The Chip Wagon

Brains and Brawn- Why Carson Wentz is the Real Deal

When Carson Wentz was drafted #2 overall by the Philadelphia Eagles, there was little to question about his physical attributes and skillset. It seems the biggest question was whether he could transition from FCS to the NFL, adjust to the speed of the game and eventually handle the mental adjustments that are required of top NFL QBs. From the Senior Bowl, to the Combine to private workouts; news started to leak about how impressed organizations were with Wentz's football IQ. For all the positive endorsements Pederson, Reich and DeFillipo have given Wentz since he joined the Eagles, I don't think anyone was anticipating the kind of results we've seen on the field through the first 2 weeks. Before we get to that, let's start with a quick note on the physical attributes. Folks like the irreplaceable Fran Duffy (@fduffy3) have done an amazing job of highlighting some of the jaw-dropping throws Carson has made through weeks 1 & 2. Below is just another example of why Carson Wentz belongs on NFL turf on Sundays. Not every NFL QB can make a throw like this:

Generally when a QB gets picked in the top 5, he has off the charts physical attributes. However the phrase "how does he project" often gets thrown around and is ultimately what makes or breaks a lot of GM and coaches tenures. As we've all witnessed over and over again, there is so much more to a star NFL QB than physical attributes (see Vick, Russell, Griffin III, etc.) As fun as it is to have a QB who makes throws like the one above, by far the most promising thing about Carson Wentz's game is how well he's handled the mental responsibilities of the position. Let's have a look at a few plays.  

Where Did it All Go Wrong? The Rise and Fall of Chip Kelly

I apologize for what was a very quiet 2015 NFL season at the Chipwagon this past year. There are a couple reasons for that. 1) I started a new job in September and it has been pretty demanding of my time and balancing that with the family life didn't leave a lot of time left to put blog posts together. 2) Watching the 2015 season was one of the worst and most frustrating seasons I can recall watching. I realize that this was far from one of the worst seasons in Eagles history, but from beginning to end it was just so frustrating and aggravating to watch. We had lapses in execution all season long and Chip's offense that I loved so much in 2013 and 2014 just went completely stale.  The truth is, there is no one reason why things didn't work out in Philadelphia. Certainly, Chip the GM, Chip's personality, the power struggle with Howie Roseman and his apparent fractured relationship with Jeff Lurie will lead the way in the headlines. Our old friend @sheilkapadia was spot on this assessment which really nicely summarized the downfall of the Kelly regime. However, to look at it from another angle, one really needs to understand that Lurie's decision was not exclusively a non-footbal decision. To put it bluntly, the Chip Kelly we fell in love with just stopped showing up on the chalkboard in 2015. The offense we saw in 2015 was a stripped down version of what we saw in 2013 and 2014 and lacked any imagination, creativity or evolution as defenses around the league continued to adjust and catch up. Furthermore, it seemed in 3 years Chip Kelly's offense lacked some of the fundamental concepts and philosophies that need to be considered and applied in the pro game. Here is my post-mortem and likely final chapter on Chip Kelly's offense.

Time to Mix Things Up in the Ground Game?

The Eagles didn't have as much success on the ground as most of us expected heading into the season opener last week. That said, it seems the majority of the narrative has been that they simply didn't try to establish a running game, or that the Falcons didn't do anything special to slow down the Eagles running attack. In fact, one of my game film idols and film guru Greg Cosell even said that the Falcons didn't do anything to specifically take away the Eagles' inside zone game on the Eye in the Sky Podcast (the best podcast around might I add) this week. I beg to differ as you'll see in a few moments. 

Previewing the Falcons

The Atlanta Falcons are starting over with a new coaching staff - Head Coach Dan Quinn, coming over from Seattle, Offensive Coordinator Kyle Shanahan, a bust at Cleveland and Washington, and Defensive Coordinator Richard Smith, a long-time NFL assistant.

They are not particularly talented, which is why Mike Smith got canned. They can throw the ball - sixth in the league in passing yards a year ago - but run it badly - 24th a year ago. On defense, well, they can't stop anybody. Dead last in yards a year ago. They have a terrific quarterback in Matt Ryan, who can make every throw there is and Julio Jones who is on the short list for best receiver in the NFL. Elsewhere...not so much.

The Philosophy and Evolution of Eagles Run Game Part 8- Adjusting to the Adjustments

In a previous post, I highlighted how different defenses have schemed to attack the Eagles inside zone run game. The next series of posts will illustrate how Chip has reacted to some of these adjustments that the defense has made. We'll talk about various formations, we'll talk about the counter play, we'll talk about the split zone the Eagles like to run along with the various motions that they use. But let's first talk formations. As we mentioned yesterday, the thinking behind some of the defensive strategies we've seen is based upon the fact that Eagles dictate the playside with their inside zone formation. In other words, when the defense see where Lesean McCoy or Darren Sproles line up, they believe they know where the play is designed to go. As we've seen, sometimes the defense can't stop it anyway, and other times the defense really attacks that playside A gap and play good backside contain to plug up the play. 

So in 2014, Chip began to use various different formations to disguise his inside zone that would not give away the direction of the playside. Here are a few examples: