Eagles News: Philadelphia believes Carson Wentz “can be repaired”

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

Eagles will press pause before coming up with a Carson Wentz plan - PFT
The Philadelphia Eagles, officially eliminated from the postseason, will play their final game tonight against Washington. Immediately after the game, the planning for 2021 will begin. When it comes to the quarterback position, the Eagles will press pause before engaging in a full and complete evaluation. Generally speaking, the Eagles believe starter-turned-backup Carson Wentz can be repaired, and that he can resume his successful career. The first question is whether Wentz will be reinstalled as the starter for 2021 or whether Wentz and 2020 second-round draft pick Jalen Hurts will compete for the job. In theory, the Eagles also could decide to make Hurts the starter with no competition between him and Wentz. That outcome seems the least likely at this point, primarily because the Eagles continue to believe in Wentz.

To trade or not to trade: Joe Banner says Eagles need to decide quickly on what to do with Carson Wentz - Inquirer
Domo: Let’s assume Doug is going to be coming back. Who do you think he wants to go forward with as his quarterback – Wentz or Hurts? [...] JB: I think it’s really hard to know that. Not from (firsthand) knowledge other than knowing the people, it’s impossible for Doug and Carson to have gone through this season together and not have developed some tension between them. There was just too much stress, too much disappointment. They’re both driven, highly competitive people. Now, you could step away from the scene and that could all evaporate. Or there can be some lingering damage from that. There’s no way for us to know that. What I know is Doug is calling very different plays with Jalen at quarterback than he was with Carson. It makes me think that Doug may be a little bit excited by some of the things that he thinks he can do with somebody that’s as mobile as Jalen and doesn’t have a history where you have to worry about him getting hurt. And it looks like he has a build where he can actually take more contact and hits than probably most quarterbacks. So I can’t tell you which one he prefers. But it does look like he’s excited and even a little bit rejuvenated in terms of getting creative and using zone reads and RPOs and some of the things he backed off of with Carson.

Report: Doug Pederson expected to return as Eagles head coach in 2021 - BGN
This development seems like bad news for Carson Wentz? The Eagles can’t possibly run it back with both Pederson AND Wentz ... can they?

The Kist & Solak Show #219: JIM SCHWARTZ EMERGENCY POD! - BGN Radio
Michael Kist & Benjamin Solak react to the news of Jim Schwartz letting his contract expire after the 2020 season, discuss his legacy, and debate which candidates the Eagles should target to replace him! Powered by SB Nation and Bleeding Green Nation.

Mailbag: Should the Eagles treat Week 17 like a preseason game? - PhillyVoice
Question from Ross: Any chance the Eagles try to trade Dillard? Or is his value so low due to injuries and looking bad that it’s better to bring him back into camp? ... It actually costs slightly more on the cap to trade him than to just keep him, so you’d have to get something worthwhile in return for him. I don’t think there’d be much of a market for him, since as you said, he stunk as a rookie and he missed his entire second season. If someone were interested (again, unlikely), I’m sure the Eagles would listen.

Schwartz Gone, Doug Back? - Iggles Blitz
It would be crazy if the Eagles brought back Pederson and Howie Roseman, while losing Jim Schwartz. The defense was the least of my concerns. I was more focused on fixing QB/the offense and upgrading the overall talent level of the team. Ugh. Ian Rapoport had a tweet mentioning “significant staff changes”. He didn’t offer any details. I don’t know if this is speculation or something he’s heard behind the scenes. The Eagles have been adjusting the coaching staff since winning the Super Bowl. They can certainly make improvements, but the key is still to upgrade the talent level of this team. No matter who is calling plays/teaching players, they need more talent to work with. Back to DC. It will be interesting to see what the Eagles do there. Matt Burke was the DL coach this year and is a Schwartz disciple. He could make sense since the roster is built for a 4-3, 1-gap scheme. He has DC experience. DBs coach Marquad Manuel also has DC experience and could be a candidate. Of course, the Eagles may want to find someone with a different set of ideas.

Eagles DC Jim Schwartz won’t be back: Who might replace him? What’s his legacy? - The Athletic
I think overall he did a really good job. From 2016 to 2020, the Eagles defense ranked eighth in Expected Points Added per snap, according to TruMedia’s model. It was never lower than 17th in Football Outsiders’ DVOA metric. It’s easy to forget now, but the defense (fifth) actually ranked higher than the offense (seventh) in DVOA during the 2017 Super Bowl season. Often, Schwartz was asked to do more with less. The Eagles have had 11 top-100 picks over the past five seasons, and just three of those were used on the defense. According to Over The Cap, they ranked 30th in defensive spending in 2020. Schwartz’s philosophy was basically: Give me some pass rushers, and I’ll figure out the rest. He was frustrating and stubborn at times, but overall he did a very good job. Building an efficient offense and a mediocre defense is a recipe for success in today’s NFL. The Eagles have spent eight top-100 picks on offense in the past five years and have the third-most-expensive offense in the league. They rank 28th in offensive DVOA. That’s what’s responsible for the 2020 season failures, not Schwartz.

Roob’s 10 reasons why Lurie is keeping Pederson - NBCSP
8. Doug and Howie: This is an underrated but important part of this whole dynamic. Whoever the head coach is here has to have a solid working relationship with Howie Roseman, and Doug does. I’ll never forget Reid’s words after he was fired following the 2012 season: “Everybody has to be pulling in the same direction.” The relationship among the owner, general manager and head coach – the three most powerful people in any organization – is a tricky one, and if all three respect and trust each other, listen to each other and are pulling in the same direction you at least have a chance, and I think Lurie believes that’s the case.

Playoffs on the line for Washington at Philadelphia Eagles in Week 17 - ESPN
Bold prediction: Regardless of starting quarterback, it’ll be the defense and run game that flourish for Washington. Running back Antonio Gibson will run for 75 yards and a touchdown, and defensive end Chase Young will record two sacks. But maybe this is the boldest prediction: Washington will score on its opening possession for the first time all year.

Keeping an eye on ... Travis Fulgham, Michael Jacquet, Brett Toth in finale - PE.com
That four-game stretch when Travis Fulgham had 27 receptions for 378 yards and three touchdowns – leading the NFL in receiving in that period of time – seems forever ago. Fulgham has had eight catches in the six games since. What’s happened? “I just need to stay the course, keep getting better every day, keep working on my craft, and whenever the team calls my number, I need to answer. I just need to make the play for them,” Fulgham said earlier in the week when asked that question. “In regards to the drop-off, there is only one ball to go around, so I’m not worried about that, but when my time comes again, I’ll be ready. Of course it’s disappointing. You want to do everything you can to help your team and I wish I was able to do that.” Fulgham really didn’t have an answer for why his playing time and his targets have significantly decreased. “Some guys got healthy and that’s just kind of the way it goes. If they need me out there, I’ll be out there. It’s kind of just how the business goes,” he said. Fulgham defended his practice habits and his in-game performance, keeping his focus on what he can control.

2 D/STs to start and 2 D/STs to fade in Week 17 fantasy football - DraftKings Nation
D/ST Sits — Philadelphia Eagles vs. Washington Football Team. Over the last two weeks, we’ve seen the Philadelphia Eagles’ defense get shredded by DeAndre Hopkins, Michael Gallup, and CeeDee Lamb. This weekend, it does not get any easier as they are facing a Washington Football Team that is trying to win the NFC East. The Eagles defense could be without a few starters such as Fletcher Cox, Jalen Mills, and Derek Barnett. If those players do not play, we could see the Washington offense move up the field with Alex Smith under center.

Injury update: Washington planning to start Alex Smith vs Eagles - Hogs Haven
Alex Smith is feeling good and the plan is for him to start on Sunday vs the Philadelphia Eagles. The Washington Football Team will still need to check his health tomorrow morning, but everything is pointing in the right direction for Smith to return to the field after missing the last 2 1/2 games with a calf injury. Smith looked like he could possibly return last week, but after practicing fully on Friday, the decision was made to shut him down the next day. Sunday’s game is the biggest of the year, and will determine if the WFT wins the division, or starts the offseason. Washington controls their own destiny, and it doesn’t matter what happens in tomorrow’s Cowboys vs Giants game as long as they beat the Eagles.

Report: Kellen Moore to stay as Dallas Cowboys offensive coordinator in 2021 - Blogging The Boys
It is no secret that Kellen Moore is in the final year of his contract with the Cowboys and with a job available that seemingly makes so much sense (in a world where these types of things rarely line up like this) it has made much sense that Moore could possibly leave the Cowboys for Boise State. Moore has been instrumental to the Cowboys’ offensive success and efficiency since taking over as offensive coordinator, and we didn’t get to see it in its fully intended form for an entire season this year as Dak Prescott went down in Week 5. Thankfully, it appears as if there will more opportunities in the future. On the eve of Week 17 it was reported by ESPN that Kellen Moore is not only staying as the Cowboys offensive coordinator, but that he is bypassing an opportunity to be the head coach at Boise State in order to do so. The Cowboys are apparently signing him to an extension per the worldwide leader.

Dave Gettleman’s fate as Giants’ GM up in the air as season ends - Big Blue View
I can see the “he should go” argument. There were missed opportunities and free agent mistakes in the first two offseasons of Gettleman’s tenure. There has been too much losing. Gettleman is going to be 70 in February and maybe it’s time for a new approach. I can see the “he should stay” argument. As far as we can tell, Gettleman and Joe Judge work well together and share a vision for how the Giants should be built going forward. Last year’s free agency moves were outstanding. Despite the struggles on offense this season, the organization appears to believe in Gettleman’s decision to draft Daniel Jones in 2019. If Gettleman and Judge are on the same page, and ownership believes in the direction Judge has laid out, why mess with that? Personally, I’m fine with either decision the Giants make.

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