5 to Zip

The Eagles lost 5-0. I repeat, the Eagles lost 5-0.

That means the defense played lights out.

And it means the offense didn’t allow any pick-sixes or fumbles to be returned for TDs.

You could also point out the offense didn’t score, turned the ball over four times, allowed seven sacks, was just 1 of 3 on fourth down and gave up a safety. Not exactly a good showing, to put it mildly.

Is it time to worry?

No. The Eagles were missing their top three RBs, most of their top WRs and their starting LT. Beyond that, they are running basic plays. Doug Pederson said after the game that the Eagles aren’t using their RPO package.

Nick Foles was great in the postseason because he had a gameplan tailored to his skills. He was handing the ball to Jay Ajayi. He was throwing it to Corey Clement and Alshon Jeffery and Nelson Agholor. Big V was starting at LT, but was playing with confidence. Foles didn’t carry the offense. He was the point guard who got the ball to the star players around him.

This summer is very different. Foles is running vanilla plays with young guys and role players. The results are worlds different, as they should be.

The flip side of that is that the offense is worse than it should be. Foles let pressure get the best of him multiple times tonight. He made some poor decisions, including both interceptions. His accuracy was up and down. The blockers have been inconsistent. Receivers haven’t done much to make plays. Runners haven’t shown much juice in the open field.

There is no reason to worry about the Eagles, but the players and coaches should be concerned. The problems can be fixed, but it is fair to ask why so many players are struggling at the same time. Training Camp is over. They shouldn’t have tired legs. Nothing crazy has happened. This is just sloppy play by too many guys at the same time.

The Eagles will start mixing in starters. They will start putting together a gameplan for the season opener. I would expect that team to look very different from what you saw tonight. If not, it will be time to start worrying.

*****

QUICK HITS

Wendell Smallwood finally came alive. He was 12-53 as a runner and 2-14 as a receiver. He showed some burst and ran hard. Smallwood looked like he was actually battling for a roster spot.

WR DeAndre Carter was 4-73 as a receiver and had a 29-yard PR. He is pushing for a roster spot.

Big V had another poor game. Myles Garrett just ate him up. To be fair, Garrett was the #1 overall pick in 2017 so he’s pretty darn good. Still, Big V was a mess. He’s lost his confidence and is a headcase out there. The coaches can get him fixed. It would have helped if Doug gave him some help on passing plays. Took too long for that to happen.

Isaac Seumalo played all over the O-line tonight and had a good game. He is incredibly versatile and that alone brings a lot of value to the table. He’s come a long way since the opener.

Speaking of coming a long way, Jordan Mailata played a decent amount of snaps tonight. He is worlds better. I think he’s going to make the roster.

Josh Adams was 4-33 on the ground. He looked good. Matt Jones, who looked bad, got more playing time. I don’t think Adams is 100 percent healthy so the Eagles were likely protecting him by limiting his touches. Jones is disposable so he got more work.

The starting defense was outstanding. One player who stood out was MLB Jordan Hicks. He seemed to play the run well and was around the ball a lot. Hicks broke up a RZ pass and blitzed up the middle to get a sack. If he gets back to his playmaking ways, the defense takes another step forward.

I thought both Kamu Grugier-Hill and Nate Gerry did some good things. I’ll need to watch the tape to really get a feel for them.

Barring injury, Elijah Qualls isn’t making this team. Bruce Hector and Azziz Shittu both look like better players right now. Hector built off last week’s game with another good performance.

I don’t have a great feel for Sidney Jones vs Avonte Maddox. Jones got the early nod and seemed to play okay. Maddox came up with a big pick. He looked like he might go all the way, but somehow got caught.

Cameron Johnston helped his cause tonight. He averaged 48.3 yards on four punts. One of those covered 60 yards. Another punt was downed inside the 10. Another punt landed right beside the sideline. CJ showed an explosive leg, but also good ball control and accuracy. Looks like he might just pan out after all.

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