By Yianni Krontiris '22, Max Marinelli '22 and Jared Miller '22
October Edition
Eagles vs Vikings
Week 5: 10/7/18
Final Score: 23-21 Vikings
Summing up the Eagles’ offense coming into Carson Wentz’s third week in one word is an easy task: slow. Putting up six points through three quarters without a single score in the first quarter, the Eagles had already dug themselves into too deep of a hole to crawl out of before they attempted to make a comeback. In the fourth quarter, Wentz attempted to rally his team to come back from the then-manageable 14-point deficit, which ended up being 17 after the defense failed to hold the Vikings and gave up a field goal, essentially ending all hope. In the end, the Eagles rallied 15 points in the quarter, thanks to yet another brilliant two-point conversion under Doug Peterson. It was thanks to this conversion that the team was put into a position to win with a field goal. Jake Elliott and the special teams unit were lined up for the onside kick, and Elliott ended up seemingly kicking the football a few yards too far and high. However, it ended up being perfect, causing Thielen to bobble the kick, resulting in a dogpile on the ball. Sadly, the Vikings recovered the ball, which led them to end the game. Kirk Cousins was easily able to run the last minute off the clock, securing the Vikings a win and the Eagles yet another heartbreaking loss, their third of the season. Before we even begin to imagine what a two-three starting record implies for the Eagles for the rest of the season, let’s first examine the mistakes which led to them trailing 14 points heading into the fourth quarter.
The Eagles were fortunate to be given a chance in this game, even with defensive mistakes, by the football gods and still managed to “fumble” it away with poor offensive decisions and terrible coverage by Mills and the rest of the secondary. The second most accurate kicker in NFL history, Dan Bailey, who was picked up by the Giants as a free agent after Daniel Carlson blew his chance in week two, going 0 for 3, ended up missing a 28-yarder on the Viking’s first possession. For any NFL or college kicker, a 28-yarder should be a “gimme.” Yet, the Vikings are used to a terrible history with kickers, so this could not have come as too big of a surprise. Nonetheless, the Vikings already should have had three more points in just the first quarter alone. Now, I know this section of the article may seem harsh, but everything I say will always be brutally honest, whether it is against the Eagles or not. I love my dear Eagles, but sometimes I despise the decisions they make. For example, with just under four minutes remaining, the Eagles were faced with a third down and inches situation. For for some reason, Doug Pederson called for a flip from Wentz, the Eagles fourth string running back, Josh Adams. This led to a loss of yards, forcing the other players to punt the ball back to the vikings. The Eagles stopped the Vikings and drove up the field for what should have been a touchdown. However, Smallwood dropped a pass from Wentz, which would have given them a first and most likely a future touchdown. Instead, they were forced to kick a field goal, losing them a possible four points, which, in the end, would have won them the game. This is just in the first quarter or so. I think you get the point!
Week 6: 10/11/18
Eagles @ Giants
Final Score: 34 - 13 Eagles
The Eagles greatly improved from their poor offensive outing last week. They needed to step it up against their division rival, the Giants, who were 1-4 at the time. Luckily, the Eagles did just that. Team members jumped ahead to an early lead and for the most part contained it. To get the negatives out of the way, the only problem was defensive, and it was in regards to containing the star rookie running back, Saquon Barkley. Barkley put up an outstanding 229 yards from scrimmage, coming one receiving yard short of becoming the first Giants player ever to put up 100+ rushing and receiver yards in a game. In fact, Barkley only put up 52 yards fewer than Eli Manning, who definitely did nothing to steal the spotlight from Barkley. Now, enough about the Giants, regardless of Barkley’s seemingly unstoppable efforts. One player can’t carry a team. The Eagles dominated on both sides of the ball, crushing the Giants 34-13. Not much more needs to be said, other than stay tuned for next month’s edition where we will be taking a deep dive into the horror the Eagle’s game against the Panthers ended up being.
76ers News
By Jared Miller
One of the most popular sports in Philadelphia is basketball, mainly because of the 76ers’ recent success. Last year, the team made the playoffs, grabbing the third seed before losing to the Boston Celtics in the conference semifinals. The team’s success is credited to their amazing coach, Brett Brown, and their two rising superstars, Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons. The team is supported by its incredible array of supporting players, including JJ Redick, Robert Covington, and Dario Saric. For this upcoming season, the team acquired valuable additions, including Wilson Chandler, Mike Muscala, and the projected break-out of the 2017 first overall pick, Markelle Fultz. Also, the majority of our 2018-19 roster spots are players that are under 25 years old, so we still have a lot of room to grow.
The NBA season began on October 16, when we played our rival, the Boston Celtics. We lost 105-87, but the Celtics are projected to be the best team in the Eastern Conference. The 76ers then bounced back when they played the Chicago Bulls during our home opener. We won 127-108, with Ben Simmons putting up a triple-double (13 points, 13 rebounds, and 11 assists). At the time of this writing (November 1), we have a four-four record, Joel Embiid is averaging 27 points, 12 rebounds, and four assists, and Ben Simmons is averaging 14 points, 10 rebounds, and eight assists. 76ers fans should be optimistic about this season, as we will most likely be a top-three team in the Eastern Conference. “Trust the Process!”
Trade Options for the Eagles
By: Yianni Krontiris ‘22, Sports Reporter
The 2018-2019 Eagles are struggling and have lost key players such as Rodney McLeod, Haloti Ngata, Jay Ajayi, and many others. With all of these players out for an extensive amount of time, the Eagles have a lot of holes in the roster. You can imagine that Howie Roseman is looking to fill those holes by the trade deadline. There are a lot of star players that teams are looking to trade away. Who can the Eagles get? What can these players bring to this team?
Patrick Peterson: The Arizona Cardinals…. are not so great this season and are looking for a trade partner. The Eagles have been struggling in the secondary, especially with all of the big plays they have been giving up. Peterson would be a perfect fit in Schwartz’s system. He’s aggressive and can cover almost anyone. Over his eight-year career he has had 22 picks, three sacks, one forced fumble, 12 fumble recoveries, and a pick six. Pro football focus also ranks him as a top five cornerback in the league. If we do end up trading for him, hopefully he can turn this secondary around.
Le’Veon Bell: Bell has refused to play for the Steelers because he wants to be paid like a top halfback. The Steelers are tired of fighting with Bell over his demands, and are looking at the possibility of trading him away. The two-time all pro is only 26 yet is highly productive. In his five-year career, he has had 5,336 rushing yards, 35 rushing touchdowns, 2,260 receiving yards, 7 receiving touchdowns, 7,996 yards from scrimmage, and has only fumbled eight times. When Bell was playing for the Steelers, they were third in expected points added and third in yards per play. If he can fill the running back position in Philadelphia, then the Eagles offense is going to be more of a threat.
Karl Joseph: Karl Joseph has a lot of potential, but he’s not going to be a star in Oakland. The former nominee for DROTY (defensive rookie of the year) may only have two interceptions, a sack, and a forced fumble, but he makes a lot of tackles. In his rookie year, he had 44 tackles and 60 combined tackles. In 2017, he had 57 solo tackles and 78 combined tackles. The Eagles are looking for someone who cannot only cover, but someone who can tackle very well. That's the type of player Joseph is. With all the big catch and runs the eagles defense have struggled to deal with, Joseph could be the answer to that problem.
Kelechi Osemele: The raiders are willing to give anyone up and have basically given up on their season. Kelechi Osemele is one of the top guards in the league and will do a great job at protecting the quarterback. The Eagles have struggled to protect Carson Wentz in the pocket. The team has allowed an average of three sacks per game, and in some games, Carson got sacked four times! Osemele would limit the amount of sacks and provide a better and safer pocket for Carson Wentz. I think he would be willing to be traded to Philly, especially where he can be a leader on a squad with a lot of young and developing players.
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