Latest / Inside the Birds: A Philadelphia Eagles Podcast / Football at Four: Going Inside Eagles Passing Game and Offensive Philosophy
Transcript
- 0:00Speaker 1: Football and four powered by the Inside of the Birds podcast.
- 0:02Speaker 1: It is brought to you by the Fanatic Sportsbook and
- 0:04Speaker 1: Ocean Casino Resort and the Gallery Bar booking games. The
- 0:08Speaker 1: place to be this football season Ocean Casino, Go to
- 0:11Speaker 1: the Gallery, go to Ocean Go for the Win. For more,
- 0:14Speaker 1: visit oceanac dot com. Adam Kaplan from the Inside the
- 0:18Speaker 1: Birds podcast, which you can get on all podcasting platforms,
- 0:22Speaker 1: is back as we take a look at this Eagles
- 0:24Speaker 1: team that you know, obviously was a tale of two
- 0:27Speaker 1: halfs Adam Kaplan. We heard from Kevin Batoula today. He
- 0:30Speaker 1: was asked if his team was too conservative on the
- 0:34Speaker 1: state of the Eagles passing game, and he didn't think
- 0:37Speaker 1: conservative was the right word, but his players seemingly used
- 0:41Speaker 1: that word.
- 0:42Speaker 2: Yeah. Mike Yeh Batullo is an interesting guy. You know,
- 0:46Speaker 2: he's at first year calling plays. He's been very involved
- 0:49Speaker 2: with the East passing game for a number of years.
- 0:52Speaker 2: Things work closely with Hurts. This is the fifth year together.
- 0:54Speaker 2: They know and both don't know each other very well,
- 0:56Speaker 2: and it kind of knows what works and what doesn't
- 0:59Speaker 2: work for Hurts because he knows them and Jalen knows
- 1:01Speaker 2: it Kevin very well. So they'ved developing relationship in terms
- 1:05Speaker 2: of play caller now and quarterback and that's just going
- 1:07Speaker 2: to take some time. But what I said, and this
- 1:10Speaker 2: is my issue with the passing game, or really the
- 1:13Speaker 2: philosophy overall, which I want to get into Mike, but
- 1:16Speaker 2: in terms of the passing game, it's it's a situation
- 1:20Speaker 2: where you got to decide what you want to be right, Like,
- 1:23Speaker 2: you know, but everybody knows the town level of AJ Brown,
- 1:25Speaker 2: Dallas got it, or the big play of AJ Brown
- 1:28Speaker 2: had an amazing second half, and so what DeVante Smith
- 1:31Speaker 2: did several big plays in the game. So you'd ask yourself, well,
- 1:34Speaker 2: why can't you come out throwing the football ball? Here's
- 1:36Speaker 2: the problem. You have Saquon Barkley who set an NFL
- 1:41Speaker 2: record for one season through the Super Bowl of total yardage.
- 1:43Speaker 2: So but my argument against it is, but it's not working.
- 1:47Speaker 2: This is my argument Mike on our postgame show. If
- 1:50Speaker 2: it's not working, try something else. This is this is
- 1:53Speaker 2: when I would be so mad at Andy Reid for
- 1:55Speaker 2: passing all the time. But I didn't I didn't quite
- 1:57Speaker 2: understand back then early in my career, why are they
- 1:59Speaker 2: doing this? I would later understand you passed early, run
- 2:02Speaker 2: then you're run late to win. But my thing was
- 2:04Speaker 2: when McNabb would struggle Mike, I would say, well, why
- 2:07Speaker 2: don't you run the football? You have a choice. Well, here,
- 2:09Speaker 2: it's not Barkley's fault. My understanding is, Mike, they're not
- 2:12Speaker 2: The run blocking has not been what we're used to seeing. Now,
- 2:17Speaker 2: what's been the each with the run blocking? As we
- 2:19Speaker 2: get into the egos offense, Mike, before we get back
- 2:22Speaker 2: to the passing game, Landon Dickers should come back from
- 2:25Speaker 2: two surgery. He doesn't look quite like himself. Cam Jurgens
- 2:29Speaker 2: says Greg O. Cell will tell for folks who want
- 2:31Speaker 2: to watch it it's on all of our platforms already.
- 2:33Speaker 2: The inside of the tape show. Listen to what Greg talks.
- 2:36Speaker 2: I asked some point blank, what are you seeing from
- 2:38Speaker 2: their offensive line? Greg will tell you about Cam Jurgens.
- 2:41Speaker 2: So they're clearly not blocking well for the run. So
- 2:44Speaker 2: my point is, why, oh, the past blocking isn't quite
- 2:47Speaker 2: as what it used to be. It's still very good. Mike,
- 2:50Speaker 2: throw the football. Let hurts get into a rhythm, even
- 2:53Speaker 2: if it's not working, to keep trying. They've got with
- 2:56Speaker 2: this group at receiver, you've got and tight end with Goddard,
- 3:01Speaker 2: and with this line's ability to pass, block, throw the football.
- 3:05Speaker 2: That's my issue right now with Patulo. It's not the
- 3:07Speaker 2: play calling, it's it's play calling for And I'm told
- 3:09Speaker 2: by multiple people who I respect, who work in the NFL.
- 3:13Speaker 2: I'm not going to tell you who they work for
- 3:14Speaker 2: or how I got the information. Mike, I asked them
- 3:16Speaker 2: to take a look at the Eagles offense if they
- 3:18Speaker 2: have a chance. Both said, it's not a play calling issue.
- 3:23Speaker 2: Now you could, you could you could look at some
- 3:25Speaker 2: parts of about their philosophy, which I could question. You
- 3:29Speaker 2: could ask, what's wrong with her? It's whising the Maria
- 3:31Speaker 2: actor whising processing like you did in the second half.
- 3:33Speaker 2: That's a completely different issue.
- 3:34Speaker 1: Well, then what is the overall philosophy of this Eagle's offense?
- 3:39Speaker 1: We know last year they wanted to run the football,
- 3:41Speaker 1: So what is their philosophy in year number two with
- 3:44Speaker 1: this group of guys?
- 3:45Speaker 2: All right, Mike, so on that this is what I
- 3:47Speaker 2: would do going for I'm glad we set it up
- 3:49Speaker 2: this way. They have to be willing to not be
- 3:55Speaker 2: so run heavy. Last year they were the only NFL
- 3:57Speaker 2: team to run the ball when they passed it in
- 3:59Speaker 2: the first half of games. That's unheard of. As you know, Mike,
- 4:02Speaker 2: Deiggles always want to pass. But when you get say
- 4:04Speaker 2: Clin Barklay, and it's working, I get that stick with it.
- 4:07Speaker 2: I've got no problem with it, but it's not working.
- 4:10Speaker 2: I would stop trying to be so run centric. I
- 4:12Speaker 2: would be more of a past team first, mixing Barkley.
- 4:16Speaker 2: If Barkley is going off, okay, you can make it.
- 4:19Speaker 2: You could make it more balanced. But now I know
- 4:23Speaker 2: that Leagles were behind, they had to throw a lot.
- 4:26Speaker 2: Hurts's processing was phenomenal in the second half. He struggled
- 4:29Speaker 2: a little bit with it in the first half, he
- 4:31Speaker 2: got himself together. I'm not saying you're not throwing every
- 4:33Speaker 2: down and that's not what I mean. But I would
- 4:35Speaker 2: tilt it more heavily to the pass and let's see
- 4:38Speaker 2: what happened. So that's so on your question, Mike, to
- 4:40Speaker 2: finish this discussion off on the philosophy, I would go
- 4:44Speaker 2: more to the pass, because right now, Mike, they have
- 4:46Speaker 2: no philosophy. We're trying to fraight what their identity is.
- 4:48Speaker 2: Don't only have one? All right?
- 4:49Speaker 1: Adam Kaplan Football and four from the Inside the Birds podcast.
- 4:52Speaker 1: And of course, Jordan Davis was a huge story in
- 4:56Speaker 1: the game on not only special teams but defense. He
- 4:59Speaker 1: made a huge third down stop chasing Matthew Stafford down.
- 5:03Speaker 1: So what does this reform Jordan Davis's expectations moving forward here?
- 5:08Speaker 1: I mean, because you can make an argument that you know,
- 5:11Speaker 1: when the drafted this guy in the first round, you
- 5:13Speaker 1: were hoping to get more for him than you got
- 5:15Speaker 1: his first three seasons.
- 5:16Speaker 2: Mike, this is a this is a this is an
- 5:19Speaker 2: interesting situation with Jordan Davis. So you know, we we
- 5:22Speaker 2: don't need to rehatch much of this, but we know
- 5:24Speaker 2: for the first two and three quarters of his career
- 5:26Speaker 2: he'd been a bust. I mean, he'd been very disappointing.
- 5:29Speaker 2: Our job at Inside the Birds is not to be
- 5:31Speaker 2: overly critical or overly positive. Our job is to teach
- 5:35Speaker 2: and help people understand and bring you behind the scenes
- 5:38Speaker 2: and explain why things are happening. So Jordan Davis, from
- 5:42Speaker 2: what I'm told, would tell people close to the team
- 5:44Speaker 2: or coaches, front office, players, whoever, hey man, this is
- 5:48Speaker 2: my year, I'm working hard, I'm doing the right things. Well,
- 5:50Speaker 2: then you would see he was still overweight last season,
- 5:53Speaker 2: though he was true he didn't lose weight last season,
- 5:57Speaker 2: but he would say a lot, but it would never happen.
- 5:59Speaker 2: So there was a thought like, okay, dude, like you
- 6:03Speaker 2: keep talking about how good you think you could be
- 6:05Speaker 2: and how you committed yourself. Well where is it. We're
- 6:07Speaker 2: not seeing it. Well, it happened late last season, and
- 6:10Speaker 2: as you know, he lost twenty five pounds this offseason.
- 6:13Speaker 2: When I saw him at training camp, I was shocked, Mike,
- 6:16Speaker 2: when I saw he had no stomach anymore. I'm like,
- 6:18Speaker 2: where did because he was very broad. If you saw
- 6:20Speaker 2: me whatever, I'll tell you sixty six. But you know,
- 6:24Speaker 2: his gut was out. He had no gun anymore. And
- 6:26Speaker 2: I was like, this is unbelievable. Let's see what happens.
- 6:30Speaker 2: And now greg Os did tell us, and you'll see this.
- 6:32Speaker 2: We'll give you a nugget here. I asked greg on
- 6:34Speaker 2: inside the tape the Defensive show, Okay, what happened with
- 6:38Speaker 2: the run defense and was Davis a part of it?
- 6:41Speaker 2: And why the run defense struggled? He did say Davis
- 6:44Speaker 2: unfortunately had a couple of plays where he reverted back
- 6:47Speaker 2: to getting stood up, which is a problem for him.
- 6:49Speaker 2: But other than that, Mike, he's been lights out great
- 6:52Speaker 2: kid by the way he says the right things. He
- 6:54Speaker 2: had to do with bing it. Now, the question is, Mike,
- 6:57Speaker 2: you almost.
- 6:57Speaker 1: See that of just interroject real quick. Yeah, he almost
- 7:00Speaker 1: seemed like one of those big guys, was almost too nice.
- 7:03Speaker 2: Yes, Okay, I'm going to bring up something. This is
- 7:05Speaker 2: on my agenda here today. The knock on him from
- 7:08Speaker 2: a scouting standpoint, because you brought it up, is that
- 7:10Speaker 2: he liked football, didn't love it, and that was it.
- 7:13Speaker 2: I got that from multiple scouting people at the time
- 7:15Speaker 2: the Eagles drafted him, and I was like, Wow, he
- 7:18Speaker 2: may never be a good player because it's not that
- 7:20Speaker 2: important to him. Well, Mike, you're right. If you hear
- 7:24Speaker 2: him speak, he's phenomenal. He's a great public speaker. But
- 7:28Speaker 2: you got to back it up. And now he's backing
- 7:29Speaker 2: it up, Mike. But I look, I don't know him.
- 7:32Speaker 2: I just know people have deben him, you know, for
- 7:34Speaker 2: a number of years and been around him. It's a
- 7:37Speaker 2: great kid. He does care, but it had to reflect
- 7:40Speaker 2: on the field. You could like, look, whatever career people
- 7:43Speaker 2: are in, you could say the right things. But until
- 7:45Speaker 2: you actually do the right things in whatever vacation you have.
- 7:49Speaker 2: It's just all talk, and now he's doing it and
- 7:51Speaker 2: it's a great sir. I wanted us talk about him
- 7:53Speaker 2: today because I know a lot of people have gotten
- 7:55Speaker 2: on us over the years about him, but we were
- 7:57Speaker 2: only telling the truth. Our job is not to be
- 7:59Speaker 2: overly critical. Want people to learn. And now his technique
- 8:02Speaker 2: is better, His weight is ridiculous. He might actually be
- 8:04Speaker 2: three thirty five, which is I would content to contend
- 8:07Speaker 2: he had to be three seventy or more at one point.
- 8:09Speaker 2: He looks phenomenal. Great for him. I'm really happy for
- 8:12Speaker 2: the kid.
- 8:12Speaker 1: Well, i'll tell you what. You can make an argument
- 8:15Speaker 1: that he's had a bigger impact this year than his
- 8:16Speaker 1: buddy George Jalen Carter over there.
- 8:19Speaker 2: That's a little strong. That's a little strong. But now
- 8:21Speaker 2: he did not really play that well this last game.
- 8:23Speaker 1: All right, let's get into the Eagles injury situation for Sunday.
- 8:28Speaker 1: It's early, but we know Tampa will get onto them
- 8:30Speaker 1: in a minute. They have some big injuries. Where is Philadelphia?
- 8:34Speaker 2: Yeah, now, Will Shipley, he just has to get clear
- 8:37Speaker 2: for contact with his broken ribs. If he does, he'll play.
- 8:40Speaker 2: McKee's really close to being the number two quarterback. He's
- 8:43Speaker 2: now thrown for two weeks in practice. Sam how obviously
- 8:46Speaker 2: is the two until he comes back. The key will
- 8:48Speaker 2: be the two when he comes back. Lane Johnson told
- 8:50Speaker 2: reporters he'll be good to go from the stinger. Darius Cooper.
- 8:54Speaker 2: You know, this is disappointing. He hurt his shoulder. We
- 8:56Speaker 2: don't know the severity of it. Mike. You know he's
- 8:58Speaker 2: actually been in the block. I don't know if you've
- 8:59Speaker 2: noticed that. It's been kind of weird.
- 9:01Speaker 1: Uh.
- 9:01Speaker 2: And then the big one there was Dry Jackson with
- 9:04Speaker 2: a groin injury. He didn't return and you saut your CORYN. Bennett,
- 9:08Speaker 2: you'll fill in. So that's something to watch this week
- 9:11Speaker 2: because Mike. The Bucks, now we'll get to them in
- 9:15Speaker 2: a minute, but they they'll play plenty of eleven personnel,
- 9:18Speaker 2: which is three receivers and if Chris Godwin's able to play. Now,
- 9:22Speaker 2: now let's get over to the Bucks. Mike Todd, Bowser
- 9:25Speaker 2: head coach, played down the strain. It sounds like it's
- 9:27Speaker 2: a great one hamstering strain. Mike. It's you. I don't
- 9:31Speaker 2: know if you know, said chronic hamstering problem for over
- 9:34Speaker 2: a decade. It'll be really I'd be very surprised if
- 9:36Speaker 2: he played. Even if he.
- 9:39Speaker 1: Left that game on Sunday throwing his helmet.
- 9:41Speaker 2: You could tell he can't imagine he'll play, even if
- 9:45Speaker 2: it's a minor strain, which, by the way, is that
- 9:48Speaker 2: the the higher up it is on your hamsterring, the
- 9:50Speaker 2: less likely a player will play. Like when when Trey
- 9:53Speaker 2: Turner heard his arm string he had a grain and one.
- 9:56Speaker 2: He knew it wasn't high up in his hamstering. He
- 9:58Speaker 2: knew he wouldn't be wouldn't be like last's. He's out
- 10:00Speaker 2: six weeks, which is a great two or three, so
- 10:03Speaker 2: I'd be surprised. But man, this this amecho book has
- 10:05Speaker 2: been great. Chris Godwin may play this week. They're hopeful
- 10:09Speaker 2: for Christian Werfs. You know they had four offensive line
- 10:11Speaker 2: changes to start the season. I don't know how they're
- 10:14Speaker 2: doing it, Mike. They they keep winning at the end there.
- 10:17Speaker 2: But this will be a fun game, and we know
- 10:19Speaker 2: it's been a house of horrors the last two times
- 10:21Speaker 2: the Eagles went there. But let's not forget Week four
- 10:23Speaker 2: last year, Mike, same time, same week. You know who
- 10:27Speaker 2: didn't play Lane Johnson the two best receivers. So let's
- 10:30Speaker 2: let's be real.
- 10:31Speaker 1: I was gonna say they were down a couple guys.
- 10:32Speaker 1: The Eagles were in that game last year. But yes,
- 10:35Speaker 1: they've had trouble against Todd Bowles. And I know John
- 10:37Speaker 1: McMullen asked Patula today about bulls and he didn't really
- 10:41Speaker 1: give him an answer.
- 10:42Speaker 2: Yeah, I was surprised by that. Yeah, I thought we
- 10:46Speaker 2: get a little bit of better answer. But that's okay,
- 10:49Speaker 2: it doesn't matter.
- 10:49Speaker 1: Good good effort, John, Yeah, I know, I.
- 10:53Speaker 2: Know, I get Johnny mack asked the question, but I
- 10:56Speaker 2: think you get. I think folks have to be like
- 10:58Speaker 2: everyone's killing Kellamore last year after the great game against
- 11:01Speaker 2: Green Bay. They were killing him. I know people don't.
- 11:04Speaker 2: I know people don't want him to learn on the
- 11:06Speaker 2: job because he's new at it. But you also can't
- 11:09Speaker 2: you know, some people want to fire, to reassign after
- 11:10Speaker 2: three weeks something. Come on, let's let's I get the anger.
- 11:15Speaker 2: I get the anger. You gotta let this thing play out.
- 11:18Speaker 2: And look if this if Mike, if we're a week
- 11:21Speaker 2: eight still talking about this, we'll have a little bit
- 11:24Speaker 2: of a harder conversation all right.
- 11:25Speaker 1: Real quick before we let you go. CJ. Gardner Johnson
- 11:28Speaker 1: was released today, and I would imagine that the Eagles
- 11:30Speaker 1: were having major safety problems. You would hear an uproar people,
- 11:33Speaker 1: although I will tell you I'm a little surprised at
- 11:36Speaker 1: my timeline of people say and make the call, Hollie,
- 11:38Speaker 1: but h there's a reason he's not here, and it
- 11:41Speaker 1: looks like Houston found that reason out.
- 11:43Speaker 2: Yeah. My buddy Aaron Wilson I've known forever, had a
- 11:45Speaker 2: great look. I listen when he gets caught. I'm like, okay,
- 11:48Speaker 2: there's obviously something going on with Gardner Johnson. When you
- 11:51Speaker 2: know it, Aaron file him on X. He put it
- 11:53Speaker 2: out there that he was he questioned some things behind
- 11:57Speaker 2: the scenes that's going to get you cut, and they,
- 11:59Speaker 2: by the way, they looked up. They restructured his contract
- 12:01Speaker 2: and it was an easy it was. It was an
- 12:04Speaker 2: easy contract to cut. So yeah, no, the Eagles were seting.
- 12:07Speaker 1: True.
- 12:07Speaker 2: Mccoov was drafted to replace the mccouba's playing. Really well,
- 12:10Speaker 2: there's nothing there. You know, it's crazy. You know, CD
- 12:13Speaker 2: gard Johnson a pretty good football player, But think about this,
- 12:16Speaker 2: Mike twice with the Eagles Saints didn't want him, Lions
- 12:20Speaker 2: didn't want them. That's it, man, Texas cut him.
- 12:22Speaker 1: That's the same.
- 12:23Speaker 2: At what point, Mike, at what point is he going
- 12:25Speaker 2: to accept that he needs to be a better teammate
- 12:27Speaker 2: and do the better job.
- 12:29Speaker 1: It's a shame that he can't see that. I mean,
- 12:30Speaker 1: he did win a super Bowl here, so obviously you
- 12:33Speaker 1: know he's he wasn't so disruptive that you couldn't win
- 12:37Speaker 1: with him. But he was disruptive, but enough that the
- 12:38Speaker 1: Eagles didn't want to try again with them.
- 12:41Speaker 2: No, they they drafted mccouba to replaced and that's over with. Yeah,
- 12:44Speaker 2: that's it is what it is, Mike. But somehow, Yeah,
- 12:47Speaker 2: the Eagles are one of the six teams undefeated in
- 12:49Speaker 2: the National Footballager.
- 12:50Speaker 1: Well and on top of that, you know you talked
- 12:52Speaker 1: about Tampa Bay real quick before we let you get
- 12:54Speaker 1: out of here. Uh. They are the first team in
- 12:56Speaker 1: NFL history to win on game winning scores in the
- 13:00Speaker 1: final minute of the fourth quarter in all three wins
- 13:04Speaker 1: since the merger in nineteen seventy, It's never happened. What's
- 13:07Speaker 1: going on with them right now? Now? They got a
- 13:09Speaker 1: field goal to win the game. But you saw what
- 13:12Speaker 1: happened there. They had a block field goal by the
- 13:14Speaker 1: Jets at the same exact time that the Eagle. I mean,
- 13:17Speaker 1: it was like simultaneously.
- 13:18Speaker 2: And I'm watching the red zone because I'm trying to
- 13:22Speaker 2: I'm trying to go back and forth, and you know,
- 13:26Speaker 2: I'm going back. I'm like, what, you know, I'm liking
- 13:29Speaker 2: all of the whole thing because if those of us
- 13:31Speaker 2: of the red zone, you know, you see every score
- 13:33Speaker 2: and you see every play, and I'm just I can't
- 13:35Speaker 2: believe this has just happened. And one quick story and
- 13:38Speaker 2: I'll get out of here. So I'm texting with a
- 13:40Speaker 2: friend of mine, and you know, the Eagles are getting
- 13:43Speaker 2: blown out. He goes, at least we have the Phillies
- 13:45Speaker 2: of four or five, Like, yeah, you're right, you're a
- 13:47Speaker 2: good point. And he texted me after the game with
- 13:50Speaker 2: it with an emoji shaking his head. He could not
- 13:52Speaker 2: believe it. And for people are calling this the miracle,
- 13:56Speaker 2: the link one. It's not the first one fourth of
- 13:58Speaker 2: twenty six. Let's not forget it. Aout Freddy Mitcher by.
- 14:00Speaker 1: The way, do you hear? Uh? Well, they got that one,
- 14:03Speaker 1: the Freddy Mitchell one. But the punt return with d
- 14:05Speaker 1: Jack Miracle the Meadowlands, I was there.
- 14:08Speaker 2: But that but yeah, but this is the Miraca of
- 14:09Speaker 2: the Link, the first miracle of the Link, Mike was
- 14:12Speaker 2: I was at fourth of twenty six. That was the
- 14:14Speaker 2: most ridiculous thing I've ever seen. How do you not?
- 14:16Speaker 2: How do you let this happen? But the Packers will
- 14:18Speaker 2: never forget.
- 14:19Speaker 1: Well, I was gonna say the Miracle of the Meadowlands
- 14:21Speaker 1: had a tie to the game on Sunday. You know
- 14:23Speaker 1: what it was. I revealed this yesterday with Bosher.
- 14:28Speaker 2: I'm trying to remember I heard it. I don't go ahead.
- 14:31Speaker 1: It was the last time the Eagles wore white with
- 14:34Speaker 1: green pant combination.
- 14:36Speaker 2: By the way, I love those uniforms. I'm the big
- 14:38Speaker 2: uniform guy. How sharp are those?
- 14:39Speaker 1: Man? I know, I know. That's the first time they
- 14:41Speaker 1: wore him at home in fifteen years.
- 14:42Speaker 2: Crazy, crazy, crazy, all right, everybody.
- 14:44Speaker 1: Adam Kaplin's back on Friday for a preview of Eagles
- 14:47Speaker 1: Bucketeers right here on ninety seven three ESPN. Thanks man,
- 14:51Speaker 1: Thanks h