Can the D do it?
Posted: February 1st, 2018 | Author: Tommy Lawlor | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | 215 Comments »
There is a lot of talk about Bill Belichick against Doug Pederson. Who will out-scheme the other one? I actually feel pretty confident in the Eagles offense. The OL is playing well. The skill players just had a terrific showing. Nick Foles had a great game. The coaches have proven time and again that they can put together a great gameplan. Beyond that, they can also adjust on the fly.
I think the Eagles will move the ball. I think they’ll score points.
Can Jim Schwartz and his defense stop the Patriots? That’s what has me nervous.
The Eagles defense has been outstanding so far, allowing just 17 points in two playoff games. You have to go back to the 2002 Bucs to find a defense that stingy with postseason points. They gave up 6 in the Divisional round to SF and then 10 points in the title game to some team up north. The Bucs built a 34-3 lead in the Super Bowl before allowing the Raiders to score some in the 2nd half. The final in that game was 48-21. The Bucs scored 3 defensive TDs in the win.
The 2000 Ravens were even better. They had to play four playoff games. They gave up 3, 10, 3 and 7 points in those games. That is 23 total points! That defense wasn’t tested by great offenses mind you, but that is still amazingly good defense. That’s truly special. The Ravens did score one defensive TD in the Super Bowl and won the game 34-7.
Based on those situations, you can argue that the Eagles should feel really good going into Sunday. The Ravens faced a middle of the pack Giants offense, but the Bucs beat the Raiders, who led the league in yards and were second in points. To be fair, Oakland was missing its starting C Barrett Robbins due to a bizarre mental health issue the day before the Super Bowl. Tampa also had the advantage that coach Jon Gruden had just come over from the Raiders and knew that team inside-out.
I don’t see the Eagles shutting down the Patriots. If the defense can limit them, that gives the guys in green a great chance to win this game.
The problem for me is trying to figure out what Schwartz will do. He loves to play man-to-man defense and leave his FS deep to eliminate big plays. If the Eagles do that, it means Rob Gronkowski gets a lot of single-coverage. That’s a big advantage for the best TE in the league. If you double Gronk, then your corners are one-on-one and you have to really worry about double moves. Brandin Cooks could eat the Eagles alive with the sluggo.
Most likely Schwartz is going to mix his defenses up, playing both man and zone, doubling Gronk and then asking someone to single-cover him, blitzing and playing back. Schwartz will adjust as he sees what is working and how the game is playing out. If the Eagles have the lead, you take fewer chances. If the Eagles need a big play, you roll the dice.
I fully expect the Pats to run an up-tempo attack. They will try to wear down the Eagles DL, especially Fletcher Cox. If you watch late in the Atlanta game, he got a bit tired. The Pats may run a lot of screens in the game, knowing that Cox hustles after the ball and will chase plays. Better to have him running after Danny Amendola in the 1st quarter than Tom Brady in the 4th quarter.
I think the Pats will also see that the Eagles LBs are vulnerable. You want Najee Goode or Dannell Ellerbe on the field as the MLB so you can attack him. You also want Mychal Kendricks dropping back in man coverage. A shifty RB like Dion Lewis could give him fits.
Of course, all this goes out the window if the Eagles can beat up on the Pats. Cox is a beast inside. Tim Jernigan and Beau Allen can be bullies. Brandon Graham and Vinny Curry are physical DEs. The Eagles corners will hit and tackle. Malcolm Jenkins is a tough DB. Nigel Bradham and Kendricks can be physical LBs. Beating up on NE is easier than it sounds, but it can help you to beat them on the scoreboard.
*****
We’ll talk more about some possible defensive wrinkles in the next couple of days.
Is this the slowest week ever?
*****
Speaking of Schwartz, Paul Domowitch wrote a fantastic piece on him. The focus is on Schwartz’s path to becoming a coach and his time will Belichick in Cleveland.
“You name it, I did it,” he said. “When I first got there, I was driving people to the airport. I was making cigarette runs for secretaries. It was anything.
“But with Bill, as soon as he found out you had some acumen, that you could do a job [well] — for me in particular, Nick Saban [Belichick’s defensive coordinator in Cleveland] had found out that I had actually coached before. You do a good job with one thing, they give you a little bit more [to do].
Bill still thinks highly of his former pupil.
“I can’t say enough good things about Jim,” Belichick said this week. “He’s one of the smartest people I know. When he worked for me in Cleveland, he could handle an infinite number of things at the same time. He had a great ability to multi-, multi-task.
“He was a really smart, hardworking kid. Had good judgment and a good personality. We all learned a lot from watching him do his job. You couldn’t give him too much. I have a ton of respect for Schwartzy.
“We had a lot of talented people there in Cleveland. But I would certainly put him up there in a pretty high category. He didn’t have as much responsibility as people like Nick [Saban] or Ozzie [Newsome] or [offensive line coach] Kirk Ferentz. But he did a great job. What we accomplished in Cleveland, he was a big part of that.”
If you love coaching stories like I do, that’s must-read material.
Schwartz is extremely competitive. You know he wants his defense to play well and to help him beat his former mentor in the biggest game of his coaching career.
*****
Here is your Wednesday practice report. Keep in mind that beat writers don’t have access. There is a pool reporter for each team. For better or worse, someone is chosen who doesn’t cover the team on a regular basis.
Doug Pederson’s team looked relaxed, but focused as players returned to work for the first time during Super Bowl week. Quarterback Nick Foles delivered quick, crisp passes to Nelson Agholor and Torrey Smith to start the session, and from there, the offense rolled. Everything was humming for the first half of practice, even the Eagles’ D.J., who managed to seamlessly transition from Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” into James Brown’s “Living in America.” Then, right at 3 p.m., the music died down, the scissor lift used to record practice lowered to the ground, and players and coaches began filing out of the facility.
For 30 minutes, the room fell almost silent as the Eagles simulated a halftime break, save for the intermittent sounds of footballs being tossed around by a few staffers, injured starting quarterback Carson Wentz and executive vice president of football operations Howie Roseman. All that was missing was the boy-band falsetto of Justin Timberlake, the Super Bowl LII halftime performer.
“I think it’s important that the guys get it in their minds how much time that is,” Pedersen explained after practice, which ended later than expected due to the midway break. “We’re normally working on 13-, 14-minute halftime and now it’s twice as long and guys’ bodies cool down. So I want to make sure they understand that we have to go in, we’ve got to stay focused, but at the same time we can refuel and kind of recharge. Coaches can coach and then get our guys warmed back up to come back out. So on Sunday they know exactly what they can do.”
The halftime simulation was a one-time thing reserved for the first practice of the week. And it served its purpose. The second half of practice was anything but smooth. “I thought it was a little sloppy, which is good, because this is something that I can address in our meetings tonight,” Pederson said. “Again, it’s another teachable moment so we’re not doing it on Sunday.”
The Eagles conducted practice as though it was a regular Wednesday at their NovaCare Complex, focusing on first- and second-down situations primarily. “This is just like we were back in Philly,” the coach said.
Smart move by Pederson to simulate the longer halftime. This is something you deal with now so it seems less crazy on Sunday.
Jernigan did miss practice due to illness. Let’s hope he’s 100 percent by Sunday.
_
My biggest concern isn’t the Pats north and south passing attack, it’s what they like to do with their quick wideouts and rb’s going east and west. They love nickle and diming you to death with those quick outs, and I’m not sure we have the speed to keep up with them.
Aside from the horrendous goal line call, the main reason the Seahawks lost that superbowl is because none of their linebackers could stick with the running backs on short routes. I think Shane Vareen had like 12 catches for 100 something yards in that game by himself.
I’d argue the main reason Seattle lost is that Cliff Avril and a CB or two got hurt mid-game.
I’ve seen Nick Foles throw seven touchdowns in a game. Tom Brady doesn’t scare me.
I agree that the Patriots’ offense is a much bigger concern than the defense. I think we can move the ball and score points on them. Stopping them is going to be the hard(er) part. My random defensive thoughts:
(1) It will really help if we can force them into some three-and-outs early on. We need our guys to stay fresh in the second half. Keeping the pressure on Brady is imperative.
(2) We need the DL to ball out. Not profound I know, but everyone needs to bring their “A” game. If the Giants could do it in 2007, against a far more formidable Patriots offense, this team can do it.
(3). I know everyone says blitzing Brady is foolish, and generally I agree, but I don’t think Schwartz should hesitate to dial up one or two creative blitzes he might not have put on film yet if he has any in his pocket. He needs to mix up his coverages too. The Patriots will kill you if you get predictable.
(4) One or two turnovers wouldn’t hurt. This would be a great game for a Long strip sack or a Darby route jumping pick.
(5) I don’t think we’ll see Ellerbe outside of goal line situations. If the Pats want to run two TE or two back sets, I’ll fake my chances trying to stop them with the big nickel.
(6) Cannot afford missed opportunities in this game. Can’t have big defensive plays wiped out by penalty, dropped interceptions, or missed tackles when we have a chance to get a guy down short of the sticks. I hope Nigel Bradham bought some stickum for this game.
I was thinking the same with Ellerbe. The Pats would find any receiver and just murder him in pass coverage.
I also have faith that our front 4 can contain their run game. Their OL is pretty uninspiring this year.
“(2) We need the DL to ball out. Not profound I know, but everyone needs to bring their “A” game. If the Giants could do it in 2007, against a far more formidable Patriots offense, this team can do it.”
Both the 2007 and 2011 Giants teams are bullshit compared to the 2017 Eagles. New England is still New England, but I’m glad they’re not infallible.
I’m confident in the Eagles running game. This will open up the RPO and pass in general, and they will be able to control the clock. I think Brady will dink and dunk and maybe get a few broken coverages in the game, but moving the chain’s won’t be easy for them. The Eagles D is too good where they will get a sack or a big play to stall a drive here and there. It could be a high scoring game like 37 – 24 good guys.
The Eagles did a great job grinding out those 13 play, 85 yard, 7 minute type drives against Atlanta and Minnesota. Would be very handy to get a few of them in this game for sure.
Yeah you expressed similar thoughts (in better detail) a few seconds before I did in the middle of the night…. Great minds… Time of Possession is key. Keeping Brady off the field is a great side effect to long scoring drives. But it’s not about them….
Hopeful sign is that the Patriots are really bad at defending RPOs. Like, really bad. 29th in the league by DVOA or something. Their linebackers are not good. That play will be there, and if it’s not, it will be because Belichick is selling out to stop it (telling LBs to play the run while bringing up safeties to sit on the short passing routes), which will open up one-on-one opportunities deep.
Pederson has shown to be a highly adaptable play caller who will attack whatever weak point the defense opens up with the run fits and/or coverage schemes it is playing. I have faith that Belichick will not be able to shut down the RPO game without Doug making him pay for it. This is going to be a great chess match.
The patriots are also poor at stopping the run against 11 personnel. The Eagles run out of 11 almost more than any other team. They have a built in match up advantage without having to adjust anything.
On the Smith trade, I don’t think the 3rd round pick is much of an issue. The trade allows them to let Cousins walk, which in turn means they’ll get almost the same pick back as free agent compensation.
A compensatory pick won’t arrive until 2019 and will be at the end of the 3rd round as opposed to in the top half of it. Along with giving up a decent young player in Fuller it’s a significant price to pay for what amounts to a sidegrade at QB.
Another point everyone seems to ignore with regards to the compensatory pick is that they will only get the compensatory pick if they lose more free agents than they bring in. So if the Redhawks sign a bunch of free agents, they could get no compensatory pick for Cousins.
Your Redhawks monnicker cannot go by without comment, sonofdman. Love it. Works for me.
I prefer Deadskins
Reading about all the salty passive aggressive Vikings fans makes me think this is the start of one of those pathetic situations where one teams fanbase thinks there’s this heated rivalry between the two teams and the other teams fanbase mostly just forgets the other team exists.
Ha! That’s a good point, but I think we’ll have to remind the Vikings fans of a few things if they come back here next year in the regular season.
I’d imagine there’s more to it than just the recent loss. The Bradford trade has to really sting. It’s one of the reasons Howie was named executive of the year.
I still want someone on the Eagles to thank Cleveland, Miami, & Minnesota for making this all possible.
Vikings fans are delusional. They tried to prop up Bridgewater as the next big thing even though he’s just a backup QB at best. They tried to convince their selves that Bradford would finally reach his potential with them, we knew better. They rode the Keenum roller coaster and then dumped him on the side of the road once he lost. The fact that they’re still so petty, passive aggressive, and just stupid in general has easily rocketed them up to the most shittiest + pathetic fanbases.
You know it’s bad when a New Yorker has to call you out on this shit.
http://www.nydailynews.com/amp/sports/football/jealous-vikings-fans-stop-ruin-eagles-super-bowl-fun-article-1.3787897
Say what you want about Philly fans, but when we feel humiliated by a butt whoopin, we get mad at our team that did not show up, not some boogeymen.
That said, the majority of Minnesota fans and players seemed pretty gracious in defeat. Best for us to ignore the a-holes, and carry on with our Superbowl Festivities and finally put that stupid stereo-type of A-hole Eagles fans and Polite Midwesterners to bed. I vote we take the high-road on this.
I believe.
My outrageous prediction for the game? Nick Foles runs for 50+ yards and scores two rushing TDs for the win!
LMAO
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How quickly Long is forgotten….
Clearly a guy from NY asking Doug about Duce at the PC.
Even before the game is played, regardless of the records of the teams, it’s 100% obvious that the Eagles are the cooler team. Men want to be like them, women want to be with them. Same with the fan bases.
Except for the Jesus stuff, yeah.
I know what you mean, but I’d rather cheer for a Jesus guy than a Satan worshipper like Beli.
I have a friend who’s both a big Patriots fan and who vehemently hates Trump. I quite literally ruined his day last year by sending him a link to an article laying out how pro-Trump the Patriots organization is.
You are doing the Lord’s work.
Kraft gave him $1 million contribution.
Amerikka’s team.
Belichick’s baldfaced Satanism is pretty awesome.
He gets those hoodies from BuyHades.com
as long as we don’t get the wacky Tebow-esque following, I’m cool with it. And as long as they’re legit. Nothing is as obnoxious as a guy like Big Ben who is a total sleeze and picked up the Jesus Mantle to claim to be a changed man.
In America you can do the worst things imaginable, and it’s all forgotten if you grab a bible.
Yeah, same.
Personally, I’m not religious, but I really don’t have a problem with guys like Carson or Foles who are open about their beliefs but don’t try to claim anything outlandish or sacrilegious based on them (such as that God cares about something as ultimately cosmically insignificant as the outcome of a football game).
Generally agree. Wentz and Foles are awesome, but they ain’t “cool”.
Ah, good point to tie it back to the original statement. Foles, besides all that, needs to get a new pair of glasses, holy hell. Lasiks, invest! He will have the money for it if he comes out of this victorious.
Nerdy is the new sexy.
Not that kind of nerdy. Oddly enough, they are pretty close to Napoleon Dynamite’s, in fact if Nick had a noticeable sense of humor I’d say that was exactly what he was going for.
Very dorky looking dudes, but cool. 🙂
Right, when Russell Wilson tweeted on the day of the SB he played in that “today is all about Jesus” I envisioned Jesus coming back to life just to slap RW across the face and be like “da f”ck?”
It definitely is a distinctive personality split. I noticed a lot of guys like Cowherd and a certain, erm never mind I won’t go there, like the militaristic, systematic, emotionless, discipline and namelessness of the Pats.
The Eagles are Individualistic (but also a family), emotional, fun, with a swashbucklin swagger.
Doug is a former player, and is a player’s coach. Belichick is a ruthless anything to win type (If you ain’t cheating, you ain’t trying comes to mind).
It is distinct as a vibrant palette of color vs a bland yet high contrast black and white. It is an interesting super bowl from that perspective.
I’d let Carson have his way with me.
We’ll keep this from Mrs. Wentz.
I know a lot of you guys are saying this week is moving slowly, but I have a different take. I want the days to go slow so I can luxuriate in the fact the Eagles are playing in the Super Bowl. This doesn’t happen often enough. Like a good meal with a good wine, with a pretty woman across the table, linger over the mood. Enjoy the ride (but, yea, let’s hope the allegory and reality end in a big score).
I’m OK w O P P K
..or like in a massage place with happy ending..!
You naughty fellow.
Yes, I kind of agree. You never know when you’ll be back. A kid born at the exact time McNabb wasn’t puking would be going to high school now.
Let’s make Brady puke, and do what we can so the Pats don’t return for a nice long time.
My absolutely fantasy dream scenario for this SB is basically what the Seahawks did to the Manning-led Broncos a few years back.
That is, our defense destroys the Pats’ O line, hits Brady repeatedly and makes him look physically overmatched, and causes everyone to simultaneously realize “shit, this guy is old. He really can’t play forever.” Bonus points for shots of a concerned-looking Giselle watching her man getting pummeled into hamburger meat from the owner’s box.
I don’t dare to hope that will happen, but it’s my dream.
I think you may see your dream come true. Brady is not the type of QB that can evade pressure that comes up the middle, and he’s a cry-baby who will start yelling at his O-line and throwing off his back foot when the hits come.
I also think Doug will call a ball-control game, with the occasional deeper shot, which will help the Birds dominate time of possession. Brady is going to spend a lot of this game on his butt, both on the turf and on the bench.
One more thing — I watched that game in Colorado and it ripped the guts out of Bronco fans. Imagine Pats fans crying and writhing in pain when we win.
WTF first Jernigan and now Darby is sick. The damn Pats are poisoning us.
It has to be a cold, the flu, or stomach bug.
Give everyone in that room a Vitamin B shot and gallon of OJ.
Give OJ a shot in the Pats locker room.
And Cox has a calf injury.
I believe he is practicing.
Yes, he is, but the last thing we need is for that injury to slow him down. It’s imperative that Cox and Jernigan apply constant pressure and both of them may not be full strength .
That’s on the injury report but is there any indication as to how serious it is? I think we’d have heard more if it were a big deal.
Let’s hope not.
Perhaps Doug is playing some Belichickian mind games by listing every last player who has so much as a paper cut or a hangnail on the injury report.
Fletch certainly didn’t look like he was hobbled against the Vikings.
Someone fly in some smoothies, and tell the Eagles to stop eating cheese curds.
Smoothie machines are a hotbed of e-coli. Them dawgs need detailing daily.
QUARANTINE!!
Super Bowl in Minnesota is turning out to be a disastrous mistake. Below zero temps, whiniest fan base ever, lousy hosts, and now the plague.
Would it make sense to have Douglas on Gronk in red zone situations?
I’d figure Jenkins is the Eagles best match up there.
Speed wise, yes, but in the red zone isn’t the bigger concentrate Gronk’s size and strength. Although Douglas isn’t fast he is big and physical.
Didn’t know Jenkins wasn’t considered physical.
I would figure any QB, let alone Brady, would see his #1 target matched up against a guy with half-a-season of NFL snaps on his resume and pick on him all day.
It’s not that Jenkins isn’t physical, but Gronk is a beast.
The biggest concern with Douglas is his lack of speed. His strong point is being physical with receivers.
The fact is I doubt if Schwartz uses Jenkins, but at the same time I wouldn’t be surprised.
If there was a prop bet on the Eagles primary coverage man of Gronkowski, I’d lay money on Jenkins.
I agree with you, but I wouldn’t put it past Schwartz to mix things up.
Gotta mix it up, for sure.
Total # of NFL players that can cover Gronk = super bowls already won by the Eagles.
Time is an illusion, so there must be at least one player -and his name is Rasuuuuullllll.
Douglas is a CB. Gronk is a TE. He’s fast enough to cover him (see above).
The issue is strength. Even as a big CB (6’2″, 209) Douglas is giving up 4 inches and 50 pounds to Gronk.
There have been times CBS have been assigned to cover tight ends. Do you think it’s possible this can happen here?
It’s an option, sure. However, I don’t think Douglas gets on the field unless New England goes with four WRs, which they don’t very often, and if we’re in nickel I still think Jenkins is probably a better option to match up on Gronk (not that there are any good options with a guy that good).
Douglas (4.59 second 40 time) is faster than Gronkowski (4.68).
Over/Under on amount of offensive pass interferences Gronk gets away with?
Why is he allowed to run 15 yards down field, knock into a defender, and then catch the ball? I don’t understand it..
Fantastic analysis of Belichick’s counter (passes to the RB) to our pass rush.
How will Schwartz counter the counter ? The answer to this question may decide the Super Bowl:
http://www.sharpfootballanalysis.com/blog/2018/bill-belichick-is-a-genius-but-the-secret-to-beat-tom-brady-is-universally-known
Excellent article. Terrifying article.
I’m with Tommy in thinking that Schwartz wont waver far from what got the Eagles here, for better or worse. The plan can’t be to shut down the Patriots—not gonna happen, but can’t play prevent all day either.
Scwartz will look to slow down the Pats by mixing things up, try to limit big plays and TDs, all the while trying to sack/disrupts Brady and create turnovers.
Oh, and hope the offense can put up 24-27 points!
Really hope that schwartz recognizes that Cooks has issues against Man coverage and has Darby press him at the line of scrimmage..cooks has struggled with that since Oregon state…Matt waldman ( who is great to follow) has some interesting breakdowns about him..I was trying to link some videos but don’t know how to share instagram posts here
TEAMS ARE FIGURING OUT THAT BRANDIN COOKS STRUGGLES AGAINST MAN COVERAGE
Earlier this season, I wrote about Cooks’ issues with man coverage. It’s something I’ve noted about him since he was at Oregon State. Cooks is a good NFL receiver, but he’s not a great one and the expectations that he’d deliver more than low-end fantasy WR1 production was one based on overvaluing athletic ability and undervaluing technical skill.
The Dolphins exploited Cooks last Monday thanks to a fantastic game from cornerback Xavien Howard. Pittsburgh noted that performance and opted to switch its normal defensive gameplan from a zone-heavy scheme to a man-heavy approach.
Cooks still managed 60 yards and a touchdown, but there were notable targets where he struggled. Considering that Pittsburgh altered the core philosophy of its defense despite a group of cornerbacks he drafted to play more zone than man, kept the game close to the very end, and Cooks wasn’t a significant factor in the second half of this game, I’d say the strategy was not only successful but a notable indication that Cooks’ value is currently at its ceiling.
While the route below may be a fade, it doesn’t mean the receiver should fade away from the target. Cooks not only fails with his attempt to release from the line of scrimmage, he doesn’t have the right plan for addressing the target at the top of his stem.
These are longstanding issues with Cooks’ game. Again, he’s a good receiver and a fantasy asset. However, do not expect Cooks to become a top-five fantasy receiver in New England thanks to the magical thinking, “he’ll have a full year in the offense and that acclimation will make him better.”
That kind of explanation is sportswriter fluff. Yes, Cooks should get sharper at reading coverage adjusting to it the way Brady wants him to, but for Cooks to ascend to a higher tier, he’ll need to develop greater skill against tight man coverage. Until I see it, I won’t believe the hype.
Neither should you.”
This is an insightful breakdown. Link?
Its from Footballguys.com …a paid fantasy football site…not sure if you’ll be able to access this link but here goes…http://subscribers.footballguys.com/apps/article.php?article=waldmantop10wk16
its a fantasy football site but it has a lot of great content thats just related to football in general, scouting, strategy etc.
The Author of the Article is Mat Waldman, a scout who also has his own site breaking down and evaluating rookies, college players. team fits etc. a Fountain of information….he’s also has an instagram account where he breaksdown clips of plays.
here are a couple clips of the cooks breakdowns
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bc2cHjvnJwU/?hl=en&taken-by=mattwaldmanrsp
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bc2a_-FnWz3/?hl=en&taken-by=mattwaldmanrsp
I’ll have to consider subscribing , thanks!
I worry about the Pats getting the calls especially late in a close contest when they are on offense and our D is tired.
Hopefully, we’ll have such a big lead by the 4th quarter it will not matter. Otherwise, my heart may give out.
I also worry Schwartz will not attack and will play prevent the big play ball. This will allow Brady to get into a rhythm, quick pass us to death and expose our LB and S coverage.
I want the Eagles D to hammer Brady relentlessly and consistently. Attack and be aggressive and even blitz in key situations.
Overall, I just hope the team plays loose, confident and aggressive. The Pats are very beatable. It will be absolutely gut wrenching to blow another chance at a ring. I cannot wait another 13 years to get back again.
Win Sunday and walk together forever. GET IT DONE!!!!!!
Nothing’s guaranteed, but with a top 5 coach (which Doug is) and a top 5 QB (which Carson is) we are arguably better positioned than anybody to get their again over the coming years. It would be an extreme disappointment if it’s another 13 years.
That said, yeah – they have a chance to seize the brass ring right now. Get it done.
You’re right, xeynon, hopefully we can stay elite and get back multiple times. I’m just tired of waiting, missing another chance Sunday would both suck and blow as Bart Simpson would say. Hopefully, the team is ready to make history. I know they can do it. They know they can do it. God, I hope it happens
I hear ya’.
When the Phillies won the WS in 2008 it was a new feeling. First time in my lifetime a Philly team had gotten close to a title and actually closed the deal. Then of course the ’09 Phillies and ’10 Flyers returned to the script I was used to.
Right there with you, unfortunately, lol
Hey Villanova also pulled it off a couple years ago. Things might be be turning around.
If you weren’t around or following then, the 1985 Villanova run was un F believable. Such underdogs, before underdogs became cool.
We are too close and against all that is evil, I cannot pause to consider that if we lose we are set up well.
biggest key is that coordinators not leaving
Coordinators aren’t totally irrelevant, but they’re really not as important as the HC and the QB.
One thing I want to point out is that the Vikings game was closer than the score suggested in my opinion. The vikings continually moved the ball. This defense is opportunistic. I remember the Baltimore defense of 2000. That defense was imo the best defense I have ever seen to date.
I see the patriots moving the ball without the errors. I see Tom brady evading sacks and pressure.
I think we got away with some pass interference calls in the early playoff rounds.
Not only that, but we will not be able to cover the patriots running backs.
I can only hope for the eagles to slow down the patriots offense.
However, one thing I can’t get out of my mind….
That Nick Foles to Alshon Touchdown when Alshon Broke off that route. That play is something that carries over. Nick was FEARLESS on that play. I mean…I literally have never seen THAT from him. Just the ability to not be rattled whatsoever…..Not only was that something that made me jump out of my seat the same way I did when Carson pulled off houdini or threw that ball falling down or any of the other wow plays, it was THAT that was the weakest part of Nicks game. if you asked me before the game what was the weakest part of Nicks game, I would have told you it was his ability to show resilience in the pocket when under pressure. I feel like I know why. nick hates turning the ball over. But one thing that I noticed about Carson, he does not care about picks….not that he literally doesn’t hate throwing picks, but that Carson is not afraid of turning the ball over. SO is it COINCIDENCE that One of Carsons TRAITS is transferred into Nick and it reminds me of Bret Farve and I hear that Bret is going to speak to the Eagles as a prep talk. This is huge. Doug wants his QB to be fearless. He believes if they are fearless they will get the best out of their game. I feel like THIS is why Nick will be ready for this game. It is because he will have techniques to relieve the pressure of the moment. Because that timidness from turning the ball over makes Nick Foles take a sack in that same situation. Makes him pull that ball down and his eyes down and he never sees Alshon streaking down field. It is the DIFFERENCE. Nick not only changed that, but he needed that.
-Rant over.
Most NFL games are fairly close in terms of yardage. What turns the game is big plays and big mistakes. It’s very rare to see a defense dominate in the sense of leaving an opponent utterly unable to move the ball, and when it happens it usually involves a very bad, sub-NFL level quarterback. Those guys almost never play in playoff games, for obvious reasons.
True, but there is a clear distinction in terms of whether your moving the ball on 1st and 2nd down or if your continually in 3rd in long and getting chunk plays. Its not where the yardage ends up, but how you get those yards.
I don’t know if most games are close like that. I can remember games where they weren’t. But I am not going to research that.
All I can say is that I can see, I think, which team is moving the ball easier. Which team is beating themselves and which team is just over matched.
The vikings beat themselves when they tried to block barnett with a TE. Can you expect Nick to have the same amount of time to get that ball to Alshon vs Gronk just catching the ball over and around eagles defenders by boxing them out from the ball or getting that push off. Both can happen, but one is a more consistent option.
you obviously weren’t watching football in 1991.
I was 1 years old.
Great rant. Disagree on the closeness of the Vikings game, but AGREE with the point that it doesn’t have much predictive value.
“we will not be able to cover the patriots running backs.”
^This!
Great rant. . Htf do you type so well? ???
an education, probably.
An education teaches one to spell … only training, practice and love for one’s device permit such excellently typing in bulk
I am on my laptop. But I don’t think I type well. Thanks though.
So how big of a lead do we need to feel safe?
28-3?
45-10?
69-0?
114 to -7.
How will they hold the Patriots to -7 points, you ask?
Pederson’ll find a way.
The Eagles put up so many points the scoreboard can’t tally (I’m guessing this is 99). They decide to only way to fix this is to simply deduct from New England.
Eagles 99, Patriots -21
world record for points in a quarter is like 41. So assume Tom could possibly go one TD better? So yea, should be safe if we’re up by 48 in the 4th quarter.
give me 28-3 with same time as Falcons had the lead and I would bet quite a bit we don’t blow it.
Are you sure about that? I like 45-10 the most.
69-0 And ke eeeeeeeedp pedaling
Another great breakdown going beyond “the Eagles must get pressure with 4 and play tight coverage behind”
http://www.rotoworld.com/articles/nfl/77660/179/silvas-super-bowl-matchups?ls=roto:nfl:gnav
I’ve heard people talk about the Pats trying to force us into our base defense to get a MLB onto the field, because the Pats love to isolate one nasty flaw and go after it mercilessly.
Eagles may just not go into base at all and play out of Big Nickle as base, even if they try to draw out the base D with big personnel, I bet they still can’t run on us.
that is what I’ve read. And I doubt they will be able to run, and if they do a little who cares. Far better than being assailed thru the air.
100%
Our defense’s general strategy has me a bit concerned.
Here’s the formula:
Stop the run
withering pass rush with 4 guys
don’t give them any big plays (play soft coverage)
Tackle (the performance of the defense has varied almost entirely on how well the secondary has been tackling)
Tighten up like crazy in the red zone
Basically force them to dink and dunk, make sure the only way they can score is from long, perilous, drives, until they make a mistake under pressure. Either they just don’t convert eventually and punt/kick a field goal, or get sacked, or throw a pick. It’s a great formula that has been pretty darn successful for us.
Enter Tom Brady. Pressure doesn’t really affect him these days (specifically blitzes, luckily we don’t do much of that). Mistakes are few. And they will use the tempo on us. So if he uses the tempo and is efficient with the dink and dunk as we all know Tom Brady is really good at, the Defense will be dead on their feet in the 4th quarter.
My hope is Schwartz plays aggressive with those coverages. The ball is coming out fast, contest everything. Sure there is a higher chance of getting gashed by a big play, but also a higher chance of an up Tempo 3 and out (which we remember what that can do to a defense VERY well). DO NOT let them run 80 plays on this defense and set up for another ridiculous 4th quarter comeback.
Offense, just go score every drive and we’ll be fine.
Long drives by the Eagles O will keep Brady off the field. Its a good strategy to stop great QBs.
It’s not that simple. You take turns with the football. You can reduce the number of possessions for both teams, for sure. But at the end of the day you still need to score more points per possession than Tom Brady.
But your point is that could keep our defense fresh, which is definitely a plus.
Hell yeh brother. Keep em fresh and hungry. I wanna see Tom panic. I want revenge for 04.
oh maybe those of us who wanted the Jags were right.
you can’t score too quickly or defensive scores. Of course that’s great but you can’t just do that. Atlanta was up big but you could see the defense was D O N E in the 4th quarter. The Eagles offense really needs some nice long drives, and they need to end with TD’s.
Dont let the foot off the gas. Dug has done a good job of keeping a kill and mame mentallity
I’m excited and terrified.
ditto. Everyone is guaranteeing this will be a close game, at which point advantage Tom Brady. Honestly, I keep telling people the way the Eagles play, A blow out in either direction holds a significant portion of possible outcomes.
Would not be surprised if the Eagles blew them out.
I actually think that is more likely than Pats blowing us out. But would need some luck, fluke turnover or two to ramp up the pressure. I hope the crowd is loud as hell too. My happiness for the next year is tied to this game in a very unhealthy manner.
I’ve been saying that for a while. 34-20.
Ha, you wrote “big but”
Right, end with tds not fgs.
Let’s hope the D plays well, the offense puts together some good drives and TDs, and we get a turnover or two go our way. I certainly see it as doable, but I also see the Patriots as a very formidable opponent.
I like our chances. I’m just listing my one concerning scenario. I love that Danny Amendola is some great player now as far as the national media is concerned, how will the Eagles handle him!? Please, just play the scrub honest, and shut him down.
Brady to Gronk connection is literally the only big bad in this game. The rest is pretty mediocre.
I kinda want to see a couple of Zero Blitzes. Do anything you can to knock the crap out of 12 and put him on the ground.
Brady will hurt us if we do, but I see your point, might hurt his old man bones more.
Sending 1 guy might be the worst of both worlds. He knows exactly who you sent and what you sacrificed in coverage to do so. So if you’re going to send anyone, might as well send everyone and hit him, haha.
exactly. Even if you get beat on one, make him feel like a 40 year old!
As long as they’re disguised or any blitzes are well hidden, once in a while go for it. But with Brady, the Giants formula was successfully pressure with 4 and cover well. I would just add – smack Gronk around every opportunity, too.
Physics will carry the day. This Eagles D needs to lay some wood. If they can rattle Tommy boy, this game is in the bag.
KNOCK BRADO DOWN … but no late hitting
Just be sure not to pay anyone to do so, then it’s dirty. /s
No extra pay for hits .. regular pay for hits is AOK
Driving down to Villanova area Sat. Will be in some bar somewhere for the game. I can’t even imagine how heavily I’ll be drinking if they win. (yes way more than if they lose)
Enjoy. I’m torn between watching at home or going to my favorite drinking hole in West Philly so that, in the event that they actually win this thing, I can head for center city and participate in the celebratory hysteria, tears of joy ‘n all.
I’ll meet you at Roach & Obriens … Maybe Ock will be there
Hey at least MVP Dion Branch isn’t on the Pats anymore.
Eagles starters Tim Jernigan, Ronald Darby, Mychal Kendricks fighting illness….
http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/22287216/tim-jernigan-ronald-darby-mychal-kendricks-several-eagles-weather-ahead-super-bowl-lii
Holy shit they poisoned the water. Burn Minnesota to the ground!!!!
tamifluuuu
Clear that shit out in 2 days
probably a cold. My wife, me and my kid are all recovering from a nasty one.
like most of my office went down with flu over the past 2 weeks, absolute madness. I’ve never seen anything like it. I was one of like 3 healthy people, and this past week I kind of wished I was one of the sick people, working with a skeleton crew sucks.
As for the Eagles. They’re saying it’s like a 24 hour cold that is going through the lockeroom. Kendricks seemed like he would be able to play through it pretty easily if he had to, but rested just to get it out of there.
FRESH GINGER TEA w real honey and lemon
Or
HOT WATER WITH FRESH LEMON
..
So simple but work wonders !!!!! Amazing and ssimple Caribbean cures from My wife
So is Malcolm Butler. Don’t think this will be an issue.
Me either. The article actually made me feel better.
Seth Joyner played the single greatest game I’ve ever seen an Eagles linebacker play with a 102-degree fever. (“House of Pain” Game @ Houston, 12/2/1991).
sounds like the gang was at the club
I’m gonna need a pace-maker by Sunday morning. One minute I feel like we’re gonna crush it, the next minute I’m like a nervous dad to be in the waiting room. DAFUK!!!!
You got through the Falcons game without one?
BARELY!!! It’s been like this since game 1 though really. Each circumstance and obstacle they overcame, expectations just grew and grew and now we’re here!
Good for you. I cut my heart out and put it in deep freeze. I found I prefer getting through Eagles games without the ambulance ride. Helps with work decisions, too, and chicks dig the scar.
Lol
Gsme 1 of LAST YEAR !! Remember that 1st half! ! I left the bar at half time demoralized and walked the F home to my mommy !!
I’m 100% with you
Same, I was riding high and confident for a solid week. Now I’m antsy. Things are hovering back and forth between tangible and surreal, the latter being like ” the eagles just don’t win Super Bowls”
Hope the Eagles are faring better in week 2 than I am mentally speaking.
I will say, the more smoke everyone blows up the patriots’ asses, the better I feel. Colin Cowherd has been a god damn tonic for me. He makes his best case for why the Patriots will definitely win, and it’s always flimsy at best, if not wildly uninformed.
The media has it’s hooks in you. Stay strong. Believe.
You are right man!! I’m gonna take your advice!!
https://youtu.be/CJ9M-TJ0wZU
For those that care about the draft, Zuerlein’s annual draft stuff is up. A decent distraction from the Super Bowl.
http://www.nfl.com/draft/2018/tracker#dt-tabs:dt-by-position
Positives – Saquon Barkley rated highest overall.
Negatives – Massively overrating Lamar Jackson by having him at QB3
Negatives – Barkley being compared to Sanders.
now the eagles are getting the flu, it aint gonna happen, not this year
Dude. Relax. Stay hydrated and get some rest.
“Sidney, relax, have a cream soda”.
“eat a sandwich, do some fuckin’ thing”
laeagle, are you a homo?
Ok, I will
When the Eagles win the coin toss they like to kick off. Since it’s important to keep Brady off the field as much as possible, should they receive the ball first and try to establish a long drive instead in the Super Bowl?
Nope. Stick with what you do.
Great point .. as long as we dont do that thing we do what we do when they have the ball the first time … like wit the Vikes 1st po-seshun
It probably makes more sense to hope the defense holds and get the ball after the half.
It worked out. Besides, if Brady drives and scores on the first drive (for the first time ever), it might freak out the whole Patriots team.
Changing what Doug’s been doing consistently since Day 1 is showing TB too much deference. I don’t want to show fear right out of the gate.
I’m down with that D R and what whatever that BB Doug decides on !
Great point .. why ever give it to brado
No. There have been a few times this year where the Eagles score before half and score again on the next possession. It really flips the game in their favor and next you know it, the game’s basically over before the 4th quarter.
Just in, or maybe I missed it…and it’s the definitive sign of victory for our Clean Birds. The dunce of CBS is going with the Pats. Yessiree, Pete Prisco picks the Pats (love the alliteration). So far, he’s 0-2, as are many other “pundits.” But I loathe PP and want him to bite the bit.
What Eagles do you think will step up on the big stage of the Super Bowl?
Is there someone maybe less expected you think might step up with a big play or important play or big night?
I can see Clement and/or Hollins having a larger than usual role!!
BG is going to have a game like Von did a few years ago.
trey burton.
is torrey smith going to get another ring? lots of vets on the team who have been here before – no excuse for coming out flat
Ertz
Random note:
Why do some many of the food-oriented bets that PA and Philly-area politicians with their MA and Boston-area counterparts include so many lame cliches like cheesesteaks and scrapple?
There are so many great food items from Philly and PA including a dining scene in Philly that is superior to Boston except for maybe seafood.
So usually I go to my friends super bowl party every year, but this year I’m torn, because when the Eagles are playing I tend to get…. passionate, about what’s happening on the television screen. Do I go to the party and risk revealing myself as a total basket case, or do I stay home and watch with my girlfriend, who already knows and accepts that I’m a total nutjob when it comes to Eagles football?
Stay home, Sunday will be glorious, you’ll want to let the freak flag fly.
Yeah I’m leaning towards this. I won’t want to be constrained by social niceities.
This is year is different than those other years.
If your friend isn’t also an Eagles fan, then stay home and experience it with your girlfriend. It’s a special occasion, and either way it goes, it should be experienced as such.,
He is, but there will be a lot of people there who either aren’t Eagles fans or aren’t huge football people and just come out for the party.
He’s also not as demonstrative as I am. He shouts and whatnot, but I go from regular person into Eagles Macho Man Randy Savage.
if your girl isnt an eagles fan watch by yourself
More than a few people? Stay home. IDC if their all Eagles fans. I am pretty anti-social though.
Going to my father in laws. He is 84, grew up in Jersey, used to ride his bike in the meadowlands when it was nothing, retired Marine Colonel. I told him if he says one Giant thing I’m taking him out…
if I was him I wouldn’t be able to resist saying something, if the situations were reversed.
There is a better than average chance a casual fan tries to talk to you on third down and your relationship with this person is irreparably damaged. Stay home.
Yeah I can see something bad happening and that leading to me screaming in someone’s face “NO I WILL NOT CALM DOWN DID YOU SEE THAT SHIT?! THAT WAS A FUCKING TERRIBLE CALL!”
Bonus points if the person in question is younger than 14.
Lol, is this from experience.
I’m flying back to Philly (from Phoenix) to watch the game with five bleeding-green die hards. We’re passing on the big family get-together (lots of kids and casual fans), and opting for a small, carefully selected group of certified lunatics. The last Eagles/Pats Super Bowl, we did the big party thing, and a lot of people didn’t understand why a bunch of grown-ass men were acting like someone just died. It’ll be nice to not have to contend with the “It’s just a game” over-reaction police and just let it all hang out this time.
Nothing would ruin that day more for me than the look of disgust at my glee (or horror) in some hipsters face. I’ll do everyone the courtesy of only exposing my behavior to a few select people 🙂
I’m down here in South Florida, and I’m going to be watching the game with a close friend of mine who with his wife and 2 year old. This issue is that this close friend of mine and his family are diehard Pat’s fans. Wish me luck….
On a side note he also happens to be my barber so I cant piss him off too much.
Wher is the Reichsadler watching the game ?? I think he is making his way north. . . .
I wonder how many coaches that have brought their team to the SB have conducted a practice like this. To me it’s just another example of how great DP has been for this organization.
Well said all along that Defense Wins Championships and here we are..
This game is so simple to win. Tom Brady is the key to the Patriots offense. Take him out of the game early Eagles Defense with great pressure up the middle and high low hits from our great ends. Thus elimnating the biggest threat of creating a Super Bowl loss for my beloved Eagles. I for one haven’t forgotten they cheated to win in 2004 watching video of our Eagles practices…Unleash the hounds from hell on Brady. DB Robinson my sincerest apologies I was brutal about your signing and you Sir have finally put it all together to have a tremendous season and you are one of the reason we ate able to appear in the Super Bowl today. Foles today is the day to lead our Beloved Eagles to the single most important Victory and you have the opportunity to go down in history has the QB who finally got it done. Didn’t like it when you left. Saw you at training camp talking with a little kid who had your jersey and his dad. I wore 25 that day and knew you were special. The Oakland game confirmed it. Go out there and be you, you got this Foles! Howie and Joe thanks for the great depth and talent on this team. Doug Pederson you are one hell of a coach with an excellent staff. Well done guys, go get us one more Win, Go Eagles Go!
Coach Swartz stunt Cox towards the weakest guard to free Flecther from intial double teams. Brandon Graham you got the best skill set to get around that LT and Brady’s left knee is a great target…Chris Long I expect you at the same time to hit Tom terrific high and hard at the same time…With Brady out there will be no fourth quarter herocis from the Pats…Going on record Eagles Win by 24 and bring the long awaited Lmbatdi Trophy Home to Broad street. Eagles Defense this is exactly what the Rams did to end Carson Wentxz season…
Swartz. drop your LB’s back into coverage to clog up the short passing lanes…if you want to rush 5 bring a DB lined up on Gronk, then double GRONK with a LB and Safety Malcolm Jenkins…I would blitz with the other Safety McLeod myself…really looking forward to this game, good luck men! Leave it all out on the field for 61 minutes…Doug you just keep coming up with plays to run the score up all day long…great balance of run and pass got your here…I expect you and Frank Riech to be very creative all day long with tons of never before seen plays….