Posts Tagged ‘RG3’

Philadelphia Eagles uninspired, undisciplined in critical loss to Washington Redskins

Saturday, December 20th, 2014

by Brandyn Campbell

Brandyn Blog

 

 

 

 

(Sanchez Inaction Figure, via @RobTornoe of the Inquirer)

(Sanchez Inaction Figure, via @RobTornoe of the Inquirer)

There are few times when I am rendered speechless, but the Philadelphia Eagles’ 27-24 loss to the lowly Washington Redskins – with absolutely everything on the line – has left me as such. As RG3 , DeSean Jackson and Jay Gruden yuk it up, celebrate the win and agree to let bygones be bygones, Philadelphia has some serious soul-searching to do. The lack of discipline has cost the team its third-straight game and revealed an uncomfortable reality: this is not a very good team. While we shake our heads at the frustration of being Philadelphia sports fans, this is a team that is very lucky to have a winning record. But, the luck seems to have finally worn out.

But don’t cry for the Eagles. They’ve done this entirely to themselves. Perhaps the Cowboys will lose to the Colts tomorrow. But it likely won’t do much for the Birds. To win the NFC East now, Philadelphia needs for Dallas to then lose to the Redskins in their final game. Then, the Eagles need to win against the Giants. Say what you will about Eli Manning, but his passing attack can be potent. And he has a receiver that you may have heard a little something about – one Odell Beckham, Jr. Do you trust this secondary to diffuse that potentially deadly combination? Didn’t think so.

You know who is thrilled with his Sanchez inaction figure under the tree? Nick Foles. Controversy? What quarterback controversy? But while we make fun of Sanchez, this Eagles defense is a real problem. Billy Davis’ inability to react to the limitations of his secondary is an indictment of the coaching staff as well as the players.

My one-year old son kept walking up to the television and turning it off. While frustrating at first, it turns out that he wasn’t being bad. He was trying to spare his mother and father the pain and humiliation of a loss to Washington. The kid already knows what it’s like being an Eagles fan.

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Brandyn Campbell of Philly Sports Muse, for War Room Sports

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Philadelphia Eagles face must-win against Washington Redskins to keep playoff hopes alive

Saturday, December 20th, 2014

by Brandyn Campbell

Brandyn Blog

 

 

 

 

Eagles-vs-Redskins

The task for the Philadelphia Eagles this Saturday against the Washington Redskins is the same as it’s been all season: to win. But that goal now takes on an added edge of importance. It is what they must do in order to hold on to their already diminished odds of landing a playoff berth by taking the NFC East.

The Birds will step on FedEx field coming off of two humbling, back-to-back losses, first to the Seahawks and then to the Cowboys. Philadelphia’s season-long struggle with turnovers has proven to be too much to overcome against winning teams. A victory over the Cowboys in Week 15 would have given the Eagles’ ticket to their own destiny. Instead, they require help from other teams around the NFL to claim the top spot in their division.

So here we are. Fortunately, the Redskins are a team in complete meltdown, with coaches and quarterbacks battling each other rather than opponents. But that does not mean that this game is a given. Philadelphia has its own issues with lackluster performance from its quarterback, Mark Sanchez. The Birds can no longer overlook their mediocre secondary. The flaws of this 9-5 squad have been exposed and teams are taking advantage of that fact.

It’s conceivable that the Eagles will win their final two games and finish the season with an 11-5 record and still not make the playoffs. If that is the case, they have no one to blame but themselves. “Shame on us if that happens”, says Chip Kelly.

DeSean Jackson has a leg injury that has limited his production in recent weeks, but if he can find a way to light up his former team you know he’ll do it. But first, he’ll have to catch passes from an upright quarterback. Robert Griffin III has been sacked 23 times in his last four starts. His struggles with Jay Gruden’s offense are obvious, and they may serve to send the 3-11 team to 3-12. Washington’s running game shouldn’t prove to be much of a factor in this game, as Alfred Morris has yet to get 100 yards rushing against Philadelphia.

This week, we just need for Mark Sanchez to outplay RG3. That should be doable, right? With the playoffs on the line, the Eagles can ill afford to shoot themselves in their collective foot in what should be very winnable game against a divisional foe.

However, there is an added hurdle this weekend. Philadelphia can exhale if the Eagles defeat the Redskins, but only slightly. Sunday, all eyes will be on Dallas. Let the Cowboys’ ugly streak of home losses continue as they duel the Colts.  As much as the Eagles need this win today, they need that Dallas loss tomorrow.

But let’s focus on one thing at a time. Get that W today and head on home.

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Brandyn Campbell of Philly Sports Muse, for War Room Sports

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Questions about the Philadelphia Eagles season begin getting answers tonight

Monday, September 9th, 2013

by Brandyn Campbell

Brandyn Blog

 

 

 

 

 

Philadelphia Eagles football is back. It’s a celebration!

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

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Philadelphia Eagles Season Sinks Even Further Into Meaninglessness

Monday, December 24th, 2012

by Brandyn Campbell

 

 

 

 

(Image via the Philadelphia Eagles)

 

The ending of Sunday’s game between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Washington Redskins, the final home game of an awful season for the Birds, was a good analogy for the frustration of the entire year.

Nick Foles, trying to orchestrate a game-tying drive, found new tight end Evan Moore near the goal line only for Moore to drop the pass with 11 seconds left in the game.  For what would be the final play, Foles threw an incompletion that was ruled an illegal forward pass, thereby ending the game.

And so it went, with the Redskins winning 27-20 and on the cusp of winning the NFC East.  Which left the Eagles to sink even further into meaninglessness, falling to 4-11.

If the Eagles were trying to put on a good show for Andy Reid’s final home game or attempting to play the spoiler, they failed at both tasks.  But sadly, while we may have hoped for a different outcome, we didn’t really expect it.

There were some high points, certainly.  Foles’ 27-yard touchdown pass to Jeremy Maclin in the first quarter was a beauty.  And Dion Lewis notched the second touchdown of his career with a run into the endzone in the fourth.  Brandon Graham was fierce, leading the defense with 6 tackles and showing that his 2012 “I’m not a bust” campaign will be a success.  And Shady contributed his talents to the running and passing game, accruing 77 yards from 9 passes and getting 45 yards on the ground from 13 carries.

One of the highlights from the game only served to point out how bad this team has been this season.  Colt Anderson got an interception, the first time the Eagles have done so since Week 5.  That’s just pathetic.

Not surprisingly, there was a whole lot of bad.  Philadelphia converted on just 5 of 15 3rd downs.  The Redskins’ horrible defense did a number on Foles and the offensive line, sacking Nick five times.  And once again, as was the case when the Eagles and Redskins met up in Week 11, RG3, returning from an injury and visibly limping early in the game, put in another strong performance, going 16/24 for 198 yards for 2 touchdowns and 1 pick.

Foles’ numbers for the day were 32-of-48 for 345 yards with a touchdown, an interception and a lost fumble.  He sustained an injury to his throwing hand but neither he nor Reid pointed to that as the reason the team couldn’t get it done this time – as has been the case so many times this season.

The final test for Philadelphia comes next week when they play the Giants at 1 pm at the Meadowlands.  This painful chapter of Eagles history will soon draw to a close, with a report this morning from ESPN’s Sal Paolantonio on Mike and Mike saying that Reid will be fired on December 31, a day after the team’s final game.

We’ll see.  But it would be fitting to ring in 2013 Reid-free to show that we are truly entering a new era.

The end is almost near.  I can’t remember ever wanting to see the end of the football season come to a conclusion but this season warrants that exception.  And then will be an offseason of a lot of uncertainty and change.  But it’s time.

And, in case you’re wondering, if the draft were held today the Eagles would have the fourth overall pick.

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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All Eyes on the Rookie Quarterbacks as the Philadelphia Eagles Prepare to Face the Washington Redskins

Sunday, November 18th, 2012

by Brandyn Campbell

 

 

 

 

All eyes will be on Nick Foles today at FedEx Field.
(Photo via New York Daily News)

We all know that football is a team sport and that to get a win, all phases of the game must come together to propel a group to victory.  But come Sunday, it’s going to be all about the quarterbacks.

When the Philadelphia Eagles face the Washington Redskins at FedEx field on Sunday afternoon, the storylines and excitement overwhelmingly surround the two young quarterbacks who will lead their teams.

The reasons for the QB focus are manifold.  The playoff chances for both teams are grim, as today’s game represents a fight for the very bottom of the NFC East.  That’s not very fun.

The Washington Redskins have found their franchise quarterback in Robert Griffin III.  The hopes and dreams of a team who has been crap for years rides on the shoulders of this young man.  Is he the piece that’s been needed all along to start to turn things around for Skins?  It certainly looks that way.

As an added bit of intrigue, RG3 spoke about his meeting with Andy Reid at February’s scouting combine in Indianapolis this week.  While Reid portrayed the meeting as routine, Griffin stated that the Eagles head coach said that the Birds were “very interested” in him.  We know that the chances of Philadelphia actually getting this year’s #2 overall pick were slim.  But still, there will be an element of wistfulness at what could have been as we watch Griffin III go to work on today.

And then we have the Eagles.  Rather than being on the upswing of the curve like Washington, this is a team in decline.  If 8-8 was unacceptable to owner Jeffery Lurie in 2011, the team’s current 3-6 record is an abomination.  Two straight years of hope and hype and talent and the team has fallen apart.  It’s likely the last stand for Reid and Vick.  So that means all eyes are on third-round draft selection Nick Foles.

There is a lot riding on Foles’ young shoulders.  He will be fighting behind an offensive line that has performed so poorly that I’ve run out of adjectives to describe them.  Will Foles’ play be solid enough to give us hope that he could be the future for Philadelphia?  Or do you let him ride out the remainder of the season regardless of how he performs to better assess what you have in the rookie?

Updates on Mike Vick’s concussion reveal that, at least in the short-term, there may be no option other than to play Foles.  According to Rick Buckholder, the team’s trainer, Vick is not at all himself after sustaining a concussion last week against the Cowboys.

“He’s not very alert right now in terms of he just doesn’t have that energy.  He’s tired all the time, he’s slept a lot, and he’s not getting rid of that fatigue.  When I talk to him, he’s just not the Michael Vick I know when he’s healthy.”

At this point, Eagles fans are simply rooting for Foles to largely stay on his feet, put in a solid performance and prevent Philadelphia from falling to the very bottom of the division.

Foles, of course, will need a lot of help from his friends.  Thankfully, his first start in the NFL will be against a team that has the  29th overall defense in the league (30th in pass defense and a respectable 7th against the run).  But New Orleans was ranked dead last and we saw what happened there.  The Birds must utilize the incredible asset they have in LeSean McCoy and commit to the run to help Foles.  Defense has got get the Redskins off the field on third downs, a particular problem for the Eagles as of late.  In the last three games, opponents have converted on 17 out of 35 third down opportunities in the Bowles era of Philadelphia’s defense.  And Bobby April knows that special teams has done the Eagles no favors, this week taking full blame for the poor performance of the unit that led to a heart-stomping 78-yard punt return for a touchdown by Cowboy Dwayne Harris.

Football is a team sport, and at 1pm ET we will watch to see how — or if — the Philadelphia Eagles support Foles in his NFL debut by putting in strong performances during each phase of the game to help him succeed.  Vick certainly couldn’t do it by himself and there is no way Philadelphia’s rookie can, either.

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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A Modest Proposal: Checking in on a Philadelphia Eagles Preseason Prediction

Monday, October 22nd, 2012

by Brandyn Campbell

 

 

 

 

 

It’s not yet midseason but the bye week provides an opportunity to take a look at the Eagles season thus far and consider what the next ten games may feature.

While the Eagles are at exactly .500 at 3-3, there is ominous feeling surrounding the team and the rest of the season.  Why?  Because no one is convinced that the many issues on offense that have plagued the Birds — that o-line, the fumbles, the play calling — have been corrected.  While head coach Andy Reid chose to take a stand by firing defensive coordinator Juan Castillo, he has taken no action on the offensive side of the ball.

We desperately want to believe that the problems on Philadelphia’s offense will magically work themselves out.  Magic may well be the only solution, as we’ve seen no evidence of any ability on the coaching staff to adequately address the errors that have afflicted the team thus far.  Which is precisely why Reid seemingly has decided to stay the course.

What’s that, that they say about the definition of insanity?  Doing the same thing repeatedly yet expecting different results.  It’s a quote that is often applied to the Philadelphia Eagles and especially Andy Reid for reasons precisely like this.

In early September I made a prediction for the Eagles 2012 season.  Nothing outrageous, but an achievable goal: A 10-6 record for the season.

At 3-3, that means the Eagles need to go 7-3 for the remainder of the season in order to reach a record of 10-6.  Can they do it?

The next test is the undefeated Atlanta Falcons at home.  If the Birds don’t come out swinging this game they never will.  The jobs of their coach and starting quarterback are on the line, and Reid’s perfect record out of the bye won’t hurt.

Philadelphia then takes to the national stage and heads to New Orleans to face the Saints on Monday Night Football.  The Super Dome is a notoriously difficult place to play and after a very poor start, the Saints have some momentum and are heartened by the moral victory of having Jonathan Vilma back with the team.

Then we get into the thick of the NFC East battles.  If the present is any indication of the remainder of the season, this may not be a year where a poor record can win the division, with the Giants currently standing strong with a 5-2 record.  Dallas will come to town in Week 10, then the Eagles will head down the road in Week 11 to face an RGIII-led Redskins team for the first time.

Monday Night calls again in Week 12 as the Birds play Cam Newton in what so far has been a disappointing and frustrating season for the Panthers.  In Week 13 Philadelphia gets even more prime time action as the Eagles faceoff with the Cowboys in the den of evil—Dallas– on Sunday Night Football.

With the end of the season in sight, the Eagles will face the Bucs in Tampa Bay in Week 14; back-to-back home games against the Bengals and Redskins, and in Week 17 finish it all off against the Giants.

To finish at 10-6, the Eagles can lose only three of their remaining games.  If they can lose even fewer, fabulous.  The good news is that, aside from the Falcons, none of the remaining Eagles opponents seem formidable.  And the fact that Atlanta will play at the Linc lessens the worry.

The season will come down to the division games.  I’m hoping that the Giants will do the opposite of what they did last year — start off strong and then trail off come the end of the season.  But the Redskins are a surging team and are going to be more and more of a challenge for Philadelphia as RG3III gains more experience in the league.  Dallas is an organization with a lot on the line if they have another disappointing year so expect a lot of fight from the Cowboys.

Whatever the record, we know that this year it’s about the postseason.  Making it there and going deep.  But first thing’s first: the Birds need the record and the standing to put them in a position to make a run.

As is said far too frequently when the Philadelphia Eagles are involved, there is an incredible level of talent on this roster.  It’s all about how it’s put together.  Time to see that “FIGHT-FIGHT-FIGHT” we know this team has to battle through and show what they’re truly made of.

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Brandyn Campbell of Philly Sports Muse, for War Room Sports

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