Josh Gordon is due for an extension at the end of this season and the man is playing like a true Number one receiver, through the first four games of the season Gordon has 15 receptions for 403 yards and a TD. He has averaged 100 yards a game and has proved to be a favorite target of Brady’s. The WR is rumored to be signed to a deal around 40 million:
Trey Flowers is due for an extension at the end of this season and he has been playing like a tank this season. He already has five sacks through the first month of the season along with 11 tackles. He is the clear leader on that Patriots D-line and you’d think he would be a priority to be resigned. But as Monday comes and goes the rumors of a trade happening involving Flowers is swirling through the social media world.
New England Targeting WR?
The new rumor is New England is trying to add a new receiver to bolster their depth. The supposed targeted has been rumored to be Dante Moncrief from the Jacksonville Jaguars. The 25 year old receiver was drafted by the Colts. Another name thrown out there was Travis Benjamin from LAC but a team rep shot that name down quickly. We will see how this unfolds.
Free Sushi anyone?
Tom Brady led his Nee England Patriots on their return home from back to back losses on the road to absolutely dominate the Miami Dolphins to a tune of 36-10. Brady didn’t throw a TD himself but he threw for well over 250 yards passing.
Ground and Pound
The backs had their best game of the season so far, Sony Michel went down in the first quarter, Jeremy Hill stepped in to replace him and ripped apart the Dolphins for 55 yards and a TD. James White and Josh Gordon also had rushing TDs which was Gordon’s first of his career.
Hail To the King!
Brandon King stepped up huge today, taking over duties from Danny Trevathan to lock down the middle of the field and boy did it pay off. King snatched not one, not two, but three! Interceptions on the day. He was key in the victory today.
All in all this Patriots team played much better than they have the last two weeks. Brady threw for two picks on paper but they weren’t his fault in the slightest with one being ripped away from Flash and the other being picked from Dorsett’s Grip. If Brandon King keeps up a decent pace at LB then this defense is going to be potentially a top ten unit.
Retreat!
The Patriot offense was a shell of its former self from a week ago where Brady threw four touchdowns, instead turning into a team that throws five picks and drops every other ball thrown to them. This isn’t just on the play of the players, the play calling as trash as Brady threw all game with the Jags D sitting back just waiting for it. Owner Bob Kraft when asked about the struggles of his team simple said “Trust the process. These things happen in a season, it’s only week two. We will figure this out.” Tom Brady was asked about his five interceptions and, with a smile said “I just have to play better. It’s onto Detroit.” Echoing former retired coach Bill Belichick.
The Patriots travel to Detroit next week for a battle with former Patriots DC Matt Patricia and his Lions.
Moss 2.0 But For Real?
The rumors of a trade involving Pittsburgh Steelers WR Antonio Brown and New England Patriots DB Stephon Gilmore have been rampant today, with some people on Twitter responding, calling into questions about why they’re targeting another WR when the team worked very well with its current corps last week. Brady put up 4 TDs and over 400 yards.
When asked about the trade rumors this morning, Owner Robert Kraft responded “We know our window is closing at this point. I’d like to give Brady and Bill (Belichick) one more trophy and ring. That is my goal this year.”
During his time with the Steelers, Antonio Brown has put up 74 TDs, 11,000 career receiving yards, is a 7 time pro bowler and a 4 time first team all pro. This would be huge if the trade is true, as much as it could hurt to lose Gilmore the rumor is DB Artie Burns would be included in the deal, and he’s young and a good building piece for the secondary. JC Jackson would also probably see more snaps.
Victory!
Tommy B and the boys brought it at home today against the visiting Houston Texans, Brady threw for 4 TDs against Houston at home to a sold out crowd, hitting 24 passes on 38 attempts for 418 yards as well as throwing a pick.
First round draft pick Sony Michel shined in his debut for the NFL’s dynasty team, having three rushes for 44 yards and a TD on the ground as well as 3 catches for 90 yards and a touchdown.
Star TE Rob Gronkowski accounted 5 catches for 71 yards and a TD, Julian Edelman, James White, and Dwayne Allen all had TD love as well.
Defensively the game was played well up until the fourth quarter where Deshaun Watson just bombed it down field without much more than luck involved to almost tie the game. The Patriots seemed to let off the gas slightly in the last quarter of the game and they almost suffered for it.
Onto Jacksonville.
Nelson Agholor, arguably Philly’s only real threat even when he isn’t that amazing, is gonna be out for over 4 weeks with a shoulder tear sustained in the loss to the Chargers last week. Coach Pederson was asked about the loss of Agholor in a press call, “I mean that’s the game. It’s hard to lose one of your best players but it’s next man up. The season doesn’t stop if you get hurt, and unfortunately we will have to carry on without Nelson.”
The Birds dropped two straight losses in the last couple weeks, with the second game against Dallas coming up this week what will the Eagles do offensively to spread the ball around?
Growing Pains
This team is going through some changes. Carson Wentz was benched in favor of new QB Draven Mustaine. Let’s breakdown the first month of be season for the Birds
Draven Mustaine made his debut throwing for over 300 yards, a touchdown and was picked off four times by the Redskins defense. The Rookie showed great reads and throws at times, spreading the ball around evenly. Nelson Agholor has over 100 yards once again, showing true as a Number one option for this young rook going forward.
The Birds have the potential to win. All three loses were shown to be a lot closer if the QB didn’t turn the ball over so much. Draven Mustaine made some mistakes but he didn’t look as antsy at Wentz did under center.
Carson Wentz being benched brings an interesting question, is he going to get traded? His cap hit is enormous and it would pretty much cripple this team from making any kind of moves this offseason minus the draft. The team has six picks through the first two rounds, it’s being treated as a non-official rebuild by most fan bases for the Birds. It’s going to be an interesting next few weeks for the Birds, keeping an eye on Draven Mustaine and how he develops going forward is key.
BREAKING NEWS
Smell that? That’s the winds of change blowing. Today Head Coach Doug Pederson has confirmed the rumors that Carson Wentz has been benched in favor of Quarterback Draven Mustaine. When asked about the rumors of a trade with Cleveland involving Wentz and Browns Quarterback Derek Carr, Pederson confirmed the rumors. “Yes, we had agreed to a trade with Cleveland involving Carson, Derek and a couple draft picks. But it fell through before it was finalized. As of now, Draven Mustaine is our Quarterback moving forward. I need to open the box a little bit and try something new, the last month has not gone well for us.”
What does this mean for the Eagles franchise? Will Carson Wentz ride the bench the rest of the season or will he get another chance to start? Considering his staggering 34 million cap hit if he is cut or traded, the confirmation of a almost compete trade is surprising.
Disappointment at Home
The Eagles finally had their home opener of the 2021 season, facing off against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. It was a disappointing day after a long two road game weeks, the Eagles fell to the Buccs 39-21. Let's break it down and discuss each sides of the ball.
Offense
Eagles quarterback Carson Wetnz once again had a struggling week, throwing for one Touchdown and five interceptions. He had a total of five completions out of 16 attempts before he was benched late into the game. Undrafted signee Draven Mustaine made his debut in the loss, throwing for a touchdown but also getting picked off twice. It was a bad day for the Eagles offense, Wentz looked lost and stagnant and the rest of the team didn't look any better. Nelson Agholor had 4 catches for 35 yards and a Touchdown grab, Rob Gronkowski got into the end zone for the first time this season on one of his two catches. Cooper Kupp disappointed big time in the third quarter, after the defense was able to strip the ball away from Tampa, he caught his firs ball of the night and fumbled immediately after, giving the ball back to Tampa. Once again, there was no rushing game to be found, being completely abandoned after onl one attempt.
Defense
On the otherside of the ball, the defense allowed two touchdown throws from Tampa Quarterback Wil Nash, who also threw for 244 yads against the Birds D. Sidney Jones FINALLY caught a pick, bringing it back for a 99 yard pick 6! Defensively they played well, being able to stop Tampa from getting a lot of touchdowns, but Tampa's kicker, Cairo Santos, had 6 field goals today. If the defense was able to stop them a few yards before his kicking range, this probably would've been a much closer game.
Questions For the Coach
After another week of bad play from Quarterback Carson Wentz, Eagles HC Doug Pederson was asked in the post game press conference if this will lead to a possible evaluation of the Quarterback position. Carson Wentz being pulled late in the game when the score wasn't too far off from being able to mount a comeback is extremely telling. Coach Pederson replied "Like I have said all season, I will do what I need to do for this team to win. Jeff [Lurie] has given me complete roster control, and I will do what I determine necessary to get this team to the playoffs."
VICTORY!
The Birds martched into Oakland and took care of business, topping the Raiders 24-14 and improving their record to .500. Nelson Agholor had 7 receptions for 140 yards and a toughdown. Once again, Wentz loved going to the Gronk, big #87 accounted for 7 catches himself for 94 yards. Cooper Kupp has also been instrumental when called upon, having 57 yards and a few catches in some clutch situations. Now for the meat of the game details.
Still No Run Game.
For the second week in a row, there was very little run game to be found. Phil Lindsey had two red zone rushing touchdowns, but there was no yards to be gained at all. The Eagles were intent on sticking to the air attack and that led to Wentz having a lost fumble, and two interceptions one of which went for a Pick-6.
Defense Shows Up, but Stamina Bites Deep
Most of the game, Oakland wasn't able to do much at all. Raiders quarterback Blake Bortles was shut down by the D for the most part until late in the game, where it seemed some coverage issues and mental lapses happened, leading to a 4th quarter TD. Sidney Jones once again had a chance for a pick, but just like last week, he dropped the ball before he could haul it in.
Questions For the Future
Rumors of scheme changings have ran through the Eagles locker-room following Wentz's 6 pick game last week. Wentz, as stated before, is signed to the team for the next 4 seasons and his cap penalty is 11.5 million if they try to move him this season. Both Coach Pederson and Owner Jeff Laurie have both denied the Wentz trade rumors, but Wentz has shown to still be struggling at times. Coach Pederson has been vocal about his support of rookie signing Draven Mustaine, with some reports saying Mustaine has gotten an increased amount of reps in practice.
Can It Happen?
Carson Wentz’s name has been surging and swirling around local news and sports radios as of late, with quite a few rumors of Wentz being traded this season. During a conference with various media personnel, Coach Doug Pederson stated; “We will be evaluating our roster as the season goes. We are obviously still trying to win a Super Bowl this year, and I will do what I deem necessary to bring another Lombardi to this city.” His words both echo owner Jeff Lurie’s words from a conference during the offseason and his own words but he’s slightly changed his words about Wentz being his Quarterback. Does this have anything to do with the signing of UDFA Draven Mustaine? Just like the rest of the NFL, we will have to wait and see.
Mayday! Mayday! SOS!
Or are we overreacting? It was a tough road loss to open to season for the Birds, they made the journey to Detroit only to end up on the wrong end of a 41-14 blowout. The offense gaained 325 yards, over 300 yards came through the air. Let's breakdown each side of the ball.
One-Dimensional Offense
It was NOT a good day at all for this Eagles team. Carson Wentz struggled under center against a good Lions defense, throwing for 6 interceptions, two of which went for a pick-6. He wasn't making the right reads, he was tunnel-visioning it to #87 Gronk the entire first quarter basically. The Lions caught on quick, ran back a pick and thus forced the Eagles to move away from any possibility of a run game, which would result in Wentz throwing for FIVE more picks. The star on offense for Philly would easily have to be Nelson Agholor, who accounted for 4 receptions, 180 yards and a touchdown. Rookie runningback Dejuan Ingram also had a running TD from the 1-yard line. Tough day.
Defense?! You Wanna Talk About Defense?!
Where were they? What happened? Lions QB Matthew Stafford threw for 313 Yards and two touchdowns, the Eagles defense didn't look great but they had their moments at times to swing the game their way and it didn't happen. DBs Sidney Jones IV and Jordan Hicks both had dropped INTs that would've both kept some points off the clock and put the ball in the hands of their offense. The front-7 also got ripped apart, Giovani Benard immediately ripped off a 79-yard TD run for the Lions first offensive score after already being up 14-0 in the first quarter. Wayne Gallman from the Lions also racked up 50 yards from just THREE carries. Wow.
A Long Road Ahead
Can this team get it together after that tough loss? I honestly don't know. WIth how badly this team played Week One, you have to bring up the offseason moves and what mpact they may have had on this team's chemistry and ability to win. Carson Wentz has a whole new TE that's a bit slower than Ertz was last season, but he has shown to be a reliable target as long as the Eagles don't go to him a lot of the time. Only when needed. The six picks thrown from Wentz today shouldn't alartm the fanbse, these games happen from time to time. Even HOFers like Peyton Manning has had some really terrible games.
This has been one long offseason for The Birds. Trades, cuts, FA signings galore! Let's recap:
TRADES:
The Eagles moved the following, Round 1 pick #26 #28, Round 2 picks #52, Zach Ertz and a 4th rounder
They recieved the following Rob Gronkowski, Josh Gordon, a 7th round draft pick for the 21 draft as well as a 1st, 2nd, and 3rd round draft pick for next yar's draft from New England, they recieved a 4th round pick for this year's draft, as well as a 2nd round pick for next year's draft. From Tampa, they recieved a 4th round pick, and a 5th round pick for Ertz. Lastly, they traded a 4th rounder for Brandon Graham from Denver.
CUTS
This is where the action gets both good, and confusing. They cut Desean Jackson, Dallas Goedert, Brandon Graham, Josh Gordon, Jordan Matthews, Nigel Bradham
SIGNINGS
The Birds made quite a few moves these last couple days, signing multiple players to multi-year cheap deals. Cooper Kupp has been signed, as well as Philip Lindsay. Adding some beef to the line to protect Wentz, they signed Tackle Reilly Bowman, Guard LG Reggie Palmer, Center George Chavez, Guard Joseph Noteboom, Tackle Matt Obregon and Guard Justin Pugh. Adding some needed debth to TE after the Ertz trade and Goedert trade, the Eagles signed Craig Kempfert. Former San Francisco 49er Nick Mullens was signed to a 3 year, 2.59 million dollar contract, he will now backup Wentz if the Ginger Nightmare goes down.
Painful Future Ahead?
This offseason has been a HUGE change to the Eagles franchise. The team who won Super Bowl 51 is a shell of it's former self and with a brand new FO running this team, will this team be able to compete? Rumors on the team abound about ownership's questioning of Wentz's ability to lead this team. He has proven to be talented, leading the league in TD's thrown last season, but the new FO is rumored not to be a fan of Wentz and his style of play. He currently has 4 years left on his deal, so it's highly unlikely he goes anywhere anytime soon. For now, at least, Carson Wentz is the Eagles quarterback.
Draft Picks For Everyone!
In the last two days alone, the Birds have completely traded away their two first round draft picks, as well as a couple later round picks. Owner Jeffrey Lurie was asked about this during a presser announcing the recent FA signings, responding "The moves we've made have been done with the intention to get this team to another Super Bowl. That's my goal, that will always be my goal, and I will do what I have to do to accomplish this no matter what." A passion-filled response, from Mr. Lurie. When asked about the rumors surrounding Carson Wentz, Head Coach Doug Pederson responded "Carson is our guy right now. Week one, he is our guy. Week 16, Carson Wentz is our guy. Period." When he was asked about the stockpile of picks for next year's draft, and the possibility of drafting a new Quarterback, Coach Pederson said "I think that could always be a possibility. There's a lot of variables to it, and we will make that decision when we need to. Right now, I'm focusing on this coming season."
The former 13th overall pick is returning to the team that drafted him back in the 2010 draft. In his time with the Eagles, Graham was a force to be reckoned with, totaling 47 sacks before a terrible FO change led to a roster yard sale. Graham was shipped off to The Denver Broncos. Now the Birds have traded a fourth round draft pick for the 33 year old Graham. Is this a smart move for the Birds? Will this be the roster move that could finally get them over the hump? A new HC brings a lot of questions to the City of Brotherly Love. This just adds more question marks to the upcoming season.