Welcome to Views from 116. In case you forgot, this column is a perspective from the stands for the fans. Let’s get to it.
Sixers vs. Cavaliers – Friday, November 23, 2018
Yesterday, the 13-7 Sixers took on the 2-14 Cavaliers. The Sixers
lost 112-121, taking the Sixers to 13-8 and the Cavaliers 3-14.
Pregame:
Jimmy still believes in Fultz!
My wife Erin and I got a ride down to the stadium to meet my brother
Jimmy, mother Cinda, and father Tom for the game. We browsed around the
store and got some new shirts – lots of good stuff this year. We also
ran into my cousin Nicki and her family (husband Joe and children Joe
Jr. and Riley) and chatted for a bit about life & the Sixers.
Instead of heading to Section 116, we headed to Club Box 24 – a nice
kick off to the holiday season.
Almost immediately, my brother Jimmy launches into a rant about how
the Sixers need to keep Markelle Fultz and how he still believes in him
as a Philadelphia 76er. I’m less optimistic and think a fresh start
might be for the best (unless he is able to head to the G-League for a
bit). Here is Jimmy’s full take about the Fultz situation – feel free to
yell at him on Twitter if you disagree: Jimmy’s Take: Nobody knows what to think
or believe about Markelle Fultz at this point, but I think it’s going
to end up all good in the end. Keep in mind that this kid can not
legally drink a beer yet and hasn’t necessarily had “poor” production. I
believe in him as a player, and I think he will be able to be a
valuable asset to the Sixers by either the end of this season or the
start of next season. For Fultz to achieve success the fastest way possible, 3 things need to happen: 1: Find a new agent Raymond Brothers
has been making noise lately and the Sixers are clearly not on the same
page as he is. I also believe he is giving Markelle bad advice as a
20-year old number-one-overall-pick in the NBA who doesn’t really know
how to handle the spotlight. A new agent that would help Fultz find his
confidence is necessary. 2: Find out what is wrong with him health-wise Nobody knows if
his shoulder is hurt, or his wrist, or whatever, but the Sixers need to
be on top of this as they seemingly had no clue that he was “injured”
until Brothers said something. If he is not injured, then great, but I
have some suspicion that his shoulder is hurt. I mean look at the man
shoot, and then tell me it doesn’t look like his shoulder hurts. He
should do whatever it takes to heal, and then just shoot when he feels
okay. 3: Send him to the G-League Fultz should go
to the G-League to ease back into playing basketball but, more
importantly, to build his confidence up. Let him go into the G-league
and put up 30 every game until he feels like he could shoot effectively
in the NBA. When he returns to the Sixers, put him on the bench to start
off, and maybe, just maybe if he proves that he can shoot like he did
in college, put him in the starting lineup for Chandler and move Simmons
to the 4. I’m not saying that this will all
work out by the end of this season, but there is a slight chance it
could if everything goes well. Fultz probably won’t make a significant
difference to the Sixers for another year or two, but I don’t think they
should give up on him.
As we took our seats, still chatting about Fultz, Mike from the Sixers Dunk Squad sang the National Anthem and actor Ryan Phillipe rang the bell.
First Quarter:
I was mesmerized by Colin Sexton this quarter and very much wish the Sixers had him instead of Zhaire Smith, who has reportedly lost 20 pounds due to a potential season-ending food allergy. Nothing against Zhaire, but being down another lottery-pick talent amidst the Fultz frustrations is really…well…frustrating.
Other 1st quarter observations:
The Sixers were bad this quarter and couldn’t find consistent ways to score when the Embiid post-up was double-teamed.
Kyle Korver got a nice reception when he checked in. There are
rumors the Sixers may target him in a trade…I personally don’t think we
need another guy who can’t defend.
TJ McConnell got a lot of love when he checked in from the crowd & remains a fan favorite.
As I mentioned earlier, these Views tonight weren’t coming from
Section 116, but from a Club Box where we got some group tickets. I got
the sense a lot of groups in the box were families celebrating the
Thanksgiving holiday and not your usual game-going fan. Far be it from
me to tell people how to watch a basketball game, but when the four
people behind you are talking about Kendall Jenner being in the building
incessantly for 10 minutes every quarter, you get the sense they don’t
care much about what’s going on out there. I blame this loss solely on
the teens behind me that made bad Tristan Thompson jokes and stupid
Kardashian references the entire game.
This was the only quarter the Sixers won, and a lot of that seemed
to be due to Landry Shamet making threes and Ben Simmons moving well
off-ball. The Sixers will need that and more when Embiid is denied
touches in the post.
TJ McConnell is the..uh..example for how to dance
The Sixers Showdown dance cam, where fans have to mimic a Sixer
dancing, was pretty good tonight. TJ McConnell imitating the Dance Squad
was chosen and fans really got into this awful dancing style.
Little Dicky was in the building, tossing t-shirts into the crowd. I guess being a rapper has its perks.
The Sixers won the quarter 31-23, tied 54-54 at the half. At this
point, while pleased to win the quarter, I was annoyed we were having
such a close game against such a bad team.
Halftime:
Peter Rabbit, a bucket drummer, put on a very entertaining show.
Third Quarter:
Shamet took over for Redick almost immediately due to foul trouble
(when does that ever happen?) and did pretty well. Ben Simmons played
well this quarter too. Still though, the Sixers were unable to pull away
during the quarter. The defense wasn’t necessarily there tonight, and
the Cavs seemed to be making everything from deep (ended the night 50%
from 3PT as a team).
Other 3rd quarter observations:
This was a good stadium gimmick quarter
The Kimball “Shoot from Your Seat” contestant made quick work out of
a usually difficult contest, leaving ~15 seconds on the clock.
Ben Simmons knows ice-cream
“Sixers vs. Sixers” made its return, with Ben Simmons smoking Joel
Embiid in naming flavors of ice-cream 11-2. I could watch these all day.
ShopRite returned with their not-so-promising “Price is Right” promotion. I’ve covered this a few times , so I won’t bore you. All I have to say is The Price is Right, but the Shop is Wrong!
The Sixers lost the quarter 29-30 and were down 83-84 headed into the 4th.
Fourth Quarter:
I should have known we were in trouble when someone from the the dunk squad got injured and had to be helped off.
This quarter was ugly – the Sixers gave up 37 points and couldn’t close either of these gaps:
Down 5pts with 10 min to go
Down 8pts with 6 min to go
Frustrating to snap the undefeated at home streak against the worst team in the league…but all good things come to an end.
Sixers lose. 112-121. No Fresh water. No $1 pretzels.
Next time I’m in 116, I’ll share some more views. Until then: 1-2-3-4-5-Sixers!
Welcome to Views from 116. In case you forgot, this column is a perspective from the stands for the fans. Let’s get to it.
Sixers vs. Suns – Monday, November 19, 2018
Yesterday, the 11-7 Sixers took on the 3-12 Suns. The Sixers won 119-114, taking the Sixers to 12-7 and the Suns 3-13.
Pregame:
My buddy RJ and I met up and Ubered down to the stadium, recapping a nice weekend of Sixerswins. This Jimmy Butler guy? He’s pretty good!
We arrive at the stadium, grab some food, and chat about how the
Sixers really need a convincing win. The excitement from this weekend
was great, but I would like to cruise to a win against a bad team at
home by 15-20 points (Spoiler: this did not happen). My hope is that as
Jimmy Butler continues to get acclimated to the team and vice versa, the
Sixers start winning big against the doormats of the league.
Richaun Holmes has returned!
We went in to watch warm-ups and saw our old friend Richaun Holmes (who’s mother Lydecia gave a great interview with PFO’s The Burner
this summer). It was quite a “Process-y” night with Richaun Holmes,
Isaiah Canaan, and short-term Sixer Mikal Bridges suiting up for the
Suns. Although Jimmy Butler’s arrival signaled the “end” of The Process
in Philadelphia, there are still plenty of Process-era Sixers around the
league…and they’ll always hold a special place in my heart.
The anthem was sung by Jessy Kyle (a local recording artist) and boxing legend Bernard Hopkins
rang the bell. Mikal Bridges, who won multiple championships at local
basketball powerhouse Villanova University, got a warm reception from
the crowd during introductions (including this 2018 MBA alum).
First Quarter:
Ayton is a big dude!
What stood out to me almost immediately was Deandre Ayton’s sheer
size. Rarely does an opposing center match Joel Embiid in size and
athleticism, but Ayton looked like Embiid’s equal out there (looking of
course is one thing, playing is quite another). Ayton showed some flash and promise out
there tonight and shot/rebounded well (17 pts on 8-11 shooting with 9
rebs). He also got into foul trouble due to his inability to guard
Embiid. He’ll be an interesting player to watch grow in this league.
Other 1st quarter observations:
The Sixers got off to a slow start at home against a bad team and
the crowd REALLY let them have it with about 3 min to go. Bad defense,
sloppy play, and turnovers – a losing combination.
Around the 8 min mark, there was this dumb “Cap Race” video where
different sections of the stadium were assigned different colored video
cars and whoever “cheered the loudest” and made their car win got their
section their own personal t-shirt toss. Call me crazy but I think the
video had nothing to do with cheering. Take this lame video-board
gimmick back to Citizen’s Bank Park where it belongs!
I am NOT a fan of the “Cap Race”
JJ Redick had to leave the game with a bloody nose and Shamet was
able to fill his minutes nicely. I think when Redick eventually leaves
in the coming years, Shamet will be well-positioned to take his place as
the team’s resident sharpshooter.
Isaiah Canaan checked in around the 4 minute mark and got a warm reception. Trust the Process!
The Sixers lost the quarter 26-36.
Second Quarter:
The first quarter was so bad, when they decided to drop Dunkin Donuts cards from the sky attached to parachutes between quarters,
I fully expected it to be hot coffee instead. Embiid started to turn it
on this quarter, and the Sixers closed the half only down by 5 (57-62).
Just one section away from victory…
Other notes:
Not a great night from the stands in terms of stadium gimmicks – the
“Big Head Race” was over before it started and, even worse, RJ and I
missed the Blue Coats Giveaway by juuuuusst 1 section (same row!).
Markelle Fultz didn’t look great in his minutes during this quarter
(and was eventually replaced with TJ McConnell in the 2nd Half). His
development remains an enigma.
While RJ and I were catching up with Jason, Steve, and Chris of PFO in the concourse, the Sixers Stixers put on a nice show for the crowd.
Third Quarter:
Embiid really started to heat up this quarter and was seemingly
scoring at will. It’s incredible that he has gone from “I hope he can
play basketball for us one day” to “he can’t help but score 30 points.”
Truly, we are lucky fans.
Other 3rd quarter observations:
Great stadium gimmicks this quarter!
One fan made quick work of the “shoot from your seat” contest, draining all three shots within the time limit for a prize.
Mike Muscala struggles to name holiday foods!
There was the perennial gem of “Sixers vs. Sixers” in which JJ
Redick named many more holiday foods than Mike Muscala. I guess they had
more food based quizzes going on at Duke than Bucknell.
ShopRite returned with their not-so-promising “Price is Right” promotion. You might remember that last time I saw this,
the fan contestant lost due to the fact that ShopRite’s price was
consistently higher for whatever item the contestant was guessing for.
Well, this fan won because they correctly guessed that every
price was too high. I now have full confirmation from this
advertisement that ShopRite has high prices! The Price may be Right, but
the Shop certainly seems Wrong!
TJ McConnell and Joel Embiid fueled the Sixers’ surge this quarter, finally ending with a 92-86 lead.
Fourth Quarter:
Much like Friday’s game, my confidence in the Sixers’ ability to win this game was driven by the Dance Cam Kid & his worthy New Challenger.
Although the Suns hung around a bit too long and pushed RJ and my
game of “First to 108 wins” to become “First to 112 wins,” the Sixers
were able to pull out the win. They remain the only team in the league
that is UNDEFEATED at home this year. Sixers WIN 119-114. Say it with me: “Fresh water. $1 pretzels.”
Next time I’m in 116, I’ll share some more views. Until then: 1-2-3-4-5-Sixers!
Welcome to Views from 116. In case you forgot, this column is a perspective from the stands for the fans. Let’s get to it.
Sixers vs. Jazz – Friday, November 16, 2018
Yesterday, the 9-7 Sixers took on the 7-7 Jazz. The Sixers won 113-107, making the Sixers 10-7 and the Jazz 7-8.
Pregame:
As I walked to my buddy RJ’s house, I found myself texting my podcast partner Bryan a bevy of weird Ben Simmons trade value ideas (I am not ready to reveal these yet). Context: our scumbag Warriors-fan partner Mike challenged me to figure out Ben’s trade value and…well, I’ve never even considered Ben’s trade value…but I’m intrigued at the possibilities. The Butler effect is REAL.
I totally chuck that notion aside because RJ and I, longtime Sixers partners, are ready to go the stadium. We Uber there and poke around the store for a bit – the city jerseys and new shooting shirts look fantastic. Kudos to the organization there.
I can indeed confirm that Jimmy Butler now plays for the Philadelphia 76ers.
We grab some food at Shake Shack and watch warm-ups. It is weird to see Jimmy Butler in person, playing for my favorite team. I’ve long enjoyed him from a distance, but to see him suit up and chit-chat pregame for the Sixers really is surreal. RJ and I recount the Ship of Theseus that is this Sixers team (shoutout to Rights to Ricky Sanchez for the metaphor) – after trading Robert Covington and Dario Saric, the longest tenured “planks” are Embiid and TJ (who posted yet another DNP). The sun has set on The Process, and we’re truly in a new era as Sixers fans.
The Sixers didn’t mess around with the anthem (Ron Brooks) or the bell (Allen Iverson) tonight – this game felt IMPORTANT and you could feel the buzz in the stadium, swelling through the new Creed-laced intro video and hitting a crescendo with the introduction of the newest Sixer: Jimmy Butler.
First Quarter:
Everyone was thrilled for the Sixers feat. Jimmy Butler to take the floor, and they did not disappoint in the opening quarter. The best moment was the crowd chanting “Jim-my But-ler” early and Simmons, recognizing the moment, setting him up for a three which was promptly drained.
Other 1st quarter observations:
Donovan Mitchell, who remains a rookie, made some bad mistakes early. He finished the night 13-35 from the field, 1-11 from 3pt land, and a game-high 31 points. I guess not all zeroes wear capes.
RJ noted almost immediately that the Sixers were much more aggressive and dangerous off of misses with Jimmy Butler than they had been before. I tend to agree.
Embiid may have tweaked his wrist or jammed his finger early, which is always scary. We’ll see how he fares in the back-to-back @ Charlotte.
Butler’s ability to cut off-ball adds a nice layer to the Sixers offense that they didn’t have with Saric and Covington (who I wish the absolute best to </3).
Wilson Chandler & JJ Redick are our starters alongside the “Big 3” of Butler, Embiid, and Simmons. This is a good lineup on both sides of the court.
Markelle Fultz, ever the enigma, has been relegated to the 2nd unit. I think this is for the best.
The Sixers won the quarter 38-24.
Second Quarter:
The Sixers didn’t play as well this quarter, which made me sad. Rather than delve into the specifics, I’ll just note some fun things:
The “Chick-Fil-A” drop, which is a gimmick where Chick-Fil-A sandwiches and t-shirts are dropped from the ceiling, was a bit of a bummer today as the t-shirt-to-sandwich ratio was wayyyy off in my section. Three t-shirts landed and, sadly, there wasn’t a chicken sandwich to be found.
This contestant cashed-in!
The first fast-lane money-grab for a game I’ve attended this year occurred. This is a goofy gimmick where the Pennsylvania Lottery sponsors a fan’s chance to step into a windy phone-booth and catch as much loose cash as possible. Only in America, baby! Anyway, our participant racked it up by employing the time-honored “stuff it down your shirt” strategy. Truly, it was a treat to watch this master at work.
There were a lot of Fultz minutes this quarter, and I found myself wanting to see Butler hit the floor again. I think this tension will grow a little bit until everyone settles into their role/rotation (which is still clearly being ironed out).
The Sixers lost the quarter 16-28, leading 54-52 at the half.
Embiid got into quick foul trouble, which benched him for most of the quarter. Spoiler alert: it didn’t matter much since the Sixers and Jazz played to a draw for the quarter. HOWEVER – there was not ONE but TWO Frosty Freeze-Outs! That means small frosty AND small fries! It’s a shame Robert Covington is no longer on the team, because this gimmick really meant a lot to some fans.
With Embiid out, Butler and Simmons picked up the slack on defense, swarming where necessary and generally looking good. I think the “Big 3” will really bond through their defensive aptitude. A rigged sham where everyone wins. Sad!
Fan events that occurred this quarter included the Golden Nugget sham-shuffle (my offer of a $20 reward to lose still stands), musical chairs (pretty uneventful, nobody boxed out), and the atrocious “Wheel of Fan Cam,” which selects different “cams” randomly. It’s no secret that I prefer this to only be the Carlton Cam (which did not hit tonight, sadly).
There was a strange amount of Amir shots this quarter, particularly those from 3pt range. Despite making his attempts, Amir holds the “X-button” too long and takes wayyyyyy too long to “charge-up” his shot. I would like to see more of an offensive plan going forward.
Embiid left the court (which made people gasp) and quickly returned (which made people laugh) this quarter.
Jimmy Butler is clearly beloved by the crowd, even in his debut. I think this partnership will work out.
The Sixers ended the quarter up 86-84.
Fourth Quarter:
The final quarter was legitimately exciting, as a back-and-forth game went down to the wire (with the Sixers emerging victorious). I wish I was making this up, but the turning point in my mind came around the 8-min mark when there was a dance off break. The dance cam kid, forever the king of the Jumbotron, had a worthy rival tonight. A young man who was more spastic and shameless than his adversary won the hearts of the stadium as he had an epic back/forth with the dance cam kid. At the time, it felt like something shifted in the stadium for the better.
Welcome to Views from 116. In case you forgot, this column is a perspective from the stands for the fans. Let’s get to it.
Sixers vs. Pistons – Saturday, November 3, 2018
Yesterday, the 5-4 Sixers took on the 4-3 Pistons. The Sixers won 109-99, making the Sixers 6-4 and the Pistons 4-4.
Pregame:
The next day, my wife Erin and I caught a ride to the game from our home. We browsed the gift shop a bit but didn’t find anything particularly worth a purchase – this tends to happen when you have way too much Sixers gear already. We got some giant pizza slices form Lorenzo’s and made our way to our seats to watch warm-ups. Erin gets a kick out of Fultz always having his hood up during warm-ups, admiring that “he also appreciates being comfy!” PFO’s own Jason Blevins was kind enough to stop by and say hello – if you haven’t been following his awesome coverage of the Sixers and the Blue Coats, you’re missing out.The “pregame” for this actually started the previous night at the “Meet the Sixers” event for season ticket holders at The University of the Arts. The event was fun – free food, a couple quick Q&As from in-arena announcer Christian Crosby to Wilson Chandler, Robert Covington, Amir Johnson, and Landry Shamet. My pal RJ and I were able to chat with Lanbo a bit and get his autograph – he’s been awesome this year!
The anthem tonight was sung by 14-year old recording artist Gianna Caruso, and the bell was rung by actor Stephan James. I actually just saw Stephan during the recent Philadelphia Film Festival in Barry Jenkin’s adaption of “If Beale Street Could Talk” – highly recommend seeing the film!The pregame buzz was mostly about trying to figure out why the game was at 1pm. At first, many people in our section thought it was maybe due to a Flyers game or a concert or something else going on in the evening – nope! For what it’s worth, I’m all for weekend afternoon games.
Dario Saric has all but replaced Robert Covington as the home-crowd groan-inducer. If he can’t find his stroke from three (currently 24%) or play better defense soon, Brett Brown might need to give him a week off.
The Chick-Fil-A Challenge (make a layup, free throw, three pointer, and half-court shot in 1 min) participant hit the layup and free throw, but couldn’t get past the 3-pointer. The crowd did not boo this valiant effort.
Mike Muscala is quickly becoming a fan favorite – there’s already “MOOOOOOSE” cheers when he checks in.
Wilson Chandler checked in with about five minutes left in the 1st quarter and got a warm reception. He played fine today for his first game back – I’m excited to see how he finds his place in the roster.
There was this weird blond inflatable guy that clearly couldn’t see and needed to be led around the stadium by an attendant. There was no mention of what this promotion was about the entire game, so it became an unsolved mystery for Erin & me. [UPDATE: I guess they did some sort of promotion for Fallout 76…if they picked Super Mario Party, they would have had my attention]
Blake Griffin gets calls like he is a superstar which is frustrating because he is most certainly an unlikable bum. I just needed to vent about this somewhere, so thank you for indulging me.
The Sixers won the quarter 30-24.
Second Quarter:
The Sixers played great this quarter – Embiid caught fire and ended the half with 32 points, Fultz played well, and Shamet looked great. The best play of the quarter was a crazy save by Fultz that led to a Cov transition three. After Detroit took a timeout to stem the tide, in-arena announcer Matt Cord hit this derisive “Tiiiii-meeeeee ouuttttt DEEEEEE-TROIIIIIIT” to make fun of the “De-troit basket-ball” those doofuses in Michigan do.
Other 2nd quarter observations:
Zach Ertz and Alshon Jeffery were in the building and got a nice reception from the crowd. They’ll figure heavily into the storylines for the rest of the Eagles’ season.
Embiid simply cannot be stopped when he is aggressive – he put up 18 free throws in the first half and seemingly handcuffed every Piston big with foul-trouble.
The Sixers won the quarter 39-33, leading 69-47 at the half.
Halftime:
While I was catching up with Jason and Adam of PFO in the concourse, I caught some of the halftime show of Exodus Artisty on the monitors that show what’s going on on-the-court (this is a great feature by the way). Erin told me this was pretty entertaining from the stands and also added that there was “a weird Xbox commercial that nobody understood” (adding further mystery to our yellow-haired inflatable man) and that “Blake Griffin sure seems like a jerk.” I couldn’t agree more!
Third Quarter:
The Pistons crept back into the game here courtesy of some weird fouls, including some which got both Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid into foul-trouble. The Sixers were able to survive and, almost as importantly, encouraged the crowd to help Andre Drummond brick his way to FREE FROSTYS FOR EVERYONE IN ATTENDANCE.
Other 3rd quarter observations:
There was a good, clean game of musical chairs played around the 9-min mark. Nobody cheated, which is more than I can say from the home-opener!
The crowd was VERY unhappy with the officiating (and so was I!) this quarter. It seemed like they were trying to over-correct for all the free throws they gave Embiid early on.
Fultz, Muscala, and Covington provided great play this quarter to keep the surging Pistons at bay.
Around the 4-min mark, the Sixers broke out the “Simba-Cam”, which was a big hit with the crowd.
I cringe every time Embiid pump fakes from three – I would like for him to either go immediately to the hoop or just shoot without pump faking. I feel like he gives up his advantage to get a step or an open three when he pump fakes.
The Sixers ended the quarter up 85-72.
Fourth Quarter:
The Pistons made the 4th quarter interesting, but the Sixers were ultimately able to pull away. I started to play the “first to XX score wins” game with my pal RJ via text (we settled on 100, which happened to ring true). I was glad to see our guys close out strong at home.
A final highlight from the stands: the “Golden Nugget Shuffle” – which is a game where a fan needs to “find the ring” out of three continuously shifting boxes – took place this quarter. I’ve been going almost every game now for three years as a season ticket holder and plenty of games years before then as a general fan – I’ve never seen anybody lose this game. I’m actually convinced they just have it rigged so that whatever the fan says, they person controlling the video board selects that box. To that end, I personally challenge anyone to lose this specific game. As a reward, I will personally give $20 to any fan that can find a way to get selected for, and then lose the “Golden Nugget Shuffle.” Find me on Twitter, prove to me that you lost, and I’ll pay up.
Sixers WIN 109-99. Say it with me: “Fresh water. $1 pretzels.”
Next time I’m in 116, I’ll share some more views. Until then: 1-2-3-4-5-Sixers!
He’s Shaken Off the Rust, but Can He Return to MVP-Caliber?
Since taking over in Week 3, Wentz has gone 3-3 with wins vs. Colts, at Giants, against Jaguars (London) and losses at Titans, vs. Vikings, and vs. Panthers. In those 6 games, he’s steadily improved and has started to look like the guy we saw last year. Particularly, in the last 3 games (Jaguars, vs. Panthers, at Giants) he’s posted both high completion percentages (70%, 81%, 72%, respectively) and QB ratings (119.6, 119.6, 122.2). Other than the Giants blowout, Wentz has been in a lot of tight games this year and on the losing end of 3 of them. I’m tepid to say “he’s back” to where he was last year until he’s routinely leading the Eagles to 30+ pts of offense and comfortable win margins. Wentz is goodright now – if he can return to being great the Eagles have a good a shot as anyone at the title.
RB
Frustrated and Hurt – Who Can Step Up?
With Jay Ajayi out for the year, Sproles still on the mend, and so-far lackluster performances from Clement and Smallwood, this unit is in trouble. Josh Adams has shown some promise in limited a sample (5.4 yards/carry avg. on 20 attempts), but it’s too early to tell if he will provide the needed boost to a middling Eagles rushing attack. While the Eagles favor the pass at about a 60%/40% split, they’ll need a reliable run game to sustain drives and keep defenses honest. With no move at the trade deadline, Sproles, Clement, Smallwood, and Adams are the guys we’re going with – so who will step up?
WR/TE
Ertz Taking Advantage and WELCOME GOLDEN TATE!
I mentioned at the four week mark that the return of Alshon Jeffery has opened up the rest of the field for all other WRs and TEs on the team. Nobody has benefited more than Zach Ertz, who is not-so-quietly putting up one of the best seasons ever for a TE. Add in former Pro-Bowler Golden Tate and Wentz has one of the best fleets of pass-catchers in the league. I shudder for defenses trying to defend Jeffery at WR1, Tate in the slot, Ertz up the seam, and Agholor down the sidelines and am looking forward to see what Wentz can do with this talented group.
OL/DL
The Pain of Injury, the Value of Depth
Every season in the NFL is a war of attrition as teams pile up injuries in key spots. The best way to preempt the inevitable is to have a stocked cupboard. The Eagles are well-prepared to combat injury on the defensive line, but a little less-so on the offensive line. With Lane Johnson set to be out for several weeks (and possibly the year) with an MCL sprain and Jason Peters continuing to be on-and-off the field with various injuries, immense pressure falls on Halapoulivaati Vaitai, Issac Seumalo, and Stefen Wisniewski to pick up the slack. On the defensive side, the Eagles are better prepared for the loss of Derek Barnett – Michael Bennett has continued to play well, Haloti Ngata is back, and the Eagles are rumored to be reaching out to Timmy Jernigan to further bolster a unit that already boasts Fletcher Cox, Brandon Graham, and Chris Long.
LB
More Blitzing on the Horizon?
This observation is more Jacksonville-specific,but I loved the blitzing strategies that utilized Bradham and Hicks a lot this past week to help force one-on-one match-ups for our pass rushers against a bad QB. Fran Duffy has a nice breakdown on Twitter of how this higher risk strategy can yield rewarding results. With two games against Dak Prescott and one game against Eli Manning left in the season, I’m curious to see how aggressive Jim Schwartz will be with the blitz – especially as the secondary continues to struggle.
DB
Still the Weak Link
The Eagles are currently 27th in the league against the pass, which has been perhaps the largest limiting factor for the team this year. A shotty secondary can be a nightmare for a fan, as it’s hard to trust that the team will win if they don’t hang 30 pts on their opponent and provide some room for what feels like inevitable defensive errors. Avonte Maddox has shown some promise at safety, but it will be crucial for Jalen Mills, Ronald Darby, Malcolm Jenkins, Corey Graham, Dexter McDougle and Sidney Jones to continue to tighten their play up to take pressure off of the offense.
At the mid-way point, Jason Kelce’s iconic rendition of this songcomes to mind. At 4-4 and with five division games left, the Eagles control their own destiny. I like them to win the division at 10-6 and, if this talented group can gel and either 1) tighten up on defense or 2) consistently score enough points to where that won’t matter, they have a shot at another Super Bowl. Not many people like the Eagles to repeat at this point – but we don’t care.
