Mr. 53?

Posted: November 10th, 2016 | Author: | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | 161 Comments »

The Eagles have an open roster spot. They never signed anyone after cutting Josh Huff last week. What gives?

There was no need to sign anyone before last Sunday. The player wasn’t going to come in mid-week and then make a difference in the game. The fact that no move has been made yet leads me to believe the Eagles are looking around the league. If you want to add a player from someone’s practice squad, you make that player an offer and he then makes a decision of whether to stay on the PS or join your active roster. Some teams will throw extra money to the player to get him to stay on their PS. And there are times when a player likes where he is and a little extra money keeps him happy, even on the PS.

I have no idea who the Eagles could be looking at from other teams. They liked hundreds of players in the pre-draft process. They evaluated players this summer during the preseason games. Pro scouts continue to write up reports on young guys who might be available.

What position? WR is the most obvious choice. The Eagles could also go for a CB. If there is some player they like, the Eagles could add him even if he’s not at a position of need. We’re talking about the 53rd spot on the roster. This is mostly about adding someone for the future.

Doug Pederson did mention that the team is looking at its own PS. He specifically mentioned WR Paul Turner and CB Aaron Grymes. I’d be happy with either of those players. Part of me would love to see Turner in action. I think the Eagles were wise to cut him back in September, but part of me would like to see him in action now to see if he can be an effective role player. Grymes would add another young body to the already CB spot. Jalen Mills has shown promise, but certainly doesn’t have anyone jumping for joy. CJ Smith has yet to play this season. He did impress this summer.

One factor in this equation could be injuries. Pederson might be waiting to see if any spot is more banged up than another and needs an extra body. There are no major issues that I know of.

We’ll just have to wait and see what the team does. If they were desperate, they would have made a move. The fact the team has been this deliberate makes me think there could be some outside player with complications.

*****

Huge news. With the Falcons’ explosive attack coming to town, the Eagles need all the defensive help they can get.

*****

We talk about learning from a loss. As painful as that final play was, it could drive Carson Wentz and Jordan Matthews to perfect that play for future reference.

I look forward to seeing it run sometime here in the near future.

_


161 Comments on “Mr. 53?”

  1. 1 RTP210 said at 12:27 AM on November 10th, 2016:

    As frustrating as Jordan’s drops are, you have to admire his work ethic.

  2. 2 Cafone said at 1:46 AM on November 10th, 2016:

    He’s everything you want in a young player, apart from the mediocre talent level. I think he can be great for the team long term, as long as they put two respectable receivers on the outside.

  3. 3 Sb2bowl said at 10:11 AM on November 10th, 2016:

    I don’t see him as mediocre- but the skill players on this team don’t allow him to flourish completely. Just like Self-tacklin’ Ertz.

    Get someone with speed on the outside that is an actual threat in the passing game, and watch the middle open up.

  4. 4 Cafone said at 11:06 AM on November 10th, 2016:

    He can’t catch well which is his main job as a receiver. He doesn’t have the speed to play on the outside. He has poor body control and has trouble with things like dragging his feet on sideline passes.

    When we talk about Matthew’s talent level, we are talking about in the context of other NFL wide receivers. In that context, I think mediocre is generous.

  5. 5 Sb2bowl said at 10:23 AM on November 11th, 2016:

    He is actually average over his career in percentage drops compared to other WR’s; I can link the data if you need it.
    I would agree that he isn’t ideal on the outside, hence why he has found his home as a match up advantage on the inside. I don’t agree with your assessment on his body control and dragging his feet.
    Are you comparing him to the standard inside/slot receiver? He’s not like them. I think his ceiling is somewhere just below Brandon Marshall; he had massive struggles early in his career, but it was more mental than physical.

  6. 6 Cafone said at 10:51 AM on November 11th, 2016:

    Go back and look at Carson Wentz’s first career touchdown pass. Watch Matthew’s feet on that play. He didn’t drag them. He was extremely lucky that he was not out of bounds on that play. He came really close, on a play where it shouldn’t have even been an issue.

  7. 7 doubleplusliberal said at 6:42 PM on November 11th, 2016:

    Hi Cafone, I’ve been enjoying the fight you put up on C&L.
    Please join us here.

    Edwin says hi.
    http://thetroypress.com/chat/2016/201611/20161111.html

  8. 8 Dan said at 12:01 PM on November 10th, 2016:

    Maybe, but I can’t stand that he jumps in the air for almost every catch when its not necessary.

  9. 9 ChoTime said at 1:01 PM on November 10th, 2016:

    Or kind of bobbles routine catches.

  10. 10 meteorologist said at 6:05 PM on November 10th, 2016:

    Maybe it is necessary for him to jump because he knows he’s unlikely to catch the ball while running

  11. 11 Mr. 53? - said at 12:27 AM on November 10th, 2016:

    […] Tommy Lawlor The Eagles have an open roster spot. They never signed anyone after cutting Josh Huff last week. […]

  12. 12 Insomniac said at 1:11 AM on November 10th, 2016:

    “In red zone drill at practice today, Eagles ran a slot fade. “We hit it for a touchdown today,” Jordan Matthews said.”

    Cool, you’ve been giving us false hope for years. Prove it.

  13. 13 Dave said at 7:19 AM on November 10th, 2016:

    So now every team will play him with outside leverage.

  14. 14 bdbd20 said at 7:48 AM on November 10th, 2016:

    Then the post opens up. Both work against zero blitz.

  15. 15 Dave said at 9:10 AM on November 10th, 2016:

    That sounds great until the defense plays inside leverage on a post pattern.

    Bottom line is our receivers do not have the skill set to adjust when the ball is in the air. We’ll see the exact opposite this week with Julio Jones. Matt Ryan only has to throw the ball in the vicinity of Julio and he will most-likely come down with it.

  16. 16 bdbd20 said at 9:19 AM on November 10th, 2016:

    That’s the point. If Wentz and JM can get the timing on those two routes, it opens up the possibility of JM running an option, depending on where the DB plays. Against a zero blitz, one route has to be open.

  17. 17 Dave said at 9:21 AM on November 10th, 2016:

    It doesn’t appear that Doug is letting the receivers run option routes, if so, a back shoulder fade would be the best option as nobody outside of Treggs can get behind a cornerback.

  18. 18 bdbd20 said at 9:35 AM on November 10th, 2016:

    I’m not sure option routes will be possible this season. That takes a lot of chemistry between the QB and receivers. Can go horribly wrong if not done right. I’d look for some next season with JM, maybe Ertz too. Off-season will be key in developing that chemistry.

  19. 19 anon said at 11:22 AM on November 10th, 2016:

    those two have been together for like 5 years

  20. 20 Dave said at 11:45 AM on November 10th, 2016:

    What does that have to do with Julio’s ability to catch anything thrown near him?

  21. 21 anon said at 11:59 AM on November 10th, 2016:

    building a relationship, you understand where that balls going to come, how qbs going to throw it, timing. obviously raw talent plays a huge part, but there also needs to be a tight connection between qb and wr – that rapport may not exist yet btw carson and receivers

  22. 22 peteike said at 12:23 PM on November 10th, 2016:

    thats part of it for sure. I think Jordan will improve there. Ags and DGB, I dont know. None of these guys make a play for the QB and we have seen enough opportunities it feels like to not count on it much at this point. Doesnt mean they cant be adequate WRs but they need at least one playmaker in the bunch.

  23. 23 Dave said at 12:50 PM on November 10th, 2016:

    Julio (or Dez, or AJ Green, or Fitz, and most other elite receivers) would most-likely have caught the pass thrown to JMatt regardless of who was throwing it to them. Our receivers do not have the skill set to adjust to a ball in the air and make a difficult catch.

    I’m not complaining about it, just making an observation. Not every team will be able to have an elite receiver just like not every team will have a franchise QB.

    I think your confusing chemistry between a QB and receiver with skill set. Chemistry is knowing where the ball will be thrown while skill set is the ability to catch it regardless of where it’s thrown.

    That’s my whole point, Julio is an absolute monster when the ball is in the air. He adjusts his body and routinely makes difficult catches, even while being double covered.

    I have vivid memories of Tom Brady and Randy Moss. Tom would just throw a jump ball in the vicinity of Randy and he would come down with it in the end zone for a TD. JMatt, DGB and Ags need good accurate throws over their correct shoulder to make those catches.

  24. 24 greenblood0118 said at 6:04 PM on November 10th, 2016:

    No they need hands…

  25. 25 Insomniac said at 7:51 PM on November 10th, 2016:

    Doesn’t even matter how they play him, Matthews simply just isn’t that good.

  26. 26 Dan said at 12:00 PM on November 10th, 2016:

    Did he look to the outside this time?

  27. 27 BobSmith77 said at 3:22 PM on November 10th, 2016:

    That orange cone never should a chance!

  28. 28 Corry said at 6:29 AM on November 10th, 2016:

    Well yeah they hit the slot fade in practice. Our secondary blows.

  29. 29 anon said at 11:21 AM on November 10th, 2016:

    all receivers need offseason to gel w/ Wentz. Gotta remember he was throwing to 3rd string in TC.

  30. 30 peteike said at 12:21 PM on November 10th, 2016:

    its the way DGB plays that doesnt inspire confidence. Just looks slow at times, not using athleticism or lack of maybe. He didnt even get a finger on the pass through his hands, while high, at the 1 yard line. Wheres the jump, the hands, doesnt run through smaller corners trying to make a play on the ball etc. I dont know, I dont see it but it doesnt mean theres no upside left and it also doesnt mean we wont nitpick everything week in/out. Of course there are even fans killing JMatt but he also needs time with the rookie QB. You dont move those kinds of guys when they can still get better esp when communication can be the difference in finishing plays/games.

  31. 31 bill said at 12:56 PM on November 10th, 2016:

    DGB and Matthews are pretty much polar opposites. Matthews has the work ethic and attitude that ensure he will continue to progress, but he’s starting at (for the NFL) a fairly low talent baseline. DGB is oozing talent, but is severely lacking in the work ethic and attitude. They both have about the same likelihood of becoming a star WR – a very small one.

  32. 32 Gian GEAGLE said at 2:44 PM on November 10th, 2016:

    I have heard only good about DGB’s work ethic since becoming an Eagle. It’s unlikely that a guy like Jordan Mathews who has maniacle work ethic and is the leader of our WR Room, would respect a new teammate at his position if his work ethic Wasnt up to par, and Jordan typically sounds really excited about having DGB in philly.
    .
    Looks like DGB left his Charechter problems in College. Seems like he has matured since becoming an NFL player. If there was questions about his work ethic, hopefully he left them in Tennessee. A Super Talent who was drafted in the second round a year ago getting traded has to be a wake up call for the kid. hopefully the change of scenery proves to do DGB wonders
    ..
    So far it sounds like he has been putting in the work and being a good teammate, earning the respect of driven workaholics like Mathews. So Far, So good, but hopefully this will continue even after he gets comfortable with his place on the Eagles. Hopefully the influence of Jordan Mathews, playing with Wentz and struggling for the first time in his life drives him to work even during the offseason
    .,
    Think fans are a little to quick to judge young WR’s who have only a year and a half of NFL experience, łet alone a kid that young dealing with getting traded in September, trying to learn an offense on the fly while gelling with a rookie QB..
    .
    The kid still has a lot of “ceiling” to grow into, hopefully he puts in the work to realize most of his potential which would give us a heckuva weapon for Wentz to grow with

  33. 33 bdbd20 said at 7:10 AM on November 10th, 2016:

    Keenan Reynolds would be nice. Not sure he leaves Baltimore, though.

  34. 34 ChoTime said at 9:08 AM on November 10th, 2016:

    “Herm Edwards Award for Playing to Win the Game: Say what you like about his play calls (though many more people have said what they didn’t like about them), but Eagles coach Doug Pederson has thus far not been shy about going for it on fourth-and-short in field goal range. Sometimes it works, as it did repeatedly in September and October; sometimes it doesn’t, like on two occasions against the Giants this past Sunday. One of the trials of being a head coach in the NFL is that you are far more likely to be praised for the latter than credited for the former. Pederson has stated the reasoning behind his decisions, and does not sound like he will be deterred by press criticism; we believe that the Eagles are all the better for their coach’s aggressiveness, even if it doesn’t always work out on a given day.”

    http://www.footballoutsiders.com/scramble/2016/scramble-ball-cant-win-losing

  35. 35 DarthBanner said at 9:11 AM on November 10th, 2016:

    It’s not so much the decision to go for it as much as the idiotic play selection.

  36. 36 daveH said at 9:45 AM on November 10th, 2016:

    Perfectly said.painful to watch the replays of those stupid plays.. not just the calls but the design and execution

  37. 37 Gian GEAGLE said at 12:35 PM on November 10th, 2016:

    I had a problem going for it on those two 4th down plays because in THAT position, down 14 points on the road, coming away with NO POINTS was not a consequence I was willing to risk dealing with… When you are deciding whether to take a risk, you have to be willing to deal with the consequences of your decision, and not coming away with any points in those situations was a Gamble I could NOT Take…. Down 14 on the road, a ton of time left, you can not risk further demoralizing your offense by risking having No points to show for them getting it together and driving down the field
    ..
    At the time we were fighting a lot of negative momentum, and getting those 3 points would have been a step in the positive momentum direction. doug Pederson is lucky because coming away with no points could have really led to this team unraveling..
    ..
    I actually think that seeing this young team not unravel, and keep fighting clawing their way back in that game was a very underrated aspect of that game lost in the disgust of losing to the Giants.. With so much negative momentum against us, I don’t take it for granted that this group NEVER QUIT, especially when we are just a year removed from watching the Eagles blatantly quit on Chip Kelly in the Lions and Bucs games… We were still in the playoff hunt at the time, and for the team in that position to quit on the coacges the way it did spoke Volumes…. But thru all the Bad in the Giants game, these players never quit on the coaches or each other and that is not a silver lining to be taken for Granted, Especially when I was really worried about how Pederson would look the playërs in the face at halftime After the way he coached that first half
    ..

  38. 38 GermanEagle said at 12:53 PM on November 10th, 2016:

    I agree and was furious when he decided to not go for 3!

  39. 39 Gian GEAGLE said at 1:15 PM on November 10th, 2016:

    The biggest mistake was pissing away the huge punt return by SPROLES not coming away with any points because he went for it on 4th instead of taking the 3 points SPROLES punt return set us up for.. Not Only did Doug Piss away those 3 points, but more important he pissed away the Juice/Jolt of positive energy SPROLES punt return provided us. Not only did he piss away the juice, but he turned it into more demoralizing negative energy we had to try and overcome… Take those 3 points after the punt return and at least the momentum turns into our favor
    ..
    There were a lot of mistakes, but pissing away SPROLES punt return was probably the biggest. I don’t even care about the 4th down play call because that should not have been an acceptable risk to take in that situation.
    .
    I can’t even imagine how we would be feeling if Wentz didn’t convert that questionable decision to go for it on 4th and 9… Im sure most fans were screaming at the TV in anger when they realized he was going for it at that point

  40. 40 GermanEagle said at 2:39 PM on November 10th, 2016:

    I’m with you, mate.

  41. 41 DarthBanner said at 1:31 PM on November 10th, 2016:

    I agree, I wasn’t entirely happy with going for it either, especially twice in that situation. But I am more accepting of that decision than the actual playcall which was completely moronic.

  42. 42 Gian GEAGLE said at 1:34 PM on November 10th, 2016:

    can’t dispute that…

  43. 43 Howie Littlefinger said at 5:04 PM on November 10th, 2016:

    Because he is a rookie head coach who never called plays before I feel lichee can grow into a better play caller and Wentz will too

  44. 44 BlindChow said at 8:24 PM on November 10th, 2016:

    He should have had Reich calling the plays, at least in his first year. His hubris is his undoing and justifies the hate.

  45. 45 RTP210 said at 1:31 AM on November 11th, 2016:

    His hubris? lol

    5/5 on 4th – “wooh! I love the aggression!”
    5/7 on 4th – “hubris! Take away his play calling duties!”

    Every single person on this roster and staff needs to use this year to develop, grow, and refine their craft. Doug will make mistakes and if Doug is a good coach he will learn from those mistakes. Chill with the melodrama.

  46. 46 Ankerstjernen said at 4:07 AM on November 11th, 2016:

    Actually that would be 6/8 because he went for it again in the second and got it.

  47. 47 Birds4Life said at 8:50 AM on November 11th, 2016:

    Actually the Eagles are 6 for 9 on 4th downs now. They went for it twice on 4th down in the 2nd half. You forgot about the missed pass to Matthews in the endzone.

  48. 48 ChoTime said at 10:32 AM on November 11th, 2016:

    No one says anything if the plays work. No one’s complaining about Dallas’ two trick plays, because one of them worked and they won. It’s better to be the aggressor in sports, but the press and fans will hammer you if you lose because of it.

  49. 49 BlindChow said at 10:38 AM on November 11th, 2016:

    Who said anything about 4th downs?

    My comment was about the playcalling. Try to keep up.

  50. 50 RTP210 said at 9:02 PM on November 11th, 2016:

    As if that makes the comment make any more sense, lol.

  51. 51 Howie Littlefinger said at 8:32 AM on November 11th, 2016:

    Not Really he needs the experience and is learning on the job. To put this team at 4-4 with the Ol,CB, WR situation and playing MANY rookies, I think he has done a good to very good job.

  52. 52 bushisamoron said at 12:18 PM on November 10th, 2016:

    Agree- classy #3 receiver. What is missing on this team is playmakers but that will have to wait. Getting Wentz and good D is fine for now.

  53. 53 ChoTime said at 1:01 PM on November 10th, 2016:

    Time to change your handle? heh…

  54. 54 daveH said at 9:16 PM on November 10th, 2016:

    Yes theres more prescient morons in play

  55. 55 Gian GEAGLE said at 1:07 PM on November 10th, 2016:

    Our schedule is about as tôugh as it gets, but thank the football Gods that we don’t have to face the Falcons Offense in Atlanta. Their offense is still scary on the road, but at least the Eagles defense has been really good playkng at home..
    ..
    Unfortunately this isn’t a game we can win in one phase of the game. Even if our defense continues to play at a high level of Sunday, we won’t win this game without help from our offense and special teams…
    .
    offensively it’s so important that we get back to our boring methodical ways. Charles Davis was talking about how we will get Smoked if the Falcons offense runs 70 plays on Sunday, and that they need to be closer to 50 plays if we are going to give ourselves a chance to win. For that,to happen, the offense has to stay on the field and take chunks of time of possession on each of our drives.
    ..
    Pederson has to be insane to turn the ball over on downs against the #1 offense because you can’t give the atlanta offense a short field, and we,have to come away with some type of points every time our offense crosses their 35 yard line.. 7 points would be great, but you better take the 3pts on anything longer than 4th and 1, and only consider going for it if our offense is dominating the line of scrimmage
    ..
    Carson also has to do his part this week. throw an INT and we probably will lose. ryan Mathews or smallwood fumbke the ball away and we probably will lose. A pass bounces off Agholars hands and gets intercepted and we will probably lose… I don’t need to see the Eagles offense try to do its best “Greatest show on turf” impersonation, but we do NEED the OFFENSE to step up and execute a flawless game of ball security. turnovers are always so important, but they really become life or death for us when facing an offensive Juggernaut. just hold on to the ball, and we can live with Punting it away.
    ..
    Special Teams is going to have to save our asses with a few big plays again this week… Pederson made a lot of mistakes last week, but NONE BIGGER than Pederson pulling his cock out and just pissing all over that huge Punt Return by SPROLES. To come away with NO POINTS after a big special teams play or turnover that delivered the ball to the offense in FG range is just demoralizing and THATS a mistake Pederson better PROVE to have learned from in the future. Not Only did he piss away 3 points, but he pissed away some much needed positive momentum, and the juice it would have brought to the players
    ..
    We ONLY win Sunday by playing a clean game free of the back breaking mistakes. Wentz has to protect the ball sunday if he is going to give us a chance to keep our home winning streak intact

  56. 56 ChoTime said at 1:22 PM on November 10th, 2016:

    Or, just score more points than them.

  57. 57 meteorologist said at 9:45 PM on November 10th, 2016:

    “Take the 3 points when going against a high scoring offense” lol

  58. 58 Gian GEAGLE said at 10:04 AM on November 11th, 2016:

    Damn right you take the points early in the game instead of overreacting to a first quarter deficit thinking you gotta tie the game instantly..
    ..
    If there are 3 quarters left of football, I believe in just coaching the game Independant of what the scoreboard says… In the second half THATS when you can start taking chances and chasing points..
    ..
    Had we not overreacted to being down 14 points with like 50 minutes left of football, those 6 points we pissed away could have made a real difference

  59. 59 Gian GEAGLE said at 1:33 PM on November 10th, 2016:

    What do people fear the most on sunday?

    julio Jones against two eagle DBs double teaming him? Or

    Matt Ryan throwing to his runningbacks against Kendricks?

    I didn’t even notice Kendricks in the Giant game, and since I was too disgusted to check the stat sheet, or the breakdown of game snaps, I have no idea if Kendricks even played against the Giants (although that may not be a bad thing). The Falcon RB’s are scary in passing game especially with the attention their WRs command. it’s not fair to the DL, but the reality is that it’s all on them this week. if we don’t hit Matt Ryan on 3rd down, we ain’t getting off the field. It’s That simple this week… Don’t we typically do really well against Matt Ryan @ The Linc? My concern is the Falcons OL seems to be on. Different level than previous years with the addition of Mack, and Jake Mathews maturing. hopefully Bennie makes a big difference this week..
    .
    Jason Peters is having a better year than most expected, but I don’t like the way he matches up against the young, agile, speed rushers like Vic Beasly in pass protection.. Going to be very interesting to see how Peters handled this type of match up. It will probably be a part of the eventually evaluation that will decide if this is JP last year in Philly or if he is still playing at a high enough level to bring back for another year?
    .,
    Desmond Trufant, the Falcons best corner is all banged up. be nice if one of our WR can step up and take advantage of him.
    .,
    I don’t care who we play, Wentz has brought too much energy to the Linc that we need to continue to physically kick whatever teams ass comes into the Linc… Both MIKE Tomlin and MIKE Zimmer were ripping their teams for the physical ass kicking we gave them in Philly, and that trend needs to continue at home no matter who we face

  60. 60 Tumtum said at 2:42 PM on November 10th, 2016:

    I’m not afraid of the Falcons in the least. Of course I thought we were going to pummel the Giants. I am pretty know-nothing.

  61. 61 daveH said at 9:15 PM on November 10th, 2016:

    I say bring in 4 WRs ..spread it w i d e… and run behind Peters

  62. 62 GermanEagle said at 1:33 PM on November 10th, 2016:

    This is kinda awesome!

    1 former Eagle
    1 current Eagle
    1 future Eagle ?!

    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/ade2e285ef36c4217b0fdb2cb30df5570bdfe995e650ff8481e8ebe997c72398.png

  63. 63 ChoTime said at 1:52 PM on November 10th, 2016:

    Just heard Sproles passed up LaDainian Tomlinson for all-purpose yards. Who woulda thunk that, in a million years?

  64. 64 Tumtum said at 2:41 PM on November 10th, 2016:

    Longevity should not be under rated.

  65. 65 iceberg584 said at 5:26 PM on November 10th, 2016:

    You have to wonder if he’s building a real dark horse HOF candidacy for himself.

  66. 66 Gian GEAGLE said at 2:11 PM on November 10th, 2016:

    I have no faith in Romo’s body being able to withstand NFL Hits any more, but the way Dak Presscot is Constantly throwing TDs to wide open WR and TEs, I’d worry about having to face Romo with this dallas offense the way zeke is carrying the load, the last time Dallas ran the ball like this Romo had by far the best year of his career.
    ..
    I understand the argument for not screwing with their winning momentum, but I don’t know if I would be laughing at the Cowboys if they were switching to Romo going into an Eagles game, You can’t take anything away from Dak but he has left a lot of big plays on the field which is perfectky fine since he is a rookie, but I assume a veteran like Romo who has spent years and years in that offense would see the field better and take advantage of some of those plays Dak is leaving on the field… And this isn’t me ripping Dak because Wentz is just as guilty of not seeing wide open WR leaving plays on the field nusf like Dak, it’s normol for a rookie in year 1 of an offense.
    ..
    But because the NFC is so wide open, I think they have to give some serious thought to going with Romo in the playoffs. Longterm Dallas should be thrilled, but this is a tough short term decision for a veteran team with its best chance to win in years. Ill be honest, the way that Dallas offense is playing, I’d fear facing them with any starting caliber veteran QB. If I could decide which Dallas QB we face the last game of the season in Philly, call me crazy, but I think I would rather face Dak than a healthy Romo the way Zeke is playing and the WRs running free all game. I’ll take my chances with Schwartz confusing the rookie enough to win at Home… But I guess this is similar to the decision the Broncos had to make when they benched Osweiler and inserted Peyton going into the playoffs

    Fortunately knowing Jerry Jones, we are probably going to find out because unless dallas can duplicate a crazy run like the Panthers did last year where they never encountered any real adversity., łet Dak lose two games in a row and you know Romo will be starting. Funny how they a already went out of their way to announce that Romo is healthy and not playing him sunday is a coaching decision not a medical decision..

  67. 67 Ankerstjernen said at 6:12 AM on November 11th, 2016:

    Lets all pray that the cowboys decide to bet everything on their hot new rookie QB and get mindwashed by all the hype in stead of keeping Romo around. Romo has shown time and again, that he can play outstanding when he is under pressure and he has to carry his team. NOTHING about Dak so far suggest, that he is anywhere near as good as Romo when the going gets rough. Like you said, he is throwing to wide open receivers with time in the pocket. They are a few key losses on the O-line (like what we have seemingly every year) away from seeing Dak do the Nick Foles regression to the mean.

  68. 68 Tumtum said at 8:07 AM on November 11th, 2016:

    There is no chance they go to Romo now.

  69. 69 Ankerstjernen said at 7:18 AM on November 12th, 2016:

    I think you are right. And I think we should feel good about that. With jerras mindless restructuring of Rooms contract, he has massive cap hits the next few years too.

  70. 70 jaws80 said at 5:49 PM on November 11th, 2016:

    With all of the weapons Dallas has – uncontested best line (for years now it seems), best rb (lots of hype, deserved), HOF wr and te, and very good depth at receiver, why are they not easily, by far, the best offense in the league – record setting even? Must be QB. They are certainly doing well on offense now with Dak, but if i was the cowboys it would be very tempting to see what the offense could do with Romo.

  71. 71 Gian GEAGLE said at 3:05 PM on November 10th, 2016:

    This is the second time Adam Caplan is on ESPN saying “you can bet that the Eagles will invest heavily in WRs during the offseason”
    .
    Caplan and Joe Banner speculate that Terrelle Pryor will get a minimum of $13mil a year
    ..
    Im as Dissapointed as anyone in Agholar’s play but he is still a talented kid who is pretty young in the player development process who is going to improve. We just don’t know if he will improve Enough. but im sure he knows that HOWIE did not draft him and that the second half of the season will probably be very important in deciding if they will bring him back for year 3 since DGB and Jordan are probably both ahead of Nelson on Howies GM Depth chart.. If the Eagles add two WRs in the offseason, roster spots begin to get tight at WR.. Hopefully Nelson has a big breakout game that he can ride to significant second half success..
    ..
    I think a BIG game would do wonders for both Wentz and Nelson,, I feel like Wentz needs to complete one of those game winning drives (TD or FG) to get that monkey off his back after all the close losses that came down to the end, Agholar desperately needs to have a huge game in a win. A 7 catch, 2TD performance good be the spark he rides to big second half improvements.
    .
    If we learned anything this year is how everything can change after a couple wins or loses in the rollercoaster NFL season. A big win against the Falcons, followed by a huge road win in Seattle could change everything, even more so if Dallas also loses two games now that their schedule becomes Difficult

  72. 72 BobSmith77 said at 3:18 PM on November 10th, 2016:

    Hope that DGB and Agholor show improvement in the 2nd half but this team still needs WR help outside. DGB has the physical tools & size but I understand why the Titans gave up on him so readily.

  73. 73 Anders said at 2:35 AM on November 11th, 2016:

    Pryor is good and crazy fast, but not worth 13 mill imo.

    I give him 8-10 with chance to earn up to 12 mill if he is good

  74. 74 Gian GEAGLE said at 12:04 PM on November 11th, 2016:

    What makes him interesting for me is he is looking this good even tho he is so young in his transition to WR, while also doing it playing with the worst QBs in the NFL while facing defenses that are all throwing attention Pryors way because they DONT have many other weapons that a defense has to respect
    ..
    If Pryor is doing this in his first year at WR, curious to see how much better he can become in the next two years especially if he links up with a decent QB…
    ,,
    I would sure feel a lot better about paying him if he can make it an incentive filled contract, no problem paying him if he actually produces for us

  75. 75 Tumtum said at 8:05 AM on November 11th, 2016:

    I’m not generally one to give up on anyone. I am 100% over Nelson. Josh is gone. Jordan is a good slot, not Larry Fitzgerald in the slot. Carson needs WR.

    That being said, I prescribe to BPA. I would rather have the next Fletcher Cox because we went BPA than the next Ags because we need WR.

    OL still needs love early.

  76. 76 BobSmith77 said at 3:20 PM on November 10th, 2016:

    See what Turner can do. Yeah his YAC ability is limited but this offense desperately needs another reliable WR who can make some tough catches in traffic.

    Complete and wild hunch that isn’t really founded on anything specific besides this summer but Turner strikes me as that guy.

  77. 77 daveH said at 9:09 PM on November 10th, 2016:

    Id rather have wide open receivers than ones in traffic

  78. 78 Tumtum said at 8:02 AM on November 11th, 2016:

    Need me all.

  79. 79 Birds4Life said at 8:37 AM on November 11th, 2016:

    I’d rather have receivers that can catch the ball. Doesn’t matter how open they are, if they can’t catch the ball when it hits them in both hands, that is pretty useless.

  80. 80 daveH said at 8:39 AM on November 11th, 2016:

    For sure. Hard to imagine theres guys that can get open and catch

  81. 81 Birds4Life said at 8:45 AM on November 11th, 2016:

    Are there guys that can do both? Well…the WRs we face can do both. Wish we could get one of those WRs!

  82. 82 anon said at 5:59 PM on November 11th, 2016:

    missing chip’s ability to get guys open. If only he would have been OC instead of HC….

  83. 83 daveH said at 5:59 PM on November 13th, 2016:

    No room in his ego

  84. 84 GermanEagle said at 3:42 PM on November 10th, 2016:

    How frigging awesome is it when you are walking around with an Eagles jacket in Manhattan and random people say ‘go birds’ when they walk by?! #EaglesPride #FlyEaglesFly

  85. 85 daveH said at 9:08 PM on November 10th, 2016:

    Graber Schmittz go Burds

  86. 86 A_T_G said at 6:09 PM on November 10th, 2016:

    It isn’t strange that the spot has been left open for so long. I didn’t realize how long it would take to schedule Terrell Owen’s physical.

  87. 87 Rellihcs said at 9:42 PM on November 10th, 2016:

    That man’s schedule is tight. 23hra, 59 minutes, 58 seconds devoted to ego striking, there’s only so much more time to work with…

  88. 88 Sean Stott said at 7:42 PM on November 10th, 2016:

    Now that I know what it feels like, I can’t wait till the Eagles win a Super Bowl

  89. 89 ChoTime said at 8:53 PM on November 10th, 2016:

    Having a hard time parsing this comment.

  90. 90 Rellihcs said at 9:39 PM on November 10th, 2016:

    That person is happy with a certain political outcome, i so soberly suppose.

  91. 91 Will Ft. Daft Punk said at 2:19 AM on November 11th, 2016:

    Almost like cheering a train wreck

  92. 92 SteveH said at 8:28 AM on November 11th, 2016:

    I’m actually proud of this board for how non-political it’s stayed. Good job guys.

  93. 93 ChoTime said at 10:27 AM on November 11th, 2016:

    I’ve typed and deleted like five times. I’m trying… 🙂

  94. 94 anon said at 6:02 PM on November 11th, 2016:

    yeah it’s bad.

  95. 95 Julescat said at 9:28 AM on November 11th, 2016:

    ummmmmm

    no

  96. 96 Will Ft. Daft Punk said at 9:29 AM on November 11th, 2016:

    The whole thing has been ridiculous… regardless of the outcome

  97. 97 Sean Stott said at 9:52 PM on November 10th, 2016:

    Experiencing a collective, shared joy at something momentous.

  98. 98 Insomniac said at 9:57 PM on November 10th, 2016:

    Must be a Trump supporter.

  99. 99 Aaron said at 2:16 PM on November 11th, 2016:

    i am, voted for him, couldnt bring myself to vote for a baby killer, muslim supporter, but really the choices sucked again

  100. 100 Will Ft. Daft Punk said at 2:20 PM on November 11th, 2016:

    Muslim supporter? jeez

  101. 101 MattE said at 10:06 AM on November 11th, 2016:

    Post Cubs Win, I realized that when the eagles win a SuperBowl no one in the country will be happy for us lol, only eagles fans will be jubilant lol

  102. 102 Insomniac said at 10:15 PM on November 10th, 2016:

    Joe Flacco, the modern day Brad Johnson.

  103. 103 Rambo said at 11:18 PM on November 10th, 2016:

    Do I do this trade or no?
    Send: RB Lamar Miller & WR Marqise Lee
    Receive: RB/WR Ty Montgomery & WR Terrelle Pryor

    Trying to get better at WR.
    Current RB’s: Zeke, Gordon, Ajayi

  104. 104 anon said at 2:59 AM on November 11th, 2016:

    Did you watch the browns tonight? They have no incentive to win games

  105. 105 MattE said at 10:02 AM on November 11th, 2016:

    incentive to throw though

  106. 106 sonofdman said at 7:45 AM on November 11th, 2016:

    Based on who you already have at running back, I would do the trade.

  107. 107 Tumtum said at 8:01 AM on November 11th, 2016:

    No.

  108. 108 Rambo said at 10:22 AM on November 11th, 2016:

    Care to elaborate Tumtum? Still weighing my options!!

  109. 109 Tumtum said at 10:17 PM on November 11th, 2016:

    Pryor is a good WR, but Miller is a bonafied RB 1. WR production is typically easier to come by. I don’t buy into Monty maintaining any sort of role that keeps him fantasy relevant. Starks is back and real RB.

    I just wouldn’t really be looking to trade Miller unless it was for a top flight player.

  110. 110 MattE said at 10:02 AM on November 11th, 2016:

    Yes. Draft status in week 10 is gone (guessing you drafted Miller 2nd round?) Pryor plays for the Browns = Throw Throw Throw.

    As long as your not in nfl.com leagues Montgomery should be RB eligible, which is yuge.PLUS you got Zeke and Gordon.

    DO IT!

  111. 111 eagleyankfan said at 11:12 AM on November 11th, 2016:

    trade comes down to Mont for Miller(rest are just throw ins). is it worth it? Miller has tasty match ups coming up….Lots of mouths to feed in GB…

  112. 112 Tumtum said at 3:46 PM on November 11th, 2016:

    Pryor has much mlre value than Ty. In my opinion

  113. 113 PacificPurl said at 1:53 AM on November 11th, 2016:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S8gRx8tWJmI

  114. 114 Tumtum said at 8:08 AM on November 11th, 2016:

    Veterans Day is a U.S holiday. Nice song though. Canada throws beer at my orioles they get no love today.

  115. 115 ChoTime said at 10:25 AM on November 11th, 2016:

    Well, as long as we’re posting soldiers from other countries, check out this badass _Soviet_ song. Makes me wish I were a Bass.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uNb54rwDQJM

  116. 116 sonofdman said at 7:49 AM on November 11th, 2016:

    Fantasy question:

    Would you do this trade? I would give Delanie Walker and Jordan Matthews and get back Alshon Jeffery.

    I already have Greg Olsen at tight end and I can only play one tight end. My wide receivers are currently Julio Jones, Jarvis Landry, Donte Moncreif, and Jordan Matthews. Alshon’s numbers have actually been slightly worse than Matthews so far, but with Cutler back he could be an upgrade. Any thoughts?

  117. 117 Tumtum said at 7:59 AM on November 11th, 2016:

    Yes. Now is a great time to buy low on Jeffery. Shoot for championship.

  118. 118 sonofdman said at 12:08 AM on November 12th, 2016:

    Done. Thanks for the advice!

  119. 119 MattE said at 9:45 AM on November 11th, 2016:

    Absolutely

  120. 120 SteveH said at 8:30 AM on November 11th, 2016:

    Today I learned that the Browns benched a healthy Cody Kessler (with a lead) last night for Josh McCown, who then turned the ball over as many times as he had completions for the rest of the game.

    After the game Hue Jackson says Cody Kessler is his starter.

    Who were the people here who wanted Hue Jackson as our HC again?

  121. 121 Howie Littlefinger said at 8:34 AM on November 11th, 2016:

    Probably the same group that hates Doug and wants him fired already. This fan base is just utterly negative when given even the slightest opportunity

  122. 122 ChoTime said at 10:23 AM on November 11th, 2016:

    Two separate issues. We had a head coach vacancy and almost all the other candidates had more experience than Dougie P. When we hired Chip, other good-looking candidates were also around. Most of all of these coaches went to awful organizations, where they failed/are failing, as is typical when you go to an awful organization.

    Bob McAdoo, who went to another good organization, is doing pretty decently.

  123. 123 SteveH said at 5:18 PM on November 11th, 2016:

    Ben McAdoo. Poor guy is so bland and generic people don’t even remember his name.

  124. 124 eagleyankfan said at 11:06 AM on November 11th, 2016:

    Don’t confuse matters or make assumptions. I don’t like Doug but that doesn’t mean I want him fired. Is there a difference of fans being fickle or generalized post about fickle fans?

  125. 125 Will Ft. Daft Punk said at 9:28 AM on November 11th, 2016:

    Browns tank in full effect

  126. 126 MattE said at 10:07 AM on November 11th, 2016:

    yeah didnt understand that at all

  127. 127 Gian GEAGLE said at 10:12 AM on November 11th, 2016:

    He put Hogan in at QB late in the game,.. First team since the 2011 Eagles to play 3 Qbs in a game
    ..
    Hue has been making a fool out of himself since his post draft Comments

  128. 128 anon said at 11:59 AM on November 11th, 2016:

    everyone loves the backup. frankly mccown has played very well in stretches

  129. 129 jaws80 said at 5:44 PM on November 11th, 2016:

    so many brown’s fans were justifying the trade even during Wentz’s early season success saying they were too bad to draft a franchise QB, like it was some established NFL wisdom that if your team really sucks you always try to get more draft picks rather than a franchise QB. Now they still suck and have no clue what to do about the QB position. Might not hear the wisdom, “You cannot draft a franchise QB, until you have a few other building blocks already” for a long time now.

  130. 130 SteveH said at 8:31 AM on November 11th, 2016:

    Just remember everyone… we’re not the Browns.

    https://twitter.com/Kennedy_A/status/796889449644883968

  131. 131 BobSmith77 said at 2:35 PM on November 11th, 2016:

    Biggest mistake I made in two playoff elimination pools was simply not betting against the Browns whenever possible. Cost me big time when I took the Vikings over the Bears 2 week sago.

    I had mapped out my entire strategy following that rule & just had little faith in the Jets on the road.

  132. 132 SteveH said at 8:33 AM on November 11th, 2016:

    Jamie Collins must be like… What the fuck Bill… Why’d you do me like this…

  133. 133 MattE said at 9:43 AM on November 11th, 2016:

    hahaha…..
    imagine how Belichicks love life works lol, ex-girlfriends are cut every week!

  134. 134 BobSmith77 said at 2:34 PM on November 11th, 2016:

    He has been with the same buxom blonde since dumped his ex-wife.

  135. 135 MattE said at 2:38 PM on November 11th, 2016:

    he nicknamed her Tom

  136. 136 BobSmith77 said at 2:40 PM on November 11th, 2016:

    https://mikeresponts.files.wordpress.com/2008/08/belichicktape2.jpg

  137. 137 SteveH said at 5:17 PM on November 11th, 2016:

    Oh god… Living proof that money can buy you love, because it sure as hell isn’t his personality she married him for.

  138. 138 BobSmith77 said at 2:42 PM on November 11th, 2016:

    Don’t see many like that walking around in Boston but middle-aged blondes with 36D implants, dental veneer/caps, and expensive blonde highlights are a dime a dozen in FL (especially West Palm Beach) and TX (Dallas & suburbs).

    They supposedly meant in Palm Beach, FL, too. Big shocker.

    Basically traded in his ex-wife for a younger and hotter model. Happens all the time with successful and wealthy guys in the late 50s-through early 70s.

  139. 139 Gian GEAGLE said at 9:58 AM on November 11th, 2016:

    “You get my son to call you daddy, and I fuck your wife”-Will Ferrell in “The Campaign”

    “You ask for VON Miller money, I send your ass to Cleveland”-Bill Bellichick

  140. 140 Gian GEAGLE said at 10:11 AM on November 11th, 2016:

    Rueban Franks says that back in training camp Kelce told him that he sees a a ProBowl Center in Seumalo’s future

  141. 141 RobNE said at 12:28 PM on November 11th, 2016:

    hopefully next year

  142. 142 Gian GEAGLE said at 10:38 AM on November 11th, 2016:

    Atlanta is one of the worst teams at covering RB in the passing game…. Need to take advantage of getting SPROLES matched up against LB who struggle in coverage (wheel route time?) .We have our own concerns about how Kendricks is going to cover Telvin and Devonte in the passing game
    ..
    Probably can’t win this game without running the ball being a big part of the game plan this weeks.. Wentz threw over 40 passes in each of the last two games, and that is clearly not the recipes for how this Eagle team can be successful. If we can run the ball 30 times incorporating all 4 of our RBs into the gameplans, we probably win this game. SPROLES needs to play a big role in our passing game this week, so we need the other 3 Rbs to have an ood game and help carry the running load…
    ..
    We aren’t good enough to beat The Falcons if only one phase of the game shows up in a big way,,, we can ONLY win this game playing sound Complimentary football.. offense job is to run the ball, eat up the clock and limit the amount of time the atlanta Offense gets on the field. If our run game is rolling enough to run the ball 30 times, I would expect that to open up some really nice opportunities to use play action to get some big chunks of yards down field. It also helps if we make the Falcons defense respect Treggs speed early in the game so corners can’t just sit on all our short routes..
    .
    The Falcons top CB Desmond Trufant is pretty banged up. Did he even practice yet this week? Gotta make him work early in the game and find out if he can hold up
    .,
    The DL HAS to hit Matt Ryan on 3rd down or its going to be hard to get our defense off the field with Atlantas arsenal of weapons. The toughest aspect of facing the Atlanta offense is how well rounded they are. This isn’t like Minnesota who can’t run and we knew we could make them one dimensional. Better be very sound in our defensive assignments this week
    ..
    Most importantly we need both our Run game and our DL to have one of their best games of the season.. Wentz brought so much energy back to the Linc, I feel like this is the first time in years where we comsistently have a home field advantage.. gotta protect home field and keep building on the early season home field advantage we have enjoyed

  143. 143 Sb2bowl said at 11:27 AM on November 11th, 2016:

    Whats a wheel route? I thought we got rid of that concept when Chippah left?

  144. 144 Gian GEAGLE said at 11:42 AM on November 11th, 2016:

    Yeah chip ran it every play, I have yet to see SPROLES catch a wheel route under Pederson…. Somewhere in between those two extremes would be nice,..

  145. 145 Sb2bowl said at 11:49 AM on November 11th, 2016:

    I’m not sure why he has gone away from it- probably has something to do with blocking/protection calls. Sproles, and to a lesser extent Barner could be excellent out of the backfield. For the most part, they have the speed to get behind a closing LB.
    The ATL offense scares me, and their defense is built to play from the lead. As you stated, our best case scenario is that we get out front early, but keep the game in front of us as much as possible.
    Honestly, this is the type of game I’d say we have no shot of winning. But history has shown me that these are the types of games we win. On the other hand, last time Julio came to Philly, he retired Nnamdi.
    I’m just hoping for a close game Sunday.

  146. 146 Tdoteaglefan said at 12:54 PM on November 11th, 2016:

    Man i was positive that we were gonna hit sproles on one at least twice in that giants game when I saw him leaking out to the flat..those box safeties and shitty linebackers wouldn’t be able to cover him.

    I was screaming all game for us to attack the middle of the field…ertz, sproles and matthews in the slot should’ve gouged them all game

  147. 147 MattE said at 2:10 PM on November 11th, 2016:

    for a Reid disciple i feel i haven’t seen enough screens (successful screens), could be wrong, just doesn’t feel like it.

  148. 148 Aaron said at 11:35 AM on November 11th, 2016:

    atlanta gonna kill the eagles, book it

  149. 149 Insomniac said at 11:41 AM on November 11th, 2016:

    Grymes promoted to the 53 man roster.

  150. 150 BobSmith77 said at 2:32 PM on November 11th, 2016:

    Makes sense. They desperately could use some help at CB and McKelvin isn’t 100%/struggled and Mills has been getting beat routinely.

  151. 151 SteveH said at 5:16 PM on November 11th, 2016:

    Cool, I liked what I saw out of him. Doubt he’ll see the field but between him and Turner I think he was the right choice right now.

  152. 152 Gian GEAGLE said at 11:57 AM on November 11th, 2016:

    Let’s not forget recent History…. We have seen the Dan Quinn Falcons get off to hot starts only to completely unravel in the second half of the season…
    .
    If they can stop history from repeating itself I assume the OL improvement would be the primary reason. Fortunately the Eagles DL playing at home has been a bad mother shut yo mouth.. We are one of the few DLs that can bang it out with that Dallas OL for 60 minutes and I believe this DL is capable of holding its own against any OL.
    ..
    I’d like to see Pederson start the game focused on establishing a run game. Pound the rock before we ease Wentz into the passing game. The LAST THING we can afford is first quarter turnovers giving the Falcons offense a short field and a chance to jump out to an early lead.. Playing at home, we need to bleed the clock with our run game, winning the time of possession and it would be HUGE if we can get the lead early at home, keep the rowdy crowd in the game and make the Falcons offense play from behind..
    ..
    Can we hit Matt Ryan on 3rd down will have a huge impact deciding this game. gotta beat him up and make him uncomfortable early

  153. 153 Sean Stott said at 1:50 PM on November 11th, 2016:

    Happy Veteran’s Day and special thanks to our commenters who have served!

  154. 154 Tdoteaglefan said at 2:00 PM on November 11th, 2016:

    Looks like no tevin coleman or desmond trufant for the falcons this sunday…

  155. 155 SteveH said at 5:14 PM on November 11th, 2016:

    Lucky us… Now we just need someone to go all Tonya Harding on Julio Jones and we’ll be set!

  156. 156 GermanEagle said at 5:47 PM on November 11th, 2016:

    This Freeman guy is kinda decent too…

  157. 157 BobSmith77 said at 2:37 PM on November 11th, 2016:

    Anyone know the answer to this question?

    – Eagles were supposedly going to use a bunch of 2-TE sets this year. Doesn’t seem to be the case and that it has decreased a bit the last few weeks.

    Understand last week it was a bit more difficult to use it given they were behind by a decent margin almost the entire game but it doesn’t seem to be a staple this year either.

  158. 158 Tumtum said at 3:43 PM on November 11th, 2016:

    They used the TEs more than in quite a while, last week. Burton has def showed he needs more touches, and Wentz likes throwing to him.

  159. 159 Corry said at 5:32 PM on November 11th, 2016:

    According to ESPN stat splits, the Eagles have had a combined 489 passing and rushing plays. The Eagles have had 48 pass attempts and 90 rush attempts with 2 or more TEs on the field.

    http://www.espn.com/nfl/team/splits/_/name/phi

  160. 160 SteveH said at 9:10 PM on November 11th, 2016:

    Randy Gregory suspended again. That’s incredible.

  161. 161 sonofdman said at 11:35 PM on November 14th, 2016:

    LOL. Shit happens 🙂

    Still have Julio, Landry, and Moncreif at WR and Olsen at TE.