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Let's get to the links...
The Hurry Up: Eagles at the bye - Jimmy Kempski, Philly.com
On this week's episode of The Hurry Up, Philly.com's Jimmy Kempski chats with CineSport's Brian Clark about the Eagles' first 11 games and Philly's chances of winning the NFC East.
Now and Then - Tommy Lawlor, Iggles Blitz
Back in 1995 the Eagles got off to a 1-3 start. New coach Ray Rhodes benched franchise QB Randall Cunningham and the team went 9-3 the rest of the way. Rhodes had a variety of role players step up for him that year. It remains one of my favorite Eagles teams and football seasons because of how strange it was. That roster was as unique a group as I can remember. This year the Eagles have a new coach. They started 1-3. The franchise QB didn’t get benched, but a new QB took over and the team got hot behind him. This roster is much more stable than the 1995 team, but still is an interesting, diverse group. Both coaches were able to get good performances from a variety of players. There is one huge difference. Rhodes caught lightning in a bottle. He had a veteran roster that was built for the short term. Kelly has a young team. He’s getting production from young role players. These are players who can be part of the future as well as the present.
Contain, Pressure and Luck: How the Eagles Slowed the Redskins Attack - ChipWagon
Last weekend was a big win. Puts us in sole possession of first place (even for but a week) and was great to see another solid performance from the offense. However, the thing to get really excited about, was once again another solid showing by the defense. This was a bit more of a meaningful data point for me since the Redskins had a very good offense coming in and as poorly as RGIII seems to be playing in comparison to last year, he's a much tougher opponent than Scott Tolzien and Terrelle Pryor (or was he?)
Folesmania is Passing Wild Over the League - Dave Mangels
So here we are at the bye, with the Eagles in first place and one big question on everyone’s mind: Is Nick Foles for real? Foles has taken more shots downfield than anyone, but he isn’t completing them at an unsustainable rate or with unsustainable efficiency, which indicates it’s no fluke. What’s keeping Foles ahead of the pack is consistent and efficient distribution of short passes to go with great deep passing. No one else in the top five of passer rating has both. Those with a strong deep game are not consistent short. Those consistent short don’t have the deep game Foles does. So opposing defenses are in a dilemma. If a defense takes away the deep ball, it does so at the expense of openings elsewhere, either against the Eagles tremendous run game or the short pass, which Foles is already completing with high efficiency. Tighten up against the short passes and he’ll keep dropping bombs and it’s game over. Oh and when Foles does run it, he is more efficiently than Wilson, Cam Newton, Colin Kaepernick, Terrelle Pryor and many others. Pick your poison. When the interceptions come, and they will, so long as they aren’t heavily to one section of the field, he’ll be fine. Look at the distribution of INTs among the other QBs: Brees is the only one with multiple INTs to one section, and it is the section with the most attempts.
Prospect Watch: Top 20 NFL mock draft - CSN Philly
20. Philadelphia Eagles -- Trent Murphy, OLB, Stanford, No. 93
The Eagles' defense is steadily improving under Billy Davis but still doesn't get enough pressure from outside linebackers Trent Cole, Connor Barwin and Brandon Graham. Barwin is going to be here in 2014, but there's no guarantee either Cole or Graham will return. Murphy isn't quite the pass rusher Clemson's Vic Beasley is, but he's a much better all-around player. He's terrific against the run and can hold his own against RBs and TEs in coverage. He has the ideal size (6-6/260) for the position and is tough as nails. One of my favorite players in the draft.
Watching Game Film with Chip Kelly - SmartFootball
It’s been fun this season seeing how Chip Kelly’s offense has translated to the NFL — how he’s evolved what he did at Oregon for professional players and multiple quarterbacks, how defenses have responded, and how his Eagles have responded to those responses. At 6-5 the Eagles are both in position to make the playoffs but on no one’s Super Bowl radar; it’s a transition season, and with some clear downs as well as ups, it’s been an overall productive one headed into December. But another fun element has been that Kelly has — whether graciously or against his will, I’m not sure — submitted to a number of quick film breakdowns of various plays throughout the season, and he’s been fairly honest and open as he’s covered not only his famous spread-to-run concepts but also more traditional play-action, screens, and even some defense and special teams. I’ve collected links to most of the better ones below, though note that some of them are longer videos where Kelly’s Xs and Os session is only one part, and the rest can largely be ignored and is sometimes a bit misleading.