The Chip Wagon

One Step Forward?: Gameplan vs. Execution in the Passing Game

In my last post, I talked about the Eagles improvements in the running game vs. the Saints being a mix of better execution from the personnel and better game-planning from the coaches. I think its fair to say that the same can be said for the passing game last Sunday. First and foremost, I thought Chip did a good job deciding to attack with the passing game from the start and even his decision to go for it on 4th down on the opening drive (more on that in a bit) was a good one to try and extend the rhythm they have had such a hard time establishing in the first several games. That said, I think it's important to note that the Saints do not have a good defense and were beat up in the secondary. It played a major role in making the Eagles offense looking good. 

The Eagles Passing Game is a Hot Mess

Yesterday I broke down just how bad the Eagles ground game was on Sunday. Problems amongst almost every member of the offensive line. Still, it isn’t the first time an NFL team has had to overcome a poor ground game performance. Unfortunately, the Eagles passing offense might be even worse right now with erratic QB play front and center. When Chip Kelly traded Nick Foles and a 2^nd round pick for Sam Bradford all the concern was surrounding Bradford’s health. People thought it was a terrible move considering he was coming off back to back ACL injuries. That said, the optimists among us said if, just if, Sam could stay healthy he’s the exact QB Chip Kelly is looking for. Great arm, intelligent, quick decision maker with repetitive pinpoint accuracy. Despite Sam’s lackluster QB stats and win-loss record, of which most blamed coaching and supporting cast, people believed that Bradford could still be what everyone thought he would be as the #1 overall pick many years ago. 

All-22: Bradford and the Deep Ball and the Sproles Match-up

After the Monday night debut there has been some discussion about the Eagles gameplan and how they chose to attack the Falcons defense. Heading into the game we knew this was going to be a Cover 3 defense and we talked about a variety of ways the Eagles would attack that Cover 3 defense. Certainly we were expecting a heavy dose of the running game with our 60 million dollar backfield and some deeps shots against that Cover 3. Turns out, we didn't see much of either. So what did we see?

And So Begins the Sam Bradford Era

After all the preseason chatter and the crazy hype that ensued after Bradford's preseason performance against the Packers we got our first "real" glimpse at the Sam Bradford-led Philadelphia Eagles. As always, I'm looking forward to seeing the All-22 before making any bold conclusions. Bradford seemed to settle for the quick reads and underneath stuff. From a schematic standpoint, after a rocky start, Bradford seemed to settle down well in the scheme that, not surprisingly, really doesn't look much different than the offense Foles and Sanchez have run. lots of familiar concepts to break down. 

Know Your Enemy: Beating the Falcons Cover 3 with the 4 Verticals Switch Concept

Looking ahead to the season opener, Greg Cosell did a great job on PE.com breaking down Dan Quinn's Cover 3 defense. He showed ways in which offenses approach Cover 3 and how to beat it. Specifically he focused on 4 verticals. I wanted to go back to when the Eagles played Dan Quinn's Seattle Seahawks defense last year and show another 4 verticals concept that I expect we'll see more of tonight.