December 2010
13 posts
14 tags
Eagles Lack Fundamental Hunger to Win →
Two supposedly elite NFL teams played games this week against opponents that were widely considered inferior. Each had already clinched its division and was looking to secure better playoff positioning. But while one team, the Patriots, took care of business to the tune of a 34-3 beatdown at the lowly Bills, the other, our hometown Eagles, got whupped by the Vikings 24-14.
What’s the...
9 tags
Vick-Jackson Connection Broken in 1st Half →
The first half of the Eagles-Vikings Tuesday Night Football showdown was exceedingly sloppy in all areas, but that theme was especially evident in the most explosive connection on the field: Michael Vick to DeSean Jackson.
Up to this point in the season, the Vick-Jackson link has been perhaps the best thing the Eagles have had going for them. Jackson has six receiving touchdowns and has ...
14 tags
Celek's Disappearance Exposes Flaw in Vick's Game →
What you have to understand first is where Celek runs most of his routes and catches most of his passes. Last year, when he caught 76 passes, over two thirds of them came in the middle of the field, between 0 and 19 yards downfield. Of those, 31 were passes under ten yards.
That worked great for Donovan McNabb and Kevin Kolb. In 2009 and 2010, both quarterbacks passed into that short middle...
13 tags
In the Press Box: Vikings-Eagles!
Thanks to some awesome folks at NBC Philadelphia and the Philadelphia Eagles media relations crew, I’ll be in the press box Sunday night at Lincoln Financial Field for the first time, breaking down the action, the post game press conference, and the locker room quotes — in person!
Obviously I have some ideas about things to cover and questions to ask, but I’m opening up the floor to...
6 tags
Statistically, Eagles Comeback Was Near Impossible →
Many fans around Philadelphia turned off their televisions when the Eagles were down 31-10 to the Giants on Sunday. Even NBC10’s own Tim Furlong admitted to it.
While those of us who stuck around witnessed perhaps the most incredible comeback in Eagles history, was it that wrong to walk away from such a huge deficit? There’s no “right” answer, but at least statistically,...
13 tags
Time to Pay Vick & DeSean →
Would the Eagles be assuming some major risk with those moves? Absolutely. Jackson probably isn’t close to his listed 175 pounds in pads and has a history of concussions and neck injuries. Vick is a 30-year-old scrambling quarterback, takes a bunch of hits, and hasn’t shown that he can play at this level long term. Plus, he’s one off-the-field misstep away from permanent...
11 tags
DeSean's Final Steps: Smart Play or Show Off? →
After the Eagles “New Miracle at the Meadowlands” comeback ended with Jackson’s amazing punt return, Andy Reid said that his star returner and wide receiver was simply making sure that there was no time left on the clock when he ran along the mouth of the goal line for a few seconds before going into the end zone.
After such a exhilarating play, no one really wants to...
8 tags
McBenched →
Just over a month ago, Donovan McNabb signed what was thought to be a long-term contract extension with the Redskins. Now it appears that “Tom Brady-esque” money was little more than a mirage in the desert wasteland of Washington DC sports.
According to multiple anonymous sources cited by The Washington Post, Redskins Coach Mike Shanahan has benched McNabb, his “franchise...
10 tags
Are NFL Referees Biased? →
The data shown in the graph above depicts the average penalties called per game against away teams versus home teams. Those referees who call more fouls against the away team have positive bars, and those who call more against home teams have negative bars.
Once that becomes clear, it’s easy to see which referees have bias for or against the home team. For example, our good friend and...
14 tags
Fear or Be Feared: NFC East Pass Rushers →
The first thing that stands out is that Trent Cole has surpassed DeMarcus Ware as the best pass rusher in the division. Last year Ware led the pack as the only player with more than 13 percent. This time he hasn’t fallen off much, but Cole has improved by almost five percentage points.
Meanwhile, the second-best rusher last year was Anthony Spenser of the Cowboys, who has droppd down to...
11 tags
Eagles Pass Rush: Who's Up, Who's Down? →
For starters, you can see that Parker, while still more effective than last year, has dropped off to a lesser role, going from getting pressure on close to 20 percent of all pass rushes to only 13 percent. Laws has similarly fallen back to the middle of the pack as far as Eagles defensive tackles go.
Meanwhile, Cole has actually become slightly more effective as the season has gone on,...
10 tags
"Till the Wheels Fall Off" →
Yet as much as the skill players present a tank rolling through opposing forces without care, averaging more than 33 points per game since the bye, it’s the rusty, broken treads and Swiss cheese armor plating that may eventually bring the run to a halt. In other words, while the 60-yard passes from Vick to DeSean are flashy and amazing, they cover up huge deficiencies in the offensive line...
8 tags
Which NFL Referee is the Strictest? →
Most of the names on the list are relatively anonymous. Perhaps the most famous referee in the NFL, Ed Hochuli, also happens to be by far the most strict — by an average of one more penalty called a game than the next highest, Jeff Triplette.
Hochuli’s crew also calls an average of five more penalties a game than the two most lenient units, headed up by Pete Morelli and Scott...