This blurb will come at you in layers, hopefully as the Eagles defense will do likewise against the Jets on Sunday...

Time to start thinking about the 2011 Eagles MVP nominees...

I've got my mind made up already, even with 3 regular season games stiill to go:


Todd Herremans has come into his own as an elite all-purpose offensive lineman.

I'm going with Herremans for MVP. This year he has really put the "Yo Adrian!" into the term "yeoman effort"...  The guy reported to camp in the best shape of his life and has been tearing it up ever since, a consistent point of light on this team despite a bruised ankle and bruised biceps through much of the year. Left Guard?---one of the best in the league... Need him at Right Tackle? No problem... He's been great at both positions, and not only in road-grading work but also pass protection. And the guy gets out on a screen and keeps blocking downfield until the whistle blows. His hustle and professionalism have never waned during a losing season.

Please feel free to suggest your personal nominees in the Livefyre comments over the coming weeks. I'll do my best to tally individual poster's nominations and then we'll see if we can come up with a bona fide EEB MVP Award by the end of the year.
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EEB BriSucksegg Fancy Fantasy Football Playoffs and Finals

Thanks to Boner and Hud for constant updates, we are down to the Final Two... and the upcoming championship match:
The Amputatoes  (Jerked Up) eliminated Team Jax Eagles (Andrew Mandarakas), 136 -119...
and The Nut Chokers (JB) put away Marty Funkhouser (Harry Organs), 165 -110.

So it is written: Amputatoes vs. Nut Chokers, circa 2011... This is the weekend. Group rate tickets and travel packages are still available. The game will be held at a neutral site, this year the gazebo in Sonbutt's condo garden. Bragging rights and a special EEB award are at stake.
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More stuff about the Jets that doesn't get talked about much...



That report coming up in another hour or two after this layered break!..

OK, we're back!

Yep, here are the mass media talking points---

While a three-game winning streak has the Jets headed in the right direction, the Eagles are clinging to very slim playoff hopes. With major playoff implications on the line, the Jets go for their first-ever win over the Eagles on Sunday at Lincoln Financial Field. New York (8-5) and Philadelphia (5-8) were expected to be - at the very least - serious contenders to win their respective divisions heading into this season.

That hasn’t been the case, as the Jets enter their final three games of the regular season two games back of AFC East-leading New England while surrendering the head-to-head tiebreaker.

The Eagles turned into perhaps the NFL’s biggest disappointment. They’re two games back of the first-place tie between Dallas and the Giants in the NFC East, and are outsiders for a wild card.

“It’s exciting. We’ve got three games left and it’s up for grabs,” coach Andy Reid said. “I’d say that’s a good thing.” Reid’s enthusiasm may take a dramatic turn Sunday if his team loses, which would eliminate Philadelphia from playoff contention.

The Jets, meanwhile, have rebounded from back-to-back losses with three straight wins over lesser opponents. New York continued its momentum with a 37-10 rout of Kansas City last week. It was the team’s best offensive showing of the season, topping the previous week’s 34-19 victory at Washington.

The Jets are still 25th in total offense, but have produced 13 touchdowns over the last three weeks. They’ve scored TDs in each of their last 12 trips into the red zone - their best streak since 1993.

“I think we’re all just playing a lot better across the board,” said quarterback Mark Sanchez, who had a season-high 121.3 rating against the Chiefs and has thrown seven TDs with one interception in three games. “I think hopefully we’re just starting to hit our stride, and we’re not there yet.”

Shonn Greene is getting there, rushing for 295 yards on 59 attempts over the last three games, scoring four touchdowns in the last two.

The Jets have lost all eight meetings - four on the road - against the Eagles, and haven’t visited Philadelphia since Oct. 26, 2003. “This time of year, it doesn’t matter where you play, you better go win,” coach Rex Ryan said. “This is going to be a big challenge. I know the Jets’ history; 0-8 against the Eagles.

“Obviously, they’re an excellent football team and we know it’s going to be a big challenge. We got three games left that are going to be tough, but we’re confident.”

While Sanchez and New York’s offense are gaining momentum, the Eagles’ defense is looking to build on its best performance of the season. The unit collected nine sacks and forced three turnovers while allowing a season-low 204 yards - 95 passing - in a 26-10 win at Miami last week.

Philadelphia needs to beat the Jets, Dallas and Washington in the final three weeks and get outside help to have any chance at the playoffs. The Eagles, 1-5 at Lincoln Financial Field in 2011, haven’t lost six regular-season home games in a single season since 1983.

“We have a chance. It does matter,” tight end Brent Celek said. “That’s all you can ask for after the position we left ourselves in. We just have to capitalize on every opportunity we have.”

Michael Vick is expected to start after making his return last wek against Miami after recovering from two broken ribs, which forced him to miss three games. He completed 15 of 30 passes for 208 yards with one touchdown and one INT last week, but was sacked four times and was hit hard on several occasions. Vick is sore but ready to go...

Now let's look closer at what we're up against here...

RB LeSean McCoy is facing a Jets defense that is allowing an average of 83.7 yards on the ground during their recent three-game winning streak. Running the ball effectively could be a huge key for the Eagles, who will be facing the league’s sixth-best passing defense and two-time Pro Bowl cornerback Darrelle Revis.

Revis will likely match up against DeSean Jackson, a deep threat with 21 TDs of at least 30 yards in his four-year career. His 34-yard touchdown grab last week was just his third of the season and ended a six-game drought.

The Eagles are yielding 255.8 passing yards at home, and Ryan feels Revis isn’t only better than Nnamdi Asomugha or Asante Samuel or DRC, but the best in the NFL.

“He is a tremendous corner, the best corner in football. It’s not even close,” Ryan said of Revis. “Nnamdi is an outstanding corner. Samuel is an outstanding corner. They have a lot of talented guys over there, but there’s only one Darrelle Revis.”

Hmmmmmm...

Team Stat Leaders

Passing Yards

• Mark Sanchez NYJ 2859 yds
• Michael Vick Phi 2401 yds

Rushing Yards

• Shonn Greene NYJ 868 yds
• LeSean McCoy Phi 1172 yds

Receiving Yards

• Dustin Keller NYJ 620 yds
• DeSean Jackson Phi 757 yds

Welp, here's what I see...

Eagles win this thing... Antonio Cromartie has problems with penalties at CB ... S Jim Leonhard is out , and that's a big deal (Leonhard is the "Leo Pizzini" of the Jets secondary, the smart guy that calls the signals back there and makes the big hits and the smart plays)... Jets kicker Nick Folk is erratic... Rex Ryan takes stupid risks with all-out blitzes and insane 4th-down gambles...CB Drew Coleman is suspect in coverage...Revis has streaks where he struggles... ILB Bart Scott cannot cover Brent Celek or Clay Harbor... The Eagles know how to block the Jets' blitz on third down... The Jets defensive scheme is still a basic 3-4, but they often mix in 4-man fronts, which the Eagles offense will eat alive... The Jets D-Line is old and busted up and has no dominant pure pass rusher... Mark Sanchez will be thrown out of rhythm by a well-called pass rush and will never find his tight end option Dustin Keller when he realizes Plax and Santonio are covered like a glove... The Jets offensive line is horrible and needs to be re-tooled...Shonn Greene will fumble at excruciatingly awful times for the Jets... Jets will use their fullback in a lot of pre-snap motion to confuse the Eagles, who will not be fooled, and only bury Sanchez deeper in his tracks... Jets hurry-up offense will also backfire with improved film study by the Eagles anticipating his every post-snap move...

No doubt the Jets are a talented team. But it's time the Eagles taught them (and Rex) a lesson...again.

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First the mandatory football post: The New York Jets (8-5) come to Philly on Sunday riding the red hot arm of QB Mark Sanchez, who is getting better and wiser at playing his position.


No longer is Sanchez an automatic out when he plays under pressure from the drop-back mode...

Used to be, the Jets would struggle when Sanchez dropped back into the pocket. Like most young QB's, Sanchez tended to lock on receivers and wait too long to release the ball, often aiming rather than fluidly throwing with a natural motion.  He tended to rush through his progressions without the best reading and diagnosis of coverages, and often threw with anticipation rather than confidence.

That's a big reason why the Jets stayed very committed to their running game during Sanchez' first two years in the league--- as they waited for the 6-1, 220-lb athlete from USC to develop his technique in the pocket, they kept their passing game alive by basing it off the run.  The Jets specifically utilized play-action, movement passes like bootlegs and waggles--- all with the design of moving around Sanchez' launch point.

A lot of that emphasis on mobile launch point is changing, though. At age 25, Sanchez is getting stronger and smarter from the pocket. He is becoming a threat to take over games with his arm by using more pocket presence and more than ever finding his talented receivers downfield.  

The Eagles' current downfield pass rush theory is to destroy a quarterback's protective pocket... Rex Ryan and Brian Schottenheimer may counter by ordering up a lot of Sanchez' old mobile-launch-point plays. It sets up an interesting chess match whereby Sanchez may have to retreat in his progress as an NFL QB with pocket presence in order to win a game on Sunday.

Icon Unplugged and the Banned of Brothers

There's been an awful lot of "banning" going on around PE.com (specifically Dave Spadaro's On The Inside comments section) over the past year. But the issues have not usually involved obscenity or profanity. There have been some great posters like South Philly Ben and Boner and Jerked who routinely used vernacular slang from the street in the context of a constructive or even poetic observation--- but not in a vicious or prurient way. And they got banned...

And then there were guys like XXRoyal Flush from Vegas and the ultra-annoying KILLA from New Orleans.  Flush offended routinely with his anti-Semitic rants and pathetically unfunny "Jewish jokes"... KILLA offended in a different way by dominating literally dozens of page-views at a time with machine-gun spurts of idiocy in all caps.  Neither of these guys ever got banned.

Selective enforcement... a concept that always bugs me.

Now I'm not a huge fan of the man they call ICON, not like I was a huge fan of the man they call DDD... I've had my debates with Icon's ideology about the Eagles and his condemnation of some of my favorite posters like Brizer and JB (among many others) over the years.  But when Icon and DDD attempted to replace the gatekeeper and fan-based chairmen of the Bored at OTI after PE.com and Spadaro blew up the old classic format eight months ago, I had to at least pay attention to Icon.

Ironically, all of Spadaro's loyal fan commenters found themselves "banned" at that time---at least defacto--- due to annihilation of most of our old log-in I.D. data. That's when Brizer in his leadership suggested folks could rest "here" at Eagles Eye until PE.com and Spadaro got their OTI commentary format functional again.

It was then that Icon and DDD formed an alliance to save the union of PE.com. Anyone who dared tread to an alternate site like this one was declared a turncoat rebel traitor. No, I protested, we are just a resting place for Bored commenters until they can log back in to PE.com...

It's a longer story than that with many twists and turns both humorous and tragic. But cutting to the chase: DDD got banned by his own masters at PE.com for an unfortunate reference to the Polish heritage (eventually he was reinstated after a series of written appeals to the Eagles front office)... and now, within the past few weeks, the great Icon has been banned... for remarks allegedly critical of the management of the Eagles, and specifically for a reference to throwing "dung on the dung pile"...

This may surprise you, but I don't think Icon or anyone really deserves to be banned from an NFL team website for criticizing a team in that context of a word or a symbol like "dung"... especially a guy like Icon who, even if misguided in his alliance and allegiance to the cause, tried to save the union...

That was the beauty of the old format at PE.com and OTI... it was basically self-policed according to context and meaning and intent. Sure, the censor-robot was always there, and you couldn't say Dick Allen or Dick Jauron, but the robot never banned you. 

The worst thing that could happen to you was being castigated by Brizer for lack of proper decorum...or being ignored by your fellow posters due to their disdain for your failure to appreciate the necessary balance between enlightenment and entertainment. In other words, you either policed yourself, or Brizer and the Bored would do it for you.

Banning only happened when someone at PE.com or someone in Eagles management got their nose out of joint... a lesbian reference in a tale told by South Philly Ben apparently caught Mrs. Lurie's (or someone else's in the Eagles FO) attenton and disdain...and that was it for Benny Gold.  

I don't think Benny should have been banned for that... and I don't think Icon should be banned now. PE.com would be better served by letting its loyal fan posters police themselves.

Here's ICON in an unplugged interview he gave me this week.. To me he is a fan of 50 years, an honorable man in real life who is a disabled veteran of the Vietnam War... and attention must be paid, despite any artistic differences we may have:

Guess you noticed I've been, "banned," from PE.com. I thought it was a mistake but obviously I hit a nerve with those in the, "Upper Echelons of the Phila. Eagles Management."  Although having defended, "Jeff Lurie and Spadaro," to many posters, my response to the "Banning," was ignored on all channels. As I was angered, "I really let them have it," so there will be no reinstatement. Almost feels as though I threw 50 plus years away. I tried unsuccessfully to re-register but it seems they must have the registration numbers cataloged of my three computers. My purpose was to warn other posters of the dangers associated with the "Spineless People Involved," and corresponding posts. This was the last post I submitted, although the bottom line, "in red," was PE's response.
FYI icontutu
Posted
Dec 02 2011 11:35 AM"Igspots," Shady is a positive and it appears he has a lot of character. I hope it lasts although under the control of Drew Rosenhaus, his agent. We don't want to make this a "one player team," defeating the entire "Team Concept." We've had some unexpected surprises before injuries, a factor that our system seems to foster. (Yes, we can discuss undersized rosters as discussed numerous times before). I can talk about Babin, Peterson, Cole and a multitude of others, but am deliberately trying to avoid doing so, as the breakdown tether's on all facets of our game leading to accountability, responsibility and acumen of the, "Head Coach." We have the players, but don't know yet, how to place them, play them, or to get the most out of them. Can you expect this from a guy that takes twice as long to prepare for a game, has shown us he is slow in making adjustments, or relative elements in the game, that require quick and spontaneous decisions. Enough throwing "Dung onto the Dung Pile," Eagles to the end Icon. Yes and as I've been doing for over 50 years, "I'll be back!" Now we'll get the opportunity to see just how many loyal fans we have.

Enough with the inappropriate comments  
This one proceeded the final:icontutu
Posted
Dec 02 2011 10:33 AMAs I am again repeating myself, "Jeff Lurie," has given the fans and everything this franchise asked for, with the exception of a "New Headcoach." Obviously, some of it was a last attempt to keep his loyalties to his "Old Friend, A/R." I'm sure, if anyone wanted to leave the stadium, last night, with a "Bag over his Head," is Lurie, although he shouldn't. He gave everything, within his responsibility, to his paid delegates and they let him down. I want to thank you Mr. Lurie for everything you've done for us and am asking you to, "Quit dragging your feet and give us the last key piece," a capable H/C, able to salvage some of our talent and as a start, to bring a "winning record," back to your stadium. Please don't blame the fans for this failing... 

PE even stopped me from receiving the, "Bloggers Responses," reference, "On The Inside." Thought you might be interested and as far as your concerned, "You've always been a straight up individual." Do with the material as you will, Eagles to the end, Icon...I am able to read the "Bloggers Responses on my friends computer." To go to this extreme,"Eagles Management is sure getting shaky!"    Later Brothers...

There's a promise kept to Icon, that he would have his say... And strangely, I feel a parallel in this story to the impeachment of our 17th President, Andrew Johnson... who barely escaped a "banning" of his own...
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Man, it felt good to get an ugly win in Miami...(if you can actually call any defensive effort ugly when it yields nine sacks, a key strip-fumble and a game-changing INT---)...  


Old-fashioned running and time of possession sealed the deal for the Eagles in their 26-10 beating of the Dolphins... that's RG Danny Watkins celebrating on a short TD run with Shady McCoy in the 1st half...photo by Lyne Sladky (AP)

Reid's defense was plenty aggressive... Philadelphia took advantage of three takeaways to score 24 points during a 9-minute span in the second quarter, and later sent Miami quarterback Matt Moore to the sideline with a head injury.

The stats say the Eagles pass rush ended up with nine sacks... but sadly today we learned of a tenth...

Dolphins fire Tony Sparano as coach

• Tony Sparano has been fired as coach of the Miami Dolphins, the third dismissal of an NFL coach in the past two weeks.

The move came Monday, one day after the Dolphins lost to the Philadelphia Eagles to fall to 4-9. The defeat ended a recent surge by the Dolphins after they lost their first seven games. With two other teams already in the market for a new coach, owner Stephen Ross didn't want to wait any longer to start shopping. Sparano's dismissal came hours after the Kansas City Chiefs fired coach Todd Haley. Jacksonville fired coach Jack Del Rio on Nov. 29...

Sparano gets sacked WHY? Was it a difference of philosphy with GM Bill Parcells? Was it because over half of the 35,000 fans in the stands were wearing Eagles green? Is it because owner Stephen Ross overestimates the talent on his roster and thinks Sparano could have won big with what he had?

I feel bad for Sparano that an Eagles win was the trigger for his sacking. But truthfully, Sparano must have known it was coming barring a win-out scenario in Miami the rest of the way. At least he has a one-year buyout left on his contract. We'll see Sparano again, possibly as a head coach again in 2013, certainly as a coordinator, and most likely as a TV analyst for 2012 unless something really special comes his way to persuade him to void his buyout from the Dolphins.

If you want to pinpoint an area of Sparano's failed 2011 campaign based on what happened in the Eagles game, you'd probably say his offense came up snake-eyes against a pressure defense... which has happened too often for Miami fans in the last two seasons.

The Eagles "D" unit put together a nice combo of pressure schemes combined with individual efforts by some guys who had seemed to be just a bit off the beat for most of this prior season

For example, Asante Samuel brought down Davone Bess after a short pass reception in the second quarter and not only forced a fumble in the process, but he was able to pop up quickly enough to recover it. The play set up a field goal that put the Eagles up by 10 on their way to a 26-10 victory. It was an opportunistic individual effort set up by positioning and pressure from the scheme.

That play was not going to happen a month or three ago...

"Yeah, I was surprised [the football remained on the ground long enough to recover it]," said Samuel. "It was an opportunity to make a big play for my team and seize the moment."

Samuel wasn't the only game-changer in the secondary on this day. Earlier, safety Kurt Coleman returned an interception 35 yards to the Dolphins' 1-yard line to set up a go-ahead touchdown.

You certainly could not blame Sparano's run defense. McCoy had two scores from goal-to-go formations. McCoy finished with only 38 yards on 27 carries but became the first player to score a rushing touchdown on Miami in nearly two months. The Dolphins also hadn't allowed a rushing touchdown at home since their season opener.

The Eagles had a punt blocked for the first time since 2008 as Jimmy Wilson snuffed Chas Henry's first-quarter attempt. They have not blocked a regular-season punt since 2004... Sparano's job security was looking a little better at the time that punt was blocked.

But with nine sacks, Sparano's job was undone...He just could not explain away nine sacks. Meanwhile, the Eagles tied the record for their third most sacks in team history. The last time they had nine was against Detroit in 2007, when they finished a 56-21 victory with 10. 

Sparano got the unofficial 10th sack today. 

Tomorrow: "Banned of Brothers"... we examine the rash of posters who have been "banned" over the past year at PE.com, and we try to figure out why it's happening... including the curious case of ICON (aka "Italicon", "Icontutu"), the most recent victim of a banning he probably didn't deserve. ICON will give us a brief summary of his issues and a featured look at his attempts to reason with the powers of Lurie & Co. at PE.com...

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I waited until the Giants-Dallas game was settled to post this... oddly enough, with the Cowboys' last-minute loss to the G-Men, the Eagles are still mathematically in this thing...


Matt Moore goes down again in one of the nine sacks posted by Eagles defensive pressure in Miami...

Mike Vick made a triumphant return from a 3-week rib injury hiatus by throwing for 208 yards and a touchdown, and the Eagles totaled nine sacks and beat the Miami Dolphins 26-10 Sunday.

Philadelphia took advantage of three takeaways to score 24 points during a nine-minute span in the second quarter, and later sent Miami quarterback Matt Moore to the sideline with a head injury. The underachieving Eagles (5-8) won for only the second time in the past six games and still need a sweep of the final three games to have any chance of repeating as NFC East champions.

"We've been through a lot, a lot of games we were supposed to win and didn't finish," Vick said. "I'm proud we won today."

The Dolphins (4-9) had a three-game home winning streak snapped and sank deeper into last place in the AFC East. "We've been on a roll," receiver Brandon Marshall said. "It stinks that our momentum was stopped."

Jason Babin led the Eagles' pass rush with three sacks to increase his season total to 15, and he forced a fumble. Moore's replacement, J.P. Losman, was sacked by Phillip Hunt for a safety.

Vick, back after missing three games with broken ribs, won for only the fourth time in his past 12 starts. He went 15 for 30, including a 34-yard touchdown pass to DeSean Jackson, and shook off four sacks. "I'm in a lot of pain, but I just wanted to finish and get through the game," Vick said. "I got hit a lot, and it kind of wore me down. I tried to hang in there."

Vick, who had said he would run less in the wake of the injury, carried only twice but did scramble several times to extend plays. LeSean McCoy rushed for only 38 yards, but scored two touchdowns to hike his season total to 17. 

Miami Pro Bowl tackle Jake Long left the game in the first quarter with a back injury, and after that the Dolphins had trouble blocking Philadelphia's front four... The Eagles' short-yardage defense stuffed Miami on four possessions, twice on fourth down and twice to force kicks.

"The Eagles have been inconsistent like we have," Marshall said. "But that's a team with a lot of talent. At any moment they can be an undefeated team, or look like one." The Dolphins went 3 for 18 on third- and fourth-down conversions. The nine sacks of their QBs equaled a franchise record set in 1999, and the offensive linemen took responsibility for the loss.

"All the blame is squarely on our shoulders," guard Richie Incognito said. "We got Matt hurt. They're a physical group. They just beat us one on one." Moore threw only his second interception in the past six games, lost a fumble and was sacked four times. He left the game midway through the second half after being hit from behind as he threw an incomplete pass. 

Miami's lone touchdown was set up by an early blocked punt. Marshall was held to four catches for 27 yards. 

"There comes a time when we as players and coaches have to do a better job of getting guys involved that need to be involved," Marshall said. "It just didn't seem like we had anything on offense in the second half that could attack what they were throwing at us."

The Dolphins' offensive ineptitude negated a lot of good work by their defense. McCoy, who came into the game second in the NFL in rushing, averaged only 1.4 yards on 27 carries. Jason Taylor sacked Vick twice in the first eight minutes to increase his career total to 138½, which ranks sixth all time. 

Miami's Jimmy Wilson blocked a punt to set up the game's first score, which came when Moore hit Marshall on third down for a 16-yard score. 

A gamble by the Dolphins then backfired when they tried a 55-yard field goal that fell short. Vick took advantage of the field position to drive his team 54 yards for a tying touchdown, which McCoy scored on a 2-yard run. Turnovers by Miami on consecutive possessions led to 10 points for the Eagles.

Kurt Coleman intercepted Moore's pass when he threw deep into triple coverage, and his return to the 1 set up a touchdown run by McCoy.

On the next series, Asante Samuel forced a fumble by Davone Bess and recovered, and the Eagles kicked a field goal. After Moore lost a fumble when sacked by Babin, the Eagles then moved 73 yards in just four plays, and Vick's strike to a wide-open Jackson made it 24-7.

"We played like men today," Babin said. "Do we have a chance for the playoffs? Maybe. We were kind of out of it, but guys in this locker room decided, 'We're going to play and have fun and show you guys we love the game.' I think that really rang true the whole day." 

Game notes
Eagles LB Darryl Tapp suffered a rib injury on the safety and left the game. X-rays were negative. Receiver Jeremy Maclin departed when the sore hamstring he has been nursing tightened. ... Honored at halftime was Howard Schnellenberger, who recently retired as coach at Florida Atlantic. He was the Dolphins' offensive coordinator during their 1972 perfect season. ... A Dolphins assistant coach was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct with less than three minutes left.

Team Stat Comparison

	PHI	MIA
1st Downs	18	11
Passing 1st downs	10	6
Rushing 1st downs	5	3
1st downs from Penalties	3	2
3rd down efficiency	4-15	3-15
4th down efficiency	0-0	0-3
Total Plays	66	64
Total Yards	239	204
Passing	188	95
Comp-Att	15-30	17-29
Yards per pass	6.3	3.3
Rushing	51	109
Rushing Attempts	32	26
Yards per rush	1.6	4.2
Red Zone (Made-Att)	2-3	1-3
Penalties	7-69	7-81
Turnovers	2	3
Fumbles lost	1	2
Interceptions thrown	1	1
Defensive / Special Teams TDs	0	0
Possession	31:21	28:39

Passing Leaders

Philadelphia	C/ATT	YDS	AVG	TD	INT	NFL RATING
Vick	15/30	208	6.9	1	1	69.9
Miami	C/ATT	YDS	AVG	TD	INT	NFL RATING
Moore	11/19	95	5.0	1	1	66.8
Losman	6/10	60	6.0	0	0	77.1

Rushing Leaders...

Philadelphia	CAR	YDS	AVG	TD	LG
McCoy	27	38	1.4	2	11
Vick	2	9	4.5	0	5
Miami	CAR	YDS	AVG	TD	LG
Bush	14	103	7.4	0	16
Thomas	7	4	0.6	0	4

Receiving Leaders....  

Philadelphia	REC	YDS	AVG	TD	LG	TGTS
Jackson	4	59	14.8	1	34	6
Celek	4	39	9.8	0	11	5
Miami	REC	YDS	AVG	TD	LG	TGTS
Fasano	3	56	18.7	0	25	8
Bush	5	27	5.4	0	17	6

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Okay, let's get this thing started...

The Miami Dolphins will look to make it 5 wins in their last 6 games as they welcome in the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday at 1 pm. The Dolphins got back to their winning ways last week, dominating the Oakland Raiders 34-14. The Eagles, meanwhile, are coming off a very disappointing loss to the Seattle Seahawks last Thursday. Both teams are destined to be laid off for the playoffs in January, but coaches and players have a lot to play for…..their jobs.

It’s believed that Tony Sparano was a loss away from being fired in November. Andy Reid has heard ‘Fi-re An-dy’ chants at home games….repeatedly. It is possible that if 2011 does not turn around, both coaches could be shopping their services this offseason. Reid is probably on more stable ground, as he has a winning track record and a great relationship with Eagles ownership/management. Sparano, meanwhile, has endured back to back 7-9 seasons and is headed in that direction again. Add that fact to the belief by many that Dolphins Owner Stephen Ross wants to make a big splash (like hiriing a big name coach)...

The game itself should be an entertaining one. The Eagles arrive in Miami with the #3 offense in the NFL and will be welcoming back Michael Vick and Jeremy Maclin. The Dolphins counter with the #5 defense in points allowed. Yes, the Dolphins do give up some yardage (14th in NFL), but they keep opponents out of the endzone and off of the scoreboard (where it counts). The Dolphins will look to continue to stifle their opponent's running game and will be tested when Shady McCoy gets the ball. McCoy is the NFL’s leading rusher. The Dolphins currently have the #6 defense against the run, and will have their hands full.

On offense, the Dolphins will look to get more efficient play from QB Matt Moore. Moore has only 1 turnover in his last 5 games and, believe it or not, is making a run at a Pro Bowl berth. The Dolphins will likely look to attack the middle of the Eagles defense, as the Eagles' linebackers are erratic, and their safeties are suspect. Expect to see a lot of Reggie Bush, Charles Clay, and Anthony Fasano, as the Dolphins look to create mismatches and atttack the Eagles in the passing game.

Prediction: I think the Eagles finally snap out of their funk and get a shot in the arm from Michael Vick’s return. The Dolphins will lose for just the 2nd time in 6 weeks, which will place the "get rid of the HC" focus on Tony Sparano, yet again.

Let's turn it over to the Smartest Phans in the NFL, once again, on Eagles Livefyre... 

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For those who have wanted to see young Keenan Clayton get a real shot at playing linebacker for the Eagles, you got it...


Keenan Clayton, 6-1, 229, 2nd year out of Oklahoma, will get a chance to shine along with rookie Casey Matthews at nickel package linebacker Sunday against the Miami Dolphins...

Casey Matthews is back in the spotlight, too.  Matthews will share the first-team nickel package LB assignments with Clayton.  That means on obvious passing downs, it will be Clayton and Matthews out there together at linebacker, with five defensive backs patrolling the secondary, and four down-linemen going all out to pressure Miami QB Matt Moore into a costly mistake or two.

It's a great opportunity for Clayton, who has had a contingent of fans here at Eagles Eye clamoring for his shot to play and make an impact at linebacker for over a year now... Casey Matthews also gets a second opportunity to show Eagles fans he can cover on passing downs without getting pushed around out there. It's time to let the young guys prove they're ready for prime time.

"I just think with some of the guys, they had to take a step back to take a step forward," Reid explained Friday of the decision this week to bring rookie Casey Matthews back into the defensive mix — this time as a nickel linebacker alongside Keenan Clayton for Sunday's game against the Dolphins.

Because of a roster imbalance at defensive end — the Eagles are carrying six —Phillip Hunt likely will be left out of the mix the rest of the way, barring injury. There's just no way the Eagles can justify activating all six DE's on gamedays, especially when none can stand up and take any kind of consistent reps as linebackers.

But it's easy to see what they're doing with their six linebackers. All except newcomer Greg Lloyd, who was added to replace the injured Moise Fokou just before the Eagles visited Seattle on Dec. 1, are assured of coming out of this season with experienced resumes. And don't count Lloyd out of the mix yet, either.

"I think they're getting better," Reid said. "They're just a young group. We're young at safety, we're young at linebacker. Zero excuse on that, that's not what that is. That's reality, so the thing you do is you try to get better as a player every week."

"I appreciate their effort and their study habits, the things they're doing. So they've done that and they'll all have an opportunity to play and contribute."

Reid said Friday that there were no serious injury issues and that CB Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie (ankle) might even play after missing the last three games. He's officially listed as questionable. "He'll go with us and we'll just see how he does, we'll kind of monitor him as we go here," Reid said after Friday's practice. "Obviously, he wants to play, and I'll get with [trainer] Rick [Burkholder] after this and see how he's doing and make our decision from there."

CB Nnamdi Asomugha (concussion, knee), DE Trent Cole (hand), T King Dunlap (concussion), T Todd Herremans (biceps), DT Cullen Jenkins (thumb), DT Trevor Laws (knee), WR Jeremy Macllin (hamstring, shoulder), LB Brian Rolle (neck), QB Michael Vick (ribs) and G Danny Watkins (ankle) all are listed as probable.

Matthews, the younger brother of Green Bay All-Pro linebacker Clay Matthews, started the first three games, but was then demoted to special teams and some short-yardage plays.

"Casey's earned the right to get back in there," Reid said Friday in quotes provided by the team. "He's done well when given the opportunity on short yardage/goal line, he's done well on the scout team and his reps, he's done well in the classroom. Like some of the other guys that took a step back to take a step forward, that's what we're doing with Casey."

Despite their lack of consistency, their inability to protect leads and recent embarrassing performances against New England and Seattle, respectively, the Eagles are still mathematically alive for a playoff berth. But to have any chance of making the postseason for the 10th time in the last 12 years, they must win their final four games, starting with Sunday's game against the Dolphins at Sun Life Stadium.

"We're not going to stop fighting," Cole said. "We're going to go out there with pride. We're on a mission. Miami's playing well (4-1 in its last five games), but we've got a chip on our shoulder."

Only four teams - Indianapolis (0-12), Minnesota (2-10), St. Louis (2-10) and Jacksonville (3-9) - have fewer wins than the Eagles (4-8), who are tied with Washington for last place in the NFC East.

"I wish I knew the answer," Eagles defensive end Jason Babin said earlier this week. "It's just one of those things you can't put a finger on."

Coach Andy Reid, offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg and defensive coordinator Juan Castillo have been suggesting recently that the lack of offseason minicamps and organized team activities (OTAs) had a bigger impact on the Eagles than most teams because of the turnover on the roster and the coaching staff since last season.

Castillo is in his first season as head of the defense after a 13-year stint as the Eagles' offensive line coach. Assistant coaches Johnnie Lynn (cornerbacks), Howard Mudd (offensive line) and Jim Washburn (defensive line) are in their first seasons with the Eagles.

Of the 53 players on the current active roster, 22 were not with the Eagles last season. That group includes starters Nnamdi Asomugha (cornerback), Jason Babin (defensive end), Alex Henery (place-kicker), Chas Henry (punter), Cullen Jenkins (defensive tackle) Evan Mathis (guard) and Danny Watkins (guard); plus No. 3 cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and quarterback Vince Young, who started three games while Michael Vick was sidelined with two broken ribs.

The first time that group practiced together was in early August at Lehigh University after the NFL lockout had ended. "It's been tough for us," Vick told the Dolphins media during a conference call earlier this week. "I think everybody understands the importance of training camps, minicamps and OTAs now and how valuable that time is. It's important to be able to jell and be out there on the same page. We'll never take (the offseason workouts) for granted again."

There's also been a lack of bonding during the season. Injuries and poor performances have prompted changes to the starting lineups almost every week. On offense, only tight end Brent Celek, tackle Todd Herremans, Mathis, rookie center Jason Kelce and fullback Owen Schmitt have started all 12 games. Babin, Jenkins, defensive tackle Mike Patterson and cornerback Asante Samuel are the only defensive players to have started every game.

The Eagles are facing the Dolphins (4-8) for the first time since beating them 17-7 at home in 2007, and they've won three of the last four meetings. However, they are well aware of Miami's recent improvement.

"We know it's going to be a tough game because they have a very good football team and a very good defense so we're going to have to do the things that are going to put us in a position to win the game," Vick said.

Since starting 0-7, the Dolphins have outscored their opponents 139-54 while winning four of five.

"We're having fun," said linebacker Kevin Burnett, who returned an interception 34 yards for a TD in last Sunday's 34-14 win over Oakland. "I can't explain how much that takes away the pain and the feeling of being on the losing end of the spectrum."

Though coach Tony Sparano's future with the team remains cloudy, the Dolphins continue to play with confidence. Their last four wins have come by an average of 21.5 points and they've forced seven turnovers during the last four contests overall. "Our whole demeanor is changed," defensive end Jason Taylor said. "Our swagger has changed. This team is a lot looser now and not playing uptight, not preparing uptight, not acting uptight. And that shows on Sunday."

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Watching the Steelers prevail over the Browns Thursday night, I was impressed by Chris Gocong's performance at linebacker for the Browns...and how he almost saved the night for Cleveland before Colt McCoy was knocked senseless by James Harrison...

And I wondered... did we give up on Gocong too soon?


Chris Gocong... 6-2, 263, 6th year out of Cal Poly...3rd round draft pick in '06... smart guy (biomedical engineering degree)... now playing at a high level for the Browns...

Gocong shined his brightest in one of the greatest goal-line stands I've ever witnessed in the Steelers-Browns game... It was a classic combination of reading and reacting with strength by a linebacker... And it should have turned the game around for the Browns, who were trailing 7-3 with 7 minutes to go in the 4th quarter... but Cleveland's inept offense in the face of a fierce Pittsburgh pass rush took care of that momentary Browns' inspiration.

It took me back to an interview with Gocong I never published from way back in October 2011... the interview was sent to me by Jodie Valade who works for the Cleveland Plain Dealer. I didn't publish it then because I thought looking back at past Eagles players would be somewhat of an insult to our current linebacking corps, which at the time was struggling through some major transition--- with the demotion of Casey Matthews and the juggling of Moise Fokou and Jamar Chaney and Brian Rolle from WILL to MIKE and SAM and back again. It was a crazy time for Eagles linebackers.
Plus, I still wasn't sold at the time on Gocong as a big game-changing type linebacker...

But now I'm rethinking my position on Gocong...

It should be noted that the Browns have converted to a 4-3 defensive scheme after six years in a 3-4 scheme... for those readers who need a refresher course, 4-3 means three linebackers playing behind four defensive linemen... and 3-4 means four linebackers playing behind three linemen. In 2010 GM Tom Heckert's two biggest additions to the Browns roster included linebackers Scott Fujita and Chris Gocong, both of whom had backgrounds in a 4-3 system.

Gocong spent his first four NFL seasons in Philadelphia's 4-3, but was just an adequate starter in the middle and on the strong side. He got shipped to Cleveland after the 2009 season. But enter defensive coordinator Dick Jauron, who somehow found a role in which Gocong could begin to flourish.

Suddenly, under Jauron, Gocong found his voice and his newfound stature as a brainy linebacker with the brawn to back it in the NFL.

You can look at the game-changing improvement in Gocong and say, "Gee, maybe defensive coaching does make a difference," or you can say "Hey, it takes five or six years for a linebacker to finally get the experience and the know-how it takes to make a difference in the NFL."  Most likely, employing Brizer's metrics, it's a combination of both.

Anyway, in this short-lived lull before the Eagles game in Miami on Sunday, I thought it only fair to publish the interview with Chris Gocong that was shyte-canned in October:

Q: You were a biomedical engineer major at Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo. What did you plan to do with that, and do you still hope to use that degree?

A: I really went into the engineering field with an open mind, and I realized I like the biomed field. But really, career-wise, you could go a lot of places. I think I would go into the endoscopic camera area. My dad is in that business. He designs and manufactures endoscopic cameras. I love 3D modeling to Photoshopping, all that good stuff.

Q: You went to a I-AA school. Did you ever feel like you had to prove yourself in football?

A: No, not really because I wasn’t really trying to go into the NFL. I played because I had a scholarship, and I loved playing football. And then once it kind of got to where I was invited to the combine and all-star games, I realized there is a little bit of, “Oh yeah, but it was I-AA.” That sort of stigma. It seemed like you did have a couple extra hurdles to go through. But other than that, I didn’t really think about it too much. I think coming from an engineering school, we might have eight or nine or 10 engineers on a team, and it’s a usual thing. It’s not unusual. We had study groups and stuff like that. But it’s all frame of reference, I guess.

Q: Rumor has it that you used to play guitar pretty well in a band in college called Void. Do you still play?

A: I play piano and guitar whenever I can. I try to mess around on it. But when you’re in season and you dislocate a couple fingers and this and that, it kind of slows you down.

Q: Do you have any superstitions?

A: No, but I do have a routine. I don’t like to be rushed, so I get there early. It’s not superstition, but it is routine. And if I do something one way and I have a good game, I’ll probably do it the same way the next game. I wouldn’t call it superstition.

Q: You were a defensive end in college and moved to linebacker in the NFL. What was that transition like?

A: It was tough. I literally never dropped [back into coverage] in college. Never. It was a big learning experience just mentally and physically, going backward and learning coverage. The playbook is way different. It’s changing your mind-set from “I’m going to go get the quarterback,” to “I have to read routes, I have to read patterns.” A lot of thinking involved. So it took some getting used to. That’s the other thing I realized: It’s one thing to be book smart and another thing to be football smart. Having a good memory does help.

That was it...the entire interview. I didn't think twice about omitting it earlier in the season until I saw Gocong's monster performance against the Steelers last night.  Did the Eagles let a franchise late-bloomer at linebacker get away from them? Maybe... but it happens a lot in the NFL.  Personnel decisions are the trickiest of all.

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One thing the Eagles won't have to deal with in Miami on Sunday is a whole lot of opposing crowd noise...


"Laces out, Dan" moment up in Section 48 ?

In fact, there may be more Eagles fans with tickets to this game than actual Dolphins supporters... Lofty expectations for a 9-7 Miami season and a wild-card berth were shot down for "Dolphans" in a heartbreaking loss to the Cowboys about two weeks back. Now apathy has replaced hope in Miami, and the Dolphins are having trouble giving tickets away. The Sparano regime is rumored to be on the rocks despite the head coach's current contract. 

But the Eagles need to focus on game tape right now, not gate receipts. Surely they will notice the Dolphins are actually getting better on the field from week to week. Michael Serrania of Phins Phocus .com (hhtp://www.phinsphocus.com) points us in the direction of what and who is improving on the Dolphins, and trends the Eagles need to be aware of as they prepare for the Dolphins:

"Don't get me wrong, there are some glaring issues with the Miami Dolphins," said Serrania. "The fact that the Dolphins could be heading to near mediocre status is nothing new over the last 10 years. However, here are the aspects of the team that I really like and can appreciate as a Dolfan":

1.  Charles Clay as that H-Back threat...  Last week we saw why Charles Clay was drafted and what he brings to the table.  He brings speed at his position and great hands.  He brings a Chris Cooley of the Washington Redskins-type of player to the Dolphins.  Combined with Anthony Fasano as threat, that combination can be special.  Charles Clay can be set out wide or off the line.  I like him in a play as a TE screen.  Will we see him go all Keith Byars 1993 for us???  I sure hope so.

2. Reggie Bush... He can continue to thrive if he's being used in space.  When Reggie turns upfield and has nothing but green turf/grass in front of him, he shows you what he can do.  He has the speed and agility to make defenders miss.  It's actually quite comical when defenders are flying and flailing to catch him.  Reggie has also shown he can catch the ball out of the backfield.  Will he rush for 200 yards in a game?  No, but he can still threaten a defense because you never know where he will be. 

3.  Matt Moore... Matt Moore has lately been a very productive QB and has thrived in this offense.  You can't discount that he has gotten better and shown greater efficiency every week.  He rebounded from the horrible Jets game to the Chiefs game where he threw for 3 TDs and no interceptions.  Matt Moore has also showed leadership and earned the respect of Jake Long and others, which helps with team chemistry when you win.  Is he better than Romo?  Moore is headed in that direction.   

4. Brandon Marshall... Right now, I like Brandon Marshall on first and second down.  I like his chances in the redzone, but he has to hold on to the ball.  He's still a very real threat. 

5. Jimmy Wilson...  I know he's a young player, but he is a total stud at corner.  He hits with a fury and he loves to play defense. Not to mention, he's fast, and in 3rd down or nickel packages he can change the game.  Yes, as a CB he's been beat, but I will take this 7th round talent any day and count on him to make a stop more than Sean Smith.  Is he better than Jimmy Smith of Baltimore?  It sure looks like the Dolphins drafted the better Jimmy (time will tell).

(Tied for 5th):  The Dolphin secondary:  Much beleaguered to start the season.  They have become a physical bunch.  I am starting to believe that most teams do not want to throw into the secondary with Yeremiah Bell and Tyrone Culver running like a freight train at a "defenseless" receiver.  Having Vontae back has taken away the deep threat for teams that like to go deep. 

(Tied for 5th):  Jared Odrick:  I am starting to see why the Dolphins drafted down to get him in 2010.  However, I want to see more.  I want to see him get more sacks and would be curious to see if he can stop the run more frequently.  Is the 3-4 the best D for him?  I believe that the 4-3 might suit him more because he would have more freedom to pass rush from the outside.  Jared Odrick's dance ranks up there with the best of them after a sack.  He made it his own, even though it's Pee Wee Herman's dance.  Classic.   

Thanks, Michael, for the current trending report on the Dolphins...
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
EEB Brisucksegg Fantasy Football League Update:  

Week 13 results are finally in. This is the Week that determines who made the playoffs. Big winners this past weekend were the Amputatoes (Jerked), Sunny's Jock Strap (Mothra), Green Machine (David), Lancaster Rubbernecks (Gary), Team Conahan (Robert) and the Nut Chokers (JB)...

EAST
TEAM	W	L	T	PCT	GB
The Amputatoe's	8	4	1	.654	--
The Nut Chokers	8	5	0	.615	0.5
How you like Dem APPLES!	8	5	0	.615	0.5
Team BONE	5	7	1	.423	3
Team Conahan	4	9	0	.308	4.5
McLuvin's Pastries	3	10	0	.231	5.5

WEST
TEAM	W	L	T	PCT	GB
Marty Funkhouser	8	5	0	.615	--
Team Jax Eagles	8	5	0	.615	--
Dem Stinken Bums	7	6	0	.538	1
Sunnys Jock Strap	7	6	0	.538	1
Lancaster Rubber necks	6	7	0	.462	2
Green Machine	5	8	0	.385	3

Only four (4) teams allegedly make the playoffs...  obviously The Amputatoes are IN as the team with the best overall record and a 1st-place finish in the East...  That leaves 4 other teams with identical records of 8-5... Who gets left out?  Only way to find out is to dive into the Livefyre community pool and start snooping around. See you there!

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Let's take a quick look at the Miami Dolphins who are also 4-8 at this three-quarter mark in the regular season...




First, I want to keep a promise to Eagle Nut by running his reactionary commentary which speaks to both the defensive disaster in Seattle and the recent firestorm over Juan Castillo's job rating:

Eagle Nut: "I am a firm supporter of Reid...if anyone should go, it should be Castillo. He just hasn't done the job. Defense wins championships (here comes the cliche police!), and this defense isn't winning anything...I had misgivings about Castillo and the tough job ahead of him very early this season, and he hasn't been up to the challenge...The four-game losing streak early in the season confirmed my fears (I know, here comes Brizer's 'if you're scared, get a dog' speech!), but I realized Castillo is not our guy as DC... we'll find somebody, though, that will get it done."  

Next, I promised T-Bone we'd show you the Week 12 standings in the EEB Brisucksegg Fantasy Football race which is getting closer and closer to playoff qualification time.  Here's where they were as of yesterday before the MNF game results came in:

EAST
TEAM	W	L	T	PCT	GB
How you like Dem APPLES!	8	4	0	.667	--
The Amputatoe's	7	4	1	.625	0.5
The Nut Chokers	7	5	0	.583	1
Team BONE	5	6	1	.458	2.5
Team Conahan	3	9	0	.250	5
McLuvin's Pastries	3	9	0	.250	5

WEST
TEAM	W	L	T	PCT	GB
Marty Funkhouser	8	4	0	.667	--
Team Jax Eagles	8	4	0	.667	--
Dem Stinken Bums	7	5	0	.583	1
Sunnys Jock Strap	6	6	0	.500	2
Lancaster Rubber necks	5	7	0	.417	3
Green Machine	4	8	0	.333	4

Tomorrow, Boner promises we'll get to see updated Week 13 results and some kind of explanation of who qualifies for the league playoffs and (as Brozer would want to know) "why?"
Quick key to team owners:
"Dem Apples" = Hud Huston
"Amputatoes"= Jerked
"Nut Chokers" = JB
"Team BONE" = Boner
"Team Conahan" = Robert (JB's friend)
"McLuvin's Pastries" = Leo Pizzini
"Marty Funkhouser" = Harry Organs
"Team Jax Eagles" = Andrew Mandarakas
"Dem Stinken Bums" = ATV (The King)
"Sunny's Jock Strap" = Mothra 
"Lancaster Rubber Necks" = Gary Conahan
"Green Machine" = David Calvo

Now a few observations on the Dolphins as the Eagles head down to Miami this Sunday...

When I first drew up notes for this game way back in September, I had envisioned the Eagles at 9-3 flying into Miami, whose Dolphins would be sitting at 6-6, with both teams still technically in charge of their divisional destinies... silly me.

The Dolphins. Remember when their owner Steve Ross flew across country to court Jim Harbaugh while Dolphins head coach Tony Sparano waited anxiously at home, totally out of the loop? Remember when Dolphins players were openly ripping teammates and coaches?

Miami is still doing everything possible to forget about that miserable chapter, including a contract extension for Sparano and a makeover for the offensive coaching staff. Only two teams scored fewer points than the Dolphins in 2010, due to an inept running game, the lack of a deep passing threat, inconsistent QB decisions by Chad Henne at QB, bad game plans and a struggling interior offensive line...

But during all the offense turmoil last season, the Miami defense carried the team. Often exceptional, the Miami defense could have made a respectable charge in the playoffs if the Dolphins' offense could have gotten them there. DC Mike Nolan installed a fierce, player-friendly system during his first year in Miami, and the Dolphins ranked 6th in total defense in the NFL.  Nolan moved away from the pure 3-4 scheme inspired by Bill Parcells and instead utilized a hybrid scheme that provided attacks from more creative angles.

If the Miami offense could just produce half of the game-controlling energy that its defensive unit does, then the Dolphins would be capable of making some real waves in the NFL. This is the key to the Eagles winning in Miami--- step up on defense just enough to shut down a struggling offense...

Until Sparano finds a way to get his offense to play with more dimension, whether by adding more speed or just taking more vertical chances in the passing game, he is inevitably going to leave his very solid defense on the field way too long.

And that, my friends, is the delicious irony of this game---  if only we could merge Sparano's defense with Reid's offense, we would have a true contender.

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It's good to take a second look at Leo Pizzini's "live essay" from last Sunday on why the Eagles' zone defense in 2011 has been shredded at times by opposing teams.  It's worth reading in a continuous format, so I strung Leo's machine-gun bursts of thought into a coherent flow. I hope he's not mad at me for editing him down this way...



Here's Leo:

Ha! - JB said the "relationships in the zone" suck! - he's so right...and I think with the new "defenseless receiver" and "QB hit" rules... zone coverage will become less and less prolific in the league... until it's almost completely gone...Now it seems you've gotta stick to all the receivers like glue...

No more separating the receivers from the ball (with big hits coming from defensive players arriving to the play as they cover their zones)... zone coverages are gonna be strictly "prevent" defense with three-man rushes and cover 7/8... I see it coming unless they change the rules again...

I don't think its Juan's fault that the zone suks... but it is Juan's fault that he calls so much zone defense... MAN-UP, CROWD DA BOX or DOUBLE SOMEBODY and/or BLITZ AN EFF'N LINEBACKER OR TWO!! ...

The Eagles zone coverage has got to entail some very clever disguises... bail the corners or linebackers and press the safeties... show them one zone and give them another, show man and craft a zone exchange... make it confusing... These straight zone looks of Juan... Cover 2, 3, 4- rush 4... are way too simplistic and obvious... picked apart at will...

Remember the great defensive game we had against Dallas ?  We played that 4-4/4-3/46 -Man Press -Cover-1- hybrid thing, with Coleman in the box shading the TE...(see photo above)... and our D was tremendous... Why we get away from what works is beyond me... We do the same thing offensively too!... we ran all those crossing routes against the Cowboys and could not be contained... then next game we go right back to the Spread 999-All Go play... over and over... and get beat.

As for how opposing teams have figured out how to attack our zone when our "wide 9" alignmenet is used: when an offense lines up 2 tight ends, our wide 9 is neutralized... Castillo made a good adjustment to send safety Kurt Coleman on a blitz through the gaps to counter this... but that didn't help against the run and Coleman is too short... with his arms up, he doesn't intimidate or interfere with the QB's line of sight... We need a 6'2" long armed mudda-effer running up in the QB's grill and the coverage scheme needs to be tight... not an easily disseminated zone... Blitz a linebacker! ... they are lost in the zone drops... they aren't in position to make a play unless it's a terrible pass... they do a little better in man coverage...but overall, Eagles' zone suks!

And it kills me to see those zone looks with a four-man rush attacking 7 blockers and three receiving targets rolling through holes in the zone... or even worse, with TEs and RBs chipping and releasing... and no linebackers shooting gaps to take advantage of the running back working a chip on the edge...


Leo Pizzini... former collegiate and semi-pro safety and punter, Leo currently resides in the greater Philly metro area and is a respected family man, businessman and youth league coach. Leo has written extensively about the sport of football for several national blogs and regional websites over the years. He holds a seat on the original Bored of Directors for County Evergreen Pub and Hospice along with Brizer, JB, and the late Triple D, among others... 

Thanks, Leo...great stuff.

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