Posts Tagged ‘Philadelphia Eagles’
Wednesday, December 11th, 2013
by Brandyn Campbell
Whatever your position at the beginning of the season regarding who was the best choice to start at quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles, it cannot be denied that Nick Foles has been good for the team. Great, even, as the team sits with an impressive 8-5 record . His numbers and performances have continued to astonish and the intrigue surrounding Foles has helped the Birds secure a spot in prime time, when their scheduled 1 pm game against the Bears on December 22 was moved to an 8:30 kickoff, overtaking the Patriots and Ravens for the coveted Sunday Night Football slot.
The NFL’s biggest story of the season is now also the cover of this week’s Sports Illustrated.
Nick Foles, cover boy. (Image via The 700 Level)
The text surrounding the image provides a narrative for the Eagles’ season prior to Foles taking over for the injured Mike Vick.
“A dreadful start, No home wins before November, another winter of discontent looming in Philly. And then Nick Foles happened.”
The striking image is, of course, from Sunday’s Snow Bowl against the Detroit Lions, a game in which Foles threw his first interception of the season. That INT was a mere nuisance to Foles’ season numbers of 20 TDs and 1 INT for 1970 yards and a quarterback rating of 120. Not too shabby.
The legend of Foles is growing, and as the Birds fight to maintain their top spot in the NFC East, if he delivers the team to a playoff berth his legend will continue to grow.
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Brandyn Campbell of Philly Sports Muse, for War Room Sports
Tags:All's Fair in Sports and War, Brandyn Campbell, Football, Michael Vick, Mike Vick, NFL, Nick Foles, Philadelphia Eagles, Philly Sports Muse, Sports Illustrated, Sports Talk Radio, The War Room, War Room Sports
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Wednesday, November 27th, 2013
by Brandyn Campbell
Nick Foles is the starter for the Eagles
(Image via PhiladelphiaEagles.com)
It’s hardly a surprise at this stage. It was just a matter of time until it was announced.
After Nick Foles’ historic 7-touchdown performance in Oakland in Week 9, you knew that the Philadelphia Eagles could not return to Mike Vick as their starting quarterback. Foles was simply playing too well. You had to have him play for the rest of the season to see more of what he could do.
The subject was danced around each week following that early November thrill-ride, but on Tuesday Chip Kelly made it official: Nick Foles was the Eagles’ starting quarterback for the remainder of the season. Kelly wanted the matter settled once and for all so that Foles didn’t have to “look over his shoulder” for the rest of the season. This move was done to ensure that Foles’ focus is where it needs to be: Winning games for the Eagles.
Said Kelly of the decision,
“I said the other day, I think he’s done a great job of protecting the football and not putting us in bad situations. When we have a shot and can take it down the field, he’s proven he can do that. He’s got a great command of what we’re doing. He’s a lot more comfortable in what we’re doing. So it’s just kind of an ongoing process for him.”
The Birds come off of their bye with a winning record and in the heat of battle with the Cowboys for the top spot in the division. For a team that had little expectations at the beginning of the year other than that of a rebuilding squad, they suddenly find themselves in the playoff hunt.
Vick will be the team’s number two and Kelly says that the former starter is okay with that designation. He knew that Foles would be tough to unseat. What no one knows now, however, is what the future holds for Vick’s NFL career.
While sentiments are soaring for the moment with Foles, he must stand the test of the final month of the season and all of the stress, injuries, and playoff hopes this time of year brings. He has surprised us all with his poise under pressure so far this season. If he can continue his astonishing string of performances this month, the Eagles will find themselves in an interesting position when evaluating where they sit with finding the future QB of the franchise.
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Brandyn Campbell of Philly Sports Muse, for War Room Sports
Tags:All's Fair in Sports and War, Brandyn Campbell, Chip Kelly, Dallas Cowboys, Football, Michael Vick, Mike Vick, Nick Foles, Philadelphia Eagles, Philly Sports Muse, Sports Talk Radio, The War Room, War Room Sports
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Monday, October 21st, 2013
by Brandyn Campbell
Sunday was not Nick Foles’ day.
(Photo via the Philadelphia Eagles)
Whatever Nick Foles had for breakfast on Sunday, he shouldn’t plan to have ever again on a game day.
In the absence of any other explanation for his awful performance at the Linc against the Cowboys, let’s just go ahead and blame it on the Wheaties. Foles wasn’t available following the game to discuss what went wrong—he left the game in the third quarter due to a head injury. Chip Kelly couldn’t explain it either, but rather than laying the blame for scoring only three points in the game only at Foles, he pointed the finger at the entire offense.
The real pity of the offense’s failings was a strong showing by the defense, who held the Cowboys to just 17 points and grabbed two interceptions from Tony Romo. With a little help in the way of points on the scoreboard, the Eagles could have won this game. Or at least been in it. But that was not the way it was to be.
Foles’ numbers were as strikingly bad this week as they were good last week. 11-for-29 for 80 yards, averaging just 2.8 yards per attempt. Ouch. In fact, when Kelly was asked how the young quarterback could go from the NFC’s offensive player of the week to disaster in seven days, he didn’t have an answer. In fact, that was his actual response. “ I don’t have an answer for it.”
With Vick inactive for the game, when Foles left it was rookie Matt Barkley’s time to make his NFL debut. It’s probably one to forget, but we all get it—he’s a rookie. The former USC quarterback made his best throws, unfortunately, to the Cowboys, finishing the day 11/20 for 129 yards and three interceptions.
Foles’ performance should put an end to the QB controversy of the past two weeks. But the Eagles face a bigger problem in determining what viable option they have if both their starter and backup fail to return to health for next Sunday’s game against the Giants.
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Brandyn Campbell of Philly Sports Muse, for War Room Sports
Tags:All's Fair in Sports and War, Brandyn Campbell, Chip Kelly, Dallas Cowboys, Football, Michael Vick, Mike Vick, NFL, Nick Foles, Philadelphia Eagles, Philly Sports Muse, Sports Talk Radio, The War Room, War Room Sports
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Tuesday, October 15th, 2013
by Devin McMillan
(Image via JoeBucsFan.com)
The 0-5 start of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers is taking a real toll on its fans. Frustration is mounting game after game and the target for most of their angst is head coach Greg Schiano. Before we even get to his issues as head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, one must wonder how he was hired there in the first place, considering his only previous head coaching job was at Rutgers University, in an 11-year tenure that only saw ONE top 25 finish and NO Big East titles.
Raymond James Stadium on Sunday
(Image via War Room Sports)
Fast forward to the current day, 0-5 Buccaneers. This team features a talented roster which includes quite a stout defensive unit and core pieces on offense that any competent organization could build around. Prior to Sunday’s 31 point “eruption” by Chip Kelly’s Philadelphia Eagles, the Bucs defense was yielding an average of 17.5 points per game (amongst the best in the league) and had only given up 5 touchdowns all season before giving up 4 against the Eagles. The offense features talented skill players such as wide receivers Vincent Jackson & Mike Williams, and running back Doug Martin. One of the top issues Tampa fans have with the coach surrounds who is leading that offense. It’s not that they have anything against rookie signal caller Mike Glennon; but Schiano spent significant time in the offseason convincing fans that Josh Freeman was his guy. Since that time, not only has Greg Schiano benched Josh Freeman, but he has released him and the NFLPA believes that Schiano is indeed the party that leaked information about Josh Freeman being in the NFL’s Substance-Abuse Program; information that should have never made it to the public.
Another sensitive issue for Bucs fans is the manner in which the team has used newly acquired all-world cornerback Darrelle Revis. One fan at Sunday’s game told me, “they go out and get the best man-to-man cornerback in the world and then put him in a bunch of zone coverages”. This was evident on Sunday as DeSean Jackson beat Revis on two touchdown passes, both of which apparently were supposed to feature safety help that never came. When asked after the game, Revis refused to complain about the coverages called, and said only that “the players have to execute no matter what is called by the coaches”.
Tensions are boiling over in Bucs Nation, as the stands on Sunday were sparsely peppered with creative signs calling for Schiano’s job and the boos and jeers he received during the game only got nastier as he exited the field through the tunnel at game’s end. This is one of those classic cases that always make us wonder how much management/ownership listens to the team personnel complaints of their fans. Several callers into the Tampa sports radio stations directly address the Glazers in their Greg Schiano rants. The fans have had enough. There are rumors that many on the football team have also had enough. Has Buccaneers management had enough? Most importantly, has Malcolm Glazer had enough? That apparently is the $15 million question.
Devin McMillan of The War Room, for War Room Sports
Tags:All's Fair in Sports and War, Chip Kelly, Devin McMillan, Doug Martin, Football, Greg Schiano, Josh Freeman, Mike Glennon, NFL, Philadelphia Eagles, Rutgers, Sports Talk Radio, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, The War Room, Vincent Jackson, War Room Sports
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Sunday, October 13th, 2013
by Brandyn Campbell
Nick Foles, the likely quarterback in Sunday’s game, will face Mike Glennon rather than Josh Freeman in his second consecutive year of facing the team.
It’s been a strange week leading up to the Philadelphia Eagles’ game with Tampa Bay.
Mike Vick, still sporting a hamstring injury from the Week 5 matchup against the Giants, was limited in practice during the week. When asked if he would get the start against the Bucs, his answer was that he would play this Sunday if he “had to.”
Though Chip Kelly said he wouldn’t reveal whether Vick or Nick Foles would get the start in Tampa Bay, Vick’s answer said everything we need to know.
Expect to see Foles get the start.
Amid the nuttiness of non-answers to the questions of the extent of Vick’s injury and if he or Foles would be leading the team’s offense in Week 6, an issue completely out of left field: Issues with the drug-resistant infection MRSA at the Bucs’ facility. Despite two cleaning treatments from an outside company after two Tampa Bay players came down with the infection, a third was diagnosed with the infection. After a day of uncertainty, the NFLPA determined that there was no risk to other players and the game would continue as scheduled on Sunday.
The MRSA incident isn’t all that’s been odd in Tampa Bay. Josh Freeman was demoted from being a starter after subpar performance and, apparently, being late to a team picture. Then, he was made inactive the week of his demotion until, finally, he was cut from the team. Accordingly, the Eagles will face rookie Mike Glennon, who will be making only his second start in the NFL. Does that mean that Philadelphia has the clear advantage?
Not so fast. The Eagles should and I believe will win this game, but it’s not going to be the cake walk some anticipate against the winless Buccaneers. Tampa Bay is a team desperate for a win and coming off of their Bye. They have a stout pass defense. And I’m sure the team execs would like to hand Chip Kelly a loss after he denied their overtures last year.
Philadelphia’s still struggling defense should be able to rattle the rookie and Tampa’s awful offense. But the Eagles’ offense will see its star receiver, DeSean Jackson, face Darrelle Revis. Jackson said earlier in the week that he wasn’t ‘fraid of no Revis Island, but it’s going to be a stiff competition for both men. Foles will need to be on his game in order to combat a surprisingly effective defense that has only given up five TD passes this season. Thankfully, he has experience leading the Birds to victory over the Bucs, as he did it last year.
A strange lead-up will result in two teams desperate for wins. The Eagles seek to even up their record and further increase their confidence before heading into back-to-back division games, and the Buccaneers need to get just one “W” under their belts to get truly begin the Glennon era. Despite this being a matchup of two teams with losing records it will be a close game.
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Brandyn Campbell of Philly Sports Muse, for War Room Sports
Tags:All's Fair in Sports and War, Brandyn Campbell, Chip Kelly, Darrell Revis, Desean Jackson, Michael Vick, Mike Glennon, Mike Vick, NFL Football, Nick Foles, Philadelphia Eagles, Philly Sports Muse, Sports Talk Radio, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, The War Room, War Room Sports
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Sunday, September 29th, 2013
By Brandyn Campbell
Can the Eagles D stop Peyton Manning from inflicting too much damage?
The Philadelphia Eagles are in Denver to face the Broncos, and it is one of the most challenging games on their schedule. Denver’s #1 ranked offense faces Philly’s #2 offense. Both teams can be fast and explosive, but will Chip Kelly even want his team to work quickly, only to hand over the ball to Peyton Manning, who has already had a historic season by notching 12 touchdowns in just three games?
The challenges are many for both the Philadelphia offense and defense. For the D, can they contain Manning? How do they neutralize his many targets, including Wes Welker, Eric Decker and Julius Thomas?
Denver’s defense is the number in the league against the run—will that be enough to neutralize LeSean McCoy, perennially one of the Eagles’ most potent weapons and a back who is having a great start to the year? And will Philadelphia find a way to open up DeSean Jackson to maximize’s the offense’s attack?
The late afternoon matchup will likely be a high scoring affair, particularly as neither team’s defense is very strong against the passing game. Denver is ranked 30th, just behind the #29 Eagles.
Facing any Peyton Manning-led team is a challenge for any team in any year. We’ll see what tricks are in Kelly’s bag to maximize the potential of his offense while keeping up with Manning as, let’s face it, he can’t truly be contained. And then there is the altitude, which Kelly has been fast to downplay all week.
Is a young 1-2 Eagles team up to the challenge of handing the 3-0 Broncos a defeat ? With concerns remaining over Philadelphia’s defense , it’s a lot to ask for. But if the Birds can stop the turnovers and maximize every opportunity they have on offense, they may be able to keep this one close.
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Brandyn Campbell of Philly Sports Muse, for War Room Sports
Tags:Brandyn Campbell, Denver Broncos, Peyton Manning, Philadelphia Eagles, Philly Sports Muse, The War Room, War Room Sports
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Thursday, September 12th, 2013
by Devin McMillan
It was a rough return for Robert Griffin III on Monday night.
(Photo via WashingtonPost.com)
Having lived in the Washington, DC area for the past 18 years and interacting with droves of fans, radio personalities, and other folks that cover the Washington Redskins, I would say that I have a pretty good finger on the pulse of this franchise and its fan base. Monday night’s season-opening 33-27 loss to the rival Philadelphia Eagles has raised some questions amongst the optimism that has surrounded this team since their 7-game winning streak to end the 2012 regular season with the team’s first division title in the new millennium and first playoff appearance since 2007. But for some, the second half performance of the team on Monday night, especially by its young, stud quarterback, eased the blow from an unexpected loss and has allowed them to remain confident and retain their optimistic views about what this season may yield for the burgundy and gold.
Personally, I wouldn’t place too much stock into the second half of Monday’s game if I were a Redskins fan. It is no different than what we often see in the NFL. One of the oldest sports clichés in the book lends that “the hardest thing to do is play with a big lead”. Teams fall behind, then begin running a desperate, pass-heavy offense against soft nickel coverage, with the defense’s main objective being to keep everything in front of them and the offense’s main objective being to milk the clock; usually by running conservative rushing plays. More times than not, a team trailing big and facing these conservative methods of offense and defense suddenly look like world-beaters in the passing game and brick walls on defense, and this is usually fools gold. Fools gold reminiscent of the aforementioned SPECTACULAR 7-game winning streak that earned the Redskins a rare playoff berth last season. These are the types of things you cannot hang your hat on as a fan of an organization because they are fluke occurrences. In my experiences with Redskins Nation, many folks seem to only dwell on the positive and choose to carry on as if the negative never took place. It is the age-old battle of norms vs exceptions. Because they finished the way they did last season, all of Redskins Nation now KNOW without a shadow of a doubt that a run like that couldn’t possibly mean anything less than the Skins are a great team and NFC East foes should settle in for burgundy & gold dominance for the foreseeable future. In their minds, there’s nothing more to it.
The only problem however, is that NO ONE has stopped to wonder why they started Monday’s game down 33-7 or why they began last season 3-6 in the first place. Most fans assume that the 2013 Redskins are more representative of the team that went 7-0 down the stretch in 2012 more so than the team who started 3-6. Many pundits outside of the DC area believe they may fall somewhere in between. Since NONE of us REALLY know, wouldn’t this season be the proving ground for whichever of those teams they really are? Judging by my interactions with one of the most loyal fan bases in sports, I’d say the answer to that question is a resounding NO. They certainly saw enough last year, and because of it, many think this season will feature the Super Bowl run that has alluded them since the early 90’s.
The Skins had no first round pick in this year’s draft due to the RG3 deal. Considering they weren’t able to snag any perceived “franchise-changing” talent as they did in the first round last year, I would say that they had a fair to pretty good draft. They also couldn’t add much in the way of free agency due to the penalties levied upon them and the Cowboys by the NFL. So besides getting some injured players back, how did this team improve itself over the offseason? Despite the issues mentioned above, along with shaky depth along the offensive line, a fairly weak secondary, and uncertainty about the franchise quarterback’s knee and/or mental health surrounding that knee, the team has garnered the confidence of its fans that it has stepped into the realm of the NFL’s elite. I’m glad they see it. I may need to clean off my eyeglasses to get a better view.
In my preseason predictions, I had the Washington Redskins fighting it out with the Philadelphia Eagles to stay out of the NFC East basement this season. Nothing about the opener has told me that my prediction will turn out wrong. However, it has only been one game and even I think the Redskins are a better team than they showed on Monday night. “How much better” is the question. I guess we’ll all have to sit back and wait for that answer.
Devin McMillan of The War Room, for War Room Sports
Tags:All's Fair in Sports and War, Devin McMillan, Football, Monday Night Football, NFL, Philadelphia Eagles, Robert Griffin III, Sports Talk Radio, The War Room, War Room Sports, Washington Redskins
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Monday, September 9th, 2013
by Brandyn Campbell
Philadelphia Eagles football is back. It’s a celebration!
It’s finally here. Game day for the Philadelphia Eagles. It’s like Christmas in September.
It’s a great matchup to launch the season’s Monday night games. Chip Kelly’s NFL debut versus the unveiling of Robert Griffin III following 8 months of rehab. Is he truly healthy? Who will prevail?
The innumerable questions about the Birds from the offseason finally begin to get answered tonight. How will Kelly’s offense transition to the NFL? Will the transition to a 3-4 defense serve to address some of the challenges the D has had the past several seasons?
Both the Eagles and Redskins had the other’s number last season when playing with a healthy starting quarterback. Will Mike Vick and RG3 make the difference this game or will Philadelphia need to rely on the yet-to-be proven defense?
Both team’s defenses will face significant threats from the air and the ground. LeSean McCoy remains one of the most significant weapons on offense in Philadelphia’s arsenal. And Washington has the talents of 2nd year breakout Alfred Morris.
One of the biggest questions that remains for the Birds is how Philadelphia’s secondary–underwhelming in 2012 and the 2013 preseason–will perform. Is the unit still a work in progress or will they begin to make a turnaround?
To be sure, one game won’t answer every question definitively. But it’s a start, and closer than we’ve ever been before.
A new era begins today in Philadelphia Eagles football. That’s no small fact. A new coach, new players, new philosophy.
Let’s get this party started.
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Brandyn Campbell of Philly Sports Muse, for War Room Sports
Tags:All's Fair in Sports and War, Brandyn Campbell, Chip Kelly, ESPN, Football, LeSean McCoy, Michael Vick, Mike Vick, NFL, Philadelphia Eagles, Philly Sports Muse, RG3, Robert Griffin III, Sports Talk Radio, The War Room, War Room Sports, Washington Redskins
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Wednesday, August 28th, 2013
by Brandyn Campbell
The Philadelphia Eagles will reportedly face a healthy and recovered Robert Griffin III during their season opener at FedEx Field.
The Philadelphia Eagles have one final preseason game to put behind them before the 2013 season begins, but news about their season opener against the Washington Redskins is already making headlines.
Why? Because the dynamic Robert Griffin III, who will be entering his second year in the league and is recovering from an ACL injury, has been cleared to play and will be the starting quarterback for Washington come September 9, according to a report. Since we are talking regular season play, the test might as well be as challenging as possible in order to truly gauge where this Eagles team lies this season in terms of talent. The defense has much to prove overall this season, and it will be put to the test early on as it tries to contain the multiple threats that RGIII provides.
Griffin proved to be more than the 2012 Eagles defense could handle, as he led Washington past Philadelphia and into a playoff spot in two commanding performances in Andy Reid’s final season as head coach. Will he and the Redskins once again have their way with the Birds, this time in front of a Monday Night Football audience?
With Mike Vick named the starting quarterback for the Eagles, defenses of both NFC East teams will have their hands full with offenses lead by standouts who are proven threats on the ground as well as in the air.
Will Griffin face a sophomore year slump, and if so will it begin at the hands of the Eagles? That question is just one of many, many reasons why the 2013 NFL season can’t get here soon enough.
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Brandyn Campbell of Philly Sports Muse, for War Room Sports
Tags:All's Fair in Sports and War, Brandyn Campbell, Football, Michael Vick, Mike Vick, NFL, Philadelphia Eagles, Philly Sports Muse, Robert Griffin III, Sports Talk Radio, The War Room, War Room Sports, Washington Redskins
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Tuesday, August 20th, 2013
by Brandyn Campbell
Mike Vick, the Philadelphia Eagles’ starting quarterback for the 2013 season.
Ladies and gentlemen, we have a starting quarterback in Philadelphia. On Tuesday, Philadelphia Eagles head coach Chip Kelly announced what we have all been waiting to find out almost as soon as he took over as head coach: who would be under center come the start of the regular season.
And now we have our answer. Mike Vick will be the starting quarterback on Week 1 versus the Redskins and for the entirety of the season, winning the starting spot over second-year QB Nick Foles. Vick has looked sharp in the preseason and many have believed that the starting job was his to lose. Now that the spot is his once again, the pressure to eliminate the costly turnovers that attributed to the Eagles’ abysmal 4-12 2012 season is on as well.
Kelly’s announcement comes just in time for the spotlight to shine on Vick on Saturday when the Eagles face the Jaguars for their third preseason game, where he will see action perhaps into the third quarter.
Citing completion percentages from practices that were almost identical (Vick at 80% and Foles at 79%), Kelly feels that both quarterbacks pushed the other to strong performances this offseason. He came to Philadelphia from Oregon without “preconceived notions” about his quarterbacks. So how did he come to his decision?
“I think Mike is ahead right now. I think Nick made it very difficult. It wasn’t where one guy went north and the other guy went south. I think both of them upped their games. But at this point in time Mike’s ahead.
We want to move forward. This is a one‑quarterback operation. This isn’t going to be someone’s got to look over their shoulder or we’re going to alternate by series. I think Mike is ahead right now.”
Kelly stresses that his plan on offense depends on his QB’s strengths, not who the quarterback would be. With two games remaining in the preseason, he is slowly beginning to reveal some of what we can expect to see in the regular season from the Eagles.
Now that the questions about the starter have been answered, it’s now time for Vick to show on the field just what about his play lead him to gain his new head coach’s confidence.
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Brandyn Campbell of Philly Sports Muse, for War Room Sports
Tags:All's Fair in Sports and War, Brandyn Campbell, Chip Kelly, Football, Michael Vick, Mike Vick, NFL, Nick Foles, Philadelphia Eagles, Philly Sports Muse, Sports Talk Radio, The War Room, War Room Sports
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