Philadelphia Eagles news and links for 11/13/2013.
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NFC Hierarchy/Obituary: Week 11 - JimmyK, Philly.com
Nick Foles wasn't nearly as good in Green Bay as he was in Oakland, but he still put together a nice day, and looks like he just might be "the guy." There are six games to go, and Nick still has some things to prove, but it would be an enormous advantage to the Eagles' front office if they can shift their offseason priority list from QB to so many other areas on the team that need help.
Eagles Notebook - Tommy Lawlor, Iggles Blitz
The Eagles are 5-5 right now. They were 5-11 in Andy Reid’s first season. They were 4-12 last year. Getting to 5 wins feels pretty good. This team is legitimately in the playoff hunt. Dallas is 5-5 as well, but missing Sean Lee for several weeks will hurt an already awful defense. While the Eagles are back at .500 and in 1st place in the division (save the tie-breakers talk until the final month), this is still a mediocre Eagles team. I don’t think any of us are pretending it isn’t. We are the right kind of mediocre, though. There is plenty of young talent. This is not a team full of free agents and 29-year old veterans that are pushing the team to 5-5. There isn’t some crazy luck with this team. You’re not seeing blocked FGs being run back for TDs. There aren’t an abnormal amount of takeaways. The Eagles aren’t winning on Hail Mary’s. The Eagles won by 6, 15, 11, 29 and 14 points. Those games were mostly close, but the Eagles put the opponents away.
DeSean: Fans must be with us, not against us - Reuben Frank, CSN Philly
Jackson understands why fans boo. He understands how frustrating it is when the team you love and support hasn’t won a playoff game since 2008, hasn’t had a winning season since 2010 and is riding the longest home losing streak in franchise history. He said he doesn’t blame the fans for the 10-game losing streak but does think it can’t hurt if they’re supportive when things don’t go well instead of raining boos down on the Lincoln Financial Field turf.
How does WR/KR Brad Smith fit in with the Eagles? - Andrew Kulp, The700Level
While the league officially lists Smith as a wide receiver, he actually has more rushing attempts (132) than receptions (101) in his pro career, and he’ll even attempt a pass (nine) every once in awhile. Where Smith figures to be able to make the most immediate contribution though is on special teams, perhaps in the return game. Smith will turn 30 in December, so he may not have the 4.4 speed he came into the league with. He’s still dangerous on kickoffs however. Last season, Smith ranked fifth in yards per return (27.6). He’s also tied for fifth among active players with four touchdowns, all of which occurred since 2009.
All-22: McCoy, Run Game Get On Track - Sheil Kapada, Birds 24/7
For the better part of five weeks, the run game left LeSean McCoy, the offensive line and the coaching staff somewhat frustrated. Chip Kelly and company had trouble getting everyone on the same page. McCoy averaged just 3.4 yards-per-carry on 90 attempts from Oct. 6 to Nov. 3. He failed to tally a single run of 20+ yards during that span. While we spend a lot of time in this space talking about scheme and X’s and O’s, sometimes it’s as simple as the best players doing things the opponent can’t account for. That brings us to Sunday’s game against the Packers, which was easily one of McCoy’s best performances of the season. There have been seven instances this year where a running back has amassed 150+ yards while averaging 6.0 yards per carry or better. McCoy was the running back on two of those seven.
Chip Kelly, Eagles need to change approach to replay challenges - Rich Hofmann, Daily News
The current system has offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur and whoever helps him out making the decisions. It isn’t working. Twice on Sunday against the Packers, the Eagles failed to challenge plays that clearly should have been challenged. On a day when referee Mike Carey had a couple of really tough calls to make after checking out the video under the hood of the NFL’s way-back machine, these would not have been so difficult.
Davis Praises Ryans As Leader Of The 'D' - Alex Smith, PE.com
The Eagles defense continues to improve every week, as Sunday's win in Green Bay marked the fifth-straight game that the unit has held opponents to 21 points or fewer. The task of keeping that streak going this week will be a difficult one, however, as the Washington Redskins enter having scored at least 21 points in four straight games. Defensive coordinator Bill Davis has been working with a relatively young group all season long as he builds his 3-4 defense, but he's been helped out greatly by having an assistant coach who plays on the field – DeMeco Ryans.
Manning, Foles dominate with play fakes - Stats & Info Blog - ESPN
Foles matched Manning with nine completions (on 14 attempts) and three touchdowns on play-action passes, netting 172 yards. He joined Brady as the only two players in NFL history with 10 touchdown passes and no interceptions in a two-game span in a single season. Brady did that in 2007. Not surprisingly, Manning and Foles are 1-2 in the NFL in QBR on play action passes this season. Manning is a smidge ahead, 95.4 to 95.3.
Grantland Science: The Ultimate Awful Quarterback - Grantland
Frankenstein's monster of the gridiron.
More from Bleeding Green Nation:
NFL Power Rankings 2013, Week 11: Eagles Compilation
Philadelphia Eagles sign WR/KR Brad Smith, release WR B.J. Cunningham
Eagles Teammates of the Week: LeSean McCoy and the Offensive Line
How often do good QBs have bad games?
Philadelphia Eagles to sign Brad Smith according to report
NFL Power Rankings 2013, Week 11: Eagles Jump Up Again