EMB Blog: 2023 Regular Season thru Week 9 - NO POLITICS

[Iggles25]

1 minute ago, Utebird said:

Yup I've watched this play a bunch of times to see what the big deal was and Smith was losing his block and yes Quez should have gone Inside but that no guarantee he gets the 1st if he does.

Siri loves these bubble screens but a 170 lb receiver blocking for a 180 pound WR isn't a recipe for success.

I guess it's better than the week before where all 165 pounds of covey was blocking for 170 pound Smitty which was also short of the first...☹️

 

You're right.

Dumb play call with personnel.

But why does Watkins always end up on the wrong side of plays?

[Utebird]

Just now, Iggles25 said:

You're right.

Dumb play call with personnel.

But why does Watkins always end up on the wrong side of plays?

I wouldn't say always but recently frequently.

I think not having an enforcer WR like they have in the past is hurting that play but at the same time having a WR in the that purpose kind of telegraphed the play.

It is was it is, rather they run it more often with swift which they did at least once against the Rams.

[Iggles25]

5 minutes ago, Utebird said:

I wouldn't say always but recently frequently.

I think not having an enforcer WR like they have in the past is hurting that play but at the same time having a WR in the that purpose kind of telegraphed the play.

It is was it is, rather they run it more often with swift which they did at least once against the Rams.

Hope they look for a WR3 in the draft.

Be a shame to waste Brown/Smith combo with a scrub like Watkins.

For the record, hope he reads this and goes off for 200 yards next week.

[Iggles25]

Dodgers don't have the horses to win this.

[e-a-g-l-e-s eagles!]

12 minutes ago, Iggles25 said:

Dodgers don't have the horses to win this.

Not having Bueller, urias or May is killer. Their starting rotation isn’t good enough. And they are facing 2 aces and can’t hit well enough. That said wouldn’t be shocked if the dodgers win game 3 as the dbacks starter isn’t going to be Kelly or gallen 

[Birdman]

8 hours ago, mattwill said:

Agreed 100%

Welcome to the Blog.  Feel free to join in on the weekly Game Score Predictions

 

Sure thing, predictions usually aren't my thing. but I'll give it a go. 

[BigEFly]

3 hours ago, Iggles25 said:

Just want to see Quez make a play that positively impacts the game.

Feel like he is consistently a net negative.

Got the All22.  Watched through the Quez screen play so far.  On that play, by the time Watkins makes it to the "hole” it’s closing and the defenders are arriving.   Not a great play design.  Nothing really stood out on him having much of an impact except a couple plays where there weren’t completions.  I will watch the rest to orrow.

As most know, I focus on the secondary.  Some things stood out.  Nice mix of coverages, even some inverts.  I think @just relax already commented on the way the LBs were used with some rushing.  They were much closer to the LOS than last game and the corners weren’t playing back so far.  Heck, on the TE, Roby (who had just got in for the series before I stopped for the night) was right at the LOS and Ricks was playing pretty close too.  Now Kupp and Puka aren’t speed threats and Atwell is such a munchkin.  Doubt we’ll see the same approach with the Dolphins. One thing I noticed in difference from the PS, Evans was playing like he did in college.  Almost everything was downhill.  I’ll finish watching tomorrow and look for the second half adjustments, if any.  

[Saltpeter]

1 hour ago, Iggles25 said:

Hope they look for a WR3 in the draft.

Be a shame to waste Brown/Smith combo with a scrub like Watkins.

For the record, hope he reads this and goes off for 200 yards next week.

If he gets 200 yards combined over the next 10 weeks you should consider that a pleasant surprise 

[Eagles_ftw]

The Dbacks of all teams showing the Phillies how it's done when it comes to taking a commanding 2-0 series lead when the opportunity presents itself. 

[brkmsn]

2 hours ago, Iggles25 said:

You're right.

Dumb play call with personnel.

But why does Watkins always end up on the wrong side of plays?

I don't know what you mean by "always." I believe people only remember what they want to remember. 

 

For the record, I generally like Smith's blocking effort. He may not be big, but he is far from useless as a blocker. On the screen pass, I thought the defender only got off the block easily because Watkins' decision to bounce outside combined with Smith's positioning. While I agree with Ute that I don't believe he would have absolutely gotten the first down if he utilized the blocking correctly, I still am not going to slight Smith when he was basically blocking his guy (per play design) in the direction Watkins decided to bounce. 

 

Ultimately, it was the wrong decision by Watkins. It was a mistake. It was not the big deal people have made it out to be, however. Watkins is coming off a season where after he was injured in November, he played poorly through the injury. That's what people remember. So when he makes 1 mistake in a game as small as that screen execution, it gets blown way out of proportion. 

[TEW]

3 hours ago, Utebird said:

Yup I've watched this play a bunch of times to see what the big deal was and Smith was losing his block and yes Quez should have gone Inside but that no guarantee he gets the 1st if he does.

Siri loves these bubble screens but a 170 lb receiver blocking for a 180 pound WR isn't a recipe for success.

I guess it's better than the week before where all 165 pounds of covey was blocking for 170 pound Smitty which was also short of the first...☹️

 

It’s basically guaranteed that he gets the first down IF Quez sprints forward, lowers his shoulder, and drives through whatever arm tackle the defender can pull off when slipping Smith’s block.

This is just basic physics. But it requires a decisiveness and willingness to "rough it up” that Quez clearly does not posses.

This is why I want Zac to get the majority of the snaps from now on. He’s a better blocker, more physical runner, and probably has more reliable hands. We give up vertical speed by benching Quez, which I don’t like, but it’s a trade off I’m willing to make.

And next draft I want at least 1 WR in the Deebo mold, who is both physical and elusive after the catch. There are a bunch of good ones who can be had in the mid rounds who could make a substantial difference on this team with minimal targets.

[Iggles_Phan]

6 hours ago, mattwill said:

I agree 100%. I also believe Opeta is probably realistic about his ceiling.  I couldn’t help thinking about Todd Herremans toward the end of yesterday’s game.

Opeta is not Herremanns.

[Iggles_Phan]

In reflection, I'm not going to blame the loss on Watham, but I am going to ask whether or not the team needs to find a better option as a 3rd base coach.  He just doesn't seem to have the right mentality there to know when to be aggressive and when to be conservative.

[HazletonEagle]

5 hours ago, brkmsn said:

I don't know what you mean by "always." I believe people only remember what they want to remember. 

 

For the record, I generally like Smith's blocking effort. He may not be big, but he is far from useless as a blocker. On the screen pass, I thought the defender only got off the block easily because Watkins' decision to bounce outside combined with Smith's positioning. While I agree with Ute that I don't believe he would have absolutely gotten the first down if he utilized the blocking correctly, I still am not going to slight Smith when he was basically blocking his guy (per play design) in the direction Watkins decided to bounce. 

 

Ultimately, it was the wrong decision by Watkins. It was a mistake. It was not the big deal people have made it out to be, however. Watkins is coming off a season where after he was injured in November, he played poorly through the injury. That's what people remember. So when he makes 1 mistake in a game as small as that screen execution, it gets blown way out of proportion. 

I took time last season when everyone was piling on to show a while bunch of really really good plays by him from the season before. 

No one remembers what he's capable of. 

Including the coaches because he isn't getting those opportunities on the same kind of routes.

He's a lot better than people realize if he wouldn't be exclusively used on bubble screens which he totally sucks at. 

[ManuManu]

4 hours ago, TEW said:

It’s basically guaranteed that he gets the first down IF Quez sprints forward, lowers his shoulder, and drives through whatever arm tackle the defender can pull off when slipping Smith’s block.

This is just basic physics. But it requires a decisiveness and willingness to "rough it up” that Quez clearly does not posses.

This is why I want Zac to get the majority of the snaps from now on. He’s a better blocker, more physical runner, and probably has more reliable hands. We give up vertical speed by benching Quez, which I don’t like, but it’s a trade off I’m willing to make.

And next draft I want at least 1 WR in the Deebo mold, who is both physical and elusive after the catch. There are a bunch of good ones who can be had in the mid rounds who could make a substantial difference on this team with minimal targets.

Even if the hole is closing and there’s no guarantee he gets the first, he darted outside so quickly that he basically tackled himself. He gave the corner plenty of time to disengage and let the sideline become an extra defender. 

Other than fumbling it away, he couldn’t have been worse on the play. Watkins has some serious Reagor energy going on right now. 

[Parrot Head]

A lot of energy being spent defending one of the worst skill players on the team.

That screen play was the perfect example as to why you don't give the ball to a below average player like Watkins in high leverage situations.....especially when you have Brown, Smith, Goedert, Swift, Hurts.

Just absolutely inexcusable....especially when we're one of the worst teams in the league in the RZ. This is really not difficult stuff, the coaches just totally Galaxy-Brained that call.

I'd have been fine with the play call if the ball went to one of our good WRs.

[Iggles_Phan]

3 minutes ago, Parrot Head said:

A lot of energy being spent defending one of the worst skill players on the team.

That screen play was the perfect example as to why you don't give the ball to a below average player like Watkins in high leverage situations.....especially when you have Brown, Smith, Goedert, Swift, Hurts.

Just absolutely inexcusable....especially when we're one of the worst teams in the league in the RZ. This is really not difficult stuff, the coaches just totally Galaxy-Brained that call.

I'd have been fine with the play call if the ball went to one of our good WRs.

The kind of thinking that leads them to draw that play up, and then call that play in that situation is how you become one of the worst teams in the league in the RZ.    20-20, Brian Johnson seems just fine.   But, once we get into the RZ... it's deer in the headlights time.

[rrfierce]

5 minutes ago, Parrot Head said:

A lot of energy being spent defending one of the worst skill players on the team.

That screen play was the perfect example as to why you don't give the ball to a below average player like Watkins in high leverage situations.....especially when you have Brown, Smith, Goedert, Swift, Hurts.

Just absolutely inexcusable....especially when we're one of the worst teams in the league in the RZ. This is really not difficult stuff, the coaches just totally Galaxy-Brained that call.

I'd have been fine with the play call if the ball went to one of our good WRs.

If the ball went to anyone of those players you mentioned it would have been a first down

[Parrot Head]

1 minute ago, rrfierce said:

If the ball went to anyone of those players you mentioned it would have been a first down

Probably....but even if it didn't, it would at least have moved close enough for a QB sneak on 4th down.

[e-a-g-l-e-s eagles!]

 

[Parrot Head]

6 minutes ago, Iggles_Phan said:

The kind of thinking that leads them to draw that play up, and then call that play in that situation is how you become one of the worst teams in the league in the RZ.    20-20, Brian Johnson seems just fine.   But, once we get into the RZ... it's deer in the headlights time.

I at least feel confident that Sirriani is a coach that recognizes that his star players are more important that his schemes, so I'd think that this won't happen again.

He's said publicly many times that our passing game goes through Smith, Brown, and Goedert.

I'd really love to know who he was yelling at after that play failed miserably.

[Iggles_Phan]

2 minutes ago, Parrot Head said:

I at least feel confident that Sirriani is a coach that recognizes that his star players are more important that his schemes, so I'd think that this won't happen again.

He's said publicly many times that our passing game goes through Smith, Brown, and Goedert.

I'd really love to know who he was yelling at after that play failed miserably.

Supposedly he was yelling at Watkins.

[RememberTheKoy]

5 minutes ago, e-a-g-l-e-s eagles! said:

 

 

 

Tank on 

[brkmsn]

49 minutes ago, HazletonEagle said:

I took time last season when everyone was piling on to show a while bunch of really really good plays by him from the season before. 

No one remembers what he's capable of. 

Including the coaches because he isn't getting those opportunities on the same kind of routes.

He's a lot better than people realize if he wouldn't be exclusively used on bubble screens which he totally sucks at. 

Nobody has really looked good on those screens. In almost every instance, it's clear the defense is expecting it when we call them. Many of them end up in a loss of yards. 

[Mortimer]

Quez is only taking up space at this point.  He made a terrible decision to take the outside on that screen.  That would even be terrible if he was a high school player.  Its two yards and the defenders were at least partially blocked.  Just maybe he should have used his 1337 speed and chose the shortest distance between two points. 

Hurts missed him wide open in the end zone because he wasn't looking for him.  The guy gets limited targets because everyone else is way better. 

So what is his value then, a decoy?  Not much of a decoy if he never sees the ball and when he does, does little with it.  Maybe that was why the Rams left him twiddling his thumbs in the end zone.