I posted a Game Preview.
http://www.scoutsnotebook.com/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&p=9073#9073
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ProFootballTalk has an item up about LJ missing the game. They think that Lawyer Milloy should be suspended since LJ is going to miss the game.
No way.
Milloy got penalized for that hit, but it wasn't dirty. It wasn't malicious. He was half a step late. He hit LJ in the chest with his shoulder. I'm all for player safety, but you cannot start punishing players for hard hits. That would ruin the game of football.
Had Milloy hit him clearly out of bounds...had he hit LJ head-to-head...had he speared him a few seconds after the play then maybe I could understand the notion of a suspension.
There is no way in the name of Wes Hopkins, Andre Waters, Terry Hoage, Mike Zordich, Tim Hauck, and Brian Dawkins that I am going to say a suspension would be fair.
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Friday, October 31, 2008
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
The Incredible Bunk
Brodrick Bunkley was drafted 14th overall in 2006. The Eagles thought they had a stud defensive tackle to anchor the defense. Things have been up and down since then.
His rookie year was basically wasted. Bunk came to Lehigh late and out of shape due to a holdout. He played some, but did little. He took over as the starting RDT in 2007 and had a solid season.
Would Bunkley breakout and be even better in '08? He was pedestrian in the season opener. The coaches weren't thrilled with him. They know he's got the talent to be a dominant kind of DT. He was up and down through the SF game.
In the 4th Qtr of the San Francisco game, Bunkley came alive. He started playing like a man on a mission. That performance carried over to the Falcons game. Bunk was the best DT on the field for either team. He took on double teams and clogged running lanes. He beat single blocking. He chased the ball when it went away from him. That was the Brodrick Bunkley we've been waiting to see.
Brod has the potential to be a dominant DT. He is strong as an ox. He can take on blockers, even double teams, and hold his ground. He's strong enough to shed blocks. He is quick off the ball and has athletic ability.
Bunk won't be considered a dominant player until he is able to play at a high level consistently. The other key for him is that he needs to make a few more plays. The best DTs create plays for others, but also come up with some sacks and TFLs for themselves.
Last year Bunk had 3 sacks and 9 TFLs. Those were pretty good numbers for a DT, especially in his first year as a starter. This season Bunk has 1 sack and 1 TFL. I don't think they are letting him penetrate as much, but I'd still like more production from him.
I don't see Bunkley ever becoming Albert Haynesworth good. He is able to control games. Bunk doesn't quite have that kind of potential. I do think he's just scratching the surface of how good he can be. If Brodrick is able to take that next step and become a real force at DT the defense could go from good to great.
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Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Monday, October 27, 2008
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Sunday Night Thoughts
The Eagles won 27-14. It wasn't pretty, but it was a win. The Eagles have now taken two games in a row. Let's hope that is just the start of a nice winning streak.
I wrote about the need for the Eagles to funnel the offense through Brian Westbrook in my last post. They did just that and it paid off big time. Brian ran for 167 yards and 2 TDs. He led the Eagles with 6 catches (for 42 yards).
The offense is explosive when McNabb throws the ball downfield and goes all over the place, but it is efficient and consistent when it focuses on getting the ball to the RB, whether Buck or Westy.
If we can get Westy hot, that will make winning games a whole lot easier. Sunday was a great start.
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* The run defense came to play. They clogged the middle. They sealed the edges. It was a total team effort. The Falcons finished with 24 carries for 77 yards.
* The Eagles ran the ball very well, 32 rushes for 192 yards and 3 TDs. They did a couple of things. The OL blocked well and let Westy get free up the middle. The edge blockers sealed well a couple of times and let Brian get outside.
Philly also had success running against the Falcons Nickel defense. With only 6 defenders in the box, the Eagles were able to get a hat on a hat and give Westbrook plenty of room to run.
* I was very impressed with QB Matt Ryan. About halfway through the 2nd Qtr I wasn't sure which team had the rookie passer. Ryan made some mistakes, but he played very well overall. His receivers didn't help him out. They had a couple of drops and sloppy routes.
McNabb really struggled until about haflway through the 2nd Qtr. He missed LJ on a seam route for a big gain and I screamed "DONOVAN!!!" so loud that I figured my neighbors would be coming over to inquire as to who this Donovan fellow was and what he did that got me so pissed off.
Once McNabb got in rhythm, he was fine. He made some great throws. I was especially happy to see him finally run some. He had 6 runs for 25 yards, including a TD. The best run was a 12-yard scramble. That set up a QB draw for a TD.
* The botched call late in the game was just terrible. You hate to see the refs miss a call like that, especially in a close game and at a crucial time. The one thing to remember is that there was no guarantee that Matty Ice would have led the Falcons down for a score. I consulted Miss Cleo directly after the game and she assured me that the Eagles would have picked a pass and run it back for a TD. Always trust Miss Cleo.
* Roddy White showed that he is the real deal. He had 8 catches for 113 yards. Samuel and Brown did a good job on him for part of the game, but Ryan kept feeding him the ball.
Atlanta has the makings of a good offense. They need a TE (or two) and some OL.
* The Falcons had great field position most of the 1st half, but could only come up with 7 points. They were too conservative with their playcalling. The offense came alive in the 2nd half when they got desperate and started throwing the ball. I was shocked to see Ryan finished with 44 pass attempts.
PLAYERS
* Trent Cole didn't have a sack, but still played a good game.
* Chris Gocong played his best game of the year. He had a sack, 2 TFLs, and stuffed the run.
* Asante was mixed. He gave up a couple of TDs, but had a pick and 3 PDs. The TDs weren't all on him.
* Lito Sheppard had his best game by far. He had a pick and 4 PDs.
_
I wrote about the need for the Eagles to funnel the offense through Brian Westbrook in my last post. They did just that and it paid off big time. Brian ran for 167 yards and 2 TDs. He led the Eagles with 6 catches (for 42 yards).
The offense is explosive when McNabb throws the ball downfield and goes all over the place, but it is efficient and consistent when it focuses on getting the ball to the RB, whether Buck or Westy.
If we can get Westy hot, that will make winning games a whole lot easier. Sunday was a great start.
_____________________
* The run defense came to play. They clogged the middle. They sealed the edges. It was a total team effort. The Falcons finished with 24 carries for 77 yards.
* The Eagles ran the ball very well, 32 rushes for 192 yards and 3 TDs. They did a couple of things. The OL blocked well and let Westy get free up the middle. The edge blockers sealed well a couple of times and let Brian get outside.
Philly also had success running against the Falcons Nickel defense. With only 6 defenders in the box, the Eagles were able to get a hat on a hat and give Westbrook plenty of room to run.
* I was very impressed with QB Matt Ryan. About halfway through the 2nd Qtr I wasn't sure which team had the rookie passer. Ryan made some mistakes, but he played very well overall. His receivers didn't help him out. They had a couple of drops and sloppy routes.
McNabb really struggled until about haflway through the 2nd Qtr. He missed LJ on a seam route for a big gain and I screamed "DONOVAN!!!" so loud that I figured my neighbors would be coming over to inquire as to who this Donovan fellow was and what he did that got me so pissed off.
Once McNabb got in rhythm, he was fine. He made some great throws. I was especially happy to see him finally run some. He had 6 runs for 25 yards, including a TD. The best run was a 12-yard scramble. That set up a QB draw for a TD.
* The botched call late in the game was just terrible. You hate to see the refs miss a call like that, especially in a close game and at a crucial time. The one thing to remember is that there was no guarantee that Matty Ice would have led the Falcons down for a score. I consulted Miss Cleo directly after the game and she assured me that the Eagles would have picked a pass and run it back for a TD. Always trust Miss Cleo.
* Roddy White showed that he is the real deal. He had 8 catches for 113 yards. Samuel and Brown did a good job on him for part of the game, but Ryan kept feeding him the ball.
Atlanta has the makings of a good offense. They need a TE (or two) and some OL.
* The Falcons had great field position most of the 1st half, but could only come up with 7 points. They were too conservative with their playcalling. The offense came alive in the 2nd half when they got desperate and started throwing the ball. I was shocked to see Ryan finished with 44 pass attempts.
PLAYERS
* Trent Cole didn't have a sack, but still played a good game.
* Chris Gocong played his best game of the year. He had a sack, 2 TFLs, and stuffed the run.
* Asante was mixed. He gave up a couple of TDs, but had a pick and 3 PDs. The TDs weren't all on him.
* Lito Sheppard had his best game by far. He had a pick and 4 PDs.
_
Saturday, October 25, 2008
Go West, Young Man
Brian Westbrook really established himself as the key to the Eagles offense in 2006. You can argue about 2003-05, but his high carry total was 177 and his high reception total was 77.
Things changed in 2006. McNabb got hurt and the offense really went through Westbrook. McNabb wasn't 100% in 2007 and Westy again was the workhorse.
2006: 240-1217-7 TDs ... 77-699-4 TDs
2007: 278-1333-7 TDs ... 90-771-5 TDs
Both years the Eagles had a top ten offense. Points weren't a problem in 2006. They were in '07 because of a poor Red Zone offense. Westy certainly did his part by scoring 12 TDs.
The Eagles offense needs to go through Brian to be at its best. That hasn't really happened so far in 2008. He's been hurt. When he has played we haven't gotten him the ball enough. That has to change.
With 10 games left we need to see Brian Westbrook breakout.
Buck: running 48-207-2..........receiving 17-168-1
Westy: running 54-193-4..........receiving 14-97-2
Brian's long run is 18 yards. His long catch is also 18. Buck is 28 and 25.
I know teams don't gameplan for Buck like they do Brian, but we need to see Westy really come alive. Our offense is at its best when it goes through Westy.
Brian can turn a handoff or short throw into a big gain. He puts constant pressure on the defense. Even though we are a passing team, the foundation for every offense is the running game. When defenses have to focus on him, it helps to create space for the receivers. It makes our play-action passes that much more effective.
Get the ball to 36, Andy. That's an order.
He should be fairly healthy this week. We need a big game from him. And let's hope the coaches also keep Buck involved. He's too good to sit beside Big Red all game long.
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Friday, October 24, 2008
Patience is a virtue, but can also be a vice
Andy Reid is a patient man. Sometimes agonizingly patient.
Big Red will stick with a gameplan for a long time because he knows it is about to start working any minute now. The plan is logical. It is well thought out in advance. It has been practiced and has every reason in the world to work.
When it doesn't, because of the annoying x-factor...people have to execute it, Andy doesn't adjust quickly. Which is also to say that icebergs don't set speed records. Andy gives that plan another chance. "The guys will get it right next time", I'm sure he says to himself. "We were close".
When given time to self-scout and make adjustments during the bye week or before playoff games with a bye, Andy and his staff do a terrific job. They see what didn't work and fix it. They have solid evidence.
Why can't Andy see those things in a game? He does sometimes, but all too often in-game adjustments aren't what they need to be by the offense. The most glaring example was the debacle last year where Osi Umenyiora and the Giants racked up 12 sacks.
Andy was desperate to burn their struggling secondary. The way to attack was to spread them out and throw the ball. Makes sense. Donovan McNabb didn't have a good night throwing the ball. LT Winston Justice started in place of Tra Thomas and struggled mightily with blocking Osi. Donovan was sacked all game long and the offense scored just 3 points.
At some point the entire world (all 5 or 6 billion people actually watched the game) expected Andy to help Justice out with a TE. Or to call shorter passes. Or to go to the running game. None of that happened. The Eagles stuck with the original plan and it never came close to working.
Andy did learn a lesson. This year the team is more protection oriented. We have kept the TE in to block more than I can ever recall. Big Red can adjust. It just took him 10 months in this case.
That patience of his has served us well in some aspects. Andy isn't going to make rash moves. The problem is that he is too patient during games. You certainly have to give your plans some time to work, but adjustments are crucial.
The best analogy for Andy sometimes is Roy McAvoy from Tin Cup. Remember at the end of the movie when he keeps going for the green? That's like Andy sticking with his plans. The difference is that McAvoy's attempts had some sense of delusional charm. Andy's are flat out frustrating.
Mark Whipple is new to the staff this year. It will be interesting to see if he was able to offer some worthwhile advice to Andy and Marty to make the offense more consistent down the stretch. Sometimes outside perspective can make all the difference in the world.
We'll see starting on Sunday how well the Eagles adjusted and also how well they adjust during the game. To be fair, the NFL could help Andy out by putting a bye week between all 16 games. That's not asking too much, is it?
_
Big Red will stick with a gameplan for a long time because he knows it is about to start working any minute now. The plan is logical. It is well thought out in advance. It has been practiced and has every reason in the world to work.
When it doesn't, because of the annoying x-factor...people have to execute it, Andy doesn't adjust quickly. Which is also to say that icebergs don't set speed records. Andy gives that plan another chance. "The guys will get it right next time", I'm sure he says to himself. "We were close".
When given time to self-scout and make adjustments during the bye week or before playoff games with a bye, Andy and his staff do a terrific job. They see what didn't work and fix it. They have solid evidence.
Why can't Andy see those things in a game? He does sometimes, but all too often in-game adjustments aren't what they need to be by the offense. The most glaring example was the debacle last year where Osi Umenyiora and the Giants racked up 12 sacks.
Andy was desperate to burn their struggling secondary. The way to attack was to spread them out and throw the ball. Makes sense. Donovan McNabb didn't have a good night throwing the ball. LT Winston Justice started in place of Tra Thomas and struggled mightily with blocking Osi. Donovan was sacked all game long and the offense scored just 3 points.
At some point the entire world (all 5 or 6 billion people actually watched the game) expected Andy to help Justice out with a TE. Or to call shorter passes. Or to go to the running game. None of that happened. The Eagles stuck with the original plan and it never came close to working.
Andy did learn a lesson. This year the team is more protection oriented. We have kept the TE in to block more than I can ever recall. Big Red can adjust. It just took him 10 months in this case.
That patience of his has served us well in some aspects. Andy isn't going to make rash moves. The problem is that he is too patient during games. You certainly have to give your plans some time to work, but adjustments are crucial.
The best analogy for Andy sometimes is Roy McAvoy from Tin Cup. Remember at the end of the movie when he keeps going for the green? That's like Andy sticking with his plans. The difference is that McAvoy's attempts had some sense of delusional charm. Andy's are flat out frustrating.
Mark Whipple is new to the staff this year. It will be interesting to see if he was able to offer some worthwhile advice to Andy and Marty to make the offense more consistent down the stretch. Sometimes outside perspective can make all the difference in the world.
We'll see starting on Sunday how well the Eagles adjusted and also how well they adjust during the game. To be fair, the NFL could help Andy out by putting a bye week between all 16 games. That's not asking too much, is it?
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