Gardner Time

Posted: December 22nd, 2022 | Author: Tommy Lawlor 

I think Sirianni also has faith in Minshew and the rest of the team being able to go play Dallas and win that game. That doesn’t mean they will of course, but they can.

Minshew has started 22 games in his career, including two for the Eagles last year. He beat the Jets 33-18 and looked good in that game. He started against Dallas in the season finale last year. A lot of starters sat that out and the Eagles fell 51-26. The offense was able to move the ball and score points, even without Dallas Goedert and Miles Sanders and most of the OL.

This time around Minshew will have a full complement of weapons and blockers. It will also help to have the starting defense on the field. Eagles backups could not stop Dak Prescott and the Cowboys last year, giving up 476 yards and 51 points.

I recently re-watched last year’s starts to get a better feel for Minshew. He is different from Hurts, but the offense can succeed with him. Minshew gets the ball out quickly. He’s not going to hold the ball and search downfield for big plays. He wants to get the ball out on time. He’s accurate. He can throw from multiple platforms. His shorts throws are very catchable, which makes him good on screens.

Minshew will run at times. He’s not going to just stand still in the pocket if things are breaking down. Where Hurts might break off a 15-yard run, Minshew will go for 5. Or he’ll get outside and throw the ball. He’s got functional mobility.

He likes to get the ball to the TEs. Minshew is good on touch passes so working the seams is a strength for him. It will be interesting to see if the coaches call a deep ball or two just to give Minshew a chance to air it out and to keep the defense honest.

Minshew is good with his play fakes and his ball-handling. The Eagles will lose some of the RPO and zone read stuff, but play-action passes could be even more effective. Minshew sells those well.

This will be the most talented unit he’s been a part of. The best skill players in Jacksonville were Leonard Fournette, James Robinson, DJ Chark and Chris Conley. I would say that AJ Brown, DeVonta Smith, Dallas Goedert and Miles Sanders are an upgrade on that bunch. It should be fun to see what Minshew can do with this offense.

The Dallas defense will present some challenges for Minshew and the offense. Injuries have hurt Dallas, but they still have some talented playmakers and good role players. Micah Parsons has a legit shot to be Defensive Player of the Year. Tank Lawrence has 6 sacks and Dorrance Armstrong has 8 of them. Trevon Diggs has 3 INTs and seems to be giving up fewer big plays this year. Donovan Wilson leads the team in solo tackles and is especially good in the box.

LB Leighton Vander Esch is out with a shoulder injury. That hurts a lot. He’s their key LB and run defender. Rookie Damone Clark is talented and will replace him. Clark has the physical ability to be a good NFL player, but he can be confused by a creative NFL offense. You can bet the Eagles will attack him.

Dallas has corner issues aside from Diggs. Minshew should be able to attack the other side of the field, whether that is Brown or Smith. CB Kelvin Joseph struggled with double moves last week. Look for the Eagles to test him. Both Brown and Smith are good route runners and can give him problems.

I think Sirianni was smart to announce Minshew as the starter. Coaches over-think injury situations sometimes, guarding that information like they would the plans to the Death Star. There wasn’t much mystery, but it is gone. Minshew knows. His teammates know. The coaches know. Sure, Dallas knows, but they were planning for Minshew so this is hardly a curve ball. Now you can focus on the game rather than how to be coy about who will start.

*****

The Pro Bowl picks were announced last night. Eight Eagles made it, giving them the most in the league.

QB Jalen Hurts
RB Miles Sanders
WR AJ Brown
C Jason Kelce
RT Lane Johnson
LG Landon Dickerson
LB Haason Reddick
CB Darius Slay

Impressive.

I don’t think Dickerson deserved it. He has highlight plays every week and he’s had a couple of dominant games, but he also has been sloppy a lot.

CJ Gardner-Johnson wasn’t eligible for fan voting since he was on IR at the time. That’s a dumb rule now that IR can be short term. I would have taken him over Qandre Diggs of the Seahawks.

The player I feel worst for is Javon Hargrave. He’s been great this year. The NFC is loaded with DTs, though. Aaron Donald, Dexter Lawrence and Jonathan Allen made it over him. Allen has been great and absolutely deserves his choice. Donald has half as many sacks as Hargrave, but gets a lot more attention. Lawrence has had a great year for the Giants. He’s got more tackles and QB hits than Hargrave, but fewer sacks and TFLs. Who do you change?

I thought the Pro Bowl choices this year were pretty good. There weren’t a whole lot that made me shake my head. It didn’t feel like as many guys made it on reputation as has happened in the past.

Wow. 17 players were either Pro Bowl selections or alternates. That’s pretty crazy. This team has come a long way since the disastrous 4-11-1 season of 2020.

This team isn’t 13-1 by luck or accident. They have a lot of talent and play good football.

*****

It is cool when guys make it for the first time. Can really mean something to them. This is a great video.

https://twitter.com/JoePompliano/status/1605754450504736769

http://igglesblitz.com/2022/12/gardner-time/