Eagles News: Philadelphia is preparing to face a “monster”

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Carson Wentz on Aaron Donald: He’s a monster, he’s a game wrecker - PFT
“Aaron Donald, he’s a monster,” Wentz said. “Everyone knows it. Everyone around the league knows the type of player he is and how he can really disrupt an offensive game plan. And so for us, we’re aware of that. Somebody we’ve got to always know where he is, but at the same time, we’ve got to execute, not play afraid, not play timid. . . . He is a game wrecker.”

Aaron Donald turns his world-destroying sights on Carson Wentz - TouchdownWire
One of the more stunning results of Week 1 was how the Washington Football Team was able to dismantle the protection around Carson Wentz. Washington sacked the Philadelphia Eagles passer eight times en route to their victory, leaving Wentz and head coach Doug Pederson wondering exactly how they can right the ship. They’ll need an answer fast, because this guy is coming to town. Aaron Donald continued his one-man wrecking crew ways on Sunday night against the Dallas Cowboys, pressuring Dak Prescott early and often and providing the timeline with many clips like this. Donald was credited with four tackles (one solo), a sack and a tackle for the loss. But as the film indicates, his disruptive presence up front was a huge factor in the Los Angeles Rams’ victory over the visiting Cowboys.

Eagles vs. Rams: Five matchups to watch - PhillyVoice
4) The Eagles’ interior OL vs. DT Aaron Donald. You knew we were going to get to this one, obviously. Donald is the best defensive player in football, and whoever is No. 2 on the list isn’t really all that close, in my view. Over his last 33 games (2018-present), Donald has 34 sacks (more than one per game), six forced fumbles, 46 tackles for loss (he led the NFL in that category in both 2018 and 2019), and 69 QB hits. He has put up those numbers, despite constant double teams. Donald is an absolute wrecking ball with elite speed, power, technique, intelligence, and motor.

Weapon X Mailbag: Is an Allen Robinson trade realistic for the Eagles? - BGN
Whenever a player is looking for a way out or is placed on the trade block, the Eagles are naturally thrown around as a potential destination given that they have maybe the most aggressive general manger in the entire sport in Howie Roseman. There is chatter on Twitter (however dubious it may be) that the Eagles would be a team interested in Robinson and it’s easy to see why. Robinson’s a stud. He’s 27 and in his seventh NFL season. He had 98 catches for 1,147 yards and seven touchdowns in 2019 for the Bears. Back in 2015 with the Jaguars, Robinson led the league with 14 touchdown catches to go along with 1,400 receiving yards. He’s done all of this with a cast of quarterbacks who couldn’t out-throw Matt Saracen.

Week 1 QB Review: Aaron Rodgers is back and Russell Wilson is cooking, but don’t give up on Tom Brady - PFF
Wentz’s worst game of his career — In one of the biggest surprises of the week, the Philadelphia Eagles fell to the Washington Football Team and Carson Wentz finished the week with the second-worst PFF grade at 41.3. He was sacked eight times, notched a league-high five turnover-worthy plays and he also finished last with 30.8% of his open throws being deemed uncatchable. The 41.3 grade is the worst of Wentz’s career and he had three games graded in the 40s a year ago.

Experts predict Week 2 NFL upset picks and fantasy football sleepers and flops, plus buy/sell from Week 1 - ESPN+
What’s the Week 1 performance you’re selling to continue for the rest of the season? Reid: Carson Wentz, QB, Eagles. With the Eagles’ roster decimated by injuries down the stretch last season, Wentz was a wizard in leading the team to the playoffs. But he was downright awful after leading Philadelphia to a 17-0 lead in a 27-17 loss to Washington. I just don’t see even one repeat clunker this season from Wentz. He’s too good to do that again.

Eagles-Rams scouting report: Matchups, keys to the game, prediction - Inquirer
Even with the return of DeSean Jackson and the additions of rookie WRs Jalen Reagor and John Hightower, the Eagles used 12-personnel 56.7% of the time. TE Dallas Goedert had possibly the best game of his career, catching eight balls for 101 yards and a TD. Wentz hit Goedert and Reagor early with deep balls, but missed his last five 20-plus-yard throws. He targeted Jackson, Reagor and Hightower 15 times Sunday, but they combined for just four catches. Stanley likes to move his defensive backs around and disguise coverages. The speed with which Wentz is able to diagnose those coverages and locate All-Pro corner Jalen Ramsey will be as critical with respect to the line’s ability to keep Donald out of his lap.

History says: Protect the football and the Eagles win - PE.com
At the same time, Wentz has fumbled too many times – 9 lost fumbles in 2019 and 6 lost fumbles in 2018. He tends to hold on to the football, trying to make plays, and as often as he muscles out of pressure or ducks under a lineman and we applaud his athleticism, he also just needs to be better protecting the football in the pocket. It’s an area Wentz acknowledges that he needs to improve. Five years into his NFL career, the question continues to be asked. “I’m pretty aware of it,” Wentz said. “Every case, every specific play is very specific. It’s case by case and there’s a time and a place to fight, and there’s a time and a place to throw it away, and there’s a time and a place to just eat it and take the sack. I’m obviously not going to get it right 100 percent of the time. It’s continually talking it through with Press (Taylor, quarterbacks coach), with Coach (Doug Pederson), with everybody and understanding that you’re not going to get it right, you’re not going to get it 100 percent, but how can we grow? How can we get better?

Examining the Eagles’ options with Zach Ertz and the state of their cap picture - The Athletic
I think the problem that you’re having here is that the (Travis) Kelce deal, from a player’s perspective, is really bad. The best comparable for Zach Ertz, based on age, how many contracts he’s had, all that stuff, is gonna be Travis Kelce. And the last time around as well, Ertz’s deal was a little bit under Kelce’s. I think it was ($8.5 million per year) to (Kelce’s $9.3 million per year). So there could even be some justification with (the Eagles) saying he should be a little bit under Kelce, but I think the main issue is that Kelce took an extension that really wasn’t much of anything. I think that’s really where this hang-up is. I know one of the reports came out that the Eagles lowered the guarantees in the offer they were giving and I’m sure part of that was because the average annual value on the deal was going to increase, so they were saying, “We’re not going to guarantee you as much if we’re going to potentially pay you more.” But I think that’s the biggest hang-up, the Kelce deal. The Kelce deal is just not something that players should do, players should want to do, and it’s a big negative for whatever they wanna do for Ertz, which sounds like a legitimate contract extension.

Can Eagles’ Carson Wentz save Zach Ertz’s future in Philadelphia? 3 ex-GMs weigh in on QB’s clout - NJ.com
Whaley, who served as the Bills’ GM from 2013-17, said those sorts of chats are typical in the NFL. Decision-makers understand that the quarterback is “the engine that drives a successful football team,” and making sure he is comfortable is critical to success. “It’s less of a conversation, where you sit him down and say, ‘What do you think we need to do? What pieces do you want to us add in the offseason?’” Whaley said. “It’s more, sitting down with the coach, sitting down with the quarterback and saying, ‘What do you feel comfortable with?’”

Eagles’ Malik Jackson discusses Breonna Taylor, wants to see more action from NFL on racial injustice - PennLive
“I respect what the NFL is doing first of all. I appreciate it,” Jackson said. “It was cool to hear the African-American anthem. … Personally, I feel like it’s nice what they’re doing, but until every individual owner starts doing something and not hide behind the shield, I personally feel like it’s not going to mean anything. And I know Mr. Lurie is doing a good job of working with us and get in this community and help us. And so, if we can get the other owners to be like Mr. Lurie, then I think it will be a stronger message than just holding hands around an NFL logo while somebody sings a song, to me, just doesn’t do anything. Like I said, I respect the NFL and thank you for the message and stuff, but I personally feel like it’s not really doing anything.”

Philadelphia officials announce tailgates will not be permitted before Eagles games - NBCSP
Eagles fans, don’t hate the messenger. The news that no fans would be able to attend games at the Linc “until further notice” came in late August, but many believed tailgating would have a chance to stick around. Unfortunately, that is not the case. Philadelphia officials announced on Wednesday that all parking lots and streets surrounding Lincoln Financial Field will be closed in an attempt to shut down all tailgating for Eagles games. In addition, FDR Park will also not allow the pregame ritual.

Scramble for the Ball: Football is Back! - Football Outsiders
Bryan: The Eagles have been slammed by injuries again, as Philadelphia can’t seem to get a break — down four offensive linemen, Miles Sanders, Alshon Jeffery, Derek Barnett ... you would assume, just by the law of averages, that they’ll eventually get healthy again. I mean, they can’t be hurt forever, right? Right? Right?

6 Rams to watch against the Eagles in Week 2 - Turf Show Times
Andrew Whitworth, LT. Another dominant performance? It’s understandable to have concerns about a 38-year-old tackle coming off of a disappointing campaign, but Whitworth played against the Cowboys like he was a 38-year-old Tom Brady. (Brady led the NFL in touchdown passes at 38 and has played five more years and counting.) How many more years does Whitworth have left after playing like one of the NFL’s top-10 players to open the season? Philadelphia is banged up along the defensive line right now, especially on the edges, so I can’t say who he will be facing or what condition they’ll be in but Whitworth played as well as he could have against the Cowboys.

2020 Fantasy Football Rankings: Running backs for Week 2 - Fake Teams
9) Miles Sanders — The hopeful return of Lane Johnson against the weak Rams front-seven (outside of Aaron Donald) sets up nicely for Sanders.

Tight end non-PPR rankings for Week 2 fantasy football - DraftKings Nation
Your tight end leaders in non-PPR for Week 1 go as follows, Mark Andrews, Dallas Goedert, Noah Fant, Travis Kelce, and T.J. Hockenson. Goedert ended up as the only tight end to top 100 yards while Mark Andrews was the only one to score more than one touchdown. Goedert topped Zach Ertz in Week 1, but Ertz still played a bigger percentage of snaps and saw seven targets to Goedert’s nine. Goedert could hurt Ertz’s fantasy upside this season, but both are viable fantasy plays each week.

Cowboys hot topic: Injuries may already threaten the season - Blogging The Boys
RT La’el Collins, IR out of training camp, expected back Week 4. The cause for Collins going on IR is still subject to a bit of debate. Officially, he is recovering from a hip injury. However, he was reportedly out of shape at the start of camp, and some contend that is the real issue. In any case, he is an example of the new IR rules giving the team more flexibility. Had the old six-week rule, with only two players allowed to return from IR, been in place, Collins likely would have been kept on the roster, but been inactive until the coaches felt he was ready to go. Instead, he went on IR, another player got a paycheck, and the Cowboys had Cameron Erving to fill in. Imagine our surprise when, instead of Erving, the team went with UDFA Terence Steele to start the Rams game. It is a testament to how hard Steele worked in camp, but frankly you’d rather base those decisions on clearly observable talent. Steele had a rough first outing.

Tiki Barber: Saquon Barkley isn’t an every-down back - Big Blue View
New York Giants fans definitely have a “love-hate” relationship with former Giants running back Tiki Barber. On one hand, it’s easy to remember Barber as an all-time great Giant and one of the best offensive players in the team’s history. But on the other hand, his willingness to make controversial statements — either correctly or incorrectly — incurs the wrath of fans. Well, Tiki might just be at it again after he said that Saquon Barkley “might not be an every-down back” following the Giants’ 26-16 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Monday Night Football.

Is it Panic Time for the Washington Football Team on the Offensive Line? - Hogs Haven
The left side of Washington’s offensive line is a complete mess. Most of us assumed this would be the case coming into the season after losing Ereck Flowers in free agency, and Trent Williams via a trade to the 49ers(even though he hasn’t played in nearly two years). Now, after seeing live action in week one of the NFL season, and reading the advanced stats put out by NEXT GEN STATS and PFF, we see that assumption has come to reality.

The Cleveland Browns Are at a Crossroads. Again. - The Ringer
New general manager Andrew Berry wants to keep “a foot in the future and a foot in the present.” It’s a difficult balancing act in the NFL, and even harder with a team that can go sideways very quickly.

NFL picks 2020, Week 2: Chiefs are the easy pick of the weekend - SB Nation
It’s Week 2 in the NFL and honestly it’s flown by. There’s been so much to talk about with the return of football that it’s hard to believe we’re back at the weekend. Now it’s time to dive into the full slate of games and pick who we think will win and lose. This season’s expert panel is a mixture of SBNation.com staff, as well as writers and editors from around our vast NFL network. Here we go!

How to vote by mail in 2020 - Vox
Like just about every other facet of life in America, Election Day is going to look a little bit different in 2020. Though voters will still go to the polls, at least in most states, a record number of people are expected to vote by mail from the comfort of their homes. But while in a normal election you probably just need to know two dates — when to register to vote by, and what day the election is — there are a few more to keep track of if you plan to vote by mail this November. Vox is here to help.

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