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Tag: Zack Baun

  • Eagles regular season awards: Who is the Birds’ MVP?

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    The PhillyVoice sports staff gives its end of season Eagles awards, including MVP, top assistant coach, and top breakout performer.

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    Geoff Mosher

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  • The pivotal plays from the Eagles’ much-needed shutout of the Raiders

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    Sunday at the Linc went exactly how it should’ve, and that’s a big sigh of relief for the Eagles and their fans, if only for a moment.

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    Nick Tricome

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  • The pivotal plays from the Eagles’ embarrassing collapse to the Cowboys

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    The Eagles’ defense was dominant, Jalen Hurts and the offense built up a 21-0 lead, and then it was all gone.

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    Nick Tricome

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  • Before FGs blocks, Eagles iDLs Jordan Davis and Jalen Carter were culprits in run defense

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    Eagles defensive tackles Jordan Davis and Jalen Carter made two of the biggest plays Sunday in the Eagles’ 33-26 comeback win over the Rams, which is somewhat ironic given that both were both culprits in the porous run defense that enabled the Rams to have a 19-point lead in the second half.

    The All-22 footage that we’ll look at shows that Davis and Carter were consistently moved by the Rams’ offensive line, which cleared the way for Kyren Williams and Blake Corum to combine for 147 rushing yards and average 5.25 yards per carry.

    Surely, Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio will want that corrected by Sunday’s game in Tampa against the Bucs, who have struggled to run the ball effectively.

    The Rams are a run-heavy team and didn’t use any trickery or guile to get their ground yards. Their bread and butter is running between the tackles, using double teams up front to execute simple inside zone schemes. Occasionally, they’ll pull a lineman or tight end – or both – in a Gap scheme run, but they basically stick to what they do best, and did against the Eagles. 

    Kyren Williams and Blake Corum are crafty runners who lack elite athleticism but have nifty jump-cuts and are known for getting downhill quickly and skinny through the run lanes. The Eagles prepared for the Rams’ run game all week. 

    Davis and Carter are frequently tasked with taking on double teams and either beating or stalemating them so that linebackers can flow downhill into the gaps to make tackles. Against the Rams, for the better part of three quarters, the two mammoth DTs were often moved. 

    The Rams logged 17 runs of five or more yards. Let’s take a look at some of them. 

    The first three are pretty basic – inside zone runs made possible by Davis and Carter getting swallowed up by double teams.

    On this run, Davis and Carter were both defeated by double teams before both guards moved off their combo blocks and climbed to cover the linebackers, leaving a clear path for Williams to get five yards.

    This run was another zone run that thrived on double teams up front, but Williams’ pathway was the right-side B gap (between the guard and tackle) made possible by Carter literally getting driven back about five yards, obstructing LB Jihaad Campbell’s path to Williams, who gained six.

    The Rams picked their poison between LB Zack Baun and NB DeJean Cooper, and decided they’d take their chances running to the nickelback side, away from Baun. On that run, a 5-yard gain, their o-line reset the line of scrimmage with double teams on Davis and Carter, who got swallowed up and driven backward and into second-level defenders. Rams WR Jordan Whittington, who motioned from left to right, blocked DeJean while the RT sealed the edge.

    Bad tackling was also problematic. Even when the Eagles did a better job at the point of attack, they didn’t wrap up well.

    Pressure up front made Williams jump-cut to his right, but Carter again got moved out of the gap that Williams cut into, and even worse, Reed Blankenship made a terrible lunging attempt while DeJean got pancaked by a wide receiver. Quinyon Mitchell also whiffed on a lunge as Williams got 11.

    Here the Rams deviated from their standard inside zone and went outside. In outside zone, o-linemen block horizontally and try to spring the running back on the edge. DeJean came down to set the edge correctly but totally whiffed on the body tackle. Also, Campbell couldn’t get off the RT’s block in enough time and had to chase down Williams from behind.

    Eventually, Fangio adjusted at times by putting an extra defender on the line of scrimmage (a “Bear” front). That way, if the Rams had six on the line (5 OL, 1 TE), they could only execute one double team unless they left a defender unblocked. 

    Campbell came down to play the edge here, kicking Jalyx Hunt inside over the RT’s inside shoulder and Carter directly over the center. But Carter still got driven back by a combo block by the center and left guard, then struggled to shed the guard’s block before Williams ran right past him to gain seven.

    Of course, McVay, a run game whiz, always has some tricks up his sleeve.

    This is an outside zone, but the play side is opposite the zone block side. All the Eagles’ big guys – Davis, Carter, and Campbell – were taken out altogether as Williams had a 3-on-2 blocking advantage once he took the handoff. He went untouched for about eight yards of the run. The Eagles’ backside edge on this play was Za’Darius Smith (52), who got stoned by TE89, allowing Williams to jump-cut for more yards.

    To avoid being stale, McVay tossed in an occasional Gap scheme run, including this one inside the Eagles’ red zone.

    On this run, the Rams pulled their right guard and tight end through the left-side A gap to set up a pathway for Corum. Every Rams blocker won his matchup, as the center and right tackle combo-blocked Carter, the pulling left guard sealed off Hunt at the edge, and the left guard took advantage of Davis “playing high” – losing his pad leverage – to drive him off the line. 

    The pulling tight end got just enough body on Campbell and the left tackle climbed to cover Zack Baun, giving Corum an alley. Williams wasn’t actually touched for the first eight yards of this 10-yard run. 

    On Sunday, the Eagles face a Bucs team that likes to run but has struggled to move the ball on the ground. Offensive line health issues have hurt Tampa Bay’s offense. But temperatures at Raymond James Stadium are expected to be close to 100 degrees, which can lead to cramping and fatigue that can result in loss of technique and fundamentals.

    Three Bucs RBs combined to average 4.7 yards per carry in Tampa’s 33-16 win over the Eagles last year at the Pirate Ship. The Eagles will have to brave the elements and tighten up on run defense to avoid another letdown.

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    Geoff Mosher

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  • Week One Eagles Recap, The Start Of A New Chapter. – Philadelphia Sports Nation

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    Thursday night, before a long and stressful game that had a little bit of everything. The Eagles got to hang their second Super Bowl banner in front of fans at Lincoln Financial Field.

    What ensued were questionable flags, a costly turnover, weather delays, an early ejection and even…spitting contests?

    Chaos At Kickoff

    The Eagles unveiled the banner, with a little help from recently retired Brandon Graham.

    And just minutes later, on the opening kickoff return. Ben VanSumeren’s season might’ve came to an abrupt end. We’ll wait for an official announcement on the severity of the injury, but the Eagles FullBack idea might be over. 

    To makes matters worse, VanSumeren wouldn’t be the only player to miss the rest of tonight’s game. With a self inflicted wound, Jalen Carter was ejected while trainers dealt with the injured player. It doesn’t matter if Han or Dak shot first. But Carter’s presence was missed for 4 Quarters as the Cowboys totalled 119 rushing yards and 2 rushing touchdowns. 

    While the Eagles pass rush struggled to get home, they managed 2TFLs late in the game. Almost like they were missing one of their best defensive players?

    Next Man Up

    With Carter ejected it was time for another Georgia Bulldog to take his place. 

    While some of his pressures should have turned into sacks tonight. Jordan Davis played a huge role along with Moro Ojomo who both played 89% of the Eagles defensive snaps.

    Among others who made plays Thursday night include Jahan Dotson, Zack Baun and Jihaad Campbell. Who forced a fumble on Miles Sanders on the Eagles 10 yard line, might have been the game deciding turnover.

    And Then There Was A Weather Delay. Again.

    As if a 45 minute delay for the first Super Bowl banner wasn’t enough… It happened again

    With 4:45 remaining in the third quarter of a 24-20 game. Lightning in the surrounding area led to over an hour long delay in the game. Not returning until 11:30 local time, there was still almost 20 minutes of clock left to play.

    The delay killed momentum for both teams, as the game saw 5 straight punts before the end of the 4th, after 8 straight scoring possessions opened the season. 

    The Eagles played sloppy throughout the game. As a team should look missing key pieces, already beginning to deal with injuries (Landon Dickerson & A.J. Brown), with new players in the defense like Campbell, Mukuba & Jackson. With yet another new offensive system now under Kevin Patullo.

    With a week 1 divisional victory under their belts, do the Eagles look like they’re ready to run it back for Super Bowl 60?

    Go Birds. 

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    Tyler L’Heureux

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  • Eagles’ Assortment of Game-Breakers Has Them on Dynasty Watch – Philadelphia Sports Nation

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    Photo Courtesy of Eagles Nation on X.

    In their past three seasons, the Philadelphia Eagles have accumulated a 39–12 regular-season record and appeared in two Super Bowls. After narrowly falling by their hands in 2022, the Birds humiliated Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs en route to their second Lombardi Trophy win last winter.

    These accomplishments alone have the Eagles on the brink of a dynasty—another title would surely put them there. Given the team’s assortment of game-breaking talent, they might be in luck.

    Eagles’ Returning Game-Breakers

    General manager Howie Roseman has done such an excellent job adding talent to the Eagles that it’s hard to put into words. He built what many called a “superteam” in 2022, but only improved the roster over the next couple of seasons.

    But let’s stick with the players who oversaw both Super Bowls. Starting with Jalen Hurts, he’s one of the premier dual-threat quarterbacks in the NFL—immense rushing upside and one of the most efficient passers in the sport. He’s not necessarily the most gifted, but he gets high-end results. When the Eagles have needed him to perform the most, that’s often when he has shone the brightest.

    Then, you have the offensive line. Landon Dickerson deserves a shootout here, but tackles Jordan Mailata and Lane Johnson are definitely in that “game-breaking” tier. Recognized as two of the best exterior linemen in the sport, they make the offense’s life easier by consistently and emphatically winning their assignments.

    Next, wide receivers A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith have been one of the league’s top one-two punches for a few years now. Coming up clutch in late-down situations and with huge contested-catch upside, they’ve flipped games on their head. Both have fourth-down snags to their name in the NFC Championship, leading to a momentum-altering touchdown a short while later.

    Eagles’ “New” Game-Breakers

    Over the past couple of seasons, the Eagles have added three game-breaking talents: Saquon Barkley, Zack Baun, and Jalen Carter. Their two recently drafted cornerbacks may get there (if they haven’t arrived already), but those are the big three who the Birds would’ve had no chance in 2024 without.

    PHOTO: Eagles Nation on X

    Barkley’s impact is self-explanatory. Setting the NFL record for rushing yards in a single season (2,504), he rushed about 1,000 yards over what would have been considered a huge win for the Birds. Winning games early in the season virtually by himself, and taking long-distance runs to the house in the playoffs, the MVP love he got was deserved.

    Baun was a Defensive Player of the Year candidate last season. He was the nucleus of that core, preventing big rushes and forcing turnovers at the most pivotal moments. For a team that often struggled in both of those areas before his arrival, he changed the game for the Birds.

    Finally, we have Carter. Already one of the most feared defensive linemen in the league, the 24-year-old should have about a decade of game-breaking football. His most influential play came on a third-down sack of Matthew Stafford in the NFC Divisional Round in January. With the Los Angeles Rams on the verge of a last-second go-ahead touchdown, the youngster saved the day and the Eagles’ season.

    The Eagles have something special here. With eight game-breaking talents on the roster (if not more), their excellence can be felt every week. It’s why Philadelphia’s hopes of yet another Super Bowl title are quite realistic.

    PHOTO: Eagles Nation on X

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    Justin Giampietro

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  • The Eagles Free Agent Frenzy – Philadelphia Sports Nation

    The Eagles Free Agent Frenzy – Philadelphia Sports Nation

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    The Eagles had another grocery list of positions to fill this off-season.

    • Safety (or 2)
    • Linebackers (multiple)
    • Wide Receivers (multiple)
    • Running Back (or 2)
    • OL Depth

    They had already made a few moves to shore up some depth and competition in the roster. See more of the previous moves like Okwara and Kinnard here.

    If you had told me that the Eagles would cross off most of that list within the first week of free agency. I would assume most of the players were cheap acquisitions who might not even make the 53 man roster. But by end of day Thursday, the Eagles have started the off-season impressively.

    Let’s recap the moves they’ve made since Wednesday.

     

    Division Rival Betrayal

    The Eagles began the legal tampering period with some of the best news. And later finalized a 3-year, $37.75M deal with Saquon Barkley.

    This should be the 3rd year in a row Eagles end up with a 1,000+ yard player in the backfield. From Sanders, to Swift and now Barkley, who put up 962 rushing yards in only 14 games with the Giants this past season. While the Giants had started Tyrod Taylor, Daniel Jones and Tommy DeVito for equal amounts of the season. Saquon was in a similar situation to Christian McCaffrey, and should now make as much an impact on the Eagles as McCaffrey has to the 49ers offense.

    With only a $3,950,000 cap hit in 2024. Barely costing the team as they continued to spend their available cap space…

     

     

    Shopping From Both Sides Of MetLife

    There was one more stop the Eagles had to make while they were scooping players from MetLife Stadium.

    Signing Bryce Huff to a 3-year, $51M contract is a big price to pay for a defensive end who only played 42% of the defensive snaps. Compared to Sweat at $13.3M and Reddick at $15M, who both played over 70% of the Eagles defensive snaps. But with Huff putting up 10 Sacks last year for the Jets, this signing feels similar to when they signed Haason Reddick 2 seasons ago.

    So could this be a signing to replace one of the expiring Sweat or Reddick deals? Or utilizing the $30M jump in cap space to re-invest on the defensive line? We won’t know for now, but this Josh Sweat instagram comment might be a hint of what could still be to come.

     

    Addressing The OL

    Every year, there’s plenty of people online who scream into the void “The Eagles should use their Day 1 pick on an offensive lineman”

    I’m here to tell you they probably won’t do that, again.

    The Eagles had plenty of players depart from the Offensive Line. From Kelce’s retirement to no news on Sua Opeta or Jack Driscoll. But they’ve already gone and signed Darian Kinnard, and now Matt Hennessy.

    With 20 starts in Atlanta over the last 3 years, the former Temple Owl will make his way back to Philadelphia. Having played center and left guard in Atlanta. It wouldn’t be a surprise if Hennessy is viewed as a backup piece, but can bring competition for both Cam Jurgens and Tyler Steen during training camp.

    While this is only a 1 year deal, it probably keeps the Eagles from using a high round pick in the draft on the offensive line. If they’re truly building for the future they could use a 2nd or 3rd round pick, like they have in the last two drafts.

     

     

     

    Finally, Some Linebackers!

    There’s one position the Eagles desperately needed to invest in this off-season. And it took awhile for these moves to come through but they’ve made them.

    Adding 2 linebackers in the opening week of free agency is steps ahead of the linebackers the Eagles were acquiring last year.

    Nicholas Morrow was the only free agent move in March for a LB, and Zach Cunningham and Myles Jack weren’t signed until August.

    Devin White, a former Pro-Bowler and All-Pro had 83 tackles last year, including 2.5 Sacks and 2 Interceptions.

    While Zack Baun had 30 tackles, 2 Sacks and 1 Interception.

    Many may not approve of the White deal, but with plenty of time to make final roster decisions and the draft still a month away. White and Baun are better moves than the Eagles have seen at LB in some time. (We all remember Nate Gerry, right?)

     

    A Reunion In Philly

    Maybe this is what was missing from the Eagles secondary in 2023.

    C.J. Gardner-Johnson didn’t see plenty of playing time in Detroit, With a Week 2 injury that saw C.J. out until week 18. The reacquainted Safety still had 2 Interceptions across his 6 total games in Detroit, 3 in the regular season and 3 in the playoffs.

    Some wanted Justin Simmons to fill the void in the secondary left by Byard, but after some apologies, many are on board with this addition.

     

    The New WR3 In Town

    With Quez Watkins and Olamide Zaccheaus set to be free agents, the Eagles had to bring in multiple new faces for new offensive coordinator Kellen Moore.

    And they did.

    While DeVante Parker’s separation numbers are the worst in the league. The Former Patriot still had 539 and 394 yards during his 2-year stint with Mac Jones at QB (And Matt Patricia at OC).

    Not bad numbers to fill in a WR3 role that Watkins and Zaccheaus didn’t come close to last year. Sure the offense struggled under Brian Johnson, there’s still bright things to expect with new faces on this team with new coordinators and schemes being put in place this off-season.

    There’s still 1 more open WR spot on the roster that could be addressed in the draft or re-signing Zaccheaus. And with the Eagles only paying $1.2M of Parker’s deal, there’s no guarantee he makes the final roster cut in August either.

     

     

     

     

    The Eagles have already made plenty of moves signing new faces to the team, who are you hoping they’re still able to add before the draft?

     

    Go Birds!

     

     

    Photo Credit: Matt Rourke / AP Photo

     

     

     

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    Tyler L’Heureux

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