January 5Jan 5 Well...that was frustrating but predictable. I really tried to tell myself I wouldn't get upset about a game that the Eagles weren't even trying to win, and I failed. But honestly, yesterday was still a great outcome -- no one important got hurt, we avoided the Rams, and the Bears look to be in a potential freefall.COACHINGOK, I have a coaching section for this recap, and let's get it out of the way -- yesterday proved that Nick was 1,000,000% correct to sit all the starters. Why? Because the depth at CB, OL and WR is just downright terrifying. Once Washington realized that Bennett and Ringo couldn't control themselves, underthrown deep passes became our undoing. While everyone is playing Monday Morning QB, had we played to win and Q or Coop gone down, we'd be one and one in the playoffs. The backup OL was serviceable for the most part, but we still needed to give the starters a rest. We should have no regrets over the decision.Not for nothing, but in order for us to go on the road in the divisional round, we need to win (obviously) but also Chicago needed to win yesterday and this coming Saturday against GB. And they are currently a 1.5 point underdog to GB, meaning the oddsmakers still make it more likely than not that we would be at home in the divisional round. The Packers took the Bears to overtime in a game where they lost Love -- the Bears needed a miracle rally. So, either the Packers win, or we go to Chicago (if we beat SF) to play a fugazi 2 seed. I didn't love putting Smitty out there for 1,000, but people saying it will upset SB (WIP) are idiots, since Smitty didn't need the starting O line to also play.Now, with that out of the way, the play calling was special yesterday. 40 attempted passes and 3 sacks versus only 19 runs (17 for backs) is ridiculous against that defense. But I'll call out 2 things in particular:3rd and 2 from the Washington 6, and we pass on 3rd and 4th down? And the 4th down play rolls out an immobile QB? Just run the damn ball, especially on 3rd if you're planning to go for it (I would have kicked the FG).I don't think we called a single designed running play in the 4th quarter. Either KP went pass heavy to try and showcase McKee (backfired) or to try and prove Jalen is the issue with the offense, not the play calling (massive backfire). OFFENSEWell, that should end any "debate" about Hurts vs. McKee and showed the issue is the play calling. After a nice start, McKee was objectively terrible after the 1st 3 drives. The interception was just being stupid and trying to force things. The 4th down miss to Granson was awful. And the play where he could have run for a 1st down was infuriating. Probably the worst part of yesterday was we killed any potential trade value. McKee is likely to be here next year and play out his contract.Tank Bigsby is really good, so of course he didn't get a carry in the 4th quarter. He needs more touches in the post season. He and Barkley together is a great combo. And Latu is a good FB and should play more.The penalty on Cooper was a real disaster, but other than that, he and the other WRs were pretty decent. Covey always looks like a play maker when he use him on offense, and Dotson was getting open. We'd still be screwed without AJ or Smitty, but I'm interested to see Cooper and Covey in bigger roles next season. I feel bad, but I was moderately excited when Calcaterra went down, because it means KP can't keep using him as a blocker. I thought Kendall and Cameron Williams played well for rookies with very little experience. Pryor did well for a guy who was moved to 3 different spots, and Toth was solid before getting hurt. I still think we'd be better off with Toth or Kendall replacing a hobbled Cam.DEFENSEModerately shocked JD, Ojomo and Nolan played as many snaps as they did. I know you don't want to run guys into the ground, but man...I'd have cut AJ Dillon (we didn't use him anyway), kept Hughlett on the 53, and elevated Gabe Hall to help eat snaps.Jaylx Hunt's development is amazing. If we can only pay one between him and Nolan, it has to be Hunt. And I am a huge fan of Nolan's game and attitude, but Hunt is the perfect edge for Vic's system.Trotter Jr. really can play and should be a great backup for us going forward.OK...the secondary. The good news is Michael Carter was solid at safety, Brown didn't embarrass himself, and Mac was decent (I thought his PI was a little ticky tack). But Bennett and Ringo are just unplayable. Let's take them one at a timeRingo will likely carve out a career as a special teams ace as a gunner, and he's great at that. But his lack of football instincts is just brutal. I loved the pick in the 4th round and would always take a shot on that level of physical talent. But he's clueless out there. Was Bennett this brutal in LV, or has he regressed? I didn't watch a lot of Raiders' games, but he is in good position and then just panics and grabs the receiver every damn time.Thankfully Jake made is kicks.On to the playoffs, and I like the 49ers draw given how beat up they are. It's also the least talented QB among the ones we could have gotten.
January 5Jan 5 30 minutes ago, Connecticut Eagle said:OK. A statistical perspective on things....Based on the betting markets, there was a 33% probability that Chicago would lose yesterday. It was the same for the Eagles. So there was a combined 11% probability that yesterday's outcome would actually occur. Conversely, there was a 22% percent probability the we would win AND the Bears lose - leading to the two seed and a divisional round home game."But we should have played our starters!" OK. So say we played everybody and Vegas gave us -10 pts/-520 odds. That's a 84 percent win probability. Which increased the probability of us getting the two seed and hosting the division round game from 22% to 28%.So fast forward. We are 3.5 point favorites over the Niners, or a 67% win probability. The Bears are 1.5 point favorites over the Packers, or a 47% loss probability. Those correlate to a 31% likelihood that we host the division round game.Discuss amongst yourselves.The Bears are 1.5 point underdogs.
January 5Jan 5 2 minutes ago, NOTW said:I think it's fairly simple. Siri's approach went like this:He previously called plays for Philip Rivers (who had years of success before Siri and his numbers and style didn't really change)He then called plays for Andrew Luck, a #1 overall pick who also had success before Siri and he was in Frank Reich's system so was it Siri or was it Reich and the QB?He was hired here and called a lot of pass plays and fans were pissed he wasn't running the ball. He had Hurts, rookie Smitty, Reagor and JJAW and he was trying to throw it like RiversSteichen took over and focused more on the run game and actually schemed to Jalen Hurts strengthsThey promoted Brian Johnson due to familiarity with Hurts. In retrospect he wasn't as bad as Patullo, and if the defense wasn't among the league's worst that season wouldn't have been so badThe 2023 collapse which included career high turnovers from Hurts is what made Nick conservative. He became obsessed with the turnover stat. We see it on Hard Knocks, he preaches it as the top priority.2024 Hurts with yet another OC doing new things, with Siri having everyone scared to turn it over we saw Hurts more hesitant, taking sacks instead of throwing it away, likely fearing an INT. Hurts himself said they "took the straight jacket off." That turned out ok because of the dominant run game and great defense under Fangio, Hurts became a game manager QB. But, at times they opened up the pass game and were more explosive with deep passes. The NFCCG and Super Bowl the offense played great. In the SB they shut down Barkley and Hurts led in the passing game. So it's possible, the coaches just limit what they will do.This year you have Patullo who doesn't have experience calling plays so he's taking his marching orders from Nick. If Nick doesn't like things, he is the head coach and should address them but it hasn't changed. Cowards draws, misuse of TEs, not giving Tank carries despite his production. Nick doesn't know how to fix the offense. He couldn't in 2023, he couldn't this year. That's why they hired Moore, an outside OC with experience and why they should have done that again. Patullo has been a coach in the NFL and college since 2007 and has never called plays in that time, hmm.Siri does the CEO Head Coach well. Motivates players, runs the process of practices, meetings, preparation. All that must be going well, you don't just have that much success and not contribute anything. But he doesn't know how to fix the offense, or he would have. Plus, his obsession with turnovers and being conservative tightens up and limits the offense. What he needs is an OC experienced in calling plays who knows game flow, situational football, uses the right personnel, adjusts. They don't have to be a genius at scheme, they need to have wisdom in decision making, efficiency in getting the play call in, utilize the personnel better and have a feel for the game and the right call in the right moment. The roster should be producing so much more on offense. And yes Hurts is part of that, he's not a prolific passer and he is a dual threat so a coach needs to scheme to his strengths.My hope is that they hire an experienced OC who will push back on Nick and balance him out, to open things up and not play so scared. And get more out of the roster they have. Because the time will come that AJ Brown, Barkley, Goedert and Lane Johnson will be gone, and maybe others. They have to get younger and cheaper on offense, and you need an experienced OC to coach the young guys up.I agree with you. However, I don’t think it was the end of 2023 were sirianni became conservative because of the turnovers. After the first four weeks of 2024, i believe hurts had 8 turnovers in 4 games. I I remember I actually made a post saying the Eagles cannot win games at a high clip where they’re turning the ball over at the rate they were and it might ultimately cost sirianni his job if it continued as they have underachieved base in the expectations with the roster talent. After the bye week in week 5 is kind of when we really went to that.
January 5Jan 5 I was fine resting the starters. I think rest is more important than the 2 seed because the competition is mostly the same. I don't think it matters as much who they play, because they can beat anyone if the defense does its job and the offense finds a way to not hurt itself.Our backups were capable of beating a weak Commies team with 3rd string 39 year old QB and no Ertz. The coaching blew it, despite McKee's mistakes, Ringo's blunder and some other issues. The coaching is the main problem on offense. They would have the #1 seed and cruise to a SB win with proper offensive coaching with this roster.
January 5Jan 5 When everyone on a unit is underperforming, it's coaching.1 hour ago, Sack that QB said:Honestly, I'm kinda tired of the Patullo hate. It's sports fan copium. Whenever something isn't going well, sports fans find one guy to blame because it's easier to cope that way. If you convince yourself one guy is the issue then it's easier to stay optimistic that if you just rid yourself of that guy everything will be ok. And Patullo is the low hanging fruit, everyone is dog piling on.
January 5Jan 5 2 minutes ago, e-a-g-l-e-s eagles! said:I agree with you. However, I don’t think it was the end of 2023 were sirianni became conservative because of the turnovers. After the first four weeks of 2024, i believe hurts had 8 turnovers in 4 games. I I remember I actually made a post saying the Eagles cannot win games at a high clip where they’re turning the ball over at the rate they were and it might ultimately cost sirianni his job if it continued as they have underachieved base in the expectations with the roster talent. After the bye week in week 5 is kind of when we really went to that. That's fair, he saw early turnovers in 2024 plus realized just how much impact Barkley was giving. Still, it was the fear of a repeat of 2023 that fueled it. You also have Moore as the new OC trying out the new offense. Each season under Nick we've complained they look rusty and they're trying to figure things out because they didn't have a preseason.
January 5Jan 5 9 minutes ago, vikas83 said:Well...that was frustrating but predictable. I really tried to tell myself I wouldn't get upset about a game that the Eagles weren't even trying to win, and I failed. But honestly, yesterday was still a great outcome -- no one important got hurt, we avoided the Rams, and the Bears look to be in a potential freefall.COACHINGOK, I have a coaching section for this recap, and let's get it out of the way -- yesterday proved that Nick was 1,000,000% correct to sit all the starters. Why? Because the depth at CB, OL and WR is just downright terrifying. Once Washington realized that Bennett and Ringo couldn't control themselves, underthrown deep passes became our undoing. While everyone is playing Monday Morning QB, had we played to win and Q or Coop gone down, we'd be one and one in the playoffs. The backup OL was serviceable for the most part, but we still needed to give the starters a rest. We should have no regrets over the decision.Not for nothing, but in order for us to go on the road in the divisional round, we need to win (obviously) but also Chicago needed to win yesterday and this coming Saturday against GB. And they are currently a 1.5 point underdog to GB, meaning the oddsmakers still make it more likely than not that we would be at home in the divisional round. The Packers took the Bears to overtime in a game where they lost Love -- the Bears needed a miracle rally. So, either the Packers win, or we go to Chicago (if we beat SF) to play a fugazi 2 seed.I didn't love putting Smitty out there for 1,000, but people saying it will upset SB (WIP) are idiots, since Smitty didn't need the starting O line to also play.Now, with that out of the way, the play calling was special yesterday. 40 attempted passes and 3 sacks versus only 19 runs (17 for backs) is ridiculous against that defense. But I'll call out 2 things in particular:3rd and 2 from the Washington 6, and we pass on 3rd and 4th down? And the 4th down play rolls out an immobile QB? Just run the damn ball, especially on 3rd if you're planning to go for it (I would have kicked the FG).I don't think we called a single designed running play in the 4th quarter. Either KP went pass heavy to try and showcase McKee (backfired) or to try and prove Jalen is the issue with the offense, not the play calling (massive backfire).OFFENSEWell, that should end any "debate" about Hurts vs. McKee and showed the issue is the play calling. After a nice start, McKee was objectively terrible after the 1st 3 drives. The interception was just being stupid and trying to force things. The 4th down miss to Granson was awful. And the play where he could have run for a 1st down was infuriating. Probably the worst part of yesterday was we killed any potential trade value. McKee is likely to be here next year and play out his contract.Tank Bigsby is really good, so of course he didn't get a carry in the 4th quarter. He needs more touches in the post season. He and Barkley together is a great combo. And Latu is a good FB and should play more.The penalty on Cooper was a real disaster, but other than that, he and the other WRs were pretty decent. Covey always looks like a play maker when he use him on offense, and Dotson was getting open. We'd still be screwed without AJ or Smitty, but I'm interested to see Cooper and Covey in bigger roles next season.I feel bad, but I was moderately excited when Calcaterra went down, because it means KP can't keep using him as a blocker.I thought Kendall and Cameron Williams played well for rookies with very little experience. Pryor did well for a guy who was moved to 3 different spots, and Toth was solid before getting hurt. I still think we'd be better off with Toth or Kendall replacing a hobbled Cam.DEFENSEModerately shocked JD, Ojomo and Nolan played as many snaps as they did. I know you don't want to run guys into the ground, but man...I'd have cut AJ Dillon (we didn't use him anyway), kept Hughlett on the 53, and elevated Gabe Hall to help eat snaps.Jaylx Hunt's development is amazing. If we can only pay one between him and Nolan, it has to be Hunt. And I am a huge fan of Nolan's game and attitude, but Hunt is the perfect edge for Vic's system.Trotter Jr. really can play and should be a great backup for us going forward.OK...the secondary. The good news is Michael Carter was solid at safety, Brown didn't embarrass himself, and Mac was decent (I thought his PI was a little ticky tack). But Bennett and Ringo are just unplayable. Let's take them one at a timeRingo will likely carve out a career as a special teams ace as a gunner, and he's great at that. But his lack of football instincts is just brutal. I loved the pick in the 4th round and would always take a shot on that level of physical talent. But he's clueless out there.Was Bennett this brutal in LV, or has he regressed? I didn't watch a lot of Raiders' games, but he is in good position and then just panics and grabs the receiver every damn time.Thankfully Jake made is kicks.On to the playoffs, and I like the 49ers draw given how beat up they are. It's also the least talented QB among the ones we could have gotten.We're twins this week!
January 5Jan 5 1 minute ago, RLC said:When everyone on a unit is underperforming, it's coaching.Correct. The coaching is the biggest issue. And when it comes to the coaching the issues are far bigger than Kevin Patullo.This team has had a bottom 5 offense all season with the highest paid group in football and the entire season all every fan has done is dog pile one guy, when all the other coaches get off the hook. It's ridiculous to put all of this on one person, a coordinator no less. When you're that disappointing it's never one person. Kevin Fing Patullo is not the difference between 11 and 14 wins and a bad offense to a high flying offense. This is an organizational failure and a full coaching staff failure. Not a one man failure.
January 5Jan 5 2 minutes ago, NOTW said:That's fair, he saw early turnovers in 2024 plus realized just how much impact Barkley was giving. Still, it was the fear of a repeat of 2023 that fueled it. You also have Moore as the new OC trying out the new offense. Each season under Nick we've complained they look rusty and they're trying to figure things out because they didn't have a preseason.The not playing guys in the preseason I don’t think it’s just a Nick Sirianni thing. I think that’s an Eagles organization philosophy thing. Which if he was the coach or wasn’t the coach I think that would still be the same way they do it. They will live with the rust for 3 to 4 weeks if it means keeping their guys healthy because for the long run guys have stayed healthier, and that they would eventually get their offense into gear after that.I wrote this last night, what have the Eagles improved upon on offense over the course of the season? It is really hard to say they’ve improved at anything. They’ve kind of been status quo from week one all the way till now. Their games on offense are pretty consistent outside of raiders, commanders and 2nd giants games. 3-4 possessions of wow and then 6-8 possessions of WTF.The thing that is the most frustrating is that we all knew that Kevin Pattulo was good to have ups and downs as a first year offensive coordinator. But you were hoping as a season went on that he would start building on things. That you would see improvement week to week so that by the time you got to the end of the season, he’d be more seasoned and the offense would be peaking as he got better and more comfortable. Instead, it’s the same issues we’ve had all year. Which tells me he’s really not learning much on the job and just continuing to do what he has. Imo also telling me that it’s probably not fixable with him as OC and likely what you are getting after 17 games unless Jalen finds a way to just go SB mvp mode to overcome itBesides patullo, OL hasn’t been nearly as good. Probably worst OL performance since 2020 (still not remotely that bad as that year). I’d add this coaching staff for a while now doesn’t utilize the personnel that it has to best of its ability. It uses the personnel that it has and says we are better than you. We have more talent than you. It is going to overwhelm you at some point in time and that’s how we’re gonna eventually break you. This team misuses its personnel a ton. The fact that Grant Calcaterra had been asked to run block repeatedly when the analytic show he’s awful at it and the team is the worst in running when he’s out there. Using devonta smith to be a main blocker on a screen. Or having Aj brown lineup on left side for 4 weeks in a row (lions-chargers game) running just 2 routes when he does. Or running hitch routes at the rate we do. Or being 82% run out of under enter and becoming predictable. Misusing personnel isn’t just a this year issue. Been an issue but they were able to overcome it as they had guys playing better particularly OL
January 5Jan 5 1 hour ago, Sack that QB said:Honestly, I'm kinda tired of the Patullo hate. It's sports fan copium. Whenever something isn't going well, sports fans find one guy to blame because it's easier to cope that way. If you convince yourself one guy is the issue then it's easier to stay optimistic that if you just rid yourself of that guy everything will be ok. And Patullo is the low hanging fruit, everyone is dog piling on.There's a 53 man roster. The team has lot a dozen offensive coaches. The idea that the reason this team has been disappointing this season is one man... an assistant coach at that, is crazy.Multiple things can be true.Is Patullo good? No, I don't think so.Is he the only coach doing poorly this season? No. Sirianni has been awful. Stoutland has been awful at a minimum.Are the coaches more to blame than the players? Yes.But the players do have blame. McKee yesterday for instance was awful.Point is: I hope the owner doesn't think it's just the OC. If he does we are in serious trouble. If these playoffs end poorly, the offensive staff needs to be blown up. The offensive side needs a restocking of talent, particularly at OL and TE. The idea that if you swap out one man, a coordinator, with another man, and this team goes from 11 wins and bad offense to 14 wins and a great offense is so ridiculous. Lurie needs to take a long look and realize the problems run deeper or this offense isn't going to be fixed.Many people have said it's not just Patullo. Siri, run game, O line issues, Hurts, Stoutland, TE blocking, Jake's kicking regressed, etc. A lot would be fixed with a competent OC though.The Head Coach CEO has had all season to address these issues and the offense hasn't got better. Yes they need a new OC but they also need to rethink philosophy, some roster decisions like the TE position, game management decisions and look for more ways to improve. I think Siri does better when he has an OC that can just confidently run things.
January 5Jan 5 30 minutes ago, Sack that QB said:Play calling alone doesn't take one team from a championship team to not. If you think that if Moore were still here there would be a night and day noticeable difference in this offense you're falling into the same trap. Play calls don't impact a season that much. They just don't.That’s BS. "Night and day noticeable difference” by what metric(s)? Do I think we avg 30 pts a game, Saquon has 2000 yds again, and we win 3 more games? No. Do I think our pt total, Saquon’s success, and our win total all improve with Moore over Patullo? Not even a question.
January 5Jan 5 Crazy take. I rather get the Rams at home, than the Bears on the road. Although, they have dipped since playing them. Their physicality on offense is the one that could beat us in a cold weather game and hang around and steal it. They play tight games. Ultimately, I like playing an immobile Matt Stafford. Rams have cooled off, but may get Adams back. But hammy injuries are tricky. I like beating the best teams. Just like beating the Chiefs and Patriots. No shying away here or backing into victories.
January 5Jan 5 1 minute ago, Saltpeter said:That’s BS. "Night and day noticeable difference” by what metric(s)? Do I think we avg 30 pts a game, Saquon has 2000 yds again, and we win 3 more games? No. Do I think our pt total, Saquon’s success, and our win total all improve with Moore over Patullo? Not even a question.Then you aren't disagreeing with me. I never said we wouldn't be better without a better OC. I said the offense doesn't suck because of just Patullo, yet he's the only guy everyone piles on and that's copium. The head coach is a buffoon and if the Eagles lose Sunday and Patullo gets fired, everyone's going to think all is right in the world again, and you're in for a rude awakening next season if the only change they make is swapping Patullo out for another OC. They'd probably be better, but if you want to see this offense realize its true potential, then it'll take more than that.
January 5Jan 5 5 minutes ago, Saltpeter said:That’s BS. "Night and day noticeable difference” by what metric(s)? Do I think we avg 30 pts a game, Saquon has 2000 yds again, and we win 3 more games? No. Do I think our pt total, Saquon’s success, and our win total all improve with Moore over Patullo? Not even a question.Yep.
January 5Jan 5 16 minutes ago, jojodancer said:Worse than CNN eh?11 minutes ago, jojodancer said:Actually, MSNBC wins that title.Was it them or Fox News that paid $787 million for lying?
January 5Jan 5 7 minutes ago, LeanMeanGM said:Probably only a matter of time before Halaby goes somewhereThat's good for the Eagles in the long-term.
January 5Jan 5 1 minute ago, NCiggles said:Was it them or Fox News that paid $787 million for lying?They all lie. Don't trust any of them really. All bought off. Some worse than others. DJT is making a killing off all their lies with different lawsuits. As he should.
January 5Jan 5 Author It's a combination of conservative scheme, play calling, OL health, TE blocking, and quality of opponent. IMO, in the past, our OL made us successful despite the scheme and play calling. Getting back to a top-5 OL will solve a lot of problems.
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