Rap International » Every tiny edge you can gain in playoff preparation

is worth it. It could be a concept or coverage you saw from Week 8 or from 2012. All of it matters. All of it can be useful.The defending Super Bowl Champion Philadelphia Eagles’ offense came fully prepared to play last Sunday. The top ranked Chicago Bears’ defense weren’t lacking on their end either. Both teams had intelligent game-plans.So Reggie White Jersey , what worked for the Eagles and what fell short? Why did the successful plays execute and why did the unsuccessful plays fail? Execution? Design? Digging into the film, there’s plenty of plays to dissect and it’s apparent how deep in the bag each coach reached for answers.WHAT DIDN’T WORK...“Run the Bawl!”Number one, just about everything went wrong in the run game. The Bears limited the Eagles to 1.63 yards per carry and a 36% stuff rate. That stuff rate means that 8 of 22 of the Eagles runs went for zero or negative yards, which is an incredibly high amount.The pairing of Akiem Hicks and Eddie Goldman that I dubbed the best interior defensive lineman duo in the league lived up to the billing. Per Pro Football Focus, the two big boys had 4 run stops each. Among interior defenders they tied for 1st with each other on the week. Even Khalil Mack’s “quiet” game featured 5 run stops, which tied for 1st among edge defenders.Taking a LeakBack in Week 8 the Eagles’ utilized a Kyle Shanahan staple to free up Dallas Goedert for a 32-yard touchdown. That concept is called “leak” and it has many variations.The name is very self-explanatory. The goal of this play is to move the pocket one way and leak a receiver across the formation the other way.In the Shanahan playbook the leak is often accompanied by a running back flat to help hold underneath defenders and provide an outlet. Instead, the Eagles send the checkdown to the front side in the direction of Carson Wentz’s roll-out to give him an easier throw if needed.A major reason reason this deception works is the personnel grouping. The Eagles are in 13 (one running back, three tight ends). They run from that personnel 60% of the time, to which the Jacksonville Jaguars were acutely aware. This, combined with the vertical stretches and moving of the pocket all created a situation for Dallas Goedert to find plenty of space on his route for an easy throw and catch score.But remember Womens Mike Quick Jersey , this is the “What Didn’t Work” section and the Bears had an answer. His name is Roquan Smith. He’s a rookie linebacker, an eight overall pick, and boasts fantastic coverage instincts that pair nicely with his top tier athleticism.Not-So-Fine ChinaIt’s a favorite route concept of mine, especially in or approaching the red zone. It’s called “Double China-7” and it’s been a nuisance for defenses for years. There aren’t many calls that work well against this three-man route combination, but the Bears’ had one dialed up on Sunday. Perhaps they saw what scheme the New York Giants deployed in Week 12 and used it as a guide.I could write a novel about this play-call and it’s variations, but if you want to learn more check out this article by Nick Turchyn of Inside the Pylon.WHAT WORKED...Going Back to the WellWhat worked is what has worked before for the Eagles. That’s typically the case for Nick Foles. The Eagles’ often rehash ideas that hit for him during his tenure as starting quarterback in the Chip Kelly era. No, this is not another diatribe on mesh-sit wheel. In this situation, the Eagles called back to something more recent.Reaching into their bag of tricks, the Eagles pulled out a play that has scored in the touchdown twice with Wentz at the helm.I wrote about the execution of these two plays here.Matt BowenSimply, the Eagles run a variation of this by turning the corner route into a corner-post. In Eagles terminology it’s a “copper” route. Hence why I’m calling it “spot copper”.It gets played differently by the Bears’ defense than it did in the previous cases http://www.eagleslockerroom.com/authentic-wes-hopkins-jersey , but the result is the same.Goedert still has to develop as a route runner but this is nicely done. His initial outside stem gets Adrian Amos’ hips turned to the outside, clearing space to the inside. Goedert is physical at the top of his route and fights through the mutual contact to uncover in the end zone for a 10-yard touchdown.Backside IsolationWe saw this a ton from both teams, especially from their 3x1 sets with the running back set to the Y-Iso side. The advantage of working the backside is you’ll often create a basic high-low read. This allows the quarterback to key in on one defender and base his decision-making of his actions.The Eagles knew they could get Alshon Jeffery into single coverage and soft spots with these trips formations. They went with it early and Foles knew exactly where he was going with the ball.Foles is reading the linebacker Danny Trevathan. When he steps up to pick-up Darren Sproles releasing out of the backfield the dig by Jeffery gets the green light. Not only is it off coverage by Kyle Fuller, but he’s giving up a lot in the way of size. It’s very difficult for 5’11, 190 pounds to work through 6’3”, 218 pounds and impact the catch-point when he’s already being boxed out via alignment and route design.Turning Back the ClockIt wouldn’t be a “What Worked” article without the game-winning touchdown, would it? Pushing the tactics aside for a moment, the game-winning touchdown by Foles to Golden Tate was eerily similar to a previous game-winning touchdown.Personal story.. I was at that game with a good friend who is a lifelong Eagles fan. After the touchdown, he turned to me and said, “Nick Foles is so cool.” He’s not wrong.Here’s the game-winner to Tate on a similar concept and location in the end zone Wilbert Montgomery Jersey , because why not relive this moment for the hundredth time?This is part of what makes the playoffs great. Excellent coaching staffs pouring through hours, sometimes years of tape to find the smallest of edges that could matter in the biggest of moments. An incredible amount of thought goes into constructing these game-plans and the punch, counter-punch war games nearly match the drama itself.The Eagles came out on top, but they’ll face an even bigger challenge against an established mastermind next week. Doug Pederson squaring up with Sean Payton is going to produce appointment viewing film and maybe.. just maybe.. a little bit of drama too. PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Nick Foles fell 27 yards short of leading the Philadelphia Eagles to a third straight comeback win in the postseason.His next opportunity likely will come in a different uniform.The Eagles (10-8) were eliminated with a 20-14 loss at New Orleans on Sunday, ending the team’s bid to repeat as Super Bowl champions. The front office faces several difficult decisions in the offseason, starting with Foles.Carson Wentz is the team’s quarterback going forward and Foles is looking forward to exploring his options. The Eagles must decide by mid-February if they want to exercise a $20 million option to keep Foles for 2019. But Foles could decline it and pay back $2 million to become a free agent. Philadelphia could put a franchise tag on Foles, though $23-25 million is a hefty price for a backup.“The starter thing, leading a team, impacting a locker room, that’s why we play the game Womens Harold Carmichael Jersey ,” Foles said Monday. “Everything is open. I love this city. I love this locker room. It’s special. We’ll see.”It’s possible the Eagles could use the franchise or transition tag to trade Foles rather than allow him to walk away for only a compensation pick. Foles isn’t a me-first guy and it’s not unreasonable to think he would work something out that’s beneficial to both sides.“Having the option to be a free agent is extremely important,” he said. “Technically, I’m really not under contract right now and that’s something we’ll discuss in the future. It’s a unique situation, it’s a good situation for this team to have. … I have a great relationship with this team and that’s genuine. Ultimately, we’ll make the best decision for both sides and it’ll work out.”Wentz missed the first two games recovering from knee surgery that forced him to watch from the sideline last season as Foles led Philadelphia to its first NFL title since 1960. He started 11 games before a back injury ended his season again. Wentz finished third in NFL MVP voting last season and had career-highs in passer rating and completion percentage this season.But Foles’ success in the postseason and his clutch performance down the stretch to help Philadelphia reach the playoffs as a No. 6 seed created a debate among fans and media. There is no quarterback controversy within the organization, however. Coach Doug Pederson reiterated several times Wentz is the starter when he’s healthy.“It’s super frustrating,” Wentz said about his injuries. “I still have zero games of postseason football under my belt. I realize I have a lot to prove in that regard. I’m confident I will get the chance to do that.”The Eagles have a lot of work to do to get back to an elite level in the NFL. They overcame several key injuries — three starting defensive backs, a starting running back and starting defensive end were among 17 players on injured reserve — and upset Chicago in the wild-card round. But their run ended against the top-seeded Saints.The importance of earning a first-round bye — the Eagles were a No. 1 seed last year — is evident by the fact the top two seeds are meeting in the conference title games in the AFC and NFC.Beyond Foles, management has many important decisions.Defensive end Brandon Graham, linebacker Jordan Hicks http://www.eagleslockerroom.com/authentic-randall-cunningham-jersey , cornerback Ronald Darby, running backs Jay Ajayi and Darren Sproles, wide receivers Golden Tate, Mike Wallace and Jordan Matthews, defensive tackle Haloti Ngata and safeties Chris Maragos and Corey Graham will be free agents.Pro Bowl right guard Brandon Brooks tore his right Achilles against the Saints. All-Pro defensive tackle Fletcher Cox finished the game but wore a boot on his foot afterward. All-Pro center Jason Kelce and veteran defensive end Chris Long haven’t committed to playing next season.“It’s tough,” Pederson said about roster turnover. “You build relationships with these guys. You spend so much time together. You build your roster. Every year your roster is going to change, that is just the way that it is. There are people who are going to come. There are people who are going to go. Obviously, we will talk more about it in the next few days. We will see where we go again.”