Bucs Preview
Posted: September 16th, 2018 | Author: Tommy Lawlor | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | 1 Comment »The Eagles play a Sunday 1pm game for the first time in a long time. I’m excited.
Opening on Thursday night was interesting. Playoff games tend to be later or at night. That’s great, but Sunday games at 1pm are fun. There is a rhythm to the day. To the week. I’m happy to be back.
As to the game itself, I wrote my preview for PE.com.
Jim Schwartz and the defense face a major challenge. Tampa’s offense was brilliant in the opener. They had big plays from a variety of players. You can’t just shut one guy down. We talked all offseason about how good the Eagles secondary could be. Sunday will give us an idea if the hype is legit.
One thing stood out to me when I watched the Bucs game. Almost all of the big plays came to Ryan Fitzpatrick’s right side. It is possible that’s an anomaly, but it could also be a pattern the Eagles noticed and will try to exploit. It will be interesting to watch the Eagles defense and see if they attack from that side to force Fitzpatrick to run to his left and/or throw to his left.
Numbers to be happy about if you are an #eagles fan going into game against #Bucs. QB Ryan Fitzpatrick Game after a win in next start is 2-10. And SB champion off a Thursday game to open season, is 24-6 in week 2 straight up..@SportsRadioWIP
— Howard Eskin (@howardeskin) September 16, 2018
Who knew Eskin could provide good info?
One reason I’m curious about Tampa’s performance is that NFC South games tend to be wild affairs. That is the most entertaining division in the league. Crazy things tend to happen when those teams play each other. I’m not discounting what the Bucs did, but it is easier to doubt something that happened in a division game. The Giants played their best football against the Eagles last year and then would look horrid against weaker teams. Rivalries can produce weird results.
There are a lot of people that are down on Nick Foles and the Eagles offense right now. That’s fair, to a certain extent. The offense did struggle in the opener. At the same time, you saw last year that Foles can struggle one week and then get hot in a hurry.
Foles must play better and he needs his receivers to help him out. With Alshon Jeffery out again, there is pressure on Mike Wallace to make some plays. He did nothing in the opener. Doug Pederson knows this and I think he will scheme to get his receivers the ball down the field.
The Eagles must score more than 18 to win on Sunday. Pederson knows that and he will gameplan accordingly.
*****
Speaking of receivers…
Browns are releasing WR Josh Gordon on Monday.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 15, 2018
Updated: #Browns Gordon showed up late to the facility on Saturday morning and was 'not himself.' Red flag for possible substance use was the concern of some in the org, sources tell clevelanddotcom https://t.co/KMdBeX9JVO
— Mary Kay Cabot (@MaryKayCabot) September 15, 2018
Josh Gordon is a nice guy and I hope he figures out life. But he doesn’t love football and never has. They had to beg him to play at Baylor. Sad waste of amazing talent
— Jason Cole (@JasonCole62) September 15, 2018
Why did the Browns cut him? They got tired of incidents and finally realized they no longer trusted Gordon. They bent over backwards to try and make it work, but finally gave up. He is so talented that they felt they had to try.
That reminds me of the coach who walked up to a player during warm-ups and told him “Son, your potential is going to get me fired.”
So…should the Eagles have interest?
WR is a need area right now so this move would absolutely make sense. My big concern is that the Eagles team is filled with guys who love the game and who compete every day and in every way. Do you want to bring an underachiever with all kinds of baggage into that locker room?
As an outsider, I can’t give a great answer. NFL teams that know what’s going on behind the scenes can make a more informed decision.
The Eagles need to do their research and figure out if this makes sense. They are an aggressive organization and willing to take chances, but they take smart chances. If the worst team in the league (give or take) gives up on a player, it has to make you wonder if he’s worth it.
It is possible that Cleveland will decide not to cut Gordon and will in fact trade him. That would change things, since you would be giving up something for him. We’re only talking about a late round pick, but those do have value (Jalen Mills, Jordan Mailata, etc.).
Stay tuned…
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[…] Bucs Preview – Iggles BlitzOne thing stood out to me when I watched the Bucs game. Almost all of the big plays came to Ryan Fitzpatrick’s right side. It is possible that’s an anomaly, but it could also be a pattern the Eagles noticed and will try to exploit. It will be interesting to watch the Eagles defense and see if they attack from that side to force Fitzpatrick to run to his left and/or throw to his left. […]