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Football at Four: Going Inside Eagles-Cowboys Matchups · Inside the Birds: A Philadelphia Eagles Podcast

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Football course powered by the Inside the Birds podcast. It
• 0:03
  Speaker 1: is Rocky by the Fanatic Sportsbook at Ocean Cazina Resort
• 0:07
  Speaker 1: in Atlantic City's gonna be up there tonight there, Josh.
• 0:12
  Speaker 1: I don't know if I'm gonna put a bed in,
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  Speaker 1: but looking forward to it. You know my old co
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  Speaker 1: host Todd rankson town there, Jock. You know what happens
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  Speaker 1: to the town on us two get together. Woo baby,
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  Speaker 1: it's gonna be turning back the clock here. See if
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  Speaker 1: I can pick up my game tonight, like the Eagles
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  Speaker 1: and the Cowboys need to this weekend and a lot
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  Speaker 1: to dive into here. We just had former Cowboys wide
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  Speaker 1: receiver Jesse Holly on and he talked about the amount
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  Speaker 1: of zone that the Cowboys play and how he thinks
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  Speaker 1: that could factor into this game today. Well, Adam Kaplan,
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  Speaker 1: let's look at the Eagles offense against that Cowboys zone
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  Speaker 1: and that matchup and how it might tell the story
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  Speaker 1: of this game on Sunday.
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  Speaker 2: How are you, Mike? Come?
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  Speaker 1: Well?
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, and by the way, yeah, let's just get the
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  Speaker 2: insur report out of the way and then we'll get
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  Speaker 2: started with the matchups. I've got some good interesting numbers, uh,
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  Speaker 2: So the other one that the Cowboys are concerned about
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  Speaker 2: is Jamian Clowney, and they're very deep at edge by
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  Speaker 2: the way, with their front He's got a shoulder neck problems. See,
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  Speaker 2: he didn't have a full practice this week. He'll be
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  Speaker 2: a game day decision. Other than that, Prescott's fine with
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  Speaker 2: a hip injury. Dante Fowler will play. He's been cleared.
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  Speaker 2: Everyone else has been cleared. You know, They've had a
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  Speaker 2: lot of problems with injury in their secondary and the linebacker,
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  Speaker 2: but everybody's healthy. For the Eagles, Cam Jurgens, he needs
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  Speaker 2: to get final medical clearance before they fly tomorrow. He
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  Speaker 2: took Here's a great thing. He's ready to go. He
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  Speaker 2: feels like he's ready to go because he took the
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  Speaker 2: first team reps today. He's got to get clearance. Lane
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  Speaker 2: Johnson's out obviously now. With Miles Hinton and Willie Lampkin,
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  Speaker 2: I'm sure simple. With Hinton, it's just a matter of
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  Speaker 2: it's his first NFL practices this week. He's always got
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  Speaker 2: a much better chance of being activated at some point
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  Speaker 2: within the next three weeks. And Lampkin does because Miles
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  Speaker 2: Shinton is what they need. They developmental tackle on the
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  Speaker 2: roster if they can. And Mike, we've talked about this
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  Speaker 2: on our show Inside the Birds and with your show.
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  Speaker 2: The one guy that if you're going to cut somebody
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  Speaker 2: would be a J. Dillon. He's not even active anymore.
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  Speaker 2: It's really interesting. He opened the season as the number
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  Speaker 2: two and I didn't last long. Well, Shiftley took the job.
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  Speaker 2: So we'll see what happens. But right now, the Eagles
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  Speaker 2: other than Lane Johnson and Mike are looking good.
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  Speaker 1: Yep, healthy there, and they're gonna need it because this
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  Speaker 1: is an interesting matchup because the Eagles offense has been
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  Speaker 1: a problem. Let's see how they match up against the
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  Speaker 1: Cowboy defense, which the Cowboys defense has been a problem
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  Speaker 1: for them, and then they've added a couple of players.
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  Speaker 1: We know they play a lot of zone here, So
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  Speaker 1: what do you look at inside this matchup of this
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  Speaker 1: Eagles offense which has struggled against the Cowboys defense, which
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  Speaker 1: has certainly had its struggles this year.
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  Speaker 2: It's funny, Mike, you know it hurts. His numbers will
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  Speaker 2: show you if you talk about someing defense, he's not
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  Speaker 2: great at it, and they are. Matty Eberfloss is a
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  Speaker 2: ton of Cover three. He's really running everything he's done
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  Speaker 2: for his entire career. Really like Fango has evolved, These
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  Speaker 2: kind of each changed a little bit over the years.
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  Speaker 2: Not Eberflus, they're up there. They are top three in
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  Speaker 2: terms of zone coverage eighty percent zone. It's cover three.
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  Speaker 2: They're voice in every zone defense. It's funny we talk
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  Speaker 2: about zone and how you got to find voids. Everyone
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  Speaker 2: they're going up against. Other than Gino Smith has been
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  Speaker 2: able to do that, it's against Eeberflus. So it's just
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  Speaker 2: really fascinating when you look at two wiley old coordinators.
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  Speaker 2: Obviously you're Fanjo's so much older, but Eberflu's at least
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  Speaker 2: in his fifties and he was always starting to be
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  Speaker 2: a good coordinator. But Mike, to be honest with they've
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  Speaker 2: been awful on defense. That's why you see all these trades.
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  Speaker 1: Well, and the trades obviously helped him out at least
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  Speaker 1: for last week. I mean, they're run dy before the
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  Speaker 1: trade versus after. Now they have two defensive tackles that
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  Speaker 1: they like. Quinnon Williams played his first game and probably
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  Speaker 1: at his best game of the season.
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  Speaker 2: Very impactful. Mike is funny. He was talking about how
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  Speaker 2: good of a defense they could have going forward. They
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  Speaker 2: made the trade for Logan Wilson and by the way,
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  Speaker 2: split snaps last week with Kenneth Murray, so that'll be
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  Speaker 2: interesting to see what happens there. But I like these
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  Speaker 2: matchups for the Eagles. They've got terrible communication problems on
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  Speaker 2: the back end. They have enough corners, that's not the problem.
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  Speaker 2: They just don't play with any kind of discipline. Then
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  Speaker 2: they have a new front now they're playing three defensive
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  Speaker 2: tackles for over five VN front and that helps their
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  Speaker 2: run defense. We'll see, Mike. Overall, they're still giving up
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  Speaker 2: four point seven yards per carry. This is these stats
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  Speaker 2: are damning, Mike in terms of giving up pass big plays.
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  Speaker 2: They've given up seventeen passing touchdowns this season. Rust yards
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  Speaker 2: per target over ten yards per target, which is abominable.
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  Speaker 2: Second highest pass yards per attempt. If you're giving up
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  Speaker 2: seven yards per pass attempt, that's bad. Seven point nine
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  Speaker 2: is awful. Fourth most passing yards. Now, I understand, as
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  Speaker 2: you said, they've made these trades. We'll see how impactful
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  Speaker 2: they are. Like they've got all these edge rushers, but
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  Speaker 2: as a Rock is playing a lot now, they're still
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  Speaker 2: not good enough. Quentin Williams now now with the Eagles
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  Speaker 2: in the interior of the offensive line, which has been inconsistent,
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  Speaker 2: say the least, We'll see how they handle Quentn and Williams.
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  Speaker 2: But that's the fascinting part about this because look, they
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  Speaker 2: play the week one Cobas. That just made the Parsons straight.
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  Speaker 2: Kenny Clark was not a factor, yet he's now a factor.
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  Speaker 2: The defense is going to have to be. It's going
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  Speaker 2: to better because they have better players. But I just
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  Speaker 2: we said this on our on our Jeff and I
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  Speaker 2: this week wouldn't be fascinating because somehow I know this
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  Speaker 2: is not what the Eagles want, but somehow this became
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  Speaker 2: a passing fest, no conditions. Mike, you're not worried about
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  Speaker 2: the weather here. It putting that out there.
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  Speaker 1: Well, and listen, h they play a lot of his own,
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  Speaker 1: which the Eagles have struggled against here. But there they
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  Speaker 1: have not been very good, as you just kind of
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  Speaker 1: chronicled against wide receivers. I mean, they've given up a
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  Speaker 1: ton of passing touchdowns, worst yards per target in the league.
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  Speaker 1: So it's like something's got to give. It feels like.
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  Speaker 2: It can. Look I've said this about hurts you never
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  Speaker 2: know when it's good. I felt last year. I don't know.
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  Speaker 2: I don't know why it was. It was the game
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  Speaker 2: against Steelership because yet Greg go is selling our pregame show,
• 6:12
  Speaker 2: which will, by the way, will drop tomorrow for everybody,
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  Speaker 2: and then our Patreon members will get it tonight. We're
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  Speaker 2: gonna tape it after this call. I mean, Greg and
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  Speaker 2: I went into that Pittsburgh game and I special I
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  Speaker 2: felt last year like this is going to be to
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  Speaker 2: whatever reason, Hurts is going to play well this week,
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  Speaker 2: and he was phenomenal. It's funny because him and Dak
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  Speaker 2: they've had different you know, in their careers when they've played,
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  Speaker 2: they haven't always played against each other because of injury
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  Speaker 2: and you Dak has got this great record against the
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  Speaker 2: NFC East, but it's not as great against Siriani, which
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  Speaker 2: is all that really matters to me. He's four and two.
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  Speaker 2: He didn't play against them last year. He's missed three
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  Speaker 2: of them due to injury too. He's lost, by the
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  Speaker 2: way too out of the last three to the Eagles.
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  Speaker 2: And he's also last I looked this up. His last
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  Speaker 2: two times he faced Fangio, we lost against them. So
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  Speaker 2: although the game against Miami. He was fine. That wasn't
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  Speaker 2: the reason why they lost. But they've they've had a
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  Speaker 2: lot of changes Dallas, and this Jerry Jones is convinced
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  Speaker 2: the more movies he makes it better, they're going to
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  Speaker 2: get But I don't know about that, Adam.
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  Speaker 1: Let's look at the defense here. Philadelphia's defense really good,
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  Speaker 1: Cowboys offense really good. What's of these matchups on this?
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  Speaker 1: In this matchup, are you kind of zoning in on?
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  Speaker 2: Yeah? Lamb, ceedee lamb. Now this is pre Fangio is
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  Speaker 2: absolutely annihilated the Eagles in their zone coverage. Now now
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  Speaker 2: he sits in zones now. But I'll say this, Yes,
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  Speaker 2: there was one good game that CD had in the
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  Speaker 2: last two years against against them. Week one was an
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  Speaker 2: odd game. It see Week one lies to you. I
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  Speaker 2: just I don't put a lot of stock in the
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  Speaker 2: Week one. You got to talk about it. It happened
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  Speaker 2: Jaylen card obously, we didn't talk about this Tuesday. Well,
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  Speaker 2: he was supposed to play in the game. He got
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  Speaker 2: thrown out as the game was going to get started,
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  Speaker 2: as we know. But he'll be back in that this game. Uh,
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  Speaker 2: the Cowboys, if you're going to beat them, Mike, you
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  Speaker 2: you got to get their interior, their offensive line. It's
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  Speaker 2: they got they got BB's first year started, they got
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  Speaker 2: another one. Their first round pick from Alabama was starting.
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  Speaker 2: There's some advantage that the Eagles have. And don't forget
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  Speaker 2: what Janden Films has meant to this defense. It isn't
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  Speaker 2: amazing since he's I know, it's only one player and
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  Speaker 2: obviously the COVID Dean's a part of this. Dean starting
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  Speaker 2: over Campbell Hunt. By the way, since Week one, it's
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  Speaker 2: Dean over Campbell, Hunt over Nolan Smith Smith's start in
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  Speaker 2: Week one. He's now the third edge rusher. Egles still
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  Speaker 2: play a lot of his own coverage, but this is comical.
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  Speaker 2: In today's NFL, Beagles are thirteen highest in man coverage
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  Speaker 2: at only twenty seven percent. It's just the league is
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  Speaker 2: mostly zone still. But what I'm concerned about, because the
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  Speaker 2: Eagles are not deep a corner. If Dallas decides they're
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  Speaker 2: going to play a lot eleven personnel, maybe some ten personnel,
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  Speaker 2: which by the way, they can, you're going to isolate
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  Speaker 2: a Dory Jackson no matter what. They got him in
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  Speaker 2: Week one, by the way, one of the worst games
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  Speaker 2: he's had for the Eagles is in Week one. They
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  Speaker 2: got him, so I'm interested to see what they do
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  Speaker 2: here because Braan Schottenheimer's a terrific schemer and play caller.
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  Speaker 2: He does a really good job.
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  Speaker 1: Well you remember, you're right, the story after game one
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  Speaker 1: was they got to get him off the field. He
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  Speaker 1: has kind of settled in a little bit in that spot.
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  Speaker 1: But you would imagine if you are Dallas, that's the
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  Speaker 1: guy you want to target again, right, You're not going
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  Speaker 1: to go on the other side. So I would imagine
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  Speaker 1: they're going to try to get a Dori Jackson in
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  Speaker 1: coverage and see if they can get some big plays there.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, and Mike. One of the things Jake Ferguson is
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  Speaker 2: very underrated. He's really good at running after the catch.
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  Speaker 2: But with Finjo's defense, they limit big plays. It's really
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  Speaker 2: good at that. This is gonna be a fun game
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  Speaker 2: because they're playing now, their defense is playing in the
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  Speaker 2: e leite level. We're going to see what Brian Scheinhummer,
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  Speaker 2: who calls the plays, who's a very aggressive play caller.
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  Speaker 2: I'm looking forward to seeing how that happens here. It's
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  Speaker 2: one of these games that it's very intriguing. Dallas needs
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  Speaker 2: this game desperately. The division is not up for grabs.
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  Speaker 2: He was obviously going to win it. It's can they
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  Speaker 2: get a wildcard spot. They know they need to have
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  Speaker 2: this game. They know it's a big game for them.
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  Speaker 2: Prescott did not have a good game. One Lamb did.
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  Speaker 2: He the only really the only play I know that
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  Speaker 2: Givantay Williams had two touchdowns. The story is Lamb in
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  Speaker 2: Week one, he he got open a lot against Jackson.
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  Speaker 2: They cannot let that happen. Pickens didn't do much. Another
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  Speaker 2: thing is could they get physical with Lamb? I know
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  Speaker 2: that Eagles play a lot of off coverage. Don't let
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  Speaker 2: him sit like that's you know he can't do that.
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  Speaker 2: And Cavante Turpin's very sneaky. Who's Who's Who's It's either
• 10:27
  Speaker 2: him or Jalen Tibet is a third receiver. You're gonna
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  Speaker 2: see both. October could run a little, but he's got
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  Speaker 2: better size and Turpin but they'll spread you out. They
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  Speaker 2: could go with some ten personal which is which is
• 10:36
  Speaker 2: for receivers. Mike, you got it that the way you
• 10:39
  Speaker 2: win in the NFL is matchups, and you got to
• 10:42
  Speaker 2: figure out a way to get to the backup corners
• 10:44
  Speaker 2: because and then of course you know Coop's gonna play.
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  Speaker 2: I wonder though, in this game, if Jackson gets off
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  Speaker 2: to a bed start, does he move Coop to corner?
• 10:50
  Speaker 2: They'll be what let's see what happens to me?
• 10:52
  Speaker 1: Well, that's interesting. You know, Michael Carter, we haven't heard
• 10:55
  Speaker 1: his name a whole heck of a lot since he's
• 10:56
  Speaker 1: been traded for could he certainly be getting uh more comfortable?
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  Speaker 1: And then of course I guess ja Corey and Bennett
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  Speaker 1: haven't heard a lot about him either since he's kind
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  Speaker 1: of come back there. And how important I'm gonna get
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  Speaker 1: your take on this. How important is the return of
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  Speaker 1: Jurgons with Quinn, Williams and Clark. You know that interior
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  Speaker 1: seemingly would be a strength for them, and it's been
• 11:16
  Speaker 1: a little bit of an up and down season for
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  Speaker 1: you there.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, assuming Jargons gets final medical clearance, huge because look,
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  Speaker 2: Brett Toath was unbelievable against the Giants, Okay, in another game,
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  Speaker 2: you really want your best players. And by the way,
• 11:30
  Speaker 2: Jurgens does not have the knee less than the injury
• 11:31
  Speaker 2: report this week. That's important. Note. So if he gets
• 11:35
  Speaker 2: clear that that's huge because all of a sudden went
• 11:38
  Speaker 2: from it was just it was really about Oh so
• 11:40
  Speaker 2: Diggy zooa inside, it's not just about him now because
• 11:43
  Speaker 2: they've had it in season. Kenny Clark now Quinn Williams,
• 11:47
  Speaker 2: he goals haven't faced them with this defense. And it's
• 11:49
  Speaker 2: one thing Nick Sherony said, Oh, they haven't faced this
• 11:52
  Speaker 2: this Eagle's twenty twenty five teams since Week one. That's fine.
• 11:55
  Speaker 2: Neither near of the Eagles they've been faced this front.
• 11:59
  Speaker 2: Their defense is mostly terrible this season. But let's see
• 12:02
  Speaker 2: what Matt Eberflew's post buy has with this new ver
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  Speaker 2: Vamp defense.
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  Speaker 1: All right, Adam kaplan real quick before we get out
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  Speaker 1: of here. They are four, five and one Dallas. This
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  Speaker 1: is essentially it for them, right This is kind of
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  Speaker 1: like the kitchen sink kind of game. They got to
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  Speaker 1: do everything in their willpower.
• 12:17
  Speaker 2: Well, right now they're a tense seed. Right now they
• 12:19
  Speaker 2: have that tie, which is odd. But now Detroit losing
• 12:23
  Speaker 2: Sam Laporter for the season, that's major. Carolina, I can't
• 12:26
  Speaker 2: believe that they're six and five. They don't. I mean,
• 12:28
  Speaker 2: it's their defense is great, their offense. Bray Shall played
• 12:31
  Speaker 2: the game with life last week as a professional, can't
• 12:33
  Speaker 2: trust Bryce Young. They got to win. I mean, they
• 12:36
  Speaker 2: can't go like it's going to be very hard for
• 12:39
  Speaker 2: them overall. And just looking at Dallas to schedule the
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  Speaker 2: rest of the way, just to just to see what
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  Speaker 2: happens if they lose this week, Well here's the problem, Like, ooh,
• 12:48
  Speaker 2: what a tough schedule home against the Chiefs, at Detroit, Minnesota,
• 12:54
  Speaker 2: the Chargers. Then they end the season against the Commandos
• 12:57
  Speaker 2: and Giants. But it's tough. It's gonna be hard for
• 12:59
  Speaker 2: them to get in if they lose this week. Bottom line, yep.
• 13:02
  Speaker 1: Absolutely, And if the Eagles win, they would remain in
• 13:05
  Speaker 1: first place and pretty much end that twenty year streak,
• 13:08
  Speaker 1: right Adam, that thing would be over.
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  Speaker 2: It's ending. I wish. Look, I did pick Washington on
• 13:14
  Speaker 2: a minute, but I didn't know that they would lose
• 13:16
  Speaker 2: eight starters. I mean, come on, you can't predict that stuff.
• 13:19
  Speaker 2: But egos are clearly the classes they're really I still think,
• 13:24
  Speaker 2: I think in the end because the Rams. I know
• 13:26
  Speaker 2: the Rams right now playing a little bit better football overall,
• 13:30
  Speaker 2: but Diagles have a little bit better experience. And I
• 13:33
  Speaker 2: would love to see the Rams and Eagles meet in
• 13:36
  Speaker 2: the NFC Championship game. That would be great, all right.
• 13:38
  Speaker 1: Adam Kaplan Inside the Birds and of course the Inside
• 13:40
  Speaker 1: the Birds podcast has more coverage of the Eagles and
• 13:43
  Speaker 1: the Dallas Cowboys. You can listen to that game right
• 13:46
  Speaker 1: here on ninety seven three ESPN. Thanks Adam all, thanks
• 13:49
  Speaker 1: he is Adam Kaplan. Everybody are football at four for
• 13:53
  Speaker 1: this Eagle Cowboy game.