Philadelphia Eagles news and links for 9/29/23.

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Jack Del Rio and Eric Bieniemy talk about the Bills game and visiting the Philadelphia Eagles - Hogs Haven
Washington’s coordinators talk to the media before practice.

Random Eagles notes: Commanders defensive coordinator JaQ Del Rio wants the ‘tush push’ eliminated - PhillyVoice
It’s not often you see coaches openly lobby in-season for rules of the game to be changed, because, well, it’s pathetic loser shit. Del Rio was clear to note that he wants the play eliminated from the game not because the Eagles are good it, but because “it’s a rugby play.” Which... I mean, lol. He was unclear who exactly he meant when he said (emphasis mine), “It’s not what we’re looking for in football,” but to date he is the first NFL coach to have spoken out against the tush push, to my knowledge.

The NFL needs to ban the Eagles’ ‘Tush Push.’ It’s hurting too many people’s feelings. - Inquirer
First interesting point: “It’s not a football play,” he wrote. That’s interesting because “It’s not a ------ play” is the common argument that gets trotted out any time there’s an innovation or new wrinkle that arises in any sport. For instance, back in the 1940s and ‘50s, when college basketball players such as Oklahoma A&M’s Bob Kurland, San Francisco’s Bill Russell, and Kansas’ Wilt Chamberlain started dunking the ball, many coaches objected, arguing that the dunk wasn’t a basketball play. Finally, by the time Lew Alcindor arrived at UCLA, coaches and administrators had gotten so tired of guys like Russell and Chamberlain not playing basketball that the NCAA banned the dunk in 1967. Those were the good ol’ days. The NCAA revoked the ban in 1977, but I don’t know why. Dunking is dumb and unathletic and not fun, and we’ve already established how important fun is to sports. You know another innovation that isn’t fun? The three-point shot. Come to think of it, let’s ban Steph Curry.

Eagles Injury Report: Some good news and some bad news ahead of the Commanders game - BGN
Last year, Reddick got hot against the Washington Commanders in Week 3. This could be another “get right” game for him. Especially considering he’s going up against an offensive line that’s allowed the most sacks in the NFL so far. And he’s specifically going to be matched up against Commanders right tackle Andrew Wylie, who allowed the fourth-most sacks in the NFL last year before inexplicably holding Reddick to zero in the Super Bowl. Wylie is currently tied for allowing the second-most sacks this season with three in three games played. (Side note: Former Eagle Andre Dillard has already allowed a league-high six sacks, yikes!)

Eagles-Commanders Week 4 Preview + NFL picks against the spread - BGN Radio
Brandon Lee Gowton and Jimmy Kempski preview the Philadelphia Eagles’ Week matchup against the Washington Commanders and make their weekly NFL picks against the spread. Interact with us on social media: @BrandonGowton, @JimmyKempski, @BGN_Radio, @BleedingGreen. Check out Wrong Crowd Beer Company: wrongcrowdbeer.com! (21 or older, please enjoy responsibly). Use discount code BGN15 at RighteousFelon.com for 15% off your order! Same promotion applies at WildRangerPet.com. Buying, selling, or renting a house? Contact Kristin Roach at RoachRealtors.com.

Game Review – PHI 25, TB 11 - Iggles Blitz
Jalen Hurts had a solid performance, but there were some mistakes as well. He played with flu-like symptoms so you have to keep that in mind. Hurts was 23-37-277, with a TD and an INT. He was 10-28-1 as a runner. I liked Hurts showing patience in the pocket on some plays. He hit Oz for a gain of 24 and then for a TD of 34 yards on plays where he had to be patient. That’s a good sign for the future. I thought Hurts and Dallas Goedert showed good chemistry, something that had been lacking in the previous games. As odd as this may sound, I thought Hurts throwing motion looked better than the first two games. His decision-making still needs to improve. There were some plays where he was forcing the ball. Hurts threw an INT on a downfield pass. The DB made a great play, but was in position the whole time. Josh Allen can make that throw. Hurts couldn’t, at least on Monday night. There was miscommunication on a couple of throws. One was picked off. I’m not sure what Hurts thought Swift should do. He was wide open over the middle of the field.

NFL Week 4 Preview: Fantasy football advice, betting tips and matchups to watch - PFF
FANTASY BREAKOUT: Eagles WR DeVonta Smith. Smith may not have popped this past week against the Bucs, but this week poses a much more promising matchup. Opposite of Smith, A.J. Brown will likely see a lot of Kendall Fuller, the league’s third-highest-graded corner. That leaves Benjamin St-Juste tasked with coverage duties on Smith. Through three games, St-Juste has surrendered over 1.03 yards per coverage snap and an open-target percentage of over 53%.

D’Andre Swift is crushing any notion of a running back committee in Philly - ESPN
Swift still has to prove he can sustain this level of play over a full season. Various injuries during his three years in Detroit affected his consistency. And his competition isn’t going away: the plan is still to incorporate Gainwell in the offense a good bit. But Swift is healthy for the moment, and he’s running behind a front that has been opening enormous holes for him to speed through. He’s playing for his hometown team after being let go by the Lions for next to nothing, and he’s in a contract year. He does not have to search far for motivation or opportunity. “He can make you miss when you get out in the open field. He can jump over you, he can spin on you. So, there are a lot of different ways he can create once it gets past that initial push,” coach Nick Sirianni said. “The offensive line has got a good push and he’s been able to create. That’s a good recipe for your run game when you have both of those.”

Week 4 NFL picks: Dynamic Dolphins poised to beat Bills in Buffalo? Eagles, 49ers stay undefeated - NFL.com
Why Brooke is taking the Eagles: Despite Jalen Hurts and the offense playing far from their best, Philadelphia has been able to jump out to a 3-0 start by dominating the trenches. In turn, the Eagles’ second-ranked run game — led by offseason trade acquisition D’Andre Swift — has been an absolute beast for defenses to contain. None of this is great news for the Commanders, who just gave up 168 yards on the ground to the Bills, while simultaneously allowing Sam Howell to get sacked nine(!) times. Is is notable that Washington is the only team to beat Hurts in the QB’s last 21 regular-season starts. But the difference will come down to who wins up front. In Philly’s big uglies I trust.

Spadaro: Red-hot D’Andre Swift makes Eagles history, looks for more - PE.com
D’Andre Swift wants to keep taking. If defenses want to give him an edge, he’s going to take it. If the Eagles’ offensive line blows open a hole between the tackles, he’s going to run downhill to and through it. If he has to squeeze through a crease and power his way for a few yards, so be it. When you’re on the kind of roll Swift is on right now, you just keep doing what you’re doing and know that it’s going to work. “That’s the thing,” Swift said after his second straight huge game in Monday night’s 25-11 win over Tampa Bay. “The offensive line is doing a great job, our chemistry is there, the timing, and it feels natural. We have it clicking the right way.”

Eagles fans can get free ride home on SEPTA after Philadelphia games - 6ABC
Throughout the regular season, Eagles fans will be getting home a bit easier with free subway rides from SEPTA. Unibet, an official casino and sportsbook partner of the Eagles, announced Thursday it is sponsoring free rides home from NRG Stadium on the Broad Street Line after home games. Free rides will begin at halftime and run for two hours post-game or until the last scheduled train departs.

Eric Bieniemy: My job is to clean up the shit and we continue moving forward - PFT
Through three weeks, the Commanders are 2-1. In the team’s first two games — wins over the Cardinals and Broncos — the team’s offense performed admirably with young quarterback Sam Howell at the helm. But Washington laid an egg last week against the Bills, scoring just three points and turning the ball over five times. “My job is to make sure we’re doing everything to help us to drag our ass across the finish line,” offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy said in his Thursday press conference. “Obviously, I ain’t do a great job — whether we threw the ball or whether we ran it. Obviously, we didn’t do enough. So, my job is to make sure that, you know what? That doesn’t happen again. My job is to clean up the shit and we continue moving forward.”

Cowboys injury report: Zack Martin, Tyler Biadasz return to practice - Blogging The Boys
Head coach Mike McCarthy spoke with the media this morning and stated that Zack Martin and center Tyler Biadasz would participate in practice. The extent of their involvement is now clear. Biadsz and Martin were listed as limited participants. The news for Tyron Smith could be more optimistic. For the second day in a row, Tyron Smith did not practice and is still out with a knee injury. Tony Pollard was also limited in practice but deemed as non-injury related rest.

Giants’ QB Daniel Jones shrugs off barbs from 49ers’ defenders - Big Blue View
Per Silver, another S.F. defender called Jones’ salary “unbelievable.” Still another used the word “ridiculous.” Said a third: “That’s a travesty, man.” Asked about the comments on Thursday, Jones pretty much shrugged them off. “I saw that. I’m focused on what we’re doing here with these guys and trying to get back on track,” he said. “I mean, they won. They’ve got good players on defense, and they won. We’re focused on us, focused on what we’re doing here.”

Our expert NFL picks for Week 4 of 2023 - SB Nation
We’re settling into the NFL season now. The first three weeks are more or less the feeling out period for any year, and now we’re getting a better sense of how the teams shape up this. The big lesson: Not much has changed. This was supposed to be a year of mammoth change where a lot of decent teams took the step into becoming good, but that hasn’t really materialized for anyone except the Miami Dolphins. In fact, it’s safer to say that more teams have drastically underperformed than anything else. The Vikings are 0-3, the Chargers are 1-2, and the less we say about everyone’s sleeper pick, the Bears, the better.

XFL, USFL intend to merge to create 1 spring football league: A necessary step? - The Athletic
From the moment we knew both leagues would both be playing in the spring, a merger felt inevitable. The idea of one spring league surviving seemed a tall task, let alone two. Financially, it had to happen. Forbes reported that the latest iteration of the XFL lost millions in 2023 and cut some jobs. The XFL was owned by a consortium of Johnson, Dany Garcia and RedBird Capital Partners and received a chunk of revenue from ESPN, while the USFL is owned by Fox. NBC executive John Miller told Sports Business Journal in 2022 that the USFL was “profitable” in its first season, though specifics are unclear.

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