hagan714

What has the catch phrase been with the Eagles.
week 1 Houston (1-3)
yardage in garbage time
Have to agree here. That is why Carr is the leading the NFL in passer rating. It startered off close but 21 points in the second and the third put the game away.
week 2 NYG (2-2)
the Eagles can not put away a team
Lady luck went over to the giants at half. they took the game back in the second
week 3 SF(2-3)
All there opponents get there yardage in garbage time.
98 yard fumble return was the difference. that 14 point swing lost it for the Niners. Take that away and we got the niners out scroing them 21-7 in the second half.
week 4 GB (1-4)
Eagles finally put there oppent away.
Granted Brett had over half his season total of dropped passes that game. Key turnovers in the red zone. by the end of the third GB was done.
week 5 Dallas (2-2)
Eagles win an emotional battle.
Dallas had 5 fumbles lossing 3 and 3 INts. It still came down to the last drive by Dallas for the game to be decided. Drew's worse game this year. Ugly

That is how I see thier season.

They are a big play offense. They has not put together alot of long drives. They have only 1 int, 7 fumbles, and given up 12 sacks on the offensive side of the ball.
The defense can make you pay for a mental error. 23 sacks, 13 forced fumbles. 6 int's, 2 of which were returned for touchdowns.

We will have to accept the fact McNabb will have at least 3 passes over 40 yards and one going for a TD. They will have at least two long drives for scores. One for Westbrook and another passing. Our Defense has been proven to human. they more than the offense benifited from the hype of the Atlanta game. If we do not limit the scores after the given 21 to field goals we will not win this game.
Drew will have to put the numbers like Ellie did for NYG against this defense. 31/43 371 3 1. A great deal of ball control thru the pass to open up the running game. Bush will have a season high in receptions this week. Bush or Duce will have to run for one. John will have to match Jay in field goalds.
The wild card will be the special teams. we are pretty much a draw in the punting and kick off returns. Though we do have Reggie.
I look for a high scoring game. winner will be around 40 points. 38-34. Who bends but does not break on defense will win. each team will have its big plays. they should cancle each other out though. My money is on Drew at home. he has not had to put the offensive show on at home yet this year, his best passing games all have been on the road (GB, Car) and this is the game were the fans watch him and McNabb put up some godly numbers.
Lady luck and limiting the turn overs will be a must. Both teams have had the balls bouncing their way most of the season. So save her a seat and some gumbo. Gumbo beats a phili steak any day. Even the fat lady will go for it if you got some N.O. French Bread to go with it.

saintfan

Good read Hagan, but I don't think Brees is gonna have to throw 43 times. The Eagles Blitz a LOT, and I really think we might be able to run the ball on 'em.

pistolpete121

the eagles cannot stop an offense, such as the saints. say all you want, but the saints game plan willl prevail. watch for deuce to have another good game on the ground. dont be surprised if the tight-ends have a good game as well.

hagan714

numbers like 350 yards and 3 touchdowns. that is what I was looking at.

jrmllb

I think Dallas may be screwed from this point on...after they cream Houston or maybe not...Everyone knows how to beat them now: Blitz, rattle and chase Bledsoe, give up short yardage running,...Looking forward to our rematchwith the cowgirls

spkb25

if we can run the ball we can win this game. it will slow their pass rush down and open up the passing game which is probably their weakness on d. they have tiny corners and colston might be able to get open against them. they are going to blitz a lot to protect that weakness. we have to be able to get brees time. if we get that running game going we could get ourselves a big win this sunday. i think we are in a tough game here though. mcnabb looks to be on fire this year and the eagles generally don't come out flat.

by the way i hate the eagles and their fans which is my entire fam. i want to beat them for once.

Your team stinks

hagan714

:P we will win this one for you spkb,
i know the feeling on that one

maximkat

I'm in the same boat as spkb, my whole family is made up of eagletts. Lets get a win!

LKelley67

Excuse the length, it is from an Eagles forum. It is about as thorough as I have seen from a fan. Not terribly biased either. take the time to enjoy...

New Orleans went 3-13 last year. They've already topped that win total this year. And this is a completely different team. Not all the players have changed, but there is a different vibe to this team. New Head Coach Sean Payton has brought a sense of order and leadership that had been lacking. The addition of QB Drew Brees has also had a major impact. Aaron Brooks had all the talent in the world, but was not a leader and was more focused on himself than the team. Brees is a leader and a winner. Plus, he's got a chip on his shoulder from the way the things ended in San Diego.

OFFENSE

The Saints mostly work out of the I-formation. They like to run the ball and throw short to medium passes. They basically are a ball control offense.

NO averages 24 points a game and hasn't scored less than 18 in any game this year. One of their problems is settling for FGs rather than scoring TDs. They have kicked 11 already (compared to 5 by the Eagles).

Drew Brees is playing well right now. He's gone over 125 consecutive passes without an INT. He's completing over 65 percent of his passes. He's being efficient and the team is scoring and winning. He's got more completions than Donovan, but has throw for almost 400 fewer yards. The Saints have 2 pass plays all year that are 40 or more yards. McNabb had 2 TD passes that week that were 40 or more yards. This week will be a battle of efficient vs. explosive.

The OL is part of the success to this point. They are opening holes for the RBs. NO only averages 3.8 yds a carry, but they do average 29 carries a game, which fits in with their ball control attack. And the OL has only allowed 6 sacks. And I've seen parts of 4 Saints games. This isn't a case of Brees getting hit a lot, but not sacked. They are giving him a good pocket on a regular basis. There are no stars on the O-line, but they seem like a cohesive unit.

The running attack features one heck of a one-two combo in Deuce McAllister and Reggie Bush. Deuce is still the workhorse when it comes to run plays. Reggie gets some carries, but is also used creatively. One of the things that the Saints like to do is line Reggie up out wide and have him come in motion. They can hand the ball to him as an End Around or fake to him. That puts pressure on the backside of the defense and makes Deuce's runs up the middle all the more effective.

The receiving corps is solid. Joe Horn is the guy we all know about. He's still a good WR. The other starter is a rookie named Marques Colston. I'll put notes on him in the player section, but this kid isn't playing like a rookie. He's 7th in the NFL in receiving yards. Devery Henderson is the #3 WR. He's only got 8 catches. There isn't a lot of balance on this team. The starters really get a major portion of the touches. Ernie Conwell is a solid TE.

DEFENSE

The Saints run a 4-3.

This group is still searching for an identity. They have only one player that is really special, DE Will Smith. The DL is good, but not great. The LBs are overachievers. The DBs are okay, but nothing great. Give the guys credit, though. They are playing well enough. Statistically they are better than us, but those stats are highly flawed. Not one of the teams they've faced averages 20 points a game.

They play a lot of base defense, but will mix in some blitzing. The corners like to press and jam WRs, but can play off as well. The safeties seemed to play back mostly.

The Saints can be run on. They allow 124 yds a game. They gave up 187 yards to the Bucs last week. I've seen them gashed up the middle and to the outside. The LBs don't look very fast. The DL doesn't get as much penetration as you'd like. Not only does NO allow yards, but they give up 4.9 yds a carry. Not good.

The pass defense is better. However, part of the reason they don't allow as many yards through the air is because teams run on them. Also, they have faced Charlie Frye, Michael Vick, and rookie QB Bruce Gradkowski, hardly a murderer's row of passers. Opposing QBs have a rating of 82 vs Tampa (the Eagles have given up 250 more passing yards on the year, but only have an opponents rating of 74). They have a solid sack total of 15, but only have 3 INTs. They've got 23 Passes Defensed, led by CB Fred Thomas with 5. DT Brian Young leads in sacks with 3.5.

The LBs have really been a surprise to me. I thought this group was really weak coming into the year, but they have played fairly well. They make up 3 of the top 4 tacklers, which is what any coach would want. They've combined for 4 sacks, 2 FFs, and an INT. SLB Scott Fujita really stood out in the first few games. He was relatively quiet vs Tampa.

SPECIAL TEAMS

This is an outstanding unit. Lots of big plays.

They blocked a punt and returned it for a TD vs ATL. That was key in getting things going in the MNF win.

Reggie Bush has been used as the PR most of the time. He had been quiet initially, but had a 65 yd'er to win the game last week. This wasn't a Reggie special, though. He got great blocking. Reggie made the first guy miss and then followed the wall down the sideline. He's got enough ability to make all kinds of wild moves and create on his own, but didn't have to rely on those skills.

Aaron Stecker is the primary KOR. He only averages 20.6 a return. Sean Payton is frustrated with the KOR game, however he says Stecker isn't the problem, but rather the blocking is. Former Cowboy Terrence Copper had 2 KORs in the last game. His numbers were about the same as Stecker's.

PK John Carney is 11 of 12 this year on FGs, including one of over 50 yds.

P Steve Weatherford is having a solid year.

The coverage units look pretty solid. They have given up a long PR of 31 and long KOR of 40 yds. Opposing teams have average numbers in the return game.

LAST GAME

New Orleans beat Tampa 24-21.

The Saints ran the ball really well in the 1st half. Deuce had 117 of his 123 yards before halftime. 57 came on one run. The running game struggled in the 2nd half. They only had 11 carries for 15 yds. I'm sure that is a concern to Sean Payton. One thing that helped the running game in the 1st half was horrible tackling by the Bucs. I can't remember seeing a Tampa team flail around like that since they became respectable in the mid 90's.

The game was a back and forth affair. Tampa scored first to lead 7-0. The Saints put up the next 17 points to lead 17-7. The Bucs responded with a TD late in the 3rd and another early in the 4th to take back the lead at 21-17. Reggie Bush returned the punt with about 4 minutes left in the game for the winning score.

Tampa started rookie QB Bruce Gradkowski. He didn't play like a guy making his first start, though. He was efficient and threw for 225 yards. The Bucs ran for 187 and had 406 total yards. The Saints sacked Gradkowski twice, but he wasn't under constant pressure.

PERSONNEL NOTES

* Reggie Bush - He leads the NFL in receptions with 34. Bush also leads the league in 3rd down receptions. He hasn't been all that effective running the ball. Reggie only has 170 yards rushing and averages 3.1 a carry. He is running too fast and too out of control right now. He has to slow down and let the plays develop. He has to give his blockers a chance to create running lanes for him. Like a lot of young RBs, he has a tendency to break runs to the outside and head for daylight. That works wonders in college, but not the NFL.

Bush is a weapon. His numbers aren't great, but opposing defenses are focusing on him. That creates opportunities for the other players. When Reggie does have the ball, you can see his dynamic ability. He's got tremendous instincts when running in the open field. He sees things before they happen and just shows a great feel for what defenders are going to do and how to make them miss. He's going to have a breakout game on offense. Let's hope it isn't Sunday.

* Drew Brees - For the 2nd week in a row, we play a QB named Drew. Big difference, though. Brees has good mobility. He moves around in the pocket. Also, he will throw the ball away. I mentioned earlier that he'd only been sacked 6 times. Part of that credit is on him for dumping the ball and getting to the next play. He's showing no obvious signs of problems from the shoulder injury. He is a tough, emotional leader and the team feeds off him. Accurate passer with good touch.

* Jahri Evans - Rookie starting at RG. Looks good. Shows real potential. Does look susceptible to the outside pass rush. Big body. Moves okay. Has some push.

* Jamaal Brown - Moved from RT to LT this year. I don't think he looks as good on the left side, but he gets the job done. Leans hard to the outside and can be beaten inside. Simeon Rice used a spin move and beat him quickly to the inside. Good effort and a solid run blocker.

* Jon Stinchcomb - Starting RT. I was not impressed with Jon. He's got size and ability, but looks like a guy that could struggle vs a good DE. Showed some indecision in his blocks. Plays too high. Has allowed 2 sacks this year (according to STATS, Inc).

* Joe Horn - Seems like Joe has been a Saint for 20 years, but he is still a good WR. He will catch a lot of intermediate passes. Very good on slants and dig routes. Hasn't scored a TD yet.

* Marques Colston - Rookie WR is 7th in the NFL in receiving yards. He is not playing like a rookie. Big. Goes 6'4, 231. Physical player. Was shoving Ronde Barber around at times last week. Runs good routes and sells fakes well. Good blocker. Very impressive young guy. Had an 86 yd TD vs Carolina.

* Will Smith - Generally is at RDE. Excellent motor. Plays all out on every snap. Has enough quickness to beat OTs upfield. Chases plays. Stays low and plays with good leverage. Has 3 sacks. Disruptive force.

* Charles Grant - LDE. Good athlete that can be a force at times. Had a sack vs TB, but it was really created for him when DT Antwan Lake drove the LG back and the QB was sorta trapped. Charles will give Runyan some trouble on a few pass plays.

* Brian Young - High effort player. Leads the team in sacks. Last year, Saints DTs had a total of Zero sacks as a unit. Brian isn't the biggest or strongest guy, but he will make plays on effort and hustle. Has some quickness. Might remind some Eagles fans of Rhett Hall.

* Hollis T. - 6'4, 275. Sleek, athletic DT. Really fast. Never smiles. Okay, that is pretty much the opposite. Hollis is the run clogger for the Saints. He's doing an okay job. They rotate DTs and that helps. He does have half a sack this year. Last full regular season sack was in 2001.

* Scott Fujita - SLB. Having an outstanding year. Could make the Pro Bowl if he continues to make plays. Leads the team in tackles. Has 2 sacks, 3 PDs, 1 INT, and 1 FF. Pretty damned impressive. Him vs LJ Smith should make for an interesting matchup.

* Mark Simoneau - Starting MLB. Good range. Smart. Sloppy tackler. You know he'd love to make a big play vs his old team.

* Josh Bullocks - 2nd year FS. Gave up a TD last week and was partially responsible for a 57 yd bomb to Joey Galloway. The kid has talent. Was a top flight S at Nebraska. Still learning. He's a cover safety more than a hitter. On the TD, he had man coverage on Galloway. The long pass was a play action pass where he was on Galloway again. It isn't like he was covering a slow WR or mediocre player. Does have one INT on the year.

* Fred Thomas - Veteran CB. He is a tough, undersized cover guy. Can be beaten, but will make his share of plays as well.

THE GAME

When The Saints Have The Ball...

They will try to run on us. Sean Payton has been around coaches that really believe in the running game. He will try to establish McAllister early. And they will stick with the run even if we are controlling it.

They will also mix in some short and medium passing. The Saints move Brees around and don't just sit him in the pocket. They run PA passes. They use rollouts. They don't like him to be a stationary target without something else for the defense to think about.

I haven't seen them throw downfield very much. Against our pass rush, I wouldn't expect them to be too aggressive. Do remember, though, that Payton was in Dallas last year when they came out and burned us in Big D with an aggressive gameplan. Bledsoe threw 26 passes in the 1st half and they scored 27 points. Payton could try something tricky like that if he senses a weakness on our D.

Also, Sean will have some max protect throws. He won't allow us to tee off on Brees. And when they get in 3rd/long, the Saints like to dump the ball to Bush and see what he can do. We have to tackle well in this game. We need our back seven to take good angles and gang tackle. Bush will burn you if you make mistakes.

I'm really curious as to how Jim Johnson is going to play this game. NO likes to play small ball. The last couple of games, we have forced teams to play small ball and been very effective. Do we play the safeties back again and play small ball? Do we attack New Orleans and force them to be more aggressive?

I think JJ will be aggressive, at least early on. The way to attack Brees is off the edges. Tampa did that and had some success. I could see Dawk and Lewis and McCoy all blitzing off the edge. We could also see corner blitzes in this game. JJ hasn't done much of that at all this year.

I think Trent Cole will have a big game. He matches up real well vs both OTs. Trent has a good inside move and stays low. Darren Howard may have more luck at DT than DE. I'd look for him vs Jahri Evans a few times.

Should we get a lead or struggle, JJ will put Dawk back in centerfield and we'll get a bit more conservative.


When The Eagles Have The Ball...

The Eagles are expecting Brian Westbrook to play. Donte Stallworth is doubtful now, but still holds out hope of playing. We'll have to wait and see.

With the Saints being somewhat vulnerable to the run, I hope (and passively expect) that Andy will run the ball more this week. Tampa was able to work up the middle and outside. We have a big OL that should be able to block the Saints front four. I think Buck will have success off-tackle and up the middle. Same for Westy. And this could be a game where Moats finally gets some decent touches. His speed is a tough matchup for NO.

Obviously, we are going to throw the ball a decent amount. I think Andy will basically continue to do what we've done. That is to throw the ball downfield, mixed in with some screens and quick throws. The Saints played screens pretty well last week, but Tampa isn't as good at them as we are.

I think our OL can handle the inside DL. Tra and Jon have to block well on the DEs. Those guys can get up the field. I think the Saints will keep their safeties back and try to eliminate the big plays. They'll try to make us play small ball. That could mean a lot of throws to Reggie and LJ. I didn't get to see how comfortable NO was vs a spread attack. I could see Andy mixing in a fair amount of 3 and 4 WR sets at times.

I do think we'll go no huddle again. Hollis is a poor pass rusher. When you get him on the field, go no huddle and throw the ball. That will wear him down. The no huddle didn't work so well last week, but it has been good this year.

Our offense can move the ball on them and we can come up with big plays no matter what they do. Last week, the Bucs had 16 plays that went for 10 yards or more.


INTANGIBLES / RANDOM STUFF

* The Saints had 4 false start penalties last week. The game also had at least 3 offensive pass interference calls, the most I've ever seen in a game. The PI calls went on both teams.

* The Saints were only 3 of 12 on 3rd downs. The Eagles were worse...2 of 12.

* NO has only had one game that wasn't decided by 7 or fewer points. That was their 23-3 win over ATL.

* They allow opponents to conver 38 percent of 3rd downs...not good for a team in a lot of tight games.

* They are 2-0 at home.

* Sean Payton likes to throw to his FB on 3rd/short, 4th/short, or goal line plays. The FBs only have 2 catches this year, but they've lost their top 2 FBs to injury. And they tried to throw to the FB last week in the redzone, but Tampa covered him well. Just something to watch.

* The Saints dropped 2 TD passes last week. One forced a FG. The other was made up for by a TD on the next play.

* The last two trips to the Superdome by the Eagles had some memorable moments. In 1995, Mike Mamula finally got loose and had 3 sacks in his 4th NFL start. Rodney Peete got the start (officially ending the Randall Cunningham era) and the team halted a 2 game losing streak. In 2000, Tim Hauck laid a major hit on a Saints WR and the Eagles ended a 2 game losing streak.

I don't think the Saints are a strong team. They are vastly improved, but I just don't see them as a playoff team at this point. That said, they are winning. You don't do that by accident in the NFL. They are making critical plays and doing whatever it takes to get the job done. Give them credit for taking advantage of any opportunities that come their way.

Clearly, the Eagles are the better team. The big question is whether the team will focus on the Saints and be ready for Sunday or whether they are still enjoying the win over Dallas. Dawk said in the locker room after the game that the guys needed to focus on New Orleans and that they would be ready. We won't know for sure until Sunday.

exiled

so is Philly's pass rush that good or Dallas O line THAT bad?