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Let’s get to the Philadelphia Eagles links ...
NFL COVID-19 outbreak: Can the league really get through the 2020 season? What we know about new positive coronavirus tests - ESPN
Is this going to work? It’s time to start asking existential questions about the NFL’s attempts to play through the coronavirus pandemic. After near-flawless results during training camp — a total of seven player infections occurred from Aug. 12 to Sept. 19 — the first quarter of the 2020 season has produced a crush of protocol violations and positive test results, as well as an ongoing team outbreak and the possibility of a second. The NFL appears fixated on individual and team defiance as the source of the issue, as opposed to unrealistic expectations for life in and around what it has called a “virtual football bubble.” But a number of holes have emerged in the league’s protocols, flaws that would exist even if the NFL can find a way to impose them consistently and effectively across the 8,000 team employees the league is monitoring on a weekly basis.
Why Darius Slay thought NFL should cancel season - NBCSP
“My true opinion, I felt like we shouldn’t even have (a season), just because of what was going on,” Slay said on a Zoom call with Eagles beat writers. “It’s a difficult time.” Asked a moment later to confirm that he was saying he didn’t think there should be an NFL season, Slay said: “We shouldn’t have one. But it is what it is. We’ll go to work and get it done. If there’s a way we can play, I’ll go play.” A little while after his interview, after seeing the reaction on social media to his comment, Slay returned to Zoom and said he actually meant he felt there shouldn’t have been a season before he learned of the protocols the NFL was putting in place.
Titans add Corey Davis to COVID-19 list - Music City Miracles
What a mess. The Tennessee Titans were faced with more positive tests this morning after a couple of days of progress. Those positive tests have thrown the matchup with the Buffalo Bills in serious doubt this Sunday and once again prevented the team from practicing today.
Eagles are significant underdogs to the Steelers in Week 5 - BGN
The real challenge, though, involves the Eagles’ struggling offense trying to score against one of the league’s best defenses. The Steelers’ defense ranks third in DVOA, tied for second in opponent yards per play, and fifth in opponent points per game. Pro Football Focus has Pittburgh’s pass rush (alliteration alert) graded as the NFL’s top unit. That’s pretty concerning for an Eagles offensive line that’s starting multiple backups and protecting a quarterback who has arguably been the NFL’s worst quarterback through four games. Hard to imagine this being a “get right” game for Carson Wentz.
FROM THE SB NATION NFL SHOW: The Palpably Unfair Podcast analyzes PHI-SF - BGN Radio
The SB Nation NFL Show brings together the greatest fan-alysts from across SB Nation’s NFL team communities in one place for the first time ever. Expect deep analysis, irreverent jokes, and plenty of bickering between rivals. It’s a show for NFL fans, by NFL fans.
NFL Week 4 QB Review: Top performances of the week and PFF QB rankings - PFF
30. Carson Wentz, Philadelphia Eagles — 51.5. With the lowest passing grade and accuracy percentage in the league, Wentz is clearly slumping compared to his career baseline.
8 points to consider as the Eagles prepare for Pittsburgh - PE.com
3. From a football standpoint, Slay and the Eagles’ secondary have a huge challenge against a deep and talented Pittsburgh wide receiver corps led by JuJu Smith-Shuster (17 catches, 160 yards, 3 TDs), Diontae Johnson (14-149-TD), and rookie Chase Claypool, who is averaging 25.2 yards per catch on six receptions. Pittsburgh also has a very talented tight end in Eric Ebron. Who does Slay match up against? That’s a great question for Defensive Coordinator Jim Schwartz to answer during the week of preparation.
Struggles by Nate Gerry and Duke Riley may give more time to Alex Singleton and other Eagles linebackers | Film review - Inquirer
Schwartz downplayed the pick six but only to highlight his production elsewhere. On this McKinnon rush, Singleton (No. 49) showed the “good instincts” his coach said he had, and knifed into the backfield to drop the tailback. “He made a couple plays in the run game I thought that were probably better plays for him, and he does have some flexibility as a player,” Schwartz said. “He can play outside. Can also play inside. Took advantage of the time that he had.” He should get more with Edwards out at least another week, and arguably more ahead of Gerry and Riley.
Charting the Eagles: At-snap motion sickness, the Jalen Hurts package and more - The Athletic
Travis Fulgham made the big play and figures to remain in the mix on offense for now. But here’s some lamenting love for Deontay Burnett, who heads back to the practice squad after playing 19 snaps against the 49ers. He was not targeted once, but missed out on two potential big plays down the field. The first was snuffed out on a blown protection by Miles Sanders. The other came on the second play of the fourth-quarter drive that resulted in the Fulgham touchdown. If Wentz sees the blown protection down the field, Zach would have published a different feature this morning.
The NFC East Is the Worst Division in the NFL, But Just How Bad Is it? - MMQB
Cumulatively, the NFC East division winners had a 105–55 record during the 2010s. That’s second-worst, behind only the AFC South, whose winners totaled 103–57. The NFC East also had the fewest number of teams qualify for the playoffs as wild cards: only the ’16 Giants and ’18 Eagles. No other division produced fewer than four—that was the AFC East and AFC South—while the NFC North and AFC North yielded the most wild-card teams with seven apiece. And top to bottom, the NFC East has fared poorly as well. Including the first four weeks of this season, its four member teams have combined for a 308–346–2 record since 2010. Again, only the AFC South has been worse, amassing a 291–364 record. In comparison, the AFC East has won 341 games over the last decade, the most of any division, followed by the NFC North (340) and the NFC West (339). The NFC East and the AFC South are also the only two divisions that finished above .500 just once in the last 10 years; every other division did so at least four times, and the AFC East and NFC North did so eight times.
Eagles’ Rodney McLeod on activism, Black history and why Philadelphia has ‘no quit’ - CBS Sports
Anyone who’s given an inkling of attention to the Eagles’ community efforts in recent years should know McLeod has become an unofficial spokesman for the team’s off-field work, following in the footsteps of his former teammate and fellow safety Malcolm Jenkins. But 2020 has been especially fruitful — and challenging — for the former Super Bowl champion. Just this week, McLeod announced a partnership with WHYY, a local radio station, for a Game Changers initiative designed to empower Greater Philadelphia youth. This week, McLeod sat down with CBS Sports to explain the program, which includes a plan to “Elevate Black History,” as well as discuss all this and more.
2020 Fantasy Football Rankings: Running backs for Week 5 - Fake Teams
19) Miles Sanders — Brutal match-up for the flailing Eagles.
Pro Football Focus highlights Ben Roethlisberger’s main area of concern in 2020 - Behind The Steel Curtain
The intermediate passing is certainly one which has been evident with Roethlisberger throughout the 2020 season, but the most glaring, and most recent, issue has been deep ball accuracy. In the Steelers’ Week 3 game vs. the Houston Texans Roethlisberger missed on a few deep passes where his receiver had a step on the defender. The passes weren’t underthrown, something many would assume after Roethlisberger’s elbow surgery, but were overthrown. You can tell this is certainly one of the areas Roethlisberger still has get get dialed in before labeling himself as “back”. When you think about him overthrowing receivers, you have to wonder if all the reports of his arm being stronger than before weren’t just doctors and trainers toeing the company line, but fact.
How CeeDee Lamb ranks among the NFL’s 2020 rookie class - Blogging The Boys
One thing that Cowboys fans should be happy about, though, is the play of rookie CeeDee Lamb. He is as advertised. He has seamlessly fit into the Cowboys offense and has contributed every single week. Last week against the Browns Lamb caught two touchdown passes, the first ones of his career, and he earned our game ball of the week. Lamb has been so consistent. In three different games he has caught five passes in each contest, while in the fourth game he brought in six passes. He has 309 yards on the season which projects to 1,232 yards on the year. He’s averaging 14.7 yards per reception and is sporting a 72.4% catch rate.
Were the struggles of Giants’ rookie OT Andrew Thomas predictable? - Big Blue View
Andrew Thomas’ first few games as an NFL left tackle have not been pretty. They have, in fact, been downright ugly. Thomas ranks 58th out of 62 qualifying tackles with a 53.7 Pro Football Focus grade after four games.
Report: Dwayne Haskins Benched, Kyle Allen Named Starting Quarterback - Hogs Haven
Haskins, who was drafted in the first round of the 2019 NFL draft was named the starter prior to week one of this season, but has struggled at times behind a depleted offensive line with few standout weapons at his skill positions. While there have been rumors in recent weeks that the coaching staff has been displeased with Haskins’ performance at quarterback, it seemed unlikely that they would go in another direction so soon in what has been deemed a re-building year. The move casts doubt on Haskins’ prospects as a franchise quarterback, and will certainly lead to more questions about the team’s long-term direction in the weeks and years to come.
Malcolm Jenkins Starts Venture Capital Fund With NFL Players - CBS Philly
Malcolm Jenkins has teamed with fellow NFL players to launch a venture capital fund. The three-time Pro Bowl safety and two-time Super Bowl champion launched Broad Street Ventures on Wednesday. The fund focuses on late stage and growth stage technology and consumer products. It has already invested in Airbnb, Epic Games, Turo, NoBull, Automattic and ZenWtr. Jenkins, a strong advocate for racial equality, hopes his newest business introduces more Black men and women to the venture capital world.
NFL Expert Picks, Week 5: Buffalo vs. Tennessee is a rough pick - SB Nation
This week in the NFL is a mixed bag of what feels like pretty safe locks, and some total crapshoots that feels near-impossible to predict. So let’s dive in. The tough game to call this week was almost unanimous for the panel, but that doesn’t mean it’s a lock. Buffalo vs. Tennessee features two of the best teams in the AFC, but with the Titans facing a lot of questions. Still dealing with a Covid outbreak on the team, the Titans are hopeful they’ll be back to work this week and healthy for the game. That doesn’t necessarily make them an even pick, especially considering just how well the Bills are playing, but definitely makes this game warrant a little more than one two picks from the panel.
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