The good, the bad and the ugly: Week 13 at Packers

[e-a-g-l-e-s eagles!]

The Good:

1. Hurts looked competent spelling Wentz—When you look at the statistics it is going to say he completed just 41.7% of his pass attempts (5/12—frankly should’ve been 6-12 if Fulgham makes a routine catch). However, it really doesn’t tell the story of this game. I thought he had two excellent throws down the field. The first one was a completion to Reagor down the sideline. It was on target and Reagor was able to pull it in as he got some separation from the Packers defender.  However the drive fizzled out as the oline didn’t hold up, Seumalo was called for a penalty and the play calling on 3^rddown was very conservative. The other throw came after a pretty brutal penalty by Alshon for offensive pass interference. Why Alshon is even playing? No one really knows. However, Hurts was able to scrambled outside of the pocket and kept his eyes down the field an was able to deliver a well thrown ball into the end zone to Greg Ward to cut the lead from 20 to 13. It actually gave the Eagles a spark as Reagor after the defense forced a three and out was able to return a punt to the house. However once the game got to within 7, the Packers defense really started to play with a sense of urgency. The next two possessions for the Eagles resulted in a 5 play drive for 7 yards and a 4 play drive for 17 yards that ended in an interception (more on the offensive line not allowing his arm to follow through). That said, I thought for a rook being thrust into the game, he did a good job. You saw that he can make some of the throws at this level. One positive that he was keeping his eyes down the field when scrambling and moving around the pocket. Additionally, I thought he did a good job of making a decision to leave the pocket and run. I think he is a better runner at this stage of his career than Wentz.I think with the oline being what it is you are going to have to make quick decisions to take off  cause you aren’t going to get good oline play whether Hurts or Wentz is out there. Nevertheless, I have some reserves about this game as well. I made a similar argument in the blog when Wentz and the Eagles made a furious charge back against the Steelers and Ravens that some of that is teams take their foot off the pedal. So some of that comeback was on the fact teams thought the game was over and played some softer coverage and eventually it snowballed into some momentum for the Eagles. In this game, the Packers were up 20 points with 8 minutes left in the 4^thquarter. Some of this feels like the Packers were trying to protect a 20 point lead and they were playing some softer coverages because once it got to 7 points again, the Packers secondary seemed to be glued to the Eagles receivers and the Packers also generated more of a pass rush. That said, Hurts played well for a rookie in his first ever game. 

2. Reagor the returner—It feels like for a while now that the Eagles should have figured out that Reagor is the one who should be returning punts. I get you are concerned about him getting injured and he is a starting outside WR. However this team isn’t good enough offensive to not try to hit a homerun on special teams with him. He was electric at it at TCU and he really hasn’t been given all that many opportunities at this level. He is more explosive and dynamic in this area than Greg Ward. The story of Greg Ward and his perseverance is awesome, but he doesn’t offer you the same type of big play potential that Reagor does. It is kind of like why the Eagles put DeSean back there for that Giants game trying to ignite a spark in the return game. He can be like DeSean in his rookie season where you have him returning punts and playing significant snaps at WR. He is young and his body should hold up. Do I worry he could get hurt on ST? Yes, but it is football. He could run a crossing route and tear an Achilles doing so. I cannot worry myself with what ifs when it comes to potential injuries.  Besides the return, I loved the route and the ability to pull in the reception down the sideline on the 34-yard reception. However, I absolutely hated that he gave up on a route earlier in the game. This was an issue talked about coming out of TCU that since the QB/team wasn’t very good he would give up on plays at time. Additionally, I posted when watching the all 22 in last weeks good, bad and ugly that he ran a really poor route on a 3^rd and 9 where he just kept fading to the sideline so it made the play even less likely to work. I think running consistently good routes is arguably the thing he has to work on the most. I also kind of think he is out there thinking about the play too much and not just playing naturally. I think missing the time he did and pandemic offseason with no team activities didn’t help. Also didn’t help that the offense via Wentz or Doug’s play calling didn’t help him out either. 

3. Goedert emerging as the best receiving threat—Like Hurts, the stat line really isn’t eye-popping. Goedert finished the afternoon, with 5 receptions for 66 yards. He was only targeted 7 times. Frankly I would have loved to see the Eagles target him closer to 12 times in this game because the Eagles WRs for the most part are just not very good. With Ertz back I figured you might see a little bit of a regression as Ertz’s would take away some of his targets. However, he has been hovering around 6-7 targets (besides the Seahawks game) since the Dallas game. I think he is really just too good not to get more and more involved. He is big, he is fast and he is a matchup nightmare if you try to put a linebacker on him and most safetys are just not big enough to slow him down. Over the last 3 weeks, Goedert has hauled in 17 catches for 218 yards and 2 touchdowns. He is averaging just under 13 yards per reception. I really believe he is on the verge of breaking out for a massive game. I do not think it comes against the Saints as they have an elite defense, but I suspect that game against Arizona he might go off. If I am the Eagles and whoever is the Gm at the end of the season, the first thing I try to do is get Goedert under contract because the longer you play this out and the closer he gets to free agency next year I think the value and price tag will go up and up. 

4. Special teams provides a big play and pins Rodgers—Ithas felt like an eternity since the Eagles have had that type of big play on special teams. It has felt like Kenjon Barner against the Cardinals in 2017 was the last time an Eagles’ punt returner make a splash play. I am hoping the more and more we see from Reagor back as a punt returner, the more comfortable he gets and maybe we see a few more big plays the rest of the season. Now I do not think we can expect it week in and week out, but if you can just get some positive yards on returns then the Eagles average starting field position would be much better than where it currently sits around 27 yard line. That would be a massive boost to an offense that is still likely not going to be a top 10 offense with or without Hurts playing. The bigger question is why do the Eagles not used Reagor as a returner sooner. The he could get hurt back there really isn’t a good excuse and really you weren’t getting all that much from Ward on a weekly basis. Not only did special teams provide a spark in the return. They did an excellent job pinning the Packers at their own 1-yard line. While the defense pissed that away, it is exactly what you wanted to see out of your special teams. 

5. Top 10 pick… possibly even top 5—If you are already looking forward to the offseason and the NFL draft then this should make you happy. It is very likely that the Eagles are going to be picking in the top 10. If they manage to lose out they’re likely to finish in the top 5. Had an interesting question in the blog about who you would take if Sewell, Chase, Smith and Surtain were all on the board with the Eagles pick. I know the Eagles have Mailata and Dillard, but knowing the Eagles philosphy I suspect they would take Sewell and look to make Dillard or Mailata their right tackle. I think they would look at Sewell as their future Jason Peters. I think he is good enough to be a pro bowl caliber LT for the next decade and I am guessing they’d view it that way. Nevertheless, I would probably go Chase. I think this team for far too long has been searching for big time playmakers. Even the SB year, we had Alshon, Smith and Agholor, but I think Chase would be in another level of receiver like when we got TO. 

6. It’s December so—It is December so for the first time in what feels like forever the Eagles decided to use Jalen Reagor on a jet sweep and it picked up 11 yards. Maybe we should try some of these plays that maximize our guys’ strengths before December every year. 

 

On the Fence:

1. Who starts vs. Saints next week: The question becomes do you go with Hurts next week as the starter against the Saints or go back to Wentz. I think there is more to it then this is a lost season especially with the Giants beating the Seahawks. I think the Saints are likely the best defense this team will face for the rest of the year. Over the last 5 weeks, the Saints defense has given up 2 red zone touchdown, 2 touchdowns overall and giving up just 8.8 pgg. I understand they played the Broncos with Hinton at QB, but even without that game in the other 4 games over that span they have given up 10.3ppg. Since their bye week they have also given up just 13ppg. This is a really tough defense that is excelling right now. I am not so sure you want to throw a rookie in his first ever start against that defense. The following week against Arizona is a much better spot matchup wise as the Cardinals have really struggled to get pressure on the QB since Chandler Jones was lost for the year. If this were a different opponent with a semi-good defense I would be more inclined to just allow Hurts to go out there and start. However, I think you can do a lot of damage to a young QB facing a defense like that. Justin Herbert who’s been good up until the last two weeks faced I would argue faced his toughest opponents in a Belichick coached defense and the Bills defense (yes he played the Saints before the saints got on this run before their bye) and struggled mightily in both. I am curious to see how he recovers the following week if his trend continues or he shrugs it off. 

2. Running game— When you look at the box score, it will show that the Eagles rushed for 4.7 yards per carry and ran the ball 25 times for 117 yards. However, it felt like the running game really never got going against a poor run defense. I kind of felt that the Packers early in the game tried to take away the run and dare the Eagles to throw against them because they didn’t believe Wentz, the receivers or the offense could beat them that way.  The QB combination of Hurts and Wentz combined for 8 rushes for 47 yards (Hurs- 5 rushes for 29; Wentz 3 for 18). The running backs in this game had 16 carries for 59 yards, which is just 3.7 yards per carry. I was expecting much more from the running game. Over the last two weeks, the running backs have been non-existent. If this continues into the Saints game where the Eagles are really ineffective or don’t commit to running the ball more then the Saints will tee off on this oline. They are a much better defense than the Packers both against the run and the pass over the last 8 weeks. 

The bad:

1. Singleton and Edwards— I want to be more positive about Singleton and Edwards. Singleton was still much much better than Nate Gerry was for most of the year. He finished with 12 total tackles. Edwards finished the game with just 4, but recorded a sack and a QB hit. I thought there were stretches in this game where both of them looked competent. They were very good against the run for most of the afternoon as they bottled up Jones until late in the game. They were also good at not allowing Rodgers to take off, which he doesn’t do all the time but he still is a threat. However, there were plays where they just got exposed. First, the 36-yard reception to Mercedes Lewis. Rodgers masterfully got them looking in the backfield and found Lewis wide open for a big 36-yard gain out to midfield and got the packers second touchdown drive started. Granted it is football so you are going to give up some plays from time to time, but later in the game, Singleton got caught looking in the backfield again. The defensive line did a good job at making Rodgers move around the pocket. Unfortunately, Singleton was caught looking as Tonyan slipped behind him and Rodgers lofted a beautiful 25-yard touchdown pass to Tonyan to put the Packers ahead 14-3. While Singleton and Edwards were good in providing help against the run besides the 77 yard touchdown run and really limited the Packers backs out of the backfield and outside of those two big plays to the tight end, you cannot eliminate those plays. They were responsible for the 36 and 24 yard receptions and Singleton (Riley as well) was also a big part of Jones rumbling for a 77-yard touchdown. It was definitely not a awful day for them, but they were just far from where you needed them to be in a game against a really good Packers team. 

2. WR still not good enough— After watching the all-22 last week, it became pretty apparent the WR that had the most wide open routes against the Seahawks was non-other than Greg Ward. By my count he had 4 routes where you could qualify he was open with no one close to him (now getting him the ball sometimes on OL and sometimes on Wentz). That should not be the case. He should not be the player who getting the most open or your most consistent WR at this stage of the season. Lets go back to March when rumors were circulating that the Eagles didn’t want to address the WR in free agency or big trades. They wanted to address it in the draft and have the young kids grow with Wentz. And they were just going to rely on DeSean Jackson to be the veteran presence out there. Yeah that was a bad plan then and it is showing now that it is a bad plan. I like Reagor and I do not think he is a bust. I think he will be fine in time, but not every rookie is going to be Jefferson or Lamb or Claypool or Higgins. You are likely to see inconsistencies from rookie WRs week to week unless they are truly special and can step in day one. Well it isn’t easy to find some of those guys as we have seen from the Eagles. Furthermore they have not been very competent in drafting, evaluating and developing young WRs over the last decade. So just assuming you’d hit in the draft wasn’t a sure thing. Then doubling down on that with expecting DeSean to be reliable and stay healthy was a mistake. Do I think all of the Eagles problems on offense fall on the WRs? No far from that but it is still clearly a problem. To the point where Ward and the Reagor were the only two WRs tonight that gave you any production. Furthermore, the only WR with more than 1 catch was Ward. Add on when you watch the all-22 from last week, on 5 of the 6 sacks none of them got open. Additionally, Wentz would take off when guys weren’t open. I am guessing when I watch the All-22 this week it will show that Hurts and Wentz took off those times cause no one was getting open. I would also bet on the 7 sacks the Packers got, that at least 5 of them guys were blanketed down field. They aren’t the biggest issue on this team, but if you are going to say they aren’t an issue then you are fooling youself. This group is nowhere close to be league average especially when we have Alshon taking a majority of the snaps on the outside. 

3. DL started off hot then cooled off— This is the type of game that the Eagles are paying big bucks to their defensive line. Aaron Rodgers is one of the best in the league and might be playing the best in the league. If you are going to beat the Packers then you have to get to Rodgers, force some turnovers and hit him. That is how the Niners crushed them last year and how the Bucs defeated them this year. The first two drives it looked like it was going to be that type of night for the defensive line. Hargrave shot out of a cannon and recorded a sack. In his defense he has begun to look much better over the last couple weeks and not like a bust of a signing. However, after the first two series, it felt like the Packers and Rodgers had all day to throw the ball and find Adams torching our secondary. It felt like the Eagles pass rush just could never touch him after those first two drives and when they did he was able to improvise and make a play to just stick the dagger in a little more outside of a couple drives late. Taking a closer look, the Eagles top 4 highest paid DLinemen of Cox, Graham, Hargrave and Jackson combined for just 1 QB hit after the first two drives. Furthermore, Vinny Curry led the team with a team high 3 QB hits. If the Eagles were ever going to have a chance in this game of limiting Aaron Rodgers they needed to create turnvoers and the defensive line had to play up to their paycheck. I felt like in this game the Eagles DL started off hot and with energy, but then went into the witness protection program the rest of the game. 

4. Run defense breaks down late— I thought the run defense did a pretty good job up until Aaron Jones broke off his 77-yard touchdown run. On that play, Hargrave does an excellent job of getting penetration but runs himself out of the play. Jones makes an excellent cut where Riley and Singleton get caught out of position. Once he is able to break by McLeod he was off to the races. Jones made a couple nifty moves to avoid some defenders downfield and was eventually into the end zone, which was the ultimate dagger into the Eagles chances. Before that 77-yard run, the Eagles had only allowed the Packers to rush for 73 yards on 18 carries, which is an ok 4.0 yards per carry. However, the you cannot take the big play away from Jones. At the end of the game, the Packers rushed 25 times for 149 yards (6.0 yards per carry) and a touchdown. I do give the Eagles a lot of credit, they didn’t allow for a misdirection run to burn them, which seemingly has bit them in the butt all year. They also did an excellent job of containing Aaron Rodgers who isn’t afraid to take off if he is forced too. He rushed 4 times for -3 yards. Nevertheless, I thought the Eagles had been showing signs of the run defense turning it around and becoming much more stout and not giving up the big homerun play. This is the third time in four weeks that the Eagles have given up a rush of over 30 yards. It is the second time in three weeks the Eagles have given up a 50+ yard run to one of the premiere backs in the NFL. It isn’t going to get any easier for the Eagles. They are facing Taysom Hill and Kamara next week. The Eagles have been better at containment, but Hill is the ultimate you better have containment otherwise you are in a world of hurt. Add on Kamara can break one off even if he hasn’t looked great most of the night similarly to what Jones did against the Eagles. 

5. Expected more with Ertz—I know a lot of people weren’t overly excited to get Ertz back on the field as many want to see more and more Goedert and Ertz even being here next year is very unlikely unless the Eagles have a change of heart. However, I was looking forward to getting a playmaker back that Wentz and if Hurts came into the game that they could rely and trust. It has been a really really really frustrating and bad year for Ertz. He has had bad drops, just hasn’t looked like his old self and his contract had been clearly affecting him. I thought the last 5 weeks would be a chance for him to potentially leave on a good note and leaving it all out on the field. But in this game, he really didn’t see many targets until later in the game. He had 4 targets and caught 2 of them for 31 yards. He had a nice 20-yard reception that felt more like the Packers were just playing a soft defense to avoid giving up the big play. I am hoping the Eagles can incorporate him and Goedert more into the offense in terms of targets. They combined for 11 tartgets and frankly it isn’t enough with the lack of playmakers we have at the WR position. I would love to see that number be closer to 16. I think both can extend drives and are matchup problems for opposing team’s when they try to have linebackers cover them. I also believe the two can feed off each other and drive teams crazy if you can get Ertz’s in the right state of mind and going. All in all, it feels more and more like the Eagles and Ertz are going to separate at the end of the season and we are just watching the last pitiful games to a disastrous season. 

6. Offense doesn’t get into the red zone— The Eagles offense is really bad. All you need to know is the Eagles didn’t even manage to get into the red zone against the Packers. Their touchdowns came on a 73-yard punt return and a 32-yard touchdown reception. I do not have the answer to this, but I am guessing it is a really ugly win-loss record for teams who do not get into the red zone at least once. 

7. Doug Dialing up slow developing plays—One of the things I really noticed on the All-22 last week and against the Giants a couple weeks back was we are calling plays too many plays that take way too long to develop. There was a play last week where Hightower got open down the field, but it took way too long for the offensive line we are have and by the time it developed there was no way to make the throw with the amount of pressure in the face of Wentz. Now some of this is on Wentz holding the ball longer until his WR is completely open, but there are a lot of plays we call where we are running routes that there is no way with Pryor (last week) and Driscoll at RT are going to hold up that long.  Even with Hurts, I think there were plays where he was on the unfortunate end of where the OLine broke down because the play just took too long to develop. Fortunately on some he took decisively instead of waiting for it to unfold an the line to collapse. I think what would be beneficial moving forward to try to get into a rhythm with Hurts by getting the ball out quickly and slowly expand the plays especially against a defense like the Saints next week. We cannot play or call plays like we have the same offensive line from the SB. Unless we are committed to moving the pocket and calling more rollouts to prove more time for the receivers to get open on their routes. 

8. Third down defense— Heading into this contest, the Eagles third down defense had really turned the corner. Over the last four weeks, the Eagles had held their opponents to 29.6% (16-54). They were a top five defense in this statistical category over that period of time. It was really encouraging that they were able to hold a QB of Wilson’s caliber last week to just 2-10. However, if the Eagles were going to have success in this game then they were going to have to follow the current trend. The Eagles started the game off on the right foot as they got Rodgers and the Packers into a 3^rd and 23 and were able to force a punt. However, after that initial stop, the Packers went onto be give the Eagles fits as they converted 5 of their next 11 third down attempts. Overall, the Packers finished 5-12 on third down, which is 41.7%. While the number isn’t awful, it still isn’t good enough if you expected to win this game. 

9. Elliott right on cue—Why does it always feel like when the Eagles are building some momentum that Jake Elliott comes along and just absolutely kills it. This has continued to be a theme since the SB run. Last week he missed an extra point and this week he missed an extra point. It just always feels when the Eagles are on the verge of building some serious mojo that something goes wrong and more and more it is becoming Elliott missing extra points or field goals. It was nice to see him hit on the 52-yard, but he has become too inconsistent. Furthermore, the Eagles acted too fast in guaranteeing his contract and money. I get the importance of a good kicker, but Elliott has really regressed ever since the 2017 season. Unfortunately with his contract structured the way it is, the Eagles are stuck with him even if they wanted to make a move. 

10. Epitome of the eagles season— Nothing speaks to the ineptitude of the eagles this year like Reagor coming in motion and running into his own guy in Boston Scott on the opening drive. Your 2020 Philadelphia Wagles ladies and gents 

 

The Ugly:

1. Wentz’s 2020 and where do we go from here—Probably way to soon to talk about what the future holds for Wentz as an Eagle. You’d like to hope he is able to get everything straightened out and headed in the right direction here in Philadelphia and be the player the franchise thought he would be 5 years ago. In this game, it was much of the same as he exited the game 6-15 for 79 yards and a QB rating of 57.4. While it wasn’t all of his fault as the oline was not very good for stretches and plays where receivers struggled to get separation/open consistently, I think down 17 points mid-way through the third and him getting pummeled was the time to make a switch. I am really not sure what the Eagles can do going forward. His contract is what it is. He is here likely through 2021 unless someone is willing to trade for him and believes he can turn it around with a new scenery and new coaching (some of the money before the 3^rd day of the new league year would allow it but it is still some dead money I am not sure the Eagles want to take on). The question is, are you willing to make that decision at this point in time. If you are comfortable trading him away or moving on from him knowing if he goes somewhere else and has success and Hurts winds up also not being a franchise QB then you are in a world of hurt? I do not know if he goes somewhere else and can replicate the success he had in 2017. Seems like that was a long time ago, but then again I thought Jared Goff was god awful as a rookie and I thought the Rams would never reach a Super Bowl with him and yet McVay figured out a way. However, I do know if you put a QB in lets say Indianapolis, they are likely able to thrive much better than they would playing in the roster constructed currently by the Eagles. Do I think this is the last we have seen of Wentz in an Eagles uniform? Likely not. I think he is going to be back here next year if I had to guess. However, unless Hurts gets hurt or massively struggles, I do think there is a chance that this is the last time we have seen Wentz for the 2020 season. 

2. Bad drafting, poor developing and flawed roster construction became the new norm— I do not know who can really argue this right now, but this roster is clearly deficient in so many different areas. First, I still think this defense is more of a mirage. The Seahawks have been struggling over the last couple weeks to score points. They have scored 28, 23 (Eagles really gave them three going for it on a 4^th down on the other side of the field) and 12. They have been trending in the wrong direction. After a hot start and once the Packers woke up from their slumber it felt like the Eagles really didn’t have enough playmakers on the defense to hold a team like the Packers all game. Right now, Slay is struggling against some of the best WRs we have faced this year. Maddox is simply not good enough on the outside. While I like Singleton I think he is an average linebacker and you really need more than just one average linebacker to have continual success. Additionally, I still think the DL that’s making a ton of money hasn’t lived up to what we have expected. Additionally we also do not have very many young players on that side of the ball you can see building the next era of Eagles defense with. I am hopeful that Wallace, Singleton (slightly older),  Hargrave, Barnett, Sweat can be those guys. But after those guys and some of those not proven, the cupboard is pretty bare. The Eagles really needed to find some good solid young defensive players cause Cox, Jackson, Slay, McLeod and Graham aren’t getting younger or improving. We have not seen their massive drop off yet and that could be around the corner at the ages of each one of those players. Now on offense, I do not think you could have expected the massive amounts of injuries to the offensive line. I do think Mailata has a strong case for being the future at either LT or RT if the Eagles believe Dillard can still be the LT tackle of the future. However, I still think Herbig and Opeta are just backups. I think Kelce might walk away at the end of this year and you have question marks at RG if Brooks will be the same player again after 2 achilles injuries and older. Will Lane ever be the same player he was and is his body capable of holding up anymore. Can Seumalo play center and if you move him, who replaces him at LG. Add on I think the WR corps besides Reagor is still a mess. Do you have some guys you are hopeful in terms of the future in Hightower and Watkins? Of course, but they are not proven commodities. Again this goes back to in large part Howie who has failed Doug and Wentz (Hurts) in giving them enough talent to be consistently successful. When you go look at the last 5 drafts, it hasn’t been pretty. You have realistically 6 guys who I would say are starters on other teams around the NFL that you drafted: Wentz (before this year), Sanders, Goedert, Seumalo, Mailata and Barnett. That is not good enough to sustain excellence in the NFL especially not when your QB is struggling the way he has so far this season. Like I said last week, if I had to assign top blame for where the Eagles currently sit at the moment, I look at Howie. He has made poor signings, he hasn’t been nearly as smart with the cap as in the past, has wasted draft picks and traded away draft picks for bandaids.  I also think he has done a disservice to Wentz as well as Hurts with the roster he provided this year. I said back in April after the draft this team has way tooo many question marks on its roster. Imo it was an 8 win team if they stayed healthy and as soon as Brooks got hurt that felt very similar to when Peters tore his Achilles twice in an offseason and that season just completely went to crap. I do not expect Hurts to work miracles with this roster. I think people are going to be annoyed and frustrated by just how much rebuilding the Eagles need to do to get back to where they were in 2017. 

3. Slay exits game, but not before Adams does damage— I don’t really like crushing Slay when the is battling out there with an obvious Calf issue and left the game with what I believe I saw as a knee issue. However, when the Eagles made the trade with the Lions of a 3^rd and 5^th and then subsequently gave him an extension, I think the Eagles were expecting him to be better than he has over the past couple weeks against some of the better WRs the Eagles have faced. Over the last 4 weeks, the Eagles have faced Slayton, Metcalf and Adams. The last two you could argue are top 5 WRs if not top 3 in the league. Slayton who was covered by Slay most of the night was able to haul in 5 receptions for 93 yards and really ended the game wit his big 40-yard reception on Slay. We all know what Metcalf did to Slay as he pulled in 10 receptions for 177 yards. It wasn’t much better on Sunday against Adams before leaving the game. On the afternoon, Adams grabbed 10 balls for 121 yards and 2 touchdowns. I understand his calf injury was likely bothering him and likely liked him, but I can’t say I have been overwhelmed with 3 of his last 4 performances. While I do not think the Eagles trading for Slay was a bad move, I do believe when we look back at this trade we will say it wasn’t as great as we initially thought it was going to be. I do not even think it is because of his overall performance we will look at it that way. Frankly because I think the Eagles bought into their finish to the 2019 season and they really didn’t adequately address the corner spot opposite of him. I also think it is because by the time the Eagles become a contender again, I think he is going to be on the decline and outside of his prime. At the moment we are paying him sizable money and really this team feels like it is at least two off-seasons away from being a legitimate playoff contending team. If we were a team on the rise and ascending I think it makes more sense to dive in, but I was one of the few who thought this team was descending and would take steps back this year and possibly even in 2021 before moving in the right direction. I have a feeling by 2022 we will likely need to find 2 long term options starting options at outside corner. 

4. Why is Alshon on this team?—I get Fulgham hasn’t helped his case over the last couple of weeks for the reps, but why the F*** is Alshon still playing. Not only do I have to see the snail wide receiver running routes, I see him make an OPI and then go to the sideline and chuckle about it.  On top of all that, he has played 4 games, has 2 receptions and 15 yards. He stinks. I do not need to see Alshon anymore. He has no future with the Eagles. He had no future the momentum he suffered his lis franc injury. Doug and the Eagles need to grow a pair and just bench him. He isn’t doing anyone any good out there. I much rather give the snaps to Fulgham, Hightower and Watkins. Hopefully you can build you some confidence down the stretch with them and it carries over into the offseason and into next season. 

5. Back to back week’s no turnovers by the defense—Another week, another game where the Eagles defense fails to create a turnover. For the second consecutive week and the 3^rd time in the last 4 games, the Eagles defense has failed to create a turnover. This continues to be a massive problem for the Eagles since their SB run. Schwartz might get the defense playing better by the end of the season and much improved from where they were at the time of the Rams, Steelers games, but they simply just cant create turnovers. In this league, you are going to give up points. The NFL is predicated on offense and even some of the best teams in the league don’t have great defenses. The Titans sit at 8-4 and are giving up 27ppg. The Seattle’s defense while improved over the last month is still giving up a lot of points. Bills have had the same issue at times. The best defenses in this league are not relying on just getting a stop, forcing a punt or holding their opponents out of the end zone and to just a field goal. You need the turnovers to set your offense up with good field position and give them even more possessions. The Eagles have played 12 games this year, they have just 3 interceptions and just 6 in their last 22 games. On the season, the Eagles have forced 0 turnovers in 6 of their 12 games. Furthermore, they have a 0-8-1 record when they force 1 or fewer turnovers. The only games where the Eagles have forced 2 or more turnovers came against Daniel Jones, McMulen and Dinucci. 

6. Third down offense still a mess--- Whether it be Wentz or Hurts, the third down offense continues to be an absolute mess for the Eagles. On the afternoon, the Eagles had 13 third down attempts and managed to only convert on 4 of them, which is 30.8%. You are going to have a really tough time beating the poorer teams in the league converting at that percentage let alone beating one of the favorites in the nfc. This has been an issue for much of the season for the Eagles. Last week the Eagles managed to have one of their better third down performances of the season as they were 8-17 on third down (47%). However heading into the game the Eagles were just 2-21 in the previous two games so the outlier over the last 4 weeks was the Seahawks game. Even if you include the Seahawks game, the Eagles since their bye week have gone just 14-51, which is 27.5 percent. In this game, Wentz was 2-7 on third down and Jalen Hurts was not much better at 2-6. On the season, the Eagles have finished with 50% or higher conversion just twice. They have finished with 40% or higher conversion just 4 times out of 12 games. Again I continue to harp on this, the Eagles have had 153 third down attempts, the Eagles have had 3^rd and 7+ on 81 of those. In this game 10 of the 13 third down attempts were of 3^rd and 8+. This means we are losing on first and second down with both Wentz and Hurts. Both had high number of 3^rd and longs. We must be better so that any QB that’s out there for the Eagles can thrive. It is very hard to have sustained excellent on offense if we are fighting the uphill battle of needing 3^rd and long to convert. 

7. OLine isn’t good enough—First, Jason Peters is just not very good. Like Alshon there is absolutely no reason that he should still be starting. He was arguably the worst offensive lineman on the field today for both teams. The Eagles need to see what Herbig is and isn’t more than being courteous to Peters for years of service. He is done and the Eagles need to just put their big boy pants on and tell him it is over. Secondly, why Wentz wasn’t great in the pocket, the offensive line wasn’t great with him or Hurts. On the day, the Packers were able to record 7 sacks and 11 QB hits. In the first half the Packers were able to get to Wentz four times. In the second half they were able to bring down Hurts 3 times. If we are being honest if it were for Wentz and Hurts running on a few of those hurries and pressures, the Eagles would have likely allowed for double digit sacks in this game. It wasn’t just Peters and the rookie Driscoll. I really thought Seumalo played one of his worse games of the season. It felt like the packers continuously pushed him back and he was losing the battle at the line of scrimmage. I do not know how exactly Mailata did until I see the All-22, but I thought he definitely wasn’t as good as he was last week against the Seahawks. Granted, the Seahawks pass rush is very weak so that is to be expected. I think there is something to be said of have the line be new almost every single week. There is no continuity between all of them. I imagine for any offensive line the more you play alongside each other, the more comfortable you get and the more you pick up on each other’s tendencies. That said, the Eagles had their 11^th new offensive line in 12 games. That is not how you drew it up when we exited the draft in April. At this point, I think you are best to go with the line of Mailata-Seumalo-Kelce-Herbig-Driscoll. I actually believe that line given time to gel could be at least average and able to functional for a competent offense. I am curious to also see if the interior of the line can pave some holes for Sanders, Scott and Howard. 

8. Fulgham was a mirage—Since the bye week we have been seeing less and less of Fulgham. And his 5 game stretch is looking more like mirage rather then a jumping off point. Then again hard to judge with the Qb situation, play calling and a poor offense. I do not think any of us believed he would continue on that hot stretch, but I also do not think any of us saw him completely falling off the face of the Earth. I still think he can be a competent NFL WR, but I imagine it must be frustrating to have that stretch that he did, but then Alshon comes back and takes reps undeservingly and not get targeted in games until basically the end of the third quarter weekly. In this game, he was only targeted 2 twice and he had a bad drop. I feel frustration and lack of focus due to the frustration is setting in on him. Over the last 4 games since the bye week, he has 16 targets (just 3 in the first half of games), 4 catches for 32 yards. I do think there is an adjustment that he needs to make. The league is going to figure out what you do well and what you don’t do well. It is up to you to make the proper adjustments. The greatest players in this league are great because they learn how to win and elevate themselves when teams adjust. I do not know what the future holds for Fulgham. I am hoping it is more than just that five game stretch, but it is hard to envision him being a starting caliber player if he doesn’t start progressing each week instead of regressing.

9. Where in the world is Miles Sanders?— This to me falls strictly on Doug. It looked like Doug got the memo that he should go to his best player. Sanders had 5 rushes on the Eagles first drive. Then the rest of the game he only saw the rock 5 more times. Miles Sanders is this teams best offensive player. He is a threat to take it to the house every single time he touches the ball. He is too good of a player and a playmaker to get just 10 carries (31 yards) in this game against a porous run defense and 1 target. That is gross misuse of your best offensive player. And it really has been this way for a while now. Over the last two weeks, Sanders has had just 21 carries, 2 receptions and 4 targets. Before the last two weeks, Sanders had a stretch where he compiled rushing yards of 66, 85, 118 and 80. He had rushing attempts of 11, 9, 15 and 16. I do not care what the excuse is, but this falls on Doug for not realize that Sanders is his best player and if he wants to beat the best teams in this league that usually your best players are the ones you lean heavily on.  It feels like our best pick form the 2019 draft has become invisible, which makes that draft look even worse if Doug continues to not even use him. I love Sanders, but I also know his pass protection this year has really dropped off. But I don’t see that as why he wouldn’t be getting touches. I do not know, but it just feels like this entire year with Sanders has just been off from the time he missed week 1. 

10. Red zone defense— One area the Eagles defense had really been making strides in over the last couple weeks is their red zone defense. They had consecutive games Before this game, the Eagles held their last two opponents to 3-for-7, which is 43%. In this game, the Eagles just really had no answer to Davante Adams. Adams was able to haul in a 1-yard and 9-yard touchdown reception against the Eagles. The Packers did what they always do when they get inside the red zone and that was go to their best weapon. Frankly Adams might just be the best red zone weapon in the nfl for my money. I watch the Packers every week and he seems to just find ways to get open and use his size and hands to just pluck anything Rodgers throws to him out of the air. If the Eagles were going to find a way to win this game then they needed to figure out a way to shut down Adams in the red zone. Unfortunately they had zero answers. I am guessing this might be a recipe you see next week vs. the Saints if Brees is back throwing the ball to Thomas. On the season, the Eagles are 25-38, which is 65.8%.

11. Giving up big plays since the bye—I thought the defense has played well enough in 2 of the 4 games since the bye to warrant a win, but the Eagles are really starting to have major issues with teams hitting on some big plays. In this game, the Packers were able to connect on a 42, 24, 31, 25, 36- yard receptions and a 77-yard rushing touchdown. That is way too many big time plays. They are killers especially a 42-yard reception when the Packers are pinned on against their own goal post. Since the bye week, the Eagles have given up 17 plays of 20 yards or more. That is on average 4 20+ yard plays per game. They have given up 12 plays of 30 yards or more. That is about 3 30-yard or more plays per game. Furthermore, they have given up 7 plays of 40 yards or more. That’s just under 2 40-yard plays per game. Finally, 3 plays of 50 yards or more. Just under one per contest since the bye. 

12. 7 plays to go 99 yards and this is happening more frequently—The Packers second and third touchdown drives of the game were just all around ugly. On the second touchdown drive, the Packers just marched down the field without any real resistance. They had a 7-play 82-yard drive capped off by an Adams 1-yard touchdown reception. On the next Packers touchdown drive, the Eagles special teams did a terrific job of pinning the Packers at their own 1-yard line. They had 99 yards to go to get a score. They managed to do it in just 7 plays. The very first play of the drive, Adams kills the Eagles for a 42-yard pick up. This isn’t the first time since the bye that the Eagles have allowed long drives on minimal amount of plays. In the Giants game, Daniel Jones and the Giants offense marched 85 yards in 8 plays and 75 yards in just 6 plays for a touchdown. The Browns scored a touchdown on a 4-play 79-yard drive. The Seahawks had back-to-back drives that were 6 and 7 plays of 68 and 66-yards for touchdowns. This is happening far too frequently with the Eagles defense. It is like they will play well for some stretches of games and then decided to take a series off and just look atrocious. They’ve give up 7 touchdowns over the last 4 weeks on drives of 8 plays or less. It is like the Eagles defense just disappears for a drive or two and then comes back to play. 

13. Quit playing Maddox at outside CB— At this point it is pretty obvious we are not making the playoffs and we are not winning the division. He is simply not good enough to play the outside corner position. When we acquired Slay, I thought it was an issue that you were just handing Maddox the starting gig with lackluster competition of Jones who is always hurt and Douglas who was likely to get traded or released. Even if Slay played better today and last week, it would have been easy pitch and catch most of the game with Maddox on the other side. I get he had a nice breakup against Adams, but overall he just isn’t big enough nor good enough to play the outside.  You can have a legit no. 1 corner but if you no. 2 corner is good enough then teams will pick on him and attack him until you do something about it. Since we are in a lost season, I much rather see him move into the slot position and see what Jacquet can do on the outside. That said, we might be seeing Jacquet and Maddox on the outside because I am not so sure that Slay will be ready to play against the Saints next week. Why does this position always feel like every offseason we are searching for another starter? We have one in Slay and really nothing in the cupboard on the other side.

14. Nit-picking by me or maybe not—I said in the blog when the Wentz slid down before the end of the first half on 3^rddown that the Eagles should call a timeout with 2-3 seconds left and just throw up a hail mary. Over the last couple weeks in the NFL Hail Mary plays have been successful. It was not a huge deal but it felt like Doug had just given up and didn’t want to have something go wrong instead of maybe something go right. Feels like in the past seasons it isn’t an opportunity Doug lets go by the waist side. 

15. Giants going to win the division; Giants going forward—I hate everyone in the NFC east. It pains me to have to watch a game against the Seahawks where that team just absolutely dominated on the defensive end from nearly start to finish. Bradbury has been a heck of a pick up for them. For my money, he has been the best corner pickup in FA or trade this offseason. He has been that good. Additionally, Joe Judge has that defense playing inspired and really good football. If I didn’t hate the Giants I would say their defense is a pleasure to watch how they frustrate the QB with their scheme and confusion. You could see Wilson visibly upset late in the game that he couldn’t do what he wanted to and his weapons were held in check. That said, I think the Giants are a couple weapons away and a better Qb away from being a good team. I don’t know about contenders, but if you gave them a competent QB and some better weapons on the outside besides Slayton they could be dangerous. I hate saying it, but if Saquon can come back and be Saquon, Jones progresses into a competent QB and they add another weapon on the outside that team is likely the favorite in the NFC east next year. Getting the 5^th win on the season against Seattle is huge in winning the division. I thought 6 games would win it. With Dallas still on their schedule they have an excellent chance at getting to the magic number of 6.  

[Jeep_man]

First and thanks again for another great breakdown, you seem to work harder than Wentz 

[Cochis_Calhoun]

Hurts completed more 30 yard passes in little over a quarter than Wentz has in 5 games, there is no question about who should start next week anywhere other than Doug’s answer to press conference questions.

The offense looked better with Hurts back there, it still didn't look great but it was at least good enough to make a bit of a game of it, Hurts may not be the answer, but it's better to find out if he is than to let Wentz show he isn't for another 4 games.

I just don't think Wentz has 2017 in him any more, he got married, got paid and got a kid, his priorities have changed, he's clearly jumping at shadows in the pocket, I genuinely wouldn't be surprised to see him Andrew Luck in the close season. 

[UK_EaglesFan89]

I really don't know where this franchise goes with Wentz now. I mean they certainly aren't going to trade him so he is going to be here next year. Can they salvage him? I have my doubts as he just looks like a broken guy now but the franchise has to think they can turn him around.

The rest of the way here they should go with Hurts to see what they have there. At least that way they can determine whether they have a decent option in Hurts should these issues carry on in to next year. But they also need to do their due diligence on whether they should take a real look at one of the top QBs in the 2021 draft.

Overall though this was the same old nonsense yesterday. Wentz struggled, the offense struggled, Sanders didn't have enough carries and touches, the OL struggled and the team was once again ill disciplined. The defense started strong and then faded badly. Maddox was picked on all day long and once again showed how bad he is on the outside. I mean the biggest surprise was when he broke up a pass for Adams! I was sat there before that thinking "does Maddox ever make a play on the ball or break up a pass" and then he did.

This whole team is a mess though from top to bottom. It desperately needs a clear out. Will we get one? I doubt it. I think Doug will go but Howie will remain and that's the biggest issue.

[kiwieagle]

If Doug had balls, Alston and Peters would be inactive from here on out. Not only are these morons hurting the team this year by playing them at this stage of their careers, they are hurting future years by not letting the young guys get experience. 

[UK_EaglesFan89]

42 minutes ago, kiwieagle said:

If Doug had balls, Alston and Peters would be inactive from here on out. Not only are these morons hurting the team this year by playing them at this stage of their careers, they are hurting future years by not letting the young guys get experience. 

Its actually frightening that they continue to roll these guys out there when they are doing nothing for the team. And in fact in some ways they are hurting the team on the field and blocking young guys from getting snaps and developing.

[20dawk4life]

Hurts only looked better because he's faster. Peters was out so Herbig was at least able to create a lane for Hurts to run from pressure behind him. Wentz is either too slow now to step up and take off more of the or he's trying to be like Mcnabb and transform into a pure pocket passer. No matter who starts Cameron Jordan will be happy 

[weko]

It all goes back to the draft.  It's the only way to build a team.  We just don't have young talent.  Nothing else matters until we replace Howie with someone who can evaluate college talent

[hoosierdaddy]

Doug shouldn’t be fired for benching Wentz. Doug should be fired for essentially benching Sanders. 

[UK_EaglesFan89]

1 minute ago, hoosierdaddy said:

Doug shouldn’t be fired for benching Wentz. Doug should be fired for essentially benching Sanders. 

I mean that in itself is just baffling. What is the strategy here with Sanders? He's in his second year so 50% through his contract. So why are they not trying to ride this guy? It just makes no sense. 

[nipples]

We just need to see Hurts from here on. See what he’s got, particularly when he actually gets starters reps throughout the week and they put together a game plan around his skill set. This should at least make the rest of this miserable season worth watching, as long as Doug is smart enough to stick with the rookie. 

[birdman#12]

You can't judge wide receivers production when the QB is struggling so f----- badly.  

Hurts was 5 of 12 but he missed 3 open receivers with poor throws.  So, if he hits them, he's 8-12.  The receivers are getting open......Wentz is simply not seeing the field or making decision quickly enough.  The bullsh-- that the receivers are not getting open is ridiculous.  And to say Fulgham was a mirage is completely wrong.

He's being jerked in and out of the offense and Wentz has gotten worse over the course of the season in decision making.

The one thing about guys like Claypool, Metcalf, Jefferson and Higgins is that they play for coaches who put them on the field more with QBs who will actually target them......you can't catch a ball that isn't being thrown your way or if your not on the field.

Right now, all wentz sees is the pass rush.....pederson feels some idiotic need to put Jeffrey on the field and even if his playcalling was better, Wentz simply can't make his reads or make decisions quickly enough to take advantage of open receivers.

Reagor, Fulgham, Hightower, Ward are a good base of young receivers.  But no receivers do well with a struggling QB.....or a bad one.  

 

[Perforator]

24 minutes ago, nipples said:

We just need to see Hurts from here on. See what he’s got, particularly when he actually gets starters reps throughout the week and they put together a game plan around his skill set.

If you believe this coaching staff is going to plan around a players skill set I have a bridge to sell you in Brooklyn.

[EazyEaglez]

5 hours ago, UK_EaglesFan89 said:

I really don't know where this franchise goes with Wentz now. I mean they certainly aren't going to trade him so he is going to be here next year. Can they salvage him? I have my doubts as he just looks like a broken guy now but the franchise has to think they can turn him around.

The rest of the way here they should go with Hurts to see what they have there. At least that way they can determine whether they have a decent option in Hurts should these issues carry on in to next year. But they also need to do their due diligence on whether they should take a real look at one of the top QBs in the 2021 draft.

Overall though this was the same old nonsense yesterday. Wentz struggled, the offense struggled, Sanders didn't have enough carries and touches, the OL struggled and the team was once again ill disciplined. The defense started strong and then faded badly. Maddox was picked on all day long and once again showed how bad he is on the outside. I mean the biggest surprise was when he broke up a pass for Adams! I was sat there before that thinking "does Maddox ever make a play on the ball or break up a pass" and then he did.

This whole team is a mess though from top to bottom. It desperately needs a clear out. Will we get one? I doubt it. I think Doug will go but Howie will remain and that's the biggest issue.

You were right about starting Hurts. I still wonder if he’s ready, but even an incomplete Hurts is better than what Wentz is providing right now. 

[GeorgeM37]

*applause* Another well written and brilliant write up and analysis...I ALWAYS look forward to these (I swear you should get some kind of compensation for these)....My own thoughts here:

You are right, Fulgham is not helping his case but he is now rarely targeted so whats up with that??? That five game stretch he could do no wrong and now its like its major drops happening when the ball does go his way...I am still not sure what to think of that totally...

I wish I knew why doug refuses to run Miles Sanders when the man can literally make something out of nothing when given the chance. He is absolutely the best weapon and yet doug refuses.....I still don't get this part whatsoever. At least with AR, I knew that andy just loved throwing and was and is a QB guy (he said out of his own mouth that if left up to him he would never run the ball, circa 2003 press conference).....its almost like doug wants to get fired because nothing else makes a bit of sense. He waits that long to bench Wentz almost if he thinks the same way that some fans on this board think: They would rather wentz continue to fail than for Hurts the rookie to actually succeed....THAT is scary thinking there

I am starting to hate Alshon.....nuff said on that bastid...

Avonte Maddox makes Cary Williams look like Deion Sanders....

Rebuilding this team will take a few years to be a contender again.....I am all for letting go of the deadly trifecta here: Doug, Howie and Wentz.....

[GeorgeM37]

14 minutes ago, birdman#12 said:

You can't judge wide receivers production when the QB is struggling so f----- badly.  

Hurts was 5 of 12 but he missed 3 open receivers with poor throws.  So, if he hits them, he's 8-12.  The receivers are getting open......Wentz is simply not seeing the field or making decision quickly enough.  The bullsh-- that the receivers are not getting open is ridiculous.  And to say Fulgham was a mirage is completely wrong.

He's being jerked in and out of the offense and Wentz has gotten worse over the course of the season in decision making.

The one thing about guys like Claypool, Metcalf, Jefferson and Higgins is that they play for coaches who put them on the field more with QBs who will actually target them......you can't catch a ball that isn't being thrown your way or if your not on the field.

Right now, all wentz sees is the pass rush.....pederson feels some idiotic need to put Jeffrey on the field and even if his playcalling was better, Wentz simply can't make his reads or make decisions quickly enough to take advantage of open receivers.

Reagor, Fulgham, Hightower, Ward are a good base of young receivers.  But no receivers do well with a struggling QB.....or a bad one.  

 

I say this exact same thing....with Fulgham, he is not ever actually looking his way anymore....I have watched analysts point out that there are plenty of times where the receivers ARE actually getting open and wentz is just not seeing them or just making horrible decisions to throw to those that are already covered....

[EazyEaglez]

2 minutes ago, GeorgeM37 said:

*applause* Another well written and brilliant write up and analysis...I ALWAYS look forward to these (I swear you should get some kind of compensation for these)....My own thoughts here:

You are right, Fulgham is not helping his case but he is now rarely targeted so whats up with that??? That five game stretch he could do no wrong and now its like its major drops happening when the ball does go his way...I am still not sure what to think of that totally...

I wish I knew why doug refuses to run Miles Sanders when the man can literally make something out of nothing when given the chance. He is absolutely the best weapon and yet doug refuses.....I still don't get this part whatsoever. At least with AR, I knew that andy just loved throwing and was and is a QB guy (he said out of his own mouth that if left up to him he would never run the ball, circa 2003 press conference).....its almost like doug wants to get fired because nothing else makes a bit of sense. He waits that long to bench Wentz almost if he thinks the same way that some fans on this board think: They would rather wentz continue to fail than for Hurts the rookie to actually succeed....THAT is scary thinking there

I am starting to hate Alshon.....nuff said on that bastid...

Avonte Maddox makes Cary Williams look like Deion Sanders....

Rebuilding this team will take a few years to be a contender again.....I am all for letting go of the deadly trifecta here: Doug, Howie and Wentz.....

I’m pretty much with you on all of this, but I do think some of this is salvageable. Get a good GM in here who has respect for building an offensive line and respects selecting linebackers. Get a coach willing to run the ball more. I can’t help but to wonder if the run/pass ration has gotten so out of whack because the many offensive coaches and way too many voices. Doug to me seems like a guy who wants all this to end. His press conferences have the look of a guy who wants it all to stop yesterday. I think the pressures of Philly have gotten to him and the quarterback. A change of scenery could do them both good. Howie to me has to go and I hope the owner realizes he will not build his team back with that guy in charge of player personnel. 

[toolg]

The running game looked fine. The problem is the Packers consistently find ways to score, which they did, making the Eagles go one-dimensional. The Eagles passing game is struggling behind Wentz. Then Hurts goes into the game and it gets crazy.

Ugh, the injuries... They lost both Slay and Maddox in the game and the secondary looks toast. Peters limps off yet again, he looks done. Why do they let Jeffery gut it out again? He has nothing left, get him off the field.

[GeorgeM37]

19 minutes ago, EazyEaglez said:

I’m pretty much with you on all of this, but I do think some of this is salvageable. Get a good GM in here who has respect for building an offensive line and respects selecting linebackers. Get a coach willing to run the ball more. I can’t help but to wonder if the run/pass ration has gotten so out of whack because the many offensive coaches and way too many voices. Doug to me seems like a guy who wants all this to end. His press conferences have the look of a guy who wants it all to stop yesterday. I think the pressures of Philly have gotten to him and the quarterback. A change of scenery could do them both good. Howie to me has to go and I hope the owner realizes he will not build his team back with that guy in charge of player personnel. 

I agree...some of this is indeed salvageable.....I remember a time when our linebackers were the absolute best in the league and now look what we have here....

Doug seems disinterested and annoyed at every single press conference....I feel bad for him sometimes but most times, not...

I think this whole board agrees that Howie needs to go....like yesterday....

 

[e-a-g-l-e-s eagles!]

57 minutes ago, birdman#12 said:

You can't judge wide receivers production when the QB is struggling so f----- badly.  

Hurts was 5 of 12 but he missed 3 open receivers with poor throws.  So, if he hits them, he's 8-12.  The receivers are getting open......Wentz is simply not seeing the field or making decision quickly enough.  The bullsh-- that the receivers are not getting open is ridiculous.  And to say Fulgham was a mirage is completely wrong.

He's being jerked in and out of the offense and Wentz has gotten worse over the course of the season in decision making.

The one thing about guys like Claypool, Metcalf, Jefferson and Higgins is that they play for coaches who put them on the field more with QBs who will actually target them......you can't catch a ball that isn't being thrown your way or if your not on the field.

Right now, all wentz sees is the pass rush.....pederson feels some idiotic need to put Jeffrey on the field and even if his playcalling was better, Wentz simply can't make his reads or make decisions quickly enough to take advantage of open receivers.

Reagor, Fulgham, Hightower, Ward are a good base of young receivers.  But no receivers do well with a struggling QB.....or a bad one.  

 

There’s a couple things going on with this. One there are plays where Carson Wentz and even an Jalen Hurts are missing guys who are wide open. I’m not going to deny that

however when you watch the all 22 (last week specifically) there’s other things going on too. One you are running way too many slow developing plays for an offensive line that’s not good enough to pass protect long enough for those guys to run the routes to get open. That happened by count in the last game at least 12 times where they’re running a play that have no chance because it’s way too long to develop and they don’t have good enough blocking for it so it gets to the point of where it’s going to work. The guy might get open but by the time the guy gets open the pocket has collapsed and your quarterbacks either moving out of the pocket or got sacked.

Watching the replay of the game last night on game pass on the seven sacks the Eagles had the wide receivers got open on one of the seven sacks. On the five rushing attempts by hurts and wentz the wide receivers got open on one of those rushing attempts ( have to watch the coaching tape from the all 22 to be sure). So a total of 12 plays ran you had guys get open 2 times. That’s not good enough. They are also not getting open at times. It was funny because tra Thomas had a quote from Doug at halftime saying well Carson’s got to get rid of the ball and wide receivers got to get open. And tra Thomas says who is he supposed to throw the ball to if the WRs receivers are not getting open as doug alluded too. That is a case that’s going on. The all 22 does not lie. Last week they had a lot of plays where they just did not get anybody open or play development just was too long for this oline to block. Can’t cold out of the place you want to call with slow developing place because this offensive line is not what it was in 2017. I posted it in the blog (with pics) and I posted a whole review on this last week on here.

So yes it’s hard to judge wide receivers when your quarterback play is not doing very well or bad. However it’s hard to judge wide receivers when you’re running plays that don’t make sense with the offensive line you have. 

I like Travis fulgham but he does not run great route at times. There was a route last week where he just ran a zigzag for 8 yards down the field and couldn’t get opened or off the jam. Frankly it’s pretty noticeable when teams jam are wide receivers at the line that they don’t do a very good job of getting off the jam and fighting through it. Seth Joyner talked about this on his podcast last week and then when you watch them off jams they do a bad job fighting through it and allow themselves to get moved off their route or delayed which hurts the play development. Again like fulgham but he has issues getting open at times cause he needs to get better with his route running cause he’s not going to burn you with his speed. 

It also doesn’t help that there are times when you watch on the all 22 where Jalen reagor just doesn’t run a very good route or gives up on the route. I’ll give two instances of this. On a 3rd and 9 on the second drive last week he runs a route where he fades toward the sideline and the play has no chance cause it was a sloppy and poor route run. It wasn’t a route that was meant to be faded. Throw wasn’t great but even if it were the play was doomed due to poor route being ran. Then In the first quarter of this game when you go back and watch the tape Reagor gives up on a route. It was obvious he did. That was an issue he had a TCU what is quarterback play wasn’t good. It was discussed prior to the draft that scouts didn’t like that he did that. You can also throw in there last week he should’ve had a touchdown except he ran the wrong play as he’s 10 yards down field and peters, Alshon and kelce are out blocking for the WR screen. That was actually blocked well enough to at least get inside the 5.  

so my point is this yes the quarterback play is not good so you can’t overall judge them overall. However it was not a good plan from the start to rely on three rookies during a pandemic, DeSean Jackson, Alshon Jeffery and Greg ward along with jjaw who needed a whole season of off-season to activities to get him on the right track if you still believed in him. That was not a good plan to begin with. I don’t think even if they were having a good quarterback that those wide receivers are good enough to get you to where you want to go which before the session started the organization had a belief they were a title contender (grossly wrong). I think the only one that you would say on a Super Bowl caliber team that is good enough at this moment in time is reagor and he still was going to be inconsistent because he was a rookie.

And I will say this Jefferson didn’t have great quarterback play this whole year. Cousins was not good for about a month and a half of the season and he was still productive. Ditto for aiyuk with McMullen. Higgins got much better as burrow got more consistent. So what You are saying has validity. Not denying that is true to grade them overall.  What I’m saying is those teams to a much better job at drafting in developing their guys. The Vikings have done an excellent job at drafting and developing their WRs (diggs, thielen and jefferson). The Steelers are one of the best teams at drafting and developing wide receivers. Even the bengals have done a good job outside of John Ross at drafting and developing wide receivers dating back to chad Johnson days. Ditto for the niners. The Eagles consistently for about a decade now have not done a good job at drafting and developing the wide receivers group. So if you have a plan I’m just gonna go onto the draft get my guy and develop him when you’ve been awful at doing such that’s not a very good plan of attack. Especially when you ignore adding a proven veteran and assume desean was reliable enough. Also i didn’t think Goodwin was even making this roster to begin with. He’s been as injury prone as desean and not good outside of 2017. 

[UK_EaglesFan89]

53 minutes ago, EazyEaglez said:

You were right about starting Hurts. I still wonder if he’s ready, but even an incomplete Hurts is better than what Wentz is providing right now. 

I mean a lot of QBs right now can provide more than Wentz is. Wentz has been awful all year and has shown no signs that he is going to turn it around.

[e-a-g-l-e-s eagles!]

55 minutes ago, EazyEaglez said:

I’m pretty much with you on all of this, but I do think some of this is salvageable. Get a good GM in here who has respect for building an offensive line and respects selecting linebackers. Get a coach willing to run the ball more. I can’t help but to wonder if the run/pass ration has gotten so out of whack because the many offensive coaches and way too many voices. Doug to me seems like a guy who wants all this to end. His press conferences have the look of a guy who wants it all to stop yesterday. I think the pressures of Philly have gotten to him and the quarterback. A change of scenery could do them both good. Howie to me has to go and I hope the owner realizes he will not build his team back with that guy in charge of player personnel. 

I think there’s some things on this team that are salvageable. However the problem with his team has always been at the end of this era they didn’t draft well enough so when they’re moving to the next era of Eagles football which is away from the Super Bowl team that they had they were never going to have a smooth transition. You can’t consistently have one or two picks hit every draft for five years. That’s not enough to build your roster and have sustainable success. The You can only be flexible with the cap for so long until eventually catches up to you and you can’t add enough necessary pieces to make your team competitive. So until they start drafting better they’re not going to have sustainable success. The Super Bowl was awesome but Andy Reid left some good young talent and the first year Kelly’s here had prospects who developed and were in the midst of their prime. I don’t know if you have anybody close to what you got from that 2012 and 2013 draft classes where you can say they are the proven foundational pieces of the next era. goedert and sanders. That’s about it. 

and with Doug running the ball this is been a problem for a majority of his tenure. In 2016 people really didn’t mind it as much because they were not gonna be good and they were building toward something. But he got away from the run a lot that year which was a reason why the team after it’s hot start struggled the rest of the year when the offensive line was missing lane Johnson. Additionally let’s go back to 2018. All season people complain about the Eagles not running the ball enough. When we face the Rams and Nick Foles got in there Wendell Smallwood had a very good game because we stuck with the running game. And that was the best offense looked for a large majority of the season. The following weeks even though Nick Foles got ridiculously hot against the Texans they began to run the ball less and less. The offense after that Texans game began to revert back to what we had seen. heck even in 2017 their first two weeks of the season they did not consistently run the ball. It was after that Chiefs game where they got beat that they begin to stick to the run more than what they had been. So this is not outside of his character for Doug to not run the ball up. It is gross misuse of your best offensive weapon and it’s hard for him to get into the rhythm that you want him to when he’s having sporadic carries. Five carries in the first drive and then has five carries the rest of the game.  I am imagine for any running back is really hard to get into a good rhythm when you’re not getting sustain touches. Even the Packers gave Aaron Jones some touches when it wasn’t working all that well for him. And eventually he broke one

[Madriver]

I always felt we needed another offseason and full season to see what we had in Fulgham.

I'm not surprised at all that he's fallen off a cliff somewhat. Alshon is still the better more reliable player but that's not saying much.

[eglz1]

7 hours ago, UK_EaglesFan89 said:

I really don't know where this franchise goes with Wentz now. I mean they certainly aren't going to trade him so he is going to be here next year. Can they salvage him? I have my doubts as he just looks like a broken guy now but the franchise has to think they can turn him around.

I wonder if Wentz is untraedable as everybody thinks. If Wentz feels like he's in a no-win situation and other teams that he feels better about are interested in him, I don't see why he and the Eagles could not agree mutually to void his contract or more likely for the Eagles to buy out his contract. I recall reading recently(though I don't know how credible the sources were) that at least 4 other teams would be interested in him if he and the Eagles parted ways. I'm sure any new contract would not be as lucrative as what he has now initially but if he goes to a new team and balls out, he could get a new contract that would assure he wouldn't be on welfare anytime soon. Wentz doesn't seem like a high maintenance person so $$$$$ may not be the governing consideration in his life.

None of us knows if or how much long term neurological damage he may have sustained. Has he recovered fully from his season ending injuries? His game is pretty physical, he'll never be a Drew Brees or Tom Brady in terms of playing style. He's on record as saying he's patterned his game after Bret Favre and doesn't plan to change. Brett took a beating and threw lots of picks. Lots of factors to consider beside contract $$$$.

[e-a-g-l-e-s eagles!]

32 minutes ago, eglz1 said:

I wonder if Wentz is untraedable as everybody thinks. If Wentz feels like he's in a no-win situation and other teams that he feels better about are interested in him, I don't see why he and the Eagles could not agree mutually to void his contract or more likely for the Eagles to buy out his contract. I recall reading recently(though I don't know how credible the sources were) that at least 4 other teams would be interested in him if he and the Eagles parted ways. I'm sure any new contract would not be as lucrative as what he has now initially but if he goes to a new team and balls out, he could get a new contract that would assure he wouldn't be on welfare anytime soon. Wentz doesn't seem like a high maintenance person so $$$$$ may not be the governing consideration in his life.

None of us knows if or how much long term neurological damage he may have sustained. Has he recovered fully from his season ending injuries? His game is pretty physical, he'll never be a Drew Brees or Tom Brady in terms of playing style. He's on record as saying he's patterned his game after Bret Favre and doesn't plan to change. Brett took a beating and threw lots of picks. Lots of factors to consider beside contract $$$$.

Yeah he’s not gonna void that contract. No player I don’t care how great of a person they are aren’t avoiding a contract while getting beat up every Sunday.

Now I do think their teams that are willing to trade for him who are contenders that believe with the roster built around them is good enough for him to have success. I look at the colts and it makes a lot of sense. They are going to be picking at the bottom of the first half of each round. So they’re gonna have to move heaven and earth to move up to get a quarterback in the first round which is possible but not sure they want to give up that much draft capital to do it. likely less for wentz right now. Frank reich has been known to love Carson Wentz. The Colts have good young weapons on their offense and their offensive might the best if not its one of the best in the NFL. And they have a defense that can get stops so you don’t have to have all the pressure in the world on the offense. I think if you put him in Indianapolis he’s going to have success as long as he’s not mentally cooked.

Frankly I think Andrew luck left at the wrong time. I get why he left but that team was finally a legitimate Super Bowl contender. If you would’ve had that team a year or two after getting in the league I think Andrew luck is still playing. It is sad watching the Colts because if they had somebody better than Philip Rivers at this stage of his career that team is good enough to compete with the Chiefs.