Game Review – KC 27, PHI 20
Posted: September 22nd, 2017 | Author: Tommy Lawlor | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | 168 Comments »Such a frustrating game.
The Eagles took a 10-6 lead in the mid-3rd quarter and life seemed pretty good. The defense was dominating the Chiefs. The offense was making just enough plays to move the ball had just scored a TD.
Things went sideways and KC had a 21-3 spurt to put them up 27-13. When it came to crunch time, the Chiefs made plays and the Eagles made mistakes.
The biggest lesson for the Eagles should be that football is an endurance sport. Games are 60 minutes long. Seasons are 16 games long. It isn’t how you start. It isn’t where you are at the midpoint. You must keep grinding the whole way through. If you do that, you have a chance to be where you want to be at the end.
Kareem Hunt had 7 carries for 8 yards when he broke off his 53-yard TD run in the late 3rd. Alex Smith had okay numbers, but had taken a beating from the Eagles in the 1st half. He continued getting hit in the 3rd quarter. Smith made huge plays in the last 20 minutes of the game, with his legs and his arm. The overall Chiefs team was so-so for so much of the game and then really came alive when it mattered.
The Eagles have talent. They have stretches when they look outstanding. But they must learn to be able to make big plays in big games.
I do give the players and coaches credit for not quitting when down 27-13. They had a shot to tie the game on the final play. Still, having some success at desperation football is different than making crucial plays when the score is close. That’s when most games are won and lost. Desperation football rarely affects the outcome. It generally is more meaningful to those focused on the spread and the over/under number.
COACHING
Doug Pederson threw the ball a lot for 3 quarters. Once the Eagles fell behind late, it was all pass. The lack of running has been discussed ad nauseam.
The defense played well. There were multiple DB injuries and that could have affected some of the things Jim Schwartz wanted to do. He limited the effectiveness of Tyreek Hill (7 touches, 49 yards, no scores). Travis Kelce did have a big day.
Give Dave Fipp credit for getting PK Jake Elliott ready in a hurry.
PLAYERS
Carson Wentz had a pretty good game. 25-46-333 with 2 TDs, 1 INT. Had some terrific throws and plays. Threw beautiful pass early to Torrey Smith that should have been a TD, but that was dropped. Later threw another dime to Smith down the left sideline that worked out. Love the good throws, but also the fact Wentz didn’t lose confidence in his guy. Good throw to Alshon Jeffery for TD. Highlight of the game might have been Wentz running for 1st down on 3rd/13. Good speed, great awareness and great effort.
The pick was a bad moment. Screen play where the D was in the way. Wentz said he was trying to get rid of the ball but he didn’t do a good enough job. Went off KC helmet and was picked off. Turning point of the game. Did a good job of marching the Eagles down the field in the late 3rd/early 4th. Got near the Red Zone and struggled. Failed to see wide open receivers on consecutive plays. One would have been TD, the other a first down and possible TD. Forced the ball to covered Jeffery on 3rd down when Smith was wide open and to that same side.
More good than bad to be sure, but didn’t make critical plays.
RB
Darren Sproles had the big day, 10-48 on the ground and 2-30 in the air. Showed good speed on some outside runs. Just missed breaking off huge cutback run when DB got him for short gain. Tons of room past that one defender. Wendell Smallwood was 3-4 on the ground. On two of the plays, he was hit in the backfield. Is that bad luck or his Smallwood somehow tipping plays? Really weird. Lost 3 yards on only catch. Had huge room to run, but LB made great move and got him for a loss. So close to breaking a big play, but lost yards. Blount had really quiet game. Not sure they even had to wash his uniform. Corey Clement got one snap on offense.
Pass protection was up and down. RBs need to do a better job.
WR
Good game. Jeffery was 7-92-1 and made some nice grabs. Smith was 4-66. He had a couple of drops. They weren’t gimmes, but those are passes he needs to catch. One was a TD, the other was a nice gain. Fell down when he did make a good grab over the middle. Had some room to run, but slipped and fell. Not sure he would have scored or added significant yards, but would have been good to see him running in the open field. Failed to block DB chasing Ertz late in the half. Made an effort to get there, but couldn’t take the guy out. Agholor was quiet. He drew a penalty and caught a late TD. Looked like the Chiefs did a good job on him. Mack Hollins played well, going 3-32. Made a tough diving catch and showed good RAC ability on another play. Has excellent body control for such a big guy.
TE
Zach Ertz actually had some good run blocks in the game. You read that right. Good…run…blocks. He’s no Mark Bruener, but I’m encouraged to see some progress. 5-97 in the air. Long play was a wild 53-yard catch and run late in the half.
https://twitter.com/thefanaticsview/status/909914125341462529
Great concentration and effort. Brent Celek didn’t have any catches. Trey Burton caught one pass for 10 yards.
OL
Tricky subject. Wentz was sacked 6 times. Bad game, right? On some of those plays, Wentz held the ball a long time. You can’t hold the ball a long time unless your blockers are doing their job. The OL was better than many are saying. The sacks can give you a misleading idea.
At the same time, the OL had their issues. My biggest beef was confusion. There were multiple plays in the game (run and pass) when the Eagles would have the right number of blockers to take on the right rushers/defenders and someone would come free due to confusion. The Eagles returned too many players for there to be that much confusion. Weird.
Isaac Seumalo had a bad game. Bad. Really struggled in pass pro. Even when he blocked his guy, didn’t look confident in doing so. More like he guessed right on where to be. The one play that really ticked me off is when he pulled to the right to block on a run play and then barely made contact with the defender. Looked like he thought it was OTAs where contact is banned. Actually made me yell at the TV.
Jimmy Bama put together a piece to highlight his struggles. Not pretty at all.
I was encouraged by Jason Peters. He was erratic in the opener, but played better in KC. Had some real good run blocks. Failed to block Justin Houston on one run play where there was a lot of room to be had. Peters tried to get him to bite outside so he could seal Houston, but JH shot inside and got the runner for only minimal gain. Ugh.
I thought Jason Kelce, Brandon Brooks and Lane Johnson were solid. They each had plays where they got beat, but overall seemed to do well. Kelce did have some struggles that were brought on by Seumalo. He tried to help on some plays, but defenders seemed to beat Seumalo so quickly that Kelce was caught off guard. I’d love to know how Jeff Stoutland would grade plays like that.
*****
DL
Good game. Fletcher Cox was terrific. Regularly got pressure up the middle. Just pushed blockers backward. Got one sack, but affected the QB for most of the game with pressure. Brandon Graham got half a sack. Wasn’t in the backfield as much as last week. Good hustle on run plays. Tim Jernigan was fantastic. Had 4 tackles and half a sack. Just threw people around at times.
Shot 8 – I don't even have words for this, Tim Jernigan. If you watch one #Eagles play from Sunday, this is it. Defending the Trap 101. pic.twitter.com/28u7XNs2R0
— Fran Duffy (@fduffy3) September 19, 2017
Jernigan got pressure on the passer and was outstanding against the run. So good. Vinny Curry led the team with 4 solo tackles, including a TFL. He’s been fantastic against the run this year. Had one lowlight. Used a terrific inside move to beat the LT and get to Alex Smith on crucial 3rd down. Failed to finish the play. A sack there would have resulted in a long FG attempt or even possibly a punt. Instead, the drive continued and KC got into the end zone. On some plays, pressure is enough. That wasn’t one of them.
Members of the backup DL were in the game for all 3 TDs. I don’t mean to blame them, but you have to point that out. Beau Allen got pressure on a couple of plays and showed great effort, as he always does. Elijah Qualls made his NFL debut. Somewhat quiet. Dropped back on zone blitz and chased Smith down the field, forcing him out of bounds. Good hustle on that. Chris Long got his first sack as an Eagle. Derek Barnett had somewhat of a quiet game.
LB
Jordan Hicks was mostly outstanding. He was in on 3 tackles. He showed great range in flying from sideline to sideline. He had the two biggest hits on Smith in the game on blitzes.
There were a couple of problem plays. The long run by Hunt looked bad. Hicks was on the backside of the play and never moved frontside. Some accused him of being lazy. What happened? If you watch the first play of that drive, the Chiefs ran an option play. Hicks was in the same spot. The RB went away and Hicks focused on Smith, chasing him down and making the tackle. On the Hunt run, Hicks focused again on Smith. Hunt had the ball and Hicks wasn’t over on that side. Hicks also struggled to read the shovel pass to Kelce for the TD. Hicks was slow to get over and wasn’t able to make that tackle. That’s what the Chiefs do to you with all their looks, fakes and option stuff. They overwhelm your eyes and slow your feet.
Nigel Bradham had a quiet game. He was in on 4 tackles, but didn’t seem to be around the ball as much as usual. He did have one good blitz. Mychal Kendricks had another strong showing. He made 2 tackles, one was a sack and the other a TFL. He also broke up a pass.
S
Malcolm Jenkins had the task of covering Travis Kelce a lot. Kelce burned him for a 44-yard gain early on. He just ran by Jenkins. Kelce is a bit of a freak. Jenkins played well overall. Finished with 4 tackles. Didn’t make any standout plays. Tried to pick off a pass early on, but missed it by inches. Rodney McLeod got hurt and left the game. Corey Graham took his spot. Graham was in on 4 tackles, but he missed one and it was costly. Failed to tackle Hunt (or even slow him down) on the 53-yard TD. Graham was back off the ball. He had clear vision of the play and just whiffed. Can’t do that as a Safety.
CB
Jalen Mills mostly played well, but was burned late for a 35-yard gain by Chris Conley. He’s just faster than Mills. Mills was credited with a couple of tackles. Jaylen Watkins left the game with an injury. Rasul Douglas took his place outside. Really good showing for the rookie. He had 4 solo tackles and broke up a pass. Douglas kept everything in front of him and then attacked the ball. Loved his physicality and confidence. Acted like he was Deion Sanders.
Patrick Robinson played the slot. Was in on a couple of stops. Didn’t see many passes go his way.
*****
ST
KOR – Smallwood had a 27-yard KOR and a 28-yard KOR.
PR – Sproles made a huge mistake when he fumbled a PR in the 1st half. Showed great effort in breaking tackles, but the LS came in and got a hit right on the ball, knocking it loose. Cost the Eagles 3 points.
Donnie Jones – Averaged 42.3 per punt, with one touchback and one inside the 20.
Jake Elliott – Solid distance on KOs. Put the ball in the middle of the end zone. 2 of 3 on FGs, but missed a chip shot late in the half. Just pulled the ball. Hit both extra points. Elliott did a great job with the onside kick at the end of the game.
Rick Lovato – No bad snaps so far.
MISC
Trey Burton made a great play to recover the onside kick at the end.
***
_
Is Seumalo not as good as was thought? Or is this the normal process of the league catching up to a young player’s weaknesses & the player has to lean to adjust accordingly? He really did look overmatched, slow, & unsure of himself. Plus any DC looking for a weakness on the Eagles’ OL isn’t going to attack at LT, RG, or RT; clearly the weakness is at LG & C. It should be expected that the NYG will attack there also.
Interesting that Hunt wasn’t getting many yards early, AR sticks w/ running game, & Hunt later breaks a run of 53. Were you paying attention DP?
Reid abandoned the run game for a large stretch of that game because it wasn’t working. As Tommy said above, Hunt had only 7 runs for 8 yards late in the third quarter. That is not sticking with the running game. It looked like he forgot Hunt was on the team for a long time before Hunt hit a big play with a 53 yard run. Reid than ran the ball more when they got a lead in the fourth quarter.
Everything’s relative; for AR that could be considered sticking w/ it. Perhaps, more accurately, it seems big runs occur frequently later in a game when the D is less fresh.
It seemed to me like your statement that AR sticks with the running game was meant to be a comparison with Doug and the criticism he has been receiving all week, but AR did not stick to the run any better than Doug.
Looking at the play-by-by and not counting QB scrambles, the Chiefs and the Eagles each called 10 running plays through the first three quarters (not counting the Blount run called back for holding). Up until the Chiefs took a 7 point lead with 6:25 remaining in the 4th quarter, the Eagles had called 12 running plays and the Chiefs had called 11. The Chiefs then called 4 straight running plays on their next possession when leading with little time left in the 4th quarter. My point is the Chiefs did not stick to the running game any more than the Eagles did (even after the big run from Hunt) until the were leading at the end of the game. They happened to hit on a big running play, but it was not because they kept pounding the running game.
Chiefs stuck with the run because they were winning. Stop.
I really don’t know what to look for in an offensive lineman in this modern era as they all look like Sumo wrestlers. When I saw his college tape when he was drafted he just looked like an average fat guy to me. I was really disappointed because that was really our first pick other than Wentz and we needed an O lineman. I guess that the Birds think he’s good.
Tommy, as always good job with the game review. We appreciate your hard work and the time you take to break down each players performance. I think we can all agree that good teams find ways to win games. The Chiefs are a very good team and found a way to win this past Sunday. The Eagles made a few mistakes that cost us the game. Turnovers, missed FG, and we needed to convert our red-zone trips into TD’s. These are correctible mistakes. I look forward to a bounce back game at home this weekend.
An underated part of the game was crowd noise. I’m confident if the same teams met in Philly instead of KC, the outcome may have been much different.
That is indeed a strong statement there, Dave.
Arrowhead broke the record a few years ago for noise at over 142 decibels. Anything over 110 results in hearing loss for repeated exposure. 130 is the pain threshold. 150 is interlorable
The offense was snapping the ball in an atmosphere equivalent to standing next to a jackhammer. Wentz admitted it was a factor after the game.
Concentrating at noise levels that high can be very hard.
I don’t even remember what I was referring to, but that’s cool info. Is the 142 measured where the QB is standing? You know sound falls off very quickly with distance.
A systematic beatdown of the Giants on Sunday will go a long way to getting me past grousing about individual failures in the Chiefs loss. An absolute beat down of Eli, emotional breakdown by Odell, and all of our TDs being on lazy scumbag thief overrated POS DRC would also be a lot of fun.
Ah, remember when McAdoo spurned the Eagles and people were upset?
Dodged a bullet there.
Maybe I havnt been awake, but this part really jumped out to me in a story on Theringer: https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2017/9/21/16346402/nfl-memo-roger-goodell-social-activism
“After the Eagles’ season opener, Jenkins, Boldin, and Smith took Goodell and Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie around Philadelphia to meet with grassroots organizations and gain a better understanding of social justice efforts in the city.”
How come there is been none of the big newspapers writing about this?
Not sure who wrote about it, but it was all over my Twitter timeline yesterday, and it wasn’t any links to the Ringer.
I only learned of it from that article as well. Kind of nice it wasn’t a publicity stunt with a huge spotlight, and it’s all private conversations. Cynically that just means Goodell doesn’t want anyone to know what he saw or heard before he promptly does nothing as he is wont to do. But at least there won’t be empty lip service.
Because rich white guys are privileged racists, and can do nothing right… unless said rich white guys are virtue-signalling Hollywood celebrities.
Rich guys just can’t catch a break!
Sass aside, Lurie seems like a pretty good dude. In NFL Owener/exec adjusted terms, he’s a saint.
yes they are being oppressed.
Well they didnt actually do anything. If they do stuff- I’d love to hear about it.
Do the big newspapers generally comment on Goodell and Lurie’s social life?
What’s the word on Blount? Eagles signed him for a reason, then don’t use him? Smallwood is doing better? 3 runs for 4 yards? Only catch was for negative yards? Did the Eagles mis-judge the usefulness of him? It’s only two games but you don’t go after a guy like him and not use him. Fans are questioning the usefulness of the OL coach – maybe we should also be thinking the usefulness of the rb’s coach? I’m not being negative on this – -just wondering what the hey is going on with the run game….
Blunt needs room to work. OL is letting the D in the backfield and the holes if opened aren’t open long enough.He is slow at accelerating. They aren’t sing him much at this moment for good reason.
As far as Duce you cannot make this into it being his fault. He has churned out quality product for some years now. It’s evident the talent isn’t there for him to work with combined with OL struggles.
what quality has Duce turned out? Sproles doesn’t count – he was quality before coming here. Was the talent there for the WR’s coach last year? just playing devils advocate….but I don’t see any young rb being developed….
When I watch the games with my buds, we all make pre-game predictions. No one ever predicts an Eagles loss. Against the Chiefs, we all said the Birds would win by a close margin but none of us believed it. I would never mess with the mojo by saying it aloud but, based on what KC did to the Pats, I thought the Eagles didn’t stand a chance.
I’m not overly frustrated with the loss. The Chiefs are one of the best teams in the League, they were at home, and AR had his extra days of rest to prep his squad. It was, indeed, a winnable game and it would have been amazing to pull off a victory. It was also a very losable game, but the Eagles demonstrated they can go head-head against anyone.
I’d rather the Eagles lost a close one against a superior opponent and come back this and pulverize the Giants, a Division rival, than pull the upset and get caught losing a trap game this Sunday.
I agree, they were in it until the very last play. I briefly soured on the team when everything went south towards the end of the 4th, but was pretty impressed how they got back in it.
I really hope that it’s just the aftermath of the Oktoberfest flu, but I don’t actually have a good feeling for Sunday.
Even with their O line struggles it’s just a matter of time when ODB breaks out. And with our paper thin secondary this day may very well come this Sunday.
Don’t worry. We signed Darby specifically to frustrate Odell. It is a fool-proof plan…
Ha!
I must admit though that if Janoris Jenkins can’t play then this will be a HUGE loss for the Giants…
You cruel, cruel man.
Flowers will have to give Eli time – not sure he can…
He will get help. Their coach can’t be as stubborn as Andy Reid..
nightmares about that game…
Been horrendous this year and been a huge target of criticism in the NY sports media.
Ah, ’tis a pleasure to respectfully disagree with a gentleman such as yourself.
I have a very good feeling about this Sunday. The Eagles are for real as a competitive team. They’ve demonstrated this two weeks in a row. The Giants have demonstrated they suck. Seriously, that O-line is so weak I just can’t see any way the Giants end up with significant points on the board. ODB will get his yards, but they have no run game and Eli is going to get pounded. A lot.
Last year, Spags was able to bamboozle Carson because Wentz had no weapons. The Giants D line is good, but Wentz will be able to throw on straight routes and he’ll be able to extend plays because the Giants also have a weak backfield. I predict Tory Smith has more big plays than ODB.
There’s no reason for me to go on, Tommy will cover all the match-ups in his preview. Suffice it to say, The Giants will be proven to be a crappy football team and the Eagles will go 2-1. Now get well, we need you 100% on Sunday.
Good points. Schwartz has consistently shown that he can scheme for an opponents best weapon and not allow them to win the game, more times than not. Odell is gonna Odell if he’s healthy. Who else do they have that can kill us? We just faced the Chiefs who have Tyreek, Hunt, Kelce, on offense in addition to other solid role players. If we can face that storm, I expect us to be able to do the same vs the Giants. I respect the fact that they are desperate to avoid going 0-3, but we need to be equally desperate to get a WIN after letting one slip away last Sunday. GO BIRDS!!!
Now I feel much more comfortable as a gentleman. Thank you, sir.
Like these guys?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4LNhthrZx1c
I too am nervous about Sunday. Everyone seems to say that there is no way the Giants will win, and these are the kind of games that often don’t go the way everyone thinks they should.
It seems like NFC East games are always close battles. This will likely be a physical game, but we have the stronger D and, may I propose, the better QB. Eagles go 2-1.
I agree with you and think that the Eagles will win (although the Giants also have a good D), but I am still nervous that the Giants might surprise us.
As long as we’re not out-coached(!), I think this one is a win.
Consider it a 50-50 thing and you won’t be let down.
Never safe to have a good feeling about a divisional game. Unfortinately, the Tum curse is on. This is going to be a blood bath, and we are gonna have a great time Sunday.
You’re not drinking enough.
Tough loss for sure, and I’ve had time to get over it, but MAN if Trey Burton had one more step and didnt bobble that Onsides Kick, he could of took it to the house.
There were two plays by ou TEs that were so close of being game-breakers. Game of inches.
I don’t think the kicking team can advance an onside kick once they recover it. So, the Eagles actually gained yards by Burton bobbling it.
He could have pretended to be bobbling it all the way into the Endzone. Lol
You can’t take an onsides kick to the house.
beat you by 2 seconds!
Lots of what ifs in this one. One or two is a fluke. A littany of them, show you were out classed.
Paul Domowitch:
“Been covering the NFL for 35 years. Just sat through the most useless press conference of my career.”
Things could get really ugly for Doug P. If the Eagles lose to the Giants…
Guys like Domo hated Andy. They LOVED Chip. They hate Doug. Seems like this is trending in a good direction.
Good point. Let’s hope so.
Didn’t they turn on Chip as well when it became apparent that he was full of shit?
They toned down the PDA anyway.
Dom soured on Andy in the last few years especially after the Dream Team fiasco. He wasn’t a fan of Reid the GM more so than the Reid the coach.
Step 1. Sensationalize everything to drum up readers for your magazine
Step 2. Coaches stop giving you sound bites because you sensationalize everything.
Step 3. Try to get coaches fired for not giving you anything to work with.
Man, fuck that guy.
If the Eagles lose, I can already see the headlines for the beats…”Doug needs to be held accountable by Lurie!”
What would Domo have to say about Belichick’s “press conferences” in Foxborough? He would be laughed out of the press corps for complaining about lack of content. Sorry, Mr. Tough Press Guy, what really counts for fans is wins and losses on the field.
The fact that he relies so heavily on soundbites from a press conference to come up with content demonstrates a real lack of imagination on his part.
I don’t think we should give two craps about how domo’s feelings are.
Coach’s career arcs are more dependent on winning than making friends with reporters. If he loses to many games we should win, it will get ugly regardless of how well liked he is.
The solution is to win.
“I hate my job but I need to pay the bills with clicks”
Giants CB Janoris Jenkins (ankle) is questionable for Week 3 against the Eagles.
He’s not looking particularly likely to suit up on Sunday after missing Week 2. Jenkins’ absence would be a big boost to the outlook of Alshon Jeffer
Giants MLB B.J. Goodson (leg) has been ruled out for Week 3 against the Eagles.
UDFA Calvin Munson got the start last week against the Lions and was roasted by Eric Ebron in coverage. Zach Ertz is an elite TE1 play this week.
Giants RT Bobby Hart (ankle) has been ruled out for Week 3 against the Eagles.
The Giants moved LG Justin Pugh to right tackle last week and subbed in Brett Jones at left guard. Any way you slice it, this offensive line is bad.
The Eagles D line must be salivating.
Ugh, that basically dooms them to 0 sacks. So often the “bad” OL all have a career games against our pass rush…
against the gnats and eli-face? I don’t remember it that way. Nor do I remember having Barnett or Schwartz D w/ blitzes in the past….just sayin.
Ha! I was thinking exactly the same!!!
is their TE out as well?
Nah. He’s been removed from the injury report.
Tommy – Douglas did have a very nice game but when did his physicality remind you of Deion?
I think it was more about celebrating every possible thing
Wow Eagles might be down three safeties to hamstring injuries. Yeesh.
You’re tough Tommy. Not that it was great coverage but I thought Mills coverage was ok on that Conley catch. Smith probably needed a perfect throw on Conley’s outside shoulder.
What’s up with the soft-tissue hamstring injuries in the secondary? Isn’t the sports science program they run supposed to help prevent these type of injuries or is this just bad luck they all happened at the same time?
They are probably not drinking the right smoothies.
Had the same thought; can’t remember the last time we had this many hamstring injuries.
Maybe it was good luck they didn’t happen before.
After Wed/Thu DNP, McLeod is limited participant today. He’ll probably be active on gameday, who knows if he’ll start though.
I also heard on the radio this morning that ODB’s injury isn’t being tracked any longer.
I just don’t see what Tommy is talking about with Torrey Smith. No way that’s a drop, much less a bad one. Worst you could say is that he mistimed his jump. But that was a really tough catch, going against his body momentum. Even then, he barely got fingertips on it.
It was a safe pass by Wentz, but probably a little too safe.
It’s a tough catch but it’s catchable. You’d like for your veteran WR’s to make that grab
https://twitter.com/IgglesNest/status/909640352339918850
I tell myself that if that was Mack Hollins instead, that would have been a TD.
These past few years here have really lowered expectations. Used to be I would say “If it hits ’em in the hands they should catch it. That’s why they make the big bucks”. Now I’m grateful for any catch through contact.
If it was Mack Hollins ok, if it was the only play Smith missed on the day, ok. And it’s not a terrible miss.
BUT
He should make that catch..
Watch it from the QB angle. It barely touched his fingertips, after he jumped. It’s time for him and Jeffrey to make some highlight catches, but chances are good that Wentz would like a redo on the throw.
I think that is fair. The people lamenting that the drops are just as bad as last year were overboard.
Damn he can really fit the ball where it needs to go.
Torrey was known more for getting PI calls than catching balls in baltimore.
Highlight of the game may have been Douglas. Limited data, but he showed everything you want to see to believe he has a high ceiling. I know it sounds crazy, but a healthy Darby could give the team a chance to go into the postseason with playoff caliber cover men. With Jones next year it could actually be a strength.
I still think he’s a #2 CB at best, whether he’s going to be a high quality one like Sheldon Brown remains to be seen.
Nice to have a #2 after what we’ve had lately. Although some might suggest most of our DBS have been #2 is anyway.
He gave no reason to think he can’t be part of a high end cb combo, especially with a good DC. Either Darby or Jones could be the perfect partner for him.
He didn’t prove anything, but he had a solid start.
Ehhhh, he didn’t have to chase and track a guy. And the way he was coming downfield hard I was shocked the Chiefs didn’t try a double move on him. We’ll find out a lot more when the Giants have Odell run a sluggo or stutter and go.
Posititve signs but we’re a long way from knowing if he’s more than tall Jalen Mills.
He showed better instincts, though I agree that it was not conclusive. Jalen Mills with Hicks nose for big plays would be all I need to see this year.
I’ll take take a tall Jalen Mills really. With how much futility we’ve had at corner for so long you start to celebrate the small wins.
I commented during the game that I was nervous about a double move. Hopefully, the DL makes that a difficult prospect.
But you have to admit, it’s finally nice to get some JAGs that can at least play at a JAG level instead of the bags of shit we’ve trotted out for years.
Pretty piss poor luck to have 3 injuries at the same position. Hopefully Mcleod can make a go of it, I can see a world where ODB burns whoever it is that they have out there on a long TD.
I’d settle for just one burn.
In terms of coverage options, we are really hamstrung.
KC may be the best team in the league right now. They avoided a post-Pats let down and played big when it counted. The Birds kept it close so I’m not too concerned.
I just want to see them crush NYG at home now, and put them down 0-2 in the division and 0-3 in the conference. Ball control offense as usual combined with a fierce pass rush should win the game.
At 1-1 the Eagles have the third best record in the NFL (2-0, 1-0, 1-1…) going into week 3. Another division win on Sunday puts them right back on track.
I still laugh at myself everytime I think Ertz is going to break a tackle.
The day it happens Im calling him Yac Ertz
Pretty sure he actually broke one towards the end of last season. That it’s such a rare event that I can remember a single occurrence is still kinda sad.
I am not a demanding person. All I desire is that by Sunday evening, all Giants fans become enveloped by a morbid, desperate crushing hopelessness that feels like it shall last for eternity. Is that too much to ask?
And by Monday evening all Dallas fans will feel the same way.
Very reasonable.
It’s not nearly enough.
I decided to tune into a phillies game tonite to see what all the excitement was about…
Oh wow! I didn’t realize we climbed out of worst team in MLB. We’re now 1 game ahead of the SF Giants.
I think that’s the most astounding thing to me, being a very casual observer of sports that aren’t Eagles or Flyers, that in all this time the Sixers and Phillies have been beyond awful purposefully, that they somehow weren’t always the worst.
The Phillies are such a bad club they can’t even be the worst.
I went back and read the ESPN pre-season article about the Phila and every single person they named was traded, injured, did poorly, or a combination of all 3. No wonder they stunk up the field during May & June into July. They were almost merely .500ish for April and after the All Star break.
There’s a chance to catch the Mets, but the two game swing tonight didn’t help.
The series against the Dodgers was the best they’ve looked since the Cliff Lee era.
Gotta wonder how much of the o line confusion is Stoutlands fault…
The CTE stuff in Hernandez and Chris Henry shows how much damage even young players have in their brains.
It’s scary to think of the young-ish players whose play or performance regresses unexpectedly and think if there’s a connection to their brains being beaten to a pulp.
Does Jason Kelce have CTE? Ridiculous, inflammatory even. But is it?
Why aren’t they suing University of FL and the NCAA ??
Likely easier to prove the NFL has knowingly and willingly covered up information related to head trauma.
I’d guess the professional vs “amateur” dichotomy plays in, as well.
And the fact that taking a giant chunk of money from a wildly profitable private company looks better than a public university who would respond with claims about having to raise tuition etc.
Both of which are true in places like University of Michigan and OSU.
Agree. Easy target, aim for a multi million settlement .. Phase 2 is NCAA and changes everything
I have a serious question about CTE. Given what is written about it, how can we as a society condone the continued existence of boxing, kick-boxing, and MMA? It sure seems to me that those sports carry much larger risk than football.
Heading the ball in soccer which occurs often at the college and pro level also concusses the brain.
I think bringing up Smith “failing” to block for Ertz on the tip drill play is a little harsh. Watching that play, Smith wasn’t right there but he had a good reaction and made a great effort to get there to attempt the block. Smith has been more quiet than I had hoped he would be but I have been impressed with his effort off the ball, and that play is a good example of it. Maybe that was Tommy’s point… I’m not trying to nitpick.
A lot harsh. He made a great effort to get in there. Tommy normally gives players the benefit of the doubt, but it does seem as though he’s down on Smith.
Getting rid of Allen Barbe was a mistake…
Seo was going to start anyway. Is Barbre actually better than Warmack or Wis? If he was here he was probably next man up, but will the results actually be different?
The move was made knowing the other guys might have to start. Why question it now?
Plus, even if Barbre was better now, he was not in long range plans; he wouldn’t be here next year. Womack & Sealo are younger, have upside, & project to be useful over next five years.
One thing I can say about Barbre is that he looked better with each year that he was here. The year he missed with the ankle threw his ascending development off, imo.
No
Hey Tommy, thanks for this. I like the layout of this piece a lot. I really enjoyed reading the analysis through the angle of position groups. It’s a nice switch up, which you’ve done before if my memory serves well. As a lurker who doesn’t comment as much (which I intend to change), I read almost every article and find your game reviews to be amongst my favorites.
It’d be cool to see what other commenters in this awesome space think about it, and if we share the same views that the groundwork for this review made it an incredibly smooth read.
You’re the man, Tommy. Your work is not unappreciated.
OT:
Jerry Jones is a piece of shite.
True dat… but is this just a general comment or something specific he did today? May have missed it with my Twitter being filled with tweets about another old guy piece of shite
Following another unbelievably gigantic brain fart by Trump, Jerry Jones has said that all Cowboys players must stand for the national anthem and if they don’t they won’t wear a Cowboys jersey again..
Good. let that old poon hound create distractions for their team.
Wow. Only problem is so many Cowboys have character concerns i don’t know many who are not utter moralless pieces of shite themselves, so i cannot imagine many would be willing to make a stand or be affected by his remarks.
Would laugh if Tyron Smith took a knee – would be amazing business since he would get $13-14mil or maybe even more as a free agent next year – a lovely pay bump.
link?
Yes, link please? JJ is dumb, but is he this stupid? That’s a serious charge and I’m not seeing it elsewhere, like PFT.
I just read it on Twitter. No official report. Sorry guys. He’s still a prick though.
That’s some arrogant shit there. I hope some of them do it, just to see if he backs up the big talk.
It Wotld be badass if Dak did it. .. all time I’d he did .. he’d get 10 jobs better in an instant
That could prove to be an out for veteran players who are not close to FA. Old Jerry might bring some transparency to his franchise.
That’s awesome. I actually respect him for his comments last year and standing firm on the belief the National Anthem should not be disrespected by the people he employs and pays their million dollar salaries.
Hope that whole oline sits
So, when was it that Jerrah served the country?
So you have to serve the country to respect the country? WTF?
We have too many Jerahs who want to be patriots with someone else’s kids.
BULL. SHIT.
If one of the Dallas’ star players decides to kneel, there is no way he cuts them or benches them. He cares so much about winning.
Technically, they are all “star” players.
You said he cares so much about winning, He has a couple of fronts he can win on. Which front will he take if he has to choose? If his employees portray the company image in a negative way.
I know I would get fired if I put my employer in a negative spotlight. How about you?
That’s never OT.
In the meantime, from Jed York, “The callous and offensive comments made by the President are contradictory to what this great country stands for,” 49ers CEO Jed York said in a statement issued by the team. “Our players have exercised their rights as United States citizens in order to spark conversation and action to address social injustice. We will continue to support them in their peaceful pursuit of positive change in our country and around the world. The San Francisco 49ers will continue to work toward bringing communities, and those who serve them, closer together.” http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2017/09/23/jed-york-calls-presidents-remarks-callous-and-offensive/
Looks like this could be a similar story that was discredited last year
http://www.snopes.com/jerry-jones-speech-911/
So Odell not even listed in the injury report and Ingram 100% cleared for the game tomorrow. Those two could give us huge headaches with our paper thin secondary
This week I’m not going to say anything that might jinx us. Really there’s been a lot of analysis of the players on the field, but in the end I’m the one that blew it.
Agreed. If we lose, its your fault.
Again.
NEW YORK GIANTS MESSAGE BOARD
http://boards.giants.com/forum/new-york-giants-message-boards/talk-about-giants-football/2964940-anyone-else-feeling-optimistic
Good stuff. One of my favorites: https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/e08981f0b96f0efb48896b42777c3128561c915eaedf8bf91c9cd2a634c38d8d.png
Lol right!!
人生短暂,开心每一天!