Eagles News: Too many two tight end sets

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Charting the Eagles offense: Overcorrection brings back plodding attack - The Athletic
Suck it, Spinal Tap. The Eagles turned their amps all the way up to 12, playing with Zach Ertz and Dallas Goedert on the field for an unholy 80 percent of the offensive plays against the Rams after they lined up in two-tight end sets on 56.7 percent of the snaps against Washington. It may be true that Ertz and Goedert represent two of the Eagles’ five best pass-catching options, and this may be more of a roster-building indictment than anything, but there’s a reason the NFL’s second-highest frequency of 12-personnel usage (the Arizona Cardinals) is just 31 percent through two games compared to the Eagles’ 68 percent. Everything remains congested for the Eagles offense. This “base” formation is not even something it’s particularly good at. Since the start of the 2019 season, the offense ranks 21st in yards per play (5.0) out of 12 personnel.

Weapon X Mailbag: How long is Carson Wentz’s leash? - BGN
Wentz hasn’t made significant strides in his game since 2017. Despite how frustrating his play has been to start the season, Wentz still represents an investment of $108 million guaranteed from the Birds. This isn’t a 2008 Donovan McNabb vs. Kevin Kolb situation where you can “bench” Wentz as a disciplinary action. McNabb was both older and infinitely more accomplished than Wentz. Kolb was drafted as a clear successor, whereas Jalen Hurts’ presence on the roster is given a dubious “Taysom Hill package” dressing. I really don’t know how Sunday is going to go and San Francisco is certainly banged up, but it’s entirely reasonable to think this team could be 1-5 or, as painful as it is for me to say, 0-6. At that point jobs are going to be on the line and even me on my most relaxed of days would be itching to see what the future holds without Wentz.

Eagles vs. Bengals: Five matchups to watch - PhillyVoice
The Eagles’ offensive line has done a reasonably good job opening up holes in the run game, and there’s an argument that Miles Sanders left some meat on the bone Week 2, while he knocked off some of the rust. It’s easy to imagine Sanders and the Eagles’ run game being the focal point of the offense this week.

The Right Message - Iggles Blitz
That was an interesting explanation from Schwartz, but he said something beyond that which really resonated with me. He was asked about the problems the defense has had this year. Schwartz pointed out all the areas where the Eagles are usually good, but aren’t right now. He then said that he’s not as worried about those areas as he is “our response to adversity”. This really got my attention. Schwartz then talked about how in the past his defense had the ability weather the storm. They would find a way to make a big play or come up with a key sack. Those big plays might kill a scoring drive or even get the ball back for the Eagles. He talked about the defense needing the ability to “square their jaw” and get key stops. I loved this message.

5 biggest concerns about the Eagles after their 0-2 start - NBCSP
This guy looks lost and it’s a huge problem. The most concerning part of Wentz’s struggles is that he’s missing easy throws. According to PFF, he is completing just 64.6% of his passes from a clean pocket. That’s one of the worst numbers in the league. And according to ProFootballReference, Wentz is second in the league in Bad Throws with 18. It’s either mental, mechanical or — more likely — a combination of both. But he better figure it out soon. Because this team is completely cooked without him.

Week 2 DVOA Ratings - Football Outsiders
So what’s the prognosis for the Eagles? It could be anything, from a rebound to a collapse, but it’s interesting to note that the average remaining DVOA for these other 10 teams was -2.0% — almost exactly what the current DAVE rating is for the Eagles combining their Week 1-2 performance with their preseason projection. That’s the most likely result, that the Eagles will be an average team the rest of the way, not as good as expected but not as bad as they’ve been these first two weeks.

NFL Week 3 Preview: Fantasy football advice, betting tips and matchups to watch - PFF
Even Wentz’s biggest fans have to be concerned with how he has begun this season. Through two weeks, he ranks last out of 32 qualifying quarterbacks in PFF passing grade, 30th in yards per attempt, 31st in passer rating and last in percentage of passes charted as accurate. He can’t hit his receivers, and he has more turnover-worthy plays than any other quarterback in the NFL. It’s a continued — and concerning — downward trend for the fifth-year quarterback after peaking in a 2017 season that saw Nick Foles finish the job and secure the Lombardi trophy. Even in a weak NFC East, you have to think that Wentz and this offense need to turn things around against a Bengals defense that just got rolled over in Cleveland if they have any hopes of securing another division title.

Talking injuries and impact for the Eagles (It’s a big one) - PE.com
With Alshon Jeffery on the active roster but still not practicing, the Eagles entered the season shorthanded at wide receiver. Reagor’s injury is a bummer. He has shown such promise starting both games, playing 72 percent of the snaps, and showing explosiveness and toughness. Let’s hope he is back sooner rather than later. He suffered a shoulder injury in camp and came back perhaps a week or two earlier than expected, so maybe he’s a fast healer. Meanwhile, who plays at wide receiver against Cincinnati? DeSean Jackson has to be the leader here and he has to stay healthy. Second-year man J.J. Arcega-Whiteside has his chance to produce. He really needs to step up. Rookie John Hightower will get more playing time. Greg Ward is in the slot, doing his thing. The Eagles played around 80 percent of the game against the Rams with one running back and two tight ends on the field and they’re probably going to continue that personnel grouping moving forward and promote somebody from the practice squad to add a fifth wide receiver.

2020 Fantasy Football Rankings: Quarterbacks for Week 3 - Fake Teams
16) Carson Wentz — Wentz has been hitting his floor. Cincinnati’s defense gives him a chance to find his ceiling.

Bengals vs. Eagles Injury Report: Geno Atkins, Mike Daniels remain out - Cincy Jungle
The NFL gods where not feeling merciful this past Sunday as numerous star players from around the league fell victim to injury. Considering the Bengals played on a short week, they should feel lucky they aren’t more battered than they already are. But even if they played on Sunday instead of Thursday, it doesn’t seem like Geno Atkins (shoulder) or Mike Daniels (groin) would’ve been able to play. The two defensive tackles did not to practice on Wednesday, and head coach Zac Taylor said during his press conference that they are considered day-to-day.

Elo ratings predict double digit wins for 2020 Dallas Cowboys - Blogging The Boys
The Vikings (0-2) and Eagles (0-2), for example, are both on the Cowboys’ schedule and don’t look anywhere near as daunting as some some had seen them entering the season. And other parts of the 2020 schedule may also look different after two weeks of play than they did when the schedule was initially released.

Film Study: What can Devonta Freeman bring to the New York Giants? - Big Blue View
Freeman has a long history of injuries as well; he missed all but two games in 2018 with a foot bruise and a sports hernia that required season ending surgery. He’s also had three documented concussions, a PCL & MCL sprain, and a few other injuries. Although it seems like Freeman has lost a bit of explosiveness, that does not mean he’s not a valuable asset. Freeman has excellent vision running through the tackles, and his shorter stature gives him a better center of gravity to break through arm tackles, and it also disguises him as he hits holes coming downhill.

NFL expert picks, Week 3: Who wins the Injury Bowl? - SB Nation
The best games this week could really preview where the end of the season will be. The Seattle Seahawks and Dallas Cowboys face off, both of whom figure to at least be a part of the NFC playoff picture, and potentially even the championship itself. Seattle gave us one of the best Sunday Night Football games in a long time, with an absolute barn burner against the New England Patriots that saw Russell Wilson go off with five touchdowns.

9 experts reflect on the US reaching 200,000 Covid-19 deaths - Vox
This week, the number of Americans confirmed to have died from Covid-19 crossed 200,000. It is a staggering loss of life, and this unfortunate milestone warrants some reflection. In that spirit, I asked a question of several of the public health experts whose knowledge I have relied upon over the last six months: If you had been told back in February (when the first Covid-19 death in the US was recorded) that before the end of September 200,000 more people would be dead, what would your reaction have been?

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