DGR – NE 31, PHI 22 – The Defense
Posted: August 10th, 2013 | Author: Tommy Lawlor | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | 96 Comments »These DGRs will take a long time since there are new schemes and new players. So I’m posting the defense first. You can read this while I go to work on the offense.
As bad as things looked early on, there is hope. The Patriots came out and overloaded one side. The solution to that is to slide the defense that way and bring over extra help. That didn’t happen. The Pats were able to dominate the point of attack and get their RB up the field. Very simple adjustments can fix this. I don’t know if Bill Davis didn’t want the players making adjustments last night or if the players just did a poor job of it. There was very little pre-snap motion by the defense. They were very vanilla. I could see Davis doing this just so players could get used to the basic scheme in their first real live action.
Once the first play started, things went from bad to worse. Fletcher Cox got manhandled. DeMeco Ryans got out of his gap. Nate Allen missed a tackle. Any of these elements could have made up for the poor alignment and limited the success of the play. Instead it was like a chain reaction of mistakes. “Anything you can do, I can do worse.”
The starters appeared to be in the 3-4 or 4-2-5 Nickel for all their snaps. I think there was some 4-3 Under with the backups (very little though). They definitely played a little 3-3-5 Nickel.
Next week’s game will be critical for really getting a feel for the defense and the players. Coaches now have tape to evaluate. They can fix scheme and player issues. They’ll see which players learn well and which don’t. Next week we’ll get a better idea of which players are slow to adjust to the new defense and which guys simply lack the skills for it.
It seems like Davis maybe wanted to run as much 3-4 as possible, hoping to see just how far away the Eagles are. In order to be the kind of 3-4 team that he and Chip Kelly talk about, you need a NT that eats blocks and LBs that make plays. Sopoaga was okay at NT, but I don’t think NE felt he required double teams. And the only starting LB who played well was Connor Barwin. I really hope we play a 1-gap system or do use the 4-3 Under. Those systems fit our personnel better than the traditional 2-gap 3-4.
We do need Antonio Dixon to get his butt on the field. The backup NTs were very up and down.
It really hurts not to have one difference maker in the secondary. We have players who can be good, but it sure would help if we had one guy who was a Pro Bowl type that offenses had to account for. I was encouraged by Patrick Chung. He’s no star, but can be a good Safety. It was hard to judge the CBs with Brady throwing. Covered guys were open.
The biggest disappointment for me was that Fletcher Cox and DeMeco Ryans, two players I was counting on to be good, both had uneven or flat out bad games. I think Cox can be a Pro Bowl player. He’s just got to get comfortable in the new defense. Ryans seemed a bit too fired up. He made sloppy mistakes, which is not the norm for him. I’m hoping this was just an aberration and the duo will be back to their normal form in the next game.
A note about the sloppy tackling…don’t fall into the trap of thinking this is due to Chip Kelly and the new practice style. Andy Reid did a ton of tackling last summer and the preseason opener was filled with poor run defense and sloppy tackling.
PLAYERS
DL
COX – Started at RDE. Not a good showing. Took on double-team on first snap. Got into LT and the TE hit Fletch from the side. Fletch went to the ground and that left a big hole in the defense. Fletch has to know that TE might down block. Must be prepared for that. Got moved off the ball by double-team on 3rd/1. Must anchor better. Almost got a sack on pass play to open the 2nd series. Ced drove Brady his way. Played DT in some Nickel looks. Didn’t get much push up the middle.
SOPOAGA – The coaches did something interesting with him. They had Sope lining up half a yard or so off the ball. That is like the old Flex Defense that Tom Landry ran. Sope got single-blocked mostly. Won those battles, but not in such a decisive way that it affected the outcome of plays. Really clogged the inside on the 3rd play. Got free of his blocker and got in on the stuff of the RB.
THORNTON – Most runs went away from him early on. Had 1st/GL run come at him and got driven off the ball several yards. Got good push on pass play to open the 2nd series and drove Brady back toward Cox. Lined up at RDT in Nickel and got some push up the middle.
CURRY – Very good game. Played with the #2 D. Lined up at LDT in the Nickel and exploded into the backfield in the early 2nd Qtr. Blew up a screen pass and forced an incompletion. Lined up as 3-tech on run play and got penetration. Struggled at DT when the Pats ran at him. Didn’t anchor well. Exploded off the ball and pressured the QB into an incompletion n 3rd down pass in the mid-2nd Qtr. That was from LDT. Used a hard rip move to get free to the inside of the RG. Lined up at LDE and used hard inside move to flush Tebow to LB. Tebow tried to stop and Curry sacked him. Chased down a screen pass to end the 1st half. Great hustle.
GEATHERS – Played LDE in #2 D. Moved to RDT in Nickel. Pad level is an issue, as you might guess with a 6-8 guy. Got some inside push on pass play, but looked awkward. Body got out over his feet, negating some of his power. Also played some NT. Got some penetration on a pass play. Lined up at DT in the Nickel and got some pressure. Unfortunately that came on a screen pass and him getting upfield didn’t hurt the play at all. Did get the QB’s attention.
LOGAN – Played some LDE with the #2 D. Got pressure on some pass plays. Good motor. Chased down a screen pass from behind and made the stop. NT to start the 2nd half. Shed block on opening play and stuffed RB. Had 1/2 sack in the early 3rd. Got free up the field and got to Tebow as McCoy was trying to bring him down. Showed good potential. Moved well.
SQUARE – Played some RDE with the #2 D. Also played some DT and NT. Odd player. Didn’t get much push or show anything special in terms of quickness, but was able to get off blocks and be somewhat disruptive. Helped get a good hit on QB when blitzer came free up the middle and Square had looped wide. Got in on sack of QB late in the half. Again got free by looping wide. Didn’t show physical gifts, but knows how to play. Smart, polished player. Up and down as NT. Can’t anchor. Effective when he’s shooting gaps or on the move. You can see why coaches like him, but definitely has limitations.
REMINGTON – Came in at RDE in the mid-3rd. Tebow ran lots of read-option when Kruger came in. Remington went hard after the RB each time. Not sure if this is what the coaches wanted or just his instincts. Also played some NT.
KING – Played some LDE in the early 3rd. Got sealed to the inside and Blount ran wide on that play. Moved to NT late in the game. Showed some promise. Played with good leverage and uses his arms to get into the C and control him. Problem is that he struggled to anchor vs double teams.
KRUGER – Came into the game in the late 3rd at RDE. Helped blow up one of Tebow’s option plays on his first snap. Read the play and forced Tebow to move back to the middle, which led to a TFL. Also played some LDE. Disrupted a 4th Qtr option play with penetration. Had a chance for TFL, but couldn’t make a clean stop. Needs time to develop.
D WALKER – Played LDE in the late 3rd. Tried an inside angle to pursue Tebow, which is a bad idea, and let him roll outside with no pressure and lots of time to throw. Can’t lose contain like that.
OLB
COLE – ROLB. Was moving a bit on early run plays. Sometimes out wide, other times tighter to the formation as the Pats experimented with 2 TE bunch sets. Trent played the run from the outside, but NE ran inside of him. You could tell he’s still getting used to the new spot and all that entails. Lined up at RDE in the GL defense. NE ran at him and was able to get a clean seal and run toward his area. TD. I don’t think Trent was supposed to make that play, but getting sealed like that didn’t help. Dropped into coverage vs slot receiver to open the 2nd series. Did okay initially, but then got lost. Pressure forced throwaway. Tried to jump into the passing lane and swat away a WR screen, but couldn’t get to the ball. Lot of learning left to do.
BARWIN – Starting SAM. Good game. Did a great job on the 3rd play. Took on the block of the TE and read the run play. Saw the ball go inside. Shed his block and helped Sopoaga make the stuff at the LOS. Did a good job vs 1st/GL run that came to his side. Kept contain initially, then got off the block and tackled the RB. Played DE in some Nickel sets. Got some pressure when rushing as OLB. Not enough to move Brady off his spot, though.
GRAHAM – Backup LOLB. Did an excellent job of crashing down the LOS on inside run play. Didn’t make the stop, but helped clog the middle. Beat block of the TE to get good pressure on Mallet in late 1st Qtr. Showed good burst off the edge vs the pass. Did a good job of rushing the passer, overall. Read a bootleg and stayed wide to force the QB to dump the ball off. Looped to the inside on a stunt and knocked the crap out of Mallet. Did an awful job on Blount’s long run. Was unblocked on the backside and had one job – keep contain. As he got closer to the scrum, took a bad angle and gave up contain. That allowed Blount to go backside. Graham turned and chased, but somehow lost sight of Blount and it was almost comical when Graham ran by him as Blount headed up the field. Ugh. Drove the RT back into Tebow’s face on pass play late in the half. Played in a Joker role in 3-3-5 look late in the half and was downfield in coverage. Played well aside from his one huge mistake. And that mistake can’t be blamed on the 3-4. Just bad D by Graham.
HUNT – Backup ROLB. Also played RDE in some Nickel looks. Fast off the edge. Hustled out wide on WR screen and forced a fumble, but the Pats got it back. Dropped into coverage from RDE on a zone blitz and got out to the WR. Was there to make the tackle, but the guy dropped the ball. Bit on run fake to the inside in the early 3rd and the RB went wide, where Hunt had been. That got the Pats down to the 1. Beat the block of the TE in the late 3rd and flushed Tebow out wide.
McCOY – Good game. Played some RDE in the Nickel. Got good push on a 3rd down pass in the mid-2nd Qtr. Got pressure on a few plays as pass rusher from RDE. Looked quicker, more athletic than I expected. Shared sack with Logan on 3rd Qtr play. Was unblocked (sucker play), but McCoy showed pretty good discipline and was there to get to Tebow. Did a solid job in pursuit. Had a sack late in the game. I was impressed by McCoy. He’s got legit potential.
E BROWN – LOLB in the 2nd half. Chased down RB after 15-yd gain on screen. Chased down Blount after 10-yd run. Pursued well on a regular basis. Failed to stand out beyond that.
LONG – Played LOLB starting in the late 3rd. Never really caught my eye. Looked natural in coverage.
ILB
KENDRICKS – Not an ideal start. Hit Blount square on early 3rd/1 run, but could not make the stop. This is something Kendricks must work on. Gave up a TD to RB Shane Vereen when he was split out wide. Kendricks had good inside-out position and got his hand up, but the pass was literally perfect. Kendricks did everything he could on that play. Was up and down in terms of taking on blockers.
RYANS – Bad game for the veteran. I think he was too fired up. The main culprit on the first long run. Got out of his gap to chase and the RB cut back to a wide-open gap. Over eager to make the first tackle of the year, most likely. Not a good start. Looked to be out of position a couple of times. Finally made a good tackle on slot receiver on the 2nd series.
CHANEY – Made one good tackle of TE after catch over the middle. Got the same TE down a few plays later. Missed tackle on rookie TE in the early 2nd Qtr and gave up an additional 15 yards. Sloppy. Read a screen pass and tried to get through blockers to the RB, but couldn’t get hold of him. Didn’t look like a veteran with solid athletic ability. Looked like a fringe guy.
MATTHEWS – Pretty good game. Played with #2 D. Helped stuff inside run when Pats were backed up at the 1. Had solid coverage of RB in the flat on 3rd down pass. Ball was dropped, but Casey was there. Would have been a good test to see if he could make a clean tackle out in space. Stuffed inside run in early 2nd Qtr. Had happy feet on the play, but stayed in position until he saw the RB and then attacked him. Had a chance for a TFL in the mid-2nd Qtr, but was caught flat-footed. The RB got around him. Casey did make the tackle, but after giving up 5 yds. That wasn’t a game to get overly excited about, but showed some signs of life. Needs to build on it this week.
ACHO – #3 ILBs. Good game. First play was the long run by Blount. Acho was playside and got upfield. He took on a blocker in the backfield and forced Blount to reverse his direction. Acho then pursued, but missed with a diving tackle attempt. Blitzed the A-gap late in the 1st half and got a big hit on QB Ryan Mallet. That was the hit that knocked him out of the game. Had good coverage of RB in the flat. Tebow pass was off the mark. Limited RB to short gain in the early 3rd Qtr. Play was to other side. Acho slid left and stuffed it. Shed block of TE and tackled Tebow on designed QB run. Gave up about 4 yds. Stuffed RB at the LOS when the guy tried to use a spin move. Totally bit on a read-option play and left his gap to chase the RB. Tebow ran through there for a good gain. Acho blitzed a lot. I assume this was by design.
KNOTT – #3 ILBs. Strong debut. Showed good hustle on Blount’s long run. Got to him at the GL, but couldn’t make the tackle to keep him out of the endzone. Deflected a pass late in the 1st half. Tried to cover TE up the seam late in the half. TE had a step on him, but Tebow made a poor throw. Blitzed late in the half and got in on sack of Tebow. Curry was mainly responsible, but Knott helped. Shot a gap to try and get Blount in the backfield in the early 3rd. Missed him. Tackled RB on inside run in the mid-3rd, but wasn’t clean stop. Got in on TFL in the late 3rd. Moved around a blocker and got into the backfield to help Wolff stuff a RB. Love the result. Not so keen on Jake going around blockers. Bad habit from college. Got TFL in the late 3rd. Kruger blew up the play and Jake was there to put Tebow down for a short loss. Blitzed up the middle on the next play and hit Tebow as he threw. Pass fell incomplete. Opened the 4th Qtr by shooting a gap and tackling the RB for a short gain. Read a screen pass late in the game and got on the RB so the QB had to throw the ball away.
S
ALLEN – Started. Missed tackle on first play that turned good gain into a 62-yd run. Dove at the runner, but could not hold on. Bad attempt. Wasn’t a lack of effort, but was very sloppy. Did better on the next play and got in on the tackle. Helped to make the stop on 1st/GL run play. Fought blocker to hold his ground. Stayed on the field with the #2 D. That’s not a reward, but it is an interesting move. Were the coaches wanting to see more of him? Are the coaches just that down on the other players? There was mis-communication on a pass play and it looked like Allen should have stuck with a receiver, who got wide open. Could have been someone else’s fault. Just a guess on my part. Nate had him initially and then released him, but the other S was already occupied. Came up and delivered a solid hit on Edelman. Got flagged initially, but they picked it up. Must play better.
CHUNG – Good game. Was versatile, aggressive and active. Came up quickly in run support on the 3rd play of the game. Helped stuff RB at the LOS. Tackled slot receiver after short catch. Came up quickly after throw to WR on the outside. Helped make that stop. Came up quickly vs WR screen and helped to disrupt that play. Played in the slot in the 2nd Qtr. Did a solid job. I didn’t get a feel for his deep cover skills, but liked his tackling and showed potential as a slot cover guy.
PHILLIPS – Played in the #2 D. Lined up over slot receiver on pass play. Kept the guy in front of him, but ball went elsewhere. Helped blow up a play at the LOS by getting into the mix quickly. Would be so huge if he could stay healthy and start. Saw him chase Blount on a long run. Didn’t make up ground like I expected. Did I underrate Blount’s speed or is Phillips that slow? I’d love to see Phillips start over Nate Allen so we can get a better feel for him.
WOLFF – Solid debut. Played in the 3rd Qtr. Came up quickly vs the run on opening play. Welcome to the NFL moment came when he tried to tackle Tebow on 3rd down run. Tebow ran right through that. Earl hasn’t faced many 245-lb QBs who run hard. Showed good hustle from the backside as he chased down Blount and tackled him just short of the GL. Came down into the box on 3rd Qtr run play and got a TFL. Was unblocked, but stayed under control and hit the RB square. Read a pass play well and tried to get into the passing lane to play the ball. The pass was too errant. Future starter. Maybe sooner rather than later.
COLEMAN – Played in the late 2nd Qtr. Had good press coverage vs TE. Tackled Tebow after run on 3rd down. Failed to keep contain on a run to his side when he was up near the LOS in the early 3rd. WR made a good block on him. Coleman didn’t aggressively engage the blocker initially. Kurt was trying to read the play. I think the coaches will stress to him to take on that blocker and play the correct spot. If the play goes away, then worry about pursuit. Did a good job of coming up quickly vs Tebow on play where he got flushed. Wasn’t able to hit him or sack him before Tebow got the pass off. There is a lot to like about Kurt, but his physical limitations can’t be ignored.
SIMS – Got into the game in the 4th Qtr.
ANDERSON – Didn’t play until the 4th Qtr. Came out and played like his hair was on fire. Flew around the field. Has some physical limitations, but you can never question his toughness or his energy.
CB
FLETCHER – Did a great job of chasing down RB from behind to prevent a TD on the long play to start the game. Came in and made the tackle on the 2nd run play. Good effort. Wrap-up tackler. Had outstanding coverage on 3rd/4 and still got beaten for 5 yd gain. Pressed and was all over the WR. Brady made a perfect throw. Ugh. Had good coverage on Dobson on downfield throw, but Brady made another terrific throw to move the chains. Solid start.
WILLIAMS – DNP
HUGHES – Surprised as the other starting CB. Gave up a short completion on a crossing route. Gave up completion/1st D to #17 in early 2nd Qtr. Coverage was solid. Made the tackle. Tackled the TE on the play where Chaney missed him. Didn’t stand out, good or bad.
BOYKIN – Played slot with the 1’s. Moved outside with the 2’s. Had outstanding coverage on a throw into the endzone. Got in the receiver’s hip pocket and rode him wide. That gave the QB very little room to work with. Legally hindered the WR getting down the field and the pass was about a yard out in front. On the next snap he had pretty good coverage from the slot against a crossing route.
MARSH – Played in the 3rd Qtr. Helped create a sack. NE ran a bootleg play and Tebow wanted to hit a TE on the backside. Guy was wide open, but moving toward Marsh, who could have jumped the pass or leveled the TE. Tebow held the ball and got sacked. Gave up completion to his side in the late 3rd. Broke up a 4th Qtr pass. Had solid coverage down the right sideline. Terrible throw by Tebow. Marsh had a chance for INT, but couldn’t hold on. Didn’t play well, but wasn’t as bad as I initially thought.
POYER – Quiet game.
WHITLEY – Had tight downfield coverage along the left sideline on play where Tebow had lots of time. Ball was incomplete. I was hoping to see more of him.
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Really like what I’ve seen from Chung. 23 was always around the ball. Seems like a Belichek-type player.
Yeah, he really was noticeable out there…Chung is still a young player but so many people have written him off because he was benched by BB…the knock on him was that he is a big hitter who can’t cover…He is showing potential guarding WR in the slot which is really nice to see….
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I think a guy like Chunger would really shine if he were paired with an elite centerfielder type safety…
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anyone know the latest on Jarius Byrd. has he reported for Camp yet? Is he playing for the Bills today? has he even learned their new defense yet?
I’m still a little sick to my stomach over Allen’s whiff on that long run and Kendricks’ weak tackling on the Blount play. The TD pass on Kendricks was also an annoyance, I understand Brady is good……but we just spend a few weeks hearing about how great Kendricks looked in camp. That performance on the field didn’t help matters at all.
i understand the first 2 complaints, but there was absolutely nothing Kendricks could do on that TD pass. He was in perfect position, and got his hand inches from the ball. Cant ask for anything better than that. Great offense beats great defense every time
Well, somebody is at fault when the other team scores.
Yes, his name was Tom Brady.
I completely agree with you. The TD pass over Kendricks was about as perfect coverage as you can get. Sometimes the QB makes such a good pass that there is nothing you can do. Very rare, but Brady does it regularly.
Other than that play, Kendricks was disappointing.
Kendricks was in as good of coverage as you can get. You might think if he was a half step up he could have broken up that pass,but that opens him up to a back shoulder throw. It was great coverage, but a perfect throw.
Sorry, but the whole game is zero sum. Positive for Pats = equal and opposite negative for Eagles.
Sometimes you just have to take your hat off and say good play. Pass was in the only possible place it could be, it got tipped, Vereen showed excellent focus in catching it anyway and maintaining possession to the ground.
It’s a high risk throw, if anybody but Brady or Manning sees that coverage they go to the next read in their progression .People were saying Kendricks was standing out out in camp, not Hall of fame bound, like the man who threw that pass.
Exactly people forget the other team is made up of professional players as well. You will lose some plays. Key is to win a few more than you lose, especially at critical junctures.
I’m well aware that there are 90 professionals on each teams roster right now, but the “tip your cap” argument turns into a cop-out in a hurry. If the explanation is that Kendricks was beat by a great throw, that is fine; but he was still beat for a TD.
What could Kendricks have done differently? Either Kendricks could have done something different, or we should accept that there are QBs in this league who make throws that beat “perfect” coverage. If the latter, all we can do is commend Kendricks for doing his job.
Rip the pass rush then. Get guys in passing lanes. Get a taller LB to cover guys. Something.
I’m not saying Kendricks is horrible, but getting beat for a TD is getting beat for a TD. In a game where score is kept one good act has to come at the expense of a bad one.
Well, I’m gonna have to disagree getting beat for a TD is always getting beat for a TD. There are a million ways it can happen. There are plays where your opponent beats you and plays where you beat yourself. We can rip guys for the latter, but I think it makes more sense to be happy when our team is playing fundamentally sound football, no matter the outcome. If you lose when that happens, I guess you just need a more talented team, but at least we found out what our limits are and the guys at the top can keep that in mind when they try to add talent. And we can appreciate that our coaches did everything they could with our players. That’s just the bright side. No one’s forcing you, but isn’t it kinda gloomy where you’re coming from?
I fairness to Kendricks my beef with the play is that I think that ball could have been knocked away, but that is more difficult to do for Kendricks at 5’10 that it would have been for Carlos Emmons at 6’4″.
I really think I’d not have said as much about the play if we weren’t subjected to training camp reports and comments from the coaching staff about how Kendricks was playing like the LB version of Eric Allen in coverage. They set the bar high on expectations, so I saw it as a let down.
Also, I’m not screaming “cut Kendricks”, I just wasn’t impressed.
Yeah, I feel you. Height is a talent. I’m hoping for plays in the future where his great mobility can be showed off.
Kendricks actually tipped that Ball…how many QBs are going to beat him when he covers like that? 5?
So if the other team ever scores, then we have failed? That’s terrible logic. Or at least hopelessly unrealistic logic.
You don’t think Kendricks is tall enough to guard RBs?
Well, if he’da lined up 6 inches deeper…
Great point, the perfect defender can divine what’s going to happen on the coming play and line up accordingly.
:3
Gave up completion/1st D to #17 in early 2nd Qtr.
Calling the Pats by their numbers, how very FredEx of you.:-)
Ha. I don’t know all their no-name WRs yet.
They’re so new,I’ve heard that Brady doesn’t either,but the buggar knows how to find them in stride! Freaking cyborg QB.
#17 for Boston is John Havilcek.
It is encouraging that you thought Marsh looked better the second time through, my live reaction to his play was pretty discouraging.
ditto, I had a pretty abysmal opinion of Marsh yesterday.
So we have a new arch enemy in Philly:
Les Bowen @LesBowen 1h
Rewatching the game, Pats’ Justin Francis absolutely went after Dorenbos, who was nowhere near the returner, watching the play.
This creep needs to be taken out!
Probably jealous about the wife. And just look how mean this guy looks.
No matter the reason, if he’s on the Pats next time we play them; I want his knees chopped out.
I’d like to see some vid, old school going new,
Les Bowen is my arch enemy,,,Tired of seeing his old crusty ass video bombing every player interview lol
The line backers were my concern coming in, they are still my concern. I thought the secondary played better than what the stats suggested.
I’m looking forward to an improved looking effort vs. Scam Newton on Thursday night.
Me too. I’ll be at the game.
Yeah agreed.. esp from the starters
Aren’t you going to tell Tom how bad Brandon Graham played.?
He played against scrubs… woo hoo, Let’s put on the green colored glasses and talk about how great he’s going to be this year as a backup
But you said he played soooo horrible? now he played good but it was agai st scrubs? which is it? I’m just curious…..You are the one that decided to crap all over our players performance without seeing what he did….
…l
Football is a weird sport, in that we all love it, but when you watch it live, we have no clue what 8 or 9 players are don’t on a play. .I know for a fact, you didn’t sit there watching the preseason game, focusing on Brandon Graham the entire time, and if you didn’t watch the majority of his snaps, then how the hell did you know how he played? If you don’t know how he played, why crap all over it?
From the plays I personally noticed, I thought he looked lost. Tommy re-watched the gme and studied him so I’ll take his word for it that he had a decent game…but yeah, he played against scrubs and he’sa backup on a team that has crappy LBs to begin with….That’s enough to crap on hiim.
NO!!! You thought he should be traded for a 4th round pick lol
We should get a much better view of the D next week. They’ll be playing against an extremely limited QB with a weaker O-line group protecting him.
That’s an extremely dismissive statement. Cam is still young but extremely talented. Gross, Silatolu, and Kalil are all good linemen. They also have a strong running attack.
It is a very dismissive statement, for a reason. I dismiss the Panthers QB as unintelligent, their O-line as overrated (except for Kalil), and their RBs as busts who haven’t lived up to their names in a few years.
AND it’s not Brady at QB. No matter how young and talented Cam is, he’s no Brady. So, you’re saying our D will look better vs. the lesser talented teams? That’s kind of funny….lol….
Have you ever meet Cam, do you know him personally? If you don’t like him then say u don’t like him fine, but don’t
go saying a guy is unintelligent and on what basis do you find the guy to be unintelligent. that kind of stuff is uncalled for really, the guy is young talented and has put up some great numbers with not much help outside of Steve Smith and Greg Olsen. The wins have to come with those numbers but the team is just 2yrs removed from having the worst record in the league
In two years:
Newton: 40 TDs passing, 29 INTs, 15 fumbles. He fumbles and INTs the ball more than passing it for a TD. That isn’t ideal play at QB.
Before he played a snap in the league he was ripped by Peter King for wanting to be “an icon.”
The “pound cake” and “French fries” ad is beyond annoying.
I don’t see him as talented at all.
feel free to Bash any player who doesn’t wear Eagles green! Lol
Good to know I’m not crazy for being convinced we should be playing a 4-3U
I am currently watching the game from the Patriots broadcast with their own announcers….Avoid listening to this at all costs…It’s brutal!
Do you have anything to report?
I report that as bad as the announcing was it paled in comparison to what Bernie Kosar was saying about the Rams as a play by play announcer for the Browns local network lol. fisher ripped into him pretty bad..Florio has a story up about it..”the WRs for the rams are horrible and their parents should be embarrassed” haha..Get that walking concussion away from a microphone..He ripped Rams WR coach, ripped Kellen Clemons…Just classless announcing for both clubs..
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our announcers are much more professional
As an eagles fan that doesn’t get the games I have to rely on your DGRs
to see an evaluation of how the guys did. That being said, do you think
you could give a 1-10 or an A-F grade on each of the players. This way I can see how the guys did at a glance as well as get a better idea of how you thought they did.
Tommy used to do that, but realized that his hard work could be summarized in a cliff note style. Tommy is wise, and you would be wiser reading the full DGR.
Thread Killer puffing up the jacket! Waiting on the O.
Damn, I never knew that either
Another fun tidbit you may have missed: the Kelly character was sexually promiscuous.
I agree with Patrick Pauling. It’s hard to get a big picture feel from some of the descriptions. Read Thornton’s review again. That could be anywhere from a C- to a B+. It’s hard to know how the positives mentioned weigh against the negatives. Don’t get me wrong, I love the DGR, but a summary at the beginning (grade, score, whatever) makes it easier to put the description in a framework.
It’s pre seson game 1 DGR. Yes there are questions… time will answer those.
our coaches seem to think the first preseason game isn’t the end of the world since there were No Changes to today’s defensive starting lineup at practice…although Logan got more first team reps..
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lane missed practice traveling back to Philly because his wife gave birth to their first child. Chip says Lane was the most consistent lineman Friday in that he made no mental errors..
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reporters at practice today were tweeting a game of who is younger than Watkins lol….Brent Celek, a 7yr veteran lol
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Harbor will get looks at WR(dropped 3 passes today), To no surprise Celek dropped another ball.
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Vick had a huge mistake. First he held the ball too long for an obvious sack, instead of throwing it away he threw an interception to end 11-11…Chung intercepted it in the Endzone.
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Cary Williamsnwill have created a huge media inspired rap storm today, but I loved hearing every single word that he said. He tried to light a fire under the defense, and I can’t wait to see how they respond on Thursday
I think I have raised this in the past as well. Also some players get a one or two word summary like ‘good game’ at the start of each summary, while others don’t. It would be nice to have some consistency, a grade (whether it’s a score system from 1-10 or A to F) would be even better.
Don’t get me wrong though, Tommy’s DVRs are second to none and I do understand how much time consuming they are, but grading each player would be the icing on the cake. 🙂
Really hope this isn’t another year where the offense needs to score 28+ pts to have a good shot at winning against even a competent offense.
We will need to do that this season. If for no other reason that we will be giving them a lot of the ball.
If everyone thought the same way, they wouldn’t have discussion boards or debates… Some people especially these days have to have their instant gratification when and where they want it… Some people can’t see the forest for the trees nobody talking here coaches for the Eagles and never will… Kendrick’s will be a better player at the end of the preseason and honestly I think he could be in the mix for olb before the seasons end but that’s big picture for those who are ready to cut him after his first preseason game in a new position in a new scheme with all new coaches and a whole new secondary behind him I’m gonna ruin the surprise here and now for you… He’s gonna get beat again for another touchdown before seasons end…. Dang should have said spoiler alert first anyway thanks for the analysis tommy and look forward to another year of great insight… But me personally if the Eagles win less games than last year but play “WATCHABLE” football this year I’d be completely fine with it I’ve already got the guys tabbed I want for next years draft and u can’t win a lot of games and still get em… 2014 hoping for an 8-8 year with solid mid round picks for that draft to replace the guys we trade and get a couple contributors and depth for a monster 2015-2025 decade of excellence anchored by DEFENSE #RIPJIMJOHNSON gone but not forgotten anybody notice after he died is when Andy quit being as successful, just a thought
I think we need to cut this group a break honestly as its a completely revamped defense and we have seen the worst out of them the first time they tried the 3-4. 3 more preseason games to get a handle and gel together . If they are this bad against the skins then I will back anyone up that wants to throw rocks at Davis and the Eagles defense.
But I am more excited for the Panthers game which we get to see if Davis can get the players corrected on thier mistakes and maybe make some ingame adjustments and work on disguised defensive packages. I know he doesnt want to give anything away but Brady was going through that vanilla package like a hot knife through butter.
THe true measure for this defense will be how they play in December…If you are going to turnover the defensive roster, and switch schemes, we can’t be expecting instant gratification, especially since we have so many young and inexperienced players…seeing doom and gloom after a preseason game is insanity…At the end of this preseason the D will look better than it did Friday..In October they will be more comfortable than September, and so on, and so on(as long as bad injuries don’t start to pile up…
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Question: How many OLBs will we probably keep? mcCoy and Hunt really surprised me
I would really love to be thinking about December but unfortunately there is a ton of work to be done on the D. If the offense can carry us to December then at least Bill Davis had plenty of time to work out any issues other then the obvious LB depth we seem to be down but then again Casey Matthews being out isnt a deal breaker and Chaney seemed slow as Molasses.
Better start finding some rocks to stone Davis with because it is going be a long season for the defense this year. No impact players, a new scheme with a new coordinator, and little depth at secondary/LB.
I dont think Howie is planning on going back to a 4-3 so we have to ride this year out defensively as a building year. The advantages of the 3-4 especially when you use a nickel is athletic LB’s that can do some good coverage and then next play be able to use them to blitz or at least create pressure on the QB. Unfortunately Cole is new to dropping into coverage and Ryans may not be athletic enough to hang with TE’s in coverage. I am guess Texans realized he was a run stopping LB and not a guy that could ever turn into a Patrick Willis. Kendricks has so much hype circling him but right now it might be misleading whether he will be a surviving LB in the 3-4.
But your right I do have my rocks ready which I have been throwing at AR for the past 2 years .
GE’s prediction of the 53-men roster after pre-season game 1.
Offense (25):
QB (3): Vick,Foles, Barkley
RB (4): McCoy, Brown,Polk, Tucker
TE (4): Celek, Case], Ertz, Harbor
WR (5): Jackson, Cooper], Avant, Johnson, Salas
OL (9): Peters, Mathis, Kelce, Herremans, Johnson], Watkins, Barbre, Kelly, Reynolds
Defense (25):
DT/DE (7): Spogoa, Thornton, Cox, Dixon, Logan, Curry, Geathers
LB (8): Ryans, Kendricks, Barwin, Cole, Graham, McCoy, Hunt, Acho
CB (5): Williams, Fletcher], Boykin, Hughes, Poyer
S (5): Chung, Philips], Sims, Anderson, Wolff
Special Teams (3):
LS: Dorenbos
K: Henery
P: Jones
Interesting that You have both Allen and Coleman gone….I think Knott has a shot at sneaking into this roster….I also think Russl Sheppard has a shot….As for Momah, I don’t know what to make of him. we gave him more money then a guy like him probably would have gotten, and everytime his name is mentioned,nHowie makes sure to make it clear he hasn’t played football in two years, and that he’s a long term project
Re Allen/Coleman: I must admit that while it may seem unlikely that both will be gone, it won’t surprise a bit if it really happens in the end. I think it will come down to keeping Sims over Allen/Coleman. I don’t see the Eagles keeping more than 5 Safeties on the roster, with Anderson a sure lock due to his special teams skills.
Re Sheppard: Again it will come down to crunching numbers as I cannot see how the Eagles will be able to keep 6 WRs while going light at either O or D line/LB. Salas has the slight edge over Sheppard at the moment. Momah is PS bound.
You won’t see me shedding tears over Coleman and Allen lol..
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the WR numbers certainly make it interesting..
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I like that you found room for Hunt and McCoy. I want to see more of them
Fairly close to what I would have after seeing only a few plays from many of these guys…only difference is that I’d keep Shepard (WR) ahead of Tucker (RB)…mostly for special teams, but also because you can plug in a FA RB in an emergency far easier than WR.
That would make sense too. Another possibility is going light at TE (ie no Harbor), but given the latest season-injuries at WR I don’t see them making this gamble.
Harbor has been the forgotten man…good to see him make some plays Friday and help out his case…Trying to figure out the WR and TE numbers gives me a headache, and I still haven’t come close to being able to come up with an oppinion that I am comfortable with…so I’ll just go with yours lol..
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I do agree with Roy that Tucker will probably be PS, who won’t dress this year unless one of our RBs gets injured
I think Knott makes it over Hunt. Whitley makes it over Hughes imo. Else is everything like I think it will be.
in that scenario, I assume you have us keeping 4 OLBs? Connor,Graham,Cole,McCoy? Just curious
yes. With the amount of 4-2 nickle looks and Curry’s ability to play 4-3 DE. Also Acho and Kendricks are very good blitzers.
Certainy plausible..
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I really like the potential of some of our young backups. Guys like Sims McCoy,Knott, could end up making Howie look like a smart man….I don’t even care what McCoy was doing on Friday night, I was just shocked at how fluid he looked moving around as a OLB. I expected him to be much more stiff…It was a pleasant surprise…Hunt is a fringe player so obviously it could go both ways but he had a pretty decent showing..If he has 3 more games like that I think he has a chance to sneak on the roster…If I’m Hunt, I just sacrifice my body and go bezerk every single time I line up in ST..
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I’m so curious to find out which players end up making up our starting ST units
Great stuff T-Law. Can’t wait for the offense breakdown…
Sheil Kapadia’s ALL 22 Breakdown was just salivating for Fans used to seeing Andy Reid’s Offense:
Foles and Bryce lined up in sHotgun, a WR stacked Behind a TE on both sides. both TEs block as if it’s a WR screen so the defense honors it with 6 DBs, and the Oline gets 5 in the box, Hat on Hat blocking and Bryce Rumbles in for a TD…Put more in the box, and Foles is throwing a WE screen…..This was Vanilla preseason. if that’s our Vanilla plays who the hell knows what Chip has up his sleeve…Hope to get OregonDuckers thoughts on this..
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It’s just a preseason. But still fun to see such a confused BB defense. I would have given anything to see one more drive out of Foles. Who knows what type of Rythm he could have gotten into
I’m with you here — great stuff. Good thing the season is alive. Dare I ask this question — any serious injuries from the game?
Shhhh, I been secretly giddy about no bad injuries, assuming the magicians concussion doesn’t linger past the preseason lol…
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it also just crossed my mind that we haven’t even seen our offense yet with our two best players, shady and the Boss Hog, JP……..yikes!!!
I would like to see McCoy and Knott make the team, perhaps Acho as well. One thing I like about Kelly is how he manages risk as meticulously as possible without ducking it, and that may apply to roster decisions. Knott is perfect for Billy Davis’ wonkieness and can camp in the film room from the start of his career, and McCoy may be smarter than the workout freaks at strongside OLB and is fast enough. Trying out for LB in Philly with the name McCoy is brave. Kendricks is the workout warrior they got stuck with and should be used as a blitz specialist until he figures out how to play games; his game experience doesn’t mean he’s more advanced than a rookie.. Ryans could be trade bait if a 4-3 team needs a veteran plug-in. Matthews v. Acho may be an interesting roster battle.
what do you guys make of the New York times report that Reid tried to trade for Alex Smith a few times when he was Eagles coach?
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Tom, Did you hear any rumors when this was going on, and do you know who are QBs were at the time?…
Never heard this.
I just read that Jets OC Marty Mornhinweg is under fire in New York for his pass-heavy playcalling in their first preseason game. 42 passes vs. 17 runs. Heh heh.
Hahahahah who would have ever thought? When you hire someone who walks, and talks like a duck, not sure what else you are expecting lol
Dumb question: what does DGR stand for?
day after game review?
detailed game review
Ahhh. Thanks.
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I’m craving the Offensive DGR, but does Tom also do one for ST?
Normally he only do 1, but in the pre season he do one for defense and one for offense and I think ST will be part of offense.
I put no doom and gloom stock into anything I will ever see in Game 1 of the preseason…but one thing that was extremely disappointing to me, was Nate Allen.
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the preseason doesn’t matter but for someone going into a contract year coming off a putridly bad season, and alleged confidence issues, he had a chance to get off to a good start and show the home fans that he might not be a total train wreck, and I personally didn’t see a drop of improvement out of him..Friday was an opportunity to get off to a good start and instead he just dug his whole a tad bit deeper…
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From what I saw Friday, Kenny Pillips has earned the right to show us what he can do against Carolina, Hopefully he shows us something..the Safety position opposite Chunger is the must wide open position on the team. hopefully someone steps up and takes it, instead of someone winning it by default…Kenny Phillips earning the starting nod in September and staying healthy (as Tlaw points out) is the best case scenario…doubt anyone is betting money on it
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Did Nate play on any of the special teams units Friday? He is the last player in our secondary I expect to have the bezerk mindset needed to play ST
Apparently todays Cary Williams crap storm hasn’t hit Igglesblitz yet…media is going to have a field day with this…Crap storm arriving in 3,2,1…….lol