Eagles News: Philadelphia is “running one of the most vanilla defenses in the NFL”

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

NFL Week 8 Defense Rankings - PFF
23. Philadelphia Eagles (Down 1). The Eagles are currently running one of the most vanilla defenses in the NFL, and they no longer have the elite talent to make that work. With Brandon Graham injured and Fletcher Cox no longer an unstoppable force, the limitations of a simple scheme are more obvious. The Eagles run one coverage shell 29.8% of the time, rank dead last in the percentage of snaps that feature stunts up front and slot in at 30th in blitz rate. They are making things far too easy for opposing offenses from a schematic point of view.

Weapon X Mailbag: What would it take for the Eagles to fire Howie Roseman? - BGN
As for Roseman? Man, who knows? It would have to be a complete embarrassment the rest of the season for him to go, a turn of events that leaves Lurie furious and disgusted regardless of his close relationship with Roseman. If the Eagles lose out, which I don’t think they will, how do they bring him back? How do they potentially let him hire his fourth coach? It’s going to take not just a bunch of losses for that ti happen, but bad losses, ones that illustrate that the team is failing at all three phases of the game. I’m talking about losses like the Cowboys Monday Night Football disaster and this past week against the Raiders. I don’t expect Roseman to go. I will believe when I see no matter how much I want him to be gone.

The QB Factory Reboot #33: Will Lions secure first victory over Eagles? Jalen Hurts isn’t making much progress - BGN Radio
Raichele Privette and Mark Schofield discuss what to expect from Jared Goff and the winless Detroit Lions on Sunday, continue to express their frustrations with Jalen Hurts and the Birds and question is it almost time to begin draft coverage.

Predicting NFL Week 8 upset picks, fantasy football sleepers and flops, plus trade buzz and notes around the league - ESPN+
Some teams around the league are keeping an eye on Philadelphia’s quarterback situation — and whether Gardner Minshew gets a shot eventually. The consensus is the Eagles continue to stay with Jalen Hurts in the short term. But if the slide continues, coach Nick Sirianni might not have a choice. Hurts ranks 26th in QBR at 38.8. The quarterbacks behind him are either rookies or veterans who have had tenuous rides in the NFC West (Jimmy Garoppolo, Jared Goff). Scouts like Hurts but questioned whether he could get it done over a full season. Will he get a full season to help them find out?

Eagles email exchange: Will Gardner Minshew replace Jalen Hurts this season? - The Athletic
If the Eagles continue on this trajectory, then I believe we’ll see Minshew start this season. And that’s not necessarily to form a better evaluation of Minshew, but it could also help form an evaluation of Sirianni. If the Eagles offense remains inconsistent (and inefficient) and the team continues losing games, how much of a sample size would one need to know that that the Sirianni-Hurts combination isn’t working? Twelve games, 14 games? If that were to happen, it would behoove Sirianni to see if the offense looks different with a different quarterback — one who is a 62.9 percent passer during the past two seasons. I’m not suggesting that will happen. And I imagine Hurts will have a long leash given his age, intangibles and the second-round pick the team invested. So we’re talking December, if at all. But I wouldn’t rule it out for the simple reason of seeing how the offense functions with someone else.

NFC Hierarchy/Obituary: Week 8 - PhillyVoice
13) Eagles (2-5): We could probably write off the Eagles this week as well, but (a) I’d prefer to give them their own dedicated sendoff on a week we’re not also eulogizing some other team, and (b), their schedule just has so many horrendous teams left on it. But obviously, this is a broken team right now. The young coaching staff is overmatched, the quarterback is not coming close to proving that he can be a long-term answer, players are beginning to dissent, and the architect of this mess is going survive unscathed, again. A loss in Detroit to the winless Lions this Sunday would be a new low.

Eagles are shattering NFL records in this week’s Roob’s Stats - NBCSP
RECORD-BREAKING SEASON: You wanted a record-setting Eagles season? You are getting one. The Eagles are on pace to allow the highest opposing completion percentage in NFL history. Opposing QBs have completed 74.4 percent of their passes through seven games. The NFL record for a full season is 72.7 percent by the 2016 Detroit Lions. But watch out for the Jaguars, who are also on record pace at 72.9 percent.

Jonathan Gannon: ‘We gotta challenge a little bit more’ - PE.com
Defensive Coordinator Jonathan Gannon didn’t dodge an issue. He wasn’t happy with the team’s defensive performance and said he planned to change things up moving forward as the Eagles prepare for Detroit on Sunday. Amid postgame concerns voiced by defensive tackle Fletcher Cox about the defensive scheme and Head Coach Nick Sirianni’s mention in his postgame press conference that the defense needs to “challenge” more, Gannon said on Tuesday he understood what has been said. About Cox’s comments, Gannon said: “I understand Fletch’s point. I think it comes from he’s an unselfish player that has a lot of passion for winning and losing and our entire defense is frustrated that we’re 2-5 right now because we’re not playing well enough. I need to do a better job of that with him.” As for what Sirianni said in the aftermath of the 33-22 loss in which Raiders quarterback Derek Carr completed 31 of 34 passes, Gannon said he was the one who planted the seeds of Sirianni’s words.

McClain: Clock ticking on a Deshaun Watson trade - Houston Chronicle
Watson told the Texans he would accept a trade to Miami. He invoked his no-trade clause on a possible deal with Philadelphia, according to a source close to the situation. He also has told Caserio the other teams he’s avoiding for one reason or another.

2021 Fantasy Football Rankings: Wide Receivers for Week 8 - Fake Teams
WR27) DeVonta Smith — If there’s going to be a week where Smith explodes, it will be this week against a weak secondary in DET..

DVOA Week 8: Are the Titans Overrated? - Football Outsiders
[BLG Note: The Eagles are 21st in DVOA while the Lions are 27th.]

Notes: 3 national outlets praise Dan Campbell’s aggressive gameplan vs. Rams - Pride Of Detroit
The Detroit Lions are not really accustomed to getting national attention, especially when they’re losing. The only time the national discussion seems interested at all with the Lions is when there’s something particularly embarrassing that happens to the team or their head coach says something funny. But despite Sunday’s 28-19 loss to the Los Angeles Rams, the Lions are getting some serious praise from legitimate national outlets, and we’re not just talking MMQB ranking the Lions 19th in their Week 8 power rankings. Head coach Dan Campbell got some serious praise from not one, not two, but three different national outlets. Let’s take a quick look at all three.

When the Cowboys can wrap up the NFC East - Blogging The Boys
Let that sink in for a little bit, the Dallas Cowboys have a 54% chance to clinch the NFC East by December 12th. That is nearly a full month before the NFL regular season ends, which means that two weeks before Christmas, the Cowboys will most likely be dawning “NFC East Champions” hats. If this scenario occurs, Dallas will have four weeks to focus on seeding and jockey for position in the NFC playoff picture. Clinching the division by week 14 is impressive but doing so in a season where the league added an extra game is even more outstanding.

Off day ‘things I think’ about the New York Giants - Big Blue View
You can’t change the past. Still, how different would the narrative about the Giants be if they were 4-3 right instead of 2-5? If they had won games against the Washington Football Team and Atlanta Falcons? The Giants were, in my view, the better team in those games. They lost because of their own failure to execute simple things, and because of some questionable coaching decisions. That 4-3 record, incidentally, would currently have the Giants in the seventh playoff spot. Think about that for a second. A couple of plays that should have been made by the Giants in both of those games and the story unfolding for them right now would be a vastly different one. That simply points out how slim the margin is between success and failure is in the NFL.

It’s time to move on from Pete Carroll and rebuild - Field Gulls
So, what’s left to do after Pete and John are gone? Give almost everyone up. Trade Wilson, Wagner, Carson, and maybe even Lockett for picks, and try to trade Jamal Adams (although I don’t think anyone would be stupid enough to try and get him). Acquire a veteran QB to hold down the fort. Metcalf is still young, so if we can pay him enough he’ll stay and still be in his prime after the rebuild ends (hopefully within the next five years). Hire a young head coach with a good understanding of analytics and, heck, maybe even how to run an offense. And get a general manager with a good record in the draft.

Will Russell Wilson make one last run at getting traded? - PFT
We’ll likely never know if Wilson’s agent makes one last behind-the-scenes run at making a trade happen, unless it progresses to actual trade talks. Given the issues from earlier this year and the strong possibility that he will make another play for a new team after the season, there are plenty of reasons for him to consider the possibility of making the jump to a new team in time to try to get back to the Super Bowl and win it, this year.

Grading the NFL’s rookie QBs, from Mac Jones to Justin Fields - SB Nation
What he’s doing wrong: Chicago seem allergic to letting Fields run the ball, and that hasn’t helped matters — but it’s the lack of big plays that’s concerning. Fields has a cannon for an arm, but simply isn’t pushing the ball downfield effectively. When he does try to make a play his ball placement has been off, and too often he’s misjudged the defense, leading to his six interceptions. Grade: F. This is how I’m grading both Fields and Wilson for very similar reasons. Neither quarterback appears ready to play right now, and we’re not seeing solid progression.

Off Day Debrief #60: The Ringer’s Benjamin Solak + MNF reaction + Week 8 Power Rankings - The SB Nation NFL Show
Rob “Stats” Guerrera and Brandon Lee Gowton are joined by The Ringer’s Benjamin Solak to react to the MNF game and the Week 8 Power Rankings. Has Sean Payton done enough with Jameis Winston to sneak into the playoffs in the NFC? Is there any chance Seattle stays above water with Geno Smith long enough for Russ to save them? When will the Cardinals be embraced as the best team in the league? Ben explains why Lamar Jackson actually outplayed Joe Burrow on Sunday What the hell are the 49ers doing at quarterback? The Eagles’ big mistake with Jalen Hurts.

...

Social Media Information:

BGN Facebook Page: Click here to like our page

BGN Twitter: Follow @BleedingGreen

BGN Instagram: Follow @BleedingGreenInsta

BGN Manager: Brandon Lee Gowton: Follow @BrandonGowton

BGN Radio Twitter: Follow @BGN_Radio

BGN Cameo: Click here for a personalized video message