Iggles Blitz

by Tommy Lawlor

So Let It Be Written

Posted October 6th, 2018 | 2 Comments »

Many thought the Eagles had a legit chance to repeat as Super Bowl champs. They would have to great teams like the Rams, Saints and Falcons. And oh yeah, the Vikings.

Minnesota had a great year in 2017 and then added QB Kirk Cousins, DT Sheldon Richardson, CB Mike Hughes and was getting RB Dalvin Cook back from injury. Talk about stacked. That was going to be one scary team. Some had them winning the Super Bowl. Just about everyone had them as a contender. So. Much. Talent.

Just because it gets written in the spring and summer doesn’t mean it will happen. The Vikings looked great on paper, but here they sit at 1-2-1.

The biggest shocker is that their defense is struggling. The Vikings were #1 in points and yards allowed last year. They had one of the best 3rd down defenses in the last 50 years. That was a legitimately great defense. Not this year. The Vikings are 21st in points allowed and 20th in yards. The hapless Buffalo Bills scored 27 points on them. Last year the Vikings gave up 27 or more points just twice in the regular season. This year? They have done that three straight weeks.

Ouch.

Kirk Cousins has posted good numbers, but the offense still doesn’t look completely right. The offensive line is struggling. The run game is non-existent. The Vikings are dead last in yards, attempts and touchdowns. They are 30th in yards per attempt. Not good when that’s the selling point for the run game.

Cook has been struggling with a hamstring injury this year. Rather than being a dynamic threat out of the backfield, he’s run 36 times for 98 yards. To put that in perspective, Wendell Smallwood is 22-123 for the year.

I’m not here to tell you the Vikings are going to lay down and be an easy win for the Eagles. This team is desperate. A win gets them back to .500 and gives them hope. A loss puts them in a tough position.

The results haven’t been good this year, but the roster is still very talented. Like we’re seeing with the Eagles, something just isn’t working. Injuries have been a factor. The Everson Griffen situation goes beyond football. No one could have seen that coming. The schedule didn’t help. The Vikings two losses are at Green Bay and at the Rams. Those are tough teams to beat, especially on the road.

Don’t sleep on the Vikings. This team can still get going and win plenty of games. Mike Zimmer would point out that they were just 2-2 last year before winning eight games in a row. Still, this just feels different.

We might simply be seeing the difference in projections and reality. The Vikings look nothing like the team we expected. The roster looked great on paper in July, but every football team is a chemistry experiment for that particular season. The Eagles and Vikings flourished last year despite some projected weaknesses. Both rosters looked great this time around and neither is delivering the right kind of results.

It is going to be really interesting to see who wins on Sunday and how the other team reacts. A loss would send Eagles fans over the edge. A loss might send the Vikings team over the edge. They were 13-3 last year. To match that loss total in early October might be something that would really affect them. Hopefully we’ll get to see that.

The Eagles could also lose their third game, the same amount as last year. Because Carson Wentz missed the first couple of weeks, it feels different for Philly.

One of the teams will win on Sunday (a tie would be torturous to both sides). Beyond that, I’m guessing one of the teams will get their act together and go on a run. This game could be a springboard for saving someone’s season.

*****

Derek Barnett will miss the game. Michael Bennett will probably start in his place.

Josh Sweat will be active and will make his NFL debut. I’m curious to see where he is. I’ll say this…my expectations are very grounded.

*****

Good nugget from Zack.

Wiz didn’t play very well on Sunday. I have no problem with giving Seumalo a chance.

This is ironic because last year Seumalo was benched after a tough road loss at KC. There was no doubt that he had to be benched. Seumalo was bad.

He had a good summer and bounced back in a big way. It will be interesting to see if he’s ready to start or the same issues pop up. Seumalo has been good off the bench. He hasn’t fared nearly as well as a starter so this would be a huge opportunity for him.

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The Means Effect

Posted October 5th, 2018 | 1 Comment »

We can talk about the talent and potential of the Eagles, but there is no denying the fact the team isn’t playing up to the level they should be at. But why is that?

Tough, tough question. One thing occurred to me recently. I was thinking about Lane Johnson and why he’s been so inconsistent this year. Last season he was the best RT in football and arguably the best OL period.

Means is gone and rookie Josh Sweat now has that spot. Anyone who watched Sweat this summer could see his potential, but also that he’s very raw and needs a lot of work. It is fair to wonder if someone like Sweat is a strong practice player. Means had a limited ceiling, but was a relentless player who treated practice like the Super Bowl. That helped Johnson and the other O-linemen to play at a high level.

Joe Ostman is on the practice squad, but he’s an undersized rookie. I doubt he’s having the impact that Means did.

The interior OL were practicing against Beau Allen at times. He combined effort and talent. Allen is gone to Tampa now and Destiny Vaeao might be the best practice DT on the roster. He’s a solid role player, but isn’t as good as Allen.

Bryce Treggs was on the practice squad last year. He had NFL experience and talent. He was also an overachiever type who shined in the preseason. I’m sure facing him in practice helped the DBs. Now they have new guys like Braxton Miller and Dorren Miller. Are they the kind of practice players who can really push starting DBs?

Last year Wendell Smallwood was the RB who probably got the most reps in practice against the starting defense. He had talent and experience. Now that guy might be rookie Josh Adams. Sure, he’s got upside, but he’s still learning pro football. Is he going bring out the best in the guys facing him each day?

The Eagles are still loaded with top notch talent. Unfortunately, they are simply not playing to that level on a consistent basis.

Think back to last January. At the conclusion of the regular season, the players pushed the coaching staff to have tough, physical practices. That set the tone for the playoffs and the Eagles played some of their best football over the next month. Practice does matter.

I certainly don’t know for a fact that practice is part of the problem right now, but I think it is a real possibility.

*****

This is a game where you definitely want Barnett to play. Kirk “Don’t call me Kurt” Cousins has been sacked 13 times. The Eagles have gotten good pressure on Vikings QBs in each of the past two years. It is critical that the DL win the battle up front this week.

Griffen won’t be playing. Cook is battling a hamstring issue and I’m sure they’d love to sit him so he can get healthy for the long haul. At the same time, this is a desperate team so don’t rule anything out. We’ll have to wait and see with Waynes. Doesn’t feel like he will play, but again…this is a desperate team.

It is going to be interesting to see which team responds better on Sunday. The Eagles are disappointed to be 2-2. The Vikings are shocked that they’re 1-2-1. Both squads have injury issues and some tough challenges to deal with. Both squads also have lots of talent.

The team that can eliminate mistakes and make plays is going to win this game.

For all the Eagles issues on defense, the Vikings have given up 29 more points this year. On the flip side, they are scoring more as well, but not nearly as much of a difference.

I would feel really good about the Eagles, but playing a desperate team that also has a significant revenge motive does make me nervous.

*****

If you prefer hearing my sultry voice to reading my words, here you go.

https://twitter.com/PhiladelphiaPST/status/1047947356342300679

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