32 minutes ago, Connecticut Eagle said:

We are up a half a turnover per game and half a penalty per game over last season. Which do you think has been more impactful?

And despite that, we have been just as productive.

Gives you some optimism that a clean, dominant playoff game is out there somewhere.

A couple of thoughts:

1) That is an extra turnover every two games - that could be quite substantial in the NFL.

2) I would be interested in seeing the variance in pts/games compared between years.

Also, it seemed that last year much of the offense's efforts late in games was directed at running out the clock and not necessarily in scoring points.

Most frustrating teams article from ESPN Insider (paid content).

#1 Philadelphia Eagles
The problem: A fan base with lofty expectations and a roster with meaningful flaws interact to toxic effect.

Eagles fans are not known for their patience. In Week 1 of the 2018 season, during their home debut after winning the Super Bowl the prior February, fans booed their team off the field when they trailed 6-3 at halftime to the Falcons. The same thing happened this season, when a 9-1 Eagles team was booed off the field on offense. They came back to beat the Bills, but the following week, Eagles fans booed the team again as they trailed the Chiefs. These are the fans who ran coach Andy Reid out of town in 2012 and who wanted to fire general manager Howie Roseman after a disastrous 2020 season.

Those fans expect greatness from their team because they saw everything click last season. Jalen Hurts took his second consecutive leap and became a superstar. The Philly rushing attack was breathtakingly dominant. The league's deepest pass rush racked up a staggering 70 sacks. Roseman's moves for James Bradberry, C.J. Gardner-Johnson and A.J. Brown all came up aces. It was a season in which everything coalesced, and the Eagles were possibly the best team in football on a game-by-game basis.

As I wrote about before the season, it was never going to be that easy again. The Eagles lost both starting linebackers, both starting safeties, their best interior pass-rusher and both coordinators. They were unlikely to again be one of the league's healthiest teams, and they were about to face a much tougher schedule. They also couldn't count on going 6-1 in games decided by seven points or fewer.

In some ways, the Eagles have actually exceeded expectations. They're 7-2 in one-score games. The offense has been one of the NFL's healthiest for the second consecutive season. They're 11-4 despite facing the league's third-toughest schedule. With games against the Cardinals and Giants to come, there's a decent chance they will fall all the way from 14-3 to ... 13-4.

Some of the replacements for the departed players of 2023 haven't lived up to expectations. Both new coordinators have come in for criticism, with Sean Desai ceding defensive playcalling responsibilities to Matt Patricia in December. Shaq Leonard, one of the many linebackers the team has brought in to try to stem the tide of plays over the middle of the field, appeared to end up in the wrong gap on a Saquon Barkley touchdown run last week. Reed Blankenship, one of the new starting safeties, wasn't able to run with Darius Slayton on a 69-yard touchdown catch. The Giants aren't good enough to make the Eagles pay for their weaknesses, but other teams are.

It hasn't just been the new faces, though. The pass rush has dropped from first in sack rate to 24th. Bradberry, who was re-signed after hitting free agency, has seen his passer rating in coverage jump from 51.6 to 116.3; he allowed the game-winning touchdown pass from Drew Lock to Jaxon Smith-Njigba late in the loss to the Seahawks.

The offensive issues have been simplified to a credo we've heard since the beginning of the Reid era: Run the ball more. Fans actually cheered a handoff in the second half of the Giants game after being frustrated by pass after pass. When you consider the Eagles have gone from running the ball 48.7% of the time a year ago to 46.3% this season, there appears to be some merit to the idea they have gotten away from running the football.

The only problem is that Philadelphia wasn't as run-happy of a team as it seemed. The 2022 Eagles ran the ball a ton, but that was mostly late in games when they were ahead by multiple scores. On early downs in neutral game scripts, they threw the ball 58.8% of the time, which was the sixth-highest rate. This season, they're throwing the ball 59.7% of the time in those same spots, which is the fifth-highest rate.

The difference in the rushing rate mostly comes after halftime, and that's a product of the Eagles playing closer games. Last season's team led by an average of 8.7 points after three quarters, and so they were running to chew up clock. The 2022 Eagles ran the ball on 66.4% of their snaps in the fourth quarter.

The 2023 Eagles aren't so lucky. Their average lead heading into the fourth quarter has been by just over two points, and so they throw to try and extend their lead. This team is only running the ball 51.8% of the time in the fourth quarter. You can argue they should run the ball more in neutral scripts, but they haven't gotten away from the offensive philosophy that helped them thrive a year ago. Because the defense has been porous for most of the season, that philosophy has produced less impactful results.

This seemingly comes to a head on a weekly basis, where Eagles fans hope to see the 2022 team and see a particularly frustrating impersonation for drives or quarters of time. While acknowledging that two regular-season wins are likely on the horizon, I'm not sure major schematic or stylistic changes will happen until 2024. Plenty of fan bases would love to be in the position the Eagles enjoy right now. It's a testament to how good the 2022 team was -- and how unrelenting Philadelphia fans are in their quest for success -- that supporters seem almost disgusted to be the second-best team in the NFC.

 

31 minutes ago, vikas83 said:

The lack of pass rush has been the most concerning part, and I really don't get it other than the high number of snaps. Earlier in the year we were getting pressure but not finishing -- now, we aren't even getting pressure. That's why I don't see our turnover created numbers jumping. It means we have to stress hanging on to the ball.

The snap counts of Sweat and Reddick have been too high. Not sure if Sweat is worn out or just not as good this year. There is hardly any pressure up the middle either. The pocket rarely collapses and the QB usually has time and space to step into throws. Maybe they can get creative with the blitz packages as Patricia implements more of his style, the more games he coordinates. 

2 minutes ago, Khani1 said:

The snap counts of Sweat and Reddick have been too high. Not sure if Sweat is worn out or just not as good this year. There is hardly any pressure up the middle either. The pocket rarely collapses and the QB usually has time and space to step into throws. Maybe they can get creative with the blitz packages as Patricia implements more of his style, the more games he coordinates. 

I really wanted the last game in NY to be meaningless so they could rest Sweat. Given his knee issues, the high number of snaps are a real problem, and playing on that terrible turf won't help. Even with the game being a must win, I'd still debate sitting him for that game and letting him hopefully recover some for the playoffs (assuming the 1 seed isn't on the line and the resulting bye). 

I want to see a lot more Nolan Smith and Patrick Johnson in week 18. That turf is just murder.

10 minutes ago, Connecticut Eagle said:

Most frustrating teams article from ESPN Insider (paid content).

#1 Philadelphia Eagles
The problem: A fan base with lofty expectations and a roster with meaningful flaws interact to toxic effect.

Eagles fans are not known for their patience. In Week 1 of the 2018 season, during their home debut after winning the Super Bowl the prior February, fans booed their team off the field when they trailed 6-3 at halftime to the Falcons. The same thing happened this season, when a 9-1 Eagles team was booed off the field on offense. They came back to beat the Bills, but the following week, Eagles fans booed the team again as they trailed the Chiefs. These are the fans who ran coach Andy Reid out of town in 2012 and who wanted to fire general manager Howie Roseman after a disastrous 2020 season.

Those fans expect greatness from their team because they saw everything click last season. Jalen Hurts took his second consecutive leap and became a superstar. The Philly rushing attack was breathtakingly dominant. The league's deepest pass rush racked up a staggering 70 sacks. Roseman's moves for James Bradberry, C.J. Gardner-Johnson and A.J. Brown all came up aces. It was a season in which everything coalesced, and the Eagles were possibly the best team in football on a game-by-game basis.

As I wrote about before the season, it was never going to be that easy again. The Eagles lost both starting linebackers, both starting safeties, their best interior pass-rusher and both coordinators. They were unlikely to again be one of the league's healthiest teams, and they were about to face a much tougher schedule. They also couldn't count on going 6-1 in games decided by seven points or fewer.

In some ways, the Eagles have actually exceeded expectations. They're 7-2 in one-score games. The offense has been one of the NFL's healthiest for the second consecutive season. They're 11-4 despite facing the league's third-toughest schedule. With games against the Cardinals and Giants to come, there's a decent chance they will fall all the way from 14-3 to ... 13-4.

Some of the replacements for the departed players of 2023 haven't lived up to expectations. Both new coordinators have come in for criticism, with Sean Desai ceding defensive playcalling responsibilities to Matt Patricia in December. Shaq Leonard, one of the many linebackers the team has brought in to try to stem the tide of plays over the middle of the field, appeared to end up in the wrong gap on a Saquon Barkley touchdown run last week. Reed Blankenship, one of the new starting safeties, wasn't able to run with Darius Slayton on a 69-yard touchdown catch. The Giants aren't good enough to make the Eagles pay for their weaknesses, but other teams are.

It hasn't just been the new faces, though. The pass rush has dropped from first in sack rate to 24th. Bradberry, who was re-signed after hitting free agency, has seen his passer rating in coverage jump from 51.6 to 116.3; he allowed the game-winning touchdown pass from Drew Lock to Jaxon Smith-Njigba late in the loss to the Seahawks.

The offensive issues have been simplified to a credo we've heard since the beginning of the Reid era: Run the ball more. Fans actually cheered a handoff in the second half of the Giants game after being frustrated by pass after pass. When you consider the Eagles have gone from running the ball 48.7% of the time a year ago to 46.3% this season, there appears to be some merit to the idea they have gotten away from running the football.

The only problem is that Philadelphia wasn't as run-happy of a team as it seemed. The 2022 Eagles ran the ball a ton, but that was mostly late in games when they were ahead by multiple scores. On early downs in neutral game scripts, they threw the ball 58.8% of the time, which was the sixth-highest rate. This season, they're throwing the ball 59.7% of the time in those same spots, which is the fifth-highest rate.

The difference in the rushing rate mostly comes after halftime, and that's a product of the Eagles playing closer games. Last season's team led by an average of 8.7 points after three quarters, and so they were running to chew up clock. The 2022 Eagles ran the ball on 66.4% of their snaps in the fourth quarter.

The 2023 Eagles aren't so lucky. Their average lead heading into the fourth quarter has been by just over two points, and so they throw to try and extend their lead. This team is only running the ball 51.8% of the time in the fourth quarter. You can argue they should run the ball more in neutral scripts, but they haven't gotten away from the offensive philosophy that helped them thrive a year ago. Because the defense has been porous for most of the season, that philosophy has produced less impactful results.

This seemingly comes to a head on a weekly basis, where Eagles fans hope to see the 2022 team and see a particularly frustrating impersonation for drives or quarters of time. While acknowledging that two regular-season wins are likely on the horizon, I'm not sure major schematic or stylistic changes will happen until 2024. Plenty of fan bases would love to be in the position the Eagles enjoy right now. It's a testament to how good the 2022 team was -- and how unrelenting Philadelphia fans are in their quest for success -- that supporters seem almost disgusted to be the second-best team in the NFC.

 

Eh...Barnwell is a clown. Obsessed with numbers and picked us to fall off a cliff and the Cowboys to run away with the division. 

He's not wrong about the harder schedule, lack of leads, and Bradberry.

Cut Watkins, bench Bradberry. Let's see if Nick has the balls to do what we all know needs to be done. Slay, Ringo and Maddox would inspire confidence in the post season, with Ricks when we go 4 CBs.

5 hours ago, shlo said:

The Eagles never could have had Parsons unless they never traded back with Miami out of the 6th spot. The only reason Dallas traded back with Philly is they knew Philly was drafting Smith and not Parsons. If there was any chance Philly was taking Parsons, Dallas stands pat. 

Maybe so, but the Cowboys didn't KNOW the Giants weren't going to select Parsons with the next pick. They got LUCKY that the Giants were morons and traded down with the Bears.

1 hour ago, eagle45 said:

I agree with @Iggles_Phan about the tush push being an overused issue for this offense.  When I say overused, I don't mean they use it on too many 3rd and 4th and 1's.  It's a play that should be used when they are in that situation.

It's not, however, a play that you should build your offense around.  Siri has literally owned up to calling an offense that is aspiring to short yardage situations.

I do mean that they use it too much even in those situations.  They have no leverage off of it to produce any chunk plays for a team that overcommits to it.  3rd and short is an opportunity to get a team to overcommit to the sneak, and could be used against that team - having the Push in the back pocket if they fail on the shot play.

2 minutes ago, vikas83 said:

Cut Watkins, bench Bradberry. Let's see if Nick has the balls to do what we all know needs to be done. Slay, Ringo and Maddox would inspire confidence in the post season, with Ricks when we go 4 CBs.

Not only would it be better on the field, but it would help restore some confidence in the coaching staff for making the obvious move.

5 hours ago, RLC said:

Complaining about drafting good players. The draft is hard enough.

The Eagles should have picked Parsons over Smith, but that doesn't make Smith a bad pick either. 

The players taken immediately after Davis
- Hamilton: Hit for the Ravens. Hamilton would have been bad under Gannon last year in the CJGJ role. Unironically, he would be good for Patricia given how he uses Sydney Brown.
- Green: Bust
- Dotson: Hit
- Zion Johnson: Bust
- Burks: Bust
- Penning: Bust
- Pickett: Bust
- McDuffie: Home Run
- Walker: TBD
- Elam: Bust
- Tyler Smith: Home Run
 

Dotson has not been a hit for Washington. He's been a huge disappointment this year after doing okay as a rookie.

42 minutes ago, vikas83 said:

The lack of pass rush has been the most concerning part, and I really don't get it other than the high number of snaps. Earlier in the year we were getting pressure but not finishing -- now, we aren't even getting pressure. That's why I don't see our turnover created numbers jumping. It means we have to stress hanging on to the ball.

I've seen suggestions that teams are doubling Carter and Reddick and the rest aren't getting to the QB enough.  There's no full-time DE opposite Sweat, they rotate guys and BG is still playing at a high enough level considering his age, but he's a part-time rotational guy.  They've had injuries to Cox and Williams so Davis and Carter have been gassed, and not yet used to the longer NFL season (Davis was very limited last year and missed games due to injury).  

Add to that the LB situation which was much worse than last year and injuries to Dean, Cunningham missing significant time and the secondary issues the defense has had difficulties at every level.  Desai wasn't doing them any favors either.

Imagine this team with young top prospects at LB and DE instead of scraps at LB and a half-time 35 year old DE.

Ringo might be better on the field, he might not. Don't think the sample size is large enough yet. I worry about him against quick WRs, Ringo was real stiff in college.

The question is why haven't they. Do they see in practice Bradberry simply looks better? Or is it purely justifying the contract and they think Ringo gives them a better chance but won't make the move for money reasons.

9 hours ago, Swoop said:

Can't wait for the "We have faith in our LBs. VanS stepped up. Dean is back. Bradley is back. We feel good about the guys in that room" when we inevitably don't touch LB once again.

Should be that way, because the LBs don't touch anyone either.

Ringo needs a full season in the nfl to see what he can and can’t do, so far it’s encouraging and it’s not like it was a reach. It’s house money right now.

5 minutes ago, NOTW said:

I've seen suggestions that teams are doubling Carter and Reddick and the rest aren't getting to the QB enough.  There's no full-time DE opposite Sweat, they rotate guys and BG is still playing at a high enough level considering his age, but he's a part-time rotational guy.  They've had injuries to Cox and Williams so Davis and Carter have been gassed, and not yet used to the longer NFL season (Davis was very limited last year and missed games due to injury).  

Add to that the LB situation which was much worse than last year and injuries to Dean, Cunningham missing significant time and the secondary issues the defense has had difficulties at every level.  Desai wasn't doing them any favors either.

Imagine this team with young top prospects at LB and DE instead of scraps at LB and a half-time 35 year old DE.

I think if the Eagles could find one stud LB in the draft, that player would make the other LB look/play much better as a result.

The Ravens were looking to move on from Patrick Queen; now he looks like a player again, thanks to being beside Roquan Smith.

 

46 minutes ago, Diehardfan said:

I get your note but he made a catch for 7 yards and they never went to him again. He could be used more successfully but like wirh many things Nick amd BJ don't stick with what is working 

What annoyed me about the Covey screen was that the Eagles may have well flashed it on the scoreboard in giant letters that "We're throwing the ball to Covey on this play!" It was freakishly transparent that he was going to get the ball there. Frankly I'm amazed he got as many yards as he did. (But he's just like CMC so...)

34 minutes ago, Connecticut Eagle said:

Most frustrating teams article from ESPN Insider (paid content).

#1 Philadelphia Eagles
The problem: A fan base with lofty expectations and a roster with meaningful flaws interact to toxic effect.

Eagles fans are not known for their patience. In Week 1 of the 2018 season, during their home debut after winning the Super Bowl the prior February, fans booed their team off the field when they trailed 6-3 at halftime to the Falcons. The same thing happened this season, when a 9-1 Eagles team was booed off the field on offense. They came back to beat the Bills, but the following week, Eagles fans booed the team again as they trailed the Chiefs. These are the fans who ran coach Andy Reid out of town in 2012 and who wanted to fire general manager Howie Roseman after a disastrous 2020 season.

Can't take anything he says seriously.   He got it wrong.   Eagles fans didn't boo the Eagles off the field against the Chiefs, the week after they played the Bills.   1 - the Bills were the week AFTER the Chiefs, and 2 - the Eagles played the Chiefs in KC.    I think he meant against the 49ers.   And guess what... they deserved to be booed for that effort.   Great first quarter... (though the offense failing to get in the end zone either time was bad, and Hurts' self-sack of himself while trying to direct traffic was a horrifically bad play on multiple levels), but then they just mailed it in after that.  

 

And the Eagles didn't run Andy Reid out of town.   He ran himself out of town with a 4-12 season, after a 4-8 start the year before.   Andy turned himself around again in KC, but he had gotten stale here.  

30 minutes ago, vikas83 said:

Cut Watkins, bench Bradberry. Let's see if Nick has the balls to do what we all know needs to be done. Slay, Ringo and Maddox would inspire confidence in the post season, with Ricks when we go 4 CBs.

I think we all know how this will turn out...

Nick is going down the same road as Chip, let him dig his own grave, we'll be better off. 

As I've mentioned before, this ultimately falls on Lurie and Howie to straighten the coaching situation the F out. Stop overcorrecting and being power-hungry control freaks.

If they truly care about the team and fans, they need to bring in a experienced, veteran coaching staff, GTFO their way and let them do their thing. 

4 minutes ago, Birdman said:

I think we all know how this will turn out...

Nick is going down the same road as Chip, let him dig his own grave, we'll be better off. 

As I've mentioned before, this ultimately falls on Lurie and Howie to straighten the coaching situation the F out. Stop overcorrecting and being power-hungry control freaks.

If they truly care about the team and fans, they need to bring in a experienced, veteran coaching staff, GTFO out their way and let them do their thing. 

When has Lurie ever done that?  

 

 

 

That said, he's never hired a coach that failed to make the playoffs.  Take it for what it's worth.

Nick is overall good as the Eagles HC. I think he’s a good fit.

But he needs to navigate the Brian Johnson situation this offseason, and it won’t be easy.

He needs to ultimately bring in a real OC and turn the offense over completely, while still hopefully keeping BJ in a lesser role that he can keep developing and having a positive influence on Hurts development.

I liked Johnson as the QB coach. Not sure if he’d accept going back to that role, so they may need to get creative, otherwise he just has to go.

1 minute ago, Parrot Head said:

Nick is overall good as the Eagles HC. I think he’s a good fit.

But he needs to navigate the Brian Johnson situation this offseason, and it won’t be easy.

He needs to ultimately bring in a real OC and turn the offense over completely, while still hopefully keeping BJ in a lesser role that he can keep developing and having a positive influence on Hurts development.

I liked Johnson as the QB coach. Not sure if he’d accept going back to that role, so they may need to get creative, otherwise he just has to go.

Bring in Frank Reich (if he's interested in coaching again) as the OC.   Brian Johnson gets 'promoted' to QB coach/Assistant Head Coach.     Reich runs the offense... Johnson learns how to do it.  

 

If Reich says No... then who is the next guy?  That's a tougher question.  Same question exists on the defensive side.   Is Patricia the guy moving forward, or someone else?

1 minute ago, Iggles_Phan said:

Bring in Frank Reich (if he's interested in coaching again) as the OC.   Brian Johnson gets 'promoted' to QB coach/Assistant Head Coach.     Reich runs the offense... Johnson learns how to do it.  

 

If Reich says No... then who is the next guy?  That's a tougher question.  Same question exists on the defensive side.   Is Patricia the guy moving forward, or someone else?

Yeah I think this would be best case scenario. Both guys, Reich and Patricia, I believe are very capable of being great coordinators and neither should be leaving for another HC job anytime soon.

Eagles have 2 WRs in top 15 for yards and a top 5 yardage back… with an offense that consistently neglects their RB, and doesn’t scheme open many deep crossers/shot plays and a ton of turnovers. Crazy.

1 minute ago, Parrot Head said:

Yeah I think this would be best case scenario. Both guys, Reich and Patricia, I believe are very capable of being great coordinators and neither should be leaving for another HC job anytime soon.

Patricia isn't anything special.  Just a name associated with Belichek.