What Did We Learn About the Eagles?

[kskboys]

I want to learn how you can have a real need at defensive back and simply reach into the NFL draft for two rookie corners that are absolute studs.

Easy answer. You trade Wentz. That gives you extra draft picks so you can take shots at talented players. And then you need a heady GM who is adept at player evaluations.

 

[kskboys]

Jeanty was pedestrian against Penn State. Of course JJ will take him to sell merch, but as the NYG Barkley experience (bad) and last night (defense, defense, defense) proves, it would not be the best pick for the Cowboys.

Boise was overmatched. Can't use one game to judge a player.

 

[Chasing6]

Agreed. Yes the defense was dominant and the roster is stacked, but Hurts was VERY sharp yesterday, and totally composed other than that one bone head interception.

Not hard to be sharp, when they are focused on Barkley and blitzing.

 

[jaythecowboy]

More importantly, what did we learn about ourselves and about what it takes to win in the NFC and Super Bowl.

The Eagles won the Super Bowl against a very good Chiefs defense that was able to shut down Saquan Barkley (25 carries for 57 yards and no TDs, and they only attempted 22 passes, 7 of those were to the RB, so only 15 passes directed towards the TEs or WRs. When is the last time a team won the SB with so little passing?
It didn't matter than they were getting nothing out of the run game; they leaned on their defense and still ran the ball more times than they passed it.

All those seemingly meaningless handoffs to Barkley made the Chiefs focus on the run game, and that gave Hurts 1) good protection and 2) good receivers running open all over the field.

What did the Eagles learn as their season rolled along? You tell me. Here are their passing attempts across 16 games.

1. 34
2. 30 - L
3. 38
4. 30 - L
5. 25
6. 14
7. 20
8. 24
9. 20
10. 28
11. 22
12. 19
13. 21
14. 32
15. 28 - L
16. 19

I'm not including game 17 because they played their 3rd string QB in a meaningless game with backups and let him throw the ball 41 times....haha.
It's obvious they were not thrilled with their 2-2 record after 4 games when they averaged passing the ball 33 times per game.
In the next 12 games, they averaged 22.6 passes per game, and in games 14 and 15, they saw that they were heading in the wrong direction again.

Playoffs?
Round 1 - 21 passes
Round 2 - 20 passes
NFC title - 28 passes
Super Bowl - 22 passes, 7 to RB -------this is much more reminiscent of the 90's Cowboys and how little Aikman was required to pass per game than today's pass happy NFL.

I was also a little shocked by the note shared on their OL. I knew they were the best, but the biggest ever? Averaging 6'6" and 338 lbs? Yeah, that helps.
Meanwhile, despite McCarthy's verbal desire to run more, we have had an offense under McCarthy that has been pass happy.

Dak's career
Garrett 1- 16 games, 28.69 attempts per game as a rookie
Garrett 2- 16 games, 30.63 attempts per game
Garrett 3- 16 games, 32.88 attempts per game
Garrett 4- 16 games, 37.25 attempts per game.....more and more passing during Zeke's prime
McCarthy 5- 5 games, 44.4 attempts per game prior to injury
McCarthy 6- 16 games, 37.31 attempts per game
McCarthy 7- 12 games, 32.83 attempts per game
McCarthy 8- 17 games, 34.71 attempts per game
McCarthy 9- 8 games, 35.75 attempts per game prior to injury

5 trips to the playoffs in 9 years
year 1 - 1 game, 38 pass attempts
year 2 - 2 games, 65 pass attempts
year 3 - 1 game, 43 pass attempts
year 4 - 2 games, 70 pass attempts
year 5 - 1 game, 60 pass attempts

7 games, 91.8 passer rating, 14 TDs, 7 INTs.....2-5 record, but 39.4 passing attempts per game

First, we all know Dak Prescott was not drafted in the 4th round due to his elite passing skills; he worked hard and improved his processing, passing, accuracy, etc, and he IS an above average QB in the NFL, but not a guy who should be throwing the ball at the exorbitant rates he has had every season since his rookie year.

Second, we all know that this is not the recipe for winning tough football games in the playoffs no matter who your QB is. No, we don't have the Eagles OL, nor their RB, but they handed Barkley the ball 25 times for only 57 yards and no scores because 1) they did not want their QB passing the ball 30+ times; and 2) they wanted KC in there preparing for the run every down in order to get their guys open in the secondary.

Whether you think our QB is above average or below average or you're a true homer who wants to believe he's elite, you have to admit that we've done him no favors over his 9 seasons asking him to throw the ball so many times per game, especially in so many seasons when we have had only 1 significant receiver.

Maybe Schottenhiemer won't be the guy who gets us over the hump, but if he can get us focused on being a tougher team, a team that can run the ball and play defense up the middle, it will be a step in the right direction.....because these stats over the past 9 seasons (and probably throughout Romo's career if someone wants to look into it) are not the recipe for success with any team, any QB, any defense.

The issue for the Chiefs was they had to devote so much resources to stopping the run that it made it easier for the Eagles to pass. The Cowboys problem is opponents for the most part have been able to stop the run so easily that there was no real tradeoff--they could play to defend the pass and still stop the run. I believe the Cowboys struggles have been more due to coaching/playcalling along with the Cowboys consistently giving the bulk of their carries to the second best back on their roster.

 

[kskboys]

Not hard to be sharp, when they are focused on Barkley and blitzing.

Also easy to not make mistakes when your D is knocking Mahomes's huhu in the dirt.

 

[BoyzBlaster]

Not hard to be sharp, when they are focused on Barkley and blitzing.

Actually it is judging what panic stricken QBs do when the pressure is on.

 

[mote]

Easy answer. You trade Wentz. That gives you extra draft picks so you can take shots at talented players. And then you need a heady GM who is adept at player evaluations.

And one constantly reassessing decisions and mistakes, and not being subject to the sunk cost fallacy. As but one example, the Eagles botched the 2020 draft, taking Jalen Reagor over Justin Jefferson, so Roseman fixed his mistake and drafted DeVonta Smith the next year and traded for AJ Brown in 2022, followed by getting a couple of picks for Reagor in 2023.

 

[Chasing6]

Actually it is judging what panic stricken QBs do when the pressure is on.

The pressure was on Barkley and he happily played his role for team success.

 

[KingCorcoran]

Boise was overmatched. Can't use one game to judge a player.

So are the Dallas Cowboys. Build a better offensive line to improve the run game.

 

[mote]

Boise was overmatched. Can't use one game to judge a player.

Exactly. An overmatched O-Line is going to make even the best players look bad. He's not the answer, but he will for sure be the pick if he's there.

 

[dcstar]

The Eagles did it the right way and things clicked. Good for them

Messrs Jones' continue to be legends in their own mind.

Go Cowboys!

 

[Aven8]

We’ve known this for awhile. Dak, and Romo before him have always had success when they have a bellcow RB. Yes Oline/Dline is the most important aspect of football, but you can’t win games with Lamb by himself. It’s time to get a 1,500 yard back here again.

 

[TheSport78]

Dak or any other QB wouldn’t have to win that game. The eagles DL absolutely dominated Mahomes who is the best QB in the NFL.

Yeah Hurts had a good game - he’s a good QB. But he’s nothing special. The eagles don’t have to have a special QB. The chiefs have the best QB in the league and you see what that means when the other team has a great DL.

I'd agree with this if PHI dominated in the running game, but they didn't. Hurts was fantastic and more than a game manager. Made key plays in key moments, ran when he had to, took what the defense gave him, handled Spags' blitz packages very well. Whack Prescott has given us no inclination he could do the same in a big game spot like that.

 

[CowboysLakerBamaFan]

We learned the best team in the league, with the best roster top to bottom in the salary cap era, which ALSO is a young team...resides in our division.

This is actually a good thing. We have our old senile narcissistic incompetent owner who will ruin things for the 7 years anyway, so might as well get our useless years out of the way while they're dominant. We aren't winning anything anyway. Imagine if we were actually good right now...we'd be wasting those years as a pretty good team, getting beat by a truly dominant team. Maybe by the time we might be good again (2032 ?) they'll be coming back to earth again (until they rebuild 2 years later)

 

[Chuck 54]

I'd agree with this if PHI dominated in the running game, but they didn't. Hurts was fantastic and more than a game manager. Made key plays in key moments, ran when he had to, took what the defense gave him, handled Spags' blitz packages very well. Whack Prescott has given us no inclination he could do the same in a big game spot like that.

You are missing out on the key role Barkley had. Ignore stats, and there’s still an argument for him being the most valuable player. They ran him more times than Hurts threw passes because that forced the defense to play the run with everyone on the field. KC has a great secondary; why do you think the Philly receivers were wide open all game. Do you even recall a tight window throw? They were running past the DBs and safeties. After that one panicked int by Hurts, if guys weren’t open, he threw it to Barkley.

When you are only called upon to pass 20-22 times a game, you are going to find stud receivers open most of the time. Like most QBs, Hirts has not been successful when asked to pass 30+ times per game. Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson, Jared Goff, and going back to Aikman and Breez, etc, even the elite QBs have trouble throwing 35-40 times a game because there’s no balance, and the pass rush is completely different, as is the coverage. You have to have playmakers, but you also have to make the defense read, expect, and play the run, and as we saw in the Eagles win, you have to keep runn8ng it even when it isn’t working.

 

[BigWillie]

We learned that it helps to actually hit on some defensive lineman thru the draft.

If you want something that will make you sick, go look at the d-line players we have drafted over the last 15 years.

With the exception of DLaw, not a single guy you would call a difference maker.

I don’t consider Micah a hit for the d-line seeing as how he was drafted as a LB and converted down mid season.

 

[EPL0c0]

Eagles have an owner that stays out of the way, a competent GM, and a decent HC. They went from collapse to championship.

Dallas has a meddling owner, an incompetent GM, and a decent HC. Things ended up WORSE.

The lesson is the one we all already know very well: The problems in Dallas start at the top
As far as building the team for 2025: Build from the lines out.

OLine play was the difference yesterday.

PHI's OLine held up well enough.
KC's OLine was dominated by a 4-man D-front most of the night.


I'd draft OL in the 1st, not RB

 

[john van brocklin]

More importantly, what did we learn about ourselves and about what it takes to win in the NFC and Super Bowl.

The Eagles won the Super Bowl against a very good Chiefs defense that was able to shut down Saquan Barkley (25 carries for 57 yards and no TDs, and they only attempted 22 passes, 7 of those were to the RB, so only 15 passes directed towards the TEs or WRs. When is the last time a team won the SB with so little passing?
It didn't matter than they were getting nothing out of the run game; they leaned on their defense and still ran the ball more times than they passed it.

All those seemingly meaningless handoffs to Barkley made the Chiefs focus on the run game, and that gave Hurts 1) good protection and 2) good receivers running open all over the field.

What did the Eagles learn as their season rolled along? You tell me. Here are their passing attempts across 16 games.

1. 34
2. 30 - L
3. 38
4. 30 - L
5. 25
6. 14
7. 20
8. 24
9. 20
10. 28
11. 22
12. 19
13. 21
14. 32
15. 28 - L
16. 19

I'm not including game 17 because they played their 3rd string QB in a meaningless game with backups and let him throw the ball 41 times....haha.
It's obvious they were not thrilled with their 2-2 record after 4 games when they averaged passing the ball 33 times per game.
In the next 12 games, they averaged 22.6 passes per game, and in games 14 and 15, they saw that they were heading in the wrong direction again.

Playoffs?
Round 1 - 21 passes
Round 2 - 20 passes
NFC title - 28 passes
Super Bowl - 22 passes, 7 to RB -------this is much more reminiscent of the 90's Cowboys and how little Aikman was required to pass per game than today's pass happy NFL.

I was also a little shocked by the note shared on their OL. I knew they were the best, but the biggest ever? Averaging 6'6" and 338 lbs? Yeah, that helps.
Meanwhile, despite McCarthy's verbal desire to run more, we have had an offense under McCarthy that has been pass happy.

Dak's career
Garrett 1- 16 games, 28.69 attempts per game as a rookie
Garrett 2- 16 games, 30.63 attempts per game
Garrett 3- 16 games, 32.88 attempts per game
Garrett 4- 16 games, 37.25 attempts per game.....more and more passing during Zeke's prime
McCarthy 5- 5 games, 44.4 attempts per game prior to injury
McCarthy 6- 16 games, 37.31 attempts per game
McCarthy 7- 12 games, 32.83 attempts per game
McCarthy 8- 17 games, 34.71 attempts per game
McCarthy 9- 8 games, 35.75 attempts per game prior to injury

5 trips to the playoffs in 9 years
year 1 - 1 game, 38 pass attempts
year 2 - 2 games, 65 pass attempts
year 3 - 1 game, 43 pass attempts
year 4 - 2 games, 70 pass attempts
year 5 - 1 game, 60 pass attempts

7 games, 91.8 passer rating, 14 TDs, 7 INTs.....2-5 record, but 39.4 passing attempts per game

First, we all know Dak Prescott was not drafted in the 4th round due to his elite passing skills; he worked hard and improved his processing, passing, accuracy, etc, and he IS an above average QB in the NFL, but not a guy who should be throwing the ball at the exorbitant rates he has had every season since his rookie year.

Second, we all know that this is not the recipe for winning tough football games in the playoffs no matter who your QB is. No, we don't have the Eagles OL, nor their RB, but they handed Barkley the ball 25 times for only 57 yards and no scores because 1) they did not want their QB passing the ball 30+ times; and 2) they wanted KC in there preparing for the run every down in order to get their guys open in the secondary.

Whether you think our QB is above average or below average or you're a true homer who wants to believe he's elite, you have to admit that we've done him no favors over his 9 seasons asking him to throw the ball so many times per game, especially in so many seasons when we have had only 1 significant receiver.

Maybe Schottenhiemer won't be the guy who gets us over the hump, but if he can get us focused on being a tougher team, a team that can run the ball and play defense up the middle, it will be a step in the right direction.....because these stats over the past 9 seasons (and probably throughout Romo's career if someone wants to look into it) are not the recipe for success with any team, any QB, any defense.

We learned that teams with quality GMs get to and win SBs
Teams with subpar GMs never even make the conference championship game.

 

[kwcool619]

The Eagles OL and DL are straight up dawgs.
They were not that good down the stretch in 2023. So, the Front Office rectified whatever went wrong and made changes. Jerrah just has no plan to be better. There has to be a plan for success.

 

[TheCritic]

The Eagles are going to be very good for a long time.

I heard the same kind of talk with the 90s Cowboys. Attrition has a way of finding the best of teams. But the one thing I won't take from the Eagles is that they cashed in when they needed to. They got ahead of the salary cap for a few seasons, but they will have to pay up just like every other team. We'll see how long it lasts.