Iggles Blitz

by Tommy Lawlor

Alexander Update

Posted November 11th, 2025 | 2 Comments »

Jaire Alexander didn’t travel with the Eagles when they went to Green Bay. That seemed odd at the time. The team leaked that he was focusing on getting healthy and learning the defense. We found out there is more to the story.

This all makes sense now.

Alexander is a 2-time Pro Bowl player. He’s been a star. Now he’s coming off an injury and having to fight just to get back on the field. That’s not easy to deal with, physically, mentally or emotionally. Football isn’t a casual sport. You must be all-in to succeed. Think about how hard it must be to go from star player to guy battling to play.

I’m sure Alexander thought the change of scenery would bring out the best in him. He’d be reunited with DBs coach Christian Parker. He would go to a team that is known for getting the best out of veteran acquisitions.

The flip side is that the Eagles are an ultra-competitive team. Nothing is given. Alexander may have seen how things operate in Philly and wondered if he’s still up to it. Veteran players sometimes struggle as their body breaks down and they have to decide what they want to do. Jason Kelce has told some stories like that. Alexander isn’t that old, but his health isn’t ideal for a CB.

The Eagles will be patient with him. They can activate Jakorian Bennett and bring him back to the mix. That would give them another veteran CB for depth. Alexander can figure out if he wants to play or to walk away.

*****

Here is a sign of good coaching.

I don’t know if it was Vic Fangio who pointed that out to the players or one of the assistants, but that’s impressive. The players got the nugget and filed it away until a critical moment in the game.

The Eagles defense is now up to 10th in points allowed and 18th in yards allowed. That’s not the same as #1, but the unit is heading in the right direction. I’m excited to see how they do against the Lions on Sunday night. That will be a huge test. Having Jaelan Phillips will certainly make a difference.

In case you missed it, the Packers didn’t have any sacks and weren’t credited with any QB hits. The Eagles had 3 sacks and 8 QB hits. There is no doubting that Micah Parsons is a great player, but Phillips only cost a third round pick and sure looks exactly like what this defense needed.

*****

Saquon Barkley ran for a long TD in the Eagles win over the Giants. His longest run against the Packers was just 15 yards. But he came oh so close to breaking off a 55-yard TD run that would have sealed the game.

Smart move by Parsons to trip him. If they call it, you only give up 15 yards. The refs didn’t call it so GB got lucky. That run would have put Barkley above 100 yards for the game. Too bad.

This is a reminder how special last year was. All those long runs were great, but not normal. It takes a lot to go right to get one of those. It makes me happy that Barkley had such a magical season at the same time as the team. All the more fun to celebrate Barkley’s greatness while also celebrating a great season and Super Bowl win.

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