In watching tomorrow's game, they'll be a few things I'll be watching, especially early. Like I said in my prior posts, my one concern is over confidence. If a team is over confident or looking beyond an opponent, it usually manifests itself in mental mistakes. They'll take bad penalties, such as false starts (when crowd noise isn't an issue)and illegal procedure/formation on offense. On defense, they'll be out of position or will blow a time out on defense because they don't get the proper substitutions on the field. Any events like this could spell trouble.
To win this game on offense, I think we need to continue the balanced attack of run & pass, even if the run isn't working. If Brian Westbrook isn't 100% (or even 80-90%), then we need to use Correll Buckhalter to run the ball. When we beat them on Thanksgiving, we had a very balanced attack which kept their defense guessing all day. As is true in any game, look to see who is winning the battle at the line of scrimmage. If Donavan is protected and has time to throw the ball, he is difficult to stop and can pick apart just about any defense. The one stat that still jumps out at me from the Giants game is that the Giants did not sack Donavan all season - that's 12 quarters of football & no sacks. That is what allows you to beat the reigning Superbowl champs 2 out of 3 times (and the 1 loss was only by 5 points). All in all, I think the Eagles will be able to move the ball on the Cardinals as long as we don't have turnovers and stupid penalties (see above).
As is the case with most Eagles games, the key is our defense. You may hear a lot of talk about their wide receivers Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin and while these receivers a very good, they are not speedy. This allows the Eagles to play press coverage with their good secondary. Jamming the receivers at the line of scrimmage will disrupt the timing of their passing game and hopefully make Kurt Warner uncomfortable. Early in the game, I'll be looking to see how much cushion the corner backs are giving their receivers. In my opinion, they shouldn't be giving them much of one at all. Kurt Warner is deadly if he has no pressure and his receivers are given a free release. Therefore, getting pressure on Warner is also critical. The Eagles need to hit him early and often. If they do, that should bode well for the game. If I were the Cardinals, I would use max protection & keep a back, tight end or both in to help with blocking. I also heard a pundit suggest that they should use a no huddle as it will prevent the Eagles from making the defensive substitutions that they like to do. Don’t be surprised if you see the Cardinals try this. If the Cardinals do try maximum protection, it will be even more important for us to disrupt the timing of the passing game by jamming the receivers. That is why the cushion we’re giving will be very important tomorrow.
Notice how I haven’t said anything about the Cardinals running game. While it has improved with Edgerrin James’ increased role, he is not a big play runner. James’ game is based on not getting negative yardage runs. In other words, he will consistently get gains of 3, 4, 5 or even 6 yards a carry, but he won’t break one off for 40 yards. This will allow the Eagles to focus on the pass and essentially play the run as they try and get to Kurt Warner. If the Cardinals are able to move the ball on the ground, look for the Eagles defense to simply play a “bend but don’t break” defense which will allow them to move the ball, but hold them to field goal attempts instead of touchdowns. We saw on Sunday, that the Giants were able to run and gain consistent yardage, but they did not allow the Giants in the end zone. I would expect the Eagles to use much the same approach this week against the Cardinals. If James is allowed to get a big run (i.e. more than 25 yards) or if he is getting in the end zone through the running game, that could spell trouble for the Eagles.
Just a few things to look for tomorrow. Enjoy the game & GO EAGLES!!
To win this game on offense, I think we need to continue the balanced attack of run & pass, even if the run isn't working. If Brian Westbrook isn't 100% (or even 80-90%), then we need to use Correll Buckhalter to run the ball. When we beat them on Thanksgiving, we had a very balanced attack which kept their defense guessing all day. As is true in any game, look to see who is winning the battle at the line of scrimmage. If Donavan is protected and has time to throw the ball, he is difficult to stop and can pick apart just about any defense. The one stat that still jumps out at me from the Giants game is that the Giants did not sack Donavan all season - that's 12 quarters of football & no sacks. That is what allows you to beat the reigning Superbowl champs 2 out of 3 times (and the 1 loss was only by 5 points). All in all, I think the Eagles will be able to move the ball on the Cardinals as long as we don't have turnovers and stupid penalties (see above).
As is the case with most Eagles games, the key is our defense. You may hear a lot of talk about their wide receivers Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin and while these receivers a very good, they are not speedy. This allows the Eagles to play press coverage with their good secondary. Jamming the receivers at the line of scrimmage will disrupt the timing of their passing game and hopefully make Kurt Warner uncomfortable. Early in the game, I'll be looking to see how much cushion the corner backs are giving their receivers. In my opinion, they shouldn't be giving them much of one at all. Kurt Warner is deadly if he has no pressure and his receivers are given a free release. Therefore, getting pressure on Warner is also critical. The Eagles need to hit him early and often. If they do, that should bode well for the game. If I were the Cardinals, I would use max protection & keep a back, tight end or both in to help with blocking. I also heard a pundit suggest that they should use a no huddle as it will prevent the Eagles from making the defensive substitutions that they like to do. Don’t be surprised if you see the Cardinals try this. If the Cardinals do try maximum protection, it will be even more important for us to disrupt the timing of the passing game by jamming the receivers. That is why the cushion we’re giving will be very important tomorrow.
Notice how I haven’t said anything about the Cardinals running game. While it has improved with Edgerrin James’ increased role, he is not a big play runner. James’ game is based on not getting negative yardage runs. In other words, he will consistently get gains of 3, 4, 5 or even 6 yards a carry, but he won’t break one off for 40 yards. This will allow the Eagles to focus on the pass and essentially play the run as they try and get to Kurt Warner. If the Cardinals are able to move the ball on the ground, look for the Eagles defense to simply play a “bend but don’t break” defense which will allow them to move the ball, but hold them to field goal attempts instead of touchdowns. We saw on Sunday, that the Giants were able to run and gain consistent yardage, but they did not allow the Giants in the end zone. I would expect the Eagles to use much the same approach this week against the Cardinals. If James is allowed to get a big run (i.e. more than 25 yards) or if he is getting in the end zone through the running game, that could spell trouble for the Eagles.
Just a few things to look for tomorrow. Enjoy the game & GO EAGLES!!
Fly, Eagles, Fly on the road to victory!!
ReplyDeleteHey, I've been checking this blog all day looking for words of comfort and hope for next season. What's going on, here? I need some "rational" commentary. And maybe a hug.
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