The 4th and final preseason game is kinda like those recap shows network TV does on popular TV series instead of airing a new episode. You might have it on in the background, but you are not going to pay much attention to it. For some of the fringe players, this is the last chance to make an impression.
Obviously not much scheme stuff to talk about in a pretty vanilla gameplan, but we managed to find a few things to talk about.
Power Play:
Power is a staple in many NFL and college offenses. Chip Kelly ran this play a lot in his Oregon days and carried it over to the pros. However, last year due to inconsistent offensive guard play he didn't use it as much. We haven't seen it a ton this preseason, but they broke it out with some success on Thursday night. Here's a nice example:
That's Josh Andrews who spent a lot of time at C in the preseason but started at LG on Thursday night and impressed enough to make the team. More on him later.
Here's a nice end zone view that highlights the power play. Burton is going to block his man out and Tobin and Andrews will apply the double team to take care of the play side DL. Moffitt will pull and lead through the hole:
You'll see excellent execution by Burton as well as the double team:
Moffitt gets a good block and Mostert does a nice job of squeezing through the hole:
One thing that really stood out all season long was excellent execution by the OL in the run game regardless of it was starters or backups. Yes, OL depth will remain a concern but it seems Stoutland and the coaching staff earned their paychecks this summer. The Eagles showed great execution on the inside zone but also on outside zone, sweep and power play. If they can get those running seamlessly this offense will be a well-oiled machine this season.
Josh Andrews:
I posted on Twitter on Friday that Josh Andrews really stood out in the Jets game:
Saw some flashes from LG Josh Andrews last night. Also Eagles Power looking good. More in a bit: http://t.co/RFtlsjik5j
— ChipWagon (@ChipWagoneer) September 4, 2015
I still haven't had a chance to go back and focus on him in the other games, but clearly Chip and Co. liked what they saw too as Andrews found a spot on the roster. I showed the gif above on the power play, but he stood out elsewhere as well. Here he is at LG lined up next to Matt Tobin. This is a nice illustration of him executing the combo/peel block on the inside zone:
He initially doubles up on the DL with Tobin but will quickly peel off to the second level:
And get a hat on the second-level LB:
And he continued to drive his man 5-6 yards back to finish the play:
Here he is on another inside zone play. This time he doubles with Julian Vandervelde:
Vandervelde executes a nice peel block and watch Andrews drive his man to the sidelines opening a huge hole for Mostert:
Here he is on a screen play. Again, he will double on the inside:
and quickly release downfield:
Once he gets his mitts on his man, he never lets him go, opening the field for Mostert on the screen play:
Josh Andrews spent last season on the practice squad. It's always nice to see those guys find a roster spot after a year of hard work, eventhough it might ultimately be short lived.
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