Some Questions
Posted: November 8th, 2016 | Author: Tommy Lawlor | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | 204 Comments »Rather than write out a long post this morning, let me address some questions/topics of interest.
@lawlornfl I don't want to blame the refs but they had a huge part in why we lose. Especially the missed hands to the face at the end
— Sam Flomenberg (@sflomenb) November 7, 2016
There is no question the Eagles got the short end of the stick in this game. The lack of roughing the kicker was costly in the 1st half. There was the non-call on PI on the 3rd down pass to Bryce Treggs. And I don’t know how they missed the defender hitting Wentz in the helmet late in the game. That’s just nuts.
Still, the game counts as a loss. Nothing you can do about blown calls. It’s just unfortunate when so many are key plays that could have changed the outcome of the game.
@lawlornfl Interesting that the team was good enough last year to win close vs. Patriots, Jets, Cowboys, etc.
— Julian Kantor (@thebarryman) November 6, 2016
The Jets game doesn’t fit. The Eagles were up 24-0 and then let the Jets crawl their way back into the game.
The Eagles did win tight games in Dallas and in NE. You had a veteran QB starting for the Eagles. You had defensive TDs in each game. And the Eagles found a way to make clutch plays in those contests.
This team has a rookie coach and rookie QB. The offensive and defensive schemes are new. That means the players are still learning them and are more likely to make the kind of small mistakes that matter in close games.
The Eagles also lost plenty of close games last year: ATL, WAS, CAR, MIA.
I think everything will change once the Eagles have that breakthrough moment and win the first close game. That will ease the pressure and give the guys the confidence they can get this done. Let’s hope that happens soon.
@lawlornfl Wentz hasn't had a comeback/winning drive in a game yet
— Joshua Myers (@myers_jae) November 6, 2016
Wentz did this in college a few times. I think he’ll get it done in the NFL. It just hasn’t happened so far. Let’s also be honest. He hasn’t had the guys around him step up and make huge plays for him.
It is fair to question Wentz in this area until he proves he can do it in the NFL, but I think that will happen.
Doug 2nd guessed himself for not being more aggressive last week. He'll be aggressive today. Just hope he doesn't try to over-correct.
— Tommy Lawlor (@lawlornfl) November 6, 2016
I wish I had been dead wrong with this, but it sure felt like that is exactly what happened.
More than a few people are really upset with Doug. He is a rookie coach.
Stop. Let that sink in.
He is a rookie coach.
Just as with players, there are going to be ups and downs with rookie coaches. Belichick, Reid, Carroll…you name it. Most guys have bad years in their first season as the head coach. There are the occasional exceptions, but the average rookie coach is going to be up and down because he is learning on the job, just like all of us when we start something new.
Pederson has been more good than bad by far. I’ve got a few bones to pick with him from the Giants game (and overall) and I’ll get into them later, but I’ve seen enough to make me think he can be a good coach for the Eagles.
Is he good enough to take this team where we want it to go? That’s a much tougher question and I think it’s too early to make that call.
_
Great point about rookie coach. He’s got to learn what works best for his players. What routes do his receivers like to run? What runs work best with the OL combo? Which players need to be pushed, and which just need to be left alone and will correct mistakes on their own? 8 games is such a small sample size.
Let’s also not forget that the composition of the OL has changed multiple times due to injury, and that may affect which runs work best, especially in short yardage when the pressure is on.
Maybe he could check with DGB before sending him onto the field to see if he wants to play this offensive series or sit it out.
I can live with all of Doug’s rookie learning moments except his stance on the passing game. Why Ertz and Burton are not the focal point along with JMatt seems baffling. When Wentz targets Ags, Huff (formerly), and DGB in the passing game, more bad than good seems to happen (incompletions, dropped balls, interceptions, fumbles).
Against the Giants, Ags was on the field for 92% of the plays while Burton was out there for 23%. Ags had 7 targets with 4 catches for 41 yards, Ertz and Burton had 11 targets with 11 catches for 152 yards.
New England made their tight ends a staple of the offence when Gronk and Hernandez were together. I’m not implying Ertz and Burton are near their level, but New England didn’t have a receiver like JMatt at the time either.
You are right that Ertz is no Gronk, and Burton just doesn’t have…
*puts on sunglasses*
that killer instinct.
YEAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
Brutal
Agree with this we talked a lot about how we’d see 2 and 3 TE sets as a staple of the offense. Not sure why Ags is the WR playing the most – he probably looks great in practice.
I am more than willing to excuse rookie mistakes by a rookie coach. I am not willing to excuse an inability to admit fault. That’s a character flaw. That most likely does not get better with experience.
Pederson doesn’t have what it takes to coach in Philly. He’s as good as gone. It’s just a matter of how many games he can win to stretch out his tenure.
Are you referring to going for it on 4th? Those decisions were judgment calls, not faults. The numbers support those decisions. The results in this particular game were unfortunate.
Going for it on those fourth downs wasn’t a great idea, but I think that’s something you can can chalk up to a rookie coaching mistake.
My problem with Pederson is calling the quarterback sweep on that 4th down. That was a horrible play call that had no chance of working. But, once again, I’m willing to give the rookie coach a pass on that. What I am not willing to give him a pass on is saying he would call the same play again. That’s stupid. It was a bad play. He should just say, “Yeah, I thought we had such and such working in our favor there, but it turned out to not be the right call.”
I think it points to a character flaw that will not serve Pederson well as a head coach in Philadelphia. He is going to make more mistakes. We all make mistakes. If he is unable to admit his mistakes he will get torn apart in this town. He will look like a bumbling fool and he will be laughed at. He will lose the confidence of the players and his firing will only be a matter of time.
Did you see this analysis on the QB sweep? Apparently, Pederson is blaming Matthews’ missed block. It does sort of look like he would have gotten the yards with even a decent block, but it’s hard to tell. There are several little vids showing crucial mistakes.
http://www.phillymag.com/birds247/2016/11/07/doug-pederson-play-calling-carson-wentz-interceptions-philadelphia-eagles-nfl/
Does that analysis really make it a better decision? As Seth Joyner said, “Carson Wentz is not Cam Newton”. But Pederson chose to run Wentz on a play that depended on a WR blocking 290 lb JPP, and Jason Kelce getting to the second level and blocking a linebacker? It’s a bad play call.
I know the results were bad, but I don’t know enough to say it was a bad call. If the design was such that JM was meant to block JPP, I agree, that’s not going to work. Kelce getting to the second level is actually what he’s good at, so I have no problem. I think most of us would have preferred a short run or sneak, but Kelce is too weak to pull those off.
Your comment on Cam Newton inspired me to compare the two QB’s spider charts, since they are both thought of as athletic. Carson really falls short on 40 and vertical, which are indications of explosiveness. I guess this is why he doesn’t appear to be a viable runner at this level.
http://www.mockdraftable.com/player/503/
http://www.mockdraftable.com/player/6592/
Yeah – that’s my issue also. Even if you don’t think you made a mistake, you have to stand up and take some responsibility for the outcome, instead of throwing your rookie franchise QB and other players into the line of fire.
Much prefer the way Schwartz dealt with the bad game against Washington. Said they had to play better, but he had to do a better job also.
As long as what a coach says DOESNT negatively impact our Locker room, I don’t know why I should even care what comes out of his mouth at press Confrence
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I CARE that he SHOWS that he learned from mistakes on the field, Talking to a few media Jackals after a game is cheap. I want to see growth, I want to see a coach who is learning from Mistakes, I don’t care about a coach telling me that he has learned from the mistake. SHOW ME thru action/results and you can say whatever the hell you want at a press conference. he can answer elliot Shorr parks questions by singing “La Bamba” at the Podium for all I care..
I agree that we should’t care what DP says at press conferences. It matters exactly nothing at all what he tells reporters, it only serves to make fans feel better. What really matters is how he changes his coaching decisions in the upcoming games, thats what we should be looking for. And on this point, we do have reason to be optimistic. Consider this: In the first few games, Wentz and DP was critizised for running with too much risk. They cleaned tha tup and Wentz didnt run almost at all the following games. Then Doug was critized for not being aggressive enough and he came back super aggressive. The he was criticized for not going deep enough and came back against the Giants with a number of downfield playdesigns that were actually succesful. Then he was criticized for trotting Vaitai out there without much help and came back the next game with a lot more in-line protection and chip blocking to address that issue, and it was much better. And finally he was criticized for losing the locker room because players were being let off the hook after off-the-field incidents – and then he cut Huff, one of the more well liked players as far as we could tell. So. All this talk about DP not admitting mistakes in his press conferences, lets just stop paying attention to that and have a look at, what he does on the field from week to week. Right now we are complaining that aggs are seeing too much playing time over a playmaker at TE and that the stretch plays and bubble screens aren’t working out. Noone should be surprised if we see more 2- and 3-TE sets and less Ags next week. Doug seems to be willing to work things out.
I think Schwartz said it best: “If you do dumbass things, pretty soon you’re going to be labeled a dumbass.”
Which to me applies to fans playing monday morning head coach.
Hey football minds: Big V is 3 gamea in. I kinda try to watch him for a few plays now and then…looked really good. How has he been since that first disaster?
Competent.He’s playing roughly level equivalent to Jalen Mills. They do some dumb shit due to inexperience, you still have to help them alot, but they’re battling through it.
Is either one a guy you feel comfortable projecting as a long term starter? Probably not right now, but the experience is invaluable. Even if they don’t start you have two guys who now have game experience that are super super cheap for three more years.
Honestly not exactly what I wanted to hear. Big difference in investment for the two of them.
Pick 164 is not significantly more than a 7th.
Oh damn. I was confused. Was thinking Seumalo was big V…. feel better.
Since D3FB mentioned Jalen Mills below… I am not very optimistic about his prospects for long term success. It seems to me that when you have a guy like Mills, starting at a top program, people know about him and when a player like that is undrafted (or goes in the seventh round) there’s a reason for it. In Mill’s case it’s a lack of speed. I don’t think speed can be coached up, especially not in Mill’s case when he has had access to all the coaching you can get from one of the top programs in the nation for 4 years. I’m just not seeing any upside like you might with a lesser known prospect who has the physical ability but maybe needs coaching to perfect technique.
Still feel that this is a rebuilding year–rookie Head Coach, rookie QB. There will be growing pains. We look like an 8-8, 9-7, 7-9 team. We have weaknesses we need to fix.
WR: We lack a #1 receiver. Giants have Beckham, Cowboys have Dez. Skins dont have a true #1 but have TE Reed and better overall WR Corps than we do. DGB is a project, there’s a reason Titans dumped him for cheap. Teggs speed helps alot but he’s still a project. Matthews doesnt scare defenses. Not sure if Algohor will get better.
RB: I love Sproles but he is too tiny and old to be getting so many carries. Makes me wonder if we are giving him the rock alot so he’ll resign with us when Free Agency hits where we will only to limit him to 5 carries or less in the future because we have him locked down. I think we’re more effective if we rotate more between Matthews, Smallwood and Barner to mix things up.
OL: Lane Johnson effect really is hurting us. Big V is getting better and he’s solid but he’s not at the level Lane is. Lane was having a Pro Bowl year before the suspension. Peters is getting old and has loss a step, but Peters is still better than most but is not as dominant as he used to be. He’s starting to break down. There is something wrong with Kelce mentally, I would put Wiz there but he’s doing a nice job at G. Brooks is solid and dependable.
TE: This is a nice group but there are not getting the ball enough. Ertz cant break through, he’s too up and down. Celek is more of a blocker at this point in his career and Burton has nice versatility but is too short to be dominant.
Defense line is a strength even with the injuries. Wont go into detail with everyone but Cox is a beast and makes everyone else’s job easier. Vaeao is getting better and better every week, he is going to be a force. DL is our strongest asset.
LB: Hicks and Bradham having a great season. Both could be in Pro Bowl. Kendricks is just too short and injury prone. Wished we drafted his brother(Minn). Tulloch is solid.
CB: This is a solid core. Carroll is an overachiever. McKelvin is solid but nicked up. Jenkins is savvy old vet. Watkins and Mills are still learning on the job. Need to shore this unit up some but they are still better than last year.
We have arguably the best special teams in the NFL.
I disagree with your evaluation of the CB situation, and I think most people would too. CB is top priority next offseason. I forget who said it (might have been Kempski) but the Eagles have two #2 cornerbacks. I think that’s a good appraisal. You can get by with Carroll or McKelvin as a #2 CB, but you need a #1 CB to anchor the defensive backfield.
I think any team in the NFL would love to have Carroll as a backup corner.
Well, we need a nickel back too. It’s not like if we had a true #1 CB Carroll or McKelvin would be on the bench.
Yeah, I’m in a dream world where we have two CBs better than McKelvin and Carroll.
Wasn’t Nolan the backup to Sconces and Fletcher? Oops…
I wont argue against having a #1 CB, but I feel that WR is our most pressing need.
McKelvin is terrible, and he proved that with his performance in the red zone.
Carroll is adequate.
everyone has a bad game. But he definitely had a bag game. Surprise giants tried to run the ball at all, could tell after that first reception that mckelvin had no chance on odb.
I don’t know about anyone else, but I’ve been in line to vote for over an hour and I’m still not in the building. I’m being told another 1.5 to 2 hours. This is worse than trying to get into the Linc 15 minutes before kickoff.
Took me around 15 minutes. They had snacks too. The key is to live in an area that normally votes republican.
Yeah, I had snack and coffee, now I have to pee.
we did early voting – amazing.
Can’t you mail it in early? My voting experience was sitting in front of the computer, researching, and then sticking the envelope in the mail the next day.
I thought about that but since I’m self-employed, I make sure my schedule is light each year on this day. I’m actually OK with the lines as there always seems to be pleasant and civil conversations throughout the line with complete strangers.
As contentious as the elections can get, oddly enough even among your closest friends and family. I’m always blown away by how well we handle election day. If our government reflected that in anyway the damn thing might actually work.
There is a sort of good feeling about doing things like voting and serving jury duty.
I never understood the vitriol many have when they get called for jury duty. Many people around the world will never have the luxury to present their case in front a jury of their peers.
I think early voting is how it should be done, really only way to be able to make an informed decision b/c you can research and fill out the ballot. Assume half the people at the polls have no clue who they are voting for locally or what the ballot propositions mean.
I used to take the time to find out about local candidates but now I just vote straight democratic because anyone who would still associate themselves with the republican part is a shitheel.
Living in California it’s harder b/c everyone is a democrat, so it’s like do you want a Bernie or a Hillary at each of these positions.
I’ll have a Bernie please! And do me a favor put a few extra Bernies in a doggie bag for later.
You sound like the kind of guy who gives back less than he takes from the system.
that’s a tremendous assumption to base a personal attack on someone.
It would also be incorrect.
Besides the fact that there are parties other than Republican– and in the local races, that can matter a great deal– you are just letting everyone know you are a belligerent, closed-minded partisan.
Well, I’m not a partisan in the sense that I am gung-ho about democrats. But I am pretty partisan when it comes to opposing the party that has been wrong about absolutely everything for the last 20 or so years and whose only plan for the future is to double down on all the stupid mistakes they’ve already made.
Advocating for the collapse of the federal government does not make one a patriot, except in the twisted minds of Fox News viewers and Limbaugh listeners. In the “good old days” they called it treason.
I do check up to make sure none of my candidates did something really bad. I also try to see what’s up with the judges. We also have some non-partisan tickets like for the school boards and a water advisory deal.
voted early this morning. no wait – took about 5 minutes.
I live in Wilmington NC. Turns out they Gerrymandered my my street and the downtown area of my city (black folks) into a gigantic red (white) district, moved the voting place into another county (we don’t get to vote in Wilmington like the rest of the city), and when I got there, I found out the deactivated my registration ( I voted it 2012, wtf?). So that was a big old waste of time, and to be honest, if I had the wherewithal to pull it off, I’d be looking to sue the State, goddamn hypocrites are always setting up witch hunts for voter fraud then do this shady crap.
Moral of the story: do the homework and vote early as possible, uhg
Voter fraud is basically non-existent. It’s a made up issue republicans use to disenfranchise voters.
Gerrymandering is real. The nation is majority democratic now but the house and senate are still republican owned. The senate you can understand… Each state gets 2 senators. It’s not representation proportional to population. But the house is supposed to be proportional to population and should have a solid democratic majority if voting districts weren’t so gerrymandered.
Wow. REAL talk. Eye opening
here is the current state of gerrymandering in NC. Wilmington is in the South East of the state, the county shaped like an ice cream cone. It’s very hard to see but they scooped out the black population of Wilmington and threw it into that behemoth of district 3.
District 4 and 12 are even more jacked. This needs to be outlawed. Probably even crazier in other states. Just crazy to experience when it happens to you.
http://www.ncleg.net/GIS/Download/District_Plans/DB_2011/Congress/Rucho-Lewis_Congress_3/mapMain.png
Here’s one I find particularly offensive:
http://i.imgur.com/KU0yDZD.jpg
wouldn’t that strengthen black voters’ voices?
It’s called “packing”. You pack all the democrats into one district and accept the loss of that district in order to make surrounding districts majority republican.
exactly, it’s very close by population, but the State is dominated on the federal and state level by republicans
PA is no different. It’s pretty much a solid blue state that is only really a “battleground state” in the loosest sense, yet it sends 13 republicans and 5 democrats to the House of Representatives. Actually PA is probably worse when you think about it…
depends how you look at it. Most of the counties in PA will vote Republican. The counties with the highest concentrated population vote Democrat. Each county is represented in the state legislature.
We are talking about the federal level, the House of Representatives, where there are 13 republicans and 5 democrats. That’s 72 percent of our representatives in the House. Are 72 percent of Pennsylvanians republicans? In a state where democrats have won the last six presidential elections? No, of course not.
If you consider people who live in Pittsburgh and Philly to be the only people who matter, yes, PA is “solid blue”.
I don’t consider them to be the only people that matter. I just don’t think the others should get more than twice the representatives than the majority of the state.
both parties gerrymander districts. that’s how that crook Jack Murtha (from western PA) was able to stay in congress for so many years.
voter fraud is real
you can argue the extent but not the existence
It is absolutely inconsequential. It’s like saying the theft of a lamp from Sears affects the GNP.
Thanks for parroting the Democrat line, there. Of course they say voter fraud is nonexistent… they get a large portion of their votes from convicts and dead people.
substantiated source on how big of a portion?
Republicans like to repeat things over and over again until they actually believe them. But that doesn’t make them true. There is no evidence for the things you are claiming, yet you probably actually believe them just because you’ve heard them over and over again,
Wow. CRAZY
That sucks. I hope you’re up to complain to the proper authorities/watchdog groups.
That’s the thing, I’m a pretty worthless citizen, I’m fired up today, but tomorrow my main feelings on gerrymandering will be back to thinking it’s pretty funny that district 7 looks like a dude gleefully jumping in the air flipping off district 3.
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/ca/North_Carolina_US_Congressional_District_7_(since_2013).tif/lossless-page1-400px-North_Carolina_US_Congressional_District_7_(since_2013).tif.png
Priceless. Check out mine.
http://recorder.maricopa.gov/reviewer/default.htm?DistrictType=P&DistrictCode=0567
just forget it its not a big deal, try again in 2020
It’s interesting Carson gets the “he has no talent around him” but sam bradford just sucks.
https://i.imgflip.com/1dr4b0.jpg
Not that sports fans are unbiased, but one is a rookie and one has played dozens of games in the league.
yes a rookie, so ya, not that interesting really
so that means he can make ags learn to catch?
It means Sam sucks because he’s had time to correct his rookie flaws, and never did. If Wentz plays at this level in his 5th-6th year, I will also say he sucks.
but we’re saying the issues aren’t with the QB.
McNabb only had westbrook and TO for 1 try
And what a glorious (almost) year that was. I’ll always remember preseason game number 1 verses the Raves. First play, McNabb to TO on a bomb. TOUCHDOWN!
Bradford does kind of suck, but surely he is better than he demonstrated last season in a read option offense with no weapons.
One factor for me is comparing how they move in the pocket. When Bradford feels pressure, he crumbles. Literally.
When Wentz feels it, he slides, moves, hell- runs away from it; all while keeping his eyes down field. And, he’s a rookie QB 8 games into his career.
I understand the Bradford sentiment; I wanted to see him succeed as well. I really did. But if you asked me now, who is the better QB? Wentz by a long shot, already.
Wentz’s pocket movement is actually quite inconsistent. Needs improvement as he grows as a qb. His mobility and pocket presence have been slightly disappointing
Sure, but temper your expectations a bit- he’s a rookie. With a bit of a shabby line (its not great, but not terrible). Compare him to Bradford, a veteran of 7 years in the NFL.
Sam never wowed anyone and never really seemed half as competitive as Wentz. I think Sam would have turtled up after throwing two terrible picks to start the game. It would be all check downs after that
Without those two early INTs, I think Dougie Fresh maske different calls in the Red Zone. No need to go for it on 4th down when the other team has not been gifted amazing field position and 14 points within the first 3 possession of the game. Growing pains.
Ref issues are a problem league wide.. last night MNF no exception
Something needs to be done because it’s really getting out of hand this year. Refs have been way too much a part of this season, and it feels like every Monday we are discussing Terrible ref mistakes, and not just from the Eagles games,,
,.
I can’t stand Rex Ryan, but NFL games are too damn important to have the refs play the huge role that they played in the Bills loss last night…
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Bêtween the INSANE presidential race, Horrible prime time games like Jaxonville vs Titans, and the Refs playing such a big role in how these games are decided, no wonder the NFL is having an issue with the Ratings…
Im convinced the refs are just throwing every flag they see. They dont care because I think they feel slighted from the commish, who throws em under the bus or wont consider them full time. Then again, I just heard this morning a lot of them dont want to be full time as they have much better paying other jobs.
Well, they didn’t see late hits on Sturgis or Wentz, so those are two flags they didn’t throw.
darn, youre right, my theory goes out the window with the 10 non holding calls vs the Cowboys alone
I think it’s perfectly fair to be critical of Dougs performamce, but I think it’s silly to take it to the extent of no longer having faith in him being the man for the job… If we loved the guy at 3-0, then we have to give the man some leeway for his first losing streak now that we are 4-4… And when dealing with rookie playërs and coaches, I think the growth rate they exhibit is more important than the results this early in their tenure, so hopefully these tôugh times will lead to a better Doug and Carson
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The hot 3-0 start probably didn’t do Doug many favors, although im sure most of us would have been fine with a 4-4 start going into the season. it certainly feels terrible to be 0-3 and fall to last place in the division, not to mention we aren’t looking too good in terms of late season “Tie Breakers” with us losing so many division/Confrence games already… However, we still control our own destiny as we sit here at 4-4 today. November/December football is what decides who goes to the playoffs and we got off to a decent enough start to where we get to play meaningful november/December football and decide our own destiny. There is NOTHING worse than waiting Months for an NFL season to start only to be mathematically eliminated by Halloween… We are fortunate to be able to play meaningful november/December football, and whether we make the playoffs or not, playing meaningful ball in the second half of the season is what’s best for our development
I think it would be much different if Doug had not single handedly cost us the last two games with piss poor decisions and the AR clock management skills just make the situation worse. Well coached teams find ways to win games, and all our four losses were winnable down to the last drive. The only games we are winning are blowouts. His inability to make critical decisions, and evaluate his own talent (Wentz is not fast, he is mobile, Sproles is not a thumper, Burton is 10x more elusive than Ertz, and the list goes on), his playcalling (no explanation needed here). Even when our roster is talented getting outcoached will always seem to be a problem for us. The players like him, and that’s good, but I do not see him taking us where we need to go. Just my two cents. Hope he changes my mind. But I do not see coaching like a moron as a rookie mistake. It is reckless. He is either overly aggressive or conservative instead of being smart.
Let’s not pretend he also HASNT shown a lot of good too..
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Fair to rip his clock management mistakes, as long as you respect the really promising clock management we have seen under him at times this year. Cant ignore that just a week ago he showed masterful clock management with a rookie QB getting us a FG to steal a halftime lead from the Cowboys just a week ago
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Like it was too soon to know if Doug is “The Answer” after a great 3-0 start, probably too soon to conclude that he is not the man for this job sitting here at 4-4, losing a few close games on the road while still remaining one of the top teams in point differential
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I don’t feel that I have anywhere close to enough info to know what Doug is or better yet, What Doug Will Become 8 games into a head coaching career with a Rookie QB.. If you have the answer already after 8 games, than you are a wiser man than me I guess…
I agree to an extent. I have a hard time deciding at this stage if the mistakes are due to inexperience or just some basic stuff that has little to do with tenure. Stuff he and the staff should already know. Its a fine line between hindsight and should have known better. If I had to guess I think its a bit of both so maybe it is too early to fully judge the guy. Some of the breakdowns are also looking like decent play calls and the breakdowns are on the players. Either not executing (where have we heard that?) or Carson not reading a play. Thats also over the course of a drive for Carson, gets all the way to red zone and left with a late down and distance play because of just a few missed reads early in the set of downs. That will be fixed over time I have zero doubt so lot of great signs here and they are in games. Im not even mad at this Giants game, they were trailing the whole game and looking to steal it at the end. The Cowboys and Lions games kill me.
I also think three of the losses being in the division has driven some of the hysteria. The three game at the beginning were great but not for what we should have been looking logically. Anyone whom thought we should be better than Washington and Dallas, to me, were off their rocker. Washington had game continuity and experience in their system on their side. That accounts for plenty when playing a team with a rookie coach and QB at home for the first time. Watching Zeke should not be a surprise to anyone with a TV and seeing him perform in college. With the road graders they have, they could place a DIII first year starter back there at QB and have success, as long as they do not have to depend on the pass. A couple of nice players on the Oline and a good corner along with a WR that catches the ball will make a world of difference. Come back in a year or two and if they still have the same issues, then there is a problem. I still think we get seven wins. I never thought we would contend for the division simply because of the reasons already stated with Washington and Dallas. Could it be better, hell yeah. I guess it is the way the team loss those games is what is most hurtful.
Wentz just isn’t as athletic as advertised
Nick FOLES Jr
I don’t know, I never saw him advertised as a running back. He looks plenty athletic enough to be a QB though.
Are you kidding? Who isn’t athletic enough to be a qb?
No, we were hearing how his mobility would be a weapon but it’s not. It’s just enough to where you are satisfied. Not sure he will ever be a playmaker with his legs (Rodgers, tyrod Taylor, Russel Wilson, Dak, etc), or even have great pocket movement
It has been a weapon, at least earlier in the season. When I think QB mobility, I think about the ability to scramble and extend plays and make accurate passes on the move. I don’t think of it as moonlighting as Craig Heyward.
Has satisfactory mobility. Not “plus” mobility
That seems to have disappeared the last two or three weeks.
I remember during 27-2, Foles’ pocket movement was considered a strength. The next year he had regressed so bad all he did was backpedal. I’m really hoping Wentz doesn’t have the same trajectory…
Well there has to be a pocket to have pocket movement.
ya looking at that last set of downs, he could have stepped up on first down but Im nit picking. He was blitzed often and had little time. It did make me think back to early season, he was hanging in pocket more and stepping up and taking shots as he released. Seems hes more apt to roll out of the pocket now. Then again, the line is not exactly helping often times or the bad snaps.
T-Law:
Eagles’ last play was a (poorly run?) flag route out of the slot by Matthews.
Against Detroit, Birds ran the same play to Agholor in the 3rd Q.
Both times, the defenders took away the inside.
Both times, the receivers didn’t turn their heads outside to track the ball — where Wentz threw it.
Seems like Wentz read the coverage and technique correctly.
But the receivers’ didn’t execute proper technique.
Correct? Not correct?
Is this a Greg Lewis-problem? Or WR problem? Both? Neither?
It’s also the same route as JMatts TD v Browns. It’s designed to come over the inside shoulder. Wentz goofed the throw. A better WR makes him right, but ball just gets away from Wentz a bit.
https://twitter.com/fduffy3/status/795761888227430400
Coach —
First, thanks.
Second, when a defender’s playing inside technique and riding the receiver’s hip, should the receiver look outside first? As an adjustment?
That’s what I was thinking too. Evidently this was not an option route based on the defender’s leverage.
I’d like to see the back shoulder become a weapon in Wentz’s future repertoire, especially in the red zone.
Theorhetically they’ll get to the point where they’ll be able to do in play tweaking depending on what cover isolation the intended gets (also when this goes wrong it leads to “who the hell was he throwing to INT). Matthews plays it pretty well, you want to stay vertical and, then kind of dip out at the last minute.
I guess they had to get someone of your athleticism out on those post plays, even as a FB!
I was a G. FB was just for football
Oh. Even better!
Also it’s tough, because if they are in quarters it could look the same for Wentz, until the CB doesn’t take the in route and keeps pedaling right to where the converted corner route would be
The Safety was creeping in too just a yard or so to the left of the CB in coverage. I’m sure Wentz saw that and put the ball where no defender was getting to it.
Well, they are lined up on the right hash and the throw goes all the way into the left corner of the endzone. It’s hard to say Wentz threw it in a different place against the Giants than he threw it there.
Regardless of who should be blamed for failure on a specific play, or many specific plays, it is not done to mention that the team didn’t execute. Like a certain previous HC you may find yourself surrounded by a group of frothing cursing “experts” attempting a lynching! Figuratively speaking of course.
Just gonna leave this here
https://twitter.com/PFF_Mike/status/796023589736742913
I hope this point is that giants players are dumb and not that Wiz had a bad play, b/c the o-line has looked like that for 3 years.
Was this on Wiz too? Did he misread the double team or did Kelce just get beat?
https://gifs.com/embed/carson-wentz-s-2nd-int-of-the-day-leads-to-eli-manning-s-30-yard-td-pass-eagles-vs-giants-nfl-O755DY
Hard to know for certain, but Wiz can’t step down to double because of the LB on the line. He hand checks A gap, and then moves to check for a DE trying to work back to the inside. Schematically it’s fine.
Kelce doesn’t do a great job and because Brooks gets pushed back too, Wentz doesn’t have anywhere to step up into and he tries to go with all arm.
As far blame factor protection wise i’d go 60-40 Kelce-Brooks
I hope that everyone that is of voting age (and is otherwise eligible to vote) votes.
Yes it’s important to vote even though your vote doesn’t matter mathematically.
That’s exactly the reason why some people don’t end up voting which means that their non-vote will matter mathematically…
Yes, its that hip edgy guy who hates the system. LOVE that guy
Hey I voted!
I wrote in “Nickleback sucks”
OT: Look at this idiot. You know he’s asking the Orangeman to take a selfie with him.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/nov/07/who-is-to-blame-us-election-trump#img-6
so?
Uh… never mind, I guess.
Question.
Are Carson Wentz and Prince Harry of England the same person?
Could explain some things. You decide . . .
http://www.gannett-cdn.com/-mm-/9bfc26e36239b17806f6d0528364a578f16fa49d/c=0-328-3443-4918&r=537&c=0-0-534-712/local/-/media/2016/02/25/USATODAY/USATODAY/635920118767101082-USP-NFL-COMBINE-79962172.JPG
https://static01.nyt.com/images/2016/11/09/world/09royals-web1/09royals-web1-master768.jpg
Carson “The Prince” Wentz. Nah, not cool or tough enough sounding. Doppelgangers for sure though
Prince of Wales/Prince of Wentz ?
Harry is pretty bad-ass though, he was an Apache pilot and gunner in the Army.
http://gingerism.com
http://www.fastfancydress.co.uk/templates/imagedirectory/male%2070s%20wig.jpg
Nice. Prince Wentz if we ever win again..1st Super Bowl in the Motherland
I’m very tired of the “blaming the refs” angle. The refs are NOT causing us to lose these games; it is our poor play and mistakes that are doing that.
Good teams overcome bad calls and still win. They make big plays and force the other teams to make mistakes.
Stop shifting the blame and whining. The team and organization needs to take accountability and fix the problems – if the fans keep letting them off the hook by blaming others, it does no one any good. Stop, it is pathetic and embarrassing.
I dunno, did you see the whole Richard Sherman/Dan Carpenter fiasco before halftime last night? That was atrocious officiating.
But it happens to every team at some point. Good teams overcome and find ways to win. We have not and that is the issue. We are not a good enough team to overcome adversity at this point and thus need to do the necessary work to address that reality. Instead of blaming the refs which is cop out weak sauce IMO.
“But it happens to every team at some point.”
Does it? Do you have some kind of analytical proof if this?
I would argue otherwise. Surely you remember the infamous Tom Brady fumble/tuck rule call? What would Tom Brady’s career have been if the refs wouldn’t have called that? The Patriots were 11-5 that season, not the juggernauts they are now. They needed that call or they lose the game.
Like it or not, officiating can not only change the outcome of a game, but a franchise as well.
So, are you arguing that the NFL or certain refs are targeting the Eagles unfairly or to a severe degree no other teams deal with? Is this a conspiracy? Give me a break. Its so far beyond silly that the Eagles are some special “victim” the league or refs have it out for…
Every team gets bad calls during a season and have to deal with ineffective or incompetent refs. Good teams do not whine and cry about the refs, they find ways to win games by making big plays and forcing the other team into mistakes. Good teams do not blame losses on refs; they address their own issues and find ways to fix the problems.
Huh? How are you getting conspiracies against the Eagles from what I wrote? Now you’re just making things up.
“Good teams do not whine and cry about the refs” I call bullshit on that! Every team cries about the refs. If you don’t see it, its ignorance on your part.
You are making false generalized statements based on nothing but your opinion. The point that you keep trying to pass your opinion off as fact without anything to back it up lets me know that there is no reason to further this discussion.
Pete Carroll and Bruce Arians whine about bad calls all the time, so I don’t think that’s correct. I’m of the opinion that we should acknowledge, but not whine about bad calls. I’m also of the opinion that every time a receiver puts their arms out because they think it was a PI when it wasn’t should get flagged for looking lame.
Yes the late flags are all part of their mess & increasing unwillingness to improve
There are segments of most fan bases that feel this way. Baltimore whines evwry year about it.
Don’t think it made a big difference in the loss to the Giants, made no difference to the loss vs. Cowboys (although they did give dallas the coin toss lol), made no difference vs. the foreskins, but made a huge, game determining difference against the Lions.
The Lions game was Vegas making sure the Eagles lost, brought to you by the corrupt Pete Morelli.
So 1 loss out of 4 to the refs, and I don’t think you can make an arguable case that we weren’t forced to lose vs. the Lions because of the refs.
I disagree the refs have cost us any of those games. Were there bad calls? Sure, but again it happens to every team and the good ones find a way to overcome those calls and win. The issue we need to focus on is we are not a good team at this point and that needs to be fixed moving forward.
I agree that’s the issue, but the Lions game was 100% decided by refs.
Prove it
Easy, they gave the Lions the fumble when Kelce clearly tagged the ball while out of bounds.
https://www.reddit.com/r/eagles/comments/56o12z/thats_kelce_oob_while_touching_the_loose_fumble/
proof enough for me. and that’s only one call.
A first down inside the 10 when you have 3rd down makes all the difference in that game. Give you an extra two shots at the endzone.
I didn’t notice that one at the time, but I think you’re right.
The non-call on the hands to Wentz’s head at the end of the Giants game was huge! That call, if made, would have made it 1st and goal from the 1 I believe. So yeah, that cost the Eagles the game right there (along with the blatant non-call on the roughing the kicker) likely cost the Eagles the game.
I can see your logic, but I have to forgive refs missing stuff like that in real-time that is not reviewable. The Lions play in particular was reviewed for 5 minutes and they still got it wrong. I see your point though.
Agree no blame no tears .. however the Sherman hit is an embarrassment to the game and to nfl .. ref mistakes appen regularly with increasing regularityness ..
Id love to see every team in a rage
Tommy… I really hope I’m wrong… but I have seen nothing from Pedersons play-calling or decision-making that could possibly lead me to believe we’ll win a close game with him as coach. As long as we’ve got a comfortable lead, I think he’s fine. But he panics and over-reacts (and over-corrects as you pointed out) when the pressure is on.
I’m not Tommy, but I can assure you you are wrong.
Good GOD, it’s been 8 freaking games of his rookie season! Sheesh!
This isn’t Madden, in real football takes time to turn a team around from the absolute mess that Chip left this team in. Calm down and let the man build his team (if you’re that upset, look back at Reid’s 1st season vs what he did in the next 10 years).
Looking at the QBs for the 2017 draft, I sure am glad we got Wentz this year.
http://walterfootball.com/draft2017QB.php
think that played a lot into it.
so who do the Browns take at 1, a QB?
I’m gonna guess a dual-threat QB from a spread offense that played top-tier competition from one of the big conferences…otherwise, the exact opposite of Wentz.
I know they look like crap now, but I think Cleveland had the right idea with that trade. They need a complete rebuild. I bet they don’t take a QB next year, use their draft picks to build other areas, and go with another retread at QB.
has to be so frustrating to root for that team, i mean even the indians were in the WS
problem with browns is no matter who they hire the ppl in charge cant evaluate talent for shit. They’ve been trading back in the draft stock piling picks for like 5 drafts now and still suck. Plus the new regime went out of the way to say how smart they were with that trade and that Wentz was gonna be a lock bust. Wentz looks like a franchise QB so their problem hasn’t changed. They can’t evaluate talent for shit.
The injured guy in lower rounds
dude from UNC looks intriguing. Watson just isn’t that good. Think Kizer can be good depending on where he gets drafted.
Remember when Howie said he didnt see any franchise QBs coming out next 2 years and every laughed because “omg Kayaa or omg Watson”.
I don’t remember anyone laughing, just the opposite.
Draft twitter aka Adams is better than Wentz, did.
“Draft twitter aka Adams”…what is that?
The refs have sucked across the NFL, and it’s ridiculous they aren’t full-time. Of course the Eagles could still have won the game, and of course they didn’t play perfect football. But it’s simply factual to say that bad calls have cost the team in 2 losses, and could easily have made the difference in the games. That needs to stop, and as long as the NFL is hiring part-time officials they have to accept blame for the faulty product they are putting on the field.
But everyone is on the receiving end of bad calls – did you see that roughing the kicker no call last night?
That was painful. Sherman’s reaction of ‘what did i do?’ really pissed me off too.
yeah that was dirty.
Which means that far too many games are not being entirely decided by the players. Thus, we have a problem.
apparently some of the refs, no idea if theres a majority, dont want to be full time per their other jobs paying well. I just found that out this morning.
Sports illustrated had an article on the refs last year. The NFL doesn’t want full time refs because they would form a union. As part timers, they don’t have to deal with a union.
NFL refs are part of a union. It’s how they went on strike 3 years ago.
If I remember the article correctly, full time changes the complexities drastically.
Like Ed Hochuli, who probably makes $400K/year as a partner of an international law firm?
I think that’s the crux of the biscuit. Until the cheapskate NFL owners employ full time referees any talk of improvement is just empty rhetoric.
没玩过博客，来看看了！
Woah, Trump with a 55% chance according to 538. It’s Pennsylvania’s fault!
Make it 91% according to NYT.
White House may get painted gold. .. Michelle Obama’s garden to be a cute mini golf course
Peso down limit
Home Depot sold out of gold paint
Like when Reagan tore down Jimmy Carter’s solar panels?
Hillarys peeps had a huge firewotks show planned ha
I am terrified right now.
Seriously, it might be up to Pennsylvania.
Philly lets us down again
this is the lowest point in American history that I’ve been alive for
It sure aint over yyyyyyeeeeeeettt
..
Thers a very reasonable scenario that it gets to 268/269 in the electoral and its 1st tie ever
Tie goes to the house?
Well, things are going to be…interesting. in America for the next 4 years. Late night TV will have plenty of material at least.
What does “make America great again” actually mean? Send steam powered trains across the Midwest slaughtering everything in sight? Invade another country or two and do the slaughtering there? Reinstate slavery or indentured servitude to save money? Import a bunch of German (and Canadian) rocket scientists to go back to the moon? Revoke voting rights for certain groups? Another Trail of Tears for the Cherokee? Your President elect and your whole legislature are all one party now. A group who have purposely blocked every suggestion from the Executive branch, no matter how beneficial for THE CITIZENS simply because of party. Of the people, by the people and for the people is a lie.
The only solace is that campaigns are all about writing checks that you can’t cash. So no jailing political opponents, he wouldn’t get enough votes from his party to ban Islam, most Republicans are adamant about those constitutional freedoms. Biggest take away: affordable care act will be repealed, budget cuts, likely among social programs that conservatives don’t believe in, and generally a xenophobic foreign policy with everyone but Russia I guess? Like I said… interesting.
The bigger implication is that his campaign won an election, look forward to all future campaigns taking a page out of his book.
Ironically, last night I happened to watch “The Waldo Moment” (2013) on Black Mirror, which is about a blue bear cartoon that wins an election by cursing at the other candidates and pulling out its blue penis whenever it gets stuck.