Urgency

Urgency is a great football word. You want to be able to say your team played with a sense of urgency in big games and critical situations. The problem is that I’m not sure we’re always on the same page about what that means.

Too often I think people want to see emotion. They see players yelling after a tackle or good run and think of that as intensity or urgency. Maybe. Or it could just be a loudmouth player.

I’ll explain urgency this way. Think of the difference between doing your Christmas shopping on December 14th and Christmas Eve. You go to stores on both days. You have the same goals. But things are very different.

On the 14th you’ll walk into a store and look around. You glance down one aisle and see a gorgeous woman looking at arts & crafts items. So you walk down that aisle to also check out arts & crafts items, despite the fact you have no interest in them. Later you get distracted by the toy section, despite the fact you’re shopping for your 47-year old sister. And then it is lunch time. You’ve only picked out one item, but all this shopping has you in serious need of some grub.

On the 24th you walk into a store with laser focus. You go directly to the specific aisle where you can find the XR-2200 for your nephew. Brian Dawkins and Megan Fox just happen to be in that aisle. You walk right past them and pick up the item and then head straight to checkout. You don’t eat lunch. You scarf down a bag of Funyuns on the way to the next store.

See the difference?

Urgency is about focus, intensity, sense of purpose, being detail-oriented and doing whatever it takes to get the job done.

Let’s talk about some plays from last Sunday.

There was a play where Boston Scott chip-blocked DeMarcus Lawrence. Scott was just supposed to hit Lawrence to slow him down and then Scott would release into his pass route. Scott hit Lawrence and knocked him off balance. Scott stuck with the block and moved him off the ball. Just took him out of the play. Wow. Just wow.

Malcolm Jenkins was 1-on-1 in space vs Zeke and tackled him for minimal gain.

Miles Sanders was 1-on-1 in space vs Sean Lee and was somewhat pinned against the sideline. Sanders used a great fake to get by Lee and up the field for at least five yards.

Josh Sweat exploded off the ball and blew up the Dallas TE and then got Zeke down for a loss in the backfield.

Fletcher Cox saw a quick pass go outside so he turned and chased the ball like his life depended on it. He got in on the tackle.

Josh Perkins had a strong block on an outside run by Sanders that went for a first down.

Dallas Goedert went up for a ball in the end zone and made that catch. Perfect throw because of traffic and still a tough catch.

Anthony Rush flew off the ball and nailed Zeke for a TFL.

You can go on and on  with examples of Eagles players making plays, both starters and backups. Everyone did their part. They blocked well, tackled well, ran well, threw well, caught well and covered well, for the most part. There were some coverage issues that Dallas just couldn’t exploit.

Now think back to the earlier Dallas game. Zeke ran over Jenkins on his way to the goal line. Receivers were dropping passes. Backups like Orlando Scandrick and Akeem Spence were terrible in their roles. Scandrick gave up a pair of TDs. Spence might as well have been a traffic cone at DT.

The Eagles played with a real sense of urgency on Sunday. I’m not even sure if they played with a sense of smell in the first Dallas game. What a debacle.

The Eagles will need to carry that same sense of urgency from last Sunday into this week’s game if they want to play well and win.

*****

Here is your morning update on Zack Ertz.

From @gmfb: It’s not just about toughing it out for Zach Ertz. The #Eagles have a difficult decision on his ribs but also his overall health coming soon. pic.twitter.com/GweILp0Tol

— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) December 27, 2019

*****

The love is pouring in for Miles Sanders. People are seeing just what a key player he has become.

"It's unusual you see a late season push like this for an award. But if @Eagles RB Miles Sanders (@BoobieMilesXXIV) can throw this team on his back, put up big numbers for the 4th straight week & close out the NFC East on Sunday – he's my Offensive Rookie of the Year." @PSchrags pic.twitter.com/ZgQ6qBh1g3

— GMFB (@gmfb) December 27, 2019

How cool would it be for Sanders to finish strong on Sunday, helping the Eagles to win the division and himself to win OROY. It really is exciting to have a playmaking RB for the first time since Shady in 2014.

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