FuzzyLumpkins
The Boognish
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While the Eagles defense reminds me of Baltimore in what they do, Kelly's offense is fairly singular in the NFL. If you haven't been living under a rock, you already know about the quick pace, misdirection, movement, play action, zone reads etc.
To counter the Eagles attack, the defense used a lot of 4-2-5 big nickel with Church as the will. They also rotated the LB much more liberally. McClain wasn't out there for 7 series in a row and gassed; at the end it made a huge difference. McClain, Carter, Hitchens. and Wilber all played significant snaps and contributed in coverage. The coverage in the middle of the field held up well for a change and Sanchez was having to look to 4th and further options as often as finding his first read.
The way the game went, the Eagles didn't have to abandon the run until the final quarter. McCoy, Sproles, and company found only modest success running between the twenties and we did well enough on third down such that our lack of interior size and talent didn't kill us routinely in the end zone.
Philly pass protection has many parts. They run a lot for the same reason we do: to keep defense honest. They are constantly passing out of run looks and then they shift the line, move the pocket and show zone read looks to slow would be sackers down even further.
Philly ran a lot of 6 man protections and most down that ended up with Crawford and Melton getting an interior double and the back waiting for a 5th or just to clean anything up. Lane Johnson ended up needing more help than Peters.
The pass rush was more effective than it has been lately. The front 7 + Scandrick are doing a better and better job mastering the stunts, twists, and zone blitzes that Marinelli calls. Mincey's first sack was a text book stunt into the middle. Bltizing LB are doing a better job with their hands and lean as well as finding a gap to try and swim or rip.
The DE as a whole saw improved play including many that I have heard detracted.
Selvie lacks elite body control and the extra weight he put on hinders him from really being able to break down and attack quickly to finish for sacks. That being said, he did a good job fighting through blocks and chips to make Sanchez move and force throws. You of course want an upgrade from your starter but he can contribute in a rotation. His work on the strongside edge was important in holding the poa and he did a good job chasing down the line and making tackles when they ran away from him.
Spencer wasn't getting pushed around but he was a bit sluggish getting off blocks. He had to set an edge most downs with play action and honoring the run but when he was able to straight rush upfield he did a good job getting on the outside shoulder. He beat Johnson cleanly off the snap and forced Sanchez out of the pocket and into Mincey's arms in the fourth quarter but had no stats for himself.
Hayden is fine in limited snaps between the 20s when he is not double teamed. When his snap count gets up there and he is not quite so balls to the wall he becomes very easy to reach drive and turn whatever way you want. In short yardage where the line is crowded and he cannot escape OL hands, he is a big liability with his lack of leg anchor. Crawford gets a lot of attention so Hayden does have a steady stream of single team blocking at least.
T McClain was very active and disruptive. I had thought before he would get out of control and let plays run by him. He did a bit of that but unlike previous weeks he had several snaps where he was able to beat his man and maintain control to shed and make a play. He did a good job creating push when he couldn't beat his man or when getting extra blockers as well. He had his best game so far.
Best part about watching Crawford is the knowledge that he is getting better and better as the year progresses. With his long arms and upper body strength, he is able to keep OL hands off of him and he is becoming more and more adept at moving down the line and finding gaps in the two and three man pairings. In short, he can beat sliding pass protection and double teams. When he beats his blocker, it is still a work in progress for him to break down, finish, and not foul. He should have had three sacks but he was discombobulated fighting down the line when he popped into the backfield and froze on a Sanchez pump fake. At that point get your hands up and close ready to try and attack the ball if he still has it.
Melton saw a lot of double teams and struggled particularly against the run. Recovering from his ACL it is going to take some time to regain leg strength. He's out there plugging away fighting off blocks but he doesn't have the power to get it done against Mathis and protections and pockets moving around all over the place. His role at this point is situational pass rusher but that is not necessarily a bad thing. He plays hungry rushing the passer if not against double teams versus runs. It will be interesting to see where he goes after this season.
Mincey is very good at stunting gaps. He does a very good job exploiting attention his teammates generate to augment his own rush. The first sack of the game saw him taking a sharp angle in as he went down the line because of the push Crawford generated. He took a good path so the C and RG couldn't step into him. Sanchez never had a chance. His last sack saw him with a decent upfield rush but Peters was able to get a hand onto him but Spencer had beaten the RT cleanly and Crawford and Melton gave Sanchez nowhere to go. The Eagles tried to run over his side a lot. Their game plan was run left and play action roll out right and try to run misdirection. He held up against it pretty good.
Lawrence needs repetitions desperately. He is often slow off the snap. His hand placement off the snap is inconsistent and sloppy. His transitions trying to get over or past the outside shoulder ie swims rips and dips are a struggle. His spin move back to the inside looked like something he had never done before. People that are bagging on him need to stop though. The problem is expectations and not Lawrence's viability as a prospect. He was a college junior who missed about 40 practices between training camp and the first ten weeks of the season. During the season he is going to get limited reps. It certainly shows but perhaps the reason why he looks like he is trying out new things is because he is. While I would have liked better hand-placement he did a decent job stacking Peters and setting an edge. He hasn't been a liability against the run. The spin move looked awkward but he covered a lot of ground and was in control and completely outside Peters inside shoulder when the ball went out on a quick throw. He struggled through his transitions but he kept his feet and his rush alive as he did them. Peters was not driving him to the turf and pancaking him either. I'm not going to tell you that he will ever be any good but I can tell you that he will play better as he gets more experience with these techniques and how Marinelli wants him to do them. He will likely do better off the ball as his head stops swimming and the game slows down for him. He also looks like a good athlete with a good frame, strength, and quickness. Patience is the best course of action here.
I'm going to leave the back 7 for the all-22 because evaluations of S and CB as well as much of what LB do you cannot see without it.
To counter the Eagles attack, the defense used a lot of 4-2-5 big nickel with Church as the will. They also rotated the LB much more liberally. McClain wasn't out there for 7 series in a row and gassed; at the end it made a huge difference. McClain, Carter, Hitchens. and Wilber all played significant snaps and contributed in coverage. The coverage in the middle of the field held up well for a change and Sanchez was having to look to 4th and further options as often as finding his first read.
The way the game went, the Eagles didn't have to abandon the run until the final quarter. McCoy, Sproles, and company found only modest success running between the twenties and we did well enough on third down such that our lack of interior size and talent didn't kill us routinely in the end zone.
Philly pass protection has many parts. They run a lot for the same reason we do: to keep defense honest. They are constantly passing out of run looks and then they shift the line, move the pocket and show zone read looks to slow would be sackers down even further.
Philly ran a lot of 6 man protections and most down that ended up with Crawford and Melton getting an interior double and the back waiting for a 5th or just to clean anything up. Lane Johnson ended up needing more help than Peters.
The pass rush was more effective than it has been lately. The front 7 + Scandrick are doing a better and better job mastering the stunts, twists, and zone blitzes that Marinelli calls. Mincey's first sack was a text book stunt into the middle. Bltizing LB are doing a better job with their hands and lean as well as finding a gap to try and swim or rip.
The DE as a whole saw improved play including many that I have heard detracted.
Selvie lacks elite body control and the extra weight he put on hinders him from really being able to break down and attack quickly to finish for sacks. That being said, he did a good job fighting through blocks and chips to make Sanchez move and force throws. You of course want an upgrade from your starter but he can contribute in a rotation. His work on the strongside edge was important in holding the poa and he did a good job chasing down the line and making tackles when they ran away from him.
Spencer wasn't getting pushed around but he was a bit sluggish getting off blocks. He had to set an edge most downs with play action and honoring the run but when he was able to straight rush upfield he did a good job getting on the outside shoulder. He beat Johnson cleanly off the snap and forced Sanchez out of the pocket and into Mincey's arms in the fourth quarter but had no stats for himself.
Hayden is fine in limited snaps between the 20s when he is not double teamed. When his snap count gets up there and he is not quite so balls to the wall he becomes very easy to reach drive and turn whatever way you want. In short yardage where the line is crowded and he cannot escape OL hands, he is a big liability with his lack of leg anchor. Crawford gets a lot of attention so Hayden does have a steady stream of single team blocking at least.
T McClain was very active and disruptive. I had thought before he would get out of control and let plays run by him. He did a bit of that but unlike previous weeks he had several snaps where he was able to beat his man and maintain control to shed and make a play. He did a good job creating push when he couldn't beat his man or when getting extra blockers as well. He had his best game so far.
Best part about watching Crawford is the knowledge that he is getting better and better as the year progresses. With his long arms and upper body strength, he is able to keep OL hands off of him and he is becoming more and more adept at moving down the line and finding gaps in the two and three man pairings. In short, he can beat sliding pass protection and double teams. When he beats his blocker, it is still a work in progress for him to break down, finish, and not foul. He should have had three sacks but he was discombobulated fighting down the line when he popped into the backfield and froze on a Sanchez pump fake. At that point get your hands up and close ready to try and attack the ball if he still has it.
Melton saw a lot of double teams and struggled particularly against the run. Recovering from his ACL it is going to take some time to regain leg strength. He's out there plugging away fighting off blocks but he doesn't have the power to get it done against Mathis and protections and pockets moving around all over the place. His role at this point is situational pass rusher but that is not necessarily a bad thing. He plays hungry rushing the passer if not against double teams versus runs. It will be interesting to see where he goes after this season.
Mincey is very good at stunting gaps. He does a very good job exploiting attention his teammates generate to augment his own rush. The first sack of the game saw him taking a sharp angle in as he went down the line because of the push Crawford generated. He took a good path so the C and RG couldn't step into him. Sanchez never had a chance. His last sack saw him with a decent upfield rush but Peters was able to get a hand onto him but Spencer had beaten the RT cleanly and Crawford and Melton gave Sanchez nowhere to go. The Eagles tried to run over his side a lot. Their game plan was run left and play action roll out right and try to run misdirection. He held up against it pretty good.
Lawrence needs repetitions desperately. He is often slow off the snap. His hand placement off the snap is inconsistent and sloppy. His transitions trying to get over or past the outside shoulder ie swims rips and dips are a struggle. His spin move back to the inside looked like something he had never done before. People that are bagging on him need to stop though. The problem is expectations and not Lawrence's viability as a prospect. He was a college junior who missed about 40 practices between training camp and the first ten weeks of the season. During the season he is going to get limited reps. It certainly shows but perhaps the reason why he looks like he is trying out new things is because he is. While I would have liked better hand-placement he did a decent job stacking Peters and setting an edge. He hasn't been a liability against the run. The spin move looked awkward but he covered a lot of ground and was in control and completely outside Peters inside shoulder when the ball went out on a quick throw. He struggled through his transitions but he kept his feet and his rush alive as he did them. Peters was not driving him to the turf and pancaking him either. I'm not going to tell you that he will ever be any good but I can tell you that he will play better as he gets more experience with these techniques and how Marinelli wants him to do them. He will likely do better off the ball as his head stops swimming and the game slows down for him. He also looks like a good athlete with a good frame, strength, and quickness. Patience is the best course of action here.
I'm going to leave the back 7 for the all-22 because evaluations of S and CB as well as much of what LB do you cannot see without it.
