Iggles Blitz

by Tommy Lawlor

To Do List

Posted October 10th, 2024 | 1 Comment »

The Eagles had their bye last week. That gave the players a chance to rest. The coaches didn’t have that luxury. They were burning the midnight oil, trying to figure out what needs to be fixed and then how to fix it. If the coaches figured some things out, the Eagles have a chance to turn the season around,

So what did the coaches learn while studying the first four games? What are they trying to fix?

  • Protecting the football
  • Creating takeaways
  • Tackling
  • Getting off to a faster start on offense

Those were the main issues mentioned by Nick Sirianni. I’m sure Vic Fangio and Kellen Moore have other things they will be addressing. When you’re 2-2 and playing mediocre football, there is plenty to fix.

Sirianni was asked about the coaches ability to get these things fixed, specifically coming up with more takeaways. He said he thinks the coaches can absolutely help with the issues. Let’s hope so.

There isn’t some magic phrase anyone can say that will suddenly lead to turnovers. But the coaches can focus on some drills that will help with INTs or strip sacks. We have seen Eagles defenders struggle to catch the ball. Reed Blankenship has 2 INTs. The rest of the team has none. That’s not ideal.

Rookie Quinyon Mitchell has had a chance for a couple.

Players can help the coaches to work with young players. A simple tip can sometimes make a world of difference. If players work on these things in practice, it should help them in games. It will be interesting to see if Mitchell plays the ball better the next time it comes his way.

Protecting the ball is a major issue, and that’s true going back to last year. I don’t know what the coaches are telling Jalen Hurts and the other players. I would focus on Hurts and stress to him to not force things. It feels like that has been the key problem. You want Hurts to be aggressive, but in a smart way. He’s been reckless at times. That’s not good.

Tackling has been a major issue so far this year. Lots of players have struggled so this is something the whole defense needs help with. I don’t recall seeing a drill quite like this. It isn’t the same thing as tackling a player during a live play, but this is different than just wrapping up a bag/pad.

The proof will be in the pudding. Sunday will tell us if this helped at all.

There isn’t a simple drill to work on to help with slow starts. The Eagles will need to study play-calls and game scripts. Sirianni will also need to think about being less aggressive early in games. Maybe he will kick FGs instead of going for it on some early 4th downs. You don’t want him to get too conservative, but there is something to be said for getting points on the board early. The longer you stare at a 0, the more it affects your team.

The Eagles are the only team in the league that hasn’t scored a point in the first quarter. That is crazy. This offense has too much firepower to not get on the scoreboard in the opening quarter. Getting AJ and DeVonta and Lane back will certainly help. Moore has to figure out how to attack the Browns and have some early success. The Eagles don’t need huge plays. They just need to drive the ball and go get some points.

The Eagles play Cleveland on Sunday. The Browns are 1-4 and really struggling this season. The Eagles need to win this game.

More importantly, the Eagles need to play well. The coaches need to show they found some solutions. The players need to show they were able to turn those solutions into good plays in the game. This is a big game for the Eagles even if it is just Week 6.

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One Comment on “To Do List”

  1. 1 The Linc - Eagles’ pass rush is facing an extremely banged-up Browns offensive line - SportSourcio said at 11:02 AM on October 11th, 2024:

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