The Linc – Eagles run defense has to be better against Bijan Robinson

Philadelphia Eagles news and links for 9/10/24.

Let’s get to the Philadelphia Eagles links …

Eagles vs. Falcons: Five matchups to watch – PhillyVoice
In Eagles-Giants matchups over the years, the clear player that the Eagles’ defense needed to focus on was Saquon Barkley, because he was so much better than anyone else in their offense. Similarly, the Eagles need to focus their efforts on slowing down Bijan Robinson, who is by far the most dangerous weapon in the Falcons’ offense. In Week 1, the Eagles’ defense got gashed by the Packers’ rushing attack at times, allowing 163 yards on 21 carries (7.8 YPC). The interior linemen need to play their gaps, the linebackers and safeties have to be sure tacklers, and I imagine that Vic Fangio will play his share of zone defense in this matchup so the corners can be in better position to make tackles on the perimeter. As a defense they have to be better against the run in this matchup.

7 takeaways from NFL Week 1 – BGN
Make no mistake: Hurts needs to make smarter decisions. He can’t keep turning the ball over with such frequency. Dating back to Week 1 last season, Hurts has 23 giveaways in 19 games played. That being said, Hurts is hardly the only quarterback who didn’t have a fantastic Week 1 performance. Passing is way down across the league to begin this season. Hurts actually produced the fifth-most passing yards in Week 1. He did rank 24th in passer rating, only ahead of these players: Jacoby Brissett, Kirk Cousins, Caleb Williams, Will Levis, Deshaun Watson, Bo Nix, Daniel Jones, and Bryce Young. Not exactly the best company to keep. If Hurts finds his footing and lights it up in Week 2, which I think he might, the struggles of Week 1 will be quickly forgotten. If the turnovers continue, however, that’ll be pretty troubling. For now, he deserves some patience.

2024 NFL offensive line rankings ahead of Week 2 – PFF
2. Philadelphia Eagles. Admittedly, the field conditions in São Paulo helped the offensive lines, but Philadelphia’s unit continued to excel in pass protection. The unit allowed just eight total pressures — and no sacks or hits — on 38 dropbacks, leading to the ninth-highest pass-blocking efficiency score in Week 1. Former New York Jets right tackle Mekhi Becton stepped in nicely in his first game at guard in the NFL. The Louisville product earned a 73.9 PFF overall grade and an 80.0 PFF pass-blocking grade. Best player: Lane Johnson Johnson led the Eagles’ offensive line in PFF overall grade (84.9), and his 89.6 PFF run-blocking grade ranked third among right tackles in Week 1.

Nick Sirianni shares his favorite part of new CEO coach role – NBCSP
“Yeah, obviously love going into the offensive game plan meetings,” Sirianni said the week before the opener. “Obviously we’re two days into — or we’ve been game planning a little bit longer than that — but going in there and sitting in there and listening and contributing. But also, being able to step out if I need to go talk to a player or being able to step out and go talk to Howie (Roseman) about the roster or being able to step out and check in on the defense.” Such a big part of Sirianni’s weekly preparation in years past was working on an offensive game plan for the upcoming opponent because the Eagles were running his offensive scheme. That’s not the case anymore. While Sirianni’s expertise is still on offense, Moore is pulling the levers of his own scheme. Sirianni still goes to the game plan meetings but they’re no longer his primary focus during the week. “I find that very freeing that I’m able to stretch myself to different spots that I’m needed and not have to be hunkered down,” Sirianni said. “You ask Howie and he’d be like, ‘Man, I couldn’t get in to see Nick for Monday, Tuesday.’ After the players left, just wasn’t a lot of opportunities.”

Spadaro: Did you know? 7 news and notes from win over Packers – PE.com
3. A.J. Brown – headed for the Pro Football …? Let’s hold off on that suggestion, but his career tracking is in rarified air, for sure. Brown eclipsed 6,000+ career receiving yards in his 78th career game. He became just the 14th player in NFL history to total 6,000+ receiving yards in 78 or fewer contests. He had 119 receiving yards on five receptions against Green Bay, marking his 25th career game with 100+ receiving yards.

NFL sets Week 1 ratings record, averages 21M viewers per game – ESPN
The Eagles’ 34-29 victory over the Packers in the NFL’s first Friday night Week 1 game in 54 years averaged 14.0 million on Peacock and NBC affiliates in Philadelphia, Green Bay and Milwaukee. It was the second-most watched live event in Peacock’s four-year history, behind last season’s AFC wild-card game between Kansas City and Miami. “I think the numbers even exceeded our expectations. Brazil was great and the game was an exciting one,” Schroeder said. “On a new night and window, I think that was a phenomenal start for us.”

Which team(s) will want Bill Belichick in 2025? – PFT
So who will want him? The Cowboys could have hired him after 2023. They didn’t. The Eagles could have. They didn’t. Maybe they will after a failed season in 2024 — if either or both have failed seasons. Maybe the Giants will do it. Maybe someone else will roll the dice on Belichick. Maybe there’s a team that has the talent and simply needs Belichick’s genius to turn it around.

Can the Falcons find comfort under uncertainty with Kirk Cousins? – The Falcoholic
The Falcons can only hope Cousins shakes off the rust and gets more comfortable in the pocket to end the speculation about his health. That will be pivotal going into a daunting four game stretch against four highly-regarded, aggressive defensive minds. Vic Fangio, Steve Spagnuolo, Dennis Allen, and Todd Bowles have built their careers off making quarterbacks uncomfortable with clever pressure designs and coverage disguises. They know how to bring the worst out of their opponents. Robinson is going to have to bring new concepts and more variance in these matchups for the offense to be more productive.

Yes, It Was Intentional Grounding – Acme Packing Company
I don’t think this play mattered that much in the grand scheme of things as the Eagles still punted the ball away and Jordan Love threw an interception three plays into the next drive, but it surely matters a bit. More than anything, Hurts clearly violated the spirit and intent of the intentional grounding rule, and if you’re not going to throw the flag here, you may as well get rid of the rule entirely.

Rams sign new center to the roster after Steve Avila injury – Turf Show Times
The Rams put Puka Nacua on IR, so they should have an open roster spot. Avila could also go to IR soon with a sprained MCL and miss at least four weeks, if not more. The Rams were hoping to start Jonah Jackson at center this season, but Jackson is back at left guard and Beaux Limmer, drafted 27 spots after McMahon, is going to start in the middle.

Roster Moves: Jaguars Sign CB Zechariah McPhearson to Practice Squad Prior to Week 2 of the 2024 Season – Jaguars
The Jacksonville Jaguars have signed CB Zechariah McPhearson to the practice squad, the team announced today. McPhearson was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the fourth round (123rd overall) of the 2021 NFL Draft. In 2022, he played in 17 games and recorded five tackles, one tackle for loss, 1.0 sack, one quarterback hit and one pass defensed. He spent the 2023 season on injured reserve.

Steelers bring back familiar faces at safety, punter after Week 1 – Behind The Steel Curtain
The Pittsburgh Steelers are bringing back two familiar faces into the fold following their Week 1 win over the Atlanta Falcons, signing their 2018 first-round pick Terrell Edmunds and free agent punter Corliss Waitman, Tom Pelissoro of NFL Network reports. […] Waitman, meanwhile, fills the shoes of punter Cameron Johnston, who suffered a season-ending knee injury in Week 1. He played two games with the Steelers in 2021 in place of then-injured Pressley Harvin III. He averaged 52.1 yards per punt on seven boots over two games.

Steelers add WR to practice squad, release LB Marcus Haynes – Behind The Steel Curtain
Shaquan Davis has also spent time with the Philadelphia Eagles. He has yet to record an NFL catch in the regular season.

Cowboys, Eagles take unsurprising lead in NFC East – Blogging The Boys
Yes, Week 1 is often full of fool’s gold. Teams who rested starters in the preseason may be working out rust and new coaches may still be trying to get everyone on the same page. But allowing for that, we went into 2024 knowing full well who the Haves and the Have Nots are in the NFC East. The season-openers only validated the common-sense belief that this is a two-horse race between the Cowboys and Eagles.

‘Things I think’: Giants’ season already feels like it’s on the brink of disaster – Big Blue View
Jones has what appears to be an offensive line that can offer him better protection. Pro Football Focus ranked the Giants No. 10 in the league in pass-blocking efficiency in Week 1, charging only one of the five sacks of Jones by Minnesota 10 of the 18 pressures to the line. The Giants’ 72.3 overall pass-blocking grade was 14th in the league. I think they would sign up for that if it continues. Yet, Jones still looked like 2023 Jones. Jittery. Not trusting his protection. Not seeing the field. Not standing his ground and delivering the ball with proper mechanics. How long is Jones’ leash if his performance doesn’t get better? Honestly, it can’t be long. That is not because of the injury guarantee. If it was about the injury guarantee at this point, Jones never would have been playing in the first place. It is purely about performance. It is about being fair to the other players in the locker room who are putting their bodies and their careers on the line every time they step on the field. It is about preventing the 2024 season from turning into the debacle that was the first 10 games of 2023. It is about Daboll being fair to himself, giving himself the best chance to keep co-owners John Mara and Steve Tisch from deciding someone else should be coaching the Giants next season.

Film Session: Jayden Daniels’ legs prove lethal in debut, but his overall processing was a mixed bag – Hogs Haven
In his latest presser, Commanders’ head coach Dan Quinn acknowledged the room for growth in his rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels, who ran the ball 16 times in his debut. While it is not ideal to run 16 times in a game, his explosive ability flashed several times in a few of his runs, and his legs showed to be the only offense that Washington had against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Alternatively, from a growth standpoint, it is the hope that Daniels transitions into a pass-first quarterback and takes advantage of opportunities downfield.

The latest horrifying Deshaun Watson sexual assault allegations, explained – SB Nation
Deshaun Watson is facing another round of sexual assault allegations, following the filing of a lawsuit against him in Harris County District Court, Texas. Now according to reports, Lisa Friel, the NFL’s Special Counsel for Investigations, is investigating whether the alleged conduct violates the NFL’s Personal Conduct Policy. Friel conducted the league’s previous investigation into similar allegations against the quarterback, which ultimately ended with an 11-game suspension. Here is what has been alleged.

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