I think most people know what I think of Nixon. He’s a good return guy but he’s a better version of Jarrett Bush as a backup corner.
I think eventually Bullard will replace him anyway. That dude is aggressive and tenacious and plays with an attitude. Which I love in DBs. You’d wish he was a little more physically imposing but he has a good pedigree and a nose for the ball.
Obviously the next 48 hours are critical to the season. I don’t like it at all that they’ve ruled out his ankle and he’s getting an MRI. That’s concerning.
Given our luck in this state with key players like Giannis and Yelich I fully expect the worst. It’s almost like that magical run at the end of next year has to be balanced out somehow.
@Tavis Smiley posted:And then you have Jaire taking his pick out of the end zone.
I actually don't mind Jaire bringing it out. He's in a situation where 5 of the Eagles on the field are not likely to tackle him in the open field (5 OL) and none of the players on the opposing team are used to defending returns. If Brown doesn't hustle and tackle him from behind, it is a long return. And they only lost 7 yards from getting to the 20 and the time didn't matter.
Nixon, on the other hand, returned a kick from the end zone where 10 of the 11 Eagles (other than the kicker) are specifically on the field to prevent returns and keeping as much time as possible was critical.
Not sure what to think of D yet. Weird conditions but a lot of the same problems resurfaced. Gonna take time to get comfortable with new scheme.
Reed separating himself. Watson just isn't a natural receiver. May be elite athlete, just not natural at playing the position. You can learn certain things but others need to come naturally if you want to max out. I'd consider dealing him but the rest of the league also knows what he is by now.
This game was hard to watch. The field was a mess, both teams were sloppy and the flag fest made it worse. This was not a good product to showcase to a new market (Brazil).
+ Tucker Kraft has the making of a top tier tight end. Minus the hold (very ticky tacky), he shined.
- Jordan Love's mechanics were a mess again. He kept throwing off platform and his accuracy was off all night and he kept throwing off platform. I'm sure Clements will harp on that, but that has something that has been stressed since he was drafted. He's got to use that ability only when needed and not all the time.
- I understand the D-line had to maintain rush lines to corral Hurts and overall mission accomplished, but Hafley did nothing to speed up Hurts' clock. You can't leave your secondary out to dry with such a talented WR core.
- Our LB's are a huge weakness. Walker is not an MLB. McDuffie is a great backup. Eric Wilson is a special teamer who should only be playing defense as a last resort. This will get picked on all year.
+ Bullard and McKinney looked really good.
? Watson is a speed guy who looks so uncomfortable/awkward breaking down in shorter routes and is not strong to the ball. I'm glad he is healthy, but I don't think he has the skill set to be more than a WR2 or WR3/speed decoy. That's valuable, but not what was envisioned when he was drafted.
- Really surprised by Wicks' performance. I thought this would be a break out year for him, but he got off to a very bad start. Hoping it is just yips and he just had a bad game.
- Coaching was really suspect. Clock management/TOs in first half, offensive calls near the goalline (trying to run into a brick wall), rotating Morgan with Rhyan when you need beef against the stout Eagles interior, not getting rookie LB's more snaps, limited pressure on Hurts.
Just a few player evaluations...
- Love was off on several passes. I'm willing to concede that his footing on the field played a role in that but the results still weren't good. The pass he threw that should have been a pick-6 was horrible.
- It is clear to me that Reed is a special player. GB does in fact have a WR1 (Sorry to make you hurl LaFluffer).
- Watson is a 1-trick pony. If he can't run past you to get deep he is a JAG.
- Bullard and X are the real deal at S.
- Based on the snap count last night. it's clear the Kraft is ahead of Musgrave at TE.
- I thought Edge Coop was flying around a bit last night when he was on the field. He needs to replace Wilson next week and learn on the fly.
- Wilson can definitely get it done at RB. It will be interesting to see if they keep him or Lloyd as the #2 on game days coming up.
- I like the new kicker. Doinks happen but he has a strong leg and the balls fly straight.
Agree on Kraft. I think his ceiling is high. Musgrave is JAG.
What happened to that Van Ness kid we got a few years back in the first round?
Our Lbs are a poor group. Sucks to see Peyton Wilson in Pitt all over the place blowing plays up.
Watson another disappointment. I know he had the short TD grab but he was drafted to be a game changer.
Good thing we have that in Reed. Just keep feeding that kid the ball in space. He's electric!
Wilson ran well. I think the trio we have with JJ, EW and Lloyd will be fine if they can get better blocking in front of them.
The 2 PT conversion play was atrocious. Could have been the difference.
I have a good sense about narveson. He seems confident. Yes he hit the upright on one but has looked solid so far considering he's a rookie
Sucks to see last night and the SF playoff game with so many missed opportunities in ST and dropped interceptions. Two very winnable games where we shot ourselves in the foot.
Somehow need to get some Ws in the next few weeks
@50k Club posted:- Jordan Love's mechanics were a mess again. He kept throwing off platform and his accuracy was off all night and he kept throwing off platform. I'm sure Clements will harp on that, but that has something that has been stressed since he was drafted. He's got to use that ability only when needed and not all the time.
Love slipped no less then 10 times according to those watching the 22 film. I think that just threw off his mechanics and on the near pick 6 the Eagle CB dropped, Love slipped badly, then looked like he panicked in hopes of getting it to Jacobs.
I think that field got into his head and the fear of slipping. Obviously Hurts had to play on the same field, but their stats were eerily similar. About the same completion percentage, QB rating, TD throws. Hurts had 1 more INT.
It also did Love no favors that normally reliable WR's like Wicks dropped pass after pass. No, they weren't always perfect but they were plenty good enough that he and Doubs should have caught them.
That alone would have extended key drives and could have changed the outcome of the game.
@DH13 posted:Not sure what to think of D yet. Weird conditions but a lot of the same problems resurfaced. Gonna take time to get comfortable with new scheme.
Reed separating himself. Watson just isn't a natural receiver. May be elite athlete, just not natural at playing the position. You can learn certain things but others need to come naturally if you want to max out. I'd consider dealing him but the rest of the league also knows what he is by now.
MRI — makes me think of a tendonous injury.
a fracture shows up better on CT or plain X-rays. Sal Paulo would have that capability.
A “high ankle sprain” is actually tear of the interosseus tendon between the tibia and the fibula. It takes a while to heal depending on how big the tear is….
It was disappointing to see Love throwing off-platform all night. Yes, the field was terrible and he kept slipping, but that's when you should rely heavily on your basics and not abandon them. When things are going badly, always revert to basics -- and settle down.
The WRs should practice more with Clifford throwing inaccurate wobblers at them. 
Oh, and I want to add that the refs were horrendous. The zebras aren't why GB lost (both the O and D didn't produce at a winning level), but the zebras are usually so flag-happy when the OL even blinks. Last night there was more than once when at least one Eagles' OL was actively moving at the snap and no flag, but they were filling the air with flags at everything else. I'm okay with consistently good or bad reffing, but last night the refs were just plain baffling.
Edge Coop needs to start.
Watson is pretty worthless. And that’s when he’s healthy.
This defense is going to be good.
The OL is a concern.
This is a SB worthy team
Fuck the NFL for not playing games in stadiums tax payers are paying for.
Has a Matty Lafloor team ever won the first game of the season? Same thing as last year. Blocking looked like a team of Pillsbury Doughboys dancing around. Several times Jacobs was being hit behind the line of scrimmage and I see 71,63 and 74 standing there looking around . These guys haven't really hit anybody since the SF game. Bring in the blocking sleds!
@titmfatied posted:"There was some uncharacteristic things that we did as a staff, quite frankly, and that trickled down to our players" -MLF
I wonder if it has to do with getting the right personnel on the field or style of play.
You can tell from the presser he thought they should have been able to find a way to win that game and is pissed, particularly with the red zone performance.
The Packers having the 12th guy on the field while Love was trying to (and DID) catch the Eagles in a substitution....is 100% inexcusable. That's pre-season bullshit
@titmfatied posted:You can tell from the presser he thought they should have been able to find a way to win that game and is pissed, particularly with the red zone performance.
Classic Packers game #1 performance. Nothing changes. At least they didn't get blown out like opening season vs Saints losing 38-3.
@Packiderm posted:Has a Matty Lafloor team ever won the first game of the season? Same thing as last year. Blocking looked like a team of Pillsbury Doughboys dancing around. Several times Jacobs was being hit behind the line of scrimmage and I see 71,63 and 74 standing there looking around . These guys haven't really hit anybody since the SF game. Bring in the blocking sleds!
The Packers gave the Bears a 38-20 beatdown in the first game of the 2023 season.
@Packiderm posted:Has a Matty Lafloor team ever won the first game of the season? Same thing as last year. Blocking looked like a team of Pillsbury Doughboys dancing around. Several times Jacobs was being hit behind the line of scrimmage and I see 71,63 and 74 standing there looking around . These guys haven't really hit anybody since the SF game. Bring in the blocking sleds!
Lafleur is 3-3 in openers
@packerboi posted:The Packers gave the Bears a 38-20 beatdown in the first game of the 2023 season.
Too bad the Packers can’t play the Bears every game.
Love exiting the team plane. If someone embeds it I'll delete this
@WolfPack posted:Agree on Kraft. I think his ceiling is high. Musgrave is JAG.
Luke Musberger?
What happened to that Van Ness kid we got a few years back in the first round?
Our Lbs are a poor group. Sucks to see Peyton Wilson in Pitt all over the place blowing plays up.
Gutey often prioritizes drafting guys with elite combine measurables on defense. R. Gary is an elite athlete who is merely a good football player. Van Ness had a high ceiling in mock drafts but didn't even start at Iowa. Walker fits that pattern as well. Savage was the fastest safety in that draft. Gutey's attitude seems to be that he'll draft the best athletes on defense and their defensive staff will coach them up. He avoids drafting overachieving types (at least based on athleticism) - the Chris Borland types that just seem to make plays.
Watson another disappointment. I know he had the short TD grab but he was drafted to be a game changer.
Most of the time, he just plays smaller than he is and doesn't use his size to fight for the ball (like the end zone throw last night).
Good thing we have that in Reed. Just keep feeding that kid the ball in space. He's electric!
He's like having a young Randall Cobb.
Wilson ran well. I think the trio we have with JJ, EW and Lloyd will be fine if they can get better blocking in front of them.
Josh Myers is not a good enough run blocker to have a consistent running game. As many said at the time (and this time the armchair guys were correct), he should have drafted Creed Humphries.
The 2 PT conversion play was atrocious. Could have been the difference.
Josh Myers is not a good enough run blocker to have a consistent running game.
I have a good sense about narveson. He seems confident. Yes he hit the upright on one but has looked solid so far considering he's a rookie
He seems fine. The footing as lousy and, even the kick he missed was not poorly struck.
Sucks to see last night and the SF playoff game with so many missed opportunities in ST and dropped interceptions. Two very winnable games where we shot ourselves in the foot.
This game would have been different had many plays gone the other way, but the biggest ones were having the ball 1st and goal at the 1 to go up 10-0 and having Doubs commit an OPI and then giving the XP away to go for 2 (only to run up the middle to try to run behind Myers).
Somehow need to get some Ws in the next few weeks
I have zero confidence in Malik Willis to do anything.
@titmfatied posted:"There was some uncharacteristic things that we did as a staff, quite frankly, and that trickled down to our players" -MLF
I hope they get him to expand on that in the next presser. Seems like a weird thing to happen out of the gate. I wonder if it has to do with getting the right personnel on the field or style of play. Also seems to be a lot of attention about the D line play. He talked about both gaps in the run and pressure in the pass. Bet that was a long flight home for Jason Rebrovich.
You can tell from the presser he thought they should have been able to find a way to win that game and is pissed, particularly with the red zone performance.
There were a whole lot of things that looked quite characteristic of the shit we've seen under MLF...poor early season fundamentals, lack of focus, missed assignments, poor tackling.
People used to bitch and moan and blame #12 because he wasn't there in the off-season, didn't play in the pre-season, etc.
I have no doubt the team will improve over the course of the season...#10 and the defense. They always do. But Super Bowl teams generally don't start out this sloppy.
OL was hot garbage. Myers was Myers...not sure why I deluded myself into thinking he'd become half of what Creed Humphrey is this season. Walker was shockingly bad. Rhyan was an improvement over JRJ and Newman...but how high is that bar? Morgan not ready to be LT1 yet. Tom was great. Elgton was solid but father time is catching up.
Nothing else really stunned me. Same D players in a new defensive scheme...I did expect lumps. Didn't expect Jacobs to struggle so mightily, but given the OL, not THAT surprising.
KC shit the bed last year against the Loins and it ended well for them.
@Chongo posted:There were a whole lot of things that looked quite characteristic of the shit we've seen under MLF...poor early season fundamentals, lack of focus, missed assignments, poor tackling.
People used to bitch and moan and blame #12 because he wasn't there in the off-season, didn't play in the pre-season, etc.
I have no doubt the team will improve over the course of the season...#10 and the defense. They always do. But Super Bowl teams generally don't start out this sloppy.
OL was hot garbage. Myers was Myers...not sure why I deluded myself into thinking he'd become half of what Creed Humphrey is this season. Walker was shockingly bad. Rhyan was an improvement over JRJ and Newman...but how high is that bar? Morgan not ready to be LT1 yet. Tom was great. Elgton was solid but father time is catching up.
Nothing else really stunned me. Same D players in a new defensive scheme...I did expect lumps. Didn't expect Jacobs to struggle so mightily, but given the OL, not THAT surprising.
Their OL is not good enough to win games by just lining up and going head to head against a good defensive front. They need to scheme to get around their limitations.
@titmfatied posted:"There was some uncharacteristic things that we did as a staff, quite frankly, and that trickled down to our players" -MLF
I hope they get him to expand on that in the next presser. Seems like a weird thing to happen out of the gate. I wonder if it has to do with getting the right personnel on the field or style of play. Also seems to be a lot of attention about the D line play. He talked about both gaps in the run and pressure in the pass. Bet that was a long flight home for Jason Rebrovich.
You can tell from the presser he thought they should have been able to find a way to win that game and is pissed, particularly with the red zone performance.
The OL was pretty bad at times.
Negative - Way too much hand-wringing after one game. The first game. In a different country (yes, I think that matters). On a sloppy field. Against a really good team. They lost by one score.
I saw a lot of good (mentioned in this thread). And a lot of bad. They could've just as easily won that game. There are going to be several good teams that start 0-1. There's already two after two games.
Worst part is the unknown right now with Love. Four of next five are against teams that the Packers are better than. So hopefully they can tread water if/while Love is out.
Jalen Carter posts some of the awful DM’s he received after making the tackle on the play that unfortunately injured Jordan Love. pic.twitter.com/8e5hWMouh4
— Eagles Nation (@PHLEaglesNation) September 7, 2024
There's just no place for that. He didn't intentionally try to injure Jordan Love
I tend to think this is still a very green offense that rode some adrenaline and got in a groove unexpectedly soon late last year. They still have a lot of growing up to do to reduce the mental errors and know how focus and work through adversity with effort when scheme isn't enough.
D will be learning all season. Just hope it clicks before too late.
Other than, of course, being very concerned about JLove, I am a little more optimistic than many of you.
Sure, there’s a lot to clean up, but that is fairly normal for game one, ESPECIALLY now that there are only 3 preseason games and the number ones on offense had very little playing time in those games (which is worthy of discussing in and of itself).
IF Love can recover swiftly, I am still very excited for this team.
+
Jayden Reed is a stud. So glad I started him on one of my two fantasy teams this week. I felt he would get some rushing yards as well as receiving, and it paid off big time.
Edge Cooper sighting. Give that kid more than fourteen percent of the play time.
Seemed like Shawn Ryan got yanked fairly early and then we got to see JMorgan play, which I tend to think is the direction we need to go.
I don’t care what anyone says, I already feel better about our new kicker than I did with the 2 guys we had in camp.
Emanuel Wilson had a few good runs.
2 interceptions plus a fumble recovery
Our receivers did a good job of getting open against a good secondary in many cases, but Love was either off or players slipped. That can be corrected.
-
using our timeouts early and unnecessarily.
WAY too many penalties. But again, it’s game one. They have to clean it up, and I think they will.
JLove was off on some throws
Field conditions/slipping. Obviously the NFL bears some blame for putting this game down there with those field conditions, but also you’d think the staff would recognize the problem during warmups and get the guys into longer cleats asap.
Jacobs didn’t perform as well as we’d hoped, and makes me wish Aaron Jones was still here, but it’s way too early to say that.
Why wasn’t there more blitzing? I was told there would be blitzing. Hurts had plenty of time to throw most of the time. I realize he’s a risk to run the ball, but somehow more pressure must be generated.
P.S. watching the Wisconsin/South Dakota game now. What’s South Dakota’s mascot I wonder? The pheasant?
@DH13 posted:I tend to think this is still a very green offense that rode some adrenaline and got in a groove unexpectedly soon late last year. They still have a lot of growing up to do to reduce the mental errors and know how focus and work through adversity with effort when scheme isn't enough.
D will be learning all season. Just hope it clicks before too late.
That is why it was risky giving Love that contract. Based on 10, 11 games. I'm pulling for him, but I need to see a lot more.
@D J posted:That is why it was risky giving Love that contract. Based on 10, 11 games. I'm pulling for him, but I need to see a lot more.
We will, in October.
I hope sooner if fully ready
@Pikes Peak posted:We will, in October.
I hope sooner if fully ready
Packers training staff..... November - just watch
I've waited a couple of days for my anger and disappointment to subside in the hopes of not getting too emotional from the first game of the season. It's too easy to overlook the positives and recall the negatives.
I'll largely discount field conditions and officiating. Both were horrid, but neither had a major effect on the outcome.
However, 34 points is not winning football. If not for a couple of timely plays, it could've been close to 50.
Giving up 144 yards rushing and 410 yards overall is bad defense.
Allowing 76 plays over almost 33 minutes of TOP is beyond terrible. The Eagles were only 4/14 on 3rd down conversions, so 20 other conversions came on 1st or 2nd down.
Pass rush was AWOL.
I didn't see any difference between Hafley and Barry. Yeah, it's only 1 game, and the hope is for marked improvement, but there were many themes that looked uncomfortably similar.
The OL play was poor. They did play better later in the game, but, overall, they sucked. Pass pro was marginal, run blocking was gawdawful.
WR/TE production other than Reed, Kraft, and possibly Doubs, was nonexistent.
RB was a tale of two halves. Nothing in the 1st, much better in the 2nd.
First game vs. a good opponent but it is concerning that we won the turnover battle by 2 and still lost. Only getting FGs from the early turnovers came back to bite us.
Offense-
Love and WRs seemed a little off. Poor field conditions made it difficult for receivers to adjust if the ball was a little off target, which is why our WRs seemed to be slipping and Eagles WRs were not (Hurts balls were on target)
Eagles d-front got the better of our o-line, especially in the first half. RG (could not block Carter) and LT (Walker with a critical holding penalty which put us behind the sticks and led to the interception) were weak spots (I wonder if Bak is ready to sign with anyone?)
Early but Jacobs does not appear to hit the hole as quickly or make himself skinny as well as Jones did
Defense-
Did not love Alexander covering Brown, it was a physical mismatch, especially after the catch. Would rather have seen a Belichick tactic of putting Alexander on the second WR and doubling the number one.
Quay still just doesn't seem to have the instincts to be a top ILBer. Cooper does.
D-line got stoned by the huge Eagles o-line, although the did a good job of counting Hurts from running.
Overall I think the Eagles right now are the better team, but championships aren't won right now.
Piece in JSO this morning about the new defense looking remarkably like the old defense. Link (paywall)
In the end, the Packers had some of the same issues that date back to later in Dom Capers’ tenure as defensive coordinator, and through Mike Pettine and Joe Barry before Hafley: Their run defense was too often shaky, and a running quarterback gave them big problems.
Disappointing effort from both the defense and offense. Subpar game from Love (nine points from three turnovers simply isn't good enough) and MLF is ultimately responsible for the multitude of mistakes committed by his players.