Tag: Doug Pederson

Eagles rise in latest USA Today NFL Power Rankings

Eagles No. 11 in latest USA Today NFL Power Rankings

The Philadelphia Eagles are preparing to battle the New England Patriots at Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday and the Birds are feeling good after a refreshing bye week. After two straight victories to move their record to 5-4 on the season, Philadelphia jumped up two spots in the latest USA Today NFL Power Rankings.

Backing the Brinks truck up for a guard often a questionable move … but giving Brandon Brooks a $54 million extension could be a bargain.

The Eagles are using a ton of two-tight end sets with Zach Ertz and Dallas Goedert and Wentz will likely rely on their versatility while targeting Miles Sanders in the passing game against Dont’a Hightower.

Doug Pederson discusses comparisons between Patriots and 2000 Ravens defense

The Patriots have put up historic numbers through nine games this season and they’ve drew comparisons to many elite defenses. 

The New England Patriots have put up historic numbers through nine games this season and they’ve drew comparisons to many former teams.

One of the most talented and dominant defenses that they’ve been compared with is the 2000 Baltimore Ravens. This team included Ray Lewis, Rod Woodson, Sam Adams and many other elite defenders. They went on to win the Super Bowl and they opposing teams only averaged 10.3 points per game in the regular season.

Philadelphia Eagles coach Doug Pederson played against them as the Cleveland Brown’s quarterback, so he has a vivid memory of the unit. Fast-forward to 2019 and he’ll face a similar defense with New England, one that has opposing teams averaging a league-low 10.9 points per game.

Pederson talked to reporters about the similarities while on a press conference on Wednesday.

“It is an interesting conversation, and you can obviously draw some parallels with those two defenses,” Pederson said, transcribed by NESN. “I think the biggest thing that jumps out to you right now, the glaring thing, is the turnover ratio. I mean, the fact that they’ve got six defensive scores this season, the interceptions, the fumbles they’re causing — it’s a brand of defense where they just smother you. They just corral you. They’re OK with giving you 2, 3, 4 yards, but they’re right on top of you. Their secondary is that way aggressively, and their front seven are that way.

“That’s something I think when you look back, if I remember correctly with that Baltimore team, the same structure, the same style of defense. It was a smothering style of defense, and they played fast and they played aggressively. They may not do a whole lot schematically, and I think that’s a positive because it does allow your guys to play free, and to play fast and to play smart. I think that’s a similarity that I see with this Patriots defense today.”

The Patriots struggled against Lamar Jackson and the Ravens coincidentally before the bye week, but Bill Belichick has always had trouble with running quarterbacks. New England had an extra week to gameplan for Philadelphia and to get the players rested up.

New England still leads the league in defensive yards allowed per game (249.3) and they’re second in passing yards allowed per game (150.2). Aside from the hiccup in Week 9, the Patriots should be right back to elite form against the Eagles.

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Eagles Wire discussion forum: Does Carson Wentz need to outplay Tom Brady in order for the Eagles to defeat the Patriots?

Wentz needs to outplay Brady when the Eagles meet the Patriots

Carson Wentz will have the opportunity to prove that he’s elite on Sunday when he goes head to head with New England Patriots star, Tom Brady for the first time in his career.

“It’s always cool to play a competitor like him, arguably one of the best ever,” Wentz said Wednesday. “Ton of respect for him and what he has done.”

If not for a league-leading amount of drops from his receiving corps, Wentz might be in the discussion for MVP. He’s definitely in the discussion for the NFL’s best quarterback and entered last Week as the second-highest-rated signal-caller in the NFL behind the Seahawks Russell Wilson.

Through nine games this season, Wentz has completed 62.7% of his passes, completing 190 of 303 pass attempts, for 2,060 yards, 15 touchdowns, and four interceptions. The Eagles have been successfully utilizing a heavy dose of Jordan Howard and Miles Sanders over the past few weeks.

A successful running game has always been the remedy for slowing down the Patriots and thus keeping their explosive offense off of the field.

Even with the uptick in explosive plays for the Eagles, Bill Belichick will attempt to take away the Birds beast weapons, and likely put the ball in Carson’s hands. For the Eagles, Sunday could truly be Wentz’s coming out party.

Should the Eagles attend Colin Kaepernick’s private workout?

The Eagles should not attend Colin Kaepernick’s private workout

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In the famous term made popular by Ricky Watters, “For who? “For what”?

That could definitely be the motto when discussing whether the Eagles should attend Colin Kaepernick’s personal workout on Saturday. The Eagles are known for doing their due diligence whenever a talented player becomes available and with the news that all 32 NFL teams have been invited to Atlanta to watch the former 49ers star perform, the question has to be asked, will the Eagles send front office personnel and scouts?

Kaepernick, who led the 49ers to a Super Bowl appearance in 2012, hasn’t played a game since becoming a free agent in the offseason of 2017.

If you’re interested in theatrics and good drama, then attending the workout would make sense, even with the Eagles preparing to face the defending Super Bowl champions just hours later in a huge home game.

Adding to the theatrics, Kaepernick is also the same guy that called Malcolm Jenkins a “sellout” and a “neo-colonialist.” Jenkins is an Eagles captain and carries a ton of weight in the locker room.

If you thought Carson Wentz had eyes behind his head and developed acne on his face from dealing with Nick Foles as his backup for those two seasons, just imagine the stress Wentz will deal with when he’s asked about Kaepernick?

Or how will he deal with questions about gadget plays involving the athletic Kaepernick, or critics and pundits calling for his job the first time he struggles. Both quarterbacks have flourished in the RPO focused offensive system, and Kaepernick’s athleticism could make for interesting conversation in regards to how he’d look commanding the Eagles offense.

The Eagles have had previous opportunities to sign Kaepernick and are unlikely to sign him this go around either. Also pertinent to the matter, the quarterback position isn’t currently a need and there’s no guarantee that Kaepernick would be an upgrade over Josh McCown as the backup.

Due diligence on free agents players is always a must, but in this case, the Philadelphia Eagles may choose to pass.

Eagles Injury Report: Jordan Howard, Jason Peters limited participants at practice

Jordan Howard, Jason Peters limited at Eagles practice on Wednesday

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The Philadelphia Eagles released their first injury report in advance of Sunday’s matchup with the New England Patriots. Jordan Howard and Jason Peters were listed as limited, while Alshon Jeffery and Nigel Bradham did not practice.

Alshon Jeffery was listed as “day-to-day” coming out of the bye week after he suffered an ankle injury during the fourth quarter of the team’s win over the Chicago Bears.

Jason Peters had arthroscopic knee surgery after leaving the Week 6 loss at the Minnesota Vikings. Rookie Andre Dillard has started in his place over the past three games and performed well, but Peters is expected to regain his starting job upon being cleared.

Linebacker Nigel Bradham (ankle) is expected to be limited during workouts, but there is a chance he could play this week.

Cornerback Cre’Von LeBlanc (foot), remains on injured reserve but has been eligible to return since Week 9.

Eagles’ Injury Update: Cre’Von LeBlanc, Nigel Bradham nearing return

Doug Pederson provides an update on DeSean Jackson, Cre’Von LeBlanc and more

The Philadelphia Eagles are set to get back two more significant pieces to the defense as the Birds look to be finally rounding into form health-wise. Doug Pederson addressed the media on Wednesday and addressed the lingering injuries for several players.

Alshon Jeffery was listed as “day-to-day” coming out of the bye week after he suffered an ankle injury during the fourth quarter of the team’s win over the Chicago Bears.

Pederson then revealed that left tackle Jason Peters had arthroscopic knee surgery after leaving the Week 6 loss at the Minnesota Vikings. Rookie Andre Dillard has started in his place over the past three games and performed well, but Peters is expected to regain his starting job upon being cleared.

“He should be out there today at practice,” Pederson said. “I fully expect him to — he’ll practice today, and obviously we’ll see where he’s at at the end of the week.”

Linebacker Nigel Bradham (ankle) is expected to be limited during workouts, Pederson said there is a chance he could play this week.

Cornerback Cre’Von LeBlanc (foot), remains on injured reserve but has been eligible to return since Week 9.

Pederson stated that he’ll continue to rehab before returning to practice.

Doug Pederson says Alshon Jeffery is dealing with an ankle injury

Eagles Alshon Jeffery dealing with an ankle injury

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Doug Pederson met with the media on Wednesday and revealed what many already knew, that Eagles wide receiver Alshon Jeffery is “still sore” and “day-to-day,” after suffering an ankle injury in the team’s win over the Bears in Week 9.

Jeffery has been banged up this season and has 34 catches for 353 receiving yards and three touchdowns in eight games. Jeffery is averaging career lows in yards per target (6.4 yards) and yards per reception (10.4 yards).

The Eagles are already dealing with the loss of DeSean Jackson and would be in dire straights without Jeffery on the outside.

Watch: Eagles WR DeSean Jackson lightly jogging 1-week after abdominal surgery

Philadelphia Eagles star wide receiver DeSean Jackson lightly jogging 1-week after abdominal surgery

If DeSean Jackson’s 2019 season is indeed over having core muscle surgery, the Eagles star wide receiver isn’t acting like it. Hoping to get back for the playoffs, Jackson has already started lightly jogging one week after having surgery on his abdominal area.

Jackson was initially given a four to six week recovery period and even if he takes the normal eight weeks for core muscle recovery, he could still possibly return for an Eagles playoff run if the team handles its business in his absence.

Former Bucs CB Vernon Hargreaves could be a player the Eagles have interest in claiming

Vernon Hargreaves could be a player the Eagles have interest in claiming

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers grew tired of Vernon Hargreaves and his antics, but could the former first-round pick be a player that the Eagles have interest in adding to the roster?

Two days after he was benched for lack of hustle, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers released starting cornerback Vernon Hargreaves on Tuesday morning.

“After thoughtful consideration over the past few weeks, Bruce and I came to the conclusion that we needed to make this change,” Buccaneer’s general manager Jason Licht said in a statement via ESPN.com. “
Hargreaves was the 11th overall pick in the 2016 draft out of the University of Florida.

Even with Cre’Von LeBlanc set to return to the roster, Hargreaves could be a good fit for an Eagles defense looking for a standout cornerback.

Hargreaves started all 16 games for the Buccaneers as a rookie, and had his best season as a pro, logging 76 tackles and two forced turnovers. The past two seasons have seen Hargreaves really struggle with injuries and inconsistency.

He missed half of his second season with a hamstring issue and all but one game last season after injuring his shoulder.

Hargreave would fit well in Jim Schwartz man to man defense, a style he was astute at coming out of college.

His physical play marvels Rasul Douglas’s style and he’s still playing on his rookie deal.

Because he was waived, Hargreaves will be subjected to the waiver process, meaning the other 31 NFL teams around the league will have an opportunity to place a claim before he can become an unrestricted free agent.

Still in his fourth-year, Hargreaves would carry a salary into 2020 of $9.954 million after the Buccaneers exercised his fifth-year option prior to the season.

Eagles sign DB AJ Howard to the practice squad

Eagles sign DB AJ Howard to the practice squad

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The Philadelphia Eagles completed a transaction on Tuesday, signing free agent safety A.J. Howard to their practice squad, according to the NFL’s official transaction wire. The Eagles then waived practice squad tight end, Scott Orndoff.

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A former undrafted rookie, Howard spent time with Baltimore this season and was formerly a member of the New England Patriots.