Barely time to digest the first preseason game (and a big trade over the weekend) as the next preseason game for the Eagles approaches quickly for this Thursday night…and I’m trying to figure out what to key upon in this next exhibition game.
This time around the opponent is the Buffalo Bills as they come to town on August 17th for a 7:00 P.M. EST kickoff.
I don’t think we’ll be seeing Jordan Matthews in his new Bills uniform as he suffered a pectoral injury in his first practice in Buffalo. It doesn’t look too serious, however, so good for JMatt—he’ll be ready for the Bills’ regular season opener. [UPDATE—I am wrong about the extent of JMatt’s injury— He suffered more than a bruised chest muscle in the Eagles’ first preseason game, he had some rib involvement as well—but played through it. Then, in his first contact practice with the Bills, he took a shot to the vulnerable portion of his already bruised sternum structure which produced a small bone chip to flake off the structural core—painful to all of us, yes, but not so debilitating to a young athlete such as JMatt…who will rehab his way past it… Now it may take an extra 2 or 3 weeks for JMatt to feel right again, and he might not be ready to start for the Bills until Week 2 or 3 of the regular season… Some of you may agree with BRI that “who cares, he’s a Bills now?”… But I personally wished him the best of luck in his new venue. I think he will be good to go in Buffalo by mid-September…but I am not a doctor. Thanks to Beans from Australia for updating us on the medical status of this guy.]
Again, not looking for anything too fancy—I go back to [former NFL safety] Matt Bowen’s advice to me almost seven years ago:
“NFL teams don’t game plan for August football and they don’t watch film of opposing teams like they do in the regular season. Players will get a shortened game plan (sometimes the night before or on the plane) and go to work. That is your preparation. You know exactly what you will run on both sides of the ball. And, the coaching staff is looking for personnel that can produce, make some plays and efficiently run the same packages that have been installed since the first week of OTAs back in the spring. Only now, game situations come into play. Can your players execute on third downs, in the red zone, etc.? ”
I don’t think anything about that preseason mindset has really changed since 2010.
Bowen also added:
“I understand that fans have a hard time finding excitement in these games—and plenty of veteran players would rather take a pass as well—but they still are a part of the NFL training camp. Personnel over schemes is the message here. They are an extension of practice—and they have value.”
For rookies, it is a major part of the evaluation process. And, for bubble players, specials teams are key. Better make some plays in the kicking game if you want a spot on that game day roster come September.
“Sure, we will still see some clubs run the wildcat, throw in a reverse or even attempt a fake punt. They do this to get it on film. Why? Simple: force your Week One opponent to waste time preparing for it,”said Bowen. “However, that is the point of the preseason. Don’t tip your hands when it comes to your regular season packages, and put your players in the base offense and defense to focus on technique— footwork, tackling, blocking, running routes at the proper depth and so on.”
So to that spirit, I’ll be focusing on our defense, something I think we overlook when evaluating the chances for divisional or conference success this 2017 club may have.
Looking for run-stopping technique to go along with pass-rush technique—that’s my Game 2 “Key to Progress”.
You know, a lot of folks say our pass coverage in the secondary is suspect. But it’s evident to me that good coverage is a close cousin of a good pass rush and run-stopping line. This is nothing revolutionary to say, the wheel is not being invented here—but when was the last time we saw an Eagles defense that consistently got good push up the middle as well as off the edges? It’s been a while, but when we had it, suddenly our corners and safeties looked a lot better, too.
Injury Update (early morning of August 14, 2017):
Offensive lineman Josh Andrews
remains out with a hand injury.
Guard Brandon Brooks was sidelined with an ankle injury.
Cornerback Ron Brooks suffered a hamstring injury in the preseason game on Thursday.
Defensive tackle Fletcher Cox experienced back spasms and did not practice.
Tight end Anthony Denham is still not back in action due to a calf injury.
Quarterback Nick Foles is still battling a sore elbow.
Running back Wendell Smallwood has a hamstring injury.
Wide receiver Bryce Treggs sat out practice with lower leg soreness.
Tackle Halapoulivaati Vaitai was sidelined with the knee injury he incurred against the Packers.
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