Game Review – PS2 – PHI 17, PIT 0 – Defense
Posted: August 26th, 2016 | Author: Tommy Lawlor | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | 135 Comments »Shutouts are a beautiful thing and it doesn’t matter when, where or how they happen. There is just something magical about seeing a goose egg on the scoreboard sitting right beside your opponent’s name.
PHI 17
PIT 0
Let’s hope Jim Schwartz and the boys can deliver one of those in the regular season.
To be fair, the Steelers were missing a lot of firepower. Ben Roethlisberger, Antonio Brown, Martavis Bryant and Le’Veon Bell all missed the game. I’m sure if that group had played, the Steelers would have had an extra 1st down and 12 yards. Or is that too generous?
The Eagles defense was very good, but not dominant. They did allow the first team offense to have a pair of long drives. The Steelers were 5 for 8 on 3rd downs in the 1st half and did a good job of moving the chains. They were methodical. Schwartz praised his defense for not getting frustrated and staying focused. They came up with end zone INTs to end both drives. That is clutch football.
Preseason results don’t mean anything, but you love the fact that the defense has that “We’ll find a way to make a play” mentality. You work on that in the spring and summer and then reap the rewards in the fall and winter. So far, so good for this defense.
You don’t take anything from the preseason schematically, but the Eagles did blitz more this week. Some zone blitzes and other plays where they just sent extra rushers. You have to practice that stuff in a game setting, but don’t expect to see a lot of it this year.
BY THE NUMBERS
- Gave up 207 yards
- 4 takeaways
- scored 7 points
- 4 sacks
- Gave up 50 rushing yards on 21 carries
DE
I didn’t focus too much on the Big 3. Vinny Curry got held on one pass play and nothing was called. Brandon Graham played the run very well. He flew off the edge and had a TFL n the 1st Qtr. PIT then ran a reverse his way and he bit too much on that, opening a hole. Graham had a highlight moment when he chased a play out wide and lit up a RB going out of bounds.
Shot 10 – Schwartz's 'Attack' mentality shining through. Check out @brandongraham55 playing sideline to sideline pic.twitter.com/GIyjTZq32f
— Fran Duffy (@fduffy3) August 20, 2016
Is that beautiful or what?
Steven Means – With Smith playing this week, Means moved to LDE. Good to see him work from a different side. Another good game. Flew off the edge late in the half and hit the QB as he threw. Ball was a wounded duck and got picked off. Got pressure on multiple plays. Did a good job against the run as well.
Marcus Smith – Backup RDE. Played worlds better than I ever would have guessed. Won’t be stealing a starting job any time soon, but is now legitimately fighting for a roster spot. Played the run well. Battled OTs. Had an offside penalty late in the 1st half. Had TFL off the edge early in the 3rd Qtr. Showed an explosive burst late in the 3rd Qtr when he blew by the LT and sacked the QB. Had an impressive play right after that. 3rd/long. Flew off the edge and knocked the LT backward. QB got rid of the ball quickly. Smith turned and hustled downfield in pursuit.
Alex McCalister – Mainly played late in the game. LDE. Not as good as last week. That or faced better blockers.
Bryan Braman – Had some good rushes late in the game. Got a sack on the final drive. Effort play.
DT
Beau Allen – First backup DT on the field. Not as disruptive as last week. Played the run well and was excellent in pursuit. Blew up 3rd Qtr run by driving the LG backward and helping to create TFL. Without the All-22 can be tough to tell what happened on some plays. Didn’t get the penetration, but did get good push multiple times. I’m still shocked at how good he looks in the new scheme.
Taylor Hart – Excellent against the run. Really worked hard to get off blocks. Got some interior pressure on the Grymes INT. Played some early and even into the 4th Qtr. Another solid game.
Destiny Vaeao – Good showing. Played quite a bit. Quick off the ball. Uses his hands well. Doesn’t look like a rookie. Had a sack in the 4th Qtr. Just destroyed the RG with a quick move and fought through some holding to get to the QB. Combines size, physicality and athleticism.
Aziz Shittu – Got some penetration on 1st half plays, but no real standout moments. Got real good push on 4th Qtr pass play. Had a chance for a sack in the mid-4th but Vaeao beat him to the QB. Shittu flew off the ball and got around the LG. Impressive get-off and good rip move. Did come up with an effort sack on the next series. Lined up at NT and had to fight his way to the QB.
LB
Najee Goode – Another good game. Started at WLB and moved to SAM in the 2nd Qtr. Had one standout play. Stayed wide to force a WR to cut back inside on a reverse. Goode then went after him and made the play. PIT got a nice gain, but Goode prevented it from being bigger. Good discipline and hustle on that. Had a chance for a TFL when he fought through a block and dove for the RB, but couldn’t secure the runner’s legs. Excellent effort on that play. Made good tackle of RB in space after short catch on 3rd down. Struggled to get off blocks on some run plays.
Nigel Bradham – Starting LBs only played the 1st Qtr. Had a TFL.
Jordan Hicks – Another good showing. Didn’t play a lot, but once again made good reads and was in the right spots. Got in on 2 tackles. Solid in coverage as well.
Joe Walker – Backup MLB. Sometimes will run around blocks to get to ball. That can be dangerous in the middle. Gap integrity is critical. Looked good in coverage. Hurt his knee and sat out the 2nd half.
Deontae Skinner – He was the backup WLB and played okay, but got cut earlier in the week so no need to cover him.
Myke Tavarres – Quiet game. Made a wrap-up tackle of receiver over the middle late in the game. Looks good in space. He just sits there and then attacks whatever is in front of him. Haven’t been able to get a good feel for him as a run defender. Still a big time project.
Don Cherry – Played 2nd half at MLB. Looked good on STs. Tackled well there and on D. Downhill LB. Better than I anticipated but not a serious roster threat at this time.
Quentin Gause – 3rd stringer. Smart. Sees the field well. Hustles to the ball and tackles well. Instinctive. Solid on STs as well.
S
Rodney McLeod – Took poor angles on some early plays. Didn’t see too much action, though. Credited with being in on a couple of tackles.
Malcolm Jenkins – One highlight play. Picked off a batted ball in the end zone. Jenkins wasn’t covering the receiver, but saw the ball thrown that way and hustled to the area. The ball then was deflected and came to him, where he made a diving catch. Dropped INTs have been a problem the past couple of years. It would be great if that changed this season.
Jaylen Watkins – Last week wasn’t a fluke. Had a play in the 2nd Qtr when the RB got upfield and had some momentum. Watkins came in fast and hard and put him down cleanly. Old Jaylen never makes that play. Tackled the RB going up the middle on the next play. Next play was 3rd/1. Watkins got the RB on that, giving up just more than a yard. Not Ronnie Lott, but more physical and aggressive vs the run than ever. Had an easy INT late in the half. Means hit QB as he threw and gave Watkins a gift INT.
Chris Maragos – Didn’t seem to play as much this week.
Nick Perry – Flew off the edge and got a TFL in the mid-4th. Had a good hit on WR down the field to keep him from catching the ball. Had a chance for a pick late in the game, but couldn’t hold onto the ball.
Ed Reynolds – Didn’t seem to play much in this game.
Blake Countess – No highlights on defense and continued to have issues on STs. Very much a project.
CB
Leodis McKelvin – Broke up a pass in the end zone that Jenkins picked off. McKelvin was in good position and played the receiver as he tried to make the catch. The ball got knocked in the air and picked off. Drew PI call when he was too handsy with a receiver in traffic. Had 3 tackles.
Nolan Carroll – Terrific game. Opened things up by breaking up a deep ball down the sideline. Got into good position and was able to keep the WR from catching the ball. Technically sound play. Later had a pick-six. Read the route of Coates and jumped it. Got the ball and raced down the sideline for the TD. PIT tried to go deep again. This time Carroll had excellent position and forced the WR out of bounds. The guy actually pushed Carroll (gently) and drew an OPI call.
Ron Brooks – 4 solo tackles. We don’t know how well Brooks can cover, but this dude will hit and tackle. Not afraid to mix it up.
Eric Rowe – Better this week. Broke up 2 passes (one wiped out by DL penalty). Played with more confidence. Just looked better. Had some plays where he got in the hip pocket of the receiver and stuck with him. At his best pressing. Less effective when playing off. Had a couple of plays where he got a very effective jam on receivers. Other times he pressed, but didn’t jam. You’d like a guy with Rowe’s size and strength to jam receivers as much as possible. Be a bully. Better night on STs.
Aaron Grymes – With Jalen Mills out, got to play earlier than usual. Good news/bad news. Played well, but then got hurt. Had a great end zone INT. Simply ran the route better than the receiver and made a great diving catch. Had one bad moment. Steelers were in 3rd/long. They threw a short pass. Grymes was in position to make the play but didn’t and gave up some extra yards. Didn’t move the chains in that instance, but easily could have. Sloppy tackling fundamentals. Willing to come up aggressively in run support. Solid night in coverage. Gave up some catches, but was right there to make the tackle and also forced at least one receiver to make a highlight toe-tap catch on the sideline. Played slot and outside.
CJ Smith – Didn’t have a bunch of balls thrown his way this week. Guess the Steelers QB did his homework. Smith was solid in coverage. Broke on one ball, but the pass was so off target he couldn’t get near it.
Denzel Rice – Got on the field in the 2nd Qtr. Played some in the slot. Blitzed and wisely pulled up instead of hitting QB after throw. A lot of DBs don’t have that discipline. Seemed to have a bounce in his step. Tackled well. Looked solid in coverage.
Randall Evans – Got away with holding on play where receiver made great downfield catch. Did a good job of hitting and tackling. Physical player.
*****
STs
Donnie Jones – Averaged 50.4 per punt, but 2 of them were touchbacks. Weird moment of the game came in warm-ups when one of his punts hit Caleb Sturgis in the head and gave him a concussion.
Parkey – 1 of 1 on FGs. Got good distance on some kickoffs, but they do so many creative things with trying for the goal line it can be tough to know which kick was short on purpose.
- Young gunners are struggling. Too many penalties and they’re not getting the job done. Countess is having a real tough time.
- Barner’s long PR was wiped out by penalty. Blocking needs to improve.
_
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Take over bgn Tommy
That site plays a role but i don’t think the comment sections would work together. I also think that site is much more “hot take” than this one.
It’d be nice if Tommy could be a professional blogger but i think the fact that he’s not a beat guy means some of his articles are more thoughtful than you’d find elsewhere.
yea, BGN is first of all a news site now added with more thoughtful articles.
I be honest, Im only reading it for the links and news now.
me too
Me 3.
Dissapointing that PhillyMag is replacing McManus with Gowton, that is so not a fair a trade..
Gowton is a great writer. BGN is one of the few sites that doesn’t write those BS articles overanalyzing the coaches words etc.
yeah and he’s successfully run and grow a blog, hopefully he gets paid handsomely.
LOL someone’s bitter he got banned from BGN.
So Romo got hurt in less than 2 minutes because his RT is still Doug Free and he played a pre season game without Tyron Smith.
A Vinny Curry / Doug Free matchup twice this year should be great to watch.
I cant wait for Cox and Logan to abuse the Dallas OL and then see the media fail to regonize them again
There goes the greatest O line in NFL history, with the minor exception of
horribly failing to pass protect.
I mean, if your going to self proclaim as the best, you would think they could provide adequate pass pro.
Well they were never really the best pass blocking OL… Their percieved Dominance comes from their work in the run game. Their pass protection has NEVER reached the dominant level of their run blocking.
..
Not that it really matters. Romo’s body is done. Even if they keep romo from getting sacked, romo will get hurt on a hit that comes after he gets rid of the ball, or a defender falling on top of Romos upper body….
..
Does Vegas offer betting odd on Romo staying Healthy for 16 games? I’d bet my car against that
You know what made me feel better about Wentz not playing at all? The Jets won’t even let Hackenberg play since he sucks that much.
Dak Preskott though…
ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha
Been playing preseason with Dallas’s 1s vs. backup Ds. He doesn’t concern me even a little.
So did he go in when Romo got injured? How’d he look against Seattle 1s?
Like a scared check down specialist even though Seattle was playing vanilla D.
5 yards per attempt is comically low.
Oh, so he looked like Sam Bradford?
Which shouldn’t exactly be hype-worthy.
He looked better than Sam Bradford.
Nicer sleeves?
And passes.
He did have a couple nice throws and hung in the pocket with good pressure coming…..one Terrance just dropped due to lack of effort. He seems to have that confidence about himself that you want to see out of a rookie. #fuckdallas
yep, 17 for 23 and 1 TD looks nice, until you see it was only for 116 yards
Loving my Elliott fantasy RB pick.
We’ll see. Lynch is the one I wonder if we’ll regret not taking.
The Jets seem to be taking the triple apprenticeship approach. I wonder how much of the lack of play for Hackenberg is that he still needs to learn NFL mechanics vs. needing more reps for Petty to be ready to be the backup vs. needing more reps for Gino in order to trade him.
In any case, Hackenberg was an arm / throwing talent only pick who was going to need a ton of work. Who knows if he gets that coaching and/or takes to it.
funny to me that a team that’s used decent picks to take qbs recently and can’t get a good one would be trying to rehabilitate a guy.
I’m not sure why that would make you feel better about Wentz.
Just saying that it could be worse?
The marijuana dispensary story with Elliot is funny. You’d think a guy who Ohio police are going out of their way to cover up having beat his gf would keep a lower profile from doing things that might get him suspended.
On the other hand, marijuana is perfectly legal in Washington State, Elliot already pass his “drugs of abuse” piss test this spring, and isn’t drug addict Noah Spence.
I tend to think that guys who do stupid stuff… don’t tend to then all of the sudden follow “you’d think…” type of behavior… Like, theoretically, an offensive lineman who gets busted for doping…and then…
You aren’t kidding with Lane at all! That’s why I’m really happy all of his guaranteed money has been voided. He’s no longer a risk to employ.
And even if Elliot has been smoking on a frequent basis, he’s at least been savvy enough to not flunk an NFL piss test. Booger McFarland called it an IQ test the other day on the radio because you only have to avoid having drugs of abuse in your urine stream from early March through whenever they test you in the next month or two.
An offensive lineman who takes a recreational drug in the offseason then takes over the counter supplements that were tainted without his knowledge on the manufacturers end?
What about the o-lineman who trains with MMA guys who are notorious for being involved with PED use? I don’t dispute what you’re saying about Lane’s failed tests in general, but the MMA crew needs to be avoided at all costs in the future.
Lol, they sharing measuring spoons out there. One possible way his stuff got contaminated
This is ridiculous comment. There is plenty of PED Culture in the NFL or any local gym for that matter to not blame his shit on his exposure to MMA fighters. And there are some MMa teams who are dirtier than others. For example, Firas Zahabi’s Tri star academy/Fight team in Montreal has been pretty squeky clean especially when it comes to their prominent fighters like George’s st Pierr who has been one of the most vocal activists fighting to clean up MMA and its PED culture so much that he retired because he was clean and was tired of fighting guys on Juice, and shortly after the UFC implemented the toughest PED policy in all of sports with WADA doing all the test. WADA is busting everyone, they ain’t fucking around, fighters now get tested multiple times during their training camp, they get tested right before the fight and right after the fight,,, to take it a step further fighters now get tested even when they are out of competition and don’t even have a fight booked… NFL players can skip a few drug tests before getting a 4 game suspension. Wanderlie Silva who is a legend in the sport who would belong on the mount Rushmore of MMA fighter, skipped an out of competition drug test when he didn’t have a fight booked and he is now BANNED FOR LIFE which is INSANE! We wish the NFL Testing was half as strict as the UFCs current policy
..
Lane is exposed to PED as much in a football Lockerroom or any local gym as an MMA gym…. And I don’t believe Lane was TRYING TO CHEAT, he just got fucked in this unregulated age of supplements and he took something that wasn’t supposed to be in the product he purchased. Basically taking supplements today is like playing Russian Roulette… You can’t count on something extra that doesn’t belong tainting your supplements
..
Hopefully we get lucky and lanes suspension gets reduced if not over turned. Of course THATS a huge long shot, but if WADA could makie a mistake that led to jon jones being pulled from the biggest pay day fight of his life with a two year suspension as his punishment, then the process is not infallible and hopefully Lane gets lucky even if it’s a very slim chance
.,
But jay Glaziers MMA gym SHOULDNT be dragged into the mud because a grown man made a decision, especially if Lane really wasn’t trying to cheat.
..
We would be lucky if other sports were doing as much to clean up their sport as The UFC is doing, and the UFC DOESNT HAVE to do this, and they are still going out of tbeir pocket and having to deal with the consequens of their fighters getting suspended in the name of cleaning up the sport… If ONLY the NFL cared THAT much!
His post MMA bust was for Adderall. Those guys aren’t cramming to pass any exams.
He demonstrated stupidity twice. Not saying this supplement shouldn’t be labeled correctly. But he failed to take common sense steps to be smart and avoid testing positive. No?
First one was dumb, second one he acted in good enough faith that I don’t have major issues with him. Sucks he’s suspended but I’m not gonna kill him for it.
Suit yourself. I see it differently.
Still dont understand why people are hating Lane so much for this. He took an over the counter supplement. I have a really really hard time for seeing why Lane is at fault at all.
There are several other steps he should have taken to make sure the supplement did not have any unreported ingredients (99% of them do). The union informed him of those steps and offered to help him, but all he did is check the app and rolled the dice. It is ultimately his fault they came up snake eyes. Using the “I did not know” defense and blaming the “system” like he is some kind of victim is lame especially after already having one offense that hurt his team. If he was unsure, guess what DO NOT TAKE IT! Simple as that.
What steps did the union inform him of, that he did not take? This is the first I’ve heard of it.
Also, I get that the app had a disclaimer. If also had a big fucking green checkmark next to the supplement in question that meant “OK”. You don’t do that. You don’t get to hide behind a disclaimer on that one, as the union. It’s conflicting information and while it’s not damning for them completely, neither is the disclaimer damning for Lane.
Quick test: are you 100% sure you’re not in violation of the terms of service of the OS on your phone? Do you know what those terms of service are? You agreed to them when you installed the latest operating system, so why can’t you recall? If you agreed to it, the OS maker is supposed to be able to hold you legally to every item in those terms of service, right? I mean, you’re not going to just agree to something willy nilly? It’s the same principal (and it’s why those terms of service on things like phones and websites are not always legally binding).
The union can have the supplement independently tested according to reports. This is information supposedly provided to all players and so Johnson should have known. Plus again a player is ultimately responsible for what they put in their body – wouldn’t it make sense a player would want to know? I would want to know every little thing especially if I had already been suspended for a positive test and knew it would be 10 games the second time.
Then why have an app in the first place? If you want someone to take all the “steps” dont have an easy out that YOU promoted. What help was he offered? You say 99% have unreported ingredients so he is basically unsure about everything. In a league where every advantage is trying to be gained, its silly to ask him to take NO supplements.
Ask the union, I have no idea. But again, like every player, Johnson is responsible for what goes into his body and so again, if he does not know for sure and cannot find out and knows he will be tested, basic intelligence says do not take it and find something else that is proven to be ok. Seems pretty logical to me. Playing the victim after you got caught again is weak IMO.
But as you said 99% of stuff is not proven to be ok so he is left with very little. Basic intelligence may also say to trust someone or an app they gave you that is supposed to tell you whether or not the substance is approved. Again we are talking about an over the counter supplement not some injectable anabolic.
Taking his excuse at face value, sure.
Elliot is not the character angel he was made out to be in the pre draft process. Let’s just say he’s got a good PR team.
He’ll still run for 1800+ yards behind this o line.
Are you pro-rating that for suspensions?
Shit, my fat ass would run for 1100
He might even crack the 2k.
Is he worthy of overall draft pick no.2 in my fantasy league?
Note: I’m in a keeper league with 14 teams and all the Rodgers, Newtons and ODBs are already protected.
Probably? Not a huge fantasy guy.
Also Ameer Abdullah is a back you’re going to want. Feel like he’s being slept on a bit.
he sleeps a lot during the season when he’s getting no stats
I would take him in a keeper league. If its PPR, take David Johnson later
What’s PPR?
Points per reception….
Some leagues give 1 or 0.5 points per reception. In those leagues, RBs who can catch like Westbrook or McCoy is the money cow because they get 250+ carries+50+ catches.
or antonio brown just becomes the best player in the league by a wide margin
True but i expect him to be kept
does anyone else think Morris/McFadden may eat up some of his carries, especially with a fragile romo?
Not here consider both are trash
no
Nope
aka is the rookie that’s in the best position to ball? yes
For those of you who play fantasy; here is my $ league roster.
Big Ben
Lacy
Peterson
Keenan
Golden
Jordan Reed
John Brown
Vikings D
Blair Walsh
Tyler Boyd
Stefon Diggs
Derrick Henry
Jerick McKinnon
Christine Michael
Will Fuller
James Starks
Matt Stafford
Nice ..looks like we targeted a lot of the same players. My money league is a 4 man keeper, idp league.
Big Ben
Cj anderson
Melvin gordon
Antonio brown
Jeremy maclin
Travis benjamin
Giovanni bernard
Matt jones
Zach ertz
Dwayne allen
Blair walsh
Jameis winston
John brown
Jerick mckinnon
Eagles D
Fletcher cox
Jamie collins
Landon collins
Having D players can be fun.
I won a fantasy league on the leg of Parkey, JJ Watt and Eagles ST/D because we scored so much
I thought you hated Pittsburgh
As a fan base. Not everybody on the team.
NYG is the only complete and total player blackout for fantasy purposes.
you love keenan allen. i hate that reed is going to be a monster.
you hate Pittsburgh but make an exception for Big Ben, b/c he is such a nice guy?
“Blake Countess – No highlights on defense and continued to have issues on STs. Very much a project.”
As in a UDFA level type project?
The announcers were pretty brutal on Rice’s special teams play during the game, Tommy. I’m curious on your take. I don’t see any way he makes the 53.
i thought that was Countess? i don’t remember….
Rice ISNT making this roster. He is competing for a practice squad spot
Is he still eligible?
I think so. He was only active for five games last year, and if he’s released he’ll be a free agent who was on the Active List fewer than nine games during their only Accrued Season(s), which is one of the criteria.
really interested to see how dawkins performs in his role as “role model” for nfl players – hopefully it helps keep some of these guys in line, give them work ethic, etc.
He can start with DGB.
And Smallwood.
And Mills.
Did some extensive research today on how I could try to get the games without DirectTV. If you live roughly (give or take a couple miles) 70 miles from King of Prussia, you could get an antenna and watch the games. Much over that and it won’t work. I’m currently about 130ish miles from King of Prussia and I don’t think Fox or CBS has repeaters that are south of there.
TLDR: It sucks living out of market.
Sign up with gamepass (7 day free trial) and you will get to see pre season games 3 and 4 live, mate.
Adam Kaplan made some good points today on 97.5 about the Eagles:
– Said if this team has any chance of being .500 or better, they need some real luck on the health factor with Bradford, Mathews, and the defense.
– Colts’ top 4 DBs aren’t likely going to play and it should be a good chance to see if the Eagles can get their passing game going
– Heard and been surprised by people who follow the team closely on how badly Agholor has looked in camp so far. People were expecting him to ‘pop’ this year in camp since he was healthy and he simply hasn’t shown anything close to what people were expecting him to.
– Guys he though it was most important to see how they perform vs Colts was Randle & Barbre. Need to see how Barbre looks at RT since he’ll be in such a crucial role and Randle because he is fighting to make the team and determine his role.
– Almost no word on the Johnson situation which is a bit surprising.
It was a pretty good interview and he is usually worth listening to for 10 minutes.
Just doesn’t bode well for the Eagles long term: Lane being suspended, Smith being on the roster bubble, Agholor struggling, and then all the picks we gave up for Wentz, who may or may not pan out. (Not to mention new head coach who may or may not pan out.) I’m not trying to be a downer, but the Eagles have dug themselves in a pretty deep hole.
All those players and factors could turn out great or — the unfortunately more likely scenario — turn out very, very poorly. Sigh.
As has been said by many people, Wentz needs to be a hit or the next, what, 5-6 years will be brutal at least.
Our defense and special teams though…
That’s the NFL. Things may or may not work out.
Taking a chance on Wentz is a better bet than sticking with Bradford (or another average to below average QB). With a guy like Bradford a team has even less of a shot.
They’re not mutually exclusive; sure, we “needed” to take the risk on Wentz, doesn’t mean it isn’t a big risk.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m rooting for the Eagles all the way. I have butterflies all day, for tomorrow’s preseason game haha. I bet some of you do too.
But the fact remains that in the long term, bigger picture, to build a juggernaut team capable of winning a Super Bowl, you have to hit on your draft picks, especially your high ones. And we are at risk of having missed on SEVERAL of our highest draft picks and we just have up a bunch.
Just because I am pointing to the precarious situation the Eagles franchise is in right now doesn’t mean I don’t love them or that I’m not rooting for them. I do recognize we have some talent and strengths. But we’ve got many glaring weaknesses and not many high picks coming to address them. It’s a harsh reality.
You have butterflies when you think everything will turn out very, very poorly? What are you nervous about? That makes no sense.
What doesn’t add up? What are you talking about? Make yourself clear my friend!
I acknowledged that of course Wentz, Rowe, Smith, Lane, Agholor, etc. could all turn out great. DGB could turn into a star for us. Etc. however, I say the reality is that all those players won’t pan out.
But I am certainly hoping/rooting for the Eagles play well tomorrow night. I hope the DL looks dominate, I hope the WR can catch and make plays, maybe a TD or two. I hope the OL looks in sync.
I’m really hoping Agholor, Smith, Rowe, and Huff can flash. They have to show some progress. And how about DGB. It would be amazing if he turns out to be a diamond in the rough.
And no injuries. You saw what happened to Romo. We don’t need Sam tweaking a knee or two. We don’t need Mathews to pull a hammy. Etc.
There’s definitely a place for rainbows, puppy dogs, and optimism. But it need to be tempered with the harsh reality that our high draft picks are struggling and we low on high drafts picks for the next couple drafts.
There’s lots to be excited and nervous about in regards to tomorrow and the rest of the season.
One minute they’re probably going to be brutal for another 5-10 years. Now you’re excited and optimistic.
You pretty much predicted Wentz will turn out very,very poorly and that it will be brutal for at least 5-6 years. What does this long response you had have to do with your prediction?
Haha I see that you are a very binary thinker. Once again, they’re not mutually exlusive.
I can be excited to watch the Eagles and hopeful that all our currently struggling high draft picks become solid contributors if not pro bowlers. While at the same time being realistic about the fact that they may not and at the QB position in particular likely won’t (based on the history of the league).
But of course I’m rooting for the Eagles and our players to be the odds! And I’m excited and nervous to watch it all unfold.
Well the same thing can be said for roughly 15-20 other teams at this point of preseason.
Sure there are many changes, some better than others but I really like what I am seeing from this D, and their potential to be one of the better D’s in the NFL this coming season.
If our offense can put up 20, I feel confident we can get to 8-10 wins.
I don’t think that goal is too high for the talent level we have.
I will go with my 1/2 FULL approach, not 1/2 empty.
You’re right to a large extent but if you don’t have some hope why even follow them? They’ve been in a hole a long time other than a mirage since McNabb and Dawkins were in their prime .
This regime didn’t pick Agholor at least and it’s not time to give up on Wentz which you practically do when you claim:
All those players and factors in more likely scenario — turn out very, very poorly.
We have a good pair of safeties too. Remember when that was the big problem ?
It’s a new regime and they haven’t even played a game. You have to give it at least a little time.
This is how fans do. We follow our team whether we think they’re going to be good or bad. Personally, I detest denial, avoiding reality, and ganging up on those who focus on the flaws. Should be enough room under the tent for optimists and those with a less forgiving eye.
Brad Childress called Wentz the “Holy Grail” of what you look for in a QB in Today’s NFL…
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What’s really special IMO, is that Its easy to see a Top young QBs talent when he is having a Great Game. Yet To see a QB’s special Talent and “IT Factor” still shine thru even tho he wasn’t having a great game is REALLY SPECIAL and a very exciting sigń as far as I’m concerned,
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The result of each play DIDNT even matter, because his special Talemt was evident no matter if a play was successful or a failure.
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The size/speed/athleticism package is World class. I used to laugh and rip media analysts during the draft process when they compared him to Cam Newton… The joke was on me. You just don’t see 6’5 240lb monster QBs escaping and out running the pass rush as if he was a smaller Mariota, VICK type QB. His arm strength just jumps out the screen, the IT Factor, the Infusion of energy when he takes the field… I have no idea how long it will take to get hIs mental acumen where we need it to be at the pro level. I don’t know how long it will take to clean up his mechanics… But I understand why the Eagles fell in love with this kid, and I’d certainly bet on him becoming a BIGTIME NFL QB by yeàrs 4 and 5… If he is as smart and hard working as they say he is, with his Physical ablity, Id be very surprised if he ends up being a bust
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He doesn’t even have to play well to see how special his ability/potemtial really is… And that’s a geat sign
I don’t know how important it is that Barbie performs when we lack Talemt at OT and it looks like he will start at RT by default… Im way more interested in the starters getting thru the game healthy, than im concerned with how they actually perform..
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If wins DONT count, then getting thru the game healthy is of most importance… If guys play great and stay healthy THATS even better. But no matter how well a veteran plays, we will downplay it because it’s “ONLY preseason”, especially after how we got burnt last year when we got excited about great PS play
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Just stay healthy! Coaches seen these guys in practice since the spring. We have regular season game film to compare how they are performing in Practice.. I doubt getting 15 snaps in a preseason game is going to do much to Chamge your standing on the roster and change how the coaches view you….. We always knew preseason ISNT very important, but im starting to think it matters even less than we think when it comes to roster decisions,
“- Said if this team has any chance of being .500 or better, they need some real luck on the health factor with Bradford, Mathews, and the defense.”
Yeah, this only applies to the Eagles. No other teams need their starting QB, RB and entire defense to stay healthy to win more games than they lose.
Except Dallas, they have Dak and Dez to carry the team;-)
And murders row on D and in the backfield.
I suggest we skip the next six or seven years entirely and give Dallas all the trophies.
That’s true but for this team especially true given the pronounced drop-off in talent at those positions.
Bradford – Daniel
Mathews – Barner?
Just about every defensive position too especially at LB and S
Bradford, warts and all, at least gives this team a credible QB. Ditto the running game with Mathews who has very productive when he is on the field the last few years.
Yeah, I still don’t think it’s “especially true” for the Eagles. Look at the NFC East, for example. Cousins -then ???. Manning -then ???. Romo -then better than Bradford at practice games. Same is true for running back. NYG starter is Rashad Jennings, #2 is Shane Vereen. Not really “Earth Wind and Fire” there.
Not saying the Eagles aren’t susceptible to injury. It’s just lazy analysis and is applicable to every team in the league.
I have been convinced that Romo’s body is no longer capable of withstanding hits, and he continues to prove my hypothesis. I don’t even think you have to sack him any more, I thnk his body is so broke down that he can no longer withstand the body weight of defenders falling on top of him. The dallas OL ISNT anywhere as good in pass blocking as their dominant run blocking, Doug Free RT is a pigeon in pass protection, Barwin and Curry can take advantage of him. But even if the dallas OL doeant give up a Single sack all year(not possible), watch Romo get hurt on a legal hit that comes after he gets rid of the ball. You may protect him from getting sacked, but it’s impssible to keep him from getting Hit, so I don’t see how he can possibly get tnru 16 games EVER AGAIN!
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This isn’t me bashing Romo, iTs just reality, take all the QBs in the NFL, and he is easily the QB who’s body has been battered the most, and accumulated the most injury mileage. They were smart to draft a RB to try and protect him, but that goes out the window when your defense Is such a mess that it will suck Romo into more shootouts than Dallas would like, and a shootout exposes his frail body to potential injuries(hits)
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You no longer have to land a huge kill shot on Romo to knock him out of the game, falling on top of him is becoming too much for his body to withstand
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Makes me laugh how many media dopes think Dallas is the best team in the division, when in REALITY Washington is the team that wjll stand between us and winning tge division, while once again Dallas and The Giants will be competing for 3rd and 4th place in the division
well he’s still got like $30m guaranteed left on his deal
lol that’s the best part of their mess
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I’ll be surprised if we even get to play against Romo this year.
I am trying to convince myself that his style of play is unsustainable and will result in a short, injury-plagued career. That is my story and I’m sticking to it.
Jerome Bettis was 251 lbs. Zeke is 25 lbs lighter playing the same position and seemingly the same style. That is not sustainable.
Actually, I think he can be cut at any time as he has been paid his guaranteed money already.
If cut this year, he has a $32M cap hit His cap hit is still $20M next year if they let him walk after the season. Even his $9M cap hit in 2018 is pretty high if cut 2 years from now, considering he would be 38 then.
Yes, there is no future guaranteed money in the deal, but he has so much prorated signing bonus yet to be accounted for on the cap (Dallas pushed that forward several times) that he’s uncuttable. His cap figure this year is 20.8 million and it would go up 11 million more if they cut him. Next year, his cap figure is 24 million and they can only get that down to 19 by cutting him — but at least it is a cap savings. After that he’s more conventionally cuttable.
If he retires, what happens to that money?
In theory they could try to claw back some signing bonus, at the team’s option, but given that most of that money was originally regular salary which Romo allowed to be converted to signing bonus to reduce the cap impact of that year, not sure that would fly. I doubt the Cowboys would try, other than maybe 1 years’ worth of the prorated amount of the 2013 signing bonus. It’s money that’s already been paid to him, but simply not accounted for on the cap.
I think, if you claw back signing bonus money, your cap does not get credited until the following year. That might affect the Eagles if Johnson gets suspended… I believe the team has no choice but must claw back the prorated signing bonus for any suspended games due to PEDs, which will cost Johnson millions for those 10 games — but the Eagles don’t get that back on the cap until next year. The straight-up salary Johnson will lose will count for this year’s cap, but he has a lowish salary (since a high signing bonus).
Good stuff. I just have some sinking feeling that all this ends with Dallas weaselling their way out of financial mismanagement.
Yeah if they found themselves a cheap, viable QB in Dak, that will take them through the period they have to pay Romo.
Lol, you just repeated everything I said but worded it differently.
Yes, he can be cut at any time but it would be financially disastrous if they would cut him within the next 2 years. There, I phrased it another way too.
Washington didn’t beat any teams with a winning record last year. Now they don’t have the last place schedule. Their QB is pissed and they overspent for a defensive back.
still not believing Washington is for real
I have zero sympathy for the Cowboys. But I cringe when I think of how Romo’s body is going to rapidly deteriorate. He’ll be using a walker by the age of 45 and absolutely should have retired 2 seasons ago for pure health reasons.
Let’s just hope Dak Prescott turns out to be the new Colt McCoy – all preseason hype. But I totally get why the Boys’ fans are exploding right now. It look like they landed their next franchise QB for dirt cheap – albeit with limited evidence, but damn he does look good for a rook.
Dammit, whey didn’t they let Jerruh draft Johnny Football? I was so hoping for that at the time. Would’ve been magically entertaining.
I’d rather have Romo in the game and on the field forever in cowboysland!!! He’s good but he is always always always beatable !!
Excellent review, Tommy. I appreciated the copious notes on depth players!
It’s why we come here. Community is pretty good too!
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NFL Network just had the highlights of the Dallas / Seattle preseason game. I got a pit in my stomach watching Dak throw a terrible pass into tight coverage and Jason Whiten coming down with an amazing TD catch. It is with great sadness that I remember that LJ Smith was taken 8 picks ahead of Whiten and has been out of the league since 2009.
A lot of us wanted Witten too. He is on verge of doubling L.J. in # of seasons. 14 to 7 and L.J. had 2 catches in his last season.
The upside of the highlights is that Zeke runs hard, like Ryan Mathews…meaning he’ll most-likely be injury prone trying to run through defenders.
On the other hand, LJ Smith had three fewer fumbles than Witten over the last 5 years.
Does anyone else find it weird to see RGIII in Orange & Brown colors?
Where is Jacorey Shepherd…he get cut…hurt?
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