Denver Talk

Posted: November 4th, 2017 | Author: | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | 54 Comments »

I don’t know what to make of the Broncos.

They have the #1 defense in the league. They haven’t allowed more than 276 yards in any game this year. They are also riding a 3-game losing streak and turning to Brock Osweiler to save their season. Can you see my reason for confusion?

They had to do something on offense. The team scored 29 points over the last 3 weeks combined. The Eagles scored 28, 34 and 33 in that same stretch. Seeing a stat like that starts to make you feel pretty confident about Sunday.

And then you think about the struggles the Eagles have had against blitzes, stunts and loops in recent weeks. The Broncos D is far better than what the Eagles saw the last two weeks. If the Eagles haven’t come up with some protection solutions, Carson Wentz will be in for a tough day.

The good news is that there aren’t any short weeks, long layoffs or bad weather to deal with. This is normal football, 168 hours after the last kickoff.

One of the things that makes me feel good about this game is that the Eagles have been pretty even-keeled this year. They did get a bit crazy after the Giants win, but other than that they have done a good job of staying focused and going one week at a time. The Eagles won’t be trying to win the Super Bowl on Sunday. They’ll just be trying to beat the Broncos.

It will be fun to see Wentz go up against the league’s best defense. He faced Top 10 units last year (MIN, SEA, BAL, NYG) so this isn’t a first for him. The challenge for Wentz is to play well and lead his team to points. He was 2-3 in those games last year, but the offense wasn’t exactly impressive. He’s a lot better now and has a much improved supporting cast.

Will we see the debut of RB Jay Ajayi? I think he will play. The Eagles want a RB with his big play potential on the field. They’ll figure out a way to have him active. They’ll get him the ball a few times to see what he can do. It would be great if the Eagles could get a lead and mix him in as much or little as they want. If they trail and have to throw a lot, that makes it tougher to get Ajayi on the field. He can pass block, but would need to know more of the playbook.

If Ajayi can play, it just gives Wentz another weapon to use. Wentz has been masterful this year at getting the most out of the players around him. One week it is a big play to rookie Mack Hollins. The next week it is a big play to Nelson Agholor. After that comes Alshon Jeffery. The formula for Wentz has been to find the open man and get him the ball. That’s worked very well so far.

The problem with facing the Broncos is that they don’t leave many guys open. And they play stifling run defense. This is an opportunity for the Eagles offense to show what they can do.

This will also be a chance for the defense to show what it can do. Jim Schwartz’s unit has been getting better as it gets healthier. They are now up to 10th in points allowed and 14th in yards. The coaches are getting a better feel for the players and the players are getting a better feel for the scheme.

You see stars like Fletcher Cox and Brandon Graham making plays. You see Mychal Kendricks flying around and reminding us why he was so highly thought of in the 2012 draft. You see Malcolm Jenkins lining up all over the field and making a difference wherever he is. You see role players like Corey Graham and Jaylen Watkins contributing. This is really good team defense.

It would be a lot of fun to see the Eagles defense outplay the Broncos D.

Sunday should be pretty interesting.

*****

Doug Pederson was mic’d up against SF and it was fun to watch.

Doug isn’t just the nice, rah-rah guy that he seems to be when talking to the media. You could really see his competitive streak in that video.

Les Bowen wrote a good piece on Pederson and the video.

_


54 Comments on “Denver Talk”

  1. 1 daveH said at 11:52 PM on November 4th, 2017:

    Not to be a spoiler but

  2. 2 kajomo said at 8:14 AM on November 5th, 2017:

    Are you and SteveH related?

  3. 3 daveH said at 8:46 AM on November 5th, 2017:

    Nope

  4. 4 daveH said at 3:42 PM on November 5th, 2017:

    My mom’s maiden name is Cox ..

  5. 5 kajomo said at 9:33 AM on November 6th, 2017:

    You open up so many jokes but I’ll be respectful to mama H

  6. 6 daveH said at 1:35 PM on November 6th, 2017:

    Me and Fletcher. .heard em ALL

  7. 7 SteveH said at 1:25 AM on November 5th, 2017:

    I’d feel a lot better about this game if Peters was playing. They’re going to try to have Von Miller go crazy on Big V all game long.

  8. 8 Fufina said at 1:25 AM on November 5th, 2017:

    Big V is pretty decent pass blocker. He will probably give up a sack at some point if he is going up against Miller all game, but won’t be beaten like a bunny.

    His issue is in the run game where he just doesn’t generate positive movement at all consistently.

    Eagles problems in pass protection is all the secondary pass pro. They have no one good at it! All the RB’s are bad, Ertz is somehow the best blocking TE due to age finally catching up to Celek, and we have no FB. Genuinely think we should go 5 wide and spread out the defence to stop the A and B gap blitzing and focus on throwing quicker slants. Problem is Wentz and Pederson love the deep ball so want to call 7 man protection so they can throw deep.

  9. 9 kajomo said at 7:55 AM on November 5th, 2017:

    What eagles fans choose to ignore is that Big V a starting caliber OT who would start for several teams. We always expect everyone to be a pro bowler, especially at OT where we have been so spoiled since AR came to town.

    Also, while they will love Von around, he will play predominantly on the right side. The Broncos have played worse LTs than Big V and Von never spends the majority of his time against those guys.

    Relax. We have this. And start coming to grips with the fact that Big V will be a starting OT for this team moving forward

  10. 10 ChoTime said at 1:44 AM on November 5th, 2017:

    By DVOA, Denver has the #2 D.

    The teams we’ve played are ranked 26, 13, 13, 6, 17, 24, and 27.

  11. 11 Mr. Magee said at 1:27 AM on November 5th, 2017:

    Yikes

  12. 12 Geoff said at 7:31 AM on November 5th, 2017:

    What’s the Philly DVOA right now?

  13. 13 ChoTime said at 11:32 AM on November 5th, 2017:

    The defense is currently ranked 15th. Overall, we’re ranked 3rd.

    It’s a strange-looking result, and looks anomalous compared to the other top-ranked teams. Some part of it is opponent adjustments (somewhat weak opponents), but removing them doesn’t turn us into a top-ranked D.

    We have 7 wins but only 6 predicted wins. That’s not a huge variance.

    There are no dominant teams, by DVOA. At #3, we’re about the same distance behind #1 Pittsburgh as we are ahead of #9 Dallas.

    Despite Denver’s high defensive ranking, overall they are #18 and thus we’re significantly stronger.
    http://www.footballoutsiders.com/stats/teamdef
    http://www.footballoutsiders.com/dvoa-ratings/2017/week-8-dvoa-ratings

  14. 14 Someguy77 said at 1:53 AM on November 5th, 2017:

    Not having Ertz near 100% is going to really hurt.

    Broncos’ secondary has done a great job of shutting down WRs but TEs have been able to do some decent damage (42 rec, 543, 4 TDs).

    Especially see it hurting them on 3rd downs tomorrow. Something has to give tomorrow – Eagles are at 47.8% on 3rd down conversion (2nd in NFL); Broncos are at an amazing 25.0% (1st in the NFL; Eagles’ D is 3rd at 31.0%).

  15. 15 Someguy77 said at 1:11 AM on November 5th, 2017:

    Wentz’s targets on 3rd:

    Jeffrey – 23 (10 rec, 125 yds, 8 1D)
    Ertz – 17 (12 rec, 124 yds, 10 1D)
    Agholor – 14 (11 rec, 247 yds, 8 1D)
    Smith – 6 (4 rec, 114 yds, 3 1D)
    Smallwood – 4 (3 rec, 22 yds, 3 1D)
    Burton – 3 (3 rec, 34 yds, 3 1D)
    Hollins – 2 (1 rec, 20 yds, 1 1D)
    Clement – 1 (1 rec, 9 yds, 1 1 1D)
    Barner – 1 (1 rec, 4 yds, 0 1D)
    Celek – 1 (1 rec, 3 yds, 0 1D)
    Blount – 1 (1 rec, 1 yd, 1 1D)

  16. 16 Geoff said at 7:43 AM on November 5th, 2017:

    I love Sproles and I agree that his threat in the passing game has been sorely missed, but those stats you listed are just about as “bad” as you say Jeffrey’s stats are:

    1D or TD / target:
    8/23 for Jeffrey
    7/20 and 11/28 for Sproles

    Not really a big difference there.

  17. 17 kajomo said at 7:49 AM on November 5th, 2017:

    Is it really a shocker that the guys closest to the ball have more success on 3rd down? TEs, slot WRs, and RB often are lined up on LBs and Safties and work the middle of the field and the flats. This leads the higher oerctahe throws which are more common on 3rd downs than the early downs.

  18. 18 kajomo said at 7:51 AM on November 5th, 2017:

    How do we know he isn’t near 100%? I doubt anyone outside the eagles organization has any clue how close he is to 100%. With the way guy are missing games with minor injuries or longer time frames of recovery this year I lean toward Ertz being pretty damn healthy. If not I think they would hold him out with the bye week looming.

  19. 19 Jamie Parker said at 2:51 AM on November 5th, 2017:

    I wonder if Doug Pederson knows who #47 is. lol He only called him #47.

  20. 20 CrackSammich said at 6:08 AM on November 5th, 2017:

    I know I had to look it up.

  21. 21 A Roy said at 6:28 AM on November 5th, 2017:

    When Buddy Ryan was HC, he called most of the team by their numbers. There were some exceptions…for example, his name for LB Mike Reichenbach was “RockEmBack.”

  22. 22 Masked Man said at 3:07 AM on November 5th, 2017:

    If the Eagles score on offense, defense and special teams, they could blow the Broncos out.

    But if it’s entirely up to the offense to score as I expect, then it’s a closer game. Eagles win 23-17.

    Eagles get 2 TDs and 3 Jake Elliott FGs. Broncos are good for 2 TDs and 1 FG.

    I believe the Broncos defense scores once to make this game closer than it could be. I expect Nelson Agholor to be the star Eagles receiver in this game. Guessing that Jay Ajayi gets a few more carries than advertised, maybe 10-12 today.

  23. 23 Dragon_Eagle said at 7:20 AM on November 5th, 2017:

    Why can’t we have a London game on the first day back to Standard Time? We’re all up a little “earlier.” Let’s put that hour to good use and watch some NFL. Hell, I’d even be up for a Browns-49ers game this early.

  24. 24 A_T_G said at 8:03 AM on November 5th, 2017:

    Good point.

  25. 25 GermanEagle said at 8:04 AM on November 5th, 2017:

    Why not having a London game the week before going back to standard time.

    Since there’s always one week a year when the time difference between US and UK is 4 hours only since England is switching the clock one week earlier.

  26. 26 kajomo said at 7:57 AM on November 5th, 2017:

    Love that DP video. This team believes and plays for each other with Papa Doug leading the way. Championship teams always seem to have good chemistry (winning helps I’m sure) and these birds seem to have that

  27. 27 A_T_G said at 8:07 AM on November 5th, 2017:

    Some leaders get mad because they want to see you succeed. Others get mad because you are making them look bad. It doesn’t take long to tell which is leading you.

    Doug is the former, and is so much better at creating a family atmosphere.

  28. 28 Insomniac said at 9:06 AM on November 5th, 2017:

    The Good

    Our front seven vs their OL/RBs. We can feast today but will we? I expect them to run the ball a lot to protect Brock (from their selves and us) but run stopping is our strength. Anderson is a good RB but he’s not someone that I would over-plan for. I have no clue how Charles has looked but looks like he’s a shell of his former self.

    Brock Osweiler is starting.

    We might see Ajayi play.

    The Bad

    Our CBs vs their WRs. Yea yea I know, our CBs have been exceeding expectations but I’m doing a paper analysis here. Demaryius Thomas has went from stud to someone we overlook. The talent and athleticism is still there but the QB throwing to him isn’t. Mills is going to have his hands full because DT can torch you deep and on catch and runs. Emmanuel Sanders is expected to play and I think they move him into the slot/outside. Robinson has been playing well and Sanders might still be a little banged up. Don’t sleep on Sanders though, he’s a great #2 WR capable of putting up some big games. Their WR #3 is uhh, who? Bennie Fowler? Yea, I think we’re ok there with Douglas.

    It’s a trapppppppppppppppp. The Broncos have the second best run defense in the league. Yup, they’re right behind us and might leap frog us if we can’t pass efficiently.

    The Ugly

    Big V vs their pass rushers. Miller and Ray are way up there in terms of explosiveness. Barrett is a high motor/effort guy, he’s going be a great way to wear Big V out.

    WRs vs CBs. Alshon vs Talib? A great match-up to watch if you love individual match-ups, things are going to get physical in this one. Chris Harris vs Ags? Love ya Ags, you gotta prove yourself today because not many people bet against Chris Harris. Bradley Roby vs Mack Truck/whoever we rotate in? Roby is fast enough to cover anyone we throw at him and he’s damn sticky.
    If we can somehow get our young CBs to be somewhere close to that trio someday then we’ll have a historical defense. A man can dream right?

  29. 29 Ankerstjernen said at 9:26 AM on November 5th, 2017:

    It is nice to se Doug get on players, screaming at the offense to ‘get their heads out of their asses’ after a few bad drives. This is what people don’t think he is capable of because of his demeanor at press conferences. He is, though.

  30. 30 CrackSammich said at 10:33 AM on November 5th, 2017:

    Eh. I’ve worked for the Gordon Ramsey type way too many times in my life to respect it. If you have to yell, usually it’s because you failed at explaining/controlling/teaching prior to that moment. I know sports are a different animal, where emotion is important. I still just shake my head at this kind of thing.

    But hey, we were all on the Gus Bus almost entirely because of a video of him yelling at players. I know how this is gonna go in the fan base.

  31. 31 A_T_G said at 12:38 PM on November 5th, 2017:

    I though this guy said it best…
    https://twitter.com/atg_iggles/status/926570536150491136

  32. 32 Ankerstjernen said at 6:04 PM on November 5th, 2017:

    I think you need a more nuanced view on this. There are a lot of ways to yell at dudes who are subject to your decisions. One is in order to assert your dominance and pad your ego, which makes it all about yourself. This doesnt inspire anyone to follow you. Another is to show people, that you care about what is going on with them and that you believe that they can do better and be better. This is what vocal leaders do, and it does inspire emotional responses. When Doug yells at his players he pretty clearly does so from a standpoint of love and respect, not ego and fear. There is a big difference.

  33. 33 ColorSgt said at 10:36 AM on November 5th, 2017:

    Yeah I never understood why people take him at face value based solely on the press conferences. If he was like that all the time he wouldn’t have a job, and he wouldn’t have players buying into him. This guy was a player… not the best, but he was good enough to hang around in the league for awhile. He was on different teams and saw different approaches to the game. He saw all this as a backup too, which I think allowed him to experience coaching differently than a starter. He takes a good approach to it and is proving a lot this year. Being a players coach doesnt mean your their buddy and just hanging out on the team like Greg Lewis. Andy was a players coach and we know he got on guys.

  34. 34 T_S_O_P said at 11:13 AM on November 5th, 2017:

    Don’t know what to make of having the #1 D and a putrid offense? Bryce Paup still gives me flashbacks, fucking ring stealing mofo!

  35. 35 Dave said at 11:32 AM on November 5th, 2017:

    Denver’s D is our future model of having a great pass rush coupled with excellent cornerbacks. Darby and Sidney could put our defense over the top next year if they pan out.

  36. 36 CrackSammich said at 11:16 AM on November 5th, 2017:

    “The chasm between the Browns coaching staff and front office grew even deeper in the aftermath of the failed attempt to land quarterback AJ McCarron from the Bengals, with team and league sources saying numerous coaches believe GM Sashi Brown had no intention of actually completing the agreed-upon trade.”

    https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/some-browns-coaches-believe-gm-sashi-brown-intentionally-scuttled-mccarron-trade/

  37. 37 A_T_G said at 12:34 PM on November 5th, 2017:

    On the one hand, that is a shitty trade, especially if you have been selling people on a process-like long view.

    On the other hand, wow, the dysfunction is cranked up to 11.

  38. 38 Dave said at 11:30 AM on November 5th, 2017:

    Whelp! Ertz is inactive.

  39. 39 GermanEagle said at 11:32 AM on November 5th, 2017:

    Not surprising to me.

  40. 40 ChoTime said at 11:32 AM on November 5th, 2017:

    That hurts.

  41. 41 GermanEagle said at 11:33 AM on November 5th, 2017:

    Let’s hope he’ll be good to go against the Cowboys in 2 weeks time.

    Today will be a struggle though. Think we might lose a defense battle..

  42. 42 Dave said at 11:34 AM on November 5th, 2017:

    Hammy’s don’t tend to get better in a week.

  43. 43 GermanEagle said at 11:37 AM on November 5th, 2017:

    But in two weeks maybe. The bye couldn’t come at a better time.

  44. 44 CrackSammich said at 11:42 AM on November 5th, 2017:

    Hammy’s take like 2 years to get better. It may be well enough to play on in 2 weeks, but that shit is going to be nagging him the rest of the season and has a high chance of coming back.

  45. 45 GermanEagle said at 11:53 AM on November 5th, 2017:

    Ok let’s put him on IR then.

  46. 46 CrackSammich said at 11:59 AM on November 5th, 2017:

    More likely is that he’ll keep missing time and get an “injury prone” rep with people calling him lazy since he got paid. God bless sports radio.

  47. 47 kajomo said at 12:11 PM on November 5th, 2017:

    We have no idea of the severity. DP has been ultra conservative all season with injuries. Darby is taking forever to come back. Kendricks tweaked his hamstring and took a week off.

    I had said in an earlier post if Ertz player he would be 100% healthy based on how DP has handled injuries all season. I lean towards DP looking ahead to a bye week and deciding to make sure Ertz is healthy for Dallas

  48. 48 ColorSgt said at 11:38 AM on November 5th, 2017:

    That might have been part of the decision. This week is not as important as the cowboys game coming up. Hopefully 3 weeks of rest will help.

  49. 49 A_T_G said at 12:30 PM on November 5th, 2017:

    Dammit.

  50. 50 ChoTime said at 11:34 AM on November 5th, 2017:

    OT: Watson’s knee injury. That is just tragic to see such a promising rookie season cut short. If he were on the Cowboys, I might not be so sympathetic!

  51. 51 Dave said at 11:38 AM on November 5th, 2017:

    I only watched him a few times while at Clemson and for 2 games this season. He sure looked to be the real deal.

    He’s now torn both of his ACLs. As he has been running the the wishbone and read-option plays for the Texans, I can’t see that type of offense being sustainable in the NFL.

  52. 52 A_T_G said at 12:30 PM on November 5th, 2017:

    The guy gave his first game check to three women that work in the cafeteria at the stadium and had their homes destroyed in the hurricane.

    The Cowboys would never draft a guy like that.

  53. 53 CrackSammich said at 11:54 AM on November 5th, 2017:

    Ian Rapoport
    @RapSheet
    #Jaguars RB Leonard Fournette is OUT — stunner. He broke a team rule and is inactive. Coach Doug Marrone establishing a culture

  54. 54 A_T_G said at 12:44 PM on November 5th, 2017:

    https://twitter.com/theonion/status/927228527929204737