On The Seventh Week, Eagles Rested

Jul 26, 2014; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Eagles guard Evan Mathis (69) and center Jason Kelce (62) and Philadelphia Eagles guard Donald Hawkins (78) walks off the field after practice at training camp at the Novacare Complex in Philadelphia PA. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

On The Seventh Week, Eagles Rested

On the Seventh Week, the Eagles rested. That’s what they do on a bye week: rest, heal, recuperate. So while we allow them to recover, get better, and recharge, this is as good a point in the season to list the surprises of the season so far. I’ll call it my “seven sweets and seven sours”… borrowing the phrase from the long standing traditions of the Pennsylvania Amish community. Here goes:

Seven Sours

I. Eagles are losing the battle of turnovers. After six grueling weeks of the NFL Season, the Philadelphia Eagles are at a minus five in the turnover department. While the team has taken the ball away from their opponent nine times, they are giving the ball away fourteen times. At this pace, they will end the season at -15. The Eagles were at 4-12 in 2012, and the largest reason was a -19 turnover stat. This has to be addressed.

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II. Eagles are in bottom third of NFL defenses in giving up yards. While there is a strong hope that the Eagles shutout of the New York Giants on October 12, 2014 can be a harbinger of better defensive play, there is no denying that the Eagles have been torched by some quarterbacks who are not exactly top tier caliber of the NFL. In fact, the opposite seems to occur. When facing Eli Manning, Colin Kaepernick, or Andrew Luck, the Eagles defense seems to rise to the challenge. But the same cannot be said when facing Kirk Cousins, Chad Henne, or Austin Davis.

III. Where did LeSean McCoy go in first five games, and is there a risk he’ll return there? The Eagles offense is a different team when LeSean McCoy is not getting his yards. The game feels less certain. The offense seems to go hot and cold. When McCoy is churning, that opens up the play action pass and the offense seems to run much more smoothly.

IV. The Eagles have been penalized for 50,90 ,70 ,70, 39 and 25 yards respectfully. While their opponents are faring no better. The Eagles will need to continue to improve in this area if they are to remain successful in the NFL.

V. The Eagles have been without the services of Jason Peters, Lane Johnson, Evan Mathis, Jason Kelce, Dennis Kelly, Mychal Kendricks, Chris Polk in some games this year. While the Eagles seemed to have weathered the storm on the offensive line somewhat, it’s clear that injuries to Kendricks and Polk have been more difficult to compensate with the existing depth. For Kendricks, the Eagles seem to run a committee of Marcus Smith II, Emmanuel Acho, and Casey Matthews. For Polk, the Eagles have limited depth at running back and have assigned kick return duties to wide receiver Jordan Huff.

VI. The Eagles were predictable. The news that San Francisco read the plays called at the line of scrimmage and called them out before the ball was snapped was very disappointing. By rights, the Eagles were two yards away from a victory despite the 49ers stealing plays. Had we maintained the security of our calls, or even used that knowledge against them, the Eagles might be undefeated today. Even without reading the plays, many defenses challenged us to defeat them with a passing game. I was a little surprised the Eagles did not roll out multiple tight end sets as soon as teams showed a willingness to stack the box.

VII. Nick Foles seems more human. Whether its setting his feet, rushing a pass, or throwing a pass into the arms of a defender, this year’s version of Nick Foles seems more fallible. Nobody expected another 2013 season. But at the bye week, his ten touchdown seven interception performance feels too human. As McCoy’s rushing improves, I hope this will also result in an improvement in the passing game.

Seven Sweets

I. The Eagles are 5-1 and sit atop the NFC at the bye week.

II. Despite multiple offensive line injuries, our offensive line has only surrendered seven sacks. Our opponent’s quarterback has been sacked nineteen times so far.

III. The Eagles are scoring over 30 points per game after six weeks. That’s far ahead of last years offense.

IV. The Eagles are getting contributions from all over the roster. From inside linebacker Casey Matthew’s five tackle, two for loss against the Giants, to safety Malcolm Jenkin’s three interceptions, to outside linebacker Conner Barwin’s six sacks, to Chris Maragos sensational special teams play, to on and on and on. This is a team where everyone seems to contribute at some point. That is what a good team does.

V. The Eagles are not getting too much hype. Despite the 5-1 record, even the shutout victory over the New York Giants will pale in comparison to the road victory of the Dallas Cowboys over the Seattle Seahawks. But chat and rankings do not a successful season make. As long as the Eagles keep winning, it really doesn’t matter what folks say or think about them.

VI. The defense finally earned a shutout after an 18 year drought. Against a division rival and a team that had recent success, it was a huge win and defensive performance.

VII. If injuries recede, the Eagles will begin to find players returning to health after the bye. Kendricks return will be a huge pickup for the Eagles defense. In several weeks, Kelce and Mathis should return to the offensive line. Hopefully, at that time the offense will be full strength and will have plenty of time to “gel” as the season draws to a close.

It’s a good point to pause and think about these 5-1 Eagles. Forget what other teams might do and are doing. If you had bet that the Eagles would enter the bye at 5-1 despite so many injuries to the offensive line, I think you would have found many takes for that wager. Do you, as most do, see the things they must fix solely? Or can you pause for a moment and relish this moment now. The team is successful, and beating expectations. While they face tough competition, they have proven that they can win games against challenging opponents.

For this week, that is enough.

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