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Football at Four: How Have Eagles and Cowboys Changed Since Week 1? · Inside the Birds: A Philadelphia Eagles Podcast

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: And here we go football at four. Andrew to checko
• 0:02
  Speaker 1: today on the Sports Bats Live on ninety seven three ESPN. Andrew,
• 0:05
  Speaker 1: welcome back. How are you, sir?
• 0:08
  Speaker 2: Don't well, Mike, how about yourself?
• 0:12
  Speaker 1: Well, obviously, Andrew, we've got Eagles Cowboys week. What do
• 0:16
  Speaker 1: you know? Four to five and one Dallas. These two
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  Speaker 1: teams played on opening night. Let's get your take on
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  Speaker 1: twelve weeks later. Are these teams similar different? How do
• 0:28
  Speaker 1: you kind of look at the two teams that played
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  Speaker 1: twelve weeks ago?
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, they're different, especially from the Dallas standpoint. They have
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  Speaker 2: to Marvin overshowon who's back? Savone ravel their corner? They
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  Speaker 2: added Logan Wilson, of course, quinnn Williams, Malie Hooker's back,
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  Speaker 2: and Diavon Azaaku's taken on a much larger role this
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  Speaker 2: time around their edge rusher, and so I think they're
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  Speaker 2: a lot different from a defensive standpoint than they were
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  Speaker 2: back in Week one. And Eagles also are a different
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  Speaker 2: team offensively. They I mean, I think a lot was
• 1:01
  Speaker 2: made about the lightning at halftime, and maybe that altered
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  Speaker 2: the Eagles offensive plans and functionality in that game. But
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  Speaker 2: I think we've grown as we've grown to learn. Well,
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  Speaker 2: that was just a byproduct of what this offense has
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  Speaker 2: looked like for the better part of the season.
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  Speaker 1: You know, a lot of people looking at the differences
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  Speaker 1: in these two teams. Let's look at the Dallas defense
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  Speaker 1: and how different they are. You mentioned Donvan as a
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  Speaker 1: Roku local kid. They also made the trade for Quinn Williams.
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  Speaker 1: We saw them against the Raiders on Monday night. They
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  Speaker 1: dominated that game. Now, yesterday we talked with Q Myers,
• 1:32
  Speaker 1: who covers the Raiders, and he said, look, their offensive
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  Speaker 1: line a mess. You can't really put a lot of
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  Speaker 1: stock in it. But how much stock do you put
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  Speaker 1: into you know, the Dallas defense being a problem for
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  Speaker 1: this version of the Eagle offense.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, I still look at the you know, they're playing well,
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  Speaker 2: the Dallas Cowboys, Dak Prescott's having a good season. I
• 1:56
  Speaker 2: look at the trenches and I think Dallas. The game
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  Speaker 2: within the game to me is going to be the
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  Speaker 2: Dallas offensive line. Who they're healthy now. They have a
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  Speaker 2: lot of pre eminent players on that line versus this
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  Speaker 2: resurgence in terms of the Eagles pass rush, and they've
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  Speaker 2: really rattled Jordan Love, They've rattled Jared goff and they
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  Speaker 2: were not comfortable from the early onset of that game,
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  Speaker 2: and I think that ultimately played into some of the
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  Speaker 2: things that transpire throughout the game. And the Eagles have
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  Speaker 2: set the tone there. But this Dallas offensive line could
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  Speaker 2: pose some problems, especially if you have let's say, well
• 2:34
  Speaker 2: Fred Johnson at right tackle, but maybe a new center
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  Speaker 2: this week, depending on what happens with Cam Jorden's.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, I want to get your take on. I mean,
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  Speaker 1: there's a lot of drama surrounding the team. I know
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  Speaker 1: you're not in the drama business. We'll get into some
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  Speaker 1: of it coming up here in just a minute. But
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  Speaker 1: how much is the drama of the offensive line been
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  Speaker 1: a main component of the offensive issues this year? How
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  Speaker 1: much weight do you put on the lines? You know,
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  Speaker 1: up and down season, some of it jur related, guys
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  Speaker 1: in and out the lineup playing hurt. Where do you
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  Speaker 1: put that on the pie chart of issues for the
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  Speaker 1: problems this offense seemingly is having.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, it's up there, it's up there. And you know
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  Speaker 2: you can look at say Klon Barkley, and I know
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  Speaker 2: that there may be some that think he's a different player.
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  Speaker 2: He's the same guy at least to my to my eye,
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  Speaker 2: I don't see a different player. And I still think
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  Speaker 2: he has acceleration and burst. He runs hard, he's decisive.
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  Speaker 2: If there's one criticism that I have, it's sometimes I
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  Speaker 2: notice that maybe if something isn't there, he presses and
• 3:35
  Speaker 2: tries to hit the home run instead of taking what's
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  Speaker 2: in front of him. But I think the health of
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  Speaker 2: the offensive line has contributed greatly from a run blocking standpoint.
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  Speaker 2: They're doing really well in pass protection. But you know,
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  Speaker 2: you look at Alanna Dickerson's and banged up this year,
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  Speaker 2: he looks to be a little bit more healthy than
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  Speaker 2: he's been. Cam Jurgens had the you know, offseason back surgery,
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  Speaker 2: then he had the knee that he was working through
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  Speaker 2: against the Lions, and now he has a concussion that
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  Speaker 2: he's working his way back from. And Lane Johnson has
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  Speaker 2: been whether it was the stinger, the foot, to ankle,
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  Speaker 2: the list frank right now. So yeah, I mean, I
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  Speaker 2: think that's fair to say. And if you can't protect
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  Speaker 2: up front, or if you can't if you're banged up
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  Speaker 2: along the offensive line, I should say, it's really tough
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  Speaker 2: to play offense. And that's just one of the issues
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  Speaker 2: that the Eagles have had on that side of the
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  Speaker 2: ball of this season. There's been several, but that's one
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  Speaker 2: that I rank pretty high.
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  Speaker 1: All right, several is a good word to use, Andrew
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  Speaker 1: to check out football at four, let's look at several.
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  Speaker 1: The run game is a little different. I want to
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  Speaker 1: ask you Barkley whether he's the same player or not.
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  Speaker 1: I don't know, But is it a discernible, noticeable difference
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  Speaker 1: when Bigsby gets a touch?
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  Speaker 2: Well, I also think defenses are playing them a little
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  Speaker 2: bit differently when Tank Bigsby's in the game. He seems
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  Speaker 2: to have a little bit more room to operate. He
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  Speaker 2: does add a spark, he's fresh. He hasn't had the
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  Speaker 2: volume of a Barkley, but I just think that, Yeah,
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  Speaker 2: I think Tank Bigsby is sometimes able to create his
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  Speaker 2: own holes. He has an interesting running style unlike anything
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  Speaker 2: that I've really seen, and he creates his own hole,
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  Speaker 2: and he has a spark. He's taking some negative runs
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  Speaker 2: too this season, But you know, I think I think
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  Speaker 2: he's a good player. I mean, if I'm the Eagles,
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  Speaker 2: I'm trying to find a way to incorporate him more
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  Speaker 2: now more, meaning six to seven touches a game because
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  Speaker 2: I think that he adds a different dimension out of
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  Speaker 2: the backfield. I also wouldn't be surprised if you see
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  Speaker 2: some shipley as well, just kind of integrating all three
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  Speaker 2: running backs who bring something different to the table, kind
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  Speaker 2: of like what you saw in that opening driving against
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  Speaker 2: Green Bay. I think for an offense that's trying to
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  Speaker 2: find answers and you're stuck in the mud, this is
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  Speaker 2: what you got. So you got to try and find
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  Speaker 2: different ways to dress it up with personnel groupings. Maybe
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  Speaker 2: you work in a camlot too, if you're going to
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  Speaker 2: go heavy twelve personnel meaning two tight ends, and try
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  Speaker 2: to find a way to create some more space in
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  Speaker 2: the running game.
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  Speaker 1: Andrew the pass game, what do we make of this thing?
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  Speaker 1: Is their meat on the bone they're missing? Is it
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  Speaker 1: just not a good passing game? Why is it so free?
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  Speaker 1: Is it the weather? I mean I've heard people say, hey, look,
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  Speaker 1: they played in Green Bay, it was very windy. They
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  Speaker 1: played at home, it was the forty mile prior wins.
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  Speaker 1: Did the win to have something new? Because Green Bay's
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  Speaker 1: offense didn't look very good. Detroit's offense didn't look very good.
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  Speaker 1: How much stock do we put into that, or we
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  Speaker 1: just look at this offense and say, look, they just
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  Speaker 1: do not have a very good pass game at this
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  Speaker 1: stage of the season.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, I look at it. I mean, and there's a
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  Speaker 2: lot I have to say about this because, first and foremost,
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  Speaker 2: and the Saquon Barkley era, there's been little to no
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  Speaker 2: evidence that the Eagles have had this explosive, dynamic passing attack. Now,
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  Speaker 2: when you have those kind of weapons and there's that
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  Speaker 2: much money invested into the offense, it needs to look
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  Speaker 2: considerably better than what it has. I look at the
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  Speaker 2: Green Bay game, Frigid Tens. I look at the Detroit
• 7:02
  Speaker 2: Lions game, and I look at the win, and it
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  Speaker 2: impacted both quarterbacks. Jared gob completed thirty seven point eight
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  Speaker 2: percent of his passes Jalen Hurts fifty percent. And then
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  Speaker 2: the Green Bay game, both offenses struggled there as well.
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  Speaker 2: So I think there's a common theme. But that's not
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  Speaker 2: to absolve this offense this season that has yet to
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  Speaker 2: sustainably put together any semblance of a symbiotic passing offense
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  Speaker 2: that should be able to almost, I don't want to
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  Speaker 2: say row out of bed, but should be able to
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  Speaker 2: put up twenty four points twenty seven points on a
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  Speaker 2: given week, and for whatever reason, they're not doing it now.
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  Speaker 2: I look at self inflicted wounds. I look at missed
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  Speaker 2: opportunities from Jalen Hurts because there are plays to be made.
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  Speaker 2: He's got to pull the trigger sooner. And then I
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  Speaker 2: also look at Kevin Patulo in the play calling, which
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  Speaker 2: needs to be better. Better sequencing doesn't seem to necessarily
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  Speaker 2: have a great deal for that at this stage. So
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  Speaker 2: there's a lot of things that are contributing to it.
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  Speaker 2: But in this game against the Dallas Cowboys, as we
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  Speaker 2: move forward here, I mean, this is a game where
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  Speaker 2: there's no excuses. You're playing in optimal conditions, indoors against
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  Speaker 2: a Dallas secondary that have proven that they'll give you
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  Speaker 2: some opportunities to strike on some big plays if you're
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  Speaker 2: able to connect.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, and this obviously is the Dallas defense that's not great.
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  Speaker 1: We certainly saw the Philadelphia defense be great. I want
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  Speaker 1: to get into them. I know we talked about the
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  Speaker 1: drama a little bit last week. It was aj Brown.
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  Speaker 1: This week, there's a report, you know that there's some
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  Speaker 1: questions about the quarterback. The quarterback says it is what
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  Speaker 1: it is. Obviously Sirianni says, I don't put credence on it.
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  Speaker 1: Should we put credence on this? Is this a hey
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  Speaker 1: where there's smoke, there's fire? Or is there no evidence
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  Speaker 1: that there's friction inside that locker room?
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  Speaker 2: Well, I like to put out my disclaimer and that
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  Speaker 2: I don't work for TMZ, I cover football, but it
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  Speaker 2: is the story, and what I can say is is
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  Speaker 2: just I thought that when Jay Hurts had to answer
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  Speaker 2: for it Wednesday in his press conference, he did a
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  Speaker 2: really good job of being accountable, as you would expect
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  Speaker 2: any leader to do. I think locally, his stoicism and
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  Speaker 2: the way that he goes about his business is respected
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  Speaker 2: and acknowledged, and that's what you expect from a leader.
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  Speaker 2: And there's I mean, it's kind of hard to poke
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  Speaker 2: and product anything he had to say yesterday, And with
• 9:22
  Speaker 2: regards to those comments, I thought he did a nice job.
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  Speaker 2: And then he also likes to shift his focus on
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  Speaker 2: the collective about not letting that detract from his weekly
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  Speaker 2: preparation and he really wants to exhaust most of his energy,
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  Speaker 2: all of his energy in the upcoming matchup, which this
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  Speaker 2: week is the Dallas Cowboys.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, and obviously it's been a distraction for a team
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  Speaker 1: that wins a lot, and they win a lot Andrew
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  Speaker 1: because their defense has been excellent. I'll go back to
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  Speaker 1: the things saying their defense is really, really good. There's
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  Speaker 1: not any question there. But we talked about the wind
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  Speaker 1: and the weather, and you know, is it that dominant
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  Speaker 1: or did the wind and weather play a factor in
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  Speaker 1: their dominance the last two weeks.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, it's a fascinating question because you could. I think,
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  Speaker 2: I certainly think against Detroit, who entered that game averaging
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  Speaker 2: thirty one point four points per game, Yeah, I think
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  Speaker 2: the wind altered there or certainly aided them in what
• 10:14
  Speaker 2: they were able to do from a defensive standpoint. But Mike,
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  Speaker 2: this defense is the real deal. They have a pass
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  Speaker 2: rush now that has been a ripple effect that's aided
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  Speaker 2: all three levels of the defense. That's alleviated pressure on
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  Speaker 2: the back end. They're sending waves of rushers, Jalen Phillips,
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  Speaker 2: Jay Look Xhan, who by the way, probably played his
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  Speaker 2: best game as a pro Sunday night against Detroit. And
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  Speaker 2: I think the insertion to Kobe Dean was really what's
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  Speaker 2: ignited this defense because he sets the tone from a
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  Speaker 2: physical standpoint, attacking downhill. His mindset is one in doubt
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  Speaker 2: strikes somebody. And the way that he sort of looks
• 10:51
  Speaker 2: at the linebacker position is we run with four to
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  Speaker 2: three and we bang with three fifty. So he brings
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  Speaker 2: an imposing physical mentality to that position and he's almost
• 11:01
  Speaker 2: like a coach on the field. And when you have
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  Speaker 2: that added to what they already have, and you couple
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  Speaker 2: that with Jalen Phillips and the return of Nolan Smith, Yeah,
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  Speaker 2: this is the defense that not only what they're doing
• 11:12
  Speaker 2: right now I believe is absolutely sustainable, but I think
• 11:16
  Speaker 2: they're always going to get better and I think Mike
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  Speaker 2: it could rival and be even better than the defense
• 11:21
  Speaker 2: last year that was tremendous.
• 11:23
  Speaker 1: Well, Andrew, I'll tell you this, December two is the
• 11:26
  Speaker 1: debut of Hard Knocks in season nfcast. You don't have
• 11:30
  Speaker 1: to be TMZ. Maybe they'll take care of that for us.
• 11:33
  Speaker 1: But until then, it's an Eagles Cowboys game. I know
• 11:38
  Speaker 1: we got to get out of here. I want to
• 11:39
  Speaker 1: get this last take from you. Yeah, sure, Dallas is
• 11:42
  Speaker 1: four to five and one. This is it for them.
• 11:44
  Speaker 1: If they win this game, they're still alive in a
• 11:45
  Speaker 1: wild card. It's still far fetched for them. Philadelphia way
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  Speaker 1: ahead here? Is this a dangerous spot for Philadelphia? Do
• 11:53
  Speaker 1: you think that this is a game Philly's the better team, obviously,
• 11:56
  Speaker 1: everybody sees the records, they beat him once, But is
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  Speaker 1: this a danger spot with what Dallas needs from this game?
• 12:04
  Speaker 2: Yeah, Mike, I do see this as a tricky spot.
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  Speaker 2: I'm not saying that the Eagles are right for an
• 12:09
  Speaker 2: upset or it's a trap game, but this is a
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  Speaker 2: game that you can't take lightly because on paper, it
• 12:14
  Speaker 2: looks like they have nothing to play for and their
• 12:17
  Speaker 2: seasons sort of dead in the water. But I wouldn't
• 12:19
  Speaker 2: be so quick to rule the Cowboys out there. The
• 12:22
  Speaker 2: Eagles have had trouble playing historically at at and T Stadium,
• 12:26
  Speaker 2: and the Dallas Cowboys are a lot healthier than they
• 12:29
  Speaker 2: were in the previous matchup, and they're a different team,
• 12:31
  Speaker 2: so are the Eagles. But yeah, I think a loss,
• 12:34
  Speaker 2: if the Eagles are to you know, to to come
• 12:37
  Speaker 2: away with a win, that pretty much, you know, ends
• 12:39
  Speaker 2: the Cowboys season. If not, Like you said, they're they're
• 12:43
  Speaker 2: still alive and they're they're a team that when you
• 12:45
  Speaker 2: look at what they have, Yeah, they're they're kind of interesting,
• 12:49
  Speaker 2: but I think this game kind of reminds me a
• 12:50
  Speaker 2: little bit of that Steelers game from last season. I
• 12:53
  Speaker 2: don't know if you're going to see the the explosive
• 12:55
  Speaker 2: passing offense like you saw in that game, but I
• 12:57
  Speaker 2: do believe they'll move the ball and sort of conjured
• 13:01
  Speaker 2: shades of what they were at times last season.
• 13:04
  Speaker 1: Andrew to check o everybody, make sure you check out
• 13:06
  Speaker 1: all his coverage of the Eagles over at insidethebirds dot com.
• 13:09
  Speaker 1: He's got a really good piece up on the Kobe
• 13:11
  Speaker 1: Dean's return from injury and how he has set the
• 13:14
  Speaker 1: tone on that defense, among other great articles and more
• 13:18
  Speaker 1: coverage from the guys are Yeah.
• 13:20
  Speaker 2: I just I wrote wrote one that came out this
• 13:23
  Speaker 2: morning on Brett Toath and his leadership behind the scenes
• 13:26
  Speaker 2: and how he's impacted some of the younger linemens. So
• 13:29
  Speaker 2: it's a story that you don't often hear about, but
• 13:32
  Speaker 2: I think you know, it's especially irrelevant now with Brett
• 13:35
  Speaker 2: potentially starting this week. So if you get a chance,
• 13:37
  Speaker 2: I think you'll really enjoy it.
• 13:38
  Speaker 1: Yeah, and he's played, you know, pretty well in his
• 13:40
  Speaker 1: two starts at center, so check out that piece as
• 13:43
  Speaker 1: well over at inside the Birds dot Com and of
• 13:45
  Speaker 1: course more on Football at four right here on The
• 13:47
  Speaker 1: Sports Bass Live on ninety seven three ESPN.
• 13:50
  Speaker 2: All right, Andrew, thanks Buddy, Mike, Kevin Gray One.
• 13:53
  Speaker 1: As always Andrew to Checko and the Football at four
• 13:55
  Speaker 1: guys here on the Sports Bass Live on ninety seven
• 13:58
  Speaker 1: three ESPN.