Iggles Blitz

by Tommy Lawlor

Joint Practices

Posted August 16th, 2023 | 7 Comments »

The Browns came to Philly to have joint practices with the Eagles before the teams meet on Thursday night in a preseason game. It is easy to think of the Browns as bad (they went 7-10 last year), but the Browns have a talented roster and could be a team to watch this year. There was real value in Monday and Tuesday’s action between the two teams.

Most importantly, Eagles starters got to face Browns starters. Good on good. And you know what that means, iron sharpens iron.

Or…

If I’m translating correctly, the Browns were the whetstones and the Eagles were the iron.

The other value to these sessions is the Nick Sirianni can coach his whole team. The Eagles and Browns were pretty even on Monday, with a slight advantage to Cleveland. Sirianni wasn’t happy about that and let his players know about it. They played at a whole other level on Tuesday and dominated. It is a lot tougher for Sirianni to fire up his guys when they’re facing each other. When they are going against a different team, he can push some buttons and get his team to play at a higher level and with a lot more intensity.

The practice notes are a couple of days old so we’ll focus on some key takeaways. (A nasty thunderstorm knocked out power in my area so I’m behind a couple of days.)

REED BLANKENSHIP

There is no question that Blankenship will be one of the Eagles starting safeties. I think people are starting to realize that he’s not getting the job by default. This is a player the Eagles wanted on the field. They think he’s got a lot of potential and want him to play. Besides being talented, he’s young and cheap. Those guys are invaluable with an expensive QB. After seeing him in action for a couple of days, I’m sure the Browns would agree that he’s a player to watch.

From Jimmy Bama.

Reed Blankenship was stellar. During 11-on-11’s Zach Cunningham had a breakup, and the ball found its way to Blankenship, who was in good position trailing the play. On Blankenship’s return, Sydney Brown absolutely lit up Browns RB Demetric Felton. Some Browns players took exception to Brown’s violent block and a fight broke out.

During a goal line session, Blankenship filled a hole with urgency and met Nick Chubb head on, stopping Chubb in his tracks.

And then during the scrimmage portion of practice, Blankenship jumped in front of TE Jordan Akins for another INT, resulting in a raucous celebration by the Eagles on the field and on the sideline.

Blankenship had an INT on Monday as well. That gave him 3 in two practices. He’s making plays in coverage and in the run game. He has good cover skills, but also plays the ball well when it’s in the air. That is criticial at safety. Those guys are in the middle of the field and spend a lot of time with their eyes watching the QB/ball. I’m excited to see what Blankenship does this year.

DEVONTA SMITH

AJ Brown is the Eagles best WR. For now. Smith is catching up to him by getting open and catching everything that comes his way. He went up against Denzel Ward, one of the best corners in the league. Smith won his share of battles in the two days.

Straight line speed is valuable, but can be overrated. Smith has speed, but is dangerous because his body control and ability to change directions is special. Covering that guy is a huge challenge. Then you mix in Smith’s ability to go get the ball and his great hands…he is becoming a special player.

JALEN CARTER

The rookie DT makes splash plays on almost a daily basis in camp. He really opened eyes with his near-sack in the Ravens game.

https://twitter.com/EaglesXOs/status/1691493124290359301

Carter had another big moments in Tuesday’s practice.

One play is just one play, but Carter is starting to pile them up. He’s still a work in progress. He doesn’t dominate play after play, but he does have special moments each day. That shows you just how quick, powerful and talented he is. Carter is going to have some fun highlights this year.

SYDNEY BROWN

Brown led the Eagles with 9 solo tackles in the preseason opener. He showed good speed and outstanding range.

https://twitter.com/EaglesXOs/status/1691819759937998910

Brown got some reps with the starters during the joint practices. The coaches were shuffling the safeties so we can’t make too much of this, but it does feel like Brown is slowly climbing the depth chart. It will be interesting to see when he plays on Thursday night.

Brown’s big moment on Tuesday came after Blankenship’s INT. Here is Bo Wulf on that play.

Sydney Brown, working as his safety partner, laid a solid block on Demetric Felton Jr. (much to the chagrin of Browns owner Jimmy Haslam, who was watching from the end zone). Cleveland rookie tackle Dawand Jones took exception to the block and ran over to shove Sydney Brown, who shoved Jones back and then they were all enveloped by a sea of machismo. If the Eagles lacked energy Monday, they very much did not Tuesday. Sydney Brown, meanwhile, remains a bit of a maniac on the field in sort of a souped-up Kurt Coleman kind of way.

“I want to be a feared player,” the third-round rookie said after practice. “That’s kind of my mindset going into this. … My intention isn’t to hurt people, but if you’re carrying that football, you got it coming for you.”

You love Brown’s energy and his attitude. The worry is that he might be a bit out of control at times, but we didn’t see that against the Ravens.

MORO OJOMO

The rookie DL played well in the preseason opener. The thing that stood out was his strength.

 

Jimmy Bama saw that strength in practice as well.

I thought rookie seventh-round pick Moro Ojomo was disruptive in the first preseason game against the Ravens, and he made some more plays against the Browns. On one run play, he locked out the guard trying to block him with one straight arm, causing a logjam. With his free arm, he helped make the tackle. Ojomo is country strong.

Ojomo is making the team, unless he talks trash about Mt. Union football. Ojomo has the strength to 2-gap and play the run. He’s also athletic enough to shoot gaps and be disruptive. He is an excellent fit for this scheme. Ojomo could be a valuable role player this year.

TYLER STEEN

We didn’t hear anything about him in the practices, but I wanted to share this video from Franimal.

https://twitter.com/EaglesXOs/status/1691800380500221997

Steen was really good in the opener and it looks like the Eagles may have found another stud OL to add to the mix. Steen is more natural at LT, but looked good at RG as well. He’s got a bright future.

***

It is hard not to come away from the joint practices feeling good about the Eagles. When they were focused, they were dominant. And it was a mixture of young guys and veterans, role players and stars.

This is a deep, talented team.

_

Preseason Game Review – BAL 20, PHI 19

Posted August 14th, 2023 | 3 Comments »

I’m not going to cover normal game stuff here. This was the preseason opener with virtually no starters playing. I will focus on players who stood out, good or bad.

Marcus Mariota – Up and down showing. 4-29 on the ground. Still runs well. 7-11-58 throwing. That sounds okay, but the completions were simple throws, mostly over the middle. They were easy reads. It was the kind of showing you would expect from a young QB. Would like to see more from him in the next game. Doesn’t have to be Dan Marino, but needs to show more as a passer.

Tanner McKee – Good game. Has been solid in TC, but hardly impressive. That changed in the game. McKee threw the ball down the field. He was aggressive. He took chances. McKee showed a good arm and made accurate throws. Had one bad throw on a slant. Put the ball behind Cleveland. McKee’s mechanics looked odd on that quick throw. Looked more comfortable going down the field (opposite of TC). I loved his pocket presence. He did not look like a QB making his NFL debut. There was a play where he and the receiver weren’t on the same page. McKee talked to him like a QB should. He was in command out there. You want to see a QB taking ownership of the offense like that. One game is just one game, but McKee sure got everyone’s attention. It will be fun to see if he can play like this in the next game. Finished 10-20-148. Ran once for 7 yards. Was rumbling, bumbling and stumbling the whole way.

Ian Book – Just a mess. Only went 1 of 4 passing. Would not throw the ball. Held and and ran again and again. Incredibly frustrating. Book is in his third year. Didn’t look like it at all. Would have thought that was his debut. Plenty of guys have bounced back from a bad game. Book needs to do that in a major way if he wants to stay in the league. Good athlete, but not good enough to be a bad passer.

***

D’Andre Swift – 2-24 on the ground. This was all we needed to see. Great cutback and then ran through contact.

https://twitter.com/Eaglesfans9/status/1690557743701098496

I’m sold.

Rashaad Penny – 9-34 as a runner. Had runs of 9 and 10 yards. Looked good, but didn’t stand out in any way.

Trey Sermon – Canton will have to wait another week. 9-21 on the ground. Tough between the tackles. His TD came on an effort run up the middle. Long carry went for 8 yards. Didn’t show anything special physically.

***

Tyrie Cleveland – I haven’t paid much attention to him this summer, but that will change. Cleveland was the best of the Eagles WRs in the game. Went 5-68. Played in the slot and out wide. Quick feet. Hands catcher. Adjusted well to the ball. Almost made a really tough sideline grab. Has good body control. Located the ball well down the field. Subtle when pushing off.

Joseph Ngata – Lots of hype coming into the game. Didn’t live up to it. Went 1-4. Had an impressive 31-yard catch wiped out by questionable OPI. My big concern with him coming into the league was his inability to create separation. We saw that issue in the game. On the plus side, can play through contact. You just want a receiver who’s more sudden and can get more open.

***

Jack Stoll – Had a short catch over the middle. Good seal block on Swift’s run.

Grant Calcaterra – Played 21 snaps. 1-7 as a receiver.

***

Tyler Steen – Played LT and RG. Showed good footwork at LT. Got walked back in pass pro at times. Needs to anchor better. That was an issue in college so no surprise. He’s learned the Lane Johnson get-off. Quick off the ball. I thought Steen played well at RG. Used his hands well. Got some movement in the run game. Quick in pass pro. You can see why the Eagles liked him. Smart, strong, versatile and a good athlete.

Josh Sills – Played LG and looked solid. Good size and strength. Physical player. Since he’s practiced so little they are having him focus on OG.

Josh Andrews – Functional snapper. Nice guy.

Sua Opeta – RG. Looked good. Moved well. Good in pass pro.

Dennis Kelly – RT. Big, strong OL. Doesn’t have great feet. Good in pass pro if he locks on. Gave up a sack when he over-set wide and the DE went inside. Got some movement in the run game.

Fred Johnson  – #3 LT. Good length. Not a smooth mover. Herky jerky. Has good power when he locks on. Doesn’t have great feet.

Tyrese Robinson – #3 RG. Had some good plays. Strong. Physical blocker. Showed some potential.

Julian Good-Jones – Played G and C. Looked solid. Had some good TC practices.

***

Nolan Smith – Up and down showing. Used a good shoulder dip to beat the LT and hit the QB. Got pressure on another play. Physical run defender when the ball came his way. Had one big lowlight. Lost contain on a run and the RB went wide for 37 yards. Set up a TD. Smith was trying to do too much. You can see his talent. Just needs to make sure he’s disciplined.

Janarius Robinson – Got penetration to blow up a run play. Showed some athleticism. Had a couple of good rushes.

***

Jalen Carter – Just watch.

Jordan Davis – Only played 5 snaps. Didn’t do anything special.

Marlon Tuipulotu – Good game. Was in on 2 tackles, but was disruptive throughout the game. Got push in the pass game. Looked strong. Hustled in pursuit on a run play. Good motor. Has looked good in camp so he’s building on that.

Moro Ojomo – Rookie DT stood out. Was in on 3 tackles and had a TFL. Showed good strength and athleticism. Regularly disruptive. Made his presence felt on run and pass plays. Really encouraging start. Ojomo should be on future roster projections.

Kentavius Street – Disappointing. Flashed a couple of times, but expected more from him.

Noah Elliss – Reserve NT had a TFL. Big, strong dude. Needs work, but love his size. Project worth developing.

***

Nick Morrow – Had 4 tackles and a TFL. I thought he was fine. Didn’t do anything noteworthy, but played fast and got to the ball.

Christian Elliss – Only played 10 snaps. Frustrating. I wanted to see more. Missed one tackle. Got there quickly, but RB made a good cut. Had a TFL. Didn’t come away with much of a feeling for him.

Zach Cunningham – Impressed me. Played with good energy and looked athletic. Only credited with 1 tackle. I had low expectations. Cunningham exceeded them.

Myles Jack – Struggled in traffic. Not a good sign for an ILB. Credited with 3 tackles. Failed to stand out. I was hoping for a better showing from him.

Ben VanSumeren – Played a lot. Had 6 total tackles and showed really good speed. Was better than I expected, but I still see him as a project. The kind of guy you want to develop because of his movements skills. Outstanding athlete.

***

K’Von Wallace – Had 5 solo tackles and a FF. Played the run well. Came up aggressively, but under control. Tackled well. Hit receiver on the sideline to get the FF. Solid pop. Good showing.

Justin Evans – Physical player. Called for holding on a pass play. Legit call.

Sydney Brown – Had 9 solo tackles. Flew around the field. Wasn’t able to wrap up on some of those, but still got his targets down. Had one play where he was able to wrap and drive the runner to the ground. That was impressive. This was even better.

***

Josh Jobe – Covered well. Called for hands to the face on one play. Built off a good camp and a good showing last year. Impressive young DB.

Kelee Ringo – Surprised me. I expected him to be a project. Showed the ability to mirror receivers. Broke up one pass. Has the physical tools to be a good starting CB in the future.

Eli Ricks – Had a pick-6 and broke up another pass. Got a good break on the ball. Loved the aggressiveness. Very promising start.

Mario Goodrich – Played as #3 slot. Broke up 2 passes. Showed good potential. Also had a TFL.

Mekhi Garner – At his best pressing. Big, physical corner. Good  hitter/tackler on defense and STs. Had a PBU.

_