Yea, agree, as a Pats fan I'll have to say Philly looks damm impressive indeed, if Bortles can hang 300 on the NE defense Foles should find success as well, both Butler + Gilmore gave up chunk plays at home as well. I think a lot depends on which team finds a groove first as well.
Well they aren't just a jump shooting team, they also play elite defense. The phrase "defense wins championships" is still true to this day. I don't think a team that's all offense and no defense can win a championship. Maybe in football but only because it's a one and done system so luck is a much bigger factor, but no way in basketball with a 7 game series.I found it really fun 2-3 years ago because everyone said "A jump-shooting team can't win it all". But the effect that they've had on the league and on basketball in general has been terrible... Seeing brick after brick thrown up by lesser teams in the league is just not that much fun to watch. You'd think college would be worse too, but the closer 3-point line stems that issue somewhat. High School and lower has taken a huge hit though...
Doesn't matter really matter if their defense is elite or not - they have the highest points per game year in and year out over the past few years, because they just chuck threes and make so many.Well they aren't just a jump shooting team, they also play elite defense. The phrase "defense wins championships" is still true to this day. I don't think a team that's all offense and no defense can win a championship. Maybe in football but only because it's a one and done system so luck is a much bigger factor, but no way in basketball with a 7 game series.
If you were correct, Mike D'Antoni teams would have a few titles by now.Doesn't matter really matter if their defense is elite or not - they have the highest points per game year in and year out over the past few years, because they just chuck threes and make so many.
Yea, after watching Foles the past 2 games he seems to have his nerve back about him, some of those throws vs the Vikings were just perfect. I't not that the Pats won't score much against the Philly defense, if Gronk's able to play I think they do, but Philly's diverse offense seems a bit to much for this years Pats defense to hold out for long. Of course the "big stage" is always an unknown factor but if Philly scores on their opening 1-2 possessions those "butterfly's" should be gone.For myself, I found that it was all too easy to forget that Philly really was the best team all year, as soon as Wentz went down. I think so many wrote them off and obviously for just nonsense reasons. I guess it's pretty clear that the tools in Philly right now really are so good that as long as you have some real competence back there (Foles did have a really solid 1/2 season with Philly a few years back....so we know he can be pretty damn good), then Philly hasn't suffered much with the loss of Wentz. They pretty much dominated Atlanta, as well, despite the score not looking as lopsided as the Vikes score. I felt that after Ajaya fumbled on that first possession and then on the next drive, they just kept feeding him and he and OL just kept pounding on Atlanta, that the game was over. And it really was.
Same when Minnesota couldn't respond to those first two Philly scores. The Eagles are just goddamn solid all around--not to dismiss Brady and the Pats just doing what they always do--but I feel like Foles and his line has to have one of those days like Manning and the Denver O-Line days did against Seattle a few years ago for the Eagles to lose this one. I don't see that happening.
That's a real tale of two different front offices. All hail Howie Roseman, who not only somehow managed to dig the roster out of the 'Chip Kelly as unofficial GM' debacle, but had the vision to trade up twice in order to snag Wentz. I am given to understand that the QB position carries some importance for a NFL team.I'll be rooting for the Pats because as a Redskins fan, the only thing I have left to hang over the Eagles fans I know is that they have never won a Super Bowl. I need to be able to go back to that as my only thing to talk trash about, because clearly the Eagles are a better team than the Redskins right now, and probably will be for a long time with Wentz at the helm, and with the Redskins probably fucking up the Cousins thing and having him leave.
They are already trying to sell us on Baker Mayfield around here. Or Josh Allen. It's going to be RG3 all over again when they let the best QB they have had in decades walk only to go back into the QB carousel of the past decades.That's a real tale of two different front offices. All hail Howie Roseman, who not only somehow managed to dig the roster out of the 'Chip Kelly as unofficial GM' debacle, but had the vision to trade up twice in order to snag Wentz. I am given to understand that the QB position carries some importance for a NFL team.
And then there's the cautionary tale of the Skins, who let the (really quite) good be the enemy of the perfect. They let both of Cousins' starting WRs leave this year, then saw the OL get ravaged by injury, and Cousins' production still basically held. Even with all their key injuries on both sides of the ball, the Skins still went 7-9. There's a good team remaining under all that carnage, and I fully expect Mark Sanchez to come over in free agency and lead them to glory . . . NOT!
[QUOTE="Jforce, post: 39275207, member: 375835"]I cannot fathom the aversion to the Pats that I hear in many places. Perhaps the "why" to so many people hating Brady et. al is likely more the subject of a psy analysis than a reasonable athletic one. After all, this is the most talented sports team since the Montreal Canadians (1956-60) yet many can't stand to see it perform another remarkable win. I can only drum up a SWAG : A generalized negative reaction is likely a measure of feelings of self loathing, eh ? Like, see the best and feel the worst ?
Really?, how exactly did they "cheat" that SB away form the Eagles?, FACTS please. What a pathetic fanbase Philly really is, throwing food/beer at Viking's fans, booing Santa, cheering as Micheal Irving lay on the field in a crumpled heap, pummeling Giant's fans with thousands of snowballs to the point security had to make them leave for their own safety. The Eagles deserve a SB victory for their inspired play this year, the scumbag fans do not.
I thought it was established that the Pats were videotaping opposing teams from the sidelines during games until they got caught a few years later. While I'm also doubtful it meaningfully swung the game, I also doubt Belichick did it unless he found some value in it. Arguing the impact is fair, pretending the Pats are scandal free is laughable.
Deflategate IMO was a farce that the league forced through b/c they knew they were too lenient for Spygate.
Really?, how exactly did they "cheat" that SB away form the Eagles?, FACTS please. What a pathetic fanbase Philly really is, throwing food/beer at Viking's fans, booing Santa, cheering as Micheal Irving lay on the field in a crumpled heap, pummeling Giant's fans with thousands of snowballs to the point security had to make them leave for their own safety. The Eagles deserve a SB victory for their inspired play this year, the scumbag fans do not.
Really?, how exactly did they "cheat" that SB away form the Eagles?, FACTS please. What a pathetic fanbase Philly really is, throwing food/beer at Viking's fans, booing Santa, cheering as Micheal Irving lay on the field in a crumpled heap, pummeling Giant's fans with thousands of snowballs to the point security had to make them leave for their own safety. The Eagles deserve a SB victory for their inspired play this year, the scumbag fans do not.[/QUOTE]Really? Being from Philly area it might have something to do with cheating to help them win back in 2005 over Eagles.
That criticism of the Seahawks blowing the SB has been debunked. Nobody will disagree with the idea that Beast Mode should've or could've scored the game winner. However, the data from that season shows that no QB had thrown a pick from the 2 yard line. And ironically, Beast Mode was not a lock that season on short yardage situations. In an NFL season, sample sizes are relatively small but the data shows Pete Carroll didn't fuck up.The Pats didn't need to cheat the SB away from the Eagles, Andy Reid's shitty clock management late in the game did that all by itself. Opposing coaches seem to have a knack for gifting mistakes to the Patriots in the SB, witness Pete Carroll calling the game losing INT rather than letting Beast Mode have a crack at it.
There was evidence. It was so damning Roger Goodell burned the tape so it would never be seen.Really?, how exactly did they "cheat" that SB away form the Eagles?, FACTS please. What a pathetic fanbase Philly really is, throwing food/beer at Viking's fans, booing Santa, cheering as Micheal Irving lay on the field in a crumpled heap, pummeling Giant's fans with thousands of snowballs to the point security had to make them leave for their own safety. The Eagles deserve a SB victory for their inspired play this year, the scumbag fans do not.
Yea, I have to agree, as much as I know Brady's a machine the Eagles will take away the run game of the Pat's with relative ease and force a one dimensional attack, play-action only works if you can run the ball a bit and no one really has vs Philly. Moreover Foles is no "one game miracle", he had a season with 27 TD's/2 INT's and he sure looked comfortable hurling those long bombs vs the Vikings. I expect Peterson to get him warm with some simple throws to the backs then turn him loose. Another thing is Philly has a 7 man rotation on defensive front, no one is expected to play 60 snaps so there will be no worn-down D-line like we saw with Atlanta last year. My prediction?, Eagles 31 Pats 20 but I might be wrong, heck no one really knows how these games play out but defense like Philly has usually shows up more often then great offense.Eagles D, already good, peaking at the right time?
From the article:
"The Eagles, Jacksonville Jaguars and Minnesota Vikings were the only teams to hold opponents to 10 or fewer points more than five times during the regular season. Philly has now accomplished that feat in back-to-back playoff games.
The Eagles surrendered only 17 points these playoffs, with seven of those coming on an 18-yard touchdown drive resulting from a muffed punt.
In fact, they haven't surrendered more than 10 points in any of their last four games, which makes them the first team this decade to accomplish that feat. That hasn't happened since the 2009 Denver Broncos opened the season with four consecutive games with 10 or fewer points allowed.
The Eagles are just the fourth team since the turn of the century to give up fewer than 20 points in their first two playoff games, joining the 2008 Baltimore Ravens, the 2006 Super Bowl champion Indianapolis Colts and the 2002 Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
On paper, the Vikings and Jaguars are superior, but it's that hot streak that should terrify the Pats. When the Eagles are at their best defensively, they are dangerous.
Only the Ravens and Detroit Lions have more three-plus-takeaway gamesthis season, and two of Philly's have come during this four-game hot streak.
They don't get a ton of sacks—they ranked in the middle of the pack with 38 during the regular season—but according to Pro Football Focus they generated more pressure this season than any other D in football.
The @Eagles defense finished the year with 41 more total pressures than any other unit.
Only team to generate pressure on more than 40% of passing plays.
This is what can win them playoff games.
Oh, and have I mentioned they had the league's top-ranked run defense during the regular season? The Eagles were the only team in the NFL to surrender fewer than 80 rushing yards per game, and they completely shut down Devonta Freeman and Latavius Murray in their first two postseason outings.
It's no surprise that in DVOA (Defense-adjusted Value Over Average) at Football Outsiders, only the Eagles and Vikings ranked in the top seven against both the pass and run during the regular season.
The secondary was supposed to be this team's weak spot, but 30-year-old veterans Patrick Robinson (four picks and 18 passes defensed) and Malcolm Jenkins (two picks, 69 tackles and a Pro Bowl nod) had career years. New arrival Ronald Darby has been superb when healthy, and second-year corner Jalen Mills has improved immensely.
Robinson, Jenkins, Darby, Mills and safeties Rodney McLeod and Corey Graham have a combined 19 interceptions this year."
^^^ All this above gives me great, good hope. I think the Eagles are going to win, but I do realize my feelings are wildly home-town subjective. Still, I can't shake the feeling that all the chips are falling into place, that the planets are aligning and that the Birds are a team of destiny.
Nevertheless, triumphing over the Brady/Belichick/Gronkowski death star won't exactly be a walk in the park. As well as the Birds secondary has played of late, Brady has shown he can carve up any secondary. And I do fear Belichick devising a way to get to Foles and turn him into "bad Foles."
What gives me hope on this front is that Foles stood tall and calm in the pocket against Minnesota, with chaos and failure just angry, expolsive inches away, and broke a truly good defense's back with clutch, clutch throws.
I'm psyched. Everyone I know is psyched.
I'm from Philly. We don't get these opportunities all that often.
Fly, Eagles, Fly!
Yea, I have to agree, as much as I know Brady's a machine the Eagles will take away the run game of the Pat's with relative ease and force a one dimensional attack, play-action only works if you can run the ball a bit and no one really has vs Philly. Moreover Foles is no "one game miracle", he had a season with 27 TD's/2 INT's and he sure looked comfortable hurling those long bombs vs the Vikings. I expect Peterson to get him warm with some simple throws to the backs then turn him loose. Another thing is Philly has a 7 man rotation on defensive front, no one is expected to play 60 snaps so there will be no worn-down D-line like we saw with Atlanta last year. My prediction?, Eagles 31 Pats 20 but I might be wrong, heck no one really knows how these games play out but defense like Philly has usually shows up more often then great offense.
Related note to NFL ... Redskins show how dumb as fuck they are once again.
Related note to NFL ... Redskins show how dumb as fuck they are once again.