August Football

Posted: August 12th, 2021 | Author: | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | Comments Off on August Football

It has been two years, two long years, since the Eagles played a preseason game. There is genuine excitement for tonight’s preseason opener, but I have to remind myself that almost all preseason games are disappointing. The ball doesn’t go to the receiver you want to see shine. The linebacker you’re interested in doesn’t have plays come his way. You try to study an O-lineman but the offense keeps going 3-and-out. You usually come away frustrated.

We do know that a couple of guys will play the best game of their career tonight. They’ll give us expectations and never come close to meeting them again.

Now let’s talk about what I will be watching.

QB – We know Jalen Hurts is a playmaker. We’re trying to see if he’s made any progress as a passer. Is he getting the ball out quicker? Is he making smart decisions? Has his accuracy improved? No one expects to see Drew Brees out there, but it would be good to see some progress from Hurts. As far as the backups, I hope either Joe Flacco or Nick Mullens shows us something. Anything.

RB – Please let us see Miles Sanders pass-blocking and pass-catching. We know he can run. The big issues last year were in the pass game and he’s been highly inconsistent there this summer as well. I’m interested to see how rookie Kenny Gainwell looks from an overall perspective.

WR – I’m guessing JJAW will play like Jerry Rice tonight, just to keep me as confused as possible. These preseason games are crucial to his bid to make the roster. I’m more interested in seeing Quez Watkins. He’s been very impressive in camp. I want to see how that translates to a game. He’s really improved as a route-runner so that should be something we can watch even if the ball doesn’t come his way.

TE – All eyes will be on Tyree Jackson. He’s pushing hard to make the roster.

OL – The focus here will be Jordan Mailata, of course. He’ll start at LT and I hope we get a strong performance out of him. Mailata has had an impressive camp and we want that to carry over to the games. Luke Juriga is the interior blocker I’m most interested in. He’ll push to make the roster. There are quite a few backup OL of interest. Jeff Stoutland does a really good job of developing players.

DE – Anything less than 5 sacks for Josh Sweat tonight and we’ll know Jimmy Bama has been lying to us in his TC reports. Is that fair? Maybe not, but I do love blaming Jimmy for things. Rookie Tarron Jackson will be another guy I watch closely. Jackson has a relentless motor. That’s better suited to games than practice.

DT – Javon Hargrave has been one of the stars of camp. I hope we see a couple of good plays from him tonight. I’m curious to see the rookies, Milton Williams and Marlon Tuipulotu. Williams has looked really good at times. I’m curious to see if they move him around or have him focust on playing 3T. Tuipulotu has been quiet this summer and is in danger of not making the roster. You wonder if playing in a game will bring out the best in him. He’s more physical than athletic and sometimes those guys need real games to let them shine.

LB – I will be watching all of them. This will be our first chance to see Eric Wilson as an Eagle. We get to see Alex Singleton run around like a madman. That is always fun. The backups are all fighting for jobs. Big game for a lot of LBs.

S – This is a group that hasn’t exactly generated a ton of buzz this summer. It would make us all feel a bit better if Anthony Harris had a good game. The two backups I’m most curious about are Andrew Adams and Elijah Riley. They’re better on STs than defense so far. We need one of them to step up.

CB – This will be our first look at Steve Nelson as an Eagle. We know speed is an issue for him. I hope WRs are flying by him tonight. Most people say Nelson has had a solid camp. The guy I’m excited for is rookie Zech McPhearson. He is having a strong summer and it would be great to see that continue. I liked him coming out of college because he was an aggressive tackler and played the ball well. I hope to see that out of him tonight.

STs – Jake Elliot has been better in recent practices so we want that trend to continue. The big question for me is the return game. Who is back there for punts and kickoffs? Can they catch the ball cleanly? Can they make something happen when they do have the ball?

*****

The other big thing we’ll be watching is how the coaching staff does. We’ll get a feel for them as playcallers, but also how they manage the game.

*****

Please stay healthy…

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