Gameday – PHI at WAS

Posted: October 29th, 2023 | Author: | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | Comments Off on Gameday – PHI at WAS

Gameday is here. The Eagles have their second 1pm kickoff of the season and I’m excited about it. I do love the rhythm of a Sunday with an early game. No sitting around and waiting.

Let’s get right to the inactives.

The good news is the Jordan Davis is active. He might be limited, but you really only need him on run downs. The Eagles have good depth at DT so they can be careful with him if that is needed. We’ll have to watch and see how much he plays.

Kevin Byard and Reed Blankenship are active. They’ll be your starting safeties. Feels good to say that.

Roby is out so Josiah Scott and Eli Ricks will split time at the nickel spot. I’m sure Washington will put Terry McLaurin in there, hoping for a mismatch. We’ll see how the Eagles handle that.

While the Eagles defense has been terrific recently, they have not come up with many takeaways. Slays’ INT last week was the first takeaway since September. Keeping points off the board is job #1, but takeaways can be game-changers. The Eagles need to do a better job of making plays and coming away with the ball.

This would be a great week for the Eagles to flex their muscles and play like a top team. They are better than Washington. Much better. Play like that and control this game from start to finish. I know that is easier said than done, but I would love to see it.

There was a lot to like about the win over Miami. Bring that same focus and mentality to this week and dominate this game.

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Saturday Stuff

Posted: October 28th, 2023 | Author: | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | 3 Comments »

The more I think about Sunday’s game with Washington, the better I feel about the Eagles. The defense is on a roll and just added Kevin Byard. The offense has been good in the red zone for two straight weeks. It also feels like the Eagles have a bit of an edge since the Jets loss.

Washington is struggling and coming off a bad loss. The discussion with that team is about who might get traded on Tuesday. That has to create a weird vibe in the locker room.

The thing that makes me nervous is the fact Washington got embarrassed last week. They only lost 14-7, but the Giants controlled the game. The Giants were one of the worst teams in the league coming into that game and you know Washington expected to win. Losing and getting manhandled had to be incredibly disheartening. Teams can respond to that in one of two ways. They can get down on themselves and go into a tailspin. Or the team can get motivated and bounce back from that. It will be interesting to see how Washington responds.

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If Washington focuses on AJ Brown, that could mean more chances for DeVonta and Julio.

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https://twitter.com/OutsideDiBirds/status/1718329126656823417

The Eagles are “ok” at LB. Nakobe Dean is still learning, but has shown promise. Nick Morrow and Zach Cunningham are season veterans who have been effective, even better at times.

Obviously the LBs aren’t anything special. If Howie sees a chance to upgrade and the price is right, go for it. If he’s looking for someone to play beside Dean, that’s probably going to be an athletic guy who can cover and make plays. Maybe the Eagles want a MLB and would move Dean to WLB. It is hard to know what their thinking is.

Howie can be a picky shopper because he has effective players already in place. There is no need to overpay to take care of a major issue. He could be looking at other positions as well as LB. Would the Eagles have interest in a RB? I’ve seen a few people mention OT, but I don’t see teams trading good tackles. Those guys are too valuable. I could see the Eagles wanting a nickelback.

Sunday’s games could determine if more players become available. If a team falls to 3-5, that might be enough to make them decide to trade a player. That record doesn’t sound that bad, but the front office may see the big picture and decide this is the time to be a seller.

What about the Eagles?

They would love to find a taker for Barnett. You might laugh at the idea of someone trading for him, but coaches always seem to rave about the guy. Maybe Doug Pederson or Jim Schwartz will give up a late round pick for him.

Jonathan Gannon owes us a favor. He should have to trade for Barnett.

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Here are Jimmy Bama’s thoughts on the Eagles and the trade deadline.

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