FanPost

Eagles Film Breakdown: The Zach Ertz Attack is Back!

Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

[Editor's note: Promoted from the FanPosts.]

Welcome to Issue #6 of the Amateur Hour, Eagles Film Breakdown!
By: Shark Fighter & jose.cereza

Welcome to the Amateur Hour Eagles Breakdown! This week’s issue is on Mr. December himself, Zach Ertz! Besides being known for being Carson Wentz’s bestie and having a wife that is just as athletically gifted as he is (if not more so), Ertz has made a habit of showing up big… only in December. Well, not this year! Having some continuity at QB has done wonders for Ertz, allowing him to unlock his December powers much earlier, even starting the season with them. He’s basically playing with cheat codes out there! Ertz is 3rd in the NFL in yards (639), he’s tied at 2nd with Gronk for touchdowns (7), 3rd in 1st downs (36), and tied for 1st in plays over 40 yards (2). Simply put, he has been one of the top tight ends in the league this year so we thought it was time that he got his own breakdown.

As always, if you enjoy the article, please give us a rec, we really appreciate it! Also, we love having a discussion about the Eagles, so leave us a comment and let us know what you see that we might have missed!

ZACH ERTZ - PASS CATCHING

-Shark Fighter
Zach Ertz was quiet last week against Dallas, his first game back since missing time due to a hamstring issue. Well it looks like it only took one game for him to find his groove again. Ertz caught 10 passes on 12 targets for 103 yards and a touchdown.


[PHI 2-5 PHI 30] C.Wentz pass short left to Z.Ertz to PHI 38 for 8 yards. h6UgxJC.0.gif

I love watching Ertz run his routes. As a tight end, he doesn’t have great speed to create separation, so he has to do it with his route running, and he gets plenty here. You can see here at the top of his route that he looks hard towards the center of the field like he’s going to run a post. As soon as the corner turns his head and his hips, Ertz curls back and does a great job of catching a low pass from Wentz, who had several defenders in his face.


[PHI 3-10 CHI 44] C.Wentz pass short left to Z.Ertz to CHI 35 for 9 yards. zdph1lz.0.gif

Another thing that Ertz does well is finding holes in zone coverages and sitting in them. He does a 5 yard out route and just parks right between the linebacker and nickel corner. Wentz dumps it off for an easy 9 yards.


[PHI 1-10 CHI 33] C.Wentz pass short right to Z.Ertz to CHI 31 for 2 yards. rMvIaJc.0.gif

This is the same play that Ertz fumbled on last week on a 2-point conversion. Ertz crosses behind the offensive line, going away from the play action, and does a shallow slant into the flats. But there were a few things wrong with this play. Wentz throws it a little low and to the right of Ertz, who makes a great 1 handed catch, but this gives the pursuing linebacker enough time to close the gap and hold Ertz to a mere 2 yard gain. If that pass was put on Ertz I think he’s able to get at least 5 or 6 yards here.


[PHI 1-10 CHI 17] C.Wentz pass deep middle to Z.Ertz for 17 yards, TOUCHDOWN. vq7mjre.0.gif

Just like the first gif, Ertz does a fantastic job of giving the safety a little head nod to get him turned around and creating space for himself. Ertz and Wentz are making it look so easy, it’s like playing Madden on rookie mode.


[PHI 1-10 CHI 45] C.Wentz pass short left to Z.Ertz to CHI 32 for 13 yards. w3o3kIo.0.gif

If there’s one knock on Ertz’s pass catching abilities, it’s his YAC, or the lack thereof. He does a good job fighting off the linebacker to get open and make the catch, but that’s typically where the magic ends. He doesn’t have great speed compared to corners and safeties, so he might as well quit the east-to-west running and just get north-to-south. And I kinda forgot what broken tackles from a tight end looked like until Brent Celek got some more catches when Ertz was injured.


[PHI 1-10 CHI 47] C.Wentz pass short left to Z.Ertz to CHI 31 for 16 yards. lqLsQxo.0.gif

Ertz again does a great job here of finding a hole in the zone coverage and waiting for the ball. He kinda stops like a deer in the headlights when he sees a defender but I’ll take a nice 16 yard gain any day.


[PHI 3-10 PHI 27] C.Wentz pass short middle to Z.Ertz to PHI 49 for 22 yards. QlrwOuR.0.gif

The Bears send 5 defenders here and the linebacker runs out to cover the flats leaving the middle of the field completely vacant for Ertz… who then proceeds to pick up 12 yards after the catch. I’m not saying he never does it people, but it definitely ain’t his strong suit.


[PHI 2-4 CHI 45] C.Wentz pass short middle to Z.Ertz to CHI 35 for 10 yards. i8maKca.0.gif

One thing that I’ve been really impressed with are Ertz’s hands. He’s had some great catches as an Eagles and this game was no different. He has to stretch out for this ball a bit but still secures the catch.


[PHI 3-3 CHI 25] N.Foles pass short left to Z.Ertz to CHI 20 for 5 yards. AGqCpzx.0.gif

It’s hard to tell from this gif but this may have been one of his toughest catches of the game. Nick Foles does an excellent job of placing the ball where the defender can’t get to it and Ertz makes a tough catch with the cornerback coming over his shoulder to get the Eagles their first 100 yard receiver of the season.

ZACH ERTZ - BLOCKING

-jose.cereza
We’ve always known that Ertz was a great pass-catching tight end. It’s been a well-documented fact since his Stanford days. He personally ripped my heart out with an incredible catch against Oregon in 2012. You may google it if you wish, but for me, it’s still too soon. However, his ability to block has always been the weakest part of his game (that or YAC. I swear I’ve seen the wind tackle him). It cost him playing time when Chip Kelly was here. And we’ve been spoiled for years having Brent Celek, who excels as a blocking tight end even at this stage of his career. But, Ertz has come a long way.
[PHI 1-20 PHI 34] L.Blount up the middle to PHI 40 for 6 yards nL28OGw.0.gif

This play runs away from Ertz, but you can see his technique is sound as he turns the defender and effectively seals the lane had the run bounced back his way. Essentially, he did everything he was asked to on this play. You could argue that the defender was just holding Ertz there until the RB committed to a hole and then he was going to shuck him, but that’s easier said than done as we’ll see later.


[PHI 1-10 CHI 31] C.Clement right end to CHI 22 for 9 yards i5CIUaE.0.gif

Here we see Ertz get out in space and block the second level. He doesn’t exactly pancake him, but he gets a body in front of his man. Most importantly, he doesn’t give up on the play and continues to block as 47 pursues the play. Clement shows good awareness and patience and hits the hole that Ertz’s effort provided.


[PHI 1-10 PHI 38] L.Blount up the middle to CHI 49 for 13 yards HyyRBy4.0.gif

This was first run play of the day. It’s the exact same play as the first blocking play we showed here, just flipped. Ertz does exactly the same thing as he did in the first play, the only difference being that Blount bounced the run back his way which highlights just how well Zach had his man bottled up, and just how far he’s come as a blocker. If he gets beat there, then the DE has a chance to make a play on Blount. He doesn’t, though, and Blount rips off a 13 yard, untouched run.

Conclusion

Shark Fighter: I love the weapon that Ertz has become for Wentz and this offense. But that also comes with understanding what Ertz is, which is a big bodied wide receiver. He’s not great at blocking or breaking tackles, but he’s smart and gets open with excellent route running and has some great hands. When Ertz got an extension a couple years ago it was do or die time. He’s currently the 5th highest paid tight end and this year he’s been worth every penny. He’s 1st on the team for receiving yards at 639 (20 yards ahead of Alshon) and tied for 1st in touchdowns with 7. As a last note, I want everyone to know that I predicted that this would be Ertz’s real breakout season, which is why I picked him up early in our fantasy draft. Boo-yah.

jose.cereza: Zach Ertz will never be a "blocking TE". And we don’t want him to be (looking at you, Chip). But, you can see that the work he has put into it is paying off. I remember he was taking MMA/hand fighting lessons one offseason. I know he and Celek have worked on it ever since he got here. His willingness to not only block, but devote precious practice and offseason time to it, exemplifies what this team is all about. Not individual stats or glory. To paraphase Coach Pederson, not to win medals at the 18-19 miles marks of a marathon, but to finish the race in first place. And to do whatever the team needs to do it.

Bonus Breakdown

17-tobias-shower-crying.nocrop.w710.h2147483647.0.gif

A win by WASTEam over the Cowboys would officially clinch the division for the Eagles, but it never feels great to root for a division opponent. We recommend an immediate and strong shower afterwards. What do they scrub people down with that have been exposed to radiation? Use that stuff. You should probably shave your head too, don't risk infection. Of course an Eagles win on Sunday also clinches the division so feel free to just root for the other NFC East teams to destroy each other on Thursday night.

23843480_1756917344383216_651116671733851626_n.0.jpg

And on to Seattle...

Feel free to review some of our previous posts: