The Supe!

 After a 31-7 demolition of the 49ers, the Eagles are advancing to a showdown with Andy Reid, Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce and the Kansas City Chiefs.  Philadelphia is both psyched and euphoric:

Philly’s done a lot right to get here:

• All 22 week 1 Eagle starters will be starting the championship game.  A combination of Light practices & every 3rd day off, worked for the team, yielding a relatively healthy Supe contender.  The New training staff seems to know what they are doing, including handling injuries and corresponding recoveries effectively. 
• Jalen’s playoff stats have not great.  But again, the Birds won 31-7.  It’s about what the old Raider owner Al Davis said..  “Just win baby!” That’s what Jalen’s been doing when playing since getting injured weeks ago vs. the Bears.  The Eagles have gone back to old time football, antithetical to the midern NFL in these playoffs.  The Eagles have run the ball (88-416-8), 44 times in each of their 2 playoff games.  Most of this year Miles Sanders has been the clear #1 RB in the Philly offense.  But in these playoffs Kenny Gainwell has become 1b, if not more, outgaining sanders (28-132-2 to 26-160-2) across both playoff games. Kenny out carried Miles (14-11) this past Sunday.  But it’s all good.  “Just win baby!”   
• The Eagles broke an NFL record held by the Frankford Yellow Jackets since 1924, picking up their 39th rushing touchdown of the season behind 4 TDs vs. the 49ers in the NFC championship game.  Frankford had 38 rushing TD’s that season and scored a total of… 38 TD’s.  The forward pass was not yet vogue.  Teams scored via the running game, with an occasional defensive TD sprinkled in.  The Yellow Jackets did it in only 14 games though, amazingly missing the post-season with a 3^rd place record of 11-2-1 (in an 18 team league (In 3^rd place for TD’s on the ground is now the 1962 Green Bay Packers, with 37).
• Hassan Reddick has 19.5 sacks in 18 games this year, 2nd best in Eagle history, an amazing performance worthy of defensive player of the year.  Puts one in awe of the best D-Lineman in the history of the game though- in the strike shortened ‘86 season, Reggie White had 21 sacks in a mere 12 games!  Kudos to both performances!
• After a week of interviews, it appears both Jonathan Gannon and Shane Steichen will return as coordinators next year.  These guys have upped their games for the playoffs, and it’ll clearly be a double-win to get ‘em both back.  This continuity of 2 good coordinators bodes well for the 2023-24 version of the Birds.
• With his second season not yet complete, only 4 Eagle coaches have won more playoff games than Nick Sirianni… who’s done it in the last 2 weeks!  (Andy Reid, Doug Pederson, Dick Vermeil and Greasy Neal). Go Nick!!
• This from Ed Werder at ESPN: The #Eagles are the 5th team to win the Divisional Playoffs and Conference Championship by at least 21 points. Each of the previous 4 teams won the Super Bowl.  The others: 1989 49ers, 1988 49ers, 1985 Bears, 1978 Steelers.  Four all-time great clubs!
• One Eagle early season issue (they didn’t have many!) was resolved much later in the season.  Boston Scott has turned out to be a good kick returner.  The Eagles had trouble in this department much of the season, but Scott has been good in the role since taking over, typically getting above average to very good kick returns.  This past Sunday was no different when their opening drive was sparked by a fine KR by Scott starting the Eagles beyond their own 30.
• Few receivers have the body control of DeVonta Smith.  His long catch on the opening drive 4th and 3 was an exceptional display of extension/contortion, and his skills earned the catch (even though subsequent review of the tape showed the ball hit the ground and should have been ruled a non-catch, but too late for over-rule).  Smith’s skills required to make the play we’re still beyond refute, and the catch was earned!
• In a prior article (“It Hurts to be this good!”), I wrote about the 10 reasons, at that time, I thought QB Jalen Hurts had such a successful ‘22 season.  I left two out… 11- His Dad was a football coach so he lived with and learned football growing up under the tutelage of his dad… The passion for football was baked into his DNA.  He loves it, he lives it, and it’s pretty much all he does! He is 23x7x365 football. 12- Mental toughness… Jalen appears mentally tough, capable of handling both criticism and negativity to turn it around to make himself better.  As previously mentioned, Jalen is a team first guy where team is always first, and his willingness & desire to learn and get better is an obsession. He is surrounded with great teammates, great talent and great coaches where the mutual desire to improve. Nick Sirianni’s mantra of “1% better every day” not only hangs on the walls but lives in the rooms, and in Jalen’s mind and body. 
• Lane Johnson hurt himself again, but hopefully can tough thru 1 more game. In the Giants game, he fully tore the abductor (it had not been a total tear across his lower abdomen, but the remaining attached portion on his left side tore off completely in that game).  He was further bothered against San Francisco and was removed from the game for Jack Driscoll in the fourth quarter.  He is an ultimate warrior, battling defensive player of the year candidate Nick Bosa last Sunday (holding Bosa sackless), and should be an everlasting Philadelphia hero for being incredibly effective as one of the truly “walking wounded,” recounting fond memories of T.O.’s heroic performance in the 2004 Super Bowl.  No sacks allowed now for 23 straight games for Lane !  The Eagles record when he does not play during his career is an abysmal 13-22.  Hopefully he can make it through the Super Bowl without further damage before having surgery to repair his injury scheduled the week following the big game.  He remains a mobile red brick wall on the right side of the Eagle line, and performs like a machine without error.
• The Eagles faced playoff teams 7 times this year when Jalen Hurts was the starter.  They were 7-0 and won by a combined score of 218-97.  The average margin of victory was 17+ points.
• Best records in NFL history vs. winning teams: 9-1 ... 1969 Vikings; 9-1 ... 2007 Patriots; 9-1 ... 2022 Eagles
• Perhaps the 1 biggest reason the Eagles have won 2 straight playoff games has been the dominance of the offensive line.  Nick Sirianni this week on Offensive Line coach Jeff Stoutland: “This guy loves football. Stout loves football. He’s always here. He’s always working. He’s always looking, and he loves his guys, and he loves the guys on this team.  But he does love his offensive line so much that he’s willing to go the extra mile for them because he loves them and he doesn’t want to let them down… He just doesn’t stop. He’s relentless.”

 

Opponent Fun Stuff:

• The Empire State building was lit green to honor the Eagles after their Championship victory.  NY media was displeased with this ritual, maintained for a hated division rival.  “Fly @Eagles Fly! the Empire State Building posted on Twitter Sunday evening, shortly after the Eagles clinched the NFC Championship and punched a ticket to the Super Bowl. The building’s Twitter account also posted a photo of the top of New York’s iconic skyscraper sporting the Eagles’ colors.”  The New York City Department of Sanitation referred to it as “Treacherous, Unforgivable and Traitorous.”  Well, dept. of Sanitation, if ya wanna see Big Blue, get your team to win.  Till then, open your blinds and see some seriously pretty shit for a change!
• Carson Wentz must be beside himself… 2 of his backups in his 5 years in Philly have become Super Bowl starters (Nick Foles, Jalen Hurts), with the chance they’ll both be starting Super Bowl winners!
• The 49ers were jawing about putting up a “Brocky” statue outside their stadium after the 49ers won.  Glad to have nipped that one if the bud!  Brock got Rocked!  After getting “rocked” by Hassan Reddick, Mr. Pretty Purdy threw only 2 short passes the remainder of the game (UCL elbow tear). Brock Purdy getting hurt (because our Philly’s d-line dominated by the way) doesn't undermine how great the Eagles defensive lineman are… It underscores it.
• The Eagles pass rush is insane.  Their bottom 4 defensive linemen (out of 10) of Brandon Graham and Robert Quinn (2nd stringers at DE), and Milton Williams and Ndamakong Su at DT (3rd stringers behind Fletcher Cox, Javon Hargrave, Linval Joseph and Jordan Davis) played quite well as a unit vs. San Francisco, and would be an above average if not top 10 starting group in the NFL.
• The Eagles' defense led the NFL in sacks this season by 15, the most significant margin since the league officially began tracking team sacks in 1963 . . . Only the AFL’s Oakland Raiders in 1967 had a more comprehensive lead at the season’s end.
• From Sheil Kapadia via TruMedia: Eagles now have sacked opponents on 11.5% of their dropbacks - the highest rate for any defense since at least 2000.  Regarding advanced sack statistics, the difference between the Eagles and No. 2 (Patriots) is the same as the difference between No. 2 and No. 29!
• Kyle Shanahan may be a terrific play planner/caller, but he is not a good game day coach.  The huge completion to Devonta Smith on the 1st drive shoulda been challenged.  Shanahan’s failure to do so was an egregious error.
• The 49ers (via a George Kittle presser last week) suggested they’d out-physical the Eagles.  But the 49ers we’re the team to get rattled.  The Eagle D was clearly under-respected vis-a-vis 49er D. They got outclassed in the trenches on both sides of the ball.
• Opposition from opponents and Nationally- The Eagles won for a lot of reasons, but shout out for 3 guys do to Philly disrespect: Nick Sirianni (should have been a nominee for NFL coach of the year and was NOT), Hassan Reddick (should have been a nominee for NFL Defensive Player of the year and was NOT) and Brandon Graham (should have been a nominee for NFL comeback player of the year and was NOT).
• 49er penalties, 8 for 83 yards.  A series of classic examples of penalties that can be cut into a “what not to do” instructional video- Yep, that’s a face mask.  Yep, that’s a hit outta bounds.  Yep, that takedown (Trent Williams throwing down K’von Wallace) is unsportsmanlike conduct that gets you thrown out AND suspended!  You can see which team was intimidated into losing errors!

The Chiefs?

• Hurts vs. Mahomes is the youngest matchup ever of 2 quarterbacks in the Super Bowl. 
• The Chiefs have above average receivers.  But that does NOT justify the need to place exorbitant attention on future Hall of Fame TE Travis Kelce.  Does this guy have an invisibility cloak or something?  He has good, not great speed.  He is big and strong, but not excessively so for his position (See Dallas Goedert).  But he consistently gets open as the most obvious requisite target for Patrick Mahomes!?  How?! The Eagles will need to cover KC wide receivers AND RB’s (McKinnon), but Travis Kelce should be double teamed on every route he runs on Feb 12!   
• If the Eagles were to lose their Super Bowl game, Andy Reid, already the winningest coach in Eagle history, would be tied for the most wins ever as a Kansas City Chiefs coach.  Reid is a slam dunk Hall-Of-Famer:
• After his 5th straight appearance in the AFC championship game this year, looking back he has been to 10 conference championship games in his 24 years as a Head Coach.
• Andy Reid additionally has an incredible regular season record with the Chiefs.  He arrived in 2013, and after the Chiefs had previously won 2 games without Reid, he boosted them to 11 wins the following season, his first one there.  Andy’s won 10 or more games in nine of ten seasons in KC.  That “other” year in Kansas City?  He went 9-7.
• For Eagle hope, one needs to look for weaknesses within Andy's strengths by reducing the sample size.  Andy Reid is 30-6 when he has a Bye week to prepare.  BUT when the other team ALSO has a simultaneous bye week, Andy is only 2-3!

Eagle Lesson: How many “almost” moves that did NOT happen have put the Eagles in the position their roster is in now?  Resigning Fletcher Cox after he was cut, NOT getting either QB Russell Wilson or QB Desean Watson, NOT getting wideouts Christian Kirk or Calvin Ridley, NOT getting safety  Marcus Williams in Free agency… But in the end, this author agrees totally with Hassan Reddick, quoted by Marcus Hayes this past week in the Philly Inquirer, when evaluating the catalyst AND biggest reason for this team’s success: “… watch HOWIE make moves like HOWIE do!”