In their first game of the season, the Eagles offense ran the football only 16 times. Yes, Chip Kelly’s squad which is supposed to be a run first offense, ran the football only 16 times for 63 yards and most of that yardage came on a 27-yard sweep by Darren Sproles. DeMarco Murray and Ryan Mathews were taken away because the Falcons front seven was playing with more fire passion than the Eagles offensive line and Kelly decided to abandon the run.
I think it was a mistake to give up on keeping the run mixed in there. It’s been proven over years of time that you’re going to have a certain number of turnovers, if you throw the football too much. Throwing the ball 52 times and running it 16 isn’t a good balance. It also puts too much pressure on your offensive line to pass block, when there’s no run threat. Are the Eagles going to abandon their running game the rest of the season if they don’t have success with the first few carries of a game?
“We’re concerned with moving the ball down the field,” Chip Kelly said yesterday. “So, at the end of the day, whether we rush it for 399 yards or pass it for 399 yards or whatever, my concern isn’t the distribution.
“If we are moving the football and getting the ball into the end zone, that’s what we’re concerned with. How we get it there isn’t a concern.”
I think the Birds could have run to their left side with 325-pound left tackle Jason Peters matched up against 240-pound rookie outside linebacker Vic Beasley. In the middle of the line, Jason Kelce, Andrew Gardner and Allen Barbre weren’t able to get any movement in the middle of the Falcons defensive front. The only success they had were on those sweeps.
“Atlanta didn’t do anything we didn’t expect,” Jason Kelce said. “They didn’t do anything we hadn’t seen them do on film. Up front, we just didn’t get it done in the first half.
“We still have a long way to go. We need to get a lot better.”
Somebody should have sat down with that offensive line on the side line in the first half and let them know that they had to clear the way for a running game. You can’t let a defense impose their will on you and force you to be one-dimensional.
The Falcons defensive front took the run away from the Eagles by playing with more passion than the Birds. On one play, they got Murray for a 12 yard loss by getting penetration and having every guy on defense get to the football. They were seriously attacking Murray when he took the handoff.
Atlanta saw the tape of the Birds offense moving the ball in the preseason. They knew if they allowed the Eagles to run the football effectively, they were going to get embarrassed, so they played harder than the Birds. The Eagles offensive line didn’t get the job done. It’s that simple.
With the game on the line in the fourth quarter, the middle of the offensive line couldn’t open up a hole for a one-yard gain by Mathews, and it forced the Eagles to try a field goal. The offensive line must be more aggressive. The offense can’t sleep walk through the first half like that.
They were outplayed by the Falcons defensive front. Atlanta was getting hits on Sam Bradford every time he threw the football and they took away the Eagles running game.
That is unacceptable.
The run will open up the downfield passing. Agholor will be a threat if he holds up going into the end of the season.
Looking at the game again and reading some of the beat writers it looks Gardner played well in the 2nd half all considered. It was Barbre who looked downright atrocious. And that is concerning because he should be the better of the two.
Do note that having a 20-3 going into the 2nd Half did make the Falcons D become more of a “Prevent Defense” and about not giving up the Big Play
They were content on giving up the 5-6-7 Yard Underneath Routes , but after a Drive or Two, their front 7 got pooped out in which the Eagles were then able to run some Sweeps on them.. again this all looks great on a Stat Sheet, the real issue to me is can you convert and get into the End Zone by dinking and dunking down the field and then power rushing the ball into the end-zone once in close, if they can, they they are in good shape, if they can’t power rush into the End-Zone, then this Offense is no different then we have seen the last 2 Seasons from Chip Kelly which means no legitimate Playoff Run will be possible and this is the crux of the 2015 Season in my Opinion as Kelly has made the ability to power-rush the emphasis of his Offense so if this doesn’t work, he and the Team will be an after-thought by most Football People..
most importantly in any game ,is the persona,the team takes on.The personality is what fortifies a team and adds to the “swagger”. We are supposed to have been spoon fed by Chip the GM that we needed to stop running east and west and concentrate on north /south.I bought in ,as that creates a persona that matches the “blue-collar” lunch pail philly aura.I saw from the defense a bend but don’t break (not philly like) ,an offense that was like a mound of ants ,looking to win by attrition,rather than submission.Pound the rock ,pound the dee line ,blitz like your hairs on fire .Thats Philly..That’s my E A G L E S ..I couldn’t disagree more with the premise from th coach ,”it matters ” how you score .Pound the defense with physicality ,drinking and dunking ,will tire out a defense ,but pounding them ,will create an opponent to play on there heels .Nobody likes get out physicaled.We got exactly that ,with our defensive and offensive game plans ..It starts with the coach ..
I agree 100% Deserteagle…. Spot On Analysis..
Many of these Younger Fans were brought up on ESPN/YouTube Highlights and their Twitter & Social Media Bull Shit Era and really don’t understand how Football is Won and Lost in the Trenches for it simply bores them and the media to be honest .. But taking a Teams “Will Away” is still its how you Win Championships in the NFL and taking a Team’s Will Away is achieved by Physical-Smash Mouth Football with a dash of Big Plays after beating a Team Down.. It also gives a Team an aura of confidence and intimidation similar to what the Seahawks have had the last couple of Years and what the Patriots have had for Years, and the Ravens,Steelers before that, etc,etc..even the great Teams of the 49ers under Bill Walsh still had that physicality to it as did the Cowboy Teams of the Big 3 era…
Name me one team (finesse) that ever hoisted the Lombardi? Crickets chirping..times yours.I want to stop piling on BD ,but there are numerous incidents and trends ,in the last 5 games played ,starting with Green Bay ,(he game planned to take away there run game ) opting away from Rodgers..Dallas ,and Washington ,division opponents ,that he’s supposed to have familiarity.He singles Dezz and Desean ..Seattle (we. We’re embarrassed physically ) and when we need to improve our draft stead ,we beat the Giants ,but still singled up on there one receiver .Fast forward to Julio Jones (offensive player of the week) This isn’t a trend ,it’s an epidemic .
The only one I can think of was the Colts over the Bears a Few Years Back where the Colts actually mixed up their Game Plan and ran the Ball effectively over the Surprised Bears in the Rain with little known RB Dominic Rhodes ended up with 113 Yards and Joseph Addai had another 77 Yards so the Colts ended up with 190 Yards Rushing where they averaged 105 Yards during the Regular Season.. Peyton Manning was the Super Bowl MVP due to his Popularity but any real Football Fan knows that it was the Colts Rushing Game that beat the Bears on that Rainy night in Miami for the Super Bowl
If he’s going to stand up there an defend his game plan ..well the genius tag has to be removed ,like a swift band aid
I respectfully disagree DesertEagle. The gameplan was solid, made perfect sense in my opinion. The EXECUTION sucked lol. Lack of execution derailed the entire first half and took away the run.
Agree if its a trend then absolutely. I don’t see that though. I don’t see the Andy Reid Im going to throw 50x a game regardless of what the defense is giving me.
How can you execute with Gardner and Barbe at guard?
I mean at leas the line is “improved” over the first half of last year….but its a huge issue. They were able to get some traction in the 2nd half, but that ws due to the ATL front being gasses. They were finished in the 4th (and here is a Kelly strength – conditioning)
Everyone in here on Foles for throwing off his back foot and seeing more ghosts as the year went along…well how is Bradford going to fare if he keeps getting pummeled for the first half of each game. You don’t think you’ll see any back foot throws? Didn’t we already see one at the end of the 2nd? I mean it was game one and we was in getting xrays afterwards.
And again, this oline is better than the absolute David Molk led mess at the start of last year.
No oline drafted for 2 years!! “Skill” positions early instead.
Better get that shit sorted out and quick.
Obviously the guard will be a key to this teams success. If they fall apart or impede them moving forward Kelly deserves all criticism on that front.
As for Bradford or any QB pressure will rattle them. IMO his short game accuracy will help(if he can stay upright) if that is a problem this year. Again that’s why this team supposedly made the changes it did to the offense. To be in more manageable down and distances and dictate tempo. The long ball is not going to be a major facet of this offense. I have no problem with that.
Anyone who has watched Chip Kelly over the Years should understand that the Long Ball & Deep Routes are simply not Called very often in Kelly’s Offense..
He rather stick with Higher % Pass Plays then 30-40-50 Yard routes and rely more on the Athleticism and Mis-Matches Formation wise with YAC to end up with Big Plays.. His Deep Routes are typically the Seam Routes that TE’s Run which are usually about 25 Yards down the field as an element of a surprise but his Outside WR’s while at Oregon, rarely ran deep Sideline or Post Routes.. Its just not in his Scheme
I hate finesse teams ..they suck ,in big moments ,I’m hoping for big moments .There is a grave concern ,that Chip likes adjusting to what the defense gives him ..possibly because he’s practicing against billy Davis ? Just Saying!
Had to laugh at the practicing against Billy Davis.
I view a bit differently. He wasn’t afraid to adjust go with Sproles and attack the edges in the 2nd half etc.
Izzy. Yeah I get what he did ,I just need keep letting you guys know ,here in the desert they still sell piñatas.of BD
Now if we are in December and not murdering people downhill and our playing the edges I will not be happy. Murray is supposed to be our Redzone remedy.
Izzy. Forget December. It best start vs Dallas
HA! Couldn’t agree with you more Izzy. Couldn’t agree with you more!!!!!
Do note that Falcons HC Dan Quinn already had a Game Plan in mind all Summer Long on how to negate and frustrate the Eagles Offense and they executed it perfectly in the 1st Half, by Run Blitzing their LB’s & Safety’s on 1st Down to stuff the Eagles Run to put the Dink & Dunk Offense of Kelly’s in long Yardage situations which they could not Pas-Protect, or Catch the Ball or Run any Deep, time consuming Pass Routes… Unfortunately for Dan Quinn, the Falcons does not have the Talent that his Seahawks have and they ran out of gas by the late 3rd Quarter but hung in their enough to get the “W” .. You will see many Teams and Defensive Coordinators use Dan Quinn’s Strategy and Schemes on how to attack the Eagles Offense
My concerns is that Teams like the Cowboys, Panthers, Bills,Jets,Dolphins, Patriots, Lions, Cardinals and hell, even the Redskins all have better Front 7’s than the Falcons do, which does not bode well until the Eagles improve their OL and WR play.. Now whether these other Teams have the Coaching Smarts, and Time to Prepare for the Eagles like the Falcons Dan Quinn did since the Summer, is another story and we will just have to see how it unfolds.. But Chip Kelly is going to have to more innovative to keep NFL Defenses on it’s toes besides having an “Up-Tempo” .. Most Teams have caught up to up-tempo’s anymore so now its more about formations and match-ups and then executing those that are most favorable
This game turned on the play when the Eagles had Atlanta backed up…3-15 on the Atl 7 yard line and they run a draw play for 20 yards…ridiculous…Atlanta’s defense was gassed they were ripe for the kill shot and the Eagles defense let them off the hook!
Tighten up a few things, get better push from the Oline…the Eagles will be ok…stop with all the gloom and doom Chicken littles!