Bengals game. There wasn't much.

Braden Mann punted once. It went about 50 yards with 4.66 hangtime. It was hit outside the numbers. The Bengals somehow never punted. As such, this game gets marked as tie in regards to the 1 v 1 battle between punters. That puts Mann's record at 3-3-1.

On the season, Mann is averaging about 50.3 yards and 4.44 hangtime with 57% at 4.5 seconds or more and 52% hit outside the numbers. Opposing punters are the same numbers as before. 45.5 yards and 4.60 hangtime with 71% at 4.5 or more and 57% hit outside the numbers.

The snap to foot times on the Eagles lone punt was good. Right around 1.95 seconds.

Braden Mann kicked off eight times with an average of about 68.0 yards. The averaging subsequent starting spot for the Bengals was 28.0. Evan McPherson kicked off four times with an average of about 67.8 yards and a subsequent starting spot for the Eagles of 29.0.

On the season, Mann is averaging 70.5 yards with a 28.5 starting spot. Opposing kickers are averaging 68.6 yards and 28.6. No real difference. These new rules are proving to have been idiotic.

The snap to foot times on placekicks were slightly better for the Eagles. They were consistently around 1.25 seconds, which is good. The Bengals were around 1.30, perhaps a tad higher. Still fine.

Jake Elliott had a strong day. He made all three of his field goal attempts from distances with an expected value of about 2.14. On the season, he's 9-of-11 from distances with an expected value of 7.98. This means he's made 1.02 above expected value, which means he's "earned" the Eagles 3.06 points more than standard. His Elo Kicking Rating impoved to 2359, which ranks sixth in the league. That's 1.13 standard deviations above the mean. The league average is 2289. The rating of Eagles Opponents dropped to 2307, which is middle of that pack. That would rank sixteenth. That's +0.29 standard deviations above the mean. The Top Five kickers are Folk (2395, +1.72); Fairbairn (2385, +1.56); Boswell (2383, +1.52); Dicker (2363, +1.20); Butker (2362, +1.18). The Bottom Five kickers are A Carlson-PS (2226, -1.02); Zuerlein (2216, -1.18); Bass (2201, -1.43); Karty (2195, -1.52); and Ryland (2171, -1.91).

Other stuff (and there's not much):

* Kenneth Gainwell returned a kickoff but only got out to the 26. He later returned a kickoff and managed to get to the 30.

* On the PAT which put the Eagles up 24-17, the snap from Lovato was a little (not a lot) high.

 

Since you can no longer complain about the opponent's Elo rating, what do you do with all the free time? 

45 minutes ago, Connecticut Eagle said:

Since you can not longer complain about the opponent's Elo rating, what do you do with all the free time? 

YouTube!

Jagwires (that's how it's pronounced, right?) game.

Braden Mann punted three times with an average of about 49.3 yards and 4.46 hangtime. One reached the 4.5 mark. All three were hit outside the numbers. Logan Cooke punted five times for the Wires. He averaged about 48.0 yards and 4.47 hangtime. Two reached the 4.5 second mark. Four were hit outside the numbers. The very slight statistical edge goes to Mann, putting his mark at 4-3-1 on the year.

On the season, Mann is averaging 50.2 yards and 4.44 hangtime with 54% reaching the 4.5 second mark and 58% hit outside the numbers. Opposing punters are averaging about 45.8 yards and 4.58 hangtime with 67% at the 4.5 mark and 61% hit outside the numbers. More than four yards better for us with slightly less hangtime. Definitely in our favor.

The snap to foot times on punts were tough to work through but it looked like the Eagles were the quicker team. The Jags were pretty solid though.

Mann kicked off six times for the Eagles with an average of 71.2 yards with an average subsequent starting spot at the 29.3 yard line. Cam Little punted four times for the Jags. He averaged about 69.5 yards with a starting spot of 30.5. Slight advantage to the Eagles, though they did give up a notable return once. On the other hand, the Jags were penalized on another return which set them back considerably. On the season, Mann is averaging 70.6 yards with a 28.7. Opponents are averaging 68.7 with 28.8.

Jake Elliott made 1 of 2 field goal attempts from a distance with an expected value of about 1.20. On the season, he's now 10 of 13 from distances with an expected value of about 9.18. That means he's +0.82, which means he's theoretically earned the Eagles about 2.46 points above value on the season. His average attempt distance is 43.2 yards, about four yards above average. His Elo Kicking Rating dropped to 2346, which is tied for ninth in the league. That's 1.03 standard deviations above the mean. The league average is 2285. The rating of Eagles Opponents remains at 2307, which would be ranked 16th. That's 0.37 STD above the mean.

The Top Five Kickers after Week 9 are/were Folk (2396, +1.88); Boswell (2383, +1.66); Aubrey (2364, +1.33); Butker (2364, +1.33); and D Carlson (2354, +1.16). The Bottom Five Kickers are/were A Carlson-PS SF/just signed to the Jets PS (2226, -1.01); Zuerlein-IR (2216, -1.18); McAtamney-PS (2202, -1.41); Karty (2200, -1.45); and Ryland (2186, -1.68).

Other stuff:

* Superb play by Sydney Brown on the Eagles first punt to force a fumble which was recovered quickly before it could roll out of bounds by Kelee Ringo. About time we got one of those.

* Will Shipley had a really nice openfield diving tackle on a punt.

* Cooper DeJean continues to be the Eagles primary punt returner but he had no returns. He also looks a bit "late" on his fair catch calls. Something to keep an eye on.

* On one Jacksonville kick return, Kelee Ringo missed a tackle and Nolan Smith got run over, allowing the returner to get it out to the 39. Not a good play.

* Kenneth Gainwell returned a kickoff from two yards deep and somehow managed to get it out to the 32 after appearing to be a bit unsure of himself initially. It looked like he didn't feel comfortable returning it but realized he had already committed so he had no choice but to make the best of it. Somehow he "gained" two yards on the endeavor.

* I positively hated the decision to attempt a 57 yard field goal late in the game. In my opinion, the odds of making that kick are less than making a fourth and short. Not only that, but converting on fourth down WINS the game on the spot. Making the field goal does not. There would still be a chance for overtime. And if you fail, you lose eight more yards on a missed field goal than you would a missed fourth down play (presumably, depending on if the play loses yardage). Yep, I hated the decision and wasn't surprised at all that it failed. (And yes, I realize this is similar to the Super Bowl when we were up five and went up eight when Elliott delivered in the clutch. But the difference THEN was that the kick was about ten yards shorter so the odds in that case were closer to 70% rather than slightly under 50%. There was also less time on the clock.) Thank God the Jags didn't score.

 

Cowboys game. Need to get this one out quickly since we have a game tomorrow. Some good and bad but we definitely had the worst of it.

Before I get started, I want to point out that games in that stadium should probably be viewed a little differently than most. For whatever reason -- and I'm pretty sure it's not the sun beaming through the windows -- the ball just flies. Kicking and punting numbers are always inflated there. It's weird. But I've been doing this long enough to have noticed. It's real.

Braden Mann punted four times. He averaged about 50.8 yards and 4.92 hangtime. Three of the four reached the 4.5 second mark and all four were hit outside the numbers. Excellent. Bryan Anger punted six times for the Cowboys. He averaged about 51.3 yards and 4.91 hangtime. All six were over 4.5 seconds. Three were hit outside the numbers. The very slight statistical edge goes to the Cowboys. But really both punters were outstanding. Still, that puts Mann's mark at 4-4-1 on the season.

Through nine games, Mann is averaging an amazing 50.2 yards and 4.51 hangtime with 57% at 4.5 seconds and 63% hit outside the numbers. Opposing punters are averaging 46.7 yards and 4.63 hangtime with 72% at 4.5 seconds and 56% hit outside the numbers. Solidly in our favor.

The snap to toe times on punts were definitely better for the Eagles. They were roughly in the 1.95 to 2.00 range. The Cowboys varied considerably. Their first punt was extraordinarily slow for some reason (over 2.3) and most of their other punts were around 2.10. On the other hand, their punt with a few seconds left in the first half when the Eagles didn't put a returner back and instead tried to block it was quite fast. Around 1.85.

Mann kicked off seven times and as far as I could tell, he averaged about 75.0 yards (back of the endzone) with a subsequent starting position of 31.4. Brandon Aubrey kicked off three times for the Cowboys. Each kick was strategically placed in the "landing zone" which forced the Eagles to return the ball. His average was 62.0 yards with an average starting spot of 25.3. It would have been much higher if not for two Eagles penalties.

On the season, Mann is averaging 71.2 yards (mostly irrelevant of course because of the silly rules) with a starting spot of 29.1 Opposing kickers are averaging 68.2 yards (again mostly irrelevant) with a starting spot of 28.5. Midway through the season and we're worse here. Probably our worst element of special teams is the kick return/kick coverage package.

Our snap to foot times on place kicks were good. It seemed to be just a tad under 1.25, which is quick. Dallas was more deliberate on their two field goals. I got them at 1.37 and 1.27 though admittedly this is a very difficult thing to time accurately. But I'm confident that the Eagles were better here.

Jake Elliott made 2-of-2 field goal attempts from mid range distances with an expected value of about 1.65. On the season, he's now 12-of-15 from distances with an expected value of 10.8. This means he's +1.2 which also means that he's earned the Eagles about 3.6 points above standard. (Kicking across the league has improved so much over the past twenty years that almost all kickers are now above standard but I can't go fiddling around with the formula.). Incidentally, Elliott has made every kick this year from under 50 yards and has missed every kick from over 50 yards. That's not usually something we see. He's normally been very good on long kicks. His average attempt distance this year is 42.5 yards, about three yards higher than the league average.

Elliott's Elo Kicking Rating improved to 2350, which ranks eighth in the league and is 1.13 standard deviations above the mean. The rating of Eagles Opponents improved to 2312, which would rank fifteenth. That's +0.48 STD above the mean. The league average is 2284. The league average used to be around 2200 -- that's the way the formula was intended -- but kickers have just gotten so good. Kickers that we used to think were so good years ago -- guys like Jason Hanson and Jason Elam, guys like that -- would be below average these days if their kicking stats were still the same as they used to be. It's staggering.

The Top Five kickers after Week 10 are Boswell (2383, +1.69); Folk (2376, +1.57); Aubrey (2368, +1.43); Butker (2366, +1.40) and D Carlson/McLaughlin (both 2354, +1.19). The Bottom Five are Zuerlein-IR (2216, -1.16); Romo-PS (he's the guy the Vikings just added to replace their injured kicker (2214, -1.19); Shrader-PS (Jets new guy) (2208, -1.29: Moody (2204, -1.36); and Ryland (2190, -1.60). Ryland had a disastrous rookie year for the Patriots last season and began this year with a terrible rating but he's actually done quite well for the Cardinals replacing Matt Prater. His rating is low because of his previous history but he may not really be that bad.

Other stuff:

* Ben VanSumeren came close (well, kinda sorta) to blocking the Cowboys first punt which for some reason had very slow mechanics by their punter who hesitated for some reason. Dunno why.

* Poor kickoff coverage by the Eagles on a kickoff that went seven yards deep and was returned to the 40. It's hard to tell but my primary suspect was Jalyx Hunt.

* Shipley returned a kickoff to the 33 but Johnny Wilson, who seems to be good for one penalty per game, was flagged for holding.

* Cooper DeJean tripped himself up when he had a lane to work with on a punt return. He stumbled for a minimal gain when he might have gotten a good return.

* Gainwell returned a kickoff to the 31 but the return was wiped out by a penalty on Jeremiah Trotter.

* Shipley returned a kickoff from the 5 to the 37. Yay, finally a return that doesn't get wiped out by a penalty. Hooray!

* DeJean had an excellent punt return, showing the speed to turn the corner. Impressive. About 31 yards.

* On another kick return by the Cowboys, the Eagles demonstrated shaky coverage. The ball was hit about six yards deep and the returner got it out to the thirty. I would put some criticism on Shipley and Burks. I think Ringo did well, however.

We hardly had any return penalties the last 2 seasons, but this year ... they need to do better.

Commanders Thursday Night game.

Braden Mann punted three times with an average of 44.7 yards and 4.10 hangtime. None of his punts carried to 4.50 seconds. None were hit outside the numbers. Definitely not as good as his earlier games. Perhaps the weather was a factor. It was kinda cold. Tress Way punted five times for Washington. He averaged 44.0 yards and 4.12 hangtime. Only one reached 4.5 seconds. Three were hit outside the numbers. This calculates as a very, very slight "win" for Mann, putting his mark at 5-4-1 on the season.

Through ten games, Mann is averaging 49.7 yards and 4.47 hangtime with 52% at 4.5 seconds and 58% hit outside the numbers. Opposing punters are averaging about 46.4 yards and 4.57 hangtime with 66% at 4.5 seconds and 57% hit outside the numbers. So...three yards more for "us" with a little better hangtime for the "other" team. Advantage Eagles.

The snap to foot times on punts favored the Eagles. They almost always do. Around 1.95 to 2.00 (the last one was quicker though) compared to around 2.05 for Washington (their second was slower.) Roughly.

Braden Mann kicked off six times. He averaged 70.2 yards (midway in the endzone). The average starting spot for the Commanders was the 30.2. Zane Gonzalez had three deep kickoffs. He averaged about 62.7 yards (they obviously intentionally hit it in the the landing zone to force an Eagles return) with an average starting spot of 26.3 yards. Definite advantage to Washington on this one.

On the season, Mann is averaging about 71.1 yards with a 29.2 starting spot. Opposing kickers are averaging about 67.9 yards and a 28.4 starting spot. The Eagles are losing out in this phase of the game too. Too many penalties on returns are tilting the numbers.

The snap to foot times on place kicks favored the Eagles. Generally around 1.25 seconds. Washington was around 1.30 on theirs.

Jake Elliott had the worst game of his career, missing two field goals and an extra point. He also nearly missed another one. All four went to the left. Scary. He was 2-of-4 from distances with an expected value of about 3.23. On the season, he's now 14-of-19 from distances with an expected value of 14.05. This means he's "cost" the Eagles 0.15 points this year. His average attempt distance is 41.3, which is about two yards longer than the league average. He's also missed every 50+ kick he's attempted this year. His Elo Kicking Rating dropped to 2312, which currently ranks fourteenth. That's +0.51 standard deviations above the mean. The league average is 2282. The rating of Eagles Opponents is 2316, which would rank thirteenth. That's +0.58 STD above the mean.

The Top Five kickers after eleven weeks are/were Boswell (2402, +2.06); Folk (2379, +1.66), Butker-IR (2366, +1.44); D Carlson (2355, +1.25); and McLaughlin (2354, +1.24). Boswell became only second kicker in history to crack 2400. Obviously Justin Tucker was the first. However with his miss last night, his rating has dropped below that mark. The Bottom Five kickers are Zuerlein-IR (2216, -1.13); Shrader (2208, -1.27); Moody (2208, -1.29); Karty (2195, -1.49); and Ryland (2190, -1.58).

Other stuff:

* Will Shipley returned a kickoff from about the four out to about the 36. Good.

* Cooper DeJean came up very aggressively to field a short Way punt and gain about five yards. If that had hit the ground it would likely have rolled for additional yardage. This is a good example of "hidden yardage". Good play.

* The Commanders were flagged for delay of game on a field goal attempt and had to make the kick from five yards back. They made it anyway. Of course.

* Kenny Gainwell returned a kickoff to the 35 but Sydney Brown was flagged for holding and the ball was moved all the way back to the 13. That was really bad.

* Jeremiah Trotter with a tackle on a kickoff.

* Dallas Goedert fielded the desperation onside kick late in the game. A friendly hop helped. Incidentally in the Eagles alignment which was not shown on television, they had Gainwell and Shipley lined up about forty yards behind the ball just in case there was an attempted pooch kick over the Eagles front wall.

Rams game.

Braden Mann only punted once (and that's a good thing.) He "averaged" 54.0 yards and 4.35 hangtime. The punt was not hit outside the numbers. Ethan Evans punted four times for the Rams. He averaged about 39.8 yards and 4.70 hangtime with three reaching the 4.5 second mark and three -- the same three -- hit outside the numbers. The better statistical day goes to Mann, putting his mark at 6-4-1 on the year.

Through eleven games, Mann is averaging about 49.9 yards and 4.47 hangtime with 50% at 4.5 seconds or more and 56% hit outside the numbers. Opposing punters are averaging about 45.8 yards and 4.58 hangtime with 67% at 4.5 seconds and 58% hit outside the numbers. About four more yards for us with a little less hangtime. Good.

The snap to foot times on the Eagles punt was a little slower than usual (around 2.05) but ever so slightly quicker than those by the Rams, which were in the 2.05 to 2.14 range. Roughly.

Mann kicked off eight times with an average of 68.9 yards and a starting spot of 30.5. Evans kicked off three times (with a fourth being an onside kick). He averaged about 72.7 yards (maybe) with all three resulting in touchbacks which average out to 30.0.

On the season, Mann is averaging 70.8 yards and 29.4. Opposing kickers are averaging 68.2 and 28.5. We're losing that battle by about a full yard per kickoff. Over the course of the game, that's roughly the equivalent of a first down. Gotta do better.

The snap to foot times on place kicks favored the Eagles. Around 1.25 to 1.28 for the Eagles. Rams were around 1.33 on their first two. Their final field goal attempt was quicker however. Around 1.25.

After a disastrous game against Washington, Jake Elliott rebounded with 3-of-3 field goals. They were short kicks with an expected value of about 2.85. On the season, he's now 17-of-22 from distances with an expected value of 16.9. So he's a tick about standard. His average attempt distance is 39.2, slightly less than the league average of 39.95. Elliott's Elo Kicking Rating improved to 2314, which ranks fourteenth. That's +0.51 standard deviations above the mean. The league average is 2283. The rating of Eagles Opponents dropped after Joshua Karty's miss. It is now at 2297, which would rank seventeenth. That's +0.23 STD above the mean.

The Top Five kickers after Week 12 were Folk (2395, +1.86); Boswell (2393, +1.83); Butker-IR (2366, +1.38); and both D Carlson and Dicker (2364; +1.35). The Bottom Five kickers were Shrader and Zuerlein-IR (2216, -1.12); Moody (2215, -1.14); Karty (2179, -1.74); and Ryland (2178, -1.75).

Other stuff:

* Good effort by Isaiah Rodgers on the Rams first PAT. He came strong around the corner and nearly got there.

* Oren Burks with a tackle at the sideline on the Eagles one punt. His effort was strong.

* Britain Covey returned as the punt returner after missing nearly two months. He fair caught two, watched one sail out of bounds, and returned one for about eight yards. I still like him.

* Rick Lovato had a somewhat high snap on the second Eagles field goal. He's not razor sharp consistent.

* When not kicking touchbacks (there were six of them), the Eagles kickoff coverage unit allowed two returns to come out to the 32. It sure seems like any ball this actually returned by the opposing team makes its way past the thirty.

* Dallas Goedert batted an onside kick out of bounds. It's illegal when you bat it forward. He fielded the next one clearly. I guess someone explained the rule to him.

1 hour ago, FranklinFldEBUpper said:

* Rick Lovato had a somewhat high snap on the second Eagles field goal. He's not razor sharp consistent.

Do you think it is time to be considering a change at Long Snapper for 2025?  Locate wasn’t razor sharp consistent last season either.

2 hours ago, mattwill said:

Do you think it is time to be considering a change at Long Snapper for 2025?  Locate wasn’t razor sharp consistent last season either.

Consider? Yes. Not sure they'll do it though. But we are getting to the point where it has to start being discussed.

I feel like we have had more special teams penalties this season than the previous 3 seasons combined. Hopefully Clay gets through to this year's team that it's better to miss an assignment than to hope the refs miss a penalty you commit to make up for it. 

Ravens game. There was some interesting aspects to this one.

Braden Mann had six official punts. However, he actually punted the ball eight times, with two of them resulting in penalties which demanded a "re-kick". For MY purposes, I'm including those two "non-plays" in the data. My reasoning has always been in situations like that that the play actually DID happen. If there had been a turnover or a punt return touchdown and a penalty had occurred, the result would have stood if there was a flag, depending on which team the flag was on. So yes, I'm counting those two extra punts.

Mann punted eight times for an average of 47.9 yards and 4.51 hangtime. Five of those had a hangtime of at least 4.5 seconds. Only three were hit outside the numbers. It seemed obvious to me that the Eagles decided to hit the ball to the middle of the field on a number of punts, which isn't necessarily the norm. Jordan Stout had four official punts for the Ravens, although he did have a punt which did not count. In this instance, I did NOT include that extra punt since the play was blown dead as the ball was snapped and under no circumstance would any result have counted. The Eagles return man never bothered to try to field the ball. So only four punts for the Ravens. Stout averaged about 44.8 yards and 3.98 hangtime with two over 4.5 seconds and two hit outside the numbers. Basically Stout's first two punts were good and his last two sucked.

The obvious "winner" in the theoretical battle was Mann. His record on the year is now 7-4-1. On the season, Mann is averaging about 4.95 yards and 4.47 hangtime with 52% at 4.5 seconds and 52% hit outside the numbers. Opposing punters are averaging about 45.8 yards and 4.53 hangtime with 65% at 4.5 seconds and 58% hit outside the numbers. That's almost four yards better for us with only slightly less hangtime. We are absolutely dominating in this phase of the special teams game.

The snap to toe times on field goals once again favored the Eagles. Some 1.95s. Some 2.05s. In that range. I'd call it around 2.0 overall. The Ravens were closer to 2.10 to 2.15. One was slower than that, and their final one was closer to 1.95. But overall we were definitely quicker.

Mann kicked off five times. He averaged about 67.0 yards. The average resulting starting spot was the 31.2. Justin Tucker kicked off four times (excluding his onside attempt with three seconds left) for an average of 68.0 yards. The average starting spot was the 29.3. Once again we lost the battle in this phase of the special teams game. Our kick return game is far from "dynamic" and our coverage units are inconsistent.

On the season, Mann is averaging 70.5 yards with a starting spot of 29.5 Opponents are averaging 68.2 yards and a 28.6 starting spot. The distance is pretty much irrelevant since the kicking team's players can't move until the ball is fielded and a touchback one yard deep is exactly the same as a touchback on a ball kicked out of the back of the endzone. But a nearly one yard difference on every kickoff (and what, there are about ten of then per game) means that the Eagles are spotting the opponents about ten yards of free yardage in every game. Maybe not quite ten. Maybe something like eight. But that is notable hidden yardage.

The touch to toe times on place kicks was quicker for the Eagles than it was for the Ravens. The Eagles were around 1.20 (the first PAT was slower) while the Ravens were around 1.35 or so.

Jake Elliott made his only field goal attempt from a distance with an expectancy of about 0.87. On the season, he's now 18-of-23 from distances with an expected value of 17.8. So he's plus 0.2, which means a net of about 0.6 points. His average attempt distance is 39.0, which is about a yard shorter than the current league average of about 40.0 yards. Elliott's Elo Kicking Rating improved to 2316, which ranks sixteenth in the league. That is +0.68 standard deviations about the mean. The standard rating is 2200. The league average is 2276. (It was a very bad week for kickers across the league. There were a lot of misses for sure). The rating of Eagles Opponents dropped to 2270, which would rank 21st. That's -0.10 standard deviations below the mean.

Justin Tucker has been the greatest kicker in NFL history. He has been kicking at such a high rate through his entire career that as fans we simply take it for granted that he's going to make any kick. And not only that, but that the kick will be dead center. I find it sad to see him struggle like has this year. (Obviously I was delighted with his two missed field goals that would have put the Ravens in the lead in the third quarter.) And though I don't like the Ravens (never have), I want to see him do well again. He's been the Michael Jordan of kicking. No one wanted to watch Jordan play for the Wizards when he was over the hill.

The current (after week 13) Top Five Kickers were Folk (2399, +2.10); Boswell (2377, +1.73); Dicker (2373, +1.66); Butker-IR (2366, +1.54); and Prater (2351, +1.28). The Bottom Five kickers were Shrader (2216, -1.02); Zuerlein (2216, -1.02); Moody (2187, -1.52): Karty (2179, -1.66); and Ryland (2173, -1.76).

Other stuff:

* On the Eagles first punt, Rick Lovato was called for holding. On that punt, the play would have been marked at the fourteen yard line. After the penalty, the Eagles kicked from ten yards further back. Mann hit the ball to the 18 (so it would have only been a four yard net loss on the holding penalty -- not horrible) where the Ravens return man called for a fair catch. Inexplicably Kelee Ringo drilled the guy as he fielded the ball. Fifteen yard penalty. The Ravens ultimately got the ball at the 33. So instead of starting at their 14, they started at the 33 because of two penalties by the Eagles. Horrible sequence. Nineteen free yards. Ugh.

* Kenny Gainwell returned a kickoff from the 4 to the 27. Not impressive. Ringo's poor block was definitely a factor here.

* The Ravens made a poor play and got lucky. A punt struck the leg of their return man but they wound up falling on the ball. A lot of loose balls seemed to go their way throughout the game (although to be fair Barkley recovered his own fumble and Hurts' mishandled snap resulted in a touchdown for us). On this same play, Ringo was flagged for running out of bounds and running down the sideline (illegal to do) and cost us five yards. So even if the Eagles had recovered the muffed kick, they still wouldn't have gotten the ball. Another bad sequence.

* Great punt by Mann which Sydney Brown downed at the one yard line. In hindsight that was the turning point of the game.

* Hard hit by Ochaun Mathis and Jalyx Hunt at the sideline on a Ravens kick return. Good tough play.

* Britain Covey made a very good play that might go unnoticed or unappreciated by some folks. A poor Ravens punt was bouncing along the sideline. He picked it up at the 28 and returned it to about the 33. It was one of those plays where a return man might just let it bounce harmlessly and come to a stop or roll out of bounds. But he knew he had time to pick it up and get a couple of yards. He has made the point in the past that he is not so concerned about his punt return average that he won't make a play that will net only a couple of yards. Some returners only want to make a big play and will eschew opportunities for a small return. Covey isn't like that, and I appreciate him for that.

* Gainwell made a tackle on a kickoff.

* Ringo made a tackle on a punt which resulted in a fumble that the Ravens recovered. See, not all of Ringo's special teams plays were bad ones!

* Tucker's final onside kick -- and it was a pretty good one -- was recovered by Jahan Dotson with three seconds left. I was kind of annoyed with the announcers on that final drive when they didn't seem to comprehend the fact that if the Ravens scored and actually recovered an onside kick, they would still be within a Hail Mary of a victory. It wasn't until after they scored with three seconds left that Tony Romo seemed to grasp that. I'm someone who always worries until the game actually ends. Heck, I even sweat out "kneel downs".

* There was something I found fascinating on the sequence late in the game when the Eagles were up 21-12 and were attempting the field goal which would put them up by twelve points with about a minute to go. (I think it could have been about twenty seconds to go if they had milked the clock properly on one particular play prior to the two minute warning. If they hadn't snapped the ball with ten seconds on the play clock, their next play would have taken them to the two minute warning. So they were forced to run another play. But that's another matter totally.) The Eagles had Elliott attempt the kick from 39 yards out. It was blocked because the Ravens were violently offside. Five yard penalty. On the subsequent kick, the Eagles kicked from 35 yards out. Only four yards closer rather than five yards. I was initially confused as to why the discrepancy but it took me a moment to process what was going on. And I found it fascinating. Back when I was growing up, kickers would always kick from seven yards behind the line of scrimmage. If the line of scrimmage was the twelve and a half, they would line up at the nineteen and a half. That's why you'll see Tom Dempsey's famous field goal wasn't quite 63 yards. It was actually about 62.75 yards. (Technically that should have counted as a 62-yarder by the way. The ball is supposed to reach the next yard marker to count as that yard). But about twenty years ago, that "seven yard" distance morphed into "eight yards". I guess that the extra yard gives them a better angle to get the ball over leaping linemen, and kickers have gotten so much better that an extra yard doesn't mean much of anything -- after all, who really cares how high into the netting a ball actually hits. But at the same time that this extra yard on snaps was happening, teams began to realize that it also made sense for kickers to have the ball spotted precisely on a hash mark. I guess this allowed them to get their footwork "just right". They would know precisely where to line up if there is a clearly defined spot to aim for. So what teams do routinely now is always have their holder spot the ball exactly on a yard line. This means that the snapper might not always snap the ball at exactly eight yards. It could be seven and a half. It could be seven and three quarters. It could be eight and a quarter. Their process of shooting the ball through their legs is exactly the same regardless. So in this instant when the Eagles initially lined up for that field goal, they had Mann mark the ball at about seven and a half yards behind the line of scrimmage. After the penalty, they figured, nah, let's not tempt fate, let's line up EIGHT and a half yards back. It's a shorter kick anyway, so why sweat the extra yard?

Okay, we'll try this from a different computer. Panthers game. Not a whole lot going on in this one.

Braden Mann punted four times with an average of about 45.0 yards and 4.17 hangtime. Only one was over 4.5 seconds. Two were hit outside the numbers. Johnny Hekker had three official punts but he actually punted four times, with one being negated by a penalty. His four punts averaged about 50.7 yards and 4.71 hangtime. Two were at 4.5 seconds or more. One was hit outside the numbers. The better statistical day goes to Hekker putting Mann's mark at 7-5-1 on the season.

Through thirteen games, Mann is averaging about 49.1 yards and 4.45 hangtime with 50% at 4.5 seconds or more and 52% hit outside the numbers. Opposing punters are averaging about 46.0 yards and 4.54 hangtime with 65% at 4.5 seconds and 56% hit outside the numbers. More yards for us. More height for them.

The snap to foot times on punts favored the Eagles once again. Just around 2.0 seconds for the first three, with the final one closer to 1.85. Carolina was around 2.05 to 2.10 on theirs.

Braden Mann kicked off four times. He average 64.8 yards. The average starting spot was 27.0. Eddy Pineiro kicked off four times for the Panthers. He averaged about 70.8 yards with an average starting spot at 28.5. On the season, Mann is averaging 70.2 yards with an average starting spot of 29.4. Opponents are averaging 68.3 yards with an average starting spot of 28.6.

The snap to foot times on place kicks favored the Panthers. This is unusual when the Eagles don't "win" this theoretical battle. But Pineiro was amazingly quick to the ball on two of his three attempts. The Eagles were in the 1.25 to 1.32 range. The Panthers were as low as 1.10.

Jake Elliott missed his only field goal attempt from a distance where the expected value is about 0.58. On the season he is now 18-of-24 from distances with an expected value of 18.34. So he's -0.34 which means he's about a net negative one in terms of scoring. He's also now 0-of-5 on field goals from 50 yards or longer. His average attempt distance is 39.6. His Elo Kicking Rating dropped to 2299 which ranks fourteenth in the league. That is +0.40 standard deviations above the mean. The league average is 2274. The rating of Eagles Opponents improved to 2273, which would rank twenty-first. That's 0.01 STD BELOW the mean.

The Top Five Kickers after Week 14 were/are Folk (2403, +2.03); Boswell (2384, +1.74); Dicker (2375, +1.59); Butker-IR (2366, +1.45); and Prater-IR (2351, -1.22). The Bottom Five Kickers were/are Zuerlein-IR/Shrader-IR (2216, -0.91); Moody (2188, -1.35); Karty (2182, -1.44); York-PS (2164, -1.73); and Ryland (2351, -1.22). 

Other stuff:

* Trotter made a kickoff tackle which impressed.

* On Carolina's first punt they were flagged for an illegal formation. There was a fair catch by DeJean at the ten yard line. On the ensuing punt from five yards back, the Eagles ended up getting it at the 25 (should have been the 26), which turned out to be a solid "gain" of fifteen yards. That's ten yards better than if they had simply tacked on the penalty to the original fair catch. Solid positive.

* Excellent punt tackle by Kelee Ringo. He drilled the returner immediately after fielding the ball.

* Rodgers continues to be unimpressive on kickoff returns. Not only that but his decision making seems questionable. He cost the Eagles six yards by returning a kickoff from about three yards deep out to the twenty-four. With a touchback, the ball is on the thirty. I like him as a player but not as a kick returner.

* Great punt play late in the game. With about three minutes left, Mann's punt from near midfield was caught in the air by Avonte Maddox at around the two yard line. There's NO WAY the Panthers will be able to move the ball from there! (HA!) (Thankfully their drive stalled -- EVENTUALLY!)

Let's do the Steelers game.

Braden Mann only punted once. It wasn't a good punt. I'm calling it 33 yards with 4.60 hangtime. It was not hit outside the numbers. Corliss Waitman punted five times for the Steelers. He averaged about 42.6 yards and 4.05 hangtime with only one in the air for at least 4.5 seconds and two hit outside the numbers. The better statistical day goes to the Steelers putting Mann's mark at 7-6-1 on the season.

Through fourteen games, Mann is averaging 48.7 yards and 4.45 hangtime with 51% at 4.5 seconds or greater and 51% hit outside the numbers. Opposing punters are averaging about 45.7 yards and 4.50 hangtime with 62% at 4.5 seconds and 55% hit outside the numbers. Solid edge for the Eagles.

The snap to foot times on punts clearly favored the Eagles. Their one punt was pretty quick (maybe 1.92 seconds) whereas the Steelers were pretty slow (around 2.10 with their last one closer to 2.20 seconds).

Braden Mann kicked off six times with an average of about 68.7 yards and an average starting spot of 30.5. Chris Boswell kicked off four times for the Steelers. He averaged about 66.3 yards with a subsequent starting spot of 31.3. This is one of those rare instances where the Eagles did better on kickoffs/returns than their opponents. Yay, I guess. On the season, Mann is averaging about 70.1 yards with a starting spot of 29.4. Opponents are averaging about 68.2 yards and 28.7.

The snap to foot times on place kicks massively favored the Eagles. Low 1.2s on occasion compared to over 1.4 for the Steelers. They actually looked downright leisurely on their attempts. It'll bite them eventually, I suspect.

Jake Elliott made three field goal attempts but only two were official. The expected value of those two attempts was 1.67. On the season, he's now 20-of-26 from distances with an expected value of 20.01. So he's pretty much "standard" this year. The thing is, "standard" is now below average. His average attempt distance is 39.4, which is half a yard lower than the league average of 39.9.

Elliotts' Elo Kicking Rating improved to 2304, which ranks fourteenth and is +0.45 standard deviations above the mean. The league average is 2276. The rating of Eagles Opponents improved to 2282, which would rank twentieth. That's +0.10 STD above the mean. The Top Five Kickers are Folk (2403, +2.02); Boswell (2389, +1.80); Dicker (2377, +1.61); McLaughlin (2352, +1.21); and Prater-IR (2351, +1.20). The Bottom Five Kickers are Bass (2215, -0.97); Moody (2207, -1.09); Karty (2193, -1.32); Ryland (2176, -1.59); and York-PS (2165, -1.76).

Other stuff:

* Oren Burks made a notable tackle on a kickoff.

* Cooper DeJean smartly picked up a couple of yards along the sideline on a punt return. He fielded the ball and got a few steps before getting drilled.

* DeJean had a bad fumble on his next punt return. Early on, I had suspicions that he could be vulnerable to fumbling because he kinda does extend the ball away from his body at times on his returns. That wasn't quite what happened here, but it's something to keep an eye on in the future. In my view, we're better off with Covey handling the role, though his durability certainly remains a valid concern.

* I'm not sure that Elliott's made kicks were as "dead center" as we've been accustomed to in the past. For what it's worth.

* Kenny Gainwell had a couple of decent kickoff returns, getting one out to the thirty and the other out to the thirty-three.

* The Steelers roughed the snapper on Elliott's 48 yard field goal which allowed the Eagles to take the points off the board and extend the drive. Unfortunately it led to Elliott having to make a 41-yarder, which he managed to do.

* Jalen Carter made the most idiotic play on the Steelers final punt, slugging an opponents for no reason just before the ball was kicked. If called correctly, it should have been the Steelers ball. Instead the officials determined it was a post-possession foul (it wasn't) and the Eagles got the ball inside their own five. Little did we know that they would run out the final ten plus minutes with a glorious 21-play drive.

 

Our kickoff coverage was absolutely horrid in that game. How many big returns did we allow? Did anyone actually think that they were actually going to contain the Washington return man on that final kickoff? Nah, I sure didn't. I figured they would be starting at the 40. But we actually did worse than that by throwing in a moronic penalty for five free yards.

Elliott short on a field goal. Brown off sides. The KR coverage was terrible. They missed that zone box on a kickoff that caused a penalty. Special teams was not very special in this one. 

Sorry this took so long. Some issues to deal with. Commanders game. It was an abomination.

Braden Mann punted four times with an average of only 38.0 yards and only 3.89 hangtime. None of his four punts had a hangtime of at least 4.5 seconds. Three were hit outside the numbers. Tess Way punted twice for Washington. He averaged 46.0 yards and 4.13 hangtime. Neither hit the 4.5 mark. One was hit outside the numbers. The obvious "win" goes to Way, putting Mann's mark at 7-7-1 on the season.

Through fifteen games, Mann is averaging 47.9 yards and 4.41 hangtime with 47% reaching the 4.5 second mark and 53% hit outside the numbers. Opponents are averaging about 45.7 yards and 4.49 hangtime with 60% at 4.5 seconds or more and 55% hit outside the painted numbers on the field. Advantage Eagles.

The touch to toe times on punts slightly favored the Eagles. Three of their four were just a tick over 2.0 seconds (the other was closer to 2.1). I got Washington's at around 2.02 and 2.13 respectively.

Kickoffs were disgusting. I get that it was windy but you'd think you'd at least have the wind at your back at some point. Instead, it felt like the Eagles were kicking into the wind in both directions. Awful, awful, awful. Braden Mann kicked off eight times. He averaged only about 55.6 yards (roughly to about the nine or ten yard line -- on average) with an average subsequent starting spot of 38.3. About ten yards more than average. On eight kicks. So basically Washington got eighty free yards (technically not free since they did in fact earn them) throughout the game. That is gross "hidden yardage". Zane Gonzalez kicked of six times. He averaged about 60.0 yards (to about the five) with the Eagles starting at the 28.3. The disparity is nauseating.

On the season, Mann is averaging about 68.7 yards with the average starting spot being the 30.3. Opponents are averaging about 67.5 with the Eagles average starting spot being the 28.7. That's a yard-and-a-half more per kick. With about ten kickoffs per game, that means the Eagles are losing about fifteen yards of field position -- in increments -- throughout the course of a game. Over the long run, this stuff matters.

The touch to toe times on place kicks were better for the Eagles. They were around 1.25 or so. Give or take. Washington was closer to 1.3.

Jake Elliott made 4-of-5 field goal attempts from distances with an expected value of 3.66. So he was a "plus" for the day (although his rating actually went down). On the season, he's now 24-of-31 from distances with an expected value of 23.7. This means he's +0.3, which equates to roughly one point above expected value. Elliott's Elo Kicking rating fell to 2301, which ranks sixteenth and is +0.39 standard deviations above the mean. The rating of Eagles Opponents remains at 2282, which would rank twentieth. That's +0.10 STD above the mean. The league average is 2275. The reason Elliott's rating went down despite being 'above standard' on the day is because his rating was significantly higher than standard. So while he had a positive day compared to standard, he had a negative day for a kicker with his high of a rating.

The Top Five Kickers after Week 16 were Folk (2403, +1.94); Boswell (2393, +1.79); Dicker (2386, +1.68); Aubrey (2367, +1.39); and McLaughlin/Sanders (2355, +1.21.) The Bottom Five Kickers were Karty (2204, -1.08); Ryland (2202, -1.11); Moody (2188, -1.33); York-PS (2166, -1.66); and Narveson-PS (2150, -1.90).

Other stuff:

* The opening kickoff resulted in a penalty because Mann's kickoff did not reach the stupid "landing zone". Perhaps this was an omen that the day was not going to go well.

* On the next Eagles kickoff, they allowed the return man to get the ball all the way to the Eagles 43 yard line. The right side of the Eagles defense collapsed. Burks and Gainwell appeared to be the biggest culprits. At least Trotter got there at the end to make a tackle. Horrible play.

* On Washington's first punt, Cooper DeJean fielded the ball at the Eagles 30 and returned it to about the 37. But Trotters was flagged for a personal foul during the kick, which put the ball all the way back to the 15 yard line. That's effectively a 22-yard penalty. MORE HIDDEN YARDAGE LOST ON SPECIAL TEAMS IN THIS GAME!!!

* Gainwell had some adequate kickoffs. He took one from the 5 to the 31; one from the 5 to the 25; and one from the 1 to the 31.

* One of Mann's punts went to the four yard line. This might have been a positive play if not for the fact that Washington drove 96 yards without breaking much of a sweat.

* Rodgers returned a kickoff from the 8 to abou the 34.

* On the Eagles final field goal, Lovato's snap was kinda low. Good job by Mann to get that down.

* I had very little expectation that the Eagles were going to contain that final kickoff. After what had been happening all day, it felt inevitable that Washington was going to get a good return. Which of course they did. But what was stupid was that Sydney Brown cost the Eagles five full yards by inexplicably moving before the ball was fielded. He has demonstrated a penchant for the stupid play throughout his short career.

* I"m not sure that it wouldn't have been better off with Elliott kicking off on that last one. Mann had been struggling all day. Elliott is the better kickoff guy. Why not have him give it a go?

* We should never have lost this game.

 

Cowboys game.

Braden Mann punted three times with an average of about 50.3 yards and 4.69 hangtime. Two were over 4.5 seconds. One was hit outside the numbers. Bryan Anger punted four times for Dallas. He averaged about 50.0 yards and 4.60 hangtime. Three were over 4.5 seconds. Two were hit outside the numbers. The slight edge goes to Mann, putting his season mark at 8-7-1.

On the season, Mann is averaging about 48.0 yards and 4.42 hangtime with 48% reaching 4.5 seconds and 52% hit outside the numbers. Opposing punters are averaging about 46.0 yards and 4.50 hangtime with 61% at 4.5 seconds and 55% hit outside the numbers. Advantage Eagles.

The snap to foot times on punts were quicker for the Eagles. The first was around 1.9, while the other two were around 2.0 to 2.05. Dallas was around 2.05 to 2.10.

The Eagles finally switched to Jake Elliott on kickoffs. This was not unexpected after the disaster in Washington. Part of that could probably be attributed to wind, but I think Mann was also to blame. So the decision made sense. Elliott kicked off eight times and averaged about 70.6 yards with an average starting position for Dallas at 27.0 yards. (A penalty on one big return was a huge factor.) Brandon Aubrey only kicked off twice for the Cowboys. He averaged about 59.0 yards with an average return position of 36.0 yards. We definitely won this battle.

On the season, Elliott is averaging 70.8 yards and 28.0. The Eagles as a team are averaging 68.9 and 30.1. Opponents are averaging about 67.2 and 28.9. Advantage to the other team for sure. But Elliott should be a plus from here on in.

The snap to foot times on place kicks were decidedly quicker for the Eagles. Around 1.25 pretty much across the board. Aubrey on the other hand appears to be a deliberate, almost casual kicker. His PAT was around 1.30. His long FG attempt was closer to 1.40.

Elliott made both of his field goal attempts. The distances involved had an expected value of around 1.87. On the season, he's 26-of-33 from distances with an expected value of about 25.54. This means he's +0.46, which converts to about 1.3 points over standard expected value. His average attempt distance on the year is now at 39.2 yards, which is notably lower than the league average of 40.0 yards.

Elliott's Elo Kicking Rating improved to 2303, which ranks fifteenth in the league. That's about 0.39 standard deviations above the mean. The league standard is 2200. The league average is now at 2278. The rating of Eagles Opponents dropped to 2272, which would rank twenty-second. That's -0.09 STD below the mean.

The Top Five Kickers after seventeen weeks are Folk (2403, +1.93); Boswell (2394, +1.79); Dicker (good for him) (2391, +1.74); Sanders (2364, +1.33); and McLaughlin (2357, +1.22). We don't watch the Dolphins much but Sanders has quietly had a very good year. He had always been a kind of below average kicker until now. The Bottom Five Kickers are Karty/Shrader-IR/Zuerlein (2216, -0.95); Ryland (2203, -1.15); Moody (2165, -1.74); and York-PS (2146, -2.03).

Other stuff:

* Kudos to Elliott for consistently hitting touchbacks and generally keeping the ball away from Turpin, who can be very dangerous.

* Kenny Gainwell returned a kickoff from the 3 to the 39 and from the 9 to the 33. Good job.

* Dallas had a lot of pressure up the middle on several Eagles kicks. In fact, a leaping defender actually got a hand on a short Elliott field goal which fortunately still made its way through the uprights. But I found this concerning. I would expect the inside of the Eagles blocking unit to be pressured in the playoffs. And I wouldn't be shocked if something goes horribly awry somewhere along the line.

* Cooper DeJean had a sneaky good fourteen yard punt return as he decisively scurried up the sideline before hopping out of bounds.

* On the big Dallas kickoff return which was negated because of a penalty, we saw what I consider to be the primary reason Elliott has been a non-contributor on kickoffs throughout the year (until now). Because of the return, he was forced to attempt to get involved in a tackle. It ended up not being an issue but it COULD have been, which is why it's probably best to not use a kicker in that role...provided that you have someone else who can do the job roughly as well. 

* Dallas lined up offside on the final Eagles punt -- the one which resulted in offsetting penalties and saw Sydney Brown and two Cowboys players get ejected. No penalty was called on the formation, unfortunately.

* DeJean fair caught the final Cowboys punt despite there being no one within about twenty five yards of him. I have to assume he was given strict instructions to fair catch the ball. No need to risk an injury at that point in the season.

* Aubrey's 61-yard field goal attempt clanged off the upright about midway up the structure, leading fans to remark about his obvious leg strength. It's funny but Alex Henery did pretty much the same thing against Tampa Bay one year on a very long attempt and no one ever said anything about it. Granted it was a hot day in Tampa that afternoon and the ball was jumping (I think that was the disgusting game we lost on a long field goal at the gun.)

They have not been very good lately. Last week was better at least.

Giants season finale stuff.

Braden Mann punted three times. He averaged 46.3 yards and 4.08 hangtime. None reached the 4.5 mark. Only one was hit outside the numbers. Jamie Gillan punted three times for the Giants. He averaged 40.7 yards and 4.04 hangtime. None reached the 4.5 mark and two were hit outside the numbers. Not really a strong punting day overall. The slight edge goes to Mann, putting his mark at 9-7-1 on the year.

Through the seventeen games of the regular season, Mann averaged 47.9 yards and 4.41 hangtime with 47% at 4.5 seconds and 51% hit outside the numbers. Opposing punters averaged 45.8 yards and 4.48 hangtime with 58% at 4.5 seconds and 55% hit outside the numbers. Two more yards per punt for the Eagles with slightly less hangtime. Advantage us.

The snap to foot times on punts favored the Eagles. They were consistently right around 2.0 seconds...perhaps a shade under. The Giants have been a consistently slow punting team for as long as I've been keeping track. They were extraordinarily slow. The quickest I timed was 2.13. The other two were between 2.2 and 2.25 seconds. 

Braden Mann kicked off the first two times for the Eagles. Jake Elliott kicked off the other three times. Mann averaged 59.5 yards with an average Giants start at 30.0 yards. Elliott averaged 73.0 yards, also with 30.0. Graham Gano is a proven strong legged kickoff guy. He only averaged about 61.5 yards, so that tells me that he was intentionally kicking it short to force the Eagles to return the ball. Their starting spot was 35.3.

On the season, the Eagles as a team averaged 68.8 yards and 30.1. Mann averaged 68.5 and 30.3. Elliott (relatively small sample) averaged 71.4 and 28.5. Opposing kickers averaged 66.9 and 29.3. 

Snap to foot times on place kicks were slightly faster for the Eagles. The first two seemed around 1.25. The last two were around 1.32. (I couldn't get the third.) The Giants were around 1.33 on their two PATs. I couldn't get the time on their FG.

Jake Elliott made 2 of 3 field goal attempts from distances with an expected value of about 2.69. He finished the regular season 28-of-36 from distances with an expected value of 28.2. This means he was "minus" 0.2, which equates to 0.6 points below expected value. His average attempt distance was 38.5, much lower than the league average of 40.0. His Elo Kicking Rating dropped to 2283, which ranks twentieth in the league. That's +0.03 standard deviations above the mean. The league average is 2281. The rating of Eagles Opponents is also 2281. Standard deviation is 0.0.

The Top Five Kickers after the regular season were Folk (2403, +1.93); Boswell (2399, +1.87); Dicker (2377, +1.52); Sanders (2365, +1.33); and McLaughlin (2363, +1.30). The Bottom Five were Ryland (2221, -0.95); Shrader-IR and Zuerlein-IR (2216, -1.03); York (2163, -1.87); and Moody (2161, -1.91). 

Other stuff:

* Mann's first kickoff ended up being a rare touchback that put the ball out to the twenty rather than the thirty. That's because it landed in the "landing zone" and bounced into the endzone.

* Mann then hit the ball out of bounds on his next kickoff and gave way to Elliott for the rest of the day.

* I found it interesting that Jahan Dotson was the punt returner rather than Ainias Smith, who was seemingly drafted for his punt returning. Alas, I think the Eagles realize that he's not really very good at the job and isn't necessarily trustworthy in terms of not-fumbling. 

* The Giants executed a fake punt. Tristan McCollum didn't secure the edge.

* Rodgers had a big punt return to start the second half, returning the ball all the way to the Giants 43. There was great downfield blocking by Sydney Brown and Johnny Wilson on the play. Rodgers later had a kinda pedestrian return out to the 29.

* Kelee Ringo made one of the highlight special teams plays of the year with a marvelous 1-on-1 tackle on the return man immediately after he fielded the ball. Kudos. We'll probably be seeing replays of that for years.

* Ainias Smith returned a kickoff and only made it to the 25. There was no burst or elusiveness and he pretty much down down on the spot of first contact. I don't think he's ever going to be any good.

Packers playoff game.

Braden Mann punted five times with an average of about 47.2 yards (true yards not statistical yards) and 4.21 hangtime. Only one was in the air for at least 4.5 seconds. Only one (the same one) was hit outside the numbers. Daniel Whelan, who had a good game in Brazil by the way, impressed with two punts for an average of 50.5 yards and 4.81 hangtime. Both were over 4.5 seconds. Neither were hit outside the numbers. The better statistical day goes to Whelan, putting Mann's mark at 9-8-1 on the season.

Through eighteen games, Mann is averaging 47.9 yards and 4.39 hangtime with 44% at 4.5 seconds and 48% hit outside the numbers. Opposing punters are averaging 45.9 yards and 4.49 hangtime with 59% at 4.5 seconds and 54% hit outside the numbers.

The snap to foot times on punts were better for the Eagles. They almost always are. The Eagles were doing theirs in about 2.05 seconds. The Packers were around 2.13 on theirs. For what it's worth.

Jake Elliott kicked off six times. He averaged about 64.3 yards. The average starting spot of the ensuing drive was 23.8. And one of those were with the Eagles in possession of the ball. Brandon McManus kicked off three times for the Packers. He averaged about 65.3 yards and 29.0.

On the season, Elliott is averaging 68.9 and 26.9. The Eagles as a team are averaging 68.6 and 29.7. Opponents are averaging 66.8 and 29.3. It is obvious that opposing teams are intentionally hitting the ball shorter with the idea of allowing the Eagles to return the ball. There is obvious intent.

The snap to foot times on place kicks were basically normal. Around 1.25 to 1.30 for the Eagles (one was around 1.20). The Packers were in the 1.35 range.

Elliott missed a PAT but made all three of his field goal attempts. The expected value of the three kicks was around 2.74. His Elo Kicking Rating improved to 2287, which ranks eighteenth in the league. The rating of Eagles Opponents dropped to 2260 with McManus' missed field goal. That would rank twenty-sixth in the league. I'm not going to bother with the top and bottom rankings this week.

Other stuff:

* Oren Burks had a big hit on the opening kickoff to force a fumble which was recovered -- eventually -- by Jeremiah Trotter. It was the play of the game, really. It's possible the Packers return man actually gained clear possession first but after the debacle in Dallas a few years ago, I have no sympathy. Y'all know what I mean.

* Kenny Gainwell made a tackle on a kickoff.

* On Cooper DeJean's first punt, he was instantaneously tackled as he fielded the ball. It was a pretty risky move on his part to not call for a fair catch. We're lucky there was no fumble there. Kelee Ringo got beat on his block.

* DeJean's next return was a good one of about twelve yards. He got what he could.

* Nolan Smith made a kickoff tackle.

* Blasingame got flagged for a false start on a punt which cost the Eagles five yards.

* Sydney Brown was flagged for illegal touching on a punt when he came from out of bounds and was the first person to touch the ball. It was basically an accidental occurrence so I wouldn't criticize him too much (or at all really).

* Zach Baun made a tackle on a punt.

* Brown and McCollum combined for a tackle on a kickoff.

* Rodgers smartly took a touchback on the Packers final kickoff instead of returning it. It looked to me like that was something he had been instructed to do.

* The Eagles got a break on Elliott's next to last kickoff when the ball struck inside the one yard line and went into the endzone for a touchback. Since it landed in the stupid "landing zone" the ball came out to the twenty rather than the thirty. Cool.

17 hours ago, FranklinFldEBUpper said:

Other stuff:

* Oren Burks had a big hit on the opening kickoff to force a fumble which was recovered -- eventually -- by Jeremiah Trotter. It was the play of the game, really. It's possible the Packers return man actually gained clear possession first but after the debacle in Dallas a few years ago, I have no sympathy. Y'all know what I mean.

 

Let’s hope special teams shows up today and Elliot actually makes his fgs/pats.

Rams game in really bad weather (at times).

Braden Mann punted four times. He averaged about 46.3 yards and 4.43 hangtime. Two -- and almost three -- of them reached 4.5 seconds. Only one was hit outside the numbers. Ethan Evans punted five times for the Rams. He averaged about 50.8 yards with 3.95 hangtime. Only one had a hangtime of at least 4.5 seconds. Four of the five were hit outside the numbers, very close to the sideline. The better statistical day goes to Mann, putting his mark at 10-8-1 on the year.

Through nineteen games, Mann is averaging 47.8 yards and 4.39 hangtime with 44% at 4.5 seconds and 47% hit outside the numbers. Opposing punters are averaging about 46.2 yards and 4.45 hangtime with 57% at 4.5 seconds (or more) and 55% hit outside the numbers.

The snap to foot times on punts were kinda close for both teams. Around 2.05, with the Rams having maybe a couple closer to 2.10. Maybe a slight edge to the Eagles but not the usual "advantage". I'm assuming the bad weather impacted this.

Jake Elliott kicked off eight times, including once after a safety. He averaged about 64.9 yards with an average subsequent field position of 30.9. The safety kick impacted this number. Evans kicked off five times and averaged 60.6 yards and 33.2. So the Eagles "won" this field position battle.

On the season, Elliott is averaging 67.6 yards and 28.2 (again, the safety kick impacts this in a misleading way) while opponents are averaging about 66.8 and 29.4. The Eagles (Elliott and Mann combined) are averaging 68.3 and 29.8. Overall edge to the opposing team.

The snap to foot times on place kicks were quicker for the Eagles. Around 1.27 when the weather was still good and closer to 1.30 (with a couple slower) after it got bad. The Rams averaged around 1.40 for the most part. They looked quite deliberate.

Elliott missed two extra points. Ugh. On the plus side, he was 3-of-3 on his (very important) field goal attempts from distances with a normal expected value of about 2.55. His Elo Kicking Rating went up (remember, I don't included PATs in this) to 2294, which ranks seventeenth. It's +0.21 STD above the mean. The league average is 2281. The Rating of Eagles Opponents improved to 2263, which is -0.29 STD below the mean. (And don't double negative me. You know what I mean.)

Other stuff:

* Kenny Gainwell had a couple of good kick returns.

* Cooper DeJean dropped a punt and quickly fell on it. This was very scary at the moment. I still don't feel like I have full faith in him. I think he's potentially good but I need to see it.

* Rick Lovato had several errant snaps. Like, seriously off target snaps. Like, scary snaps. There were three instances where Mann had to reach/extend away from his body to field it and get it down in time. In some respects, Mann was an unsung hero in this game for these efforts. Lovato's performance over the past couple of years has tailed off to the point that I would not be shocked if they move on from him sooner rather than later. 

* Sydney Brown made a secure 1-on-1 tackle on a punt.