Interview with Eagles OG Julian Vandervelde

 

 

 

Eagles head into the bye on top of the NFC East at 5-1

An impressive 27-0 shutout against the division rival New York Giants puts the Philadelphia Eagles at an impressive 5-1 record. Heading into the bye week, there is a lot to like about this club, but there is a lot of work to do ahead. If you would have told me that the Eagles would be on top of the NFC East at the bye week I would have expected it to be that way, but if you were to tell me that record would only get to a tie in the East with the Dallas Cowboys at the same record of 5-1, I would have called you nuts.

A lot of fans and analysts around the NFL are pushing aside the Eagles 5-1 record and claiming that this team is not as good as it's record shows. Let me be the first to say that I am not satisifed with how everyone on the roster is playing, I believe that Nick Foles has not played up to expectations as he leads the NFL in total turnovers with 7 interceptions, I also think the two outside corners have played very poorly besides the Sunday Night bout against the G-Men. Yet besides all the trials and tribulation including two vital offensive lineman down with injuires in Evan Mathis and Jason Kelce, the team is still 5-1!

Yes they should beat the Jacksonville Jaguars and St. Louis Rams, but the agrument that the Eagles have not played contenders is not close to the truth. Wins against the Colts, Redskins, and Giants are wins that I consider to be impressive ones. The Colts since losing the Monday Night game to the Eagles have gone on to win four straight. The New York Giants before getting stomped by Philly was on a three game winning streak of their own. The Redskins are better than their record shows in my opinion.


The Eagles have gotten a huge boost from their special teams and defense since the match up against the Redskins. 3 blocked punts, 2 for touchdowns, 1 kickoff return touchdown, 1 punt return touchdown. That is just on the special teams side. The defense has recorded 2 fumbles recovered for touchdowns as well as 3 interceptions from Malcolm Jenkins. The defense had a league high of 8 sacks last game including 3 from Connor Barwin, 2 from Vinny Curry, and 1 from Trent Cole, Brandon Graham, and Brandon Bair. This defensive front is 9 players deep and is sneekely the deepest position on the roster. Vinny Curry continues to make plays when he is on the field. Already having 4 sacks in the snaps he gets. He and Graham have made huge contributions on the pass rush which seemed to be lost after the first three weeks. Brandon Boykin continues to impress completely shutting down Victor Cruz before #80 suffered a season ending injury in his leg.

As for the offense. You would think it is the strongest link on the team with how dominant they were last season, well they rank 20th among total offense in the NFL. That doesn't mean everyone has under played though. Darren Sproles has been absolutely phenominal this year not only returning and receivng the ball, but actually running the football! Yes a running back that is running! Lesean McCoy rebounded against the Giants posting 149 yards rushing. Maclin, Cooper, and Jordan Matthews have provided consistency at the receiver position with some big contributions from tight end Zach Ertz as well in the passing game. The offensive line has improved each week with backups Matt Tobin and David Molk in the lineup. They have held opposing defenses to 0 sacks in the past two weeks against what seemed like two formadable pass rushes.


As for Nick Foles, I am a skeptic. I believe Chip Kelly's system is plug and play. Foles is built from the system not vise versa. Yes he has had his bright spots this year, just look at the Washington game. Yet week in and week out he continues to make the costly mental errors of forcing throws and hanging onto the football too long which tend to coinside with each other. When he is on, don't get me wrong he is stellar. The first half against the Giants was nearly perfect for Foles including a perfect ball in the end zone to Ertz. Even with all these mistakes, Foles still is 5th in the NFL with 1,628 passing touchdowns and 10 touchdowns. Turnovers are costly though, if Foles can fix these mistakes which he even says are very fixable, this team can get to the next level which we know they can do with how well they are playing under some tough injuries and bad Quaterback play.

Eagles Round Up: The Fight to 4-1

If your completely comfortable with the way the Eagles have gotten to 4-1 so far then this article isn't for you. I am not saying that I am unhappy with the Eagles who are atop of the NFC East, but in no way am I comfortable with where the team is considering the Dallas Cowboys are right with the Eagles at 4-1, as well as the Giants who have now won three straight to get to 3-2. Of course this is perfect timing as the Eagles take on the Giants next week on Sunday night football. The defense and special teams have been a sight for sore eyes the past three weeks. Scoring six touchdowns that are not from the offense in the past three match ups is a recipe for success, that is of course if the offense is doing their diligence as well which you can say as of late the Eagles are not doing.

The Eagles defeated the St. Louis Rams 34-28 in what was, but should not have been a close outing. After the Eagles got off to a rocking start, blocking a punt for a touchdown in the first 23 seconds of the game, it looked like the Eagles were going to finally handle a team without any trouble. That was not the case. Nick Foles threw for 207 yards on 24 completions of which two of them were touchdowns to Jeremy Maclin and Riley Cooper. Foles again was inconsistent with his footwork and decision making down field throwing a unnecessary interception down the middle of the field. He also got away with a few other risky lobs down the middle that were thrown off his back foot. Even though the Eagles offensive line held the Rams to 0 sacks, Foles did not look comfortable like most of this season. Is it safe to say Jason Kelce and Evan Mathis are two of the biggest pieces on this team? Another costly turnover from Foles almost gave the game away late in the second half. After scrambling for an 11 yard first down, instead of sliding on his feet ruling him down, Foles dove head first into the ground and fumbled the ball on his own. The Rams recovered and immediately scored on a Austin Davis to Brian Quick touchdown that put the Rams within two scores. Turnovers will be the life or the death of a team and for the Eagles, they got on the lucky end of the stick.

The defense was a force all game minus the end of the 4th quarter where they gave up 3 touchdowns. Connor Barwin had a pair of sacks as well as a pass deflection, Trent Cole had a strip sack, Vinny Curry had a sack again continuing to show why he needs to be on the field, and Brandon Graham had a strip tackle on Zac Stacy that end Cedric Thornton picked up and ran for the score. Thornton had two fumble recoveries including a 40 yard scamper that he nearly took to the house. Almost 2 touchdowns for a defensive end! Crazy. I have said this all along, I don't care how much Curry and Graham don't fit the traditional 3-4 scheme, just get these guys on the field. Curry is one of the most efficient pass rushers in the NFL with is limited reps according to Pro Football Focus. Together Graham and Curry have combined for 3 sacks and 3 forced fumbles in the limited work they have had, not to mention their 20 tackles between the two. Those may not look like flashy numbers, but if you go back and look at these two, all they do is make plays. The corner position continues to be an issue. Carry Williams and Bradley Fletcher were beaten bad by Kenny Britt and Brian Quick. It isn't the fact that both weren't there to make a play on the ball, it is that they simply didn't turn around. The lack of adjustment in the secondary makes me question the situation with Brandon Boykin who again saved the day with a last second pass breakup to end the Rams final drive. How much worse could Boykin and Carrol do on the outside? It is almost impossible to do worse than Williams and Fletcher have. The special teams continues it's historic run, Chris Maragos, James Casey, Trey Burton, and Darren Sproles have been absolutely huge signings for the team this year in that area.

At 4-1 things are looking good for the Eagles, but there is a lot of work to be done. With a huge prime time match up next week, expect the Eagles offense to come out swinging. I expect a wide variety of play calls by Chip Kelly to get McCoy and Sproles more involved in the offense. As of late it has been all Jeremy Maclin who is on pace to surpass Desean Jackson's career high numbers of last season. Maclin had 76 yards and another touchdown this week putting him already at 4 scores.

Is this team on the downfall and are getting plain lucky? Or is this a powerhouse with a boat load of talent that is finding ways to win and yet they just aren't clicking yet? Time will tell.

Eagles Round up: What to take from 3-0 start

Wow wow wow and wow. Can this season get anymore exciting, controversial, nerve racking? I don't
think so. Battling injuries, defensive struggles, and slow starts the Philadelphia Eagles have managed
to get to an undefeated 3-0 record to start of what has been a incredible start to the season. After what
was just a hard fought battle against the Indianapolis Colts, the media was all over how this team was
winning and if it could last. Well the winning continued Sunday after noon with a incredible 37-34
victory over the NFC East rival Washington Redskins who featured a returning Philadelphia Eagle by
the name of Desean Jackson. The winning however continued the way it has throughout the 3 weeks
of the season which has been close, gritty, and a come from behind type win. What stuck out in week
3 from both the offense and defense, and of course the special teams.

As for the offense I thought that Nick Foles was the MVP of this game. Plain and simple. After Jason Kelce went down with what is now being called a sports hernia, Foles had to stick in the pocket and deliver some tough throws while taking a couple big licks from the Washington defense. Foles finished the game for the third time with over 300 yards and recorded 3 touchdowns with no interceptions. He looked a lot more comfortable with his feet and how he was delivering throws. Foles said in his press conference "I'm going to get up not out of pride but to show the guys that I am fighting for them so they will do the same". As for Desean Jackson he finished the game with 117 yards and a touchdown but was restricted for most of the game besides one 81 yard touchdown grab. He got into a scuffle with Jenkins and Nate Allen early but was not flagged. It really got the crowd going. But then when it was time for a brawl, Desean didn't seem interested as Emmanuel Acho called #11 out on twitter today.

If you doubted Foles as a leader and as the Eagles quarterback, I believe you have been proven wrong or will be soon with the way Foles is leading this offense without most of his starting offensive line. A late play that seemed to be a turnover spurred up some heat at the end of the game when Nick Foles overthrew his target and appeared to be intercepted. While returning the play, Foles seemed to have thought the play was over and slowed down when out of nowhere he was blind sided by defensive tackle Sam Baker. Jason Peters immediately went after Baker repeatedly punching Baker in the helmet which began an all out brawl on Washington's sideline. Jason Peters was thrown out of the game which then left Todd Herremans as the last starting offensive lineman while David Molk, Andrew Gardener, Dennis Kelly, and newly signed Wade Smith tried to give Foles enough time to lead the Eagles back to victory.  

Jeremy Maclin and Jordan Matthews also had big games as #18 finished with 154 yards and a touchdown and #81 finished with 59 yards and 2 touchdowns on the day. It was a change from where the offense was getting points from the last two games where Foles was relying heavily on the tight ends and running backs, week 3 was a different scenario. The Redskins took out both McCoy and Sproles who had 20 yards rushing a piece. Zach Ertz only had one catch for 14 yards so the Eagles took what they could get and attacked that weak Washington secondary.

Defensively the Eagles gave up 427 passing yards in Kirk Cousins first start this season, and really seemed to struggle on the power runs from Alfred Morris. Yet with those struggles comes resiliency as when the game was on the line in a 4th and 10 situation for Washington who was trailing by 3 with under 2 minutes left, the secondary made a play when they had to as the puss rush couldn't get to Kirk Cousins who threw up a pass to a what seemed to be open Pierre Garcon but threw it behind him. So yes maybe the defense caught a break and yes they need to improve, but the interception from Malcolm Jenkins late in the game shows the true character of this team and that when it is time to make a stop. This defense is fully capable of doing it.

A big week 3 victory puts the Eagles at an undefeated 3-0 as they fly out to San Francisco next week to take on the surprising 1-2 49ers team at the new Levi Stadium. It will be a tough battle of two teams who are suffering through a lot of injuries and controversy. A quick note is that I am getting tired of seeing the white on white jerseys. Who is ready to see some midnight green? Get to it Nike!

 

Eagle Eye Focus Podcast: Eagles vs Jaguars Recap

Eagles Secondary A Major Concern

     Friday night told us a lot about the Eagles. Offensively they look as strong if not stronger than last season. Zach Ertz seems to have taken his game to another level this year. Showing off his strong hands in the end zone where Foles hit Ertz on a comeback route for a touchdown. Although the offense seems to be progressing, the defense still seems to be struggling to defend the pass game. Carry Williams had the highlight of the game intercepting Tom Brady and taking it all the way for a 77 yard touchdown. Williams had been in the headlines the entire week because of his comments about the Patriots being "Cheaters". The first team defense had its ups and downs, a lot of yards given up like last year, but when opportunities struck to turn the tide of the game, the defense always seems to be able to grab that. When the opposing offense gets things going though, the defense looks catastrophic. Curtis Marsh and Roc Carmichael got a lot of reps with the first team due to injuries to Brandon Boykin and Nolan Carroll. They did little to comfort the Eagles that there is depth in the secondary. Marsh struggled to stay with the receivers after press coverage, he was way to grabby and had very sloppy technique. Carmichael has been a disappointment  this preseason after having a strong few games starting last year when Bradley Fletcher was injured. He just seems to lack the athleticism to say with some of the receivers. The Eagles need Nolan Carroll more than we know. If there is more than one injury to the corners, the Eagles will most likely have to go to a player that isn't on the team now, that is of course if rookie Jaylen Watkins doesn't continue to progress and surprise some people this season. 

     Jaylen Watkins did not play against the Patriots due to a injury he suffered at practice. His first game against the Bears Watkins recorded his first interception after getting beat by a 72 yard touchdown. He showed great poise and confidence after what was just a beat down of a play for Watkins. He has shown improvement within each practice and has gained the respect of veterans such as Carry Williams and Brandon Boykin. 

Point is I have all the confidence in this defense which has a lot of upside, but all realistic fans know there is still a long way to go and it starts in the secondary. Watkins and Boykin are the building blocks to the future starters where Carry Williams and Fletcher may just be stops in the road. 

    

Eagles Roundup: Bears Recap/Patriots Joint Practices

The Eagles started their first live action of football last Friday night when they took on the Chicago Bears at Solider Field and suffered a loss 34-28. Now their were some really good things from the starting defense.....as for the offense it was a little bit different to start it off. Nick Foles struggled early, throwing two interceptions after forcing passes to Ifeanyi Momah and Brent Celek. Momah looked good catching a pass for 12 yards with the first team, Brent Celek also was involved heavily in the offense. If there is any recollection of the type of formations Chip Kelly is going to run, you didn't get any idea. Mostly the first team offense was running triple receivers and a single tight end. Sproles and McCoy did not go out on the field at the same time. The offense has already seemed to start its rebound today when they had a great practice against the Patriots. Nick Foles was sharp on 7 on 7's including a spectacular throw to Maclin who beat Revis over top for the touchdown. Dave Spadaro of PhiladelphiaEagles.com said on twitter how well the defense looked compared to last year when the Eagles joined up with New England for practice  #Eagles defense far better vs Pats this summer. No comparison to 2013 summer.

Back to the Bears game, the defense came out flying against Jay Cutler and the first team. After a big stop on third down, Bears kicker Robbie Gould attempted a kick that was blocked by Damion Square! So turnovers to start it off for the defense was something I loved to see. Now I don't need to recap exactly what happened all game but the defense looked better than the offense. Which isn't what you may have expected. Mark Sanchez looked sharp also leading two drives to touchdowns courtesy of Matthew Tucker in the red zone. Sanchez looked comfortable in the pocket and had precision on his throws including a impressive deep pass to tight end Zach Ertz. Some of the standouts against the Bears were rookies Marcus Smith and Jaylen Watkins. Smith played the JACK linebacker role and excelled in it getting to the quarterback twice and almost intercepting a pass he batted down from Jordan Palmer. He looked very comfortable in the scheme and signs point to the Eagles having a really deep linebacker core.  Jaylen Watkins is a guy I am very intrigued with. Drafted in the fourth round this year out of Flordia playing both safety and corner in college, the Eagles were excited about getting him, well his first NFL game is what you can call a bit of a roller coaster. After getting beat badly on a 70 yard touchdown pass where Watkins failed to wrap up the receiver on press coverage. Watkins instead of getting discouraged got right back to it and intercepted a pass that really showed how great of an athlete he is. This is very early for me to say something like this, but I truly believe Watkins is going to turn out to be a very good defensive player and Billy Davis is going to use him a lot in nickel packages. The rookie receivers had what it seemed to be unexpected performances for both Josh Huff and Jordan Matthews, only it wasn't the way you thought it would have been.

Josh Huff comes out of the end zone, breaks a couple tackles, quickly hits a whole, stiff arms Robbie Gould.....gone touchdown! First time the Eagles had a return touchdown in what feels like an eternity. Huff showed a explosive next step and did what recent return men of the Eagles couldn't do, and that is finish. Jordan Matthews was a disappointment in his first every NFL action. Dropping passes isn't something that is familiar with Matthews. Well he dropped two against Chicago and could have caught another. He did have 4 receptions which shows that the Eagles are getting him involved in the offense. Its just that total, he racked up a measly 14 yards. The great thing about this is that it is just the preseason. So nothing needs to be blown out of proportion, but we know it will. The only thing I am a little concerned about is what I saw from how Nick Foles through those interceptions. Although Foles only had two interceptions last year, he was sacked a lot due to not throwing the football away or to a player. Well that was something Chip Kelly said he wanted to correct. Well if you look at it here in this picture,  he is clearly throwing the football, forcing a pass as he is hit. This is something Foles said he can correct and is why he is optimistic for this weeks match up. 

The Eagles will be tested Friday night when they take on the Patriots and Tom Brady. Hopefully Nick Foles will rebound as well as some of the receivers that didn't play to their best last week.