D is for…
Posted: January 15th, 2018 | Author: Tommy Lawlor | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | 294 Comments »D is for defense, of course.
The Vikings have the best defense in the NFL. The Eagles aren’t far behind. When you factor in playing at The Linc, the Eagles might actually be the best defense in the league. All the talk is about how Nick Foles will handle the Vikings, but Case Keenum isn’t exactly going to have it easy.
Case Keenum has been pressured on 39.3% of his dropbacks this season. Third highest percentage in the NFL, per @PFF.
The Eagles’ defense recorded the most QB pressures in 2017.
— Brandon Lee Gowton (@BrandonGowton) January 15, 2018
Case Keenum had a passer rating of 5.1 when pressured vs the Saints. Eagles front pressures the QB more than any other in football. That could be the Vikings Achilles heel right there.
— Sam Monson (@PFF_Sam) January 16, 2018
Eagles' defense has allowed three second-half TDs in the last six games at the Linc.
One came with the Eagles leading the 49ers 20-0.
One came with the Eagles leading the Broncos 44-9.
One came with the Eagles' backups facing the Cowboys.— Reuben Frank (@RoobNBCS) January 14, 2018
Eagles "D" @ home allowing only 10.3 ppg since 10/29 (+3 over season avg).
Vikes "D" @ away allowing 18.2 ppg since 10/29 (0.8 over season avg).
Birds' 2017 "D" better @ home than '02 Bucs and just 0.1 behind '00 Ravens.— ACViking41 (@ACViking41) January 15, 2018
The Eagles pitched a shutout in the second half of the Atlanta game. By my count, 31 of 59 plays in that game went for 2 yards or less. And only 14 of those were incompletions. The Falcons struggled to get yards when they ran or threw short.
That is championship level defense.
*****
D is also for Doug Pederson.
You don’t want to make too much of one win, but you do want to appreciate it. Jason Garrett took over the Cowboys at midseason in 2010. He and Doug have the same number of playoff wins. And Garrett has had good QBs for almost every season. Pederson won with his backup.
NFL wanna-be genius Mike Lombardi finally decided to apologize, somewhat.
.@mlombardiNFL admits he was wrong about Doug Pederson's ability to lead the #Eagles pic.twitter.com/ZWTIWqoW0w
— The Ringer (@ringer) January 15, 2018
He basically got tired of Eagles fans calling out his stupidity every time the Eagles won a game so he caved in and gave a half-hearted apology. Even then, he took time to give credit to Jim Schwartz and to say “We need to see what the Eagles do this weekend.” What????
If the Vikings play some great game and win 24-9 or something like that…would that diminish anything Pederson has accomplished this year? No way.
Part of being a good coach is hiring the right staff. Pederson wisely hired Schwartz to run the defense. He wisely kept Dave Fipp to coach the STs.
Lombardi is such an annoying blow-hard.
*****
D is also for dog, as in underdog.
It's time to get these limited edition LJ65 shirts! On my site at https://t.co/AOekBupHxc & at @ChickiesnPetes Thurs 7-10pm! ALL proceeds go to @fundPHLschools! #Underdogs #LJ65 #Eagles pic.twitter.com/62x09U8xWv
— Lane Johnson (@Lanejohnson65) January 15, 2018
*****
Some love for the Other Guys. We love Brandon Graham and Fletcher Cox, but don’t ignore Tim Jernigan and Vinny Curry.
First, Jernigan.
.@Eagles @TJernigan8 v #AlexMack was titanic. Take a peak #BaldyBreakdowns pic.twitter.com/9rgxBpckNf
— Brian Baldinger (@BaldyNFL) January 16, 2018
.@Eagles @TJernigan8 watch as he goes about his business. Strong enough to go through you; and quick enough to go around you. #BaldyBreakdowns pic.twitter.com/Y52Uu49wkO
— Brian Baldinger (@BaldyNFL) January 16, 2018
And now Mr. Curry.
.@Eagles @MrGetFlee99 takes Toilolo 4 yards backwards and destroys the FB at the same time. #BaldyBreakdowns pic.twitter.com/666PK47ve7
— Brian Baldinger (@BaldyNFL) January 16, 2018
_
To eliminate any confusion . . .
by “+3 over season avg,” I mean the Eagles’ “D” @home is 3 points BETTER in the past 2+ months than @home over the entire season.
Vikes’ @away “D” reduced PPG by just 0.8 in same period vs all @away games.
I’m confused by all this math just tell me they’re going to win because the team is better at home 😉
From what AC posted, their D is 3 points worse on the road (ppg) while ours is 8 points better at home.
Taking averages into account, there’s around a 10-11 point difference for us with having HFA this Sunday
Asshat seems to think the trophy is named after him. He’s more passive-aggressive than #5 ever was.
Scouring the Vikings boards apparently they are concerned about playing on grass. From what I gather they lose more often than not on grass
So there’s another hidden bonus for us.
Jernigan hasn’t done much lately, but I believed a productive Jernigan would go a long way toward our defense’s effectiveness against the Falcons. Until this article I didn’t realize how much Jernigan ended up helping the Eagles win.
If there’s one weakness on the Vikings it’s there OL. If our DL can take advantage of this weakness, it will a long way toward Keenum repeating his QB rating of 5 when pressured. If this happens it will be turnover time in the Eagles favor.
Yeah, Jerningan is vital. Signing that contract significantly raised expectations as to what he needs to produce.
I’d like to see Sammy Sleeves. Not because of a Keenum injury but because the Vikes got desperate because Case couldn’t do much against us
His stats haven’t been great but he holds up and destroys schemes consistently well. We only used a 3 man rotation w/our DL Sunday. He played the 1 & 3 technique, which allowed us to go heavier w/lb’s for match ups and ST
Yep, Jernigan is an unsung hero on that defense. He does all the dirty work that Bennie Logan used to do just as well, but with the addition of the occasional impact play.
Hard to shine too bright when you line up next to 91.
Was reading along…
D is for defense…
D is also for Doug…
Saw a picture of Mike Lombardi was so disappointed you didn’t keep it going
“D is for D-bag as well.”
I like the way the Eagles DL matches up against the Vikings OL, a lot. Keenam is good at avoiding sacks but he’s no magician under pressure otherwise. If Cox and Co have a good game it will be a long day for the Vikings offense.
D is for Ducks thrown by Keenum. Get those hands ready for this week (Bradham, Jenkins, and Mills).
It’d be nice to see our LB’s actually pick one off- both Kendricks and bradham have had their chances and came up with nothing.
Don’t forget Kendricks… does he lead the team in dropped INTs?
Bradham definitely leads the team in dropped INTs.
Bradham’s stats would look like Willie T or Jordan Hicks if he’d actually caught all the passes that hit his hands.
Tie all the linebackers to the goal post (one at a time) and fire footballs from the jugs machine (cranked to 11) at them until they catch 200 in a row.
I’m not so sure that Wentz could’ve hit that guy on the knee, like Nick did.
“The Immaculate Knee-Ception?”
That was the most heads up play all game by Torrey Smith.
Actually Nick Foles falling on the fumble on the 1-yard line was probably the most ‘heads-up’ play of the game. Save at least a 7 point swing..
At least he and Carson are consistent at the goal line.
I agree. A very underrated play. Also underreported. I chalk that up to the writers in this town refusing to give Foles any credit because they were such Debbie Downers on him since Carson went down. Even his performances against the Rams and Giants were treated with backhanded compliments.
Watching that game in a room full of people cheering against the Eagles, only said “hell of a game plan”. Basically said the same thing when it looked like Foles recovered the fumble for a TD.
Yeah, haven’t seen Wentz make a throw into coverage that bad (though to be fair to Foles, he did get hit as he was releasing the ball).
Wentz definitely could’ve and possibly would’ve also missed on that throw to Burton though.
True, but I believe he has completed more passes of that ilk this year then his rookie year. His passes haven’t sailed quite as much as they did his rookie season.
Wentz’s deep ball has absolutely improved since last year, and even improved through the course of this season. I am confident he will get there eventually. As of now it’s still one of the flaws in his game though.
Absolutely agree…and he may never get it right but it’ll be good enough that it shouldn’t hinder his ability to be an MVP candidate year after year.
Okay, so already the national conversation has settled on this narrative: “The eagles wasn’t nessecarily the better team, but home field was huge and Atlanta called bad plays.” It is incredible. Everyone is now talking about how the eagles caught a deflected pass out and got lucky and ‘what a weird game it was’ and how we will be completely shut down as soon as we face a real team like the Vikings.
Guess what. This D-line is going to destroy Case Keenum at the Linc. Mills and Jenkins aint giving them any last second 60-yard score either.
Don’t forget that we also scored all all points on Atlanta turnovers deep in Atlanta territory. We would have never won without those lucky turnovers;-)
I keep seeing people bragging that Atlanta only scored off turnovers, but Ajayi’s fumble was at the Falcon’s 30. Basically no different than a kickoff or punt.
They still had to have a decent drive to get into field goal range.
It is a little bit of a deceiving stat – I think we should really only cut defenses a break for points off turnovers that happen on their own end of the field. Atlanta did drive the length of the field against us twice. Still pretty good though.
On the other hand, if Ajayi doesn’t fumble, we probably get at least a FG out of that drive, so the point swing was larger than it would’ve been for a punt or kickoff.
Sure, but other than that one drive, Atlanta’s best offensive play was a punt up until the end of the game.
You are correct. In my haste to be sarcastic, I let the facts get in the way.
I will offer that Ajayi’s fumble occurred 16 seconds into the game and would have set up the P{hilly offense with a 2nd and 6 from Atlanta’s 26 yard line. The turnover took most-likely points off the board for Philly and changed the early momentum in the game.
“In my haste to be sarcastic” is a phrase I will immediately adopt.
A real team that blew a 17 point lead and needed a miracle play to get to the NFCC game. Lots of weird things happen in almost every game and luck, with a ball that seems designed to take crazy bounces, almost always plays a role. As I recall, Foles led at least two very long drives from the 14 and inside the 10 that led to drives and ate up a lot of clock. The score did not indicate how dominant the Eagles were.
Four fumbles, two lost in critical moments, will do that.
Is a deflected pass any more flukey than when they got the ball on like our 25 because the ball touched a guy who was blocking during a punt?? If anything Atl had the bigger breaks (some big bad calls, the punt, and opening fumble).
Atlanta absolutely had the better end of fluky plays. The eagles fumbled on their first three possessions for goodness sake. Then missed an extra point, probably due to overcorrection in the windy end. Then fumbled the punt deep in their own territory. All in about 1½ quarters of play. Sure, ATL missed a few interceptions, but this was not weird as much as it was them not being very good at catching the ball. And the eagles themselves had two or three int’s teed up that they simply didnt haul in. Officiating, with a few flaws here and there, did not have a major impact on the game with bad calls biased against one team. The eagles were clearly the better team, better prepared, better execution, better game plan and play calls. Its really simple. And yet, everyone I’ve seen talk about this game seem to think that Atlanta was the best team and the eagles won a ‘weird’ game. It is annoying, to be honest.
We’re gonna have ANOTHER weird game on Sunday too… Go Eagles!
Can’t wait to hear everybody heave and moan about how the Patriots are gifted an easy SB against the Eagles, how they will be the only team to win it without beating a single decent team in the playoffs, etc. etc.
The real team Vikings who shouldn’t even be playing this weekend if not for the single worst defensive play of the last decade?
Don’t you forget about Raheem Morris.
This should be a good defensive game, but I really like the matchup of our offensive line vs. their defensive line. Everson Griffen is the one guy who could wreck things if he’s lined up over Big V. Otherwise, our O Line should have the edge everywhere else.
Somebody taking on Linval Joseph in this game is going to be huge. I like Brandon Brooks to handle that assignment. He needs to be out of his mind when he takes the field this weekend.
..and not in the anxiety-kind-of-way.
I’m pretty confident in Wiz-Kelce-Brooks. Griffen vs. Big V is a big mismatch in the Vikings’ favor.
Big V played pretty well against the Falcons, but Griffen is a different level of challenge from the guys the Falcons line up at RDE. I agree they’ll need to game plan around slowing him down.
get ready to see Kelce sprint out on some stretch runs. They completely neutralized Von Miller by scheming around him against the Broncos. It is a good bet they will dust off that game plan for this game.
I feel more confident with our D-line vs their O-line.
I was telling my brother, when he asked who I wanted to go against, that either the score would be similar for going against either team but for different reasons.
Or D-line will win us this game
D is for Desperate as in the way Mills played that last pass. Every time I watch that play I realize how lucky it was that Jones let that ball go through his hands after slipping and falling as well.
Mills inexplicably tried to block the pass which was way beyond his reach instead of making the heads up play of positioning himself to push Jones out of bounds if he caught it. Hopefully, he will be coached up and learn from the play.
I thought he played it pretty well. Julio still would have landed with one foot out of bounds. Sure, coach him up, but Mills did not panic or cause any silly flags on that play which would have probably led to ATL scoring.
https://youtu.be/VfJIoxWGNP4
Yes, I agree he did a lot of good things on that play but once Jones had to jump for the ball the Pro play is to be sure he is pushed OB if it’s caught rather than trying to outjump a guy 6 inches taller.
Also, that play showed how easy it would be to throw a jump ball to Julio every time. Amazing that the Ryan to Jones connection is 1 for 18 in the end zone this year.
I’m not completely convinced Jones wouldn’t/couldn’t have moved his left foot slightly to the right to be in bounds had he caught it. That’s the kind of thing that’s instinctive to veteran WR’s. Obviously there was no reason to do that once the ball went through his fingers…
However, I think Mills being right there probably threw off Jones’ concentration enough for him to miss the catch.
(I also agree timing a push out-of-bounds to avoid a PI penalty would be difficult. Mills would have a split second from when the ball touches Jones’ hands to when gravity pulls him down, and even if he timed it perfectly, refs will still sometimes throw a flag if a star WR gesticulates angrily enough for one.)
I was thinking this too, you can’t judge whether he’d be in when he knows he didn’t catch it. I think he’d be out, but I’m sure glad we didn’t find out.
Would’ve been *very* difficult – the way he jumped in the air, his legs flared outwards toward the sideline, and he would’ve had to reverse that motion and go against the momentum of his entire body to get them back under him and to his inside by the time he came down from his leap. Not saying he couldn’t have done it because Jones is a freak of nature, but it would’ve required a spectacular play to come down with that ball in bounds.
I agree. If he secured that ball, I think the odds are good that he gets his feet in. He completely disregarded the landing once he didn’t catch it. However, I think the biggest thing that has gone largely unnoticed is how the TE that was blocking was just about to release. He would have been WIDE open and a desperate Ryan would have had him. However, when Bradham ran past on his blitz route, he completely obliterated the releasing TE. Seriously, watch it. You can see the TE was just turning and probably about to raise his hands before he got run over.
Good call. You can see it in the clip Ryan posted. I don’t know if he would have been open, but Bradham took him out as a target.
Jenkins said they always left the TE into block in that alignment, which is why he told Bradham to just go ahead and rush Ryan. I suppose if there was nobody to block, he could release out. I think Bradham actually stepped the wrong way at first on the line, delaying his arrival a bit.
I know that Jenkins said that, but if you watch the video that tight end was releasing into the flat. I don’t know if this play was a deviation, or if the tight end was improvising, but he was about to be wide open 2 yards from the endzone
I looked at it, but it mainly looked to me like the TE saw Bradham coming and went out to block him. The TE doesn’t need to worry about going beyond the line of scrimmage when blocking.
It would have been an improvisation I think. The running back maybe coming open I think was part of the plan, and Ryan did in fact look that way, so Kendricks’ play was huge there.
You could be right. I just think the tight end had released his block, was turning around to look at the QB, while running towards the sidelines, which is counter to every blocking scheme I have ever run. I think the fact that he ended up doing a damn near front flip/somersault is evidence that he was turning around and looking back at QB while running towards sideline. I think to assume that the falcons run the same type play without a variation would be to be selling their coaches short. But you could be right, maybe the TE was improvising. My comment was more a statement on how physical Bradham is.
Jones came down out of bounds, largely because Mills was crowding him against the sideline. It would’ve been an incomplete pass even if he’d come down with it. Not sure what you’re talking about – if Mills had mistimed his push he could’ve easily been called for DPI. I thought he played it pretty well.
About as perfect as he could. He gets no credit when he does thing right with most people. Kinda like Doug when a 4th down doesn’t work, there is only criticism.
He ain’t Richard Sherman, but we seem to be able to win with the kid.
He was lucky IMO. You rerun that play 100 times, maybe they score on half of them? 40% Plenty of times, at least. But luck is definitely part of the game, and it’s a huge part of close games.
Or, Mills had the situational awareness to see Matt Ryan out of the pocket, and pushed Jones to the ground and took him out of the play. Very good play from a very stable genius cornerback.
That’s a real easy statement to make when you’re watching in slow motion. Come on now.
Love that film of Jernigan just eating up double teams. Great example of how a DT can have a huge impact without showing up on the stat sheet. With he and Cox both under contract our front four is in good shape for the next several years.
Jernigan (and even Honey Beau Beau) do a really good job doing the dirty work on the inside. Cox gets the publicity, but he doesn’t do it without Jernigan eating up those double teams.
Love Timmy, but let’s be honest… he lost the battle in the first vid. Mack relented when the play was over for them and he pushed him off the screen.
I think eating up a double team at the line of scrimmage so a teammate can make a tackle for a small gain only is winning the battle
Yes, if he gets put on roller skates, one of those linemen will peel off and go bulldoze a linebacker (or two!) and now you’ve got a safety screaming in to prevent a touchdown.
So your saying Cox squeezed thru that small hole with penetration….
(I will see myself out)
mb didnt notice guard on first watch.
This is literally the only place I know on the internet where we respect each other and admit when we were wrong.
We are a great fanbase built with fire and passion and this blog is a testament to that!
That play also shows how we have 11 angry men all working toward the same selfless goals every snap
^^^ That is why I believe we can be champions
He held the point of attack against a double team, slowed the guard up and prevented him from getting to the second level quickly, and freed up other defenders to make the tackle for a minimal gain – it wasn’t a spectacular play but it was solid.
Oh my bad. I thought it was him vs mack 1v1.
me: Looks like Pats might lose their coordinators
neighbor: if I were them, I’d stay and look to take over for BB in a couple years
me: huh? but by then Brady is gone, and you traded Jimmy for peanuts.
neighbor: well you wouldn’t be going to some crappy team, you’d be here and you’d still have the Patriot Way
me: ?!?!?
I let it go then, b/c I didn’t want to say “cheating” b/c obv BB and Brady are all timers, but this belief that the Pats win b/c BB (25%), Brady (25%), playing as a team the Patriot Way (50%) is insane.
With the Jimmy trade, this is all going to crash down when Brady retires, and next year could be his last. Then the Pats are “that crappy team”.
for those of us old enough to remember, you left out the word “again” at the end of that last sentence.
Yep, when I first became aware of football the Patriots were basically what the Browns are now. Everyone thought it was cute when they briefly became a contender under Parcells in the 1990s, but nobody believed they’d sustain success. When they won that first SB against the Rams they were the scrappy underdog all of America was cheering for. How times change.
to their credit (or age), my friends do all remember b/c they are 40 something.
Well, the Pats did have that Super Bowl against the Bears in the 85 season. The Browns haven’t even been to a Super Bowl yet. On a side note, I have thrown as many pass completions in the Super Bowl as Tony Eason.
I always say if Brady wasn’t a douche everyone would love him and his story. Instead he is a whiney cry baby
Tom Baby is one play away from retirement
Based on how terrible BB assistants tend to turn out, I’m 99% sure this is BB’s mentoring philosophy. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ki5aixKNl8o
Imagine holding your phone vertically to video a letterboxed movie.
maybe hoping the two letterboxes cancel out somehow?
hah, it’s the only one I could find that wasn’t the whole screne or on a shady website (well shadier than youtube).
Yeah, it’s as if 31 other teams don’t preach some variant of “Do your Job”. That said, I think the Patriots can still be competitive with BB and without Brady (especially in that division). If I were Brady, I’d be taking cues from BB in case he were to retire first.
They are gonna hold a joint retirement press conference, when that day comes.
Imagine holding the bag as a new Patriots season ticket holder the day that goes down. Ooof. On the other hand, it’s going to be a celebration in Buffalo, NY and Miami.
Wait, you mean that BB could win with a QB like Matt Cassel? Absurd idea….
maybe, kind of, but that team had a lot of talent, more than I think this team does. I think their D was still better than their offense.
BB can field a competitive team with a QB like Cassel. He ain’t winning 5 Super Bowls without a franchise QB though.
Exactly. Lots of teams can win in regular season. Not so much in postseason.
Reg Season win %:
BB – .679
Tomlin – .659
Andy Reid – .604
Postseason:
BB – .730
Tomlin – .533
Reid – .458
Bill was 1-1 in postseason before Brady.
Have said it before, but the Patriots job will be among the worst in the NFL when Belichick leaves/Brady retires. Whoever gets it will be taking over a team with a demanding, extraordinarily entitled fan base, a fair percentage of whom don’t even remember the team being anything less than a perennial preseason Super Bowl favorite, but without any of the talent or knowledge that created the success that led to that mindset.
Kevin Kolb thought he had it hard…you ain’t kidding. That next guy is screwed.
You’re right about the fan base, but its much worse. Filling BB’s shoes and living up to the expectations of the players, coaches, and owners will be a nightmare. Look at how Sean McDermott fared trying to fill JJ’s shoes here. Sean lost the players fast. Part of that was on him, but part of it was just trying to replace a legend.
Doing the same for BB will be a major challenge. I’d get the hell outta dodge and grab a HC position if I were them, especially if any of that ESPN report about the Patriot love-triangle is true.
Yeah. Last losing season was in 2000 (5-11) in Belicheck’s first year and even in the mid-1990s when I was in Boston for college they were quite popular with Parcells as the coach.
Really have to go back to the early 1990s before they got Bledsoe to when that team was really bad.
https://www.si.com/mmqb/2017/01/23/nfl-new-england-patriots-abandoned-move-hartford-connecticut
If Rowland had simply allowed the stadium to be built in E. Hartford, the Pats would have moved to Hartford in 1999 with their new stadium opening in 2001.
A very interesting ‘What If’ although I can imagine the team would have been one of the teams looking to relocate to LA or Vegas given what has happened to Hartford & Connecticut in general.
Hartford is the worst large city in New England right now and Connecticut is really limping along.
I’m glad that didn’t happen. Back then i lived in Springfield , Ma which is right near Hartford.
Patriots Fans have always been the worst. Try getting them to explain the “Tuck Rule” with a straight face
a great QB can cover up a lot of coaching deficiencies.
which they won’t have
Who has worse fans Patriots or Cowboys?
For me it’s probably the Patriots ( Dallas doesn’t have real fans)
Funny, that’s what is being said about Tomlin in Pittsburgh today.
I would agree with that
They are one play away from being the Bengals and seem completly oblivious
http://whatdoumeme.com/media/created/sweg5l.jpg
Awesome.
The Patriot way is to
Lie
Cheat
Steal
And they even took stole that from Eddie Guerrero!
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reports Eagles QBs coach John DeFilippo is expected to get a second interview for the Cardinals’ head coaching vacancy.
DeFilippo is also thought to be Panthers DC Steve Wilks’ top choice for an offensive coordinator if he lands a lead job, but DeFilippo remains in the running in Arizona himself. DeFilippo did surprisingly well as the Browns’ coordinator in 2015 and has played a large role in Carson Wentz’s development. It is only a matter of time until he lands a head coaching job.
Well shit
He’a not coming back here no matter what. At this point I just wish him luck. Losing Schwartz or Reich in addition to DeFillipo would be a big deal. Continuity is a key component for building stability as an organization. Our coaches will be poached, but we don’t want to lose too many at on time
If one leaves we will be fine if 2-3 leave I will be concerned.
For Swartz and Flip if they stay their stock should only go up.
Why is Fipp not getting any love. That dude coaches his ass off with what we trot out there.
Losing Reich would be a much lesser blow than Schwartz.
I fact, I bet losing DeFilippo is going to be a bigger loss than if Reich got another OC job somewhere else.
Wait, so basically Arizona is taking both and just deciding which one they want to be in charge? That’s… honestly a pretty awesome job by their front office.
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DTorNnOVAAEFyF4.jpg:large
IN this case, D is for douchebag. I hate Sean Payton….
I wish I could uproot this twice. There is no bigger douche coaching than Sean Payton. NFL Douchery:
1. Tom Baby
2. Cam Newton
3. Sean Payton
4. Cowboys Organization
4 for sure
Why is Tom Brady a douche? He never talks shit about anyone and usually keeps his opinion to himself.
U serious?
He screams at the refs EVERY time he gets touched
HE throws other players under the bus
He cries when he’s not Patriot of the week
He ditched his pregnant model g/f for a super model (Who he did marry)
http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/page/hotread180105/beginning-end-new-england-patriots-robert-kraft-tom-brady-bill-belichick-internal-power-struggle
Why we mad at that?
So who’s going to the game on Sunday?
Guys who need to show up this week
Ags
Blount
Kendricks
I think the whole DL again. Keenum is garbage against pressure he Eli Mannings the ball up there for people to get. They won’t be able to run on us, so it’s going to be Keenum who has to carry the load, and if we get pressure on them like we should, it’s going to be a long day for them.
I think the Birds are going to smash them and probably get a pick six.
Lets see how Keenum looks when we make the offense 1 dimensional and he needs to pass.
I’m more confident in the DL showing up. The guys listed have to make some plays if we want to win this game.
BG is a wrecking ball. Someone must be reminding him he is a bust and the least paid player on the Dline before games because that man plays angry and I honestly think teams are starting to fear him!
I just wish out CB’s could time a jump… then we’d have so many more picks this year.
He threw several up for grabs last weekend.
Can’t do that against our secondary…
Aren’t Foles and the DL the obvious answers here?
If you are going for less obvious I say Trey Burton, Mills, and Vaitai. If Mills and Vaitai play well I think it means the team is probably playing well. Against a good defense Burton is the type of under-utilized weapon that can have a big game out of nowhere.
Vaitai better get help most of the game. This seems like the perfect game for 2-3 tight ends majority of the time
Take Torrey Smith out of the game one way or another
One of the few games this season where the primary get-after-the-QB DE is on the right side and the LT has to handle him. Vaitai will NEED help.
For me the thing with Foles is that whether we need him to “show up” depends on how you define the term.
If the game is like last week’s, and it’s a low scoring defensive battle, we only need him to not turn it over and complete some high percentage throws keyed off the running game, as he did against the Falcons. I think he can do that, we won’t need a particularly outstanding performance from him, and his play won’t be critical to determining the outcome.
If we get into a big hole like the Saints did, “showing up” would entail a big time quarterbacking performance, and I am much less confident in his ability to give us that against this defense.
I agree with you Vaitai is critical this week.
Foles needs a more consistent game though. His first half numbers weren’t good and he was incredibly fortunate that ball before half wasn’t picked & instead was a huge gain to Smith.
Also benefited from a ton of YAC last week too.
Foles played well enough last week but the praise has been too much this week vs the criticism being too great before hand.
I just never understand the crazy ‘let’s play Sudfeld’ logic of some fans.
Agree with you 100% on everything you say here. Great post.
Watch it be a shootout 35-28 Birds
Yoooo those Jernigan plays were nasty. That’s the kind of stuff you miss on the live broadcast, I love the OL/DL film breakdowns.
Jernigan driving Alex Mack off the screen on that run play was a statement.
The only success the Falcons had in the run game was outside stuff to Coleman, and the Vikes don’t have anyone with Coleman’s ability or speed to get to the outside.
It’s going to be a long day for them if they think they can get anything up the middle.
The Saints Vaunted Defense held Murray to 19 carries and 50 yards.
We held a way better RB to 7 total yards. Teams give up running on our front seven.
(Lets not discuss Colemans yards) lol
https://memegenerator.net/img/instances/500x/48680355/this-post-brought-to-you-by-the-letter-d.jpg
I just realize I have been wrong for 12 years:
Romo has finally made it to a Championship game
My favorite Romo jab:
“Romo is a really great announcer, but will he only be good at calling regular season games?”
Sideline reporter:
“This just in, Tony Romo done for the rest of the game. Blew out his pointing shoulder calling that last play.”
For the second half Tony Romo won’t be back… Well, because he broke his.
Three things:
One, Lombardi is a nobody, stop talking about him and giving him attention. He has earned none. Even if Pederson sucked as a HC, no one would be giving Lombardi credit for being Nostradamus. He is literally irrelevant.
Two, question about playoff beards in football – started one after regular season ended. Eagles won and thus I cannot shave until they lose or the SB ends. I assume the protocol is the same as hockey.
Three, Fipp needs to get his ST group together and figure out WTF is going on with their mistakes. This is supposed to be a strength yet they have turned the ball over in consecutive games, Elliott misses a extra point and the punts by Jones have been adventures recently.
Doug is personally working on that with Fipp and ST’ers this week.
Article on PFT. He’s on it.
Agree. I’ll say that the wind was a big factor on the punts though.
NICE!!!
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/b58333f990c0e3449ec0ea76941bd52e51a614fb403d89e18e593f782cd2e834.jpg
Hope that’s true with no playing time provision.
I did find this nugget, not sure if it is true either…If the Vikings win the Super Bowl, it will become a second-round pick.
Darn!!
That was if they won last year….
Oh ok! I’m gonna delete this then! Thanks for letting me know!
Two week rest was really a big factor in the defense playing so well. Wonder if they’ll be able to be quite as dominant again this week although the injury report out of the Falcons’ game was incredibly favorable.
Other things that really strikes me is just how well this team has played at home under Pederson.
14-3 now at the Linc vs 7-9 on the road.
Prior to Pederson being hiring, the Eagles had the worst home winning percentage vs overall winning percentage in the NFL since the Linc opened in 2003. Under Reid, the Eagles really didn’t have a noticeable home-field advantage.
I have no idea why the Eagles are playing so well at the Linc under Pederson. I haven’t heard one really through explanation of it besides just some of the statistical breakdown on the defense this year.
I feel like playing at home was/is the biggest determining factor for the defense. They only struggled after doing that 3 games on the road stretch , which historically does cause fatigue/ sloppy play.
And it’s really 14-2 At the Linc because that last game was a preseason game in my book.
Yeah. One thing about this crowd in recent years is that it reminds me a lot of the UM crowd in the Big House in big games.
It can be incredibly loud but it also can be the quietest 100k plus people you’ll ever hear too early on in a game if things don’t start out particularly well.
This crowd was really quiet early on and it took that TD drive to get them back into it.
All of the non-football elements seem to be in our favor
1) they are a dome team playing outdoors
2) they have to travel
3) crowd noise
4) they are coming off an emotional win. Are they emotionally spent?
5) I like our defense much better at home than their on the road
They may be able to overcome these things as they appear to be the more talent team in this match up. I could just as easily see our DL dominating as this is the best front they have seen all year. Maybe they force Case to turn back into a pumpkin.
If this was in Minnesota I would give us no shot, but at home I view this as a toss up., possibly slightly in favor of the birds.
http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/22113033/2017-nfl-playoffs-how-eagles-unique-defensive-line-strategy-paid-big
Nice article explaining the Eagles’ DL shift strategy although it could use some tables/visuals.
Coming through all of the stats this week and two really jumped out to me:
TOP
1. Eagles: 32:39
2. Vikings: 32:29
Takeaways
Vikings D: 19 (t-23rd) – 14 INTs, 5 fumbles
Eagles D: 31 (4th) – 19 INTs, 12 fumbles
Vikings only turned the ball over 14 times this year (3rd in NFL) though. Only NE and KC were better.
I don’t see either of the Minnesota RB fumbling (Murray is much more fumble prone though than McKinnon) but I could see Keenum being forced into an INT or two.
I see two very evenly-matched teams this week although the Vikings are the better team on paper right now. Eagles need to win the TOP to keep their defense fresher especially in the 2nd half and to force Keenum into at least one INT to have a solid chance to win this game.
Vikings have been very good at minimizing turnovers since Zimmer got there:
2014: 20 (t-6th)
2015: 17 (t-4th)
2016: 16 (7th)
2017: 14 (3rd)
’17 Vikes @away: 0.8 TO/pg
’17 Eagles @home: 1.5 TO/pg
Keenum almost never scrambles either. Only had 40 attempts this year for 160 yards with only 1 attempt last week.
I just hope the Eagles contain him in the pocket and that he doesn’t make a big play or two to Diggs or Thelien when a play breaks down as he is scrambling to his right.
http://www.startribune.com/case-keenum-has-been-nfls-best-qb-outside-the-pocket-this-season/463899853/
Panthers did a really good job of that and he struggled with his worst game down the stretch.
Great posts… #Analysis. Keep up the good work.
You been workin’ on this stuff, big guy!
CHILLS!!!
https://youtu.be/3hDYowh3mwg
Awesome, so fun to see the celebration and cohesion of this team. Great to see Lurie and Roseman there too
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/94dd619dbfa95b76caab9e6e79db97df821b81c8344d929f60b826db4cff3518.jpg
Gotta love that!
The Vikings had 12 defenders and still couldn’t stop this TD. That defense is great but over rated I think we’re the second best defense left after Jacksonville:
http://ftw.usatoday.com/2017/11/marvin-jones-jr-matthew-stafford-detroit-lions-minnesota-vikings-thanksgiving-td-catch
Love the LJ T-shirt… Good on Tommy for giving it some air time. Anyone bought one yet?
Y’all
https://twitter.com/VeteranScout/status/953027126319464449
That’s some pissed off bad-asses
That’s some hard work from the Eagles O Line!
Those pancakes by Brooks and Johnson were gorgeous. that Vikings DL better come to play.
I liked the one by Vaitai. He’s usually just a “get in the way” type run blocker so to see him actually put the DE on the ground and bury him was exciting. Perhaps Stoutland has coached some nastiness into him, or perhaps it’s just rubbing off from his linemates.
I noticed a lot of these blocks during the broadcast. Dominant performance by the O line. Even Big V was making pancakes.
Besides Big V getting demolished on that one play, it’s been good so far.
Wiz took out 3 guys on one play. Thats like JP kind of playing. The team is so much better having him in there. All the rest he got was huge. Man I wish UP was in there too
BEAST MODE
I LOVED the Wisnewski block live.
Dougie P is getting some more ink on the national level at PFT.
_________________________________________________
“Doug Pederson takes hands-on role in correcting Eagles’ special teams mistakes”
Posted by Michael David Smith on January 16, 2018, 2:23 PM EST
http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2018/01/16/doug-pederson-takes-hands-on-role-in-correcting-eagles-special-teams-mistakes/
Fipp has had a rough year
Lost some of his main guys in the offseason, lost some of his main guys during the regular season, and keeps having to break in new kickers and long snappers.
I forgive him for the mishaps.
In his defense, his best player went down with a torn ACL and he had JAGS as returners.
If there is absolutely one area that needs to be addressed in the draft, it’s a returner.
Barner is taking up a roster spot to basically call fair catches. Clements hasn’t even come close to breaking a KO return.
It’s a downright shame Ags has such terrible hands because he would probably be a great punt returner.
Ags was an excellent returner in college. I don’t know that the issue is his hands so much as that you want to avoid putting a frontline offensive player at extra risk of injury by using him as a returner.
Agree that they need to draft a return specialist as Sproles isn’t getting any younger even if he comes back. Don’t think it will require more than a mid-round pick though.
Looking at all the stats comparisons you gents and the media have been throwing around, these just look like two evenly matched teams. There’s no edge, no strength vs. weakness which will clearly decide the game a priori. Nothing evenly close to it. Small edges often inside the confidence intervals such that you have to squint to find them.
It’ll come down to execution, plain and simple. The least mistakes wins and both teams are very well coached.
Pre-ordering my favorite UBER ambulance with the Acme CPR machine for about 9:30 PM on Sunday.
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/10de682101bd48fcea022dfb0955ac19fdb3d51e456fda4db426d6ded08dd16b.jpg
Glad it’s not Morelli.
He wouldn’t make in there alive and if he did he wouldn’t make it out lol
The ironic thing about Lombardi bashing Pederson is that Pederson is already more accomplished as a coach than Lombardi ever was as a personnel man.
The dude failed as a GM in both Oakland and Cleveland and drafted the likes of JaMarcus Russell and Barkevious Mingo with top-10 picks. He’s in no position to be calling anybody else unqualified.
But he worked for Bill Belichek once! So he is great by osmosis.
So, Tom Coughlin gets another crack at embarrassing Belichick. Go Jags!
Good for him going to the Jags and turning that team around, and the Giants descending into whatever they are now. I can like him now.
Ha, ha until Super Bowl Sunday and we have to beat his Jags!…It could happen.
I hope we get to face him there. I will then hate him again for just a while.
If Rodgers were healthy would the Vikings have even been NFC champions???
Just a thought, I’m not sure they would be. Also did it seem like he had all day to pass a good amount on Sunday. I just don’t see us not hitting him and causing at least one turnover.
Can that team win if they lose the turnover battle? We can. (And did)
Little Freudian slip there NFC North champs *
Definitely fixed THX*
I’ve watched several Vikings games this season. And last. Their O Line was destroyed last year. This season most of the line is new. Their rookie center is going to the Pro Bowl. Last year Zimmer has 7 surgeries on his eye. They switched OCS halfway through the season. This year they lost Bradford but Keenan has come through.
Don’t take them lightly.
Not taking them lightly at all I just think we are the more complete team. I think everything in this game favors us or it’s even.
Shurmur’s gonna be calling a lot of swing passes on Sunday. Bank on it.
Actually, their offense is much better than ours. Theirs is ranked #5 and ours #11 by DVOA.
I don’t put a lot of merit into that stuff. Kinda like we count on Foles with lucky throws , they count on Keenum with lucky throws.
I’m looking forward to the matchup both teams Offenses have similar challenges ahead, I believe we have the better offensive line, due to experience and talent.
On S/T we have a kicker who can boot it from 50+ pretty consistently. I would say he’s a weapon in this game , more than most.
Probably, yes. The tragedy that is that Packers roster without Rodgers just shows you how much he would have had to drag that team into the playoffs. They’d have been one of the wildcard teams for sure, and I’d think they’d take at least one game from the Vikings. More likely is that MIN would have been division champs, but not the #2 seed as a result, and we’d have lost to Rodgers in the playoffs rather than beating the Falcons.
Do we lose to Rodgers if we have Wentz tho. I don’t think so. Man Peters, Sproles, Wentz, and Hicks puts us over the top.
In previous years, how has Alshon fared against this Vikings defense? Just wondering since he saw them twice a year for a while.
AJ’s career stats v. MN are:
9 games (5 seasons)
45 rec (79 targets)
685 yds
15.22 ypc
7 TDs
Best games, and worst games, have come w/ Cutler as QB.
_________________
Here’s a link to Pro-football Reference’s data page on AJ v MN:
https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/J/JeffAl00/gamelog/?opp_id=min
How do you beat a great defense? You grind them all down with tough running, dink and dunks, and screens. Gas them early and we’ll eventually pull away (assuming Elliot doesn’t lay the biggest egg ever). Easier said than done but I’m expecting things that many fans will get mad about. Such as Blount getting carries, Foles missing easy throws, and screens not always working.
Screens don’t work because they don’t have the right people for the job. Screens won’t work vs. Vikes D
Screens will work against any defense if you call them at the right moment. The Vikings defend them really well, but they can still be had if you catch them in a blitz or selling out to get a sack.
As for the “right people for the job” – are you talking about the Eagles? They have one of the best screen blocking OLs in the league. Kelce in particular is a better screen blocker than maybe any C I’ve ever seen.
the eagles have hisorically sucked at wr screens
bingo.
Have the Eagles successfully executed a WR screen all season for positive yards? Eagles don’t have the speed at wr. Eagles OL is great with rb screens. I’m talking WR screens where it’s that quick pass to a WR…
I didn’t see “WR screen” – I must have missed that when I read your post initially.
I agree that the Eagles’ receivers aren’t great blockers which hinders their ability to run stuff like bubble screens. They should still be able to get Agholor the ball on some more conventional screen designs by motioning him into position pre-snap, etc.
I think “right people for the right job” in this context refers to the WRs, who have not been very successful in finding space and turning WR screens into good gains.
exactly. I didn’t mean to infer Eagles OL isn’t any good…
I’d like to see well-timed screens to Ajayi.
It’s true that tiring a defense out is a great equalizer, but there’s a catch-22. You have it backwards. You need success in the first 3 quarters to face a tired defense in the 4th quarter. If you have a bunch of 3 and outs it doesn’t matter how much you run or throw, our defense would be the tired one.
So the question is still very much unanswered. How does our offense stay on the field against a great defense? I don’t know the answer, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t one. We’ll see what the big boys in the trenches have to say about it, and what kind of plan Doug has.
I see mirror image teams here, especially now that Foles is our QB.
That means field position, turnovers, penalties and TOP are even more vital than usual in this game.
Whoever forces the other team to drive the length of the field consistently, forces turnovers, plays clean and controls the ball will likely win. We only got the TOP aspect rolling vs ATL – too many penalties, turnovers and bad ST play.
Focus on getting those cleaned up this week. Also, be ready for their D to work on shutting down the RPOs that Foles obviously feels comfortable with and executes well. Our run game must deliver consistently so those stay effective.
Agreed but I do fear the wilson mobility of Keenum to extend critical drives.
Keenam is mobile, but not anything like Wilson.
He also has a much weaker arm. Keenum isn’t even a poor man’s Wilson, more like a homeless man’s Wilson.
Career wise absolutely but this year? Keenum may have balled harder than Russ.
Wilson threw the most TD’s this year
Wilson on Vikings makes them better, so in my opinion he did not ball harder than Russ
Not sure if it’s me or if you guys are over confident but I am not afraid to say that I’m scared of Keenum strenghts against our D. Don’t get me wrong I definitely believe that we are a tough matchup as well and I strongly think that we are going to win but this is going to be a tough battle and I’m not sure I’m going to survive this.
I think Keenum played really well this year and think the Vikings are a really tough matchup, but don’t think Keenum can do what Wilson can do.
Fair enough, I def agree with you on this one. Though I would say I feel slighly similar to facing the hawks two years from now. I like our chances at the linc but this is the hardest challenge we have all year yet.
Nobody’s underestimating Keenum. He’s played well this year, he does have strengths, Sunday’s game is a tough matchup, and the Eagles could easily lose. But you can respect him without being afraid of him. I think he’s easier to defend than Drew Brees is, and that was the alternative.
He’s like a homeless Wilson with a touch of Eli (Let me just throw a prayer and see how many times it gets answered)
That last play he threw is a microcosm of what he is. A “Wing and a prayer QB”
Darby gets at least one pick and hopefully Mills has some stick ’em or something
“Wilson mobility of Keenum?”
You forgot to use sarcasm font.
Agree but I think the Eagles have the overall advantage in the trenches, thanks to our D line.
if the eagles lose , will it be a record for conference championship losses, Ive counted 3 the eagles have lost, are their more, Im too lazy to check
I don’t know the stats either but I do think the Vikings are also mastering the art of losing conference championship.
They haven’t lost as many conference championship games as the Eagles have recently, but a couple of the ones they did lose were true heartbreakers (Gary Anderson missed FG in 1998 and Favre interception in 2009). They got blown out of the building by the Giants in 2000. Going farther back, they’re also 0-4 in Super Bowls as opposed to the Eagles’ 0-2. It’s definitely a tortured fan base. If we lose the game on Sunday I will be cheering for them against the Patriots/Jaguars.
Vikings and Eagles are definitely two of the more ‘tortured’ NFL fan bases.
They lost 4 under Reid: 2001, 2002, 2003, and 2008.
Not close. A simple google search would have given you the answer:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/NFC_Championship_Game
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/AFC_Championship_Game
FYI- 49ers and Steelers have the most with 8 and 9.
“D” is for doing your job so u can get Patriot of the week
What is that blasphemy? Invoking the cheatriots
..psh….
Wiz with gifs
http://www.nbcsports.com/philadelphia/eagles/eagles-underrated-blocking-machine-vs-falcons
*wiz wit
Wiz is indeed an underrated player. Not only is he a vast improvement over Seumalo and Warmack himself, but Vaitai has played much better this season with him on the inside as well.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-bGrMb1OsF3A/V-ZQ8CyfmgI/AAAAAAAAAsA/tKkRss_FNjAZsXt-CaLHHWte9U9UTzBfQCJoC/w320-h240/cheez-whiz-o.gif
On some of those he practically rode the defender back into play he pushed them around so far.
My prediction is ready. I say Eagles win it, 20-16. (But it could be 17-13, haha.)
Believe the Eagles score 1 TD each on offense and defense along with two key FGs. Cold weather brawl like last week.
But I think that the rested Vikes bring a little more energy to the field this week, unlike the Falcons. So 20-16 is my play there.
Vikings are a great team and they are easy to root for. I’m really going to enjoy watching guys like Barr, Griffen, Rhodes and Thielen dominate in the Pro Bowl game this year.
Haha.
Usually I root against the team the team that knocks the Philly team out of the playoffs in the next round, just because I’m spiteful like that. But if the Vikings win on Sunday, I’ll be pulling for them hard in the Super Bowl, because (1) they have a great fan base who have suffered just as much as we have and (2) the Patriots, who they’ll probably be playing, are evil incarnate.
See I usually go the other way. I’d rather lose to the best. Like in 10 when GB knocked us out. I just said to someone yesterday how we gave them the best game of the post season.
No up vote (’cause I don’t want to consider this outcome) but….agreed
http://awfulannouncing.com/espn/chris-berman-tom-jackson-reunite-one-nfl-primetime-championship-sunday.html
I’m psyched. Berman gets tons of crap and seemingly endless criticism on Twitter but the 1-hour ‘NFL Primetime’ show on Sunday Nights from 1987-2005 with Tom Jackson played a big role in not only the rise of ESPN but the popularity of the NFL.
It became the staple football news show in the pre-Internet era. It was part of my ritual in high school on Sunday nights after I got home from work where I would watch Primetime and then headed to sleep.
As I get all my news from Twitter feed, I was absolutely shocked (when I was bored this week) I decided to turn on Sportscenter (a show I haven’t watched in years). They made it into a f***in talk show with Michael Smith and Jemele Hill?!?! A talk show?
I had to actually Google Sportcenter to see watch the hell happened.
Berman and Jackson were a staple for me in the 90s. At this point (and for the past decade), Berman is just a caricature of his former self and pretty much unbearable to watch.
I think you nailed it. Berman, like Madden before him, was groundbreaking and changed expectations. But then that style becomes a sign of the times and time passes him by.
Unfortunately, ESPN followed suit of all the other cable channels, including the news channels. It’s no longer about the subject matter (sports), but the personalities that cover it.
Interesting perspective here on where an outsider values Burton (22), Bradham (33), and Patrick Robinson (48) among the top 50 pending FA.
I don’t think any of us expect Burton or Robinson back. Bradham is the top-ranked LB on this list too…
http://www.espn.com/nfl/insider/story/_/id/22122388/nfl-ranking-top-50-potential-free-agents-2018
I don’t agree with none of expecting Burton or Robinson back. I’d happily give Burton the money we save by cutting Celek and going with a mid-late round rookie blocking TE. I would also make every attempt to re-sign PRob. I think as a guy towards the end of his career he likes it here, has a defined role, and may not break the bank.
I don’t think we should get into a massive bidding war for either player, but I’m not sure there will be a huge market for them. We’ve also seen more hometown discounts for successful teams. I could see both players wanting to be here long term due to the fact that we have a nice window opening right now.
I think before the season Burton was a luxury gadget guy and seen as unlikely to return. This season, though, he has shown he can be a legit tight end. I think you are right, Celek might be the one they can’t afford.
Agreed, I’d really like to see them make an effort to re-sign Burton. He’s a Swiss army knife and really valuable.
Blocking TEs (which is all Celek is at this point) are a dime a dozen.
Billy Brown is a very similar type of TE (we’ll see if he’s smart enough to earn a job next year)
There’s no room for Robinson. We already have 4 corners that are expected to be able to play well. There’s no reason to pay another.
Yeah, I agree. Robinson has been very good this season, but I don’t think re-signing him is a top priority. Darby-Jones-Mills-Douglas is already a pretty solid foursome at CB.
I think we should move Mills to the Corey graham role and start grooming him to replace Jenkins. So we have 1 starter, 1 guy that played part of a game, and Rasul who looks promising, but is not a guy I NEED to get on the field. If I could keep Robinson at a reasonable price I do it for another 2-3 years.
Disagree strongly, I don’t think either Burton or Robinson come back. Bare with me…
Trey Burton will likely get paid more money on the open market than we save by cutting Celek ($4m). Don’t ignore the 3 TEs the Eagles are hoarding on PS/futures contracts. I think they’re looking at a future without both Burton or Celek, whether they want it or not.
Robinson is a luxury and will get the chance to start outside somewhere. The Eagles will not have a spot for him to start outside, and this is likely the last contract the soon to be 31-year old Robinson will get in the NFL. He will want to get paid more than a team currently designed to save $$ on CBs will be able/willing to pay.
CB is the youngest, best position group on this team. No way Robinson gets playing time ahead of a group of Darby, Mills, Sidney Jones, and Rasul Douglas when that money could be spent on LB, OL depth, future extensions etc.
I think Celek is gone. That leaves room for Burton. Again i don’t want to get in a bidding war, but we often exaggerate the worth of our own players. He is not going to start for anyone. Who is breaking the bank for a #2 TE. I think his salary will be reasonable and we will fill Celek’s role on the cheap.
PRob is a guy I could see a team overpaying and if that’s the case then see ya later. However he did come here on the vet minimum. It is said he was offered a little more elsewhere, but chose to come here to play with Jenkins. Robinson definitely deserves a raise, but if it’s not crazy money I could easily see him coming back. The DBs appear very tight knit. If we can pay him 4-5 mil a year I say we lock him up. Again I can see Mills being moved to the Corey Graham role providing playing time for the young guys.
I wouldn’t be shocked if both left, both stayed or only one stayed. I just don’t think it’s a foregone conclusion both are goners.
Resigning Bradham is a must, and don’t ignore the fact that Burton may take a team friendly offer to stay here in Philly.
Guys take “team friendly” deals for sure, but why is it the expectation that every free agent will?
This is his first real contract and he seems to be getting better as the years go by. He’s got good hands and is a great STer. Dude should get paid what he’s worth, and I absolutely would not expect him to give us a discount.
Trey Burton is 26 and has been getting the minimum for the past 3 years. He’d be a FOOL to take a team friendly deal. Get paid homie.
I don’t think they can afford Kendricks dead cap plus a large contract for Bradham. I think they keep Kendricks (unless a great trade offer occurs) and go with somebody on the roster/rookie.
Next year, Rice and Darby will most-likely be the starters with Mills/Douglas in the slot. Howie said over and over again during the offseason that they wanted to develop players. I was very disappointed that Douglas got very little playing time once Darby came back.
Burton has been criminally underused the past 2 years. I see him being offered much better money to go elsewhere and actually get playing time/targets. For him to stay would probably mean taking less money and remaining a 4th/5th option/special teamer.
Haha rice.
I’ll never get that straight. I had Sidney Rice on my fantasy football team for 4 straight seasons.
Just go ahead and get the custom #22 midnight green “Rice” jersey already.
Or better yet, whenever you think of our stud red-shirt rookie CB, think about ordering chinese food without wanting their crappy white rice but no matter how you order, they always deliver with that anyway. “No rice!”.
Yesterday, we saw evidence that this Eagles defense may be comparable to the outstanding 2000 Bucs defense.
Today I offer up more reason for hope based on a team that just 10 short years ago was able to take down the Patriots. This “formula” has produced results in the past, and I have reason to believe it may work again.
Team has:
Good coaching
An average QB
Very Good Oline
Competent skill players WR/RB/TE
Elite Dline
Competent LB/DB
I would also argue that this patriots team may ne the worst to reach the SB (if they win on Sunday) and are likely the most beatable. Their defense was better last year and they still were very close to losing that game.
I personally would rather see the Pats than Jags in the SB. Brady and Belichick are the best, but I think we match up with them very well.
I would rather see the Pats because beating them with a backup qb would be poetry.
AJ Feeley got close… man what a game that was.
I would love to play the Jags and win 4-2.
^^^ That made me LOL!
It would be fun to shut up any and all Pats fans talking about how Brady is “thah greatest of ahl taaahm” by retorting “he lost a SB to a team quarterbacked by Nick Foles. Case closed.”
The Patriots are currently ranked #1 in DVOA. They were ranked #6 before the playoffs started.
They were ranked #11 in the regular season in 2001, the first year they won the Superbowl (which was played in early 2002, of course).
So, probably this isn’t actually the worst team, _AND_ they may well lose this weekend.
DVOA is absolute law? The Rams weee #1 and lost to the team we just beat.
I said “one could argue” and I would be one of those people. The early brady year’s had excellent defensive talent to Teddy, Rodney, Ty Law, McGinest, Seymour etc. i think those teams were better, but if not you have to go back 16 years to find a more bearable NE SB team. The point stands. This patriotsbteam is beatable and we are built to do it.
It’s information, man. Do what you will with it.
The Eagles have the ingredients to execute the Ravens/Bucs/Giants ugly-ass Super Bowl championship drive game plan. Whether they can pull it off is of course uncertain but they have the ingredients.
Actually, the Patriots are the only team left that isn’t trying to win with that approach.
Eli > Foles
Hate to admit it, but you’re right. First time I have to agree with you.
D is for DAMN IT — as in — where’s a new article Damn it…sleep in the regular season…
You love to bug Tommy.
D is for DUDE LAY OFF THE ALMIGHTY LAWLOR DAMN IT
(yankees suck)
What’s the difference between the Cowboys and the Yankees? One plays football, the other baseball.
What’s the difference between a Cowboys fan and a Yankees fan?
Nothing.
Yankees fans have the added tinge of bandwagon elitism and obnoxious NYC “superiority” complex
Have you met Texas? It has the biggest superiority complex.
Yeah yeah but NY actually has a little clout to it
That’s what annoys me about Yankees fans. New York actually offers a lot more than most places -who cares about the sports teams.
Texas, on the other hand…
quiet down you heathens as you all bow down to the mighty Yankees! BOW I SAY! (I was a Yankee fan before I was out of diapers – I had not choice. Being an Eagles fan was a choice in my teen years – approaching 50 now – so if anything, I’m a bandwagon Eagle fan)
lol, SLAVE FOR US TOMMY, SLAAAAVE FOR US!!
That bye week is messing with me, it’s hard to believe we’re only 4 days off the championship game. Feels like it’s approaching fast.
Lombardi sucks, wears a wig, and no team will hire his shitty ass.