Eagles News: 2 players named to PFF’s Week 1 All-NFL team

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PFF’s Week 1 NFL Team of the Week - PFF
Right Tackle: Lane Johnson, Philadelphia Eagles – 76.7. Johnson wasn’t perfect in pass protection, allowing three total pressures from 42 pass-blocking snaps, but he was solid both in that regard and as a run blocker. He produced the ninth-highest run-blocking grade at the position and had a key block on one of the Eagles touchdown runs. Interior Defensive Lineman: Fletcher Cox, Philadelphia Eagles – 91.8. Continuing right where he left off in 2017, Cox was dominant in the season opener against the Atlanta Falcons. From 48 snaps as a pass-rusher, he picked up seven total pressures, including a sack and three quarterback hits.

11 takeaways from NFL Week 1 - BGN
Allow me to attempt to alleviate your worries a little bit. As divisional opponents, the Bucs and Saints typically always play each other tough. This is something I even hinted at prior to this week’s game, so I’m not just saying that in hindsight. Including yesterday, eight out of the last nine Saints-Bucs meetings have been one-possession affairs. The Bucs are 4-5 in those nine games. Make no mistake, the Bucs have some legitimate weapons. The Eagles know one of them all too well, although DeSean Jackson did suffer a concussion and might not be able to play. We’ll see. It goes without saying that the Eagles might need more than just 18 points from their offense this week. I can’t help but feel their defense will fare significantly better against Tampa Bay’s offense than the Saints’ did, though.

Off Topic Tuesday #3: Twitter Mailbag Edition - BGN Radio
Michael Kist and Alexis Chassen talk everything from least favorite Eagles of all-time, to 100 duck sized horses and Sam Darnold’s shaky start to his NFL career. Tons of your questions answered on a Tuesday!

Fletcher Cox was a beast against the Falcons, with gifs and stuff - PhillyVoice
On Thursday night against the Atlanta Falcons, Cox was a menace in the middle of the Eagles’ defense. The following is video of Cox’s most disruptive moments, of which there were many, followed by analysis thereafter.

Find Me a WR! - Iggles Blitz
Injuries were also a regular issue for Perriman in Baltimore. Could the Sports Science staff have any impact on that? I haven’t studied his injury history to know if that group would be of much help. As for the hands, you never know when a change of scenery and coaching can help something like that. Usually it doesn’t, but it can’t hurt to take a look and see what they think of Perriman. The Eagles are checking these players out. That doesn’t mean they will definitely sign one. One benefit could be that the current receivers get the message loud and clear…play better or else. Guys like Mike Wallace, Markus Wheaton and Shelton Gibson have talent. They need to perform on the practice field, in the classroom and in games.

LB Nigel Bradham: ‘I’m Gonna Be A Wild Man’ - PE.com
“I’m going to be back to doing my thing,” he said. “I’m working on my game every day. The guys picked it up and now I’m here to do my part. I see us as being stacked. We’re only going to get better and better.” That starts Sunday in Tampa, about a two-hour drive from Bradham’s hometown of Crawfordville, Florida. He’s got family and friends and his high school coach attending. It’s his 2018 debut, and there is no stopping Bradham now. He’s here to stay. All systems are go. And he will be tough to contain all week with his energy level. Come game time ... “I’m gonna be a wild man,” he said. “That’s the plan. Balls out, 100 percent every play and do what I’m supposed to do and make plays and be impactful.”

All-22: Jason Peters’ return, Seumalo’s role and ‘jab duo’ - The Athletic
Peters took the field Thursday night for his 15th NFL season. Before kickoff, he stood next to Jason Kelce and admired the Super Bowl banner that had been unveiled at The Linc. Last year was the first time that Peters was on an Eagles team that won a playoff game. But he didn’t get to participate in the postseason. That’s part of the reason why he came back. Peters wants to be on the field for another run in January. And in Week 1, he showed he still has plenty left in the tank.

Doug Pederson: Jay Ajayi to be ‘workhorse’ for Eagles - ESPN
It’s unlikely he’ll get the same volume of work as he did in ‘16, however. Ajayi has long been dealing with cartilage issues in his right knee. The Eagles will want to be smart with how much they use him so that he’s effective late in the season. Pederson favors running back rotations anyway in the name of keeping his guys fresh, as do most coaches in the modern NFL. But as Pederson laid out the roles of his top three backs -- Ajayi, Sproles, Clement -- it became evident that he sees Ajayi as the front man.

After some early struggles, Mike Wallace says Philadelphia Eagles offense finding its comfort zone - PennLive
“I think we’ll be fine,” Wallace said Monday. “It’s just finding your ground, finding the comfort zone of the team. I think our run was doing pretty good, guys were making big plays. Those will come. I’ve been playing for a long time. I’m not panicking over one game. I think we’ll be fine. I think those big plays will come from everybody. No one had the big plays that they wanted -- not myself, not [wide receiver Nelson Agholor], not [tight end Zach] Ertz, nobody -- so it was one game, but we won, so that’s all that matters.”

Starting 0-2 and Week 2 Elimination Games - Optimum Scouting
Because only about a third of the league makes the playoff, with the playoff standard essentially being a 10-6 record, going 0-2 means having to win 10 of your next 14 games for a playoff spot. Going 10-4 in 14 games is a goal that most teams would fall short of, let alone the types of teams that begin the season with a 0-2 record. This is one reason why this trend, despite it being a small sample, is a juggernaut. [BLG Note: Barring a tie, either the Giants or Cowboys will be 0-2 after Sunday Night Football in Week 2.]

The Starting 11: Which QB First Impressions Are Worth Trusting? - The Ringer
If it’s logical to expect the Niners to improve outside the bear trap of U.S. Bank Stadium, the opposite is true for Ryan Fitzpatrick and the Buccaneers. Fitzpatrick jumped all over the Saints’ defense on Sunday with 417 yards and four passing touchdowns in a 48–40 win, but let’s not celebrate the return of Fitzmagic just yet. The Saints’ defense was bound for a step back in 2018 after its massive turnaround last season, and the secondary (particularly cornerback Ken Crawley) looked lost against DeSean Jackson and Mike Evans. The Bucs may be a bit better on offense with Fitzpatrick than we expected — and Sunday showed that Jameis Winston’s days as the Bucs starter may be numbered — but Fitzpatrick is 35 years old and two years removed from a season in which he threw 12 touchdowns and 17 interceptions. I know how this movie ends.

Deiondre’ Hall happy to taste victory with the Eagles – even if he wasn’t exactly there - Daily News
Deiondre’ Hall said Carson Wentz was “one of the first faces I saw when I got into the building,” after Hall was acquired from the Chicago Bears for a conditional seventh-round draft pick on cutdown day. Hall practiced Monday for the first time with the Eagles, a week late because of an NFL suspension. Hall, a safety who will wear No. 36, took the roster spot of Tre Sullivan, who got pulled into a bouncing, live punt Thursday night, creating a turnover in the season opener. Hall said he is happy to be Wentz’s teammate after competing against him for Northern Iowa, when Wentz was at North Dakota State, and in Wentz’s second NFL game, a 29-14 Eagles win in 2016. Hall did not say whether Wentz gave him any information regarding the quarterback’s return from knee surgery. ”I haven’t stopped smiling since I’ve been here,” said Hall, who is 6-foot-2, 206. “A little bit different culture, but it’s a winning culture, and that’s really good for me. I think I have eight total wins [in 10 Bears games over two seasons], to come in and already have a win under my belt – even if I wasn’t a part of it, I was still on the team, so it counts.”

Returns of Jason Peters, Jordan Hicks, Darren Sproles a great sign for Eagles - NBCSP
The Eagles kicked off their 2018 season Thursday night against the Falcons with a big 18-12 win and they did it without starting quarterback Carson Wentz. While they’re obviously missing Wentz, the Eagles did get back three big pieces of their team Thursday night. Jason Peters, Jordan Hicks and Darren Sproles all returned and had really good games. That’s a great sign for the 2018 Eagles.

Jets 48 Lions 17: A Perfect Start to a New Era - Gang Green Nation
Sam Darnold: I can’t imagine it’s easy making your first NFL start as a 21 year old on the road on national television. The task probably seems more daunting for a youngster who throws an ugly pick six on his first attempt. Darnold showed a lot of composure after that, bouncing back to play a solid game. He made a lot of good reads and accurate if unsexy throws. After not showing up the deep ball in the preseason, he hit Robby Anderson on a 41 yarder for his first career touchdown pass. I thought his most impressive drive came in the third quarter after the Lions tied the game at 17. The game felt like it might have been shifting away from the Jets, but Darnold put together a touchdown drive, hitting all 3 of his passes to go with an interference penalty. The Jets scored to take the lead, and a deluge followed.

Atlanta Falcons sign former Philadelphia Eagles DE Steven Means - The Falcoholic
After being selected by the Buccaneers in 2013, Means has seen time in Baltimore and Philadelphia. In his career, Means has 12 tackles, two sacks and a forced fumble. He’s appeared in 14 games from 2015-2017. Apparently, this guy was a call away from making the 53-man roster with the Eagles. This preseason, Means had three sacks in the finale against the Jets. His PFF grade was a 62, but his run defense, pass rush, and coverage were all ranked “high quality.” It appears we’ve got ourselves a guy who realistically could see snaps.

League hopes to keep building trust with players on social equality issues - PFT
Per multiple reports, the NFL and NFL Players Association aren’t expected to strike a deal regarding the anthem policy any time soon, if at all this year. And the NFL may be in the process of accepting that reality. A source with knowledge of the league’s thinking on this issue tells PFT that, currently, the NFL hopes to build trust with players on social equality issues more than it worries about reaching a deal regarding the anthem policy. And the league believes that, gradually, more and more trust is indeed being developed, with the goal of building even more and more of it as the parties periodically meet to discuss the issues.

Embarrassing - Pride Of Detroit
Jim Caldwell was fired for this. I get reasons why you might not like the pedigree of Caldwell’s background, but if you’re here to argue about why the results he put out were enough to replace him I don’t want to hear it. A Caldwell-led Lions squad would have never looked like this. Yes, they looked better when they got stomped by the Cardinals even. I would put money on it, and I happen to owe quite a bit in student loans right now too!

4 plays that show how Ryan Fitzpatrick lit up the Saints - SB Nation
Ryan Fitzpatrick hasn’t exactly been the most consistent player throughout his NFL career, but he was able to tap into the Fitzmagic in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ surprising 48-40 win over the New Orleans Saints. Filling in for franchise quarterback Jameis Winston, Fitzpatrick put on an absolute show, going 21 of 28 for 417 yards, four passing touchdowns, and one rushing touchdown. This level of success isn’t entirely new to Fitzpatrick. When he was a member of the Houston Texans in 2014, he threw six touchdowns in a blowout win against the Tennessee Titans. Fitzpatrick also threw four touchdowns in a 2015 win over the Miami Dolphins when he was the quarterback for the New York Jets.

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Former Eagles WR Greg Ward recently worked out for the Patriots.

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