Latest / Inside the Birds: A Philadelphia Eagles Podcast / The DiCecco Daily Post-Postgame Show: Intel, Locker Room Insight From Eagles Week 1 Win Vs. Commanders

Transcript

The DiCecco Daily Post-Postgame Show: Intel, Locker Room Insight From Eagles Week 1 Win Vs. Commanders · Inside the Birds: A Philadelphia Eagles Podcast

• 0:09
  Speaker 1: Hey, what's going on, everybody? Welcome in to another episode
• 0:12
  Speaker 1: of the Checo Daily. It's Andrew DiCecco, Eagles beat reporter
• 0:16
  Speaker 1: for InsideTheBirds.com. Just got back from Lincoln Financial Field. It
• 0:21
  Speaker 1: is late Sunday night, but I wanted to record this
• 0:24
  Speaker 1: podcast while everything is still fresh in my mind.
• 0:27
  Speaker 2: The Eagles pull off a win.
• 0:29
  Speaker 1: They beat the Washington Commanders by.
• 0:31
  Speaker 2: A score of 24 to 22.
• 0:35
  Speaker 1: Far from their best game. There's a lot to build
• 0:38
  Speaker 1: off of. A lot to clean up. And I think
• 0:42
  Speaker 1: this is one of those games where you survive in advance.
• 0:46
  Speaker 2: You win at home.
• 0:47
  Speaker 1: You beat a division opponent. You have a pretty favorable
• 0:51
  Speaker 1: matchup next week against the Tennessee Titans that I think
• 0:55
  Speaker 1: the Eagles should be able to handle pretty easily. But
• 0:58
  Speaker 1: they still have to play the game. That's why the
• 1:00
  Speaker 1: game's played. But let's kind of get right into my
• 1:04
  Speaker 1: takeaways and observations from the game. We'll start with the
• 1:08
  Speaker 1: final play that was really key in this game, and
• 1:11
  Speaker 1: Eagles defensive tackle Mauro Jomo swarmed Commanders tight end John Bates,
• 1:18
  Speaker 1: and it foiled their two-point conversion shovel pass, and it
• 1:21
  Speaker 1: preserved the lead with just over a minute remaining in regulation.
• 1:26
  Speaker 1: And then following a failed onside kick attempt, returning possession
• 1:31
  Speaker 1: to the Eagles at their own 48, there wasn't much
• 1:34
  Speaker 1: left for Jalen Hurst to do, except kneel twice, and
• 1:37
  Speaker 1: that punctuated the win. And Jomo, who also had three
• 1:41
  Speaker 1: tackles in this game, he recalled the play after the game.
• 1:44
  Speaker 2: He said, I kind of just, I got off on
• 1:47
  Speaker 2: the ball. I took a shot.
• 1:50
  Speaker 1: You kind of got to play free, and I saw
• 1:52
  Speaker 1: the guard pull, spun out of it. Tight end was
• 1:55
  Speaker 1: right there. At the end of the day, all credit
• 1:57
  Speaker 1: to God, all credit to the people in the room.
• 1:59
  Speaker 1: They helped me out with a lot of things and
• 2:01
  Speaker 1: just played hard, and it was right there. The commanders
• 2:05
  Speaker 1: did make things interesting late. Quarterback Jaden Daniels connected with
• 2:09
  Speaker 1: wide receivers. Stephon Diggs, who had a dumb, inexcusable penalty
• 2:14
  Speaker 1: after the touchdown. And Antonio Williams on fourth quarter touchdowns.
• 2:19
  Speaker 1: But sandwiched in between was an eight-play scoring drive for
• 2:23
  Speaker 1: the Eagles that resulted in a 43-yard touchdown to tight
• 2:27
  Speaker 1: end Dallas Goddard. That drive doesn't survive, though, without Jalen
• 2:31
  Speaker 1: Hurts taking matters into his own hands. On a third
• 2:34
  Speaker 1: and 18, Jalen Hurts calls his own number for 22 yards,
• 2:39
  Speaker 1: and he sets the offense up with a fresh set
• 2:41
  Speaker 1: of downs, keeps it on schedule, and keeps everything alive.
• 2:45
  Speaker 1: And that touchdown to Dallas Goddard really put the game away.
• 2:49
  Speaker 1: But offensively, Hurts was 14-25 for 203 and three touchdowns.
• 2:53
  Speaker 2: He added 46 yards on seven carries.
• 2:58
  Speaker 1: Tight end Dallas Goddard and wide receiver Tay Wicks, who
• 3:01
  Speaker 1: totaled 77 and 73 yards, respectively, led the way in
• 3:05
  Speaker 1: the passing game.
• 3:07
  Speaker 2: The inactives, quarterback.
• 3:09
  Speaker 1: Tanner McKee, who was the emergency third quarterback, quarterback Cole Payton,
• 3:13
  Speaker 1: wide receiver Elijah Moore, outside linebacker Jonathan Grenard, and guard
• 3:17
  Speaker 1: Michael Morris. Leading up to the game, the Eagles strategically
• 3:22
  Speaker 1: refrained from naming their number two quarterback, at least publicly.
• 3:26
  Speaker 1: But the secrecy came to a halt about 90 minutes
• 3:28
  Speaker 1: before the game, and that was when the inactive list
• 3:31
  Speaker 1: was released. And on that list, as I just read,
• 3:34
  Speaker 1: Tanner McKee was listed as the emergency third quarterback, which
• 3:38
  Speaker 1: officially makes veteran Andy Dalton the primary backup to Jalen Hurts.
• 3:43
  Speaker 1: And if you've been listening to these podcasts and reading
• 3:46
  Speaker 1: my work, that was always my gut. At least I
• 3:50
  Speaker 1: said personally, if it were me making the decision, I
• 3:53
  Speaker 1: would go with Andy Dalton.
• 3:54
  Speaker 2: I believe that that was who it was ultimately going
• 3:56
  Speaker 2: to be.
• 3:57
  Speaker 1: I understand that the Eagles have invested more in McKee,
• 4:02
  Speaker 1: and they have plenty of confidence in him. But I
• 4:05
  Speaker 1: think back to this offseason, where the Eagles seemed to
• 4:08
  Speaker 1: show deference to Andy Dalton, who was a starter in
• 4:12
  Speaker 1: 169 of 179 career games. He started the first two
• 4:16
  Speaker 1: preseason games. It was a tough competition to call, but
• 4:20
  Speaker 1: I would have given the edge to Dalton if And
• 4:22
  Speaker 1: I think his experience in the system and that veteran
• 4:25
  Speaker 1: savvy would seemingly provide the most value.
• 4:28
  Speaker 2: Behind Jalen Hurts. And so you have your answer there.
• 4:33
  Speaker 1: Special teams is something that I like to note, and
• 4:35
  Speaker 1: I want to see who's on the kickoff team. So
• 4:38
  Speaker 1: I noted this, and this is from left to right.
• 4:41
  Speaker 1: Defensive back Michael Carter II, wide receiver Darius Cooper, outside
• 4:44
  Speaker 1: linebacker Arnold Evacati, linebacker Smile Mondin Jr., Outside linebacker A.J. Epinesa,
• 4:51
  Speaker 1: running back Will Shipley, linebacker Jeremiah Trotter Jr., tight end E.J. Jenkins,
• 4:56
  Speaker 1: cornerback Mack McWilliams, and cornerback Keely Ringo. Not the greatest
• 5:02
  Speaker 1: of showings from the Eagles' offensive line. And this is
• 5:05
  Speaker 1: a group that represents the key to the Eagles' offensive resurgence.
• 5:09
  Speaker 1: And this unit, as a collective, you've heard my training
• 5:12
  Speaker 1: camp reports. they performed well in training camp and that
• 5:16
  Speaker 1: suggested a return to dominance to begin the season. But
• 5:21
  Speaker 1: center cam Juergens was tagged with a pair of first
• 5:23
  Speaker 1: half holding penalties. The first one was on a first
• 5:27
  Speaker 1: and six, and that turned it into a first and 16.
• 5:30
  Speaker 1: Now the Eagles would ultimately score on the, on that
• 5:33
  Speaker 1: drive with Hertz connecting with Dallas Goddard and the, uh,
• 5:37
  Speaker 1: on the third, on a third and 17. And, uh,
• 5:42
  Speaker 1: Hurts was sacked three times against the Commanders, but in fairness,
• 5:46
  Speaker 1: I'll need to give the game another rewatch to see
• 5:50
  Speaker 1: the contributing factors in each. And Landon Dickerson, to me,
• 5:54
  Speaker 1: is a player who he looked like he just wasn't
• 5:58
  Speaker 1: moving all that well out there. You don't often see
• 6:01
  Speaker 1: Landon Dickerson, at least vintage Landon Dickerson, struggle the way
• 6:06
  Speaker 1: that he did in this game.
• 6:07
  Speaker 2: And again, got to go back and watch the tape
• 6:10
  Speaker 2: to figure.
• 6:10
  Speaker 1: Out where The breakdown ultimately was, but just watching from
• 6:14
  Speaker 1: the press box, it was pretty apparent that he just
• 6:18
  Speaker 1: didn't look as spry. And I go back to, and
• 6:20
  Speaker 1: Jeff and I were talking about this, the final training
• 6:23
  Speaker 1: camp practice, and Landon Dickerson took the lion's share of
• 6:28
  Speaker 1: the reps that left guard, but they also worked in
• 6:31
  Speaker 1: Drew Kendall. And I've seen a lot of Willie Lampkin,
• 6:35
  Speaker 1: and I'm a big Willie Lampkin guy, But before we
• 6:38
  Speaker 1: even get there, I think you still owe it to
• 6:40
  Speaker 1: Landon Dickerson to give him these opportunities and.
• 6:43
  Speaker 2: See if he's able to kind of work through this.
• 6:45
  Speaker 1: Bear in mind that the next player up would be
• 6:48
  Speaker 1: Drew Kendall. And Drew Kendall had a good training camp
• 6:51
  Speaker 1: as well. So maybe pump the brakes a little bit
• 6:55
  Speaker 1: on Willie. Willie has a lot of talent, a lot
• 6:59
  Speaker 1: of upside. I like what he can do as a
• 7:02
  Speaker 1: center and as a guard, but... Drew Kendall was the
• 7:05
  Speaker 1: guy who was really working in with the first team
• 7:08
  Speaker 1: at left guard when they were spelling Landon this summer.
• 7:11
  Speaker 1: And he worked at right guard as well. He can
• 7:12
  Speaker 1: also play center. He is their top interior backup. So
• 7:16
  Speaker 1: I will be monitoring this situation throughout the next few
• 7:19
  Speaker 1: weeks and seeing if Landon's able to turn a corner.
• 7:23
  Speaker 1: But I did notice that both Cam, well, Landon and
• 7:27
  Speaker 1: to a lesser degree, Cam, were two players that I
• 7:30
  Speaker 1: honed in on. But just as a whole, I just
• 7:33
  Speaker 1: don't think the offensive line performed very well.
• 7:36
  Speaker 2: And, of course, that's going to be the key.
• 7:38
  Speaker 1: It doesn't matter how great your scheme is, whether you're
• 7:41
  Speaker 1: under center, whether you're in shotgun, pistol. If you're having
• 7:44
  Speaker 1: trouble blocking up front, that's going to be a problem.
• 7:49
  Speaker 1: And so maybe that was– and the commanders and first-year
• 7:55
  Speaker 1: defensive coordinator Durante Jones– They called a good game, and
• 8:00
  Speaker 1: he is a Brian Flores disciple.
• 8:02
  Speaker 2: They threw the kitchen sink, as Jordan.
• 8:04
  Speaker 1: Mailata said after the game, at the Eagles, and they
• 8:07
  Speaker 1: kind of kept them off balance a little bit.
• 8:10
  Speaker 2: I thought Durante Jones did a nice job.
• 8:12
  Speaker 1: In this game calling it, and it seemed to befuddle
• 8:17
  Speaker 1: the Eagles a little bit.
• 8:19
  Speaker 3: Football is finally back and PrizePix is bringing out their
• 8:22
  Speaker 3: best offer yet. New users who sign up will get
• 8:25
  Speaker 3: $ 150 in lineups if you win your first $ 5 lineup.
• 8:29
  Speaker 2: That's right.
• 8:30
  Speaker 3: If you win your first $ 5 lineup, you get $ 150
• 8:33
  Speaker 3: in lineups. And now PrizePix is available nationwide. So what
• 8:38
  Speaker 3: are you waiting for? Lock in for kickoff. Everyone and
• 8:42
  Speaker 3: everything is on PrizePix. Okay, so what you on in
• 8:46
  Speaker 3: this football season? I'll tell you what I'm all in on.
• 8:48
  Speaker 3: The Bears offense. You've already heard their head coach say
• 8:52
  Speaker 3: he wants to score the most points in NFL history,
• 8:56
  Speaker 3: and they have.
• 8:57
  Speaker 2: The personnel to do it.
• 8:58
  Speaker 3: Go over, check out Luther Burden, wide receiver Luther Burden's
• 9:02
  Speaker 3: receiving yards for the season. I pick more on his
• 9:05
  Speaker 3: receiving yards, and I'm not even sweating it. You can
• 9:08
  Speaker 3: thank me later. He's going to be the guy on
• 9:10
  Speaker 3: that Bears offense.
• 9:11
  Speaker 2: Trust me on that.
• 9:12
  Speaker 3: PrizePix is going crazy with the deals to start the
• 9:15
  Speaker 3: football season, giving users a new promo every day during
• 9:19
  Speaker 3: stacked September. Make sure to sign up now for guaranteed
• 9:23
  Speaker 3: picks every Sunday, along with profit boosts and daily discounts
• 9:27
  Speaker 3: throughout the month. Plus, the app is simple to use.
• 9:30
  Speaker 3: You just pick two to six players, then pick more
• 9:32
  Speaker 3: or less on their projected stats, like pass yards or
• 9:36
  Speaker 3: rush yards and Fantasy Score, it's the best way to
• 9:39
  Speaker 3: get more locked in on game day. That's super fun.
• 9:42
  Speaker 3: You can make all the picks you want across any
• 9:44
  Speaker 3: sport all in the same app. Download the app today
• 9:48
  Speaker 3: and use code BIRDS to get $ 150.
• 9:51
  Speaker 2: Instantly in lineups if you win your first $ 5 lineup.
• 9:55
  Speaker 3: Remember, download the app today, use code BIRDS to get
• 9:57
  Speaker 3: $ 150 instantly in lineups.
• 10:00
  Speaker 2: If you win your first $ 5 lineup.
• 10:02
  Speaker 3: Prize picks run your game. Hey, I'm somebody who likes
• 10:06
  Speaker 3: to work out. I get to the gym at least
• 10:08
  Speaker 3: three times a week. I try to focus on certain muscle.
• 10:11
  Speaker 2: Groups, my arms, my legs.
• 10:13
  Speaker 3: And it used to be really frustrating for me to
• 10:15
  Speaker 3: find jeans that fit someone like myself who likes to
• 10:19
  Speaker 3: work out. Sometimes those jeans can be awkward and tight
• 10:22
  Speaker 3: and you're sitting in a chair and you're constantly pulling
• 10:25
  Speaker 3: at your jeans, trying to get them to fit you.
• 10:27
  Speaker 3: Sometimes it feels like you have to buy jeans that
• 10:30
  Speaker 3: make you choose between your waist or your thighs.
• 10:33
  Speaker 2: But thankfully, I found the perfect jean.
• 10:36
  Speaker 3: It's different from all other jean companies, especially for guys
• 10:40
  Speaker 3: with athletic builds. They actually let me move like a
• 10:43
  Speaker 3: normal human being. I can bend down and tie my shoes.
• 10:46
  Speaker 3: I can squat to pick up something without feeling restricted.
• 10:49
  Speaker 3: I can actually do a full squat, you know, bending
• 10:52
  Speaker 3: down to pick something up without feeling like I'm about
• 10:55
  Speaker 3: to blow a seam. You know, the old standard jean sizing,
• 10:58
  Speaker 3: it wasn't designed to fit guys who squat or deadlift,
• 11:01
  Speaker 3: play sports, or just do anything that actually builds your legs.
• 11:04
  Speaker 3: But the Perfect Jeans is designed for just that, for
• 11:08
  Speaker 3: guys like me. Perfect Jeans has six fits. It includes
• 11:11
  Speaker 3: the athletic.
• 11:12
  Speaker 2: Fit, the slim, the thick, and the thick thick.
• 11:14
  Speaker 3: Specifically built around the reality of that legs and waist
• 11:18
  Speaker 3: don't always scale together. Right now, our listeners get 15%
• 11:21
  Speaker 3: off their first order plus free shipping at theperfectgene.nyc or
• 11:27
  Speaker 3: Google The Perfect Gene and use code BIRDS15 for 15% off.
• 11:32
  Speaker 3: That's 15% off first order plus free shipping at theperfectgene.nyc
• 11:38
  Speaker 3: or just Google The Perfect Gene and use code BIRDS15
• 11:41
  Speaker 3: for 15% off.
• 11:43
  Speaker 1: But with the offense stuck in neutral early, the Eagles
• 11:46
  Speaker 1: took advantage of being ahead of an opportunity.
• 11:50
  Speaker 2: In which they were ahead of the sticks.
• 11:52
  Speaker 1: And that was courtesy of a six-yard Saquon Barkley run. Hertz,
• 11:56
  Speaker 1: who was operating under center, found a streaking wide receiver,
• 12:00
  Speaker 1: Dontavian Wicks, and hit him in stride for a 64-yard pickup.
• 12:04
  Speaker 1: That was a good matchup there against Mike Sammerstill, their corner.
• 12:08
  Speaker 1: And nice route there by Dontavian Wicks as well. Hurts
• 12:11
  Speaker 1: would later find Wicks for a nine-yard touchdown.
• 12:14
  Speaker 2: In the second quarter.
• 12:15
  Speaker 1: And as noted in my training camp observations, the budding
• 12:18
  Speaker 1: chemistry between the quarterback and wide receiver was evident throughout
• 12:21
  Speaker 1: the summer, and it only got stronger by the end
• 12:24
  Speaker 1: of camp, and that was reflected in timing-based completion. So
• 12:27
  Speaker 1: it's a good start for Wicks, who entered halftime with
• 12:31
  Speaker 1: 73 yards and a touchdown on two catches. He didn't
• 12:35
  Speaker 1: add to that total at all in the second half.
• 12:36
  Speaker 1: I'll have to figure out why that happened. But if
• 12:40
  Speaker 1: the Eagles game is to evolve, Wicks will need to
• 12:42
  Speaker 1: have a heavy hand in it. He actually spoke after
• 12:45
  Speaker 1: the game about those two plays. He said, first one,
• 12:48
  Speaker 1: it's a clear out. With Jay, Jalen Hurts, if he
• 12:52
  Speaker 1: trusts you, he's going to put it right there. Once
• 12:55
  Speaker 1: I broke on the out, on the deep one, I
• 12:57
  Speaker 1: seen the ball in the air and I kept running.
• 12:59
  Speaker 1: And it was put on the money. I was able
• 13:01
  Speaker 1: to run under it and I got a score that one.
• 13:04
  Speaker 1: The touchdown, I'd seen inside leverage. So I went outside
• 13:07
  Speaker 1: and broke it out. Another one he put to where
• 13:11
  Speaker 1: I can make the play, and that's what I did.
• 13:15
  Speaker 1: The Eagles' offense under first-year coordinator Sean Manning was always
• 13:18
  Speaker 1: expected to feature a heavy dose of multiple tight end sets.
• 13:21
  Speaker 1: That certainly rang true with blocking-centric veteran Johnny Munt frequently
• 13:26
  Speaker 1: teaming with Dallas Goddard as the Eagles leaned heavily into
• 13:28
  Speaker 1: 12 personnel. I'm very much looking forward to seeing what
• 13:31
  Speaker 1: the snap count shows when it comes out Monday morning
• 13:34
  Speaker 1: because it seemed like Johnny Munt was on the field
• 13:36
  Speaker 1: an awful lot.
• 13:39
  Speaker 2: And while the.
• 13:41
  Speaker 1: Passing game was generally modest and at times had some lulls,
• 13:45
  Speaker 1: the star in the opener, you could say Wicks, but
• 13:47
  Speaker 1: I'm going to say Goddard here, who reeled in four
• 13:50
  Speaker 1: or five pass targets for 77 yards and two touchdowns.
• 13:54
  Speaker 1: I liked some of the route diversity and play designs,
• 13:57
  Speaker 1: and that was perhaps best underscored on Goddard's fourth quarter
• 14:00
  Speaker 1: touchdown on a play that appeared as though the commander's
• 14:03
  Speaker 1: defense froze. He actually spoke about that play. He said
• 14:07
  Speaker 1: it was a play that we had two plays in
• 14:09
  Speaker 1: the huddle. Jalen killed it late, and I, right as
• 14:12
  Speaker 1: he was saying hud, I slid laterally, which is legal.
• 14:16
  Speaker 1: So it probably gave the illusion of us moving or
• 14:18
  Speaker 1: not moving and things like that, but it seemed like
• 14:20
  Speaker 1: the defense kind of froze their feet for a second
• 14:23
  Speaker 1: and played to my advantage, that's for sure. The passing game,
• 14:27
  Speaker 1: of course, runs through wide receiver Devontae Smith, but second
• 14:30
  Speaker 1: in the pecking order will be Goddard, as long as
• 14:32
  Speaker 1: he can stay healthy, who has developed a strong rapport
• 14:36
  Speaker 1: with Hurts over the years. The 31-year-old could be in
• 14:40
  Speaker 1: line for more volume than he's seen at any point
• 14:43
  Speaker 1: in his career.
• 14:45
  Speaker 2: Zach Vaughn.
• 14:46
  Speaker 1: Zach Vaughn on the 97.5 The Fanatic pregame show was
• 14:50
  Speaker 1: my pick for player of the game and the man
• 14:52
  Speaker 1: that he delivered in this one. He can buy him
• 14:55
  Speaker 1: for 12 tackles, and he doesn't get talked about nearly enough. Sure,
• 14:59
  Speaker 1: it's widely recognized that he's among the elite at his position,
• 15:03
  Speaker 1: but Vaughn produced a flurry of game-changing plays. One of
• 15:06
  Speaker 1: the better examples happened on consecutive plays on a first
• 15:09
  Speaker 1: and 20 from the Washington 17. Vaughn blanketed Stephon Diggs
• 15:13
  Speaker 1: over the middle to force an incompletion. And then on
• 15:16
  Speaker 1: the next play, he sniffed out a short pass to
• 15:19
  Speaker 1: Jacory Kroski-Merritt, dropping the running back for a seven-yard loss.
• 15:23
  Speaker 1: And in the third quarter, with the Eagles leading 14-9,
• 15:26
  Speaker 1: Bonds sorted through traffic to bring down commanders running back
• 15:29
  Speaker 1: Rashad White on third down, stopping him for four yards
• 15:32
  Speaker 1: short of a first down. The commanders were forced to punt.
• 15:37
  Speaker 1: His instincts and recognition were on full display. Just an
• 15:40
  Speaker 1: outstanding football player. I noticed a lot of Arnold Abacate
• 15:45
  Speaker 1: in this game and A.J.
• 15:46
  Speaker 2: Epinesa.
• 15:47
  Speaker 1: And that's something that Vic Fangio doesn't traditionally rotate. That's
• 15:51
  Speaker 1: a position that he doesn't rotate at. Linebacker, he doesn't
• 15:54
  Speaker 1: rotate in general, typically. But I noticed both players were
• 15:58
  Speaker 1: in the mix. That could be something as simple as
• 16:00
  Speaker 1: it was humid out there. It was really humid and
• 16:03
  Speaker 1: you're trying to get more bodies in there. It could
• 16:06
  Speaker 1: be that he likes the variety and skill set that
• 16:08
  Speaker 1: all of those players have. and he kind of mentioned
• 16:12
  Speaker 1: that it's going to depend on how the game's going
• 16:14
  Speaker 1: when he spoke last week, and the personality of the
• 16:19
  Speaker 1: game that was going to play a major part in
• 16:21
  Speaker 1: deciding how he was going to dole out those snaps.
• 16:25
  Speaker 1: Makai Lemon in his NFL debut, three catches for negative
• 16:29
  Speaker 1: five yards. The first one went for three, and they
• 16:32
  Speaker 1: were mostly bubble screens. One was off-orbit motion, and he
• 16:36
  Speaker 1: really never had much of a chance to break anything.
• 16:39
  Speaker 2: What you want to do ideally.
• 16:40
  Speaker 1: And I know that he's probably swimming right now because
• 16:43
  Speaker 1: a lot's being thrown at him. The Eagles are trying
• 16:46
  Speaker 1: to implement him into the offense and get the ball
• 16:48
  Speaker 1: in his hands any way possible, presumably to build that confidence.
• 16:51
  Speaker 1: But with Makai Lemon, I imagine that he's at his
• 16:56
  Speaker 1: best after the catch. And I imagine that in a
• 17:00
  Speaker 1: perfect world, you're finding ways for him to be able to,
• 17:04
  Speaker 1: to really work the middle of the field, get him
• 17:05
  Speaker 1: in space and allow him to do what he does.
• 17:07
  Speaker 2: That's really what he's all about.
• 17:09
  Speaker 1: He's not an elite separator or anything like that, but
• 17:12
  Speaker 1: I didn't think that this particular game plan did him
• 17:15
  Speaker 1: any favors getting him the ball with not much chance
• 17:18
  Speaker 1: to make anything happen. They weren't high percentage plays. They
• 17:22
  Speaker 1: weren't blocked up particularly well. They got the ball in
• 17:25
  Speaker 1: his hands and now they're going to have to look
• 17:27
  Speaker 1: and see what they can do. Maybe go back to
• 17:29
  Speaker 1: the drawing board and, and find ways to incorporate him
• 17:32
  Speaker 1: maybe in a different way.
• 17:34
  Speaker 3: As I've gotten older, I've really tried to concentrate on
• 17:37
  Speaker 3: my physical health, my body, making sure I'm putting the
• 17:40
  Speaker 3: right things in and the healthiest things in. I've always
• 17:43
  Speaker 3: heard about creatine, but I wasn't really sure about using
• 17:47
  Speaker 3: creatine supplements until I did the research to find out
• 17:50
  Speaker 3: what it was really all about. That's when I found Momentous,
• 17:53
  Speaker 3: which created Signature Spec Creatine, their most advanced creatine ever,
• 17:59
  Speaker 3: setting a new standard for creatine quality. It's one of
• 18:02
  Speaker 3: the only creatines to be manufactured in a pharmaceutical facility
• 18:06
  Speaker 3: using reverse osmosis water purification and verified through an expanded
• 18:11
  Speaker 3: six stage testing process with four independent agencies. They've improved
• 18:15
  Speaker 3: the product experience with ultra fine powder that mixes effortlessly
• 18:21
  Speaker 3: with no grit or clumping. Hey, look, I like a
• 18:23
  Speaker 3: good creatine shake in the afternoon and it's got to
• 18:26
  Speaker 3: taste good and be smooth. The benefits of creatine are
• 18:29
  Speaker 3: very real. It supports strength, power, lean muscle growth, recovery,
• 18:34
  Speaker 3: and even improve cognitive performance. And as I get older,
• 18:38
  Speaker 3: all of those things are so much more important to
• 18:40
  Speaker 3: me than they used to be. If you want to
• 18:42
  Speaker 3: try Momentous Signature Spec Creatine, head to livemomentous.com and use
• 18:48
  Speaker 3: code BIRDS for up to 35% off your entire first order.
• 18:52
  Speaker 3: That's livemomentous.com. Promo code BIRDS for up to 35% off. LiveMomentous.com.
• 19:00
  Speaker 2: Promo code BIRDS.
• 19:02
  Speaker 3: Nobody loves grilling more than me. It could be 30
• 19:04
  Speaker 3: degrees and I'll be out there grilling burgers and steaks.
• 19:08
  Speaker 3: But the one thing that I really can't stand is
• 19:10
  Speaker 3: losing my fish and my veggies because they just can't
• 19:14
  Speaker 3: grill without falling through. That's why I've been using Hexclad's
• 19:17
  Speaker 3: BBQ Collection. It's bringing hybrid technology together. Outdoors with products
• 19:23
  Speaker 3: specifically designed to make grilling easier, especially when you're cooking
• 19:27
  Speaker 3: foods that normally don't cooperate on a traditional grill. The
• 19:30
  Speaker 3: Hexclad BBQ Grill Plan combines the searing power of stainless steel,
• 19:35
  Speaker 3: durability of cast iron, and the convenience of nonstick all
• 19:39
  Speaker 3: in one versatile grill pan. They've also launched their new
• 19:42
  Speaker 3: BBQ Grill Topper. That gives you even more control when
• 19:45
  Speaker 3: you're cooking delicate foods like veggies or seafood, or if
• 19:49
  Speaker 3: you're cooking multiple portions at one time. Last week, I
• 19:52
  Speaker 3: grilled the best surf and turf my style, which is
• 19:55
  Speaker 3: salmon and ribs and lost none of it because I
• 19:59
  Speaker 3: used Hexclad's BBQ Collection. With over 1 million customers and
• 20:03
  Speaker 3: more than 50,000 five-star reviews, it's clear people love cooking
• 20:08
  Speaker 3: with Hexclad. There's a reason Gordon Ramsay uses Hexclad at
• 20:11
  Speaker 3: his home and in his restaurants, and he's the toughest
• 20:14
  Speaker 3: critic on the planet. So if you're planning on spending
• 20:16
  Speaker 3: time behind the grill this summer, don't make it harder
• 20:18
  Speaker 3: than it needs to be. Stop losing food through the
• 20:21
  Speaker 3: grates and upgrade your backyard cooking setup with Hexclad's BBQ collection.
• 20:25
  Speaker 3: For a limited time only, our listeners get 10% off
• 20:28
  Speaker 3: their order with our exclusive link. Just head to hexclad.com
• 20:33
  Speaker 3: slash birds. Show our support and check them out at hexclad.com
• 20:39
  Speaker 3: slash birds. Make sure to let them know we sent you.
• 20:43
  Speaker 1: The Eagles pass rush did not get home. I'm not
• 20:46
  Speaker 1: concerned about that. It's week one. I mean, this is
• 20:51
  Speaker 1: a matchup where they should have been able to dominate
• 20:54
  Speaker 1: the Washington offensive line. But without Jonathan Bernard there, I
• 20:59
  Speaker 1: didn't think that.
• 21:00
  Speaker 2: I mean, Nolan Smith got a ton of pressures in
• 21:04
  Speaker 2: this game. A ton of pressures.
• 21:07
  Speaker 1: Um, he, he, he should be recognized for that. No
• 21:11
  Speaker 1: one got home, but pressures are really valuable. You ask
• 21:13
  Speaker 1: coaches around the league and that's as, um, That's an
• 21:18
  Speaker 1: impactful metric that they use, but I'm not concerned with
• 21:21
  Speaker 1: the fact that they weren't able to get home and
• 21:23
  Speaker 1: take advantage of this matchup. Even without Grenard, I think
• 21:26
  Speaker 1: this is still a really strong group, and sometimes it
• 21:29
  Speaker 1: just takes time. I remember talking to Zedarius Smith last season,
• 21:33
  Speaker 1: and he mentioned about how earlier in his career he
• 21:36
  Speaker 1: was so fixated on chasing sacks, and you miss the
• 21:39
  Speaker 1: ones that are right in front of you.
• 21:40
  Speaker 2: It was a really good quote. I'll have to go
• 21:41
  Speaker 2: back and find it.
• 21:43
  Speaker 1: But he imparted that kind of wisdom on younger players
• 21:45
  Speaker 1: like Jalix.
• 21:47
  Speaker 2: And some of those other guys. And I think it
• 21:49
  Speaker 2: really resonated with them.
• 21:50
  Speaker 1: So I don't get the sense that they're going to
• 21:51
  Speaker 1: be pressing and trying to, you know, get these sacks,
• 21:55
  Speaker 1: add to the stat sheet or anything like that. But
• 21:58
  Speaker 1: we'll see what happens. I think that a game against
• 22:01
  Speaker 1: Tennessee gives them another opportunity to get home. It might
• 22:07
  Speaker 1: get overlooked in the grand scheme, but man, punter Braden
• 22:09
  Speaker 1: Mann has been extremely clutch for the Eagles. He dropped
• 22:13
  Speaker 1: four punts inside the 20-yard line, including one that was
• 22:15
  Speaker 1: downed by Ringo at the Washington 2-yard line with 45
• 22:20
  Speaker 1: seconds remaining in the first half. He also drilled a
• 22:23
  Speaker 1: long of 64 yards. Replacing the departed Sidney Brown at
• 22:28
  Speaker 1: the other gunner spot opposite Ringo was wide receiver Darius Cooper.
• 22:33
  Speaker 2: Who wears a variety of hats for this Eagles team.
• 22:35
  Speaker 1: He briefly moonlighted at Gunnar last season, and he registered
• 22:38
  Speaker 1: a pair of first-half stops in punt coverage, reinforcing his
• 22:42
  Speaker 1: willingness to embrace and execute whatever role he's put in.
• 22:45
  Speaker 1: He said, really, it's a mentality thing. Whatever you do,
• 22:49
  Speaker 1: just go fast. Just go full speed, bro. Get down
• 22:52
  Speaker 1: there and try to make a play. But it's really
• 22:54
  Speaker 1: a mentality. And Gunnar's one of the hardest positions to play, especially.
• 22:57
  Speaker 2: If you get viced.
• 22:59
  Speaker 1: So we got Keeley on the other side, so I'm
• 23:01
  Speaker 1: definitely excited to see what we do for the rest
• 23:03
  Speaker 1: of the year. The Eagles won, delivering when it counted,
• 23:08
  Speaker 1: but there are certainly areas in need of improvement. For perspective,
• 23:11
  Speaker 1: the Commanders accumulated 21st downs to the Eagles' 10. That's
• 23:16
  Speaker 1: an extremely low number. They were also 6 of 14
• 23:19
  Speaker 1: on 3rd down, and the Eagles at one point in
• 23:21
  Speaker 1: the game had 4 consecutive drives that resulted in a punt.
• 23:25
  Speaker 1: It was the first game in a new offense, so
• 23:27
  Speaker 1: growing pains should be baked into the equation, but perhaps
• 23:30
  Speaker 1: it might be something worth filing away.
• 23:35
  Speaker 2: And we'll wrap things up by just a note here.
• 23:38
  Speaker 1: Cooper DeJean didn't have his best game. He gave up
• 23:41
  Speaker 1: a touchdown to Antonio Williams. Williams got him on the 14-yarder,
• 23:47
  Speaker 1: I believe it was, to get them down to the 1-1.
• 23:51
  Speaker 2: I don't have those concerns with Dejean.
• 23:54
  Speaker 1: I mean, he's been such a consistent player for the Eagles,
• 23:57
  Speaker 1: but that's not to say that he had a particularly
• 24:00
  Speaker 1: good game because he didn't. And I think back to
• 24:04
  Speaker 1: some of these shiftier type of receivers like Demario Douglas,
• 24:07
  Speaker 1: Pop Douglas for the Patriots, and he was able to
• 24:11
  Speaker 1: win a lot of his matchups in the joint practices
• 24:13
  Speaker 1: in New England.
• 24:14
  Speaker 2: And sometimes you need a game like this.
• 24:16
  Speaker 1: If you're, remember Adam Thielen when Cooper Dejean went against
• 24:19
  Speaker 1: Adam Thielen and Adam Thielen kind of took him to
• 24:23
  Speaker 1: school a little bit, and Cooper responded well.
• 24:26
  Speaker 2: He looked at that as a learning experience.
• 24:28
  Speaker 1: I think this might be something that almost hits the
• 24:30
  Speaker 1: reset button, and I know we're going into week two.
• 24:33
  Speaker 1: It's so early in the season, but when things tend
• 24:36
  Speaker 1: to come so naturally for you and you come into
• 24:39
  Speaker 1: the league and you dominate and you're an all-pro after
• 24:42
  Speaker 1: your second season, I'm not saying that gets to you,
• 24:45
  Speaker 1: but you haven't really encountered a whole.
• 24:47
  Speaker 2: Lot of adversity or a lot of struggles.
• 24:50
  Speaker 1: And this gives him an opportunity to look at the film,
• 24:53
  Speaker 1: learn from it, figure out what he could have done differently,
• 24:55
  Speaker 1: talk to his coaches, and maybe go back to the
• 24:59
  Speaker 1: drawing board and try some different things for the next opportunity.
• 25:02
  Speaker 3: Hey, Philly fans, game day is stressful enough. Parking, traffic,
• 25:06
  Speaker 3: long lines, we've all been there. But when it comes
• 25:09
  Speaker 3: to your cannabis... Camden Apothecary makes it easy. This is
• 25:13
  Speaker 3: the dispensary for sports fans. Just minutes outside of Philly
• 25:18
  Speaker 3: with plenty of free parking. You'll be in and out fast.
• 25:21
  Speaker 2: No hassle.
• 25:22
  Speaker 3: No waiting. And they don't just care about convenience. Camden
• 25:25
  Speaker 3: Apothecary is all about the guest experience. Their staff makes
• 25:29
  Speaker 3: sure you feel taken care of every time you walk in. Plus,
• 25:33
  Speaker 3: they carry only the best quality cannabis at the fairest price.
• 25:37
  Speaker 3: prices so whether you're stocking up for the tailgate the
• 25:40
  Speaker 3: watch party or celebrating a big win you know you're
• 25:44
  Speaker 3: getting the good stuff without overpaying they even show love
• 25:48
  Speaker 3: to the community with specials for fans students service members
• 25:52
  Speaker 3: and health care pros camden apothecary top quality cannabis great
• 25:57
  Speaker 3: prices and an experience made for philly fans 21.
• 26:01
  Speaker 1: And up sometimes A game like that isn't always a
• 26:05
  Speaker 1: bad thing, especially if you come out on the other
• 26:07
  Speaker 1: side and you're able to win if you're the Eagles.
• 26:09
  Speaker 1: And Cooper is one of the better nickel corners in football.
• 26:13
  Speaker 1: There shouldn't be any concern there. But it is something
• 26:15
  Speaker 1: to note. And because we've grown so accustomed to seeing
• 26:19
  Speaker 1: him dominate his matchups, it was something that really stood
• 26:22
  Speaker 1: out to me and something that I noted in my
• 26:24
  Speaker 1: notebook as the game was progressing.
• 26:29
  Speaker 2: Nick Sirianni speaks Monday.
• 26:31
  Speaker 1: The Cordators speak Tuesday, and the locker room continues on Monday,
• 26:36
  Speaker 1: on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. For now, that is going
• 26:41
  Speaker 1: to do it for this episode of DiCecco Daily. I'm
• 26:43
  Speaker 1: Andrew DiCecco, and I'll catch you all on the next one.