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Football at Four: Taking an Inside Look at the Recent Improvements of The Eagles Offense · Inside the Birds: A Philadelphia Eagles Podcast

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: This is football. Let's four.
• 0:02
  Speaker 2: All right, Welcome back into the Sports Bash live from
• 0:05
  Speaker 2: Chicki's and piece inside the Tropic Canna. Football at four
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• 0:24
  Speaker 2: All right, it is now time for Adam Kaplan from
• 0:26
  Speaker 2: Inside the Birds to join us here at Football at four. Adam,
• 0:31
  Speaker 2: listen the Eagles offense. It's been much better over the
• 0:34
  Speaker 2: past couple of weeks. What is the state of this
• 0:38
  Speaker 2: offense right now heading into Week seventeen against the Buffalo Bills.
• 0:43
  Speaker 1: Nick, I'm going to talk about that because some of
• 0:46
  Speaker 1: the things that I think what happens is when you
• 0:48
  Speaker 1: see a five turnover game like Jalen Hurts had against
• 0:51
  Speaker 1: the Chargers, people overreact and I understand, he see five number,
• 0:55
  Speaker 1: You see that number, you go, well, he must have
• 0:56
  Speaker 1: been terrible. He wasn't. He actually made several high level
• 0:59
  Speaker 1: throws in that game. And our job here is and
• 1:03
  Speaker 1: inside the Bird is we focus on learning and teaching
• 1:06
  Speaker 1: and informing people of the game, and it's why we
• 1:10
  Speaker 1: created this concept eight years ago. And one of the
• 1:12
  Speaker 1: things we've done is we've kind of peeled back everything
• 1:16
  Speaker 1: on Hurts here and over the last three games. Nick
• 1:20
  Speaker 1: I would argue he's making harder throws than he did
• 1:24
  Speaker 1: during his breakout season in twenty two. It was obviously
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  Speaker 1: very good, but those weren't the most challenging throws. A
• 1:31
  Speaker 1: deep throw is a lower percentage throw, but it's a throw.
• 1:34
  Speaker 1: As we know, he's always had confidence in well, you
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  Speaker 1: saw the Minnesota game he threw a big time anticipations
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  Speaker 1: pass touchdown to AJ Brown. But over the last three games,
• 1:45
  Speaker 1: Hurts has thrown the ball a lot inside the numbers
• 1:47
  Speaker 1: percentage wise than he normally does. It's not a super
• 1:50
  Speaker 1: high number, but it's much higher. The pass da a J.
• 1:53
  Speaker 1: Brown of the middle against Washington's phenomenal. Then he had
• 1:56
  Speaker 1: he had the corner throw, which is a big time throw,
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  Speaker 1: timing throw to to Dallas Goddard. He had won to
• 2:02
  Speaker 1: Smitty which he dropped for a touchdown, as you know.
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  Speaker 1: So Jalen Hurts has really improved as a passer lately.
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  Speaker 1: It's not going to show in the overall numbers but
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  Speaker 1: the tape shows differently.
• 2:14
  Speaker 3: Adam more so on Jalen hurts. Is this the Eagle
• 2:18
  Speaker 3: of the last three games you mentioned? Is this the
• 2:21
  Speaker 3: Eagles Sirianni Patullo working with him more? Was Jalen feeling
• 2:26
  Speaker 3: the pressure a little bit after that five turnover game?
• 2:29
  Speaker 3: What's been the chance? I mean, what's the reason for
• 2:32
  Speaker 3: the change these last couple of games with Jalen?
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  Speaker 1: Actually, I would mention Scott Leffler, the quarterbacks coach, who
• 2:38
  Speaker 1: works out right. Yeah, it's actually he works with him
• 2:40
  Speaker 1: closer than anyone. Now, it's not always like that. If
• 2:43
  Speaker 1: you look at thirty two teams, more often than not
• 2:45
  Speaker 1: the quarterback coach works with the quarterback way more. But
• 2:48
  Speaker 1: not every single team does it that way. But in
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  Speaker 1: this case it's Leffler. Well, I'm told coach is hard like,
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  Speaker 1: he's a type a coach. As a former college head
• 2:57
  Speaker 1: coach at Bowlin Green, he's called play before. John t. Filippo,
• 3:02
  Speaker 1: the Eagles Fort Eagles quarterbacks coach, told me that actually
• 3:06
  Speaker 1: in twenty fifteen he was either going to be Scott
• 3:09
  Speaker 1: Leffler's his quarterbacks coach or Kevin O'Connell. And I'll wound
• 3:13
  Speaker 1: up being Kevin O'Connell pretty good high by the way,
• 3:14
  Speaker 1: he's been a pretty good head coach with the Viking,
• 3:16
  Speaker 1: so he knows. Leffler's a really good coach. He was
• 3:20
  Speaker 1: with Tom Brady at Michigan as a backup quarterback. St
• 3:23
  Speaker 1: knows how to coach football. I would say it's more
• 3:25
  Speaker 1: Scott Leffler harping on the fundamentals and understanding that you
• 3:31
  Speaker 1: can't keep holding the ball so long. That's been one
• 3:33
  Speaker 1: of the biggest challenges for Hurts in his career is
• 3:36
  Speaker 1: taking two point seven to three seconds to get rid
• 3:39
  Speaker 1: of the football. You can't do that. You got to
• 3:41
  Speaker 1: get it down lower, and he's done a good job
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  Speaker 1: of that lately.
• 3:44
  Speaker 2: Adam. The running game has been much better as of
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  Speaker 2: late as well, Saquon Barkley one hundred and thirty two
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  Speaker 2: yards in a touchdown, Tank Bigsby getting in the end
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  Speaker 2: zone last week as well. What do you make of
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  Speaker 2: the way the run game has progressed over the past
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  Speaker 2: couple of weeks.
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  Speaker 1: And so Nick, here's what's happened. Barkley's got to understand
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  Speaker 1: he can't just wait sometimes for the whold to open
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  Speaker 1: up sometimes to say, you know what, what I call
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  Speaker 1: the he man touchdown that he had last week, Well,
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  Speaker 1: the play should have been blown up, but he did
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  Speaker 1: a great job of making yardage on his own. Like, yes,
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  Speaker 1: sometimes you have to be patient, but there's just sometimes
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  Speaker 1: you have to realize that your line isn't doing what
• 4:26
  Speaker 1: it did last year, that they're about half a they're
• 4:29
  Speaker 1: really half as successful as they were compared to the
• 4:32
  Speaker 1: last season, and you got to sometimes you got to
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  Speaker 1: do things that you're not normally used to doing, making
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  Speaker 1: arts on your own. And he's done that a number
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  Speaker 1: of times lately. That's why his average per carries up.
• 4:44
  Speaker 1: That's why the explosive rate is up. His explosive run
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  Speaker 1: rate is way higher compared to earlier this season. And
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  Speaker 1: they're having a little bit more success, not a lot,
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  Speaker 1: but they're having more success running it inside the line.
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  Speaker 1: I don't know that they're healthier, they're doing a better job.
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  Speaker 1: Still not remotely close to last year in effectiveness and
• 5:03
  Speaker 1: in health. They look beaten up. But the bottom line is, guys,
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  Speaker 1: they're running better. And I'm gonna I'm gonna say this again.
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  Speaker 1: I said the snap for like five or six weeks
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  Speaker 1: now this game that the last game, it's because they
• 5:14
  Speaker 1: were up so big they were able to dig Bigsby
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  Speaker 1: in the game. I don't understand why in the first
• 5:19
  Speaker 1: half you can't get Mosher. Jeff Masher mentioned this, Why
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  Speaker 1: can't you get Tank Bixby in for a series? What
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  Speaker 1: is wrong with that? Like, I don't understand that the
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  Speaker 1: guys he's been phenomenal. Really, I know he guys had
• 5:31
  Speaker 1: a lot of runs, but when he does, he's such
• 5:34
  Speaker 1: a contrast. This is what a true change up as
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  Speaker 1: a running back is a true contrast to Barkley. Completely
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  Speaker 1: different running style and it works. They got to do
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  Speaker 1: more of it.
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  Speaker 3: Adam the wide receivers, AJ Brown, DeVante Smith in particular,
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  Speaker 3: what have you seen from those two guys maybe rock
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  Speaker 3: concepts that they changed that up a little bit. What
• 5:53
  Speaker 3: have you seen from Aj and Smidty the last couple
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  Speaker 3: of games when compare them to what you saw in
• 6:00
  Speaker 3: September and October of this year.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, I would say with with that p is that
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  Speaker 1: there's a higher trust now and Hurts in this pass
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  Speaker 1: our group. That's why the timing is better. Yeah, your
• 6:13
  Speaker 1: sol earlier season was all Summittee, very little Brown, A
• 6:16
  Speaker 1: little bit of Goddard got her in Submitty scored last week.
• 6:19
  Speaker 1: Obviously submitted might have had too at he not dropped
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  Speaker 1: the first one. But you're seeing a higher trust level
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  Speaker 1: and is pass it towns through up last week. Hur Hurts,
• 6:27
  Speaker 1: Hurts was and very efficient. There were some drops in
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  Speaker 1: the game or is yarders would have been really well
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  Speaker 1: over two one hundred. Many have had three touchdowns. So
• 6:35
  Speaker 1: you're seeing a higher trust level, pass protection a little
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  Speaker 1: bit better. It's still not great, still a concern, but
• 6:41
  Speaker 1: it's better. They're just overall, guys, I know fans, and
• 6:45
  Speaker 1: that's fine. You want to point out Washington the Raiders,
• 6:49
  Speaker 1: two bad teams, two bad secondaries, but the Chargers don't
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  Speaker 1: have a bad secondary. And Hurts for the book extremely well. Again,
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  Speaker 1: it doesn't show in the overall numbers, it shows on tape.
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  Speaker 1: And I'm just telling you that they're starting to put
• 7:02
  Speaker 1: this together now. Now we're gonna learn a lot the
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  Speaker 1: long term. First, the forecast for Sunday is rain, snow
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  Speaker 1: showers in the twenties and thirties now again in the
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  Speaker 1: games late afternoon. Now that this can change. And as
• 7:18
  Speaker 1: I've always said, I don't care what happens before the game.
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  Speaker 1: I care what happens in the game. We still don't
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  Speaker 1: know what the forecast, We don't know what it's going
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  Speaker 1: to look like exactly in the game. Could rain and
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  Speaker 1: you got to be able to throw the foot being
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  Speaker 1: I'll be able to run it too. I mean, it's
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  Speaker 1: not like if you don't rain, you could throw it,
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  Speaker 1: but if it does rain, you got to be able
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  Speaker 1: to run it. And that's where that's where this line
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  Speaker 1: has got to continue to progress.
• 7:39
  Speaker 2: We're talking with Adam Kaplan inside the Birds Football at four. Adam,
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  Speaker 2: I want to talk about Dallas Godder because he has
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  Speaker 2: had a couple of weeks here against the Raiders at
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  Speaker 2: two touchdowns, probably should have had three as well as
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  Speaker 2: last week had a touchdown against the Commanders. He has
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  Speaker 2: looked really good. What have you noticed from Dallas Goddard
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  Speaker 2: getting more involved in the passing game later on in
• 8:00
  Speaker 2: the season, as well as some of the other tight
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  Speaker 2: ends a lot to as well as cal Katara. Have
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  Speaker 2: they progressed at all throughout this season and over the
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  Speaker 2: course of the last couple of weeks.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, it's interesting. Got are ten touchdowns he scored in
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  Speaker 1: eight games, Like that's really significant. They've used him on
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  Speaker 1: what to call the pop passes. When it looks like
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  Speaker 1: a run, it's really a run. But they it Hurts
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  Speaker 1: just kind of flips it to him. That counts as
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  Speaker 1: a pass and the stats it's great for fantasy. By
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  Speaker 1: the way, you know, it's not technically a handoff. So look,
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  Speaker 1: in the end, Goddard's had a very good year. He's
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  Speaker 1: been mostly healthy, missed limited playing time, and you got
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  Speaker 1: to feel good about it. And this is I'll tell
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  Speaker 1: you what. And I've been fooled before. I've seen Hurts
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  Speaker 1: and Goddard have great chemistry in training camp and it
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  Speaker 1: doesn't happen, and I go, Okay, well, I guess I
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  Speaker 1: was wrong. I can't trust what I see in training camp.
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  Speaker 1: But this is another example. And I think I think
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  Speaker 1: Andrew de Checko could tell you the same thing because
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  Speaker 1: he's had to practice the most in training camp. Because
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  Speaker 1: Andrew and I talked about this, Hurts and god were
• 9:00
  Speaker 1: simply fantastic in training camp, and I was like, all right,
• 9:03
  Speaker 1: well we'll see, We'll just see if it happens. And
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  Speaker 1: they've had great chemistry. Now, when you're when you've got
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  Speaker 1: a J. Brown and Devonte Smith to compete for the ball,
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  Speaker 1: you're not going to catch a ton of balls. But
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  Speaker 1: in two out of his last three games he's had
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  Speaker 1: six and eight catches. He had a game earliest season
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  Speaker 1: now that they did win that game, but that was
• 9:24
  Speaker 1: the first Giants game, nine for one to ten in
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  Speaker 1: a touchdown. He's incredible running after the catch. You know
• 9:30
  Speaker 1: how physical he is. Now that's unfortunately, guys, that's been
• 9:33
  Speaker 1: some part of his problem. Let's not forget he turns
• 9:36
  Speaker 1: thirty one in less than two weeks. The chances aren't
• 9:40
  Speaker 1: great that will be here next year. He's on a
• 9:41
  Speaker 1: reduced one year deal. I'm not rolling it out where
• 9:44
  Speaker 1: people thought there was no way he would come back.
• 9:47
  Speaker 1: They don't have his air apparent on the roster. No,
• 9:49
  Speaker 1: it's not great. Cockuit terror bar the way brought better
• 9:51
  Speaker 1: last week. That's why I wanted to put Copa Taylor
• 9:53
  Speaker 1: on the list. He actually the best these black probably
• 9:55
  Speaker 1: as an Eagle and Cam Latu he had the stinger
• 9:59
  Speaker 1: at Suo Stodium play week. Toy T Jenkins was up
• 10:01
  Speaker 1: for the game, but Cam Lots has been a great
• 10:03
  Speaker 1: fine for them. I don't know what the Niners were thinking,
• 10:06
  Speaker 1: and you guys probably know this. Eagles have a history
• 10:09
  Speaker 1: of signing the claiming off waivers X forty nine ers.
• 10:12
  Speaker 1: They've had about six in the last four years. And
• 10:14
  Speaker 1: Loto is a good football player out of Alabama who's
• 10:17
  Speaker 1: a third round pick. It's been a good stirred development
• 10:19
  Speaker 1: as a blocker. Now they play mostly a fullback done
• 10:21
  Speaker 1: out of tight end. That's where Sirianni and Patulo in particular,
• 10:25
  Speaker 1: and Jason Michael, the tight ends coach, they've got to
• 10:28
  Speaker 1: get together here. Lot two's got to play more at
• 10:30
  Speaker 1: tight end than the fullback. I just don't agree with
• 10:32
  Speaker 1: what they're using them.
• 10:34
  Speaker 3: Adam. On the offensive line, significant challenges this year due
• 10:38
  Speaker 3: to injuries like to Lane Johnson, Landon Dickerson and Cam Jurgens.
• 10:42
  Speaker 3: All three of those guys have been banged up, which
• 10:45
  Speaker 3: has really impacted the running game and the pass protection
• 10:48
  Speaker 3: and the toushbush. I mean, that's been a debacle on Saturday.
• 10:52
  Speaker 3: But is this oh and you can you can you
• 10:54
  Speaker 3: can talk about the touchbush a little bit there too,
• 10:57
  Speaker 3: But is this O line kind of gonna get stabilized?
• 11:00
  Speaker 3: Steer the last couple of games of the season in
• 11:02
  Speaker 3: your mind.
• 11:02
  Speaker 1: All right, Yeah, let's talk about the push play. I
• 11:05
  Speaker 1: thought there's no way it would be. I don't know
• 11:08
  Speaker 1: for sure it'd be banned next year. I mean if
• 11:10
  Speaker 1: to start the season, I would have bet the house.
• 11:12
  Speaker 1: I don't think they're so bad at it. This has
• 11:15
  Speaker 1: been going up for a number of weeks. I don't
• 11:18
  Speaker 1: think the Competition Committee, I don't think he'll come up
• 11:20
  Speaker 1: to vote. It's so bad right now. Now, you're right,
• 11:22
  Speaker 1: Pete Dickerson is not remotely close to himself. Something's wrong
• 11:27
  Speaker 1: with my lotta. He's not on the injury for it.
• 11:30
  Speaker 1: He had. He had a minor injury in training camp.
• 11:32
  Speaker 1: We don't know what it is. When he's had back
• 11:34
  Speaker 1: problems throughout his career, particularly early in his career, which
• 11:39
  Speaker 1: really hurt him. But we don't know what's going on
• 11:41
  Speaker 1: with him. Jurgens is clearly not himself. He's had a
• 11:45
  Speaker 1: number of injuries in his career, particularly lately, and you
• 11:48
  Speaker 1: know about Dickerson is coming up two surgeries.
• 11:50
  Speaker 2: He said.
• 11:51
  Speaker 1: Johnson's fine, you know as a backup, he's actually really
• 11:53
  Speaker 1: good as a backup lane. You know, is hurt again.
• 11:56
  Speaker 1: The Eagles are very hopeful that he'll get through practice
• 11:58
  Speaker 1: this week so he'll be ready to go for the
• 11:59
  Speaker 1: game cow which team's been very average. So yeah, it
• 12:03
  Speaker 1: is really remarkable and there's no way we would have
• 12:05
  Speaker 1: known this, this significant drop off this line has had
• 12:08
  Speaker 1: the season. But you know what, they're getting better lately.
• 12:12
  Speaker 1: I know that there's really no chance the'll get the
• 12:14
  Speaker 1: number one seed, but the thing in Week eighteen could
• 12:17
  Speaker 1: be a week at the rest starters. It's just good
• 12:20
  Speaker 1: that they're playing better right now. And the good thing
• 12:22
  Speaker 1: is that Howie Roseman got brought Fred Johnson back. It
• 12:25
  Speaker 1: was a mistake to not bring him back in the
• 12:28
  Speaker 1: first place, but they're looking better right now on the
• 12:31
  Speaker 1: offensive line, no doubt about it.
• 12:33
  Speaker 2: Adam. One last one for you, and it has to
• 12:35
  Speaker 2: do with the special teams. Jake Galla has been struggling.
• 12:39
  Speaker 2: People want to bring in another kicker to give him
• 12:41
  Speaker 2: some competition. I don't know if that'll happen. He's been struggling.
• 12:45
  Speaker 2: But also the kick return game has been a mess
• 12:48
  Speaker 2: throughout the entirety of the season. Will Shipley last week
• 12:50
  Speaker 2: just very indecisive, the fumble to start the game. Where
• 12:54
  Speaker 2: is this special teams unit at starting with the kicker
• 12:57
  Speaker 2: and then to the kick returning game?
• 12:59
  Speaker 1: All right, so look this has been now it's worse
• 13:01
  Speaker 1: this season, but then he's on a he's lately really struggling.
• 13:05
  Speaker 1: It's a mental thing. Now. What we were we put
• 13:08
  Speaker 1: out at the time was when Sirianni and his group
• 13:12
  Speaker 1: came in, they hired Tyler Brown as the son of
• 13:13
  Speaker 1: Randy Brown. Randy Brown the bother of the former mayor
• 13:17
  Speaker 1: of EEFs from New Jersey, who Randy is a specialist
• 13:20
  Speaker 1: coach like his son, he's a specialist coat for John Harball.
• 13:23
  Speaker 1: Randy used to coach here under Andy Reid and John
• 13:25
  Speaker 1: Harball when Harps was the special teams coach under Andy,
• 13:29
  Speaker 1: and Tyler is a really good coach for arunderstanding was
• 13:32
  Speaker 1: when Tyler came in, he worked on the operation, the
• 13:35
  Speaker 1: snap to the whole to the kick, and he corrected
• 13:39
  Speaker 1: all the problems with Jake Elliott from twenty twenty. But man, guys,
• 13:42
  Speaker 1: it lately you got to be concerned about he's lost
• 13:45
  Speaker 1: some confidence. There's something wrong with the stroke. Clearly that's
• 13:48
  Speaker 1: why he's pushing it. Left. Tyler Brown and Michael Clay,
• 13:52
  Speaker 1: who are overall is responsible for special teams, they got
• 13:55
  Speaker 1: to get this thing right. This is a problem. In fact,
• 13:58
  Speaker 1: here's what happens. This Umstellian way it goes in the
• 14:00
  Speaker 1: National Football League. We get to the playoffs and let's
• 14:04
  Speaker 1: say over the next two weeks he misses three kicks.
• 14:07
  Speaker 1: Do not be surprised on a kick like a forty
• 14:10
  Speaker 1: seven yarder and it's fourth to three that they actually
• 14:13
  Speaker 1: go for it from their own forty three. Well, not
• 14:15
  Speaker 1: for I mean, I'm talking about that. Let's say the
• 14:18
  Speaker 1: thirty five. Let's say let's say at the opponent thirty
• 14:20
  Speaker 1: five where they where they kick at a that'd be
• 14:23
  Speaker 1: about a fifty three yarder. They're not doing that anymore.
• 14:26
  Speaker 1: That that's what's going to happen, Like like letting him
• 14:30
  Speaker 1: kick a ball over fifty five. I wouldn't let him
• 14:32
  Speaker 1: do that. And it's all situational with this stuff that
• 14:36
  Speaker 1: the coach is the voice told me everything. Every decision
• 14:38
  Speaker 1: we make situational and they take everything into in consideration.
• 14:42
  Speaker 1: I'm stunn at Elliot's struggling like this. I know almost
• 14:45
  Speaker 1: every history is any good. He's gone through some struggles.
• 14:48
  Speaker 1: He'd go through it right now, and this is not
• 14:50
  Speaker 1: a time to have it. You wish you if he's
• 14:51
  Speaker 1: going to have it to be earlier. They don't have
• 14:52
  Speaker 1: that choice. But this is this right now, guys, I
• 14:56
  Speaker 1: would say, if we had a rank the biggest issues
• 14:58
  Speaker 1: with the football team, Jake elliot'snumber one. I would say
• 15:02
  Speaker 1: the health of the offensive line would be number two,
• 15:05
  Speaker 1: and then you guys could pick what every one, three
• 15:07
  Speaker 1: and four. But Jake Kelly right now is a major problem.
• 15:10
  Speaker 2: Yeah, he definitely is right now. It's the wrong time
• 15:13
  Speaker 2: for him to be struggling. Adam, well, thank you so
• 15:16
  Speaker 2: much again for joining us today football for Happy Festivus.
• 15:19
  Speaker 2: Hopefully you get all your grievances out today but have
• 15:23
  Speaker 2: a great holiday. We appreciate you as always for joining us.
• 15:26
  Speaker 1: I guys, thank you. See it