One of these days I'll actually post my article about the three step drop. By the time I do, the damn play will have been banned from football, along with all forms of contact in football.
Anyway, the reason for the delay is because I want to pick up a couple of the main points coming out of the weekends games and I guess I might generally just run down some of the games, as and when things come to mind of interest. There are two main issues that I want to address though.
The first is to do with the Eagles and their defensive coordinator position currently held by Juan Castillo, the former offensive line coach. Basically with Steve Spagnuolo of the Rams likely to get the chop at the end of the season, many people are lining him up to replace Castillo as the Eagles Defensive coordinator for next year.
And I simply want to ask; why? In fact, let me ask you another question, just out of interest; Which team leads the NFL in sacks right now?
Answer; the Philadelphia Eagles.
See while everyone has been busy lately criticising Castillo for his schemes, people seem to have over looked the fact that the Eagles are actually one of the better defenses out there. They're not perfect, not by any means, but they're pretty good. They'll need some tweaking in the off season; getting the coverages sorted out to make the best use of the available talent, as well as sitting down with that young linebacker corps and watching some film to explain to them better about run fits etc. But otherwise that's not a bad defense and it can only get better in the off season with the right work.
The problem with the Eagles is not their defense. The problem with the Eagles is their offense.
Simply put, it sucks. And has sucked for most of 2011. The Eagles are practically in a league of their own when it comes to getting down into the red zone and then not producing a score. They are brilliant for 80 yards as they rip great chunks out of people in the open field, then they clam up (and stink it up) in those last 20 yards.
Juan Castillo is not the man to blame for the Eagles woes, it's Andy Reid. He's the guy that has at his disposal LeSean McCoy, Ronnine Brown, Mike Vick, Vince Young, DeSean Jackson, Riley Cooper, Jeremy Maclin, Jason Avant, Brent Celek and Jason Peters, to name just a few. That's an offense that a heck of a lot of teams in the NFL would kill for. And yet that is also an offense that has struggled to put points on the board when it mattered most, not to mention the hoard of turnovers they've given up.
All this finger waving at Castillo is pure bullshit. It's a distraction from the real issue here, which is that Andy Reid is struggling to get to his side of the "Dream Team" working the way it should. While the Panthers and Broncos have adjusted their respective offenses to accommodate the running abilities of their quarterbacks, what have the Eagles done? What adjustments have they made to get the most out of Vick?
And what about LeSean McCoy? McCoy is the second leading rusher in the league by yards. He leads the league in touchdowns with 17, which is three more than Cam Newton and five more than the closest running back (Marshawn Lynch). He leads the league in runs of 20+ yards with 14. And perhaps most tellingly, he leads the league in rushes for a first down, with 84, which is sixteen more than the next player on the list, Maurice Jones-Drew.
Yet he only averages 18 carries a game?
You have without doubt one of the most explosive players in the entire NFL on your team, yet you feed him the ball less than the 49ers feed Gore, or the Falcons feed Michael Turner. An especially odd decision given how much trouble the Eagles have had in the red zone.
All this means that I can't take criticism and talk of Juan Castillo being fired seriously. I don't mean that he wont get fired, just that I don't think he should. Considering this is his first season as a defensive coordinator I think he's done really well so far and again, I think an off season of work and preparation by the Eagles could yield some great results.
The question is whether the Eagles offense can lift its game next season and start to actually make that defensive work count for something. The Eagles have the personnel to make a Super Bowl run, I think everyone agrees on that. But until Andy Reid stops making excuses - and people stop making excuses for Andy Reid - then this same old sorry, tired Eagles saga will just repeat itself again season after season.
Now I'm going to take an interlude in my ramblings before I get to the second major issue I wanted to address, and talk about the Panthers. Mainly to give them a lot of credit for their 48-16 win against the Buccaneers.
All thoughts about the Buccaneers horrible run defense aside, I was impressed by the Panthers actually making use of running backs DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart, who I've long pronounced to be the best running back tandem in the NFL. Long time readers will be aware that this has been a hobby horse of mine for a while, bemoaning the John Fox/Jake Delhomme era because of the absolute abandonment of an otherwise excellent running game.
It was nice then to see it revived on Saturday. It also points to what is - in my opinion - one of the funniest things about the Cam Newton story. When Cam throws the ball a lot he invariably racks up the yards, rushes for a score, does his stupid Superman celebration... and then the Panthers still end up losing the game. On the other hand when the Panthers manage the game better and lean on their rushing attack, they often end up winning, and doing so comfortably.
C'est la vie, as they often say in France (along with "We Surrender!!").
I was also excited about the 49ers win over the Seahawks, although there was a slight downer in that they gave up their first rushing touchdown of the season. Naturally people have been hailing Jim Harbaugh again, as they have been all season long, but forgive me if I don't hang a poster of the guy on the wall just yet.
See I'm a 49ers fan and as a result I've endured misery for years now. I'm delighted that finally the 49ers are winning games and going back to the playoffs, even doing so in style. However I don't see what Jim Harbaugh has to do with it. Harbaugh is an offensive coach, not a defensive coach. And this 49ers offense has been almost as bad as those that preceded it. Alright, so maybe they haven't turned the ball over as much this year, and maybe there hasn't been as many sacks this year, but fundamentally the offense still sucks balls.
On the other hand I still don't hear anyone talking about Vic Fangio. Without looking at Wikipedia, can you even tell me who Vic Fangio is? If you didn't know already then you've probably guessed that Fangio is the defensive coordinator of the 49ers. It's this man and his defensive staff who should be getting the plaudits, along with whoever the specific people were that drafted or approved the signing of Justin Smith, Aldon Smith, Issac Sopoaga, Ray McDonald, Navorro Bowman, Ahmad Brooks, Patrick Willis, Parys Haralson, Chris Culliver and Carlos Rogers, to name just a few.
I don't blame Harbaugh, there's not really a lot he can do about it. He doesn't write the articles in the press or force people to talk about him on sports radio. I just think it's unfair that he's getting all the credit for something that essentially happens on the opposite side of the ball. That's not to say that he doesn't have some influence on it - I'd be shocked if he didn't - but most of the donkey work throughout the year will have been done by Fangio and his staff, work for which they are not getting their dues.
Vic, in the incredibly unlikely event that you're reading this, I thank you and your staff on behalf of 49ers fans everywhere.
Also congratulations to Drew Brees who has now surpassed Dan Marino for the single season passing yardage record. I'm undecided yet as to whether this should be considered more or less of an achievement than when Marino set the record. Not that it really matters that much, either way it's still a heck of a thing to have done.
The question is whether or not you think that it's easier to break the record now because teams throw the ball more than they did back then, or whether you think that it's precisely because teams throw it more now - which means that defenses are built to stop the pass - that makes Brees's achievement superior. An interesting debate to have over a pint I think.
One quarterback who wasn't setting any records though was Tim Tebow. I'd be gutted to see Tebow and the Broncos stumble at such a late stage, but it was inevitable that he was going to have a shitty game at one point. No fourth quarter heroics this time. Just four fourth quarter picks.
It should be noted that once again the Broncos receivers continued to demonstrate why there will be little demand for their services in the offseason, dropping passes like the ball was smeared in shit. Of course as always that doesn't fit the main press narrative, so we very rarely get even an acknowledgement of that fact. The Broncos defense also struggled for a change, which means the Broncos season now comes down to the final game against the Chiefs; win and they're in the playoffs. Or they can lose, and if the Chargers beat the Raiders then they're still in, but that's playing it risky.
Right, finally back on track and the other thing that I originally wanted to talk about, which was Joe Webb and the Vikings.
One play after Adrian Peterson suffered a sick looking injury to his knee (he could be doubtful even for week one of the 2012 season), quarterback Christian Ponder suffered a concussion and was eventually yanked from the game. In his place came Joe Webb. Webb went on to throw for two touchdowns and run in another with his feet. After the game the press went wild. Everywhere you look now, people are calling for Joe Webb to be the starter next year. My advice? Just hold the fuck up a second. Let's just recap Webb's numbers from Saturday's game shall we?
4/5 for 84 yards and 2 touchdowns.
Yes, four of five. He threw five passes and now all of a sudden people are putting him up on a pedestal and talking about him like he's the greatest thing to happen to the Vikings since they dumped Brad Childress. All this despite the various warning signs around the league about this kind of thing, namely Caleb Haine, Matt Cassel and Kevin Kolb.
Those are three names that should remind people that sometimes things aren't always what they seem. Yes, sometimes players have great games, or at least very good games. But one or two good games does not suddenly anoint someone with starting quarterback traits. It's a good place to begin, but long term success is not guaranteed.
Now don't get me wrong, Webb is a good player and has done well in every appearance he's had off the bench and in pres-season in Minnesota. But people are talking about him like he's the instant answer to all of Minnesota's many woes, and I'm just a little amazed at how quickly people are prepared to give up on Ponder, a first round pick who has done pretty well in his first few showings.
There is still one game left this year and I suspect the Vikings will be unlikely to throw Ponder back into the fray just for that single meaningless game. That means Webb could get the chance to start an actual regular season game for a change. I'm willing to bet that it may not quite be the touchdown bonanza that people think it will, depending on what kind of team the Bears put out.
I'll just finish by reminding people that in his last five starts as quarterback (not including this week), Ponder has lead the Vikings offense to score an average of 23 points per game. When Ponder went down injured this week the game was tied at 10-10, so it wasn't like Joe Webb came on and turned around a lost game either. In an age of instant gratification I'm beginning to worry that everyone involved in the football world has lost their sense of perspective.
So that's Week 16 in the books. Pick wise I came in at 13-3 for week 16, taking my season tally to 159-84, which I've just discovered is better than any of the analysts at FoxSports.com (both for the week and the season) and only two behind Accuscore and Pigskin Pick'em (both of whom I beat for the week) with one garbage week left to go.
Tomorrow I expect to put up my article on the three step drop. Slightly ironic that a post about the quick passing game has taken so long to be released.
Showing posts with label Philadelphia Eagles. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Philadelphia Eagles. Show all posts
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Thursday, November 03, 2011
The Eagles and the outside zone
Right.
Today I want to look at a run play that the Eagles used time and again against the Cowboys to pick up big yards. There are several reasons why this play interests me;
- We're always told that you can't run the same play twice in the NFL, because if you do, the defense will figure it out and be ready next time. Plainly that's not the case (and to be honest, never really has been),
- It follows on well from the posts I did about zone running, specifically the article that covered the play-pass off of the outside zone run,
- The tactical battle between the defense and the offense,
The last point is one that I really want to focus in on. Now without having sat in the meeting rooms during the week I can't say the following for certain - but it struck me that the Cowboys had set out their defense to take away the inside trap running that the Eagles are fond of. With the added threat of Mike Vick breaking out of the pocket and running up the middle, it made some sense for the Cowboys to protect the middle of their defense.
But there's protecting the middle and then there's loading so many guys up the middle that you leave the edge of your defensive front vulnerable. Lets take a look at the layout ahead of a 21-yard run by LeSean McCoy;
As you can see, the Cowboys have set their defense strongly to the right, with plenty of coverage against the run up the middle as well. The Eagles have brought a second tight end into the game, who is aligned just behind the starting tight end, and they're going to use that player to expose the weakness of the Cowboys defense to the left.
What they're going to do is run an outside zone to the right, caving down on a defense that has already been bunched up somewhat in the middle. The Will linebacker "W" (DeMarcus Ware) is going to be left unblocked by the offensive line, instead leaving the second tight end to come across the back of the play and make the block.
Now when Ware sees the left tackle blocking down and away from him, his job is to slant hard inside and fill the vacant hole on the backside of the play, to stuff any chance of a cut back run. He needs to keep his head up and his eyes open for that second tight end coming hard down the line to block him, and he really needs to defeat that block.
He doesn't.
DeMarcus Ware being DeMarcus Ware, he's looking for the potential sack on a pass play (he had four in the game), so he charges hard down field. The second tight end comes across and cuts at his feet, doing just enough to keep Ware out of the play and opening a huge hole to the backside. McCoy starts his run to the right, but seeing the penetration of the defensive tackles up the middle, cuts it back left and finds a hole so big you could drive an SUV through it;
Of note is the weak safety, who actually comes flying down hill, possibly worried about that second tight end leaking out of the backside of the play and into the flat, as described in my article of the play-pass off the outside zone. McCoy is able to cut inside of him and rumble for the 21 yard gain.
Right about now the cat is out of the bag. The Eagles now know that when they run the outside zone away from Ware, that Ware will come too far down hill because of his pass rush instincts. The next time the Eagles ran this play, Ware had a safety blitzing outside of him, but still didn't react quick enough to the left tackle blocking down. When he finally did turn inside to take on that tight end coming across the formation, he got his head stuck on the wrong side of the man and was blocked out of the play.
To be fair to Ware, his nearest defensive end didn't do him any favours on the second play, slanting so hard inwards as a reaction to the run action right that he ended up leaving a massive hole between him and Ware. One of the great advantages that the Packers, Ravens and Steelers have had against the run in recent years has been the discipline and stoutness of their defensive linemen against the run, occupying blockers and playing two gaps in order to free up their linebackers to make more of the plays.
I just thought I'd bring this play up because it rounds off the series of articles on zone plays nicely, showing the use of the second tight end to block the backside instead of a fullback. I also like the fact that once the Eagles had spotted a weakness that they went back to the play again and again, knowing that McCoy could make the read and cut back through that big gap. Often it's the ability or failure to spot these little things and make adjustments during the game (without the benefit of replays like me ;) ) that often separate some of the more successful coaches from their peers.
That's all for today. Tomorrow I'm planning to put down my crazy idea for an NFL alternative, in honor of the UFL potentially playing its last season. Till then, enjoy your day.
Today I want to look at a run play that the Eagles used time and again against the Cowboys to pick up big yards. There are several reasons why this play interests me;
- We're always told that you can't run the same play twice in the NFL, because if you do, the defense will figure it out and be ready next time. Plainly that's not the case (and to be honest, never really has been),
- It follows on well from the posts I did about zone running, specifically the article that covered the play-pass off of the outside zone run,
- The tactical battle between the defense and the offense,
The last point is one that I really want to focus in on. Now without having sat in the meeting rooms during the week I can't say the following for certain - but it struck me that the Cowboys had set out their defense to take away the inside trap running that the Eagles are fond of. With the added threat of Mike Vick breaking out of the pocket and running up the middle, it made some sense for the Cowboys to protect the middle of their defense.
But there's protecting the middle and then there's loading so many guys up the middle that you leave the edge of your defensive front vulnerable. Lets take a look at the layout ahead of a 21-yard run by LeSean McCoy;
As you can see, the Cowboys have set their defense strongly to the right, with plenty of coverage against the run up the middle as well. The Eagles have brought a second tight end into the game, who is aligned just behind the starting tight end, and they're going to use that player to expose the weakness of the Cowboys defense to the left.
What they're going to do is run an outside zone to the right, caving down on a defense that has already been bunched up somewhat in the middle. The Will linebacker "W" (DeMarcus Ware) is going to be left unblocked by the offensive line, instead leaving the second tight end to come across the back of the play and make the block.
Now when Ware sees the left tackle blocking down and away from him, his job is to slant hard inside and fill the vacant hole on the backside of the play, to stuff any chance of a cut back run. He needs to keep his head up and his eyes open for that second tight end coming hard down the line to block him, and he really needs to defeat that block.
He doesn't.
DeMarcus Ware being DeMarcus Ware, he's looking for the potential sack on a pass play (he had four in the game), so he charges hard down field. The second tight end comes across and cuts at his feet, doing just enough to keep Ware out of the play and opening a huge hole to the backside. McCoy starts his run to the right, but seeing the penetration of the defensive tackles up the middle, cuts it back left and finds a hole so big you could drive an SUV through it;
Of note is the weak safety, who actually comes flying down hill, possibly worried about that second tight end leaking out of the backside of the play and into the flat, as described in my article of the play-pass off the outside zone. McCoy is able to cut inside of him and rumble for the 21 yard gain.
Right about now the cat is out of the bag. The Eagles now know that when they run the outside zone away from Ware, that Ware will come too far down hill because of his pass rush instincts. The next time the Eagles ran this play, Ware had a safety blitzing outside of him, but still didn't react quick enough to the left tackle blocking down. When he finally did turn inside to take on that tight end coming across the formation, he got his head stuck on the wrong side of the man and was blocked out of the play.
To be fair to Ware, his nearest defensive end didn't do him any favours on the second play, slanting so hard inwards as a reaction to the run action right that he ended up leaving a massive hole between him and Ware. One of the great advantages that the Packers, Ravens and Steelers have had against the run in recent years has been the discipline and stoutness of their defensive linemen against the run, occupying blockers and playing two gaps in order to free up their linebackers to make more of the plays.
I just thought I'd bring this play up because it rounds off the series of articles on zone plays nicely, showing the use of the second tight end to block the backside instead of a fullback. I also like the fact that once the Eagles had spotted a weakness that they went back to the play again and again, knowing that McCoy could make the read and cut back through that big gap. Often it's the ability or failure to spot these little things and make adjustments during the game (without the benefit of replays like me ;) ) that often separate some of the more successful coaches from their peers.
That's all for today. Tomorrow I'm planning to put down my crazy idea for an NFL alternative, in honor of the UFL potentially playing its last season. Till then, enjoy your day.
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Andy Reid in trouble, but not Tim Tebow
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.
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.
Friday, October 07, 2011
The Eagles and Panthers in the red zone
So I forgot to tally up my picks for Week 4. Largely on account of the fact that I shit out again, but there you go. For the record I was 11-5 in week 4, which looking at it now doesn't actually look that bad. That puts me up to 37-27 for the season, which looks worse than I just thought it would. Hmm, my perceptions are playing games with me today.
Which is almost coincidental because today I want to talk perceptions. Or more specifically, the perceptions surrounding certain offenses.
See, we all know what Cam Newton has achieved on the field so far this season, regularly lobbing the ball down field in a manner that appears to my cynical eyes to be a hail mary type pass. We've also seen the Eagles tear great chunks out of people with both the run and the pass. But what intrigues me about both of those teams is their lack of success at converting all that accumulated yardage into touchdowns. Which brings us to the wider question; why do some teams suck in the red zone?
The reasons are many. A lot of them boil down to the same issue though, time and time again; space. Or rather, a lack of space. Providing for the fact that the end zone itself is ten yards deep and the red zone is measured from the 20-yard line in, that gives an offense 30 yards to work with, vertically speaking. Perhaps a better way of putting it is that the defense only has 30 yards to defend vertically and that's really the crux of the problem.
It's not that offenses become inherently less capable the closer they get to the hallowed ground at the end of the field, it's the fact that defenses have less things to worry about all of a sudden. And as the space available gets more and more compressed, the less the defense has to worry about. The types of routes they're likely to face from wide receivers in the passing game gradually shrinks from a tree of about 10-12, down to maybe 8-9 around the 20 yard line, and then down to perhaps 5-6 from the 5 yard line, and then slowly down to 3-4 from there on in.
There are two mitigating factors, but we'll get to those later.
For now we need to concentrate on the wide outs and the first routes to go are the deep routes. The 40 yard fade route off a 5-step drop by the quarterback will - from the 20 yard line - mean that the receiver doesn't catch the ball until he's in the stands, in the tunnel, or has run into a wall. There is simply not enough room to execute that play without some sort of significant and beautifully timed delay by the receiver. Get it right and you might just make the catch in the end zone. Get it wrong and you wont make it far enough down field for the catch.
The deep post route is also off the menu. You can run a post of sorts, but in the slightly more compressed space it won't be caught until the receiver is in the end zone and he'll probably have to bend the route horizontally across the end zone, leading the quarterback dangerously close to the safety on the opposite side of the field. By extension this also nullifies the post-corner route somewhat.
The 20 yard comeback is also off the menu. In this route the receiver runs like the wind for 20 yards, then slams on the brakes and comes back to the sideline. Hence 20 yard comeback. Except this route is predicated on selling the 'go' route to the corner, the notion being that a full speed receiver running down field has the potential to go deep and must be covered full speed. Except now the corner knows that's not going to happen. He knows that you only have 30 yards to work with, so you're not going to be speeding anywhere. That sets him up perfectly to get under the comeback and jump it.
Most other routes are good for the next 15 or so yards until we come to the 5-7 yard line region. Here we start to lose some of the medium-deep routes, mainly those that kind of bridge the gap. The 15 yard deep in - often referred to as the 'Dig' - is basically lost, as by the time the receiver makes the break they'll be running out of the end zone. The deep out at the same depth is also gone. The fade route off a 3-step drop is largely gone (though not the one step fade). It becomes difficult but not impossible to run a form of the skinny post route. And finally the pure 10-yard hook is lost, as again the threat of a deeper route is lost, although a 10-yard curl is manageable.
It's around this time that the structure of the defense also begins to change. As the vertical depth of the field compresses, it becomes less and less useful for the defense to run a standard cover 2 shell, with both safeties back deep. They simply don't have the threats they otherwise would. This can allow corners (if cover 2 is still played) to take slightly wider alignments on their receivers, knowing that any inside break will be funnelled right into their safeties, who are now playing much closer to the line of scrimmage.
As the depth gets reduced right down, you also begin to see more man coverage, with a single high safety to cover the middle of the end zone, freeing up the strong safety to come down and play the run and/or blitz. Some teams will dispense with the high safety all together, preferring to bring both down close to the line, where they can blitz, play close run support and still get back into a coverage position in the middle of the end zone if needed.
The much more compacted nature of the defense now begins to favour variety and aggression on the part of the defensive coordinator. It's not like he's going to get burnt deep over the middle in this situation (off play action for example) and because of the short distances involved for dropping coverage players, he can be a lot more creative in his blitz schemes and still be confident that everyone will get into place on time.
Probably the most significant advantage conferred on the defense at this point - and why the offenses in Philadelphia and Carolina are struggling in particular - is that speed no longer kills. Someone like a DeSean Jackson or a Steve Smith (the Carolina version) derive much of their threat to opposition defenses due to their speed in the open field. Once you get DeSean Jackson humming along there's not a lot of people that can catch him.
But down in the red zone the space simply doesn't permit such free running. By the time Jackson has hit full stride he'll either be back in the locker room or his quarterback will be lying on the ground as a result of the heavy pressure. It's at times like this that tall, strong, wide bodied players come to the fore. Guys like your Andre Johnson's, your Calvin Johnson's, your Brandon Marshall's. Guys like Plaxico Burress for the Jets and Dez Bryant for the Cowboys. And tight ends.
Tight ends suddenly become big targets. They're strong enough to shed off most coverage defenders, and the linebackers that they can't out strength they can usually out run. They can make tough catches in tight spots and still hold onto the ball all the way to the ground. And in the face of additional pressure from the defense, the fact that they often run routes right down the eye line of the quarterback (in the middle of the field) makes them easy targets to find in quick decision situations.
It's precisely these kind of players that both the Eagles and Panthers lack. They both have tight ends, good ones at that, but down in the red zone that's about all they have.
Now I've painted a pretty bleak picture from the offenses stand point, but it's not all doom and gloom. As we've seen, a big bodied receiver can be very difficult to stop. Just look at the success Matthew Stafford has had this year with the Lions when throwing to Calvin Johnson in the red zone. But as I mentioned earlier, there are also two other advantages that the offense holds, and they're both advantages for a similar reason.
That reason is the short distance between the line of scrimmage and the goal line. Out in the open field a rushing play that only makes 3 yards is not a great gain. It's ok on first down I suppose, but not much use on third and ten. From the three yard line though, a three yard run is a touchdown. On third down and ten with the ball on the 50 yard line, a dump off pass to a running back who picks up 6 yards before being tackled is a win for the defense. The same situation from the 5 yard line results in another touchdown.
And that's what the defense has to be wary about. Short runs and passes suddenly become very dangerous. The shorter the distance, the more dangerous it is. With the ball on the two the defense has to make a choice; when they see run action in the backfield, do they plow in en masse? Doing so gives them a good shot at stopping the 2 yard run, maybe their only shot. But it also leaves them vulnerable to a simple play fake that gets a tight end in a few yards of space on one edge, and boom, you got another touchdown.
So what about if the offense lines up in an empty set? Let's say we're talking about the Green Bay Packers with Aaron Rodgers at quarterback. Now Rodgers isn't just one hell of a throwing quarterback, he can sprint to. So are you prepared to put a spy on him? Doing so leaves you one man down in your overall coverage. And are you even sure your guy can keep up with Rodgers? The only alternative is to bring six rushers, fill every gap along the offensive line, and hope that your remaining guys can cover Greg Jennings, Donald Driver, Jermichael Finley etc man to man. That's a decision I'm glad I don't have to make.
Even a simple screen pass can be dangerous. Whether it's hitting a wide receiver on the perimeter, or a little dump off to a back from ten yards out, the screen game has lots of damaging potential in the red zone, because even a small gain can result in a score.
Which is why I'm so surprised at the lack of scoring from both the Eagles and Panthers. They've had their opportunities, that's not their problem. They're getting down into the red zone and putting up video game numbers of yards along the way. And the stupid thing is both teams have the perfect set of tools for this kind of work. Having bashed DeSean Jackson and Steve Smith, allow me to now explain.
The Panthers have Cam Newton and Jonathan Stewart. Even if we discount DeAngelo Williams for the second on account of his poor season thus far, the Panthers still have two perfect tools for scoring in the red zone. With Cam Newton you have an incredible athlete, whose strength and agility for his size is very impressive. We've seen flashes of what he can do, but the Panthers really need to give this guy a lot of latitude down in the red zone. Go empty, let him have a read of the field, and if he doesn't like it he can run it in himself.
You can even incorporate this with Stewart, a big back with great power who can deliver tremendous hits to defenders, by having run action in one direction with Stewart and with Cam Newton rolling out the opposite side. The threat of these two players travelling in two different directions is enough to give defenses nightmares. With the weapons they have, the Panthers really should be lethal in the red zone. Right now they're not.
The Eagles should be doing even better. They have Mike Vick for a start. He may not be quite as strong as Newton when it comes to breaking tackles, but Vick is probably a step or two quicker, and certainly accelerates quicker. The threat Vick poses to run out of empty sets or on bootlegs off the running game is probably the greatest among all quarterbacks in the NFL. Yet what do we see from the Eagles? Dive/Toss plays up the middle, with complicated blocking and ball handling that the Eagles don't seem to have got the hang of just yet.
To me it seems like a waste. Almost as much of a waste as their lack of a screen game right now. This is what the Eagles under Andy Reid have lived by for years. The combination of McNabb to Westbrook was one of the most dangerous screen games in the entire NFL (which makes it all the more puzzling as to why McNabb is struggling with the screen game in Minnesota). In all honesty, while LeSean McCoy may not be as comfortable with screens as Westbrook was, he's certainly faster than Westbrook was. Right around the red zone would be a great place to get that screen game rolling, especially as we've seen plenty of evidence this season demonstrating how athletic the Eagles linemen can be in open space.
I dunno, it just baffles me that the Eagles and Panthers are struggling as bad as they are. They have the players to make it happen, no question. Play calling? Err.... not so much. Though given how bad they've been so far, I'd expect experienced coaches like Andy Reid and Ron Rivera to get their teams knuckled down into some red zone work during practice over the course of this week.
Of course I also keep waiting for the Cowboys and Vikings to learn how not to blow 20 point leads as well....
So there you have it. That's me vented for another day. Tomorrow I'll be back to do my picks for week 5, with a reduced work load this week as the bye weeks begin. Till then, have fun and spread the word about your favourite blog.
What do you mean which one?
Which is almost coincidental because today I want to talk perceptions. Or more specifically, the perceptions surrounding certain offenses.
See, we all know what Cam Newton has achieved on the field so far this season, regularly lobbing the ball down field in a manner that appears to my cynical eyes to be a hail mary type pass. We've also seen the Eagles tear great chunks out of people with both the run and the pass. But what intrigues me about both of those teams is their lack of success at converting all that accumulated yardage into touchdowns. Which brings us to the wider question; why do some teams suck in the red zone?
The reasons are many. A lot of them boil down to the same issue though, time and time again; space. Or rather, a lack of space. Providing for the fact that the end zone itself is ten yards deep and the red zone is measured from the 20-yard line in, that gives an offense 30 yards to work with, vertically speaking. Perhaps a better way of putting it is that the defense only has 30 yards to defend vertically and that's really the crux of the problem.
It's not that offenses become inherently less capable the closer they get to the hallowed ground at the end of the field, it's the fact that defenses have less things to worry about all of a sudden. And as the space available gets more and more compressed, the less the defense has to worry about. The types of routes they're likely to face from wide receivers in the passing game gradually shrinks from a tree of about 10-12, down to maybe 8-9 around the 20 yard line, and then down to perhaps 5-6 from the 5 yard line, and then slowly down to 3-4 from there on in.
There are two mitigating factors, but we'll get to those later.
For now we need to concentrate on the wide outs and the first routes to go are the deep routes. The 40 yard fade route off a 5-step drop by the quarterback will - from the 20 yard line - mean that the receiver doesn't catch the ball until he's in the stands, in the tunnel, or has run into a wall. There is simply not enough room to execute that play without some sort of significant and beautifully timed delay by the receiver. Get it right and you might just make the catch in the end zone. Get it wrong and you wont make it far enough down field for the catch.
The deep post route is also off the menu. You can run a post of sorts, but in the slightly more compressed space it won't be caught until the receiver is in the end zone and he'll probably have to bend the route horizontally across the end zone, leading the quarterback dangerously close to the safety on the opposite side of the field. By extension this also nullifies the post-corner route somewhat.
The 20 yard comeback is also off the menu. In this route the receiver runs like the wind for 20 yards, then slams on the brakes and comes back to the sideline. Hence 20 yard comeback. Except this route is predicated on selling the 'go' route to the corner, the notion being that a full speed receiver running down field has the potential to go deep and must be covered full speed. Except now the corner knows that's not going to happen. He knows that you only have 30 yards to work with, so you're not going to be speeding anywhere. That sets him up perfectly to get under the comeback and jump it.
Most other routes are good for the next 15 or so yards until we come to the 5-7 yard line region. Here we start to lose some of the medium-deep routes, mainly those that kind of bridge the gap. The 15 yard deep in - often referred to as the 'Dig' - is basically lost, as by the time the receiver makes the break they'll be running out of the end zone. The deep out at the same depth is also gone. The fade route off a 3-step drop is largely gone (though not the one step fade). It becomes difficult but not impossible to run a form of the skinny post route. And finally the pure 10-yard hook is lost, as again the threat of a deeper route is lost, although a 10-yard curl is manageable.
It's around this time that the structure of the defense also begins to change. As the vertical depth of the field compresses, it becomes less and less useful for the defense to run a standard cover 2 shell, with both safeties back deep. They simply don't have the threats they otherwise would. This can allow corners (if cover 2 is still played) to take slightly wider alignments on their receivers, knowing that any inside break will be funnelled right into their safeties, who are now playing much closer to the line of scrimmage.
As the depth gets reduced right down, you also begin to see more man coverage, with a single high safety to cover the middle of the end zone, freeing up the strong safety to come down and play the run and/or blitz. Some teams will dispense with the high safety all together, preferring to bring both down close to the line, where they can blitz, play close run support and still get back into a coverage position in the middle of the end zone if needed.
The much more compacted nature of the defense now begins to favour variety and aggression on the part of the defensive coordinator. It's not like he's going to get burnt deep over the middle in this situation (off play action for example) and because of the short distances involved for dropping coverage players, he can be a lot more creative in his blitz schemes and still be confident that everyone will get into place on time.
Probably the most significant advantage conferred on the defense at this point - and why the offenses in Philadelphia and Carolina are struggling in particular - is that speed no longer kills. Someone like a DeSean Jackson or a Steve Smith (the Carolina version) derive much of their threat to opposition defenses due to their speed in the open field. Once you get DeSean Jackson humming along there's not a lot of people that can catch him.
But down in the red zone the space simply doesn't permit such free running. By the time Jackson has hit full stride he'll either be back in the locker room or his quarterback will be lying on the ground as a result of the heavy pressure. It's at times like this that tall, strong, wide bodied players come to the fore. Guys like your Andre Johnson's, your Calvin Johnson's, your Brandon Marshall's. Guys like Plaxico Burress for the Jets and Dez Bryant for the Cowboys. And tight ends.
Tight ends suddenly become big targets. They're strong enough to shed off most coverage defenders, and the linebackers that they can't out strength they can usually out run. They can make tough catches in tight spots and still hold onto the ball all the way to the ground. And in the face of additional pressure from the defense, the fact that they often run routes right down the eye line of the quarterback (in the middle of the field) makes them easy targets to find in quick decision situations.
It's precisely these kind of players that both the Eagles and Panthers lack. They both have tight ends, good ones at that, but down in the red zone that's about all they have.
Now I've painted a pretty bleak picture from the offenses stand point, but it's not all doom and gloom. As we've seen, a big bodied receiver can be very difficult to stop. Just look at the success Matthew Stafford has had this year with the Lions when throwing to Calvin Johnson in the red zone. But as I mentioned earlier, there are also two other advantages that the offense holds, and they're both advantages for a similar reason.
That reason is the short distance between the line of scrimmage and the goal line. Out in the open field a rushing play that only makes 3 yards is not a great gain. It's ok on first down I suppose, but not much use on third and ten. From the three yard line though, a three yard run is a touchdown. On third down and ten with the ball on the 50 yard line, a dump off pass to a running back who picks up 6 yards before being tackled is a win for the defense. The same situation from the 5 yard line results in another touchdown.
And that's what the defense has to be wary about. Short runs and passes suddenly become very dangerous. The shorter the distance, the more dangerous it is. With the ball on the two the defense has to make a choice; when they see run action in the backfield, do they plow in en masse? Doing so gives them a good shot at stopping the 2 yard run, maybe their only shot. But it also leaves them vulnerable to a simple play fake that gets a tight end in a few yards of space on one edge, and boom, you got another touchdown.
So what about if the offense lines up in an empty set? Let's say we're talking about the Green Bay Packers with Aaron Rodgers at quarterback. Now Rodgers isn't just one hell of a throwing quarterback, he can sprint to. So are you prepared to put a spy on him? Doing so leaves you one man down in your overall coverage. And are you even sure your guy can keep up with Rodgers? The only alternative is to bring six rushers, fill every gap along the offensive line, and hope that your remaining guys can cover Greg Jennings, Donald Driver, Jermichael Finley etc man to man. That's a decision I'm glad I don't have to make.
Even a simple screen pass can be dangerous. Whether it's hitting a wide receiver on the perimeter, or a little dump off to a back from ten yards out, the screen game has lots of damaging potential in the red zone, because even a small gain can result in a score.
Which is why I'm so surprised at the lack of scoring from both the Eagles and Panthers. They've had their opportunities, that's not their problem. They're getting down into the red zone and putting up video game numbers of yards along the way. And the stupid thing is both teams have the perfect set of tools for this kind of work. Having bashed DeSean Jackson and Steve Smith, allow me to now explain.
The Panthers have Cam Newton and Jonathan Stewart. Even if we discount DeAngelo Williams for the second on account of his poor season thus far, the Panthers still have two perfect tools for scoring in the red zone. With Cam Newton you have an incredible athlete, whose strength and agility for his size is very impressive. We've seen flashes of what he can do, but the Panthers really need to give this guy a lot of latitude down in the red zone. Go empty, let him have a read of the field, and if he doesn't like it he can run it in himself.
You can even incorporate this with Stewart, a big back with great power who can deliver tremendous hits to defenders, by having run action in one direction with Stewart and with Cam Newton rolling out the opposite side. The threat of these two players travelling in two different directions is enough to give defenses nightmares. With the weapons they have, the Panthers really should be lethal in the red zone. Right now they're not.
The Eagles should be doing even better. They have Mike Vick for a start. He may not be quite as strong as Newton when it comes to breaking tackles, but Vick is probably a step or two quicker, and certainly accelerates quicker. The threat Vick poses to run out of empty sets or on bootlegs off the running game is probably the greatest among all quarterbacks in the NFL. Yet what do we see from the Eagles? Dive/Toss plays up the middle, with complicated blocking and ball handling that the Eagles don't seem to have got the hang of just yet.
To me it seems like a waste. Almost as much of a waste as their lack of a screen game right now. This is what the Eagles under Andy Reid have lived by for years. The combination of McNabb to Westbrook was one of the most dangerous screen games in the entire NFL (which makes it all the more puzzling as to why McNabb is struggling with the screen game in Minnesota). In all honesty, while LeSean McCoy may not be as comfortable with screens as Westbrook was, he's certainly faster than Westbrook was. Right around the red zone would be a great place to get that screen game rolling, especially as we've seen plenty of evidence this season demonstrating how athletic the Eagles linemen can be in open space.
I dunno, it just baffles me that the Eagles and Panthers are struggling as bad as they are. They have the players to make it happen, no question. Play calling? Err.... not so much. Though given how bad they've been so far, I'd expect experienced coaches like Andy Reid and Ron Rivera to get their teams knuckled down into some red zone work during practice over the course of this week.
Of course I also keep waiting for the Cowboys and Vikings to learn how not to blow 20 point leads as well....
So there you have it. That's me vented for another day. Tomorrow I'll be back to do my picks for week 5, with a reduced work load this week as the bye weeks begin. Till then, have fun and spread the word about your favourite blog.
What do you mean which one?
Friday, September 30, 2011
A word on Casey Matthews
This week it has emerged that the Eagles are removing rookie linebacker Casey Matthews from their starting line up in the hopes of shoring up what is a terrible run defense. While there is no definitive answer on who will replace him, the likely hood is that it will be another rookie linebacker, Brian Rolle. To be honest I don't think that will help much either. Rolle is quick, but he lacks strength and may just end up compounding the problem due to his lack of experience.
But enough with Rolle, I want to focus on Matthews because I basically said that I thought he was a first round quality linebacker. Despite his crappy season so far, I still do think he's of that caliber. Let me explain.
The trouble with the Eagles is that they've drafted a bunch of guys who either a) don't fit their scheme and/or b) they're using guys in positions they're not familiar with. Take Danny Watkins for example, their first round pick out of Baylor. Watkins was a tackle in college. A right tackle. Now the Eagles have been trying to using him at guard and are suddenly surprised that he's struggling?
Well yeah, because that's not his position. He's spent the whole of last season kick sliding out to take on defensive ends and outside linebackers, and now all of a sudden you want him to come inside, play against defensive tackles, and completely change his footwork? Why draft him in the first round, just to put him in a position he's not familiar with.
The same is true of Casey Matthews. Matthews was a 3-4 linebacker in College. He played mostly in the middle and he displayed two traits that really stood out - his pass coverage and his pass rushing. If there was one deficiency he had in his game, it's that he wasn't all that great at stopping the run.
So who drafts him? Any one of the many 3-4 teams in the league? No. The Eagles do. The same Eagles who run a 4-3 defense that doesn't fit Matthews (or vice versa). But why is this so? Hopefully I'm going to demonstrate.
You see in a 3-4 defense, the linebackers are not the primary run stoppers. The Nose Tackle and the two ends are. That's why teams in the NFL recruit large guys with great athletic ability (at least in a small space) to play Nose, because a guy like that is tough to shift and has the raw talent to make plays up the middle. The ends also play a key role, controlling the gaps between the offensive guards and tackles, as well as the gaps outside of those offensive tackles.
For that reason, this is generally what we call a 'two gap' scheme. The picture below should help give you a better illustration of what I'm talking about:
Hopefully you can see above - as indicated by the solid black arrows - that the two ends and the Nose are each responsible for two gaps in the running game. This requires them to play the offensive man over them 'heads-up', keeping their shoulders parallel with the line of scrimmage and putting themselves in a position where they could make the tackle to either side of the their man. The strong side line backer has the gap outside the tight end.
What this means from the perspective of the remaining linebackers, is that now they just have to clean up behind their D-line. The line is really expected to make the plays on the back and stuff the run. The linebackers are there more for support as far as the running game is concerned. They track back and forth behind the line, using their freedom of movement to follow the back and make the tackle if he manages to get through the line.
Really though, that's not a a huge priority. As good as some guys like Ray Rice and Patrick Willis are against the run, linebackers in a 3-4 scheme are mainly tasked as pass defenders and pass rushers, the two things that Casey Matthews did really well in College.
The Eagles however run a 4-3 scheme. The 4-3 scheme is a 'one-gap' defense. Basically that means that each of the four down linemen and each of the three linebackers has just one 'gap' (between the offensive linemen) that is exclusively theirs to stuff against the run. In the diagram below you'll see the solid dark lines representing the defensive linemen's responsibility, and the dotted lines representing the linebackers responsibility.
The trouble with this scheme - at least from the perspective of someone like Matthews - is that he can't free roam like he used to in College. He has to be disciplined. He is expected to be a primary run defender, just like everyone else in that front seven. It's a complete shift away from what he spent four years doing in college.
More to the point, he doesn't get to pass rush anymore. That was the thing he really excelled at in College, yet now he doesn't get a sniff. That's what happens to linebackers in 4-3 schemes. They're mainly just pass defenders and run stoppers, while most of the pass rushing work is done by the front four down linemen. So not only is Casey being forced to do the one thing he struggled most with in College, but he's also being denied the opportunity to do the one thing that he was really, really good at.
Do I blame Matthews? No. It was just poor drafting by the Eagles. Player and scheme in perfect disharmony. And while yes, you can point the finger at Matthews and say that he's not playing very well against the run, I'm rather more inclined to point the finger at Juan Castillo (the Eagles defensive coordinator) and his staff. The main issue they have with Matthews is that he's just not very 'gap disciplined', that is, he doesn't fill his assigned gap in the offensive line, he just kind of runs laterally across the defense looking to clean up and make the play, as he did in college.
Now that issue to me is on the coaches. You can watch the film, you can see he's not doing it right. So teach him! Isn't teaching supposed to be the essence of coaching? So why haven't the Eagles pulled Matthews to one side and said "hey kid, that gap between the guard and the tackle (or center and guard), that's yours. Don't worry about what everyone else is doing, you fill that gap. If the running back comes to you, make the tackle. If he goes somewhere else that's someone else's problem. Just pursue..." etc, etc.
I still think Matthews has potential. He might have to leave the Eagles to realise it, but I still think he can be a great player one day. All he needs is the right coaching and a decent chance to show what he can do.
But enough with Rolle, I want to focus on Matthews because I basically said that I thought he was a first round quality linebacker. Despite his crappy season so far, I still do think he's of that caliber. Let me explain.
The trouble with the Eagles is that they've drafted a bunch of guys who either a) don't fit their scheme and/or b) they're using guys in positions they're not familiar with. Take Danny Watkins for example, their first round pick out of Baylor. Watkins was a tackle in college. A right tackle. Now the Eagles have been trying to using him at guard and are suddenly surprised that he's struggling?
Well yeah, because that's not his position. He's spent the whole of last season kick sliding out to take on defensive ends and outside linebackers, and now all of a sudden you want him to come inside, play against defensive tackles, and completely change his footwork? Why draft him in the first round, just to put him in a position he's not familiar with.
The same is true of Casey Matthews. Matthews was a 3-4 linebacker in College. He played mostly in the middle and he displayed two traits that really stood out - his pass coverage and his pass rushing. If there was one deficiency he had in his game, it's that he wasn't all that great at stopping the run.
So who drafts him? Any one of the many 3-4 teams in the league? No. The Eagles do. The same Eagles who run a 4-3 defense that doesn't fit Matthews (or vice versa). But why is this so? Hopefully I'm going to demonstrate.
You see in a 3-4 defense, the linebackers are not the primary run stoppers. The Nose Tackle and the two ends are. That's why teams in the NFL recruit large guys with great athletic ability (at least in a small space) to play Nose, because a guy like that is tough to shift and has the raw talent to make plays up the middle. The ends also play a key role, controlling the gaps between the offensive guards and tackles, as well as the gaps outside of those offensive tackles.
For that reason, this is generally what we call a 'two gap' scheme. The picture below should help give you a better illustration of what I'm talking about:
Hopefully you can see above - as indicated by the solid black arrows - that the two ends and the Nose are each responsible for two gaps in the running game. This requires them to play the offensive man over them 'heads-up', keeping their shoulders parallel with the line of scrimmage and putting themselves in a position where they could make the tackle to either side of the their man. The strong side line backer has the gap outside the tight end.
What this means from the perspective of the remaining linebackers, is that now they just have to clean up behind their D-line. The line is really expected to make the plays on the back and stuff the run. The linebackers are there more for support as far as the running game is concerned. They track back and forth behind the line, using their freedom of movement to follow the back and make the tackle if he manages to get through the line.
Really though, that's not a a huge priority. As good as some guys like Ray Rice and Patrick Willis are against the run, linebackers in a 3-4 scheme are mainly tasked as pass defenders and pass rushers, the two things that Casey Matthews did really well in College.
The Eagles however run a 4-3 scheme. The 4-3 scheme is a 'one-gap' defense. Basically that means that each of the four down linemen and each of the three linebackers has just one 'gap' (between the offensive linemen) that is exclusively theirs to stuff against the run. In the diagram below you'll see the solid dark lines representing the defensive linemen's responsibility, and the dotted lines representing the linebackers responsibility.
The trouble with this scheme - at least from the perspective of someone like Matthews - is that he can't free roam like he used to in College. He has to be disciplined. He is expected to be a primary run defender, just like everyone else in that front seven. It's a complete shift away from what he spent four years doing in college.
More to the point, he doesn't get to pass rush anymore. That was the thing he really excelled at in College, yet now he doesn't get a sniff. That's what happens to linebackers in 4-3 schemes. They're mainly just pass defenders and run stoppers, while most of the pass rushing work is done by the front four down linemen. So not only is Casey being forced to do the one thing he struggled most with in College, but he's also being denied the opportunity to do the one thing that he was really, really good at.
Do I blame Matthews? No. It was just poor drafting by the Eagles. Player and scheme in perfect disharmony. And while yes, you can point the finger at Matthews and say that he's not playing very well against the run, I'm rather more inclined to point the finger at Juan Castillo (the Eagles defensive coordinator) and his staff. The main issue they have with Matthews is that he's just not very 'gap disciplined', that is, he doesn't fill his assigned gap in the offensive line, he just kind of runs laterally across the defense looking to clean up and make the play, as he did in college.
Now that issue to me is on the coaches. You can watch the film, you can see he's not doing it right. So teach him! Isn't teaching supposed to be the essence of coaching? So why haven't the Eagles pulled Matthews to one side and said "hey kid, that gap between the guard and the tackle (or center and guard), that's yours. Don't worry about what everyone else is doing, you fill that gap. If the running back comes to you, make the tackle. If he goes somewhere else that's someone else's problem. Just pursue..." etc, etc.
I still think Matthews has potential. He might have to leave the Eagles to realise it, but I still think he can be a great player one day. All he needs is the right coaching and a decent chance to show what he can do.
Saturday, September 24, 2011
Dive/Toss play
So I just have time to throw this up before I must depart to the land of sheep. No, not Wales. I mean going to sleep. Ok this is going all kinds of wrong. Let's just get to the point.
One play in particular intrigued me during the Eagles/Falcons game last Sunday night and I want to throw it out there using my new diagram drawing skills (uh huh, stop laughing). The reason it caught my eye is because it shows that the old styles of football never really seem to die. They just disappear and then reappear every now and again.
The play in question is a fake toss into a dive play, from a split backs formation, that harks back to the sort of seventies and eighties style of football. Here's the picture;
And no, I still haven't figured out to stop Blogger from blurring the ass out of the image. But there you go. I even coloured the offense in a shade of green to represent the Eagles... albeit in a shade of green not entirely representative of the Eagles uniforms. I've also omitted the three wide receivers and the corners covering them, because this is a running play and receivers not named Heinz Ward never seem to block these days anyway.
What you can see is the center and left guard doubling down on one of the defensive tackles. The Left tackle is supposed to pull and trap block the other defensive tackle. The right guard pulls to help influence the defense and then takes the end, or if he pushes too far upfield then he ignores him and goes for the "S" backer. The right offensive tackle comes up and then cuts inside to wall off the mike linebacker. Now it is a simple matter for the quarterback to pivot out, fake the toss to the running back on the right who immediately darts outward at the snap, before actually handing off to the left back, marked in the image with a blue line.
It's a simple yet cunning play, reminiscent of a bygone era, right down to the formation. What always makes me chuckle as well (being the sad bastard that I am) is that this is precisely the kind of play teams like the Steelers would use, only for them to be described as a "downhill, smash mouth, power football" team. Except this play is anything but smash mouth. It's a finesse play, based on angles.
You have a double team. You have a tackle pulling to trap one of the defensive tackles. You have a guard pulling to trap an end. You have another tackle heading upfield to blindside the poor "Mike" backer. This is not grinding it out on the ground football. This is a play that involves deception, quick feet, precision practice and great technique. It is the complete opposite of "ground and pound" as far as the running game is concerned.
And that's why I love this kind of play so much. It speaks of the versatility of the old split back sets. And it demonstrates the creativity, tactics and finesse that a running game can possess. A lot of people associate running the football with being an inferior method of moving the ball. They consider it a method for the dumb knuckle heads of the footballing world, compared to the skill and artistry of the passing game. I believe those people simply don't understand the running game and the true depth that it offers.
Of course we'll gloss over the fact for now that the left tackle missed his block, and as a result Falcons defensive tackle Peria Jerry got a clean hit on Vick who then fumbled the ball away...
Hey, there are good running games and there are bad running games. Then there's the Eagles.
On a quick note, you're more likely to see the play above run out of the I-formation in the modern NFL and indeed it has been making a strong comeback in recent years.
On another quick note, I'll be back Saturday night with my picks for the weekend.
One play in particular intrigued me during the Eagles/Falcons game last Sunday night and I want to throw it out there using my new diagram drawing skills (uh huh, stop laughing). The reason it caught my eye is because it shows that the old styles of football never really seem to die. They just disappear and then reappear every now and again.
The play in question is a fake toss into a dive play, from a split backs formation, that harks back to the sort of seventies and eighties style of football. Here's the picture;
And no, I still haven't figured out to stop Blogger from blurring the ass out of the image. But there you go. I even coloured the offense in a shade of green to represent the Eagles... albeit in a shade of green not entirely representative of the Eagles uniforms. I've also omitted the three wide receivers and the corners covering them, because this is a running play and receivers not named Heinz Ward never seem to block these days anyway.
What you can see is the center and left guard doubling down on one of the defensive tackles. The Left tackle is supposed to pull and trap block the other defensive tackle. The right guard pulls to help influence the defense and then takes the end, or if he pushes too far upfield then he ignores him and goes for the "S" backer. The right offensive tackle comes up and then cuts inside to wall off the mike linebacker. Now it is a simple matter for the quarterback to pivot out, fake the toss to the running back on the right who immediately darts outward at the snap, before actually handing off to the left back, marked in the image with a blue line.
It's a simple yet cunning play, reminiscent of a bygone era, right down to the formation. What always makes me chuckle as well (being the sad bastard that I am) is that this is precisely the kind of play teams like the Steelers would use, only for them to be described as a "downhill, smash mouth, power football" team. Except this play is anything but smash mouth. It's a finesse play, based on angles.
You have a double team. You have a tackle pulling to trap one of the defensive tackles. You have a guard pulling to trap an end. You have another tackle heading upfield to blindside the poor "Mike" backer. This is not grinding it out on the ground football. This is a play that involves deception, quick feet, precision practice and great technique. It is the complete opposite of "ground and pound" as far as the running game is concerned.
And that's why I love this kind of play so much. It speaks of the versatility of the old split back sets. And it demonstrates the creativity, tactics and finesse that a running game can possess. A lot of people associate running the football with being an inferior method of moving the ball. They consider it a method for the dumb knuckle heads of the footballing world, compared to the skill and artistry of the passing game. I believe those people simply don't understand the running game and the true depth that it offers.
Of course we'll gloss over the fact for now that the left tackle missed his block, and as a result Falcons defensive tackle Peria Jerry got a clean hit on Vick who then fumbled the ball away...
Hey, there are good running games and there are bad running games. Then there's the Eagles.
On a quick note, you're more likely to see the play above run out of the I-formation in the modern NFL and indeed it has been making a strong comeback in recent years.
On another quick note, I'll be back Saturday night with my picks for the weekend.
Saturday, August 27, 2011
2011 Pre-Season Week 3 (part 1)
As we edge closer to the start of the season it's time to take a look at how the Thursday and Friday games from pre-season week 3 panned out. Starting with...
The Panthers @ Bengals. And you know you're looking bad when this Bengals team can beat you. At this juncture it's probably a good time to point out that the Bengals did most of the damage with their starters against the Panthers starters, before anyone starts talking about third stringers.
Though initially it seemed bright enough for the Panthers with Cam Newton running 16 yards for the first score. But that's kind of where the fun ended for Cam, who finished 6/19 for 75 yards. Yes, 6/19. Now I know he's a rookie but that's still pretty bad. What I love most though is that had this been Tim Tebow in his rookie year, people would have been pouring on the hate. But I'm not hearing it now? Funny that. Ok, I'll make it up for all the lost voices; Newton is going to suck this year. And probably every other year.
There you go.
On the other side Andy Dalton started to show some signs of life, throwing 11/17 for 130 yards and a TD. Getting there Andy. Very slowly, but getting there. The real focus for the Bengals though should be on that running game. Cedric Benson and Bernard Scott combined for 22 carries, producing 131 yards and 2 touchdowns. The vitality of this running attack could just be the key to getting Dalton through the season with some semblance of success.
Next was the Browns @ Eagles. Mike Vick took some lumps for the Eagles, but complimented his 10/18 for 98 yards passing with 4 carries for 24 yards and a TD. Vince Young played the "anything you can do, I can do precisely the same" game, by also carrying 4 times for 24 yards and a TD. Running backs Ronnie Brown and Dion Lewis did a lot of the ground work, but LeSean McCoy was the back that got the cream, with 7 catches for a team leading 69 yards receiving.
For the Browns, Colt McCoy looked a little less assured this time around, with 9/18 for 89 yards plus an interception off a poor decision, throwing the ball under pressure to a waiting Asante Samuel who dropped off his outside receiver and snuck underneath the pass to make a great pick. Seneca Wallace clawed back a TD pass for the Browns, before rookie Jarrett Brown hit the field and went 4/4 for 35 yards and a TD. Kid's had quite a solid pre-season so far.
On defense it was all about the Eagles, who accompanied Samuel's interception with five sacks. They're still not quite the Dream Team in Philadelphia, but at least they look a little less shaky now.
Next was the Redskins @ Ravens, and quite a tight game. The Redskins quarterback battle continues with Rex Grossman throwing 8/15 for 112 yards and a TD to John Becks 6/10 for 108 yards and a TD, plus an INT. Overall I'm not sure who will win. Grossman has had the lions share of the playing time so he has more film for Shanahan and son to review, but I think Beck might just sneak it. He just looks a little sharper in general.
The story of the Redskins is still their running game though. Tim Hightower and rookie Roy Helu put up exactly 100 yards between them on 22 carries. Hightower also had a touchdown. Second year wide receiver Terrence Austin also impressed, with 5 carries for 71 yards and a TD. The 'skins defense also looked a bit better, with an interception by DeAngelo Hall and four sacks as a unit, including single sacks for rookies Ryan Kerrigan and Davonte Shannon.
For the Ravens, Joe Flacco kind of looked better in this game. Sort of. A little. Trying to find nice things to say about someone I don't rate all that much. He finished 17/27 for 219 yards, 2 touchdowns and 1 interception (the DeAngelo Hall pick 6). Rookie Tyrod Taylor definitely improved, with 11/18 for 125 yards and a TD. Running back Ray Rice found his groove (13 carries, 72 yards, 1 TD) as did recent acquisition receiver Lee Evans, who caught 3 passes for 60 yards and a TD. Anquan Boldin had 5 catches for 73 yards and a TD as well. Ladarius Webb stood out on the Ravens D, with an interception and a sack.
Packers @ Colts next. The Curtis Painter saga continues. People have been heaping praise on him in the last few hours but I would say hold up a second. He was 11/21 for 171 yards and 2 touchdowns. That's not bad, but let's face it, for Curtis Painter that is practically a career performance. To top it off, 57 of those hallowed yards came when Reggie Wayne was left wide open as corner Sam Shields tried to emulate Asante Samuel's baiting trick from the day before... except Samuel had a safety playing the proper technique over the top and Shields didn't. The result was the Wayne TD. And Painter still sucks.
Aaron Rodgers doesn't though, finishing the game 19/23 for 204 yards and a TD, while looking just as slick as he did in last years Super Bowl. Except for that stupid moustache come beard thing he's sporting now. You're not rock and roll Aaron. AC/DC will not be calling anytime soon. "Rookie" Graham Harrell (he's 26 and played in the pre-season last year) then came in and finished the game 12/21 for 85 yards, an interception, but also a touchdown with just 35 seconds left on the clock, followed by a two point conversion.
The Packers then caught the Colts napping with an onside kick, demonstrating the lack of game management from Colts Head Coach Jim Caldwell that hurt his team at times last year.
Both defenses did well. The Packers had 4 sacks, one by Clay Matthews and the other three coming from rookies. The Colts D produced 5, including two for Dwight Freeney and one for former Bear Tommie Harris. This is definitely a positive sign, given that in the Peyton Manning era the defense has often let down the rest of the team.
Finally for today we have the Rams @ Chiefs. Quarterback Sam Bradford looked ok for the Rams, throwing 9/16 for 95 yards and 2 touchdowns, but also a dangerous interception while backed up near his own goal line, as he failed to see the grossly under rated linebacker Derrick Johnson lurking in underneath coverage. Johnson also had a sack. Rams back up A.J. Feely was 8/13 for 65 yards and an interception.
The Rams rushing attack did much better though. Steven Jackson turned 15 carries into 72 yards while Cadillac Williams carried 12 times for 53 yards. Rookie Tight End Lance Kendricks has been making me look good for calling him better than Kyle Rudolph and he continued that theme against the Chiefs with 2 catches for 26 yards and a touchdown. On defense, rookie defensive end Robert Quinn restored my rookie predicting karma to zero, by defying my criticism of him and having a sack/fumble, plus blocking a field goal.
But then on the Chiefs side Ricky Stanzi tried to get me back on the plus side for this game, finally pulling his finger out of his arse to throw 8/14 for 121 yards and a lovely touchdown pass, with no interceptions. Keep it up. Matt Cassel meanwhile wallowed in his own personal well of mediocrity, with 6/13 for 59 yards. Tip; when you make Tyler Palko look good (7/12, 92 yards) then you're doing something very wrong.
That's it for today. If you think I'm doing all of Saturdays games in one marathon chunk tomorrow then you've got another thing coming. I'll likely be back Monday night (technically Tuesday morning here). Till then, have a good weekend, enjoy the football and don't forget to hit the Facebook-like-button-thingy at the bottom.
Do it.
The Panthers @ Bengals. And you know you're looking bad when this Bengals team can beat you. At this juncture it's probably a good time to point out that the Bengals did most of the damage with their starters against the Panthers starters, before anyone starts talking about third stringers.
Though initially it seemed bright enough for the Panthers with Cam Newton running 16 yards for the first score. But that's kind of where the fun ended for Cam, who finished 6/19 for 75 yards. Yes, 6/19. Now I know he's a rookie but that's still pretty bad. What I love most though is that had this been Tim Tebow in his rookie year, people would have been pouring on the hate. But I'm not hearing it now? Funny that. Ok, I'll make it up for all the lost voices; Newton is going to suck this year. And probably every other year.
There you go.
On the other side Andy Dalton started to show some signs of life, throwing 11/17 for 130 yards and a TD. Getting there Andy. Very slowly, but getting there. The real focus for the Bengals though should be on that running game. Cedric Benson and Bernard Scott combined for 22 carries, producing 131 yards and 2 touchdowns. The vitality of this running attack could just be the key to getting Dalton through the season with some semblance of success.
Next was the Browns @ Eagles. Mike Vick took some lumps for the Eagles, but complimented his 10/18 for 98 yards passing with 4 carries for 24 yards and a TD. Vince Young played the "anything you can do, I can do precisely the same" game, by also carrying 4 times for 24 yards and a TD. Running backs Ronnie Brown and Dion Lewis did a lot of the ground work, but LeSean McCoy was the back that got the cream, with 7 catches for a team leading 69 yards receiving.
For the Browns, Colt McCoy looked a little less assured this time around, with 9/18 for 89 yards plus an interception off a poor decision, throwing the ball under pressure to a waiting Asante Samuel who dropped off his outside receiver and snuck underneath the pass to make a great pick. Seneca Wallace clawed back a TD pass for the Browns, before rookie Jarrett Brown hit the field and went 4/4 for 35 yards and a TD. Kid's had quite a solid pre-season so far.
On defense it was all about the Eagles, who accompanied Samuel's interception with five sacks. They're still not quite the Dream Team in Philadelphia, but at least they look a little less shaky now.
Next was the Redskins @ Ravens, and quite a tight game. The Redskins quarterback battle continues with Rex Grossman throwing 8/15 for 112 yards and a TD to John Becks 6/10 for 108 yards and a TD, plus an INT. Overall I'm not sure who will win. Grossman has had the lions share of the playing time so he has more film for Shanahan and son to review, but I think Beck might just sneak it. He just looks a little sharper in general.
The story of the Redskins is still their running game though. Tim Hightower and rookie Roy Helu put up exactly 100 yards between them on 22 carries. Hightower also had a touchdown. Second year wide receiver Terrence Austin also impressed, with 5 carries for 71 yards and a TD. The 'skins defense also looked a bit better, with an interception by DeAngelo Hall and four sacks as a unit, including single sacks for rookies Ryan Kerrigan and Davonte Shannon.
For the Ravens, Joe Flacco kind of looked better in this game. Sort of. A little. Trying to find nice things to say about someone I don't rate all that much. He finished 17/27 for 219 yards, 2 touchdowns and 1 interception (the DeAngelo Hall pick 6). Rookie Tyrod Taylor definitely improved, with 11/18 for 125 yards and a TD. Running back Ray Rice found his groove (13 carries, 72 yards, 1 TD) as did recent acquisition receiver Lee Evans, who caught 3 passes for 60 yards and a TD. Anquan Boldin had 5 catches for 73 yards and a TD as well. Ladarius Webb stood out on the Ravens D, with an interception and a sack.
Packers @ Colts next. The Curtis Painter saga continues. People have been heaping praise on him in the last few hours but I would say hold up a second. He was 11/21 for 171 yards and 2 touchdowns. That's not bad, but let's face it, for Curtis Painter that is practically a career performance. To top it off, 57 of those hallowed yards came when Reggie Wayne was left wide open as corner Sam Shields tried to emulate Asante Samuel's baiting trick from the day before... except Samuel had a safety playing the proper technique over the top and Shields didn't. The result was the Wayne TD. And Painter still sucks.
Aaron Rodgers doesn't though, finishing the game 19/23 for 204 yards and a TD, while looking just as slick as he did in last years Super Bowl. Except for that stupid moustache come beard thing he's sporting now. You're not rock and roll Aaron. AC/DC will not be calling anytime soon. "Rookie" Graham Harrell (he's 26 and played in the pre-season last year) then came in and finished the game 12/21 for 85 yards, an interception, but also a touchdown with just 35 seconds left on the clock, followed by a two point conversion.
The Packers then caught the Colts napping with an onside kick, demonstrating the lack of game management from Colts Head Coach Jim Caldwell that hurt his team at times last year.
Both defenses did well. The Packers had 4 sacks, one by Clay Matthews and the other three coming from rookies. The Colts D produced 5, including two for Dwight Freeney and one for former Bear Tommie Harris. This is definitely a positive sign, given that in the Peyton Manning era the defense has often let down the rest of the team.
Finally for today we have the Rams @ Chiefs. Quarterback Sam Bradford looked ok for the Rams, throwing 9/16 for 95 yards and 2 touchdowns, but also a dangerous interception while backed up near his own goal line, as he failed to see the grossly under rated linebacker Derrick Johnson lurking in underneath coverage. Johnson also had a sack. Rams back up A.J. Feely was 8/13 for 65 yards and an interception.
The Rams rushing attack did much better though. Steven Jackson turned 15 carries into 72 yards while Cadillac Williams carried 12 times for 53 yards. Rookie Tight End Lance Kendricks has been making me look good for calling him better than Kyle Rudolph and he continued that theme against the Chiefs with 2 catches for 26 yards and a touchdown. On defense, rookie defensive end Robert Quinn restored my rookie predicting karma to zero, by defying my criticism of him and having a sack/fumble, plus blocking a field goal.
But then on the Chiefs side Ricky Stanzi tried to get me back on the plus side for this game, finally pulling his finger out of his arse to throw 8/14 for 121 yards and a lovely touchdown pass, with no interceptions. Keep it up. Matt Cassel meanwhile wallowed in his own personal well of mediocrity, with 6/13 for 59 yards. Tip; when you make Tyler Palko look good (7/12, 92 yards) then you're doing something very wrong.
That's it for today. If you think I'm doing all of Saturdays games in one marathon chunk tomorrow then you've got another thing coming. I'll likely be back Monday night (technically Tuesday morning here). Till then, have a good weekend, enjoy the football and don't forget to hit the Facebook-like-button-thingy at the bottom.
Do it.
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.
Monday, August 01, 2011
The Eagle has landed
I touched on the magic movings of Andy Reid the other day, but since then he and the Eagles have been waving the free agency wand in earnest and the end result is already being referred to (perhaps a little presumptuously) as the "Dream Team". Now eventually this week I want to go through all the free agent signings and moves that have caught my eye, but for now I just want to zero in on the Eagles.
-- Nnamdi Asomugha
I couldn't help but laugh when I first found out about this. At the time the battle was supposedly between the Jets and the Texans and then I think it switched to the Jets and someone else whose name escapes me and it was being hailed in the press as a dead cert battle between those two teams. In the end all those dead cert bets failed to come in as the Eagles swooped (see what I did there?).
Honestly I'm a little at two minds about this. I'm one of those cynical bastards that believes the concept of "shut down corners" in the NFL is vastly over rated. If there's one thing I've noticed more than anything in the league, it's that most interceptions seem to be highly dependent on poor throws by quarterbacks. I would say in less than 25% of cases do interceptions seem to result from just a genuine great play by a defender.
So I'm a little sceptical how much of an impact Nnamdi will provide. He's a good corner and he plays the run quite well, but notions that all of sudden it will prove impossible to pass on the Eagles look wildly optimistic to me. Still, broadly speaking the Eagles have upgraded.
-- Jason Babin
Now that's a sneaky little deal right there. If the Eagles were in a keen need of anything this off season then it was a more consistent pass rush. Babin should provide that. Last season was only the second time in his career that he started in a full 16 games, and he notched up 12.5 sacks in the process. You could accuse the Eagles of over paying for a one hit wonder but at just $5 million (roughly) for the coming season, and given the normal price for pass rushers, that's just a steal. No two ways about it.
-- Cullen Jenkins
I was wondering if the Eagles could top the two above. Then I read about Cullen Jenkins. He played 11 games last year, starting just 8. In that time he was able to clock 7 sacks and 5 assists. His production levels have been good throughout his career and to be frank, Jenkins could have been paid a lot more and still clocked in as being something of a bargain.
The Eagles needed help up the middle and Jenkins is it. He didn't get anywhere near the credit he deserved playing in Green Bay, largely due to the overall quality of that defensive group. But now Jenkins has the chance to show how much of an impact he can really make. Considering this will entail a shift from a 3-4 defense to a 4-3, where he will have more freedom to get into the backfield and get after the quarterback, it might be a good idea to back Jenkins for an increase in his sack tally.
-- Vince Young
This, bizarrely, is the one I'm most impressed with. It is a master stroke. If you can't already see the cycle repeating itself, then perhaps you need to pay more attention. Think about what Young is, what he represents. A talented college quarterback with lots of potential to do big things in the NFL. He can throw and he can run; boy can he run! But for a variety of reasons his talent has thus far not fully born fruit, despite the success that he has had with the Titans.
Now he finds himself on the bottom rung, taking a huge pay cut to come and play for the current beacon of hope, opportunity and redemption in the NFL, Andy Reid. Cue a season spent working hard, competing, learning etc. Maybe he'll get the chance to hit the field now and again, especially if the "dream team" lives up to the hype and rips great chunks out of people early on in games.
So they sign him to a better deal at some point this year and then start shopping him around. Eventually someone will bite; physically gifted, now seemingly more mature and experienced under Reids direction, and so on and so forth. Thus in return for a few million dollars and a bit of time and patience, Reid will end up crafting either a second round pick plus something lower, or a trade for a player he badly needs. It's pure genius.
Of course building teams has never been Andy Reids problem. It's been getting them to win big games on a consistent basis and finally take the Eagles to the promised land that has been his trouble. At the minute, this 2011 team is shaping up to be his best chance yet.
-- Nnamdi Asomugha
I couldn't help but laugh when I first found out about this. At the time the battle was supposedly between the Jets and the Texans and then I think it switched to the Jets and someone else whose name escapes me and it was being hailed in the press as a dead cert battle between those two teams. In the end all those dead cert bets failed to come in as the Eagles swooped (see what I did there?).
Honestly I'm a little at two minds about this. I'm one of those cynical bastards that believes the concept of "shut down corners" in the NFL is vastly over rated. If there's one thing I've noticed more than anything in the league, it's that most interceptions seem to be highly dependent on poor throws by quarterbacks. I would say in less than 25% of cases do interceptions seem to result from just a genuine great play by a defender.
So I'm a little sceptical how much of an impact Nnamdi will provide. He's a good corner and he plays the run quite well, but notions that all of sudden it will prove impossible to pass on the Eagles look wildly optimistic to me. Still, broadly speaking the Eagles have upgraded.
-- Jason Babin
Now that's a sneaky little deal right there. If the Eagles were in a keen need of anything this off season then it was a more consistent pass rush. Babin should provide that. Last season was only the second time in his career that he started in a full 16 games, and he notched up 12.5 sacks in the process. You could accuse the Eagles of over paying for a one hit wonder but at just $5 million (roughly) for the coming season, and given the normal price for pass rushers, that's just a steal. No two ways about it.
-- Cullen Jenkins
I was wondering if the Eagles could top the two above. Then I read about Cullen Jenkins. He played 11 games last year, starting just 8. In that time he was able to clock 7 sacks and 5 assists. His production levels have been good throughout his career and to be frank, Jenkins could have been paid a lot more and still clocked in as being something of a bargain.
The Eagles needed help up the middle and Jenkins is it. He didn't get anywhere near the credit he deserved playing in Green Bay, largely due to the overall quality of that defensive group. But now Jenkins has the chance to show how much of an impact he can really make. Considering this will entail a shift from a 3-4 defense to a 4-3, where he will have more freedom to get into the backfield and get after the quarterback, it might be a good idea to back Jenkins for an increase in his sack tally.
-- Vince Young
This, bizarrely, is the one I'm most impressed with. It is a master stroke. If you can't already see the cycle repeating itself, then perhaps you need to pay more attention. Think about what Young is, what he represents. A talented college quarterback with lots of potential to do big things in the NFL. He can throw and he can run; boy can he run! But for a variety of reasons his talent has thus far not fully born fruit, despite the success that he has had with the Titans.
Now he finds himself on the bottom rung, taking a huge pay cut to come and play for the current beacon of hope, opportunity and redemption in the NFL, Andy Reid. Cue a season spent working hard, competing, learning etc. Maybe he'll get the chance to hit the field now and again, especially if the "dream team" lives up to the hype and rips great chunks out of people early on in games.
So they sign him to a better deal at some point this year and then start shopping him around. Eventually someone will bite; physically gifted, now seemingly more mature and experienced under Reids direction, and so on and so forth. Thus in return for a few million dollars and a bit of time and patience, Reid will end up crafting either a second round pick plus something lower, or a trade for a player he badly needs. It's pure genius.
Of course building teams has never been Andy Reids problem. It's been getting them to win big games on a consistent basis and finally take the Eagles to the promised land that has been his trouble. At the minute, this 2011 team is shaping up to be his best chance yet.
Sunday, June 26, 2011
2011 NFL Draft: Philadelphia Eagles
Here it 'tis at last, my look at the Philadelphia Eagles 2011 draft class, and thanks to some wheeling and dealing by the Eagles we've got eleven picks to get through. Starting with...
Danny Watkins, OT/OG, Baylor. He's listed pretty much everywhere as a guard, despite playing left tackle in college, so it remains to be seen what the Eagles will ultimately do with him. Watkins is an odd kid, on the principle that he's a 26 year old "kid".
Don't let that detract from what he is on the field though, which is a strong and technically sound pass blocker. His run blocking in college was a little limited due to the offense, but this is the Eagles under Andy Reid that we're talking about here. Running the ball isn't exactly the Eagles priority.
Watkins uses his hands well, shifts his feet well and works hard to stay on his pass rusher, keeping the pressure on until the whistle blows and keeping his QB safe. You really can't argue with his ability in this regard. If he does transition to Guard then there may be a bit of a blip while he gets the hang of dealing with more power style rushers versus the speed rushers he's used to, but I think he'll make be fine.
In round two the Eagles went with Jaiquawn Jarrett, safety, Temple. Or "Scrabble" as I'm going to refer to him. Can I first of all start by saying that the sooner that kid gets his first name legally changed the happier I'll be. It is without doubt one of the most difficult and annoying names to spell I've seen in a long time. Writers annoyances aside though, what's he like?
The answer is good. Very good. If there is anything that "Scrabble" loves more than hitting people then I'd like to know what it is, because he certainly seems to love nothing more than putting a shoulder down and taking guys out. His tackling form is very good and he displays no fear coming down hill to make the hit, speed and impact be damned.
Against the pass he shows pretty good speed and thus range, able to cover a fair amount of ground while the ball is in the air. His talent suggests he'd make a good strong safety, but on reflection I think his size might not be enough for that particular role so he'll probably end up at the free safety spot. He has talent though; raw physical talent, courage and good instincts.
On to round three and the Eagles went with corner Curtis Marsh, Utah State. Marsh isn't bad in coverage, but sometimes you get the feeling that he leaves a bit too much of a cushion for the receiver. His ball skills clearly demonstrate why he ended up as a corner and not a wide receiver, but as long as he breaks up the pass I guess that's all that matters.
Overall I think Marsh might struggle a little in the Eagles scheme, unless new defensive coordinator Juan Castillo makes major changes. I say this because the Eagles are very much a zone team, leaving guys like Asante Samuel free to play underneath a receiver and make plays on the ball, and I don't think that really suits Marsh all that well. I think he'd be happier if given room to drop back and play a little deeper with maybe a linebacker sliding into the zone underneath.
On to round four and we start with Oregon linebacker Casey Matthews. Yes, the brother of Clay Matthews in Green Bay.
Now frankly I haven't got a damn clue how Matthews made it out of the second round. Looking back now, I'm a little surprised he made it out of the first. This has nothing to do with the Matthews name, legendary as it is, and everything to do with the fact that Casey is a straight up beast.
He's quick for his size, he's strong, he's determined. You get him on a pass rush and he'll find a way to get through the traffic and get to the quarterback. You make him drop back in a zone and he'll keep his feet alive and find the ball. He'll chase the play wherever it goes and he'll arrive at the ball carrier with some attitude.
Looking at some of the people that went before him and the talent that he has, I absolutely believe he would not have been a wasted pick in the first round. The only question I have is this; what are the Eagles going to use him for? In college Matthews played in a 3-4 as a middle linebacker, while the Eagles these days are more of a 4-3 Defense really.
With linebacker Stewart Bradley potentially on his way out through free agency, maybe there is a spot for Matthews in the middle? Maybe they'll stick him on the edge and make him a defensive end? Who knows. It is a bit of an odd pick for a 4-3 team to make, but given what I've seen I have no worries about Matthews and how he'll get on. Excellent player.
Which was followed by kicker Alex Henery from Nebraska. Before you ask, no, no I didn't watch any film of Henery. And I still haven't.
On to round five and running back Dion Lewis from Pittsburgh. I must warn you at this point; if you have an aversion to someone going on a fan boy trip, gushing shamelessly about one of their favourite players, then look away now. Just scroll down.
Because I LOVE DION LEWIS!
This kid is sick. He is just nuts. It's outrageous. He should be banned from being this good and the more I watch him, the more I wish him all the success in the world at the next level. He can just straight up play.
The key to this is his agility. Now technically speaking agility is defined the ability to rapidly change velocity vectors. To me and you, that means the ability to rapidly change direction, decelerating in one direction and then accelerating in another. It combines balance, reflexes, strength to weight ratio, and at least in football, the ability to see and anticipate holes, then get your butt into them.
That is exactly what Dion Lewis brings to the table and boy does he bring it. Lewis has an amazing talent for picking his way through the wash of players, stopping, starting, following his blockers and using patience to work his way through the holes.
What strikes me the most as well is his down to down consistency. Unlike a Chris Johnson he doesn't produce many massive runs, but I'm happy with that on the principle that also unlike Johnson he often turns what look like dead plays into good yards. Despite being a little on the slight side, he also has pretty good power and some great moves up his sleeve for breaking tackles.
Lewis is a first down machine and a run first coaches dream come true (which is why I like him so much). This however does bring up the question again of why did the Eagles take him? I mean, I mentioned this earlier, Andy Reid is not exactly in love with running the ball. It's another case of picking up a great player who I don't think fits the Eagles system very well.
So will Lewis live up to the hype I've placed on him? I hope so. For all I've said about the Eagles, they do run the ball occasionally and I think when they do they will get a great look at the skills of Dion Lewis. Hopefully that will prompt them into giving the kid more touches and I honestly believe he can make a great contribution to an offense that is already loaded with play makers.
Next in the fifth round we have Julian Vandervelde, guard, Iowa. Now if you skipped down here to avoid me shamelessly piling the praise on Dion Lewis, you might want to keep going for a bit. Because I'm going to pile praise on Vandervelde as well.
See I must have watched about 180-200 snaps of Vandervelde, over and over, and I don't think I saw him whiff a block or miss an assignment. Not even once. I think he might have come close maybe twice, but he always got his guy. That's why I'm excited about what Vandervelde brings to the league.
He's a brilliant interior linemen; Strong, stout, keeps his feet moving, uses his hands well, great leverage on the defenders, exchanges blocks excellently with his fellow linemen to handle twists and stunts. His run blocking is something else, especially when he's asked to get up to the next level and grab a linebacker.
I think you will have a tough time trying to find a better guard in this entire draft than Vandervelde. You might have a tough time trying to find a better overall blocker than Vandervelde. Certainly I think he can achieve what Maurkice Pouncey did for Pittsburgh last year.
Which is a shame in a way, because Pouncey was a first rounder and honestly I think Vandervelde is on the same kind of talent level, at least from a pure blocking perspective. As a fifth rounder however, Vandervelde's wallet will be considerably lighter than Pouncey's this season.
Four more picks to go now and as we enter round six we start with Jason Kelce, center, Cincinnati.
Finally I can stop gushing about players and those of you who have skipped down can relax and have a read again. I'm not a Kelce fan. I think he lacks balance which is a serious concern when you're an offensive linemen, along with a weak punch that is related somewhat to the lack of balance, (for a fun experiment, try standing up on your toes and trying to push something reasonably solid. Try not to fall on your ass).
Skipping forward then we come to Brian Rolle, linebacker, Ohio State.
Now Rolle is kind of the good with the bad, with a bit more bad on top for good measure. The good is speed, of which Rolle has in buckets for a linebacker. The bad is his strength, which is kind of a big issue for a middle linebacker.
The bad on top for good measure is the complete lack of mental awareness. He always seems to be a second or two behind everyone else, which is a defect in his game that even his speed can't overcome. He just always seems to be standing around waiting, waiting and waiting to get a good look at the play before making a decision. By the time he does make a choice it's often too late.
The question then becomes; what will the Eagles do with him? If they can find a way to fit his speed in, perhaps rushing the quarterback somehow, maybe as a blitzing linebacker on third down, then there is hope for Rolle. Otherwise I see a winter of discontent on the unemployment line for Rolle.
Finally into the seventh round and the end is in sight. Two more players left. It's 3am, my coffee is getting cold and I've been at this for about three days now (it's not the typing so much, it's watching the games). so next up is linebacker Greg Lloyd Jr. from Connecticut.
This brings the tally of linebackers to three and I'm beginning to think that Andy Reid is trying to build a 3-4 defense. So what about Lloyd? Well... you tell me. My Connecticut drawer appears to be empty so I'm afraid you're gonna have to flip a coin and make your own mind up.
That only leaves Stanley Havili, fullback, USC.
Now, Fullbacks are not usually very high on peoples draft boards, so the fact that one made it into the seventh round is something of an achievement in itself. But this full back is something special. Watching Havili is probably some of the most fun you can have watching football.
Standing 6ft tall and weighing 230 pounds, Havili doesn't immediately strike you as a fast and elusive player. To be honest, he's not. Some how though, some way, Havili manages to dodge people like they weren't there. It seems he has just enough speed to make people take and angle on him, and then just at the last second he slows almost to a dead stop and cuts back inside.
It's mesmerising. It's like watching a pair of fish in a bowl dance around each other at the last second; you can see it happening, but you have no idea how they do it. That's the impression you get watching Havili. You can see him cutting inside the defenders and then leaving shorter, faster secondary players in his wake, but you just can't believe he's doing it.
Two plus points as well that he brings to the table for the Eagles are his pass blocking and his catching ability. He blocks using the shoulder which isn't ideal, but it seems to get the job done. Critically though, he is a good receiver out of the backfield. He runs his assigned routes very well and has great hands, then becomes a good runner with the ball.
So what's the down side? Well, as a full back he's often called on to be a lead blocker. And he sucks at lead blocking. I don't know what it is, but he just doesn't seem to have the hang of it. He is a rubbish run blocker. It's not that he's afraid to get stuck in, far from it (he actually seems like quite a physical player at times). He just seems to lack that run blocking ability.
Overall I think he's a good fit. The Eagles run a lot of of the shotgun anyway, so he's probably more likely to find himself alone in the backfield with Michael Vick than leading LeSean McCoy through the hole. His pass catching ability and pass blocking also mesh well with what the Eagles do.
So that's it. That's all eleven new additions to the Eagles.
Generally speaking I think Eagles fans should be really happy with this draft. There are a lot of really good players in it. Some aren't perhaps the best fit for the teams style, but conversely there is a lot of raw talent on show. For all his faults, Andy Reid seems to be a good technical coach and has a good collection of coaches around him to help him extract that raw ability and turn it into production on the field.
I think if I was doing alphabetical grades, I'd give this group an A.
So that's the Eagles done. Redskins are up next and then that is the NFC done and dusted. If I can bang out the AFC teams at a decent rate then I might even be able to get all of these done before training camps start.
Why are you all laughing?
On a final note, I was watching Stanford earlier, for reasons I can't actually remember and wide receiver Doug Baldwin stood out from the pack. He's an undrafted free agent so keep an eye out for him. He showed outstanding hands and concentration at times.
Oh, one last thing as it happens.... click the old facebook button at the bottom and lets start building a nationy, cult, thingy together. If you see what I mean. Go on. It's just a button click, it's not like I'm asking you to climb Everest.
Danny Watkins, OT/OG, Baylor. He's listed pretty much everywhere as a guard, despite playing left tackle in college, so it remains to be seen what the Eagles will ultimately do with him. Watkins is an odd kid, on the principle that he's a 26 year old "kid".
Don't let that detract from what he is on the field though, which is a strong and technically sound pass blocker. His run blocking in college was a little limited due to the offense, but this is the Eagles under Andy Reid that we're talking about here. Running the ball isn't exactly the Eagles priority.
Watkins uses his hands well, shifts his feet well and works hard to stay on his pass rusher, keeping the pressure on until the whistle blows and keeping his QB safe. You really can't argue with his ability in this regard. If he does transition to Guard then there may be a bit of a blip while he gets the hang of dealing with more power style rushers versus the speed rushers he's used to, but I think he'll make be fine.
In round two the Eagles went with Jaiquawn Jarrett, safety, Temple. Or "Scrabble" as I'm going to refer to him. Can I first of all start by saying that the sooner that kid gets his first name legally changed the happier I'll be. It is without doubt one of the most difficult and annoying names to spell I've seen in a long time. Writers annoyances aside though, what's he like?
The answer is good. Very good. If there is anything that "Scrabble" loves more than hitting people then I'd like to know what it is, because he certainly seems to love nothing more than putting a shoulder down and taking guys out. His tackling form is very good and he displays no fear coming down hill to make the hit, speed and impact be damned.
Against the pass he shows pretty good speed and thus range, able to cover a fair amount of ground while the ball is in the air. His talent suggests he'd make a good strong safety, but on reflection I think his size might not be enough for that particular role so he'll probably end up at the free safety spot. He has talent though; raw physical talent, courage and good instincts.
On to round three and the Eagles went with corner Curtis Marsh, Utah State. Marsh isn't bad in coverage, but sometimes you get the feeling that he leaves a bit too much of a cushion for the receiver. His ball skills clearly demonstrate why he ended up as a corner and not a wide receiver, but as long as he breaks up the pass I guess that's all that matters.
Overall I think Marsh might struggle a little in the Eagles scheme, unless new defensive coordinator Juan Castillo makes major changes. I say this because the Eagles are very much a zone team, leaving guys like Asante Samuel free to play underneath a receiver and make plays on the ball, and I don't think that really suits Marsh all that well. I think he'd be happier if given room to drop back and play a little deeper with maybe a linebacker sliding into the zone underneath.
On to round four and we start with Oregon linebacker Casey Matthews. Yes, the brother of Clay Matthews in Green Bay.
Now frankly I haven't got a damn clue how Matthews made it out of the second round. Looking back now, I'm a little surprised he made it out of the first. This has nothing to do with the Matthews name, legendary as it is, and everything to do with the fact that Casey is a straight up beast.
He's quick for his size, he's strong, he's determined. You get him on a pass rush and he'll find a way to get through the traffic and get to the quarterback. You make him drop back in a zone and he'll keep his feet alive and find the ball. He'll chase the play wherever it goes and he'll arrive at the ball carrier with some attitude.
Looking at some of the people that went before him and the talent that he has, I absolutely believe he would not have been a wasted pick in the first round. The only question I have is this; what are the Eagles going to use him for? In college Matthews played in a 3-4 as a middle linebacker, while the Eagles these days are more of a 4-3 Defense really.
With linebacker Stewart Bradley potentially on his way out through free agency, maybe there is a spot for Matthews in the middle? Maybe they'll stick him on the edge and make him a defensive end? Who knows. It is a bit of an odd pick for a 4-3 team to make, but given what I've seen I have no worries about Matthews and how he'll get on. Excellent player.
Which was followed by kicker Alex Henery from Nebraska. Before you ask, no, no I didn't watch any film of Henery. And I still haven't.
On to round five and running back Dion Lewis from Pittsburgh. I must warn you at this point; if you have an aversion to someone going on a fan boy trip, gushing shamelessly about one of their favourite players, then look away now. Just scroll down.
Because I LOVE DION LEWIS!
This kid is sick. He is just nuts. It's outrageous. He should be banned from being this good and the more I watch him, the more I wish him all the success in the world at the next level. He can just straight up play.
The key to this is his agility. Now technically speaking agility is defined the ability to rapidly change velocity vectors. To me and you, that means the ability to rapidly change direction, decelerating in one direction and then accelerating in another. It combines balance, reflexes, strength to weight ratio, and at least in football, the ability to see and anticipate holes, then get your butt into them.
That is exactly what Dion Lewis brings to the table and boy does he bring it. Lewis has an amazing talent for picking his way through the wash of players, stopping, starting, following his blockers and using patience to work his way through the holes.
What strikes me the most as well is his down to down consistency. Unlike a Chris Johnson he doesn't produce many massive runs, but I'm happy with that on the principle that also unlike Johnson he often turns what look like dead plays into good yards. Despite being a little on the slight side, he also has pretty good power and some great moves up his sleeve for breaking tackles.
Lewis is a first down machine and a run first coaches dream come true (which is why I like him so much). This however does bring up the question again of why did the Eagles take him? I mean, I mentioned this earlier, Andy Reid is not exactly in love with running the ball. It's another case of picking up a great player who I don't think fits the Eagles system very well.
So will Lewis live up to the hype I've placed on him? I hope so. For all I've said about the Eagles, they do run the ball occasionally and I think when they do they will get a great look at the skills of Dion Lewis. Hopefully that will prompt them into giving the kid more touches and I honestly believe he can make a great contribution to an offense that is already loaded with play makers.
Next in the fifth round we have Julian Vandervelde, guard, Iowa. Now if you skipped down here to avoid me shamelessly piling the praise on Dion Lewis, you might want to keep going for a bit. Because I'm going to pile praise on Vandervelde as well.
See I must have watched about 180-200 snaps of Vandervelde, over and over, and I don't think I saw him whiff a block or miss an assignment. Not even once. I think he might have come close maybe twice, but he always got his guy. That's why I'm excited about what Vandervelde brings to the league.
He's a brilliant interior linemen; Strong, stout, keeps his feet moving, uses his hands well, great leverage on the defenders, exchanges blocks excellently with his fellow linemen to handle twists and stunts. His run blocking is something else, especially when he's asked to get up to the next level and grab a linebacker.
I think you will have a tough time trying to find a better guard in this entire draft than Vandervelde. You might have a tough time trying to find a better overall blocker than Vandervelde. Certainly I think he can achieve what Maurkice Pouncey did for Pittsburgh last year.
Which is a shame in a way, because Pouncey was a first rounder and honestly I think Vandervelde is on the same kind of talent level, at least from a pure blocking perspective. As a fifth rounder however, Vandervelde's wallet will be considerably lighter than Pouncey's this season.
Four more picks to go now and as we enter round six we start with Jason Kelce, center, Cincinnati.
Finally I can stop gushing about players and those of you who have skipped down can relax and have a read again. I'm not a Kelce fan. I think he lacks balance which is a serious concern when you're an offensive linemen, along with a weak punch that is related somewhat to the lack of balance, (for a fun experiment, try standing up on your toes and trying to push something reasonably solid. Try not to fall on your ass).
Skipping forward then we come to Brian Rolle, linebacker, Ohio State.
Now Rolle is kind of the good with the bad, with a bit more bad on top for good measure. The good is speed, of which Rolle has in buckets for a linebacker. The bad is his strength, which is kind of a big issue for a middle linebacker.
The bad on top for good measure is the complete lack of mental awareness. He always seems to be a second or two behind everyone else, which is a defect in his game that even his speed can't overcome. He just always seems to be standing around waiting, waiting and waiting to get a good look at the play before making a decision. By the time he does make a choice it's often too late.
The question then becomes; what will the Eagles do with him? If they can find a way to fit his speed in, perhaps rushing the quarterback somehow, maybe as a blitzing linebacker on third down, then there is hope for Rolle. Otherwise I see a winter of discontent on the unemployment line for Rolle.
Finally into the seventh round and the end is in sight. Two more players left. It's 3am, my coffee is getting cold and I've been at this for about three days now (it's not the typing so much, it's watching the games). so next up is linebacker Greg Lloyd Jr. from Connecticut.
This brings the tally of linebackers to three and I'm beginning to think that Andy Reid is trying to build a 3-4 defense. So what about Lloyd? Well... you tell me. My Connecticut drawer appears to be empty so I'm afraid you're gonna have to flip a coin and make your own mind up.
That only leaves Stanley Havili, fullback, USC.
Now, Fullbacks are not usually very high on peoples draft boards, so the fact that one made it into the seventh round is something of an achievement in itself. But this full back is something special. Watching Havili is probably some of the most fun you can have watching football.
Standing 6ft tall and weighing 230 pounds, Havili doesn't immediately strike you as a fast and elusive player. To be honest, he's not. Some how though, some way, Havili manages to dodge people like they weren't there. It seems he has just enough speed to make people take and angle on him, and then just at the last second he slows almost to a dead stop and cuts back inside.
It's mesmerising. It's like watching a pair of fish in a bowl dance around each other at the last second; you can see it happening, but you have no idea how they do it. That's the impression you get watching Havili. You can see him cutting inside the defenders and then leaving shorter, faster secondary players in his wake, but you just can't believe he's doing it.
Two plus points as well that he brings to the table for the Eagles are his pass blocking and his catching ability. He blocks using the shoulder which isn't ideal, but it seems to get the job done. Critically though, he is a good receiver out of the backfield. He runs his assigned routes very well and has great hands, then becomes a good runner with the ball.
So what's the down side? Well, as a full back he's often called on to be a lead blocker. And he sucks at lead blocking. I don't know what it is, but he just doesn't seem to have the hang of it. He is a rubbish run blocker. It's not that he's afraid to get stuck in, far from it (he actually seems like quite a physical player at times). He just seems to lack that run blocking ability.
Overall I think he's a good fit. The Eagles run a lot of of the shotgun anyway, so he's probably more likely to find himself alone in the backfield with Michael Vick than leading LeSean McCoy through the hole. His pass catching ability and pass blocking also mesh well with what the Eagles do.
So that's it. That's all eleven new additions to the Eagles.
Generally speaking I think Eagles fans should be really happy with this draft. There are a lot of really good players in it. Some aren't perhaps the best fit for the teams style, but conversely there is a lot of raw talent on show. For all his faults, Andy Reid seems to be a good technical coach and has a good collection of coaches around him to help him extract that raw ability and turn it into production on the field.
I think if I was doing alphabetical grades, I'd give this group an A.
So that's the Eagles done. Redskins are up next and then that is the NFC done and dusted. If I can bang out the AFC teams at a decent rate then I might even be able to get all of these done before training camps start.
Why are you all laughing?
On a final note, I was watching Stanford earlier, for reasons I can't actually remember and wide receiver Doug Baldwin stood out from the pack. He's an undrafted free agent so keep an eye out for him. He showed outstanding hands and concentration at times.
Oh, one last thing as it happens.... click the old facebook button at the bottom and lets start building a nationy, cult, thingy together. If you see what I mean. Go on. It's just a button click, it's not like I'm asking you to climb Everest.
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