Sundays 27-17 loss to the rank Washington Football Team was a overall and total disaster, a crisis of impressive proportions, and a threatening beginning to an already-weird 2020 Eagles season.
Anyone who saw Carson Wentz 2nd half collapse, a training personnel who could not put their gamers in a position to succeed, and roster building issues that were worsened by another unbelievable rash of injuries, would be fools not to be very concerned about the state of the Philadelphia football franchise.
The optimist will declare it is too quickly to worry, that it is just Week 1. They would be right. The Dallas Cowboys did not look great in their Sunday Night loss to the Los Angeles Rams last night, although the Rams are believed to be one of the better groups in the conference while Washington is objectively awful. Both are 0-1 to start the season, so the Eagles 2020 postseason dreams are by no means shot. Numerous great groups have actually left to 0-1 starts and lived to speak about it.
Who was most to blame for Sundays catastrophe in the District? Here is my list, from least to a lot of accountable.
The pessimist will note the injuries continue. The group disregarded the linebacker and strong safety position this off-season, and spent for it in a big method yesterday. The offensive line depth that was tested when Andre Dillard and Brandon Brooks were lost for the season was glaring, DeSean Jackson oddly vanished for huge portions of the game, young players who looked great in training school were unnoticeable in Week 1, and maybe most worrisome, Wentz played like a rookie, not the five-year veteran QB he is.
10. The Pandemic
The Eagles dont play much of their starters in the preseason to begin with, however it was costly for the rookies and more youthful gamers not to have any video game action together up until yesterday. John Hightower didnt drop a pass in all of training camp, but things intensify when youre going over the middle to carry in a pass and hear the footsteps of approaching safeties and linebackers. JJ Arcega-Whiteside supposedly had an amazing camp, however Wentz didnt look his way as soon as. Jalen Mills and Nate Gerry looked lost at times on defense, and Carson simply didnt look comfy with his young receivers, especially in the 2nd half. It was an odd off-season and that possibly had something to do with what we saw in Week 1.
9. DeSean Jackson
Jackson, who says he wasnt hurt, played in just 54% of the offending snaps the other day, obviously splitting time with Jalen Raegor at the X position. Was this part of the gameplan? If so, Jackson didnt seem thrilled about it, and if it was, it does not seem wise. You want Jackson, the only receiver with any genuine experience on the team, involved as much as his body will allow. His lack throughout much of yesterdays game was unusual, and he stopped working to have as big an effect in Week 1 this year as he did last year.
8. Jason Peters
Peters wasnt the offending lines biggest problem the other day, but he wasnt much of an option, either. Possibly Peters required a week under his belt to reacclimate to left tackle after having actually played best guard all summer season, however that appears not likely.
7. Zach Ertz
I d love for the Eagles to sign Ertz to a contract extension, however one can comprehend why Roseman and Jeff Lurie hesitate to do that. Dallas Goedert looks ready for a breakout season after his performance the other day (8 catches for 101 yards and a TD), and the Eagles cant pay for to keep both guys at big cap numbers moving forward. Ertz was singing about his belief that the Birds didnt want to keep him around after this year, and reports suggested an airing of grievances in between Ertz and Roseman at some point in the last week. Offered all that, Ertz needed to haul in that 4th-and-3 pass late in the 4th quarter yesterday. That was the last nail in the casket.
6. Jalen Mills
No one was expecting Mills to be as excellent as Malcolm Jenkins right away, however Mills was making standard mistakes that he need to be well previous. Again, might just be very first week confusion.
5. Linebackers
You can not punt an entire position on the field, I dont care how highly or how lowly you value the position. The linebackers need to make plays and aside from a couple of Nate Gerry minutes, the linebackers are a severe weak point that will get exploited this year.
4. Injuries
Current drafts have yielded little fruit with which the Eagles can work. They lost a 4th round pick on Genard Avery. JJ Arcega-Whiteside was once again invisible the other day. Dillard appeared like a big question mark before he got hurt. Sidney Jones was a squandered choice, and Rasul Douglas underperformed for a third rounder. Utilizing Mills at safety looks like a bad decision.
For the 2nd time in 3 years, the Eagles revamped their medical and training personnel, but it hasnt appeared to make a distinction. I suggest, this team came into Week 1, with NO preseason video games mind you, as banged up as the majority of groups do going into Week 7. Up and down the offense, lineup and defense, old and young, this Eagles group continues to suffer injury after injury, which makes putting together a roster all the more difficult.
It was kind of a disappointment that the Eagles 2nd round choice in this years draft was non-active the other day, specifically with two starting offensive linemen out and a third playing a position he wasnt expected to play this year. It was sort of a bummer they entered into the season having actually disregarded the linebacker position and were forced to give Nate Gerry 99% of the defensive snaps yesterday. Duke Riley played OK, however hes no playmaker, and with Derek Barnett, Javon Hargrave and, later on, Brandon Graham all out with injuries, and no Malcolm Jenkins to cover up errors, the Eagles had no linebackers on the field who appeared to know what they were doing.
Injuries have played a part in some of the holes on the roster, however an absence of effective draft picks in recent seasons have actually left the Birds depth in woeful shape. This is Howie Rosemans lineup, and the other day, it wasnt excellent enough.
2. Doug Pederson & & Offensive Coaching Staff
As was kept in mind by Ben Solak on the Eagles postgame Kist & & Solak podcast the other day, Doug Pederson and Rick Scangarello did their gamers no favors by continuing to call long-developing play action passes while the Eagles had no running danger to mention and an offending line that was getting manhandled. Having Carson Wentz turn his back to the defense as hes constantly under siege and, for the record, isnt good at handling pressure to start with, was silly at best and moronic at worst.
Yes, we all desired the offense to look different in 2020, however that was dependent on the offending line not being anchored by a novice fourth-round draft choice in Jack Driscoll and the undrafted Nate Herbig. Its possible those two will get better as the season goes along, and hopefully Lane will be back soon, however on a day when the Washington pass rush was eating, modifications required to be made. Pederson is a smart coach. He needs to be smarter than that.
1. Carson Wentz
No one has actually been a larger Wentz fan than me, however games like the other days simply cant happen to an expected top-10 player and former MVP candidate in his 5th season. Wentz can own it in the postgame press conferences all he wants, but up until he discovers not to play “hero ball” on every snap and take what the defense (and offensive line) gives him, hes going to be a limited quarterback.
Its year No. 5 for Carson Wentz and video games like yesterdays are merely inexcusable.
Wentz can not be this inconsistent. He can not be this unpredictable. If the Eagles are going to make a postseason run, Wentz simply needs to be better. While I still vehemently disapprove of drafting Jalen Hurts in the second round of the draft this year, yesterday was the very first time I comprehended why Eagles brass might be hedging their bets. Theres no doubt hes had to handle a number of headwinds in his profession, however much of Washingtons 8 sacks were directly on his shoulders. He put the ball on the ground twice. He missed open receivers. He threw two picks. He handed Washington a minimum of 20 points.
Wentz and the offensive coaching staff did not have any preseason games together. He was not able to work with Hightower or Raegor in video game situations before the other day.
The Eagles do not play numerous of their starters in the preseason to begin with, however it was costly for the rookies and more youthful players not to have any game action together up until yesterday. Dallas Goedert looks prepared for a breakout season after his performance yesterday (8 catches for 101 lawns and a TD), and the Eagles cant pay for to keep both guys at big cap numbers moving forward. It was kind of a bummer that the Eagles 2nd round choice in this years draft was inactive the other day, specifically with 2 beginning offending linemen out and a 3rd playing a position he wasnt supposed to play this year. If the Eagles are going to make a postseason run, Wentz merely has to be much better. While I still emphatically disapprove of preparing Jalen Hurts in the 2nd round of the draft this year, yesterday was the first time I comprehended why Eagles brass may be hedging their bets.
