Iggles Blitz

by Tommy Lawlor

Game Preview – CLE at PHI

Posted October 13th, 2024 | 4 Comments »

The coaches made their evaluations and adjustments. The players rested and got healthy. Now the Eagles have to get back on the field and see if the bye week was what the team needed to get things turned around. Facing the Cleveland Browns may also help that cause.

The Browns are 1-4. They are last in the NFL in yards. They haven’t topped 300 yards of total offense in a game this season. They haven’t scored more than 18 points in a game. Deshaun Watson is a mess. It feels like a matter of time until they turn to Jameis Winston and give him a shot. Everyone is frustrated with Watson.

The OL has had a bunch of injuries. The starting OTs missed the first few weeks. They are back now, but starting center Ethan Pocic is out. Watson has been sacked 26 times this year. The Browns struggle with a base rush and blitzing.

RB Nick Chubb is still out so the offense can’t rely on him to carry the load. They do have weapons in Amari Cooper, Jerry Jeudy, Elijah Moore and David Njoku. Those guys haven’t been productive because of the poor blocking and QB play.

The Eagles defense has played one good game this year (vs the Saints). They struggled in the other games. Vic Fangio needs to have a good gameplan and the players need to execute it. I’m curious to see if tackling is improved and if the defense can come up with some takeaways.

I’m sure Cleveland watched Tampa throw quick passes and move the ball up and down the field. The Browns can try that same formula. Fangio will need to have ideas on how to counter this. Press coverage and improved tackling would be two obvious suggestions. Fangio would be smart to mix in some blitzes to see if the Eagles can come up with a big play or two.

The Browns had the best defense in the league last year. They are middle of the pack this year, but still have some key players. DE Myles Garrett leads the team with 4 sacks and 8 QB hits. Jordan Mailata has to be able to slow him down. Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah leads the team in tackles and TFLs. He’s also got an INT. The Joker, as he’s known, is a versatile, talented playmaker.

Cleveland will be missing three DBs and MLB Jordan Hicks due to injury. The Eagles got back AJ Brown and DeVonta Smith at the right time. They need to test the secondary and attack those backups.

The Eagles will have Brown, Smith, Campbell and Jahan Dotson at receiver.

The Browns have struggled with run defense. They have allowed 102 or more yards in every game. They gave up 152 and 215 yards the last two weeks. This would be a great week for Saquon Barkley to get plenty of touches.

The thing I’ll be watching most closely is how the offense does early in the game. The Eagles are the only team in the league to not score a first quarter point. That needs to change against Cleveland. This is the kind of team you want to get in front of early. Put them on their heels and take control of the game.

This is an odd game. The Eagles are 2-2, but it feels like there is a lot of pressure on them and coach Nick Sirianni. The Browns are 1-4 and it feels like their season is already over. At some point, they will come together and play well. They have too much talent to keep losing every week. The Eagles better not go into this game thinking they can just show up and win.

The Eagles need to come out and play hard. They need to be physical and smart. This may not seem like a big game because of Cleveland’s record, but it sure feels important for the Eagles.

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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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