Why I believe the 7-1 PHI team is a paper Eagle

[GORICO]

The eagles are a good football team. I don’t think any of the stats matter especially in a divisional matchup.

I’m not as confident as some, but Dallas does a shot, but they could easily get the doors blown off by 20+.

mr 88---- OR...they blow doors off by +20?

 

[GORICO]

Posting the Cowboys results next to theirs didn’t do your argument any favors. They didn’t get punked twice like the Cowboys did. Their Miami and Minnesota games are both good wins. Do the Cowboys have any good wins?

It will get settled Sunday. I actually think the Cowboys are likely to beat them in a close one unless our O and D lines wear skirts again like they did twice this season. Eagles are a legitimately great team though and may be the best in the NFL.

mr bt-----i believe game not close....Cowboys commence BEATDOWN....and our cross-dressing skirt days are over....we got confused feeling ourselves

a couple of times.....Dak convinced team....playing with ourselves causes blindness....and not a wives tale...it worked

 

[GORICO]

I agree with everything except about their pass rush. They have 25 sacks so far compared to Cowboys 18. Their DL has been very tough.

mr Haze---which means fat Mike better bring his best scheme ever on sunday....and our DC will get Hurts trapped in pocket before the hard sack...not saying

anyone will "spear at Hurts bad knee"....but accidents do happen..and sometimes frequently.....a bounty on Hurts knee???....Oh NEVER..we play by

the book....

 

[TheCritic]

mr Critic-----i hope you are "way wrong" on your speculation of game sunday....nothing personal...

Yeah me too.

 

[RustyBourneHorse]

I’ve watched the eagles play three times this year. Never a whole game but good portions of them. They are very good although I don’t think they are as good as last year.

IMO these are the eagles strengths and weaknesses-
STRENGTHS

• They are still very capable offensively. They can still run the ball, one of only 10 NFL teams that have rushed for over 1,000 yds so far, and have 10 rushing TDs (compared to 5 for us)
• Their passing game is good, not great. Hurts has 13 TDs but has thrown 8 pics- 3 more than Dak.
• WR AJ Brown has been a stud- already has 60 receptions and 5 TDs. He’s on pace for a 110-120 catch season. He’s tough to cover because he’s fast and fights well for the ball.
• Their D has an excellent pass rush and already have 25 sacks.
• They can stop the run. They have allowed less than 80 yards per game through 8 games so far.

WEAKNESSES

• Hurts has thrown 8 pics in 8 games. If you can force him to stay in the pocket and make tough throws, he’s not as effective.
• Their secondary is vulnerable if Dak has time.
• The eagles K Jake Elliott has missed an XP and a couple of FGs lately.

We can beat these guys. But they are still very good.
Its going to take our best game of the year.

Yes, but it's going to take an all hands on deck effort, and we can't afford many errors.

 

[CCBoy]

Now there’s a new face running the defense in Philadelphia. Sean Desai came over from Seattle, where he spent one year as the assistant head coach of defense. Prior to that, Desai had spent nine seasons rising the ranks within the Bears organization, eventually being named the defensive coordinator for the 2021 season and becoming the first NFL coordinator of Indian descent. In that lone season as coordinator, Desai inherited a very talented but aging defense and, for the most part, kept the momentum rolling.

With the Eagles, Desai has walked into a similar situation. The Eagles were third in defensive DVOA a year ago and returned a handful of aging stars in Fletcher Cox, Brandon Graham, Darius Slay, and James Bradberry. However, Desai also saw some big changes to the roster shortly after coming aboard.

In total, five starters departed in addition to three other key contributors on the defensive line and secondary. Both starting linebackers and both starting safeties left in free agency, and elite run-stuffer Javon Hargrave also departed for the 49ers. The Eagles seemingly bet on their in-house talent, asking Jordan Davis to assume Hargrave’s role with Nakobe Dean and Reed Blankenship stepping into larger roles alongside low-cost free agent signings like Zach Cunningham, Nicholas Morrow, Terrell Edmunds, and Justin Evans.

The results have largely been negative. The Eagles rank 18th in defensive DVOA and 17th in EPA/play allowed. They’re also 17th in yards per play and 19th in points per game. They’ve especially struggled to get off the field or keep opponents out of the endzone, ranking 25th in third down defense and 26th in red zone touchdown rate.


https://www.bloggingtheboys.com/202...wboys-scouting-report-eagles-defensive-scheme

 

[CCBoy]

So what’s the problem? Is Desai really that bad? Structurally, Desai’s scheme is very similar to what the Eagles had been running. Gannon was a Zimmer disciple who pivoted more towards the Vic Fangio style of defense over his time with the Eagles. Desai is actually a tried and true Fangio disciple, having spent four seasons under Fangio in Chicago before running the same scheme when he took over in 2021.

Schematically, that means a ton of two-deep safety shells with lots of zone coverage (mostly Cover 2 and quarters) and light boxes. The idea is to take away big plays in the passing game and rely on defensive line play to stop the run. It’s the same approach the Cowboys have faced in each of their last two games, though Desai is a little unique in that he mixes in a heavier blitz rate. Desai doesn’t go nuts with the blitz, but the Eagles have seen a noticeable uptick in blitzes so far under his guidance.

One thing that’s worked well for Desai this year, as opposed to the Chargers or Rams, is that his defensive line is arguably the best in the NFL and, therefore, capable of holding their own against the run. They’re only giving up 3.8 yards per carry and lead the league in run defense DVOA.

However, the secondary has been an issue.

https://www.bloggingtheboys.com/202...wboys-scouting-report-eagles-defensive-scheme

 

[CowboyFrog]

Let's not forgot the eagles were missing both their starting safetys that game, their starting right guard too. But no one seems to talk about that. Penalties aside , eagles whooped miami on the o line and dline. Penalties argument is lame and ultimately evens itself out over the course of the season.

it was a lopsided penalty game that saw several Dolphin drives stopped on questionable penalties while literally letting the eagles foul to stop drives and not calling it..but yeah penalties aside.

 

[SuperBowlz]

Now there’s a new face running the defense in Philadelphia. Sean Desai came over from Seattle, where he spent one year as the assistant head coach of defense. Prior to that, Desai had spent nine seasons rising the ranks within the Bears organization, eventually being named the defensive coordinator for the 2021 season and becoming the first NFL coordinator of Indian descent. In that lone season as coordinator, Desai inherited a very talented but aging defense and, for the most part, kept the momentum rolling.

With the Eagles, Desai has walked into a similar situation. The Eagles were third in defensive DVOA a year ago and returned a handful of aging stars in Fletcher Cox, Brandon Graham, Darius Slay, and James Bradberry. However, Desai also saw some big changes to the roster shortly after coming aboard.

In total, five starters departed in addition to three other key contributors on the defensive line and secondary. Both starting linebackers and both starting safeties left in free agency, and elite run-stuffer Javon Hargrave also departed for the 49ers. The Eagles seemingly bet on their in-house talent, asking Jordan Davis to assume Hargrave’s role with Nakobe Dean and Reed Blankenship stepping into larger roles alongside low-cost free agent signings like Zach Cunningham, Nicholas Morrow, Terrell Edmunds, and Justin Evans.

The results have largely been negative. The Eagles rank 18th in defensive DVOA and 17th in EPA/play allowed. They’re also 17th in yards per play and 19th in points per game. They’ve especially struggled to get off the field or keep opponents out of the endzone, ranking 25th in third down defense and 26th in red zone touchdown rate.


https://www.bloggingtheboys.com/202...wboys-scouting-report-eagles-defensive-scheme

Javon was a poorly rated run stopper but excellent at getting to the QB in their scheme. His replacement is better and will be a perennial all pro DT. The Eagles won't pay LBers even when they have good ones... they'll let them walk. They haven't drafted a traditional LB in the 1st round since the 70's. I don't think they lost much except at Safety. We will see if Byard works with them? They let their RB go yet upgraded a bunch with Swift. They went from a team that struggled against the run to an excellent run D but now they can't stop the pass. Sam Howell was like 22-24 in completions and half last week. Washington knows how to beat Philly. Quick passes expose their mediocre LBers and their Corners don't play on the receiver. The quick passing game negates their strong pass rush. Dak consistently beats Philly cause he's good distributing the ball with quick passes.

 

[GORICO]

Yeah me too.

mr Critic--- your profile pic is the best if i were to have name The Critic....and we are blessed to live so far in a country where "dissent" is encouraged if coming

from a place of good evidence....so far the American Experiment is not dead....we are not controlled by autocratic system where no dissent or no Criticism

allowed.....i stand with your right to dissent or criticize and you did bring reasonable criticism....come closer to game day especially i am total Homer...damn

the torpedos ...straight ahead...sometimes it works and sometimes get blown up...but you go Mr Critic

 

[meddleroidz]

IDK is it a custom to be so jealous of a winner? Sounds like you need some counseling.

cowboys are winners? what reality do you live in? i also love how they go to their glorious days, yet eagles have only 1 title less than america's team, so much for that! enjoy a beating tomorrow btw

 

[Kwyn]

1. Comparables.

2. A single impressive victory... Miami. And a single victory in which the outcome was never really in doubt... Tampa Bay.



This is a fortunate team. Yes, it's sometimes better to be lucky than good. No doubt. This post is just looking at the question of "how good are they really?"

They might be the weakest, most vulnerable 7-1 team in recent memory.

Now, none of that matters to Sunday's outcome specifically. They could continue to be fortunate, and we could lose. Reality, otoh, is most NFL games are that way... a bad team that plays at or near their ceiling often is capable of defeating a good team that plays at or near its floor.

I'm only making the point that is the subject header... this Eagles team has so far proven to be something less than the hype they're enjoying from being 7-1.

A lot of stats and history backup your premise.

I won’t argue that this years Eagles team is as good as what they’ve put on the field recently, but they are still a top flight team and they are playing at home. And, let’s be realistic, the Cowboys haven’t demonstrated consistent excellence this year.

I believe, like previous years, all bets are off and what happens later today will be decided on the field.

I think the Eagles have the edge; as much as I’d like to just be a total fan.

Hoping for the best. It’s a big game, for sure.

Doesn’t define either team’s season but it’s more important for us than it is for them.

Let’s see how much “want to” comes into play.