Costly Win
Posted: September 26th, 2017 | Author: Tommy Lawlor | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | 201 Comments »The good news…the Eagles beat the Giants in a thriller on Sunday. The bad news…
Updated report: Darren Sproles has a torn ACL in addition to his broken arm https://t.co/haJFjeZGHo
— Jimmy Kempski (@JimmyKempski) September 25, 2017
Ugh.
Sproles isn’t a starter, but he’s a heck of a lot more than just a role player. He’s special, on STs and offense. Replacing him won’t be easy. You aren’t going to find a PR who can do what he does. You can replace him at RB, but the players aren’t going to be as dangerous in the pass game as he is.
The Eagles haven’t made a move yet. They could add Byron Marshall, who has a similar skill set, but isn’t close in terms of talent. The Eagles may focus on adding a PR more than a RB. We’ll have to wait and see.
What does this mean for Sproles?
Thanks to everyone for all your continued prayers and well wishes! #TheComeBackWillBeReal #StayTuned
— Darren Sproles (@DarrenSproles) September 26, 2017
Cool. I’d love to see him come back. Let’s not write this in stone, though. Sproles wasn’t sure he wanted to come back next year anyway. Now he’s got surgery and a grueling rehab ahead of him. We’ll see how he feels in a few months.
*****
The player this impacts the most is Wendell Smallwood. He has the ability to run, catch and block. The Eagles have lined him up in the slot to get him 1-on-1 with a LB and then thrown the ball his way. That’s where Sproles is such a mismatch. Smallwood isn’t as good a receiver, but he can be functional in that role.
I think the difference with the offense won’t be the playbook, but rather how many plays get called for the RBs. You want to make sure Sproles gets 10 to 12 touches a game. Just because Smallwood can fill his role on offense doesn’t mean you want him to get the ball as much. He may end up with those touches, but it won’t be by specific design. If Smallwood is open on a given play, you throw the ball his way. If he’s running well, you feed him. You just don’t think of him as a go-to guy right now.
*****
Doug Pederson said Fletcher Cox and Jordan Hicks were “okay”. He called them day to day. We’ll have to wait and see. Pederson was all kinds of weird when it came to talking about injuries last week so take everything he says with a grain of salt for now. We’ll get a better idea of where these guys stand on Wednesday when the players return to practice.
No word on Rodney McLeod, Corey Graham or Jaylen Watkins. Would be great to get them back as well.
*****
A lot of people wanted Mychal Kendricks traded in the offseason (including him). The Eagles weren’t having a fire-sale. They didn’t get good enough offers so they kept him around. You can see the value of that right now. When Hicks got hurt, Kendricks became part of the Nickel defense, playing alongside Nigel Bradham. When the team went to a base defense, Najee Goode was on the field with them. Joe Walker played 3 snaps on defense as well.
Kendricks was in on 7 tackles and broke up 2 passes, one of which was picked off by Patrick Robinson. His strong play from the preseason has carried over to the regular season.
In 2016, Kendricks had 32 total tackles, 3 TFLs, PD, and a FR. In just three games this year, he’s got 14 tackles, 1 sack, 1 TFL and 3 PDs. This performance is helping the team now and will help his trade value in the offseason.
*****
Have you seen this? Just amazing.
…and Philadelphia rejoiced.#FlyEaglesFly pic.twitter.com/wK0wFxkfsR
— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) September 25, 2017
_
Why even trade Kendricks tho. He’s a good young lb
I believe the reasoning was that he’s horrible in pass coverage and that Schwartz’s system requires linebackers who are at least decent cover guys.
No, it was because he was undisciplined in filling gaps which is even more important in the wide 9.
Poor gap fills – yes
Full time pay for part time minutes – yes
Constant injuries – yes
Schwartz’s system doesn’t play to his strength – yes
Nate Gerry can step in – NO WAY
I’d disagree with you on Kendricks in pass coverage historically, he’s been solid this year while having some really bad moments doing it in years past. I also can vibe on Nate Gerry, that dude has some serious talent issues and already was sent down to the P squad for a reason.
Nate Gerry can replace Kendricks in the same way that Seumalo can replace Kelce and Pumphry can replace Sproles. Maybe some day, but not fucking yet.
I am not advocating to trade him. I am simply stating the facts of as to why he was on the trade block and that this regime drafted Gerry to replace him, and why the team MAY be willing to trade him next year.
Unless you have a funny definition of “base D”, he DOES play in the base D. In fact, that’s the only time he plays. He doesn’t play in nickel or dime. Maybe you think of the nickel as base D, because we’re in it even more than in a standard 4-3, but it’s not the base of a 4-3 defense.
He does not play in OUR base D.
The Chargers game from 2013 is burned into my brain.
Bottom line. He’s getting starter’s pay, but doesn’t really play starter’s snaps.
Bottom line is it doesn’t matter how much someone’s getting paid unless you can use that money to get a better player.
That money can be used to get Alshon, Jernigan, and/or Hicks paid. It isn’t a good use of cap capital if it isn’t on the field.
Because Guy Media decided it one day and struggles with cognitive dissonance.
Impressive that the dissonance was so loud that I was able to get Howie to hear it and start trying to trade the guy.
It’s going to suck not having Sproles. He’s a dangerous weapon. We really need Smallwood to step up.
Agreed. I’d like to see Blount get more carried, too.
I am more concerned about not having a dynamic punt returner that puts fear into other teams. Sproles could literally win us a game or so with his punt returning prowess. I do not see Torrey Smith as a good idea as a Punt Returner for the short or long term. I also do not trust Agholor in that role.I am very interested to see how the punt returner situation plays itself out. Remember that kid Rashard Davis from the pre-season? He was supposed to be an outstanding Punt Returner. Anyone out there we could sign that would make sense? I don’t believe our long term punt returner is on the roster right now.
Good point. I don’t like Torrey Smith there either. And looking at his stats on pfr, he’s never done it before. I did a google search on “torrey smith punt return” hoping for maybe a college highlight, and “Torrey Smith Punt Return TD – YouTube” came up in the results, but it was just some guy playing Madden.
he reminded me a lot of Greg Lewis returning punts. It looked awkward
Fuck it put Burton Back there, I trust him to FC it at least lol
What is Reno Mahe doing lately.
Reno actually had a good PR average, but there was 0 chance of him taking it to the house. Just had no top end speed whatsoever. Pure effort guy.
Reid loved him because he would NEVER
That opening game vs the Packers…Ugh.
this is the reason why we know you can’t just plug any random WR in at PR!!!
not sure why ags was decommissioned he was a pretty good returner in college
fear
Because we would have led the league in muffed punts. I wouldn’t mind trying him there as long as his confidence continues to grow.
What’s his return rating? If its 80 or over might be worth trying him.
Maybe they could try Mack Hollins. He’s got good hands and he could just deck the first would be tackler.
They definitely should. I would love to see Hollins eat some more of Torrey Smith’s snaps too
Yeah, this isn’t ideal.
It’s not ideal, but PR is a luxury. Most punts are fair catched anyway. It doesn’t hurt to put a guy back there to do only that–it just doesn’t help.
They definitely want Pumphrey to be that guy. Whether he can make it or will be the answer in the future remains to be seen.
Sproles needs another 35 yards or something in order to jump into the top-7
and get ahead of Marshall Faulk on the all-purpose-yards list of all time. I really hope he comes back next year, even if just for at smaller role. He is awesome.
I remember seeing that list either before or during the Giants game and thinking, “This is in the bag.” Crap.
He is criminally underrated for what he has accomplished. I mean, nobody would hesitate to answer the question “Does Marshall Faulk belong in the hall of fame?” Yet, nobody seem to acknowledge that Sproles has had the same kind of production over his career. Additionally, Sproles has done it in a way that no other player has, and at that size to do it for 13 years is pretty incredible in every way imaginable. I would love for him to come back, put up another 500 yards and get to the top of that list. Then they’d simply have to nominate him for a gold jacket.
I love Sproles, but you are talking about all purpose yards including returns. All of Faulk’s all purpose yards except 18 (from a fumble return) were yards from scrimmage (rushing or receiving yards). Faulk is 4th all time in yards from scrimmage with 19,154, whereas Sproles is 199th with 8,022. Faulk had 12,279 rushing yards and 6,875 receiving yards. Over 11,000 of Sproles all purpose yards come from punt and kickoff returns. I think it is very hard to argue that Sproles has had the same kind of production as Marshall Faulk.
Oh sure, if you choose to look at it that way. Another way to look at it would be that Sproles is a truly unique player in NFL history – every other player at the top of that list either didnt or couldnt return kicks. Sproles is special in that he has been a true weapon both as a runner, a receiver AND a returner, and again, for 13 years straight. Nobody else has had that sort of impact on the game for their teams, not in that magnitude. I think that was my point and, I believe, an argument for putting him in the hall. He is special.
I agree with you there. He is special. I just thought that the comparison to Faulk only on the basis of all purpose yards was lacking context. I don’t think he will make it in the hall, but you present a good argument.
No I don’t think he will either. But i’d venture that lesser players, with less talent and effort, has gotten in solely based on numbers that were in various ways inflated.
They were all central pieces of their offense too. Sproles and Brian Mitchell both had incredible and diverse careers. They weren’t fed like crazy to generate insane production. Both worthy of consideration as incredibly unique and stand out careers imo.
Brian Mitchell should be in the HOF. He’s the greatest return man ever and 2nd to only Jerry Rice on that total yards list.
Jack of all trades
In (other) bad news:
Dak looks to be the real deal.
12/18 for 182yds.
I’m not saying you’re wrong. I’m just saying that last night’s game probably not the greatest example of your point.
Dak looks great when he does not have to carry the offense
In this regard Dak reminds me to a gross extend of Andy Dalton.
I’d say more Alex Smith than Andy Dalton – he has more mobility than Dalton and is less prone to the game-killing mistake. But yeah, he’s in that “caretaker QB” class.
Put him behind the bengals O-line and I think we’d see plenty of game-killing mistakes. People already forget, but Dalton looked lights out two years ago, when his supporting cast was splendid.
And if you take away the 52 yd touchdown pass, you’re looking at 11/17 for 130 yards at 6 yards per completion. I’m not too crazy about Dak as a passer, but he is a playmaker.
I disagree. Maybe because I hate the Cowboys but here’s my take on him anyway. Imagine what most QBs would do with that line, Dez Bryant, Witten, and Beasley. 90% of the time (just throwing this out there) you know the other team is going to be in some form of man to man. It doesn’t get any easier. Pay close attention because the only passes he can complete on a regular basis are those little out routes by Witten and Beasley, bootleg passes where half the field is shrunk and due to Zeke someone is usually running wide open, wide open receivers (again credit Zeke and the line), and the old chuck it up to Dez Bryant who happens to be really good at those kinds of passes. Now, he’s not complete garbage and he can run around and makes some plays and seems to be a good leader and all but if he played for a team with a lesser Oline his weaknesses would be exposed like they were last week (don’t forget Talib dropped 2 other INTs). In contrast if Dallas had one of the true good QBs in the league they would be setting historical records in my opinion.
what a difference a gm makes
What does the GM have to do with it?
What I would say about Dak is that he’s going to be good if for no other reason than because he’s got the time and the resources to learn slowly and properly instead of being in a situation like Luck or Goff, where they were immediately expected to carry the team while running for their lives.
He’s fine. He’s on the Cowboys so 75% of the world will think he’s awesome and the rest will think he sucks. But he’s clearly a decent starter with potential.
He’s fine. Give him a good line and a good running game and he can beat you. He’s a competent starting QB. But he doesn’t scare me – it’s not like having Aaron Rodgers or Tom Brady in your division for the next ten years. I wouldn’t worry.
He hit on some low % type throws that inflated his numbers (while looking amazing doing it), let’s not get over hyped just yet.
Against the 0-3 Cardinals Dak looked great.
optical illusion
He is a good QB who makes solid decisions and plays within himself.
Interesting contrast to Wentz who tends to hold on to the ball too long and tries to make plays happen too much.
If there is someone who is seriously overrated on the Cowboys right now, it is Bryant. He doesn’t have the same explosiveness or even the physicality after he catches the ball.
Still a decent WR but he isn’t a Top 15 WR anymore either. Injuries look like they have started to take a real toll on him.
Call me crazy but I like Douglas’ chances of physically matching up with him later this year.
Imagine if someone came down with the ball in the endzone at the end of the Chiefs game.
Then I think we go for 2
Calling out Doug Pederson as a liar(purposely deceiving) the media and fans. Openly stated at the hiring, I do not like DP as a HC. I understand why Lurie wanted to go a ‘safe zone’ with hiring. Even though I didn’t like the hiring, I was willing to give him time. Year 1 – learning lesson for all HC’s. Year 2, we shouldn’t see decisions being made that rookie HC’s wouldn’t even do. Maybe I could stomach him if he hired an OC to call the plays? Maybe. Let’s take a look at some of the plays this past Sunday. 4th and 8. Up 14-0, you can pin your opponent deep or give them the ball around mid field. Luckily the Giants are inept. Then to lie to the press/fans that 4th and 8 is a 33% chance of making it? In what universe does he live in? Not only is that percentage incorrect, he tried to twist it by saying – we went for 3 times on 4th down and made it twice. 4th and 1 vs 4th and 8? Come on. Whoever asked that question did their homework and correctly called the success rate at 18%(neither dove into the percentage of doing that at mid field). DP – RB will be dictated by the hot hand(his words). Blount running crazy – then Blount is taken out and we don’t see him for a couple of series. What happened to hot hand and game flow? DP — keep calling those wr screens. They are working. LOL. Challenge a call when a touch back is called? I get it, it’s almost worth a shot – but he(and others) have to be smarter in that spot. Wasted a timeout.
…..
Each year a team sits down and evaluates their players. Eagles might need to sit down and evaluate all their coaches. Almost 1/4 of the season over and I’m not seeing a HC that’s improving. I’m willing to read all supporters of DP because maybe I’m missing something. Please give some back up to responses(oh he’s negative or we’re 2-1 isn’t really constructive) If you want a team to get better — all areas need improving(on offense) including the guy calling the plays. Here’s to hoping he improves this year….
So did you do the math to figure out which is correct, or did you just accept the lower total as fact because you want it to be true? Asking for a friend.
On fourth-and-8, go for it between your opponent’s 41 and your opponent’s 37. I did my homework. Quote taken from NYT https://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/05/upshot/4th-down-when-to-go-for-it-and-why.html?mcubz=3 who claims to have researched data for 10 years. There’s another link in that article if you care to peak. That wasn’t my only source, just one of a few(I didn’t go crazy to be honest with research tbh – just enough)
Did you perhaps come across Kempski’s article, or was that refuted because you didn’t personally do the math and are convinced that others’ math must be wrong because you want it to be?
“Pederson responded, “My number that we went off of, and I don’t know where you got your information from, was 33 percent.”
Pederson is correct. After doing my own search dating back as far as Pro-Football-Reference would allow (1994-2017), 4th and 8 situations have resulted in a conversion rate of 32.8 percent, not 18 percent. Using just the last 10 years, when passing efficiency has improved, that percentage jumps to 34.5 percent. ”
http://www.phillyvoice.com/dislodge-yourselves-from-doug-pedersons-butt-for-that-4th-and-8-call-people/
Amazing that links references the same article I referenced. Those are great stats and give overall number that makes Pederson look correct. Again, you can skew numbers all you(not personally you) want. There are a ton of those 4th and 8 that are under 2 minutes as time is winding down. We need that broken down to be the time frame that the Pederson attempted it(admittedly I do not know the time he attempted that play). I’m trying to put that play in perspective. And clearly, that graph shows “punt”. “near yellow” … well, near is for horseshoes….lmao…
I don’t know what math Kempski used, and I don’t know what math NYT used, but what I do know is that the equations for this one aren’t going to be very complicated (historical expected points for situation when going for it vs historical expected points for situation when punting/FG), and every professional sports team has been investing a shit ton of money in analytics for the past decade. 18-34% is honestly close enough that there’s no reason to think either one is significantly wrong. That said, if you want to use that wiggle room to just pick one and go with it, then you’re right that I can’t stop you. That doesn’t make you right, though. I trust that a $2 billion organization can effectively analyze simple numbers more than I trust yokels on the internet.
The New York Times article did not say 18%.
I never said I was right. I stated it was an opinion is all. I’m allowed. And as for name calling – I’ll take a knee on that…
If you’re going to be called a name, I guess yoke is better than most.
Not that there’s anything wrong w/ being a yokel.
Some of my best associates are yokels.
In math like this there is a huge difference between 18% or 33%. One give you twice the chance to succeed than the other
To review, DP is correct & NYT is wrong! Hold the presses!
The New York times article did not disagree with Pederson’s numbers and did not confirm the reporter’s 18% number.
It was stated above that they did conflict which is why I raised the issue. This should be easy – either they did or they didn’t. It’s either 33% success rate or it isn’t. It’s either 18 % rate or it isn’t. Even in today’s world, it can’t be both. But there is the old adage about ” lies, damned lies, & statics”. Not to mention “figures lie & liars figure”.
Actually, it’s “Figures DON’T lie, but liars figure.”
He presented the NYT article as if it contradicted Doug’s numbers 33% number, but the NYT article does not actually contradict Doug’s number.
Pederson is correct in that going for it at that place on the field is a good idea. Mathematically speaking it leads to more points for you than for the other team.
The fact that this is not “conventional wisdom” or that other coaches refuse to do the right thing because they’d rather not face the media and fan criticism when the attempt fails is actually a reason to truly respect Doug. Considering all the flack he gets for appearing to be insecure, weakminded and soft, his playcalling with regards to this particular issue is just all balls to the wall and he is not getting up there afterwards to make excuses about it – just sticking with the call. I like that he doesn’t care wether you understand numbers or not.
I understand what you’re saying. There’s also some carelessness in that. If you have the talent that’s fine….you have to know your team. I won’t even get into the ‘it worked’ or ‘it didn’t work’…that doesn’t matter to me…it was the call itself that bugged me…
Well, if we look at the situation then; The Eagles were driving the field really well, the offense was clicking at that point. And the Giants offense were not getting anywhere, giving Pederson reason to have faith in his defense (as he was right to have). So, all this talk about knowing your team and taking into consideration the flow of the game and all that.. Yea, I think Pederson did all that and he was right. He was also right in being aggressive. People keep saying that he should have punted since they were leading on the scoreboard. But Pederson acted as if they needed to score more points in order to win the game. And again; He was right about this too.
This 100%.
Whoa, dial it down. Nobody wants a completely honest coach, unless you don’t care about the team winning. Information is power, you can’t give it away free to other teams. As for his decisions, you are being over the top harsh on him.
I admit – his pressers are 10 times better than AR pressers. I don’t think they are over the top though. Unless you’re a NE coach – you’re going to get questioned…I didn’t ask for him to be fired. I do expect better(better based on my opinion :))
But if you agree with me that it’s a fools errand to listen to the pressers – um… why are you listening to the pressers?
GAH! you caught me. only because I wanted to hear what he had to say about that play because I knew he’d be questioned. I’d have more respect for him if he came out and said ‘listen, it’s an aggressive chance I took because I believe in the offense and defense’…instead of spewing stats — which means – he was already prepared for that question…
Just say no. mmmmm drugs are bad mkay?
Haha.
mmmkay….
We’re in first place and you are whining like a baby about our head coach. I’m not a huge Doug fan, but you sound like the guy who’s handed a $100 bill – no strings attached, and complains because it’s wrinkled and has a stain on it.
If we have a very successful season will you still kvetch about the coach? It seems as so.
again – I asked for constructive (see below what that looks like)
And I’ve said it a million times – listening to any athlete or coach in an obligated press availability is a fools errand. Period.
Amen!
going for it on 4th&8
Showed confidence in both the O and D;
first to get the 1st,
2nd that the D is good enough to do their job
Trust in your players goes a long way
Agreed. As I said below – that’s all he needed to say instead of spewing numbers.
Except his numbers were correct.
I disagree — see below. A lot of those 4-8 were time under 2 minutes. meaning, you have to go for it or you can go for it because time was on your side…wasn’t the case here…
It seems odd criticizing Pederson for the running game and in particular for not running Blount more, when the running game was very effective with Blount, Smallwood, and Clement. At the time, it seemed like they should have kept Blount in more but it was a 90 degree day and Pederson used a rotation that led to a very effective running game.
It seems to me that a lot of people were convinced that Pederson was going to be a bad coach when he was hired and now look for anything they can find to push that narrative and insist he is a bad coach.
Until DP wins anything — he’s open to all questions. I’m not giving him a pass because Eagles needed their longest field goal in history — or the Giants be inept at the goal line to win a game. Jury is still out — and to me – he still has not done anything to change my mind that he can handle play calling…
I’m with you and wanted him to give the play-calling to Reich this season with him focusing on being the head coach.
Apparently I’m not getting beat up enough…I thought the score was 14-0. was it 7-0(per the article)?
It was 7-0. Birds didn’t score their 2nd TD until the 3rd qtr.
I thought (and still think) it was a bad idea. I don’t care if it is an 18% or 33% success rate, the historical #’s are only part of the story. You are playing a team with a very good defense who has struggled to score for 2.5 games and is openly questioning their entire offense. Why risk giving them the ball at mid field and letting them get some momentum right before the half. It turned out OK (thanks the the Calvin Johnson rule), but it was still the wrong call.
I was also lukewarm on Doug and the jury is still out. I don’t think he should call plays, but I don’t think any HC should call their own plays. My logic is that if you are calling a certain play, by default you believe it will be successful. So, how can you then be unbiased in your evaluation of whether or not to go for it? Furthermore, I think the guy calling plays should be spending time with the QB and the different position groups when they are on the sidelines to talk about what they are seeing and make adjustments. But if you are the HC, you can’t just turn your back on the field while the Defense/ST’s are out there.
All that being said, I can see where it’s hard for guys like Chip, or McAdoo, or Kyle S, to give up the job that essentially landed them in the HC role in the 1st place.
Doug called plays for maybe half a season, so maybe he just wants to see what it feels like while he can. (sorry – cheap shot).
Careful — you’ll get lynched along with me…
Here is Brian Burke’s chart with the expected points of going for it in each situation.
Its numbers also say that going for it was the correct choice.
http://www.advancedfootballanalytics.com/index.php/home/research/game-strategy/120-4th-down-study
How awesome is that! Thank you. Quickest way to get the ‘right decision’ is to post the wrong decision and wait. ;). Just one question (because I know you understand those numbers faster than I do)…that chart of Points Values of 4th Down decisions — with 8 yards to go in red…is that show a value of 0 points value?
LOVE that they broke that down to exclude the 2 minute gray area of the end of the 2nd and 4th quarter…
I think there are plenty of reasons to be skeptical of Doug, and we should keep a critical mind. But I think the 4th-8 call is the wrong hill to die on. Too many people are operating under the assumption the it was never going to work, as the results happened to turn out, and that it guarantees points when it fails, as the results did not turn out. The math plays our with ~1/3 chance of converting, which all but guarantees points, while supplying 3 more downs to drain clock and deny the other team point. Failure gives the Giants an opportunity and a whole slew of defensive outcomes that don’t result in points. Math is right on the line for expected points, it was an aggressive call, but Doug has a specialist up in the booth and they were well aware of the math when they made to call. It wasn’t a wildly irresponsible gamble.
I agree with you aside from the 4th and 8 thing. Just due to the field position and the distance. It was insane to go there.
I will say I appreciate DP being ballsy. I appreciate that he is consistent. That tells you he has a plan and a philosophy. I really hope all the whiners have never praised his ballsyness. That is actually the only 4th down call he has made I have hated from the very start.
Totally disagree. Football isnt played in a mathematical vacuum. You have to take into account how the game is unfolding, who is the better team and many other variables. In this case, the Eagles had been dominant. A punt at that point virtually guarantees the lead at the half of a minimum of 7 points. A fourth down stop changes momentum, and has a very good chance of turning into points the other way (and remember, they did score except for the weird “going to the ground” rule). Also, the Giants were getting the ball after half time – so you risk giving up all the momentum and 2 scores without even seeing the ball. The prudent play given these circumstances is to punt the ball, try to get it back with time to kick a filed goal, but at a minimum demoralize the Giants by dominating them throughout the half.
Now, 4th and 8 with 2:36 seconds left in the first half where you are trailing, or your defense isnt stopping anybody or another set of circumstances is a different discussion. Football is a game of emotion and momentum and these charts just cannot reasonably take it into consideration – that is the job of the head coach. I dont care if the Eagles make that 4th down and win 75-0 – it was a terrible call.
I really don’t agree with you at all here on Doug overall, but I think it was a good conversation starter. I hated the call on 4th&8 because it was 8 yards, but I liked reading the mathematical reasons behind it.
I just think I want to see how much Doug can improve as the season(s) go on. I wouldn’t really want to make a move at HC unless Wentz was regressing or leveled at lower than his anticipated level.
When you stand in front of the press knowing everything you say will be printed and scrutinized by the public, your critics and your competitors, that’s a lot of pressure. You have medical information. You have info about what the team may do with IR status and replacement players. You have game plan info for the coming weeks. You can’t be completely transparent there. And frankly, sometimes you need to blow a little smoke.
Doug seems like he’s used to being a transparent guy. So I bet that particular spot is awkward to him. Some guys who are used to being more uhh… strategic might not be a strong enough word, but deceptive might be too strong..? But some guys who are used to being like that might be more comfortable in front of the press. Take Chip Kelly. Chip used to baffle the press from the podium. But he is nowhere near the pro coach that Pederson is. Chip never took the team in an upward direction where Doug already has.
Anyway, I wish people would get off of Doug’s case. And Carson’s. We’re in the division lead with an undefeated 2-0 start. We can win the division here! Go Eagles!
He only does what every other NFL coach does, and is expected to do.
“Wentz did not have a good day on third or fourth downs: 7-of-11 for 59 yards with only three conversions and a sack. That yardage total is inflated by a 12-yard gain on third-and-15 and a 13-yard gain on third-and-17.”
A lot of people like to talk about third downs. It’s true that they are often the difference between winning or losing, but they aren’t a skill or anything that can be replicated, any more than a coin toss can be replicated. Success on 1st and 2nd down is how you tell how good your team is. They correlate much better with future success.
http://www.footballoutsiders.com/quick-reads/2017/week-3-quick-reads
You touched on it, and I blame the early down issues as the major factor of trying to convert 3rd and 12 consistently. The giants did a great job early of putting us behind the sticks, but once the ground game got going- we seemed to do better.
Converting 4th downs helps as well.
Totally agree. Third down success is usually a good indicator of how well a team is playing, but it’s not causing a team to win by itself by any stretch of the imagination. Staying “on schedule” on first and second downs is huge.
(Though, don’t take this as an argument for supporting a high-percentage dink and dunk offense. I think it’s hard to win in the modern NFL without big play ability.)
Wentz just had a rough outing period. Maybe one day he will make the defenses that shut down other teams look bad. Sunday wasn’t the day.
The last part is very true. FO even says so them self when they breakdown teams who might improve. If the defense or offense is good on 1st and 2nd but bad on 3rd they often improved and the reverse is also true
I am shocked–SHOCKED, I tell you–that there is corruption in the NCAA!
whaaaaaat? But I swear it was just about being a wholesome celebration of amateur athletes! My world is shattered.
I wish we could get Marshall involved now. He’s never really disappointed in the few opportunities he’s had, and I like his speed and fluidity with the ball.
They may be looking for someone that can also be a returner. Losing Sproles hurts in several areas, more than just a straight RB.
True, but I’ve always wanted to see Marshall get a crack at consistent touches. Rashard Davis was only here a week, but he seemed to be a good potential returner.
Lol:
PFF has Eric Rowe graded 109th out of 109 cornerbacks this season. #fwiw
He best start Roweing!
Well that is humbling. Since I knew for a fact that getting rid of him was a shit move. Makes ya take a step back.
but then you read that PFF gave Wentz a grade of 70 vs Washington and 90 vs the NYG and you realize it doesn’t mean a whole lot.
Chris Collinsworth owns a majority share of it now, so I don’t understand how he gets to shill it on SNF without some kind of disclaimer.
Cris Collinsworth’s voice makes my blood run cold
It seems PFF and NBC have some kind of deal, so they’re comfortable with the shilling.
http://www.nbcsports.com/video/general/pro-football-focus
I guess BB disagrees. I’ll take the HOF coach
Justifications I’ve made to myself in recent years:
“I really liked Byron Jones, but Eric Rowe is just as good, and has more experience at CB!”
“Ha! Who is Demarco Laurence? Marcus Smith may not be great, but he’s better than Laurence.”
It’s really painful to see how well some recent Cowboy drafts have worked out.
I was surprised to see Laurence already has 7 sacks.
The Cardinals were doing their best to put him in the hall of fame last night.
I’ve lost all respect for PFF when they graded Tom Savage above Carson Wentz in week one.
I have zero faith in PFF’s grade (I mean Tom Savage was better than Wentz in week 1 according to them), but I still find this funny.
I’m probably in the minority here, but I’m excited to see what Smallwood and maybe even Clement can do with bigger roles and hopefully an O Line that’s improved. We’ve all made our judgments on these players, but the sample size is pretty limited. The NFL is all about opportunity and next man up. Obviously Sproles’ injury sucks, but it is what it is, and we’ll hopefully get an extended look at these guys.
Also, if we can start hitting that deep ball, these guys are going to look better anyway.
Smallwood is ok but this play also perfectly epitomizes why I’m not very high on him long term
https://twitter.com/fduffy3/status/912430526153265152
I’m not knowledgeable enough about the run game to have an opinion, but it’s weird that Fran paints as a positive what you feel is a knock. Is he just shining a turd? I feel like he could have just not highlighted that play if that were the case.
The effort is great Fran is correct.
The vision is awful. He runs right into Peters ass instead of taking on the S 1 on 1 in the giant hole immediately to his left. If he hits the hole it’s at worst a similar gain and possibly a TD.
C’mon mate. It was just one play. :-p
I remember watching that live and thinking “why didn’t he hit the big whole to his left?”
It looks like he was just playing out the run design. Going off the blocking scheme on this play he ran in the right direction, but you’re right that he did have the cutback lane there. More playing time should help him with that run instinct.
It’s a zone scheme, not a toss sweep or trap
The pic where he missed the hole (yet again) or the play where there were 17 white jerseys and he couldn’t find one to block?
See I thought I was in the minority really disliking Smallwood.
No, I want to see it as well. D3 may well be correct on Smallwood, but why not see?
THE NI GGER PAVEMENT APE SPROLES GOT WHAT HE DESERVED FOR PROTESTING.
Carson Wentz better pay up…
400 G. Lol…
I’d love to see Carson offer, Jake refuse and the money go to charity.
With a gesture like that, they would own Philly.
His base salary is 540k, so a game check is 540k/16 =33.75k
Didn’t shake on it.
Hell no.
Haha, Mikey Media (guy)… I was going to make a joke about Barner coming back and reality beat me to it. Ha just a workout, but the possibility is there.
Better than Mostert. Lol
YOU LIE!
Mostert was the GOAT
He looked great for the Niners this preseason and they kept him on the roster. I was pumped!
Yeah, it’s horrible.
Uh oh
https://twitter.com/caplannfl/status/912791353356103680
https://twitter.com/Astonia67/status/912793911352975360
I had a feeling of impending doom when I opened Twitter……
Beat me to the punch. I’m in LA but I still think I heard an angry sound like a violent champagne cork pop on the wind…
That was actually Howie’s office window breaking with a rock thrown through it.
lol!
This is truly vile. That bum got himself cut off of a last place team due to excessive fumbling all preseason. Now I have to see him here again??? HORRIBLE.
Can’t be worse than Smallwood/Clement.
Sudfeld
Bausby
Barner
Pederson = Bellichick
Don’t be surprised if we won’t see Cox back before the Skins game..
I’m hoping your predictions are only accurate while watching kids soccer.
NO TO NI GGER PROTESTERS. SPROLES IS DONE BECAUSE HE TRIED TO BE A TYPICAL NI GGER. I HOPE MORE OF THE PAVEMENT APES TEAR THEIR ACL.
Sorry Media Mike. Just heard the news.
Yeah, not ideal. But I couldn’t duck getting my stones broke over it.
I’ve got a good feeling that Barner will take at least two punt returns to the house this year!!
I have a feeling that his fumbles will exceed his PR touchdowns.
http://www.oregonlive.com/nfl/index.ssf/2017/09/ex-ducks_kenjon_barner_kellen.html
Since he is the new starter though he is gonna have to have more than 2 TDs, right?
That’s rude.
Sorry, Mike. I actually laughed when I read the news.
I really don’t want to open this can of worms again, but I really appreciated the work a lot of you put in with the protest conversation on the last article.
My nasty anti-Barner commentary aside, what does this signing tell you about how they view Marshall?
I was thinking about that too man. Doesn’t look good. I wonder what they don’t like about him that Barner is better at.
That he knows the Chargers playbook. And has PR experience.
Marshall is one of the highest paid PS guys in the league.
Marshall should be pissed though.
I figured they signed him as their primary returner. Barner looked good in that role a year ago in camp. I would be surprised if he got a lot of carries as a RB.
I think it just means that Barner was available and he > Marshall, as we have all seen.
Not enough is being said about Alshon Jeffery and the double coverage he gets!
Or the game winning catch.
Like the man said, “clutch.”
Is it sad that I miss Ryan Mathews?
Yes.
Why? When he was healthy he was a beast. He just doesn’t stay healthy.
The best ability is availability. “He just doesn’t stay healthy” = he’s not really a beast. However, I will say this…if you were to build your own RB like in Madden…it would basically be Ryan Mathews except his INJ would be 99.
A wounded animal wins fights sometime.
Pretty much. A better response to your comment would of been “The problem with Ryan Matthews is that you are always missing him” ba da um bum.
No. He would be their best RB this year even if Sproles was healthy.
rewatching hte game. That run by Wentz in the early second where he juked the crap out of a couple ppl was just sick.
Chance had some great push on some of those runs too
Long day at work. Saw Sproles on IR. Did I gather correctly that Barner was resigned? Has Media Mike had an aneurysm yet?
Is Sproles one of the best Eagles’ trades ever?
Peters as well
Eagles have now signed 3 players the week before they played a team.
Wonder how long the Eagles can employ this strategy.
Indefinitely. At most other owners could change the rules in the spring.
The only stipulation on any one of their signings was they had to keep Elliot spot on the 53 for 3 weeks because he was on another teams PS (which is the built in decentive to not poach other teams PS players just for data dumps)