Fuzzy Game Thoughts vs PHI

FuzzyLumpkins

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I have read about people complaining about playcalling but to my eyes it looked like a series of bad individual performances was the real issue. While Murray was able to only gain 3.7 ypc that was due to poor blocking particularly from the left side.

The defense still fails to cover routes run into zone coverages particularly underneath and a lack of team speed was on full display.

The OL was at best a mixed bag. Both Leary and Smith were bad and appear hurt. Smith failed to reach blocks, seemed weak at the poa and was pressing to the point it created problems.

Leary was god awful for all of some fans excuse making. He missed several blocks on first half runs fail to block anyone on the second level multiple times. He followed that up by being a sieve for Fletcher Cox in the nickel. He whiffed horribly on simple inside out moves and gave up sacks on consecutive plays in the 3rd when we finally abandoned the run. After that they gave him help but he continued to struggle and failed to block anyone allowing pressure into his A and B gap on stunts and blitzes. When Leary is on he is a mauling force but this game saw him as bad or worse as Chicago or Detroit last year.

Fred was up and down. He lost his feet a couple times trying to reach blocks and led to negative runs and screwed up the snap count leading to a sack but he also was dominant at the poa a few times springing runs in the first half.

Martin was once again dominant at the poa and on the move. I think it makes sense next year flipping guards and having Leary closer to potential help of the strongside. Martin seems better suited to matchup with the league's various 3 techniques on a consistent basis.

Free was consistent in reaching his blocks and executing but as usual he doesn't have great power to tryuly be a difference maker. When he is the worst player on the line it's great. When the left side plays as it did then that is another story.

Romo got freaked out after the left side caved and poor pass protection was once again a serious issue. We can make noise all we want about how Callahan has done wonders for the run game but his pass protection has been spotty all year. Romo was not particularly accurate to begin with but soon he was throwing off balance on his front or back foot and plain running for his life. The interceptions were bad but he was clearly impacted by the pass rush we couldn't block very well.

Murray ran hard but left yards out there trying to make a play. Cannot fault his effort though. While much of the skill position players came in soft and half asleep, he came to play from the opening. Randle and Dunbar looked very good with quickness to the line and determined running.

Dez made plays and kept his cool for what must have surely been a frustrating game for him. He fought for passes and kept trying to make plays when the offense was clearly struggling in the second half. Williams finally decided to play with a bit more urgency at the end but by then it was out of reach. His soft route running has become a problem.

Beasley can get open easily against most coverages in the NFL. He is an asset. The fumble he had saw him moving the ball from the inside to outside arm and the LB made a good play. That being said that is no excuse; if he is going to fumble then he needs cover with both hands and get down. That fumble in the second quarter was a back breaker.

Witten continues to block well at the poa but its hard to evaluate route running with the telecast. Hanna and Escobar got pushed around and didn't hold LB blocks particularly well. Hanna was particularly disappointing

Defense was not good. Selvie is okay but he lacks quickness and was exploited. He is a solid backup but marginal starter. He did make a few plays and pressures but also failed at the poa and was a nonfactor at other times.

Nick Hayden just pisses me off now. He saw one double team and blown off the ball but for the most part he saw single blocking and was dominated. It's entirely too easy to hook and seal him leaving a big fat lane. The Eagles ran at him and Selvie a lot and it worked. Seeing him in on the nickle at this point really really really makes me mad. He makes no plays and gets no push. I fail to see the point of him outside of making line calls and chasing down plays 10 yards downfield.

Crawford was a bright spot and was able to beat Mathis several times. He did a good job penetrating and getting off blocks all game long. Mincey struggled to get away from Peters all game long. He is another who is a marginal starter but superb backup.

Spencer was quick and did a good job chasing down the line and getting off blocks. His pass rush wasn't dominant but it did move Sanchez off his spot and force throws. Problem is that the Hayden single block and double on the 3 tech left a nice pocket to step into.

T McClain plays a bit out of control. He is quick upfield and disruptive but he doesn't maintain control and cannot finish. Melton didn't play much and got a LOT of attention when he did.

Lawrence saw a lot of runs and held his own at the poa. He uses his arms to his advantage. His pass rush moves are unrefined to say that least and his handwork is a work in progress. Lack of training camp impacted him severely.

WIlber didn't see much action in the first half. We played a lot of Heath at nickel LB with Spillman andWilcox behind. When Wilber was in he wasn't effective.

Rolando looked like much of our defense: slow. He gave good effort but the eagles did a good job getting guards onto him and he was forever on the chase. He was not prepared to cover routes into his zone.

Hitchens was targeted and exploited in the run and pass all game long. He was dominated against Celek and the OG at the poa. Blown off the ball and gave up huge runs. They ran routes at him continually and he failed to keep up with Celek on a crossing route giving up a TD. He gave up another big play on the Bruce Carter special being baited underneath and giving up a play over the top

Carter was playing scared and uncertain once again. You cannot do that against runs up the middle and sharp off tackle. Instead of filling holes he was a step slow. He came closest to executing his zones but failed to makes plays on the ball.

Church looks slow and they ran right at him in the nickel and he caved. Did okay chasing off the back end but he cannot get outside to the sideline on deep throws when taking a deep drop. Was pushed around on teams as well.

Wilcox was up and down but he was relentless and aggressive. His play in the second quarter was inspiring and got some stops but the offense's turnovers made it all for naught. He did make some mistakes in coming up too aggressively and taking bad angles but he continues to make plays and I expect those bad decisions to become less and less as he gains experience. He can get to the sideline and he likes to hit.

Spillman got plenty of time and was targeted and exploited as well. He lacks awareness and doesn't anticipate throws or routes into his zone. Sanchez was not scared to throw into the middle of the field due to atrocious coverage from LB and S.

Corners were okay. Carr is a favorite whipping boy but outside of the in route off cover 3 he was fine. He is not equipped to play that coverage well especially with LB who don't know how to buzz routes worth a flip.

Scandrick was flattened in the run game multiple times and surrendered crossing routes.

Moore was consistent in coverage and made plays the few times he was thrown on.

Garrett and company got outcoached and outmaneuvered. Spillman, Wilber, Heath, Hitchens, Hayden, Smith, Leary, Hanna, and Romo were all targeted successfully and exploited resulting in the butt whopping we all watched.
 

Hoov

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I have read about people complaining about playcalling but to my eyes it looked like a series of bad individual performances was the real issue. While Murray was able to only gain 3.7 ypc that was due to poor blocking particularly from the left side.

The defense still fails to cover routes run into zone coverages particularly underneath and a lack of team speed was on full display.

The OL was at best a mixed bag. Both Leary and Smith were bad and appear hurt. Smith failed to reach blocks, seemed weak at the poa and was pressing to the point it created problems.

Leary was god awful for all of some fans excuse making. He missed several blocks on first half runs fail to block anyone on the second level multiple times. He followed that up by being a sieve for Fletcher Cox in the nickel. He whiffed horribly on simple inside out moves and gave up sacks on consecutive plays in the 3rd when we finally abandoned the run. After that they gave him help but he continued to struggle and failed to block anyone allowing pressure into his A and B gap on stunts and blitzes. When Leary is on he is a mauling force but this game saw him as bad or worse as Chicago or Detroit last year.

Fred was up and down. He lost his feet a couple times trying to reach blocks and led to negative runs and screwed up the snap count leading to a sack but he also was dominant at the poa a few times springing runs in the first half.

Martin was once again dominant at the poa and on the move. I think it makes sense next year flipping guards and having Leary closer to potential help of the strongside. Martin seems better suited to matchup with the league's various 3 techniques on a consistent basis.

Free was consistent in reaching his blocks and executing but as usual he doesn't have great power to tryuly be a difference maker. When he is the worst player on the line it's great. When the left side plays as it did then that is another story.

Romo got freaked out after the left side caved and poor pass protection was once again a serious issue. We can make noise all we want about how Callahan has done wonders for the run game but his pass protection has been spotty all year. Romo was not particularly accurate to begin with but soon he was throwing off balance on his front or back foot and plain running for his life. The interceptions were bad but he was clearly impacted by the pass rush we couldn't block very well.

Murray ran hard but left yards out there trying to make a play. Cannot fault his effort though. While much of the skill position players came in soft and half asleep, he came to play from the opening. Randle and Dunbar looked very good with quickness to the line and determined running.

Dez made plays and kept his cool for what must have surely been a frustrating game for him. He fought for passes and kept trying to make plays when the offense was clearly struggling in the second half. Williams finally decided to play with a bit more urgency at the end but by then it was out of reach. His soft route running has become a problem.

Beasley can get open easily against most coverages in the NFL. He is an asset. The fumble he had saw him moving the ball from the inside to outside arm and the LB made a good play. That being said that is no excuse; if he is going to fumble then he needs cover with both hands and get down. That fumble in the second quarter was a back breaker.

Witten continues to block well at the poa but its hard to evaluate route running with the telecast. Hanna and Escobar got pushed around and didn't hold LB blocks particularly well. Hanna was particularly disappointing

Defense was not good. Selvie is okay but he lacks quickness and was exploited. He is a solid backup but marginal starter. He did make a few plays and pressures but also failed at the poa and was a nonfactor at other times.

Nick Hayden just pisses me off now. He saw one double team and blown off the ball but for the most part he saw single blocking and was dominated. It's entirely too easy to hook and seal him leaving a big fat lane. The Eagles ran at him and Selvie a lot and it worked. Seeing him in on the nickle at this point really really really makes me mad. He makes no plays and gets no push. I fail to see the point of him outside of making line calls and chasing down plays 10 yards downfield.

Crawford was a bright spot and was able to beat Mathis several times. He did a good job penetrating and getting off blocks all game long. Mincey struggled to get away from Peters all game long. He is another who is a marginal starter but superb backup.

Spencer was quick and did a good job chasing down the line and getting off blocks. His pass rush wasn't dominant but it did move Sanchez off his spot and force throws. Problem is that the Hayden single block and double on the 3 tech left a nice pocket to step into.

T McClain plays a bit out of control. He is quick upfield and disruptive but he doesn't maintain control and cannot finish. Melton didn't play much and got a LOT of attention when he did.

Lawrence saw a lot of runs and held his own at the poa. He uses his arms to his advantage. His pass rush moves are unrefined to say that least and his handwork is a work in progress. Lack of training camp impacted him severely.

WIlber didn't see much action in the first half. We played a lot of Heath at nickel LB with Spillman andWilcox behind. When Wilber was in he wasn't effective.

Rolando looked like much of our defense: slow. He gave good effort but the eagles did a good job getting guards onto him and he was forever on the chase. He was not prepared to cover routes into his zone.

Hitchens was targeted and exploited in the run and pass all game long. He was dominated against Celek and the OG at the poa. Blown off the ball and gave up huge runs. They ran routes at him continually and he failed to keep up with Celek on a crossing route giving up a TD. He gave up another big play on the Bruce Carter special being baited underneath and giving up a play over the top

Carter was playing scared and uncertain once again. You cannot do that against runs up the middle and sharp off tackle. Instead of filling holes he was a step slow. He came closest to executing his zones but failed to makes plays on the ball.

Church looks slow and they ran right at him in the nickel and he caved. Did okay chasing off the back end but he cannot get outside to the sideline on deep throws when taking a deep drop. Was pushed around on teams as well.

Wilcox was up and down but he was relentless and aggressive. His play in the second quarter was inspiring and got some stops but the offense's turnovers made it all for naught. He did make some mistakes in coming up too aggressively and taking bad angles but he continues to make plays and I expect those bad decisions to become less and less as he gains experience. He can get to the sideline and he likes to hit.

Spillman got plenty of time and was targeted and exploited as well. He lacks awareness and doesn't anticipate throws or routes into his zone. Sanchez was not scared to throw into the middle of the field due to atrocious coverage from LB and S.

Corners were okay. Carr is a favorite whipping boy but outside of the in route off cover 3 he was fine. He is not equipped to play that coverage well especially with LB who don't know how to buzz routes worth a flip.

Scandrick was flattened in the run game multiple times and surrendered crossing routes.

Moore was consistent in coverage and made plays the few times he was thrown on.

Garrett and company got outcoached and outmaneuvered. Spillman, Wilber, Heath, Hitchens, Hayden, Smith, Leary, Hanna, and Romo were all targeted successfully and exploited resulting in the butt whopping we all watched.

Thanks for the write up. Sounds like a combination of a poor outing by some good players mixed with bad play from some players that just cant match up with the eagles players and had their weakness exploited.

The former gives hope for a rebound in philly, however the latter suggests another loss against that team.

How are you feeling about the rematch in philly ?
 

FuzzyLumpkins

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Thanks for the write up. Sounds like a combination of a poor outing by some good players mixed with bad play from some players that just cant match up with the eagles players and had their weakness exploited.

The former gives hope for a rebound in philly, however the latter suggests another loss against that team.

How are you feeling about the rematch in philly ?

The defense has a chance if the offense can get a lead. Otherwise we cannot defend the middle of the field, get a pass rush, or defend the run. When we force teams to pass and allow Marinelli to start dialing up his line games we can generate pressure.

Offense needs to play better. If Leary and Smith return to form we have a chance but that is a big if with the game 12 days away.
 

Hoov

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The defense has a chance if the offense can get a lead. Otherwise we cannot defend the middle of the field, get a pass rush, or defend the run. When we force teams to pass and allow Marinelli to start dialing up his line games we can generate pressure.

Offense needs to play better. If Leary and Smith return to form we have a chance but that is a big if with the game 12 days away.

The eagles generally score quick and early. They dont try and pace themselves it seems on offense or defense but come full force at that go - it seems that they get a quick lead most of the time and maybe that benefits them by allowing them to play differently and cover up some of their weaknesses on defense.

If a team can withstand the initial onslaught i think the eagles have more trouble and start to look gassed on defense.

But Im not extermely confident that the cowboys go up there and strike first.
 

FuzzyLumpkins

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The eagles generally score quick and early. They dont try and pace themselves it seems on offense or defense but come full force at that go - it seems that they get a quick lead most of the time and maybe that benefits them by allowing them to play differently and cover up some of their weaknesses on defense.

If a team can withstand the initial onslaught i think the eagles have more trouble and start to look gassed on defense.

But Im not extermely confident that the cowboys go up there and strike first.

It's a tall order especially on the road, but not impossible. We cannot have poor OL play again.
 

Zman5

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For the whole team to look so bad, I believe the short week affected us more so than the EaGirls. I'm not trying to make excuses but maybe their players are in better shape from training extra hard for their fast pace style.

With the 10 days between games, I think we'll have the little advantage and have a better outing next time around and beat them in Philly.
 

FuzzyLumpkins

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For the whole team to look so bad, I believe the short week affected us more so than the EaGirls. I'm not trying to make excuses but maybe their players are in better shape from training extra hard for their fast pace style.

With the 10 days between games, I think we'll have the little advantage and have a better outing next time around and beat them in Philly.

I definitely think they need to reevaluate the process for the short week. The coaches and players seemed ill prepared.
 

Dave_in-NC

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Good write up. For all we heard that the O line wasn't the problem it's nice to see an honest breakdown of their play.
 

Hoov

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For the whole team to look so bad, I believe the short week affected us more so than the EaGirls. I'm not trying to make excuses but maybe their players are in better shape from training extra hard for their fast pace style.

With the 10 days between games, I think we'll have the little advantage and have a better outing next time around and beat them in Philly.

May have been a bigger factor than I originally thought.

Romo stated that he thinks the short week affected his game.

The defense certainly looked Unprepared. But they looked soft against New York after the bye too.
 

30yrheel

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Good lord. And people really believe we'll win out and take the nfce? We can beat losing teams but the eagles?
 

TonyRomo17

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I was wondering why Spillman got so many snaps. wouldve liked to see my boy Hamilton..see what hes got.. every1 should know spillman is just a special teams player
 

Idgit

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Jeremy Mincey.

Superb backup.

Struggling to see what the difference is between "subpar starter" and "superb backup".

Anybody else want to play 'Catch with a Turd' or is it just going to be Risen and Alexander today? Or are the rest of us going to just focus on all the good content Fuzzy provided, again?

I'm hoping the latter.
 

Idgit

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Good lord. And people really believe we'll win out and take the nfce? We can beat losing teams but the eagles?

Did somebody say we're going to win out? Or is this coming from that thread where you (I think it was you, correct me if I'm wrong) said we no longer controlled our own destiny? I can't imagine too many of us are expecting the team to win out with games against PHI and INDY remaining.
 
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