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Eagles News: Carson Wentz to Nelson Agholor has been one of the worst connections in the NFL

Philadelphia Eagles news and links for 10/26/19.

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Let’s get to the Philadelphia Eagles links ...

By the numbers: 32 things we’ve learned about the 32 starting quarterbacks - The Athletic
17. Carson Wentz, Philadelphia Eagles. One thing we’ve learned: His connection with Nelson Agholor has been one of the worst in the NFL. Wentz has averaged 6.0 YPA when targeting Agholor. That ranks 79th out of the 93 pairings that have had at least 25 pass attempts.

Orlando Scandrick goes on ‘Undisputed’ and takes shots at the Eagles, Howie Roseman, Malcolm Jenkins, Lane Johnson - BGN
Former Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Orlando Scandrick appeared on FS1’s ‘Undisputed’ with Skip Bayless, Shannon Sharpe, and Jenny Taft and sure did not mince words about the team that cut him just earlier this week. Here’s a transcript of what he had to say, with some of my own thoughts to follow.

Orlando Scandrick Emergency Show - BGN Radio
Jimmy Kempski and Brandon Lee Gowton react to former Eagles cornerback Orlando Scandrick lighting up the Eagles this morning!

Mailbag: Who could the Eagles trade if they became sellers instead of buyers at the deadline? - PhillyVoice
Again, they aren’t selling, but if they did, I think the leading candidates would be Malcolm Jenkins and Alshon Jeffery. Jenkins wanted a new contract, didn’t get it, and he’s heading into the final year of his deal in 2020. He’s smart, he plays multiple positions, and he can fit into any scheme. He would absolutely help a team looking to make a stretch run. I think the Eagles could actually get something pretty good in return for Jenkins, too, by the way, even at his age. If Mohamed Sanu can attract a second-round pick, so can Malcolm Jenkins. Jeffery, meanwhile, is a playoff-tested player with a skill set that can a help a team that already has a speed element in their passing attack. It would be a sizable cap hit to trade him, but if indeed the Eagles believe that Jeffery has criticized the quarterback anonymously three times in the last calendar year, I’d be looking to get him off the roster immediately. And then there are the Halapoulivaati Vaitais and Nelson Agholors of the world, but I would view them as trade candidates regardless of whether the team is buying or selling.

Coming Together - Iggles Blitz
This could end up being a favor to the Eagles. It won’t make the Eagles any smarter or stronger or faster, but little things like this can be good motivational tools. This could be good for bonding in the locker room. You know teammates love Jenkins. If someone comes after him, the other guys will have his back. Winning in Buffalo will take more than just a motivational tool. Buffalo has built a solid roster and winning team. Yes, they have played a soft schedule, but this team is on the rise. They have legit talent, especially on defense. They are 3rd in yards and points allowed. Soft schedule or not, that is impressive in late October.

Rankings: Top 25 second-year NFL players through Week 7 - PFF
11. TE Dallas Goedert, Philadelphia Eagles. Goedert missed some time earlier this season with injury, and he plays more of a secondary role to an entrenched Pro Bowler in Zach Ertz, but he’s certainly made the most of his opportunities when given a chance. Interestingly enough, it’s been as a run blocker that Goedert has seen the most success this season. It may not be what he’s been known for in his young career, but Goedert’s 87.7 run-blocking grade in 2019 ranks first among all qualifying tight ends. He has paired that with a solid receiving line of 14 receptions on 21 targets for 160 yards and two touchdowns.

Deals We’d Like to See at the 2019 NFL Trade Deadline - MMQB
Jets DE Leonard Williams to the Eagles. The former Jets first-round pick has not stood out statistically (17 sacks in four years) despite being part of some good-to-excellent defensive lines over his five seasons. The Eagles, meanwhile, lost Malik Jackson for the season to a Lisfranc injury and just so happened to have a former high-ranking personnel executive now in charge of the Jets’ roster. I would be stunned if the Jets did not shed some talent heading into the stretch run of the season (head coach Adam Gase wouldn’t have pushed for a clean slate at G.M. had he not felt the roster was deficient in some ways, and probably couldn’t gut it completely before the start of the season). I would also be stunned if Howie Roseman sits on his hands during the deadline given how clumped the NFC East has become. This is an affordable way to improve the team and gives them a look at a high-upside talent for 2020 and beyond.

NFL Trade Deadline 2019: 40 potential trade candidates, rumored targets at every position - CBS Sports
A.J. Green, Cincinnati Bengals. Robby Anderson, New York Jets. Nelson Agholor, Philadelphia Eagles. DeVante Parker, Miami Dolphins. The Bengals continue to insist they won’t part with their star wideout, but draft picks talk. Anderson, meanwhile, should be coveted by any contender in need of a deep threat at the cost of a mid-round pick. The Eagles would probably love to swap Agholor for him straight-up.

Joe Banner Q&A: Offensive and defensive lines need to be the key to an Eagles turnaround - Inquirer
Banner: This is not the way you win in the NFL. You don’t need to use deep, complex analytics to know that teams that score first win a high percentage of the games. Teams that lead at halftime win a huge percentage of the games. In most years, it’s over 80 percent. Everybody focuses on quarterback comebacks and the fourth quarter and everything. But the truth is, if you’re ahead at halftime, you win four out of five times. And they’re falling behind by 10 and 14 points before you settle into your seat to watch the game.

The mood of the locker room? ‘I’d say motivated’ - PE.com
More words. Finger-pointing from the outside. A day closer to Sunday’s game in Buffalo. What’s the mood like in the Eagles’ locker room? “I’d say motivated,” said right tackle Lane Johnson, after a long moment of thought. “Desperate for a win.” At the end of the day, and when all the words have evaporated from the air and the football is kicked off on Sunday at 1 p.m., the Eagles have to win a football game. “Everybody knows what it is. When things are going well, you have to pick your stuff up,” Johnson said. “Really, that’s it. Since I’ve been here, I’ve been in situations like this and far as playing, it’s off to the next week, off to the next opponent.”

Robert Saleh, 2 Pats assistants among young coaches to watch - NFL.com
Others to watch in coming years: Cowboys LB coach Ben Bloom, 37; Giants DC James Bettcher, 41; Eagles special assistant Matt Burke, 43; Titans TE coach Todd Downing, 39; 49ers STC Richard Hightower, 39; Chiefs QB coach Mike Kafka, 32; Texans OC Tim Kelly, 33; Bucs OC Byron Leftwich, 39; 49ers run game coordinator Mike McDaniel, 36; Cowboys OC Kellen Moore, 31; Redskins OC Kevin O’Connell, 34; Cardinals WR coach David Raih, 39; Eagles QB coach Press Taylor, 31; Panthers QB coach Scott Turner, 37. [BLG Note: Mike Groh did not make this list.]

8 key starts & 8 key sits to consider for Week 8 fantasy football - DraftKings Nation
Josh Allen, BUF (vs PHI) - START. People keep trying to drag Josh Allen’s value down, but I’ll keep talking him up. Allen might only be the QB14 overall through seven weeks on points per game, but there is no other player at the position putting on performances as solid as those he’s accruing. If it wasn’t for his game against New England (153 yards, 3 INTs, 16.3 fantasy points), Allen would have scored 20-plus points, thrown one or more touchdowns, and reached 200 yards in each of the games he’s played. On top of his passing, Allen’s rushing upside should also be taken into consideration: he’s the only QB to have rushed for 20-plus yards in all six games he’s played and is tied with Lamar Jackson in rushing touchdowns among quarterbacks with three. With Buffalo taking on Philadelphia next, Allen should have another solid performance this week. The Eagles are giving up 24.4 points per game to the position, have surrendered 14 passing touchdowns, and are coming off back-to-back games allowing 333 and 239 passing yards.

Week 8 NFL best bets: A number we like on each game - ESPN+
Philadelphia Eagles at Buffalo Bills (-1.5, 43.5). Johnson: This is as good of a buy-low, sell-high matchup as we will get this season. The perception of Philadelphia after getting blown out on national television Sunday night in Dallas is that of a team of the past. I still project the Eagles to be the better team and a favorite on the road in Buffalo (-1.3). I’ve been generous making my adjustments for the Bills during their 5-1 start, but in the history of the DVOA metric (defense-adjusted value over average), the Bills grade out to be the worst 5-1 team of all time. They’ve had the benefit of beating five of the league’s seven worst teams. The Eagles are still a top-10 squad in the NFL, and Buffalo isn’t even in the conversation. I bet the Eagles straight getting the points, but I also used them in a six-point teaser with the only other game on the board that fits optimal teaser strategy through key numbers (Tampa Bay +8.5).

Crumbling their cookies: how the Buffalo Bills should attack the Philadelphia Eagles - Buffalo Rumblings
This is the week for Josh Allen to hit the deep ball, so activate Robert Foster. Jim Schwartz won the hearts and minds of Bills fans during the 2014 season with one of the franchise’s historically best defenses. The “Cold Front” of Marcell Dareus, Kyle Williams, Mario Williams, and Jerry Hughes dominated up front without much need for additional reinforcements and Stephon Gilmore and Ronald Darby locked down the outside. There were notable murmurs that the organization should have promoted Schwartz to head coach in lieu of hiring Rex Ryan to replace the departed Doug Marrone. Schwartz left for Philadelphia and won a Super Bowl with the Eagles while receiving overall positive reviews. Then 2019 happened. Schwartz is struggling to find competent outside-man corners to fill his scheme and continues to show a stubborn refusal to adjust the scheme to accommodate for the fact that Stephon Gilmore and Ronald Darby aren’t walking through the door into Lincoln Financial Field. His corners are left on islands in Cover-1 or Cover-0 looks and they’re getting torched by play-action.

A Beginner’s Guide to the Bills’ Surprising 5-1 Start - The Ringer
Shrewd free-agent acquisitions, a commitment to stretching the field offensively, and performance reviews—yes, performance reviews—have contributed to Buffalo’s rise in the AFC in 2019

‘He was an animal’: Philadelphia friends tell tales about Bills’ Sean McDermott - The Buffalo News
Those who knew Sean McDermott as a teenager at La Salle College High School in suburban Philadelphia describe the Buffalo Bills’ head coach as a soft-spoken, single-minded, ripped redhead who cheered for the city’s four major pro sports teams, made those around him better and was always prepared for classwork and athletic competition, whether on the football field or wrestling mat. Then he’d “bring the wood,” as he liked to say. “I watched him just bend people in half,” said Kevin Dager, a high school wrestling teammate who graduated with McDermott in 1993. “He was an animal.” McDermott said he isn’t treating the Bills’ game against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday at New Era Field any differently than any other game on any other week. He has a process, one he won’t compromise, even though he’s facing his hometown team for the first time as a head coach. Even though the Eagles are the franchise that allowed him to break into the NFL, hiring him as a scouting administrative assistant in 1999, promoting him to defensive coordinator in 2009 then firing him after the 2010 season. Even though he knows it’s not just any other game.

Big Cat Country Q&A: Will the Jaguars really trade Yannick Ngakoue? - Big Cat Country
Q: NFL.com has a story about which quarterback we should start once Nick Foles is healthy. All but one of the “experts” believe we should start him over Gardner Minshew. What does the BCC Staff make of this mainstream media opinion, and who do you think is the long term answer for the Jaguars? ... A: I can’t speak for everyone, but I think the consensus opinion among all of us here is that Minshew is the future and therefore he’s your present. Benching him for no other reason than the fact that you overpaid for an injury-prone backup is asinine. If the front office oversteps once again and forces Doug Marrone’s hand in starting Foles over Minshew, it would be disastrous. You’ve got a good thing in Minshew, why put his development on pause?

Which borderline teams should buy or sell at the 2019 NFL trade deadline? - SB Nation
The Eagles beat the Packers in Green Bay three weeks ago, but the hope gleaned from that marquee win was quickly drained in back-to-back blowout losses to the Vikings and Cowboys. Philadelphia’s defense has been a major concern; it ranks 27th in the NFL in passing yards allowed per game despite trailing big in each its last two games. It’s given up 75 total points the past two weeks, and Carson Wentz’s underwhelming fourth year has left the offense unable to keep up.

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