1 minute ago, Swoop said:

Because it keeps happening, let's once again try and explain the difference between a running QB and a QB that can run. 

Josh Allen is a QB that can run. He will have the occasional QB run called, but in large will read the field and take off only if need be. If for whatever reason the run game is completely shut down, he can still kill you with his arm.

Jalen Hurts is a running QB. He has several running/option plays built into the offense and is limited in passing. Too often, as we've all seen, he will leave a clean pocket or get ready to run as soon as he finishes his drop. If the running game is shut down, he can do nothing in terms of throwing the ball. See Tampa.

Either people are actually that stupid or they're intentionally missing the point. Likely both.

You are making it to hard.

Hurts had 21 more rushing yards than Josh Allen.

Allen had 1263 more passing yards than Hurts.

3 minutes ago, Bacarty2 said:

dont really get into it into Tourney time. 

What, the ultimate gambling event of the year, and you don't get into it.

Either you are full of crap, or not the gambler you claim to be.

22 minutes ago, Godfather said:

Slovis- looking to bounce back after a mediocre year.  Throw Hooker and Levis in there as well. Not saying any of those guys are 1st rders but they're better then the guys who were drafted this year imo

 Slovis transferred to Pitt, then it looks like Pitts best receiver (Jordan Addison) might be headed to USC for NIL money.   

Just now, The Blackfish said:

 Slovis transferred to Pitt, then it looks like Pitts best receiver (Jordan Addison) might be headed to USC for NIL money.   

As a Trojans fan, I love the move lol

4 minutes ago, Utebird said:

So in this alignment are Davis Cox and Hargrave all going to be on the field at the same time?

Yes, or Williams, spelling Cox or Hargrave. I have hopes that Eliss can give us some useful snaps at NT as well. A nice rotation. Graham may take some snaps at DT as well.

12 minutes ago, downundermike said:

Do you watch other NFL games, or just the Eagles ??  How does watching the highest quality of football, regardless of the jersey not move the needle for you.

All Eagles games, games that have Eagles implications (Division, draft picks, playoff order) and then all the playoff games. Plus maybe some highlights if games were spectacular.

But if I don’t strongly root for my team or by extension against a team like Dallas it just doesn’t grip me as much. 

1 minute ago, justrelax said:

Yes, or Williams, spelling Cox or Hargrave. I have hopes that Eliss can give us some useful snaps at NT as well. A nice rotation. Graham may take some snaps at DT as well.

Appreciate the insights you give BTW. Always an enjoyable read.

6 minutes ago, justrelax said:

Thought I would dust off the 4i discussion in light of our draft and FA signings.

Curious to see what you think the ideal lineup is.

Reddick is obviously the SAM and Davis the NT. Cox/Hargrave at one 4i. Who plays the other 4i spot? Is that a DE like Sweat (as pictured) or do we put Milton Williams or Graham there?

My ideal lineup is to put Reddick at the SAM and Sweat/Barnett on the other side of the formation, allowing either of them (or both) to drop into coverage and then line up Cox/Williams and Hargrave/Graham at the 4i spots.

So on any given play we could rush three, four or five, and could even drop Graham into coverage from the 4i spot.

The team had a DE at one of the 4i spots last year, and might continue that, but I think putting a bigger player there is more preferable.

Just now, Bacarty2 said:

they say that every 2 seasons about Saban. Hurts was. then Tua was lol. 

 

They haven't

15 minutes ago, 4for4EaglesNest said:

Ok.  So "little pass rush”.  Is that better?

Yes.

12 minutes ago, justrelax said:

Thought I would dust off the 4i discussion in light of our draft and FA signings. Some thoughts on LBs and DBs too.

To refresh, the first goal of the 4i is to control the opponent's running game with four guys vs. the offense's five OL. The key player in this alignment is the NT, playing a 0-tech, i.e. head-up on the center. Gannon ran quite a bit of this last year but he did not have a true NT who could dominate the opposing center. He tried it with Cox and, as we know, Cox bridled at this. He didn't like having to face double-teams on every snap, which is understandable. In the screen shot above, Hargrave is the 0. He's a nice player but not one to dominate the C through sheer power. Nor did he require a double team. And, because he did not require a double team, there was always a guard with a free run to the MLB.

Well, we have that guy now. Davis requires the double team and, as a result, keeps the MLB clean. Anyone who watched the NCAA playoffs last January will remember Dean running free sideline to sideline, and in our one-and-done playoff, watching David run free because Vea kept him clean. 

My point here is that Davis not only is a better NT than anyone we have had but he makes the MLB a better player too.

Getting back to that four vs. five, the DTs shade into the B gaps and the NT has both A gap responsibilities. The MLB reads the OL at the snap and can fill the A gap or run free to the outside on any wide plays. With the monster at NT you can control the run with four guys.

That leaves you with seven defenders. The two OLBs threaten the edges and can either come or drop into coverage. Their alignment makes setting a hard edge easier and, when they do, that free-running MLB has a clear path to the RB. It also makes passes into the flats more difficult. We saw how the Bucs dominated out bread-and-butter outside zone doing this. Sweeps, stretch plays, outside zones and bubble screens are more difficult to block because the defenders are already there.

Because you can control the running game with four defenders you don't have to walk a safety up into the box and your CBs have less run support responsibilities. That makes those five DBs better players because they're required to do less. You can play with two high safeties, giving support to both sides of the field.

I recall saying , when we signed Reddick, that we were committing to this defense. He's going to be facing single blockers and OTs who are threatened on their inside shoulder by the DTs in the 4i. Tough duty for those OTs.

Thoughts on the DBs and LBs will be deferred to another post.

What do you think about the "typical” front 4? I’m foreseeing more 3-4 concepts, and some 5-2.  

9 minutes ago, downundermike said:

My first question, regardless of the reason, Davis did not have a high snap percentage last year.  Who is going to give him a breather ??

Wouldn't the offense go pass heavy against this, and then run when Davis has to come off the field ??

Trust me, not trying to question your post, curious how this works without two Davis type players to rotate.

Also, do Cox and Hargrave play along side Davis up front ??

I think Ellis has a better chance at making this team than Marlon and backing up Davis. Also think we’ll see more 3-4 alignments with Reddick-Cox-Davis-Williams on the line. Williams could be an outstanding 3-4 DE. 

1 minute ago, Bacarty2 said:

correct.  College basketball is just a terrible time. they should run it during the summer. 

 I watch a ton... TON of NFL during that time. then I watch majority of flyers. late night hockey games and then college football on the Saturdays it overlaps. 

 

take it easy hardo, I meant that's when I do get into it. meaning regular season bores me. 

How is college basketball terrible? If it's so bad why even watch the tournament? 

I really hope it works out with Hurts but as with most others I think the limitations as a passer are hard to overcome. Hope for a longshot

1 minute ago, jsb235 said:

Curious to see what you think the ideal lineup is.

Reddick is obviously the SAM and Davis the NT. Cox/Hargrave at one 4i. Who plays the other 4i spot? Is that a DE like Sweat (as pictured) or do we put Milton Williams or Graham there?

My ideal lineup is to put Reddick at the SAM and Sweat/Barnett on the other side of the formation, allowing either of them (or both) to drop into coverage and then line up Cox/Williams and Hargrave/Graham at the 4i spots.

So on any given play we could rush three, four or five, and could even drop Graham into coverage from the 4i spot.

The team had a DE at one of the 4i spots last year, and might continue that, but I think putting a bigger player there is more preferable.

I think you have that covered. The 4i guys are DTs, not DEs.

We will play some four-man fronts too, probably wide-9 alignments. How much of each, I don't know.

5 minutes ago, justrelax said:

Yes, or Williams, spelling Cox or Hargrave. I have hopes that Eliss can give us some useful snaps at NT as well. A nice rotation. Graham may take some snaps at DT as well.

No matter what, the Eagles have ass-kickers in the front 5. There are no soft speed-rushers. We're going to wear OL out late in games.

57 minutes ago, TorontoEagle said:

It's very unlikely that Strong plays this year. But to think it's a 0 percent chance is foolish. Not surprising that it's RTK pounding this. Guy will openly root against Strong, even if he turns out to be a better QB than anybody on the roster now. He very well may not do anything, but it's so strange to openly root against him. 

Most of us want Hurts to be good....but we've seen enough to know he won't. We still want him to succeed as it means the best for the team. RTK is a fake fan. 

Absolutely, I will be rooting for it, looking for signs of hope.  Are you kidding me, would be the best thing, we would have 2 first rd picks next year as well we wouldn't need to spend on a QB. If Hurts and or Strong can develop into a NFL caliber pocket passing QB, I would be estatic. 

3 minutes ago, Bacarty2 said:

LOL ok. 

They'll sit there and compare or say this guy does this better then player x but they don't sit there every time Saban has a new starting qb and say "this is the best prospect he's ever had"

2 minutes ago, pgcd3 said:

I really hope it works out with Hurts but as with most others I think the limitations as a passer are hard to overcome. Hope for a longshot

It’s interesting. Brown is best friends with Hurts, Reddick wanted to come home, Davis mom is a big eagles fan.. Like the Kelce/Jurgens interaction.

A lot of feel good right there. Might become a low key factor for success moving forward.

4 minutes ago, Outlaw said:

I think Ellis has a better chance at making this team than Marlon and backing up Davis. Also think we’ll see more 3-4 alignments with Reddick-Cox-Davis-Williams on the line. Williams could be an outstanding 3-4 DE. 

In a 3-4, wouldn't Cox-Davis-Williams be on the line and Reddick be a 3-4 OLB ??

16 minutes ago, justrelax said:

Thought I would dust off the 4i discussion in light of our draft and FA signings. Some thoughts on LBs and DBs too.

To refresh, the first goal of the 4i is to control the opponent's running game with four guys vs. the offense's five OL. The key player in this alignment is the NT, playing a 0-tech, i.e. head-up on the center. Gannon ran quite a bit of this last year but he did not have a true NT who could dominate the opposing center. He tried it with Cox and, as we know, Cox bridled at this. He didn't like having to face double-teams on every snap, which is understandable. In the screen shot above, Hargrave is the 0. He's a nice player but not one to dominate the C through sheer power. Nor did he require a double team. And, because he did not require a double team, there was always a guard with a free run to the MLB.

Well, we have that guy now. Davis requires the double team and, as a result, keeps the MLB clean. Anyone who watched the NCAA playoffs last January will remember Dean running free sideline to sideline, and in our one-and-done playoff, watching David run free because Vea kept him clean. 

My point here is that Davis not only is a better NT than anyone we have had but he makes the MLB a better player too.

Getting back to that four vs. five, the DTs shade into the B gaps and the NT has both A gap responsibilities. The MLB reads the OL at the snap and can fill the A gap or run free to the outside on any wide plays. With the monster at NT you can control the run with four guys.

That leaves you with seven defenders. The two OLBs threaten the edges and can either come or drop into coverage. Their alignment makes setting a hard edge easier and, when they do, that free-running MLB has a clear path to the RB. It also makes passes into the flats more difficult. We saw how the Bucs dominated out bread-and-butter outside zone doing this. Sweeps, stretch plays, outside zones and bubble screens are more difficult to block because the defenders are already there.

Because you can control the running game with four defenders you don't have to walk a safety up into the box and your CBs have less run support responsibilities. That makes those five DBs better players because they're required to do less. You can play with two high safeties, giving support to both sides of the field.

I recall saying , when we signed Reddick, that we were committing to this defense. He's going to be facing single blockers and OTs who are threatened on their inside shoulder by the DTs in the 4i. Tough duty for those OTs.

Thoughts on the DBs and LBs will be deferred to another post.

Also explains why they sought out Ellis as a UDFA, Tuipulotu 317 lbs, Wren, 317 lbs, Wilson 319 lbs, they're definitely looking for DTs bigger than Cox and Hargrave.

However, this makes Williams a bit of a puzzle, 6'3 but shorter arms, more of a classic one gap "3" than a 3-4 or 4-3 under DT/LDE. But also capable of LDE in a standard 4-3 look.

So Gannon may be looking at a hybrid, go 4-3 one gap on pass downs, 3-4/4-3 under on run downs. So he needs 7-8 DL, with a few who can move around (i.e. fewer speed balls limited to 4-3 DE, more flexible types who can play different spots in different formations).

5 minutes ago, pgcd3 said:

I really hope it works out with Hurts but as with most others I think the limitations as a passer are hard to overcome. Hope for a longshot

And if it does not work out, it will be because of Hurts, so not only will Brown and Devonta be upset about their lack of targets, what will it do to the Brown / Hurts friendship ???

I understand that guys have friends on the team, but that comes as a bond from playing together, I don't think putting them together because they are friends is the best idea.

TO wanted the Eagles because of a friendship with McNabb, look how that ended.

1 minute ago, austinfan said:

However, this makes Williams a bit of a puzzle, 6'3 but shorter arms, more of a classic one gap "3" than a 3-4 or 4-3 under DT/LDE. But also capable of LDE in a standard 4-3 look.

So Gannon may be looking at a hybrid, go 4-3 one gap on pass downs, 3-4/4-3 under on run downs. So he needs 7-8 DL, with a few who can move around (i.e. fewer speed balls limited to 4-3 DE, more flexible types who can play different spots in different formations).

It's the opposite.

Playing so many different types of fronts mean we need players like Williams who can play inside and out so the opposing offense can't guess the front by looking at our huddle/personnel. 

9 minutes ago, Bacarty2 said:

LOL ok. 

nothing else is on mid march. 

College bball, to me is boring when compared to hockey( my favorite sport) NFL(my favorite sport to watch). and college football

I'm confused lol

8 minutes ago, Ipiggles said:

Absolutely, I will be rooting for it, looking for signs of hope.  Are you kidding me, would be the best thing, we would have 2 first rd picks next year as well we wouldn't need to spend on a QB. If Hurts and or Strong can develop into a NFL caliber pocket passing QB, I would be estatic. 

I think any smart Eagles fan is rooting for Hurts to take a major leap. I’m skeptical at best but I’m definitely rooting for it as it’s best case scenario for the team moving forward. 

6 minutes ago, downundermike said:

In a 3-4, wouldn't Cox-Davis-Williams be on the line and Reddick be a 3-4 OLB ??

He could be standing up wide on the DL. 

4 minutes ago, RLC said:

It's the opposite.

Playing so many different types of fronts mean we need players like Williams who can play inside and out so the opposing offense can't guess the front by looking at our huddle/personnel. 

Agreed. Graham and Williams are the best guys currently on the roster that can play both outside and inside. 

2 minutes ago, RLC said:

It's the opposite.

Playing so many different types of fronts mean we need players like Williams who can play inside and out so the opposing offense can't guess the front by looking at our huddle/personnel. 

 Williams was a better pick versatility wise than Alim McNeil, but McNeil was the guy Donahue and Howie argued about during the 2021 draft since he’s a true NT. 

Just now, Bacarty2 said:

Numerous people called Tua a generational talent. The special one. best QB prospects to come out of bama in decades. 

GO back and google and have a laugh. Peter King got pissed at Chris Simms, cause Simms called him over rated(basically) and PK was gushing over him

 

Compared to Hurts he looked like one. I don't put too much into what either say. Just because King said Tua is a generational talent doesn't mean they say this every 2 years. I'm sure everyone's level of excitement gets the better of them. Going from Blake Simms, Cooper Bateman, Jake Coker, Blake Barnett, Jalen Hurts... then you get Tua who looks 10x better then everyone of those....my excitement would get the best of me too if I was a Bama fan