Bye Bye Birdie

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Simply out coached. I don’t think there is any other way to put it. This wasn’t the Eagles worst game of the year, this was Doug Pederson’s worst game. There is no reason that we should blow a 23-10 lead going into the 4th quarter. There is just no excuse for it. Being at the game, you could just feel the momentum shift in the stadium after that fake punt was converted. Give credit to Cowboys coach Jason  Garret, he coached a hell of a game. He hit all the right buttons at the right time. Our offense was a literal disgrace. Doug Pederson’s play calling was atrocious and our execution was even worse. I felt bad for Carson Wentz because he played his ass off but there was simply nothing he could do. The only ones that seemed to somewhat show up on offense was Carson, Darren Sproles and Jordan Matthews (even though he had a drop or two). I’m still baffled on how we lost this game. Dallas made the right plays at the right time and it just honestly seemed like we choked. We turned the ball over, got nervous and clammed up on offense. It starts at the top and that’s with head coach Doug Pederson. The defense played well for 4 quarters and just wore down by the end. I can’t blame them at all because they shut down this cowboy offense all night. It takes a complete team effort to win though and we just didn’t do it.

Offensive Review:

I just felt bad for Carson Wentz. He literally has no weapons at all besides Sproles. For a rookie QB to be put in this position and not turn the ball over every game is just remarkable. I know for a fact we have our franchise QB. We just have issues everywhere else. Our WR’s just legit can’t get open. The only ones that seem to be able too are Jordan Matthews and Dorial Green-Beckham. Even they are inconsistent though and have their own issues with drops. Now to make matters even worse, Josh Huff got arrested today in Philly for speeding, having a gun, and weed on him. Look for him to be suspended and out for a while. Nelson Agholor’s post game comments were a disgrace. If you have a chance, go watch that video. It will make you sick. For not performing at all this year, he just has no room to talk. Our receivers didn’t do a damn thing this game and I believe that led to Doug Pederson’s conservative play calling. Zach Ertz just continues to disappoint. Whether it’s the play calling not going his way or Carson just not looking at him. Something has to change. We need him to step up for this offense to take a step in the right direction because for 3 straight games we have gotten under 300 yards which is the first time that has happened since 2003. Our offensive line held up well enough that we could keep balanced play calling but Doug just didn’t seem to call any deep plays down the field. This has to frustrate a guy like Carson who likes to air it out. Something has to change this week for this offense. I want to see a major change in philosophy from Coach Pederson in his play calling. If we don’t have the weapons then that’s on the front office to get them because it is more obvious than ever that something has to change with this offense as soon as next week.

Defensive Review:

I can’t blame this defense at all. Our offense put them in bad positions all game and through 4 quarters we only let 23 points. They consistently forced 3 and outs and we made Dak Prescott look human. I still don’t think he’s that good he just made plays when he had too., We shut him and Zeke Elliot down all game but they just wore down in overtime. Our defense came up with clutch stop after clutch stop but our offense just couldn’t do a thing with the ball. This is the kind of loss that could really separate a team because one side is playing so well and the other is playing horrible. It is going to be up to Doug Pederson and the coaching staff to keep this team together and keep moving forward. Besides for a few plays the defense put us in a position to win this game. They forced field goals and 3 and outs but our offense would just give the ball right back to the Cowboys. This wasn’t a team loss, this loss is squarely on the offense.

Overall:

This is one of the more disappointing losses in the Doug Pederson Era, based on the fact that we had this game locked up until that fake punt. We handed Dallas the game and they took advantage of it. Dallas made the right play calls and the right plays when they had too and our offense just folded as the game went on. We seemed to be operating very well when we went to the spread no huddle attack in the 2nd half but that can’t be sustained throughout a game.(Ask Chip Kelly) Our offense needs a major update and it has to happen ASAP. If we don’t make a trade today at the deadline then expect more of the same with this offense. We are limited in what we can do and that won’t change with this cast of characters. This team is going to rely on our defense to win us games from here on out. It’s defense or bust for our Eagles this year.

It’s DALLAS WEEK BABY

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It’s like Christmas Morning. It’s Dallas week folks. Start getting fired up NOW. We only get to play these guys twice a year and the first game couldn’t be coming at a better time. Dallas 5-1 is riding high and up there with the upper echelon of teams in the NFL. They are being led by two rookies QB Dak Prescott and RB Ezekiel Elliot. Tony who? Tony Romo is becoming a distant memory now as the future is the present for Dallas. They are probably the most surprising team in the NFL. The Eagles 4-2, are in second place and coming off a huge win over the previously undefeated Minnesota Vikings. The defense woke up again and looks to be legit. They will be seriously tested now by one of the best offensive lines in the NFL. This is a true test for this Eagles team. Let’s take a look at how the numbers break down for Dallas:

Offense:

PTS -26.5(7th)
TOTAL YDS -401.5(3rd)
PASS YDS- 240.3(19th)
RUSH YDS -161.2(1st)
Dallas comes in to this game with a lot of confidence beating Green Bay on the road. Dak Prescott looks very tough to defend so far. He is smart with the ball throwing only one interception so far, boasting a 103.9 passer rating. His job has become that much easier with Ezekiel Elliot leading the league in rushing with 703 yards and 5 touchdowns through 6 games. This is very impressive, especially for two rookies. Credit has to go to this coaching staff for doing a great job. This team is copying the blueprint that got them 12 wins in 2014 by controlling the clock with a great running game and not turning the ball over. They’re on pace for another great year because of this formula. More encouraging news for them is that WR Dez Bryant will be active and returning to the lineup. He has given the Eagles match up problems for years and will continue to do so this Sunday. This game will be won upfront. I believe whoever controls the line of scrimmage will win this game. Our defensive line has to show up like they did against Minnesota or this will be a long game for our Eagles. Dallas wants to control the clock and slowly move the football downfield and take your heart out. They have been successful so far at doing this and for the Eagles to have a chance to win our defense has to be able to force turnovers and disrupt their rhythm.  This won’t be easy on the road.
Defense:
PTS- 17.8 (7th)
YDS – 358.3 (17th)
PASS YDS- 266.2 (21st)
RUSH YDS-  92.2 (10th)
This Dallas defense is a big question mark to me. Looking at their numbers, they look to be very formidable, allowing only 17.8 points per game and only 92.2 rush yards per game. Stats aside, this defense doesn’t really scare me. They don’t have that one player besides maybe Sean Lee who really puts fear in me. I think our offense has the potential to get back on track this week against this Dallas defense. The Dallas D Line is average not great but pass rusher Jack Crawford #58 is very adept at stopping the run and pushing the pocket. Along with #98 Tyrone Crawford they form a very solid tandem and they should not be taken for granted, especially with us starting a rookie at RT and Jason Peters nursing a strained bicep injury he sustained last week. They have very quick linebackers led by Sean Lee who play very instinctual. It is going to be essential for us to get the running game going so we can utilize a lot of play action against they’re linebackers. I believe this defense has been aided by the amount of the time the offense has held the ball similar the 2014 season. The secondary is somewhat of a weak point and we have to be able to get open against they’re corners. This is a game where our WR’s need to step up and make some plays to help out Carson Wentz. What makes this defense good is the fact they’re just solid at every level, from d line, to linebacker to corner and safety. They play in unison and Defensive Coordinator Rod Marinelli seems to press all the right buttons . He’s a veteran coach who has proven success at this level. He has these guys playing hard and fast and that has been why they have been successful so far.
Overall, I see this being a real back and forth battle. The team with the fewer turnovers will win and the team who controls the clock will win this game. This game will be won in the trenches. If we can limit the rushing attack of Dallas and make them one dimensional by throwing the ball maybe we will be able to trick Dak Prescott into throwing an interception.  I would like to see defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz keep the aggression up by blitzing Prescott and make him uncomfortable in the pocket. He can make plays with his legs which is an issue but I would like to see the pocket pushed and have him try to improvise rather than sit back in the pocket all day and throw the ball. On the road, this will be a tough game for the Eagles, but I have a weird feeling they can sneak out a win here. My prediction is 27-23 Eagles. GO BIRDS

Who is Catching the Ball?

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Eagles Wide Receiver Stats through 6 games:

Jordan Matthews- 25 catches- 354 yards- 2 touchdowns

Nelson Agholor- 18 catches- 191 yards- 1 touchdown

Dorial Green Beckham- 13 catches- 139 yards- 1 touchdown

Josh Huff- 12 catches- 63 yards- 1 touchdown

 

How we are 4-2 with wide receivers like this is beyond me. I just don’t get it. We invested high draft picks in 3 of those receivers and the other one we traded for was a 2nd round pick. Jordan Matthews aside, this wide receiver play is just unacceptable.  Our offense now ranks in the bottom tier in the league in total yards per game and passing yards per game. We can’t survive like this all season long. It’s not shocking to hear the trade rumors floating around that the Eagles are interested in trading for deep threat SF WR Torrey Smith and are inquiring about Bear WR Alshon Jeffrey. General Manager Howie Roseman knows that this position is a weak point on this team and it is starting to affect the development of rookie QB Carson Wentz. If our defense wasn’t playing at such a high level we would probably be a 2-4 team. Wentz can’t do this all on his own. He needs someone else to step up. It’s not just the WR’s though, the tight ends have had barely any production as well. Here’s a look at the stats on them below:

Tight End Stats through 6 games:

Zach Ertz- 11 catches- 131 yards- 0 touchdowns

Brent Celek- 5 catches- 79 yards- 0 touchdowns

Trey Burton- 9 catches- 80 yards- 1 touchdown

This was supposed to be Zach Ertz’s breakout year. So far it hasn’t happened. He had a good first game against Cleveland but ended up getting hurt and missing the next two games because of that injury. He has worked his way back slowly registering only two catches in the last two weeks. For someone who just signed a pretty big contract extension these numbers just aren’t adding up. Something has to give here. It’s not all on Ertz though. There have been times where he is open but Wentz just hasn’t been able to get him the ball. I seem to think that every game is going to be his breakout game but it just hasn’t happened yet. In order for this team to be able to keep winning football games someone has to step up here.By stepping up, I mean get open for one. I re watched this last Eagles game and for a majority of it there was literally no one open at all. Our WR’s just cant seem to get any separation and its embarrassing. Our tight ends have a little more space to work with but Wentz was pressing trying to get them the ball because no one else was open and that’s what led to his first interception. On the second pick he tried to throw the receiver open because he couldn’t get open but Minnesota played it perfectly.

Unless Howie can pull off another miracle trade this week, we will be stuck with this same group of receivers and tight ends for this upcoming game Sunday night against the Cowboys. This Dallas defense isn’t all that imposing and I don’t see a reasonable excuse why we won’t have either one of our tight ends or WR’s breakout. This may be the game that gives our offense the confidence it needs to move forward with this tough schedule. So far the weakest part of this team is the WR’s and tight ends, there is no doubt about it. Their inabilities thus far are putting added pressure on a rookie QB to make plays and that’s why I believe he has turned the ball over lately. Let’s hope WR coach Greg Lewis wakes his players up and they take a deep look at themselves in the mirror. They are holding back this team so far;  Fingers crossed here that they can finally wake up this Sunday night in Dallas.

Down goes Sammy Sleeves

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Simply Amazing. What a turn around for this defense. Coming off back to back below average performances Jim Schwartz and the defense turned it up against Sammy Sleeves and the undefeated Vikings. The first quarter of this game was one to forget for the offense. Carson Wentz finally looked like a rookie against the top defense in the NFL. That is to be expected. They have made every quarterback look bad so far. Wentz had a passer rating of 52.4, easily the worst performance of his young career. At the end of the day he made enough plays to compliment our defense and outplayed Sam Bradford to get the win. This game was about the defense though. They stole the spotlight and won us this game. Let’s go over some of the positives and negatives of this game.

Positives:

Jim Schwartz and the defense. Enough said. They came out yesterday and looked like the defense we saw the first 3 weeks of the season. Every level of the defense from the d line to the linebackers to the safeties came to play. Let’s start with the d line. Brandon Graham might have had his best game in his 7 years as an Eagle. He was in Bradford’s face all day. Let’s not forget he was going against back up offensive lineman because of injuries but it didn’t matter. He was unblock-able. Re watch the game if you get a chance and focus on Graham and you will see what I’m talking about. He finished with 5 hurries and a strip sack but those stats don’t do it justice. He wasn’t the only one who played well on the d line  but he stood out. He was a beast and hopefully this continues in Dallas. At linebacker, Jordan Hicks was AMAZING all day. He looked quicker than ever and was flying around the Vikings backfield. After getting swallowed up the last two weeks by lineman he was back to his old self making tackles in the backfield and blowing up running plays. His quickness was really on display Sunday. He finished with 11 tackles and 1 sack for the best performance of the season so far. I don’t know what it was but Mychal Kendricks had a bounce back game for sure going against his younger brother Eric. He looked quick, decisive and was disrupting in the backfield with Hicks on multiple occasions. Hopefully this type of play continues throughout the season because it would help stabilize our linebacker position. Nigel Bradham was as steady as he has been all season finishing with 6 tackles and a sack. Our linebackers held it down yesterday. Now onto our safeties. I think the overall player of the game has to go to Rodney McLeod. He was a force in every factor of the game. He had a sack, a forced fumble, an interception, a tackle for loss, and a pass defended. He and Malcolm Jenkins made it impossible for any kind of deep pass to happen. Like I said, every level of the defense was playing well and it contributed to one of the most consistent games of the season. Let’s not forget special teams though. Back to back weeks now our special teams has scored a touchdown on kickoffs. That’s just unbelievable. Josh Huff looked dynamic all game at WR and kickoff returner. ST coordinator Dave Fipp is the most underrated man in the nova care complex.

Negatives:

The offense as a whole. Carson Wentz looked confused and indecisive but let’s not forget he was going against the top defense in the NFL. He had two ugly picks in the first half but settled in after that. Besides a few dropped snaps, which can’t continue to happen, Wentz looked solid. He managed the game well and helped us move the chains with his legs and his arm. The O line didn’t allow any sacks which was a good sign and #72 Vatai bounced back but the rest of the offense struggled to get anything going. Zach Ertz again disappointing only getting one catch for 14 yards. He must become a factor for this offense for them to be able to consistently move the ball. Dorial Green-Beckham finished with 2 catches for 8 yards but did snag a touchdown. Jordan Matthews finished with 10 yards as did Nelson Agholor. These WR’s have to step it up or we wont be able to take that next step forward as an offense. It sounds like a broken record but something has to change here. Ryan Matthews fumbled again down the stretch and had it been a closer game could have potentially killed us. He did gain 56 yards but he has to stop turning the ball over. I don’t trust him late in games anymore so expect to see some changes.

Overall:

Overall, a very impressive win against an undefeated Vikings team. We needed this win to keep pace with the rest of the division. At 4-2 we are in second place and travel to 5-1 Dallas where I will be reporting live. Washington and the Giants are 4-3 so every game from here on out is essential. That’s what makes this win so much more important. Sports is 90% mental and hopefully a win like this shows this team that they can play with anyone on their schedule. This may be the confidence boost this team needed. Let’s keep it rolling on national television this Sunday night and take over first place in the NFC East. GO BIRDS.

Vikings Come to Town

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Sorry for the couple day delay.

Sammy Sleeves is back in town and looking better than ever. The 5-0 Vikings visit the 3-2 Eagles Sunday afternoon at the Linc in Philly. The Eagles need a bounce back game and this isn’t exactly the opponent we were hoping to face.  I don’t care what you think about Sam Bradford he’s playing great this year and is even in the MVP discussion. He hasn’t turned the ball over all year and has a passer right of 109.7. On top of that, he has guided a team to a 5-0 record even after losing star running back Adrian Peterson for the season. Bradford is playing the best football of his career and he has a top 5 defense to go with it. Their defense is outstanding with play makers at every level. Let’s look at the stats and see what has led to this teams success.

Offense:

PTS- 23.8(14th)
YDS -302.6(30th)
PASS YDS- 232.0(25th)
RUSH YDS- 70.6(32nd)
Don’t mistake this team for the 2000 Rams. This offense is doing just enough to win but hasn’t really been tested. They’re in the bottom tier in the league in total yards, pass yards, rush yards. So how the hell are they winning? For one, Sam Bradford hasn’t turned it over. They are playing the smartest football of anybody in the league right now. They control the clock and play defense and that has lead to their undefeated record. They trust their defense to go make play and the offense scores just enough points. Bradford is managing the game perfectly right now and the whole offense complements the defense. We need to make them one dimensional. If we get on top of them early and take a lead I would like to see how this Vikings team plays from behind. Getting a lead early on this team is so essential. Don’t expect to win if we go down 14-0 again, it will not happen against this defense. If we get pressure on Bradford, that’s when I believe he will turn the ball over and we will see the Sammy Sleeves of the first half of last year.
Defense:
PTS- 12.6 (1st)
YDS- 287.6 (2nd)
PASS YDS- 209.8 (6th)
RUSH YDS- 77.8 (4th)
This defense is down right scary. Look at these stats. They are top 6 in every statistical category. Head Coach Mike Zimmer has instilled this tough nose defense and it has become the identity of this team. Don’t kid yourself, their defense is the reason they have won. This will be the biggest test the Eagles offense will face all season. The Vikings have speed all over the field starting at the linebacker position. Outside runs are not going to work very often so it’s going to take a lot of power runs up the gut. Were going to have to stretch them out with our passing game so that’s going to take one of our WR’s to step up. I have a feeling Dorial Green-Beckham and Zach Ertz will have breakout games. We need that for us to win. We have to use play action and get  Wentz out of the pocket so he can use his athleticism. Also, it will take pressure of rookie right tackle Big V, who struggled in his first start last week. Don’t kid yourself, it’s going to be a struggle for us to move the ball offensively, it’s a matter of having just enough big plays to win.
At the end of the day, I do believe the Eagles will have a bounce back game. They are coming back home and are looking to get that bad taste of the Washington loss out of their mouths. It’s going to be a defensive battle and will come down to who has the ball last. Expect a lot of punts. The Eagles cannot play from behind or they will lose this game. The key is to get on top of them early and force Bradford to beat us with his arm. Still, I see Minnesota winning this game 17-13. I hope I’m wrong but that’s what I’m feeling. Based off the last two weeks it’s tough to pick the Eagles in this one.

Down in DC

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Disappointing. That’s the first word to come to my head. I don’t remember being this confused so early in season. What kinda team do we have? Are we as good as that 3-0 start that we got off too? Are we just an average team who got lucky early in a season when some teams are still in preseason mode? After 5 games we have way more questions than answers.

I’m trying to take some positives away from the game yesterday but it’s kind of tough to do. We gave the opposition over a full football field in penalties for the second week in a row. It’s such a change from what we saw the first 3 weeks of the season when we were praising this team for how disciplined they looked. It just feels like we can’t have a big play happen anymore without there being a penalty on us. This team is getting increasingly hard to watch. Our O-line who looked formidable the first 3 games went back to looking like the line of last year for the second week in a row. We had more penalty yards than offensive yards in the first half! You just cannot win a football game that way. I know, losing Lane Johnson hurts but there’s no reason for everyone to get worse after his suspension. Our defense who for 3 weeks looked like the Seahawks now looks like the defense of last year, letting up 24 plus points back to back weeks after allowing 9.0 points per game the first 3 weeks. I wrote about this last week and my worries came to fruition because I believe the Lions gave the rest of the NFL the blueprint on how to beat our defense, that’s spreading us out and exposing our corner backs and making our linebackers make tackles in space. After having so much faith the first three weeks I now have doubts every time they are on the field.

Carson Wentz just had no time at all Sunday. 27 dropbacks, 6 knockdowns, 5 sacks, and 11 hurries. He had only 5 chances to throw the ball with no one in his face. Imagine that, FIVE. When he did have time to throw either no one got open, he was indecisive, or we got a penalty. For a rookie quarterback he did the best he could given the circumstances he was dealt. He wasn’t perfect, over throwing receivers sometimes but he made some plays when it looked like nothing was there. He still continues to impress me even with his worst game as a pro. The rookie O lineman Big V got exposed early and often. It was disappointing but to be expected from a 5th round rookie going against a pro bowl lineman in Ryan Kerrigan. He welcomed him to the NFL on the first play of the game with a sack of Carson Wentz. Doug Pederson announced he will stay with Big V so hopefully that gives him confidence and he learns from his first start.

I’m trying to find a silver lining here in this game for the second week in a row and it is definitely tougher this time around. The one thing that sticks out in my mind is that as bad as we played, we were still only a possession away from tying that game up. I believe that we gave the Redskins that game more so than they won it. I just can’t get over the fact that we look like a totally different football team than we did the first three weeks. I personally believe that this team has a problem playing when they have expectations. The seem to crumble when the pressure is on. Last year, they couldn’t take the pressure of being preseason Superbowl picks and now they start of 3-0 everyone starts hyping them up and all of a sudden they lose 2 games in a row.

I still believe that there is more than enough time to fix the mistakes that have cost us so far. The good thing is that were 3-2 and it’s still very early in the season. I still have trust in Coach Pederson, defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz and our quarterback Carson Wentz. These mistakes are correctable. Penalties can be minimized and adjustments can be made on defense. There is too much talent on defense for that side of the ball to continue to struggle. We can take these negatives and turn them into positives in time to get this season back on track. It doesn’t get any easier with the Vikings and Dallas up next but every game in the NFL is a battle so let’s see what this team is made of.

Previewing the Redskins 


It’s about time, our first divisional game. Coming against a hot redskins team who has won 3 in a row, the Eagles need a bounce back game vs. the skins. It seems the skins will be without one of their main weapons Jordan Reed, who has killed the Eagles in the last few games. That being said we still have to watch out for the many other weapons they have, Desean Jackson, Pierre Garçon, and Jameson Crowder. Our defense is going to tested with their wide receivers. I’m also worried that the Lions gave other teams a blueprint on how to beat us by spreading us out and exposing our corners. 
Let’s take a look at the stats for the Skins:

Offense:

Points per game:

23.0

(16th)

YDS

366.0

(10th)

PASS YDS

279.6

(6th)

RUSH YDS

86.4

(25th)
By looking at these numbers, you can tell that their offense is more than capable of putting up points. Their offense can give us the same problems that the Lions gave us in the first half of last weeks game. We shouldn’t be underestimating this team by any means. Kirk Cousins has a history of lighting up the Eagles but this is a different defense and a different team. Hopefully it gives us a different outcome in years past. Let’s take a look at the Redskins defense now.

Defense: 

Points per game:

24.4 

(19th)

YDS

392.0 

(27th)

PASS YDS allowed

262.0 

(21st)

RUSH YDS allowed

130.0 

(30th)

(league rank)

This game reminds me so much of the Lions Game. A team with a dangerous offense and a bad defense. Look at the numbers here and you can tell they have a glaring weakness on that side of the ball. The Eagles must expose this team by doing what they do best. Running the clock and running the ball. If we POUND the ball and win the time of possession and minimize the mistakes we will win this game. Our offense has to start off hot and give our defense a lead. We can’t have another start down 21-7 and force our offense to guide us back again. Although the redskins have some big bodies on the d line they don’t have a good run defense. If we expose that early and control the clock we will be fine. 
Overall, we have to get on top of this team early. If we get out to an early lead it will give our defense a chance to really pin their ears backs and get after cousins. There’s no way we can have a start like we did in Detroit. Seeing how they were I practice this week, they seemed to be very fired up, huddling up getting excited. This team is ready to prove that last week was a fluke. So my prediction is going to be this Eagles 27- Redskins 20. 

What Happened to Mychal Kendricks?

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Oh how the mighty have fallen. Coming off stellar back to back season in 2012 and 2013, it seemed that linebacker Mychal Kendricks was destined to be our next great linebacker. The Eagles, well actually Chip Kelly, signed him to a 4 year contract extension just last year and that is starting to look like a mistake. I just don’t get how a player can seem to get worse from year to year and still be in the prime of his career. I always liked Kendricks as a player. Early on in his career he was explosive and a play maker. He seemed to play with instincts and was always around the ball. Now, every time we say his name he’s either getting beat by a running back or tight end in pass coverage or missing a key tackle. Let’s take a look at some plays that will show you how bad it’s gotten with him.

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This just pisses me off. Kendricks gets caught literally standing flat footed against running back Theo Riddick. He looks like he’s never covered that kind of route before. The worst part is he has inside help with Jordan Hicks so I don’t quite understand why he is playing inside leverage on the running back. This cost us a big 7 points early on.

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This play was HUGE. We get a stop here on 3rd and 11 and there’s a chance we stop the bleeding before it gets worse. All Kendricks has to do is wrap up his man but instead just flies right by him like he’s never played the game before. Get back to your fundamentals and WRAP HIM UP. His careless play cost us here when Detroit converted a 4th and 1 and continued to suck up more clock and put up more points.

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This is the play where safety Malcolm Jenkins absolutely ripped into Kendricks after he missed this tackle. I didn’t see it during the game but you can see Jenkins #27 react as soon as the play is over. I just can’t understand what Kendricks was thinking here. How do you miss this tackle? Really. Jenkins was right to scream at him after this play because he’s realizing that Kendricks is hurting this team. The Lions player,Golden Tate #15, was at a stand still and Kendricks just completely whiffs on him. As a linebacker in the NFL that just can’t happen.

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Last one here. Watch Kendricks just follow his receiver to an area where there are already 3 Eagles defenders. I don’t know the exact play call but it seems that Kendricks blew his coverage and that led to the wide open gain for the Lions. If it was a zone call on defense Kendricks should have stayed on the left side of the field instead of following his man all the way across. There seemed to be miscommunication somewhere here and it doesn’t surprise me that Kendricks was involved.

 

Mychal Kendricks has become a liability for this strong defense this year. I can’t believe I’m even saying that but it’s the truth. His playing time is something to keep an eye on for the next couple games here. I foresee a drop in snaps for him and more increased snaps for Nigel Bradham, Stephen Tulloch, and Jordan Hicks. Our defense held Detroit to 45 yards in the second half and I believe that had to do with the fact that Kendricks wasn’t on the field as much. Maybe he can straighten this out and get back to his old playing ways, maybe he can’t. All I know is his play this season doesn’t give me any confidence he can turn it around.

Lane Johnson Suspended

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Well, it’s official. Lane Johnson has been suspended 10 games which is basically for the rest of the season. This one hurts. He has without a doubt been our best offensive lineman all year and now there will be a glaring weakness on the right side of the line. It seems that Doug Pederson is leaning toward starting rookie 5th round pick RT Hal Vatai or as everyone calls him Big V. AT 6-6 315, Big V has the athletic ability and size to be able to flourish but I would have been a little more comfortable with him sitting a year. He will now be tossed into the fire with the hardest part of our schedule coming up. This really does hurt our offensive line and will change the play calls that coach Pederson can choose. I’m curious to see how Doug Pederson will adjust his game planning. You could leave Johnson on an island by himself and you know he would be OK but with Big V out there now we will constantly have to leave a tight end on his side to help chip block. Expect Brent Celek’s playing time to only increase with Lane Johnson out. He will be helping out the rookie in pass protection for the duration of season in many different formations. As a whole expect even more 2 or 3 tight end sets so the rookie will not be exposed. Damn this hurts. Lane was having a pro bowl year so far in my opinion, just re watch the film and you’ll see. We will see how this changes everything in the running game as well as the passing game. Goodbye Lane, Hello Big V.

Carson Wentz is the Real Deal

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Carson Wentz, and the Eagles for that matter showed they are no push overs this year. Every game in the NFL is going to be a battle. You can’t over look anybody. The Eagles over looked the Detroit Lions in the first half. You can call it rust from the bye week, you could say they didn’t take Detroit seriously, but all I know is throughout this game of ups and downs, the only steady thing was Carson Wentz. Let’s take a look at his numbers from yesterday’s game.

Carson Wentz: 25-33, 238 yards, 2 TD, 1 IN,T, QB Rating- 102.8

The rookie Wentz has had a passer rating of over 100.00 in 3 out of the 4 games that he has started in. That’s unheard of  now a days. As soon as we got down 21-7 I said to myself it is going to be put up or shut up time here for the rookie and man he did not disappoint. Like Coach Doug Pederson says about Wentz, “When the pressure is on, that’s when he’s at his best”. He looked calm and cool throughout a game where he easily could have got rattled.  He played smart football and guided us back, and along with the waking up of the defense, the Eagles took the lead within the closing minutes of the game.

I don’t want to only talk about stats because I believe that we should use stats to compliment what we see with our own eyes. That’s exactly what is happening here with Carson Wentz. He passes the eye test in every measurable fashion. He had some plays yesterday that really make you take a step back and say WOW. The first one that comes to mind is the back shoulder throw he had to Jordan Matthews on a 2nd and 25. It was a broken play but the rookie QB had the where with all to roll out of the pocket and deliver an absolute strike to Matthews putting the ball only where he could get it. My excitement was tapered on the play because of the flag that was thrown on the play, which was a common occurrence yesterday.  His ability to make something out of nothing is really starting to come to the forefront and I believe he has gained the confidence of everyone from the coaches, to the players, to the fans.

Now, another thing that stood out to me was his calmness when pressure would arise on 3rd downs. His conversions of 3rd downs when the pressure was on to put the points on the board should not go unnoticed. He had multiple throughout the game and I thought Coach Pederson would put the ball in his hands to clinch the game on that final 3rd and 2. It was also great to see his running ability with Dougie P calling some zone read options. He’s not going to run a 4.4, 40 yard dash, but you can see his athletic ability in space when he does get the chance.

This kid showed a lot of poise out there for a 23 year old, even though he threw his first pick on a questionable play (I blame Agholor a little) I don’t mind Wentz taking the shot downfield. This was a game that could have gotten ugly quick if there was another quarterback under center. On the road in a hostile environment, he easily could have succumbed to the pressure being faced with a huge deficit. The coaching staff believed in him enough to put the ball in his hands and really show everyone what he can do playing from behind. We all saw what he could do with a lead through the first three games but he showed us that with him at QB we are never out of a game.This is a team sport. So let’s see who stood out and who didn’t.

Who Showed Up:

1.) Carson Wentz- Like i said before, the kid just has it. I believe you can tell right away if a guy has it or doesn’t and something about this kid so far tells me he has it. Refer to my review above.

2.) Darren Sproles- Whether it was catching the ball as a wide receiver or running the ball out of the backfield this guy just seems to have an impact every time he touches it. Him and Wentz seem to be developing a nice chemistry and Coach Pederson is making it a point to get him involved early and often.

3.) Dorial Green-Beckham- Although he had a costly drop that could have potentially clinched the game with a touchdown, he just has that presence to him whenever he is out on the field. Wentz is getting him the ball in open space and DGB is doing the rest. On a 3rd and 8 he took a drag route and ran 26 yards with it almost scoring on the play, showing his ability to separate with the ball in his hands. Dougie P said he would like to increase his snaps and I would hope that he does because the sky is the limit for this young WR.

4.) Nigel Bradham- His snaps were cut in the first half because he was either suspended(gun incident) or defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz was just trying a different look. When he was back out there in the second half playing regular snaps, the defense seemed to snap back into shape. If you look at every run play he just seems to be always around the ball. This guy is a play maker for our defense who only surrendered 45 total yards in the second half. Hopefully the league doesn’t suspend him because that would be a major blow.

Who Didn’t Show Up:

1.) Mychal Kendricks- It’s a shame to see how far his play has slipped as of late. I used to think this guy could be a pro bowler year in and year out. He just can’t seem to put it together. He was a mess in the first half. Missing tackles, taking bad angles on players, not showing any instincts. He is starting to look like the weak point of our defense and I’m worried teams will start to attack him even more. Start to pay attention to him next game and you’ll 100% agree with my view.

2.) Ryan Mathews- I don’t want to say he cost us the game because they were many other factors that contributed to it but he just has to know better in that situation. You just can’t fumble the ball in that situation. As a veteran in the league, you have to know better. Other than that he was OK but it’s all about how you finish in this game and that’s what put him on this list.

3.) The whole defense in the first half- No player was excused from this list for that pitiful performance in the first half. 3 possessions for Detroit and 3 touchdowns. There’s no excuse for it. I couldn’t tell you the exact reason for it but it didn’t look like the same team that we’ve been seeing all year so far. To their credit they straightened it out in the second half but we spotted them 21 points and at the end of the day proved costly.

4.) Zach Ertz- I would have liked to see Ertz more involved early on. I don’t know if it was play calling or what but 3 catches for 36 yards just isn’t going to cut it for a guy people thought would have a breakout year. I know he’s just coming back from injury but i expected more from him. One of his catches came in garbage time before half too. I would like to see him more involved earlier next game and see if he can help this offense get going sooner.