{"id":838888,"date":"2018-08-23T00:18:04","date_gmt":"2018-08-23T04:18:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thesportsdaily.com\/?p=838888"},"modified":"2018-08-23T00:18:04","modified_gmt":"2018-08-23T04:18:04","slug":"live-from-ohio-your-eagles-browns-ps3-game-preview","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thesportsdaily.com\/news\/live-from-ohio-your-eagles-browns-ps3-game-preview\/","title":{"rendered":"Live from Ohio, your Eagles-Browns PS3 game preview…"},"content":{"rendered":"
A’ight, let’s get back to footy business…no funny stuff from me today.<\/p>\n
Steve Doerschuk of the CantonRep.com<\/em> is our designated hitter today…his job is to get you and me all riled up for viewing tonight’s PS3 game:<\/p>\n “Super Bowl MVP Nick Foles is expected to start against Tyrod Taylor as the Browns face defending NFL champion Philadelphia in preseason Game 3.”<\/p>\n EAGLES at BROWNS<\/strong><\/p>\n KICKOFF:<\/strong> 8 p.m.<\/p>\n TV:<\/strong> FOX, national telecast, Troy Aikman, Joe Buck, Erin Andrews, Kristina Pink<\/p>\n EAGLES, LATELY:<\/strong> In the last five seasons, going backward from 2017, they have gone 13-3 (won Super Bowl), 7-9, 7-9, 10-6 and 10-6 (won NFC East).<\/p>\n PRESEASON:<\/strong> Eagles lost 31-14 to Pittsburgh, lost 37-20 at New England; Browns won 20-10 at New York (Giants), lost 19-17 to Buffalo.<\/p>\n 2018 PROJECTION:<\/strong> The Street & Smith\u2019s Yearbook has the Eagles winning the NFC East and losing to the Rams in the NFC finals.<\/p>\n CALLING SHOTS:<\/strong> Doug Pederson, 50, who started eight games at quarterback for the 2000 Browns, signed a contract extension through 2022 this week and is in his third year as Eagles head coach. His offensive coordinator is Mike Groh, a former Virginia quarterback. Jim Schwartz, a former Lions head coach who began his NFL career in Cleveland, is defensive coordinator.<\/p>\n QB vs. QB:<\/strong> Super Bowl MVP Nick Foles, 29, is expected to start for the Eagles against Tyrod Taylor. Foles replaced injured Carson Wentz last Dec. 10 and was on the field for postseason wins against the Falcons, Vikings and Patriots. He was a third-round pick out of Arizona in 2012, the sixth QB taken after Andrew Luck, Robert Griffin III, Ryan Tannehill, Brandon Weeden, Brock Osweiler and Russell Wilson. Taylor is expected to play the entire first half before Baker Mayfield gets his turn.<\/p>\n ROOKIE WATCH:<\/strong> The Eagles\u2019 only selection in the first 105 draft picks was tight end Dallas Goedert at No. 49. He has seven catches this preseason. Browns picks in that range were Mayfield (No. 1), CB Denzel Ward (No. 4), OG Austin Corbett (No. 33), RB Nick Chubb (No. 35), DL Chad Thomas (No. 67) and WR Antonio Callaway (No. 105).<\/p>\n EAGLES OUT:<\/strong> Injured Eagles starters not expected to play include Wentz, OT Jason Peters, RB Jay Ajayi, WR Alshon Jeffrey and WR Nelson Agholor.<\/p>\n What Dave Spadaro<\/strong> of PE.com<\/em> is telling us to watch tonight:<\/p>\n IT’s ALL ABOUT FOLES AT QB—-“Uncertainty….<\/p>\n “I\u2019m really just focusing on the moment, doing what I can to prepare for the Browns, getting ready to go,” said Foles. “That sort of alleviates all the different anxieties that you may face.\u201d<\/p>\n All of this makes the game in Cleveland more important for Foles, who could play into the third quarter with the rest of the starting offense (minus some key pieces like wide receivers Alshon Jeffery and Nelson Agholor, running backs Jay Ajayi, Corey Clement, and Darren Sproles, and tight end Richard Rodgers). Foles is coming off a struggling performance in New England, where, in his first game since his Super Bowl LII brilliance, he completed 3 of 9 passes for 44 yards. He was sacked three times, including the one that knocked him out of the game and into the sideline medical tent with what has been described as a right shoulder strain.<\/em><\/p>\n The initial diagnosis held, and Foles is fine. He was back at practice on Sunday at the NovaCare Complex and hasn\u2019t looked back. What he wants on Thursday night is to get flowing early against the Browns\u2019 defense.<\/em><\/p>\n Spadaro: “There is some importance to this preseason game, one that obviously doesn\u2019t count in the standings but one that matters to Foles and his reliance on touch and timing. He didn\u2019t have much of either last week. Thursday night, it\u2019s an entirely new experience, and one he hopes will vault the offense into that September 6 focus and whatever that might mean for No. 9 and the quarterback position.”<\/p>\n What we as visiting Philly fans get to witness tonight may have more to do with HC Hue Jackson’s future with the Browns than anything else.<\/p>\n Under new general manager John Dorsey, the Browns executed high-profile trades for starting quarterback Tyrod Taylor, Pro Bowl receiver Jarvis Landry and free safety Damarious Randall. The trio \u2014 plus a score of familiar and new faces, including rookies quarterback Baker Mayfield (the No. 1 overall pick) and cornerback Denzel Ward (the No. 4 overall pick) underscore what Cleveland hopes is the start of a culture change.<\/p>\n[Personally I see this 2018 Browns edition as a possible 5-win team. That’s 500% better than what they did last year. So I doubt the Eagles will be approaching this game as a walk in the park.]\n Hue Jackson believes this group is built unlike his previous two years with the club.<\/p>\n \u201c(I\u2019m) probably more excited than I have been the first two years because I truly believe that winning is in this group, in this coaching staff, in this group, in the plan that we have laid out,\u201d he said Tuesday as the Browns broke training camp. \u201cI think that there\u2019s a chance. Now, we have to go do it.\u201d<\/p>\n With an offense headlined by Taylor, Landry, Josh Gordon and Duke Johnson plus a defense that, on paper, could be among the league\u2019s best, the Browns enter 2018 with heightened expectations.<\/p>\n Bleeding Green Nation<\/a> loves to preview these preseason games, but even they admit this traditionally most important tune-up for the regular season is lacking in luster for the Eagles, who are kind of holding their best hand (and best players) under the table for this one.<\/p>\n Brandon Lee Gowton<\/strong>:<\/p>\n “The Philadelphia Eagles<\/a> are set to play their \u201cmost important\u201d preseason game on Thursday night in a \u201cdress rehearsal\u201d against the Cleveland Browns<\/a>. I put those terms in quotes since this is still a relatively meaningless outcome we\u2019re talking about here.<\/p>\n “In any case, I reached out to our SB Nation associates over at Dawgs By Nature<\/strong><\/a> in order to preview this week\u2019s tilt. The dutiful Dan Lalich<\/a> kindly took the time to answer my questions about the upcoming game. Let\u2019s take a look at the answers. Also don\u2019t forget to check out my Q&A exchange coming up at DBN.<\/p>\n 1 – Let\u2019s address the elephant in the room. The Browns are 1-31 since passing on <\/strong>Carson Wentz<\/strong><\/a>. How do Browns fans feel about that decision? I\u2019ve seen some suggest that drafting Wentz wouldn\u2019t have made a difference but I find that very hard to believe, especially after watching the <\/strong>49ers<\/strong><\/a> turn around with Jimmy G last year. <\/strong><\/p>\n Most Browns fans wish the team would have drafted Wentz. His first two seasons have shown everything you want in a young QB, and the Browns haven\u2019t had a good quarterback in about two decades. Having said that, count me as one of the people who isn\u2019t sure Wentz would have succeeded in Cleveland. You gave Jimmy G as an example of a QB turning a team around, but those situations were pretty different. Garoppolo was a veteran QB going to a team with an outstanding offensive coaching staff. Carson Wentz was an extremely raw rookie with a lot of growing to do (as shown by his struggles as a rookie) and I\u2019m not sure our coaching staff would have done as good a job as Philly\u2019s. This is a contentious point among Browns fans, but personally I think 1-31 has a ton more to do with coaching than talent. <\/em><\/p>\n 2 – How long should we expect to see the Browns\u2019 starters on Thursday night? Who has already been ruled out? What\u2019s the quarterback situation look like?<\/strong><\/p>\n Expect the starters to play into the second half, but maybe not three full quarters. <\/em>Tyrod Taylor<\/em><\/a> is pretty firmly entrenched as the starter, despite <\/em>Baker Mayfield<\/em><\/a> having a great camp, so if I had to guess he will get all the snaps with the ones. Depending on how much of a look the coaching staff wants to get at Mayfield, we could see the starters come out after a series or two in the second half.<\/em><\/p>\n 3 – Which players are Browns fans most excited to see this preseason?<\/strong><\/p>\n Should I just put \u201c<\/em>Baker Mayfield<\/em><\/a>\u201d here like 40 times? When you draft a quarterback first overall, that\u2019s who you want to see. But I guess I should also mention guys like <\/em>Jarvis Landry<\/em><\/a> and Nick Chubb. There\u2019s also been a lot of interest in whether or not <\/em>Jabrill Peppers<\/em><\/a> can turn his career trajectory around (results have been mixed). On a team as full of young players as the Browns, interesting storylines are everywhere, but <\/em>Baker Mayfield<\/em><\/a> really does dominate the discussion. We\u2019ve hardly even talked about the battle for kicker!<\/em><\/p>\n 4 – How many games do you realistically expect the Browns to win this year?<\/strong><\/p>\n This one is easy. 19. Not sure if you\u2019ve heard, but the Browns are really good now. Get Hype.<\/em><\/p>\n 5 – What\u2019s the latest on former Eagles LB <\/strong>Mychal Kendricks<\/strong><\/a>? How has he done this summer and how does he fit into the team\u2019s plans this season? (Also: how does former Eagles CB <\/strong>Denzel Rice<\/strong><\/a> look? <\/strong>I saw this interesting stat from PFF<\/strong><\/a>.)<\/strong><\/p>\n I\u2019m a big fan of <\/em>Kendricks<\/em><\/a>, and was pretty shocked to see him sign with the Browns. The team already had three quality linebackers in Jamie Collins, <\/em>Joe Schobert<\/em><\/a>, and <\/em>Christian Kirksey<\/em><\/a>, and <\/em>Kendricks<\/em><\/a> has certainly shown he belongs on the field as well. This is probably the deepest position group on the team, and it will be interesting to see who gets snaps out of these four guys, especially given how often the defense will be in nickel with just two linebackers. <\/em><\/p>\n