** Official 2014 Philadelphia Eagles Thread ** (2 Viewers)

[Insein]

I like the win. It was a bonus as most had them with an L in the game. My only problem is that I think they won not on their merit but because the O gameplanning by the Colts was so horrible. If Pagano let his QB throw and they didn't take their foot of the pedal at Halftime.....it would have been a different outcome. Was the Birds secondary THAT dominate last night?

Fletcher was pretty damn good. Just needs to catch that pick.

 

[GoBirds]

@connorbarwin: Shout out to the Saints! #FlyEaglesFly

1:05am - 16 Sep 14

@jimmykempski: Zach Ertz has as many 20+ yard receptions as 20 NFL teams.

They really need to get him 8-10 targets a game.

So just a random dig at the saints?

Stupid to let Sproles and Jenkins go to sign Byrd. They should get a dig.

Got ya makes sense.

 

[CentralPA]

Fletcher Cox was a beast. night and day from training camp. I hope he keeps it up.

 

[Billy Bats]

@connorbarwin: Shout out to the Saints! #FlyEaglesFly

1:05am - 16 Sep 14

@jimmykempski: Zach Ertz has as many 20+ yard receptions as 20 NFL teams.

They really need to get him 8-10 targets a game.

I couldn't agree more. He's one of the few they need to try & get to double digit touches each week.

Domowitch: Zach Ertz played 52 snaps Monday night. Brent Celek played 46. Ertz frequently was the TE in 3 WR, 1 RB, 1 TE personnel groupings.

12:14pm - 16 Sep 14

He's getting out there, guessing it just depends on matchups and what Foles is seeing. I don't want them to force it, but I hope they have packages for him. This kid could be a monster.

 

[Bigboy10182000]

@connorbarwin: Shout out to the Saints! #FlyEaglesFly

1:05am - 16 Sep 14

@jimmykempski: Zach Ertz has as many 20+ yard receptions as 20 NFL teams.

They really need to get him 8-10 targets a game.

I couldn't agree more. He's one of the few they need to try & get to double digit touches each week.

Domowitch: Zach Ertz played 52 snaps Monday night. Brent Celek played 46. Ertz frequently was the TE in 3 WR, 1 RB, 1 TE personnel groupings.

12:14pm - 16 Sep 14

He's getting out there, guessing it just depends on matchups and what Foles is seeing. I don't want them to force it, but I hope they have packages for him. This kid could be a monster.

At some point hes going to be match-up proof if he keeps this up.

 

[dhockster]

Doesn't every TE average 23 yards per catch?

 

[Bigboy10182000]

@WSJSports: Eagles coach Chip Kelly's latest innovation: turning to college profs for ideas. http://t.co/2eefZa5nCu http://t.co/0QoaDEghci

The 2-0 Philadelphia Eagles are already rolling toward another NFC East title. They're doing it with a smart coach in Chip Kelly, a speedy offense and, of course, a secret network of college professors from across the country.

Yes, really.

Kelly, in his second NFL season after a revolutionary run at the University of Oregon, has made academics as much a part of the team as the long snapper. He leans on them all off-season for new ideas and has them on speed dial when he needs a quick fix, according to those who have interacted with the Eagles coach.

"Chip says, 'This guy, with his social sciences or psychology or statistical model or his understanding of African-American history, let's bring him in and see if there's even one idea or one sentence that is a piece of trying to get done what I'm trying to accomplish,' " said Harry Edwards, a professor emeritus at the University of California-Berkeley and expert on race relations who has advised Kelly. "He is always searching for the missing piece and he realizes it could be a piece you can't find in the athletic arena."

Kelly is so devoted to the idea that one of his top lieutenants told professors that Kelly's goal is to have a sort of academic conference, where Kelly is essentially the only beneficiary. (Imagine, if you'd like to laugh, a TED Talk with Kelly as the only audience member.)

Lots of NFL teams bring in outsiders, but mostly to help with things like motivation or provide a PR boost. These may be ex-players or coaches, or a famous athlete from another sport. They don't bring in K. Anders Ericsson, a University of Stockholm graduate who is an eminent scholar in Florida State University's cognitive psychology department. The Eagles did.

Ericsson was called in by the Eagles this summer to discuss one of his specialtiesexpert performance. He has a fairly typical story for an expert conscripted to advise the Eagles.

He first met personally with coaches. That is where he learned that the trait they prize in players is the ability to verbally articulate game situations, which they feel leads to better conversations about game situations and eventually a better team. Ericsson then addressed the entire staff in a 90-minute session in which Kelly tried to get to the heart of the matter. Kelly wanted Ericsson to understand the basic training methods of the Eagles, then ask of the professor, "What could be done differently?"

Ericsson's answer is tied to another Kelly secret. The Eagles use memory devices to get players to memorize formations. Safety Malcolm Jenkins said that during meetings, coaches will show an opponent's formation on a screen, and players will attempt to remember it and yell the play call they would use against it. Then, Jenkins said, snapping his fingers, "They start to flash it quicker and quicker. There's less time to process. And so you build those same cognitive skills where it's the same as getting a mental rep on the field."

Ericsson thought this a noble effort, but in his opinion, it wasn't enough. He recommended that the situations be harder to understandto go beyond the formations and "get them to respond to video clips of more complex scenarios instead of simple, fast recognitions," he said. "You want to encourage players to be more analytical and open them up to more feedback on what they aren't paying attention to."

What, exactly, Kelly took from these meetings isn't yet clear. He declined to speak on the matter, as did a team spokesman and Kelly's chief of staff, James Harris, who is in charge of the program, which Ericsson said features "weekly seminars to stimulate thinking." While Kelly was at Oregon, it was reported that he worked with one of the school's statistics professors. When asked if he would expand his network to engineering professors, Kelly said, "I'd love to get with those guys." Kelly hasn't spoken about it since.

Harris, Kelly's right hand man, is no stranger to Cal's Edwards. Last year, receiver Riley Cooper was caught on video saying racial slurs at a concert, causing a firestorm in the media and the Eagles locker room. And so, Edwardswho made a name in the sports world advising former San Francisco 49ers coach Bill Walsh on race mattersreceived a call from Harris. Kelly wanted to know what to do.

"I told them: You guys can allow this to fracture and fragment your locker room and never get on track. Or you can give Riley Cooper a few days to clear his head, apologize and get his --- out there," said Edwards, who is black. "You can choose not to be offended." Cooper stayed with the team and tallied 835 receiving yards last season.

Edwards advised Kelly during the controversy surrounding former Eagles receiver DeSean Jackson, who was cut this off-season shortly after an NJ.com article alleged that he has gang ties. (Jackson said that he has never been part of any gang; Kelly said the Eagles cut him for football reasons.) Kelly also was keen on knowing how to juggle locker-room dynamics, such as loud music in the locker room that featured racial slurs. "There are so many issues," Edwards said. "Social media, demographics. They just want to know, 'Hey, what are we dealing with here?' "

The professors' close interaction with the Eagles showed them a different side of athletes and gave Ericsson, who had never worked with football players, a new angle on how athletes operate.

"Something that many of the athletes resent is being represented as intuitive naturals," he said. "When, in fact, they should have a similar respect to a scientist or a medical doctor, who have been able to perfect their talents through performance and learning."

No one has to tell Kelly that.

 

[Long Ball Larry]

meh, just a college coach a la Spurrier . . .

 

[fred_1_15301]

The little steps that Chip Kelly takes to improve this team just seem like common sense. He just has the passion and fortitude to go the extra mile. I don't understand why other coaches don't follow his lead. Perhaps they're just lazy

 

[Snotbubbles]

The little steps that Chip Kelly takes to improve this team just seem like common sense. He just has the passion and fortitude to go the extra mile. I don't understand why other coaches don't follow his lead. Perhaps they're just lazy

The way Kelly runs his practices are surgical. Within 5 years I'd imagine that most teams will follow suit.

 

[Insein]

The little steps that Chip Kelly takes to improve this team just seem like common sense. He just has the passion and fortitude to go the extra mile. I don't understand why other coaches don't follow his lead. Perhaps they're just lazy

A lot of coaches are brilliant at football but not great general thinkers. So if its always been done a certain way in football, they won't deviate from that. It takes a phenomenal person with the right combination of ego, intelligence and balls to go against decades of status quo.

 

[fred_1_15301]

The little steps that Chip Kelly takes to improve this team just seem like common sense. He just has the passion and fortitude to go the extra mile. I don't understand why other coaches don't follow his lead. Perhaps they're just lazy

The way Kelly runs his practices are surgical. Within 5 years I'd imagine that most teams will follow suit.

I'm not certain about this. There are probably a lot of coaches out there who wouldn't even think to follow suit. A nice combination of stupidity and laziness.

 

[fred_1_15301]

The little steps that Chip Kelly takes to improve this team just seem like common sense. He just has the passion and fortitude to go the extra mile. I don't understand why other coaches don't follow his lead. Perhaps they're just lazy

A lot of coaches are brilliant at football but not great general thinkers. So if its always been done a certain way in football, they won't deviate from that. It takes a phenomenal person with the right combination of ego, intelligence and balls to go against decades of status quo.

Yup I read a book called "The Game Plan" which basically gets at this point. If I were an owner of a team, my first criteria for a coach would be that they have to be under the age of 55. I don't want a dinosaur who isn't willing to change their way of thinking when the game itself has changed so much.

 

[Insein]

The little steps that Chip Kelly takes to improve this team just seem like common sense. He just has the passion and fortitude to go the extra mile. I don't understand why other coaches don't follow his lead. Perhaps they're just lazy

The way Kelly runs his practices are surgical. Within 5 years I'd imagine that most teams will follow suit.

I'm not certain about this. There are probably a lot of coaches out there who wouldn't even think to follow suit. A nice combination of stupidity and laziness.

If Kelly wins a super bowl, I'd wager more than 60% of the league would change to those practice styles.

 

[Snotbubbles]

The little steps that Chip Kelly takes to improve this team just seem like common sense. He just has the passion and fortitude to go the extra mile. I don't understand why other coaches don't follow his lead. Perhaps they're just lazy

The way Kelly runs his practices are surgical. Within 5 years I'd imagine that most teams will follow suit.

I'm not certain about this. There are probably a lot of coaches out there who wouldn't even think to follow suit. A nice combination of stupidity and laziness.

If Kelly wins a super bowl, I'd wager more than 60% of the league would change to those practice styles.

Once more of Kelly's assistants get HC gigs, they'll institute these type of practices.

 

[Bigboy10182000]

I still cant believe Taco Tuesdays and Fast Food Fridays were a thing.

 

[Bigboy10182000]

The little steps that Chip Kelly takes to improve this team just seem like common sense. He just has the passion and fortitude to go the extra mile. I don't understand why other coaches don't follow his lead. Perhaps they're just lazy

The way Kelly runs his practices are surgical. Within 5 years I'd imagine that most teams will follow suit.

I'm not certain about this. There are probably a lot of coaches out there who wouldn't even think to follow suit. A nice combination of stupidity and laziness.

If Kelly wins a super bowl, I'd wager more than 60% of the league would change to those practice styles.

Once more of Kelly's assistants get HC gigs, they'll institute these type of practices.

Who would that be though? Shurmer or Davis?

 

[fred_1_15301]

The little steps that Chip Kelly takes to improve this team just seem like common sense. He just has the passion and fortitude to go the extra mile. I don't understand why other coaches don't follow his lead. Perhaps they're just lazy

The way Kelly runs his practices are surgical. Within 5 years I'd imagine that most teams will follow suit.

I'm not certain about this. There are probably a lot of coaches out there who wouldn't even think to follow suit. A nice combination of stupidity and laziness.

If Kelly wins a super bowl, I'd wager more than 60% of the league would change to those practice styles.

Once more of Kelly's assistants get HC gigs, they'll institute these type of practices.

Who would that be though? Shurmer or Davis?

Eventually I'd guess both.

 

[Insein]

The little steps that Chip Kelly takes to improve this team just seem like common sense. He just has the passion and fortitude to go the extra mile. I don't understand why other coaches don't follow his lead. Perhaps they're just lazy

The way Kelly runs his practices are surgical. Within 5 years I'd imagine that most teams will follow suit.

I'm not certain about this. There are probably a lot of coaches out there who wouldn't even think to follow suit. A nice combination of stupidity and laziness.

If Kelly wins a super bowl, I'd wager more than 60% of the league would change to those practice styles.

Once more of Kelly's assistants get HC gigs, they'll institute these type of practices.

Who would that be though? Shurmer or Davis?

I think Davis after next year if he keeps improving the defense. Hard for DCs to get head coaching jobs right now. Shurmur maybe after next year also. Needs enough time for Cleveland taint to wash away. But I haven't kept track of the assistants.

 

[dhockster]

I still cant believe Taco Tuesdays and Fast Food Fridays were a thing.

You have seen pictures of Andy Reid, haven't you? Nuff said

 

[Long Ball Larry]

The little steps that Chip Kelly takes to improve this team just seem like common sense. He just has the passion and fortitude to go the extra mile. I don't understand why other coaches don't follow his lead. Perhaps they're just lazy

The way Kelly runs his practices are surgical. Within 5 years I'd imagine that most teams will follow suit.

I'm not certain about this. There are probably a lot of coaches out there who wouldn't even think to follow suit. A nice combination of stupidity and laziness.

If Kelly wins a super bowl, I'd wager more than 60% of the league would change to those practice styles.

Once more of Kelly's assistants get HC gigs, they'll institute these type of practices.

Who would that be though? Shurmer or Davis?

Lazor

 

[Bigboy10182000]

The little steps that Chip Kelly takes to improve this team just seem like common sense. He just has the passion and fortitude to go the extra mile. I don't understand why other coaches don't follow his lead. Perhaps they're just lazy

The way Kelly runs his practices are surgical. Within 5 years I'd imagine that most teams will follow suit.

I'm not certain about this. There are probably a lot of coaches out there who wouldn't even think to follow suit. A nice combination of stupidity and laziness.

If Kelly wins a super bowl, I'd wager more than 60% of the league would change to those practice styles.

Once more of Kelly's assistants get HC gigs, they'll institute these type of practices.

Who would that be though? Shurmer or Davis?

Lazor

He crossed my mind but I believe him getting an OC job was a bit prematture

 

[Bigboy10182000]

I still cant believe Taco Tuesdays and Fast Food Fridays were a thing.

You have seen pictures of Andy Reid, haven't you? Nuff said

 

[Billy Bats]

@jeffskversky: Chip Kelly has won more games when trailing by 14+ points than Andy Reid did in his 14 years as Eagles coach pic.twitter.com/N1ubiDlPn4

 

[Amused to Death]

@jeffskversky: Chip Kelly has won more games when trailing by 14+ points than Andy Reid did in his 14 years as Eagles coach pic.twitter.com/N1ubiDlPn4

Think it was Kelly 3-5, Reid 2-46 after trailing by 14.

 

[Long Ball Larry]

wow. ya know, after that game, I thought to myself, I don't think Andy wins that game down 27-20. But then I thought that maybe I was just forgetting the good times after it all went south.

 

[Buddy Ball 2K3]

So it wasn't pass interference?

 

[Bushead]

has anyone heard anything about maybe getting Lane back this week with the changes to the drug policy?

 

[Bigboy10182000]

has anyone heard anything about maybe getting Lane back this week with the changes to the drug policy?

His was for PED's so his suspension stays as is

 

[Bushead]

has anyone heard anything about maybe getting Lane back this week with the changes to the drug policy?

His was for PED's so his suspension stays as is

OK, but i thought that Wes Welker was suspended for PED's as well - amphetamines?

 

[Bigboy10182000]

has anyone heard anything about maybe getting Lane back this week with the changes to the drug policy?

His was for PED's so his suspension stays as is

OK, but i thought that Wes Welker was suspended for PED's as well - amphetamines?

@caplannfl: For those asking: Lane Johnson's suspension will hold up due to which category it falls under-PEDs, not substance abuse.

 

[Long Ball Larry]

has anyone heard anything about maybe getting Lane back this week with the changes to the drug policy?

His was for PED's so his suspension stays as is

OK, but i thought that Wes Welker was suspended for PED's as well - amphetamines?

I think that they are re-categorizing which drugs are considered PEDs and Substance Abuse? So Welker's would fall under the latter in the new policy and Lane's still in the former.

 

[dhockster]

Any word on Kendrick's injury? Will he miss time?

 

[Billy Bats]

Any word on Kendrick's injury? Will he miss time?

Still walking with a limp today and not practicing, saying day to day.

 

[Late225]

@connorbarwin: Shout out to the Saints! #FlyEaglesFly

1:05am - 16 Sep 14

@jimmykempski: Zach Ertz has as many 20+ yard receptions as 20 NFL teams.

They really need to get him 8-10 targets a game.

So just a random dig at the saints?

I'm thinking he's thanking them for Sproles.

Sproles highlights to super Mario sound effects:

http://uproxx.com/sports/2014/09/video-darren-sproles-highlight-remix/?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+uproxx%2Ffeatures+%28Uproxx%29

Agreed. Also Malcolm Jenkins had the "was it pass interference by Boykin" interception that got the birds back in it.

 

[Bigboy10182000]

@connorbarwin: Shout out to the Saints! #FlyEaglesFly

1:05am - 16 Sep 14

@jimmykempski: Zach Ertz has as many 20+ yard receptions as 20 NFL teams.

They really need to get him 8-10 targets a game.

So just a random dig at the saints?

I'm thinking he's thanking them for Sproles.

Sproles highlights to super Mario sound effects:

http://uproxx.com/sports/2014/09/video-darren-sproles-highlight-remix/?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+uproxx%2Ffeatures+%28Uproxx%29

Agreed. Also Malcolm Jenkins had the "was it pass interference by Boykin" interception that got the birds back in it.

I'm not sure what youre saying here

 

[Billy Bats]

Joe Banner @JoeBanner13 Follow

At Eagles, tried to sign Sproles when he left San Diego. He wanted to reunite with Bree's, so went to Saints. May have made a big difference

9:21 AM - 16 Sep 2014

Darren Sproles found out about his impending release from the Saints via Twitter.

Three seasons. Over 5,500 yards. Twenty-one touchdowns. No head’s up.


"They didn't call me and tell me nothing," said Sproles following Thursday's practice. "I just felt that it was disrespectful, you know what I'm saying? Y'all could have told me first."
Instead he learned of his fate on social media and quickly contacted his agent. Word was spreading throughout the league as well. The Eagles found out about it much in the same way that the Sproles did. "There were a bunch of published reports and I think maybe even a Tweet from his family about how he was going to be let go in New Orleans, " said Howie Roseman. "Obviously our coaching staff was very familiar with him because of the last game that we played and had studied him, and Coach [Chip Kelly] had followed him for a long time. So when we heard that it was easy for us to have a quick discussion and know that we were going to be interested in him."

While the initial plan was to release Sproles, the Saints quickly found out that there were a handful of teams open to trading for him before he had a chance to hit the open market. There were five teams that were in pursuit, according to the running back, and three that were more serious than the rest. When he found out the Eagles were one, he told his agent, "Man, make that happen."

In order for Sproles to get his wish, Roseman had to take care of business on his end.

"You're kind of playing poker because you don't really know what the other hand has and are you willing to risk it?" he said. "In all of those situations in the offseason, there's a little bit of figuring out the value and sticking to it yourself because you really don't know what the price is."

The answer, turns out, was a fifth-round pick, and the Eagles won the bidding. Early returns suggest it was a steal. Sproles, the reigning NFC Offensive Player of the Week, has 350 all-purpose yards and a pair of touchdowns through two games and has sparked a pair of Eagles comebacks. Is he even better than the front-office anticipated?

"We have such an unbelievable, tremendous coaching staff, their ability to scheme players," said Roseman. "The way Darren has worked since he got here is tremendous and it's been an exciting start to the season."

As for the way things ended in New Orleans, Sproles said that he never ended up getting so much as an explanation for why the Saints (currently 0-2) decided to move on.

"I just worry about the Eagles now," said Sproles. "I don't really care about it anymore. It all worked out for the best."

http://www.phillymag.com/birds247/2014/09/18/inside-voices-5/#U4dZHwlxWwGBLrxq.99

 

[babydemon90]

So, Kendricks officially out this week. If Matthews sees the field we are toast.

 

[Late225]

@connorbarwin: Shout out to the Saints! #FlyEaglesFly

1:05am - 16 Sep 14

@jimmykempski: Zach Ertz has as many 20+ yard receptions as 20 NFL teams.

They really need to get him 8-10 targets a game.

So just a random dig at the saints?

I'm thinking he's thanking them for Sproles.Sproles highlights to super Mario sound effects:

http://uproxx.com/sports/2014/09/video-darren-sproles-highlight-remix/?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+uproxx%2Ffeatures+%28Uproxx%29

Agreed. Also Malcolm Jenkins had the "was it pass interference by Boykin" interception that got the birds back in it.

I'm not sure what youre saying here

He was thanking them for both guys.

 

[Late225]

So, Kendricks officially out this week. If Matthews sees the field we are toast.

I think he was benched for Acho late in that game. Smith also saw some ILB reps this week.

 

[Billy Bats]

Is OLB harder to learn than ILB? Kid has been practicing at OLB since they drafted him, he's practiced for 4 days at ILB and now he's going to play?

Eta: or do I have no idea what I'm talking about? Always possible.

 

[GoBirds]

Throw Smith in and see what happens...can it be worse than Casey Matthews?

 

[unckeyherb]

Throw Smith in and see what happens...can it be worse than Casey Matthews?

throwing me in wouldn't be worse than Matthews

 

[GoBirds]

Throw Smith in and see what happens...can it be worse than Casey Matthews?

throwing me in wouldn't be worse than Matthews

He had to have been adopted.

 

[Bigboy10182000]

Is OLB harder to learn than ILB? Kid has been practicing at OLB since they drafted him, he's practiced for 4 days at ILB and now he's going to play?

Eta: or do I have no idea what I'm talking about? Always possible.

They had Smith learning the most complicated LBer spot on the team. OLB is also our deepest poistion of the two.

 

[Mighty Mice]

Is OLB harder to learn than ILB? Kid has been practicing at OLB since they drafted him, he's practiced for 4 days at ILB and now he's going to play?

Eta: or do I have no idea what I'm talking about? Always possible.

They had Smith learning the most complicated LBer spot on the team. OLB is also our deepest poistion of the two.

Agreed. Looking at the depth chart is telling:

ILB: Mychal Kendricks, DeMeco Ryans, Casey Matthews, Najee Goode (IR)

OLB: Trent Cole, Connor Barwin, Brandon Graham, Marcus Smith II, Bryan Braman, Travis Long (IR)

Smith is an OLB but currently buried behind Cole, Barwin, and Graham and we're only dressing 3.

With Kendrick and Goode hurt (And Knott, and Long...) the ILB position is really thin. Looking at starting Ryans and Matthews, they opt to get Smith reps and work there all week and use him.

I'm all for putting him out there on one week prep over Mathews. He's a much better athlete and Mathews was just awful. Again.

 

[Billy Bats]

Is OLB harder to learn than ILB? Kid has been practicing at OLB since they drafted him, he's practiced for 4 days at ILB and now he's going to play?

Eta: or do I have no idea what I'm talking about? Always possible.

They had Smith learning the most complicated LBer spot on the team. OLB is also our deepest poistion of the two.

Thanks, makes sense. I didn't know the differences in learning curves for the two spots.

 

[SaintsInDome2006]

Question for Philly fans: has the Philly offense changed this year in any way with Lazor gone?

Different play calling, different pace, more or less rushing?

Or exactly the same?

Thanks.

 

[Insein]

Question for Philly fans: has the Philly offense changed this year in any way with Lazor gone?

Different play calling, different pace, more or less rushing?

Or exactly the same?

Thanks.

I think Desean being gone has more to do with it than Lazor. A lot more double TE sets and dual RBs with both McCoy and Sproles at the same time. Hasn't even been perfect yet still #1.

 

[Billy Bats]

Question for Philly fans: has the Philly offense changed this year in any way with Lazor gone?

Different play calling, different pace, more or less rushing?

Or exactly the same?

Thanks.

Haven't noticed any difference.