Eagles Stun Steelers in Battle of Pennsylvania

Wentz/Roethlisberger Post Game. Image Courtesy: http://www.inforum.com/sports/4122902-wentz-eagles-remain-unbeaten-shredding-steelers

The Philadelphia Eagles are 3-0 after Demoralizing the Pittsburgh Steelers...Yes, you read that correctly. 

 

• Not only were the Steelers and the National media shocked at the outcome of Sunday's game, but most of the fan base in Philadelphia was in shock as well at how lopsided this victory was for the Eagles, I myself included.  On my friend Keith Smallwood's podcast for The Small Ball Lineup, I predicted the Steelers just edging out the Eagles in a close 28-27 win and boy was I wrong.  The Steelers are usually a Super Bowl contender year-in and year-out and this year has not been much different but on Sunday the Philadelphia Eagles made you think otherwise.  Both the Offense and Defense for the Philadelphia Eagles dominated the Steelers and Eagles QB Carson Wentz continued to turn the NFL upside down with his terrific play!

• Carson "Can't Miss" Wentz was back at it again on Sunday as class was in session for the Pittsburgh Steelers at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia.  The rookie QB went 21-31 throwing for 302 yards, 2 TD, 0 INT, with a QB Rating of 125.9 and 10 yards rushing.  The Legend of Carson continues as he turns in outstanding performance after outstanding performance.  It seems as if the kid gets better from week-to-week as the competition has gotten better.   Fans of the Eagles and across the NFL who are tuned-in to this team have been waiting for him to make a real rookie mistake that shows he is human and in 3 games that has not happened yet.  The Eagles offense has not surrendered a turnover and that in large part is due to Wentz's play.  Now don't worry, I have not completely lost my mind...yet!  It is only 3 games into the season, and Wentz is still young, and there will be growing pains, but many have expected to see that sooner and that is what is so surprising.  More than just his in-game play, which I could go on forever about, his command and leadership of men on the field has been outstanding.   
• One example to show his trust and maturity with his teammates is a sequence of two plays he had with WR Dorial Green-Beckham.  DGB dropped a perfect pass from Wentz that went right through his hands that he should have caught, but instead of Wentz showing frustration towards DGB, Wentz welcomed the WR back to huddle with open arms, gave him a pat on the back and said let's go.  The Next play Wentz went back to Green-Beckham across the middle of the field for a long first down reception moving the ball passed midfield, continuing a drive that would eventually lead to a TD.

• The Offense as a whole played fantastic, by far the best game of the short season.  The offensive line played as a cohesive unit not giving up a single sack keeping Wentz upright for the entire game against a stout Steelers Front-7 (Defensive linemen and Linebackers) that could not get much pressure on the QB.  Wentz was able to spread the ball around through the air to his WR's, TE's, and RB's with ease all day.  WR Jordan Matthews had a relatively quite game with 2 receptions for 19 yards but one of them was for one of Wentz's 2 Touchdown passes.  The other TD was quite a remarkable play, improv from both Wentz and RB Darren Sproles(6 receptions, 128 yards, 1 TD) on the fly.  On 3rd and 8 early in the 3rd Quarter, Wentz was blitzed from the Steelers D up the middle and from his blindside so he side-stepped the rush, rolled out to his right and hit Sproles, who saw the play break down and took off down field as Wentz rolled out, about 10-15 yards downfield where Sproles used his speed to dash through the entire Steelers defensive backfield to score on a 73 yard pass reception.  Carson Wentz in 3 games has gotten very comfortable with his 3 Tight End's so far in Zach Ertz(Did Not Play; dislocated rib), veteran Brent Celek and Trey Burton.  Celek and Burton so far have not only done a good job blocking for Wentz but have been a nice security blanket for Wentz, especially in Sunday's game combining for 5 receptions for 80 yards (61 of those Celek's).  There was one small issue towards the beginning of the game and it involved RB Ryan Mathews, who has been known to be injury prone in his career.  After his 2 TD performance in Chicago last Monday Night Mathews was stuffed in the backfield on his only 2 carries for -5 yards, we would later find out he was having issues with his ankle.  In Mathews' place RB Wendell Smallwood slashed through the Pittsburgh defense on 17 carries for 79 yards and 1 TD which mostly came in the second half but before the game got out of hand.  3rd-year RB Kenjon Barner also provided a TD on 8 carries for 42 yards as the change-of-pace back.

• The Defense through 3 weeks has been playing like a solidified Top-5 defense in the entire NFL giving up the least amount of points.  Defensive Coordinator Jim Schwartz is really a defensive guru, because wherever he goes he is usually able to get the most out of all his players.  This entire defense has bought into the 4-3/Wide 9 scheme that Schwartz has taught and it shows with every player always being in the position they are supposed to be.  Also the defense, who in the past has been known for missing takcles under Chip Kelly and Billy Davis, has been making every tackle not letting opposing offenses take advantage of them.  Pittsburgh QB Ben Roethlisberger was frustrated all day not being able to do much.  The only somewhat bright spot for the Steelers was All-Pro WR Antonio Brown who caught 9 balls for 102 yards but was not able to find the endzone.  RB Deangelo Williams who lead the NFL in rushing the first two weeks of the season was shut down and held to 21 yards on 8 carries as they played from behind all game.  A complete team effort by the defense was highlighted by Eagles Defensive Tackle Fletcher Cox who had 2 sacks and a forced fumble of Roethlisberg, Defensive Tackle Bennie Logan who had a blocked FG and a sack, and Defensive End Brandon Graham who had a sack and the fumble recovery that was forced by Cox.  The Defensive backfield faced a large test against Roethlisberger and the skilled and speedy receivers of the Steelers and they passed with flying colors.  Safeties Malcolm Jenkins and Rodney McLeod were fantastic by providing help over top of the cornerbacks, who also had a solid day as a unity, and were making tackles towards the line of schrimmage.  Jenkins did a great job tackling and was also spying on Pitt WR Antonio Brown all day holding him in check, while McLeod wrestled away a late game interception.

• Special Teams has played as well as they have for the past 3-4 seasons since ST Coordinator Dave Fipp had arrived in Philadelphia.  As I mentioned before DT Bennie Logan blocked an early Field Goal attempt by the Steelers setting the tone of momentum for the Eagles.  On top of that Punter Donnie Jones and the rest of the punt coverage team was able to pin the Steelers deep on their own side of the field throughout the game.  The same can be said for the Kick coverage unit as they were able to hold the Steelers starting field position behind the touchback mark of the 25 yard line.  Just another solid day for the Special Teams unit as a whole!

• The Coaches had an almost perfect game plan for all 3 phases of the game as the Eagles dominated a hard to dominate team in the Pittsburgh Steelers.  I have already gushed about the coaching of DC Jim Schwartz and STC Dave Fipp but now I will shortly discuss the impact of Head Coach Doug Pederson, Offensive Coordinator Frank Reich, and QB Coach John Defilipo since I spent so much time earlier discussing Wentz and the offense.  To start off credit goes to Owner Jeffrey Lurie and General Manager Howie Roseman for trusting that Pederson, Reich, and Defilipo would be able to coach up Rookie QB Carson Wentz and making the moves to get the North Dakota Gun-slinger.  OC Frank Reich and QB coach John Defilipo have been major aids to first time play caller in Doug Pederson and I don't know if this team is doing as well as it is if it was not a collaborative effort between the three offensive minds.  Now Dougie P through 3 games has called 3 of the best coached Eagles games(in a row) I've seen since former Head Coach Andy Reid did in the 2004 season with McNabb and Owens.  It is truly incredible how we have been able to watch the transformation of Doug Pederson in less than a year, because when the Eagles hired Pederson this offseason I thought we were doomed and in pretty quick fashion he is proving the haters (as I've said including myself) wrong.  I can keep going on but I'll save that as this team hopefully gets better, but as a former Eagle and NFL QB Vince Young once said "Doug P (ha-ha) very special guy".  The one area I do hope Pederson and staff can adjust to is with is the fact the team will probably lose All-Pro Right Tackle Lane Johnson after this bye-week to suspension for 10 games.  That will be determined in the near future, but until then Eagles fans continue to enjoy these wins and the fact that we finally have OUR QUARTERBACK!!!

Go Birds and #FlyEaglesFly

     

The Eagles Shine on MNF in Chicago

Wentz Walking off Soldier Field as the mob of Eagles fans wait for him to pass through.  Image Courtesy twitter.com/ESPNNFL

The Philadelphia Eagles went into Soldier Field, home of the Chicago Bears, as a 3-point Underdog on Monday Night and walked off a 15-point winner bringing their 2016 record to an undefeated 2-0.  To me personally, the pulse of the entire game felt very similar to that of last week's win over the Cleveland Browns.  I feel for my girlfriend, who watched the game with me, as I went from elated to frustrated in a matter of seconds, but I warned her just about three years ago that this is how it is during Eagles games and she understood.  The Eagles started off the game strong in the first half of the 1st quarter, followed by somewhat of a lull in the 2nd quarter and a little into the 3rd quarter, then it seemed at some point in the 3rd everything clicked for the team and the Eagles pulled away and took over the game convincingly.  This Eagles have a lot of growing to do as most of us expected that this would be the case.  They showed signs of growth and improvement from the week before but they made mental mistakes on both sides of the ball.  At the end of the day they got the W and that is all that matters, but there is much to be improved upon.  Below I will go over key players/units and what they did right, wrong or both.

• Carson Wentz! Carson Wentz! Carson Wentz!  What can we say about Carson Wentz?  Two weeks ago, Wentz was looking at being the 3rd string QB who wouldn't even dress on Sundays to now having a record of 2-0 while making headlines across the NFL.  Wentz for the most part had another flawless game as he did not surrender any turnovers for the 2nd week in a row.  Carson was 21-34 throwing for 190 yards, 1 TD, 0 INT's and a QB rating of 86.6.  Now you could look at that line and say that's just an average stat line but in this situation it is far more than just stats, it is what he did on the field as a rookie to lead his team to victory.  He lead the offense down the field for 3 TD scoring drives, as he threw his only touchdown pass to TE Trey Burton and handed-off two rushing touchdowns to RB Ryan Mathew, and 3 FG's.  The kid did it all again as he was able to call audibles and make adjustments to protections when he saw something in the defense, contained ball security, stood in the pock with poise even when the pressure was coming, and made all the throw even though there were many costly drops that could've helped his stats that would've more accurately depicted the kind of night he had.  The only issue I had with Wentz on the evening is that he tends to put his body in harms way at times by going for the extra yard taking on a linebacker or not side stepping out of bounds avoiding a hit, but that is instinctual and hopefully he will learn to avoid at all costs.  You gotta like his guts though because he can only play the way he knows how to.

•  Doug Pederson for the 2nd week in a row has impressed many with his play calling ability.  He put his rookie QB in the best position to succeed and he called a game that kept a better Chicago defense on their toes.  He continued to show how he would take chances on 4th down and he showed that he will continue to let Carson be Carson by not putting limitations on him.  A little aside, I have to eat crow right now because he has, SO FAR, exceeded my expectations as the Head Coach for this football team.  With another well coached game I did question his running back usage in certain situations.  I love RB Darren Sproles, do not get me wrong, and maybe this is just Doug experimenting, but why was he using Sproles in situations where he would run up the middle or when they were in the Redzone at times.  Eagles #1 RB on the depth chart Ryan Mathews should've been used more in these key situations.  Now in the first half this was more of the issue, because in the second half Mathews got more rushing attempts in the 2nd half and in the redzone and wound up scoring 2 rushing TD's on only 37 yards rushing.  Hopefully as I said before this was just experimentation with Sproles and we will see Ryan Mathews for those types of situations and Sproles as more of a catch the ball out of the backfield, change of pace type of runner.

• Wentz does need a little more help from his offensive skill position players.  WR's Jordan Matthews and Nelson Agholor had key catches helping the offense move up the field but both also had key drops on plays that would've helped the Eagles to seal the game up earlier putting less pressure on the defense.  Matthews dropped a perfectly thrown 40 yard touch pass from Wentz into the Endzone right before halftime that would've made the game much more comfortable.  Matthews has been great at times but he still needs to work on making sure he catches the ball before making a big play, unfortunately this has been a problem with him for over a year now.  Agholor had an abysmal 2015 rookie campaign but so far 2016 has been promising as he is starting to at least look like a halfway competent WR.  He even made a couple tough catches over the middle on Monday night, but Agholor had a key drop that kept the offense in a lull when this play would've woken the team up.  Wentz rolled out of the traffic of Bears defensive linemen to his right and pointed to a streaking Agholor to continue on a Go route, who had a couple steps on the Bear covering him, and as the ball got to Agholor it hit off his fingertips and was incomplete.  In Agholor's defense there was interference from the Bears CB who was covering him that was not called and the ball was slightly under-thrown by Wentz but that hit his hands and has to be caught.  Agholor also dropped a contested fade route in the redzone that most WR's are able to catch.     Now, Dorial Green-Beckham I beleive needed to be more involved in this game as he made 2 completions on the first drive of the game, including the 4th down conversion, but then was not looked upon much the rest of the game.  Hopefully this is just still DGB learning the playbook and Dough easing him into the system, but the guy has all the potential in the world and I think his attributes need to be shown ASAP.

• One element of this game that has me very worried for the rest of the season, especially on QB Carson Wentz, is on the offensive line.  They have shown continuity with their current set-up but the dynamic will soon change.  We were already expecting that RT Lane Johnson would miss 10 games at some point for a second offense for taking a form of a PED (Performance Enhancing Drug) in which now we know that after next Sunday's game against Pittsburgh that we probably won't see him for the next 10 games following.  His appeal of the suspension will be on October 4th during the birds bye week where his suspension should be confirmed soon after.  Not only will Johnson's presence be missed as the line will be shaken up as LG Allen Barbre will be moved to Johnson's spot at RT and rookie LG Isaac Seumalo will be thrown in the fire but Center Jason Kelce has been awful these first two weeks continuing on from last season.  Let's face it, Kelce is too small to be an NFL starting Center because he is getting man-handled by defensive linemen across the league, which is endangering Carson Wentz.  Wentz has been taking unnecessary hits to begin with and it has mostly due to the poor play of Kelce.  Kelce likes to talk and is a fan-favorite and a leader in the locker room but his play on the field has been detrimental.  I believe that G/C Stefen Wisnewski was brought in to eventually fill in for Kelce due to poor play and I already think the time is now.  The Eagles will be facing much better DLines as the season goes on and it will be a challenge keeping Wentz on his feet and healthy, we all will just have to cross our fingers and pray everytime Carson surveys the field.  

•  The Eagles defense showed pressure early and often in this game.  Jay Cutler and the Bears only had one or two possessions that really worried me and had me thinking maybe there is something in this defense to expose, but rest assure the defense had short term memory when it came to those drives and were able to shut down the Bears offense.  Going into the game I believed that Bears WR Alshon Jeffery would go off on the depleted corner backs of the Eagles, but the Eagles corner backs (including Rookie CB Jalen Mills who lined-up with Jeffery most of the night) stepped up to the challenge and held the star wide out to a sub-par night even though he did have 5 catches for 96 yards(49 of those on one jump ball reception).  Surprisingly after that catch by Jeffery the Bears did not look to him that much more which I thought they would exploit the Eagles corners but never did but that was due to the Eagles defensive line being able to beat up on the Bears offensive line and the defensive line eventually knocked Bears QB Jay Cutler out of the game injuring his thumb on a sack-fumble.  Another strong and solid performance by Jim Schwartz's bunch only surrendering 7 points to the Bears with the other 7 coming on a punt return by the Bears Eddie Royal at the end of the game when the game was already out of the Bears favor.  The first huge test comes for this defense on Sunday against Pittsburgh but I will get into that more later in the week.

All-in-all another good performance for the team all around and against a greater opponent than the Cleveland Browns, but this week will really pose a great threat to their undefeated record against a superior team, not only on offense as I mentioned before, but on defense as well, as the Pittsburgh Steelers come into town.  I do believe the Eagles will give everything they have to give against Pittsburgh and it will be a closer game than most think, but it may not be enough as the Steelers have been a contender year-in and year-out and have all the talent in the world.  I will dive into the Steelers game as I mentioned later in the week, so Eagles fans please enjoy this win and enjoy the fact that the Eagles will go into the bye with a winning record guaranteed.  

#FlyEaglesFly Go Birds!

Notes Going Into Tonight's Eagles Game vs The Chicago Bears

Image Courtesy: USAToday.com

• The 1-0 Philadelphia Eagles travel to Soldier Field in Chicago as they take on the 0-1 Bears on ESPN's Monday Night Football at 8:30 PM on ESPN featuring color commentary with Former NFL Head Coach and "Gruden's QB Camp" Guru Jon Gruden. (Local broadcast will be aired on PHL17)  Gruden is quite the listen though as he broke down Wentz's game with him before being drafted on Gruden's QB Camp.
• Carson Wentz is only the 4th player in the modern football era since 1970 to be drafted 1st or 2nd Overall to make their first Road start on Monday Night Football for the Nation to see.  Robert Griffin III in 2012 (Redskins), Jeff George in 1990 (Colts), and Terry Bradshaw in 1970 (Steelers). (Stat provided by ESPN)
• Carson Wentz was named Pepsi's NFL Rookie of the Week with his 22-37, 278 Yards, 2 TD, 0 INT, 101.0 QB rating in his Week 1 performance against the Cleveland Brown's.
• Wentz and the Eagles offense will unfortunately be without TE Zach Ertz who disloacted his rib early in last Sunday's win vs the Cleveland Browns.  The hope is for TE Brent Celek and recently activated TE Trey Bruton to fill his role.
• Also Ertz's absence will require WR's Jordan Matthews, Nelson Agholor, and Dorial Green-Beckham to play a major role in the aerial attack against an average Bears Defense.  Matthews had quite the performance last week hauling in 7 receptions for 114 yards and a score while Agholor had a decent game with 4 receptions for 57 and a TD, but Green-Beckham needs to be more involved this week.  DGB had 2 catches for 18 yards on his only two targets so I hope that he was able to learn even more of the playbook this week.  I believe DGB can be the X-factor for this offense in this game against the depleted Bears defensive backfield.

Match-up of the Night to Watch: Bears WR Alshon Jeffrey vs Eagles (Rookie) CB Jalen Mills

• Eagles 2016 7th Round Selection (2nd Round Talent coming out) in this past April's NFL Draft will have his first real chance to prove his worth in Jim Schwartz's defense against a Top 10 caliber WR in Chicago's Alshon Jeffrey.
• Mills will be stepping in for the injured veteran CB Leodis McKelvin, who has been ruled out for tonight's game.
• Coming from Louisiana State University (LSU), which by some has been considered DBU (Defensive Back University) due to the NFL talent that has arose from the school such as Arizona Cardinals DB's Patrick Peterson and Tyrann Mathieu, there is a lot of expectation for Mills to follow in their footsteps and make a lasting impression on the league.
• Alshon Jeffrey in the first half of last week's game against the Houston Texans caught 4 balls for 105 yards against a good Texans defense, but unfortunately for him he was shut out in the second half of the game due to a change in the Texans game plan which kept QB Jay Cutler under duress unable to do anything.  
• If the Eagles Defense can attack Cutler in a similar way that the Texans did last week than I believe Jeffrey could be a non-factor in this game, but the rush has to stay consistent on the Eagles end, but we will see how this game plays out. 

 

Eagles Week One Win vs Browns Recap

Carson Wentz Celebrating.  Image Courtesy: nbcphiladelphia.com

The Philadelphia Eagles defeated the Cleveland Browns 29-10 in the Season opener at home.

 

Carson "Can't Miss" Wentz

• Carson Wentz was phenomenal!  The recurring theme around this game has been "but it's the Cleveland Browns, they aren't that good."  Yes, this is true, but I don't think any of us could've imagined Carson having a better game than he did.  The Eagles staff knew he had the mental compass to be able to play QB in this league and on Sunday after being thrust into the position with the departure of QB Sam Bradford, but the question going into the game was is he ready coming off of a rib injury and lack of snaps in preseason?  Well now you know!
• His stat line, according to ESPN.com: 22-37 for 278 Yards, 2 Touchdowns, 0 Interceptions with a QB rating of 101.0.
• Wentz commanded the field when he was on it by calling audibles, reading coverages and protections, showing poise in the pocket against pressure, making sure he did not put his body in harms way, using both arm strength and touch on the ball when necessary, placing the football where only his receivers could get it and even throwing his receivers open at times.
• Wentz looked so comfortable out there that it made me feel comfortable as I sat and watched it in front of my television.  He looked like a 5th-year Veteran out there and even after the game at his press conference you could tell he was just doing his job and is taking everything one day at a time and that is all you can ask of him!  

 The Offense

•  It's not very often that you see an unknown commodity such as Carson Wentz get on the field day 1 and completely have the rest of his team feed off of his play, but Sunday the Eagles offense may have played better with him in one game than they did all last season with Bradford.
• Running Back Ryan Mathews right out of the gate was busting through the Cleveland Browns Defensive Line for consistent gains of 5+ yards on 1st and 2nd downs.  Mathews was rewarded at the end of the game with a goal line touchdown for his hard work throughout the day.  He ran hard and effectively helping the Eagles to keep drives alive as the Eagles won the Time of Possession battle, which rarely every happened in 3 years under former Head Coach Chip Kelly, at around 40 minutes to Cleveland's 20 minutes of possession.
• WR Jordan Matthews had a stellar game with 7 receptions eclipsing 100 yards and a beautiful touchdown catch on a beautifully thrown ball from Carson.  Wentz was also able to connect with 2nd year underachieving WR Nelson Agholor on a perfectly placed 35 yd bomb to bust the game open.
• Now while there was a lot of good that came from Sunday's game there was some things on Offense that could've been better.  The Offensive Line which generally played well but they did let the Browns Defensive Line get to Wentz too many times even though they only recorded one sack.  At times the offense was unable to sustain drives due to pressure and a couple of dropped balls here and there from the receivers, which still is a point of emphasis that needs to be addressed.

The Defense

• When the Eagles hired Jim Schwartz this off-season as the Defensive Coordinator we knew that this team was going to go back to attack-style, smash-mouth football that this blue-collar city has been accustom to.  The Eagles Defensive Line was ferocious for most of the day wreaking havoc on new Cleveland Browns Quarterback Robert Griffin III, who after Sunday's game was placed on the IR(Injured Reserve) out for the next 8 weeks with a serious shoulder injury.  There was a short period of time just before and just after halftime where the D Line could not get pressure on RGIII which was very frustrating.  After a botched snap to RGIII that led to a Safety for the Eagles the line never looked back as they got after RGIII for the rest of the game.
• The Linebackers played pretty well because they really did not need to be mentioned that much.  Pro Bowl Tight End from last year for the Browns, Gary Barniage, was unable to do anything at all all day as the LB's kept the TE in check.  Eagles 2nd-year LB Jordan Hicks was graded as one of the best Linebackers in Week One from Pro Football Focus.
• Eagles safeties Rodney McLeod, who had a beautiful INT on a tipped ball, and Malcolm Jenkins played well by having their Cornerbacks back's for most of the game and coming up and making tackles in the run game when needed.  As I mentioned the CB's were just okay to me in this game, but did give up 2 very long receptions to Browns receivers.  Veteran CB Nolan Carroll, who had an above average preseason, let QB turned WR Terrell Pryor have a pretty solid game against him.  If the line was not able to get after RGIII then that could've lead to more issues for Carroll and CB Leodis McKelvin.   At the end of the day the Eagles Defense held the Browns Offense to only 10 points which is very promising but they will play better offenses.

Special Teams

• The one aspect that Chip Kelly did right while he was here was provide this team with solid Special Teams play.  When Chip Kelly was fired the Eagles were able to retain ST's coordinator Dave Fipp, who has done wonders for this team.
• To highlight, Punter Donnie Jones was able to pin the Browns near their own endzone many times throughout the afternoon and Special Teamer Chris Maragos was able to get to the punt returner and not let them advance the ball.
• Running Back Darren Sproles continued to amaze with making fast and shifty punt returns in which gave the Eagles great field position throughout the afternoon taking pressure off of Wentz and the Offense.

      Overall the Eagles played a great game to start the season and I'm surprising myself by saying what I am about to, but a good amount of credit goes to new Head Coach Doug Pederson.  Pederson had this team ready to go out there on Sunday and establish dominance on a sub-par Cleveland Browns team.  His play calling was not only vital to the team's overall performance but was key to how Carson Wentz would play in his first NFL regular season game.  A key moment in this game was when the Eagles came up to a 4th and 4 not too far into Cleveland territory where Pederson didn't hesitate to go for it and in doing so they got the 1st Down.  But wait there's more!!!  On the very next play feeding off the momentum Pederson let Carson fire an incredible ball to a 35-yard TD to WR Nelson Agholor that busted the game wide-open in the Eagles favor.  Pederson with the help of Offensive Coordinator Frank Reich and Quarterbacks Coach John Defilipo allowed Carson to play the game the only way he knew how to play it and did not restrict him from going for big plays which Pederson knows is a part of Wentz's DNA.  The Eagles face a test next week on the road in Chicago on Monday Night Football.  This team has the city excited and I do believe it is a winnable game but they will most likely be without TE Zach Ertz(Dislocated rib) and CB Leodis McKelvin. 

Eagles Notes Going Into Sunday

Image Courtesy: http://gcobb.com/2016/09/05/eagles-qb-carson-wentz-looked-ready-all-training-camp/

•  Rookie QB and 2nd Overall Pick in this past April's NFL Draft Carson Wentz will get the start against the Cleveland Browns in the season opener at home.

• Going into the season Sam Bradford was set to be the Eagles starting QB, career backup Chase Daniel would be 2nd string, and Wentz would not dress, as teams do not dress their 3rd string QB anymore as it just takes up a roster spot.  Wentz injured suffered a hairline fracture in his ribs in his first preseason game and it was uncertain whether he would be ready for the season open if a situation like this happened.
• Bradford was traded to the Minnesota Vikings on Saturday morning for the Vikings 2017 1st Round selection in the draft and their conditional 2018 4th round pick to replace severely injured QB Teddy Bridgewater.  After the trade the Eagles ran a CT scan on Wentz's ribs to see if he would be 100% healthy for the season opener, tests were positive in Wentz's favor and he was named starter jumping backup QB Daniel on the depth chart.

• On Wednesday the Philadelphia Eagles traded 2015 2nd Round draft pick Defensive Back Eric Rowe to the New England Patriots for their 2018 Conditional 4th Round draft pick, which can become their 3rd Round draft pick if Rowe plays 50% of the teams snaps for New England in 2016 or 2017.

Image Courtesy: http://www.csnphilly.com/philadelphia-eagles/source-eagles-trade-eric-rowe-patriots-draft-pick

•  Originally, this trade was reported on Tuesday by many NFL sources in the know and the Eagles were to also receive Patriots Offensive Lineman Josh Kline.  The Eagles had planned to flip Kline to another team for supposedly an offensive skill player but when trade plans fell through Eagles GM had removed Kline from the deal and the Patriots would go on to cut him.
• With Rowe being taken 47th Overall in last years draft out of the University of Utah, there was a lot of potential with the Cornerback/Safety who was drafted by Chip Kelly.  Rowe got a chance to show his stuff from Thanksgiving day to the end of the season after starting CB Nolan Carroll broke his ankle in the Thanksgiving day in Detroit against the Lions.  Rowe was outplayed that day by Lions (now retired) Wide Receiver Calvin Johnson who caught 3 TD passes, but after that game Rowe was able to lock down the position and played well. 
• After the firing of Kelly the defensive scheme changed drastically from last year to this year and Rowe was lost in Defensive Coordinator Jim Schwartz's defense.  Schwartz spoke about the trade and he felt that 7th Round Rookie CB Jalen Mills from LSU, who was rated as a 2nd Round talent but fell due to off the field issues, outplayed Rowe this off-season.  
• I really liked the way Rowe played in college and last year for the Eagles but as mentioned before the scheme has changed and Rowe was not able to adapt.  This was the right move for the Eagles to make as Rowe was almost a cut casualty, instead they get a 3rd or 4th and Rowe goes to a team that may be able to use his ability.

Image Courtesy: http://www.centredaily.com/sports/article98407932.html

• Eagles newly acquired WR Dorial Green-Beckham said today that he expects to play a big role and start against the Browns on Sunday in the season opener.  Green-Beckham can be used as a not so secret weapon against a sub-par Browns Defense.  Last year Green-Beckham did catch a TD against the Browns so the hope is he can get another one against them on Sunday.

• Earlier this summer WR Dorial Green-Beckham(DGB) was traded to the Eagles from the Tennessee Titans in exchange for Offensive Lineman Dennis Kelly, who in my opinion is a 3rd string Offensive Lineman at best.  DGB was the 40th overall selection in last years draft, who actually was a first round talent but just like CB Jalen Mills DGB had off the field issues.  DGB also had issues learning the playbook and a problem with work ethic in Tennessee but he has said himself as many of us believe as well is going to use this opportunity as a new start.
• Dorial Green-Beckham's stat line in limited time his rookie year reads: 32 Receptions, 549 Receiving Yards, 17.2 Yards Per Catch, and 4 TD's.(Stats provided by ESPN.com)  If Green-Beckham can learn the offense he can bring a Redzone threat that the Eagles haven't had in over a decade.  DGB caught a fade route TD in the Eagles preseason game against the Indianapolis Colts.

Bradford to Minnesota, Wentz Hurdles Daniel

Image Courtesy: Twitter: Paul Allen (@PAOnTheMic)

• The Sam Bradford Era in Philadelphia has come and gone as earlier this afternoon.  Eagles GM Howie Roseman pulled the trigger on a deal that sent the under-achieving signal caller to Minnesota in return for the Minnesota Vikings 2017 1st Round draft pick and their 2018 4th Round draft pick (which can become a 2nd rounder if Vikings win the Super Bowl, or a 3rd rounder if the Vikings reach the NFC Championship).  Bradford, the former Number One overall pick in the 2010 NFL Draft and Heisman Trophy winner from the University of Oklahoma will be playing for his 3rd team in 7 years, playing 5 years in St. Louis with the Rams(now in Los Angeles) and just one season with the Philadelphia Eagles.  

•  This move comes as a surprise to all involved due to the fact the opening weekend of the NFL is next weekend which would warrant this is an unorthodox move.  I believe this move was made in desperation by the Vikings as 3rd year rising QB Teddy Bridgewater went down in practice on Wednesday with an ACL tear that will keep him out for AT LEAST all of this season.

Image Courtesy: Phillymag.com

• This move obviously benefits the Eagles as they now jump back into the 1st round of next years draft, which we officially found out this week will take place in Philly on the Ben Franklin Parkway on the Art Museum steps, and now they can start the #2 overall pick in this years draft Carson Wentz with a clear conscience as long as he is healthy.  Wentz is still recovering from a hairline fracture on his ribs that he suffered against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the team's first preseason game, but as long as the CT scan shows up positive we will most likely see Wentz next Sunday against Cleveland in the season opener.  

• Backup QB Chase Daniel, who HC Doug Pederson brought over with him from Kansas City, is not happy that Wentz leap-frogged him on the depth chart to become the potential starter.  Well here is what I have to say to that...Daniel is a journeyman backup who has only started one game and threw 22 pass attempts in his career, yet Pederson threw him a bone convincing GM Roseman that he was worth 12 Million dollars guaranteed over 3 years to be a clipboard holder.

• Howie Roseman has taken a lot of guff for being Lurie's lapdog and an accountant who isn't labeled as a "football guy", but this move has proven that he can be a competent GM in this league.  This off-season he was able to re-sign his own players who deserve to be here, gotten rid of bad/overpaid players, and made trades that had the betterment of this teams future in sight.  We will see what comes of all these moves but if I didn't feel this way before I can now say with confidence that I am a believer in Howie Roseman as the Philadelphia Eagles General Manager. 

       The trade of Bradford to Minnesota for a 2017 1st and 2018 4th rounder as well as the news of Carson Wentz jumping Chase Daniel on the depth chart to possibly being the opening day starter has completely changed how I view this 2016 season.  These moves have made me optimistic for both the present and the future as we will now be seeing the future face of the franchise grown in front of our eyes.  How do you feel after today's events?  Please let me know either below in the comments section, twitter/instagram: @PhillySportsSrc or on my facebook page: Marc Tomasini.  Thanks for reading!

Unbiased Prediction of the 2016 Eagles Season

Image courtesy of eaglesaddict.com and Philadelphiaeagles.com

      We all know that after last season the Philadelphia Eagles have had one of the most drastic turnovers a team could have in recent NFL history.  Chip Kelly goes from being named GM (General Manager) last January in his 3rd season as the Head Coach to getting fired less than a calendar year later.  Former GM Howie Roseman, who was exiled from his GM role when Chip took over in that slot, resurfaced to his prior position and made plenty of moves to cement his role in the organization.  Such moves included trading away under performing "Chip guys", signing home-grown talent to long extensions(as well as bring back QB Sam Bradford to an expensive 1-year deal with a 2nd year team option, in which he will be trying to showcase his average talent for other teams), making quiet but solid splashes for the future of this team in Free Agency, and moving up in two trades from the 13th overall selection in this years NFL Draft to 2nd overall and taking a little known gunslinger from North Dakota St. University in Carson Wentz who the future of this team will be heavily relied on.  Despite all of the positive strides this team took in washing away the sins of Chip this season to me doesn't look as promising because the team is in a Sudo-rebuild/be competitive mode and to me it has to be all or nothing in the NFL.  Now let's take a quick glance week-by-week to see how I predict this season for the Birdgang will turn out...

• Week 1 (1:00 PM Sunday 09/11/2016 Cleveland Browns @ EAGLES)   RGIII looks to reestablish himself as an efficient NFL QB with a new team after sitting out all of last year as Redskins coach Jay Gruden chose to start Kirk Cousins over him in a surprise move.  RGIII has a lot to prove with a pair of fresh legs under him.  Watch out for Cleveland's 2nd year RB Duke Johnson to try and become an X factor in this game with his ability to catch the ball out of the backfield.  That being said, the Eagles defense under new DC Jim Schwartz will be hungry and take no mercy on Cleveland's newly assembled offense.  With no surprise the Browns defense has not improved IMO and I believe despite the Eagles offense potentially starting out a little shaky, Doug Pederson's dink and dunk west coast offense will be able to take advantage and bust out a couple of game changing plays.  Bradford will be able to pull it together with a decent looking stat line.  In an ugly one I predict both sides of the ball for the Birds will make key plays in the end  as the Eagles win 21-17 to start the season at 1-0.

•  Week 2 (8:30 PM Monday Night Football 09/19/2016 EAGLES @ Chicago Bears)  Seems like we say it around the NFL every year, which I bet has to start to get utterly annoying in Chicago, but QB Jay Cutler has a lot to prove as well as WR Alshon Jeffrey who is playing this season on the franchise tag.  As much as the Eagles offense will be frustrating at times in this one (and many others) they will be be able to move the ball against a sub-par Bears Defense.  I'm predicting Ryan Mathews to have a 100+ yard game in this one with a TD.  Bradford is able to control the game and does enough on his end with the help of Mathews, while the defense looks solid with the exception of a big Jeffrey catch here and there the Eagles pull out another close one in a surprise victory in Chicago on MNF.  Eagles move on to a surprising 2-0.

• Week 3 (4:25 PM Sunday 09/25/2016 Pittsburgh Steelers @ EAGLES)  The Eagles come into this game with a short week disadvantage, but also have Steelers star RB Le'veon Bell serving the last of his 3-Game suspension from the NFL, so this helps to somewhat negate the short week.  In the end, unfortunately, this will not matter because Pittsburgh star WR Antonio Brown should be able to wreak havoc exposing our Eagles Corner backs.  The Steelers defense is not one of the leagues best but the offense will not show up and will be stifled throughout the afternoon.  Pittsburgh wins this one easily with a 10+ win, bringing the Eagles back to Earth with a 2-1 record going into the bye.

• Week 4 (BYE WEEK) Good timing for injuries stemming from the preseason and the first couple of regular season games.  Though detrimental for a team trying to compete for the post-season even though I do not believe this team is post-season bound.

• Week 5 (1:00 PM Sunday 10/09/2016 EAGLES @ Detroit Lions)  The Lions over the past 2 years have lost both the heart and soul of both sides of the ball with the departure of Defensive lineman Ndamakung Suh last year and the early retirement of star WR Calvin "Megatron" Johnson this past off-season.  The Lions went out and brought in a solid #2 WR in Marvin Jones from Cincinnati, who I believe will have a decent year, but he can not replace Megatron in that offense along with the fact the running game in Detroit is lackadaisical, the Eagles Defense will have a field day on QB Matthew Stafford.  Sam Bradford will have a field day with his two best friends on the team, TE Zac Ertz and WR Jordan Matthews.  The Eagles coming off the bye win another one in Detroit and improve to 3-1 but the winning ways come to a stop here.

• Week 6 (1:00 PM Sunday 10/16/2016 EAGLES @ Washington Redskins)  Another Skins game where you go into it believing the Eagles can pull out a win, but just like the last time the Eagles went to Washington this game will be very, very frustrating.  Desean takes another one to the house since his best games are against his former team and Garcon is solid nabbing many 3rd down drive extending receptions.  Bradford and the offense are not able to get it together  and the Eagles fall disappointingly in a close one bringing their record to 3-2.

• Week 7 (1:00 PM Sunday 10/23 Minnesota Vikings @ EAGLES)  The Vikings were going into this season looking great with a star RB in Adrien Peterson in his prime, a young and growing receiving core, and a strong defense, but then 3rd-year up and coming QB Teddy Bridgewater just went down this week with an apparently gruesome season-ending knee injury and it changes the outlook on this team.  When I first predicted this game I had this as a Lock of a loss, but now with the Bridgewater injury it changes things completely and throws it up in the air.  The above mentioned bright spots on this team will still be good, the question is do the Vikings go after a proven veteran QB to replace Bridgewater because right now back up QB Shaun Hill has only started 10 game in a long career.  I do believe the Vikings make a play for a more veteran QB and if so they are able to shut down the Eagles on both side of the ball bringing their record back to .500 with a loss.  The Eagles now sit at 3-3.

• Week 8 (8:30 PM SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBAL 10/30/2016 EAGLES @Dallas  Cockroaches...I mean Dallas Cowboys)  It only took the preseason for Cowboys QB Tony Romo to get hurt, breaking a bone in his back, keeping him on the shelf for 6-10 weeks.  I originally said if all of Romo, WR Dez Bryant, and rookie RB Ezekiel Elliot are healthy then the Ealges need to look out, even with the Eagles defense as good as it can be, this is a loaded offense both with a great line and play makers.  Romo could return to this game but if not 4th round rookie QB Dak Prescott will be at the helm for the Cowboys and he could still be able to manage this game.  Eagles offense has a good night against the Cowboys terrible suspension/injury ridden defense but it is not enough to pull out a win in Big D.  Eagles fall below .500 with a record of 3-4 for the first time this season and never return  to the middle.

•  Week 9 (1:00 PM Sunday 11/06/2016 EAGLES @ New York Giants)  This year the Giants are a Boom-or-Bust team both on offense and defense.  On offense Eli Manning is an experienced QB with talent all around him except for the O-Line.  On defense, New York spent a lot of money in Free Agency on upper-echelon players, but if we know anything from spending money it can come back to bite you and be a disaster.  Odell Beckham Jr. lights up our Corner Backs with 2 TD receptions for the Giants and their defense is able to make it work against our average offense dropping the Eagles in the loss column with their record falling to 3-5.

• Week 10 (1:00 PM Sunday 11/13/2016 Atlanta Falcons @ EAGLES)  The Eagles return home to face a sub-par Falcons defense where Sam Bradford and the offense can have themselves a good game, but the Falcons have a QB in Matt Ryan with a lot to prove and a slew of stealthy weapons on offense including RB Devonta Freeman and WR Julio Jones.  Ryan and Jones had their way in last years opener against the Eagles and both will cause havoc in the Eagles defensive secondary again as the birds now fall to 3-6 in a blowout inside of a stretch of games that would be hard for a very competitive team to conquer.  By the way it doesn't get much easier going forward.

• Week 11 (4:25 PM Sunday 11/20/2016 EAGLES @ Seattle Seahawks)  I hate to be the bearer of bad news and I do not wish this but I think Seattle's ferocious Defense gets after Bradford early knocking him out of the game, which brings in career backup QB Chase Daniel in to be fed to the wolves.  Even though Seattle is more known for their stingy defense, in which they will absolutely dominate the Eagles offense, QB Russell Wilson will make plays with his arm and his feet to take down a competitive but tired Eagles defense.  Seattle wins easily in a route to continue the Eagles slide to 3-7 on the season.

• Week 12 (8:30 PM MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL 11/28/2016 Green Bay Packers @ EAGLES)  Things don't get much easier for the birds here.  They do come home from the West Coast but it is against QB Aaron Rodgers and another great offense with two players looking for bounce back years in WR Jordy Nelson coming off of injury and RB Eddie Lacy shedding some weight to become more productive again.  Chase Daniel again is not able to prove he can be a starting NFL caliber QB, which most of us did not believe to begin with being he is the placeholder between Bradford and Wentz, and is not able to do anything on offense.  As I mentioned before with Green Bay's offense they are able to light it up on this Eagles Defense stealing a win from the Eagles at home even though we all know the Eagles lose this game 9.5 times out of 10.  The team has now essentially eliminated themselves from playoff contention at this point falling to 3-8.

• Week 13 (1:00 PM Sunday 12/04/2016 EAGLES @ Cincinnati Bengals)  To me this is the last game of a terrifying stretch that this team will have to endure.  Cincinnati's defense is still dominant, QB Andy Dalton, like many QB's in this league, still has a lot to prove with terrific WR A.J. Green.  Again another star WR will wreak havoc on this defense because the Eagles still need a star corner.  Chase Daniel is again bad in a bad loss putting the Eagles at 3-9.

• Week 14 (1:00 PM Sunday 12/11/2016 Washington Redskins @ EAGLES)  Here is where the future of this team takes an upward spike.  Head Coach Doug Pederson finally believes rookie QB Carson Wentz is ready for his first start and NFL action against an average Redskins defense.  This game is not nearly as frustrating as the one earlier in the season, mainly because this fan base will be as patient and understanding as possible with Carson as the city would love to see him grown and be the leader of the future.  Wentz is not phased by the speed of the game as he take chances early for better or for worse (yes a marriage reference because in Philly sports when we become invested that is how we look at it).      The defense is solid as Washington is starting to decline as they are not a playoff team this year, while Wentz along with the play of the defense gets this city excited in a nice 7 point win to bring a W and take the Eagles to 4-9.   

• Week 15 (1:00 PM Sunday 12/18/2016 EAGLES @ Baltimore Ravens)  Flacco coming off of a season-ending injury last year with a lack of weapons on offense and defense spells a poor year IMO for the Ravens.  The Eagles take advantage of Ravens missed opportunities on both sides of the ball.  Both offense and defense play will and Wentz shows improvement from the week before which is still very encouraging.  Eagles raise their record to 5-9 going into their last two games of the season.

•  Week 16 (8:25 PM THURSDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL 12/22/2016 New York Giants @ EAGLES)  Giants are still battling with the Cowboys (whom the birds play the following week in the finale) for the NFC East Division title, so they come out competitive firing on all cylinders.  Eagles don't look bad on both sides of the ball, it is just more stifling play because the Giants want the game more as they come out for the win.  Eagles nice little losing streak ends at 2 falling again to 5-10 on the season going into New Year's Day.

• Week 17 (1:00 PM Sunday (New Year's Day) 01/01/17 Dallas Cowboys @ EAGLES)  I hate to say it but the Cowboys just edge out the Giants for the NFC East title so this game is essentially nothing more than a preseason game, but one to help Carson and this young squad build confidence for the future.  Dallas will be resting a majority of starters especially in the brutually cold confines of Lincoln Financial Field in January.  The Eagles end the season with a "clunker" of a win to bring their record to a disappointing yet hopeful 6-10.

 Final NFC East Division Standings

Dallas Cockroaches 10-6 (Winner)

New York Giants 9-7

Washington Redskins 7-9

PHILADELPHIA EAGLES 6-10

 Please Feel free to comment or reply to me via the comment section below, Facebook at Marc Tomasini, Twitter @PhillySportsSrc, or Instagram @PhillySportsSrc.  Looking forward to the feedback.  Although not the most optimistic...GO BIRDS!