So two things first, then some diagramming. Then... we'll you can do whatever you want. I'll be off to go watch some College games with a view to keeping an eye on the 2012 and 2013 draft classes. Better to get a look in as early as possible I guess.
Anyway, at the risk of sounding like your boss in a morning meeting, the first thing on the agenda is the Andy Reid situation in Philly. As pointed out before on these pages, any kind of failure to live up to the wild hype was going to end in tears in Philly. It was inevitable from the moment they started spending money on big names. The Vince Young quote just made it worse.
Now as expected the Philadelphia press is turning on Andy Reid big time. As always, people seem to assume that bringing in a new coach now will solve all the problems that the Eagles have. It won't. We're five weeks into the season. A new coach would barely have enough time to get his head around who all his coaches are, who the players are and how the various systems are run by the time the season ends. Like it or not Eagles fans, Andy Reid is your best shot for the rest of the season.
That's not to say that he's without fault. Ultimately the Head Coach is responsible for everything that happens on his team. The defense may not be your speciality, but tough. You should know enough about it to know how it works and how to deal with problems in it. Juan Castillo may be in charge of the defense, but you're the guy that put him in charge, so you're the guy responsible for a) making sure he was up to the job and b) making sure he has all the support he needs to do his job. The buck stops at the top.
The good news for the defense - and for Juan Castillo - is that only one of the Eagles problems is down to that side of the ball. It's a problem they know about and it's an eminently fixable problem. And despite the hysteria in the Philadelphia press, it has nothing to do with "wide nines". It's the linebackers.
This is something I brought up a while back, when coming to the defense of Casey Matthews. People in the Philadelphia (and wider) press have been bitching about how easy it is to run inside of the wide defensive ends that the Eagles use. Of course this seems like a valid argument on the surface, but anyone with even a rudimentary understanding of how defenses are put together will know that it's not the job of the defensive ends to protect that inside running lane.
If you follow the link to the Matthews article you'll see the diagram of a 4-3 defense like that used by the Eagles, complete with marks to show which gaps the players are responsible for in the running game. As you can see, the defensive ends are responsible for the gaps to the outside of the offensive tackles. This is basic, day one installation of the 4-3 defense stuff.
The Eagles problems have nothing to do with wide nines and everything to do with not filling the gaps by the linebackers and the defensive linemen. The "Will" linebacker should be filling the gap between the Left Tackle and Left Guard. The defensive tackle in the "three technique" position should be filling the gap between the Right Guard and Right Tackle.
(In my diagram the defensive end was lined up inside the tight end. All that happens in a wide nine situation is that he lines up a little further outside and now the "Sam" linebacker takes the gap between the Right Tackle and the Tight End).
It really is that simple. There are kids across the US, probably practicing right at this minute as I type this, who understand it. It has nothing to do with the ends. It's not their job. Their job is to rush the passer and contain running plays, funnelling everything inside to other people. It's the job of the others to fill the missing gaps.
Of course there are other ways of doing this. You can line up the defensive tackles head up on the guards and make them "two gap", that is to say they'd be responsible for the gaps on either side of the guards. Using a controlled pass rush they can get into the backfield, pushing the guards backwards to close the pocket from the inside, while also keeping themselves at arms reach from the linemen and ready to make a tackle. I'll admit it's not exactly conventional to mix up the gap scheme like that, but needs must, as they say.
Really though it's the linebackers and their discipline that needs to be addressed. The Eagles need to sit their linebackers down in a room, with the linebacker coach Mike Caldwell, coordinator Juan Castillo, Head Coach Andy Reid and just for kicks, offensive line coach Howard Mudd. Show the linebackers the gaps on film. Show them examples of what you mean, how to fill the gaps, using old tape. And then ram it home, time after time for a good hour until they can repeat the instructions in their sleep. Of course, there is something else the Eagles could do to help....
STOP. TURNING. THE. FUU... FREAKING. BALL. OVER. ON. OFFENSE.
Through five games now, Mike Vick has seven interceptions and seven fumbles, three of which have been lost. Mike Kafka has another two interceptions to add. The Eagles have also suffered three more fumbles, all lost. Put against their defensive interceptions and fumble recoveries, that leaves the Eagles minus 10 in the turnover stakes. Couple that with their - at times - shocking red zone performance and you have your answer.
See the trouble is this. The Eagles defense is not built to stop the run. That's not what they do. Their defense is built to stop the pass. Why? Because the offense is so explosive. The Eagles lead the league in rushing yardage. Yes, trust me, they do. LeSean McCoy is a touchdown run waiting to happen. Vicks running has been incredible and receivers like Jeremy Maclin and DeSean Jackson are more than capable of ripping off big yardage.
Thus the defense is built to attack opponents who are trying to play catch up. The whole point of the wide nine defensive ends is to give them a better angle to rush the passer (Jason Babin has seven sacks already). Their secondary is replete with playmakers who can gamble and get you interceptions. It doesn't matter if they give up big yards or big scores every now and again, because the offense is supposed to be high powered enough to compensate. It's a gamble, but a calculated one at that.
The big problem is that it's the Eagles offense who are turning it over right now. Vick's fumbles and interceptions are killing his team, just as sure as the turnovers of Tony Romo are killing the Cowboys. The Eagles don't need to fix their defense. They need to fix their offense. And they need to do it quick.
Whatever it takes, the Eagles need to find a way to stop turning the ball over so much while still getting the ball to their play makers. They also need to find ways to turn yardage into points in the red zone. It's not easy, I understand that. But it's not like the Eagles are short of good players on offense. In fact, they're pretty much loaded up at all positions.
Which, come to think of it, is the responsibility of Andy Reid. After all, he calls the plays. In fact, maybe if someone else was calling the plays, the Eagles would score more points and they would make the playoffs. Hey....
FIRE ANDY REID!!
No wait, what am I saying? I hate the Eagles. I don't want a potentially good team like that making the playoffs and possibly disrupting the nefarious plans of the 49ers to slip through to the Super Bowl despite being - at heart - shit. Hey!
KEEP ANDY REID!!
You know what, I dunno any more. Let's go back to me being your boss in the morning meeting and quietly move things along to the second item on the agenda. Which is Tim Tebow. Or rather, the fact that John Fox has announced to his team that Tim Tebow will be starting for the Broncos in week seven when they play the Miami Dolphins (who as it happens will be honoring Tebow and his former Florida Gators team mates. Because that's just how the Dolphins luck is right now).
So, what do I think about it? Well I'm glad you asked.
I like Tebow. I've said before, I don't buy all the bullshit about him not being able to throw and I don't buy all the crap about his throwing motion either. I won't go over that again here. Suffice to say that if you haven't read it already, the article is here, including videos and stuff.
What I'm trying to figure out is if this was a genius move by Coach Fox, or whether he just kind of blundered into it. The blundering angle would involve him just pulling Orton and saying "you know what, this game is over, let's just roll with the Kid and see what he's got."
For it to qualify as a genius move it would require a bit of foresight on Fox's part. See the Broncos have next week off for the bye. Was Fox thinking about that when he put Tebow out? Was he thinking "you know what, if Tebow turns out to be ok, we could spend two weeks over the bye slotting him into our offense" while subtley rubbing his chin and making that noise that people do when they think they've just hit on a master plan.
Or it could be even more subtle, and devious, and slightly nasty. Maybe he was thinking "this Tebow guy sucks. I know what will do for him. I'll make him start on the night in Miami, on the same night they're honoring him. I'll get the OC to call bad plays and embarrass him in front of the Miami crowd..."
Or it could be even more subtle, more devious, less nasty, but slightly more genius. Maybe he was thinking "What I'll do is put Tebow in for the Miami game. They need a quarterback. Maybe if I show him off, they'll trade for him?"
Or you know what, I could just be grossly over thinking this. My guess is that with the bye week just around the corner and realising that Orton wasn't getting it done, Fox decided to just give Tebow a look against the Chargers. He did well, so now he has two weeks to build an offense that works, preferably one that doesn't involve Tebow risking injury quite as much as he does right now. To be fair, he's a big guy and has demonstrated his toughness on multiple occassions now. Still not sure I'd want him playing the concussion lottery each week though.
At this point I should probably think about moving on to the diagrams, but you know what? This post is already too long and it gives me something to do tomorrow. So tomorrow I will be back with a piece on the outside zone running play that most teams are now using in the NFL.
I've also just noticed that almost every time I write an article about the Eagles I also seem to end up writing about Tim Tebow. I'm not quite sure why that is, but there you go.
For now I'm off to go and watch some College ball. Don't forget to hit the Facebooky like thing if you haven't done so already. Or you could e-mail your co-workers a link to this, instead of sending them chain letters or pictures of dogs wearing hats.
Your choice.
Showing posts with label Dream Team. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Dream Team. Show all posts
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Friday, August 19, 2011
2011 Pre-season; week 2 (Thursday)
So, two games from pre-season week 2 in the books. Let's have a look.
It started with the Patriots at the Buccaneers and boy did the Buccaneers get a wake up call. Their firsts versus the Patriots firsts resulted in a game that wasn't even close as the Pats put up 28 unanswered points as their offense cut through the Buc's D, while their defense poured all over the Buc's O-line. It was the footballing equivalent of a massacre.
Tom Brady finished 11/19 for 118 yards and 2 TD's, having a few miscues, but nothing serious. Chad Ochocinco got his first action in a Patriot's jersey, scoring a TD and taking a major hit along the way. Rookie QB Ryan Mallet was 9/14 for 71 yards and 1 interception. Naturally people were crying about the fact that he threw a pick, but shit, seriously? One pick and other than that he's looked very solid, certainly the best among this years crop of quarterbacks.
The Patriots running game got motoring again, largely due to the fact that the Buccaneers D-line was getting handled just as roughly as its offensive line. On defense, Patriots linebacker Jerod Mayo had two sacks and looked every bit the lynch pin of that defense.
As for the Buccaneers, I think it's a case of try again next week? Josh Freeman went just 5/10 for 33 yards. Josh Johnson did slightly better, 6/17 for 105 yards and a pick. C'mon Johnson, you're better than this. Third year backup Rudy Carpenter was 6/10 for 68 yards.
But the Buc's have little to be pleased about. The simple fact is that they were man handled at every turn throughout the game by a clearly superior side. They may be "Youngry", but the young aspect definitely stands out more than the hungry part. Lots of coaching work to do in the coming season.
Next the Philadelphia "Dream Team" Eagles visited Pittsburgh to take on the Steelers and were in for something of a shock. Recently the Eagles players have been trying to play down the "Dream Team" moniker and Thursday night we perhaps found out why.
Mike Vick; 5/12 for 47 yards and 3 INT's. Wow. That was pretty bad. Part of the issue was - as you might expect - the Steelers pass rush. But a big chunk of it was just Vick making bad decisions (no jokes please). One of the interceptions was just ridiculous, as Vick tried to thread the needle between about five defenders. And that seemed to be the major problem. Instead of just occasionally eating a sack or throwing the ball away, Vick was determined to make plays happen that just weren't there.
Still, he got a sweet hit in after a pass was tipped and then picked off by Troy Polamalu. Not sure if Andy Reid will be quite as impressed.
His replacement was Vince Young, who went on to finish 5/8 for 34 yards and an interception. Finally the situation was partially rescued (albeit against the third string) by Mike Kafka, who threw 14/19 for 160 yards and 2 TD's. Running back Ronnie Brown got in on the action late and had some effect, as did rookie Dion Lewis (ahhh!) with 2 carries for 19 yards and 2 receptions for another 48.
On defense some new arrivals made their impact, with Jason Babin, Cullen Jenkins and Anthony Hargrove all recording sacks, but outside of that the Eagles D didn't look all that impressive, being victimised by a succession of Steelers quarterbacks.
It started with Ben Roethlisberger, who went 8/12 for 125 yards and 2 TD's, while looking every bit like a hall of fame quarterback. Yeah. He just seems to have such a command of that offense, while bringing great strength and calm under pressure to the table as well. Next up was Byron Leftwich; 4/7 for 67 yards and a TD. Then Dennis Dixon; 8/11 for 90 yards.
Of note outside of the quarterback position for the Steelers was new receiver Jerricho Cotchery, who ended with 2 catches for 49 yards and a TD. On defense the Steelers actually produced just one sack, but the elusiveness of Michael Vick had much to do with that. The pressure was there and it forced mistakes, notable not least because of the defense's four interceptions total. Will Allen also produced a forced fumble.
Dream Team? More like "Dream On" at the minute, but its early days yet. I am wondering though, after my post the other day about the pressure that comes with the hype, will the Philadelphia media start to go rabid already? We'll see.
Right then, we'll round off this post by having a look ahead at the Friday night action.
Which begins with the Redskins at the Colts. The Curtis Painter saga continues! More of interest though will be the defense, which got over run by St. Louis of all people last week. If Manning doesn't come back 100% this year then the Colts will need a very strong showing from their defense just to make the playoffs. For the Redskins this is another chance to see where they stand with Rex Grossman and perhaps give that rushing attack a kick up the backside.
The Chiefs get a repeat of their playoff match up from last year, but this time they'll be on the road against the Ravens. I'm actually quite intrigued by this. I want to know whether Head Coach Todd Haley trusts his running game this time or whether he's going to stick with testing out his back up quarterback situation. The Ravens need to find their groove offensively and really give Joe Flacco a decent spell.
Detroit Lions at Cleveland Browns next, and two teams that had pretty good starts to the pre-season, offensively at least. Looking forward to seeing more Colt McCoy in action and also finding out whether Matthew Staffords resurgence in week 1 was just a fluke or if he's finally starting to build a sense of rhythm with his receivers.
The Cam Netwon show rolls into Miami as the Panthers face the Dolphins. This one is all about the quarterbacks, as Newton and Clausen battle for the starting role in Carolina, and Chad Henne tries to convince the Miami coaches he's the right man for the job this season.
The Cardinals get a trip to a slightly cooler Green Bay for their week 2 game. For Green Bay its about building on a pretty good showing by the first stringers last week while a lot of attention will be on Arizona in this one. More specifically, the mess that is otherwise known as their quarterback situation. It'll also provide a nice test for what is a defense in some disarray, having still not stopped the rot at the linebacker position from last season.
Finally, the Falcons nip across to Florida to take on Jacksonville. I'm interested to know just how tough that Falcons defense will be this year. Specifically I'm looking for sacks from the Falcons D-line. For the Jaguars all eyes will doubtless be on Blaine Gabbert, but a more important question in my book is how their revamped linebacking corps gets on.
See you tomorrow.
It started with the Patriots at the Buccaneers and boy did the Buccaneers get a wake up call. Their firsts versus the Patriots firsts resulted in a game that wasn't even close as the Pats put up 28 unanswered points as their offense cut through the Buc's D, while their defense poured all over the Buc's O-line. It was the footballing equivalent of a massacre.
Tom Brady finished 11/19 for 118 yards and 2 TD's, having a few miscues, but nothing serious. Chad Ochocinco got his first action in a Patriot's jersey, scoring a TD and taking a major hit along the way. Rookie QB Ryan Mallet was 9/14 for 71 yards and 1 interception. Naturally people were crying about the fact that he threw a pick, but shit, seriously? One pick and other than that he's looked very solid, certainly the best among this years crop of quarterbacks.
The Patriots running game got motoring again, largely due to the fact that the Buccaneers D-line was getting handled just as roughly as its offensive line. On defense, Patriots linebacker Jerod Mayo had two sacks and looked every bit the lynch pin of that defense.
As for the Buccaneers, I think it's a case of try again next week? Josh Freeman went just 5/10 for 33 yards. Josh Johnson did slightly better, 6/17 for 105 yards and a pick. C'mon Johnson, you're better than this. Third year backup Rudy Carpenter was 6/10 for 68 yards.
But the Buc's have little to be pleased about. The simple fact is that they were man handled at every turn throughout the game by a clearly superior side. They may be "Youngry", but the young aspect definitely stands out more than the hungry part. Lots of coaching work to do in the coming season.
Next the Philadelphia "Dream Team" Eagles visited Pittsburgh to take on the Steelers and were in for something of a shock. Recently the Eagles players have been trying to play down the "Dream Team" moniker and Thursday night we perhaps found out why.
Mike Vick; 5/12 for 47 yards and 3 INT's. Wow. That was pretty bad. Part of the issue was - as you might expect - the Steelers pass rush. But a big chunk of it was just Vick making bad decisions (no jokes please). One of the interceptions was just ridiculous, as Vick tried to thread the needle between about five defenders. And that seemed to be the major problem. Instead of just occasionally eating a sack or throwing the ball away, Vick was determined to make plays happen that just weren't there.
Still, he got a sweet hit in after a pass was tipped and then picked off by Troy Polamalu. Not sure if Andy Reid will be quite as impressed.
His replacement was Vince Young, who went on to finish 5/8 for 34 yards and an interception. Finally the situation was partially rescued (albeit against the third string) by Mike Kafka, who threw 14/19 for 160 yards and 2 TD's. Running back Ronnie Brown got in on the action late and had some effect, as did rookie Dion Lewis (ahhh!) with 2 carries for 19 yards and 2 receptions for another 48.
On defense some new arrivals made their impact, with Jason Babin, Cullen Jenkins and Anthony Hargrove all recording sacks, but outside of that the Eagles D didn't look all that impressive, being victimised by a succession of Steelers quarterbacks.
It started with Ben Roethlisberger, who went 8/12 for 125 yards and 2 TD's, while looking every bit like a hall of fame quarterback. Yeah. He just seems to have such a command of that offense, while bringing great strength and calm under pressure to the table as well. Next up was Byron Leftwich; 4/7 for 67 yards and a TD. Then Dennis Dixon; 8/11 for 90 yards.
Of note outside of the quarterback position for the Steelers was new receiver Jerricho Cotchery, who ended with 2 catches for 49 yards and a TD. On defense the Steelers actually produced just one sack, but the elusiveness of Michael Vick had much to do with that. The pressure was there and it forced mistakes, notable not least because of the defense's four interceptions total. Will Allen also produced a forced fumble.
Dream Team? More like "Dream On" at the minute, but its early days yet. I am wondering though, after my post the other day about the pressure that comes with the hype, will the Philadelphia media start to go rabid already? We'll see.
Right then, we'll round off this post by having a look ahead at the Friday night action.
Which begins with the Redskins at the Colts. The Curtis Painter saga continues! More of interest though will be the defense, which got over run by St. Louis of all people last week. If Manning doesn't come back 100% this year then the Colts will need a very strong showing from their defense just to make the playoffs. For the Redskins this is another chance to see where they stand with Rex Grossman and perhaps give that rushing attack a kick up the backside.
The Chiefs get a repeat of their playoff match up from last year, but this time they'll be on the road against the Ravens. I'm actually quite intrigued by this. I want to know whether Head Coach Todd Haley trusts his running game this time or whether he's going to stick with testing out his back up quarterback situation. The Ravens need to find their groove offensively and really give Joe Flacco a decent spell.
Detroit Lions at Cleveland Browns next, and two teams that had pretty good starts to the pre-season, offensively at least. Looking forward to seeing more Colt McCoy in action and also finding out whether Matthew Staffords resurgence in week 1 was just a fluke or if he's finally starting to build a sense of rhythm with his receivers.
The Cam Netwon show rolls into Miami as the Panthers face the Dolphins. This one is all about the quarterbacks, as Newton and Clausen battle for the starting role in Carolina, and Chad Henne tries to convince the Miami coaches he's the right man for the job this season.
The Cardinals get a trip to a slightly cooler Green Bay for their week 2 game. For Green Bay its about building on a pretty good showing by the first stringers last week while a lot of attention will be on Arizona in this one. More specifically, the mess that is otherwise known as their quarterback situation. It'll also provide a nice test for what is a defense in some disarray, having still not stopped the rot at the linebacker position from last season.
Finally, the Falcons nip across to Florida to take on Jacksonville. I'm interested to know just how tough that Falcons defense will be this year. Specifically I'm looking for sacks from the Falcons D-line. For the Jaguars all eyes will doubtless be on Blaine Gabbert, but a more important question in my book is how their revamped linebacking corps gets on.
See you tomorrow.
Thursday, August 11, 2011
Eagles "Dream Team" and Tim Tebow
No, I'm not suggesting the Eagles trade for Tebow. These are two separate stories that I want to address. Normally I would give it some sort of comedic title (at least by my sense of humour) like, "Eagles prepare to shit on everyone from a great height" or "Eagles looking to soar to heaven... where they see seat with 'reserved for Tim Tebow' sign on it" etc.
But apparently that's not good for business. If you want to haul in the views you have to literally explain in the title what you're talking about and use words that people type into search engines. Boring but necessary it would seem. Ah well, let's get on with it.
So the Eagles "Dream Team" has expanded to include wide receiver Steve Smith. No, not that one. The one that used to play for the Giants. The one who now probably regrets pitching in to the LeSean McCoy/Osi Umenyiora off season spat by asking how many Super Bowl rings the Eagles had. Whoops!
Anyway, I'm now starting to get very interested in the Eagles for the simple reason that this season could have serious implications on the future of the NFL. Yes, the Eagles. See, there are two sides of the free agent debate.
One side believes that you can flash the cash in all directions and essentially buy the Super Bowl. The other side would point at teams like the Redskins in recent years and then laugh for probably a little longer than is actually necessary. The Eagles performance this year could go a long way to helping people take sides in the debate.
I'm fairly certain right now that the Eagles will make the playoffs and do pretty well overall in the regular season. I've seen this happen several times over here in English soccer with teams being bought out by billionaires who then stop at nothing to buy a championship. Even if they fall short of the ultimate goal, the sudden increase in talent level across the board usually has enough of an impact to overcome lesser opposition with ease.
The key will obviously be whether they make it to the big game and if they do, how will they fare?
My guess right now is not well. The reason I say this is because team cohesion is a big factor in teams winning titles, from what I've seen at least. The ability to get a group of players to come together and work for each other can make a big impact on the field. That is always the risk that you assume when you spend highly in free agency; you're bringing guys like Steve Smith into your locker room who just a few weeks ago were bashing your organisation.
Another problem that is common derives from simple numbers. There are only so many spots on the field at the start of the game. You can't start five wide receivers, and two running backs, and two tight ends all at the same time. Well, theoretically you can, but some of those guys are going to have to settle with being offensive linemen.
This creates friction. Lots of friction.
Egos clash as everyone believes that their talents should be highlighted. Just look at the corner situation with Asante Samuel, Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and Nnamdi Asomugha. Most are betting that if Samuel is still around in week 1, then Samuel and Asomugha will be starting. How is Rodgers-Cromartie, a talented corner who has seen plenty of action in his career so far, going to take to suddenly being an occasional nickel back?
It'll effect his career no doubt. Starting in Arizona DRC had the chance to show off his skills and build up his potential value for free agency. Now? He's going to spend a lot of time hidden away, either on the bench or covering the number 3 guy. How long before the quite murmurs behind closed doors become an angry rumble on Twitter?
The same applies to guys like receiver Jeremy Maclin. How long before he gets tired of Steve Smith taking his spot? Or maybe its the other way around? Maybe Smith gets annoyed that he used to be considered a top receiver in New York and now he's just an auxillary on the "Dream Team"?
Which brings us to probably the most difficult part of this process for the Eagles. However much Coach Andy Reid tries to play it down, the cat is out of the bag now. The Dream Team moniker is here to stay for 2011-12.
Given how rabid the sports press in Philadelphia has a reputation for being in general, how long before they start piling on the pressure now? And trust me, it wont just take a loss to get them going. Oh no! Teams with as much hype and expectation as the Eagles - and who have spent as much money - are held to a far more critical standard.
Take english soccer team Chelsea F.C. for example. A few years ago now they were bought by Russian billionaire businessman Roman Abramovich, who has spent over a half billion dollars purchasing players from around the world to play for his team (that's before you even start counting the enormous wages paid). As a result, the expectations on Chelsea are ridiculous. Beating a poor to intermediate quality team is not enough. Anything less than a severe thrashing is considered failure, not to mention the "win the title every season" type expectation with regards to the premier league.
This is the world that the Eagles have literally and unintentionally bought into. Forget about the Super Bowl. Forget about the playoffs. Forget about the NFC East divisional crown. The scrutiny of the Eagles begins in week 1 of the regular season at the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis, Missouri. Anything short of trouncing the Rams (a team that will be very much considered the underdog) will result in backlash and speculation.
The sports pages in Philadelphia will be covered with headlines reading "IS THIS IT?!!" or words to that effect if the Eagles can only scrape a one or two score win. Already people will get nervous about why the Eagles aren't blowing other teams off the field with a shockwave of footballing brilliance. Eventually this will find its way into the locker room and manifest itself in finger pointing.
"We're not winning because you don't throw me the ball enough!"
"If you let me rush the passer more often coach, we'd get way more sacks!"
"We're not running the ball enough coach, you should let me carry it a few more times!"
If things don't go exactly according to the pre-season script, and given the volatility that we're accustomed to from professional sports players and the media who cover them, this has the potential to get real ugly, real quick. I personally expect the Eagles will win maybe 11-12 games, but something tells me that won't be enough to hold back the waves of criticism.
Don't forget, this is a city that ran quarterback Donovan McNabb out of town after he took them to 5 NFC Championship games (four consecutively) and one Super Bowl appearance!
This also leads us nicely to Tim Tebow, as we stick with the theme of high expectations.
Because (I know smartass) the hype around Tebow and his failure to win the starting job in Denver is getting bloody ridiculous. He's a kid. A young player learning the ropes. Alright, he got drafted in the first round. I get that. Yes, the Broncos gave up a lot to get him. I understand. But I don't care if he was drafted number one overall, the fact is he's still young.
This is what the draft is supposed to be about. Your supposed to pick up promising young players who you think have potential, then develop them over time. Look at Joe Montana for example. And no, I'm not saying the two are the same. But just look at Montana with the 49ers. Did he walk in and become number one right away? No he didn't. He was a project. Bill Walsh built him up, encouraged him, worked with him, taught him, developed him.
Eventually yes, he hit the field as the number one guy and barely looked back. Sort of. But the point is, it takes time to acclimate a rookie and bring them up to speed, to teach them the ways of the NFL. Tebow is doing that. He's learning. To expect him to supplant a good quarterback like Kyle Orton right away is stupid. And yeah, I think Orton is a good quarterback who doesn't get enough credit as it is.
So what if Orton is beating Tebow out? You should expect him to. That's why Orton is a starting quarterback in this league, while Alex Smith has to compete for his job every year. All I'm saying is that people need to give Tebow time. He has talent. Anyone that says he can't throw needs to go and check his old Florida tape, as well as his game time from last season.
Does he occasionally make mistakes? Yeah, surprise, surprise, he does. It's called being human. I don't care how often he goes to church and prays, he's still a human being and no amount of hyperbole will change that fact. Now, does Peyton Manning make mistakes? Yep. What about Drew Brees? Yep. Tom Brady? Yep. Philip Rivers? Yep. See where I'm going with this?
Tebow is a victim of his own success in college. Given that he dominated so many games in his career the expectations on him now are to rule the NFL single handed. Which is ridiculous. Is Tim Tebow failing in Denver as many people believe? No, I don't think he is.
I think what's happening is that like Philadelphia, people have annointed him with a title that is based on their own unrealistic assessment of the situation. They've allowed their own agendas, either positive or negative, to cloud the issue and now everyone is caught along for the ride.
Me personally? I think Tebow may see some intermitent action this year - mostly garbage time - depending on how things go. If things go bad offensively then expect people to call for a change, because apparently all you have to do these days is change the quarterback in order to kick start an offense. I think he'll learn from watching Orton and grow mentally as an NFL player. Give it another year or two and I think he could be a good, legitimate starter in the NFL.
Is he ever going to win a Super Bowl? Pff, how about you get your crystal ball out and tell me what teams he's going to play for during his career and what pieces will be around him? Then I'll tell you. Just look at Peyton Manning for example. He's probably the best pure quarterback in the league right now and yet he only has one ring.
All I'll say is that I think eventually Tebow will find a starting job and eventually I expect him to have some success. It's just a matter of the one thing that seemingly no football fan, football writer, coach, general manager or owner seems to possess anymore; patience!
Now if you're looking for a less hyped team that might just be in with a Super Bowl shout, look at New England. I know they're hardly a footballing minnow, but they're going largely under the radar right now and yet Coach Belichick is assembling quite a nice little team up there in Foxborough. You have been warned.
Which reminds me, ahhhhh football is back! Well. Kind of.
Pres-season begins today and as yet it's still unclear how teams are going to go about apportioning time to their players. We may get full games with starters at some point, but most likely it'll be your usual mish mash of starters playing halfs then coming out in favour of the younger/fringe type players.
New England will be entertaining Jacksonville which means we might get our first look at QB Ryan Mallett. I like Mallett and it'll be interesting to see whether many teams are left ruing the chance to pick him up in the draft. For Jacksonville I'm rooting for back up running back Rashad Jennings. C'mon kid, let 'em have it!
The "Dream Team" will get its first showing against Baltimore, something which I'm not entirely sure Andy Reid will be relishing. I'm particularly interested in rookie running back Dion Lewis and linebacker Casey Matthews for the Eagles. For the Ravens it has to be rookie corner Jimmy Smith (one of my favourite corners in the draft) followed by wide receiver Torrey Smith (one of my favourite receivers).
San Diego will play host to Seattle. I'm hoping to see rookie Chargers center Colin Baxter, mainly because I think he's awful and is going to get his quarterback killed. Defensive Linemen Corey Liuget is one to watch though, for good reasons. For Seattle, I like rookie tackle James Carpenter and guard John Moffitt. Moffitt especially so. In the secondary, corner Byron Maxwell has potential in time, and I absolutely love Mark LeGree. I hope he plays because I think he's gonna be great.
Dallas will welcome Denver for their first pre-season game. I literally have no interest in Dallas. None. Not a thing. Denver however throws up a few names. Tim Tebow of course. Rookie Tight end Virgil Green, Offensive Linemen (should be a guard) Orlando Franklin, pass rusher Jeremy Beal (watch out for this guy, might play outside linebacker, maybe defensive end. Should get sacks) and safety Rahim Moore. So just a few then.
Finally, Oakland are at home to Arizona (blurgh!). For Oakland rookie running back Taiwan Jones, wide receiver Denarius Moore and offensive guard Stefen Wisniewski (at least against the pass). For Arizona, all eyes will be on rookie corner Patrick Peterson. I'm interested in seeing him largely because I don't think he's going to be all that good, but we'll see. Other than Peterson, I'm looking at rookie running back Ryan Williams and linebacker Quan Sturdivant.
So that's that for today. I'll probably be back tomorrow depending on my work schedule, but until next time, have a great day.
But apparently that's not good for business. If you want to haul in the views you have to literally explain in the title what you're talking about and use words that people type into search engines. Boring but necessary it would seem. Ah well, let's get on with it.
So the Eagles "Dream Team" has expanded to include wide receiver Steve Smith. No, not that one. The one that used to play for the Giants. The one who now probably regrets pitching in to the LeSean McCoy/Osi Umenyiora off season spat by asking how many Super Bowl rings the Eagles had. Whoops!
Anyway, I'm now starting to get very interested in the Eagles for the simple reason that this season could have serious implications on the future of the NFL. Yes, the Eagles. See, there are two sides of the free agent debate.
One side believes that you can flash the cash in all directions and essentially buy the Super Bowl. The other side would point at teams like the Redskins in recent years and then laugh for probably a little longer than is actually necessary. The Eagles performance this year could go a long way to helping people take sides in the debate.
I'm fairly certain right now that the Eagles will make the playoffs and do pretty well overall in the regular season. I've seen this happen several times over here in English soccer with teams being bought out by billionaires who then stop at nothing to buy a championship. Even if they fall short of the ultimate goal, the sudden increase in talent level across the board usually has enough of an impact to overcome lesser opposition with ease.
The key will obviously be whether they make it to the big game and if they do, how will they fare?
My guess right now is not well. The reason I say this is because team cohesion is a big factor in teams winning titles, from what I've seen at least. The ability to get a group of players to come together and work for each other can make a big impact on the field. That is always the risk that you assume when you spend highly in free agency; you're bringing guys like Steve Smith into your locker room who just a few weeks ago were bashing your organisation.
Another problem that is common derives from simple numbers. There are only so many spots on the field at the start of the game. You can't start five wide receivers, and two running backs, and two tight ends all at the same time. Well, theoretically you can, but some of those guys are going to have to settle with being offensive linemen.
This creates friction. Lots of friction.
Egos clash as everyone believes that their talents should be highlighted. Just look at the corner situation with Asante Samuel, Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and Nnamdi Asomugha. Most are betting that if Samuel is still around in week 1, then Samuel and Asomugha will be starting. How is Rodgers-Cromartie, a talented corner who has seen plenty of action in his career so far, going to take to suddenly being an occasional nickel back?
It'll effect his career no doubt. Starting in Arizona DRC had the chance to show off his skills and build up his potential value for free agency. Now? He's going to spend a lot of time hidden away, either on the bench or covering the number 3 guy. How long before the quite murmurs behind closed doors become an angry rumble on Twitter?
The same applies to guys like receiver Jeremy Maclin. How long before he gets tired of Steve Smith taking his spot? Or maybe its the other way around? Maybe Smith gets annoyed that he used to be considered a top receiver in New York and now he's just an auxillary on the "Dream Team"?
Which brings us to probably the most difficult part of this process for the Eagles. However much Coach Andy Reid tries to play it down, the cat is out of the bag now. The Dream Team moniker is here to stay for 2011-12.
Given how rabid the sports press in Philadelphia has a reputation for being in general, how long before they start piling on the pressure now? And trust me, it wont just take a loss to get them going. Oh no! Teams with as much hype and expectation as the Eagles - and who have spent as much money - are held to a far more critical standard.
Take english soccer team Chelsea F.C. for example. A few years ago now they were bought by Russian billionaire businessman Roman Abramovich, who has spent over a half billion dollars purchasing players from around the world to play for his team (that's before you even start counting the enormous wages paid). As a result, the expectations on Chelsea are ridiculous. Beating a poor to intermediate quality team is not enough. Anything less than a severe thrashing is considered failure, not to mention the "win the title every season" type expectation with regards to the premier league.
This is the world that the Eagles have literally and unintentionally bought into. Forget about the Super Bowl. Forget about the playoffs. Forget about the NFC East divisional crown. The scrutiny of the Eagles begins in week 1 of the regular season at the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis, Missouri. Anything short of trouncing the Rams (a team that will be very much considered the underdog) will result in backlash and speculation.
The sports pages in Philadelphia will be covered with headlines reading "IS THIS IT?!!" or words to that effect if the Eagles can only scrape a one or two score win. Already people will get nervous about why the Eagles aren't blowing other teams off the field with a shockwave of footballing brilliance. Eventually this will find its way into the locker room and manifest itself in finger pointing.
"We're not winning because you don't throw me the ball enough!"
"If you let me rush the passer more often coach, we'd get way more sacks!"
"We're not running the ball enough coach, you should let me carry it a few more times!"
If things don't go exactly according to the pre-season script, and given the volatility that we're accustomed to from professional sports players and the media who cover them, this has the potential to get real ugly, real quick. I personally expect the Eagles will win maybe 11-12 games, but something tells me that won't be enough to hold back the waves of criticism.
Don't forget, this is a city that ran quarterback Donovan McNabb out of town after he took them to 5 NFC Championship games (four consecutively) and one Super Bowl appearance!
This also leads us nicely to Tim Tebow, as we stick with the theme of high expectations.
Because (I know smartass) the hype around Tebow and his failure to win the starting job in Denver is getting bloody ridiculous. He's a kid. A young player learning the ropes. Alright, he got drafted in the first round. I get that. Yes, the Broncos gave up a lot to get him. I understand. But I don't care if he was drafted number one overall, the fact is he's still young.
This is what the draft is supposed to be about. Your supposed to pick up promising young players who you think have potential, then develop them over time. Look at Joe Montana for example. And no, I'm not saying the two are the same. But just look at Montana with the 49ers. Did he walk in and become number one right away? No he didn't. He was a project. Bill Walsh built him up, encouraged him, worked with him, taught him, developed him.
Eventually yes, he hit the field as the number one guy and barely looked back. Sort of. But the point is, it takes time to acclimate a rookie and bring them up to speed, to teach them the ways of the NFL. Tebow is doing that. He's learning. To expect him to supplant a good quarterback like Kyle Orton right away is stupid. And yeah, I think Orton is a good quarterback who doesn't get enough credit as it is.
So what if Orton is beating Tebow out? You should expect him to. That's why Orton is a starting quarterback in this league, while Alex Smith has to compete for his job every year. All I'm saying is that people need to give Tebow time. He has talent. Anyone that says he can't throw needs to go and check his old Florida tape, as well as his game time from last season.
Does he occasionally make mistakes? Yeah, surprise, surprise, he does. It's called being human. I don't care how often he goes to church and prays, he's still a human being and no amount of hyperbole will change that fact. Now, does Peyton Manning make mistakes? Yep. What about Drew Brees? Yep. Tom Brady? Yep. Philip Rivers? Yep. See where I'm going with this?
Tebow is a victim of his own success in college. Given that he dominated so many games in his career the expectations on him now are to rule the NFL single handed. Which is ridiculous. Is Tim Tebow failing in Denver as many people believe? No, I don't think he is.
I think what's happening is that like Philadelphia, people have annointed him with a title that is based on their own unrealistic assessment of the situation. They've allowed their own agendas, either positive or negative, to cloud the issue and now everyone is caught along for the ride.
Me personally? I think Tebow may see some intermitent action this year - mostly garbage time - depending on how things go. If things go bad offensively then expect people to call for a change, because apparently all you have to do these days is change the quarterback in order to kick start an offense. I think he'll learn from watching Orton and grow mentally as an NFL player. Give it another year or two and I think he could be a good, legitimate starter in the NFL.
Is he ever going to win a Super Bowl? Pff, how about you get your crystal ball out and tell me what teams he's going to play for during his career and what pieces will be around him? Then I'll tell you. Just look at Peyton Manning for example. He's probably the best pure quarterback in the league right now and yet he only has one ring.
All I'll say is that I think eventually Tebow will find a starting job and eventually I expect him to have some success. It's just a matter of the one thing that seemingly no football fan, football writer, coach, general manager or owner seems to possess anymore; patience!
Now if you're looking for a less hyped team that might just be in with a Super Bowl shout, look at New England. I know they're hardly a footballing minnow, but they're going largely under the radar right now and yet Coach Belichick is assembling quite a nice little team up there in Foxborough. You have been warned.
Which reminds me, ahhhhh football is back! Well. Kind of.
Pres-season begins today and as yet it's still unclear how teams are going to go about apportioning time to their players. We may get full games with starters at some point, but most likely it'll be your usual mish mash of starters playing halfs then coming out in favour of the younger/fringe type players.
New England will be entertaining Jacksonville which means we might get our first look at QB Ryan Mallett. I like Mallett and it'll be interesting to see whether many teams are left ruing the chance to pick him up in the draft. For Jacksonville I'm rooting for back up running back Rashad Jennings. C'mon kid, let 'em have it!
The "Dream Team" will get its first showing against Baltimore, something which I'm not entirely sure Andy Reid will be relishing. I'm particularly interested in rookie running back Dion Lewis and linebacker Casey Matthews for the Eagles. For the Ravens it has to be rookie corner Jimmy Smith (one of my favourite corners in the draft) followed by wide receiver Torrey Smith (one of my favourite receivers).
San Diego will play host to Seattle. I'm hoping to see rookie Chargers center Colin Baxter, mainly because I think he's awful and is going to get his quarterback killed. Defensive Linemen Corey Liuget is one to watch though, for good reasons. For Seattle, I like rookie tackle James Carpenter and guard John Moffitt. Moffitt especially so. In the secondary, corner Byron Maxwell has potential in time, and I absolutely love Mark LeGree. I hope he plays because I think he's gonna be great.
Dallas will welcome Denver for their first pre-season game. I literally have no interest in Dallas. None. Not a thing. Denver however throws up a few names. Tim Tebow of course. Rookie Tight end Virgil Green, Offensive Linemen (should be a guard) Orlando Franklin, pass rusher Jeremy Beal (watch out for this guy, might play outside linebacker, maybe defensive end. Should get sacks) and safety Rahim Moore. So just a few then.
Finally, Oakland are at home to Arizona (blurgh!). For Oakland rookie running back Taiwan Jones, wide receiver Denarius Moore and offensive guard Stefen Wisniewski (at least against the pass). For Arizona, all eyes will be on rookie corner Patrick Peterson. I'm interested in seeing him largely because I don't think he's going to be all that good, but we'll see. Other than Peterson, I'm looking at rookie running back Ryan Williams and linebacker Quan Sturdivant.
So that's that for today. I'll probably be back tomorrow depending on my work schedule, but until next time, have a great day.
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