Apart from Saints game, doesn’t it seem like the Eagles are still in the preseason? Week after week it seems like they’re helping convince the teams they’re playing that it’s time to scrap 2009 and start the rebuilding process.
Carolina, Kansas City, and Tampa Bay all put up as much fight as a high school team, but compared to this Sunday, those three will feel like all-star teams.
The Raiders are in complete disarray (still) and show no real signs of crawling out of the gutter. They’ve got at least four first-round picks not doing a thing to help the team. JaMarcus Russell is a liability, DHB can’t catch a cold, Michael Huff can’t even crack the starting lineup, and Richard Seymour wasn’t worth the first-round pick they gave up for him.
Great, now the Patriots get a top five pick. Yeah, that’s what the NFL needs.
Anyway, since the Raiders won’t put up a real fight, this is more a list of what I’ll be watching for out of the Eagles rather than what they have to do to win.
That would be a real short article. You ready? Here it is.
Keys to an Eagles win:
1. Show up.
The end.
Now that I said that, expect the Eagles to lose in the most astounding upset of all time.
So here’s what I’ll be keeping a close eye on during the game.
Coverage of the Tight End
This has not only been a problem for the Eagles this season, but it seems like it’s been a problem ever since Carlos Emmons left town for New York. It doesn’t matter if it’s Dhani Jones or Chris Gocong, the Eagles defense just cannot seem to be able to contain the tight ends.
In the NFC East, more than any other division, coverage of the tight end is vital. The division has premiere tight ends in Jason Witten and Chris Cooley, and a young guy like Kevin Boss who is a very good target for Eli Manning.
Zach Miller is a good tight end, so whether or not JaMarcus Russell can actually throw the ball within 20 yards of him is irrelevant. The thing to watch will be how he gets off the line and whether or not he’s actually open when Russell attempts to throw him the ball.
It will be on Gocong to man up and cover the tight end. If he can’t, perhaps Sean McDermott should see if Omar Gaither can complete the trifecta, play SAM, and cover the tight end. Either that or stick Quintin Mikell on him. Any way they do it, it must be done or they will lose some divisional games because of it.
Get Pressure With the Front Four
Blitzing will always be a staple of the Philadelphia Eagles defense. Buddy Ryan did it in the late 80’s into the early 90’s, there was a dark period of Eagles history that we don’t discuss, then Jim Johnson took over and carried on what Buddy started. Now, it’s McDermott.
The philosophy of Buddy Ryan was always very simple. If they block with five, he’ll bring six. If they block with six, he’ll bring seven. If they block with seven, he’ll bring all 11 guys.
Johnson was a bit more complex than that, but the principle was the same.
But blitzing really should just be something that a team can do, not something a team must do. What I mean is if the Eagles defense wants to take the next step, the front four needs to get pressure on their own on a consistent basis, and not have to rely on the blitz.
In fact, it seemed like the Eagles blitzed too much last week. The blitzers seemed to be clogging themselves in the lanes and creating more problems than they were solving. I mean, you can only fit so many people through a door, right?
Get the Running Game Going Early
If there’s one thing that the Raiders have, it’s a talented secondary. Nnamdi Asomugha is the best corner in the league, and Chris Johnson isn’t exactly a scrub. The safeties aren’t great, but they’re serviceable.
They’re 31st in the league in pass defense, but that’s more because of a lack of a pass rush than it is a knock on the corners. Even the best corners can only stick with a receiver for so long.
So while the Eagles offense should be able to pass all of this defense because McNabb will have all day, they should use this game as an opportunity to get LeSean McCoy and Brian Westbrook some easy stats and some carries under their belt heading into divisional play.
And once again, it’s time to see McCoy as the starter. He’s the better runner and will be able to take more of a beating than Westbrook. This is a great game to work out the kinks in the running game and really get it started next week against Washington when Todd Herremans returns to the lineup.
