Eagles News: Why Philadelphia’s defense “should be exciting to watch”

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

The Eagles’ new look defense and other NFL schematic trends to watch - SB Nation
I’m excited to watch this defense because the personnel now fits the scheme they want to run. Last year they tried getting into these schemes, but they didn’t have the right guys. Enter Jordan Davis, the Eagles first round pick and mountain of a defensive tackle. What Davis allows the Eagles to do is legitimately play lighter boxes. At 6’6 and 340 pounds, Davis has the size, speed and instincts to be a run defense by himself, and Gannon will play him in four and five man fronts, making the Eagles more scheme versatile. In addition, the Eagles signed James Bradberry, who has great eyes and instincts in zone defense. Per Sports Info Solutions (SIS), James Bradberry led the NFL in coverage snaps played in Cover 2, Cover 4 and Cover 6 on the outside. Current Eagles CB Darius Slay was third. The addition of Bradberry allows Philadelphia to get better on the outside and play more zone coverage. Then trading for Chauncey Gardner-Johnson gives Gannon a versatile chess piece that all Fangio/Staley defenses should have. Gardner-Johnson is one of the best slot defenders in the league, but will also be playing deep safety. In modern defenses, safeties have to be able to play in the box while also being able to cover slot receivers. In Gannon’s defense, CGJ will be required to carry the slot receiver vertical and play from the top down. The Eagles revamped their defense in one offseason, and their play should be exciting to watch this upcoming year.

Eagles-Lions Game Preview: 5 questions and answers with the Week 1 enemy - BGN
I’m a little more positive than the rest of my co-workers at Pride of Detroit. The Lions building up their offense, getting Aidan Hutchinson and building up their culture even more has me drinking all the kool-aid. I’d be cheating myself if I didn’t go all in and predict that the Lions win this game. Ultimately I think the Lions come out firing and win this thing in something of a shootout. Put me down for a 27-24 Lions win. As for the rest of the season, I got optimistic there too. The Lions have arguably one of the easiest schedules in the league on paper. I believe they go 10-7 and secure the seventh and final seed in the NFC.

Eye on the Enemy #106: Jeremy Reisman joins to preview Eagles-Lions + Bills-Rams Thursday night recap - BGN Radio
John Stolnis is joined by Jeremy Reisman of Pride of Detroit to preview this week’s Eagles-Lions game. Also, John recaps Thursday night’s game, ran through his NFL predictions for this season and made his Eagles pick.

Week 1 gambling preview: What’s the best bet for Lions-Eagles? - Pride Of Detroit
First, let’s go ahead and get this one out of the way: it’s going to be a day for A.J. Brown against the Lions secondary. Right now, over 64.5 receiving yards for Brown is -115 and it feels like the closest to a sure thing, especially after our conversation previewing the matchups with the famed Brandon Lee Gowton of Bleeding Green Nation. If you’re looking for something to sink your teeth into with some longer odds, I think you can look to the special game parlays DraftKings has posted. For this game, I think you can count on the Lions to come out with more energy than Dan Campbell will be able to conceal along the sideline. There needs to be a coach prop floating around in some illegal international waters of “Dan Campbell pops a blood vessel in his head (must be visible)” at like +950 for “Yes.” But I like the first half spread/total of Lions +3.5 and UNDER 24.5 at +230. I’m reminded of the Lions first drive of the preseason where they marched down the field on their own pace and schedule: 10 plays, 79 yards and over five minutes of possession. Both these teams want to control the ball and black and blue the other one into submission, and establishing yourself as the more physical team is something these teams will be going back and forth on early.

Are the Philadelphia Eagles legit title contenders? Questions start with QB Jalen Hurts - ESPN
Hurts is a strong leader. He’s a playmaker. He led all quarterbacks last year in rushing yards (784) and rushing touchdowns (10). He showed in his first full year as a starter that he’s capable of taking a team to the playoffs. But he needs to improve as a passer for Philadelphia to elevate into the upper echelon. Hurts finished 26th in completion percentage in 2021 (61.3%). He completed 53.7% of his throws on third down, also 26th in the league. Escaping would-be tacklers and creating on the move is Hurts’ “superpower” as his coaches like to call it. But the offense lacked rhythm throws. Hurts was tops in average time before the pass (3.12 seconds) and average time in the pocket (2.66 seconds), according to ESPN Stats & Information. Hurts, 24, spent part of the summer in Southern California working with quarterback gurus to improve his fundamentals. And the belief is that familiarity with the offense — this is the first time he’s been in the same system since his father was his coach back in high school — will lead to him getting the ball out faster.

Spadaro: How will the Eagles handle the moment? - PE.com
They have all spent most of these last two weeks preparing for Sunday and the regular-season opener in Detroit. Now we’re in the final hours, and while the fans are antsy and brimming with emotion – hype, would be a more appropriate description – players who have been here before understand how to approach the moment. “I’m approaching this like I do every other year,” cornerback James Bradberry said as he prepares to make his Eagles debut. “There is still a lot of work to be done to get ready for Sunday. You don’t get ahead of yourself. Stick to the game plan with the way you prepare and make the most of the time that you have left. “Every year is kind of new and when I was early in my career, maybe there were more nerves than there are now. It’s exciting because you love football and you want to start the season. So, there’s that. You learn to control those emotions. Get your jitters out when the game starts and make plays after that. It’s football and we’ve all been playing it for a long time, so we know how to handle this time.” Bradberry is part of a moving-parts secondary that will be tested on Sunday against a Lions team that demonstrated great improvement through the course of 2021. Bradberry is playing his first game as an Eagle. Safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson has been here for less than two weeks. Marcus Epps is a full-season starter for the first time. There is a lot to work to do here, and the players embrace that challenge.

Washington Commanders vs Jacksonville Jaguars Friday Injury Report - Hogs Haven
Washington ruled S Kam Curl out after having surgery for a thumb injury last week. Curl was at practice this week with a cast/brace on his thumb, and he was there and in uniform the past two days. He didn’t participate in team drills, and did the majority of his work on the side field. Curl will be replaced in the lineup by 2nd-year safety Darrick Forrest who has made big improvements in his game since his rookie season and has been Washington’s #3 safety all offseason, and will be the first man up. Jeremy Reaves finally survived the last round of cuts, and will be a backup along with rookie Percy Butler. Ron Rivera said that he got good feedback from the doctor, and he expects Curl to be back on the field next week.

Confidence of Giants fans probably won’t be any higher in 2022 than it is right now - Big Blue View
New York Giants fans are feeling confident about the direction of their revamped team under the direction of new GM Joe Schoen and new head coach Brian Daboll. Ninety-two (92) percent of voters in this week’s ‘SB Nation Reacts’ poll say they feel good about the team’s direction entering the 2022 NFL season. Of course, we will see how they feel next week if the underdog Giants should lose to the Tennessee Titans in Sunday’s opening game, especially if the result is not particularly close.

Cowboys vs. Bucs final injury report and game preview: Jayron Kearse questionable - Blogging The Boys
In a surprise, the Cowboys have listed safety Jayron Kearse as questionable with a neck issue. He had practiced the first two days of the week, but sat out today. Michael Gallup was ruled out. The good news is that Jourdan Lewis is good to go. Also, no issue with Dak Prescott after yesterday’s thing, he practiced and is playing. For the Bucs, both Chris Godwin and Russell Gage are questionable.

Chandon Sullivan “full of emotions” about facing Packers in Week 1 - PFT
Cornerback Chandon Sullivan will play his first game as a member of the Vikings in Week 1 and he’ll do it against some familiar faces. Sullivan appeared in every game that the Packers played over the last three seasons and made 20 starts the last two years, but said that he felt like moving to the Vikings provided him with a better opportunity for the 2022 season. Having the Packers on the other side of the field for his first chance to make something of that opportunity adds something to his Minnesota debut. [BLG Note: Former Eagles CB.]

Thursday Night Football Reaction, Pick 3, & Week 1 Preview - The SB Nation NFL Show
Rob “Stats” Guerrera, RJ Ochoa, and Brandon Lee Gowton open things up by discussing the Bills’ season-opening domination over the defending Super Bowl champion Rams. We’ve got our favorite bets to place this week on “Pick 3” to open up the NFL regular season–and our week 1 NFL preview. The Lions are getting too much hype against the Eagles, the Colts and Texans could be closer than people think, the Ravens should smash the Jets, and we don’t love the Cowboys’ chances against the Bucs on Sunday night.

When, why, and how to get a new Covid-19 booster shot - Vox
The wait is over: Updated versions of Covid-19 booster shots have received a green light from the Food and Drug Administration, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention now recommends them for all Americans age 12 and older. This push for new, updated boosters is coming at a good time. Health officials are warning of another likely spike in Covid-19 transmission this fall as people head back indoors once again.

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