Game Review – PHI 34, ARZ 7
Posted: October 12th, 2017 | Author: Tommy Lawlor | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | 150 Comments »The Eagles finally played a complete game. They played porous 2nd half defense in recent weeks, letting the Giants and Chargers make games closer than they ever should have been. That didn’t happen against the Cardinals.
The Eagles stormed out to a 21-0 lead and never let Arizona get closer than 21-7.
It had to feel good to coaches and players to see the team finally play a complete game and show what it is really capable of. The Eagles offense combined big plays and ball-control to pile up 419 yards and 35:47 of time of possession. The defense dominated Arizona until the 4th quarter, when it gave up some empty yards.
The Eagles were good, not great. You can’t ignore the fact that the Cardinals are a mediocre team right now. Still, I think it is a good sign when a team plays someone like that and puts them away early. Mediocre Cardinals teams have beaten the Eagles more than a few times in the past.
COACHING
Doug Pederson’s team got up so big so quickly that he didn’t have many crucial decisions to make. He punted in the 1st half on 4th/1, but was already up 21-7 and felt like the reward wasn’t worth the risk. Arizona was struggling to move the ball. Why help them out?
The offensive coaches had a nice gameplan. They stuck with the run, which was a bit of a question. Arizona had one of the better run D’s in the league coming into the game. The coaches used Kenjon Barner really well. You wouldn’t think that was the first game without Darren Sproles.
Jim Schwartz did some creative things on defense. He had Patrick Robinson play on the outside more than usual. He had Malcolm Jenkins cover Larry Fitzgerald a lot. Schwartz was nervous all week about the Cardinals speedy receivers, but the Eagles did a good job of not letting guys behind them. Part of that is on the players, part on the scheme. Arizona was forced to play small-ball and it hurt them. They only had one play all game that covered 20 or more yards.
PLAYERS
Carson Wentz played his best game of the season, going 21-30-304. He threw a career high 4 TDs. The only real negative was an INT he threw before halftime. Wentz was impressive because he was good in so many ways. He made terrific throws. He avoided pressure in the pocket and ran when he needed to. He used hard counts to get Arizona to show pre-snap blitz looks. Then he adjusted plays. They also jumped offside a couple of times.
Played great situational football. 11-12-225 on 3rd downs. Threw a pair of Red Zone TDs. At his best when the Eagles needed him to be.
Wentz had a clean pocket for much of the game and took advantage of it. He let his receivers get open and then got them the ball. There were times when he was pressured. He took some big hits. Got popped by blitzer on TD to Ertz, but focused on completing the pass. Showed his strength when he avoided sack by throwing the ball away with player holding onto his ankle.
Good touch throw to Burton for the early TD. Accuracy wasn’t ideal, but gave his guy a chance to make a play on the ball and that’s what Burton did. Read the play before the snap and went to Burton right away. Hit Torrey Smith for 59-yard TD. Put the ball where Smith could go get it. Hit Agholor for a 72-yard TD. That came on 3rd/19. Wentz and Agholor communicated before the snap so that must have been a look they were hoping for. Wentz showed good deep accuracy on that play and put the ball out in front of Agholor. Saw Barner vs LB outside in the 4th and threw to that spot. Barner drew PI flag on the LB. Smart to see that mismatch and to attack it.
Wentz ran 4 times for 13 yards before kneel-downs to end the game. Almost broke loose for a good gain, but was tripped up at the last second.
Biggest mistake came before halftime. Wentz forced a ball to Ertz, thinking it would be incomplete at worst. The FS made a great play and picked it off. The Eagles were up 21-7 and in FG range. There was no reason to force that ball. On the play just before that, Wentz forced a ball along the sideline that was almost picked. Had a bad moment in the early 3rd. Eagles had a 3rd down in the Red Zone and Ertz was wide open over the middle. Wentz made a terrible throw right into the ground. Looked like the ball got stuck in his hand or something. Should have been easy pitch and catch for 1st down.
Overall, an excellent performance.
RB
LeGarrette Blount was 14-74. Robbed of a late TD by holding call on Warmack. Long run went for 37 yards. I didn’t anticipate him delivering big runs like that on a regular basis. Continues to run hard and punish tacklers. Doesn’t go down on initial contact. Has good balance and forces teams to get him on the ground or out of bounds. Stays under control, which makes him hard to get down. Poor job of picking up blitz led to rushed throw and incompletion. Called for holding in mid-3rd. Wentz ran and rusher went to chase so Blount grabbed him. Was trying to protect his QB.
Corey Clement was 7-17 on the ground. No highlight runs or great moments. Caught a screen pass and turned that into a 22-yard gain. Looked good on that play. Best play of game might have been picking up blitzer on Agholor TD. Gave Wentz time to get the throw off.
Kenjon Barner was 5-23 on the ground. Got 16 of those when he ran a draw play on 3rd/17. Real good effort on that play to try and get the 1st. Showed good burst on a couple of runs. Drew PI flag on LB on 4th Qtr pass play.
WR
Nelson Agholor was 4-93-1. He had the reception of the year and the celebration of the year. Did his best DeSean Jackson impression in both areas. Lined up in right slot and just took off at the snap. Ran right by DB and got open deep. Had to fully extend for ball and then used some good moves to get by DB and in for the score. Stopped at the last minute, turned and did the Nestea Plunge into the end zone. Just a wild moment. Had a pass go right through his hands in early 3rd. Ball had some serious heat, but should have been caught. On the very next play, found a hole in the zone and caught a pass for a gain of 17. That was on 3rd/11.
Alshon Jeffery finished 3-31. Highlight moment came on opening drive. Knew Peterson was going to try to really jam him. Used a hard move at the snap and went by the jam and was wide open over the middle for the 1st down. Smart. Also helps AJ is big and strong. Caught a pass on 3rd down to keep a scoring drive going in the 2nd half.
Torrey Smith finally got his long TD. Made a good adjustment on the move and got the ball going across the field instead of just running vertical. Kept his balance and got the TD. Was 3-70-1 for the game.
Marcus Johnson caught a pass on 3rd/1 late in the half. Made the grab and got 6 yards on the play. Love the fact that Wentz was confident enough in his #5 WR to throw him the ball in a key moment.
Mack Hollins didn’t have any passes come his way, but he did have some good run blocks. Also set a nice pick on pass play to Ertz. Knocked the DB to the ground, but did so quietly. Just naturally big and strong.
TE
Zach Ertz had a great game. His numbers were good, but not special. I was impressed with how he played. 3rd/11 on the opening drive, Ertz is left with 3 WRs to the right. Man coverage. Just shoves the DB at the snap and gets clean release to the inside. Easy pitch and catch for Wentz. Good to see Ertz using his size and strength against a DB, who is smaller. Poor block on early RZ run by Blount. His guy made the tackle. Blount didn’t have time to get going. A better block there would have made a huge difference on the play. Outmuscled DB on 2nd drive to get open in the RZ. Just pushed him, caught the ball and then fought by other DB to get into the end zone. Finished the game 6-61. Had some RAC yards. Blocking remains highly erratic. Good at times, very bad at others.
Brent Celek did block well. Also caught 1 pass for 5 yards.
Trey Burton made his first big play of the year, catching a 15-yard TD from Wentz to open the game. Blew right by the defender and then made a good catch, just before getting to the sideline. Had some good in-line blocks in the game. Finished 2-16 as a receiver.
OL
Jason Peters remains a stud. Was dominant at times as run blocker. Not only can he move guys with his power, uses his athleticism to beat them with angles and finesse. Also very smart. Good job in pass pro. Had to battle Chandler Jones more than a few times and limited how much pressure he got. Peters did have one bad moment. Let rusher get free to the inside on opening drive and he sacked Wentz.
Lane Johnson only played half the game before leaving with concussion. He was excellent while in the game. Big V took his place for the whole 2nd half. Up and down showing. Had some good blocks, but looks a bit discombobulated at times. Can get sloppy with his feet and then grab. Gets off balance some plays. Just looks uncertain at times. A full week of practice at RT should help him.
Jason Kelce mostly was outstanding. Got run over in pass pro on opening series, but Wentz was able to throw the ball away. Good block of LB on screen late in the half gave Clement chance to get extra yards. Had some low snaps. Had a great play. Blocked 2 rushers on the Agholor TD. Engaged DL at the snap and then got a free hand on a blitzer and slowed him enough for Wentz to have clean pocket. Blown up by DT on run play and Clement was tackled for a loss. Kelce’s ability to move laterally and reach block is a big part of the Eagles run game. He still might be the most athletic C in the league.
Stefen Wisniewski played most of the snaps at LG. Good showing. Wiz had a great kickout block on screen late in the half that really opened up the play. Solid in pass pro and continues to help the run game with his athleticism.
Chance Warmack got on the field in the 2nd Qtr. Missed blitzing LB to he could go for DB. Always go inside out. Warmack did the opposite. Got away with holding on Barner’s 16-yd run. Wasn’t necessary, but Warmack just gets sloppy with his hands and grabbed the DL. Hugged him. Can’t do that. Wiped out Blount TD run by holding DT late in the game. Didn’t have to. Just panicked. Mr. Grabby Hands.
Brandon Brooks didn’t have many highlight plays, but once again was solid at RG. Called for holding in 2nd Qtr on run play. Ticky-tack call.
*****
DL
Vinny Curry had 4 solo tackles and a sack. Played the run very well. Shed TE and tackled RB for minimal gain on 2nd drive. QB hit. Shed LT and stuffed RB for short gain in early 2nd Qtr. Used a good rip move to beat the LG for a sack in the mid-2nd. Used good effort to tackle Chris Johnson from behind as he started to get loose at the LB level.
Brandon Graham had another solid showing. Got sack in mid-1st Qtr. Took hard inside slant and got free. Palmer was engulfed by pressure and fell. Graham was there to claim the sack. Called for facemask on 1st Qtr run. Sloppy hands. Used hard inside move to blow by the RT and get in Palmer’s face just after the ball left his hands in early 2nd Qtr. Had a great series in the early 3rd. On 1st down, slanted hard inside and got TFL of RB. On 2nd down, ARZ threw weird screen to Larry Fitzgerald and BG got TFL on that play as well. Cards gave up on 3rd down and dumped the ball off, then punted. Blew by the RG on 3rd down on next series and got tackled. Drew flag. 4 tackles, 2 TFLs, 1 sack.
Tim Jernigan had a strong game. No sacks, but hit the QB multiple times in the game. Got lucky on one that they didn’t call him for hitting the QB low. Got TFL when he blew up trap play late in 1st Qtr. Blew up 3rd Qtr run by pushing C out of his way and engulfing the RB for a loss. Feels like he has taken his game up a notch since Fletcher Cox’s injury. Doesn’t always make the tackle vs the run, but affects a lot of plays with his ability to penetrate as well as eating up blocks.
Beau Allen got the start and played well. Got pressure on multiple pass plays and was stout vs the run.
Derek Barnett still hasn’t got his first sack. Called for roughing in 2nd Qtr. Weak call. Blew around the LT and got his hands on Palmer. Pulled Palmer down while he was on the ground so Palmer ended up being cushioned by Barnett. Nothing remotely dirty or violent about that. Using different moves to get pressure, but hasn’t had that breakthrough moment.
Chris Long had a good game. He got pressure on 1st Qtr pass play and Palmer threw what should have been a pick. Tackled RB for no gain when Jernigan ate up blocks and gave the RB nowhere to go. Got pressure on QB on multiple plays in the 2nd half.
Justin Hamilton beat the LG and flushed Palmer from pocket n 4th Qtr pass play. Hustled in pursuit on quick passes.
Elijah Qualls played his best game of the year. Started to get some penetration in the late 3rd Qtr. Had solid hit on Palmer.
LB
Jordan Hicks had somewhat of a quiet game, finishing with 4 tackles. Did have one standout duty. Did a great job on 3rd and longs. Lined up deep, read the play and flew up to make the tackle. Ended 3 drives with his tackles. Blitzed on 3rd down in RZ and was unblocked. Hesitated for maybe half a second and that was all the time Palmer needed to throw a TD. Should have been getting hit as he threw.
Nigel Bradham played with a lot of energy. Led the team with 8 total tackles and seemed to be all over the field. No big plays. Seemed to be caught off-guard on end around that came his way. Made the tackle, but gave up 11 yards on the play. Got in on TFL in the mid-3rd. TE got behind him on 3rd/1 to open 4th, but couldn’t make the catch. Made good tackle of RB on 3rd/2 pass play in 4th. Got him down for no gain.
Mychal Kendricks had a quiet game. Only credited with 1 tackle. Got pressure on a blitz late in the half.
Kamu Grugier-Hill got to play some D late in the game. Flew around the field. Love his speed and energy.
S
Malcolm Jenkins played a lot in the slot, matched up against Larry Fitzgerald. Had tight coverage and broke up pass to him over the middle on 2nd drive. Hit RB as he tried to catch short pass on 3rd/3 and broke up the play. Covered well throughout the game. Credited with 4 solo tackles.
Rodney McLeod played well. There weren’t any huge plays and part of that is due to McLeod keeping things in front of him as much as he could. Came up to blitz in the early 2nd Qtr and knocked down pass right at the LOS. Came up and put hit on Fitz after short catch in early 4th. Cards wanted a penalty for a shot to the head. Made great play late in the game. Flew over to pylon as receiver was about to score and got a big hit on him, knocking the ball loose. It went out of the end zone so Arizona didn’t get the TD and even lost the ball to the Eagles. Love seeing McLeod give that kind of max effort when the outcome was already decided. Finished with 3 solo tackles, PD and FF.
Corey Graham had a role in the gameplan. Blitzed on 2nd series and got to Palmer just after ball was out. Chased and then tackled RB on screen pass in late 3rd. Great effort. Made diving attempt at INT on deep ball that P-Rob deflected, but couldn’t quite get there. Nothing crazy, but having him healthy lets the coaches move Jenkins around more.
CB
Patrick Robinson had a terrific game. 4 solo tackles and 3 PDs. Had chance for INT in the late 1st Qtr. Read play and jumped route. Just couldn’t hold onto the ball. Made a good play in zone coverage at end of 1st Qtr, switching receivers with another DB and then almost making the pick. Read routes well and was able to stick with receivers for much of the game. Had terrific PBU in early 4th on deep ball. Went up high and knocked ball away, almost to another DB. Ended a drive with physical tackle of WR after short catch on 4th/8. Missed tackle of receiver late in the game and almost cost the defense a TD.
Jalen Mills had a great opening series. Came down into the box and tackled RB for short gain on first play. Got a good break on the ball on pass to Fitz on 2nd down. Wasn’t credited with PBU, but affected the catch attempt. Hit receiver on 3rd down right as ball got there and it was dropped. Active, aggressive start. Had bad drive to start the 2nd Qtr. Gave up catch of 20 yards to open the drive. Got turned around on other play and gave up 13-yd completion to put Cards in the RZ. Beaten for TD at the conclusion of the drive. Didn’t play the route well. Dropped INT in the early 4th. Wasn’t easy and got hit by WR, but should have made the play. Credited with 4 solo tackles and 3 PDs.
Rasul Douglas was in and out of the lineup. Made good tackle of TE after short catch and run. Had sloppy coverage late in the half. Let WR get behind him, but extended at the very last second and got a fingertip on the ball to deflect it. Overran WR after inside catch late in the half and almost let the guy get loose. Was able to get his foot and put the guy on the ground.
Dexter McDougle got some snaps on defense.
*****
ST
KOR – Both were touchbacks.
PR – Kenjon Barner had a great game. Used good blocking to help him get 19 yards on first PR. Went for 76 on the next return. Did a great job of not tackling himself. Cardinals were horrible in coverage and missed a couple of tackles. Some returners almost panic and end up out of bounds or run out of control. Barner just kept working down the sideline until he got free and then headed for the other side of the field. Really great effort on his part. Probably ran 125 or more yards on that play. Finished with 3 PRs for 110 yards. Very elusive and did a good job of moving in traffic.
Donnie Jones – Averaged 43 yards per punt, with 1 inside the 20.
Jake Elliott – 2 of 2 on FGs. Some kickoffs were touchbacks. On other plays he aimed for the goal line and the Eagles covered those well.
MISC – Chris Maragos was around the ball a lot. Credited with 2 tackles. Malcolm Jenkins and Corey Clement combined for a tackle on KO. Trey Burton had a chance for a blocked punt late in the 1st Qtr, but was held. Did draw the flag. Joe Walker made a good tackle in punt coverage.
Eagles blocked a FG late in the half. Jenkins went hard to inside and got blockers attention. Patrick Robinson flew off the edge, unblocked, and got a piece of the ball. Great speed and effort on his part.
***
_
I hate, hate, hate that they let Jenkins field kickoffs.
Risky
“Rewardy” too…
Hopefully, that NI GGER JENKINS blows out an ACL.
I think he and McLeod have been doing that since last season.
“It had to feel good to coaches and players to see the team finally play a complete game and show what it is really capable of. ”
Yeah, I was calling for one of those. I’m glad we got it. Thursday night is going to be an old school 15 round championship fight.
“Lane Johnson only played half the game before leaving with concussion.”
Is there film of when/where this happened?
“Stefen Wisniewski played most of the snaps at LG.”
That needs to be “all” until whatever point Seumalo is playing again. I’m Warmacked out.
#complainswhentheteamiswinning
So I’m not allowed to agree with Tommy that Warmack = trash?
Never said that
No, but you broke balls over a commonly agreed upon view of Warmack some reason.
Have we met?
Justin Hamilton beat the LG and flushed Palmer from pocket n 4th Qtr pass play. Hustled in pursuit on quick passes.
https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/VZ4AAOSwpdpVVYvj/s-l300.jpg
So, obviously everybody is happy with this team so far, me too. But, I mean, can we talk about the one little thing. Jeffery. I understand he has been going against a murderers row of CBs so far. But. He doesnt seem to be getting open much. Or Wentz doesn’t seem to want to throw to him much. Or both. At this point, he is being outproduced by three or four other skill position players on this team. what does this mean exactly? He hasn’t been horrible, certainly. But he also has not looked anything like a WR1 in football. Just a big guy who can run and jump. Its crazy, but at this point you could make the argument that, through the first 5 weeks, we could have had Hollins in there and achieved the exact same results. He is getting paid 14 million this year for three catches and 35 yards a game or something. There is no way they are going to want to pay him that kind of money next year unless something changes significantly. Will he settle for less though? Is it the scheme here, the gameplan – will he want to go someplace else where they invision him as a focal point of the offense and can pay him accordingly? Its all very weird right now that he is the only player on that offense who is not really part of the mix.
I’d give it the year to make a determination on his value long term. I’d like more production out of him as well, but me wanting a 96 catch / 1400 yard / 8 TD WR1 doesn’t mean he’ll be 6-90-.5 each and every week.
But you’re right that it’ll be interesting determining his long term value if his stats stay the same over the full year.
Ya. lets see if he can get it going tonight. But at this point we are approaching the half way mark of the season. Its becoming a trend. Another intriguing scenario; what if he turns it on in the last three games or so? How much do they offer him then? This could become a pretty strained negotiation with is agent, where his side wants wr1 money even though his stats are horrible.
Decoy value is immense. There is only one ball and one receiver per down. As well, this is no longer a pass-happy team. As well, the only go-to receiver is Ertz. Would Marcus Johnson draw the best opposing CB? And, finally, what is the Eagles’ record?
Question: Is AJ getting the most attention from DC’s thus far? I’m asking because I haven’t been able to watch a whole lot. If the answer is yes, that might explain CW looking elsewhere. I agree that that would make Jeffery a hideously expensive decoy. But if Eagles win with that arrangement, DC’s will probably adjust and AJ will get less attention. It’s still early.
Wentz was forcing the ball to AJ in the first couple of games, even when other guys were clearly open. When the throws were on target, AJ couldn’t come down with them. (They were contested catches, of course, but that was supposed to be his strength…)
Luckily Wentz (or Pederson) seems to have learned a bit from that, and those forced passes have stopped. I agree that if this keeps up, AJ might have more opportunities later in the season.
[Also, AJ has been great on those quick slants where he just muscles in front of a defender to pick up a quick 7-10 yards.]
4 out of the first 5 weeks he was matched up against a 2015 or 2016 All Pro CB who was mostly following AJ around the whole afternoon.
Every preseason article seemed to emphasize that AJ does not get open in the traditional sense of the word, but is at his best adjusting to the ball in the air. DeSean is a WR that gets open via his speed, AJ gets open via his body position on the CB.
These CBs are All Pros because they have a combination of both great speed to go with their body position and ball skills.
It’s a long season.
Tonight could very well be AJ’s breakout game in 2017…
Is the goal to get everyone in the mix or is it to win games?
I really don’t understand the point.
The point is that Howie needs to keep cap management in mind while constructing the team for next year (and subsequent years). I have no doubt that Jeffery is helping the team by just being on the field, as he draws attention. The relevant question is whether Howie wants to pay $14M + for that going forward (assuming, for the sake of argument, that Jeffery’s stats stay on the same trajectory).
If he explodes down the stretch and puts up crazy numbers, he’ll be worth that contract somewhere in the league. IMO, if he stays at the current projection, he’s not. The tricky question will be if he pulls an Ertz and has a great three game stretch in December, but otherwise stays with the current projection. Do you pay him like a #1 for that?
I’m biased against it, because I think #1 WRs (for sake of argument, guys in the top 10ish at the position) are overvalued. I think that this team shouldn’t tie up a ton of cap space at WR – there are better places to put that cap space. But it is certainly debatable.
Sure thing, but it’s week 6 of the season or whatever, cap management and roster decisions on that level is for the offseason.
Both?
Why?
If a team wins the superbowl, does it count less if there wasn’t a fairly even distribution of touches/passes? I say hell no.
I guess I’m just too much of a bottom line guy, but for me, the goal is only to win.
He was never a top-tier WR, just way better than anything we had.
His performance is also down from the rest of his career:
12.3 Y/C vs 14.8 career
52.6% catch, lowest since rookie year
49 yards/game vs 72 yards/game career
Doug’s balanced playcalling, Wentz’ connection with Ertz, and Ags’ good play all make it less likely AJ’s going to be the focal point of the offense. I would speculate he is being schemed against by the opposing defenses, too, since he’s still the most dangerous target.
I wish I had access to the All 22 but he doesn’t look like the focal point of the offense. He has been more of the black sheep that takes on the #1 CBs and let others take the spotlight. We’re not confusing the duo of Wentz/Alshon for Stafford/Megatron despite paying him to be something close to it. Production matters and he’s struggling to do that.
I have WR as a need if Alshon doesn’t step up. If he can’t put up decent numbers down the stretch then he’ll either bet on himself again next year or he’ll have to give us a discount to stay here if we make a good run this year.
“Eagles Film Review: Alshon Jeffery’s Hidden Impact”
http://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/sports/csn/eagles/Eagles_Film_Review__Alshon_Jeffery_s_hidden_impact-449792493.html
Eagles targeted Jeffery plenty the first 2-3 games, even when others were wide open. Meaning he is opening up the field for others. He’s plenty important.
My main disappointment is that he hasn’t come down with the 50-50 balls at all. But it’s still a pretty small sample size — we will see how the season goes.
I think we will hit on those 50-50 balls soon. This team is just gelling. Took time to hit the deep passes as well.
This best part of the season so far is that we haven’t had all the pieces on D and on offense we are doing good while still leaving plenty of plays on the field. We still went 4-1.
I doubt anyone is shadowing Hollins with their CB1. Jeffrey affects the defense by just being there. Do you want to see Agholor taking on CB1s again? Because it was pretty tragic for 2 years.
I find this interesting, actually. Do you think they would cover Torrey Smith with their no. 1. CB then? I dont see that. I also dont see them sending their cb1 into the slot either. So ya, who knows what would happen. Im not saying that Hollins is as good as Jeffery, of course not. But he is paid nothing. Jeffery is paid 14 million. Thats the price of a Patrick Pederson or a Fletcher Cox or an Earl Thomas or a Joe Thomas. Or an Antonion Brown, for that matter. The difference between Jeffery and Hollins should be huge, like game-deciding huge. Does it feel like it would be?
Game review – DD came in on with fire in his eyes. CC turned the clock back. Gardner gave an energizing turning point. Game, set, match. NEXT.
I believe I speak for everyone here when I say “Eff the Yankees”.
I’m proud I had no clue what that meant…
I deduced it.
I wish you had that time spent back….
don’t hate.
meh. I didn’t say “Hate eff the Yankees.”
ok, I won’t say – don’t hate. Don’t be jealous.
Why would I be jealous of the Dallas Cowboys of Major League Baseball?
I hate the Yankees, and will continue to. And I will most certainly hate on Yankee stuff being posted on an Eagles website.
No hate toward you though.
I’m barely even a baseball fan though…
There was a time, years ago, I could tell you who’s who in the Yankee clubhouse. Probably identify most of their girlfiends/wives as well. Today? I couldn’t name their roster. I’m not the baseball fan I use to be…
3 minutes of action in 3 hours of tv time.
and way too many games
A compressed NFL game can be watched in like 15 minutes. The broadcast – 2.5 hours.
Every game has it’s own pace.
So, 10% action vs 1.6% action… Seems about right. I’ve just never been able to get into baseball. To each his own.
As an aside, we’re probably looking at the last generation of wildly paid live sports superstars and fans. The era of Twitch is upon us as we finally catch up to the Koreans.
I completely understand not liking baseball. It’s a great game for kids, I think you need to be exposed to it as a child.
Football, on the other hand, really isn’t a particularly good kids game. (on an organized level, that is -nothing beats a pick up game on fall night) Too much complexity and strategy.
I believe you are correct.
“You wouldn’t think that was the first game without Darren Sproles.”
You definitely wouldn’t, because he got hurt against the Giants. I suppose it’s hard to be too critical, Barner was pretty invisible against the Chargers.
It’s still early in the season but lets talk about our one year deals so far. Who do you resign? A quick reminder of who are on one year deals
Alshon
Allen
Blount
Bradham
Graham
Goode
Jernigan
Means
Robinson
Watkins
Warmack
Alshon – Yes
Allen – Probably not unless price is right
Blount – Probably not unless draft does not yield a RB
Bradham – No, I think Kendricks can take his place in Nickel and a rookie, or guy on the roster can replace his production. Not sure how you can pay a guy who will be 29 a lot of money who is average. If Kendricks is traded or cut, then Yes.
Burton – Yes
Graham – No
Goode – No
Jernigan – Yes, unless he wants top 10 money.
Means – Already under contract for next year.
Robinson – Yes
Watkins – No
Warmack – Already under contract for next year.
Using Dave’s list as a starting point…
Jernigan – Top priority. He is a legit young stud. He and Cox will lock down the middle fur years to come.
Alshon – Yes
Allen – Will likely get starter money elsewhere.
Blount – Maybe, but only cheap, and not until options are explored.
Bradham – “If Kendricks is traded or cut, then Yes.” Agreed. And if he wants 6 Million then no. For the right price, though, he is a solid veteran with the right attitude, so 3-4 million, yes.
Burton – Hopefully…but not for a fortune.
Graham – Yes. He is much better than we give him credit for.
Goode – No. JAG
Robinson – Not for starter money, and he might get offered starter money.
Watkins – No. JAG
Nate Allen?!
Beau, I assumed.
Lol.
How is Corey Graham better than we give him credit for?
Granted, while Brandon is signed for 2018, that is his last year (and non-guaranteed). He could be in line for an extension this offseason.
Dammit. You got me.
I edited it.
I’m still on the fence for Alshon. It’s a TBD for me.
Allen – Doesn’t seem like the guy to chase money but I said the same for Bennie last year.
Blount – I’m down to see how much he wants. He’s the best of the trio we have right now and gambling on who’s available in the draft is too risky.
Bradham – Again it comes down to the money and who’s available. Our LBs developing behind him haven’t given us any reasons to believe we’ll let him go without an offer.
Burton – No, just a tease and ST player.
Graham – No.
Goode – Has been a decent backup so maybe.
Jernigan – Easily yes, he has shown that he’s very on par with top 10 DTs.
Robinson – Probably not unless he’ll be cheap. I don’t see him starting at all next year even if he is resigned.
Watkins – Yes. We don’t have the ammo to draft more DBs and there are much worse backups out there.
Alshon – yes, will be a $$$ question though.
Blount – no. He will be done.
Bradham – yes
Jernigan – FT candidate
Robinson – yes
Warmack – already signed a one year extension.
Don’t think Jernigan will be happy with a FT. Just pay the man.
Franchise Tag for DT was about $14 mil this year. Probably will be $15-16 next year, so not sure that’s an option anyway.
Good to know.
Jernigan is the only one who I think is a critical piece.
After that, Allen, Bradham, Burton and Robinson are maybes depending on the money involved.
Alshon hasn’t shown me enough yet to warrant the kind of money he’s probably going to be looking for next year.
Means and Warmack already got a one year ext
Jernigan- Give the man his money
Alshon- I think you try but given where his play is right now hard to see a $ common ground
Robinson- 2 year deal not big money something like 2/8/6guaranteed he can be the old head in the CB room
Bradham/Burton/Allen- I think you let all 3 shop themselves and hope there is a weak market. Starting quality LBs can usually be found for pretty cheap in FA. Backup DT/TE can be replaced without a ton of draft resources. I think you’d like them back but the $ has to make sense.
No to the rest
If they can keep Jernigan, I don’t think Beau comes back; and Timmy has proved to be worth the money so far in this defense. The only problem might be allocation of cap usage to the DLine, but finagling Curry’s contract could free some of that up.
Alshon is worth $10m a year in this offense; hopefully he doesn’t want $12m- I’d pay it just for the coverage role, and I think he and Wentz will get on the same page.
With Celek leaving- Burton comes back. Probably at $4m per year for 4 years with $10m guaranteed. The TE market is outrageous, so I think we can get a slight discount for a guy that Wentz values.
That’s way too much for Burton. He can leave if he wants that much.
I thought so too, but check out the TE market. It’s a lot higher than you think.
http://www.spotrac.com/nfl/contracts/tight-end/
It’s the same as what they are paying Celek this year, and Burton will be a bigger factor in the offense going forward.
He’s not that valuable to us which is what matters the most. I doubt he gets a bigger role in the offense, Hollins offers an identical set of skills.
Without Alshon, I see Torrey, Ags, and Mack Hollins as average to below-average receivers. I want to see Wentz have every opportunity to succeed. Unless Alshon wants to test the market and go to the highest bidder, I think something can and should get done (barring injuries).
Although Ags season has been refreshing, the the fact remains that he still is the #3 receiver with the slot being the easiest position to replace via the draft. He will be in his final year next year and there is no way I’d tender him with a 5th year option.
I think we’re going to sink more draft picks into WR this year. Just a hunch.
I’m expecting Timmy to get around 4yr/44m/25m guaranteed. That’s a lot of dough but worth it.
IMO, Robinson and Corey Graham will be victims to Howie’s youth movement .
I think Bradham might be part of that as well but might be harder to do without knowing options ahead of time.
I think Beau’s fate is in the hands of how Hamilton will play. I think he stays though.
Burton will likely get replaced by a TE that can block better and plays ST as well.
Jernigan — I think may be a priority. Curry could well be a casualty to pay for it.
Alshon — I think we try pretty hard, but it will depend on the $$$. And how well he does the rest of the year. We need a #1 WR from somewhere, and doubt that will be Agholor. But he could get some big offers if he does well and may be hard to keep.
Allen — maybe but only if backup money. I think they have Qualls/Hamilton positioned to replace him.
Blount — that may be tough. I think they would prefer a back in the draft but you’d have to make the Blount call before then. Doubt we pay him significant money but could pay him in the same range if that works out. Guessing he’s gone though.
Bradham — We will need either him or Kendricks. Probably too hard to pay both.
Burton — probably, if he gets no significant offers elsewhere.
Goode — may well stick around as a backup
Robinson — probably gone, assuming he gets significant offers. I think Darby/Jones are set to be the starters, so we won’t need him on the outside. He’d be good in the slot, but we have other candidates there as well, and we may go youth unless it’s a relatively cheap deal. Could see the veteran presence being worth something, but impossible to tell from outside.
C.Graham / Watkins — doubt they are going to get offers from elsewhere, so could sign for a year again and let him compete against draft picks. S/CB versatility is Watkins’ biggest plus, but you also hope someone else better comes along.
“Jernigan — I think may be a priority. Curry could well be a casualty to pay for it.”
Wouldn’t casualty imply we’re upset he’s gone?
Yes – Alshon, Burton, Graham, Jernigan, Means
No – Allen, Blount, Bradham, Goode, Robinson,
HELL NO – Watkins
Stuck with – Warmack
I’m a little torn on Alshon at the moment. Going to be tricky, if he keeps on at this rate, he is a guy that gets the defense’ attention to help the offense, but not a lot of production so he should be affordable. But I do really want him to put out #1 numbers, and then pay him #1 money.
I guess for me it comes down to how much he produces vs how much he’s asking for. But we don’t have anyone else that comes even close to looking like a #1 WR, and I wouldn’t count on any rookie to be a #1 WR, even if he was drafted in the first round. So I guess re-sign Alshon. :-/
Or we can just get Allen Robinson on a one year for 2018!
that will be the new thing, just giving a new person a 1 year prove it deal every year from here on out
Well, if somebody want’s 5 / $80 mil…………it damn well need to be proved.
Alshon – Doubtful. They’ll probably let him test the market and see if they can match.
Allen – Invest in your D-line, including the backups. Allen has been a surprisingly good backup. Keep.
Blount – See Alshon. Doubtful, but door won’t close until someone else is willing to pay him something exorbitant. Also depends on the draft really. They might try to keep him around until they see where they are with RBs after the draft.
Bradham – Depends on the confidence in the backups and what the LB market looks like in FA. If the LB market is going to be thin, sign him early.
Burton – Yes. Celek, sadly, is in his last year as an Eagle.
C.Graham – No.
Goode – No. JAG. May come back at low cost but will always be fighting for a roster spot.
Jernigan – Pay the man. PRIORITY. Sign him now.
Means – Maybe.
Robinson – Yes, but he should rent not buy. He may want to test the FA market, so it may not be an option.
Watkins – No.
Warmack – Better show serious improvement or he won’t make roster next year despite the extension.
Everyone seems to be forgetting that this is Wentz first year throwing to NFL wide receivers. The bigs plays are coming and will be more consistent soon. Alshon will get more looks too once he snags a few of those jump balls to increase confidence.
If you don’t subscribe to the Athletic (which I would highly recommend), this is an example of what you are missing. It’s good to have Sheil back covering the Eagles
https://t.co/xU1OfGrbxe
Not sure if they want you sharing for free, but yeah, it’s freakin awesome. Peters….psh….
That was a free article that they posted; you can’t share subscriber links.
How anon can I make my registration and commenting? Any bans / rules on comments on the articles?
I’m a little concerned that you feel the need to ask.
I like the google commenting platform and enjoy working off-color.
Please report back if you figure it out. I’ll consider subscribing just to watch you incite riots.
The Iggles Blitz cheer for today:
Tommy, Tommy, hear us say:
We want Gameday, Gameday, Gameday.
Meanwhile, I’m in the ER waiting to get an appendectomy. I’m probably going to miss the game tonight. The appendix is proof that there’s no such thing as intelligent design.
If you’re in ER…spontaneous rupture? Good luck.
“Intelligent design,” that’s good. Sorry to hear about that, though. I’ll miss the game too, at work.
I hope the birds explode on offense like your appendix just did.
Seriously tho good luck with the surgery. Hopefully a win speeds up the recovery process. Cheers
Unintelligent design maybe. Hope the surgery goes well.
But the greatest challenge to intelligent design is the human brain.
Good luck with the surgery.
Good Luck.
You do understand that if we win tonight we will expect you to have a small piece of you intestine removed every Thursday night game, don’t you?
Best of luck.
Good luck, brother. Eagles win one for you.
Good luck with le appendectomy le Sean.
I’m thinking this game will be on the shoulders of the offense, special teams. I would love to see unrelenting pressure on Newton, but he can deliver the ball in a hurry, and he’s got power forwards impersonating WR’s. Our DB’s will be better off quick to the ball than glued to the man. With the TE, those guys resemble an NBA front court.
Eagles are good at sacking mobile qb, Hicks, kendricks are good at spying qb and tackling if he leaves pocket.
He can do damage from the pocket too. Our best defender tonight may be #11.
Doesn’t really feel like game day does it?
I’m up for it, but I have to miss the game. I’ll be playing guitar in the corner and might be able to see bits of it on the TV. Looks like the line is at 3, which means no one has any idea which team is better.
Nice, what kind of band do you play in? Or is it a solo act? 😉
Solo classical, flamenco, and Brazilian guitar. Elegant background music while people are eating and drinking 🙂
Interspersed with the Eagles fight song after touchdowns, right?
I need to add that to my repertoire!
You must upload a sound file of the Eagle’s fight song in classical, flamenco, and Brazilian guitar.
Yes!
Don’t even try to make it elegant, just go full on drunk fan mode fight song.
I told you guys about the time I had to play it even though I didn’t know the song. I need to get that one down!
Does your troupe know Fly Eagles Fly?
It’s almost too good to be true, and hopefully a good game as well.
It does- I’m stoked.
Any reason I can find to stay up late on a Thursday and skip homework, I’m game.
EAGLES! Stoked.
4-1 v 4-1.
See how good birds are.
The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals has vacated Ezekiel Elliott’s temporary injunction, thereby reinstating his suspension, though Elliott is expected to immediately file a new appeal.
In the words of the Dallas Morning News’ Katie Hairopoulos, the NFL “wins this round,” but Elliott will seek a new injunction from the Southern District of New York. It’s unclear what his odds are of getting it. At least for now, Elliott’s six-game suspension is free to take hold, but things could be different by this time next week. The Cowboys are on bye for Week 6. In a league prone to opaque legal sagas, Elliott’s is setting a new standard. If Elliott’s suspension actually does take hold for Week 7, Alfred Morris and Darren McFadden would likely form a committee. Morris is probably the slightly better add. The truth is, there is zero clarity
I have Morris. Anyone think I can extort someone into giving me something good for him? I would love to get back a good wr.
Worth a shot! All they can say is no right? Any Cowpoke fans in your league? That may be your best shot.
Yeah, I have one Cowboys fan who has garbage at his second RB spot. I already sent him an email asking if he wants to trade me Julio Jones (because he is always injured ;)) for Morris. But I doubt that will happen. He also has DeSean. Do you think Morris for DeSean is worth it or would I be better off holding on to Morris and seeing what he does?
The other option is the guy who has Elliot (who is 1-4 and may be desperate. He has Davante Adams and Devin Funchess.
I’d probably offer that if your current rbs are strong without Alf. I have Desean….he’s been kinda inconsistent but always the threat of going off with one big play. If you got Alfred for free then that’s not a bad trade.
Morris is available in my league. Would grab him, but it would violate my first rule of FF, No Cowboys on my team.
Update: Federal Appeals Court Allows Elliott’s Suspension
Appeals court ruled that Elliott’s preemptive lawsuit in the federal court in Texas, filed *before* his appeal of the suspension was decided, did not satisfy the Constitution’s “case or controversy” requirement in Art. 3, Sec. 2.
In order to have a “case or controversy,” there must be concrete — i.e., existing — dispute. Not a speculative dispute that *may* result, depending on what *could* possibly happen.
So Elliott’s out for 6 games.
Now, let’s see Dak do it . . . the way Wentz has to.
Factors into the first Eagles game as well…………!
That does seem to be splitting hairs on a major technicality, since the suspension was upheld shortly thereafter. Presumably now he could file again though, and no reason the lower court wouldn’t issue a stay on the suspension under the same grounds as before, right? Maybe he has to sit a game before that works itself out?
Case won’t likely be before the same idiot Cowboy fan district judge in Dallas who misapplied the Brady case ruling.
This is what I was thinking. Sounds like the judge didn’t rule on the injunction, only the timing, so Zeke should be able to refile.
RIGHT!!!
Not sure losing his 3.7 yards/attempt is exactly going to break the offense.
It’s going to break my already fragile lineup in fantasy tho 🙁
I actually drafted mcfadden in the 15th rd and kept him on my roster just for this moment
Wasn’t Alfred an integral part of our lean years v Washington?
I’d MUCH rather game plan for Alfred or DMC than their best offensive weapon.
To boot, we don’t have to watch Zeke on Thanksgiving day.
See ya later Zeke. And while you’re gone the fraud detection department will be exposing Dak.
I tried to read through all the legal ramifications of this on nfl.com, gave up, came here looking for ACViking analysis, was not disappointed.
It’s upsetting that he can still weasel out of his suspension after all this. What a circus.
Fwiw, id rather BEAT HIM TOO
Interesting Wentz analysis. http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/20962567/carson-wentz-philadelphia-eagles-2017-nfl-breakout-why-quarterback-here-stay
I saw this earlier, thank you for posting it. And does this mean I can’t hate Barnwell anybody for being an Eli fluffer?
Sure, at least until Wentz has a bad game.
Cox officially active. Might just be emergency depth but encouraging. Would be huge if he could play starters minutes, especially with a backup at center. push up the middle is exactly what we need to slow Cam down.
IT’S EAGLES AT CAROLINA, DUMBFUCKS!!!!!
Well, feeling like this one is 50-50. Using my advanced predictive method, flipping a standard US quarter. Head declaring victory. Tails declaring defeat.
The result is tails. Which has an Eagle on it.
Results are unclear.
You’re not helping.
The game only appears to be a 50-50 proposition. It’s more likely that one of the teams is significantly better, or at least favored in this matchup. However, we don’t have that information. We’ll be closer to having that information after the game. So maybe you should bet after it’s over.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5hfYJsQAhl0
Guess I missed the pre game that was Eagles centric on the natl coverage…
Game day thread up: http://igglesblitz.com/2017/10/gameday-phi-at-car/#disqus_thread