Good Deal

Les Bowen and the Daily News offer great insight and clarification about the lack of a fine and even whether Baker should have been penalized for his hit on Nick Foles.

http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/sports/eagles/Chip-will-ask-NFL-to-clarify-why-Baker-hit-was-legal.html

It seems as if the arrogant Troy Vincent, who said that people who "know" the rule, understood his ruling (or lack thereof), doesn't actually know the rule and, for some inexplicable reason, chose a microscopic interpretation.

All of this highlights the fact that the NFL rulebook is not publicly available and begs the question why it isn't.

Huh? Baker hit "legal"

The Post reporters need to do a better job of clarifying the issue. Baker is not being fined for his hit on Nick Foles after the INT (subsequently overturned on a challenge), but as I read the Post article it appears as if Baker shouldn't have even been penalized.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/football-insider/wp/2014/09/23/baker-wont-be-suspended-nfl-rules-his-hit-on-foles-was-legal/

It's a whole other issue of how stupid the rule loophole is about hitting QBs after INTs. The genesis of the rule/penalty was the Hugh Douglas playoff hit that knocked Jim Miller out of the game in the divisional game vs. the Bears. But that was a hit on his shoulder not his head or neck. I can't believe the NFL still allows defenders to cream QBs after INTs so long as they don't hit them in the head or neck.

You could make the case that the penalty should have been unnecessary roughness since the ball carrier was in the process of being tackled and Foles was away from the play.

Crazy, stupid.

Letting Kids Play Football

Former NFL LB and NFLPA rep Scott Fujita has a column where he admits he used to counsel families to not let their kids play football but has since had a change of heart where he now declares that the answer isn't no, but it isn't yes either. Merely that since he doesn't have boys, thank gosh he doesn't have to make that decision.

Confused? So am I.

Football Tragedy

Football, especially for younger players, can kill you.

Toyota

I guess it's impolitic for the Washington Post to even mention what Eiji Toyoda did during WWII in his obituary.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/eiji-toyoda-former-toyota-president-and-founders-cousin-who-helped-make-toyota-way-dies/2013/09/17/fdbc46fa-1f5a-11e3-9ad0-96244100e647_story.html

Awesome Eagles video

City of Brotherly Love indeed.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UuJ_8_bSvsQ&feature=youtu.be

Run/Pass

So I did a quick count of the plays the Eagles ran in the first half on Monday night and a couple of things jumped out.

They actually ran 55 plays but because of penalties 2 didn't count. Still, I counted them for purposes of looking at Kelly's playcalling.

In total, there were 25 passes, 29 runs, and 1 scramble (not sure if this was a designed run or aborted pass).

Early in the game, there were more passes. As I was going through I was surprised at the number. But then the ratio evens out.

Later in the half, more runs are called.

And as the game progresses, what really caught my eye was the number of consecutive plays. There are periods where he calls 3-4 straight running or passing plays. Interestingly, it looks like the passes got called consecutively early and the runs a little later.

Amazingly, - I didn't recall this – Kelly ends the Eagles last 1st half possession with 7(!) straight running plays – culminating in a touchdown – Vick's 3 yard dive. Note, I realize some of these calls are Vick's reads but still.

In the 2nd half, the Eagles passed very little. In fact, they only passed twice in the 3rd quarter! A sack and an incomplete.

For the game, the Eagles ran 49 times and passed 25 times. We're a long, long way from Andy Reid's 70% passing/30% running.

Here's the list of Eagles first half plays:

pass

pass

pass

run

pass

run

run

pass

run

Pass

pass                 

run

run     

run                   

run

pass

pass

pass

pass 

run

pass      

run                   

Pass

Run

Run

pass     

scramble

pass     

run        

pass                 

pass     

run

run

pass      

run 

pass     

pass      

run

run       

Pass

Run

run

pass                 

pass      

run        

pass 

run        

Pass 

Run

Run

Run

Run

Run

Run

Run

55 

25 passes, 29 runs, 1 scramble

Opening Night Reviews

It's still hard to process what we saw on Monday night from the Eagles. The speed, the pace, the imagination, the daring (going for it on 4th and 1 without hesitation).

A lot has already been written this week on the after-effects. To wit,

* What happened in the 2nd half?

* Can the Eagles sustain that pace for an entire game?

* Can the Eagles sustain this pace for an entire season?

* Can the Eagles go even faster? (Chip Kelly seems to think so)

* Can and how quickly will defenses adjust enough to stop things?

What follows are snippets of conversation between my brother and friends during and immediately after the game.

Loved Jackson's emotion.  He had to let the d hall thing go but he played like he was happy and invested.  It was like back when he was chest bumping big red    Good sign!!

the most important -- emotionally anyway -- regular season win since TO's return to the Linc as a Cowboy?

odd moments where they had the play called but didn't get the play off/barely got it off, well, that felt oddly familiar. I'm fearful Vick pulled something and will have a nagging injury. Regardless, any win in the division is great, and on the road, even more amazing.

Hall should have been flagged for the horse collar tackle AND late hit out of bounds. Would like to see Foles in too. For ball security and to reduce# hits on Vick in In garbage time.

Skins Game

My brother writes:

great article in philly.com today on eagles various formations Monday.
What amazed me was the down and distance of some of the plays.  2nd and 10 – run, 2nd 14 – run, etc.  all these runs, but they were on 2nd a long.  We ran it I think twice (at least ) to pick up a 3rd and 3 or 4.  Of course he went for it on his first 4th down of the game.  And ran it on 4th and a short 2.  I think mccoy had 20 carries at halftime.
Great run game, but not exactly our parents smashmouth run game.

Unbelievable

On the anniversary of the 2008 financial crisis, former Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson gets all retrospective and offers this nugget about whose fault the near financial meltdown was. Hint: not Wall Street, Countrywide, WaMu or any other private sector company or person.

No, the financial crisis was the... government's fault?!

From the NYTimes' story:

"I believe that the root cause of every financial crisis, the root cause, is flawed government policies," he said. 

NFL draft

Andy Reid's draft strategy lives.

Gotta love Reid stretching on the #1 overall pick.

Luke Joekel was the #1 rated lineman for 18 months, dominating the most competiive conference in the country.

Reid decides to take Eric Fisher, a late bloomer with a potentially higher upside but from a mid major program that played the likes of SE Missouri state this past year (though they did upset Iowa).

Well done, Andy. I wonder if Fisher will be the Matt McCoy to Joeckel's Kirk Morrison. 

Contagious?

3 fumbles in four plays? Bryce Brown's case of the droppsies is contagious.

Simply Unbearable

The key point from Phil Sheridan's column today that will resonate throughout Birdland.

But this smaller stuff - outsmarting themselves with unnecessary gimmickry - was irritating even when the Eagles were winning. Now it's just unbearable.

Rank Incompetence

Reid should probably be fired for rank incompetence for having McCoy carrying the ball with less than 2 minutes to go in a game they had lost, but he should be fired immediately if he tries to bring McCoy back at any point for the remainder of this lost season.

http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/inq-eagles/VickMcCoy-stuck-at-Phase-4-Patterson-has-pneumonia.html

Another Take

My brother writes:

I think we learned well before last night and this past Monday that fumbles are really bad. Brown wiped out all his good with this fumbles.  Possibly losing us 2 games.  Vick cost us one.   Flacco fumble coat the ravens last night - although those types of fumbles are more reasonable than brown's or Vicks. Collinsworth basically predicted it early on about brown.

Play of the Year

Criticize Castillo all you want, but it was kind of half assed (and unfair) to install him as your D-coordinator but force him to operate a defensive front scheme he didn't necessarily agree with.

I'm ok with letting Washburn go.

The defense has been a disaster since Castillo was fired. If he were still running the D they probably win the Carolina and last night's game which means they are right in the playoff hunt (as crazy as that may seem).

The play of the year was Vick's fumble into the endzone on their opening drive vs. the Steelers. they score there and don't turn the ball over and they likely win the game. With that win, Castillo doesn't get fired after the Lions game. and the rest of the season doesn't implode like it has. Not saying that we'd be leading the division but we would be in playoff contention (again, as crazy as that may seem).

Cowboys Post-Mortem

So Washburn has been fired and Foles looked legit last night.

 

The key graph from Bob Ford's article today.

 

'Using a well-balanced combination of solid running plays and high-percentage pass plays, the Eagles marched up and down the field against the Cowboys despite doing the marching without their starting quarterback, starting running back and best wide receiver."

 

26 rushes, 35 passes.

 

Ford asks the question - why not have similar balance all the time, not just when you're playing rookies at QB, RB, and have a patchwork offensive line. BTW, was it the playcalling or Foles' quick decisions - but either way the line didn't look nearly as porous as it has in previous games with Vick getting knocked around - and that was against DeMarcus Ware last night.

Where 3-5 Is

I will give Reid a pass on the line. Any team that is playing 4 of 5 second string linemen can't be good and the depth only goes so far (historically, Reid has been good with linemen line Jamaal Jackson stepping right in for Fraley, etc.).

I thought Gruden's most telling observation was "everytime the Eagles go empty backfield, the Saints blitz and the line can't block them all." Uh, maybe the Eagles shouldn't go empty backfield.

I think the red zone problems aren't that that hey aren't running the ball, but that they can't run the ball in such close confines with the lousy line they have.

The Castillo firing just becomes more terrible by the day. BTW, the knock against Castillo was that he had never "called" the defense on game day before last season (overlooking that he did it for 16 games last season and 5 this season). Only to be replaced by Todd Bowles who was never a defensive coordinator himself before getting the promotion and thus also never having "called" the defense.

Let's not forget that Andy Reid's son died of a heroine overdose in August. Can a coach be so singleminded that he can compartmentalized that unspeakable tragedy.

I was struck by Reid's appearance in the presser after the Saints game. He's always been phlegmatic, but he looked incredibly worn and exhausted. Maybe some of it is that unadvised growing out of his Wilford Brimley mustache, but judging by the look of him i wonder if Reid is close to physical and emotional collapse.

Also, Mike Vick is a tough son of a bitch. Maybe too tough. I worry that Vick brain is getting beaten to a pulp.  Is it me and my fixation on concussions or are there multiple times per game where Vick takes a hit and he looks a little foggy getting up and getting back to the huddle?

More Post-Saints

My brother's take:

The fact that we have no depth is appalling.  We NEVER have had depth.  Our line simply can't block.  How about Gruden at one point saying – "well that guy there just didn't block anyone on that play".  then he just killed Bell for being lousy.
 
I believe the red zone problem is just a fundamental problem with the offense.  We could run, but partly because of our deep threats.  Inside the 10 there is no longer a deep threat.  Vick can run and extend plays to go deep – not inside the 10 because there is just too much congestion.  This problem will never go away as we are currently designed. 
 
Have we ever tried a fade to a wideout?  I mean it's been 14 years!!
 
Wasn't Maclin good at one point?  Is he still on the team??
 
Doesn't the kick return embody everything you need to know about this team.  It was carefully constructed, it was unique, it was fantastic and pretty much worked, but didn't and we began our drive on the 3 yard line.
We are a team of bobby abreu's.  For you non-philly guys – that's not a compliment.
 
We have one of the best running backs in the league.  At a time when running backs could be one of the least valuable things on a team.  That's just unfortunate.
 
I think we were inside the 25 6 times.  6 times!!! And that got us 6 points.
 
We actually held drew brees to 21 points.  Despite looking terrible on D we held them to 21 points.  That should beat the saints every time with their D.
 
Outside the falcons game our d hasn't been terrible (and maybe saints because they were dreadful at times last night).  Yes – 5 minutes against the lions and the final Steelers drives, but that's it.  Just no one ver makes a play.
 
Lastly – raise your hand if you knew the eagles were going deep on first play.  I looked at my son and said.  They have 2 TE's in to block they are going deep to Jackson here.    I said "he always does this on Monday night".

Post-Saints

My friend PK writes:

Final thought: the great football-ism of the last 15 years is, we are what we are. 
After the NYG last-second FG attempt, we were 3-1 in complete control of our destiny. As good a start as realistically possible. But we all noted we were 3 plays away from being 0-4. The assumption then was, we are what we are - a 3-1 team because good teams win close games. Now we've lost 4 straight games and we are what we are. 
We're 1 or 2 plays against Pitt and Det from being 5-3. We're also just a couple plays from being 1-7/0-8. Instead, we pretty much are what we are: a team playing good enough to only win 6 or 7 games.