Eagles News: Big V played “extremely well” in the NFC Championship Game

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Eagles OT Halapoulivaati Vaitai shut down Everson Griffen in NFC Championship win - PhillyVoice
“I thought Big V played extremely well,” Pederson said. “Extremely well. We did help him from time to time, but there were also times when he had to be on an island and block a tremendous defensive end who has had a heck of a year. I had a lot of confidence in V, and obviously, there are things we’ve seen in him, his maturity, his growth as a left tackle, and he played extremely well last night.” I went back and looked at the game, and on the night, Griffen had two tackles, two quarterback hits, and no sacks. Only one of those quarterback hits came against Vaitai, and it was on a play in which Griffen got no pressure whatsoever, but Nick Foles ran into him on his own while unloading the football.

Nick Foles comes up BIG to lead Eagles to Super Bowl 52 - BGN
The newest edition of BGN Radio is here! (Episode #295). In this episode, we talk about the fact that the Eagles are GOING TO THE SUPER BOWL!

Winning Up Front - Iggles Blitz
As good as Nick Foles was on Sunday night, the Eagles won that game up front. The O-line got the best of the Vikings defense. The D-line limited Minnesota’s run game and kept Case Keenum under regular pressure. Foles had excellent pass protection. He was able to finish 26 for 33 for 352 yards and you don’t do that if you’re running for your life. He was sacked once and hit a few other times, but largely had a clean pocket to work from.

The Eagles’ Super Bowl Upset Bid Begins With Fletcher Cox and a Deep Defensive Line - The Ringer
If Foles looks anything close to how he looked against the Vikings, it’ll go a long way toward helping the Eagles beat Brady and the Pats. But failing that, the Eagles’ best chance for pulling off the upset is to get after the four-time Super Bowl MVP early and often, force him off his spot, make him rush his throws, and put him on the ground. And they’re going to have to do it with their front four, bringing pressure from the guys lined up on the edge as well as the interior. As Cox put it on Sunday, “If we’ve got to blitz, we’ve got a problem.”

Good Nick or Bad Nick: Who shows up for Super Bowl LII? - ESPN
While Foles’ numbers looked superficially good heading into this Vikings game, his underlying play hadn’t matched up. Foles had two interceptions to his name, but that number should have been closer to five or six. The Giants dropped two stone-cold Foles interceptions in his debut as a starter and might have had a third with some luck. Reggie Nelson dropped a would-be pick before grabbing one later in the victory over the Raiders. Against the Falcons, famously, a pressured Foles lobbed up a duck that somehow bounced off Keanu Neal and into the arms of Torrey Smith for a 20-yard gain, which helped set up what would eventually be a crucial field goal just before halftime. Every quarterback is lucky enough to have some interceptions hit the ground, but before Sunday, Foles’ luck had been more generous than most.

Doug Pederson’s Trust In His Players Paying Off - PE.com
By mid-day on Monday, head coach Doug Pederson his coaches were already deep into planning for Super Bowl LII and the New England Patriots. The lingering euphoria from Sunday’s NFC Championship Game had transitioned to game prep ...

Eagles vs. Patriots: 3 Reasons the wrong team is favored to win the Super Bowl - PennLive
Philadelphia runs the football better than New England does. The Eagles were third in the NFL in rushing offense during the regular season, racking up 132.2 yards per game. The Patriots were tenth in the league at running it, averaging 118.1 rush yards per contest. Running the football effectively allows the Eagles to control the game clock. It’s a big reason why they topped the league in time of possession this year. Powering the ball with running backs Jay Ajayi, Legarrette Blount, and Corey Clement will set up Nick Foles’ play action passes and precision downfield throws.

Mr. Popularity Brent Celek finally living Super Bowl dream - NBC Sports Philadelphia
In his 11th season, Brent Celek is finally on his way to a Super Bowl. The most popular guy in the Eagles’ locker room ended his personal eight-year wait to win a playoff game last weekend and on Sunday, in his 183rd career game, he walked off the field at the Linc knowing the Super Bowl was next. ”He’s one of my closest friends on the team,” Jason Kelce said. “What he’s been through in his career — he’s the ultimate unselfish guy and he really represents what this team is about, maybe better than anybody. ”For a guy to have been with an organization this long and finally get an opportunity like we’re going to get in the next two weeks, I’m very happy for him.”

Eagles’ Malcolm Jenkins is sending ex-juvenile lifer Kempis Songster to the Super Bowl - Philly.com
Kempis Songster was released last month after more than 30 years in prison for a murder he committed as a teenager. Now, he’s going to the Super Bowl, courtesy of Eagles safety Malcolm Jenkins. As the Eagles’ nominee for the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year, Jenkins was allotted two tickets to the Super Bowl to give to anyone he wanted, said his spokeswoman, Kristi Roehm. Jenkins chose Songster and is paying the travel and hotel expenses in Minneapolis for Songster and his fiancée, said Dan Levy, community relations manager for the Eagles.

Rasul Douglas’ incredible journey to the NFL inspired by hard work - NFL Player Engagement
Nothing ever came easy for Rasul Douglas and that was fine with the Philadelphia Eagles cornerback. The harder he had to work, the more he knew he was going to make it. Douglas grew up in East Orange, New Jersey, the fifth of seven children raised by his grandmother. “I mean it was cool,’’ Douglas said. “We were never bored. There was always someone around to hang out with and do stuff.’’ Mike Davis, Douglas’ Little League baseball coach and a mentor for at-risk youths in East Orange, played a big role in Rasul’s early years. “He was the one who took me out of the streets,’’ Douglas said. “He made sure we did what we had to do.’’

Who did the Eagles think about when they realized they were going to the Super Bowl? - The Athletic
Fletcher Cox: “My brother. That’s the biggest part about this thing right now. It’s kind of hard for me right now. I just wish he was here to watch it, but I know he’s watching over me. And that’s the first person I thought about. That’s all he used to talk about, ‘Man, I wanna come to a Super Bowl game.’ And it’s kind of hard. A lot of people are asking me what’s wrong with me, but that’s the biggest thing wrong with me right now.”

3 awful calls by refs that cost the Jaguars the game - Big Cat Country
Pass interference? Myles Jack was down? Celebrating after Patriots touchdowns? Come on...

Ohio State co-offensive coordinator Ryan Day expected to stay in Columbus - Land-Grant Holy Land
Former Eagles QB coach was linked to the Titans’ OC job.

Report: Dave Gettleman still wants Eli Manning as Giants’ QB - Big Blue View
A report Sunday from Chris Mortensen of ESPN makes it more likely that Eli Manning will return for a 14th season as New York Giants’ quarterback in 2018. Mortensen reported that GM Dave Gettleman “reaffirmed his desire” for Manning to be the team’s quarterback next season when the GM and QB met recently. Gettleman had first expressed that in his introductory press conference, saying “if what I saw (against) Philadelphia was not a mirage, and I don’t believe it was, then we’ll just keep moving.”

How we got another Eagles vs. Patriots Super Bowl - SB Nation
The best offensive line made the Super Bowl. It’s important to build up the trenches. The Eagles’ offensive line has carried the offense since Wentz went down. They dominated a great Vikings’ defensive line at the Linc last night. Credit the coaches for getting backup left tackle Halapoulivaati Vaitai ready to play and making adjustments to give him the help needed.

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