There are a couple of matchups which will play major roles in which team wins this Sunday at Lincoln Financial Field. The first will take place when the Eagles have the ball.
That matchup features young 6’9″ left offensive tackle King Dunlap against the Falcons John Abraham. Dunlap will start in place of Jason Peters, who will miss a few weeks because of a knee injury.
Dunlap who allowed three sacks versus the Niners, will now have to deal with Abraham. The Atlanta defensive end has already posted four sacks this season. He’s got to be licking his chops after seeing the Eagles-Niners video and getting the news that Dunlap is starting.
I expect to see the Birds line Brent Celek on the left side and have him help on Abraham. At other times they will have one of the backs chip the defensive end as they go out on their routes.
They can roll away from him so that he has a lot farther to run to get to Kevin Kolb.
You’ll see them give Kolb opportunities to get the football out of his hands with three and five step drops.
When the Falcons have the ball the match-up to watch will be Eagles Pro Bowl defensive end Trent Cole versus Falcons left tackle Sam Baker.
Baker has had a hand in some of the 10 sacks, which the Falcons have allowed so far this season. He’s been facing a good deal of criticism in Atlanta for his play. He was a number draft choice, who has been starting since he was drafted but at times, he gets beaten by the top pass rushers.
Chances are that one of these four guys will be a hero after the game and another will be a goat.
Who do you think the hero will be and who do you thing the goat will be?
I think AR is (stupidly) going to give Dunlap the chance to get the job done solo. Then if things start going south he’ll put OSchmitt! in to help. We don’t need another repeat of that 12 sack Giants game…right Winston?
Cole I think is in the same position as Abraham is in, going up against a struggling LT who can be beat consistantly. However..if ATL gives Baker help that’s going to open up Graham and even Laws (who I think will start over Dixon but will still rotate regardless)
I’m more worried about how the interrior of the D is going to handle the run. Too many teams already this year have been running it down our throats with success. The Lions ran the ball 8 straight times for 70 or 80 some yards for a TD, not good. Last week in SF, yeah we got 5 turnovers but that after SF was gashing us all over the place.
I sure hope Lindley is starting this week if 22 is out again. Hanson just flat out blows, Crabtree looked like Jerry Rice on Sunday.
Don’t even get started on Gonzo….
Cole should have a good game but I think it will ultimately depend on playcalling and how the coaches help their players. Andy doesn’t provide help as much as I think he should in some case. Like against the niners, they should have chipped whoever was on Dunlaps side for the rest of the game. They left Justice out there by himself when he and McNabb was getting abused by Osi. Atlanta’s coaches probably will use more common sense and chip a lot and run the ball more if Cole starts abusing them. Not Andy, if Abraham is abusing Dunlap, he’ll keep dropping Kolb back there.
WWW, I agree. I’m more concerned about the tackles and superstar MLB against against the run. This is not a team where you can load up in the box all game like the niners because this team can actually pass the ball down the field. So the front 7 will have to hold their own starting with the 3 in the middle. Hanson does suck and Hobbs is also prone to get beat. I do not want to see Bradley anywhere near Gonzo.
Cole needs to pick-up his game a bit,
He is playing better versus the run but I haven’t seen him dominate anyone yet so far this season during passing situations.
He was playing against a back-up marginal LT against the Redskins (Heyer) and didn’t do much
He was against a young good tackle versus the 49ers in J Staley and didn’t do much again..
Baker from Atlanta would probably make a better RT but has played LT since they have no one else and really does not have the lateral foot speed to play speed rushers that well
Both match-ups favor the DE’s for this game..
I figured they would use Celek over there to help out
He can brush block then head for the middle or maybe on a screen type play
It will probably depend on who does the better job coaching
I just hope the damn special team problem gets fixed or Atlanta will have a field day starting with good field position even if they have to settle fo FGs
Special teams could very well decide this game and unless the Eagles turn over a new leaf and start executing and playing disciplined in their coverages and lane assignments,ertc,etc
This would have to favor the Falcons for the Eagles units are down near the bottom on the entire NFL right now in coverage statistics..If Falcons get a lot of “short fields” to work with, Ryan and Co. will put
30-35 points up on this Eagle D ..
Some Stats to consider or not
Falcons are # 6 Overall in Offense with 1850 total yards with 116 First Downs made and a 47% Conversion rate on 3rd Down and have been penalized 25 times on Offense and have averaged about 23 Points per game. (Opponents have been the Steelers,Arizona,Saints,49ers,& Browns)
Eagles are # 7 Overall in Offense with 1808 total yards with 93 First Downs and a 36% Conversion rate on 3rd Down and have been penalized 39 times on Offense and average 24 points per game.
(Opponents have been Packers,Lions,Jaguars,Redskins,49ers)
On Defense
Falcons are #14th Overall allowing 310 yards per game but only 14 Points per Game average and holding teams to a 38% Conversion rate on 3rd Down and have committed 31 Penalties on Defense
Eagles are #19th Overall allowing 320 yds per game but almost 21 Points per Game and Teams
have a 43% Conversion Rate on 3rd Down and have committed 30 Penalties on Defense
Turnovers, both teams lead the NFC with a Plus in the Takeaway Category which is excellent
Falcons have 6 Giveaways and 13 Takeaways
Eagles have only 4 Giveaways and 11 Takeaways
This make Field Postion and Special Teams play more critical in this determing and could very well decie the Outcome of the game
My Pick — Falcons 27 – Eagles 16
Should be Turnovers – Both teams have a “Plus 7” in Takeaways
Sack totals
Falcons 11
Eagles 15
THE DAY OF THE RUNNING BACK IS WELL ON ITS WAY!!!
Running from the pass
Everyone says this is a pass-happy era, the golden age of quarterbacks, right? Teams are using the short pass to offset lack of a run game and everyone is slinging the ball around the place. All that stuff.
But, my friends, everything in moderation. Even with the rule changes to open up the game and the way QBs are protected, throwing too much tends to hurt you in the turnover battle and ultimately on the scoreboard. Consider this:
Teams are 7-19 this season when their quarterback throws for at least 300 yards. Only two teams have winning records when their QB goes for 300 yards or more; Chicago and Houston are both 1-0 in those circumstances (on the flip side, the Cowboys, Colts and Chargers are a combined 2-6). Jay Cutler threw for 372 yards in Week 1 vs. the Lions, and won (with help from the Calvin Johnson ruling in the end zone). Matt Schaub went for 497 at Washington and still barely won, in overtime, with considerable help from the Redskins.
Meantime, teams with a 100-yard rusher are 21-10 this season. I’m just sayin’.
Great points DRummer and the trend will continue as you have stated many times before for a couple of reasons
#1) Defenses have more athletes along the DL/OLB positions to be able to get to QB more often
#2) The Overall Level of play at the QB position is probably not as good as it was 5-10 years ago
where many of today’s young QB’s are thrown in under fire and have to learn how to play the postion and read coverages at the NFL while in the heat of the battle.(Freeman,Sanchez,Stafford,Bradford,Clausen,Flacco,Ryan,Big Ben and some others who could not adjust to the NFL game like J Russel,T Jackson,D Carr,A Smith,etc,etc)
Scoring TD’s is now an art of having the big play capability, the deep pass, the pass and catch,
the long run on short yardage situatuons, the screen play that breaks a big one..
With teams running less, and teams committing more penalties, it has become harder for teams to
succesfully have 10-12-14 plays long drives for 70-80 yards on a consistent basis…
This makes Special Teams and Field Position even more important and of course the Turnovers will always hurt and change momentum…
Celek helping out to block? Are you joking? The TD he caught was because he got blown off the line, which forced Kolb to go to his right and Celek then ran out of the backfield. How do you get blown off the line when you know the snap count. Lift some weights. Now that Dawkins is gone, does anybody on the Eagles have any muscle? Oh yea, Ernie “I need a compast” Sims.
THANK YOU EAGLES FRONT OFFICE!
Good Riddens Mike Bell. You loud talked Mortinweg in training camp and scared your way onto the roster. But your pathetic special teams play (blocked for 5.9 seconds on Ginns 4th quarter return) finally got you canned. I told you to put on a mask, when you cashed that check. Bum.
Gaither. Your next.
Why does Reid embarras Eagles fans with his projects like Dunlap. This year it’s the special teams and offensive line and maybe even the defense. Graham is getting blown away by the run. What else is new? Howie is playing musical chairs with running backs etc. but they are ranked in the middle of the pack of 32 teams.
Paul my friend, you pick the Eagles to lose very often, what is up with that brother:). Hey we cry and complain about errors that go our way, but like I said before that game,sometimes it comes to fortune. So yeah Celek might have gotten blow off, but my friends that is what fortune is all about (not that I would want to live on blown plays and miss ques), so if the ball bounces our way, well high five and thank you Lord.
Good point Drummer, very good point. Call me crazy, hell I’ll call me crazy, but I think that Andy is going to run that damn ball. Run the ball? No, run the damn ball!! By the time the Falcons adjust it will be downtown time for Mac and Jackson. Mix in some mid passes to Avant, schmidt, and Celek and Pauls prediction looks like…well like Paul made it. Paul seriously brother the Falcons? Didn’t we discuss this very thing last week about the niners?
My dear friends the Falcons will be a good team, with weapons to spare until Sunday, then they will be what we want them to be, which is broken and sad. My complaint is if the Eagles wear down or let up and the Falcons make a run for us like the Lion, and Niners did.
My hopes and karma for Kolb, becasue he is my QB for this week and i need him to plan very well, hurry back Vick. Hopes and Karma for my Defense because I want them to prove the doubters wrong. Hopes and Karma for the whole team becasue I want to win. Thats okay right? Sure it is.
My optimisim is hopeless I know but its all I have left, so kill them dang gone dirty bird Falcons. Uh hmm
as always LONG LIVE EAGLES.
BigE, just about every team (not all, but most) coaches has embarrased their fans this season. to be clear we are no different than any other team, we can’t see it becasue we don’t live in those town and scrutinize everything like they do there but we do here. So our coaches and us fans are no different than other teams and towns. The very things that make us some of the best sports fan in the nation (dare I say the world? Hmmm okay I’m pushing it uh?), is the very things that make us self-misrable, We know to much to be really happy. And some of you guys on here are lightouts smart football wise, I can’t touch you and would not try.
Anyway just a side note on my way out, to my buddy BigE, its all good brother we on the same team, and your one of the smart ones, just don’t make us smaller than the other bums out there.
As always LONG LIVE THE EAGLES……..BEAT THE FALCONS
U gotta love this Guy but hey buddy I’m with u long live the birds
I love how Paul Mancini calls himself an Eagles fan but every week picks the Eagles to lose, lmao. What a clown.
G:
Trent Cole. My favorite Eagle.
Birdo, being a fan doesn’t mean you have to be delusional.
Actaully I picked the EAgles to beat the Lions & Jags,
I just don’t think there are a very good team overall.. It doesn’t mean that I am not a fan, but maybe a take a more realistic look at this team since I don’t live in the fishbowl of all the talk radio,local media
who overstates players and then crucifies them the following week..
One thing I think is evident, is that the Coaching staff has done a pretty darn good job with getting players ready to play and especially a lot of the younger players who have to step up when called upon I think QB Vick,Center McGlynn, RB MJG, FB O Schmitt have all played very well as fill-ins as the original Opening Day Starters have gone down with injuries.
Defensively, Rookies Graham & Allen have played very well as has some the young QB’s (Patterson & lindley in spor playing)
Now it’s time for Dunlap and Dixon to step up and play well for the injured Peters & Bunkley..
27 – 20 Eagles.
Birdo is back to drinking Jim Beam again….
Falcons 27 – Eagles 16