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Eagles News: Mack Hollins prefers playing special teams over offense

Philadelphia Eagles news and links for 9/22/19.

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Why does Eagles’ Mack Hollins like special teams more than playing wide receiver? Here’s his explanation - NJ.com
“I’ll never want to be a guy that gives up special teams because I want to play on offense,” Hollins said on Thursday after practice at NovaCare Complex. “If I can’t play both, my mindset is that I just play teams. But I think I’m capable of playing both, I played both last week and I’m gonna give my all in either one. If I’m going to drop off in one of them, it’ll be offense and I’ll go play special teams harder.” Hollins called himself a “weird guy” on Thursday, though that had more to do with his affinity for snakes and some other quirks. But in the realm of receivers, he’s certainly unique.

Is Matt Patricia the worst coach in the league? - BGN
Is Detroit Lions head coach Matt Patricia the worst coach in the league? Let’s examine. Before we begin, a qualifier: it’s unfair to judge rookie head coaches after two games, though Kliff Kingsbury is making a case. There are two hallmarks of a great coach: their in-game management, the ability to make their team more than the sum of their parts; and their man management, the ability to lead a team over the course of a season. Bill Belichick is the best coach of his era because of this. He is of course one of the greatest strategic minds in the history of the sport. And while no one is running through a brick wall to play for him, Belichick’s teams almost never have an off day. Matt Patricia has neither of those going for him.

The Kist & Solak Show #122: Eagles’ O vs. Lions’ D Preview & Predictions - BGN Radio
Michael Kist and Benjamin Solak finish up their two-part preview series of Eagles-Lions by covering the Eagles’ Offense vs. the Lions’ Defense and giving their final predictions! Powered by SB Nation and Bleeding Green Nation.

Five over/unders for the Eagles’ Week 3 matchup vs. Lions - PhillyVoice
Eagles rushing yards: 110.5. In Week 1, the Eagles new-look backfield had a solid, if unspectacular, day. Miles Sanders, Jordan Howard and Darren Sproles combined for 123 yards, but the biggest surprise was that Sproles led the team in rushing yards. He was also tied with Sanders for the most touches on the team (12). Then, last week in Atlanta, despite being without three of Wentz’ top receiving options, Doug Pederson completely abandoned the run. The Eagles running backs carried the ball just 18 times in the loss, and Sproles, who had nine carries in the opener, didn’t receive a single hand-off. And Howard, who looked good in limited action in the opener, again failed to reach double-digits in carries. That seems to be the story of the Eagles’ running backs in Duce Staley’s rotation. You never know which back is going to be featured or when, and sometimes Pederson makes it so it’s none of them.

Game Preview – DET at PHI - Iggles Blitz
This is a game the Eagles need to win. This is a game the Eagles should win. Just as importantly, we need to see them play more consistently. The first two weeks have been up and down and up and down. You don’t want to do that for a whole season. It would really help the Eagles to get off to a better start and either play with the lead or keep things close. Falling behind 20-7 and 17-6 puts tremendous pressure on a team. A lot of eyes will be on LG Isaac Seumalo. He was awful last week and knows it. He must play better this time out. The whole OL must play better. If you can get the run game going early, that would help the line to settle in and get into a good rhythm. Wentz can’t be afraid to play small ball in this game.

The 8-Point Lead: Making sense of the Eagles’ pass-rush situation — ‘The sacks will come … they’ll come in bunches’ - The Athletic
It’s worth noting that Pederson scripts his early plays. He’s proven adept at in-game adjustments during his time with the Eagles, but the scripted plays haven’t yielded points of late. My unsolicited suggestion: The Eagles should open in their tempo offense, which is what they did in the season opener after halftime. That allows Carson Wentz to manage the game at the line of scrimmage, and it can get the Eagles in an early rhythm. They did this in Wentz’s first game back from injury in Week 3 last season. The result? An opening-drive touchdown.

5 Detroit Lions key to victory over the Philadelphia Eagles - Pride Of Detroit
Kenny Golladay: Golladay’s performance last week was nothing new for Detroit’s No. 1 receiver. However, the one thing we haven’t seen from Golladay much is consistency. If he wants to become a true No. 1, those kind of 100-yard performance need to be the norm. Golladay only has four 100+ yards games to his name, and he has never done it in back-to-back weeks. With Eagles cornerback Ronald Darby off to a shaky start, Sunday is the perfect opportunity for Golladay to show he can do this every week.

Didinger: Philly Special symbolic of Eagles’ drive to Super Bowl Championship - PE.com
On a day when the teams combined for an NFL record 1,131 yards, it might seem silly to focus so much on one yard. It is like talking about one grain of sand on the beach, one note in a symphony, or one line in a Broadway play. But when that one yard has its own name – The Philly Special – and that one yard is immortalized on T-shirts, tattoos, and restaurant menus then it deserves to be discussed, relived, and celebrated for generations. It is one yard that says everything about the 2017 Eagles and their against-all-odds drive to an NFL championship. There were 143 plays run in Super Bowl LII but this was the one people will remember the longest. This was the one that had people leaping out of their chairs, pointing at the TV screen, screaming, and pushing the rewind button again and again. It may not have won the game, but it will forever define it.

Nick Foles, Andre Dillard, Josh Adams in Roob’s random points - NBCSP
3. Watching that Jaguars-Titans game the other night I couldn’t help wonder what’s next for Nick Foles. Maybe he gets healthy, gets his job back later in the season and Gardner Minshew II goes back to the bench. But in three games since Foles got hurt, Minshew has completed 74 percent of his passes with 5 TDs, 1 INT and a 110.6 passer rating. No rookie in history has put up those numbers in his first three starts. He’s 23, and he’s the Jaguars’ future. If he keeps playing like this, Foles may be looking for a new home once again.

Jaguars prefer to keep, not trade, Jalen Ramsey - AP
The Jacksonville Jaguars aren’t giving up on disgruntled defender Jalen Ramsey. The Jags would prefer to keep their star cornerback after several days of trade talks with other NFL teams, according to a person close to the situation. The person spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity Friday because details of trade talks have not been publicly discussed. The decision came amid a much-needed, 20-7 victory over Tennessee. Ramsey hugged several fellow defensive backs after the win, appearing to say goodbye in what many believed would be his final game with Jacksonville (1-2). Behind the scenes, though, teammates, coaches and members of the front office were working to try to repair Ramsey’s fractured relationship with the franchise, specifically with top executive Tom Coughlin.

Jalen Ramsey trade rumors: Baltimore Ravens offered first and second round picks, TE Hayden Hurst to Jacksonville Jaguars - Big Cat Country
The Jacksonville Jaguars reportedly turned down a trade offer from the Baltimore Ravens for All-Pro cornerback Jalen Ramsey that included a first round pick, a second round pick, and tight end Hayden Hurst, according to Gene Frenette of the Florida Times-Union.

An $84M game manager? Vikings still trying to figure out Kirk Cousins - ESPN
“Believe me, I’m not going to be playing quarterback here if I go out and play the way I did this past Sunday for much longer,” Cousins said. The Vikings reached a crossroads far sooner than they would have hoped with Cousins. They’re one of two teams in the NFL, along with the Indianapolis Colts, that average more rushing yards per game (185) than they do passing yards (160). Part of that is the byproduct of what has worked well for Minnesota on offense, sparked by Dalvin Cook’s early-season explosion as the top rusher in the NFL. But this also might be a reality the Vikings have to come to terms with: Minnesota expected Cousins to be its franchise quarterback, but he might be an $84 million game manager.

Antonio Brown Was a Problem Too Big for the Patriots - The Ringer
On Monday, Sports Illustrated reported a 2017 incident in which a woman said Brown harassed her at his Pittsburgh home. That same day, NFL investigators interviewed Brown’s former trainer who said he sexually assaulted and raped her. On Friday, the Patriots released the wide receiver.

Ask a former NFL player: Who do we blame for all these holding penalties? - SB Nation
In this week’s mailbag, Geoff Schwartz discusses the increase in holding calls, what it’s like to pass protect for mobile QBs, and how his diet differed from today’s players.

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