Hi Friends!
Well what did we learn from this past week's game against those Seattle Seahawks? That Carson Wentz is not perfect and also that our coaches have times when they seem to suffer from amnesia. I hate to lose as much as anyone, but in this case after I gave it a lot of thought, this loss suffered by the Eagles might have been a good one in the long run. To me, it seemed like the Eagles players were getting caught up in all the hype surrounding them during their winning streak and probably thought they couldn't be beat. WRONG! If ever the Eagles needed a wake-up call to bring them back down to earth, this loss to the Seahawks was it! There were way too many plays left out on the field against Seattle with plenty of missed opportunities that in previous weeks Carson Wentz and company just didn't miss. That fumble by Wentz at the 1-foot line that bounced out of the end zone was a back-breaker. If the Eagles score there, it probably changes the momentum back in their favor, but instead, Seattle took over after the safety and marched right down to score a TD.
Yes, there is plenty of blame to go around for this loss and it's not only with the players and their poor execution, but also with the coaches who might have called their worst game to date. Coach Pederson, while being a gambler on 4th and short all year long, seemed to go in a shell against Seattle and seemed to be coaching scared. Also, why he didn't challenge the play where Russell Wilson threw an obvious illegal forward pass is a mystery that I'm still trying to figure out. So now the Eagles have this week to prepare and get ready for a very tough Los Angeles Rams team this Sunday. Let's hope that they learned from this lackluster performance against Seattle.
Oh What A Night Here In The Locker Room
I told you in last week's blog that I had some really cool things that were going to take place here at the Locker Room for the Seahawks game. Well, it was way beyond cool! First, our friends at Alliance Marketing who handle all the Dunkin Donuts promotions, brought the Dunkin Donuts Community Cruiser for the game. They handed out free coffee, free gift cards and assorted giveaways for everyone here at the Locker Room. As a special surprise, they made assorted flavored donuts with photos of Dawn and myself on the top of each donut...really cool. We thank Alliance Marketing & Dunkin Donuts for making it such a special event!
In The Company Of Greatness
To add to the excitement this past Sunday, we were joined by former Pro Bowler, Eagle great Mr. J.D. Smith of the 1960 Championship team. J.D. was at the Valley Forge Casino to sign autographs this past Saturday for a memorabilia show and heard of the Locker Room, so he reached out to us to see if he could attend Sunday's game. He, along with his lovely wife Melanie, are some of the nicest folks that we've ever had the pleasure of meeting and they absolutely had a blast here in the Locker Room. What a thrill being able to be in their company. We are so happy that we got to share such a special evening with all our friends. J.D. & Melanie promised that they will be back whenever they are in the area and we look forward to it for sure!
Three Things To Look For In This Week's Game...
1. Beefing up the Blitz.
Well, I told you that the Rams are a very good team; they are not the Rams of old, and it all starts at the quarterback position. In fact, the Rams and the Eagles are quite similar in that their fortunes changed for the better in last year’s NFL draft with the Rams taking QB Jared Goff with the #1 pick and the Eagles selecting Carson Wentz with the 2nd pick. For weeks leading up to the draft, speculation was running wild on whether the Rams would pick Goff or Wentz, and it looks like both teams did very well. For the next 10 years or so, these two signal callers should be the class of the NFL at the quarterback position. In his rookie season, Goff (like Wentz) didn't have much in the way of weapons and the Rams (like the Eagles) went out this past offseason and loaded up with playmakers and it's paid off big time. They added promising rookies like tight end Gerald Everett and wide receiver Cooper Kupp in the draft. Last season, the Rams O-line didn't protect Goff very well, so the front office went out and signed three-time Pro Bowler Andrew Whitworth to play left tackle. The Rams have a very fine runner in Todd Gurley, who can be a tough man to bring down, and the Birds defense will have their hands full with him. Also toting the rock, the Rams have Lance Dunbar, along with fullback Sam Rogers. Los Angeles has very good receivers in speedy Tavon Austin, Robert Woods, Tyler Higbee and Cooper Kupp. Tight end Gerald Everett rounds out the group of receiving weapons for Goff. So this year’s version of the L.A. Rams is not your father’s Rams of yesteryear; this team is loaded on the offensive side of the ball. I look for Jim Schwartz to get his defense back on track, and it wouldn't surprise me if he blitzes a bit more than he did against Seattle. The Eagles defense is going to certainly have to play a much better game than they did this past Sunday against the Seahawks or it will be a very long plane ride home to Philly.
2. A Tough Rams Defense.
In the off season last year, one of the Rams’ best hires was bringing in Wade Phillips as their defensive coordinator. Phillips is a proven defensive mind and always has defenses ranked at the top or near the top of the NFL. Even with losing defensive linemen William Hays & Eugene Sims to free agency last this offseason, the Rams are still good on the D-line with nose tackle Aaron Donald. Donald's one of the best in the league and along with ends Ethan Westbrooks and Michael Brockers, they make up a very formidable group. Former Eagles favorite Connor Barwin joined the Rams in the offseason, but it's possible he won't play against his former team because of injury. The other outside linebacker is Robert Quinn, who is a stud pass rusher. Marc Barron and Alec Ogletree play the middle and are very good. If this group can stay healthy, they are one of the best in the league. The Rams secondary is questionable, and this might be the weakest link on that side of the ball. So I look for the Eagles to come out in this game firing on all cylinders by letting Carson Wentz air it out to get us back in the win column. That being said though, I would love to see Doug Pederson call on Corey Clement to run the ball a little bit more as every time he touches the ball, he makes something happen. Another important thing to look at in this game is whether Zach Ertz will be cleared to play after he suffered a mild concussion against the Seahawks. Ertz is Carson Wentz's favorite target, and if he can't go it will be interesting to see who picks up the slack. And how about the coming out party that Nelson Agholar had versus the Seahawks? He was on fire with 7 receptions gaining 130+ yards, and I for one am very happy for him. He has to be a strong candidate for comeback player of the year. He's got my vote!
3. A Tough Test.
The Eagles special teams unit is playing at a very high level, and this past week, Kenjon Barner was close to breaking a return. Punter Donnie "Long Ball" Jones was very solid with some booming punts and Jake Elliott seems to be kicking very confidently. The Rams have a better special teams unit than in years past with Johnny Hecker as their punter and Greg Zuerlein as their kicker. Receiver Tavon Austin handles punt returns for the Rams and can be dangerous, so the Eagles will have to be careful with him. Make no mistake about it friends: this will be a tough test for our Birds, but if they want to achieve their goal of home field advantage throughout the playoffs, they have to get out of this west coast trip with a win Sunday.
That will do it for me for this week. I invite you to check back with me next week as I take a look back at the Rams game and a look ahead to our next opponent: the New York Giants. Until then, as always I wish you...
Love, Luck, Lollipops and Linguini,
Barry "The Hatchet" Vagnoni
Fly Eagles Fly!
