Posts Tagged ‘Brandyn Campbell’

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Washington Redskins vs Philadelphia Eagles: Birds relishing the role of spoiler?

Sunday, December 23rd, 2012

by Brandyn Campbell

 

 

 

 

 

 

A lot has changed since the Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Redskins first met in Week 11.  That game was Nick Foles’ first career start in the NFL.  Both teams were 3-6.

But that’s where the fortunes of the teams took divergent paths.

Since then, Washington has won 5 games in a row and the Eagles….haven’t.  The Skins have found that they are more blessed at the quarterback position than anyone knew, after Kirk Cousins stood in for RG3 last week and led the team to victory on the road against the Cleveland Browns in Week 15.

This week, Griffin III will be back to face the Eagles at what is very likely Andy Reid’s final game at the Linc.  While the team undoubtedly welcomes his return and leadership, RG3 faces some challenges on his offense, particularly from Washington’s offensive line.  They’ve been hit with a rash of issues, both injuries and suspensions.  Against a Philadelphia d-line that is finally bringing pressure to the quarterback, it could be a rough game for RG3.  But he’s more than adept at finding ways to escape danger and Washington will try to bring rookie gem RB Alfred Morris into the fold as much as possible.

Eagles fans will see the return of LeSean McCoy to the field, his first time in action since that Week 11 meeting with the Redskins when he left late in the game with a concussion.  Will he have a limited role while the Birds try to give Bryce Brown more playing time to work on securing the freaking ball and affording Dion Lewis some opportunities to take the field?  It seems silly to needlessly risk Shady sustaining further injury but we’ll see how it goes.

The Redskins come into this game with everything in the world to play for — if they win this week and next, they will have won the NFC East for the first time since 1999.  The Eagles as spoilers?  Is it really that fun or interesting playing “spoiler” when every team in your division has a chance but you?  I think the motivation for Philadelphia will be more to put in a strong showing for the final home game of their head coach.  But will that be enough to propel them past Washington’s playoff aspirations?

After the mess we saw against the Bengals, I don’t think it will be.

More things to watch:

  • Will special teams suffer yet another epic meltdown?
  • How will the crowd at the Linc greet  Reid?
  • After almost a full season, the Birds are still trying to figure out this safety situation.  Nate Allen was benched, Kurt Coleman is back at free safety and Colt Anderson remains, switching to strong safety.  We’ll see how it goes.

Want more Philly Sports Muse? You can find me on Twitter at @sports_muse and on Facebook.

 

Brandyn Campbell of Philly Sports Muse, for War Room Sports

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Sunday at the Linc: Will Fans Cheer or Boo Andy Reid?

Sunday, December 23rd, 2012

by Brandyn Campbell

 

 

 

 

 

Andy Reid’s final stand will come at the Linc on Sunday
(Image via GCobb.com)

 

Regardless of the outcome of today’s game at Lincoln Financial Field between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Washington Redskins, it will be a significant day in the franchise’s history.  Why?  Because it will very likely mark the last game in Philadelphia for Andy Reid, the last time he will have an opportunity to interact with thousands of Eagles fans.

How will the good-bye go?  Will fans boo?  Will they applaud?  The curiosity of seeing the final reception for Reid from Birds fans may well override the storyline of the three-way tie in the NFC East that will, in part, take place on the field.  We already know, of course, that the Eagles are the only team in the division with no part of that race.

Players like LeSean McCoy, who will take to the field Sunday after recovering from a concussion, doesn’t want to think about the rapidly approaching steps leading to the end of Reid’s tenure in Philadelphia.

“I’m not thinking like that.  I don’t want to answer that type of question.  As far as I’m concerned, he’s our coach right now and hopefully in the future.”

For better or for worse, Shady is in Reid’s corner until the very end.

“If you sat here and tried to name five to eight coaches that’s better than Coach Reid, I would like to hear them, because Coach Reid’s a good coach.  He gets blamed for everything.  Sometimes if you break down the film or break down the plays and the mistakes, how do you fault the coach for that?  But I guess people have their own opinions and their minds are made up.  The thing about the team is we know how good of a coach he really is.  Whatever happens, happens.  I’m behind Coach Reid 110 percent.”

Yes, it is players who are the ones who actually play the game.  But from an outside perspective, the sloppy play and poor fundamentals point to a lack of discipline.  A lack of respect for the game.  And no one on a team is more important in setting a tone of discipline and respect than the head coach.

Does Reid deserve a warm send-off from Philadelphia fans at the Linc on Sunday?  I’d say so.  If nothing else, it’s because the nightmare of the past two seasons is nearing its conclusion.  Yes, Big Red brought a lot of success to the franchise over his fourteen years with the team and that should be acknowledged.  But he is also made a number of shocking miscues that have led directly to where the Eagles find themselves today.

The long march to the end of the season is thankfully almost over for this team, as is, in all likelihood, the end of the Reid era in Philadelphia.

Want more Philly Sports Muse? You can find me on Twitter at @sports_muse and on Facebook.

 

Brandyn Campbell of Philly Sports Muse, for War Room Sports

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Philadelphia Eagles Sign TE Evan Moore

Sunday, December 23rd, 2012

by Brandyn Campbell

 

 

 

 

 

 

New Philadelphia Eagles Tight End Evan Moore

The Philadelphia Eagles filled the roster spot left vacant by Clay Harbor’s trip to IR by signing tight end Evan Moore on Thursday.

 

Moore (6-6, 250) was with the Seattle Seahawks for most of the 2012 season, playing in 14 games before being released on December 19 after an unimpressive season – Moore had just 1 catch for 6 yards this year.

 

Prior to that, Moore spent 4 years with the Cleveland Browns (2009-2011), where he set career highs in catches (34), yards (324) and touchdowns (4) with the Browns in 2011.  In total over his career in the NFL, he has played in 47 games and has made nine starts, recording 63 receptions for 810 yards and five touchdowns.

 

In coming to Philadelphia, Moore reunites with one of his Stanford University teammates, quarterback Trent Edwards.

 

Moore entered the NFL in 2008 as a rookie free agent signed to the New Orleans Saints.  He spent training camp and preseason with the Green Bay Packers before suffering a knee injury that forced him to miss his entire rookie year.  Moore was released by the Packers as part of their final roster cuts in 2009 and signed to the Browns practice squad midway through the season before being promoted to the active roster on December 5 of that year.

 

Moore will wear number 86 with the Birds.

 

Want more Philly Sports Muse? You can find me on Twitter at @sports_muse and on Facebook.

 

Brandyn Campbell of Philly Sports Muse, for War Room Sports

 

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Philadelphia Eagles TE Clay Harbor Placed on IR

Sunday, December 23rd, 2012

by Brandyn Campbell

 

 

 

 

Clay Harbor has seen his last game action of the season.
(Image via CBSSports.com)

 

Another one bites the dust as #2 tight end Clay Harbor was placed on injured reserve by the Philadelphia Eagles on Tuesday.

Harbor suffered a lower back injury during Thursday night’s game against the Bengals.  That game was his first career start, filling in for a concussed Brent Celek.  Against Cincinnati, Harbor had 3 catches for 30 yards and, unfortunately, lost a fumble.

The third-year player finishes the year with a career high 25 catches for 188 yards and two touchdowns.

Thankfully for the Eagles, Celek will be back in the lineup for Sunday’s game against the Redskins.

No corresponding roster move has yet been made by the team.

In other injury news from a decimated Philadelphia Eagles offense, LeSean McCoy has been cleared by an independent doctor and returned to practice on Monday.  As for whether he’ll play on Sunday, head coach Andy Reid said,

“There’s a chance he ends up playing for us this week.  We’ll see how it goes with the practices this week.  He practiced (Monday) and did well.”

Want more Philly Sports Muse? You can find me on Twitter at @sports_muse and on Facebook.

 

Brandyn Campbell of Philly Sports Muse, for War Room Sports

 

 

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Total Turnover Meltdown by the Philadelphia Eagles

Friday, December 14th, 2012

by Brandyn Campbell

 

 

 

 

 

Oh, Philadelphia Eagles fans.  We didn’t even get a week to enjoy a win.  We endure more than two winless months,  and then the victory that finally breaks the skid lasts for a mere four days.

Sigh.

The final Thursday night game of the NFL season saw a strong performance from the Eagles defense that was wasted by carelessness in the other phases of the game.  Specifically, the Birds made five turnovers that the Bengals turned into 31 points on the scoreboard, with Philadelphia wasting away a 13-10 lead it took into halftime to lose the game 34-13.

Sadly, Jeremy Maclin’s fumble on the second play of the game should have told us how the story would ultimately end.  Kansas City led the league in turnovers at the start of the game but no more.  The title now solely belongs to the Eagles, who have committed 34 this season.

In a horrific series of events in the second half, the Birds managed to give the ball back to the Bengals four times in five consecutive plays.  Foles threw an interception, Bryce Brown fumbled once again on a handoff that was never in his control, then Clay Harbor fumbled, causing Cincinnati to score 17 unanswered points in 5 minutes and 37 seconds.

Leave it to CSN’s Reuben Frank to break it down to an even more shocking perspective:  That meltdown equated to almost three points scored per minute by the Bengals.

A repeat of Sunday’s rousing performance by Foles was not in the cards this game.  The rookie struggled,  completing 16 of 33 passes for 182 yards with 1 touchdown and 1 interception for a passer rating of 62.9.

The shame of it all is that the sloppiness and epic screw-ups of the offense and special teams covered up a stout performance by the defense.  The d-line was all over Andy Dalton.  In the first half alone, the D had 4 sacks and 2 forced fumbles.  Brandon Graham and Fletcher Cox put in inspired performances, with Graham getting 2.5 sacks and Cox earning 1.5.  Cullen Jenkins brought Andy Dalton down once, and get this — even Trent Cole had a sack.

This was the defensive line we were promised in the preseason.  We were finally seeing what all of the immense talent we knew could accomplish.  Unfortunately, it’s come far too late.

The good news for all of us — team and fans alike — is that we get a break.  The Eagles won’t play again until the eve of Christmas Eve, when they’ll face the Washington Redskins.  Our expectations will go back to being nothing.  Perhaps we’ll see some great play by the defense again.  Maybe the offense can put together another game like we saw in Tampa.  Something to lessen the torture of seeing a team in total meltdown.

But, then again, it’s what we’ve witnessed all season.

Want more Philly Sports Muse? You can find me on Twitter at @sports_muse and on Facebook.

 

Brandyn Campbell of Philly Sports Muse, for War Room Sports

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No Love Lost from the Philadelphia Eagles Linebackers Over the Departure of the Wide-9

Wednesday, December 12th, 2012

by Brandyn Campbell

 

 

 

It was no illusion.  The Philadelphia Eagles defense played better than they had in weeks in Sunday’s game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.  It couldn’t have all been because the death knell had been blown to the Wide 9 with the firing of Jim Washburn, could it?

Not all, but it certainly didn’t hurt.  The linebackers  felt that new d-line coach Tommy Brasher’s more traditional approach made their work on the field easier.  Some were open in speaking about it to Tim McManus at Birds 24/7 on Tuesday.

Said Jamar Chaney,

“It’s better for the linebackers.  If you ask any linebacker what scheme or how they would want to do it, they would want the linemen to hold up the blocks and they go make the plays.”

With the change, the d-line is keeping offensive lineman busy for longer periods of time, which frees up the linebackers to make plays.  Things may have gotten harder for the defensive lineman but their efforts have helped their linebacker brethren.

“There is no read [before].  With this right now, they read the blocks.  It’s probably harder for the d-line but it’s easier for the linebackers.  It’s harder for them because they have been playing the Wide-9 and they have to make the adjustment, but it’s probably easier for the linebackers because everything will get more clear.  Not saying that linemen aren’t going to get up on us, but they probably aren’t going to get up on us as fast.  It just clears out everything.”

The elimination of the controversial formation wasn’t the only change that seemed to have an impact on Sunday.  With Mychal Kendricks’ switch to the WILL linebacker position, which he played in college, he was freed up to more effectively utilize his speed to make plays.  And there was marked improvement with the secondary.  Colt Anderson did a good job replacing the injured Kurt Coleman at safety and noted that no Wide 9 meant that safeties felt some of the same relief as the linebackers in defending pass plays.  As he told McManus, in those situations they experienced “a little less stress.”

While seeing any improvement on the Eagles defense was long overdue, seeing the near-immediate positive impact of Washburn’s firing makes you wonder what could have been if the move had happened when there was some hope of saving the season.

Want more Philly Sports Muse? You can find me on Twitter at @sports_muse and on Facebook.

 

Brandyn Campbell of Philly Sports Muse, for War Room Sports

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Nick Foles and the Return of Hope to the Philadelphia Eagles

Monday, December 10th, 2012

by Brandyn Campbell

 

 

 

 

(Image via NESN / gifulmination.com)

It’s a sad state of affairs when simply getting a win becomes the goal of a football team.  Not multiple.  Just one.  But that’s where the Philadelphia Eagles found themselves on a sunny Sunday afternoon in Tampa to face the Buccaneers.

Just stop the bleeding of over two months of not winning a single game.  After eight straight losses, the feeling of winning had nearly been forgotten.  But how quickly and gleefully it returned, with rookie quarterback Nick Foles leading two successful drives to bring victory to the Birds.

With a two seconds left on the clock, Foles connected with Jeremy Maclin in the endzone to win the game 23-21.  But wait!  It gets better.  Not only did Foles make that successful final drive, he made the decision to go with the winning play.

All that after enduring six sacks during the game.  But Foles kept getting up and in those final moments showed that poise and precision that wowed us in the preseason.  It was back, and when it was needed most.  That’s the leadership and decision-making you want to see out of the quarterback who looks more and more like he can be the future of your team.

It was a game that in terms of implications for the season meant nothing, as the Eagles were officially eliminated from the playoffs with the Cowboys’ win over the Bengals.  But to a franchise wrestling with an uncertain future, it meant everything.

Foles had shown improvement in his performance in Dallas last week.  That was an important step.  However, after being handed the starting quarterback reigns of the Philadelphia Eagles, it was time for Foles to do more.  Time to show that he could make the big plays under pressure.  And that he did.

The rookie quarterback’s numbers for the day were 32/51 for 381 yards and 2 touchdowns, setting a franchise rookie passing record.  But young Nicholas’ show wasn’t just in the air on Sunday.  He also showed that he can move when needed, also notching a rushing touchdown in the second quarter.

The day certainly didn’t look like one that would end in hope, with tight end Brent Celek exiting the game with a concussion on the first play of the game.  But several members of the Birds’ offense stepped up to have big games.  Jason Avant had 133 yards on the day on 7 receptions, including an incredible one-handed grab (above) that is sure to make “best play” highlights all week, if not make top plays of the year.  Maclin, having an eerily quiet season, made some noise with 104 yards on 9 catches, including the winning TD.

Thank goodness for the success of the passing game, as the Bucs and their run defense held Bryce Brown to next to nothing after two huge games for the rookie.  Brown finished the game with a paltry 6 yards on 12 carries.

The Eagles offense wasn’t the only story this game.  There was also the almost instantaneous improvement of not just the defensive line following the firing of Jim Washburn, but of the D as a whole.  The line brought pressure to Bucs quarterback Josh Freeman, with both Fletcher Cox and Cullen Jenkins getting a sack a piece.  While Colt Anderson stood in for the injured Kurt Coleman, the Birds’ secondary wasn’t great, but looked much better than it has in weeks.

Philadelphia got a much needed lift to its step just in time for a quick turnaround — the team will face the Cincinnati Bengals at the Linc on Thursday night.  They’ll do so with a brand new confidences in themselves and their new quarterback.

You know you want to watch Avant’s amazing one-handed play again and again.  You can do so here.

Want more Philly Sports Muse? You can find me on Twitter at @sports_muse and on Facebook.

 

Brandyn Campbell of Philly Sports Muse, for War Room Sports

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Philadelphia Eagles vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 3 Things to Watch

Sunday, December 9th, 2012

by Brandyn Campbell

 

 

 

 

Though the past two weeks have again resulted in losses for the Philadelphia Eagles, the team has finally found some spark.  With an offense decimated by injuries, the rookies have stood up and put in a fight.  It seems that it took the youngest members of the team to take the field to finally display the heart we’d been yearning to see since the team’s downward skid began in October.  The team is still losing, but they’re finally in games.

Today the 3-9 Eagles face the 6-6 Tampa Bay Buccaneers.  With playoff hopes for Philadelphia long gone, what matters now is draft position.  And the Birds would have the fourth pick in the NFL Draft if it were to happen today.  Philadelphia’s season will end on December 30th but there are plenty of reasons to tune in to this game.  Here are three things to watch:

  1. The progression of Nick Foles.  We haven’t been wowed by Nick Foles, but at Cowboys Stadium he showed marked improvement over his previous starts.  He was allowed to do more with the ball than he had in earlier games, completing 22 of 35 passes for 251 yards and one touchdown.  We have yet to see him do much with downfield passes and this may be the game he finds some comfort going for the big plays.  2. Struggling with or without Wash?  The woes of the defensive line have been of the most perplexing aspects of Philadelphia’s disappointing season.  D-line coach Jim Washburn was abruptly dismissed early Monday morning and the team brought former coach Tommy Brasher back to the position.  The line struggled mightily under Washburn.  With little time to learn a new scheme will we see much difference in the line’s performance?  3. running game.  On Philadelphia’s offense, Bryce Brown has been a beast, accruing 347 yards on 43 carries in two games, averaging a stunning 8.1 yards.  But, he also has had trouble hanging on to the ball, fumbling three times.  Will he have an opportunity to rack up on yards against the Bucs defense, which has held opponents to 3.5 yards per carry?  The Eagles defense will face breakout star Doug Martin, who has the third-most rushing yards in the league with 1,106.  It’s no secret that Philadelphia’s defense has struggled to stop anything.  After coming off of two disappointing outings where he averaged only 2.7 yards per carry, is he poised to break out once again?

Tune in for the excitement at 1 pm on FOX.

Want more Philly Sports Muse? You can find me on Twitter at @sports_muse and on Facebook. 

 

Brandyn Campbell of Philly Sports Muse, for War Room Sports

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How Much of a Role Will Nick Foles Play in the Philadelphia Eagles Future?

Tuesday, December 4th, 2012

by Brandyn Campbell

 

 

 

 

Well, that was the least suspenseful ending of a quarterback controversy in recent memory.

Andy Reid finally ended the questions surrounding rookie Nick Foles’ status and veteran quarterback Mike Vick’s health situation by finally stating on Monday that Foles would lead the Philadelphia Eagles through the end of the season.

The Birds’ head coach revealed his decision to the media as follows:

“…because Mike [still] hasn’t passed his [baseline] test, today I’m going to name Nick as the starting quarterback for the remainder of the season.  Mike is on the fast track here so hopefully we might even be able to get him back this weekend but we’ll see.  We’ll see how that goes but I can’t tell you here that he’s going to be able to practice come Wednesday yet.  Number one is [Vick’s] health obviously and number two, which is also important, it gives one of our young players the opportunity to play the next four games as the starter.  Each week he’s come in and he’s kind of been the replacement guy.  Now he is the starter and we’ll see how he does with that on his plate and see how he handles it.”

After the messiness that erupted at the end of last week regarding reports that Vick felt that the team was playing politics, using his health to justify using Nick Foles as the starter, Reid knew that a decision had to be made.  An ugly situation was getting uglier with each passing day.  And with each loss by the team, you knew that it just didn’t make sense to play Vick any longer.  But it wasn’t official so, we waited for updates on Vick’s recovery from his concussion, as if that would impact whether he got another opportunityto lead this Eagles team on the field.

As for Vick’s health, he remains in the fourth of five stages he must pass in order to even be cleared to practice.  Said Reid,

“Michael Vick is in phase four.  I’m kind of reiterating what [head athletic trainer] Rick [Burkholder] talked to you about, but he’s still doing the eye exercises and [his] reaction time has improved.  He’s getting closer to being able to get back out there.”

So Philadelphia’s latest quarterback controversy has finally been settled, with Vick likely having seen his last on-field action for the Eagles in Week 10.

In Sunday’s loss to the Cowboys, Foles showed progress, completing 22 of 34 passes for 251 yards and 1 touchdown.  The coaches eased up on the reigns of the play calling a bit to see how Foles performed.  He is far from the quarterback this or any team needs to lead them to the promised land, but the improvement is at least something.  And it will give those who are left with the Eagles organization after the massive gutting that will take place at the end of the season an opportunity to evaluate how much of a role Foles will play in Philadelphia’s future.

Want more Philly Sports Muse? You can find me on Twitter at @sports_muse and on Facebook.

Brandyn Campbell of Philly Sports Muse, for War Room Sports

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Eagles vs. Cowboys: Hoping to Avoid a Prime Time Embarrassment

Sunday, December 2nd, 2012

by Brandyn Campbell

 

 

 

 

 

To state the obvious, the Philadelphia Eagles games are incredibly painful to watch these days.  The prime time games have become particularly worrisome, as it’s not just a segment of the country seeing how far the Birds have fallen this season.  It’s the entire nation.

While we hope against hope that the Eagles can stop their seven-straight game losing streak, particularly at Cowboys Stadium, I’m not sure that any of us truly believe the Birds can pull it off.

The 3-8 Birds face a 5-6 Dallas team.  Neither team is good, but there is no team that you can comfortably say that Philadelphia is better than right now.  And that hurts.  Tony Romo has 15 interceptions so far this season, but he’s only thrown two picks in the last four games.  As the Eagles defense has only a pitiful 7 takeaways this season, don’t expect Philadelphia to be able to force Romo to revert to his old ways.

Miles Austin is questionable for the game, but Dez Bryant and Jason Witten are ready to go as huge weapons on the Cowboys’ offense.  Running back DeMarco Murray may return for the first time in seven games, and if so he will try to build upon the success Felix Jones had against the Birds the last time the team’s met in Week 10.

On offense, Nick Foles will make his third start at quarterback, and Bryce Brown will return to start for LeSean McCoy.  Last week Brown made the game against the Panthers interesting,  rushing for a whopping 178 yards.  Foles has yet to wow us and the play calling for him has been incredibly conservative.  But that’s because it needs to be.  We’ll continue to watch and hope for improvement.  The Eagles lost their biggest deep threat when DeSean Jackson was lost for the year, but Foles is only averaging 5.5 yards per pass attempt.  Philadelphia will again feed the ball to Brown and Dion Lewis as much as they can, and hopefully Brown’s ball security has improved in the past week.

Some interesting points to watch: with Jason Babin shipped away to Jacksonville, Brandon Graham has his chance to make an impact on the d-line.  And rookie Vinny Curry will be back in action after making his first NFL start, making 5 tackles in only 22 snaps against the Panthers and adding some much needed energy and passion to the Eagles defense.

I’m only hoping for the embarrassment not to be too bad.  Is that too much to ask?

Want more Philly Sports Muse? You can find me on Twitter at @sports_muse and on Facebook.

 


Brandyn Campbell of Philly Sports Muse, for War Room Sports

 

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