My observations from yesterdays game

[Taz]

Extremely tough loss. We outplayed them the entire game. Too many penalties, too many turnovers, bad play calling etc etc etc. Even with all that they are right there at the end.

1.Foles I really dont know what to say except this is growing pains. It seems like every bad throw he make now gets picked off. Last year he got away with some of them. But he is not Mike McMahon as some are making him out to be. He made some great throws yesterday, like the throw to Maclin. I thought he made some good decisions to throw the ball away. The one thing he did do well is he once again put his team in a position to win with less than two minutes left in the game. That is the reason why I am not giving up on him, its very hard to find a QB that can do that. The turnovers are killing me but he still is putting his team in a position to win and honestly they should be 7-0 right now. Others have to make plays around Foles he is never going to be Tom Brady. That is fine,, he is good enough though for us to win it all. We just need to have Cooper hang on the ball in the San Fran game and the defense to keep plays in front of them with less than two minutes left in the game and a lead

2. The officals were beyond terrible, we keep talking about having to challenge spots, well if the officals did their job correctly you would not need to challenge spots. I count 8 points directly attributed to poor spots by the officals. The spot early in the game where the guys knee hit 1 1/2 yards back from where it was spotted. Zona goes for three points if its spotted correctly now we should have stopped them after that but.... the other is the spot on Polks run, that was at the very least a 1st down but really should have been ruled a TD. That is an 8 point swing directly attribute to poor officating. Really this should not happen.

3. Chips play calling on 2nd down is really puzzling he is putting his team in poor situations on third down. Stop running sweeps on 2nd and 1 that lose two -three yards everytime. Putting you in 3rd and medium. Run it up the damn gut..

4. Chip needs to get a fullback on this team. So far they have lost two games because they can,t convert 3rd and short. Maybe they just need to use Burton instead as a fullback, either way just in those short yardage situation use a damn fullback, let McCoy or Polk or Sproles plow in behind them. Do something different because what you are doing now is not working and really it didnt work well last year either.

5. Nate Allen giveth making a great play on the strip fumble, then he giveth away biting on that double move. His job there is over the top coverage period. Let other in front stop him if he catches the ball on a deep in.

6. Love Cody Parkey.

7. We really missed Darrin Sproles yesterday, during that sequence where zona kept punting from their own 20 or less Sproles would have returned several of them much further than Maclin, who was just out there trying.

8. Maclin had a helluva game even after he was illegally hit on a leading with the helmet play

9. Billy Davis really had a good game plan yesterday but I hated the late passive play calls. You need to stay aggressive. Davis just seems to stop doing that too much.

 

[Iggloo]

Good stuff as usual Taz.

My reactions:

1. This team won a few games it should have lost. Yesterday it lost a game it should have won.

2. Anyone giving up on Foles is a moron. Foles is in his second season as a starter and is going through some growing pains. His footwork has gotten sloppy and he sometimes makes bad decisions. But he is still probably the best young QB prospect the Eagles have had in my lifetime. He led the team downfield and nearly came back to win it with a few seconds on the clock.

3. Shady on the other hand is a major source of frustration for me. He is a veteran player who needs to know better than to lose seven yards on crucial drives when we are close to being in FG range. I think we need to see more Chris Polk. Polk CLEARLY should have gotten that carry at the goal line near the end, as he is a way better short-yardage runner than McCoy.

4. Speaking of Polk, Chip needs to challenge that play near the goal line where it appeared Polk had the first down. As several people noted, he looked to have it, and there was zero downside to challenging that play at that time. I sometimes think Chip is so obsessed with fast tempo that he overlooks the obvious challenges because he thinks he can just surprise a team and score anyway. That play, perhaps more than any other, cost us this game. Four more downs there and we either score a TD or force Arizona to use their timeouts before kicking a FG.

5. Parkey is clearly the real deal. He is a great kickoff guy and has distance on his FGs. HUGE upgrade and looks to be the successor to David Akers we have been hoping for.

6. Nate Allen. Just when we thought maybe he was becoming OK he gives up an inexcusable TD. We have seen him not drop deep enough now on several occasions in games, giving up long scores. I think they would bench him if they had ANY options, but they don't.

7. Billy Davis is not to blame for this loss. His defense played very well overall. He's not responsible for a safety losing depth. That was not due to being passive, that was just a terrible individual play by a player. Keep in mind we were up four and just had to keep them out of the damn end zone there. Giving up a deep pass is totally inexcusable.

 

[old duke]

I think the reason for Foles' regressing, has a lot to do with him missing Bill Lazor, his QB coach last year. Musgrave has done nothing to correct his mechanics.

 

[Iggloo]

I think the reason for Foles' regressing, has a lot to do with him missing Bill Lazor, his QB coach last year. Musgrave has done nothing to correct his mechanics.

That's a very interesting point. I have always thought Musgrave was a hack.

 

[Darrell Green Fan]

I think Foles' regression is natural, considering his off the charts numbers from last year he had nowhere to go but down. I also didn't understand why Chip didn't spot that play near the goal line. I was on Red Zone Channel and didn't see all the replays but certainly close enough to challenge. That was one of the biggest plays of the game.

That Cards WR running under that late deep TD showed an mazing burst of speed, I thought for sure it was overthrown. Not sure if it was the game guy who outran a throw down the left sideline as well but I believe it was.

 

[swat]

Foles looks average at best these days. He is tough & can take hits but he often feels pressure that isnt there, makes some horrible throws & is constantly throwing off his back foot. Most definitely should have won that game. Not a question in my mind. He was the biggest reason we didnt.

Eli Manning is about what he is from what Ive seen. Capable of awesome games, pretty damn good in the clutch but can look absolutely horrible too. Biggest similarity is the turnover issue.

If we want to go anywhere with Foles, the D has to be damn good & he has to get hot. Basically how the NYG won their last 2 SBs. Chip may not have patience for that though. He may start looking for a different QB if Foles keeps turning it over. Especially when they are unforced.

Huff turnover was huge. Not trying long FG before half was stupid imo. Nate Allen continues to suck. WE NEED Kelce & Mathis back BIGTIME.

 

[Speedy]

This loss comes down to three people.

1. Chip kelly ran the ball well, and abandoned the run to ket his struggling qb lose it for us. This ghost of andy reid stuff is getting old.

2. Carey williams... he gave up his 9th td yesterday... nuff said.

3. Nick foles, I hate to say it, but he has kolb syndrome... he took too much punishment in college, and the beginning of his young career, and now every play he is seeing a hit comming, thats not even their. He threw off his back foot all game long, even when he was out of the pocket (which is crazy becuase its EASIER to step and drive while running, its almost unatural to throw off tge back foot WHILE RUNNING FORWARD) and every game he is soooo late on his throws. Our guys get open, but foles is unwilling to let it go until AFTER they make a break. Im convinced, a better qb would have up 7-0 and winning games by 30 points.

our defense has top 5 talent, but we have a MAJOR chink in our armor. Carey williams and nate allen, but moreso williams. We need to sit williams, start Carroll and look for a SS.

 

[Taz]

Speedy top 5 talent on the defense? I dont see that at all. We have a good defensive line, a decent set of linebackers but we have a hard time getting pressure without blitz and can`t cover very well.

 

[Speedy]

It just shows that football is a team game, and carey fvcking williams is killing us.

 

[Iggloo]

I think Foles took a lot of hits and doesn't trust this interior line. He was backpedaling all the time in this game, even when the pressure was not there. It was in his head.

 

[Wings]

I know Foles has been without his starting o-linemen for much of the year, and I know he has been banged up, but there is no excuse for him not stepping up into the pocket to make a throw. The Eagles must determine if this kid is gonna be signed to a big contract long term, and right now... I'd say no. I will also bet that Chip wants to see Sanchez run his offense. Mark Sanchez has the pedigree, he was an absolute Stud Qb in college and was drafted by a team and coach that has had no success building an offense. Perhaps Sanchez looks like the next Drew Bress in Chip Kellys offense, I know he looked impressive in the preseason. He made very quick reads, he stepped into his throws and delivered a good ball with nice velocity on it. You can mark me down for wanting to see Sanchez "if" Foles has a repeat performance next week, still throwing off his back foot, still making costly turnovers.

 

[northeastphillyguy]

Quite simply we need to run more. Polk should have had more carries. When QB has to throw over 60 passes it is not good. Also should have gone for a TD at goal line stand and not field goal. IMO. This was a team loss along with Kellys play calling.

 

[Caliskinsfan]

Seems like a fair evaluation of Foles can't be done until Yall get your A players back on the Oline.

The trenches matter.

 

[Iggloo]

Polk told reporters today that he thought he scored on that run btw. He said he didn't think his knee was down until the very end.

 

[Speedy]

Put me on the "foles has one more week" list as well. If we wont step into his throws at this point he needs to sit down and watch a qb that will. Even a decent qb could have us 7-0 at this point.

 

[DutchBird]

Seems like a fair evaluation of Foles can't be done until Yall get your A players back on the Oline.

The trenches matter.

To some extent, yes - but most of the time the trenches have not been the biggest problem. Holding on too long, not setting his feet and just stupid throws are mostly unconnected to the trenches. In pass pro, the O-line has been surprisingly good despite all injuries. IIRC since the Washington game he has been sacked only 2 times... Even yesterday there were numerous times where he made it much harder on himself, sprinting out of the pocket, not stepping up, and simply not setting his feet. None of the interceptions (either against the Cards or the Giants, had anything to do with the O-line, they were 100% Foles. Honestly, they were as bad as anything Eli or Romo has done over the years...

 

[Caliskinsfan]

Agreed, the foot mechanics do seem to be a real issue.

He was rattled last year when pass rushing got good pressure... Now it seems that has expanded to perceived pressure. Just feels like he doesn't trust that line to protect him.

 

[Livewire]

I know Foles has been without his starting o-linemen for much of the year, and I know he has been banged up, but there is no excuse for him not stepping up into the pocket to make a throw. The Eagles must determine if this kid is gonna be signed to a big contract long term, and right now... I'd say no. I will also bet that Chip wants to see Sanchez run his offense. Mark Sanchez has the pedigree, he was an absolute Stud Qb in college and was drafted by a team and coach that has had no success building an offense. Perhaps Sanchez looks like the next Drew Bress in Chip Kellys offense, I know he looked impressive in the preseason. He made very quick reads, he stepped into his throws and delivered a good ball with nice velocity on it. You can mark me down for wanting to see Sanchez "if" Foles has a repeat performance next week, still throwing off his back foot, still making costly turnovers.

This was my last week for Foles. I gave him the bye to get his shit together but after yesterday I am ready to see what Sanchez can do with this offence.

I love the kid and wanted him to be the man but he's not improving and just missing way too many throws

 

[Screamin Eagle]

I think the reason for Foles' regressing, has a lot to do with him missing Bill Lazor, his QB coach last year. Musgrave has done nothing to correct his mechanics.

Foles hated Lazor because Lazor kept pushing him hard to do better which is one of the reasons he isn't here. Musgrave.....????

 

[Iggloo]

I know Foles has been without his starting o-linemen for much of the year, and I know he has been banged up, but there is no excuse for him not stepping up into the pocket to make a throw. The Eagles must determine if this kid is gonna be signed to a big contract long term, and right now... I'd say no. I will also bet that Chip wants to see Sanchez run his offense. Mark Sanchez has the pedigree, he was an absolute Stud Qb in college and was drafted by a team and coach that has had no success building an offense. Perhaps Sanchez looks like the next Drew Bress in Chip Kellys offense, I know he looked impressive in the preseason. He made very quick reads, he stepped into his throws and delivered a good ball with nice velocity on it. You can mark me down for wanting to see Sanchez "if" Foles has a repeat performance next week, still throwing off his back foot, still making costly turnovers.

I think Foles would have to lose three straight for there to even be a chance that Sanchez would get the nod. At 5-2 I think the odds of this team changing QBs is close to nil. If they get to 5-4 and certainly, 5-5, you may see it, but I doubt that happens.

Right now, it looks like the decision to sign Foles to a long-term deal is going to be an extremely tough one for Howie. I suspect he gets a long-term deal. But Howie better sign him to a Colin Kaepernick style contract with plenty of out clauses!