Posts Tagged ‘Jason Babin’

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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DE Jason Babin Laughed When He Learned of His Release from Philadelphia Eagles

Thursday, November 29th, 2012

by Brandyn Campbell

 

 

 

Jason Babin doing his QB sack celebration, something he hasn’t done much in 2012.

Bye bye, Jason Babin.

The Philadelphia Eagles’ defensive end was released on Tuesday, the first prominent player this season to see that fate.  Babin, acquired during 2011’s free agent spending frenzy, has not performed anywhere near last season’s Pro Bowl level.  His 18 sacks last year have been met with dramatically declined production in 2012, with Babin only having 5.5 sacks.

Andy Reid issued the following statement about Babin’s release:

“We appreciate everything that Jason has given this team over the last couple of years.  We wish him all the best as he continues his career.  By releasing him today, this gives us an opportunity to give more playing time to some of the younger guys in the defensive line rotation.”

To be sure, Babin isn’t the only player on the Eagles’ defensive line to go silent this season.  But the fact that he was unpopular in the locker room, with CSNPhilly’s Geoff Mosher saying that several sources with the Eagles described Babin as arrogant and aloof, can’t have helped his plight.  Babin also earned the ire of Eagles fans when he whined about their vile language at the Linc.

Bad language in football.  The hell you say.

Perhaps if he had focused his attention on the sidelines to the job ahead things would have worked out better for Babin.

To prove once and for all that his attitude is just not what this team or this town needs, Babin laughed when Andy Reid told him that he was released, as he gleefully relayed to ESPN Radio.

“One, anytime you see Andy Reid come across your caller ID, you know it’s probably not a good thing,” said Babin.  “Two, all I could do was — I laughed.  I was like, ‘Alright, Coach, if that’s what you’ve got to do.’  I don’t know, caught me off guard.”

In fact, Babin was all over the airwaves just hours after his release and didn’t seem that bothered with his release.  Perhaps he’s relieved to be free of a team whose fanbase holds players accountable.  He certainly couldn’t have been pleased being on this Eagles team, as he only wants to play for winners.  Babin stated on ESPN’s “NFL Live”:

“I like to win, I like to compete, and I like to sack the quarterback.  I imagine there’s a team out there looking for that.”

There probably is, but they aren’t going to pay anything close to the contract Babin signed with the Eagles, a five-year, $29-million deal.  Per CSNPhilly,

“Because he has already collected termination pay earlier in his career, Babin is owed nothing by the Eagles, who will save more than $16 million in cap space in the next three years by having Babin off their books.”

We’ll see if, unlike the firing of Juan Castillo, Babin’s release will shake up the locker room and in particular the Eagles defense to get them to improve their performance.

Good riddance, Jason Babin.  If there’s any bull running happening in Spain these days, Eagles fans would love for you to go take part and fulfill your dreams.

You can listen to audio of Babin’s light-hearted view of his release from the team courtesy of Crossing Broad 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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Tough Questions Face the Philadelphia Eagles After MNF Loss to New Orleans Saints

Tuesday, November 6th, 2012

by Brandyn Campbell

 

 

 

 

LeSean McCoy ran for 119 yards in Monday night’s game but his efforts weren’t enough to help his team overcome defeat.
(Photo via the Philadelphia Eagles)

Nothing like a Monday Night Football embarrassment.  The Philadelphia Eagles could only assemble 13 points against the worst defense in the league.  The Birds notched 447 yards of offense and yet only came out of the game with 13 points.

Where do you go from here?

The Philadelphia Eagles have now fallen to 3-5  in the 28-13 loss  to the New Orleans Saints with absolutely no signs of improvement in sight.  The fourth straight lost for the Birds.

Mike Tirico called it, “The night of the red zone nightmare.”  And that about sums it up.  The turnover issues returned, and in the red zone, no less.

The offense was 0-5 in the red zone.  Mike Vick was sacked 7 times.  The offensive line got even worse when Todd Herremans left the game early with an ankle injury and Demetress Bell put in an absolutely atrocious performance at right tackle.

On defense, Eagles fans may be wondering if Juan Castillo is available to return as coordinator as things on that side of the ball were a mess once again.  Getting pressure on Brees was absolutely essential this game, so of course the D did as little of that as possible, though Jason Babin and Brandon Graham had a sack a piece.  The secondary, the unit that now-defensive coordinator Todd Bowles was brought in to the team to coach, was as it has been for much of the season – a problem.

Andy Reid said that Mike Vick would be the quarterback next week against Dallas, and why not?  Nick Foles would get killed behind that line.  Heck, it’s a miracle that Vick has lasted this long.

So what now?

The last game the Eagles won was on September 30 against the New York Giants.  More than a month without a win.  It’s astounding.

Andy Reid’s postgame presser showed a man who no longer believes his words but is desperately trying to put on a brave face.  Mike Vick seemed shell-shocked.  Brandon Graham expressed utter frustration at wanting to save his coach’s job and play a good season to honor Garrett Reid but having no idea what’s going wrong.

The Eagles’ loss rounds out a complete week of suckitude around the NFC East, with each and every team in the division suffering defeat.  That at least means that the Giants haven’t been able to increase their lead over the Eagles.  Up next for Philadelphia are the Cowboys at home, an always-intense battle.  If the Birds suffer an embarrassing loss to Dallas at the Linc, the boos heard against Atlanta in Week 8 will seem soft as lullabies.

It’s clear that no one knows how to fix the problems with the Eagles because if they did, the issues wouldn’t keep reappearing.  They would be fixed by now.  Maybe there won’t be the dramatic wave of changes this week as many have predicted if the Eagles lost in New Orleans.  Perhaps the team is resigned to the reality of their woeful and habitual under-performance.  And maybe we all have to face the fact there are no more excuses – this is just not a good football team.

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: Was Juan Castillo Used As a Scapegoat?

Wednesday, October 17th, 2012

by Brandon Pemberton

 

 

Yesterday the Philadelphia Eagles head coach Andy Reid, fired defensive coordinator Juan Castillo, making him a scapegoat for the teams mediocre 3-3 start.  In the Eagles last two games, the defense gave up leads in the fourth quarter and Sunday’s collapse forced Reid to make changes.  But this is more of a indictment towards Reid and the reason why, if they don’t somehow turn it around and make a trip to the Super Bowl, he and this whole regime must go.

There is plenty of blame to go around when you break down why this team with all this “so called” talent is 11-11 in their last 22 games.  We can start on defense if you like.  It all started when Andy Reid hired Juan Castillo as the defensive coordinator when he has never coached defense in the NFL, let alone college.  He had been the franchise’s offensive line coach since Ray Rhodes was here, and was one of the league’s best.  He made a constant habit of taking late-round picks and undrafted free agents like Jamaal Jackson, Artis Hicks, and Hank Fraley, and turning them into serviceable starters in the league.

Moving a lifetime offensive coach to the defensive side, let alone in charge of the defense was unprecedented and downright foolish.  It showed me that Reid thought and knew he was teflon and wasn’t going anywhere.  The defense in 2011 was horrible, probably the worst I’ve seen in 27 years of watching Eagles football.  After the play of last year’s defense, which was for the most part a direct result of Reid giving Castillo the job, they all should have been fired.

The players on defense also need to be held accountable for their play.  Juan Castillo can call the right defense for a certain situation, but if the players don’t execute out there on the field, there is nothing he can do.  The defensive line has been a flat-out disgrace, 7 sacks in 6 games (on pace for 18 for the season), after leading the league with 50 last year.  They weren’t able to pressure the QB with the down four, so Castillo was left no choice but to blitz.  Trent Cole, Jason Babin, and Cullen Jenkins have been complete no-shows vs the pass this season.

Okay an obvious target is Mike Vick and the offense as a whole.  He’s turned the ball over 13 times in just six games, often costing the team points and constantly putting the defense on the field and in tough spots.  The Eagles rank 31st in the league in scoring at 17.2 ppg, but is ranked 11th in total yards, which tells me that obviously Vick’s carelessness with the ball is a huge problem, and two, the red zone offense stinks and hasn’t gotten any better since last season. 

The offensive line is a glaring problem, losing the best left tackle in football and your starting center is going to leave you short handed.  I’ve watched the coach’s film and they aren’t as bad as most say they are, but the line definitely isn’t playing to the level that they were in 2011.  Guards Evan Mathis and Danny Watkins, honestly have been mediocre at best this season and I don’t expect much from backup center Dallas Reynolds. 

Finally, Andy Reid, the one who has put this team together.  He picks the players, he picks the coaches, and he has final say scheme-wise as well.  The bad play calling, his inability to adjust on game day, not using Shady McCoy (who is one of the top 3 running backs in all of football), and the fact that he had the gall to appoint an offensive line coach as the defensive coordinator, should have been grounds for dismissal at the end of last season.  Instead, owner Jeffrey Lurie brings him back and we have more of the same mediocre play from last season.

It’s no coincidence that the Eagles are 11-11 over their last 22 games, but a win in two weeks over Atlanta could give the Eagles confidence, momentum, and start a winning streak, but the downside of it is that it could also give Reid another year.  We will see how it plays out.  Football is a funny game. 

 

Brandon Pemberton of Sports Trap Radio, for War Room Sports

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It’s Time for the Andy Reid Era to End

Thursday, October 6th, 2011

By Brandon Pemberton

Catch me on Twitter @Bashir28

Angry, shocked, bewildered, and befuddled are a few words to explain how I felt after I watched the Philadelphia Eagles blow a 20-point, 3rd quarter lead, and lose 24-23 to the San Francisco 49ers last Sunday at Lincoln Financial Field.  Yes I admit, I am a full-bred, Philadelphia-raised, 4-for-4 sports fan.  But as an aspiring sports radio host and sportswriter, I am also a non-homer and I break things down objectively.

When the Eagles assembled this current team during the lockout-shortened off season, I was excited about the pieces they added, especially on the defensive side of the ball.  On paper, bringing in corners Nnamdi Asomugha and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, along with defensive lineman Jason Babin and Cullen Jenkins, made this Eagles defense look like world beaters.  They also signed quarterback Vince Young as the backup to Mike Vick and late in training camp, former Giants wide receiver Steve Smith as well.  Young coined the phrase “Dream Team” in an interview with the Philly media and the whole city ran with it.  Even before the team had played a down of football.

I had thought there were positions that were left unaddressed before the preseason and after watching preseason games 2 and 3, it was obvious to me that the offensive line, linebackers, and safeties were going to be a problem.  When I let it be known on Twitter, Facebook, and in this article http://brandononsports.wordpress.com/2011/08/21/eagles-brutal-performance-onthursday-is-it-reason-to-worry/ , people told me “calm down, it’s only preseason”.  Well the only eye test I had was the Eagles’ starters against the opposite team’s starters.  I thought to myself, “the Eagles really need to do something about these linebackers with the scheme they are attempting to play”, but this is Andy Reid we are talking about folks.  He feels as though linebackers don’t matter and aren’t a factor in winning a title.

So here we are, after this first 4 weeks of the season and the Eagles stand at 1-3 and last in the NFC East.  Unable to hold 4th quarter leads, horrible play in the red zone on both sides of the ball, along with putrid coaching and philosophy are the main reasons why.  Oh, don’t let me leave out the protection issues with the O-line, Vick’s problems coughing up the ball, and the inconsistent play of DeSean Jackson.

I and everyone else have had it with Reid’s excuses right after games in press conferences and the day after.  The same “I have to do a better job” statements along with his pompous and smug answers to the reporters’ questions the day after a bad loss or when he has made mind-blowing mistakes in a game, just tick me off.  His inability to adjust on game day and his refusal to take value in certain positions is the reason why he hasn’t yet won a Super Bowl, and why this team has fallen flat on their faces after 4 games.

Early in his career, Reid refused to acquire any big-time wide receivers, even when it was obvious it would help Donovan McNabb and take the team to another level.  He finally came to his senses and in 2004, Terrell Owens was added to the team and the Eagles had its best offensive season in franchise history while making a trip to the Super Bowl and eventually losing to the New England Patriots.  He then drafted DeSean Jackson in the 2nd round in ’08 and Jeremy Maclin in the 1st round of the 2009 draft.  It took him a while, but he eventually figured out if he was going to be a pass heavy team, he needed stud receivers.

During Andy Reid’s tenure here in Philadelphia, he has refused to put value into the linebacker position.  When he came here in 1999, he inherited stud middle linebacker Jeremiah Trotter and in 2000 while Tom Modrak was the General Manager, they signed outside linebacker Carlos Emmons as well.  Trotter and Emmons played together for two years (2000-01) and when “Trot” was allowed to walk after the 01′ season, this is when I realized the Eagles and the front office undervalued the linebacker position.  Reid has gone year after year refusing to address this problem.  Gardner, Simoneau, Kirkland, Jones, Wayne, Bradley, Gocong, and recently Ernie Sims are some of the names of the mediocre players that have played here since Trotter and Emmons.  They also have never found a proper replacement for Eagles’ legend and future Hall of Famer Brian Dawkins.

So when I saw the Birds send out a starting linebacker core of Moise Fokou, Casey Matthews, and Jamar Chaney on opening day, I wasn’t surprised.  You would think since the team is using Jim Washburn’s “Wide Nine” set for the defensive line, which leaves the linebackers vulnerable to offensive linemen, the team would acquire bigger, more violent linebackers via free agency or the draft.  Instead they move Jamar Chaney from his natural position of middle linebacker and hand the job to a 4th round pick out of Oregon who can’t play.  The eye test doesn’t lie.  Anyone with football acumen would have told you that Matthews isn’t a NFL middle linebacker, let alone a starter.  How Moise Fokou owns a starting spot on an NFL roster, I have no bleeping idea.  The guy is nothing more than a special teams player.  I liked what I saw from Chaney last season, but the current scheme doesn’t fit his abilities. 

There are two other teams in the NFL that currently use the “Wide Nine” scheme with its front four, the Detroit Lions and the Tennessee Titans.  The Titans are in the top 10 in 3 key defensive categories in the NFL:  7th in yards per game (299.8), 8th in rushing yards allowed per game (87.8), and they have the number 1 scoring defense in all of football (14.0 pts per game).  Their trio of linebackers include:  Will Witherspoon (6’1′ 240), Barrett Ruud (6’2′ 241), and first round draft pick Akeem Ayers (6’3′ 254).  They all are players who attack the line of scrimmage violently and are big enough to take on and defeat blocks at the point of attack.  Will Witherspoon, who played in eleven games for the Eagles in 2009, is also excellent in pass coverage, especially against tight ends.

The Lions rank 11th in the NFL in yards allowed (334.3) per game, 20th in rushing yards allowed per game (113.0), and 8th in points allowed per game (19.0).  Of course any defense with a player like Ndamukong Suh is going to make it easier on linebackers to play because he draws so many double-teams.  But there’s no way you can tell me that Stephen Tulloch (5’11’ 240), DeAndre Levy (6’1′ 238), and Bobby Carpenter (6’2′ 249) aren’t a more credible linebacker crew than the crap the Eagles have.  Stephen Tulloch has played his whole career in the “Wide Nine” scheme and was a free agent during the offseason.  It would have made sense to take a look at Tulloch and sign him since he is a proven veteran playmaker, but no, this is Andy Reid’s regime we are talking about here folks.  By the way, Tulloch is having a Pro Bowl caliber season through four games.

Before I finish, let me address the safety position as well.  As I said earlier in this article, Brian Dawkins still hasn’t been properly replaced since leaving via free agency in 2009.  Nate Allen was having a good rookie campaign before rupturing his patella tendon towards the end of last season, and it wasn’t certain if he would be 100% coming into this season.  Kurt Coleman is a 7th round draft pick who outplayed his expectations last season, but that didn’t mean he was a NFL starter.  The Eagles drafted Jaiquawn Jarrett out of Temple in the 2nd round, which was a reach and he has dressed for one game so far.  When the Eagles realized they were in trouble during the preseason, they signed 6-year veteran Jarrad Page, who has started on some bad Kansas City Chiefs teams in the past and played sparingly for the Patriots last season.  To start the season, it was Coleman at free safety and Page at strong safety, but the both of them were exposed during the first 4 games.  Whether it was blown coverage or just plain missing tackles, they both proved that they shouldn’t be starting in this league.  Nate Allen was given a shot at starting this past Sunday against the 49ers and he was a non-factor.

What more can I say?  It’s the same sad love song with Andy Reid at the helm and running things around here.  The Eagles haven’t been back to the Super Bowl since the 2004 season and they damn sure aren’t [going back] this year or any with Reid as coach.  His message, coaching style, philosophy, drafting, and antics are all old and it’s time for new blood for this franchise. 

Brandon Pemberton of Brandon on Sports, for War Room Sports

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