Eagles News: A spotlight on Big Dom

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Meet the Eagles’ mystery man, their ‘Papa Bear’ head of security with a heart of gold - Inquirer
For gun owners, he informs them of different laws for carrying weapons in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Brown, who was traded to the Eagles last offseason, said he didn’t realize his Tennessee driver’s license was suspended — “for unpaid parking tickets,” he said — until DiSandro told him. Helping with parking and speeding tickets — how to fight, minimize, or expunge — may be part of the job. A current player who spoke on the condition of anonymity said he has been pulled over a few times, most recently while he drove home late following a road game. “I’ll roll the window down or whatever. And I’ll be like, ‘I play for the Eagles,’” the player said. “They’ll look and then I guess they call it in or talk to Dom. And then they’ll come back and be like, ‘All right, you’re good. Keep winning.’”When he walked by DiSandro’s office not long after, the player said he heard him say, “Hey, man, slow down crossing that bridge.” The Eagles declined to comment on the incident. Most players, by and large, avoid transgressions and stay out of DiSandro’s doghouse. But there are some who need to be reprogrammed. He gets many to buy in.

Which team do you want the Eagles to host in their first playoff game? - BGN
The NFC’s wild card round features Smith’s Seahawks in San Francisco against the Purdy-led 49ers, Jones and the Giants traveling to Minnesota to take on Cousins and the paper tiger Vikings, and in the marquee QB match-up of the NFC’s wild weekend, Prescott and the Cowboys in Tampa against Brady and the Bucs on Monday night. There are only four teams the Eagles can play next week in the divisional round: Bucs, Cowboys, Giants or Seahawks. As the No. 1 seed, Philadelphia will play the lowest remaining seed after these three games. If the Seahawks win, they’re in Philly. If the Seahawks lose and the Giants win, it’ll be a rematch with New York in Philadelphia next weekend. If the Hawks and Giants lose and the Cowboys win, it’ll be Hurts vs. Dak in the divisional round. And if all the higher-seeded teams win, the Eagles will get a rematch with last year’s wild card opponent, Tom Brady and the Bucs, coming to Philadelphia as the 4-seed. Given those potential match-ups, we asked what team you would most want to see in the divisional round, and the answers were not surprising.

Concern level with Jalen Hurts and his injury status? + NFL picks against the spread - BGN Radio
Brandon Lee Gowton and Jimmy Kempski discuss the latest Eagles injury news (including what’s going on with Jalen Hurts) in addition to making their Wild Card picks against the spread. Which team will Philadelphia host in the Divisional Round? Interact with us on Twitter: @BrandonGowton, @JimmyKempski, @BGN_Radio, @BleedingGreen Use discount code BGN15 at RighteousFelon.com for 15% off your order!

What Kelce thinks is the real benefit of Eagles’ bye week - NBCSP
One of Sirianni’s core values is fundamentals. That’s been the emphasis this week. “The bottom line is we do a lot of advanced things here from different techniques to analytics to drawn up plays and schemes and all these things,” Kelce said. “All that stuff is really important. But it’s all built on the foundation of talent and knowledge. To re-focus on that after you’ve been getting away from it and having to focus on other things is nice.” The Eagles earned a bye week when they clinched the No. 1 seed in the NFC with a Week 18 win over the Giants. While the most obvious benefit to earning that bye week is rest, Kelce said that’s not the top benefit in his eyes.

Eagles roster reset: Checking in on all 53 players entering the playoffs - The Athletic
Marcus Epps. This has been a long-standing difference of opinion between myself and Zach Berman on Birds with Friends this season, but I contend the Eagles are more likely to re-sign Epps this offseason than C.J. Gardner-Johnson. My thought process is Roseman’s M.O. in the past has been to reward homegrown players over relative outsiders more often than not, and that Epps is a more reliable player moving forward. Gardner-Johnson may be more talented and have a higher upside, but that also means his market will be more robust. There is also probably more volatility with Gardner-Johnson given the way things ended in New Orleans and his acknowledged transition period when first arriving in Philadelphia. The fifth-round pick the Eagles used to acquire Gardner-Johnson is by no means pot-committing.

PFT’s NFL 2022 MVP: Patrick Mahomes - PFT
Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts may have won the prize but for a shoulder injury that caused him to miss multiple late-season games. He can run, he can throw, and above all else he can lead. He explained after a win over the Steelers that he has sensed that the rest of the team has adopted his obsessive focus and determination to win game after game after game.

Browns add Eagles coach to their DC search process - Dawgs By Nature
The Cleveland Browns lost out on interviewing Jerod Mayo as it seems the defender is sticking with the New England Patriots despite the request from Cleveland and the Carolina Panthers request to interview him for their head coaching position. The Browns have completed interviews with Jim Schwartz and Brian Flores but have to wait to interview Sean Desai who has a playoff game this weekend. Friday evening, reports came out that the team had added another candidate to the mix. With Mayo out and Desai on delay, getting another person in for an interview would be helpful and also meet the new Rooney Rule of two minor candidates interviewed. The name is not a new name as Dennard Wilson was noted as a potential target earlier this offseason. Jonathan Jones was first with the report of Wilson interviewing.

NFL wild-card round playoff game picks, schedule, odds, injuries - ESPN
What to watch for: The Bucs’ defense held the Cowboys to just 71 rushing yards in Week 1, and Dallas has been held under 100 yards rushing just four times this season. For Tampa Bay, getting defensive tackle Vita Vea back this week could go a long way in replicating that performance and making quarterback Dak Prescott one-dimensional. The Bucs are 6-2 this season when Vea and Akiem Hicks are on the field together.

All-32: How Ravens Can Pressure Joe Burrow - Football Outsiders
Key Player: DAL WR Michael Gallup. Dak Prescott and Michael Gallup operate almost entirely on a timing-based relationship. There’s not a lot of room for option routes or creativity or playmaking late in the down. Prescott trusts Gallup to be in a certain place at a certain time and delivers the ball to him without hesitation on the basis that Gallup can make uncomfortable catches. The more teams have jammed Gallup at the line, however, the more that relationship has started to falter. The Eagles—particularly James Bradberry—did an excellent job with this in Week 16. The Cowboys scored 40 points in that game anyway because of how bad Philadelphia’s coverage between the numbers was, but they proved how jammable Gallup is right now.

Jerry Jones claims Mike McCarthy’s job is safe, but history shows that might not be true - Blogging The Boys
Sounds great for McCarthy, right? But if McCarthy knows his history, he should know these glowing words from Jerry only go as far as the next humiliation. Those 12 regular-season wins aren’t going to soothe Jones’ pain if his team is still an object of ridicule after this postseason. Would that be enough to cost McCarthy his job? Maybe not immediately, but it could set the stage for 2023 similarly to how the team went into 2010 with Wade Phillips. The leash could get much, much shorter. One big difference from then to now is that there doesn’t seem to be a Jason Garrett waiting in the wings. If things do go awry in these playoffs, Kellen Moore may lose his job before McCarthy does. There’s no indication that he has any special connection to the Jones family and would receive some greater loyalty from it, or is part of some big-picture plan for the future. But while McCarthy may not have to worry about an understudy on the coaching staff right now, he is up against even greater frustration and desperation from the front office. When Jerry dumped Phillips it had only been 15 years since the Cowboys’ last Super Bowl. It’s now 26 years and counting.

Super Wild Card Weekend NFL game picks: Chargers defeat Jaguars; Cowboys oust Tom Brady’s Bucs - NFL.com
This game is about the Cowboys. They are the up-and-down team that has shown a top-five scoring offense and defense, rarely at the same time. The Bucs have shown neither, a remarkably consistent defense that makes the opposition work and a Tom Brady offense that relies on short passing and converting on third-and-3. They haven’t played well for more than a quarter at a time all season; why start now? I’m not worried about Dak Prescott’s meltdown in Week 18 and the Cowboys’ odd effort in that game. I am worried about the Cowboys defense springing leaks at cornerback, linebacker and defensive tackle. Will Dan Quinn be confident enough in his personnel to mix up the Cowboys’ looks snap-to-snap? Will Brady give Micah Parsons a chance to get the passer? I’m taking the Cowboys because their average game is better than the Bucs’, but there’s also only one team here with championship experience. I don’t feel good about picking either team.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Dallas Cowboys: Friday Injury Report - Bucs Nation
The Buccaneers saw one vital player trend in the wrong direction at practice Friday, as interior offensive lineman Nick Leverett did not participate with knee and shoulder injuries. Leverett has been a key stabilizing factor along the offensive line since taking over for Luke Goedeke back in October. His absence would likely push the overmatched rookie back into a starting role against a fearsome Dallas pass rush, which would be the epitome of unideal. The team could also consider John Molchon, who played well last week in his first regular season NFL snaps, but that seems unlikely. Molchon himself (ankle) was upgraded from limited to full participation. Saturday will paint a clearer picture, but that situation is easily the biggest to monitor. The team has been mum on Ryan Jensen’s return, who has been practicing but still requires activation by Monday at 4 p.m. to actually be eligible to play. Robert Hainsey, Jensen’s season-long replacement, remains limited with a tender hamstring but seems optimistic on playing.

Giants-Vikings injury report: No Giants given injury designation - Big Blue View
The New York Giants final injury report for Sunday’s wild-card playoff game is, well, pretty incredible. There is not a single player on the Giants’ roster who will carry an injury designation into Sunday’s game. Out: None; Doubtful: None; Questionable: None. That’s the report. That means that cornerback Adoree’ Jackson, who has not played since suffering a sprained MCL while returning a punt Week 11 against the Detroit Lions, will be in uniform.

How Daniel Jones went from punchline to potential cornerstone for the Giants - SB Nation
Here we see Jones in the upper-right quadrant, which is where you want to be as a passer. He is clustered with Trevor Lawrence, Jacoby Brissett, and Joe Burrow, which is much better company to have this season. In terms of his EPA+CPOE Composite, Jones improved to 12th in the NFL, ahead of quarterbacks like Lamar Jackson, Justin Herbert, and Tom Brady. Finally, Jones threw just five interceptions this year, for an Interception Percentage of just 1.1%, the lowest mark of his career, and the best among passers this season. How did this happen? As we will see, some minor improvements in a few different areas, coupled with a few schematic elements, put Jones on a path to resurgence. In some cases, the improvement was really minor, but to paraphrase Gus Sinski from For Love of the Game, sometimes a lot of little things can add up to a really big thing.

Report: Washington Commanders are telling OC candidates Sam Howell is their starting QB next season - Hogs Haven
Sam Howell made his NFL debut last Sunday, and he led the Washington Commanders in a dominating win over the Dallas Cowboys. Two days later Offensive Coordinator Scott Turner was fired, and now the team is searching for his replacement. Jonathan Jones reports that the team is letting potential OC candidates know that Howell is their starter next season. He also said Carson Wentz will be released before the new league year starts in March. He didn’t mention Taylor Heinicke who will be a free agent.

Super Wild Card Weekend - The SB Nation NFL Show
Rob “Stats” Guerrera, RJ Ochoa, and Brandon Lee Gowton break down every single playoff matchup ahead of Super Wild Card Weekend. We finish this week’s show with our Wild Card Weekend locks of the week–and attempt to get our first same-game parlay win of the season.

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