Game Review – PHI 34, PIT 3 – The Offense

Posted: October 3rd, 2016 | Author: | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | 135 Comments »

You know I’m a big fan of history, so let’s review some.

2012 – PIT 16, PHI 14

2008 – PHI 15, PIT 6

2004 – PIT 27, PHI 3

2000 – PHI 26, PIT 23 in OT

1997 – PHI 23, PIT 20

1994 – PIT 14, PHI 3

1991 – PHI 23, PIT 14

Most games are close. But one thing is always true…no one scores a lot of points. These games feature more defense than offense. While this isn’t a vintage Steelers defense (only had one sack in 3 games), they have plenty of talented players and had only given up 16 points in each of the first 2 games.

So there was no way an Eagles rookie QB was going to light up the Steelers. Right?

Don’t tell Carson Wentz what he can or can’t do. He’s not interested in history, trends or projections. Wentz didn’t try to battle the ghosts of Rod Woodson, Kevin Greene, Chad Brown, Joey Porter or Troy Polamalu. Wentz kept it simple and just played football. Find the open receiver and get him the ball. Wentz led the Eagles to 34 points in 3 quarters. They called off the dogs in the final quarter.

I was nervous going into the game. I saw this as a big test for the Eagles. They got up 3-0 and that was cool. You always feel good when the offense produces points on the opening possession. That tells you the gameplan is probably good and the players are focused. Then the Eagles went up 10-0. That almost made me more nervous than before the game. Was this somehow going to tick off the Steelers, who would then really come alive? When Sproles scored on the big play to put the Eagles up 20-3, I finally relaxed a little bit and realized just how well the Eagles were playing.

Wentz and his teammates were ready for the big game. They didn’t show any nerves. The Eagles just went out there and performed at a high level, with scoring drives on 6 of the first 7 possessions. Doing that in any game is impressive. Doing it against the Steelers, in what felt like a big game, that was special. You have to be strong mentally, physically and emotionally to move up and down the field like that. We’ve all seen a team get off to a hot start, only to lose focus and get sloppy. The Eagles kept their foot on the gas pedal until the game was completely out of reach.

Doug Pederson and the offensive staff deserve a lot of credit for the gameplan. They were creative in this one. They used a lot of different formations and player combinations. They used some 3 WRs and then some 3 TEs and then even went with a shotgun with 2 RBs look. There were lots of screens, and they went to a variety of players. The Steelers defense always seemed off balance.

I think the Eagles lack of elite weapons helps them at times. Who do you focus on? Who do take away? Wentz threw for 301 yards, but only targeted his top receiver (Jordan Matthews) 3 times. Ryan Mathews is the Eagles top runner, but was either banged up or the coaches wanted to rest him so they fed the ball to his backups, who combined for 248 total yards and 3 TDs.

The Eagles offense is clicking right now because Pederson is calling the right plays at the right time and his players are executing them well. The Eagles don’t have elite skills players, but if a talented QB has time to throw, he’s going to find someone open and be able to get them the ball. That’s happening for the Eagles. The biggies up front are controlling the line of scrimmage and the skill players are making plays.

QB

Carson Wentz was 23-31-301 with 2 TDs and no picks. He wasn’t sacked at all and didn’t get hit that much. The OL gave him a clean pocket and Wentz took advantage of it. I loved the composure he played with. Wentz didn’t show any nerves and mostly played a smart game. He didn’t make any throws that were flat-out dumb. He ran once for 10 yards and got out of bounds. Wentz has been getting endlessly lectured on being smarter about hits and it seems that message finally hit home. Wentz was accurate with his passes and spread the ball around. Once again, he just didn’t look like a rookie QB. 

There are two plays that really stood out to me. In the 1st quarter, the Eagles faced 3rd/12. Most coaches with a rookie quarterback will run a draw play or screen pass there. They want something safe and if it breaks loose for a first down, that’s great. Pederson showed faith in his rookie quarterback. He called a pass play. Wentz dropped back and had great protection. Wentz patiently sat in the pocket and saw DGB coming open on a deep dig route. Wentz fired a strike to him for a gain of 19 and a first down. Clean pocket. Bullet pass. Crisp route. Smooth catch. Man, that was great third-down offense.

The other play is the one you’ve seen a million times (or more) already. Wentz hit Sproles for a 73-yard touchdown that broke the game wide open. Any hope the Steelers had of staying in the game went away at that moment. It was soul-crushing and oh, so beautiful.

Wentz dropped back into the pocket. He saw a rusher come free. Wentz didn’t panic. He climbed the pocket and then moved out wide. I thought he might try to run up the field, but instead he stayed behind the line of scrimmage and kept moving out wide. That gave him a chance to look for a receiver. Linebacker Ryan Shazier made the fatal mistake of abandoning coverage and coming after Wentz. That left Sproles wide open down the sidelines. Wentz hit him in stride and Sproles did the rest, weaving his way between and around Steelers as he went into the end zone. What a play.

There were two great elements to that play. First, Wentz didn’t try to run for the first down. He knew he was more dangerous if he kept the option to throw. That showed great presence of mind and situational awareness. The other part to the play was the pass itself. Wentz made a great touch throw. He was running to the right and had to throw somewhat against his body. It would have been easy to put too much or too little on that ball. He somehow put the perfect touch on it. Not only did Sproles make the grab, he was able to get the ball on the move. That’s why that play went for 73 yards and not just 20 or so. Wentz gave his playmaker a chance to do something and the result was the most spectacular play of the Eagles young season.

Wentz’s first TD pass was easy. Jordan Matthews came open over the middle and Wentz hit him on the move and Matthews went in for the score. RAC yards were a big part of the attack. Sproles turned a screen into a gain of 40 on the opening drive. He then had most of the 73 yards after the catch on the broken play. Celek added RAC yards on the opening drive. Huff did that with a couple of passes.

There were some negatives from Wentz. There were 2 plays where he wanted to hit the TE (Celek and Burton) and threw the ball their way, despite heavy coverage. Both plays were incompletions. And both had 3 defenders around the TE at the time the ball was headed that way. Can’t force things like that. The good news is that Wentz saw the defenders and made the throws so off-target that they were just incompletions.

There was a 3rd down play near the Red Zone where a WR came open late. Wentz wasn’t under pressure and prematurely dumped the ball off, which led to a FG. There was a play where Burton was wide open and Wentz missed him. He was under pressure on that play so it wasn’t a just a bad throw.

You know things are good when those are the negatives.

RB

Darren Sproles hadn’t been an offensive playmaker in the first 2 games. That changed against the Steelers. He was 6-128-1 as a receiver, with gains of 40 and 73 yards. Those are impact plays that led to 10 points. It was beautiful to watch him in space on the long play. He was moving back and forth and the Steelers DBs weren’t sure where he was going. The one guy ended up on the ground. Sproles can be deadly when he has some room to work with. Only ran twice and lost a yard. Made him impact as a receiver. Also had one impressive block in pass pro. Kept blitzer off Wentz and let him find Celek downfield.

Wendell Smallwood had his breakout game, going 17-79-1 on the ground. Really impressive. He was close to breaking long runs 3 or 4 times. Smallwood has an excellent combination of patience, vision and burst. He lets plays develop, sees the hole and then has the burst to get to/through the hole when it is there. Had good runs off-tackle to both sides and his longest run (14 yds) came up the middle. The TD was a gimme. The only person in his way was an OL who pulled to lead him. You can see why the coaches are so high on the young man.

Kenjon Barner was 8-42-1 on the ground. He had some very nice runs to the outside. He’s got excellent speed and came close to breaking off a long TD run to the left side. There was a drive in the late 3rd when he ran for 4, 14 and then 8 yards, with the final play being a TD to the right side. He made a beautiful move to avoid defenders and get into the end zone. Barner put on the brakes and 2 Steelers ran right by him, giving Barner a path to the end zone. Ryan Mathews didn’t play much. He had 2 carries for -5 yards. Both times people were all over him in the backfield. The other RBs were so productive the coaches could sit Mathews and not overwork his ankle.

WR

Jordan Matthews was only 2-19-1 for the game. He had a chance for a nice catch late in the game, but couldn’t get both feet down. PIT had loaded the box so Wentz tried to hit Matthews down the sideline. The ball was a bit too far. Matthews was able to get to it, but not with both feet down. He told Wentz the throw was good and it was his fault, but it looked like the throw might have been the issue. Matthews TD was simple. The DB played off and he ran up the field, then cut to the middle. Wide open. Love an easy Red Zone TD like that. Matthews got called for holding while blocking on a screen pass.

Josh Huff caught 4 passes, but only for 20 yards. Got 11 yards on one play. Everything that came to him was short. Added RAC yards on 2 of the passes. DGB was 3-33 in the game. His highlight was the catch on 3rd/12 when he got 19 yards. Ran a crisp route and then held onto the ball when the DB hit him. I love the way he uses his size. Big guys need to play big. DGB knows he’s bigger than all the CBs he faces. Had a chance for a long TD, but couldn’t hold onto the ball. Not a pure drop, though. DB got his arm n there and helped break up the play. I think the highlight for DGB was his effort on the Sproles TD. DGB was over on the other side of the field. When he saw his DB take off in pursuit, DGB went with him and got just enough of the guy to keep him from being a factor. Love that kind of effort and hustle. Nelson Agholor was 3-21.

TE

Brent Celek had an outstanding game. He was 3-61 as as receiver, with catches of 24, 22 and 15 yards. Got the opening drive going when he caught a quick pass and then got away from the initial tackler. Turned upfield and got 22 yards on the play. That jump-started the drive. Was even better as a blocker. The good runs to the outside were partially due to Celek’s ability to handle OLBs. He even had some good blocks of James Harrison.

Trey Burton played a lot with Zach Ertz still out. Burton was targeted 6 times, more than any other WR/TE. Only went 2-19, though. Was open for a big play, but Wentz missed him due to pressure in the pocket. Other times there was good coverage. Highlight play was a screen that went for 16 yards. Showed his RAC skills on that. Up and down as a blocker. Had some very impressive plays, but also some where struggled.

OL

The Biggies had a terrific game. They controlled the LOS throughout the game. Wentz wasn’t sacked and only got hit a few times. Runners had room to run. Really impressive showing up front.

Jason Peters had an outstanding game. The Eagles had good success with some runs to the left side, in part because Peters could help block a DL and then get up the field to take out a LB or DB. Peters was a stud in pass pro. The only issues he had in the game came from dealing with Harrison. He got JP to false start once. There was a pass play when JP was supposed to cut block him. JP dove and Harrison somehow didn’t go down. He was able to hurry Wentz on that play. Beyond those handful of moments, Peters was terrific.

Jason Kelce took a ton of criticism in the previous week, but he was very good in this game. There was a run to the left side where he made an incredible reach block to keep the NT from getting outside to the runner. Blocked a blitzer early on that gave Wentz time to find a receiver. Pulled to the right side and had a good block on Barner’s TD. Got way down the field on Sproles big screen play. DB was basically running away from Kelce and left interstate down the sideline for Sproles. Did have one bad snap and was called for a holding penalty. Legit call. Kelce’s best game of the year. Let’s see if he builds on that.

I thought Brandon Brooks played his best game of the year. Nothing spectacular, but handled stunts/blitzes well and got good movement in the run game. Allen Barbre had some really good blocks. My favorite was a play where he got out in space to the left side and put a Steeler on the ground. We know Pederson loves OL who play with an edge. Barbre had a good block on the Sproles screen. Defender turned right as Barbre hit him. This was right at the LOS, but out wide. Officials threw a flag, but then picked it up. Lane Johnson had an outstanding game. He had some outstanding run blocks. Johnson really gets off the ball quickly and with his length/athleticism, he’s up the field almost instantly. Really good at the second level. Matt Tobin played as a 6th OL/3rd TE. Up and down game. He had some good blocks, but also was sloppy on a couple of plays, mostly due to confusion. When the Eagles went with some jumbo sets, the Steelers started piling up defenders at the LOS and having them attack. That led to some confusion.

Gamebook

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135 Comments on “Game Review – PHI 34, PIT 3 – The Offense”

  1. 1 Game Review – PHI 34, PIT 3 – The Offense - said at 8:29 AM on October 3rd, 2016:

    […] Tommy Lawlor You know I’m a big fan of history, so let’s review some. 2012 – PIT 16, PHI 14 2008 […]

  2. 2 Smoky said at 8:58 AM on October 3rd, 2016:

    Huh. It almost seems as if the Eagles are good.

  3. 3 RogerPodacter said at 9:53 AM on October 3rd, 2016:

    Chiefs are supposed to have a very good defense, right?
    So the Steelers put up a lot of points on a very good defense. Hey, their offense must be pretty damn good!
    The Steelers only get 3 against our D. What does that make our defense? trying not to get too hyped up during the bye week…

  4. 4 The original AG said at 3:48 PM on October 3rd, 2016:

    I’m cautiously optimistic. I have to see how the line plays without LJ (and how long he’ll be out). The D is legit, but have to see what happens if the D has more pressure on them (offense not generating 1st downs). If the Eagles can still play well without LJ, well, lets just say I’m going from riding the bandwagon to driving the damn thing.

    It’ll be interesting to see what happens over the next few weeks with LJ and now Bradham.

  5. 5 FairOaks said at 4:25 PM on October 3rd, 2016:

    Well… their offense did basically earn an early TD which was dropped in a way that the Eagles WRs would be embarrassed by, then got a FG blocked — which really had nothing to do with our defense. So… pretty easy to count it as 10 points given up, which is still really good, though that would have changed the feel of that game for quite a while. That was the one part of that game which did not feel fully earned.

  6. 6 HawaiianEagle said at 9:58 AM on October 3rd, 2016:

    Great win vs Steelers. Not marginalizing that. If we played again in Pittsburgh score might be the other way around. The NFL is fickle. Let’s move on to Detroit and then WA to set up 5-0 vs Vikings.

  7. 7 Dan said at 10:54 AM on October 3rd, 2016:

    Thats any game. Any NFL team can beat any other team. Any given Sunday. The difference is what teams perform at a high level consistently, which is what the Eagles are doing at the moment.

  8. 8 John Galt said at 12:11 PM on October 3rd, 2016:

    Nope – you are wrong. Obviously, if we played the Chiefs we would win by 60, since we beat the Steelers by 31 and they beat the Chiefs by 29. That is how the NFL works, none of this any given Sunday crap.

  9. 9 HawaiianEagle said at 12:24 PM on October 3rd, 2016:

    For a self-titled man who embodies a proactive eagerness to seek out truth and an inviolable willingness to accept it, no matter its content, your statement seems to say just the opposite.

  10. 10 John Galt said at 12:29 PM on October 3rd, 2016:

    Ahhhh, very observant – but when the truth is self evident, sarcasm always spices up a conversation.

  11. 11 SteveH said at 3:08 PM on October 3rd, 2016:

    Or is simply provocative. I sense the conversations that you find spicy are the ones where you end up looking clever.

  12. 12 HawaiianEagle said at 3:26 PM on October 3rd, 2016:

    We hold these truths to be self-evident… Not sure the outcome of NFL games was one of the driving forces behind that statement.

  13. 13 ColoradoEaglesFan said at 4:28 AM on October 4th, 2016:

    LMAO!

  14. 14 Ark87 said at 10:45 AM on October 3rd, 2016:

    Bad officiating was mentioned in the Cowboy’s game.

    Can we talk about this for a moment?
    http://www.cleveland.com/browns/index.ssf/2016/10/duke_johnson_after_loss_to_red.html

  15. 15 Dan said at 10:59 AM on October 3rd, 2016:

    Wow that was absolutely a terrible call. I actually feel bad for the Browns, they aren’t as bad as their record, probably should be 2-2 possibly 3-1 (the only definitive loss they had was to us.) I think they are more talented than some of the teams I’ve seen (like the Dolphins who they should have beat) especially for going on their 3rd string QB.

  16. 16 Ark87 said at 11:06 AM on October 3rd, 2016:

    I’m flabbergasted, he fumbled, was the first guy to the ball going into the “pile”, casually came out of the “pile” with the ball. Line judge saw there was a scrum, assumed ball was there…assumed a Redskin had the ball but no ball was in that pile??? None of the refs say yo that dude has the ball? Review catches it all perfectly on camera and call is upheld????

    wtf???

  17. 17 peteike said at 2:56 PM on October 3rd, 2016:

    Dak and Zeke out partying with Snoop last night. Stay in those headlines Hollywood Cowboys, it always works out well for you

  18. 18 The original AG said at 3:43 PM on October 3rd, 2016:

    I was at the game and missed the fuss over that one. But frankly, they had two fumbles lost in the 2nd half. They fell apart in a very winnable game.

  19. 19 Media Mike said at 6:00 PM on October 3rd, 2016:

    I’d rather talk about the Cowboys cheating to win and Dak being a false prophet.

  20. 20 Dan said at 10:53 AM on October 3rd, 2016:

    “There were two great elements to that play. First, Wentz didn’t try to run for the first down. He knew he was more dangerous if he kept the option to throw.” To expand on this, I think it goes beyond the idea he knew it was more dangerous to throw is that he had the patience to wait for Shazier to commit to one or the other. If Shazier goes with Sproles then its a long run. If he commits to Wentz like it did it leaves Sproles open for a long gain, in this case a TD. The patience to wait for this to develop is what is impressive.

  21. 21 truehaynes said at 11:52 AM on October 3rd, 2016:

    Id say if we stay healthy 10-6 is the worst case scenario

  22. 22 Ark87 said at 2:24 PM on October 3rd, 2016:

    Worst case scenario is the O-line is bad after the shuffle caused by Lane Johnson’s suspension, then Peter’s back troubles flair up and he has to miss time on top of that. Let’s not talk about the worst case scenario anymore…

  23. 23 BlindChow said at 2:53 PM on October 3rd, 2016:

    If Peters misses time, your scenario doesn’t qualify under his “if we stay healthy” caveat.

  24. 24 Ark87 said at 2:58 PM on October 3rd, 2016:

    oh true, still could easy see a scenario where the O-line shuffle could cause us to win less than 10 games

  25. 25 wee2424 said at 1:13 AM on October 4th, 2016:

    Allowing him days off in practice, and not running him from snap to snap every 20 seconds in a game should go a long way.

  26. 26 D3FB said at 12:33 PM on October 3rd, 2016:

    How the heck is Marvin Jones the second leading receiver in the NFL? And Julio only has 6 more yards? JESUS.

  27. 27 Will Ft. Daft Punk said at 1:12 PM on October 3rd, 2016:

    Somehow people got the idea that he was only “OK” and that his success came from playing opposite of Green. I wanted Howie to grab him FA.

    The guy can play and Stafford isnt afraid to air it out

  28. 28 GermanEagle said at 2:59 PM on October 3rd, 2016:

    Best FA pickup on offense.

    Best FA pickup on defense: Rodney MF MCleod.

  29. 29 Bert's Bells said at 3:58 PM on October 3rd, 2016:

    That third Jones is just watching the world wake up from history.

  30. 30 Blackfoot said at 4:49 PM on October 3rd, 2016:

    when?

  31. 31 Sean Stott said at 1:50 PM on October 3rd, 2016:

    My list of teams that many people say are good but they don’t really impress my keen eye:

    1. Packers
    2. Bengals
    3. Texans
    4. Ravens

  32. 32 John Galt said at 2:00 PM on October 3rd, 2016:

    1. Cowboys

  33. 33 Sean Stott said at 2:32 PM on October 3rd, 2016:

    I hope you’re right, but I don’t think so 🙁

  34. 34 Media Mike said at 6:01 PM on October 3rd, 2016:

    O-ver-rate-ed

  35. 35 knighn said at 2:14 PM on October 3rd, 2016:

    I hope you are correct, good sir. The Eagles will play 3 of those 4 the rest of this season.

  36. 36 D3FB said at 2:22 PM on October 3rd, 2016:

    Texans and Ravens I agree. I don’t buy them being legit. Osweiler’s not good.

    Packers and Bengals feel like prime Andy teams. They could rip your throat out or just as likely lose 10-28. Both are legit playoff teams with at least a decent shot against just about anybody.

  37. 37 peteike said at 2:55 PM on October 3rd, 2016:

    that and every team or I should say every playoff type team usually gets hot at one point during a season. Atl is hitting theirs too soon

  38. 38 meteorologist said at 4:17 PM on October 3rd, 2016:

    So are we

  39. 39 Dave said at 4:25 PM on October 3rd, 2016:

    I’m not sure about the Packers. Rodgers looks really different since last season’s injury to Jordy Nelson.

  40. 40 Media Mike said at 6:01 PM on October 3rd, 2016:

    We going off of current records or may I throw more shade in the direction of Scam Newton and Idiot McDermott?

  41. 41 Tumtum said at 6:18 PM on October 3rd, 2016:

    Agree on all 4 counts.

  42. 42 Ark87 said at 2:22 PM on October 3rd, 2016:

    Love the differences between when the Cowboys beat a bad team (courtesy of Adam Schein on nfl.com):

    “1) Are the Dallas Cowboys legit contenders?
    Absolutely!

    Don’t minimize Dallas’ win in San Francisco. Yes, Blaine Gabbert is terrible at football, but this game said a lot about the Cowboys.”

  43. 43 Blackfoot said at 4:48 PM on October 3rd, 2016:

    if gabber hits that bomb, cowboys lose

  44. 44 A_T_G said at 8:34 PM on October 3rd, 2016:

    If they don’t get a free first down for getting pushed by a defender while continuing to fight for yards after the whistle, they lose too.

    If Chip’s team has the discipline to maintain their edge with the lead, they lose.

    This game said a whole lot more about the 49ers than it did about the ‘Boys.

  45. 45 peteike said at 2:30 PM on October 3rd, 2016:

    Nigel Bradham arrested, hopefully this just goes away but not too bright

    http://www.tmz.com/2016/10/03/eagles-linebacker-nigel-bradham-arrested-weapons-charge-miami/

  46. 46 scratcherk said at 2:33 PM on October 3rd, 2016:

    STAY OUT OF MIAMI MOFO!

  47. 47 Media Mike said at 6:02 PM on October 3rd, 2016:

    No Miami. No Atlanta. No Vegas.

    WAY too many arrests there.

  48. 48 scratcherk said at 6:04 PM on October 3rd, 2016:

    The umbrella incident was Miami too right?

  49. 49 Sean Stott said at 2:39 PM on October 3rd, 2016:

    Thank god he has a concealed carry permit. If he didn’t he’d be looking at jail time.

  50. 50 peteike said at 2:40 PM on October 3rd, 2016:

    man, some racist trolls on TMZ threads, I guess I shouldnt be surprised

  51. 51 Sean Stott said at 2:41 PM on October 3rd, 2016:

    any platform that allows anonymous commenting will always devolve into racism

  52. 52 Tumtum said at 6:17 PM on October 3rd, 2016:

    Present company excluded of course.

  53. 53 Sean Stott said at 7:55 PM on October 3rd, 2016:

    I’m certainly not anonymous on here

  54. 54 D3FB said at 2:53 PM on October 3rd, 2016:

    You have to give up firearms even w/ ccp while on bond.

  55. 55 SteveH said at 3:03 PM on October 3rd, 2016:

    Seriously, our season is rolling along very nicely, lets not go do some stupid shit.

  56. 56 RogerPodacter said at 2:50 PM on October 3rd, 2016:

    my god this guy is an idiot.

  57. 57 wee2424 said at 1:09 AM on October 4th, 2016:

    But he can play…….

  58. 58 Dave said at 4:21 PM on October 3rd, 2016:

    We live in a day and age where guns are an accessory afterthought for some people.

  59. 59 Media Mike said at 6:03 PM on October 3rd, 2016:

    What a dope. I think it’ll get plead down to a misdemeanor, but when coupled with the cabana boy stuff it could lead Bradham to a chat with Mr. Goodell.

  60. 60 A_T_G said at 8:31 PM on October 3rd, 2016:

    That is one of the most moronic moves I can remember.

  61. 61 HawaiianEagle said at 9:12 PM on October 3rd, 2016:

    Well… At least there were no fireworks involved.

  62. 62 Will Ft. Daft Punk said at 9:17 PM on October 3rd, 2016:

    And Cabana Boys

  63. 63 daveH said at 9:00 PM on October 3rd, 2016:

    His whip hav tinted meow windows ?

  64. 64 GermanEagle said at 2:41 PM on October 3rd, 2016:

    For some reason I believe that the Lions game might be a trap game, with the Eagles underestimating Detroit while already looking ahead to the Vikings game at home.

    This will be a perfect measuring stick re how well Dougie P can keep his squad focused this week!

  65. 65 peteike said at 2:41 PM on October 3rd, 2016:

    ya Bears had to go and beat them doesnt help us

  66. 66 GermanEagle said at 2:42 PM on October 3rd, 2016:

    Boy, that was exactly my thinking as well! Would rather have the Lions win yesterday…

  67. 67 Sean Stott said at 2:42 PM on October 3rd, 2016:

    I think players and coaches know that the transitive property (A>B and B>C => A>C) does not apply in football, or even sports in general. You have to look at every opponent as an individual and stay focused

  68. 68 SteveH said at 3:04 PM on October 3rd, 2016:

    One thing that I think will help keep our focus is that Wentz is still very much so in the developmental stage, so for him this is absolutely not a trap game. Hopefully the defense wants to keep dominating too, because for them this might be a trap game.

  69. 69 HawaiianEagle said at 3:50 PM on October 3rd, 2016:

    Concur. This team (players and coaches) does not strike me as a team that would suffer from trapitis – we’ll see…

  70. 70 Rob Jarratt said at 5:24 PM on October 3rd, 2016:

    My point, as well. There is no such thing as a trap game for these Eagles.

  71. 71 Blackfoot said at 4:46 PM on October 3rd, 2016:

    definitely a trap game.
    the good news is you can’t trap Wentz, Wentz traps you!

  72. 72 Media Mike said at 6:03 PM on October 3rd, 2016:

    I saw this earlier on Twitter; Schwartz ain’t getting trapped by the team that fired him.

  73. 73 Tumtum said at 6:14 PM on October 3rd, 2016:

    The Vikings are probably going to treat this like a play off game. We are coming off of bye though. My money is on the birds. Of course I had Pitt destroying us, so … what I meant to say was..

  74. 74 A_T_G said at 8:27 PM on October 3rd, 2016:

    I don’t think anyone is comfortable enough in their roles to fall into a trap. Wentz, Pederson, Schwartz are all too new to take anything for granted.

  75. 75 wee2424 said at 1:08 AM on October 4th, 2016:

    Hopefully Reid’s game after the bye week magic has rubbed off on DP.

  76. 76 BlindChow said at 3:27 PM on October 3rd, 2016:

    Mostert a free agent again! Released by the Bears.

    How can 32 GM’s be so blind to this guy’s obvious superiority??

  77. 77 Rambo said at 3:54 PM on October 3rd, 2016:

    They must be blind.

  78. 78 A_T_G said at 7:17 PM on October 3rd, 2016:

    Or they have their hands crossed, plans out, in front of their face.

  79. 79 Media Mike said at 6:04 PM on October 3rd, 2016:

    carry for carry, yard for yard, head to head; better than Barner. You can check the box scores of the rushing stats when they both ran behind the same blocking.

  80. 80 wee2424 said at 1:04 AM on October 4th, 2016:

    He will get to the HOF on his own time.

  81. 81 Insomniac said at 3:31 PM on October 3rd, 2016:

    Shepard back to the PS, Greene is back to the roster. I’m guessing Barbre is actually moving to RT now.

  82. 82 D3FB said at 3:38 PM on October 3rd, 2016:

    Greene was simply removed from the PS.

    They can yo-yo the two because Greene’s salary was guaranteed. If he signs for someone else it just offsets. So unless someone offers him a clear role for the future Greene will yo-yo all year and sign a futures contract in January.

  83. 83 HawaiianEagle said at 3:48 PM on October 3rd, 2016:

    3 TE sets upcoming now that Ertz is back…

  84. 84 anon said at 4:26 PM on October 3rd, 2016:

    Bears waived RB Raheem Mostert. — Howie has the chance to really right some wrongs.

  85. 85 Media Mike said at 6:05 PM on October 3rd, 2016:

    DO IT!

  86. 86 daveH said at 8:11 PM on October 3rd, 2016:

    Who do you release? Meow.. i ser below .. thank yer D3

  87. 87 anon said at 8:13 PM on October 3rd, 2016:

    KB can go.

  88. 88 A_T_G said at 8:25 PM on October 3rd, 2016:

    Really? You need to ask who they would dump to make room for the prodigal son’s return?

  89. 89 anon said at 4:29 PM on October 3rd, 2016:

    Speaking Monday, Bears coach John Fox said Brian Hoyer could keep the team’s starting job regardless of Jay Cutler’s (thumb)
    health.
    “Anybody’s that performing well, I don’t think we’re going to be likely to change,” was Fox’s unusually direct quote.

  90. 90 anon said at 4:29 PM on October 3rd, 2016:

    Please let this happen.

  91. 91 Tumtum said at 6:13 PM on October 3rd, 2016:

    Cutler doesn’t seem like the type of guy fox would like.

  92. 92 myartz04 said at 6:36 PM on October 3rd, 2016:

    He doesn’t seem the type of guy anyone likes..

  93. 93 Dragon_Eagle said at 10:17 PM on October 3rd, 2016:

    When Kirk Cousins fails to live up to the franchise hype, Cutler to Washington. Make it so.

  94. 94 GermanEagle said at 5:27 PM on October 3rd, 2016:

    If Vikings and Eagles keep on winning, there’s a pretty decent chance that the Eagles vs Vikings game will be flexed to Sunday Night in week 7.

  95. 95 John Galt said at 6:04 PM on October 3rd, 2016:

    Possible certainly. I copied the following from the NFL Website:

    “In 2006 the NFL implemented a primetime “flexible scheduling” element on Sundays in Weeks 10-15 and in Week 17. In 2014 that was extended so that games between Weeks 5 and 17 could be affected by flex scheduling. However, only two games may be flexed into Sunday Night between Week 5 and 10.”

    They have the Seahawks v Cardinals in that spot currently – would they use 1 of their 2 slots to slide the Eagles game in there? My guess would be yes if both teams are undefeated – but no otherwise.

    EDIT: Just remembered that the Eagles v Cowboys game the following week is the Sunday nighter – they aren’t going to flex us in to have us on two weeks in a row. I guess they could flex us out the next week – but I don’t see it happening.

  96. 96 Nailed It! said at 6:07 PM on October 3rd, 2016:

    I am thinking not to Flex the Eags and Vikings because the following weekend its Dal vs Philly on Sunday night and would they really have Eagles playing back to back Sunday nights? And they really love Philly and Dallas games on prime time so I bet they would only flex to a 4:25 start.

  97. 97 Tumtum said at 6:10 PM on October 3rd, 2016:

    NM

  98. 98 The original AG said at 6:58 PM on October 3rd, 2016:

    They can only flex two games between weeks 5-10. Nailed It has a point about the Eagles playing back to back SNF games, but also the Steelers/Pats game is another one that might get flexed that night. Brady vs Big Ben seems like it might be the better play.

  99. 99 unhinged said at 5:34 PM on October 3rd, 2016:

    This may have been brought up, but if not…unless I’ve missed something, the Eagles will face Minnesota and Dallas and NY Giants all coming off their bye weeks. Dallas and Giants, I believe are back-to-back. This is a great opportunity for DP to “legitimately” keep preaching work and preparation.

  100. 100 John Galt said at 6:08 PM on October 3rd, 2016:

    I think all three are consecutive if I’m not mistaken. Weeks 7-8-9 (games 6-7-8 for the Eagles)

  101. 101 Bert's Bells said at 9:22 PM on October 3rd, 2016:

    Kempski has an article on scheduling that brings this up. Overall, the schedule is pretty favorable.

  102. 102 Media Mike said at 5:59 PM on October 3rd, 2016:

    “He climbed the pocket and then moved out wide. I thought he might try to run up the field, but instead he stayed behind the line of scrimmage and kept moving out wide. That gave him a chance to look for a receiver.”

    Whoa; an actual QB. Not some read one and run dolt!

  103. 103 Tumtum said at 6:09 PM on October 3rd, 2016:

    Bobby April fired. Why did he have a job?

  104. 104 Media Mike said at 6:11 PM on October 3rd, 2016:

    There was a time when April was a multiple year winner (2004 and 2008) of special teams coach of the year. I’m not sure what happened.

  105. 105 Koy: The Legend of Neckbeard said at 8:12 PM on October 3rd, 2016:

    We all get old

  106. 106 Koy: The Legend of Neckbeard said at 8:17 PM on October 3rd, 2016:

    Ty tells me that all the time

  107. 107 Tumtum said at 8:27 PM on October 3rd, 2016:

    He was supposed to be what Dave Fipp is. Pretty nuts.

  108. 108 Bert's Bells said at 9:21 PM on October 3rd, 2016:

    Definitely didn’t put up good units after change of kickoff rules.

  109. 109 Sean Stott said at 7:54 PM on October 3rd, 2016:

    It all went downhill after Riley Cooper tried to hide on the ground in the endzone.

  110. 110 scratcherk said at 8:15 PM on October 3rd, 2016:

    Win win tonight, giants lose or we get a better draft pick.

  111. 111 anon said at 8:24 PM on October 3rd, 2016:

    excited to see sammy short-of-the-sticks bradford tear up the giants tonight. If only i had the vikings in fantasy.

  112. 112 Will Ft. Daft Punk said at 8:47 PM on October 3rd, 2016:

    Chances are the Vikes make the playoffs either wildcard or winning the North. Rather the Giants lose.

  113. 113 scratcherk said at 8:36 PM on October 3rd, 2016:

    Kendricks gonna kendricks

  114. 114 scratcherk said at 8:44 PM on October 3rd, 2016:

    Go on Minnesota, go on

  115. 115 scratcherk said at 8:50 PM on October 3rd, 2016:

    My man still can’t throw a fade

  116. 116 Will Ft. Daft Punk said at 9:16 PM on October 3rd, 2016:

    That play should have been blown up. Somebody wrecked that play but missed the tackle

  117. 117 scratcherk said at 9:30 PM on October 3rd, 2016:

    Sleeves getting it done

  118. 118 Will Ft. Daft Punk said at 9:30 PM on October 3rd, 2016:

    I thought for sure he was going underneath for the first

  119. 119 scratcherk said at 9:38 PM on October 3rd, 2016:

    Beckham is such a punk

  120. 120 HawaiianEagle said at 9:41 PM on October 3rd, 2016:

    One more score and it’s over

  121. 121 John Galt said at 9:41 PM on October 3rd, 2016:

    He really is a clown. Great player, but a serious fool. Hard to say I wouldn’t want him on the Eagles, but part of me is glad he is the vaGiants problem

  122. 122 Dave said at 9:46 PM on October 3rd, 2016:

    Next thing you know we’ll find out he is affiliated with a gang, McAdoo will cut him, and he will sign with the Redskins.

  123. 123 Will Ft. Daft Punk said at 9:47 PM on October 3rd, 2016:

    Howie…

  124. 124 PacificPurl said at 11:06 PM on October 3rd, 2016:

    Odd. Many of your comments make crude remarks about your own mother’s reproductive organs.

  125. 125 John Galt said at 9:48 PM on October 3rd, 2016:

    Eli is a straight pussy. So afraid to get hit

  126. 126 Dave said at 9:50 PM on October 3rd, 2016:

    Come on God Dammit…Zim

  127. 127 scratcherk said at 10:12 PM on October 3rd, 2016:

    lol at sammys block

  128. 128 Dragon_Eagle said at 10:12 PM on October 3rd, 2016:

    Just tuning in. What exhibitions of immaturity did ODB share with us this week?

  129. 129 scratcherk said at 10:12 PM on October 3rd, 2016:

    shades of last years game vs Norman

  130. 130 Dragon_Eagle said at 10:20 PM on October 3rd, 2016:

    Picking fights with CBs again? Better not go after kicking net again after that beating he took.

  131. 131 scratcherk said at 10:21 PM on October 3rd, 2016:

    I would have loved to have seen harrison smith light beckham up after the INT

  132. 132 Will Ft. Daft Punk said at 10:22 PM on October 3rd, 2016:

    i think he was afraid of a penalty. He certainly thought about it

  133. 133 scratcherk said at 10:32 PM on October 3rd, 2016:

    new thread

  134. 134 ColoradoEaglesFan said at 4:41 AM on October 4th, 2016:

    Doesn’t it come down to being really simplistic, the good teams find ways to win? Just maybe, the Eagles could be a good team. Coaches say, the season is broken down in quarters, as much as they like to say game to game, we’ve had better than expected results thus far. Keep on driving the Car son!

  135. 135 ColoradoEaglesFan said at 4:48 AM on October 4th, 2016:

    Tommy, great post sir. I believe with Ertz, J. Matthews, and DGB, we have elite weapons. Only time will tell .