PHI 41, NE 33…Preseason Style

We don’t know how Nick Sirianni will score the Eagles practice vs the Patriots, but all the observers said the Eagles were the better team on Monday. That’s encouraging, but we do have to note that the Pats aren’t the elite team they once were.

Still, any time it is Philly vs Boston and the good guys perform better, that’s a good thing.

LINKS

Jimmy Bama

The Athletic

BLG

PE.com

The Inquirer

Mike Kaye

Let’s start with the QBs, since they are the “stars” (OL are the real stars of course). By all accounts, Jalen Hurts was the best QB on the field. That put him above Cam Newton, Mac Jones and Joe Flacco, hardly a murderer’s row right now. Newton was a great player. Jones might become one. Flacco did win a Super Bowl. But today, they took a backseat to Jalen Hurts.

Hurts wasn’t great. He did throw a couple of picks in 7-on-7’s, but played much better in the 11-on-11 sessions. He got the ball to Quez Watkins and Jalen Reagor for nice plays. Hurts got the ball to his TEs on a regular basis. He was accurate and generally made good decisions.

Quez Watkins torches JC Jackson. Ball from Jalen Hurts. pic.twitter.com/ABUd1j2pZV

— Josh Tolentino (@JCTSports) August 16, 2021

Hurts started slowly in camp. There were some rugged performances. He’s been getting better since they moved away from installing the offense. It also has to help that he’s got his starting OL back.

There is still a lot of room for Hurts to improve, but he’s definitely heading in the right direction.

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Cam Newton struggled, in part due to the Eagles defense. Fletcher Cox and Javon Hargrave were highly disruptive. They got the best of the Pats OL throughout practice.

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Eagles DBs also did a good job in coverage, making it tough for Newton to find anyone open. He had to hold the ball too long on multiple plays, giving the DL a chance to get home.

The LBs also were good in coverage. Alex Singleton had a chance for a couple of INTs, but wasn’t able to hold onto the ball. Eric Wilson made some plays in the passing game, including an INT to seal the final play of practice. This was a 2-minute situation and the Pats got down into the Red Zone. Newton forced a pass into coverage and Wilson made the play.

Give the defensive coaches credit for improved LB play. This group seems to be trending in the right direction. And this is without the two best athletes (Davion Taylor, Jacoby Stevens) on the field.

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Pats WRs did well in the 1-on-1 drills. Nelson Agholor and N’Keal Harry both gave the Eagles a lot of problems. Sounds like most of those plays came against backup CBs. Avonte Maddox did give up his share of completions.

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DeVonta Smith was back at practice, in a limited role. Great to see him in uniform and on the field. Can’t wait to see him in a game, but we might have to wait until September for that. No reason to rush him. We need Smith healthy for when the games count.

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Jalen Reagor had his best practice of the summer. He did some good things in the preseason opener so he’s trending in the right direction. Reagor is healthy and maybe he’s been able to work past the emotional/mental issues that really affected him early in the summer. Reagor can be a key player for this team.

If you can get Reagor, Smith and Watkins all playing well…the Eagles might have a good group of WRs. Travis Fulgham still has a place on this team with his size, but he’s got to play better to fight off this trio.

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Tyree Jackson had a couple of drops. The challenge for young players is to show they’ve got talent and then to perform at a consistent level. Jackson has the talent. Now he’s got to show he can play well, day in and day out.

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Miles Sanders had a drop, but also had arguably the offensive play of the day when he exploded through a hole and down the field for a big gain. Sanders knows how to deliver big runs.

Sanders doesn’t lack ability as a receiver. We saw that in 2019 and you can still see it today.

https://twitter.com/EagleSessions/status/1427282414984962050

The drops are more of a mental issue than anything else. The talent is there. The coaches will keep working on this until they solve it or kill Sanders in a JUGS machine accident.

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Derek Barnett dropped into coverage and blew up Pats TE Matt LaCosse on a pass over the middle. LaCosse had to be helped off the field. Barnett can be too aggressive in games. Fair to question whether this was too aggressive as well. You don’t want anyone getting hurt in practice.

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Safety Andrew Adams dropped a couple of easy INTs. Gotta make those plays when you’re trying to make the team.

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K’Von Wallace was back on the field. He’s got a chance to start at safety if he can get healthy and make some plays.

Defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon praised his safeties. I can’t say that I’m as high on them as he is, at least publicly. I do look forward to seeing more of Wallace. And the return of Rodney McLeod would help in a major way.

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