The Other Side
Posted October 2nd, 2024 | 4 Comments »There is a lot of negativity surrounding the Eagles right now. People are questioning Nick Sirianni’s coaching, the players performance and Howie Roseman’s moves. That’s what happens when you lose 2 of 3 games, with the last one being a beatdown from Baker Mayfield.
Life isn’t good.
At the same time, things might be getting overblown a bit. AJ Brown has missed three straight games. With him on the field, I don’t see the Eagles losing to both Atlanta and Tampa. Heck, if Saquon Barkley makes an easy catch, the Eagles would have beaten the Falcons and would be 3-1 going into the bye. Not having Brown, DeVonta Smith and Britain Covey against the Bucs proved to be too much for the offense. It also hurt not having Lane Johnson at RT.
The Eagles will get back Brown, Smith and Johnson for the next game. That will give the offense a big boost.
Beyond getting healthy, the bye week will give the coaches time to study what’s gone wrong. The Eagles have not scored a single point in the first quarter. That’s a big problem. Offensive coordinator Kellen Moore said the coaches will attack that problem this week. You can’t afford to play from behind every week. Even if you’re just down 7-0 or 3-0, you don’t want to deal with that for every game.
The 2022 team scored early and then controlled games. It was a great formula. Doing that is easier said than done, but the coaches need to figure a way to get off to faster starts.
The defense has struggled early on. We knew there might be some bumps in the road as the players adjusted to the new coaching staff and new version of the scheme. Even for that, the defense has been disappointing. But let’s put some context on the defense.
Milton Williams – 4th year
Jordan Davis – 3rd year
Jalen Carter – 2nd year
Josh Sweat – 7th year
Bryce Huff – 1st year as a starter and with team
Nakobe Dean – 8 career starts
Zack Baun – learning new position and new to the team
CJGJ – 6th year
Reed Blankenship – 3rd year
Darius Slay – 12th year
Quinyon Mitchell – rookie
Avonte Maddox – 7th year
Overall, that is a pretty young/new defense. They are doing a lot of learning. They should improve as the season goes along. The Dolphins defense started slow under Vic Fangio last year and got better as the season went on. There is a good chance the Eagles will do that as well. The key question is how much better will the defense get. They don’t need to be Gang Green, but they need to be a lot better than what we are currently seeing.
The tackling has been bad. The coaches will work on that and I think it will improve. Tackling has been an issue for a lot of teams. The Eagles tackled well in New Orleans so they can do it.
The coverage has been erratic. There are times when the Eagles clamp on to receivers. There are other times when the Eagles play soft and give up easy completions. The zone coverage needs a lot of work.
The biggest priority is the pass rush. The Eagles only have 6 sacks so far this season. We all know sacks can be overrated. The Eagles have 13 QB hits on the year. For comparison’s sake, the Giants have 15 sacks and 29 QB hits. The 0-4 Jaguars have the 30th ranked defense this year. They have 7 sacks and 19 QB hits. Not ideal.
The Eagles hoped for a bounce-back year from Sweat. He played well in Tampa, but he’s not been productive enough. Bryce Huff is struggling in a major way. The Eagles knew his run defense would take time, but hoped for immediate impact from him as a pass rusher. Nolan Smith has improved as a run defender, but doesn’t have a QB hit this year. Brandon Graham is the only edge rusher who has played as expected.
Carter has done a good job as an interior rusher, but he’s needs more help from his teammates. Teams will double him and dare the other DTs to be disruptive.
Fangio is a veteran coach. He’s had to figure out solutions to defensive problems for more than 30 years. He has enough pieces to work with that he should be able to figure some things out.
The Eagles have some serious issues to fix, but they have the time and the potential to get that done.
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[…] The Other Side – Iggles BlitzAt the same time, things might be getting overblown a bit. AJ Brown has missed three straight games. With him on the field, I don’t see the Eagles losing to both Atlanta and Tampa. Heck, if Saquon Barkley makes an easy catch, the Eagles would have beaten the Falcons and would be 3-1 going into the bye. Not having Brown, DeVonta Smith and Britain Covey against the Bucs proved to be too much for the offense. It also hurt not having Lane Johnson at RT. The Eagles will get back Brown, Smith and Johnson for the next game. That will give the offense a big boost. Beyond getting healthy, the bye week will give the coaches time to study what’s gone wrong. The Eagles have not scored a single point in the first quarter. That’s a big problem. Offensive coordinator Kellen Moore said the coaches will attack that problem this week. You can’t afford to play from behind every week. Even if you’re just down 7-0 or 3-0, you don’t want to deal with that for every game. The 2022 team scored early and then controlled games. It was a great formula. Doing that is easier said than done, but the coaches need to figure a way to get off to faster starts. […]
[…] The Other Side – Iggles BlitzAt the same time, things might be getting overblown a bit. AJ Brown has missed three straight games. With him on the field, I don’t see the Eagles losing to both Atlanta and Tampa. Heck, if Saquon Barkley makes an easy catch, the Eagles would have beaten the Falcons and would be 3-1 going into the bye. Not having Brown, DeVonta Smith and Britain Covey against the Bucs proved to be too much for the offense. It also hurt not having Lane Johnson at RT. The Eagles will get back Brown, Smith and Johnson for the next game. That will give the offense a big boost. Beyond getting healthy, the bye week will give the coaches time to study what’s gone wrong. The Eagles have not scored a single point in the first quarter. That’s a big problem. Offensive coordinator Kellen Moore said the coaches will attack that problem this week. You can’t afford to play from behind every week. Even if you’re just down 7-0 or 3-0, you don’t want to deal with that for every game. The 2022 team scored early and then controlled games. It was a great formula. Doing that is easier said than done, but the coaches need to figure a way to get off to faster starts. […]
[…] The Other Side – Iggles BlitzOn the identical time, issues may be getting overblown a bit. AJ Brown has missed three straight video games. With him on the sphere, I don’t see the Eagles dropping to each Atlanta and Tampa. Heck, if Saquon Barkley makes a straightforward catch, the Eagles would have crushed the Falcons and can be 3-1 going into the bye. Not having Brown, DeVonta Smith and Britain Covey in opposition to the Bucs proved to be an excessive amount of for the offense. It additionally harm not having Lane Johnson at RT. The Eagles will get again Brown, Smith and Johnson for the subsequent recreation. That may give the offense an enormous increase. Past getting wholesome, the bye week will give the coaches time to review what’s gone flawed. The Eagles haven’t scored a single level within the first quarter. That’s an enormous drawback. Offensive coordinator Kellen Moore mentioned the coaches will assault that drawback this week. You’ll be able to’t afford to play from behind each week. Even in case you’re simply down 7-0 or 3-0, you don’t need to take care of that for each recreation. The 2022 workforce scored early after which managed video games. It was an incredible formulation. Doing that’s simpler mentioned than achieved, however the coaches have to determine a method to get off to quicker begins. […]
[…] The Other Aspect – Iggles BlitzAt the an identical time, things could very neatly be getting overblown barely. AJ Brown has missed three straight video games. With him on the sphere, I don’t see the Eagles dropping to both Atlanta and Tampa. Heck, if Saquon Barkley makes an easy grab, the Eagles would appreciate overwhelmed the Falcons and would be 3-1 going into the bye. No longer having Brown, DeVonta Smith and Britain Covey against the Bucs proved to be too powerful for the offense. It furthermore wound no longer having Lane Johnson at RT. The Eagles will gain attend Brown, Smith and Johnson for the subsequent sport. That will give the offense a tall enhance. Beyond getting wholesome, the bye week will give the coaches time to survey what’s long previous unsuitable. The Eagles appreciate no longer scored a single level in the first quarter. That’s a tall field. Offensive coordinator Kellen Moore stated the coaches will attack that field this week. You could be in a place to’t come up with the cash for to play from in the attend of per week. Even when you’re lawful down 7-0 or 3-0, you don’t are searching to take care of that for every sport. The 2022 group scored early and then controlled video games. It used to be an limitless system. Doing that is more uncomplicated stated than carried out, however the coaches settle on to figure a intention to gain off to quicker begins. […]