Is it a coincidence that when Asante Samuel was out of the lineup in both the Tennessee game and the Chicago game, the team’s secondary got torched? I don’t think so.
I know Michael Vick didn’t have his best game and DeSean Jackson wasn’t happy about how much he got the ball, but the Eagles defense was the reason the Birds lost that game to the Bears.
More specifically it was the secondary that must step and play aggressively or Matt Schaub and the Texans will be tough to beat.
The secondary doesn’t have any swagger when Samuel is out of the lineup. They weren’t attacking the ball when it was in the air. On every touchdown pass on Sunday, the Eagles were caught flatfooted.
On the first touchdown, both rookie safety Nate Allen and nickel back Joselio Hanson hesitated as Jay Cutler waited wide receiver Earl Bennett to release inside and get open for a short throw.
Quintin Mikell got caught guessing as Cutler hit Bennett for the second score.
Bears tight end Greg Olsen took the ball from cornerback Dimitri Patterson as he waited for the ball to get there.
If Samuel is not able to go against the Texans, Andre Johnson and his boys could wreak havoc. Does that mean Samuel is going to blanket Johnson if he plays? No, but the fact that he’s out there talking and acting like they can handle these guys will help the rest of the secondary step up.
Quintin Mikell is a veteran and a decent safety but he’s not a difference-maker like Samuel. Young players like Allen and Patterson don’t at look up to Mikell in the same way they look at Samuel.
They’re in desperate need Samuel’s swagger and big plays this week. A big play or two from Samuel could turn the secondary around right away.
If the Birds don’t turn it around and start playing aggressively, I could see a physical receiver like Johnson having a big day against them. Johnson is known for taking the ball away from defensive backs. If the secondary plays the way they did last week, he’ll have a field day.
Hopefully the secondary will have their big brother, Samuel, with them on Thursday night.
They better double team him all game. That’s all I have to say about that.
double teaming doesn’t matter if the guy is 6″ taller than both d-backs. Like G said, you play aggressive upfront on him and get to Schaub.
Let’s also not forget that the Bird’s D was horrid against the run last week and they have to face Foster…
They made Forte look like Walter Payton last Sunday…and Foster is the Top RB in the league..
Plus the Texan’s O- line is pretty good too!!
Could be a long night for the D!!
Double team does matter. It’s not just about his size. The QB will have to be an idiot to keep throwing into double coverage. Sooner or later he will make a mistake. Double teaming either makes the QB force the ball somewhere that it should not go, or forces someone else to beat you. I much rather Schaub throw into double coverage all night then to attempt to “play aggressive” with our smallish DBs.
Can’t contradict and say we can’t double team because he’s too big but then say we have to be aggressive upfront. To me it would see that it’s harder to be aggressive on someone that is that much bigger than you. But that’s just. How about aggressive upfront AND double team? Makes a hell of a lot more sense than leaving someone one on one with him. Period.
yeahyeah is hear you.
Overall this year they have actually played well against some pretty good running backs, lets hope the defense can return to what was working. Our tackling last week was terrible, that MUST improve if we want to win going forward. I believe that there are some matchups that are difficult, but have a feeling that Chicago was a wake up call for this team. They need to come out strong at home and limit A Johnson’s damage.
Andy on why he didn’t put ASAM on Britt “I know Sean already talked to you about that. Sean had thought about that. There’s more to it than that. In the middle of the game, you just don’t start flopping guys around. It’s not as easy just to go say ‘you’re playing man coverage over here.’ That’s not how you do it. There are a lot of different schemes involved, so it’s a tough thing to do. And listen, going in we had full trust that the guys who were covering him, would cover him. You get into a game like that you can’t just switch another guy over.”
My guess….. ASAM plays on the left side and stays on the left side.
to me its simple…… can the vick,djack,Jmac,shady show get rolling early?? Because if they do we will be fine on D. We are built to stop teams from throwing down field.
i am sorry scorp…use less words…trouble comprehending your high level thought…you must be a member of mensa.
you want us NOT to be aggressive…if I am comprehending your deep thought….so consequently we sit back and let them pick us apart…that might work for you on Madden, but they will kill us sitting back.
good gameplan stevo…i think we used that one in washington
i will say though… the Giants and Atl game showed that our D can play. I guess im a bit hard on them. I make no bones about it…. im not a fan of how we build a team on d. Im not a fan of our system on D either. It has not done us any favors come playoff time.
to me Eagles D is one that people fear. They see us on the schedule and they know its gunna hurt. We havent had that kinda D in some time.
I think we win tomorrow btw. I think we have way to much speed on O to not win. We are gunna be everywhere. I think this is what happens…..
1) We get jackson the ball early…. either a deep throw like in Wash or an endaround on the first drive.
2) Vick and the WR’s get on the same page and are tight.
3) we shut down the big fella…. he will get some catches but im not worried.
4) asam gets a big pick to seal it.
The Eagles will have their hands full with this Houston Texans Receiveng Corps with or without A Samuel, Texans have more weapons than just A Johnson who is probably the top 3 WR in the NFL
They also have size with their other WR’s too
WR K Walter 6-3″ 220 lbs
WR D Dickerson 6-4″ 225 lbs
WR J Jones 6-2 210 lbs
TE O Daniels is injured and out for the Season, but don’t fall asleep on TE J Dressen who at 6-4 250lbs and has 4 TD Receptions and is their best blocking TE and then they also have 2nd Year TE J Casey at 6-3 240lbs who is more a receiver type..
Then you get to the RB’s
A Foster at 6-1″ 230 lbs and a 5 Yard per carry average
D Ward at 5-11 225 lbs and a 6 Yard per carry average and gives them toughness and experience
S Slaton at 5-9″ 215 lbs and still a threat on draw plays, screens ,which give the Eagles problems..
Eagles have not faced a team that has these many weapons probably since the Packer’s game to start the season (The Giants & Colts were both pretty banged up with some of their skill players) This will be a huge test and a must-win game for either team if they want to make the playoffs
Anone who thinks the Texasn will be intimidate and tentative coming to PHiladelphia has a rude awakening, thet Texans have probably played better on the road and will play hard all 60 minutes
Eagles must win the Turnover battle and must get pressure and hit QB Schaub and not allow him to get into a rhythm like Cutler did last week..
green, when did I say I want us to not be aggressive. I simply said the main gameplan against Johnson should be to double team him. Now does that mean not be aggressive? I’m pretty sure it’s possible to be aggressive and double team him at the same time. You on the other hand just dismissed double teaming him altogether as it wouldn’t matter. When in actuality you can do both. If I had to choose between double teaming and playing soft/bracket coverage (which I never said) or playing aggressive 1 on 1, I’d prefer the double team. But since it is possible to do both I would like to mix up the double teaming to throw off the QB from soft bracket coverages to bump and run with a safety getting over quickly.
I’m not sure how you came up to your conclusion that I said to not play aggressive at all. I’m pretty sure I didn’t say that. I see your 3rd grade comprehension level is failing you again.
paulman they have a lot of weapons and they are also a very up and down team. As long as we get pressure on Schaub I think we will be fine. The have to come to the East coast on a short week outdoors on a cold Thursday night. That’s already a disadvantage for them. Of course I don’t think that’s the main factor but it is relevant. It’s already noted around the league how much harder it is for teams that have to travel to the East Coast or short weeks and how bad they usually perform. Not the end all be all but a noteworthy factor.
@scorp- as you stated
“To me it would see that it’s harder to be aggressive on someone that is that much bigger than you.”
Does that sound like a plan to advocate aggressive play? I am sure you will tell me that I could not comprehend such deep thinking, but where in that statement did you say we should be aggressive?
greenfan, Let’s go back to school. Here we go.
If I said “I think the Eagles should throw the ball against Houston”.
Does that mean that they shouldn’t run the ball at all? You Need a clue? A lifeline?
Unfortunately you aren’t smarter than a 5th grader so you probably will draw another incorrect conclusion.
green that was in response to you contradicting yourself by saying Johnson is too big to double team but we can play aggressive against him. That’s not me saying we shouldn’t be aggressive at all. No comprende?
if Eagles d is that dependent on a playmaker in the back, undersized, doesn’t hit, this d is in trouble here and down the road.
See here’s you problem. You think because someone didn’t say it, that means they are against it. Did I say “we shouldn’t play aggressive him”? No I just say we should double team him. That’s not saying we shouldn’t be aggressive at all. My response was to you because you dismissed double teaming period. But I think it’s possible to double him and be aggressive at the same time. Maybe I have to talk to you like my 2 year old son because it’s pretty obvious you have problems with inferences and reading comprehension.
jake, I agree. And that’s not a knock on Asante, it’s a knock on the rest of the team. I will say that 3/4 of the secondary (not Hanson) are very young. It’s hard to play CB in this league. I never thought I’d say this but I wish Ellis Hobbs could play.
Scorp- glad to see that you are able to steal a good WiFi signal at the crack house this morning…you must be smoking some good stuff
not as good as the stuff you are smoking
It starts up front w the big men, cole and dix, put presssure on qb allowing Asante to do his thing
jake, yeah I’m with you. Our d-line has played good series at a time and then disappear for parts of the game. We will need consistent pressure through the entire game to slow them down. A secondary’s best friend is a good pass rush.
guys, yesterday was feudin day, today is kum ba yah
The Eagles Offense needs to run the ball, throw more screen plays, run some reverses,
the Texans D/Line is pretty athletic and active (but not much depth though), their Secondary is their weakness and if the Eagles can soften them up with some runs,screens,mis-direction plays early,
then they can attack them deep as the game progresses.. Vick should scramble a few times early
to keep the Texans Defense on their heels
Whats the weather forescast, any high winds,wet conditions could hurt both the deep passing and kicking game which could be a factor too..
This is not a gimme game by any stretch, the Texans O/Line and Offense in general have played pretty well all season, it’s their Defense and Special teams that have let them down, they come in at 5-6 but could easily be 7-4 with a break or 2…
scorp-
I astupid and don’t undrestand…i not smoking…was that supposed to be a funny…oh…i get it..you changed from your regular elementary school putdown and tried to be cleaver….i have so much to learn from such a learned man as yourself. So what is it, be aggressive or not? How soon till you try and bring Kolb into this discussion, isn’t that what you are famous for scorpygirl?
Yeah I would like to see some more screens. We don’t do it as much as we used to. I think we need to get McCoy out more often with blockers in front of him. He’s already shown he can make big plays in the open field. I also think Vick may run a little more when the opportunities are there. And that’s what he needs to do. We all want him to be a good passer but the thing that makes him a special play is his legs so he just has to find a good balance. I think he will over the next few weeks.
Do they cover up the field on rainy days when there aren’t games? If so then the field should be fine. Supposed to be really cold though. If not, then I would imagine it would be wet but not too wet because the rain should stop tonight and the drainage system there is pretty good.
green, I’m done man. Nothing else to say. The more and more I try to make sense for you, the more elementary your posts become. I’m done.
scorp- Isn’t that what I tried to say yesterday….but you didn’t comprehend?
Bottom line is Eagles Front 4 needs to step up and win this game…
The Eagles D has done well against the top QB’s for the most part (Rodgers,both Mannings,McNabb)
but they have struggled against the likes of S Hill, K Collins, A Smith, J Cutler who have had big games against this defense. They need to focus and step up and harrass QB Schaub early and often. If the Eagles can jump out and put 7’s on the board early and not FG’s, they could have a verybig night, but if they come out sleepwalking and have penalties,drop balls,settle for 3’s
this Texans Offense can put points up in a hurry and get more confident as the game goes on..
Need to come out smokin from the get go.It’s pretty simple, the Loser of this game will not make the playoffs this year, so the sense of urgency has to be right from the start.
Nope. You brought up some old conversation from last week. Don’t start stuff back up and then act like you were the one trying to move on. But I am done. Not going back and forth with you about what I said when I know what I said and not what you infer based on your own knowledge.
Paulman I agree. And with what you said about the QBs we’ve played well against and didn’t it’s interesting that our dline seems to play much better at home. The D-line is definitely one of those position that should be able to play well both home and away.
scorp you really have a problem…..go and RE-READ those posts, anyone can. You are obsessed with having the last word and continuing the debate about what you said. You have big issues man, I said I waas done yesterday and you continued your juvenile comprehension retort. I bet you badger your 2 year old into tears with repeating things over and over. You need serious help. Who cares what you said about Kolb last week? My point was he is the backup, why even talk about him, but to continue this shit is pathetic.
You are saying who cares but at the same time you keep bringing it up. Your point was well taken but it was incorrectly applied to the actual conversation going on. You asked a question about why we are talking about the backup and the answer drummer and I gave was, “we aren’t talking about the backup”. That should have been the end of it there but you insisted that the people that were actually discussing it didn’t know what the topic of their conversation was. I need help but yet you are the one keep bringing it up.
Who said this today? “How soon till you try and bring Kolb into this discussion, isn’t that what you are famous for scorpygirl?”
Looks like you’re the one that needs help. Obviously you have some sort of issue with people brining up Kolb or something. Not sure but that’s a personal issue you need to discuss with your therapist. And if I want to bring Kolb up today, so the fuck what. If I want to talk about friggin King Dunlap, so the fuck what. Or if I want to bring up Eldra Buckley, so the fuck what.
Matter fact just don’t shit else to me and we’re good.
Sometimes you gotta talk to bitches like bitches
OK…as a matter of fact I want to know why Reid ran Eldra Buckly on the second play of the game on Sunday. Thanks for bring up his name, I had forgotten. The play must have been scripted, so why did he want to get Buckley into the running game? Why not Harrison who ran so well in Washington?
see what i mean scorp…you just can’t let well enough alone. Fuck you again
see I can go back to talking about football with you. I thought the same thing about Buckley. I was wondering why Harrison didn’t get more touches. It wasn’t working for Shady running the ball so I would have liked to see a little change of pace. Instead we were scoring field goals and the Bears were scoring touchdowns to the point where we had to get almost completely away from the run. But I agree about harrison may he figured Buckley could give a change of pace. Sometimes Reid’s playcalling and in game management is just baffling.
with the safeties playing so far off the ball we needed to be running the ball more. it would have also slowed Peppers pass rush too. Shadey has proved alot to me this year. I was worried about a sophmore slump, but he has been solid. He has the most receptions on the team, he has run really well and did you see the block against Urlacher, he has really improved his blocking. I want to see some balance return to the offense, but not with Bunckley.
Fully agree. Running is the key to getting Desean and Maclin space down field. As long as we can’t/don’t run the ball those safeties can just sit back there. But if we start having some success they have to move up a little closer, run blitz a little and get sucked into play action then it’s over down field. But it’s easy to take a guy like Jackson away when you can’t run the ball. This is why I think if McCoy can’t get going, Vick is going to have to start taking off a little more so those safeties are paying more attention to his legs than our receivers. And I agree, I don’t want to see Buckley, ever.
You guys are over the top with this mess. Say something about d scheme…o scheme.Nobody wants or probably reads your dudes lil b.s. debates.
The offense needs too just play ball controll. Keep the rock away from there offense and blitz the crap outta Shaub..he cant move at all. Foster is a great back. But we tend too pick it up at home against great backs,so im confident in our d with regards too rungame. Get big brother Sante back and let him ballhawk.Status on J.P. anyone?
It seems all too often that Andy tries to do it the reverse by having the big passing plays set up the run rather than the run set up the plays. And that bites us in the butt a lot because before we know it, we have to keep passing to stay in or win the game. I would like to see them come out with a nice balance to keep the defense off balance. I hated with McNabb and I hate it with Vick….. coming out lining up is shot gun almost every play. Just get under center and hand the ball off consistently.
JP is out…dang.
Thats not how our offense works.Our weaponry is not built for that.
And can someone explain why our returners run straight too the traffic. Anyone else notice that…BOUNCE IT MAN!!!
Erock, no need for you to chime in on our discussion. If you don’t want to read it, then don’t.
And to your football point, instead of saying obvious stuff like we need to “play ball control” (well duh), care to share how the Eagles are going to be able to do that if “Thats not how our offense works.Our weaponry is not built for that”? What exactly is our weaponry built for? Enlighten us, please.
just read where DE J Parker has been ruled out and will not play.. This hurts
Bth Graham and Tapp have been effective as role players when the they get 15-20 snaps a game..
Now they will have to split snaps which means T Laws will get more snaps at DT in plcae of Tapp who will play DE and also mean T Cole gets less breathers… This doesn’t bode well and the others need to step up and play well and especially the OLB’s to contain RB Foster and don’t let him get to the edge for that’s whan he’s most dangeroues..
Sometimes the DE’s take too outside of a rush lane to get to the QB where in essence, they help create a nice running lane to run thru. the LB’s needs to be ready to fill the holes and tackle a lot better than they did last week, Foster also likes to cut-back so keeping disciplined and in your lanes to cover the back side…
I like Vick in the shotgun. They have a number of running plays they run from that formation.
I do not like when we have a 3rd or 4th and less than a yard and we use the shotgun, which happen a couple times this year.
Set up the passing game by establishing the run. That is how I see it.