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Football at Four: Unpacking Eagles Loss to Commanders · Inside the Birds: A Philadelphia Eagles Podcast

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  Speaker 1: And Football for is powered by the Inside the Birds
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  Speaker 1: podcast and it is brought to you by the Fanatic
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  Speaker 1: Sportsbook at Ocean Canzina Resort in Atlantic City. That's where
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  Speaker 1: we are Mike Gill in the Sports Bash. We are live,
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  Speaker 1: we are back. It's a Monday. Eagles lose and they
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  Speaker 1: will now play San Francisco. They'll be here at Linkoln
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  Speaker 1: Financial Field. But of course the big story was they
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  Speaker 1: had a chance to win that game and then earn
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  Speaker 1: the number two seed. Was it an egregious mistake by
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  Speaker 1: the Philadelphia Eagles? Nick Sirianni and the Eagles did they
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  Speaker 1: make an egregious decision yesterday? Should they have at least
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  Speaker 1: tried to win that game? I said, I'm actually more
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  Speaker 1: upset that they asked Tanner McKee to throw forty passes
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  Speaker 1: in a game that they pretty much led throughout. Like, really,
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  Speaker 1: in a game that you had the lead for most
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  Speaker 1: of the day, you asked your backup quarterback to throw
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  Speaker 1: forty passes in the game. I think that's something we
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  Speaker 1: should probably be looking a little bit more at. But
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  Speaker 1: see what Jeff Boscher thinks from the Inside of the
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  Speaker 1: Birds podcast as he is back for the first football
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  Speaker 1: at four for twenty twenty six. Jeff Mosher from the
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  Speaker 1: inside of the Birth Podcast.
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  Speaker 2: Happy New Year, Man, Happy New Year to you, Jim Mike.
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  Speaker 2: I hope you had a good one. I did.
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  Speaker 1: I had a nice and quiet New Year's this year
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  Speaker 1: and back ready to go for the stretch run. Here.
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  Speaker 1: I want to get your thoughts on. Of course, what
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  Speaker 1: happened yesterday not a surprise that they set everybody out.
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  Speaker 1: They were the one team that did it. I don't
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  Speaker 1: think anybody else really went just full out sitting all
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  Speaker 1: their players yesterday. So obviously, knowing what happened in Chicago,
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  Speaker 1: do you look back at that and wonder why they
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  Speaker 1: didn't play some of their guys.
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  Speaker 2: No, I mean I knew why they weren't. They were
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  Speaker 2: pretty clear on how they valued the rest element of it.
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  Speaker 2: And you know, I'm sure Nick Sureianni when he made
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  Speaker 2: the decision last week, knew of all the different possibilities
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  Speaker 2: that could happen, including the Bears losing. It's not like
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  Speaker 2: the Bears had an easy draw. You know, they'd play
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  Speaker 2: the Lions, who were a division team, and we're going
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  Speaker 2: to play their starters. So I had said last week
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  Speaker 2: in the show that I value the second home game
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  Speaker 2: that you could potentially get as number two seeds, right,
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  Speaker 2: or that you would get as the two seeds. So
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  Speaker 2: if it were my decision, I would have played the starters.
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  Speaker 2: But I understood completely his decision not to. So I'm
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  Speaker 2: not going to sit here and go back and criticize
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  Speaker 2: them for it, because I think there's a lot to
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  Speaker 2: be said about how banged up the Eagles were in adventures,
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  Speaker 2: and there's a lot to be said for their road
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  Speaker 2: record under Nick Sirianni since he took over. It's the
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  Speaker 2: dust in the NFL, I believe over a five year span.
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  Speaker 2: So they have confidences they can go and win that
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  Speaker 2: game on the road if it comes out that way
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  Speaker 2: in the second round, and so that's their decision. So
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  Speaker 2: the one thing I will say that I don't think
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  Speaker 2: I've ever seen coaches do is rest starters and then
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  Speaker 2: all of a sudden put them in in the second
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  Speaker 2: half because the scoreboard watching and they see an opportunity.
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  Speaker 2: I've seen coaches poll guys after halftime when the result
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  Speaker 2: is and I think that's what the Texans found of doing,
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  Speaker 2: but not the reverse. Anybody who suggested that they should
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  Speaker 2: have played their starters in the second half when they
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  Speaker 2: saw the Bears were not that. That's just a great
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  Speaker 2: way to get your guys.
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  Speaker 1: Hurt, you know, right, you could have flipped it around
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  Speaker 1: the other way and started the game with your starters
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  Speaker 1: and then kind of did some ward watching. The problem
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  Speaker 1: with that is you've been watching the scoreboard the whole
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  Speaker 1: day because it came down to the last minute of
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  Speaker 1: that other.
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  Speaker 2: Game, right, And that's why I think you know, if
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  Speaker 2: you were going to rest your starters from the jump
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  Speaker 2: because of Helston, that's it. You make that decision. Now,
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  Speaker 2: I will tell you, I question playing DeVante Smith to
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  Speaker 2: get a thousand yards when last year you didn't play
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  Speaker 2: Saint Clon Barkley, uh for for for rest purposes and
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  Speaker 2: you didn't let him get his record the NFL. And
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  Speaker 2: I get that it's not apples to apples because you
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  Speaker 2: need offensive line to block for you and then you
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  Speaker 2: have to play everybody. But that's not the point. The
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  Speaker 2: point is you're resting guys for health related purposes, right,
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  Speaker 2: and that you but you played devout basement, so to me,
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  Speaker 2: it's inconsistent and that I was kind of surprised to
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  Speaker 2: see you like hunt out there for as long as
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  Speaker 2: he was. No one said out there for as long
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  Speaker 2: as he was. Uh so it was it was a
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  Speaker 2: very inconsistenty messaging from the head coach to what he
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  Speaker 2: wound up doing on game day.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, I mean late in the game, you got Jordan
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  Speaker 1: Davis in there, as they basically were down on the
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  Speaker 1: goal line. You're trying to bring in some beef upfront.
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  Speaker 1: I mean they did have some, you know, a lot
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  Speaker 1: of the defensive Brandon Graham was out there playing, so
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  Speaker 1: they had some guys, but it seems most that they
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  Speaker 1: certainly looked at it like this. We value the health
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  Speaker 1: and we think that could help us make a deeper
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  Speaker 1: run than opponent. Meaning we didn't have any certain opponent.
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  Speaker 1: We didn't care who we played. We feel that we
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  Speaker 1: could beat any of these teams if we're the healthier version.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, I think, and I think that there's some legitimacy
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  Speaker 2: to that. I think there's some some fairness to that.
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  Speaker 2: You know, and listen, someone could disagree and again ifore
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  Speaker 2: my decision, you know, and look, I think sometimes you
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  Speaker 2: do have to trust a not only the head coach.
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  Speaker 2: He's got a pretty good track record here and won
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  Speaker 2: a lot of games, but he knows his team better
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  Speaker 2: than even me or you know, I mean obviously media
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  Speaker 2: person or fan, and I think it's pretty telling that
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  Speaker 2: he made this decision. I think what he's basically saying
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  Speaker 2: but not really ul Oud, is we are really, really,
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  Speaker 2: really banged up. Okay, we're not just resting starters to
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  Speaker 2: get a week's worth of rest. But we got a
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  Speaker 2: right tackle who hasn't played in six weeks because of
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  Speaker 2: Liz Frank. We got a center who just hasn't played
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  Speaker 2: like himself at all all year. We got left guard
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  Speaker 2: who hasn't played like himself all year and he's been
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  Speaker 2: banged up. We got a defensive tackle who missed three
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  Speaker 2: games to get you know, these injections in his shoulders,
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  Speaker 2: and yes, he made it back for a week, but
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  Speaker 2: even he has said that he's not like he's one
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  Speaker 2: hundred percent or that it was a be all to
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  Speaker 2: end all. I mean, these are really important players, and
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  Speaker 2: it's not like they're nursing little small, minor bumps and bruises.
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  Speaker 2: They've all been a shell of themselves this year. So
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  Speaker 2: I think when you frame it that way, it makes
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  Speaker 2: some sense. At least his logic of resting those guys.
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  Speaker 1: Well, in most they do have a little more. They
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  Speaker 1: do have a little president here. Last year they rested
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  Speaker 1: and ended up making it and going to the super Bowl,
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  Speaker 1: and now things that happened in front of them. You
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  Speaker 1: know the fact that the Lions, the number one seed,
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  Speaker 1: ended up losing that got them an extra home game.
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  Speaker 1: And then a couple of years ago they played their
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  Speaker 1: guys in the last game of the season. AJ Brown
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  Speaker 1: ended up getting hurt. You know, they got banged up
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  Speaker 1: in that last game. So they did have some precedent
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  Speaker 1: to say, you know what, I think we value just
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  Speaker 1: not getting anybody hurt in this game, and we'll take
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  Speaker 1: our chances. Whether we have to go to Chicago or not,
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  Speaker 1: we'll we'll deal with that.
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  Speaker 2: Exactly. There's precedent there. So that's why, even though I
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  Speaker 2: may have done it differently, I completely understand his decision
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  Speaker 2: why he did. And you were talking about last year.
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  Speaker 2: They were far healthier last year upfront than they are
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  Speaker 2: this year. So this year even more so, you understand
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  Speaker 2: that that you you could understand what I did it.
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  Speaker 1: What did you take away from the game yesterday? Because
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  Speaker 1: I was looking at it, I say, Tannemrikey. They asked
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  Speaker 1: the guy to throw the ball forty times. I mean
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  Speaker 1: they only asked Jalen Hurts to throw the ball forty times.
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  Speaker 1: I mean, to me, you had a shot to win
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  Speaker 1: that game if it was managed better.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, I think that's a little bit. Not that you
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  Speaker 2: didn't watch that. I'm sure Eyod it did. But I
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  Speaker 2: feel like when you look at the forty dropbacks that
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  Speaker 2: it becomes like box score scouting, like fifteen of those
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  Speaker 2: throws were in the fourth quarter when the game was
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  Speaker 2: tied or the Eagles were behind, right, I mean they
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  Speaker 2: went into that game, Washington had the opening drive of
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  Speaker 2: the fourth quarter, and then they wound up hyeing the game.
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  Speaker 2: So then you've got fifteen passes basically in the final
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  Speaker 2: nine and a half of the game when it was
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  Speaker 2: tied or they were down. So I can't really I
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  Speaker 2: don't feel like they came out throwing and throwing and
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  Speaker 2: throwing and ignoring. I feel like they started throwing when
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  Speaker 2: it was tied and then when they got behind. So
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  Speaker 2: to me, it wasn't as egregious as maybe some other
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  Speaker 2: people have made it out to be or how you
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  Speaker 2: might take to me. I just think in general, like
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  Speaker 2: I picked the Commanders to win the game on by
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  Speaker 2: Philly Voyce to Columby for the exact reason of I
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  Speaker 2: knew that at some point in this game, the Eagles
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  Speaker 2: were going to have a center who had never started
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  Speaker 2: a game, a right tackle, and Cam Williams who was
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  Speaker 2: basically a rookie, never started a game and just got
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  Speaker 2: practicing three weeks ago, and I thought that that was
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  Speaker 2: going to cause a lot of problems for the Eagles offense.
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  Speaker 2: And everybody's like, yeah, but it's the commanders. And commanders, well,
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  Speaker 2: mcmanders have done thrown Payin out there and taken Martin
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  Speaker 2: out there. I got a guy like bon Miller, Like.
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  Speaker 2: It wasn't like when they played the Giants last year
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  Speaker 2: and the Giants had like backups at every single position.
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  Speaker 2: I guess this is not a good commander's team. And
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  Speaker 2: they did have a lot of backups in but I
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  Speaker 2: don't think it was the same. I thought the Eagles
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  Speaker 2: were going to have some problems up front, and they well,
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  Speaker 2: McKee looked uncomfortable.
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  Speaker 1: Fourth quarter, fourth quarter they scored to make it seventeen
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  Speaker 1: to seventeen. You go three and out by throwing three
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  Speaker 1: straight passes. You know, the last time Bigsby had to carry,
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  Speaker 1: He gets thirteen yards, he never touches the ball again
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  Speaker 1: the rest of the game to score were seventeen to seventeen.
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  Speaker 1: I mean, it's not like they were down two scores
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  Speaker 1: and they needed, like, you know, to start airing it
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  Speaker 1: out all over the place. That's what I'm saying. You
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  Speaker 1: basically put the game in McKee's hands.
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  Speaker 2: You did, But I you know, first and ten, first
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  Speaker 2: you get, you get a six yard pass, a completed
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  Speaker 2: pass from McKey to Grantson, and then you're at the
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  Speaker 2: forty one yard line, and then you get two week completions.
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  Speaker 2: And to be honest with you, I thought he had
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  Speaker 2: I looked at these dropbacks. Man, he was just off target.
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  Speaker 2: So because you have randed on second and four got
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  Speaker 2: a first down? Heah, sure, sure, but you have to
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  Speaker 2: throw the ball at some point, right, and his throws
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  Speaker 2: were just off. I mean, I'm not sure. Two or
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  Speaker 2: three McKee, I'm sorry, two or three Bigsby runs in
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  Speaker 2: the fourth quarter is gonna matter as much as we
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  Speaker 2: think he had like a couple of Yeah, I thought
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  Speaker 2: he was had a couple of good runs, but he
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  Speaker 2: was really more effective catching the ball. He averaged what
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  Speaker 2: four point something a carry, which was good inflated by
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  Speaker 2: a couple of nice runs, but he had his share
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  Speaker 2: of one, two, three, you know type runs. And with
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  Speaker 2: Cameron Williams got in the game, I thought they had
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  Speaker 2: some issues running the wall too.
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  Speaker 1: So yeah, listen, and I think it puts the rest
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  Speaker 1: a little bit, you know that, Hey, this offense would
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  Speaker 1: look you know different if you had a guy like McKee.
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  Speaker 1: He had a rough day, yester. Now if he had
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  Speaker 1: aj Brown and Devonte Smith all day who knows Smith,
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  Speaker 1: by the way, had three catches for fifty two yards
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  Speaker 1: and that led the team, uh, yesterday, So obviously the
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  Speaker 1: past game had its struggles. They did run the ball
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  Speaker 1: by the way nineteen times for eighty yards, so it
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  Speaker 1: wasn't they didn't you know, they got a little bit
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  Speaker 1: going there, but they kind of just completely got away
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  Speaker 1: from it in the fourth quarter. Then, you know, you
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  Speaker 1: mentioned in the end you lost to Josh Johnson. I
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  Speaker 1: know you're playing your backup defense there, but a lot
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  Speaker 1: of starters were playing up front where you could have
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  Speaker 1: got enough pressure to confuse that guy. The secondary, though,
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  Speaker 1: is another reason why you can't play starters, because if
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  Speaker 1: you got one of those guys hurt and had to
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  Speaker 1: play any of those guys yesterday, you'd be in big trouble.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean, I agree with you. That's what I
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  Speaker 2: wrote for Philly Voice is that you know, this game
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  Speaker 2: shows you how paris close to he was already not
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  Speaker 2: being so good. If there were an injury to QUINNYA. Mitchell,
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  Speaker 2: or if an injury to Cooper to gen like last
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  Speaker 2: year Nikobe Deean got hurt. Right, while they were fortunate
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  Speaker 2: they had a really good backup, Arn Brooks who could
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  Speaker 2: come in play alongside Zach Vaughan and there was almost
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  Speaker 2: no drop off. The Brooks played well, But if you
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  Speaker 2: had an injury to Dejeene or Mitchell having you know,
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  Speaker 2: if they were both would be worse. Even if Dorig
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  Speaker 2: Jackson right that force is a guy like Bendit or
• 11:34
  Speaker 2: a guy like we to go in there, and that's
• 11:37
  Speaker 2: that's not great. If you had an injury at safety,
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  Speaker 2: you know, because you're already got down with Cuba and
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  Speaker 2: I don't know that he's going to be back anytime soon.
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  Speaker 2: Did you get an injury into Epps or an injury
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  Speaker 2: the plagaship, then you're on you know, Sidney Brown and.
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  Speaker 1: On that real quick, on that real quick. If but
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  Speaker 1: Kuba was back and healthy, do you think they would
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  Speaker 1: still stick with EPs?
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  Speaker 2: No? I think well, I mean that that becomes a
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  Speaker 2: question of conditioning. And you know, Gay, you know you
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  Speaker 2: haven't practiced in five, six, seven weeks. How are you?
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  Speaker 2: But like, if you're asking me, if all things are equal,
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  Speaker 2: who would Vic Fangio go with? I believe it would
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  Speaker 2: be Andrew mccouba.
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  Speaker 1: Okay, all right, Well the Eagles, Uh, do you anticipate
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  Speaker 1: Lane Johnson playing on Sunday?
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  Speaker 2: I think the Eagles are hoping he plays on Sunday.
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  Speaker 2: I mean we'll find out on I guess Wednesday when
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  Speaker 2: they start practice. But you know that's if he's not
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  Speaker 2: able to practice this week, then that's that's our that's
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  Speaker 2: that's that's a bad situation, you know obviously.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, I didn't know if it like, you know, it
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  Speaker 1: felt like it was just getting closer and then they
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  Speaker 1: just figured, you know what, just wait until you know,
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  Speaker 1: that's not usual in any of these games. Like, I
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  Speaker 1: don't know if it was like at that point.
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  Speaker 2: Well, remember they didn't put him on IRC right, right,
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  Speaker 2: so they thought he was going to be back in
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  Speaker 2: that Originally in that they were hoping to have him
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  Speaker 2: back in that four week span, and then it didn't,
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  Speaker 2: and then you know, the last two week sort of
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  Speaker 2: became can we do it without him? So, but you're
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  Speaker 2: You're making a good point, and that's where I'm at.
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  Speaker 2: On Wednesday? Will he be out there a practice? And
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  Speaker 2: if he is, will be you know, will he be
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  Speaker 2: more than just limited?
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  Speaker 1: I would say, I don't know. My only indicator was
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  Speaker 1: and maybe just because you know you you don't want
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  Speaker 1: to do a disservice to the quarterback. But them playing
• 13:21
  Speaker 1: Fred Johnson at left tackle yesterday instead of right tackle,
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  Speaker 1: you figure, like, if we think Fred's got to play
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  Speaker 1: right tackle, wouldn't you just keep them there?
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  Speaker 2: You mean for for Sunday game? No, yesterday, That's what
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  Speaker 2: I meant, yesterday's game, Sunday game. Would you have kept
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  Speaker 2: should they have You're asking me if they should have
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  Speaker 2: kept Fred Johnson at if you if you.
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  Speaker 1: Didn't think Lane Johnson was gonna play, would you have
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  Speaker 1: just kept Fred Johnson.
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  Speaker 2: At right now now? Because what they wanted to do,
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  Speaker 2: for what they wanted, I wouldn't have played that prior
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  Speaker 2: at left tackle at all? Ever, And that's certainly not
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  Speaker 2: the rookie Cameron Williams, who only played right. That's what
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  Speaker 2: I say.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, because you don't want to do it service to
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  Speaker 1: the quarterback.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, Like, even though you're not trying to win per
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  Speaker 2: se and you're playing your backups, you still got to
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  Speaker 2: put the guys in the right spot to make sure
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  Speaker 2: that you're not a complete total disaster.
• 14:09
  Speaker 1: Got it all right? Jeff Moscher Football at four the
• 14:12
  Speaker 1: Inside the Birds podcast. We got you all week long
• 14:15
  Speaker 1: getting you ready for Eagles and Niners. Will talk more
• 14:17
  Speaker 1: about the matchup on Wednesday when Mosh is back here.
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  Speaker 1: Adam Kaplan tomorrow, and of course you can listen to
• 14:23
  Speaker 1: the Eagles and the Niners right here on Sunday four
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  Speaker 1: point thirty on ninety seven three ESPN. Thanks boch Hea