Test Time

Posted: September 23rd, 2023 | Author: Tommy Lawlor 

New England had all offseason to get ready for the Eagles. Bill Belichick and his staff came up with good wrinkles on offense and defense. The Vikings also spent the offseason planning for the Eagles. They ran a very creative defensive scheme. The offense moved Justin Jefferson around as much as possible, ensuring he wouldn’t be shut down like last year.

The Eagles couldn’t really prepare for the Pats because they didn’t know what to expect. The Vikings game was even tougher because of the short week.

Finally the Eagles have had a chance to prepare for a game. They had 10 days to get ready for Week 3 and the Bucs. Part of that time was spent studying Eagles tape to identify what wasn’t working and why. Part of the time focused on Tampa and the two games worth of tape that were available.

The Bucs can still throw some wrinkles at the Eagles and probably will. But Nick Sirianni and his staff have had plenty of time to study the Bucs and get a feel for their players and what the coaches want to do. This week is a test to see how the new Eagles coordinators can identify and fix problems.

We won’t get definitive answers. One game is still just one game. It will give us some idea of what the new coordinators can do, as well as what kind of a feel the whole staff has for this team. This is a different roster than last year. Which players are ready to step up? Which players can overcome some adversity? Who is in over their head?

I’m excited to see what happens on Monday, knowing full well that not everything will work perfectly. This team has so much potential. It was fun to watch D’Andre Swift and Josh Sweat be the stars last week. This week could be AJ Brown and Haason Reddick. Or Dallas Goedert and Jalen Carter. It will take a few more games to really get a feel for this team, but Monday should give us some key hints.

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This game will be huge for Jalen Hurts. He’s had time to study tape from the first two weeks and figure out where he’s made mistakes. He’ll also have time to study the Bucs and be ready for them.

Tampa is one of the better defenses in the league. And they had Hurts number in a pair of 2021 showdowns. He really struggled. This game is an opportunity for Hurts to show how much he’s grown since 2021 and also since the first two games of this season.

Lighting up mediocre defenses is fun, but games like this are important. They show a player and a team where they stand against stiff competition. That matters for a team that has Super Bowl aspirations.

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The Eagles are getting healthier. Kenny Gainwell, James Bradberry and Reed Blankenship should all return after missing the Minnesota game.

Boston Scott is practicing and hopefully he’ll be back.

It does sound like Quez Watkins will miss the game. That means more time for Olamide Zaccheaus. It will be interesting to see how he fits in.

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One of the keys for Sean Desai will be this.

How can the Eagles do a better job vs TEs? Maybe Christian Elliss plays more. He was good in coverage this summer. Maybe they’ll use safeties more in those matchups. We’ll have to see what Desai does, but this has been a clear weakness for the defense so far this season.

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What will Desai do in the slot?

He could play Mario Goodrich in there. Goodrich struggled last week, but he came off the bench and just looked overwhelmed. He would go into this game knowing he would play and that makes a difference.

Bradberry could play in the slot. He got some practice time there this summer. On the surface, moving a star CB inside doesn’t make a lot of sense. But what if the coaches are willing to do that because they think that highly of Josh Jobe, the top backup on the outside?

Jobe got burned for a long TD, but overall did some good things. He was very good this summer so maybe the coaches trust Jobe and want him on the field.

We’ll see.

http://igglesblitz.com/2023/09/test-time/

The play calling wasn’t great and the offense stuttered despite moving the ball. But overall I think the coaches prepped the team well and it was the best performance of the 3 so far. More is needed but it was a start.

3 hours ago, UK_EaglesFan89 said:

The play calling wasn’t great and the offense stuttered despite moving the ball. But overall I think the coaches prepped the team well and it was the best performance of the 3 so far. More is needed but it was a start.

They're 3-0 and nowhere close to playing their best ball yet.  When that finally comes around ... look out.  

2 hours ago, time2rock said:

They're 3-0 and nowhere close to playing their best ball yet.  When that finally comes around ... look out.  

                                                                                               THIS^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

4 hours ago, time2rock said:

They're 3-0 and nowhere close to playing their best ball yet.  When that finally comes around ... look out.  

And I’m not saying it won’t happen but we don’t know they’ll get to the point of playing their best ball.