33 minutes ago, mattwill said:

If Hurts were bailing the pocket I would agree with you, but i don't think he was bailing.  I think he stepped back in the pocket rather than stepping up, which woukld have been fine if Mailata were controlling his man as effectively as Lane was controlling his, but the Buc DE broke free from Mailata, which caused Hurts to step up into the pocket and deliver the pass.

JMO

He absolutely bailed the pocket.  If he steps up there, as QBs have been taught to do since the dawn of the forward pass... Mailata still has the angle to keep Hurts clean.  By bailing out the back, Mailata loses his angle and Hurts is left to scramble around.   OTs are taught to ride the man deep past the QB, and the QB is taught to step up.  By stepping back, he's literally stepping into the lane that Mailata should have available to keep the pocket clean.  The middle of that pocket is beautiful and stepping up also puts the defense in a bind, because now he has a huge lane to run forward through, if he chooses to.  

 

A few moments later, the screen shot shows how off balance the edge rusher is, and that Mailata has recovered and can continue to push that man wide, but now Hurts is running into the rusher that Dickerson had stonewalled...  he STILL needs to step up in the pocket, rather than now out the side, to avoid the rushers.   The correct direction there is FORWARD... towards the double team where Kelce and Jurgens have their man stonewalled.   The play ended up a success, but more despite the efforts of Hurts on that particular play than because of them.   He did keep his eyes down field which is great.  But the pocket is beautiful on that play and he made it harder on himself than he needed to.   Look at that giant green space along the hash... that was where the pocket was, and remains a beautiful place to release this pass throughout the play.  If he stays there, he doesn't take a hit.

37 minutes ago, mattwill said:

I agree Gainwell is fine.  In the Patriots game the O-Line was a hot mess and BB had put together an excellent scheme and Johnson was in his first play calling game.  Gainwell was not the problem that day.  Against the Bucs his carries were almost all in the second half when the Bucs D knew that the Eagles would be killing the clock with runs, so they adjusted their defense accordingly.  Again Gainwell was not the problem. 

Regarding Penny, for me it isn't just the 6.3 ypc and 6.1 ypc seasons, but also the 10 yard carry against the Ravens and the 16 yard carry against the Browns in the preseason games.  I'm simply not ready to bury him without giving him a live opportunity.

Those were preseason carries, I believe in the 2nd half.  The guys he was running on are all looking for new jobs today.  He looked very slow, even on those plays in the preseason.   It would appear, his best football is far behind him now.

 

Just now, Iggles_Phan said:

Those were preseason carries, I believe in the 2nd half. He looked very slow, even on those plays in the preseason.   It would appear, his best football is far behind him now.

You may be right.

12 minutes ago, mattwill said:

The quote above is from @goeagles99's post game assessment article at http://igglesblitz.com/  There is not much I can agree with in that assessment.  The game was a step forward on all fronts ... and a very big step forward for both the run defense and the punt returning units.  If one were to quibbvle about anything, finishing drives in the Red Zone with TDs was the one area where more progress was needed.

Seems you agree with him.  

 

Quote

I came away from the game feeling good about the Eagles. Jalen Hurts got better. The coaches had some answers. The defense was really good. This team is trending in the right direction.

- From goeagles99

Quote

The game was a step forward on all fronts ... and a very big step forward for both the run defense and the punt returning units. 

- From you

 

Seems to be agreement there.

 

One of the criticisms of Jordan Davis here in the Blog has been his tendency to stand up much too much.  As good as this safety was as a team play, I felt, when watching it live, and again in watching the replays, that it was an example of Davis doing exactly what the Blog had criticized him for ... standing up and losing his leverage.  But it also is a play that demonstrates two of his positive attributes, his power and his use of his hands.  Even from the reduced leverage position, he drives the O-Lineman backwards. Thoughts?

 

16 minutes ago, Iggles_Phan said:

Seems you agree with him.  

 

- From goeagles99

- From you

 

Seems to be agreement there.

Agreed

6 minutes ago, mattwill said:

One of the criticisms of Jordan Davis here in the Blog has been his tendency to stand up much too much.  As good as this safety was as a team play, I felt, when watching it live, and again in watching the replays, that it was an example of Davis doing exactly what the Blog had criticized him for ... standing up and losing his leverage.  But it also is a play that demonstrates two of his positive attributes, his power and his use of his hands.  Even from the reduced leverage position, he drives the O-Lineman backwards. Thoughts?

 

Most interestingly to me on that... on the safety, he and Carter both slant to the left... Good design. 

On the second play, there seems to be some miscommunication as both Cox and Davis slant to the same gap.  I don't know if that is by design or not, but its definitely something they might want to look into.   I don't think that's a good way to attack to have both DTs bang into one another.

 

Meanwhile, on both plays, you see OL lunging and falling down trying to make contact with the DTs who are just too fast for them.  On the safety, the RG falls.  On the second play, the center falls and takes out the LG as he goes.  These DTs are just so quick and when they do the swim move with it, they are just knocking over the OL.   It is impressive stuff to watch closely.

I also came away feeling very optimistic about our progress so far. Like Tommy mentioned, the bucs still suck and Mayfield is garbage, but they would've gotten destroyed even with Brady under center. We just dominated the LOS all game on both sides of the ball.

The Eagles' weapon in the run game no one ever talks about

Jack Stoll doesn't catch many passes but the Eagles' No. 2 tight end has become a force in the run game.

By Dave Zangaro • Published 4 hours ago   https://www.nbcsportsphiladelphia.com/nfl/philadelphia-eagles/the-eagles-weapon-in-the-run-game-no-one-ever-talks-about/538048/

Casual Eagles fans might not even know his name.

He barely touches the football. And you might be shocked to know that he’s been on the field for over 43% of the Eagles’ offensive snaps in the last couple of weeks.

But none of that changes the fact that Jack Stoll has become an absolute weapon for one of the top rushing offenses in the NFL.

"He gets a lot of the dirty work at the tight end position,” Dallas Goedert said, "but he embraces it and the last two weeks, he’s a big part of the reason we’ve been able to run the ball so well.”

In the last two games — wins over the Vikings and Buccaneers — the Eagles have rushed for a combined 460 yards. And 218 of those yards (5.1 yards per carry) have come with at least two or three tight ends on the field.

Through three games this season, Stoll has played 81 total snaps (36%) but in the last two he’s played 68 and has been on the field for 43.3% of the offense’s plays. On Monday night, Stoll got his first two targets and his first catch of the 2023 season.

All those other snaps? He’s just blocking his butt off.

11 hours ago, Iggles25 said:

I benched Montgomery and he goes off for 33 pts tonight.

@schuy7

 

I went against Montgomery this week.  Same dude also started Aaron Jones

 

Eagles must not help the Commanders’ biggest strength

By Raichele Privette Sep 29, 2023, 8:16am EDT  https://www.bleedinggreennation.com/2023/9/29/23895610/eagles-commanders-biggest-strengths-offensive-line-defense-jalen-hurts

 

On Sunday, the Eagles will play in their first division matchup against the Washington Commanders and this game should be personal. The Commanders gave the Birds their first loss of the 2022 season.

In order to prevent that from happening in back-to-back seasons, the Eagles will need to play a complete game in all three phases. One of the most intriguing matchups will be Jalen Hurts and the Eagles offensive line against the Commanders’ powerful defensive front.

Hurts is tied with Deshaun Watson at 3.14 seconds on average to throw. The only quarterbacks that are slower than him are Justin Fields, Bryce Young, and Zach Wilson. Compared to last season where Hurts had nine regular season turnovers, Hurts has already has four. We can’t expect things to get any easier going up against a strong unit that consists of Chase Young, Daron Payne, Jonathan Allen and Montez Sweat.

Last season Hurts’ average time to throw was around 2.8 seconds so he’s more than capable of getting rid of the ball quickly. He just needs to get back to it.

52 minutes ago, NCiggles said:

I do think the media feeds a fear that does not match up to reality. People have replaced their religion with party affiliation or conflated the two. Democrats are not Marxists(mostly) just like Republicans are not fascists(mostly). Of course a discourse where you believe the other side is an enemy rather than a fellow citizen will allow adherents of the part to turn towards authoritarian views as to the other side.    

Historically, there has always been a division between parties and a tendency to identify by party.  That is not new.  In the past, the media was the newspaper and social media was gathering after church, at the market, the social clubs like Odd Fellows, Elks, Lions, etc. and letter writing.  What may be unique today is the elevated voice given to fringes of the spectrum, how dark money has evolved with 501(c)s and how 24 hour a day media has taken minutiae to the level of the extreme.  I do tend to view things from an historical perspective.  Minor voices are amplified by social media, no doubt.  

Take the absurd reactions to the Brotherly Shove.  Although I do think the refs will be looking for the Goedert pull.  I think the reaction to a scrum play really suggests a misunderstanding of the historical evolution of the game, as though somehow this is "new”.  The slow motion OT steps as well.  Before they cut away from the Chiefs game, the RT was flagged for illegal procedure when the film clearly showed him helmet aligned with the center’s belt.   Both are amplified by folks that would not have been Inquirer employees in the 1950s.  But 24 hour a day sports require something to discuss, so the conversation on the drive to work or at the corner bar becomes fodder for the masses.

58 minutes ago, mattwill said:

 

Fran Duffy, while a homer, is the only reason to access PE.com.  His stuff with Stout is awesome.  Most of his stuff is good.

Nick Sirianni may have tipped his hand at how the Eagles will consistently use their running backs.

By Jake Beckman | 9:00 AM EDT  https://insidetheiggles.com/posts/the-eagles-running-backs-more-distinguished-roles-2023-NFL-season

When he spoke to the media on Wednesday, September 27th, we may have been given something solid. He was asked about how D’Andre Swift seemingly had the hot hand and why the Eagles decided to switch to Kenneth Gainwell at the end of the game. He had this to say:

HMMMMM. Well, that certainly seems telling, doesn’t it? That sure does sound like D’Andre Swift is going to be an every-down, playmaking kind of back, whereas Kenny Gainwell is going to be that situational back that serves as a change of pace and wears down/ sucks the life out of the opposing team's defense.

 

58 minutes ago, mattwill said:

 

The difference is how low Hurts gets and the power Jalen has in his legs.

28 minutes ago, mattwill said:

The Eagles' weapon in the run game no one ever talks about

Jack Stoll doesn't catch many passes but the Eagles' No. 2 tight end has become a force in the run game.

By Dave Zangaro • Published 4 hours ago   https://www.nbcsportsphiladelphia.com/nfl/philadelphia-eagles/the-eagles-weapon-in-the-run-game-no-one-ever-talks-about/538048/

Casual Eagles fans might not even know his name.

He barely touches the football. And you might be shocked to know that he’s been on the field for over 43% of the Eagles’ offensive snaps in the last couple of weeks.

But none of that changes the fact that Jack Stoll has become an absolute weapon for one of the top rushing offenses in the NFL.

"He gets a lot of the dirty work at the tight end position,” Dallas Goedert said, "but he embraces it and the last two weeks, he’s a big part of the reason we’ve been able to run the ball so well.”

In the last two games — wins over the Vikings and Buccaneers — the Eagles have rushed for a combined 460 yards. And 218 of those yards (5.1 yards per carry) have come with at least two or three tight ends on the field.

Through three games this season, Stoll has played 81 total snaps (36%) but in the last two he’s played 68 and has been on the field for 43.3% of the offense’s plays. On Monday night, Stoll got his first two targets and his first catch of the 2023 season.

All those other snaps? He’s just blocking his butt off.

He was definitely better on Monday than that Thursday game.  I suspect the ankle issue was impacting him against the Vikings.  

LeSean McCoy ranks the Eagles ahead of the red-hot Dolphins.

If you're like most, recency bias can trick even the most level-headed sports fan. We all have had to fight the urge of falling victim to accepting what we most recently saw as truth.

LeSean 'Shady' McCoy doesn't seem to have that problem. While everyone continues to buzz over the Miami Dolphins' 70-point outburst in Week 3, our guy believes the Birds are the better team.

That was one of the conversations that headlined Tuesday's airing of Speak. Check out the full clip below.

Maybe this is Shady's attempt to teach us that we should never be ruled by emotion. Maybe these are the biased opinions of a fan favorite and franchise legend. Time will tell.

Maybe he's right. Maybe he isn't, but when the smoke clears and the dust settles, we expect Philly to prove that, while they may not be as fast as the Fins, they're most certainly the more talented team from top to bottom.

5 minutes ago, BigEFly said:

The difference is how low Hurts gets and the power Jalen has in his legs.

And how low the O-Line gets so that the D-Line can't get underneath them.

9 minutes ago, mattwill said:

Nick Sirianni may have tipped his hand at how the Eagles will consistently use their running backs.

By Jake Beckman | 9:00 AM EDT  https://insidetheiggles.com/posts/the-eagles-running-backs-more-distinguished-roles-2023-NFL-season

When he spoke to the media on Wednesday, September 27th, we may have been given something solid. He was asked about how D’Andre Swift seemingly had the hot hand and why the Eagles decided to switch to Kenneth Gainwell at the end of the game. He had this to say:

HMMMMM. Well, that certainly seems telling, doesn’t it? That sure does sound like D’Andre Swift is going to be an every-down, playmaking kind of back, whereas Kenny Gainwell is going to be that situational back that serves as a change of pace and wears down/ sucks the life out of the opposing team's defense.

 

The "hot hand" thing is so incredibly stupid in reference to our RBs. Swift doesnt have the "hot hand". Swift is simply head an shoulders better than the rest of the RBs. Hes always going to do better than them. Not because he is hot, but because he is really damn good. 

Hot hand is implied by idiots who thought Kenny Gainwell was a lead back, and didnt realize the type of player Swift was, and how much better he is.

 

Hot hand is for 2 mediocre players that you are going to ride with. A hot hand situation may be Zaccheus vs Quez on a week to week basis. To insinuate there is a hot hand situation going on with the RBs is not to realize that those players are not even close to the same skill level.

 

Siri's comment on little Kenny Gainwell wearing down and sucking the life out of defenses is hilarious as well. 

1 hour ago, BigEFly said:

The difference is how low Hurts gets and the power Jalen has in his legs.

With Goedert and the RB on the flanks, you don’t have to worry about #30 at all (Safety coming from the edge of the formation) - so an improved variant of an ancient play.

EDIT: I don't even know if it is even improved - just tailored to our strengths.  If our OL and QB weren't so dominating at the shove, we might want to keep the threat of the pass or a RB handoff (so a more standard short-yardage approach, that is universally approved).

4 minutes ago, HazletonEagle said:

The "hot hand" thing is so incredibly stupid in reference to our RBs. Swift doesnt have the "hot hand". Swift is simply head an shoulders better than the rest of the RBs. Hes always going to do better than them. Not because he is hot, but because he is really damn good. 

Hot hand is implied by idiots who thought Kenny Gainwell was a lead back, and didnt realize the type of player Swift was, and how much better he is.

 

Hot hand is for 2 mediocre players that you are going to ride with. A hot hand situation may be Zaccheus vs Quez on a week to week basis. To insinuate there is a hot hand situation going on with the RBs is not to realize that those players are not even close to the same skill level.

 

Siri's comment on little Kenny Gainwell wearing down and sucking the life out of defenses is hilarious as well. 

Yeah, I just hope they don't give him too many carries early in the year. Beat the heck out of Scott, Penny and Gainwell.

1 minute ago, Diehardfan said:

Yeah, I just hope they don't give him too many carries early in the year. Beat the heck out of Scott, Penny and Gainwell.

they could really use someone other than Gainwell to wear defenses down and suck the life out of them. I guess seeing Boston Scott all these years, comparatively they are fooled in to thinking Gainwell is a big back.