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peplaw06
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peplaw06
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The Honor Roll?? lol
We have the Ring of Honor. The Eagles have what you get named to when you get all As and Bs in the first grade.
IN CASE YOU haven't noticed, the Eagles have this thing for undersized defensive ends. They have about as much use for 270-pound edge-rushers as Victoria's Secret does for size-10 lingerie models.
They are all about speed. They prefer ends with big-time motors and Ferrari-like 0-to-60 acceleration power. The one negative to both smaller, faster cars and smaller, faster linemen, though, is they also run out of gas more quickly.
That's not a problem if you have enough depth to regularly rotate players and limit their snaps. But it can be a problem if you don't, as the Eagles have found out the last couple of years.
Their sack totals dropped off dramatically in the second half of both the 2009 and '10 seasons as players like Pro Bowler Trent Cole and Juqua Parker wore down because of overuse.
In '09, the Eagles had 44 sacks, but just 17 in their final eight games. Last year, just 15 of their 39 sacks came in the second half of the season.
In the Eagles' first nine games last year, Cole had seven sacks and 26 hurries. In their last eight, including the playoff loss to Green Bay, he had just three sacks and eight hurries.
Parker had four sacks in the Eagles' first three games last year, but just two the rest of the season. He had just one hurry in his last six starts.
The Eagles are hoping to prevent that this year, but a lot of it is out of their hands; a lot of it depends on their defensive linemen staying healthy. New defensive-line coach Jim Washburn is a rotation freak who likes to send in a fresh quartet of bodies every four or five plays and have them come off the ball like Usain Bolt coming out of the starting blocks.
It worked great in the first two games against the Rams and Falcons as Washburn's fresh-to-the-end linemen recorded nine sacks. But then the bodies started to fall.
Parker suffered a high ankle sprain in Week 2 and missed two games. Defensive tackle Antonio Dixon tore his triceps in Week 4 and is out for the season. Cole injured his right calf in Week 4 and missed two games.
After the fast start, the Eagles have had just nine sacks in their last four games. Jason Babin, who notched his seventh sack of the season on the same play against the 49ers on which Cole got hurt, hasn't had a sack in the last two games.
With Cole out the last two games and Parker returning in Week 6 but still not 100 percent and playing limited snaps, Washburn was forced to increase the snaps of his other linemen, including Babin and Darryl Tapp. Babin, who is listed at 267 but is at least 10 pounds lighter, was on the field for nearly 50 of the Eagles' 63 defensive snaps in their Week 5 loss to Buffalo and played 40 of 53 snaps in their 20-13 pre-bye win over the Redskins. At that pace, he'll need a Hoveround by December.
But help is on the way. Cole returned to practice Monday and is expected to play Sunday night against the Cowboys. Parker said his ankle has improved dramatically thanks to the bye week. And 2010 first-round pick Brandon Graham, who has been on the team's physically unable to perform list since the start of the season while he continued his slow recovery from microfracture and ACL surgery on his right knee, also practiced Monday and likely will be added to the 53-man roster in the next week or 2.
"I'm real excited about getting Trent back," Babin said. "Getting another [pass-rushing] weapon like him back is big."
"This is what we've been missing since the first game," Parker said. "Now we've got pretty much everybody back in here healthy to help us make this run. We're getting Trent back this week and hopefully we can get the ball rolling. [Having enough players to rotate] plays a big part up front."
This week, Washburn can regularly rotate Cole and Tapp at right end and Babin and Parker at left end. Throw in a handful of snaps for Graham once he's activated and none of them would need to play more than 35 snaps a game, which would pay big dividends in December and January.
"We've all had to take more reps with Trent out and JP out," Babin said. "It was weird last week [before the Washington game]. In practice, they had me rest a little bit. Which is something I'm not accustomed to. I'm used to always going. But it paid dividends [against the Redskins] because I was fresh the whole game."
The Eagles had just two sacks against the Redskins - by Tapp and tackle Mike Patterson. But Babin was credited with nine hurries, the most by an Eagles defensive lineman this season.
The Eagles had just three sacks in the two games Cole missed. His absence obviously contributed to that, but so did the fact that both Buffalo and Washington made a point of getting the ball out quickly.
The Bills are first in the league in sacks allowed per pass play. Quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick uses mainly three-step drops. The Redskins also were determined to get the ball out quickly, which helped minimize sacks but contributed to mistakes by Rex Grossman, who threw four interceptions.
"I talked to some of their coaches after the game," Babin said. "Their plan was to throw the ball quick. They didn't want to let us get into a feeding frenzy. I'd probably do the same thing if I played us."
The Eagles used their wide-nine front a little less against the Redskins, but Babin said it had more to do with the two-tight end formations Washington was using than any de-emphasis of the nine-technique.
"The wide nine is definitely not dead," Babin said. "Definitely not dead. This is what the wide nine is. The wide nine is one guy moving over 3 feet."
After allowing 140 yards per game on the ground the first 5 weeks, the Eagles stopped the bleeding - at least temporarily - in the Washington win, holding the Redskins to 42 yards on 14 carries. But that's hardly going to dissuade the Cowboys, who got a 253-yard rushing performance from rookie DeMarco Murray Sunday against the Rams, from trying to run the ball.
"I don't think people are going to stop running the ball on us just because we stopped the Redskins," Babin said. "Everybody's going to keep attacking us with it and we're going to have to show up early in the game and show 'em we can play 'em and we can stop 'em."
They are all about speed. They prefer ends with big-time motors and Ferrari-like 0-to-60 acceleration power. The one negative to both smaller, faster cars and smaller, faster linemen, though, is they also run out of gas more quickly.
That's not a problem if you have enough depth to regularly rotate players and limit their snaps. But it can be a problem if you don't, as the Eagles have found out the last couple of years.
Their sack totals dropped off dramatically in the second half of both the 2009 and '10 seasons as players like Pro Bowler Trent Cole and Juqua Parker wore down because of overuse.
In '09, the Eagles had 44 sacks, but just 17 in their final eight games. Last year, just 15 of their 39 sacks came in the second half of the season.
In the Eagles' first nine games last year, Cole had seven sacks and 26 hurries. In their last eight, including the playoff loss to Green Bay, he had just three sacks and eight hurries.
Parker had four sacks in the Eagles' first three games last year, but just two the rest of the season. He had just one hurry in his last six starts.
The Eagles are hoping to prevent that this year, but a lot of it is out of their hands; a lot of it depends on their defensive linemen staying healthy. New defensive-line coach Jim Washburn is a rotation freak who likes to send in a fresh quartet of bodies every four or five plays and have them come off the ball like Usain Bolt coming out of the starting blocks.
It worked great in the first two games against the Rams and Falcons as Washburn's fresh-to-the-end linemen recorded nine sacks. But then the bodies started to fall.
Parker suffered a high ankle sprain in Week 2 and missed two games. Defensive tackle Antonio Dixon tore his triceps in Week 4 and is out for the season. Cole injured his right calf in Week 4 and missed two games.
After the fast start, the Eagles have had just nine sacks in their last four games. Jason Babin, who notched his seventh sack of the season on the same play against the 49ers on which Cole got hurt, hasn't had a sack in the last two games.
With Cole out the last two games and Parker returning in Week 6 but still not 100 percent and playing limited snaps, Washburn was forced to increase the snaps of his other linemen, including Babin and Darryl Tapp. Babin, who is listed at 267 but is at least 10 pounds lighter, was on the field for nearly 50 of the Eagles' 63 defensive snaps in their Week 5 loss to Buffalo and played 40 of 53 snaps in their 20-13 pre-bye win over the Redskins. At that pace, he'll need a Hoveround by December.
But help is on the way. Cole returned to practice Monday and is expected to play Sunday night against the Cowboys. Parker said his ankle has improved dramatically thanks to the bye week. And 2010 first-round pick Brandon Graham, who has been on the team's physically unable to perform list since the start of the season while he continued his slow recovery from microfracture and ACL surgery on his right knee, also practiced Monday and likely will be added to the 53-man roster in the next week or 2.
"I'm real excited about getting Trent back," Babin said. "Getting another [pass-rushing] weapon like him back is big."
"This is what we've been missing since the first game," Parker said. "Now we've got pretty much everybody back in here healthy to help us make this run. We're getting Trent back this week and hopefully we can get the ball rolling. [Having enough players to rotate] plays a big part up front."
This week, Washburn can regularly rotate Cole and Tapp at right end and Babin and Parker at left end. Throw in a handful of snaps for Graham once he's activated and none of them would need to play more than 35 snaps a game, which would pay big dividends in December and January.
"We've all had to take more reps with Trent out and JP out," Babin said. "It was weird last week [before the Washington game]. In practice, they had me rest a little bit. Which is something I'm not accustomed to. I'm used to always going. But it paid dividends [against the Redskins] because I was fresh the whole game."
The Eagles had just two sacks against the Redskins - by Tapp and tackle Mike Patterson. But Babin was credited with nine hurries, the most by an Eagles defensive lineman this season.
The Eagles had just three sacks in the two games Cole missed. His absence obviously contributed to that, but so did the fact that both Buffalo and Washington made a point of getting the ball out quickly.
The Bills are first in the league in sacks allowed per pass play. Quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick uses mainly three-step drops. The Redskins also were determined to get the ball out quickly, which helped minimize sacks but contributed to mistakes by Rex Grossman, who threw four interceptions.
"I talked to some of their coaches after the game," Babin said. "Their plan was to throw the ball quick. They didn't want to let us get into a feeding frenzy. I'd probably do the same thing if I played us."
The Eagles used their wide-nine front a little less against the Redskins, but Babin said it had more to do with the two-tight end formations Washington was using than any de-emphasis of the nine-technique.
"The wide nine is definitely not dead," Babin said. "Definitely not dead. This is what the wide nine is. The wide nine is one guy moving over 3 feet."
After allowing 140 yards per game on the ground the first 5 weeks, the Eagles stopped the bleeding - at least temporarily - in the Washington win, holding the Redskins to 42 yards on 14 carries. But that's hardly going to dissuade the Cowboys, who got a 253-yard rushing performance from rookie DeMarco Murray Sunday against the Rams, from trying to run the ball.
"I don't think people are going to stop running the ball on us just because we stopped the Redskins," Babin said. "Everybody's going to keep attacking us with it and we're going to have to show up early in the game and show 'em we can play 'em and we can stop 'em."
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I feel pretty good about it. I dont think the Eagles are very good. Their OL is weak, and their defense has been mediocre.
I think Ryan is going to come up with a great game plan for Vick, who is playing kinda lousy anyway.
I think we will win by 10-13 pts
C
Cr122
Guest
I don't think we would win by 10-13 points with the players the Eagles are getting back.
It'll be close and will probably be a low scoring game. Something like 17-14 or 20-17. JMO.
It's going to be a close game and one that goes down to the final whistle.
Idgit
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This really surprises me. I would have guessed the line on this was Dallas -3, even on the road.
I expect we win a hard-fought game this week by double digits.
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Unfortunately this has been the type of game we have been losing.
Would be nice to see a complete game in primetime and come away with a convincing win and avoid the dagger to the heart and a kick to the nut sack in the final minutes.
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Eagles 44
Cowboys 6
Cowboys 6
C
Cr122
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Hot Button: Is LeSean McCoy underrated?
October, 26, 2011 4:04 PM CT
By Dan Graziano
This week's Hot Button debate topic on ESPN.com is "Who is the most underrated running back in the NFL?" Ashley Fox takes the side of Chicago's Matt Forte while John Clayton says it's the Philadelphia Eagles' LeSean McCoy:
His nickname might be the most fitting for his situation as any in the NFL. At Pitt, he was called "Shady." In Philadelphia, he plays in the shadows of Eagles stars Michael Vick, DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin. Forte might be the main force in Chicago. McCoy isn't drawing the headlines meriting his production. He's under the radar.
For one thing, no one talks about McCoy's contract. He's in the third year of his rookie deal. Nothing is in the works. He's makes $525,000 this year and is scheduled to make around $610,000 next year.
As for his performance, McCoy is one of the most exciting backs in the league and has been since he entered. The big thing is that he keeps getting better.
Tough to evaluate this from here. McCoy is surely not under the radar on an NFC East blog, so our perspective on this is a bit skewed. If the national perception is that McCoy is not one of the very best backs in the NFL, then I would say I agree with John that he's underrated. That could be because the Eagles have been such a pass-first offense in recent years, because Vick contributes so much to their rushing totals or because he hasn't been in the league long enough to establish himself in that conversation.
Whatever the reason, Eagles fans had better hope McCoy isn't underrated among members of the Eagles' coaching staff. Because the 28 carries he got two weeks ago against the Redskins should have been an eye-opener. Not only is McCoy one of the most electric players in the league, but he has now also shown the ability to be a workhorse back -- the kind of guy who can help you run out the clock and preserve a lead.
Going forward this season, the Eagles need to lean much more on McCoy than they have in the past. If they can lead the league in rush yards, they have a chance to recover and save their playoff and Super Bowl dreams. Relying more on McCoy is safer than chucking the ball downfield, will help protect Vick better and will give teams even more headaches than they already have when dealing with the array of offensive weapons the Eagles possess. McCoy may be underrated in some places, but if the Eagles are smart, they're going to put him front and center for the rest of this season.
October, 26, 2011 4:04 PM CT
By Dan Graziano
This week's Hot Button debate topic on ESPN.com is "Who is the most underrated running back in the NFL?" Ashley Fox takes the side of Chicago's Matt Forte while John Clayton says it's the Philadelphia Eagles' LeSean McCoy:
His nickname might be the most fitting for his situation as any in the NFL. At Pitt, he was called "Shady." In Philadelphia, he plays in the shadows of Eagles stars Michael Vick, DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin. Forte might be the main force in Chicago. McCoy isn't drawing the headlines meriting his production. He's under the radar.
For one thing, no one talks about McCoy's contract. He's in the third year of his rookie deal. Nothing is in the works. He's makes $525,000 this year and is scheduled to make around $610,000 next year.
As for his performance, McCoy is one of the most exciting backs in the league and has been since he entered. The big thing is that he keeps getting better.
Tough to evaluate this from here. McCoy is surely not under the radar on an NFC East blog, so our perspective on this is a bit skewed. If the national perception is that McCoy is not one of the very best backs in the NFL, then I would say I agree with John that he's underrated. That could be because the Eagles have been such a pass-first offense in recent years, because Vick contributes so much to their rushing totals or because he hasn't been in the league long enough to establish himself in that conversation.
Whatever the reason, Eagles fans had better hope McCoy isn't underrated among members of the Eagles' coaching staff. Because the 28 carries he got two weeks ago against the Redskins should have been an eye-opener. Not only is McCoy one of the most electric players in the league, but he has now also shown the ability to be a workhorse back -- the kind of guy who can help you run out the clock and preserve a lead.
Going forward this season, the Eagles need to lean much more on McCoy than they have in the past. If they can lead the league in rush yards, they have a chance to recover and save their playoff and Super Bowl dreams. Relying more on McCoy is safer than chucking the ball downfield, will help protect Vick better and will give teams even more headaches than they already have when dealing with the array of offensive weapons the Eagles possess. McCoy may be underrated in some places, but if the Eagles are smart, they're going to put him front and center for the rest of this season.
C
Cr122
Guest
I dunno what to think with the Eagles being at full strength. It'll be a tough game for both teams. No blowouts in this one.
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http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/moving_the_chains/Things-Eagles-vs-Cowboys.html
Here are 15 things to know about Sunday night's Eagles-Cowboys matchup:
1. The Eagles are going to have their hands full with Dez Bryant. The second-year receiver has 19 catches for 339 yards in five games. He's averaging 17.8 yards per catch and has scored four times. Bryant has six catches of 25+ yards, tied for seventh-most in the NFL. And that doesn't mean it's just Tony Romo taking shots deep down the field with Bryant. Yards after the catch are a big part of the equation. Bryant is tough to bring down, and if the Eagles' defensive backs don't tackle, Bryant will pile up the YAC. Bryant caught one ball against the Rams at the St. Louis 37. Quintin Mikell met him 6 yards later, but couldn't bring him down. Bryant broke the tackle and scampered all the way to the 21 for a 34-yard gain, which included 16 yards after the catch. The previous week, against the Patriots, he turned a 5-yard catch into a 33-yard gain, juking two New England defensive backs to the ground.
2. But specifically, there are three areas to watch with Bryant: third down, red zone, against the blitz. He has nine third-down catches for first downs, tied for seventh-most in the league. Five of those have been on 3rd-and-7+; that’s second-most in the league, according to STATS.com.
The Eagles haven't blitzed much this season, and that's probably a good thing this week. Romo found Bryant multiple times against the blitz in the last two weeks. And in 2010, four of Bryant's six touchdowns were against the blitz.
Surprisingly, Bryant has just two red-zone receptions this year, although both were touchdowns. Against St. Louis, Romo threw the fade to Bryant, but Al Harris had it defended well and forced the incompletion. On another play, Romo read the blitz, got rid of the ball on a slant to Bryant for what would have been a touchdown, but he dropped it. I noticed Bryant lining up on both the left and right sides. Given that Nnamdi Asomugha is the Eagles' most physical cornerback, it probably makes sense to put him on Bryant, but Asante Samuel and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie will probably fined themselves matched up with him at times as well.
3. Romo's completing 64.5 percent of his passes this season and averaging 8.09 yards per attempt. He's thrown 10 touchdowns and six interceptions for a QB rating of 93.4. Romo actually has a worse interception rate than Michael Vick; he's been picked off once every 23.3 attempts; Vick's been picked off once every 25 attempts. What the Eagles have going for them is that Romo will force the ball into coverage and make some risky throws, particularly when he's pressured. What Romo has going for him is that he is surrounded by some very good weapons and has been hitting on big plays. He ranks third in the league with 18 pass plays of 25+ yards and is tied for fourth with 28 pass plays of 20+ yards.
4. So, how should the Eagles attack Romo? Is blitzing a good idea? I don't think so. Last year, Romo had a 118.7 QB rating when blitzed, completing 72 percent of his passes and averaging 8.52 yards per attempt. This year, the numbers have not been as good. According to Pro Football Focus, he's completing just 53.8 percent of his passes against the blitz and has a QB rating of 70.7. By my unofficial count, the Eagles are blitzing on just 15.3 percent of pass plays this season. With Trent Cole returning and the defensive line healthy, I expect them to rely primarily on their front four with only a handful of blitzes mixed in.
5. The Cowboys have allowed just 11 sacks on the season, and they rank fifth in sack rate, according to Football Outsiders, one spot ahead of the Eagles. Based on re-watching the Cowboys' last two games, the issues with pressure stemmed from a variety of sources. Against St. Louis, right tackle Doug Free got beat by James Hall, who sacked Romo on one play. Free got beat for a sack by Andre Carter the previous week against New England. It looked like center Phil Costa got beat by Gary Gibson against the Rams. And rookie right tackle Tyron Smith got beat around the edge on a Romo interception against the Patriots. He also gave up a sack to Carter in that game. The Eagles were reportedly interested in adding Free this offseason. According to PFF, he's given up sacks in back-to-back weeks and has a team-high five penalties on the season. Cole will be lined up against Free for much of the game.
6. On the ground, as you know by now, DeMarco Murray went off against the Rams, piling up a franchise-high 253 yards on 25 carries. Murray went literally untouched on the 91-yard score in the first quarter. He got a nice lead block from the fullback, and Jason Witten got just enough of the linebacker. Murray also had a 43-yard run in the fourth. It would have been a 2-yard gain, but a Rams defensive back missed a tackle. As I've said many times, the major difference in the Eagles' run defense against Washington was better tackling. We'll see if they can build on that performance against Murray.
7. While Bryant is probably the Cowboys' most dangerous receiver, Jason Witten leads the team in receptions (36), targets (52) and receiving yards (449). He's averaging 12.5 yards per reception, which would be a career high if it held, and has seven catches of 20+ yards. The Cowboys scored on play-action passes to Witten in each of the past two games. That's concerning for an Eagles team that constantly struggles against the tight end. Fred Davis beat Moise Fokou on several occasions a couple weeks ago, and Fokou bit on play-fakes. Twenty-five of Witten's 36 catches on the season have picked up first downs. The Eagles could match up one of their cornerbacks on him.
8. As for the Cowboys' other receivers, Miles Austin is always dangerous. He was injured earlier this season, but is averaging 5.75 catches and just under 81 yards per game. Austin's also scored four touchdowns in four games, although three of them came in Week 2 against the 49ers. Wide receiver Laurent Robinson played 21 snaps last week and has 14 catches for 233 yards on the season.
9. The Cowboys' run defense has been impressive. Opponents are averaging just 3.3 yards per carry against Dallas. That's a league-best. The Cowboys had not given up a run of 20+ yards until last week. What I noticed against the Rams was that a bunch of Cowboys defenders made plays against the run. DeMarcus Ware and Jay Ratliff up at the line; linebackers Sean Lee, Bradie James and Keith Brooking; safety Abram Elam. At one point or another, each of those guys made a play near the line of scrimmage or in the backfield against the Rams. Steven Jackson's biggest run went right up the middle on 3rd-and-3 for 40 yards. He gained just 30 yards on his other 17 carries (1.76 YPC).
10. Opposing quarterbacks have an 80.0 QB rating against the Cowboys, 11th-best, and Dallas is allowing 6.7 yards per attempt (tied for 8th-best). That's quite a difference from a year ago. In 2010, the Cowboys ranked 29th in opposing QB rating (92.8). They allowed a league-worst 33 touchdown passes and gave up 57 completions of 20+ yards, tied for fourth-most.
11. Rob Ryan will of course give Vick several different looks at the line of scrimmage and bring pressure in a variety of ways. On one third down against St. Louis, the Cowboys showed five at the line of scrimmage. Ware dropped back into coverage, and Lee blitzed up the middle. Michael Jenkins came away with the interception as A.J. Feeley made a poor decision and a poor pass. Against New England, the Cowboys brought a defensive back on a blitz from the slot and forced an incompletion.
12. Ware leads the pass rush with eight sacks, second in the NFL to only Jared Allen. The Cowboys sacked Tom Brady three times and picked him off twice a couple weeks ago. On one play, Anthony Spencer brought pressure and forced Brady to step up into a sack by Ware. Ware later blew by the left tackle and sacked Brady again. On another play, Marcus Spears brought pressure up the middle and got to Brady. And Ratliff pressured Brady on a third-down pass, forcing an incompletion. Overall, the Cowboys rank 13th in adjusted sack rate; the Eagles rank third. Jason Peters will likely see a lot of Ware, but the Cowboys do move him around.
13. Brent Celek had a team-high nine targets against the Redskins and ended up with four catches for 42 yards. Could he have more of a role as a receiver against the Redskins? According to Football Outsiders, Dallas is giving up 72.1 yards per game to opposing tight ends, third-most in the NFL.
14. The Eagles and Cowboys rank 25th and 26th, respectively, in red-zone scoring percentage (touchdown rate) at 41.38 percent and 40.91 percent. The Cowboys are 18th in red-zone defense (53.3 percent), while the Eagles rank dead last (70.59 percent).
15. The Birds have turned it over 17 times, most in the NFL. The Cowboys, however, are not far behind, tied for third-most with 13 turnovers. The Eagles' -8 turnover margin is second-worst to only the Steelers. The Cowboys are a -1.
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Here are 15 things to know about Sunday night's Eagles-Cowboys matchup:
1. The Eagles are going to have their hands full with Dez Bryant. The second-year receiver has 19 catches for 339 yards in five games. He's averaging 17.8 yards per catch and has scored four times. Bryant has six catches of 25+ yards, tied for seventh-most in the NFL. And that doesn't mean it's just Tony Romo taking shots deep down the field with Bryant. Yards after the catch are a big part of the equation. Bryant is tough to bring down, and if the Eagles' defensive backs don't tackle, Bryant will pile up the YAC. Bryant caught one ball against the Rams at the St. Louis 37. Quintin Mikell met him 6 yards later, but couldn't bring him down. Bryant broke the tackle and scampered all the way to the 21 for a 34-yard gain, which included 16 yards after the catch. The previous week, against the Patriots, he turned a 5-yard catch into a 33-yard gain, juking two New England defensive backs to the ground.
2. But specifically, there are three areas to watch with Bryant: third down, red zone, against the blitz. He has nine third-down catches for first downs, tied for seventh-most in the league. Five of those have been on 3rd-and-7+; that’s second-most in the league, according to STATS.com.
The Eagles haven't blitzed much this season, and that's probably a good thing this week. Romo found Bryant multiple times against the blitz in the last two weeks. And in 2010, four of Bryant's six touchdowns were against the blitz.
Surprisingly, Bryant has just two red-zone receptions this year, although both were touchdowns. Against St. Louis, Romo threw the fade to Bryant, but Al Harris had it defended well and forced the incompletion. On another play, Romo read the blitz, got rid of the ball on a slant to Bryant for what would have been a touchdown, but he dropped it. I noticed Bryant lining up on both the left and right sides. Given that Nnamdi Asomugha is the Eagles' most physical cornerback, it probably makes sense to put him on Bryant, but Asante Samuel and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie will probably fined themselves matched up with him at times as well.
3. Romo's completing 64.5 percent of his passes this season and averaging 8.09 yards per attempt. He's thrown 10 touchdowns and six interceptions for a QB rating of 93.4. Romo actually has a worse interception rate than Michael Vick; he's been picked off once every 23.3 attempts; Vick's been picked off once every 25 attempts. What the Eagles have going for them is that Romo will force the ball into coverage and make some risky throws, particularly when he's pressured. What Romo has going for him is that he is surrounded by some very good weapons and has been hitting on big plays. He ranks third in the league with 18 pass plays of 25+ yards and is tied for fourth with 28 pass plays of 20+ yards.
4. So, how should the Eagles attack Romo? Is blitzing a good idea? I don't think so. Last year, Romo had a 118.7 QB rating when blitzed, completing 72 percent of his passes and averaging 8.52 yards per attempt. This year, the numbers have not been as good. According to Pro Football Focus, he's completing just 53.8 percent of his passes against the blitz and has a QB rating of 70.7. By my unofficial count, the Eagles are blitzing on just 15.3 percent of pass plays this season. With Trent Cole returning and the defensive line healthy, I expect them to rely primarily on their front four with only a handful of blitzes mixed in.
5. The Cowboys have allowed just 11 sacks on the season, and they rank fifth in sack rate, according to Football Outsiders, one spot ahead of the Eagles. Based on re-watching the Cowboys' last two games, the issues with pressure stemmed from a variety of sources. Against St. Louis, right tackle Doug Free got beat by James Hall, who sacked Romo on one play. Free got beat for a sack by Andre Carter the previous week against New England. It looked like center Phil Costa got beat by Gary Gibson against the Rams. And rookie right tackle Tyron Smith got beat around the edge on a Romo interception against the Patriots. He also gave up a sack to Carter in that game. The Eagles were reportedly interested in adding Free this offseason. According to PFF, he's given up sacks in back-to-back weeks and has a team-high five penalties on the season. Cole will be lined up against Free for much of the game.
6. On the ground, as you know by now, DeMarco Murray went off against the Rams, piling up a franchise-high 253 yards on 25 carries. Murray went literally untouched on the 91-yard score in the first quarter. He got a nice lead block from the fullback, and Jason Witten got just enough of the linebacker. Murray also had a 43-yard run in the fourth. It would have been a 2-yard gain, but a Rams defensive back missed a tackle. As I've said many times, the major difference in the Eagles' run defense against Washington was better tackling. We'll see if they can build on that performance against Murray.
7. While Bryant is probably the Cowboys' most dangerous receiver, Jason Witten leads the team in receptions (36), targets (52) and receiving yards (449). He's averaging 12.5 yards per reception, which would be a career high if it held, and has seven catches of 20+ yards. The Cowboys scored on play-action passes to Witten in each of the past two games. That's concerning for an Eagles team that constantly struggles against the tight end. Fred Davis beat Moise Fokou on several occasions a couple weeks ago, and Fokou bit on play-fakes. Twenty-five of Witten's 36 catches on the season have picked up first downs. The Eagles could match up one of their cornerbacks on him.
8. As for the Cowboys' other receivers, Miles Austin is always dangerous. He was injured earlier this season, but is averaging 5.75 catches and just under 81 yards per game. Austin's also scored four touchdowns in four games, although three of them came in Week 2 against the 49ers. Wide receiver Laurent Robinson played 21 snaps last week and has 14 catches for 233 yards on the season.
9. The Cowboys' run defense has been impressive. Opponents are averaging just 3.3 yards per carry against Dallas. That's a league-best. The Cowboys had not given up a run of 20+ yards until last week. What I noticed against the Rams was that a bunch of Cowboys defenders made plays against the run. DeMarcus Ware and Jay Ratliff up at the line; linebackers Sean Lee, Bradie James and Keith Brooking; safety Abram Elam. At one point or another, each of those guys made a play near the line of scrimmage or in the backfield against the Rams. Steven Jackson's biggest run went right up the middle on 3rd-and-3 for 40 yards. He gained just 30 yards on his other 17 carries (1.76 YPC).
10. Opposing quarterbacks have an 80.0 QB rating against the Cowboys, 11th-best, and Dallas is allowing 6.7 yards per attempt (tied for 8th-best). That's quite a difference from a year ago. In 2010, the Cowboys ranked 29th in opposing QB rating (92.8). They allowed a league-worst 33 touchdown passes and gave up 57 completions of 20+ yards, tied for fourth-most.
11. Rob Ryan will of course give Vick several different looks at the line of scrimmage and bring pressure in a variety of ways. On one third down against St. Louis, the Cowboys showed five at the line of scrimmage. Ware dropped back into coverage, and Lee blitzed up the middle. Michael Jenkins came away with the interception as A.J. Feeley made a poor decision and a poor pass. Against New England, the Cowboys brought a defensive back on a blitz from the slot and forced an incompletion.
12. Ware leads the pass rush with eight sacks, second in the NFL to only Jared Allen. The Cowboys sacked Tom Brady three times and picked him off twice a couple weeks ago. On one play, Anthony Spencer brought pressure and forced Brady to step up into a sack by Ware. Ware later blew by the left tackle and sacked Brady again. On another play, Marcus Spears brought pressure up the middle and got to Brady. And Ratliff pressured Brady on a third-down pass, forcing an incompletion. Overall, the Cowboys rank 13th in adjusted sack rate; the Eagles rank third. Jason Peters will likely see a lot of Ware, but the Cowboys do move him around.
13. Brent Celek had a team-high nine targets against the Redskins and ended up with four catches for 42 yards. Could he have more of a role as a receiver against the Redskins? According to Football Outsiders, Dallas is giving up 72.1 yards per game to opposing tight ends, third-most in the NFL.
14. The Eagles and Cowboys rank 25th and 26th, respectively, in red-zone scoring percentage (touchdown rate) at 41.38 percent and 40.91 percent. The Cowboys are 18th in red-zone defense (53.3 percent), while the Eagles rank dead last (70.59 percent).
15. The Birds have turned it over 17 times, most in the NFL. The Cowboys, however, are not far behind, tied for third-most with 13 turnovers. The Eagles' -8 turnover margin is second-worst to only the Steelers. The Cowboys are a -1.
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Idgit
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Good stuff. Thanks for posting this.