Eagles State of the Franchise 2013

[Dutch 874]

The Good

Offense

Our offense was spectacular in the first half. That fast tempo offense had the Redskins defense on their heels. Vick was hot and on the money with his passes. He was threw some accurate passes that had great velocity on them fitting them in tight windows and made some key plays in the running game. Vick only had 25 passes in the game and that's around the medium that I think is a good. Our offense also did an awesome job scoring TDs off of both our turnovers. THat was huge.

Desean Jackson was simply great tonight. I've been waiting to see how Chip would utilize Desean in his offense and he saw a lot of play in this game. Chip used Desean in some creative ways and got him the ball in space as well. Desean always showed his toughness in this game making some good catches in traffic holding onto the ball. I said in the offseason that I think that Desean might have his best season under Chip. He got off to a good start and hopefully he'll keep it up. However, I didn't like seeing Desean in the return game. I know he's dangerous but I saw him back there too much even though majority of them were fair catches. He should be used more situationally and see less time back there. Jeremy Maclin went down already but if Desean goes down, we are totally screwed. It's definitely not worth it.

Lesean Mccoy was balling last night. He really showcased his talents out there and showcased them early. Mccoy was leading the league in rushing before halftime. He was a straight highlight reel making guys miss cutting on the dime. He had so many missed tackles in this game. He showed great vision and is continuing to prove that he is a top RB in this league. Can't wait to see him utilized more in the passing/screen game.

Evan Mathis continues to be the best guard in the league imo. He's a boss. Riley Cooper also demonstrating amazing blocking ability and had some key blocks in some of Mccoys big runs. Brent Celek only had 2 catches but they were big catches at that point in the game. He definitely showed that he's still the best option we have at the TE position.

Defense

This was the most element of our football team tonight. Our defense played phenomenal in the first 3 quarters. The Redskins went 44 mins without scoring an offensive TD. We were getting pressure on the QB, got several hits, a few sacks and a couple of turnovers (omg what's that?) We were constantly in the backfield being disruptive. I loved it.

First and foremost, I have to give my props to Trent Cole who balled out. People were doubting Trent (myself included) if he still had it after a very lack luster season last year (who didn't though?), being invisible in the preseason on top of trying to transition to a 3-4 OLB. He was almost counted out and showed up yesterday in a big way. His forced fumble on the Redskins first offensive possession after that bizarre fumble for a TD was a HUGE momentum shift. He was constantly in the backfield in RG3's face and got several hits on him.

Mychal Kendricks was a beast unleashed yesterday. He was making plays all over the field and wasn't missing tackles! He played how I thought he could play. He had 10 tackles, a lot of pressures and got a few hits on Rg3; one hit in particular that shook up RG3 a bit; check my sig He also recovered Trent Cole's fumble too. Heads up play.

Brandon Boykin had a great game. He had a nice coverage interception on RG3 and had 3 defended passes. Boykin also was an active force tackling recording 7 tackles. Good game for the 2nd year kid.

Demeco Ryans had a really solid game. He was making some good tackles recording 8 and had a punishing sack on RG3. Good game.

Fletcher Cox is one of my favorite players on the defense (with Kendricks). His stats don't do him justice. He recorded 3 tackles and sack but he was in the backfield a lot and pushing the pocket creating plays for other defenders. He's easily one of our best impact players.

Cary Williams however gets the slight nudge and wins defensive MVP for me. I know it was a lot of controversy with him when he joined our team and our fan base criticized him like a dog. But my approach was that as long as he produced on the field, then all it doesn't matter. Cary had a great game last night. He made some clutch plays that made a huge difference in the ball game. He had a sack, an awesome interception and a crucial defended pass on 4th and 15 in the 4th quarter. I'm no fool and don't expect performances like this on the regular for him, but I am appreciative for his play on the field yesterday.

Special Teams

Special teams without a doubt is our most stellar unit. Our special teams coverage swarmed to the ball and I think the Redskins only got the 20 once throughout the entire game. And man, Donnie Jones was just about perfection yesterday. He had 6 punts, averaged 42.3 yards per punt, 4 of his punts where inside the 20; 6, 6, 5, yard line and one on the 11 yard line. He only had one touch back. His punts were so impactful burying the Redskins deep in their own territory.

The Bad

Offense

Our offense slowed down drastically in the 2nd half but particularly in the 4th quarter. I'm not sure if Kelly took his foot off the gas but we need to be more effective in the 2nd half of the football game. It has me wondering if our players were gassed from running 53 plays in the 1st half. I distinctly remember seeing Mccoy play in the 4th quarter and it was beyond obvious on that run that he was gassed. Bryce went in after that play but I wonder of the affect this uptempo offense will have on our players and if they will be able to sustain this pace. We need our players healthy.

Vick on a few blitzes didn't appear to know where to go with the ball. I wouldn't necessarily say this is the bad because he didn't make any bad decisions but definitely a concern. He needs to know where to go with the ball when the blitz is on.

Pass protection mishaps we had needs to be cleaned up. They shined for the most part of the night, but there were pass protection breakdowns. I know Herremans was responsible for a few but we can't afford Vick getting hit clean by unblocked defenders.

Zach Ertz was somewhat underwhelming. He was dropping passes in training camp, the preseason, and had two drops tonight. He has talent, athletic prowess and great potential, but he has to catch the ball.

That HORRIBLE call defining that incomplete pass as a backwards pass for a fumble.

https://twitter.com/...2314241/photo/1

Clearly not a fumble but things like this happen. Just glad that our guys rebounded and didn't let this determine the outcome of the game.

Defense

Our defense didn't play great in the last 16 minutes of the game; especially in the 4th. I wonder if it was more attributed to RG3 beginning to get in rhythm and got hot or if it was Billy Davis putting us in the prevent defense too early. Either way, it was a concern and adjustments need to be made. We shouldn't have allowed the Redskins to minimize the deficit.

Pat Chung had a pretty good night in the tackling department and wasn't bad in coverage outside of that one late TD in the 4th quarter. He misjudged the ball and jumped early. If he judged it right and took a step or two back, he could have easily intercepted it. Very Raheem Morris-ish.

Jordan Poyer had a pretty bad debut. His awareness wasn't quite there and seemed overwhelmed. Hopefully the rookie does better next time.

Coaching

Chip Kelly's challenge made absolutely new sense. He made a very questionable challenge in the preseason as well. Hopefully someone goes over with him the rules about challenging in the NFL. Great game but that challenge was definitely a facepalm moment lol

Overall, I liked most of what I saw this game. It appears we still have the capability of being dangerous and explosive. Our consistency and if we can sustain this type of gameplay is something entirely different. There were definitely somethings that need fixing, but it's a great start to the Chip Kelly era. Still no expectations on the season, but I'm excited and slightly optimistic to say the least. I'm glad we came out with a win.

Edited September 11, 2013 by dutchff7

[SteVo+ 3,702]

It's very obvious so far that our offense is at its best when it moves fast. We weren't nearly as effective running out of the huddle. There were a few smaller mistakes, things that should be cleaned up for week 2, and bigger concerns like the offensive line and Vick's health.

 

Couldn't have realistically asked for a better start to the season, though.

[Dutch 874]

Eagles' cornerback Bradley Fletcher suffers concussion

 

 

 

http://www.bleedinggreennation.com/2013/9/10/4715554/eagles-cornerback-bradley-fletcher-suffers-concussion

 

The Eagles' already-thin cornerback unit was issued another blow during Philadelphia's Week 1 win over the Washington Redskins. According to head coach Chip Kelly, as reported by CSN Philly's Rueben Frank, Eagles' cornerback Bradley Fletcher suffered a concussion during Monday night's game. The concussion likely happened during a collision with a teammate on a tackle attempt in the fourth quarter of the game.

Fletcher started in Week 1 and is one of the Eagles' top secondary players, but a concussion leaves him uncertain for Week 2's home-opener against the Chargers on Sunday. If Fletcher is unable to play, the most likely replacements in the starting lineup would be nickelback Brandon Boykin or the newly-re-signed Brandon Hughes. Boykin played a lot on the outside in training camp and finished out against Washington in Fletcher's place on Monday night. Hughes, who is a four-year veteran, has played mostly on the outside for his career. He played well in relief of Nnamdi Asomugha in last year's Eagles-Giants Monday Night Football matchup in Philadelphia.

With Fletcher possibly out for a week, the Eagles will have five cornerbacks at their disposal. Rookie cornerback Jordan Poyer struggled in coverage in Monday's win and Shaun Prater is still learning the defense, so Hughes, Boykin and Cary Williams will have to handle the brunt of Fletcher's absence. Keep in mind that Fletcher must pass all of his concussion tests in order to get clearance for Sunday's game against San Diego. Concussions typically keep players out of at least one game.

This sucks. Hopefully he gets healthy and that would be great if it was before game 2. If not, hopefully the other guys can step up in his place. He had a quiet game against the Redskins, but he did his job and played good.

Edited September 10, 2013 by dutchff7

[Vin+ 3,121]

 

Coach Chip Kelly believes the Eagles offense was "slow" in Monday night's win.

The Eagles' 53 first-half plays were the most by any team since the 1998 Vikings, but Kelly wants to clean up several areas. "We left the ball on the ground too much," Kelly said. "We didn't get the ball to the officials. We could have sped things up from a process in between plays. That's something we need to work on." Although Philly's offense was lightning paced by NFL standards, it indeed lacked the fluidity of Kelly's Oregon attacks. The Eagles are only going to get faster in the coming weeks.

Source: ESPN.com

[Dutch 874]

It's very obvious so far that our offense is at its best when it moves fast. We weren't nearly as effective running out of the huddle. There were a few smaller mistakes, things that should be cleaned up for week 2, and bigger concerns like the offensive line and Vick's health.

 

Couldn't have realistically asked for a better start to the season, though.

 

Yeah, I can't wait to see us play another game to get more of a sample size on our offense. I'm not sure if we struggled operating out of the no huddle fast uptempo offense or if our guys were just gassed and out of energy. It was plays it was clear that players on our offense were just tired; Mccoy being one of those players. Hopefully, we can find a medium and not use fast tempo all game but more situationally. I understand it was the first game and probably dug a little deep in their arsenal bag, but I don't expect every game to be like yesterday.

[SteVo+ 3,702]

PFF gave Lane Johnson a +4.2 grade for Monday night's game. So, when he wasn't blowing his assignments, he was mauling people.

[seanbrock 1,684]

Perry Riley looked like a beast out there. Skins have a real nice LB corps

[BwareDWare94 723]

^Perry Riley's been a beast for quite some time, my friend.

 

Great win, Philly Nation! However, I think it necessary that you be concerned how quickly a quality defensive coordinator like Jim Haslett was able to put the clamps on your offense. In a division in which you've just faced the 3rd best defense, that should be worrying. Not to mention that the NFC East plays both Norths, this year--two divisions with at least 3 good defenses, apiece (and the fourth ain't half bad in either division).

[GA_Eagle 595]

GIVE US OUR MOMENT BEWARE

[Dutch 874]

LeSean McCoy: Eagles 'can do a better job rotating' RBs

 

 

 

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap1000000243591/article/lesean-mccoy-eagles-can-do-a-better-job-rotating-rbs

 

All signs point to a monster campaign for LeSean McCoy.

The Philadelphia Eagles' running back is the centerpiece of coach Chip Kelly's run-heavy attack, and Monday night's win over the Washington Redskins confirmed it. With ground games drying up around the NFL, Shady was handed the rock 31 times.

The knock on former Eagles coach Andy Reid was that he didn't use enough of McCoy. Is Kelly using him too much?

"I didn't mind it Monday night," McCoy said this week, per Tim McManus of PhillyMag.com. "I think we can do a better job rotating because it's a long season. I don't think I need to have the ball 31, 32 times in a game for us to be a successful offense. We have too many different weapons."

McCoy's 184 rushing yards leads the league, and his 31 touches accounted for more than 75 percent of the workload from Philly's backfield. Bryce Brown finished the game with nine carries and was the only other back to see action.

"I think the running backs we have here can definitely play," McCoy said. "Bryce Brown showed you last year he's definitely a talented back. So I think we have to do a better job of monitoring the reps."

McCoy is on pace for 496 attempts, which easily would break the NFL single-season record of 416 set by Larry Johnson in 2006. L.J. never came close to those totals again, and it's fair for Shady to wonder about his long-term health in an offense that asks him to do so much.

I wholeheartedly agree. I don't want Mccoy getting 32 touches a game in an uptempo offense increasing the risk he gets hurt. We have a potential one two punch with Bryce Brown and believe we should utilize it more if he can hang onto the football.

[Dutch 874]

Eagles injury report: Cornerback Bradley Fletcher ruled out with concussion for Week 2

 

 

 

http://www.bleedinggreennation.com/2013/9/13/4727380/eagles-injury-report-cornerback-bradley-fletcher-out-concussion

 

The Eagles will be a bit lighter in the secondary during their Week 2 matchup against the San Diego Chargers. Cornerback Bradley Fletcher has been ruled out of Sunday's game after missing a whole week of practice with a concussion. He was injured in a collision with linebacker DeMeco Ryans during the Eagles' Week 1 win over the Redskins.

With Fletcher out of action, nickelback Brandon Boykin will move to the outside and start against the Chargers. The second-year player had a great game against Washington and collected the first interception of his NFL career during the NFC East clash. Boykin had been practicing on the outside all of training camp and the preseason, so he has experience in that area.

Newly-re-signed cornerback Brandon Hughes will also see plenty of playing time in relief of Fletcher. He is recovering from a broken hand, but was a full participant in practice throughout the week. Hughes is the longest-tenured Eagles cornerback and has had plenty of experience playing in the slot and on the outside. Boykin may start the game on the outside but move inside in nickel, which would allow Hughes to play cornerback opposite Cary Williams. The Eagles also have cornerbacks Shaun Prater and rookie Jordan Poyer on the roster.

In other Eagles injury news, offensive tackle Dennis Kelly has been ruled out as well for the Week 2 matchup against the Chargers. He was a limited participant in practice this week and expects to be back on the field in the next few weeks.

The Eagles will host the Chargers at 1 p.m. ET on CBS with Greg Gumbel and Dan Dierdorf calling the action.

This sucks. It will be interesting to see what Boykins can do on the outside (who showed promise there in the preseason) but our CB depth is dangerously thin atm. Hopefully he gets better soon.

[Vin+ 3,121]

https://twitter.com/AdamSchefter/status/378244495713648640

Edited September 14, 2013 by Vin

[Dutch 874]

https://twitter.com/AdamSchefter/status/378244495713648640

 

Definitely true. The difference is that we ran like 52 plays in the first half and the reason we slowed down in the second half is because Chip pulled off on the gas because we had a 19 point lead. We were also playing a prevent defense which kept the Redskins on the field longer and ours on the sidelines. Game management definitely plays a factor in that.

[Dutch 874]

LeSean McCoy named FedEx Ground Player of the Week

 

 

 

http://www.bleedinggreennation.com/2013/9/14/4729278/lesean-mccoy-named-fedex-ground-player-week-1

 

 

Well deserved award for the Eagles star running back.

In case you haven't noticed before, LeSean McCoy is kind of good. Apparently I am not alone in this thought.

A large number of fans who voted for the NFL's FedEx Ground Player of the Week selected the Eagles star running back as the award winner. Really, it was an obvious decision.

McCoy finished with 184 yards on 31 carries (5.9 yards per carry!) which included a 34 yard touchdown run. Shady also forced 9 (!) missed tackles on Monday, according to PFF. Simply put, he was terrific.

McCoy seems like the perfect fit in Chip Kelly's offense. His ability to shift direction while running is uncanny and very useful. Combine McCoy's ability with a very good run blocking offensive line and Chip Kelly's offense... and I don't think it will be surprising to see Shady win this award again. McCoy will be a major offensive weapon for the Eagles all year long.

Watch McCoy's week 1 highlights against the Redskins byclicking here.

 

 

 

Baller.

Edited September 14, 2013 by dutchff7

[seanbrock 1,684]

^Perry Riley's been a beast for quite some time, my friend.

 

Great win, Philly Nation! However, I think it necessary that you be concerned how quickly a quality defensive coordinator like Jim Haslett was able to put the clamps on your offense. In a division in which you've just faced the 3rd best defense, that should be worrying. Not to mention that the NFC East plays both Norths, this year--two divisions with at least 3 good defenses, apiece (and the fourth ain't half bad in either division).

Dallas and the Giants both have pretty mediocre defenses. If they are better than the Skins D it isn't by much at all. The Redskins LB corps is just as good if not better than Dallas' for which you seem to have a massive hard on for.

[Dutch 874]

Measuring the Eagles' Defense

 

 

 

http://www.bleedinggreennation.com/2013/9/14/4728324/measuring-the-eagles-defense-bill-davis

 

 

Sure, it's possible that they just pulled the squad together at the last second, but the difference between those non-counting games and the debut against Washington was stunning. In hindsight, Davis' blunt, almost insecure statements before the game -- "I am very anxious for the Redskins to show us who we are and where we are" -- look like sandbagging, lulling the opponent into overconfidence.

Jeff McLane notes that the Eagles missed 32 tackles in four preseason games, but only three on Monday night -- fewer than in any game last year. Washington only converted 2 out of 10 third downs. And another prime defensive marker, turnovers, was so impressive that I want to dig into it a bit more.

Chip Kelly's favorite statistic -- besides points scored -- is the other PAT: Points After Turnovers. (Sometimes he calls this number "Response After Turnovers," but I don't think we want to lead the league in RAT.) As he said on the Sirius XM College Football Playbook show last year, "Are we capitalizing when our defense creates a turnover, and if we happen to turn it over, does our defense go on the field and stop the opponent from doing something with it? That's what we talk about and I think that's the one that has the biggest impact on games."

Kelly's teams led the nation in net takeaways during his four years at Oregon, but they were also very effective in converting them to points and in denying those points to their opponents. Whenever the Ducks got an interception or a fumble, there was a sense that a touchdown was inevitable, and likely only a play or two away.

This statistic is a key marker of momentum -- and mental toughness. A focused and well-coached team will use the emotion and disruptiveness of their takeaways to blast through the defense while it's still stunned. (And a fast, no huddle offense is perfect for the task.) When the shoe is on the other foot, they'll find that a lot of offenses are giddy and unsettled after suddenly gaining possession, especially in the red zone, and can be stymied by solid, fundamental defense.

Kerrigan bats away Vicks' screen pass

I wrote about the Eagles PAT numbers during this preseason, and will continue tracking it all year. First, I want to refine the measure a bit into what I'm calling Points After Takeaways (still abbreviated as PAT). What we're really talking about is the defense grabbing possession away from the opponent, and usually with great field position, so I add safeties, blocked kicks and failed fourth down conversions to the usual turnovers (interceptions and recovered fumbles) in my definition of Takeaways. The Points are any field goals, touchdowns, and extra points (1 or 2) scored on the drive after the Takeaway. Every safety gets you two points of course, plus any score on your drive after the free kick. PAT efficiency is the average number of points you get per takeaway.

OK, definitions aside, how has Philadelphia done on PAT? Last year, by my count, they were miserable. In game 1 against Cleveland, the Browns scored each of their 16 points after one of Philly's five turnovers, for a PAT efficiency of 3.1. The Eagles got four interceptions, but didn't convert any of those into points. (That would be a PAT efficiency of, um, zero.) One takeaway drive ended with Cleveland intercepting right back -- and converting that into a field goal.

Overall, in 2012 the Birds gave up twice as many Takeaways by my definition, 45 compared to 22, for a net of -23. They were even worse on points, converting those 22 Takeaways into only 40 points (a PAT efficiency of 1.82), while their opponents got 146 points from their 45 steals for a PAT efficiency of 3.24. Think about that for a second -- the Eagles gave away more than 100 points in one season, almost a touchdown per game. No wonder they were 4-12.

Bryce Brown fumbles out through the end zone

This year's preseason Eagles were not much better. They were still terrible on turnovers generally, and only slightly better on Points After Takeaways. After the Carolina game, when the Eagles still had no takeaways in two entire games, I was honestly wondering if this part of Chip's system just didn't translate to the NFL.

In those four non-counting games, the Eagles gave up 14 takeaways (five fumbles, five interceptions, and four turnovers on downs) while only gaining five (a safety, two fumbles, an INT and one TO/downs). They were somewhat better at point differential. The Eagles yielded only 24 points on those 14 takeways, an average of 1.7 pts/TK, while scoring 12 points on their five (or 2.4 pts/TK). So their turnover differential was still poor, but their PAT efficiency cushioned the blow a bit.

Cary Williams' interception against Washington

None of this gave us much reason for optimism in the first regular season game against Washington, which is why I wonder if DC Billy Davis was holding back. Because suddenly everything changed. The Birds were superb against the Redskins.

The main improvement was simply the turnover differential. The Eagles got 5 takeaways from Washington -- as many as in all four preseason games combined. Philadelphia also did a great job of converting their takeaways, scoring three times out of five for 16 points. They actually could have scored 6 times on those five TKs, since a safety gives you two opportunities, but their PAT efficiency was still an impressive 3.2 pts/TK.

One game is only a bit of data, but the first results are very impressive, and very much like the potent, gambling defense that Chip Kelly wielded at Oregon. PAT should be a good measure of the Eagles' defensive efficiency and mental grit. So far, it indicates that Coach Kelly's defensive approach will translate to the NFL just fine.

Mark Saltveit is a staff writer for Bleeding Green Nation and FishDuck.com. His best-selling book "The Tao of Chip Kelly" has received rave reviews from coaches, players and sportswriters since its release in June. You can find it at better indie books stores including Joseph Fox Bookshop, Powells Books and the Oregon Ducks Stores, and online at Amazon and at http://www.chipkelly.tv/

I was very impressed by our defense. Lots of 3 and outs, lots of qb pressures and hits, sacks, and turnovers which is something we were abysmal at last year. They were phenomenal for 44 mins but the Redskins mounted a comeback in the 4th quarter. Whether it was our defense playing too conservative in the prevent defense or if the Redskins got hot, I can't make a definite answer but it was worrisome nonetheless. It was still more good than bad so I won't complain. I enjoyed watching our defense make plays at each level. D-line Fletcher Cox pushing the pocket all night and got a sack, Cedric Thorton was even in Rg3's face. Linebackers, Trent Cole was wreaking havoc; QB hits/pressures, and forced a fumble, Mychal Kendricks was an absolute monster; 10 tackles, 2 Qb hits one of them being monstrous and Demeco Ryans was very solid and had a punishing sack on Rg3. Our secondary, Boykins was involved in tackling and had a nice coverage interception, Bradley Fletcher was solid and Cary Williams played out of his mind. Very clutch plays. A sack, interception and crucial pass deflection on 4th and 15 in the 4th quarter.

I'm siked with how our defense played for a good portion of the game but I need a larger sample size before I get really hype and excited.

Edited September 15, 2013 by dutchff7

[Dutch 874]

Eagles vs Chargers: Pre-game notes

 

 

 

http://www.bleedinggreennation.com/2013/9/14/4731678/eagles-vs-chargers-pre-game-notes

 

This is a very good matchup for the Eagles; they should win this game.

I’d have said that (and did) before last week, so now I’m even more confident. I’ve seen a few articles and commentators talking about the danger of being "overconfident", and it’s a valid concern. However, the Chargers just do not match up very well with the Eagles. Outside of one specific vulnerability, which I’ll get to in a minute, I’m not seeing a lot to be concerned about.

- The Chargers run game isn’t very good. Last year, the team ranked 28th in the league according to Football Outsiders’ rushing DVOA stat. Ryan Mathews, the Chargers’ #1 RB, averaged just 58.9 rushing yards per game in 2012. It’s always tricky when comparing a team’s performance year-over-year, so these stats should be taken with a grain of salt. The team does have 3 new starters on the O-Line (though one is King Dunlap). The point, however, is that San Diego doesn’t have anywhere near the rushing attack the Redskins do. As a result, we should see the Eagles focusing mainly on pass defense, at least until the Chargers prove they can threaten with the run. Last week, Ryan Matthews had just 13 carries, and I don’t see any reason to believe he’ll be a larger focus this week.

- The Chargers passing game is just OK. Similar caveats apply (year-over-year comparison, roster changes, etc…), but Football Outsiders had the 2012 Chargers ranked 16th overall in Passing DVOA. Philip Rivers is obviously the key here. He’s a very good QB. It seems like people are down on him, but look at his stat line from last season:

64.1% Comp., 26-15 TD-INT ratio, 88.6 Passer Rating.

Now he only threw for 225 yards per game, but if the Eagles are going to lose, it’s going to be because Philip Rivers beat them (or they beat themselves).

- The Biggest Vulnerability for the Eagles. The shallowest position on the Eagles team is CB. Bradley Fletcher, a starter, will not play. That’s a problem. Brandon Boykin will start in Fletcher’s place, and I’m confident he can fill in adequately. However, behind Boykin and Williams, the Eagles don’t have anyone I trust. Further, if Boykin or Williams goes down with an injury, we could see some fireworks (not good ones). That brings me to…

- The Key to the Game (the only one). As I just explained, the Eagles CBs might have trouble defending the Chargers passing attack. How does the team counter? With a disruptive D-Line. Given the lack of rushing threat, I expect to see Trent Cole in full pass-rush mode for most of this game. I hope Vinny Curry will be active, that would help. I also expect to see Kendricks on multiple blitzes and Brandon Graham for more than 16 defensive snaps. Basically, Bill Davis will do everything he can to get to Rivers before Rivers can get to the CBs.

Did I mention that King Dunlap is starting at OT for the Chargers?

I did? Good. Then you’re already smiling.

As I mentioned in the week 1 post-game notes, I’d like to see Davis use a 4-3 alignment more often. It allows the team to get its best pass-rushing line-up on the field and will help keep offenses off balance. I don’t think he’ll do it, but it makes a lot of sense to me, so I’ll be keeping a eye out for it.

- Vick’s accuracy. He needs to be better. He left a lot on the field in game 1, on throws that shouldn’t have been difficult to complete. For the offense to truly "take off", he needs to hit those consistently. As I explained in the Rewind, Chip Kelly’s packaged plays will scheme receivers open. That works as long as Vick can get them the ball. If he can do that consistently, the team will be extremely difficult to defend.

- Where’s Damaris? Good question, I’m hoping we’ll see him soon.

- More Bryce Brown. Brown had 9 rushing attempts in game 1. I expect that number to climb into the 10-15 range as the season progresses. It’s tough to get him on the field when the offense is moving at warp-speed, but Kelly has to know that keeping Shady healthy is vital to making a playoff run. Given Brown’s talent, I wouldn’t be surprised to see him take the RB role for entire drives, but that might not happen until later in the season. Still, expect to notice him more this week, with a few more touches, and more importantly, more effective running.

- Kelly Challenges. A minor issue, but given how horrendous last week’s challenge was, it bears watching. This is such a simple part of the game, it’s astonishing so many coaches/teams struggle with it. It won’t come into play often, but losing a TO on a foolish challenge is an unforced error. That holds for both unwinnable challenges (last week) and low reward challenges.

- Guys I’ll be focused on: Sopoaga, Logan, Johnson, Boykin.

- Prediction: Eagles 31 – Chargers 20

Lastly, from ColdHardFootballFacts:

See that second line there? There’s obviously more to this data than just the time/location of the games, but the fact remains: it’s very tough for anyone to play a road game on the opposite coast.

Rest assured, the Eagles will “come down” at some point this season. However, it’s very unlikely that it happens this week.

I think if the Eagles can get some pressure on Rivers, we will have a lot of success. I'm not to worried about Ryan Matthews (hopefully I don't jinx it) but disrupting their passing game is imperative especially because we are thin at the CB position due to injuries. We also have to limit turnovers. I do look forward to going against the Chargers D-line as well. I think that may be a strong point on their defense.

[seanbrock 1,684]

Eagles Draft picks '06-12

 

'06

 

Brodrick Bunkley

Winston Justice

Chris Gocong

Max Jean-Gilles

Jason Avant

Jeremy Bloom

Omar Gaither

LeJuan Ramsey

 

'07

 

Kevin Kolb

Victor Abiamiri

Stewart Bradley

Tony Hunt

CJ Gaddis

Brent Celek

Rashard Barksdale

Nate Iloa

 

'08

 

Trevor Laws

DeSean Jackson

Mike McGlynn

Quentin Demps

Jack Ikegwuono

Mike Gibson

Joe Mays

Andy Studebaker

King Dunlap

 

'09

 

Jeremy Maclin

LeSean McCoy

Cornelius Ingram

Macho Harris

Fenuki Tupuo

Paul Fanaika

Moise Fokou

 

'10

 

Brandon Graham

Nate Allen

Daniel Teo'Nesheim

Trevard Lindley

Keenan Clayton

Mike Kafka

Clay Harbor

Ricky Sapp

Riley Cooper

Charles Scott

Jamar Chaney

Jeff Owens

Kurt Coleman

 

'11

 

Danny Watkins

Jaiquawn Jarrett

Curtis Marsh

Casey Mathews

Alex Henery

Dion Lewis

Julian Vandervelde

Jason Kelce

Brian Rolle

Greg Lloyd

Stanley Havili

 

'12

 

Fletcher Cox

Mychal Kendricks

Vinny Curry

Nick Foles

Brandon Boykin

Dennis Kelly

Marvin McNutt

Brandon Washington

Bryce Brown

 

Of the 65 players the Eagles have drafted since 2006, 24 of them have had any kind of playing time and only 7 of the 65 players has been worth a shit. 6 if you don't count 3rd string WR's, but Jason Avant is a pretty awesome slot WR. Andy Reid is the most overrated coach in the league. I am so glad that fat fucker is gone. This explains why the Eagles haven't done shit since the made the Super Bowl in '04. Add this to all the horribly called games and lack of any kind of adjustments by Reid in games and it makes me wonder how the fuck this guy has won anything in the NFL. Andy Reid ate off of Donovan McNabb, Brian Westbrook, Brian Dawkins Jim Johnson and a shitty division and conference for years. He's going to suck ass in KC.

Edited September 15, 2013 by seanbrock

[seanbrock 1,684]

Nate Allen has to be benched. We need to try and see if Kenny Phillips will come back or even better, if Rhodes will sign here. Our secondary outside of Brandon Boykin is so bad.

[Dutch 874]

Good game Chargers fans. This was definitely a fun game to watch. Much props to the Chargers who made it an interesting game. Phillip Rivers was simply on fire. He was extremely accurate and made all the necessary presnap adjustments and put his offense in good situations to succeed. Eddie Royal also played out his mind. He proved that he can be a dangerous player if utilized correctly. Gates killed us. We usually struggle against good TE's anyway; not too surprised there. Mike Mccoy also did a great job in milking the play clock keeping our offense off the field. That was very smart and proved to be somewhat effect (even though we still scored 30).

Now for my Eagles...

The Good

Desean Jackson is once again the most dangerous deep threat in the league. The way Chip Kelly is utilizing him he's also dangerous underneath. I've been saying since the preseason I think Desean is primed for one of his best seasons in the NFL; currently leading the league in yards.

Lesean Mccoy is a baller. He's definitely showcasing himself as one of the best dual threat RBs in the league; 114 yards receiving and 53 yards rushing. Almost 200 all purpose yards. Unfortunately he only had 11 carries which is something I wasn't a fan of but I'm not sure if it was because the Chargers stacked the box or if it was because of Mccoy's knee.

Michael Vick had a pretty good game. He did leave some big plays on the field over throwing Desean Jackson but he threw for 428 yards, 2 TDs, ran for a TD and didn't turn the ball over. I'm definitely not going to complain with that. His awareness leaves room for desire but he still had a great game. Not to mention Vick played like a warrior taking hits in the pocket for the sake of making a play. I don't condone it with his injury history but praise him for his bravery nonetheless.

Brandon Boykin was simply amazing. He was good in coverage and made a clutch play forcing a fumble in the redzone on Antonio Gates at the 1 yard line. That's his second straight game with a turnover and I can definitely see him pushing for a starting job before the season is over. With how badly or secondary played, it could very well be in the near future.

Trent Cole is continually making plays. He forced a fumble in the redzone which was a huge play. Cole has also managed to force a turnover in two consecutive games.

Zach Ertz only had two catches but got some good chunk yardage and I'm just glad to see him get involved. He has the potential to be a great playmaker in this league if he cleans up his drops.

Donnie Jones is continually pushing teams inside the 20. I swear he's making a case to be the best punter in the league. He's been awesome burying teams deep in their own territory even though our defense can't hold them there

The Bad

Nate Allen has to be the worst starting safety in the league. He was solely responsible for two TDs, several blown coverages ALWAYS out of position in the wrong spot, bites on players OUTSIDE of his zone, misses tackles but manages to tackle our own players in the helmet threatening to give them concussions. I WANT HIM GONE FOR THIS TEAM SO BAD Nothing infuriates me like Nate Allen and Kurt Coleman who for the love of god finally got benched. We need safeties badly.

Cary Williams went from being a favored Eagle to being in the doghouse. Cary was simply horrible yesterday and committed 3 DPI's and was getting beat left and right and managed to miss a few tackles. And one of those DPI's continued a Chargers drive that ended up in points. I can see Boykin pushing Cary for his starting job soon if he doesn't improve.

Alex Henery missed a FG that he's more then capable of making. That was a killer.

Lane Johnson had an illegal formation that took Desean Jackson's TD off the board. Desean could have had like 250 yards receiving today...lol

Our pass rush was not hitting home. The Chargers did an amazing job picking up our blitzes and Rivers did that rest picking us apart. We got handed up front and that was suppose to be our key on defense because our secondary is horrible.

James Casey also dropped a TD pass.

Lesean Mccoy only had 11 carries. I'm not sure if that was because of his slight injury scare in regards to his knee or if it was because the Chargers stacked the box.But either way, we needed to run the ball more. When Mccoy has over 20 carries, we have like a 90ish+% win rate.

 

Desean Jackson's penalty was a killer. the TD stood but this gave the Chargers great field position in a critical part of the game.

Overall, we left some points on the board due to self inflicting injuries and the Chargers took advantage of their opportunities which is what good teams do. They capitalize. Great game Chargers and you may have hope for the superbowl because every team that we've played against in our home opener for the past 4 years has won the superbowl

Btw, this was awesome lol

I wish Malcolm Floyd a speedy recovery.

Edited September 16, 2013 by dutchff7

[Dutch 874]

Eagles-Chargers Review: Looking Back at Missed Opportunities

 

 

 

http://www.bleedinggreennation.com/2013/9/16/4737668/eagles-chargers-review-looking-back-missed-opportunities

 

Philadelphia missed out on a number of chances in a close loss to the Chargers.

After a 33-30 loss to the San Diego Chargers, it was hard to not think about how the Eagles were so close to winning on Sunday. Philadelphia seemed only one play away from ending up with a different result. If they had just capitalized on that one chance. Unfortunately for the Eagles, that wasn't the case.

It was never just one play, either. It was a number of missed opportunities. Chip Kelly, along with several Eagles players, discussed their frustration with these type of plays:

"Yeah, obviously. We left points out there offensively. You can't do that against a good team. So when you play against a good quarterback, you have to be as sharp as you can. I think offensively had a touchdown called back, had a drop. Missed a field goal. You can come down to ‑‑ in a game like this that is decided on a field goal at the end of the game, you can take a pick and look at every play, but to me, it's not nit‑picking. One play is the difference in a game and we talked about it all the time. You don't know when that play is going to impact the game. And we have to understand how important it is to make plays when you have an opportunity to make them."

Re-watching the game only confirmed this notion, except this time I recorded all of these moments.

Eagles

1) A long catch and run by LeSean McCoy set the Eagles up in scoring position. The Eagles ran the ball on first and second then threw to James Casey on third. It looked like a completed pass but Casey did not "complete the process" as he attempted to make the diving catch. The non-catch meant 3 points for Philly instead of 7. (Q1- 5:36)

2) Vick to DeSean Jackson deep was incomplete. Jackson was 3 or 4 yards past his defender. DJacc caught the ball but only managed to get one foot in-bounds. Instead it was no good and the Eagles had to punt. (Q2 - 13:38)

3) Brandon Boykin forced a fumble on Antonio Gates near the goal line. The Eagles couldn't do anything with this possession. Points after turnovers is a key statistic for Chip Kelly, as has been discussed here before at BGN. (Q2 - 2:21)

4) The Eagles forced another turnover. Vick tried to hit DeSean deep yet again but overthrew him by a good number of yards. Jackson was wide open and it would have been an easy TD. (Q2 - 0:25)

5) Missed field goal by Alex Henery right before the half that would have tied the game at 13-13. (Q2 - 0:09)

6) Malcolm Floyd got drilled and it looked like he fumbled. The injury was extremely unfortunate and I don't mean to take away from that. Here is hoping Floyd recovers well. (Q3 - 14:52)

7) The say "the third time is a charm" but that wasn't the case for the Eagles when Vick and DeSean tried to connect on another deep ball. This time the ball was slightly overthrown; probably by a matter of inches. DeSean had it on his hands but dropped it. (Q3 - 9:53)

8) DeSean had a touchdown called back due to an illegal formation penalty on Lane Johnson. The penalty probably didn't even have an effect on the outcome... such as a holding penalty could lead to a long run. No matter, though. Seven points off the board. The Eagles would settle for a FG instead. (Q3 - 7:55)

9) San Diego had their way with the Eagles defense on third down finishing with a 10-15 conversion rate. The Eagles earned a stop late in the third but it was erased by a Patrick Chung defensive holding penalty. Big letdown. (Q3 - 3:43)

10) Chargers fumble on a kickoff return after an Eagles TD! The ball looked like it rolled right to Henery but along with a several other Eagles, he couldn't contain it. Even the broadcast commentator thought it looked like a sure Eagles recovery at first, but alas, it was not meant to be. (Q4 - 6:53)

11) Michael Vick had to leave for a play due to injury and Nick Foles entered the game. The team was in scoring position and threw a fade pass to one of their shortest receivers (DeSean). Once again, Philly settled for a field goal instead of being up by four. (Q4 - 1:50)

---------

In the interest of objectivity, the Eagles were not the only team who didn't capitalize on several opportunities. The Chargers had their fair share of blunders as well.

Chargers

1) Michael Vick "fumbled" when he attempted a throw and then tried to tuck the pass back in. He lost control and the ball luckily rolled out of bounds. That could have been an easy TD for the Chargers. (Q2 - 13:12)

2) Already mentioned this one from the Eagles side, but Antonio Gates fumbled at the goal line thanks to a strip from Boykin. Inches away from being a TD. (Q2 - 2:21)

3) Right after that turnover, the Chargers nearly tackled LeSean McCoy in the endzone for a safety. McCoy had to dodge a number of tackles to avoid that disaster. (Q2 - 2:20)

4) Trent Cole forced a fumble in Chargers' scoring territory. (Q2 - 1:00)

5) Antonio Gates, being "covered" by rookie Earl Wolff, drops a TD in the endzone. (Q4 - 11:39)

---------

The Eagles offense certainly did a lot to win yesterday by putting up 30 points. In no way am I blaming the loss on them. The defense struggled to do their part. That unit absolutely needs to do better. But could the offense have done more? Considering these chances, I would say so.

Ultimately, there are missed opportunities likes these ones in every game. It's no reason to be ever be a sore loser. Instead, the Eagles just need to do a better job of making the most out of these opportunities in future situations.

Edited September 17, 2013 by dutchff7

[seanbrock 1,684]

The Eagles are right about where I thought they'd be considering the personnel we have. Injuries have decimated our WR corps. Outside of DeSean Jackson we're starting Riley Cooper, who is really nothing more than a special teamer at WR. Michael Vick isn't going to take us very far, we knew that, especially with limited options in the pass game. We knew we had no secondary and that we were going to be transitioning to a new defensive scheme.

 

I have a couple complaints though. I think Vinny Curry needs to get more playing time and I think we could get more our of our defense if we mixed in some 4-3 and eased our transition to the 3-4. I think we could get Bryce Brown and LeSean McCoy on the field more if we put McCoy in the slot and started working him into the route tree and I think we could benefit from utilizing our TE's more.

 

All in all we could potentially still take the NFCE with how bad the division is. I know we could get a high pick and take the QB of the future if we tank but I think overall it's best to win as many games as possible and set a tone for this team's identity. I don't see more than 8 wins possible but we do have a last place schedule and it does get easier from here on out.

[Dutch 874]

Yeah I agree. Not having Maclin hurts us big time. Teams have been playing bump man coverage against us the last two games and have had success. Our receivers at times have been struggling to get open. If Desean Jackson doesn't have a good game, none of our other receivers step up to the plate and our passing attack sucks. Riley Cooper isn't a starting WR and Avant is a slot guy. Avant makes great plays but you can't expect him to have good games every week (even though he probably could in the right system and the right QB). I thought Chip Kelly said he was about adjustments so I expected to see more TE packages like he spoke off in the offseason. I think we need to see more Zach Ertz and James Casey; maybe some more Damaris Johnson who is a dynamic play maker after the catch.

 

There are instances where our receivers have been open the last couple of games but Vick just simply missed them.

 

 

He has two open receivers that he can deliver the ball to on the right side of the field. He can also throw it to the receiver on the left if he leads him to the right.

 

 

 

Desean Jackson is match up with a LINEBACKER. If Vick waits one more second he has a first down and probably more if he throws an accurate ball in stride. Vick's pocket is clean so he didn't have to force the ball and make that throw.

 

 

Although Vick gets the first down with his legs, he goes through his progressions and completely misses Celek slip behind the zone coverage in the middle of the field. Just another clear example of Vick's vision while scanning the field.

 

 

Avant is open on the right side of the field.

 

 

However, Vick holds onto the ball too long and releases late and DRC closes the gap and makes a play on the ball here.

 

 

Ertz is wide open going up the middle of the field and Celek is coming open running across the middle... Neither guy gets the ball on this play...

 

Vick just isn't a good QB. He's an athlete with an arm. He can throw accurate passes when he's under no pressure, but he doesn't have good field vision, horrible with progression reads and can't read defenses. His pocket awareness is also bad and he has no pass rush clock in his head. Not to mention Vick holds onto the ball too long and currently leads the league holding the ball for an average of 3.4 seconds. Chip said our offense needs to feature a QB who can make quick reads/decision and get the ball out quick. Vick can't do that.

 

Chip started Vick under the premise that we need to win now but the thing is we aren't winning now and it's more then evident on tape that Vick isn't the guy. I would hope that if we lose to the Giants Chip would bench Vick and move on with Foles or Barkley. I suspect that he would only do that if the season wasn't salvageable but would really respect him if he did it after another bad game because it needs to be done and it's apparent.

 

So while our receivers did struggle getting open on certain plays there were a lot of missed opportunities that were missed because Vick didn't see them or made the wrong decision.

 

 

Defense is something different entirely. I understand transitioning to a new scheme takes time but I honestly don't believe we have the personnel for a 3-4. Not only do I think that but have potentially two of our most disruptive pass rushers only getting like 13 snaps a game; Vinny Curry and Brandon Graham. When they are in the game, they make their presence felt and get pressure but for some odd reason they aren't getting play time. I think our D-line would be monstrous if we switched to a 4-3 and had Trent Cole RE, Vinny Curry UT, Fletcher Cox NT, and Brandon Graham LE. Cedric Thorton is playing well (in 3-4) and should see time as well. Then we'd have Demeco Ryans, Mychal Kendricks, and Connor Barwin as our linebackers. Our corners need to be playing more press man in my opinion than that soft zone coverage. I have no clue about our safeties but just hoping that Earll Wolfe pans out.

 

I don't expect much from us this year but it's not too late to change our future. There are clear problems with this team and all I can do is hope that the proper adjustments are made because stuff clearly isn't working and there are other options. Chip sold us how he adjust to the personnel and some of our current personnel aren't doing well while others need to be given a chance and others that are performing well need more game time.

Edited October 2, 2013 by dutchff7

[SteVo+ 3,702]

I agree with Sean's assessment, except for the assertion that we could win the NFC East. Dallas is going to win it easily because they're the only team with a tangible group of talent. This division is truly awful this year.

[Dutch 874]

Yeah, I've been saying since the offseason that I think Dallas wins our division.