Iggles Blitz

by Tommy Lawlor

Eagles Remain Undefeated!!!

Posted August 15th, 2024 | Comments Off on Eagles Remain Undefeated!!!

Watch out ’72 Dolphins. The Eagles are 2-0 in the preseason after a 14-13 win over the super-talented, incredibly good Patriots.

If you prefer a bit more reality, the Eagles backups won an ugly game against a lot of Patriots backups. The Pats did mix in some starters. That team lacks talent and there are times you’re not sure if a guy is a backup or a starter. There was sloppiness on both sides. The Eagles made more big plays and that helped them to win the game.

So did Tanner McKee. He is the team’s #3 QB, but after watching him the past two weeks, McKee should be #2. Kenny Pickett isn’t terrible by any stretch. But he holds the ball a bit too long and just seems indecisive. The offense just has a different vibe with McKee. He is in command. He’s aggressive, but not careless. Things move quicker with him out there.

Nick Sirianni said after the game that Pickett was #2 and McKee #3. I don’t think he meant that was set in stone moving forward, but was letting everyone know where they stood going into the game. I think Sirianni should be able to see the difference when the two play. I get that there are circumstances to take into account, but the difference is real. Even Stevie Wonder could see it.

The star of the preseason so far? The Eagles defense.

Week 1 – 164 yards, 13 points
Week 2 – 159 yards, 13 points

Vic Fangio’s guys are playing physical, aggressive football. They are tackling well and not making big mistakes. The starters are playing a bit, but not a lot. Still, guys get rotated on defense so seeing the backups play well is encouraging.

Let’s jump to some players that had good nights.

McKee – Went 15 for 19 for 140 yards. Led the game-winning drive and completed the pass for the 2-point conversion. McKee threw the ball well. He had a really good presence on the field. Played the first 2 drives in the 2nd half. Then Will Grier came in for a while. McKee was put back in the game late and delivered the win.

EJ Jenkins – I wanted a backup TE to play well and Jenkins did. He was 5-47. One of those was an acrobatic catch. He did get hurt late. Let’s hope it isn’t too serious.

Joe Ngata – He went 5-88. McKee said after the game that Ngata ran one great route that got him open for a good gain.

Dylan McMahon – Had a good block on a screen to Shipley that went for 19 yards. More smart than physically impressive on that block. Played a lot of the game.

Ainias Smith – He has really struggled this summer, but looked more confident vs NE. Was 2-13 as a punt returner. Caught the pass on the 2-point play. This is nothing compelling, but it is good to see him start to show something. Some guys really fall apart when they struggle. Let’s hope Smith can build off that performance.

Patrick Johnson – Blew by the LT and just missed a sack. Disruptive off the edge. Teams needing a backup edge rusher should be calling the Eagles.

Thomas Booker – The backup DT is going to push the Eagles to keep him. The gamebook has him with 1 sack. I thought he had 2. The one was for sure. On the other he got into the backfield at the same time as someone else. Booker was disruptive on other plays. Looked like he had a good night.

Nakobe Dean – He led the team with 5 tackles. He was fast and physical. He had one terrific play. Dean blitzed up the middle. He fought past the RB and almost got to the QB. The ball got thrown at the last second. Dean turned and chased the ball. He ended up making the tackle downfield. Great effort on that play. He also had a nice TFL.

Avonte Maddox – He had 3 tackles and an INT. Maddox jumped a route in the end zone and picked off the pass. He then returned it about 45 yards. Smart play by the veteran DB.

*****

Were there any negatives?

Tyler Steen left with an injury.

John Ross left with an injury.

Brett Toth started the game at center. He really struggled. The Eagles need to move him from center and either put the rookie McMahon there or try someone else.

Max Scharping played LT. He is not meant to play LT. He was getting abused by the Pats starters when they were in the game. Scharping was better against backups.

Kelee Ringo got picked on a bit. He had good coverage on some plays, but also gave up a couple of completions. I was glad to see him tested.

The defense was burned a couple of times. The Pats got a good gain on a screen where Trotter lost sight of the RB. The Pats scored a TD on a read-option where Drake Maye kept the ball. You would think the Eagles defense had never seen the read-option before.

There was a long KOR. Multiple Eagles were on the ground and another guy got out of his lane. It wasn’t pretty.

The Eagles were 0 for 3 on 4th downs or they might have won by more. All 3 drives stalled at or just past midfield.

_

Fluid Situations

Posted August 14th, 2024 | Comments Off on Fluid Situations

Sometimes we make things more complicated than they should be. There is a rush to judgment in the world of sports. I get it. Nuance is boring. And sometimes the initial take turns out to be the right one. Why wait? There are also plenty of examples where things changed, often in a big way.

Cal Ripken went 3 for 5 on opening day in 1982, his rookie season. Great start. He then went 4 for 63. That dropped his average to .103. Manager Earl Weaver stuck with Ripken and he ended up hitting .264 and winning AL Rookie of the Year. I seem to recall he was pretty good after that as well.

Player evaluation requires the ability to constantly adjust your thinking. Nakobe Dean feels like a key example for this. He was a backup as a rookie so there wasn’t much to judge. Dean didn’t have a great camp last year and then only played in 5 games due to injury. He didn’t look great at the start of camp this summer so that brought out the doubters, which was totally fair.

The counter to that is that Dean is a young player learning a new scheme and you never know when the light will go on. It seems like the light has gone on for Dean. He played well against the Ravens last week and then had a good showing in the practice with the Patriots. He is playing with confidence. Dean is physical and aggressive. He’s playing like a good LB. That doesn’t mean he’s going to end up as a good player, but he’s now trending in the right direction.

Howie Roseman spoke about Dean this offseason and doubled-down on the team’s belief in him. I thought that was interesting at the time. Now it looks like Howie knew what he was talking about.

James Bradberry had a terrific season in 2022 and helped the Eagles reach the Super Bowl. He was dreadful last season and I was ready for him to be an ex-Eagle as fast as possible. He didn’t play hard last year and that’s a red flag for me. If you lose your coverage mojo, you can still go tackle and bust your butt. I wanted him gone.

The Eagles kept Bradberry around, mainly because they are paying him one way or the other. Why not see if he could rebound? Bradberry has moved to safety and had a solid summer. He’s impressed Vic Fangio. Bradberry seems like a changed man. I don’t know if he’ll make the team, but I give him a lot of credit for changing the narrative. He was embarrassing last year. Bradberry is a different man in 2024. Good for him.

Ainias Smith had a terrific career at Texas A&M. There was a time when I thought he would be a Top 100 pick. The Eagles targeted Smith on Day 3 in April and were excited to pick him. Smith has stunk up the joint this spring and summer. The Eagles aren’t going to forget the way they felt about him before the draft. But they do have to adjust things based on what they’ve seen up close. Smith doesn’t look ready for the NFL right now. He might not make the roster, but I think the Eagles will try to keep him in the organzation. They want time to try to develop his talent.

Darian Kinnard was basically an afterthought until he played the entire game at RT against the Ravens. Were the Eagles trying to see what he could do? Was he just out there to eat up snaps?

People are now taking notice of Kinnard. He’s got a legit chance to make the 53-man roster. I was impressed by his footwork. That’s the hardest thing for young OL. If Kinnard can work on some other parts of his game, he could develop into a solid backup.

The OL spot that has gotten the most attention this summer is RG. Tyler Steen was the frontrunner early on, but got hurt. Mekhi Becton replaced him and has been with the 1’s ever since. Most people think the competition is over.

Steen still isn’t fully recovered from his sprained ankle. He’s battling through it to try and win a starting role. I haven’t been to camp this summer, but it doesn’t sound like either guy has been great. Becton is bigger, has more experience and is more talented. The Eagles are going with him for now, but that could change. If Becton struggles and Steen gets healthy, we could see a switch. Or maybe finds a home at RG and just mashes all year long.

It would be nice if one of the guys looked really good so everyone could be confident and not just focusing on potential.

*****

Thursday night’s game with the Pats will be another chance for guys to show what they can do. I hope the passing game is better. It would be nice to see some WRs make plays. It will be interesting to see if Tanner McKee gets any reps with the 2’s.

The Eagles pass rush was outstanding on Tuesday. It would be great to see that carry over to the game.

I would love to see more good LB play. I think we’re all still curious if this is real.

It would be nice for one of the backup TEs to stand out.

And please stay healthy.

_