• March 19, 2024

Eagles Offense Dominates Poor Saints Defense

JoshHuffvsNO1The Eagles offense scored 39 points gained over 500 yards, but they could have easily scored over 50, if they had taken advantage of all the opportunities they had against the poor Saints defense.  The Birds won the battle at the line of scrimmage and it allowed their playmakers to do their jobs.

The Birds offensive line finally showed and played well.  They did a good job opening holes on all the sweeps the Birds ran against the Saints.   They finally stopped the penetration into the backfield on those sweeps. The New Orleans run defense is one of the poorest in the NFL, so I don’t think the Eagles offense can start thinking they have arrived.

Chip Kelly did change things up with some of his runs, by having the running back line up to the left of the quarterback, then take the handoff as if he’s going to his right only to come back to his left behind a couple of pulling guards.  Defenses had gotten the book on the Eagles running game that they always ran the ball to the opposite side of where the running back lined up.

DeMarco Murray had some good runs and touched the football 27 times in the game.  He carried the ball 20 times for 83 yards and a touchdown, while also catching 7 passes for 37 yards.   Those aren’t eye-popping stats and Murray didn’t look great getting those stats. On one run, he fell to the ground after trying to move on a defenders.  To make it plain, Ryan Mathews is breathing down his neck.

Mathews continues to make a statement with his play, that he should be the main ball carrier on this football team.  He had 8 carries for 73 yards with a touchdown as well as three catches for 23 yards.  Mathews continues to exhibit his outstanding speed and explosiveness.

Sam Bradford started off like yesterday’s game was going to be another disaster with the two drive-killing interceptions in the end zone in the first half.  In the second half he got together by completing 13 of 15 pass attempts with two touchdowns and zero interceptions.

Bradford spread his throws out to all of his receivers.  Josh Huff has four catches for 76 yards with one touchdown.  On his touchdown catch, two of the Saints defenders ran into each other as Huff ran uncontested into the end zone.  They need Huff to step up because rookie Nelson Agholor might miss some time with an injured ankle.

Tight ends Zach Ertz and Brent Celek combined for eight catches for 104 yards and a touchdown.  Jordan Matthews pulled down five passes for44 yards.  I want to see him settle down after a catch because he’s going to get a taunting penalty in the future.  Riley Cooper chipped in with three catches for 32 yards.

The Birds had to have this game, so it was great that they were able to score 39 points, but they won’t be playing against poor defenses each week and they will need to take advantage of their opportunities much better.

GCOBB

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paulman
paulman
October 12, 2015 4:59 pm

3 for 7 in Red-Zone Opportunities with 2 Int’s in the End Zone won’t beat the Giants or any Decent to Good Team..
Take those Points and Opportunities off the Board to better Teams and it will come back to bite you… The Saints flat out, gave up yesterday..

drummerwinslow
October 13, 2015 5:46 pm
Reply to  paulman

That’s correct!

Rhino
Rhino
October 12, 2015 5:35 pm

Yeah those picks in the endzone were terrible.

Eaglehaslanded
Eaglehaslanded
October 12, 2015 6:11 pm
Reply to  Rhino

They were equally as terrible in the Dallas game!

koolbreeze
koolbreeze
October 12, 2015 7:58 pm

Yeah, yeah…yeah…typical irrelevant analysis..If your defense forces turnovers 3-7 in Red-Zone Opportunities with 2 Int’s are good enough to beat the Giants and any good team especially when you go 32-45 with a 71% completion rating and throw 2 touchdowns!
Of course, you have to clean up the interceptions. Bradford went to work on that immediately by stepping up in the second half of the game and completing 13 of 15 pass attempts with two touchdowns and zero interceptions.
This is how you respond to mistakes!
GCobb got it right…the Eagles should not feel that they have arrived…but they have taken a huge step in the right direction by beating a desperate Saints team who needed the win…overcoming mistakes…and not simply eeking out a win…but blowing the other team out!

Big step for the Eagles!

CT
CT
October 12, 2015 8:22 pm

Philly played straight up hard noses, old school football yesterday. Running the ball, and playing great defense forcing yet another turnover in a game, and holding the Ssaints running game in check. Make no mistake about it, Philadelphia by far has the best defense in the division. When Sammy and the offense gets going, nobodies else’s running game even comes close either.

This is why I think NY coming off a tough win against an imploded San Fran team will stand no shot against us at the Linc. I believe were just now getting hot at the right time when we go to Carolina to play the worst undefeated team in football and will be sitting at 4-3 in first place going into our bye with the Dallas game after that.

If that happens then you have a team that has 9 new starters on offense. and a re vamped secondary that is 2 plays away total from being 6-1.. Not bad considering how young this team is. Cant wait to see what Chip does to the oFFENSIve line this offseason ( among secondary, and pass rusher) to make this young team fly even higher and beyond in the years to come.

koolbreeze
koolbreeze
October 12, 2015 9:23 pm
Reply to  CT

Good points CT…

At least someone on GCobb thinks that the Eagles deserve credit for the blowout win!

The flip-floppers on here…predict the Eagles to LOSE the game and then when they are dead wrong…denigrate the Eagles for blowing out a bad team.

Flip-Eagles will Lose!
Flop-the win means nothing because the Eagles beat a bad team

smh!!!

eagles0superbowls
eagles0superbowls
October 12, 2015 9:48 pm

Michal Neuvirth shut out. Want to see more.

eagles0superbowls
eagles0superbowls
October 12, 2015 9:53 pm

PMan, you believe in Josh Huff now. Want to see him get more field time to see if he can keep it rolling.

paulman
paulman
October 13, 2015 9:07 pm

It was Josh Huff’s Best Game as a Pro.. Can he be consistent and part of the attack every week.. He will get opportunities but must start taking advantage of touch’s and hopefully the game and plays are slowing down for him..
He can be a real wildcard for this Offense moving forward ..

jakedog
jakedog
October 12, 2015 9:55 pm

Did you watch the rams packers game

I thought for sure Foles Would be dead after some of the hits he took

The one hit he took from Mathews is now viral

Say what you want about Foles, He’s A tough sob

He represented philly grit

IrishEagle
IrishEagle
October 13, 2015 6:10 pm
Reply to  jakedog

You’re right Jake. The hit that Clay Matthews put on Foles (with the crown of his helmet) would have put Sam Bradford in the hospital.

When Nick Foles takes those kind of big hits early in games, he normally plays poorly afterwards. We saw that when he was here in that Dallas game.

As bad as the Eagles line has been this year, they have protected Bradford 10 times better than the Rams line has protected Foles…. Foles has been beaten down in nearly every game.

I just hope Bradford gets his act together as the year goes on and eventually proves Kelly made a good move trading for him. I honestly want Bradford to be successful….

jakedog
jakedog
October 13, 2015 8:37 pm
Reply to  IrishEagle

Irish,

That animal Mathews took out Kevin Kolb. Kolb was never the same after that hit.

The hit foles took was even worse

First, if I’m a ram I’m taking out Mathews

He’s roided out cheater, cheap shot pussy

But man I shudder to think, like you, what would happen to Bradford took that hit

koolbreeze
koolbreeze
October 13, 2015 6:50 pm
Reply to  jakedog

Bull…representing Philly grit are you kidding…he took a tough hit and then curled up in the fetal position for the rest of the game.

Foles bitched up and started to throw the ball–to the Green Bay Packers

Philly tough was represented by Micheal Vick last night

Game on the line, a linebacker flying directly at him…Vick sees him coming knows he going to be hit, but stands there and delivers a strike to the receiver

That was courage, heart, a will to win

Foles was the opposite…bitching up, scared, intimidated

Philly Tough…LOL

jakedog
jakedog
October 13, 2015 8:52 pm
Reply to  koolbreeze

Kool,

You are unenlightened; who ever said vick wasn’t tough.

Vick is one of the toughest sobs ever

He’s just an average qb, better than Bradford. But he’s got the heart of a lion like foles. That may explain why they are great friends.

Foles will far trump this pussy Bradford at the end of the year, when the dust settles. I offer my bet again. Just words, no takers

I’m glad the steelers have Vick. It has always been my favorite afc tesm, and after my playing days I married a hottie from Pittsburgh, so we rooted together last night

But keep things real vick is worse than foles. But Better Than Bradford

koolbreeze
koolbreeze
October 14, 2015 12:45 am
Reply to  jakedog

jakedog, reading is fundamental…I never said that anyone denied Vick’s toughness…I said that Vick toughness is a much better representation of Philly toughness than Nick Foles…Foles got hit hard and was intimidated…he bitched up and started throwing interceptions…
Vick stood in front of a charging linebacker knowing he was going to be hit and delivered a 70 yard bomb to help win the game.
Real toughness vs Bitching up…Vick was tough this week and led Pittsburgh to a win…Foles bitched up, was intimidated by Matthews and Green Bay…and caused his team to lose!

jakedog
jakedog
October 12, 2015 9:59 pm

Wait Until mr. Softee plays against the defenses of the Seahawks, Cardinals and Packers

armyprince
armyprince
October 12, 2015 10:15 pm

Im with you Kool and CT. I am so tired of not knowing if we win or lose by listening to radio or reading these comments. The old Eagles would have crumbled after those two picks but we came back and blew them out. This team is showing great defensive heart and desire. I dont agree with this Mathews over Murray stuff though. Mathews is more explosive so yes he will do more with less. we act like we didnt know that murray was a workhorse back? he needs touches and he gets stronger which you saw yesterday.

This running attack will get stronger and be a force come winter/playoff time. Sammy will clean up the mistakes and this offense will continue to roll. I loved the change in playcalling I saw from chip. Under Center runs. More man on man blocking. He showed he will and can adapt. Im hyped for the Giants!!!!

jakedog
jakedog
October 12, 2015 10:16 pm

I re offer my bet

I offered it before the season began

I offer it again after foles most difficult game

Foles will beat Bradford in every offensive passing rating.

One large like before

jakedog
jakedog
October 12, 2015 10:18 pm

Weed is good for the army prince

paulman
paulman
October 12, 2015 10:27 pm

How is Mike Vick still Playing in the NFL… He’s terrible…

jakedog
jakedog
October 12, 2015 10:30 pm

No. Mike Vick is average

Eagles could use him over below average Bradford

tsjohnson5
tsjohnson5
October 13, 2015 12:36 am
Reply to  jakedog

We actually agree on something.

I think a Sanchez as starter and Vick as backup would work.

Better than Bradford.

lol

paulman
paulman
October 12, 2015 10:34 pm

Steve Spurrier Retires/Resigns Effective Immediately at University of South Carolina…
USC Coach Sarkasian was Fired today after being placed on a leave of absence yesterday by Athletic Director Pat Haden
Maryland Fires HC Edsal after the AD just gave him a new 3 Yeard extension back in June…

paulman
paulman
October 12, 2015 10:38 pm

SD Chargers have Backups on Backups along the OL
This NFL 2015 Season has been the worst Season inTerms of quality across the Leauge..
The lack of Contact, shorter Camps is just killing Teams who incur injuries along the OL as there simply not enough time to develop young OL..

paulman
paulman
October 12, 2015 10:41 pm

I see bonehead after bonehead play all across the NFL
This Game for instance.,
Why does Chargers Punt Returner fail to simply run up and catch a Fair catch instead of letting the ball bounce and lose 10-15 yards worth of field position..
Simple garbage like this every week…

paulman
paulman
October 12, 2015 10:52 pm

Bradford QB Rating ranks him 24th in the NFL with a 84 Rating
Foles QB Rating ranks him 28th in the NFL with a 78 Rating

Mariota QB Ranking Ranks him 10th Overall in the NFL with a 100 Rating

A Perfect QB Rating is 158

IrishEagle
IrishEagle
October 12, 2015 11:32 pm

Files has played against the best defenses in the league. Bradford has played against cupcakes.

So far, Bradford is no better than Foles, but he makes more money and he cost us a second round pick.

Plus, it’s a safe bet the Eagles would have a better record with either Foles or Sanchez under center.

koolbreeze
koolbreeze
October 13, 2015 12:45 am
Reply to  IrishEagle

Bull! Nick Foles has simply stunk…With average QB play the Rams would easily be 4-1 if not 5-0…there defense has kept them in games, there running game has been energized by the amazing rookie Gurley. They have weapons at wide receiver with Kenny Britt and speedster Tavon Austin
Foles is doing the same thing he did here…problems reading the defense-holding the ball too long, confused…he has coughed up the ball in the most critical situations where he has costed them wins against the Steelers with a late 4th quarter interception when he threw the ball deep and up for grabs…overthrowing the receiver…he was bailed out by his defense against Seattle where he was holding the ball forever and stripped by Cary Williams, he cost his team another game with 4 interceptions against Green Bay a game where Gurley was running wild over the Packers defense. He was ineffective in the lost against Washington.

Our QB brought us back against Washington and Atlanta..only to have the defense cough up those games, and he has gotten us wins against the Jets and has had his best game against the Saints…The Eagles have been plagued by the drop passes and terrible offensive line play…a few of the interceptions thrown by Bradford have bounced off of receivers hands…

Bradford has played better than Foles..and is getting better…

Foles is descending falling apart his Rams teammates are beginning to see him as the weak link holding the team back….another 4 interception performance like GB and he’s going to the bench!
Everyone knew this was possible which is why we had to give up a 2nd rounder for Foles!

zilents44
zilents44
October 12, 2015 11:39 pm

Man m vick is still fun to watch

paulman
paulman
October 12, 2015 11:59 pm
Reply to  zilents44

M Vick saves the Best for Last and Wins the Game on the Final Drive..
Some great passes thrown and a big 25 Yard Run
I tip my cap for he won this Game for the Steelers

jakedog
jakedog
October 13, 2015 12:09 am

Flip flopping paul

in a single post run you contradiction in less than 8 posts, about within an hour, how bad vick is to he’s the man of the hour

not even enough time for the eggs to cook over easy

Paulman, you deserve all the criticism here

paulman
paulman
October 13, 2015 10:20 am
Reply to  jakedog

Just giving Credit where Credit is Due ..
Vick couldn’t do shit for 55 Minutes then hits 1 Big Pass where the Chargers CB (Brandon Flowers) literally gives up on the Play and then puts together a Game Winning Drive the final 2 Minutes.. I still don’t like VIck, and never Did since his Falcon Days.. but he came thru for the Steelers in an important AFC Game to keep them in contention for the Playoffs …

jakedog
jakedog
October 13, 2015 12:11 am

How about my bet Paulman

paulman
paulman
October 13, 2015 10:14 am
Reply to  jakedog

What Bet ? Foles Stats over Bradford ?
They are both sucking in 2015 …

paulman
paulman
October 13, 2015 11:02 am
Reply to  paulman

Total QBR for Foles & Bradford after Week #5
QBR is based off a 100 Point Scoring System which is more reflective of the impact of a QB’s Play over a Course of a Game and Season than they old tradition QB Ratings which is based mostly on Yards & TD’s and has a Pefect Score of 158
The QBR measure’s the Effectiveness of a QB on 3rd Downs, while in the Red-Zone, in the last 2 Minutes of a Half and End of the Game, Turnovers and when they occur in relation to the Score of the Game, Sacks and when taken, etc,etc…
A Perfect Score is 100 which doesn’t occur .. Your Top QB’s Score in the 70’s and low 80’s Range

Out of 33 NFL QB’s

#28 Ranked – Nick Foles (Rams) with a Score of 35
#31 Ranked – Sam Bradford (Eagles) with a Score of 32

Everyone on either side can make all the Excuses they want on the why’s or the coulda, woulda, shoulda for either Player,but the Reality is that both QB’s stink and are way under-performing versus their Peers around the NFL…

IrishEagle
IrishEagle
October 13, 2015 11:59 am
Reply to  paulman

Everyone on either side can make all the Excuses they want on the why’s or the coulda, woulda, shoulda for either Player,but the Reality is that both QB’s stink and are way under-performing versus their Peers around the NFL…

Exactly – the quality of play from Bradford and Foles is equally poor.

tsjohnson5
tsjohnson5
October 13, 2015 12:23 am

Man Chargers feel like the Steelers did last week.

Any Given Sunday indeed.

koolbreeze
koolbreeze
October 13, 2015 12:48 am

Vick comes thru big time in the crunch…fearless…takes a hit and delivers a big time pass down the field…runs for 25 yards …clutch in crunch time…

Vick deserves the credit for this win

zilents44
zilents44
October 13, 2015 6:14 am

Green bay d is not elite at all, 4 picks and 130 yds is pure trash, foles is terrible

eagles0superbowls
eagles0superbowls
October 13, 2015 9:20 am
Reply to  zilents44

I think you are under selling the Green Bay defense – Green Bay invested heavily the last five drafts in their defense – Green Bay has the biggest head hunter in the NFL in Clay Matthews. He is a cheap shot machine 5 times more dirty than Suh and Merriweather. He tries to injure and nothing he does is legal.

paulman
paulman
October 13, 2015 9:50 am

Packers Defense is Rated #10th Overall in the NFL after 5 Weeks
averaging 316 Yards per Game and Only 186 Yards per Game by the Pass
Their Run Defense is hurting by allowing 130 Yards per Game but most Teams Pass more than they Run in today’s NFL…
The Key is Points Allowed which the Packers are only Allowing 16.2 Pts Per Game which Ranks them #3rd Overall so whoever says the Packers Defense is not very good is not paying attention to whats happening on the Field in 2015..
They are a Plus 5 in Takeaways with 8 Int’s and are 2nd in the NFL with 20 Sacks ..
Their Defense is built to stop the Pass and since they usually play with a lead by having a Good Offense led by Aaron Rodgers, they can short-change their Rushing Defense a bit since their Opponents are caught playing catch up..
Rams game was a perfect example where they allowed 159 Yards Rushing to RB Todd Gurley on 30 Carries but only gave up 10 pts since they clamped down on Foles, Rams WR’s and Created Turnovers..
Its the way you build a Defense in today’s Pass-Happy NFL..
The Broncos and Patriots have done the same thing..
If you can’t Defense the Pass very well and create Turnovers and Sacks,
you will not Win in the NFL .
The days of focusing your Defense on stopping the Run First is old-school and not relevant to Today’s Game
Just like Offense’s are built for the Big Play down the Field, the Top Defense’s are the same way, Get the Sack, Make the Int or Force a Fumble..

vinnietheevictor
vinnietheevictor
October 13, 2015 11:19 am

Observations from the game:

1 – Always fun to win. People seemed happy (in the second half – not the first where everyone around me was talking and the conversation was “Bradford sucks”) Post game celebrations were enjoyable.

2 – D was playing really well. Obv Cox finally had his “breakout”. But against what?

3 – Saints are terrible. No oline, no wrs, no rb, no D, and their QB is finished. Their team has been decimated by age and the salary cap.

4 – Bradford stinks. That game should have been 21-0 after the first Q. All the guy likes to do is throw behind his WRs. They have to spin around on every 2nd throw. Always reaching backwards. And the picks? Yuck. Over and over and over and over he had guys lined up in 1 on 1 on the outside, and he just won’t pull the trigger. 3rd and long….why not. Just once! Bradford showed me nothing to suggest he is “improving”

5 – D co-ords do not respect this offence at all. Its always “one high” safety, and when I say “high” I put it in quotation marks because it means about 12 yards back. All thie “They’re giving us the underneath routes” is complete garbage, because the exact opposite is happening. Opposing teams are all playing the underneath stuff. Now the saints have absolutely no defensive personnel or talent, so it doesn’t matter what scheme they run….but it is embarrassing how little fear D-coords have.

6 – Chip Kelly still absolutely sucks at clock management. That game should have ended at 32-10 about 15 mins (real time) earlier than it did. By my calculations Kelly “gave” the Saints about 4:00 mins of extra “game time” during the 4th Q. They were constantly snapping the ball at 10,11, 9, 14 seconds (ridiculous) and throwing…I mean they were throwing in the final drive when it was 32-10 and Saints on the bus. You know when they got the ball with 4:00 to go up 32-10…and they threw and scored a 4 sec td? Just kneel 3x Saints are not going to call a TO. Kick a fg. Kickoff to saints and they will kneel with less than a min to go. And A timeout before a FG???

Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. What happens if Malcolm Jenkins gets hurt in that final completely unnecessary Saints drive? There should never have been anyone on the field?

I know I sound like an old curmudgeon bringing this up when its a blowout….but its completely ridiculous and unnecessary. This is absolutely basic shit. You are up 10 pts with 4 to go and you are throwing? Taking timeouts before FGs? Snapping the ball at 11 seconds? WTF?

Canttakeitanymore
Canttakeitanymore
October 13, 2015 12:05 pm

At least we agree on one thing…you are an old curmudgeon. Typical “old man” eagles fan. Don’t take too much offense to that because my father is just like you and I argue with him every single Sunday.

It’s something about the 50+ year old eagles fans that drive me nuts. I get that for the most part, you guys are typically the “blue collar” union workers that make up a huge portion of this fan base. And for whatever reason, that group tends to be pessimistic by nature in sports and in life. I just don’t understand the mentality that the glass is always half empty and the only time you guys will acknowledge a positive is when it slaps you in the face.

paulman
paulman
October 13, 2015 12:22 pm

Give it another 20 Years Can’ttakeitanymore following the Philly Teams and you will be a Curmudgeon also… Its part of the Philly Fabric in terms of being a Sports Fan …

vinnietheevictor
vinnietheevictor
October 13, 2015 12:33 pm
Reply to  paulman

Agreed. Give it another 30 years.

And “Blue collar union guy?” (first of all, I have nothing but respect for people who get up and punch a clock every day) but you could not be further from reality when it comes to me.

I have worked all my life…and still dabble in things……..but you are a ways off in your analysis.

Biglion821
Biglion821
October 13, 2015 9:20 pm
Reply to  paulman

Shit I have no idea what the argument is, I’m just enjoying the hell out of seeing you cats throw around words like curmudgeon on a Eagles website. Hahahahaha

koolbreeze
koolbreeze
October 13, 2015 12:53 pm

Canttakeitanymore, you are wrong to compare Vinniedaloser to your Dad…

I see your point…the older guy griping about the Eagles…but this gripe comes from years of never winning the big one…

Vinniedaloser is much different…he is a traitor, a turncoat who has abandoned the team and will only get any joy out of this year if Bradford fails and the team fails.

Check the archives…look at his joyful predictions of the Eagles demise

Nick Foles his mancrush is not on the team so he condemns the team

Vinniedaloser is not a true Eagles fan…much different from your Dad

jbird
jbird
October 13, 2015 11:37 am

The Eagles are far from out of this huge hole. First beating the Giants might put us in first place for a minute in a lousy division. But since when has it been our goal to win the NFC East?? At 3-3 the Eagles still have must win games ahead to get back to relevance in the conference. You already lost the tie breaker to Atl. You cannot then lose the tie breaker to Carolina and drop to 2-4 in the conference standings. That is absolutely a must win game as well. Then you cannot be 4-4 overall, 3-4 conference and 1-3 in the division at the halfway mark. Dallas is absolutely a must win game as well. The Eagles have a long long way to go before we can feel ok about them. This was a good first step, but they have a lot more work ahead. Let’s be honest, if we are going to win the division at 9-7 and bow out in the first round with a home playoff loss, we may as well be 4-12 and get a good QB in the draft. There is no value in winning this division. So let’s remember that before we get too caried away with a win next week. And the Eagles need to remember that even more than we do.

paulman
paulman
October 13, 2015 12:00 pm
Reply to  jbird

The Reality is that the NFC and NFL is so mediocre anymore with more and more Practice Restrictions, Player Movement and Roster Overhaul’s each Season that the first Month of the Season is really like what Pre-Season used to be where most Teams are a work in progress based on how many new Players or Coach’s they have etc,etc since most Teams don’t play “Starter’s: much in the Pre-Season for fear of Injury..
Teams with Top QB’s are at such an advantage for they can make do with average OL or even average WR’s.. Teams with young or new QB’s are really behind the 8-Ball starting out as we see across the NFL for the most part…

The Bottom Line for the Eagles is that they lumped in with the other 2nd Tier of Teams in the NFC that all have a chance for the Post-Season
Throw the Eagles in with the Giants, Vikings,Seahawks,Rams,Redskins & Cowboys as Teams who will battle it out for the final Playoff Spot ..
1 or 2 of these Teams will end up getting hot to as 1-2 of these Teams will fall apart… Who knows… but it is a marathon and not a sprint..
Eagles Win Next Week vs the NY Giants and they live to fight for another week… They Lose to the NY Giants to fall to 2-4 (0-3 in the NFC East and 1-4 in the NFC Conference) and they are back where they started with only 10 games left and more Teams to leapfrog..

jbird
jbird
October 13, 2015 11:50 am

Contenders think on a conference level, not a divisional level. Winning the East is irrelevant. We are not competing with that slop. We are supposed to be competing with the Packers, Seahawks, Cards, Falcons, Panthers. Otherwise Chip’s program and our football team is not taking a step forward but a considerable step backwards. But there are some encouraging signs. Bradford appears to be shaking off his rust and playing like a top 15 QB the last two weeks. And aside from blowing the Skins game the D is obviously improved from the last two seasons. It is a middle of the pack defense now with room to grow if Kendricks and Alonso can be back to being impact players by December and Cox can be more like he was Sunday on a more regular basis. He has been a very good player, but we need him to step up to greatness if we hope to excel on defense moving forward. Cox has tons of ability and I have found his lack of sacks more than a little disappointing. Other 3-4 linemen get sacks so please do not give me that lecture Paulman. He has to be like he was Sunday more often. Ten sacks is not asking too much for such a talented player. He seems like the nicest most humble guy when you hear him speak. He needs to channel his inner killer a little more.

jbird
jbird
October 13, 2015 12:01 pm

In all honesty, the Eagles really need to win every game between now and the Patriots game. I already stated the next three games are must wins to be relevant in the conference. After that, you simply cannot lose to Miami, TB or Detroit because they suck and it is totally unacceptable to lose any of those games. Plus, the fourth quarter is a sneaky killer lurking on our schedule. Buf, Ariz, Wash and NYG is not a walk in the park. All those teams will be playing for something. Buf will be playing for a WC. Ariz will be playing for their division and a bye. Wash and D Jack will be playing to ruin our season again. And the Giants will be playing for the division still. We will need to win at least two of those games or we will be out on our asses. And its very likely it will be a win or go home game agaisnt the Giants to end the year much like 2013. So, in summary to even have a shot at 10-6, we will need to be 8-3 on Black Friday.

paulman
paulman
October 13, 2015 12:07 pm
Reply to  jbird

So your saying the Eagles need to win the next 6 Games in a Row to get to
8-3 in order to have a chance to make the Playoffs..
I say you are wrong about that..

jbird
jbird
October 13, 2015 12:14 pm
Reply to  paulman

I am saying they need to win the next six in order to have a chance to win in the playoffs. You can’t lose to Atl, Carolina, NE and Ariz and think we have a shot to win a playoff game. Losing to every good team on our schedule has to stop!

paulman
paulman
October 13, 2015 12:33 pm
Reply to  jbird

You have to make the Playoffs First JBird and the only way the Eagles do that is by Winning the NFC East for its so poor this Year that a Wildcard Team is not going to come from the NFC East…
You can’t worry about beating the Packers or Cardinals or Seahawks or Panthers in the Playoffs if you don’t even make the Post-Season…
Win your Division First, then look to beat the Top Teams is just where the Eagles are at like most of the Teams in the NFC

At the end of the 2015, The Eagles are not legitimate Super Bowl Contenders, Most of us know this already, some of us knew this during the Off-Season, and some are just finding out now.. Either way, you Play your 16 Game Schedule and have to see what happens and how things Play out for that’s the NFL where every Week thing can and often do change..
Cardinals were on Cruise Control last season until PAmer Got hurt, then what happened… They end up going thru 3 other QB’s and have to play a 4th String QB and lose to the 7-8-1 Panthers ..
Packers were Rolling until Rodgers hurt his Calf and he was not 100% during their Playoff Games but they went as far as they could..
Cowboys are all banged up, Seahawks OL is worse than the Eagles,
Falcons,Panthers, Giants are exceeeding everyone’s expectations..
Eagles,Saints,Lions have all under-achieved but unlike the Saints & Lions
the Eagles still have a fighters chance …
4 Games in the books with 12 to Go is a lot of Football (3 Months Time) is an eternity on who gets Hot, Who stay Healthy and Who gets some breaks along the way…
Every Post-Season, there are 1-2 New Teams in and 1-2 Old Teams Out,
Why not the Eagles…

jbird
jbird
October 13, 2015 12:53 pm
Reply to  paulman

I agree that at the end of the day, we were not really SB contenders. But, we were expected to be another good off-season away from that mark not a middling team that looks lost and inconsistent. And I did expect us to be NFCC contenders. I did think we had Final Four potential. Definitely a top ten team. So yeah, just because I didn’t expect to win the SB doesn’t mean I expected to be 7-9 and rudderless. At the end of the year I expected to be getting close.

paulman
paulman
October 13, 2015 1:07 pm
Reply to  jbird

The key from going 7-9 to 11-5 and making noise was basically going to hinge on the Play of Sam Bradford which none of us who like him or dislike could know with any amount of certainty due to his lack of recent action the last coupld of Seasons.. Is he an upgrade to Nick Foles ? Perhaps, big is he a big enough updgrade to make an Impact and get the Eagles to that Final 4 in the NFL… Not very likely.. So then the next Question becomes, who is the QB for 2016 ? You just can’t keep rolling out a different QB every Summer/Season and expect to compete with the Big Boys…
If Bradford moves on in Free-Agency, which is very likely, then who do the Eagles get at QB ?? If it’s a Draft Pick, then you can expect another 2-3 Years of Growth Pains and maybe sitting behind Sanchez for 2016 (and in which Chip Kelly is likely gone by the time the Draft Pick ever even Starts) Who is out there in Free-Agency or Trade Wise that Chip Kelly can get to hope they make an improvement at the QB Position… A RG3? EJ Manuel ?
Is a Matt Stafford potentially available, Johnny Football…

The reality is becoming clear that without a top notch-franchise QB, its very difficult to see the Eagles more than a 7 to 9 to maybe 10Win Team with a 1st Round Playoff Exit, even if they make it .. (basically a 2nd Tier Team)

jbird
jbird
October 13, 2015 1:22 pm
Reply to  paulman

I have to watch the next three games before I can fully judge Bradford. I still think the bigger issue is our defense. What are they going to do to become elite? Obviously the first step is you have to do better than Billy Davis, Byron Maxwell and Brandon Graham. The coordinator, secondary and pass rush are just not good enough. And getting back to our ongoing argument about Fletcher Cox. We need him to get sacks. JJ Watt plays in a 3-4 and I think he usually gets a few. I think Cox is not that far from Watt in terms of talent. I think he is really a very very good football player. He should get 10-12 sacks, because I do think he is in the ballpark with JJ Watt, Bruce Smith, Warren Sapp, Jerome Brown. And they got sacks from the interior. So, by that logic, I feel Cox should be making a similar impact. I don’t think we should be ok with him being a Trent Cole type player because he is way more gifted than a Trent Cole and needs to be more like a Jerome Brown type player because he can be that good. Greatness is my expectation. I think he has the ability to be a HOF player. Thats why I bitch about 4 or 5 sacks because I think he is too good for that.

jbird
jbird
October 13, 2015 1:26 pm
Reply to  paulman

I guess our argument about Cox and his role comes down to the fact that I think your expectations of Cox are too low and you think he is not a great player. I disagree and want him to blossom into the player I think he is.

paulman
paulman
October 13, 2015 1:45 pm
Reply to  paulman

You won’t get an argument from me about Fletcher Cox who I like..
But he is not not the Type of Pass-Rusher like a JJ Watt who is just a Freak of an athlete… Cox should end up with about 8-10 Sacks which for a DL in a 3-4 Scheme is about the best you can ask for.. This 3-4 Scheme of Billy Davis relys on the LB’s to get the Sacks.. It is what it is as Logan, Cox, Thornton or Bair, Allen or Hard’s Job will be to tie up 1-2 OL to free up the LB’s to get to the QB.. If the Eagles got more Production from their OLB’s in Terms of Sacks that other Teams had to game plan and double team on, then that would open up things on the inside.. As long as F Cox and B Logan are getting Penetration and moving the Pocket backwards or side to side for others to make Plays, then they are doing their Jobs..
Would it be Great for Fletcher to get 15-18 Sacks, Hell Yes it would be, but that’s not his Game or whats being asked of him..
I am a big fan of Fletcher Cox who has come on the last couple of weeks and needs to play at a High Level every week along with Bennie Logan to give the Eagles a nice Presence in the middle of their DL..

I hope that DC Billy Davis starts to emphasize more and different Schemes to improve the Pass-Rush even if it means giving up more in the Rush Defense.. Occasional 5-6-8 even 10 Yard Runs do not beat you but having a QB drop back 35-40 times a Game with little pressure to survey the entire field or consistent pressure does..

paulman
paulman
October 13, 2015 12:03 pm

**** Paulman Rumor*****
Jeff Fisher to become the next HC for the USC Trojans…

koolbreeze
koolbreeze
October 13, 2015 12:38 pm

“I know I sound like an old curmudgeon…”

This is the only worthy part of your “observation” Vinniedaloser

You sound like that because you ARE an old curmudgeon…LOL

After a dominating Eagles performance, Vinniedaloser gives us his normal and predictable bash the QB and Chip Kelly routine.

Tired and Lame ass “observations”

The continued moaning and griping about Sam Bradford after a blowout win where he recovered from the turnovers to throw for over 300 yards and go 13-15 in the crunch time of the second half is absolutely ridiculous

In order to place things in proper perspective our current QB situation has to be compared to our previous one..

Close your eyes and imagine the nightmare of Nick Foles being on this team…then open your eyes and watch the tape of the Rams/Packers game to see the nightmare confirmed!

Missing wide open receivers, scared, shook-throwing the ball up for grabs..confused cant figure out the defense…throwing 4-count em’ 4 interceptions in one game-killing every conceivable chance the Rams had to win..

We saw the real Nick Foles on Sunday…a real nightmare

The Nick Foles nightmare-11-for-30, 141 yards, 1 TD, 4 interceptions, 23.8 rating, spoils a 130 yard rushing performance from Gurley, and an excellent defensive performance. Foles with better receivers, a solid offensive line, a strong running game and a good defense all wiped out by some of the worst QB play I have ever seen…Nick Foles is failing miserably with the Rams…he is going backwards fast. Thank God we got rid of him

Bradford of course is headed in the opposite direction…showing leadership on the team, instilling confidence…a number of players pointed to the pre-game meeting he called as an uplifting and inspiring act of leadership from the QB…and then went out and produced leading the team to a convincing win! Not a lucky one where he’s bailed out by special teams…but a convincing win with a strong performance

Our QB is getting better the one we got rid of is showing exactly why we dumped him!

jbird
jbird
October 13, 2015 12:40 pm

Paul…in reference to your post above, I agree that first four games are the new preseason. People are getting a bit carried away with the Panthers who have played four one-win teams and Cards have also played slop. Granted they are destroying the slop, but lets see them play GB and Seattle before we tout their greatness. The season kind of got real this week. That’s why I think the Eagles are still in must win mode. These next three games is when we see what we really have. If we are 2-2 in the second quarter, we just don’t have much of a team and Chip’s makeover will be an official failure in the short term. If we go 3-1, we are still alive in the NFCE but the conference standings are done for us. We would have to get hot late in the year and peak at the right time, win on the road in the playoffs and all that stuff. If we go 4-0, we might just be what people thought we could be but just took some time to gel. Playing Carolina on the road with them coming off a loss when we just won a huge division game is not a great spot to be in next week though. That looks like a classic trap game.

paulman
paulman
October 13, 2015 12:41 pm

More Coaching Rumor’s

****Sean Payton to become the Next HC of the Indy Colts
****Jim Harbaugh to become the Next HC of the Detroit Lions
**** Chip Kelly to become the Next HC of the U Of Texas
*****Pat Shurmur to become the Next HC of the Eagles
**** Jimbo Fisher to become the Next HC of the Miami Dolphins
**** Kyle Shanahan to become the Next HC of the NO Saints

More to Follow …

paulman
paulman
October 13, 2015 12:54 pm

Panthers have Played the Seahawks hard and very close the last 3 Games with 2 of them decided in the final minute, Carolina is built to play that slow, ugly, methodical, field position, physical brand of Football which is about the only way to really play and have a chance at the end to beat the Seahawks who will come out fuming after blowing a 17 Point Lead to the Bengals with 11 Minutes left in the 4th Quarter last week…
And I didn’t say the Panthers are great by any means, they are more of a throwback like the Seahawks but struggle versus the up-tempo Teams of the Packers & Eagles as the Panthers simply don’t have the athleticism and playmakers to put up a lot of Points ..Panthers get their Heart and Soul Leader on Defense Back this week in Luke Kuechley who has not played for a month.. I think the Seahawks (2-3) Beat the Panthers (4-0) in a close hard fought battle
The Panthers next 4 Games are the Following
at Seahawks (After a Bye Week) then Host the Eagles,Colts & Packers so we will see how good the Panthers are or are not…
(if the go 2-2 over this stretch and would be 6-2 Overall, I would think they are sitting in good shape as their Schedule gets easier the 2nd half of the Season playing the Falcons Twice,TB Bucs , Saints, Cowboys, Redskins,Cowboys & Titans ..

deserteagle
deserteagle
October 13, 2015 7:16 pm
Reply to  paulman

Pman ..j bird..the NFC east as Paul said is the first goal ,as that insures a return to the dance..The next game is a national audience vs.Sheli..that’s the proverbial must win.. On consecutive night games vs.Carolina will be a winnable game and then a much needed bye..at 4-3 with a third consecutive night time game vs Dallas ..Miami and Tampa and then turkey bowl vs Lions.and along rest to play New England and close things out with some tough defenses in back to back winter games vs Buffalo and Arizona ..Washington and the Giants ..9-7 gets this division and 11-5 is one hot team ,probably with a bye ..