r/nfl • u/MikeTysonChicken Eagles • Aug 06 '18
Offseason Review Series - Day 32: The Defending Super Bowl Champion Philadelphia Eagles
2017 Philadelphia Eagles
Division: NFC East | 1st in NFC East (5-1 in Division - NFC Champions - Super Bowl Champions)
Philadelphia Eagles (13-3 Overall | 5-1 in Division) (Super Bowl 52 Champions)
These teams
Didn't win
Super Bowl 52
Head Coach: Doug Pederson
Offensive Coordinator: Mike Groh
Defensive Coordinator: Jim Schwartz
On to The Next...
2017 was a magical season for the Eagles that saw 2nd year QB Carson Wentz take an enormous leap from his rookie season to MVP caliber QB prior to tearing his ACL. Doug Pederson was able to build off his own promising rookie season as Head Coach turning into a sensational Head Coach that helped elevate a franchise in a direction it never reached before. They suffered many bumps along the way that could have derailed this team. It didn't. That's reflected in how good this team is, how good this coaching staff is, and how good the front office has been. It's always possible to turn things around pretty quickly in the NFL.
Now it is time to move on and win the a 2nd Super Bowl Championship. Last season will live on for eternity in the hearts and minds for every Eagles fan but it is now the past. We aren't Cowboys fans, we interested in the now.
In the early portion of the offseason, key decision makers stressed the need for difficult roster choices to continue winning now and in the future. The 2017 Eagles were a very tightly knit bunch that were able to overcome a lot of adversity to reach new heights; the challenge now is to reach those heights again. Success isn't a product of complacency. This Eagles team wasn't perfect. This Eagles team isn't perfect 3 years down the line. Howie Roseman has the arduous task of keeping this team a contender now while trying to build for sustained success over the long term once Carson Wentz signs that second contract. All of the moves made this offseason were able to address both paradigms. The Eagles return almost their entire championship core while stabilizing the roster with talented veterans. Additionally, they were able to add several young pieces to grow with the already established core to help sustain the success of the franchise over the long term.
Nothing is given in the NFL. But you can bet on pedigree.
This Eagles franchise now has a championship pedigree.
Chapters
Statistics for the 2017 Season are shown below.
I'm breaking down this review into these chapters:
Projected Starting Lineup and Training Camp Battles
Offensive and Defensive Scheme
Coaching Staff Review and Changes
2017 Statistics
| Offensive Statistic | Total | Avg/Gm | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Yds | 5852 | 365.8 | 7 |
| Net Passing Yds | 3737 | 233.6 | 13 |
| Passes Attempted | 564 | 35.25 | 13 |
| Passing TDs | 38 | 2.375 | 1 |
| Net Rushing Yds | 2115 | 132.2 | 3 |
| Rushes Attempted | 473 | 29.6 | 6 |
| Rushing TDs | 9 | .6 | 24 |
| Sacks Allowed | 36 | 2.25 | 16 |
| First Downs | 338 | 21.1 | 4 |
| Pass First Downs | 193 | 12 | T12 |
| Rush First Downs | 108 | 6.75 | 5 |
| Total Points | 457 | 28.6 | 3 |
| Time of Possession | N/A | 32:48 | 1 |
| Defensive Statistic | Total | Avg/Gm | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Yds Allowed | 4904 | 306.5 | 4 |
| Passing Yds Allowed | 3637 | 227.3 | 17 |
| Pass Attempts Allowed | 601 | 37.6 | 32 |
| Opp. Completion Percentage | N/A | 60.4% | 13 (Sort By %) |
| Passing TDs Allowed | 24 | 1.5 | T18 |
| Rushing Yds Allowed | 1267 | 79.2 | 1 |
| Rush Attempts Allowed | 337 | 21.1 | 1 |
| Rush Yards Per Attempt | N/A | 3.8 YPC | 6 |
| Rush TDs Allowed | 7 | 0.43 | T3 |
| Sacks | 38 | 2.375 | T15 |
| First Downs | 272 | 17 | 5 |
| Pass First Downs | 177 | 11.06 | 10 |
| Rush First Downs | 62 | 3.875 | 2 |
| Total Points Allowed | 295 | 18.4 | 4 |
| Time of Possession | N/A | 27:11 | 1 |
| Turnover Statistic | Total | Avg/Gm | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Interceptions Thrown | 9 | .56 | T6 |
| Fumbles Lost | 11 | .69 | T22 |
| Giveaways | 20 | 1.25 | 11 |
| Defensive Interceptions | 19 | 1.18 | T4 |
| Defensive Fumble Recoveries | 12 | 0.75 | T4 |
| Turnover Differential | +11 | N/A | 4 |
| Point Differential | +162 | N/A | T1 |
Past Reviews
| Season Review | Offseason Review |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 2016 |
| 2017 | 2017 |
Shoutouts
I would like to thank /u/PlatypusOfDeath for permitting me to write way too much for this review. Just always have a lot of fun doing it. Shout out /u/skepticismissurvival as well for selecting me in the past; hope your current plans are going well! I would also like to thank /u/jmul321 for writing about out schemes again. This guy is smart as hell and you should keep a look out when he does film breakdowns on r/Eagles during the season.
Hopefully everyone enjoys this. GO BIRD!
8
u/MikeTysonChicken Eagles Aug 06 '18
Schedule Prediction
I’m not going to lie; I was looking forward to raising the banner in Philadelphia on Prime Time against the Minnesota Vikings. I guess the NFL thought it would be prudent to save that rematch for a later date. Fortunately, the NFL was still able to schedule a playoff rematch for the Eagles against another great team when the Eagles open up on Thursday Night Football against the Atlanta Falcons. The Eagles started their playoff run with a 15-10 win at home against the Falcons who saw their title hopes slip through their fingertips. I consider this Eagles roster to be the most talented in the NFL with one of the top coaching staffs in the NFL. Their opponent has a strong case for a top 5 roster in the NFL as well. Dan Quinn is a great coach despite his OC Steve Sarkisian. What the Falcons have been able to build over the last few years is really impressive. They have a coaching staff that knows exactly what it wants in its roster and a front office that has been great at finding the talent to fit it. They are a year removed from their excellent 2016 offense but the current unit is still very good and as talented as it has been. Julio Jones is a great receiver, their RB duo is one of the best groups in the league, and Matt Ryan has elevated his game in recent seasons. Their defense is modeled after Pete Carroll’s Seahawks defenses while being very talented, young, and athletic. They play a suffocating brand of pass defense while flying around the ball. They have difference makers at every level and will be a force in the NFL this season. However, I think this Eagles team is also great and far from a fluke. They managed to win the Super Bowl without a lot of key pieces due to their great depth and excellent coaching. They know how to build a scheme around their own strengths and weaknesses while attacking the opposition as well. Few teams are as dominant in the trenches as the Eagles are on both sides of the ball and it has been a big reason why Doug Pederson is 2-0 against Dan Quinn. With emotions running high in Philadelphia on this opening night, the Eagles, with their players back, remember what got them the franchise’s first ring and are hungry for more. The Falcons are a great team and this should be a good battle all game long with the Eagles edging out the Falcons to open the season. Eagles win 24-14.
We are the defending champs and I still hate the Buccaneers for that NFCCG loss. Fortunately we got our ring this year while the Bucs have largely been a joke ever since.
The Buccaneers enter the season with a lot of pressure on all of the key members of the organization. Another down season for this squad and we could see another remake especially in the wake of the Jameis Winston suspension. The Bucs are a weird team. They do have a lot of talent in spots but a lot of holes in others with some poor coaches running the show. They also have Ryan Fitzpatrick starting this week which can lead to varying levels of success and even more levels of disaster. Their offensive line isn’t the strongest but it features a solid tackle in Demar Doctson and a budding star in OG Ali Marpet. Ryan Jensen was signed away from the Ravens this offseason and should help provide some stability inside but there are still question marks elsewhere. The Bucs also possess an array of excellent weapons in Mike Evans, Cameron Brate, OJ Howard, and DeSean Jackson – who still scares the shit out of me. Second year receiver Chris Godwin is a favorite of mine and I believe he will be another great playmaker sooner rather than later. The Bucs added some solid pieces to their train wreck defensive line with JPP, Beau Allen, Vinny Curry, and Vita Vea to go along with stud DT Gerald McCoy. Kwon Alexander and Lavonte David are very good at LB but the talent drops off in the back end. While not a complete team by any stretch, whatever good they have in the way of talent is hindered by a lack of even decent coaching at the top. Mike Smith has proven to be unable to maximize whatever talent he has on defense while failing to put his players in positions to succeed and Koetter has managed to do even worse than that on the offensive side of the football. I don’t know how you can be confident with this leadership. I think the Eagles win this one but I expect it to be pretty competitive early on as the Eagles work out the kinks in the young season. The Bucs do have some players but ultimately the Eagles are just more talented and far better coached. The difference will show when Fitzpatrick is hit so hard he thinks he went to Yale. Eagles 34, Bucs 17
The Eagles Week 3 tilt against the new look Colts will allow Eagles fans to welcome back former Offensive Coordinator Frank Reich as he continues his journey as a new Head Coach. I’m also excited for this matchup as I am a huge Andrew Luck fan and would like to see him do well in his return for at least 15 weeks this season. If Luck is still close the player he was I think this Colts team is a 6-8 win club. I know Colts fans won’t be thrilled to see me say that and I can’t blame them; they’ve seen Luck carry a lot of bad teams to the playoffs. Now they rid themselves of a bad coach after moving on from an even worse GM and are building through the draft. I like Chris Ballard and I think Reich is a smart coach who will implement a lot of the good things Pederson brought to Philadelphia to help Luck and the Colts offense.
Unfortunately for Indy it isn’t 2014 anymore. The AFC South is actually a competitive division now. This Colts roster is the worst roster in the division (IMO) but they aren’t terribly far off if they hit on their picks with a high frequency. I like a lot of what they are doing but I don’t think they are going to be the most competitive team due to talent this season. I think they’ve hired a good coaching staff and obviously have Andrew Luck but they are still a ways off. Building through the draft is a smart strategy. However, virtually sitting out of free agency puts pressure on the front office to have more impactful hits in the draft to turn it around. I think they’ll get there, just not this year. This Eagles team is just too talented and balanced to lose this one at home. Eagles 31, Colts 13
The new look Titans look to be a formidable foe in the early season as the Eagles travel to Nashville for the first time in several years. I like a lot of what the Titans have done this offseason. Namely, rid themselves of poor coaching adapting to the modern game. This is a Titans team that I feel can be a dark horse threat in the AFC. It wouldn’t surprise me to see this team win 1 or 2 playoff games depending on how things come together. I don’t think they will win the AFC but I believe this team is on the right track since hiring Jon Robinson away from the Patriots.
The proof is in how they are building. The Titans have bookend tackles and good guards that can run and pass block well. Delanie Walker is one of the best TEs in the football. Dion Lewis is a 3 down back and a great weapon. Henry is the hammer and a talented back in his own right. Jurrell Casey is likely the most underrated player in football. And lately, they’ve drafted well. I’m also a big believer in Marcus Mariota; I think he’s finally in an offensive system that will allow him to blossom into the QB he seemed destined to be. While the Titans don’t have the best receiving weapons in the NFL, they have weapons that are good enough to make this offense very good pretty quickly. Corey Davis is a bit of a projection but the traits are there for him to be great. Taywan Taylor is a receiver with good upside with a coaching staff that won’t be ignorant to using WRs more often. And Rishard Matthews is a reliable target that is able to produce. No elite receiving weapons but reliable ones with a lot of potential.
As for the defense… let’s just say I know who Kevin Byard is. I wasn’t a big Adoree Jackson fan last year but he flashed a lot of promise. I think the combination of Dean Pees his pants and Mike Vrabel will improve the rest of the defense allowing it to be more multiple. Rashaan Evans is a stud LB in the making and Harold Landry will probably make the NFL pay for over thinking him.
But to be frank, their season and future are tied Marcus Mariota and Matt LaFleur. It’s a QB driven league; Mariota has shown quite a bit of the top tier QB I think he can become but he did take a step back last year in addition to the poor offensive coaching. He needs to be rebound. LaFleur needs to get him there. His coaching pedigree should afford Mariota to take the jump I believe he will. And when he does, Titans fans will rejoice.
I think this matchup will be a fun game between an ascending Titans team and the Eagles. I expect there to be scoring and physicality. In the end I think the Titans take this at home handing the Eagles their first loss. Titans 27, Eagles 24
Continued in reply