to being blocked by Jenkins, that would’ve been nice and not luck.
I’m in a good mood today. We beat the Cowboys on their turf when they needed this win to keep their season alive.
Lots of good things on the offensive side of the ball. Felt CK was a bit conservative in the 1st half, and didn’t understand calling a timeout to punt the ball with 4 seconds left in the half.
Refs were terrible last night, and I felt bad for Maxwell. He played well last night and they marred what would have been a great game for him with two really bad pass int calls on that last drive. I swear every time we play the Cowboys, Dean Blandino is scheming to help them win.
Felt Jenkins could have had a better game, he got toasted by Beasley all night.
Anyways enjoy it for the day, because every game is a big game until the end of the year. Miami up this week.
I give Jenkins a pass. It seems as if they said, “Witten, McFadden, Bryant? Okay, let’s make Beasley beat us.” He did, and then they adjusted. I think Jenkins was knowingly put into an impossible situation.
I agree. Beasley is their #3 passing target. A good game by him and not the other two (take away the miracle Hail Mary to Dez with the holding call that never was) means the defense kept their main goals in check.
Is it too early to say I think Hicks should be in the ROY race?
I don’t think anyone will beat out Amari Cooper. But he has a real shot to be defensive rookie of the year.
Gurly?
Oh yeah. Nevermind. That guy should get it.
Well good thing there is DROY and OROY awards so he may and should very well be in contention for it.
Glad someone noticed the distinction…
Kwon Alexander is having a really good year for the Bucs too. Similar stats (in way more snaps) to Hicks.
Hicks is going to miss some time now too. Probably would be in the running if was healthy the next month.
Good news:https://twitter.com/RapSheet/status/663772538552602624
2-4 weeks ugh.
Better than IR.
That’s actually kinda worse than his quote made it seem last night. But yes, better than season-ending.
Yeah, ideally there would be no injury at all but at least he’ll have a chance to come back assuming the MRI doesn’t show something else.
I don’t think that is good news at all.. but hey that’s me.
When it looked originally like it was a torn pec which is a trip to IR, 2-4 weeks is good news.
It would be great if Dallas somehow won out, picked up a Wild Card and met Jordan Hicks again in the first round of the playoffs.
[…] against the Cowboys this weekend, which is exactly the type of game the Eagles needed to have. Tommy Lawlor of IgglesBlitz.com wrote about the game, where Bradford and his receivers were able to connect on numerous plays for […]
Is it me or does Kiko just doesn’t quite fit in with the defense? It’s like he’s playing on an island on his own. Understandable since he’s barley played but just an observation.
He hasn’t played since week 2… Kendricks has been blowing plays since he came back. its going to take a while for them to get back in sync.
And Davis shouldn’t have put Kiko on Cole Beasley in the first place.
Yep, I disagree with OP. I think Kiko fits in any defense.
Him covering Beasley was a mismatch that was a good job by the Cowboys to take advantage of. I’m sure Davis didn’t draw it up that way, but that’s what scheming is all about.
To Davis’s credit he changed it up. Far too often in the past we have seen Davis and other Eagles D cordinators unwilling to fix a match up problem in game.
I’m not saying he will never fit in, I think he will too but as of now he has like zero chemistry with the rest of the group imo.
Several of the longer run gains of Big D All Ass were because Kendricks went full Ernie Sims and ended up in the wrong hole.
oh god, the “shark in the water”
He ended up playing a couple seasons for Dallas. The glory years of 12-13.
Kiko will be fine. ILB’s like him are rare. I think he’s gonna be a star if he stays healthy. Kiko vs Gronk will be fun. Hopefully he can win a fair share of those battles.
Matthews looked like a different person out there last night. That is the guy I was excited to see this year. It made me wonder if those rumors of an undisclosed hand injury were true. He looked very sure handed last night.
Also on Matthews, Bradford spoke of him glowingly in the post game presser. He said that on Thursday Matthews dropped a pass in practice. He then proceeded to take every rep for the rest of practice on offense, then go and joint the scout team and take every rep against the defense. Bradford spoke with awe and said he had never seen anything like that before.
Gotta give it to him, he will not be outworked. And so happy last night worked out for him. Him heaving the ball into the stands felt like him releasing all those demons.
Made a real nice catch in stride on a low ball on a crossing route.
Sam’s really gotta improve his placement.
Major redemption game for JMatt last night.
Ball was on the top part of his numbers.
http://www.nfl.com/videos/philadelphia-eagles/0ap3000000576270/Jordan-Matthews-seals-the-deal-with-OT-TD-grab
mksp is talking about a different play where Matthews grabbed a low ball on a crossing route and has a nice run after the catch to get a first down.
Not the play I was referencing. Earlier in the game.
My bad. I know which play now, had it in his highlights.
Hard work pays off. It really does.
Did they ever say anything about that phantom hand injury which came up 2 weeks ago?
Do you guys remember much about Reggie Brown? As I recall, he had a very auspicious start to his career, but it just kind of petered out. What the heck happened to that guy?
finally got around to reading the whole deadspin Greg Hardy story. Is Deadspin the only group that looks into these domestic violence issues in the (world)? It gross that so much of this crap is hidden behind red tape put up by the powerful. It’s a weird world where deadspin is the only organization that does investigative journalism.
Anyway, Hardy is such garbage. It’s sickening this guy gets to go on with his life without consequence.
http://deadspin.com/this-is-why-nfl-star-greg-hardy-was-arrested-for-assaul-1739117634
Goodell and the owners try to sweep this stuff under the rug, and the national writers are in the business of marketing family entertainment, not wanting to upset the cash cow. Then the league leaks fake dirt to ESPN to smear the Super Bowl star QB.
I’d like to point out that the Eagles won a very tough game on the road against a desperate team. We should all be happy with this win. These are the types of games good teams win.
My only gripe is that they still seem flat in the 1st quarter of games. Outside of that, lots to be happy about in this game.
Wow. Interesting bit from LJ.
https://twitter.com/Jeff_McLane/status/663586674782285824
Interesting but you have to take with a grain of salt. LJ clearly hates him…which is awesome.
Just an interesting shot to take at a guy after the game.
For sure and I really love it and hope its true.
Even his sack was pretty much a coverage sack where Bradford just ate the ball instead of making one of those throws we hate him for.
ha Lane basically called him a chump
Has anyone seen the grades given out on last nights game yet? I don’t usually put too much emphasis in those grades but I am curious to see how Lane graded out playing LT.
They graded him pretty poorly. He got marked down badly for penalties and then marked down for giving up hurries, hits and a sack. Think the overall grade was about -4 with -2 on penalties and -2 on pass blocking with nothing particularly positive in run blocking. This doesn’t seem to match the eye test from Eagles fans who watched the game and Bradford didn’t let the hits and hurries throw him off too badly so I’d say it worked out ok for his first start (?) at left tackle
Thanks sprawl I appreciate it. I figured the penalties would of knocked him down slightly but negative grade across the board was unexpected. I still think he was solid in his first start at that position facing off against one of the better yet maniacal DEs in the league.
yea, he was at -4 or something like that. they marked him down as at fault for the sack, even though hardy went through the middle on a stunt. i dont see how that is Lanes responsibility…
funny that Tyron Smith was given a good grade, considering he got beaten for 2 sacks for 2 forced fumbles.
these grades don’t make much sense to me.
apparently, its better to give up a sack that loses a down and yards than it is to give up a 5 yard penalty and repeat the down…
The scores are mind boggling… I generally liked the tracking stats and paid for a subscription at one point in 2013-14 but I was shocked that even as a subscriber there was no way to narrow down where the positive and negative scores were coming from.
I’d look at the scores for a safety who looked like they had a good game from the all-22 footage I watched but they wound up with -2 and PFF wouldn’t even tell you if those demerits came in the 1st quarter or 4th quarter for example…
one thing we could thank chip for is having guys like Jordan Matthews that you really like to root for.
seeing him come through I was just as happy for him as the eagles in general.
you could tell he was really loving being able to come through in the clutch like that for the team. his quotes afterwards were great, including Huff for his block too.
and Bradford was pumped too, could this be the win that gets these guys going together?
yes it sure can be.
This is Bradford’s 2nd game this season without a turnover. Should have been his 3rd, but he’s seems to be settling in nicely.
Cautiously optimistic, so lets see how they do against the Phins on Sunday.
That taunting call on Graham? He said, “Don’t run it this way.”
I can’t believe that was a 15-yard penalty.
That’s just ridiculous. Seems like good refs are harder to find then good QBs.
I think it had more to do with him standing over an opponent on the ground more than what was said. That is taunting. Jawing as they both walk toward the huddle is fine.
Yeah, leaning down to get in the face of a guy on the ground is pretty much gonna be taunting even if you’re complimenting him on his choice of aftershave.
https://twitter.com/RoobCSN/status/663580394206314496
impossible, chip cut mathis… so can’t be right, chip didn’t address O-line in the offseason, so the stat is obviously made up.
he’s clearly in over his head. we should have signed gruden
So they aren’t missing Mathis? Kind of like last year with Jackson. Yeah they got buy from an overall production stand point in terms of passing yardage (more in’14) but they clearly missed his ability to process deep plays (20+ yards) and had a notable reduction in net production per passing attempt.
but they had the same record with a harder schedule in 2014 so you tell me.
isn’t overall production better?
I see some people still cannot let it go when it pertains to Jackson. Not worth divulging too much Botto.
And where did that get them and your going to argue that team didn’t miss what Jackson brought to the table last year vs what Cooper gave them?
but where did Jackson get them?
same record but because of other teams records they made the playoffs with him, and lost, when he did jack shit in the playoff game.
I’m over Jackson.
he is me first, slacker that gives up when its tough. hardly tries.
he gave up on the team one year, screw him
The fact that foles couldn’t got anybody and Sanchez didn’t throw deep had more to do with it
http://i.imgur.com/YDtEq15.jpg
Great team play which Matthews mentioned in the presser. Felt bad for Bradford after play. He was running looking for someone to congratulate but everybody was going after Matthews. Bradford had a little Jimmy V circa ’83 championship “who can I hug” look
I wonder how that works. The guy who scores obviously gets lots of love, but what’s the breakdown for the others? Do you just hug the guy nearest you, like they do at Mass? Or do you tend to gravitate to your buddies? Does that mean people don’t really like Bradford very much? Or maybe they just don’t want to be “that guy”, you know, the one that injures his knee by hugging him.
Ran the number quickly and so far kickers are 41-58 (70%) from 50+ yard FG attempts this year.
I was surprised it was this high but it is line with recent years.
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KC48YbAsW2g/VMpUQxOnshI/AAAAAAAAitw/ernn81hSCBM/s1600/field%2Bgoals.png
Still figure that Sturgis was likely no better than 50% though to make that attempt in that spot last night. Just up from my earlier estimate of 35-40%.
Interesting graph. It is funny that when they moved the uprights, the shortest and longest suffered and the rest improved.
Also, who retired after the ’08 season? 2009 dropped across the board. Or was that when the switched to a special kicking ball?
I don’t want to imply causation, but that is when Obama took office…
I’m not sure that moving the uprights would have an effect on the 20+ numbers, since the length of a FG still takes into account the length of the end zone, so the “length” really didn’t change when moving the posts happened. It would matter a lot for the “<20" category because the shortest 10 yards of that category before were basically removed from being a possibility, so the average length of kicks in that category went up (and accordingly, the make percentage went down). Not sure the 50+ change was really related — just a coincidence. And it actually doesn't quite line up either. Perhaps coaches were used to kicking a FG from a particular yard line, and so maybe tried from further distances out of habit, without mentally adjusting, but it's probably just a random anomaly (attempting long kicks was much rarer then).
Good point.
Great stuff.
http://www.ozy.com/acumen/why-your-nfl-team-has-a-three-headed-running-back/63338
Eagles are sticking to that with Murray having an incredibly reduced workload this year (on pace to just 221 carries).
I just would be curious to see carry breakout vs top 3 RBs, production, and salary cap allocated to the position for this year and say back the last decade or so.
bad news for dion lewis, hate that for him,
Don’t take this to mean I want to see him running or anything, but Bradford actually moves around pretty well, especially considering his injury history. I like him a lot on those roll outs.
..
I read(didn’t troll) the Cowboys’ game day overtime thread and they swear the Eagles got away with holding Hardy every single play, even the game winning play. They kept saying, oh you can’t call holding against a women beater, they said that at least 2 to 3 times, they were holding a grudge against Hardy somehow.. Hold, hold, wah wah wah…Meanwhile they didn’t say a word about the PI penalties. Perspective.
Eagles got called 10 penalties-70 yards and Boys got flagged 8-58. Normally both sets of fans will complain about the refs but the Boys got more calls down the stretch late including that game-tying FG drive.
Agreed.
The Cowboys got away with holding an ungodly amount of time. At one point Tyron Smith literally clotheslined Curry and the next play Fredericks tackles Cox.
And the couple of times Smith had to hold Graham so he wouldn’t destroy the QB.
Harry’s 15 on the kickoff really doesn’t count.
Cowboys offensive line is holding on literally every play—one of the reasons they are spoken of so highly is their ability to get away with holding so much
Funny its as if they haven’t watched their own Oline play!
Well, I guess the plan of me looking like more of an idiot is working. This week I plan to say bad things about Sam again. Mmmm. Foot tastes good.
Jordan Hicks to IR with torn pec per Glazer.
Sucks.
All I’m seeing is 2-4 weeks.
so far Glazer is only one who reported it. Should be official later today I would suspect.
CRAP. Just saw it on Rotoworld.
Damn, and he was having a great season.
Noooooooooooo!!! 🙁
Damnit! Hicks NOOOOOO
That definitely hurts. Kendricks need to clean up his game and hopefully Kiko is back strong in Hicks’ absence. Prior to the year I never thought the Eagles would have to rely so much on rookie ILB with Kendricks, Kiko, and Demeco but damn the injuries are piling up.
Just have to hope Kiko was shaking some rust of on his plays last night. Kendricks made some fantastic plays last night, so the two of them should be able to lock it down.
its just can’t ever be all good can it?
damn
Damn, just saw the Hicks news. I was really hoping Rapoport was right and it was just a 2-4 week injury.
No, he’s done.
Definitely helps a little, but I think with Goode in the fold now they just lean on him more when necessary.
Well Kiko is back, too. He had an opportunity to knock some rust off last night. I’m curious to know how far away Ryans is from suiting up.
Regardless, we aren’t hurting for depth.
Philly just can’t have nice things.
Not Hicks obviously, but we can get Acho back after week 9 (next game). I know it doesn’t soften the blow.
So happy to get a win in a “should win” type game. They really do need to build some momentum by beating Miami, Tampa, and Detroit so the New England loss will keep the team at 7-5 going into the final 4 games.
That’s the plan.
New York Giants coach Tom Coughlin said Monday that defensive tackle Johnathan Hankins would have surgery to repair a torn pectoral muscle and would be placed on season-ending injured reserve.
http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/14091630/newyork-giants-lose-johnathan-hankins-rest-season
Torn Pecs really hurting the defenses of two teams trying to win the NFC East
I would have to say if we are comparing the injuries relative to each team I would say the Giants one hurts worse than ours. Hankins had been their best player on the Dline. Hicks was unquestionably playing at an extremely high level but with the talent left at our ILB pool it hurts less than the bare cupboard the Giants have left along the interior of that DL
i concur
Damn it sucks to lose Hicks, but durability is why he was available for us in the 3rd round. It’s funny, we have 4 excellent ILB’s with durability issues, which is kind of ok. Like they can’t all be hurt at once right? (almost said “they can’t all get hurt right?”, the answer is yes, they did in just half a season)
On the plus side it was good to see Kendricks flashing his speed again. Didn’t quite look right vs the Panthers, to me.
I think he and Kiko have some rust to shake off since they’ve been on the shelf. Perfect time for them to get back and hopefully be 100%.
His durability was why folks had him rated as 4th or 5th round. We reached for him in the 3rd.
http://www.nfl.com/draft/2015/profiles/jordan-hicks?id=2552315
To be fair, a pec tear is kond of a freak injury. Its not like chronic hamstring pulls or ankle sprains. Again, he wasnt a reach. He was picked where he was supposed to be.
I agree on the pec tear being totally random; but that doesn’t change that he was rated as a 4th or 5th. I was just pointing out that him being there for us in the 3rd didn’t match his rankings.
yes but his play doesn’t match the ranking either right/
the guy is awesome
Agreed, but I’d always rather pay less for an asset than pay more for it. Simple opportunity cost discussion.
what if you won’t have a chance to pay less? so you essentially have to pay more if you want it?
I mean how does anyone ever know if a guy they want wills till be around when the pick comes again?
there always has to be some reaches right?
I get what you’re saying, but I’d rather have TJ Clemmings, the Lions 2016 3rd rounder, Hicks in the 5th, Sheppard, and Mihalek as a UDFA than Hicks, the LIons 2016 3rd rounder, Sheppard, Evans, and Mihalek as a 7th.
right but you won’t get hicks in the 5th, someone takes him before the eagles do most likely.
I guess its just impossible to know.
I would assume they took hicks because they knew he was smart enough to be the guy inside calling plays too?
Yeah, it’ll be conjecture in perpetuity. I just always choose to look at things as a tightwad who would prefer more value, more players, more everything at the same (or lower) cost than somebody else paid.
yeah makes sense and I would assume all Gm’s want that too. I mean even Chip couldn’t have know Hicks would be so awesome so quickly. but that party is over
The good thing is that he’ll be back without any loss of motion, etc. Tough injury, but doesn’t scare me like an Achilles, etc.
It’s one of those thing where if you believe in him you take him, doesn’the matter if 30 other teams wouldn’t touch him till the 5th, just takes one team to want him at the top of the 4th and you get boned. We believed in him and got him. Chip was right, 2nd round or better talent. Don’t need to risk someone else also being right. Can’t assume you’re the only one who values a prospect above what Mel Kiper said
Like I was saying with Botto, it is all conjecture either way. I just always want more.
And how we end up w kiko also
Hicks looked like he was almost as fast as MK on that pick… uuuugghh.
It’s fine until it comes time to pay them.
get well, jordan hicks.
Something I’ve come to notice with this team is that when guys get hurt & say they’ll be fine & shouldn’t miss much time, it’s usually much worse.
So was the case here.
good point. hicks, ags, kiko, kendricks
Shut up. Shut up right now.
Peters said he will be fine and won’t miss much.
That’s professional athletes in general.
When does a guy say, I haven’t had the MRI yet but I’m sure it’s season ender?
Shawn Andrews doesn’t count.
#culture… Chip doesnt like pansies!
Emmanuel Acho just tweeted he is coming back.
It isn’t prom season, so he should be free!
https://twitter.com/thEMANacho/status/663847933616504833
Acho is the man. Especially after this moment. Also not as good as you at putting these things up AG.
21, 2014 https://twitter.com/hashtag/FlyEaglesFly?src=hash“>#FlyEaglesFly pic.twitter.com/XiLIWPWVVy— Emmanuel Acho (@thEMANacho) September 21, 2014
One of my all time fav tweets.
Wait a second…I honestly thought he was on the team? Did they resign him for a few games and then cut him? Couldn’t be. It would of been discussed here…. its Emanuel Acho our favorite underdog of the LB group.
He was cut at the end of training camp. I was sad to see him go, but he had stiff competition this year.
Hope he’s stayed in shape.
najee goode
pectorals aren’t like ACLs, right? Like, we’ll be getting basically the same Jordan Hicks back, right?
Yes, he should be 100% in 2016 after surgery.
Lets hope he doesn’t need surgery.
An injury is an injury, but it’s not going to affect his speed or agility.
It does make this harder, though.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nz33VkVvVDE
Bit of an aside but did anyone else know James Thrash is currently working as an appeals officer in the league office?
Talib just won. Thrash has never beaten a CB at anything in his life.
Alright, that made me chuckle. Ah the memories
Fantastic
Too funny.
Considering the general good mood and the week this is, an interesting remembrance.
http://www.ctvnews.ca/w5/the-devil-s-brigade-how-this-second-world-war-elite-commando-unit-became-the-first-of-its-kind-1.2646196
Very cool. Thanks.
https://twitter.com/EaglesInsider/status/663890375665278976
If you like to relive the end of the Cowboys season:
http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-game-highlights/0ap3000000576702/Eagles-Week-9-game-winning-drive
So I asked this last week but anyone know the answer? How is the tap by the RG on the center not a clear tipoff to the DL when the snap is coming? Do they vary the time between tap and snap? Doesnt seem like they do… Just wondering, i’m sure there is a logical explanation
yes they do, sometimes it’s right away, sometimes sam uses hard count. Think they changed it up during season, been seeing a lot more teams drawn offsides.
In both the Falcons and the Panthers games, Bradford had the opportunity to show what he was made of in the clutch. Unfortunately, his teammates let him down. I was happy to see Bradford play very well in the clutch moments of this game. We beat Dallas. No sweeter feeling than that.
Even sweeter is to win in OT.