Hello Friends!

If you live in Exeter Township or the surrounding area, chances are you already know how the Locker Room was partying this past Sunday evening, as I am sure you heard us. The capacity crowd really set the tone and the room was electric from the jump. But then, the fumble happened. That blunder was the start of our downfall as it seemed to spiral downward for the Birds, giving the Cowboys life and a big boost. Yes, that fumble hurt us, but I put the blame for that loss on the mistakes that just seem to escalate for this young, inexperienced team each and every week. Along with the Smallwood fumble, the wide receivers once again had way too many dropped passes that cost the team dearly and there are no excuses for that. This is professional football guys! 

I also have to mention all of the missed blocks on what could have been big plays for the Eagles. Jason Kelce was moving like Granny Moses. However, the majority of blame for this loss, in my opinion, has to go to Doug Pederson and his staff. The play calling was atrocious and way too predictable. Pederson deciding to punt the ball away instead of letting Sturgis attempt what would have been a 53-yard field goal was puzzling to me. When you have a shot at putting up points you have to take that chance - especially on the road. Sturgis was perfect earlier on a 55-yarder and supposedly was kicking them through the uprights from 60-65 yards out in pregame warm ups. Bonehead call, Doug! 

Also the glaring weakness of not having a wideout that can stretch the field on deep routes was once again very evident for the entire world to see on national TV. I said it in last week’s blog: we need to do something at the wide receiver position and fast if we have any hopes of getting to the playoffs. They have until Nov. 1 at 4pm to swing a trade for a speedy receiver and “The Hatchet" implores the Eagles to GET IT DONE! 

One thing I take from the game, and it hurts for me to say this, but the Cowboys have themselves a very good team. It looks like we're in for some very exciting games for the next 8 to10 years with the Carson Wentz/Dak Prescott matchup, and I'm looking forward to it.

3 Things To Know About This Week’s Game

Week 9: Eagles vs. Giants

1. The Eagles have owned the Giants these last few years, and I think they have something like13 wins and only 3 losses in the last 16 games. That was then; this is now though. This year’s edition of the Giants is much improved from last year’s as they really addressed the defensive side of the ball in the off season. If the Birds are going to get back on the winning track this week they will have to be at the top of their game. It is going to be a very hostile crowd in East Rutherford. A good way to make them a non-factor is to get a lead on the Giants early. Last Sunday the Eagles, to me, were not balanced as I think they did not run the ball enough. I look for them to play a smash mouth football type of game against the Giants by pounding the ball on the ground. For some reason, Ryan Matthews hardly got any touches last week and against the Giants we are going to need him if we're going to be successful. Don't get me wrong, I love Darren Sproles, but you will wear him out fast if you expect to give him the ball as many times as last week. We need Sproles as fresh as he can be to be effective on kick returns, where he really excels! Here it is our 8th game of the year and I'm still not happy at all with the wide receivers’ production. The Eagles led the entire NFL in dropped passes last year under Chip Kelly and it looks like they'll be in the running for that same distinction again this year if they don't tighten it up. It doesn't take a nuclear scientist to know that you cannot keep throwing those short dump-off passes that gain 4-5 yards if you are going to have any success. We need to go over the top more to keep the Giants defense honest. If they know that you're not a threat to throw deep then all they are going to do is completely shut down all the underneath plays that you're running. Perfect example is the lateral last week to Sproles as the Cowboys Sean Lee was there at the same time Sproles got the ball. C'mon coach Pederson, you were an NFL QB and you certainly know that you have to at least chuck the ball deep once in a while, even if it's just to give the defenses something to worry about!  
    
2. The Eagles defense will have tackle Benny Logan back this week and he will be a big boost for the line. The Giants running game is nothing to brag about as their backs are averaging a paltry 3.3 yards per attempt and only 70 yards per game. It's a far cry from their glory days featuring the likes of Tiki Barber, Brandon Jacobs and other greats. Eli Manning is still a very good quarterback, even at this stage of his career, but if you get pressure on him he will turn it over. The secret is to not let him get comfortable back there in the pocket because if he does, he can put up huge numbers, so the Eagles will want to get after him. The Giants have one of the best (maybe the goofiest too) wide receivers in Odell Beckham Jr. This guy can absolutely be a highlight film if you let him run wild. You add Victor Cruz and the talented rookie Sterling Shepard, and you have a group of one of best set of wideouts in the entire NFL. Our young guns in the secondary will certainly be tested and I have a feeling they will do just fine! We can only hope so.
    
3. Learn To Close The Deal! The Eagles are a very young team and must learn that you have to put the pedal to the metal and not let up. Last week they outplayed the Cowboys and went toe-to-toe with them and had them on the ropes but let them back up. You cannot allow that. This week they have to punch the Giants right in the gut and as they're on their way down to the canvas you have to punch them again - harder! Get a lead early and continue to hammer them again and again and do not let up on offense, defense or special teams until that final whistle blows. No turnovers, no stupid penalties, good special teams play and “The Hatchet" is predicting that the Eagles are going to come out on Sunday and take it to those Giants to get back on the winning track. I also predict that this will be the sensational rookie Carson Wentz's best game to date. Note to Carson Wentz: Please learn to go to Zach Ertz. You are missing out on a great opportunity as Ertz can be our Gronkowski. 

There, you have my thoughts for this week’s game friends. Please check back next week as I take a look at the upcoming Falcons game. Now I have a question: Is anyone bringing cannoli to the Locker Room for me this week? Haha!