Eagles Blog

Ready to show our support for Breast Cancer Awareness Month with #EaglesTBC on Sunday! pic.twitter.com/ftQdWgnHgk

— Eagles Cheer (@EaglesCheer) October 19, 2016

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Rookie RB Wendell Smallwood has the only KOR TD in the NFL so far this season.

The @Eagles needed something big, so Wendell Smallwood took a kickoff 86 yards to the house. Wow.#PHIvsWAShttps://t.co/912Fnz8qyY

— NFL Network (@nflnetwork) October 16, 2016

Smallwood is also playing well at RB. Looks like the Eagles got a good late round player.

He’s up for Rookie of the Week due to the KOR TD.

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Practice Squad Update: LB Don Cherry has been added to the practice squad and G Darrell Greene has been released from the practice squad.

— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) October 18, 2016

The Eagles are manipulating the PS rules to keep more than 10 guys around. They come and go for a few days, but get to practice on a regular basis and they’re getting paid good money. Smart way to keep extra youth within the organization.

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Great appearance on Ellen.

.@Eagles @JonDorenbos is officially my all-time favorite pro football-playing magician. pic.twitter.com/9EBuiNyJrh

— Ellen DeGeneres (@TheEllenShow) October 18, 2016

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I hate this.

Tuesday, Oct. 18 @PhillyDailyNews Back Page — pic.twitter.com/TlJ9v0giTX

— Bob Vetrone Jr. (@BoopStats) October 18, 2016

Dumb. Just dumb.

Back in 1989, WAS had a stud RB named Gerald Riggs. He ran for 221 yards against the Eagles. Against Gang Green. You know…Buddy Ryan’s 46 Defense. And Reggie White. And Jerome Brown. And Seth Joyner. And Byron Evans. And Wes Hopkins. And Andre Waters.

Any scheme, any team can have a bad day. The Eagle played sloppy on Sunday and the Skins made them pay. Last year Tampa ran wild against the Eagles and their 3-4, 2-gapping defense that was designed to stop the run.

Scheme is far less important than gap integrity and tackling, which were major problems on Sunday. No scheme is supposed to fail. The players just had a bad day.

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The Eagles have had consecutive games with more than 110 penalty yards. This team is drawing flags at an elite level.

Eagles have most penalties/game in NFL (9.8). @RoobCSN says Birds 49 penalties is their most ever in first 5 games. #EaglesTalk pic.twitter.com/YOOEP6tFEX

— John Clark CSN (@JClarkCSN) October 17, 2016

The Eagles have committed 13 or more penalties twice in eight days after committing 13 or more penalties twice in their previous 142 games.

— Reuben Frank (@RoobCSN) October 17, 2016

Yikes.

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DeMarco Murray led the NFL in rushing in 2014. He was a mess in 2015, his only year with the Eagles. He’s back among league leaders this year. There were several factors that led to his poor play in 2015, but he was a big part of that. From PFT:

Regardless of where Murray ended up, he made it clear to the Eagles that he wanted out of Philadelphia.

“My heart just wasn’t there,” Murray said. “I felt it was a situation where I needed a fresh start, and I was granted that by Howie [Roseman] and Jeffery [Lurie], who is a great guy. Really good people. I was fortunate to have that relationship with them, so I could tell them, ‘This is where it is. I think it would be best for both sides if I find a new home.’”

Glad he’s happy with Howie and Lurie. I doubt they feel as happy about him. Nothing better than handing megabucks to a free agent only to find out he really doesn’t want to be there.

The Eagles 2015 struggles led to the changes to get this team where it is now so maybe Eagles fans should actually be thankful that Murray played as he did last year.

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Remember 7th round pick DE Alex McAlister? He’s on IR, but that doesn’t mean he’s not busy. Dave Spadaro has an update on him.

4. ROOKIE McCALISTER BULKING UP FOR NEXT YEAR

Rookie defensive end Alex McCalister is making the most of his time on Injured Reserve. A seventh-round draft pick from Florida, McCalister weighed 239 pounds in the summer and, frankly, had a tough time gaining leverage with his 6-6 frame. A torn calf muscle suffered in the preseason ended his rookie campaign, but it may turn out to be a blessing in disguise.

“I’ve been training. Lifting, working hard,” McCalister said. “It has made such a big difference. I see the gains. I feel them. I am more explosive. I just need to get the calf all the way healed so that I can run and work my legs and improve there, but my body is different.”

McCalister says he is up to about 252 pounds and he’s gained a lot of muscle, which is obvious looking at his arms and chest. The Eagles like his long arms and his get-off at the line of scrimmage, so he could be an entirely different player next spring as he prepares for 2017.

“I’m just going to keep pushing my body, keep getting ready and when it’s my time, take advantage,” McCalister said. “Day by day, I feel a lot different and a lot better.”

Marcus Smith may not be in the team’s long term plans. Connor Barwin isn’t getting any younger. Steven Means isn’t guaranteed to be back. There could be a roster opening for McAlister so it is important he’s ready to challenge for it. He has good rush skill and terrific length.

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Laugh all you want at Kirk Cousins, but he dude has shredded the Eagles. In 3 career starts, he is 2-1 and the Skins average 32 points a game. This defense is different, but a lot of the players are the same. For some reason, Cousins has matched up well against them.

Kirk Cousins vs. Eagles in three games: 8 touchdowns, 1 INT, 105.1 quarterback rating. https://t.co/T5qWbnV9Hb

— Tim McManus (@Tim_McManus) October 12, 2016

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I haven’t seen every NFC team play a full game so far, but based on what I have seen it would be hard for Brandon Graham not to go to the Pro Bowl. He has been outstanding this year.

3 sacks
3 TFLs
1 FF
1 FR

And the numbers don’t tell the whole story. The game tape is so much better than that. For once, I agree with PFF>

Highest-graded edge defenders this season:

1. Von Miller, @Broncos
t2. Carlos Dunlap, @Bengals
t2. Brandon Graham, @Eagles pic.twitter.com/iAIudm2e9t

— Pro Football Focus (@PFF) October 12, 2016

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