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Dez Bryant gets 'emotional,' exits Cowboys' loss early - NFL.com
Dez Bryant left the field with 1:21 remaining in the Dallas Cowboys' 37-36 loss to the Green Bay Packers on Sunday. The Isaiah Thomas-esque move is a no-no within the NFL community. "Dez Bryant leaving the field was absolutely, 100 percent, positively wrong. Can't do it under any circumstances," NFL Media analyst and Cowboys' Hall of Fame cornerback Deion Sanders said on NFL Network.
Eagles failed to sustain recent defensive red zone success against the Vikings - JimmyK, Philly.com
The Eagles' red zone success on defense was a major reason why they haven't allowed a team to score more than 21 points against them in 9 games. Against the Vikings, the Eagles allowed 48 points to a Vikings offense missing Adrian Peterson and other key contributors. Why? Because the Vikings executed on 5 of their 6 trips inside the red zone. Opposing offenses during the 5 game win streak often did not execute.
Great Expectations - Tommy Lawlor, Iggles Blitz
I’ve said all year that this is a flawed, but talented team. That was the case at 1-0, 3-5 and 8-5. Any time you have a new coach, there are going to be some weak spots. He won’t have the personnel just the way he wants them. Players will still be adapting to his way of doing things, as well as the new schemes. And in this case, the coach is learning about life in the NFL. The Eagles offense is good enough to score on anyone. The defense is bad enough to give up points to anyone. I don’t know what the ceiling for this team is since they haven’t been tested by a top team in a long time. Clearly the Eagles can lose to anyone that has a functional QB.
Kelly: 'No excuses' after questionable calls - Zach Berman, Inquirer
The flight home from Minneapolis lasted about 2 and 1/2 hours, and even news of the defeat of the Dallas Cowboys did not provide much relief for Eagles coach Chip Kelly after a 48-30 loss to the Minnesota Vikings. The next day wasn't much better.After defeats, Mondays are unforgiving for NFL coaches and Kelly was experiencing that agony for the first time since October.
Unleashing Desean - ChipWagon
Desean's first year with Chip Kelly has been a massive success. After yesterday, he's reached career highs in receptions, yards and TDs with 2 games remaining. He's done that despite having to play with 3 different QBs, and he's done it a more well-rounded way than his production in the past. In short, Desean has gotten the ball all over the field and made things happen. All that said, Kelly hasn't done anything particularly exotic with Desean. He's largely played WR, there have not been a lot of gimmick plays, and he's just been beating his man or zone coverage to the turn of big yards. Then yesterday happened. Desean exploded for 10 catches 195 yards and a TD. And it could have been even better. More importantly to the context of this post, Desean had this success largely based on game-planning and scheming.
The Eagles, Matt Cassel and the unpredictability of the NFL - Andrew Kulp, The700Level
Over the course of a season, there are always going to be weeks that remind us we can never be too sure about anything in the NFL. A club that’s won five straight loses to an inferior opponent missing its best player. A defense that’s held nine consecutive teams to 21 points or less gets tagged for 48 by a replacement-level quarterback. The Philadelphia Eagles are neither immune to that phenomenon nor different from anybody else. This season alone, we’ve seen Nick Foles tie a league record with seven touchdown passes in a game, and we’ve seen him complete a putrid 37 percent of his passes in another, which are the kind of unexplainable highs and lows that still leave people scratching their head.
Eagles' secondary now facing major questions - Geoff Mosher, CSN Philly
In a complete meltdown, the Eagles' secondary was shredded by Matt Cassel, who passed for 382 yards and two touchdowns. Crisis emerged at both corner and safety, where all four starters struggled. At corner, Cary Williams was toasted more than once, penalized for roughness and eventually sat for reserve Roc Carmichael. Slot cornerback Brandon Boykin left to be checked for a head injury and never returned. At safety, Patrick Chung got benched after a first-quarter touchdown, Kurt Coleman missed tackles and then got injured, and Colt Anderson had a huge third-down mishap before he left with an injury, leaving the coaches with no choice but to go back to Chung.
BGN Radio: Eagles vs. Vikings 2013 Recap