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*Official 2015 Philadelphia Eagles* - Winning when it doesnt count (2 Viewers)
- Thread starter Insein
- Start date
Insein
Footballguy
We've mentioned it before but Chip's early success was a detriment in more ways than we realized. The obvious is that expectations rose to unattainable levels for a first time head coach in his 2nd and 3rd year. The second though I believe is the overinflating of Chip's ego too soon.
Now Chip is an egotistical man. All head coaches are. It's almost a job requirement. When he starts 10-6 and wins a division, he can't help but think "man this is easy, my methods are going to work no sweat." Even with the 2nd year he was probably thinking "ok Sanchez is not viable long term option but if I get a QB, I'm all set. We still finished 10-6 in a down year."
So when this year went to hell, he tried for 12 weeks to justify it. Players need to execute, injuries happened, the players he picked were not wrong, they couldn't be. He has been so right in the first two years. How could he be wrong?
This is the first sign that he has admitted he needs to adapt. He ran different formations. He benched struggling players. He showed some emotion to his players and encouraged them to do the same. I think he got his dose of humble pie the last 3 weeks and he's finally full. He gets it. Hopefully this is the point that he looks back in 10 years and says "that's when I learned how to be an NFL coach."
Now Chip is an egotistical man. All head coaches are. It's almost a job requirement. When he starts 10-6 and wins a division, he can't help but think "man this is easy, my methods are going to work no sweat." Even with the 2nd year he was probably thinking "ok Sanchez is not viable long term option but if I get a QB, I'm all set. We still finished 10-6 in a down year."
So when this year went to hell, he tried for 12 weeks to justify it. Players need to execute, injuries happened, the players he picked were not wrong, they couldn't be. He has been so right in the first two years. How could he be wrong?
This is the first sign that he has admitted he needs to adapt. He ran different formations. He benched struggling players. He showed some emotion to his players and encouraged them to do the same. I think he got his dose of humble pie the last 3 weeks and he's finally full. He gets it. Hopefully this is the point that he looks back in 10 years and says "that's when I learned how to be an NFL coach."
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Skoo
Footballguy
unckeyherb
Footballguy
Good posting Insein. I think the lack of carries by Murray and the obvious goal to get the ball into Sproles' hands was very telling and was rewarded. That was probably Sproles' best game as an Eagle. Davis got some job security with that gameplan as well. Getting to Brady early was huge. Rowe looked good-gotta have a short memory after a game like the one he had against Detroit. Good to see his confidence wasn't shaken. He lit someone up early in the game and you could tell, if there was a monkey on his back, it was gone with that hit.
Offensive production still scares me but mistakes were way down. Excited for this stretch run.
Offensive production still scares me but mistakes were way down. Excited for this stretch run.
Mighty Mice
Footballguy
Great to see adjustments to personnel and scheme. De-emphasizing Murray and expanding Sproles in the gameplan, benching Austin for Krause, and slowing the tempo down in the 3rd Q were all welcome changes. 7 minute drive spanning the 3Q/4Q? Can't remember seeing that type of drive in a loooong time.
Behind the scenes, how about some leadership from Chip, Lurie and Bradford?
-------
Maybe it was coincidence. Maybe it was a direct response. But Chip Kelly gave Malcolm Jenkins exactly what he was looking for.
"Chip really doesn't coach the defense, so this has really been the first week where he's actually coached me up," the safety said. "I dropped one or two [interceptions] earlier in the week in practice, and so all week he's been coaching me up on catching the football. I'll be jogging from one drill to the next and he'll just call my name and throw a ball at me, all week. He told me earlier in the week: 'If you continue to just focus on this, you'll get one this week, I promise you.' For it to show up is obviously big on his part."
With the game tied at 14-14, Tom Brady hit James White for a 24-yard pick-up that gave the Patriots a 1st-and-goal at the one-yard line. Jenkins made the first of two big plays by shooting into the backfield on first down to drop White for a loss of four.
Two plays later, he turned the game on its ear.
"I just have to catch the ball. That's the biggest thing," said Jenkins, who has had his share of would-be picks slip through his fingers. "Every time I touch the ball I think I can score, to be honest. But that one, I caught it and it was a lineman and Tom Brady and I'm like, 'I think I can get that.'"
Though it got interesting down the stretch, the Eagles never trailed from that point forward.
Jenkins had some strong words directed at the coaching staff this week about holding players accountable and taking time to correct mistakes amid the warp-speed workouts. It resonated with the veteran that Kelly worked with him this week to tighten up his game.
"I like to get coached. And if I'm doing something wrong, I like it to be addressed," he said. "So it actually meant a lot to me. It really changed my mood throughout the week, it changed my approach, and once he told me that I thought about it every single day and made sure coming into the game that it was front and center on my mind. And I think he made me better this week."
------
Veteran Jason Peters called it a sight he had never really seen before.
It’s not uncommon for Jeffrey Lurie to speak with the players pre-game, but it’s usually one-on-one and in the measured, relaxed tone that he seldom strays from. This time was different. In the bowels of Gillette Stadium before his stumbling squad squared off against the juggernaut, he addressed the team in larger groups, and spoke with a passion that unquestionably caught their attention.
"Me and him have a relationship and every game he's fired up with me," said Peters. "He kind of expressed himself in front of the whole team today. He was fired up. He was fired up. I've never seen him like that in front of everybody."
"He just told us straight up: you've gotta play hard, you've gotta play balls to the wall. And it's a little different coming from the man that's paying the bills," added Najee Goode, whose scoop and score off the punt block was one of the signature moments in the game. "You could tell that he had a fire under his ###, and it was under our ###, too."
Lurie is from Boston. Tried to buy the Patriots back in 1993 only to be outbid. Lost his only Super Bowl appearance as owner to this same New England team.
"I don't think he's a big fan of this place," said Lane Johnson with a smile.
"It's probably something built up over the years that he wanted to get out," added Peters.
The other side of it has to do not with history, but the here and now. A man who likes to view his organization as among the elite just watched his team lose three straight -- two in embarrassing, lackluster fashion. The fan base was raging, the critics were in full throat and the season's cliff was just a final shove away.
So the normally placid owner popped the cork and let some emotions fly, saving some of his most inspired words for Brandon Graham and Connor Barwin.
"He lit me up because he came to me and Connor kind of lit us up while we were in there [locker room]. It was kind of a surprise but it was needed because I went out there and played for my brothers out there," said Graham.
"[The message was] just play angry. Go out there and play angry. Get after 12. I think we took it personal. When you hear the owner telling you that, man, you want to do exactly what he wants you to do because you know he's going to watch that film and he's going to point out who played angry and who didn't. I think it was moreso to spark the leaders on this team."
Lurie wasn't the only one pulling out the stops. During their team meeting this week, Chip Kelly showed a highlight reel featuring the best play of the team to remind them what they are capable of. And, not unlike his shower speech, Sam Bradford got vocal pre-game.
"He's not a guy that talks a whole lot but when he does," said Johnson of Bradford, "he creates a lot of energy."
As the actions suggest, they knew it was going to take everything that was in the tank to pull off an upset of this magnitude.
"[Lurie] was fired up probably as much as anybody. Very passionate. That got us fired up. Sam with his pre-game speech; special teams and defense creating big turnovers and touchdowns for us; just a lot of energy that we haven't had in a long time...Most energy we've had all this season."
Behind the scenes, how about some leadership from Chip, Lurie and Bradford?
-------
Maybe it was coincidence. Maybe it was a direct response. But Chip Kelly gave Malcolm Jenkins exactly what he was looking for.
"Chip really doesn't coach the defense, so this has really been the first week where he's actually coached me up," the safety said. "I dropped one or two [interceptions] earlier in the week in practice, and so all week he's been coaching me up on catching the football. I'll be jogging from one drill to the next and he'll just call my name and throw a ball at me, all week. He told me earlier in the week: 'If you continue to just focus on this, you'll get one this week, I promise you.' For it to show up is obviously big on his part."
With the game tied at 14-14, Tom Brady hit James White for a 24-yard pick-up that gave the Patriots a 1st-and-goal at the one-yard line. Jenkins made the first of two big plays by shooting into the backfield on first down to drop White for a loss of four.
Two plays later, he turned the game on its ear.
"I just have to catch the ball. That's the biggest thing," said Jenkins, who has had his share of would-be picks slip through his fingers. "Every time I touch the ball I think I can score, to be honest. But that one, I caught it and it was a lineman and Tom Brady and I'm like, 'I think I can get that.'"
Though it got interesting down the stretch, the Eagles never trailed from that point forward.
Jenkins had some strong words directed at the coaching staff this week about holding players accountable and taking time to correct mistakes amid the warp-speed workouts. It resonated with the veteran that Kelly worked with him this week to tighten up his game.
"I like to get coached. And if I'm doing something wrong, I like it to be addressed," he said. "So it actually meant a lot to me. It really changed my mood throughout the week, it changed my approach, and once he told me that I thought about it every single day and made sure coming into the game that it was front and center on my mind. And I think he made me better this week."
------
Veteran Jason Peters called it a sight he had never really seen before.
It’s not uncommon for Jeffrey Lurie to speak with the players pre-game, but it’s usually one-on-one and in the measured, relaxed tone that he seldom strays from. This time was different. In the bowels of Gillette Stadium before his stumbling squad squared off against the juggernaut, he addressed the team in larger groups, and spoke with a passion that unquestionably caught their attention.
"Me and him have a relationship and every game he's fired up with me," said Peters. "He kind of expressed himself in front of the whole team today. He was fired up. He was fired up. I've never seen him like that in front of everybody."
"He just told us straight up: you've gotta play hard, you've gotta play balls to the wall. And it's a little different coming from the man that's paying the bills," added Najee Goode, whose scoop and score off the punt block was one of the signature moments in the game. "You could tell that he had a fire under his ###, and it was under our ###, too."
Lurie is from Boston. Tried to buy the Patriots back in 1993 only to be outbid. Lost his only Super Bowl appearance as owner to this same New England team.
"I don't think he's a big fan of this place," said Lane Johnson with a smile.
"It's probably something built up over the years that he wanted to get out," added Peters.
The other side of it has to do not with history, but the here and now. A man who likes to view his organization as among the elite just watched his team lose three straight -- two in embarrassing, lackluster fashion. The fan base was raging, the critics were in full throat and the season's cliff was just a final shove away.
So the normally placid owner popped the cork and let some emotions fly, saving some of his most inspired words for Brandon Graham and Connor Barwin.
"He lit me up because he came to me and Connor kind of lit us up while we were in there [locker room]. It was kind of a surprise but it was needed because I went out there and played for my brothers out there," said Graham.
"[The message was] just play angry. Go out there and play angry. Get after 12. I think we took it personal. When you hear the owner telling you that, man, you want to do exactly what he wants you to do because you know he's going to watch that film and he's going to point out who played angry and who didn't. I think it was moreso to spark the leaders on this team."
Lurie wasn't the only one pulling out the stops. During their team meeting this week, Chip Kelly showed a highlight reel featuring the best play of the team to remind them what they are capable of. And, not unlike his shower speech, Sam Bradford got vocal pre-game.
"He's not a guy that talks a whole lot but when he does," said Johnson of Bradford, "he creates a lot of energy."
As the actions suggest, they knew it was going to take everything that was in the tank to pull off an upset of this magnitude.
"[Lurie] was fired up probably as much as anybody. Very passionate. That got us fired up. Sam with his pre-game speech; special teams and defense creating big turnovers and touchdowns for us; just a lot of energy that we haven't had in a long time...Most energy we've had all this season."
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need2know
Footballguy
Now how about some consistent good play? I thought the overtime win over dallas was going to be the springboard this team needed but instead they played their worst football after that. This was a nice win but means very little except keeping our chances alive. Gonna have to play our best footall down the stretch. I'm not holding my breath. The only thing this team has shown me is you have no idea what to expect.
Lehigh98
Footballguy
I heard the team got arrested for a bar room brawl right after they got into the New England area. They spent a couple hours in the cooler and choreographed a dance routine to Gloria Gaynor's "I Will Survive". No wonder its all good now.
Enough with this psyching each other up BS, you're professionals, you should be looking to rip someone's head off every week.
Enough with this psyching each other up BS, you're professionals, you should be looking to rip someone's head off every week.
Bigboy10182000
Footballguy
Im pretty sure this works for professional athletes as well as in many work place though. Obviously not the "rip someone's head off" part but adults and professionals can be motivated
Insein
Footballguy
And can also feel unmotivated. It happens at every work place. If the boss comes down and tells you to get your #### together, then you better believe you're waking up.
Mighty Mice
Footballguy
I like that Chip showed the players video highlights of their best. Remind them what they can do, and need to do, on the field. I like that Lurie is fired up and engaging the team in a positive way. From the players mouths, they liked it as well. I love Vinny Curry breaking down the D before the kickoff, then leading by example and recording 4 hits on Brady in 55 snaps. Yeah, I like the QB showing passion to his team, and on the field after picking up a game-ending 1st down with an under pressure strike into a tight window.
A much better narrative than 'the team has quit' on the season/staff.
Peters reflected after the game that the past is the past, and this team talking this week about their mission going forward as a '5 week season and their job is to win 5 games. Now it's 4.'
Not so much rah rah pump up BS, but (at last) some focus and motivation. Just happy to see them play well, and hope they can keep it going v. Buffalo.
Autumn Wind
Footballguy
My sincere hope for Chip is that he's had a moment like the one Tom Coughlin had fairly early into his run with the Giants, where he realized that you have to be willing to adapt your coaching style to the needs of the team. It's not an admission of failure if your "way" has to be changed, it's just smart management.
unckeyherb
Footballguy
Bigboy10182000
Footballguy
The #Seahawks are releasing CB Cary Williams, source said. A big-money free agent.
Bigboy10182000
Footballguy
And we released Austin as well
Bigboy10182000
Footballguy
Mighty Mice
Footballguy
Going with Matthews, Huff, Cooper, Agholor, Krause, and Ajirotutu. Fine with me.
Eagles v Buffalo - line opens even up, over/under of 47. So, Vegas thinking a 24-23 type game.
Mighty Mice
Footballguy
Philly has their next 3 games at home. Don't play away from the Linc until January 3, 2016...when they go all the way to New York.
unckeyherb
Footballguy
Buffalo is a totally winnable game. Think Shady tries too hard and we contain. Arizona is very tough, but its huge that they are traveling to us as we get owned down there for some reason. If we can go 1-1 in those 2 games I think we'll have momentum on our side. I know I predicted us to win at NE and then these next two, only to lose to Washington and NYG, but I feel good (or at least better) about this team for the first time in weeks. Here's to hoping that Washington loses *I can't root for Dallas to win* and we somehow, some way, control our own destiny.
jon007
Footballguy
Kwai Chang Caine
Footballguy
We need to buck the trend of stinking at the Linc. I think Buffalo is totally winnable. Let's just concentrate on that game first.
jon007
Footballguy
Its a win win for Eagle fans. If the cowgirls win then that helps us and if the cowgirls lose it just reminds us why we hate them in the first place.
Bigboy10182000
Footballguy
I've watched that last throw by Bradford about 5 times now. Hell of a throw by him and he was as cool as they come with the pocket crashing in on him.
Bigboy10182000
Footballguy
Every ex Eagle seems to have big games against us when they return. I'm expecting 175 and 2 from Shady.
Ted Lange as your Bartender
Footballguy
I liked this matchup a little more when it was a "west Coast team coming east for a 1PM game" situation.
SNF flex = advantage Cardinals
GoBirds
Footballguy
Love that they let Austin go, his laziness and not dragging the toe for an easy TD cost us a game and should have been gone then. Murray getting some bench time until he stops running like a princess, Chip is making the needed moves finally. A lot to like with the big win but it could be too little too late.
Insein
Footballguy
Insein
Footballguy
Insein
Footballguy
Insein
Footballguy
In any other division (except AFC south) that'd be true. But even if Wash wins tonight, we still play them. It's all there for the taking. Amazing after the month we just had.
Mighty Mice
Footballguy
Pip's Invitation
Footballguy
Both of these teams look like poop on offense, which I guess is good.
Long Ball Larry
Footballguy
True, but I think that it was pretty clear early on that this team really wasn't a contender this year. If Chip is learning and/or showing the qualities he needs to adapt and lead, then this season will be successful.
Amused to Death
Footballguy
fred_1_15301
Footballguy
Well they're certainly better than Dallas but the Eagles have at least as many flaws as Washington and the Giants. This is a team that got destroyed by Tampa and Detroit not too long ago. I would say it's pretty much a crap shoot between these 3 teams and none of them really stand out.
Amused to Death
Footballguy
fred_1_15301
Footballguy
Yup. Maybe 2 weeks from now we'll have more concrete evidence but right now all 3 of these teams are so wildly inconsistent that I could not possibly rank them. It certainly wouldn't surprise me if the Eagles win the division but it's also hard for me to erase those Detroit and Tampa losses. Good teams don't lose that badly against 2 pretty weak teams.
ETA -- But those losses were with Sanchez at QB so I will certainly take that with a grain of salt.
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Mighty Mice
Footballguy
Bradford last 3 games:
Week 9 @DAL - 25/36, 295, 1 TD, 0 INT, 103.4 passer rating
Week 10 MIA - 19/25, 236, 1 TD, 0 INT, 118.1 passer rating
Week 13 @NE - 14/24, 120, 2 TD, 0 INT, 99.3 passer rating
-----
Last 8 Eagles games, Philadelphia is 4-4.
4-1 in games Bradford played the majority (W - NO, NYG, DAL, NE; L - CAR)
0-3 in games Sanchez played the majority (L - MIA, TB, DET)
Week 9 @DAL - 25/36, 295, 1 TD, 0 INT, 103.4 passer rating
Week 10 MIA - 19/25, 236, 1 TD, 0 INT, 118.1 passer rating
Week 13 @NE - 14/24, 120, 2 TD, 0 INT, 99.3 passer rating
-----
Last 8 Eagles games, Philadelphia is 4-4.
4-1 in games Bradford played the majority (W - NO, NYG, DAL, NE; L - CAR)
0-3 in games Sanchez played the majority (L - MIA, TB, DET)
GoBirds
Footballguy
At least for us when DJax fumbled running towards the goalline it was the opponents. What a clown, don't miss that.
5-7.....in 1st place. Gross.
GoBirds
Footballguy
The other 2 games are tough though, we need to win this week to feel decent about it I think.
Bigboy10182000
Footballguy
So our entire division will be picking top 10 in the draft or playing a home playoff game.
Nice
Nice
Mighty Mice
Footballguy
Washington a quick turnaround, always hard to play a road game on Sunday 1pm after MNF. Especially after a deflating loss. Could fall to 0-6 on the road at Soldier Field, and 5-8 overall.
Dallas on the road at Green Bay. Potentially looking at 4-9 overall.
NYG @ MIA and PHI v BUF both pick 'ems. Could both be 5-8.
19-33 combined would be the worst division mark of all time through 13 games played. In the history of ever.
Dallas on the road at Green Bay. Potentially looking at 4-9 overall.
NYG @ MIA and PHI v BUF both pick 'ems. Could both be 5-8.
19-33 combined would be the worst division mark of all time through 13 games played. In the history of ever.
Insein
Footballguy
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