Post Game: Eagles vs. Lions


Injuries:

Starting corner back Leodis McKelvin regaggravated his hamstring and sat out the whole second half. We’ll get an update on his status when they return to practice on Monday or Tuesday. 

Synopsis:

One first down. That’s all we needed to be  4-0. This one stings. We’re 3-1 and tied for first so this loss doesn’t kill us but this still hurts. It took a lot of energy out of me today watching this game, but it was one of the better football games I’ve seen in a long time. Even if Ryan Mathews holds on to that ball who knows if we still would have won but I would have liked our chances with the way our defense played in the second half. It was interesting to see how this team dealt with adversity and I think they passed the  test even if they lost the game. Let’s start my review with the offense. 

Offense:

What a shame to see Carson Wentz throw his first pick trying to take a shot for the win. I would have liked to see more plays run but I can’t fault the kid for trying. He showed me a ton today and impressed the hell out of me the way he brought us back. Great stats on the day, 25-33 for 238 yards and two touchdowns to go along with the one interception. He handled pressure extremely well and also stayed calm to help guide us back and take the lead. I have no doubt in my mind that this kid is going to be a star. 

Doug Pederson had a great game play calling until that final play. I just don’t love a toss play on 3rd and 2. You could blame execution but I don’t think that was our best play in that spot. Our zone read with Darren Sproles was working all day in short yardage but they decided to go a different direction. To make maters worse we fumbled the ball and it proved costly. I don’t want to blame that one play because we could have put them away with a touchdown earlier in the quarter. 

There were some communication issues with Kelce and Wentz but that is expected on the road and with a rookie quarterback. Penalties killed us all day but I think these officials called an absolutely terrible game. It seemed very one sided in Detroit ‘s favor. Every time there was a big play more than likely it was negated because of a penalty on the Eagles. Fair or not, it killed our momentum early on but as the game went on we cleaned that up a little bit. 

Defense:

I kept thinking it was Thanksgiving all over again. Our defense was getting cut up early and often and it was extremely frustrating to watch. It felt like that bye week really took its toll on us because we looked a step slow in that first half. I think that we underestimated Detroit a little bit as well, myself included. It’s the National Football League and anybody can beat anybody on any given Sunday. We were the victims of that today. 

Our D-line did nothing early on. We were getting blown off the ball by the lions offensive line as they were on there way to getting 5-6 yards a run. Our secondary was a step slow and kept committing costly penalties as well. Nolan Carroll #22,  in particular struggled in press man coverage getting turned around and getting beat on short routes. Mychal Kendricks #95 also struggled in pass coverage again this game. It seems to be a big weakness of his and I really hope that he improves on that. He got beat on the touchdown by Theo Riddick and that gave me flash backs of last year in Detroit. It wasn’t just those two though, I felt no one on that defense played well in the first half. A lot of poor tackling by everyone there. 

Once the second half started our defense snapped out of it. All they gave up in the 2nd half was 45 yards. Let me say that again….45 YARDS. That’s the defense that we have seen all year it was just a little too late. Everyone on that defense woke up in the second half. I don’t know what it was but everyone was flying to the ball like they should have been doing all game. Our D line started to get some serious pressure on Stafford and we finished the game with 4 sacks. We only allowed 80 rushing yards and 164 passing yards. Very frustrating because I wish we could have seen the defense play like this all game. 

Special Teams: 

Kicker Caleb Sturgis continued to look great. Going 3-3 with one from 50 yards. I have confidence in him if things came down to it he could win us a game. Punter Donnie Jones didn’t have a great game. A couple short punts that put our defense in a couple bad spots but I think he’ll be fine. Darren Sproles didn’t have too many chances to make a play on punt returns. Solid performance by the special teams. 

Overall, I’m upset at the loss because we had a win slip away from us last minute but I saw some good things today from Carson Wentz and our 2nd half defense. We need to have a short memory here and get ready to go to Washington and get a win. We can’t let this loss linger and carry over to next week. At the end of the day, were still 3-1 and in first place but after getting a win today against the Ravens, the Redskins are playing the best football of the short season so far and next week will be no easy test. So let’s take the positives from today, build on them and go to Washington and get our first Divisional win. IN DOUG WE TRUST.

Who to take this week?

how-to-deal-with-gambling-addiction

 

Looking to make a few extra bucks this weekend? Here’s my take on some games this Sunday that could work out in your favor. You’ll finally be able to take that special someone out for a nice dinner after you hit on these games this week.

 

Patriots (-10.5) @ Cleveland: I love this game right off the bat, with Tom Brady coming back off suspension and the Patriots getting shutout last week, this has the makings of a Patriots beat down of the Cleveland Browns. Even though the line is high, and New England is on the road expect the Pats to win by 17-20 points and Tom Brady have a successful comeback game. Take the Patriots.

 

Eagles (-3) @ Detroit: This line is telling me take the Eagles. Look for Carson Wentz to continue his early season success against a depleted Detroit Lions defense. They are without starters Ziggy Ansah and DeAndre Levy who are the heart and soul of their defense. The Eagles have been playing lights out football on both sides of the ball and all signs point to that continuing this weekend in Detroit. I see the Eagles winning by 10-13 points. Take the Eagles.

 

Chicago @ Indianapolis (-4.5) : How much longer can the Colts struggle? I think this could be a breakout game for Andrew Luck and company. Look for them to move the football and get some stops on defense in front of their home crowd against a weakened Chicago Bears team who just lost stud WR Kevin White for an extended period of time. WIth starting QB Jay Cutler still out for Chicago and game manager Brian Hoyer in, expect him to throw a few interceptions and for the Colts to take advantage of good field position. Take the Colts.

 

UNDERDOG PLAY OF THE WEEK:

Houston (+6.5) @ Minnesota: Something is telling me that Minnesota is due to have a let down game here. Houston has all the offensive talent in the world and with head coach Bill O’Brien going back to calling plays, I can see them giving Minnesota a hard time. Even with Minnesota’s defense looking untouchable so far this season, I think they go down early and Houston ends up winning by a field goal. It will be a tight game but I want to see what happens when Minnesota has to play from behind. Can Sam Bradford use the home field advantage and make some plays? Expect Minnesota to get tested this week in a let down game. Take Houston.

 

Injury Update

injury

For the first time this year the Eagles are fully healthy for a game.

The only injury on the report yesterday was the following:

Bennie Logan: (Calf)- Limited Participant

bennie

Bennie Logan is still expected to start.

Coach Doug Pederson can really open up the playbook now that he has all his weapons available for the first time.

 

As for the Lions, they don’t have the same luck.

Detroit Lions Injury Report:

Detroit will be without multiple starters this weekend and will hurt their chances of stealing a win.

Defensive End Zeke Ansah, Tight End Eric Ebron, Linebacker DeAndre Levy, Safety Don Carey and Running Back Dwayne Washington are all out this Sunday.

These are major blows to a team who can’t afford to lose any starters, especially on the defensive side of the ball.

The Eagles have to attack these areas of weakness on Detroit and get on top of them early.

This will take the home field advantage away from the Lions and hopefully lead to an Eagles victory.

(Courtesy DetroitLions.com)

Pos. Name Injury WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY Status
DE Ezekiel Ansah ankle NP NP
S Don Carey ribs NP NP
TE Eric Ebron ankle/knee NP NP
LB DeAndre Levy knee/quad NP NP
RB Dwayne Washington ankle NP NP
WR Marvin Jones Jr. foot NP LP
CB Nevin Lawson illness NP FP
S Tavon Wilson neck LP FP

Previewing the Detroit Lions

stafford

Detroit Lions Record: 1-3

Offense:
Points per game: 23.8(13th)
Yards per game: 376.0(9th)
Passing yards per game: 283.8(6th)
Rushing Yards Per Game: 92.2(22nd)
Defense:
Points per game: 25.5 (20th)
Yards per game: 386.2 (25th)
Passing Yards Allowed per game: 271.8 (21st)
Rushing yards allowed per game: 114.5  (23rd)
cd0ymzcznguwzdbhnduynddiytjhm2yyzthlmtjjotqwyyznptzlzwjhmde1m2eyyjm1ytdjmjbkzgnhzwjjnjkwzdg1-e1417004608439
(Detroit Head Coach Jim Caldwell)
Although Detroit is 1-3, this game has me slightly nervous. I don’t believe that their record indicates how good this team is. By looking at their stats above you can pick up a few things. 1.) Their strength is their offense.. They can put up points in a hurry because of great quarterback play from Matthew Stafford(pictured above) 2.) Their coach Jim Caldwell has come up with great offensive concepts along with their offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter. They are a top 10 offense in everything except for points(13th) and rushing yards(22nd). They will spread you out and utilize their wide receivers Golden Tate, Anquan Boldin and Marvin Jones. Don’t forget about their tight end Eric Ebron#85, who is a match up nightmare for linebackers. I have a feeling they might be calling his name a lot come Sunday. 3.) Their defense isn’t anything special. This is where I believe we can take advantage of this team. So far this season their defense has ranked on the bottom tier of the league in almost every statistical category. I could see Carson Wentz having a big day against this secondary and then pounding the ball with our stable of running backs. There is potential to put up some points  4.) This game has meaning for defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz. He was the Detroit Lions head coach from 2009-2013. Knowing his demeanor, he will want to put on a great defensive performance against his former team after they fired him a couple of years back. Coach Schwartz also has some familiarity with this team knowing some of the players tendencies which should help while putting in the game plan this week. 5.) Lastly, how can we forget what happened last year in Detroit on Thanksgiving? An absolute embarrassing effort on national television which culminated in a 45-14 loss. That might have been the low point of the season and personally speaking, ruined my Thanksgiving. I know it was last year but revenge has to be on some of the players minds this week. Before last year we have had success against Detroit in recent games(see diagram below) and I do expect that to continue again. Expect a big dosage of Carson Wentz spreading the ball around early to open up the running game later on and pound the Lions into the ground. This can be a statement game for the Eagles coming off the bye.
Prediction:
Eagles win 30-20

 

Recent Match ups vs Detroit: 

(Credit: The Football Database)

A L 45-14
H W 34-20
H L 26-23, OT
A W 35-32
H W 56-21
A W 30-13

Nigel Bradham Arrested on Weapons Charge

index

Nigel Bradham was arrested during the bye week for carrying a loaded gun through the airport on his way back to Philadelphia. He reported to the team facility on Monday and didn’t miss practice. Braham #53, has been a force on the defense so far this year. Jim Schwartz brought him over from Buffalo and Howie Roseman signed him to a 2 year, 7 million dollar deal. He has 10 tackles on the year, including an interception on Monday night against the Bears. Doug Pederson addressed the issue today saying ” I don’t know why anybody would do that, I don’t know all the circumstances around it. And it’s obviously a big deal, to do that. We just have to be smart. It is a little surprising that he carried it on.” (speaking about carrying the gun)  If the league doesn’t suspend Bradham, Coach Pederson may choose to take action. Will keep you updated as soon as something changes.

images

Doug Pederson Review

I

index

Let’s start with the stats:

Points per game- 30.7 (2nd in NFL)

Yards per game- 369.7 (13th in NFL)

Passing yards per game- 250.3 (18th in NFL)

Rushing yards per game- 119.3 (9th in NFL)

 

I’ll be the first to admit I wasn’t ecstatic when the Eagles hired Dougie P this past offseason. I couldn’t help but remember the  Doug Pederson who, during the  1999 season, quaterbacked our Eagles to a  5-11 record. Needless to say my opinion of him wasn’t very high. Then, former Eagles coach (not to mention most successful coach in team history), Andy Reid hired him on his staff from 2009-2012. I didn’t think much of it at the time so when the Eagles fired Andy in 2012 he brought Doug with him to the Kansas City Chiefs to be his offensive coordinator. I didn’t lose an ounce of sleep over it. Kansas City did some nice things offensively while Doug was there but most people thought he was just Andy Reid’s puppet. Basically doing what he was told and having very minimal input. Those people, including myself, were wrong. Coach Pederson has been everything I wanted in a coach plus some.  For one, he’s the anti Chip Kelly. He has no ego, listens to his players and coaches, and more importantly he understands the fans and the city of Philadelphia. He doesn’t try to hide information from the fans. He doesn’t think he’s smarter than anyone. He’s very humble, but is certainly not a pushover. Doug is a players coach and this team is responding to his style. He seems to genuinely care about the fans and the people of this city, along with his players. He has totally changed the culture within this team and the organization is very reminiscent of the Andy Reid glory days we’ve all been missing so much.

Scheme

Doug has brought in what he calls a “hybrid west coast system”. I don’t care what he calls it, as long as he keeps up with the stats above I’ll be happy. Carson Wentz seems to be a perfect quarterback for this scheme through three games. If you watched any Kansas City Chiefs games the last three  years you can get a good sense of what this offense has to offer. Upon his arrival to Philly though, Doug has brought in some new wrinkles that have showed promise so far, culminating with big plays. Along with running backs coach Duce Staley, who is in charge of rotating the running backs, they are both doing a great job of getting them involved in the running and passing game. The way Doug and Duce have utilized running back Darren Sproles so far this season has exceeded my expectations. It’s a running back by committee led by Ryan Mathews and has so far been a successful recipe. Rookie Wendell Smallwood played tremendous against the Steelers recording a touchdown and so did other running back Kenjon Barner. This combination of backs is proving a nightmare for any defense facing the birds this year. This team is coming at you from all angles and the credit goes to Doug and Duce Staley with this group. If you asked what the weakest part of our team was before the season, many of you would have said the WR group. Through three games, it looks like they heard the criticism and are playing with a hell of a chip on their shoulders. You’re seeing flashes of Dorial Green-Beckham, Nelson Agholor and of course the always steady play of Jordan Matthews. Along with the explosive Josh Huff, I believe this group is on their way. Doug has constructed plays to get our guys open and he’s helping them reach their potential. I absolutely love the way he’s using our tight ends as well. Zach Ertz had a great first game before getting hurt. Brent Celek is looking solid as ever even in his older years and Trey Burton is coming on and becoming a guy who is very reliable in tight spaces. We will finally get a chance to see how he plans on using his 3 tight end sets since everyone is now healthy. I am excited to watch this group take on a 1-3 Lions team this Sunday in Detroit. 580app-pederson-092016

For the first time this season, the Philadelphia are healthy as a team, and i couldn’t be more excited about it. Coach Pederson will be able to construct the offense the way he wants to and really open up the playbook. Expect some new plays that we haven’t seen yet. It’s hump day, and I’m already fired up. Kickoff is rapidly approaching.

 

Up next tomorrow: Previewing and Predictions for the Detroit Lions

 

Your Philadelphia Eagles are 3-0

I have to be honest here. This kid has shocked the hell out of me. I still don’t know what to think. It’s almost to good to be true, but it is TRUE. We have ourselves a quarterback. Throws like the 19 yard strike to Jordan Matthews and the bomb to Nelson Agholor against an All-Pro corner showed me and the rest of the city that he is a special talent. If that wasn’t enough, he started out the Bears game on a Monday night looking like a 10 year veteran. Demanding the huddle, changing plays, reading the defense. It was incredible to see. I have watched that first drive at least 15 times. Even though they didn’t score I think it was a work of art. Credit has to go to Doug Pederson as well for calling 3 amazing games. He’s been the perfect coach for a rookie quarterback, along with Frank Reich and John DeFilippio. That being said, how can we forget about the Steelers game? I left that stadium in a state of shock and I’m finally starting to get over it. My friends and I kept saying how it just felt like a dream, like there was no way we could be beating the high powered Steelers this bad, with a rookie quarterback, rookie head coach, without Zach Ertz and starting corner Leodis McKelvin. It hasn’t been all Carson Wentz though and that is what us fans have to realize. But that’s also the beauty of it. This defensive scheme and philosophy that Jim Schwartz brought in has our guys flying around and bringing back memories of the early 2000’s Jim Johnson defenses. I know it’s early, 3 games in but what else do we have to base off of? Our defense has been a top 5 defense in almost every statistical category and our offense is a top 5 offense in points. That kind of success leads to wins and that’s what has happened so far.

Carson by the Numbers:

Passing Yards: 769 yards

Passer Rating: 103.8

Touchdown/Interception: 5/0

Record: 3-0

091116_pederson-wentz_1200

Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Don’t go buying your Super Bowl tickets yet. Teams will adjust to Carson and Doug and that’s when the real test will come. But I have the faith in this coaching staff, this team, and most important, our Quarterback. I know It’s only October 4th, but who really envisioned us being 3-0 and in first place in the NFC East? You would be lying if you said you did. All I can say is enjoy the ride, don’t get too high or too low, but don’t be scared to get excited. We only have 16 regular season games a year to enjoy (hopefully playoff games after) so go crazy and hop aboard the Went Wagon. Let’s hope we stay on it for 10 plus years…

Up Next: More on Doug Pederson