Latest / Inside the Birds: A Philadelphia Eagles Podcast / The DiCecco Daily Postgame Pod: Takeaways, Insights From Eagles' 13-12 Win Over Buffalo Bills

Transcript

The DiCecco Daily Postgame Pod: Takeaways, Insights From Eagles' 13-12 Win Over Buffalo Bills · Inside the Birds: A Philadelphia Eagles Podcast

0:10
Speaker 1: Hey, what's happened to everybody? Welcome into another edition of
0:13
Speaker 1: The check Odaily. It's Andrew to check O. Eagles beat
0:16
Speaker 1: reporter from inside the Birds dot Com and Eagles hold
0:19
Speaker 1: on narrowly Sunday afternoon, beating the Bills by a score
0:23
Speaker 1: of thirteen to twelve at high Mark Stadium, the second
0:27
Speaker 1: to last game at high Mark Stadium if I'm correct
0:31
Speaker 1: on that. And they travel to the land of the
0:34
Speaker 1: ice and snow, and it wasn't pretty, but they get
0:36
Speaker 1: a very gutsy performance from their defense. Offensively, well not
0:41
Speaker 1: so much. We'll get into that later. But Josh Allen
0:45
Speaker 1: didn't go quietly. Josh Allen the Buffalo Bills. They have
0:48
Speaker 1: a thirteen play eighty three yard drive late in that game.
0:53
Speaker 1: They score with a Josh Allen one yard plunge, and
0:56
Speaker 1: then instead of going for the tie and on kicker
1:00
Speaker 1: Michael Badgey to attempt the extra point and not it
1:03
Speaker 1: at thirteen, they instead go for the win, which I
1:07
Speaker 1: can kind of understand because Michael badgely had his previous
1:11
Speaker 1: extra point blocked by Jalen Carter, and they were positioned
1:16
Speaker 1: to kind of go for the win here, and they
1:19
Speaker 1: wanted to be aggressive, and they had to play dialed up.
1:22
Speaker 1: Josh Allen sort of drifts back in the pocket and
1:26
Speaker 1: he looks to the left and he has wide receiver
1:29
Speaker 1: Khalil Shakir open, but he doesn't get enough on the
1:32
Speaker 1: pass and it kind of falls in complete. Eagles hold
1:35
Speaker 1: on after Dallas got it recovers the on side kick.
1:38
Speaker 1: So even though the game was low scoring, I found
1:41
Speaker 1: it very entertaining because it is so fun to watch
1:44
Speaker 1: this defense fly around and rally to the football and
1:48
Speaker 1: play assignment sound. You can see players across the board
1:52
Speaker 1: improving each and every week. Offensively, it's kind of maddening
1:56
Speaker 1: because when you watch how effective they were early in
1:59
Speaker 1: that game, especially Jalen Hurts, I thought he made some
2:01
Speaker 1: really big time throws, some in tight windows and navigating
2:07
Speaker 1: the pocket where it was collapsing on him. I thought
2:09
Speaker 1: that he looks he was stoic, he kept his eyes
2:11
Speaker 1: down the field and there are a lot of positives
2:14
Speaker 1: that take away. But then the second half, the offense
2:17
Speaker 1: sort of was stuck in neutral and they barely did anything.
2:21
Speaker 1: They had five drives in which they punted five consecutive
2:25
Speaker 1: drives and then the end of game drive. But not
2:28
Speaker 1: great there. But let's get to the observations. Well. First
2:32
Speaker 1: of all, inactive for the Eagles were outside linebacker Josh Yusha,
2:37
Speaker 1: quarterback Sam Howe, linebacker Na Kobe Dean, running back AJ Dillon,
2:42
Speaker 1: cornerback Michael Carter, and right tackle Lane Johnson. Shortly before
2:46
Speaker 1: the inactive list was released, the Eagles indicated that Carter,
2:50
Speaker 1: not injury related personal, would not be in uniform and
2:54
Speaker 1: as such, rookie cornerback Mac McWilliams, who of course I
2:58
Speaker 1: did the rookie diary with each and every week, he
3:01
Speaker 1: was active for the first time since October twenty sixth,
3:05
Speaker 1: and then elevated from the practice squad for the second
3:08
Speaker 1: consecutive week, was rookie dB Brandon Johnson, who has one
3:12
Speaker 1: regular season elevation remaining. Johnson, He's a rookie cornerback by trade.
3:17
Speaker 1: He repped a safety for his five defensive snaps against
3:22
Speaker 1: the Commanders, but that's a position in which he's been
3:25
Speaker 1: cross trained in practiced throughout the season, and the Oregon
3:30
Speaker 1: product provided secondary depth today and contributed on special teams. Okay,
3:35
Speaker 1: let's get to the observations. The less than ideal weather
3:39
Speaker 1: conditions suggested that the Eagles would implement a run heavy
3:43
Speaker 1: approach to start, but instead the team opened with three
3:47
Speaker 1: consecutive throws and were then forced to punt on the
3:50
Speaker 1: ensuing drive Idly. Sakwon Barkley carried on the first three plays.
3:57
Speaker 1: As I mentioned, some big time throws from Jay one
3:59
Speaker 1: her Hurtz. I think what really stood out to me
4:03
Speaker 1: and I made note of this and my observations was
4:06
Speaker 1: his ability to calmly navigate the pressure and keeping his
4:08
Speaker 1: eyes down the field, and there were a lot of
4:11
Speaker 1: dimes that Jay Went threw in the first half. The
4:14
Speaker 1: second half, however, was a stark contrast. Hertz was zero
4:17
Speaker 1: for seven in the second in his second half past
4:21
Speaker 1: attempts and was unable to build on that first half success.
4:26
Speaker 1: I have to go back and watch, so I don't
4:27
Speaker 1: like to make any definitive proclamations here, but it looked
4:32
Speaker 1: like it was Some of it was on Jaylen and
4:35
Speaker 1: then there were a lot of questionable play calling decisions
4:39
Speaker 1: there from Nick Sirianni and Kevin Pattullo. In terms of
4:42
Speaker 1: just how they approached that second half, they seemed to
4:46
Speaker 1: get pretty conservative and almost take their foot off the
4:49
Speaker 1: gas make sure that they weren't making any mistakes given
4:52
Speaker 1: the weather situation, although it looked like the rain tapered
4:54
Speaker 1: off a little bit, and that approach has nearly cost
4:59
Speaker 1: them in past games this season, and they put a
5:03
Speaker 1: lot on the shoulders of this Eagles defense to nearly
5:07
Speaker 1: play perfect and that's not, in my estimation, sustainable in
5:12
Speaker 1: the postseason. You have to be able to play complimentary football,
5:15
Speaker 1: and the Eagles haven't done that for most of the season.
5:18
Speaker 1: It's mostly been the defense carrying this team. And when
5:23
Speaker 1: you look at the anemic performance in the second half,
5:25
Speaker 1: you can say the weather contributed to it. Perhaps it did,
5:28
Speaker 1: I'm sure it did, but the Bills were also able
5:31
Speaker 1: to generate something late in that game, and so it
5:34
Speaker 1: didn't look it looked choppy, it didn't look like it
5:37
Speaker 1: was very fluid, and even just not enough you know,
5:42
Speaker 1: success running the football. There are just so many different
5:45
Speaker 1: things that I think when you go back and look
5:48
Speaker 1: at that game, that second half was reminiscent of many
5:53
Speaker 1: moments that we've seen this season where the offense just
5:57
Speaker 1: is clunky and static and just not efficient enough. But
6:03
Speaker 1: we'll move on here because I have to talk about
6:08
Speaker 1: the Bills offensive line is not a bad offensive line
6:12
Speaker 1: by any stretch. They are well equipped at tackle with
6:14
Speaker 1: Spencer Brown and Dion Dawkins, but the Eagles generated consistent
6:18
Speaker 1: pressure off the edge early in this one second year
6:21
Speaker 1: pro Jalox Hunt, who I've lauded for the better part
6:25
Speaker 1: of two seasons and I talk a lot about him
6:28
Speaker 1: leading up to the draft, he picked up his fifth
6:31
Speaker 1: and a half sack, and then he gets his team
6:35
Speaker 1: leading six and a half sack later in that game.
6:37
Speaker 1: But he's been playing at a high level for a
6:41
Speaker 1: number of weeks. Now. He's physical, he's rangy, and he's
6:46
Speaker 1: really starting to come into his own. And then Jalen
6:49
Speaker 1: Phillips picked up his second sack since joining the Eagles
6:52
Speaker 1: after the trade deadline. On a play that would ultimately
6:55
Speaker 1: lead to points, Phillips dropped Josh Allen for a six
6:58
Speaker 1: yard loss, and then he knocked the ball loose from
7:01
Speaker 1: Josh Allen, and rookie linebacker Johad Campbell, who was of
7:05
Speaker 1: course starting in place for an injured Nakobe Dean, pounced
7:08
Speaker 1: on the loose ball at the Bills forty five. Then
7:11
Speaker 1: Jalen Hurts completes five of five pass attempts for forty
7:13
Speaker 1: one yards and a touchdown on a scoring drive that
7:17
Speaker 1: yielded Dallas Goddard his eleventh touchdown of the season, qualified
7:23
Speaker 1: qualifying for most tight ends in team history in a
7:27
Speaker 1: single season. With eleven, he surpassed Pete Retzlaf, who had
7:31
Speaker 1: ten in nineteen sixty five. Big day for Dallas Goddard,
7:35
Speaker 1: even if the stat sheet didn't necessarily reflect that he
7:39
Speaker 1: goes over his career high in receptions as well, so
7:43
Speaker 1: positive positive footnote there, But even as a collective, the
7:47
Speaker 1: Trenches outclassed a stout Buffalo offensive line, including Jalen Carter,
7:52
Speaker 1: Moro Jomo, who knife threw for sacks for a Jomo
7:56
Speaker 1: who dropped Allen in the third quarter. That takedown for
7:59
Speaker 1: a brief moment gave him a team leading six on
8:02
Speaker 1: the season until, as I mentioned, Hunt got to Allen
8:05
Speaker 1: in the fourth quarter for his second of the day.
8:10
Speaker 1: In their first true challenge since being gouged on the
8:12
Speaker 1: ground by the Chicago Bears a month ago on Black Friday,
8:15
Speaker 1: the Eagles bottled up the bills dynamic rushing attack headed
8:18
Speaker 1: by the league's leading rusher, James Cook. The Eagles were
8:21
Speaker 1: explosive off the snap, then they attacked the line of
8:24
Speaker 1: scrimmage with controlled violence impeding Cook's ability to generate any
8:28
Speaker 1: momentum and for perspective, Cook entered the game averaging one
8:32
Speaker 1: hundred and two rushing yards per game and averaging five
8:35
Speaker 1: point three yards per carry, and the Eagles held him
8:38
Speaker 1: the seventy four yards and a three point seven average.
8:42
Speaker 1: They rallied to the football as a group, and the
8:44
Speaker 1: energy was apparent. Conversely, the Eagles didn't have as much
8:49
Speaker 1: success on the ground as I expected, especially against a
8:53
Speaker 1: leaky Buffalo Bills run defense. Credit also has to go
8:57
Speaker 1: to the Bills for hanging tough and really provide some
9:00
Speaker 1: stout run defense, but they held Barkway to an average
9:03
Speaker 1: of three point six yards per carry. This was a
9:06
Speaker 1: bottom tier run defense that I thought the Eagles were
9:09
Speaker 1: going to be able to capitalize on, certainly after what
9:11
Speaker 1: we'd seen the previous two weeks, but that wasn't the case.
9:15
Speaker 1: On Sunday afternoon, tough opening defensive series for safety Marcus Epps,
9:20
Speaker 1: who had settled things down at the position in lay
9:23
Speaker 1: of the absence of injured rookie safety Drew mccooba. He
9:26
Speaker 1: surrendered that completion at Dusonnox on that over route and
9:30
Speaker 1: then he was called for a holding penalty on the
9:32
Speaker 1: third and four play that negated a Zach Bond sack.
9:36
Speaker 1: I was kind of curious to see if the team
9:38
Speaker 1: would test the Eagles secondary, and the Bills did early anyway,
9:43
Speaker 1: and that was highlighted by that fifty yard strike to
9:46
Speaker 1: wide receiver Brandon Cooks in the first quarter, but real
9:49
Speaker 1: quick on Marcus Epps because and this is upon first watch.
9:53
Speaker 1: As I mentioned, I thought the Veterans safety played very
9:56
Speaker 1: well diagnosing plays and throttling downhill. He's such a heady player,
10:01
Speaker 1: a secure tackler, and an assignment sound player and all
10:05
Speaker 1: of those qualities have endeared him to coordinator Vic Fangio.
10:10
Speaker 1: And Vic has talked a bit about Marcus and what
10:13
Speaker 1: he brings, and he's just an experienced player. He knows
10:16
Speaker 1: where to be, He's not going to be out of position,
10:18
Speaker 1: and he plays with toughness that sort of embodies what
10:23
Speaker 1: Nick Si Ronnie looks for in his players. And for
10:26
Speaker 1: Vic Vangil, you talk about the football intelligence and he
10:29
Speaker 1: may not value with athleticism. The same thing goes for
10:32
Speaker 1: Reid Blank and Ship, but those are two players who
10:35
Speaker 1: understand where to be. They are fundamentally sound and they're
10:39
Speaker 1: tough as now, so that obviously goes a long way,
10:43
Speaker 1: not only for Vic and Nick Sirianni, but having staying
10:47
Speaker 1: power in the NFL.
10:49
Speaker 2: Hey, I still like a good night out, but I'm
10:51
Speaker 2: not always in the mood to drink, and that's why
10:54
Speaker 2: I looked for a great alternative and I found one.
10:57
Speaker 2: It's called Soul's out of office gummies. We get the
11:00
Speaker 2: same light, happy buzz, but you don't have the hangover.
11:04
Speaker 2: There's no sugar, and you don't get that awkward feeling
11:07
Speaker 2: the next morning. They help me unwind and ease into
11:10
Speaker 2: my evening without the alcohol or the next day fog.
11:14
Speaker 2: Soul is a wellness brand that believes feeling good should
11:16
Speaker 2: be fun and easy. Soul specializes in delicious HEMP drived
11:20
Speaker 2: THC and CBD products designed to boost your mood and
11:24
Speaker 2: help you unwind. Their best selling out of office coumpanies
11:27
Speaker 2: were designed to provide a mild, relaxing buzz, boost your mood,
11:31
Speaker 2: and enhance your creativity and relaxation. With five different strengths,
11:36
Speaker 2: you can tailor the dose to fit your vibe. From
11:38
Speaker 2: a gentle one point five milligram micro dose to their
11:41
Speaker 2: newest fifteen milligram gummy for a more elevated experience. They've
11:46
Speaker 2: also got a variety of products specifically designed to help
11:49
Speaker 2: you get a better night's rest, including Soul's top selling
11:54
Speaker 2: Sleep gummy, a fan favorite for deep restorative sleep. So
11:59
Speaker 2: bring on the good vibes and treat yourself to Soul today.
12:02
Speaker 2: Right now, Soul is offering our audience thirty percent off
12:07
Speaker 2: your entire order, So go to get sool dot com
12:10
Speaker 2: and use the code Birds brds that's Getsold dot Com
12:14
Speaker 2: promo code Birds for thirty percent off. Hey, it's Jeff Mosher.
12:19
Speaker 2: Quick question for you. If you could stop somebody from
12:21
Speaker 2: breaking into your home before they got inside, why wouldn't you.
12:25
Speaker 2: That's why I've got Simply Safe, the best home alarm system,
12:28
Speaker 2: so much better than those old school systems that go
12:31
Speaker 2: after somebody that's already in your place when it's way
12:34
Speaker 2: too late. Simply Safe is different, proactive, and you get
12:38
Speaker 2: a double layer of defense that stops crimes before they start.
12:42
Speaker 2: They've got AI powered cameras that spot potential threats outside
12:46
Speaker 2: and then live agents step in. They talk to the
12:48
Speaker 2: person through the camera to let them know they're on
12:50
Speaker 2: video and police will be dispatched if they don't leave.
12:54
Speaker 2: You can get Simply Safe with no long term contracts
12:57
Speaker 2: or hidden fees, and you can cancel at any time.
13:00
Speaker 2: They were named the best home security systems by US
13:03
Speaker 2: News and World Report for five years running. This is
13:06
Speaker 2: why I feel so safe when my wife and children
13:09
Speaker 2: are at home, because I have Simply Safe. It is
13:12
Speaker 2: simply the best option out there for home alarm systems,
13:16
Speaker 2: and this month only take fifty percent off any new system.
13:19
Speaker 2: This is one of the best prices you'll see ever
13:22
Speaker 2: for simply Safe. Don't miss it. Hit simply Safe dot
13:25
Speaker 2: com slash birds again. That's simply Safe dot com slash
13:29
Speaker 2: birds and lock in your discount. There's no safe like
13:32
Speaker 2: simply Safe. Hey, Philly fans, game day is stressful enough. Parking, traffic,
13:37
Speaker 2: long lines, We've all been there, But when it comes
13:40
Speaker 2: to your cannabis, Camden Apothecary makes it easy. This is
13:44
Speaker 2: the dispensary for sports fans, just minutes outside of Philly,
13:49
Speaker 2: with plenty of free parking. You'll be in and out.
13:51
Speaker 3: Fast, no hassle, no waiting, and they don't just care
13:54
Speaker 3: about convenience.
13:56
Speaker 2: Camden Apothecary is all about the guest experience. Staff make
14:00
Speaker 2: sure you feel taken care of every time you walk in. Plus,
14:04
Speaker 2: they carry only the best quality cannabis at the fairest prices,
14:09
Speaker 2: so whether you're stocking up for the tailgate, the watch party,
14:12
Speaker 2: or celebrating.
14:13
Speaker 3: A big win, you know you're getting the good stuff
14:16
Speaker 3: without overpaying. They even show love to the community with
14:20
Speaker 3: specials for fans, students, service members, and healthcare pros. Camed
14:25
Speaker 3: in Apothecary, top quality cannabis, great prices, and an experience
14:30
Speaker 3: made for Philly fans twenty one and up.
14:33
Speaker 1: As I mentioned Dallas Goddart's first quarter touchdown was his
14:37
Speaker 1: eleventh of the season. He surpasses Pete Retzlaf and most
14:41
Speaker 1: tight touchdowns by a tight end for in team history
14:45
Speaker 1: for a single season, so that seemed inevitable because he's
14:50
Speaker 1: been such a consistent piece in the red zone. And
14:53
Speaker 1: then wide receiver aj Brown eclipse the one thousand yard
14:55
Speaker 1: receiving barrier for the fourth consecutive season. This might be hyperbole,
15:01
Speaker 1: but pound for pound, is there a better tackler in
15:03
Speaker 1: the league than Cooper Degene, whether it's a wide receiver,
15:06
Speaker 1: tight end, or running back. The six foot one and
15:09
Speaker 1: ninety eight pound. Degene is a dependable open field tackler.
15:13
Speaker 1: He consistently wraps up or he drives through his targets,
15:17
Speaker 1: and perhaps the best example was fundamentally sound, textbook takedown
15:22
Speaker 1: that he had against Dawson Knox where he limited him
15:26
Speaker 1: to just a two yard pickup. Just such a smart, tough,
15:31
Speaker 1: instinctive defender, and he keeps getting better. There's a reason
15:35
Speaker 1: why Vick Vango loves to keep Cooper Degene at that
15:38
Speaker 1: nickelback role because he's in the middle of the action.
15:41
Speaker 1: He processes and diagnoses things quickly, and he's able to
15:45
Speaker 1: get downhill, he gets involved in those run fits, and
15:48
Speaker 1: he's just a player that has a ton of range
15:50
Speaker 1: and versatility. So it's very obvious why Vick Vangiud is
15:55
Speaker 1: reluctant to move Cooper Degene from inside to outside on
16:02
Speaker 1: the heels of a week where he'd presumably like to forget.
16:06
Speaker 1: Jake Elliott pounced back in a big way, drilling kicks
16:08
Speaker 1: of forty seven and twenty eight yards respectively. Elliott, who
16:12
Speaker 1: has experienced adversity at various points in his career, responded
16:15
Speaker 1: the way the Eagles have known him to, coming through
16:18
Speaker 1: when his team needs him the most, and I think
16:21
Speaker 1: that was best evidence by his first half forty seven
16:24
Speaker 1: yard connection in the Driving Rain. It's one game, sure,
16:27
Speaker 1: but the successful outing could act as a confidence booster
16:31
Speaker 1: heading into the postseason. And while we're on the subject
16:34
Speaker 1: of specialists, I've gone on records saying that I felt
16:37
Speaker 1: Eagles punter braiden Man deserved a Pro Bowl Berth more
16:41
Speaker 1: so than the Commander's punter truss Way, even though truss
16:44
Speaker 1: Way is they're going to show difference to him for experience.
16:47
Speaker 1: But I think Sunday's game in Buffalo supported my sentiment.
16:50
Speaker 1: In the Driving Rain, braiden Man averaged fifty five point
16:55
Speaker 1: four yards on seven punts, landing two nearly three punts
16:59
Speaker 1: inside the t T twenty. He impressively boomed a long
17:02
Speaker 1: of sixty five in this one, and he drilled a
17:04
Speaker 1: fifty yarder when he was backed up in the in
17:07
Speaker 1: the end zone. And he can always take one step
17:09
Speaker 1: numbers aside. Man has been consistent this season in field
17:13
Speaker 1: position and the field and that battle that goes on there,
17:16
Speaker 1: and then also getting the Eagles out of a jam.
17:20
Speaker 1: The Eagles were officially tagged for just three penalties. For
17:23
Speaker 1: thirty six yards. In this one, they controlled the ball
17:25
Speaker 1: for twenty four minutes and forty five seconds and converted
17:28
Speaker 1: three of thirteen third down attempts. But context is important
17:32
Speaker 1: because in the second half the Eagles only had the
17:36
Speaker 1: ball for eight minutes and forty five seconds. The Bills
17:39
Speaker 1: controlled the ball the remainder of that time, and it
17:43
Speaker 1: felt like a little bit longer. So I think that
17:46
Speaker 1: that kind of underscores the unevenness of this Eagles offense.
17:50
Speaker 1: Hell can look so drastically different from one half to
17:53
Speaker 1: the second. I'll have to, as I always do, I
17:56
Speaker 1: like to go back and watch the game two or
17:59
Speaker 1: three times to get a better sense of, you know,
18:04
Speaker 1: the coach's tape and things like that before you make
18:06
Speaker 1: any definitive proclamations. But these are just some of my
18:09
Speaker 1: initial takeaways coming off the Eagles thirteen to twelve when
18:13
Speaker 1: they pick up their eleventh win of the season. And
18:16
Speaker 1: I really look forward to hearing what Vic Vangio has
18:20
Speaker 1: to say this week after his unit continues to play
18:23
Speaker 1: at such a high level, and of course Kevin Patullo
18:27
Speaker 1: and hearing some of what went into his thought process
18:31
Speaker 1: or approach this week. I always like hearing from the coordinators,
18:34
Speaker 1: and we will hear from the coordinators Tuesday as always,
18:39
Speaker 1: but for now, that's going to do it for this
18:41
Speaker 1: edition of to check O Deli. I'm Andrew Tocheco and
18:45
Speaker 1: I will catch you on the next one.