#csn philly

LeGarrette Blount: the Red Zone threat the Eagles lacked in 2016

The Eagles’ red zone efficiency in 2016 ranked No. 24 in the league, per TeamRankings.

When inside the red zone, the Eagles had a 49.09 percent chance of scoring a touchdown.

That’s not very impressive.

The Eagles, however, averaged 3.4 scoring attempts in the red zone per game last season, which was among the best in the league. But the team only averaged 1.7 touchdowns per game when deep in…

Nelson Agholor started the night on a bad note. The Eagles introduced the offense during pregame ceremonies before Thursday’s game against the New York Giants, and Agholor drew a lot of boos from the fans at Lincoln Financial Field.

Related:Malcolm Jenkins has now done what no other active safety has

To make things worse, Agholor dropped a slant with room to run in the first quarter. The…

Doug Pederson and Howie Roseman were taken aback by how much of a hometown celebrity Carson Wentz when they dined with the North Dakota State product before the 2016 NFL Draft. Roseman touched on their dining experience in the Eagles first press conference after selecting Wentz.

“It was an interesting moment because we walked in the restaurant and I had to step out for a second,” Roseman said.…

There are few linebackers that have played the linebacker position better than former Eagle Seth Joyner. If anyone knows the position, it’s Joyner.

The three-time Pro Bowler is now an Eagles analyst for CSN Philly. As an analyst, Joyner is never afraid to voice his displeasure when he sees poor play.

Related:Doug Pederson explains reason for Nigel Bradham's 1st half absence

He has been a big…

Well, that'll be the second year in a row that a Mc-something surname is scapegoated for the Eagles' failures. Plus, there's no way you can ever trust anything Andy Reid says again. I already stated my opinion of McDermott in the Eagles' postmortem, so there's no use in piling onto the poor guy. While he definitely left a lot to be desired as a coordinator, there's no doubt Sean is getting the unfortunate distinction of being the fall guy for this season. I'm also not sure this move is anything more than cosmetic. Now, if only Reid could do an honest introspection and realize there are also things about himself that need to change. Stop blaming everyone else and actually take responsibility, instead of just saying you will. Commit to a more balanced offensive attack that actually puts your players in better position to make plays, instead of just saying you will. I don't think I've seen one person in the national media call out Andy for his emerging two-faced nature.

More than McDermott needed to be fired, this team needs an infusion of legitimate playmakers on defense (who outside of Trent Cole and Asante Samuel actually scares an opposing offense?) -- and then pray they don't get injured. Yeah, the defense was maddening to watch and historically awful in the red zone, but only blaming the coordinator for those failures isn't fair at all (especially when half the starters are injured and you're forced to start three seventh-round picks, each with less than two years of experience). It's on the players, too, and the Eagles need to heavily focus on improving the talent level of the defense in the upcoming draft. Restocking the offensive line would also be a good idea. 

Early candidates rumored to become the Eagles' next defensive coordinator: Jim Mora, Jr. (Michael Vick's former head coach in Atlanta), Dick Jauron... that's really it for the moment. While I have no problem sticking with the 4-3, personally, I'm leaning more toward being in favor of making the switch to the 3-4 defense (we can get the personnel for it) and would kick the tires on a guy like Eric Mangini. Yeah, he's been fired as head coach of both the Jets and Browns and sports an unfavorable career record of 33-47, but he was at one time the defensive backs coach under Bill Belichick for all three of the Patriots' Super Bowl wins. Not only that, he's shown a keen mind for defense. What better coach to hire than someone who understands how to successfully flumox Tom Brady? I'm sure Mangini could succeed in the right situation, and the Eagles certainly provide that kind of environment. Besides, Andy loves to take in formerly fired -- and disgraced -- head coaches and nurse them back to respectability (see: Marty Mornhinweg). Just an idea. Here's another: Winston Moss, current assistant head coach and inside linebackers coach for the Packers. He deserves a coordinating (or head coaching) job and would be a phenomenal hire (shrewd, too). Mike Trgovac, the Packers' defensive line coach -- a position he held with the Eagles during the Ray Rhodes era -- was the defensive coordinator in Carolina for six seasons (his first year on the job was when the Panthers beat the Eagles in the NFC Championship Game). One more name to think about is Kevin Greene (a should-be Hall of Famer), the Packers' outside linebackers coach and Moss's partner in crime. As long as the new choice for the position is someone from outside the organization who can introduce some new philosophies to this tired operation, that's all I really want. No more of this nepotism bullshit.

For an article that basically sums up my thoughts on the McDermott firing, read Ray Didinger's piece for CSN Philly:

http://www.csnphilly.com/01/15/11/bDidingerb-Was-McDermott-the-Eagles-fall/landing_insider_didinger.html?blockID=392086&feedID=692

PS - I'd like to apologize to Ravens fans everywhere for the Eagles infecting your team with their own special form of the AIDS virus. Yesterday's unspeakable collapse reminded me far too much of meltdowns I've witnessed during the Andy Reid era.