clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

The Linc - Chip Kelly defends Riley Cooper

Philadelphia Eagles news and links for 12/9/2014.

Norm Hall/Getty Images

Social Media Information:

BGN Facebook Page:

BGN Twitter:

Philly sports attire: Check out Philly Phaithful!

Manager: Brandon Lee Gowton

Let's get to the links...

Chip Stands Up For Cooper - Birds 24/7
"Well that’s not Coop’s fault either," said Kelly when a reporter brought up the dip in yards per catch. "The ball has to be thrown to him in certain situations. We’re facing a lot more zone coverage this year than we had last year. People played us in a ton more man last year than they did this year. Obviously we set a record for explosive plays in the National Football League. I don’t think that’s going to be the same thing going in so people play a lot more off man and play off of us more than they did a year ago. But I don’t think that has anything to do with Coop’s ability. You look at the catch total, he’s one off of where he was with three games to go from last year and he has two drops."

Life of Riley - Iggles Blitz
Riley Cooper played his way from pariah to legit starting wide receiver in 2013. He and Nick Foles had excellent chemistry and Coop averaged 17.8 yards per catch. He had 8 TD grabs. The Eagles signed him to a good-sized contract in the offseason and life was all hunky dory. But then the 2014 season began.

Eagle Eye: Cox, Kendricks Dominate - PE.com
Sunday’s game was obviously a disappointing loss for a couple of different reasons. It was the first home loss of the season and a chance to make a statement against one of the best teams in the entire league and defending Super Bowl champions. On defense, the third-down issues were deflating at times, especially with how well the unit as a whole played for a large majority of the game (and I’m not overplaying that fact - the defense was really, really impressive, especially against the run).

Tough questions at quarterback for Eagles - Inquirer
In truth, it has been difficult to differentiate between Sanchez and Foles. Both of them have been guilty of committing too many turnovers and coming up small against elite defensive teams. Sanchez was no worse against Seattle than Foles was against San Francisco.

Why The Eagles Still Can’t Run The Ball and Analysis vs Seattle - EPG
If a team is going to have success running the ball it starts up front with the offensive line. When the Eagles have had success the guys up front have performed well and the times they haven’t the offensive line has struggled.  One reason is the better defensive players in the NFL are recognizing the play before the snap of the ball based on the Eagles offensive alignment and are beating the Eagles offensive line to the point of attack before the line can block them. Another reason is that they are giving too much ground on outside zone plays where causes McCoy to cut back or bounce the run outside. The third reason is the offensive line is not holding their blocks and letting the defender to shed the block and make the tackle.

Baldwin on Fletcher pass interference: 'I wanted to run into him' - CSN Philly
The game-clinching touchdown for Seattle against the Eagles came when Doug Baldwin beat Malcolm Jenkins for a 23-yard score in the third. But almost half of the yardage on the 91-yard drive came when Baldwin drew a 44-yard pass interference call on Eagles left cornerback Bradley Fletcher.

It was a long day for the Eagles on third down - Daily News
The Eagles' third-down playcalling was very conservative, perhaps expressing Chip Kelly's limited faith in the skills of quarterback Mark Sanchez. Several times, the Eagles either ran the ball on third-and-long, or they threw short passes that seemed to have no chance of moving the sticks. Obviously, against the best defense in the NFL, third-and-long is a bad place to be.

Jay Gruden is reading players' tweets in team meetings, is always watching - SB Nation
This is hilarious.

Sign up for the newsletter Sign up for the Bleeding Green Nation Daily Roundup newsletter!

A daily roundup of all your Philadelphia Eagles news from Bleeding Green Nation