Eagles at Saints (Sunday NFC Divisional Round)

[knowyourenemy]

I wonder if that missed catch had to do with his bad shoulder from a previous injury? Jeffrey is a pretty reliable receiver and he doesn't miss those. Just curious?

See comments about broken ribs. That could have impacted him.

 

[northeastphillyguy]

team needs a real running back

they got away fantastic run blocking and marginal talent like smallwood, Adams and sproles is definitely not a between tackles RB

though once again Pedersons playcalling was shit. Eagles were arguably in control of that game for 2.5 quarters, were never down more than 6 pts and yet ran the ball 14 times

14 times

it's so frustrating and you just have to hope partial reasoning is the lack of talent

if they intend on going into 2019 season with same trio (swap Clement for sproles) then they will set themselves up for failure

Ajai was needed. Do not know if he will be back next year though.

 

[mall3013]

See comments about broken ribs. That could have impacted him.

Wow. That's crazy. Like I said on the mainland game thread, I don't put blame on Jeffrey. There was plenty of blame to go around. I really feel bad for the guy, really do. He will bounce back from this and be even better. We need to mail this draft. No margin of error for reaching. Joe Douglas will be earning his money on this upcoming draft. OL is my main focus here. A replacement for Graham.

 

[jvett77]

Personally, I’m ready for some baseball.

Reporting is only four weeks away!

 

[Orlando Eagles]

Absolutely! We did not have to worry about the clock ... we actually needed to bleed it so Brees wouldn't have any time if/when we scored. How Pederson/Foles snapped that ball at 2:01 was shocking to me. Alshon obviously blew it thus causing the INT, but that play should have never been snapped!

I had a non Eagles fan call this out right away. Knew this would be coming up. It was peculiar to the situation, sure. But that play just as easily happens on the other end of the 2 minute warning. I can’t see how any rushing of that play caused Alshon to go down the field and have it slip through his hands.

Now, a sloppy false start or hold on that rushed play would have pissed me off to no end.

 

[Orlando Eagles]

This team fought. Period.

That ending stung for sure. Watching the Saints move these long, crushing drives in the second half was brutal. Yet we still stood there at the end.

I thought last night about the loss to the Bucs in 02, getting pushed around by the Panthers in 03, having it all ripped away from us by the Cards in 08. And while this stung....it feels nothing like those. Finally winning it all will do that, I’m noticing. The worst thing I feel is that it’s now 7.5 months until meaningful games again.

Still....they shouldn’t have been anywhere near here. And that’s what I’ll take from the 2018 season. The first 10 weeks were rough and gross. The late loss to the Cowboys stung. But from there this team really showed a mettle and fought back to make some noise. Even in this game....you couldn’t fault their effort right up to the end. The offense was supremely challenged the last 3 quarters but never rolled over. The suspect defense was outmatched those same last three quarters. But time and again they played really well and made the Saints earn it.

It’s a shitty way to go. I feel for Alshon, but think from what I’ve seen in the player comments (as well as Alston’s) that he comes back mentally strong next year (and hopefully physically).

The best I can lump this loss up against at this point is that they found that family vibe again late season. When Doug said last year “get used to this” I see it less as a comment to “get used to trophies”....that is too hard for most teams. But get used to a tight team that fights and keeps fighting to be there at the end. I think the last five games of 2018 sets that back firmly to carry into the offseason and keep going strong next year.

 

[Northern Eagle]

This team fought. Period.

That ending stung for sure. Watching the Saints move these long, crushing drives in the second half was brutal. Yet we still stood there at the end.

I thought last night about the loss to the Bucs in 02, getting pushed around by the Panthers in 03, having it all ripped away from us by the Cards in 08. And while this stung....it feels nothing like those. Finally winning it all will do that, I’m noticing. The worst thing I feel is that it’s now 7.5 months until meaningful games again.

Still....they shouldn’t have been anywhere near here. And that’s what I’ll take from the 2018 season. The first 10 weeks were rough and gross. The late loss to the Cowboys stung. But from there this team really showed a mettle and fought back to make some noise. Even in this game....you couldn’t fault their effort right up to the end. The offense was supremely challenged the last 3 quarters but never rolled over. The suspect defense was outmatched those same last three quarters. But time and again they played really well and made the Saints earn it.

It’s a shitty way to go. I feel for Alshon, but think from what I’ve seen in the player comments (as well as Alston’s) that he comes back mentally strong next year (and hopefully physically).

The best I can lump this loss up against at this point is that they found that family vibe again late season. When Doug said last year “get used to this” I see it less as a comment to “get used to trophies”....that is too hard for most teams. But get used to a tight team that fights and keeps fighting to be there at the end. I think the last five games of 2018 sets that back firmly to carry into the offseason and keep going strong next year.

Well said OE. Proud of this team's resiliency and how they fought down the stretch.

 

[PhillyGreen]

There are 2 things that completely changed the outcome of the game.

1. The Saints took away what worked for Foles. One of the reasons Foles has been playing so well is because he is getting rid of the ball quickly. That is a strength of his. The Saints took that away from him by playing press coverage. Foles has a decent arm but not a really strong arm and that was evident over the past few weeks. He has underthrown a lot of deep balls. Jeffries had bailed him out also by getting a lot of those jump balls. They took away his separation and the defense was there to make plays on balls thrown to him. He is not the kind of QB that can take over a game. He has reached his ceiling.

2. Jim Schwartz was exposed again. The Saints converted more than half of their 3rd downs and that is bad considering IIRC the went 3 and out their 1st 2 drives. They converted both of their 4th downs. What made this so bad is that the Saints made adjustments the Schwartz did not and it has been this way all season long. Once teams figure out how to stop his defense he cannot counter. I understand that there were injuries all season but you can only use that excuse for so long when players start to come back. He has always been this way.

I have heard this argument that the Eagles don't give up many points and I will admit that is because the Red Zone defense is really good. As a defense we were the best percentage wise in TD's allowed in the red zone. The Eagles gave up TD's on only 44.6% of their plays but there is a downside to this. We were near the league lead in number of red zone plays. The Eagles were ranked 24th in red zone plays allowed with 56 plays. The worst in the NFL were the Raiders with 62. We were bad on 3rd down defense ranking 27th. We were ranked 23rd in total drives where the opposing offense scored on us.

 

[_phiLLies_]

There are 2 things that completely changed the outcome of the game.

1. The Saints took away what worked for Foles. One of the reasons Foles has been playing so well is because he is getting rid of the ball quickly. That is a strength of his. The Saints took that away from him by playing press coverage. Foles has a decent arm but not a really strong arm and that was evident over the past few weeks. He has underthrown a lot of deep balls. Jeffries had bailed him out also by getting a lot of those jump balls. They took away his separation and the defense was there to make plays on balls thrown to him. He is not the kind of QB that can take over a game. He has reached his ceiling.

2. Jim Schwartz was exposed again. The Saints converted more than half of their 3rd downs and that is bad considering IIRC the went 3 and out their 1st 2 drives. They converted both of their 4th downs. What made this so bad is that the Saints made adjustments the Schwartz did not and it has been this way all season long. Once teams figure out how to stop his defense he cannot counter. I understand that there were injuries all season but you can only use that excuse for so long when players start to come back. He has always been this way.

I have heard this argument that the Eagles don't give up many points and I will admit that is because the Red Zone defense is really good. As a defense we were the best percentage wise in TD's allowed in the red zone. The Eagles gave up TD's on only 44.6% of their plays but there is a downside to this. We were near the league lead in number of red zone plays. The Eagles were ranked 24th in red zone plays allowed with 56 plays. The worst in the NFL were the Raiders with 62. We were bad on 3rd down defense ranking 27th. We were ranked 23rd in total drives where the opposing offense scored on us.

 

[old duke]

Reporting is only four weeks away!

Yes! We should have both Manny and Harper by then.

 

[Orlando Eagles]

Yes! We should have both Manny and Harper by then.

I’d be happy with just Harper. I’m not asking much. Lol

 

[Orlando Eagles]

There are 2 things that completely changed the outcome of the game.

1. The Saints took away what worked for Foles. One of the reasons Foles has been playing so well is because he is getting rid of the ball quickly. That is a strength of his. The Saints took that away from him by playing press coverage. Foles has a decent arm but not a really strong arm and that was evident over the past few weeks. He has underthrown a lot of deep balls. Jeffries had bailed him out also by getting a lot of those jump balls. They took away his separation and the defense was there to make plays on balls thrown to him. He is not the kind of QB that can take over a game. He has reached his ceiling.

2. Jim Schwartz was exposed again. The Saints converted more than half of their 3rd downs and that is bad considering IIRC the went 3 and out their 1st 2 drives. They converted both of their 4th downs. What made this so bad is that the Saints made adjustments the Schwartz did not and it has been this way all season long. Once teams figure out how to stop his defense he cannot counter. I understand that there were injuries all season but you can only use that excuse for so long when players start to come back. He has always been this way.

I have heard this argument that the Eagles don't give up many points and I will admit that is because the Red Zone defense is really good. As a defense we were the best percentage wise in TD's allowed in the red zone. The Eagles gave up TD's on only 44.6% of their plays but there is a downside to this. We were near the league lead in number of red zone plays. The Eagles were ranked 24th in red zone plays allowed with 56 plays. The worst in the NFL were the Raiders with 62. We were bad on 3rd down defense ranking 27th. We were ranked 23rd in total drives where the opposing offense scored on us.

Absolutely,and unequivocally agree with you on the first point. Foles has been great. But when they took away what was working he could not counter. A healthy Wentz has other tricks and more ceiling in such a case.

The second point....yes, we saw the same game and same things. And I’m not going to try to come across like a Schwartz apologist...but what else could he do? We had seven guys out in coverage and they still converted multiple 3rd and 10+. They couldn’t play man with their personnel. And Brees sheredded the zones. The front four weren’t getting home. That’s when we are pretty dead in the water, no matter the injuries.

It also explains the red zone success. The field collapses and closes those gaps in zones making it harder to find the open guy before the front four can finally break through.

I’m not going to knock Schwartz too much here. The only other option he had was to start bringing blitzes. And maybe he should have mixed some in. But he has clearly shown (Tennessee game, Carolina game, and now this game) that he is not willing to sell out and gamble when the game is still close.

It’s what this defense is....even if healthy Jones and Darby are on the corners....you live and die by the front four. Otherwise a really good QB eats your lunch.

 

[knowyourenemy]

Absolutely,and unequivocally agree with you on the first point. Foles has been great. But when they took away what was working he could not counter. A healthy Wentz has other tricks and more ceiling in such a case.

The second point....yes, we saw the same game and same things. And I’m not going to try to come across like a Schwartz apologist...but what else could he do? We had seven guys out in coverage and they still converted multiple 3rd and 10+. They couldn’t play man with their personnel. And Brees sheredded the zones. The front four weren’t getting home. That’s when we are pretty dead in the water, no matter the injuries.

It also explains the red zone success. The field collapses and closes those gaps in zones making it harder to find the open guy before the front four can finally break through.

I’m not going to knock Schwartz too much here. The only other option he had was to start bringing blitzes. And maybe he should have mixed some in. But he has clearly shown (Tennessee game, Carolina game, and now this game) that he is not willing to sell out and gamble when the game is still close.

It’s what this defense is....even if healthy Jones and Darby are on the corners....you live and die by the front four. Otherwise a really good QB eats your lunch.

Agreed. The only thing worse than sitting back and playing soft zone against Brees is blitzing him. He’ll pick you apart either way.

 

[old duke]

I think we'd be OK with Rasul, and Cre'van on the outside, and Avante in the slot. We just need a great EDGE guy to pair with Barnett, and another stud DT alongside Cox. If Schwartz would blitz more, the CBs will look real good.

 

[knowyourenemy]

I think we'd be OK with Rasul, and Cre'van on the outside, and Avante in the slot. We just need a great EDGE guy to pair with Barnett, and another stud DT alongside Cox. If Schwartz would blitz more, the CBs will look real good.

Mills and LeBlanc signed cheaply through 2019. Douglass and Jones through 2020. McLeod signed through 2020. Maddox signed through 2021. Jenkins through...2020? Not sure with his restructure earlier this year.

Safety is going to be an issue, if it isn’t already. Can one of those guys play safety? Can we rely on Jenkins to stay healthy at age 32? Will McLeod be the same player once he’s healthy?

 

[djm]

Up and down year where we made it to the Divisional round of the playoffs. I think the team will be hungry next year to get back. Not sure who is going be here and who is moving on. I hope we find a way to keep Brandon Graham.

I have had enough losing seasons under my belt that I can appreciate a Super Bowl win follow by a play off run.

 

[PhillyGreen]

Absolutely,and unequivocally agree with you on the first point. Foles has been great. But when they took away what was working he could not counter. A healthy Wentz has other tricks and more ceiling in such a case.

The second point....yes, we saw the same game and same things. And I’m not going to try to come across like a Schwartz apologist...but what else could he do? We had seven guys out in coverage and they still converted multiple 3rd and 10+. They couldn’t play man with their personnel. And Brees sheredded the zones. The front four weren’t getting home. That’s when we are pretty dead in the water, no matter the injuries.

It also explains the red zone success. The field collapses and closes those gaps in zones making it harder to find the open guy before the front four can finally break through.

I’m not going to knock Schwartz too much here. The only other option he had was to start bringing blitzes. And maybe he should have mixed some in. But he has clearly shown (Tennessee game, Carolina game, and now this game) that he is not willing to sell out and gamble when the game is still close.

It’s what this defense is....even if healthy Jones and Darby are on the corners....you live and die by the front four. Otherwise a really good QB eats your lunch.

You make good points and I agree to a point.

For this game we had a much better secondary than we had to deal with early on in the season. I truly understand the point about injuries but the secondary has been playing better. We all have to agree on that. With that said the Saints changed up how they were blocking and we were not getting the pressure we needed. Schwartz needed to do something. I can understand not blitzing on 3rd and medium. There were instances where we them on more than 3rd and 10 and we needed to get pressure and it is in those few instances where we needed to blitz more.

Four Key plays IMO where we should have stepped on the gas.

1st and 20 - gave up 15 yard pass
2nd and 20 - gave up a 20 yard pass
3rd and 16 - gave up a 20 yard pass
3rd and 13 - gave up a 22 yard pass.

I truly understand you can't go blitz crazy but there are times you need to try to generate something good. All of those plays occurred after they got the fake punt. They seized momentum and we had opportunities. A well timed blitz could lead to an turnover. We needed to do something. The Saints controlled then entire game after the 1st quarter. End of game stats show them having the ball 37 minutes to our 22. That is full quarter of football.

 

[Sparky]

But we still held saints to 20 points, if you knew tgat before game I think you would be happy...

 

[Orlando Eagles]

You make good points and I agree to a point.

For this game we had a much better secondary than we had to deal with early on in the season. I truly understand the point about injuries but the secondary has been playing better. We all have to agree on that. With that said the Saints changed up how they were blocking and we were not getting the pressure we needed. Schwartz needed to do something. I can understand not blitzing on 3rd and medium. There were instances where we them on more than 3rd and 10 and we needed to get pressure and it is in those few instances where we needed to blitz more.

Four Key plays IMO where we should have stepped on the gas.

1st and 20 - gave up 15 yard pass
2nd and 20 - gave up a 20 yard pass
3rd and 16 - gave up a 20 yard pass
3rd and 13 - gave up a 22 yard pass.

I truly understand you can't go blitz crazy but there are times you need to try to generate something good. All of those plays occurred after they got the fake punt. They seized momentum and we had opportunities. A well timed blitz could lead to an turnover. We needed to do something. The Saints controlled then entire game after the 1st quarter. End of game stats show them having the ball 37 minutes to our 22. That is full quarter of football.

I really cannot argue with this. We should have at least brought Hicks or Bradham as a fifth guy on some of those long ones. Brees can beat the blitz when they are geared for it. But we knew damn well the moment Avonte got smoked on a double move against Chicago that Brees and Payton were licking their chops. And it showed. I don't recall Avonte specifically getting beat by a double move in this game. But it highlights the point.....they were looking 10+ yards downfield all game. Some pressure could have shaken that up.

I could just see Schwartz did not want to run up a blitz and get beat for another score that put the game out of reach. It was perhaps too cautious....but oh well.

 

[eaglesnut]

Mills and LeBlanc signed cheaply through 2019. Douglass and Jones through 2020. McLeod signed through 2020. Maddox signed through 2021. Jenkins through...2020? Not sure with his restructure earlier this year.

Safety is going to be an issue, if it isn’t already. Can one of those guys play safety? Can we rely on Jenkins to stay healthy at age 32? Will McLeod be the same player once he’s healthy?

It's relatively easy to draft a scheme fitting #3 safety in the middle rounds.

We should and probably will do that.