Another Good Day

Posted: August 18th, 2021 | Author: | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | 1 Comment »

The Eagles had another practice against the Patriots on Tuesday. The Eagles were again the better team. They were better at QB, WR, TE, OL and DL. The Eagles LBs were the group that stood out in coverage, picking off passes and breaking up passes as well. I didn’t expect this to be the case.

This is good news for the Eagles. The team is improving and starting to show some promise.

This is bad news for the Patriots. 2020 was a down year and many thought they would be much better this season. It is fair to now question just how good they’ll be. This was just a couple of August practices so it is hardly anything conclusive on a big scale, but it is sure worth paying attention to.

***

This got my attention.

Wallace is in his second year and is completely unproven. But there he is taunting Cam Newton, a former superstar. I love the confidence this shows. Wallace is daring Newton to throw the ball down the field.

Young players and young teams can develop an edge and that can help them. Confidence is important. Maybe this team is starting to believe in itself.

***

The highlight of the day came from Jalen Reagor.

https://twitter.com/Eagles/status/1427704850565926914

I wish I could tell you he had a great day, but there were multiple drops as well. Ugh.

The key is to focus on the positive…that Reagor can make special plays. That is an absolutely ridiculous catch. You’re either born with that ability or you aren’t. Thankfully he was.

The coaches will continue to work with Reagor to clean up his mistakes. He’s got to be more consistent, the biggest challenge for all young players.

***

DeVonta Smith got back on the field and participated in some drills. This is great news. We’re learning how to interpret injury news from Nick Sirianni. It was a painful mystery under Doug Pederson (and needlessly so). Sirianni is more open, but still avoids timetables. We wondered when Smith would return and now we see real progress.

Part of me wants to see him in a preseason game so we can see him play. Another part of me says to hold him for the regular season. Why take the risk?

***

Don’t look now, but JJAW had a good day. He’s got to play his way onto the roster. The next couple of preseason games will be huge for him. Sirianni and the new staff don’t care that he was a second round pick. They need to see something from him. JJAW has had some good days, but mostly been quiet. If he heats up, he can get another chance to play.

***

Teammates have always loved Hurts. No one has ever questioned his character. From an intangibles standpoint, Hurts is everything you could ever want in a QB.

The question is whether he’s good enough on the field. We still have no clue about that. Hurts is coming off a pair of good practices, but don’t let the hype train get out of hand. This wasn’t a Joe Montana clinic where the ball was perfect on every play and the offense looked like a machine.

Hurts is heading in the right direction. He’s getting better and is showing good chemistry with his receivers. There is every reason to be encouraged by this and hopeful for the future. Let’s just not let the “his teammates love him” stuff start to make people think this is going to be a dynamic offense and special team.

***

What in the name of Nate Gerry is going on here?

The Eagles young LBs are making plays. Give the new coaching staff a ton of credit for getting these players to step up. We thought LB might be a huge weakness, but this group is showing a lot of promise.

I’m excited to see Patrick Johnson on Thursday night. He’s made some plays in practice, but looked good in the preseason opener. I want to see him in another game to find out if he can repeat that.

***

You hate to see guys get hurt, especially ones that had a legit shot at the roster, but injuries are part of life in the NFL.

This certainly makes Jordan Howard a more certain bet for making the team. Juriga might make sense for the practice squad if he doesn’t end up anywhere else.

_

One Comment on “Another Good Day”

  1. 1 The Linc – Eagles’ top bounce-back candidate – Therapy Box said at 8:17 AM on August 19th, 2021:

    […] Another Good Day – Iggles BlitzI wish I could tell you he had a great day, but there were multiple drops as well. Ugh. The key is to focus on the positive…that Reagor can make special plays. That is an absolutely ridiculous catch. You’re either born with that ability or you aren’t. Thankfully he was. The coaches will continue to work with Reagor to clean up his mistakes. He’s got to be more consistent, the biggest challenge for all young players. […]