The 'Have to start somewhere' dynasty

[MartinD]

2022 Draft

While signing Mori is a nice move towards adding a bit of youth at receiver, I'm really hoping to be able to pick up a quality wideout through the draft. With only pick 1.29 in the first 90 picks, however, I'm going to have to be a bit lucky to be able to do that...

There does appear to be reasonable depth in this draft, so the later picks should produce some guys who will be contributors down the line - am really looking for depth on the defensive line and in the secondary, while adding another back to our committee is definitely a possibility.

As I wait for our pick to come up, it dawns on me that very few receivers have come off the board - in fact, the top TE is picked (at 1.17) well before the first receiver (at 1.25). While this isn't the greatest year to find a receiver, there are a couple of guys that are definitely worth considering at 1.29 (as well as some players at other positions):

RB Wendell Tejada (5.0/5.3) - not a power back, but a decent runner with good hands
SE Charles Douglas (5.3/5.5) - has all the physical tools (and had a very nice combine), but may not be a clutch receiver
FL Terell Hamilton (5.0/5.2) - not as physically gifted as Douglas, but a bit more polished at this point
RT Brenden Postell (5.4/5.9) - not a need position, but a good-looking prospect who should be a starting tackle for a lot of years
RT Fernando Hawkins (5.3/5.8) - another solid tackle prospect - not quite as strong as Postell, but better technique, particularly in pass-blocking
RDE J.R. Lancaster (5.5/6.1) - solid all-round defensive end - likely to be an every-down guy
RDE Peter Bush (5.3/5.8) - undersized end who isn't going to be much use against the run, but will be a force on the pass-rush
LCB Scott Chatman (5.4/5.6) - starter-calibre corner who would be a contributor from day 1 - not a need position right now for the Eagles, though

This looks like the sort of draft where you really want to have a few high picks, as there are a lot of solid players available at this point, and quite a few of them will drop a fair way into the second round. While the guys at other positions are very tempting (particularly the defensive ends, who both look like they're going to be very good), the need at receiver is too much to ignore here (particularly as there is a fairly significant drop-off in talent after the two guys in the list above). Douglas and Hamilton are very similar receivers, but I feel that Douglas is more likely to be the better player over time - pick 1.29 is used on SE Charles Douglas. The initial rating of 31/56 is respectable - moving him to flanker does not affect that rating (with two solid SEs on the roster, he's going to get a lot more playing time if he moves to the other side - will probably get the chance to start at some point this year too...)

The guys on the list start to come off the board fairly quickly:
2.1 - DE Peter Bush (58/59) - I could see me regretting passing this guy up...
2.2 - CB Scott Chatman (37/66)
2.3 - RT Fernando Hawkins (27/61)
2.5 - DE J.R. Lancaster (31/54) - not quite as good as I had thought he might be
2.8 - RT Brenden Postell (22/56)
2.10 - FL Terrell Hamilton (30/60) - not a lot in it right now - looks like either guy would have been a decent choice
2.13 - RB Wendell Tejada (35/60)

Looks like I had a fairly good feel for value on this board - unfortunately, I don't have the picks this year to be able to take advantage...

With the need at receiver hopefully addressed through free agency and our first-round pick, I can start to look at other positions with pick 3.27. There are a number of interesting QB prospects still on the board at this point (although I haven't interviewed any of them), but the defensive line looks like a no-go area at this point, as there don't appear to be any prospects still on the board who are significantly better than the guys I already have. Guys I consider for this pick are:

QB Malcolm Walker (4.7/5.4) - will need time to develop, but a guy who looks like a good fit for the short passing scheme I run at the moment
QB Bubba Dela Cruz (4.7/5.4) - another raw guy who looks like a good fit for a short passing scheme - a bit more risk/reward here
QB Tyrone Fidrych (4.3/4.9) - a different type of QB (would be a better fit for a team that goes down the field a bit more), but a guy who looks to be potential starter material
RCB Will Harper (4.7/4.8) - while corner is not a big need position, this is a guy who looks big enough to benefit from a move to safety - solid cover guy and great special teamer
RCB Lenny Branham (4.5/4.6) - a bit of a risky pick, but this is a guy who looks to have a lot of potential (as in potential starter-quality guy)
RCB Mario Sledge (4.5/4.6) - needs time to develop, but a guy with the potential to be a solid corner - decent return skills too
SS Adam Barker (4.8/4.5) - best safety on the board, but unlikely to be more than quality depth and a stopgap starter

Looks like the QB class is a bit deeper than I originally thought... Despite that, I feel that adding a solid defensive back will be of more use to the team right now - there's also a much better chance of one of the QBs still being there for our fifth-round pick than one of the CBs. Looking ahead, Jerome Jordan doesn't have many years left (is going into his 10th year), so it's not a bad idea to start looking for good young corners now. Of the three corners above, I feel that Branham is the best prospect - while he isn't all that strong against the run, he looks like a guy who will be a solid cover corner. Pick 3.27 is used on CB Lenny Branham, who is initially rated at 24/68 - this suggests that he'll be our fourth corner (so will see a fair bit of playing time - is coming into a good situation, too, with three solid guys ahead of him and a mentor (Jordan) on the roster).

Surprisingly, the next player from my list of possibilities to be drafted is SS Barker (at 4.7 - rated at only 21/34, not a bad guy to pass on). Harper (4.9 - 22/52) and Sledge (4.11 - 28/62) go soon after. The QBs last until the 5th round, when Walker (5.18 - 15/56) and Dela Cruz (5.19 - 9/47) are taken with consecutive picks. Fidrych is still there at 5.29, though - while our QB situation is already fairly crowded, I feel that this is a guy worth taking a look at. An initial rating of 10/46 isn't as good as I had hoped, but we'll wait and see here - the initial investment wasn't all that much, so this was a risk worth taking.

Our next selection is at 6.28, and the backup safety position looks like a good candidate to address here. There are a few guys who look like they would be useful additions, but the guy I go for is FS Jumbo Page - he's raw and isn't going to be a force against the run, but has a lot of potential in coverage, and looks to be a useful special teams guy (in other words, he ticks two of the main boxes for what I'm looking for out of a backup safety - can contribute in the dime package, and can play special teams). Page is initially rated at 18/46, which is decent enough for a 6th-rounder.

Our last pick is 7.28, and is used on a defensive end (our tackle rotation looks to be fairly settled, so not much point in adding someone else there - DE, on the other hand, looks a little bit light after losing Flannery in free agency). While there are a couple of pass-rush specialist types available, we already have a few guys of that nature, so I go in a different direction. Horace Horn (initially rated 13/38) is more of a run-stopper (and so is more of a true backup than a third down guy), and does offer something a bit different at the position.

[MartinD]

2022 Late Free Agency

As we head into the late free agency period, an e-mail comes through regarding a veteran holdout - my initial reaction is that Hutchins has decided that he doesn't want to play for the mere $13m he's getting as our franchise player (when he would have been getting more than $30m this year between salary and bonus on the contract he was looking for), but opening the e-mail reveals that starting SE K.C. Oskolkoff is the unhappy player - he's looking to roughly double his income and extend his contract at the same time. While Oskolkoff is a solid player, he is a guy who we can live without - I'm also uncomfortable giving a 4-year deal to a guy in his 8th year, so we go ahead without offering an upgraded contract, and wait to see what he decides to do.

All of our rookies accept their initial contract offers, so we have 56 players signed and $5.16m cap room free at this point in the season. (The number of players signed is a bit misleading, though, as we currently have no less than 6 QBs on the roster - I somehow suspect that we won't have any problem in giving our receivers enough live catching practice in camp...)

The usual trawl through the rookie free agent pool brings up a few interesting prospects:

RB Tito Logan (26/42) - $1.27m over 2 years (looks like a third-down back, so would be a useful addition - signed week 1)
TE Cary Rose (25/43) - $1.27m over 2 years (we need a third TE, and Rose is a solid special teams guy - signed week 3)
RG Gus Alford (20/25) - $530k over 1 year (candidate for the fourth guard position - signed week 3)
RG Levon Broemer (17/35) - $530k over 1 year (another guy in the mix for fourth guard - pass-blocker who would be good for team chemistry - signed week 3)
WLB Howie Wiggins (12/50) - $530k over 1 year (backup outside linebacker is a need, and this guy is a decent fit, if a bit raw - signed week 2)
WLB Van Rabdau (10/14) - $530k over 1 year (pure special-teamer - signed week 3)
RCB Ben Hastings (24/46) - $1.27m over 2 years (not a need position, but this is a guy who should have been drafted - very good value as a UDFA - signed week 2)
SS Brady Baltzer (15/56) - $530k over 1 years (probably won't fulfil that potential, but worth taking a look at - signed week 1)

I also make an offer to veteran special-teamer SLB Rickey Rayburn (9th year, 12/12) - $1.53m over 1 year (a veteran minimum offer, so would count $880k against the cap), which he signed in week 2.

Before heading to camp, I do the usual check round the rookies to see if there is anyone that would benefit from a little change in weight - in doing so, I notice that UDFA Brady Baltzer is a perfect candidate for a switch to cornerback. While corner is not a need position, I feel that this switch is worthwhile - this changes his ratings to 17/64, which definitely suggests that it was a good move!

Rookies before and after camp

                     Acquired   Before   After   Change
QB Tyrone Fidrich      5.29      10/46   10/42    0/-4
RB Tito Logan           FA       26/42   26/42    0/0
TE Cary Rose            FA       25/43   30/44   +5/+1
FL Charles Douglas     1.29      31/56   31/51    0/-5
RG Gus Alford           FA       20/25   21/25   +1/0
RG Levon Broemer        FA       17/35   17/34    0/-1
RDE Horace Horn        7.28      13/38   14/37   +1/-1
SLB Howie Wiggins       FA       12/50   14/47   +2/-3
WLB Van Rabdau          FA       10/14   11/14   +1/0
RCB Lenny Branham      3.27      24/68   27/60   +3/-8
RCB Ben Hastings        FA       24/46   26/44   +2/-2
RCB Brady Baltzer       FA       17/64   22/59   +5/-5
FS Jumbo Page          6.28      18/46   20/39   +2/-7

The usual mixed bag, but more disappointments than pleasant surprises. I suspect that I'm going to have a lot of problems making cuts at corner, as the three guys I've added all look like guys I want to keep around. TE Rose looks like a solid addition, too. On the other hand, Douglas may not be the automatic choice as our starting flanker after a poor camp.

[MartinD]

2022 Roster

K.C. Oskolkoff decides that he's happy enough to play for the money he's getting, so we come out of camp with 65 players on the roster. There will definitely be a few tough cuts here...

  Player                #   Pos   Start Exp  Current Estimate  Future Estimate Cntr
Hutchins, Keith         18  QB          15   80                80                1 
Hume, O.J.              15  QB          6    38                44                1 
Monpoto, Tyrus          11  QB          4    23                41                1 
Zaiser, Otis            16  QB          2    17                41                1 
Briggs, Dustin          10  QB          5    14                52                3 
Fidrych, Tyrone         17  QB          1    10                42                3 

Hutchins and Hume are our #1 and #2, and Briggs has enough potential to be 
worth keeping around (he'll get a good look in preseason, for sure).  The 
fourth guy to keep is a tough one - now that he's gone through camp, I don't 
think Fidrych is going to amount to much, and I prefer Monpoto to Zaiser.

Compton, Vince          33  RB          4    31                36                1 
Shipman, Sammie         30  RB          2    31                37                3 
McIndoe, Earnest        32  RB          2    30                40                1 
Logan, Tito             34  RB          1    26                42                2 
Lane, Cris              31  FB          2    42                50                1 

Fairly settled here - Lane is our fullback until a better one comes along (and 
I'm not going out of my way to look!), with Shipman and McIndoe sharing the 
bulk of the carries.  Compton is the third-down back (and a decent kick 
returner).  I'd like to keep Logan around, but will need to see how things go at 
other positions - I suspect that he's not going to stick, particularly with our 
cornerback situation...

Kelley, Charlie         88  TE          2    65                72                2 
Broderick, Sedrick      89  TE          3    31                31                1 
Rose, Cary              87  TE          1    30                44                2 

Happy to go with these three guys - Kelley is a solid starter, and Broderick 
and Rose decent backups and special-teamers.

Samanta, Antoine        82  FL          12   38                38                1 
Douglas, Charles        80  FL          1    31                51                4 
Weintraub, Dominic      85  FL          2    21                44                1 
Oskolkoff, K.C.         81  SE          8    46                46                2 
Mori, Renaldo           86  SE          5    45                45                3 
McIndoe, Orlando        83  SE          3    32                39                1 
Jurkiewicz, Fred        84  SE          2    27                31                2 

No standouts, but a lot of depth here.  I usually go with 6 guys, and 
Weintraub is the odd one out - he's the seventh-best receiver and doesn't 
have any other talents to justify keeping him over one of the other guys.

Barber, Willie          61  C           6    73                73                4 
Hewko, Leo              63  C           3    31                48                1 
Martin, Zack            68  LG          12   68                68                2 
Welker, Jumbo           67  LG          4    44                45                3 
Fau, Melvin             65  RG          5    62                62                4 
Alford, Gus             64  RG          1    21                25                1 
Broemer, Levon          66  RG          1    17                34                1 
Bishop, Gabe            79  LT          4    33                41                1 
Lester, Emmanuel        75  LT          2    29                57                3 
Skupin, Leo             77  RT          4    57                57                5 
Fortmann, Andy          76  RT          7    37                37                1 
Brooks, Martin          78  RT          2    25                38                1 

No more than 10 of these guys will make the team, so a couple of cuts 
needed...  Barber and Hewko are safe in the middle, and starters Martin, Fau, 
Lester and Skupin are also assured of roster spots.  Welker and Bishop are 
solid backups, which leaves only two spots (likely to be one guard and one 
tackle).  Fortmann is a solid backup (and a tackle mentor - useful with Lester 
still learning the tricks of the trade), and I feel that Alford is worth keeping 
around (he's never going to be a guy I'd want to start, but I can live with him 
as a fourth guard).  Broemer and Brooks are the cuts here.

Hawks, Anthony          5   P           11   59                59                1 
Oden, Matt              2   K           16   49                49                2 

No need to say much here - two veterans who have been solid performers for 
the team.  This may be Oden's last year with us, though, which would leave 
us in the unusual position of having to find a new kicker...

Hansen, Juan            90  LDE         7    50                50                1 
Sanderson, Bernard      92  LDE         6    33                50                1 
Salerno, Rod            91  RDE         8    80                80                4 
Horn, Horace            93  RDE         1    14                37                3 
Clayton, Toby           99  LDT         6    56                56                4 
Necaise, Reggie         97  LDT         7    46                46                3 
Starks, Don             96  LDT         5    46                46                3 
Hartman, Julio          95  RDT         2    29                42                1 
McNown, Scott           98  RDT         2    21                45                2 

The obvious cut here would be Horn, who needs a lot of development time.  
I'm not keen on going with only 3 defensive ends, though, particularly as this 
would leave us with Salerno and two pass-rush specialists.  While McNown 
looks to have decent potential, I see him as the fifth-best DT, so he's the guy 
to get the axe on the defensive line.

Robertson, Horace       50  MLB         3    64                64                2 
Shannon, Erik           56  MLB         2    26                45                3 
Malone, Jack            53  SLB         2    39                53                2 
Wiggins, Howie          52  SLB         1    14                47                1 
Rayburn, Rickey         55  SLB         9    12                12                1 
Long, Shannon           51  WLB         11   53                53                2 
Small, Justin           54  WLB         3    53                59                2 
Rabdau, Van             59  WLB         1    11                14                1 

Five solid players (Robertson, Shannon, Malone, Long and Small) are all 
assured of roster spots.  Wiggins had a decent camp, but didn't show enough 
to justify me keeping him around.  The question then becomes 'do I want to 
keep two pure special-teamers on the roster'? (to which the answer is 'yes, because I feel that special teams are very important (as in lots of cheap 
yards over the course of a season), but only if I can afford the roster 
spots'...)

Jordan, Jerome          25  LCB         10   78                78                2 
Wynn, Thurman           29  LCB         3    50                59                2 
Linville, Grady         27  RCB         6    54                54                5 
Ackerman, Matthew       24  RCB         5    39                39                2 
Polamalu, Ellis         28  RCB         6    28                28                1 
Branham, Lenny          35  RCB         1    27                60                3 
Hastings, Ben           36  RCB         1    26                44                2 
Baltzer, Brady          45  RCB         1    22                59                1 

Lots of cuts to make here, as I normally carry 5 cornerbacks on the 53-man 
roster (although I may go with 6 this year, given that I managed to find quite 
a few solid youngsters in the draft and rookie free agent pool).  Jordan, Wynn 
and Linville are the top 3 guys here.  Of the other veterans, Polamalu doesn't 
offer enough to keep a roster spot ahead of any of the rookies, so is cut.  
Ackerman is a better cover guy right now than any of the three rookies, but 
all of the rookies look like better prospects for the long term - cutting 
Ackerman leaves me with 6 guys here, so I'll need to see how the overall 
situation looks before checking on any further reduction here.

Wilcox, Xavier          23  SS          5    74                74                3 
Lynn, Kelly             26  SS          2    19                45                2 
Lowe, Raymond           21  FS          4    51                51                3 
McGuire, Shawn          20  FS          2    22                39                1 
Page, Jumbo             47  FS          1    20                39                3 

Lowe and Wilcox are the starters, but the three other guys are much of a 
muchness.  Page is the best special-teamer by a distance, which is enough 
for me to give him a roster spot.  With six corners on the roster, I actually 
feel that I could get by with three safeties, so both Lynn and McGuire fail to 
make the 53-man roster.

The cuts detailed above leave the roster at 54 players, so one more cut to make. The most obvious candidates (to my eye) are RB Logan, RG Alford, DE Horn and OLBs Rayburn and Rabdau. Rayburn and Rabdau are pretty much the same player, but I'm a sucker for having great special teams and am willing to effectively use up two roster spots on guys who will contribute nothing outside of special teams. Horn is a guy I can see being a useful player to have around in years to come, so will stick on the roster this year, and Logan is a decent fourth back. Alford is very unlikely to see the field unless we have significant injuries, and I should be able to find a guard of at least equivalent quality on the free agent list if needed, so the last cut is RG Alford.

[MartinD]

With the 53-man roster set, my thoughts turn to the type of football we want to play this year. On defence, we have enough quality through the squad to continue to play the fairly conventional 4-3 defence we've been using for the last few years, so no big changes there. Offensively, this team will go as far as Keith Hutchins is able to carry it - while our receivers aren't as talented as I'd like, a QB as solid as Hutchins can make up for a lot of shortcomings in the receiving corps! It would be nice to be able to take a bit of pressure off the passing game by having a respectable running game, but I don't see this being a viable alternative - while the offensive line is good enough, this is very much a 'RB by committee' team right now.

2022 Preseason

Setting the depth charts for preseason started with a point of interest - with Hutchins inactive, the AI put Dustin Briggs as our starter ahead of O.J. Hume...

Week 2: Philadelphia 20-14 Jacksonville
Pretty comfortable win, with QB Briggs (16/22-140-1-0) looking pretty good. The Jags were able to move the ball through the air (over 300 yards passing), but didn't threaten to score outside of two long drives.

A tough game for injuries, though - three players (C Hewko, CB Branham and S Lowe) will miss the rest of preseason, with Lowe likely to be out until week 3 or so.

Week 3: Cleveland 30-7 Philadelphia
A tough game for the offence, with only 117 yards and 7 first downs (the TD came on a Wynn kickoff return for a TD), but Briggs actually came out of this game fairly well (17/25-107-0-1) - looks like I may have found a decent QB here...

The starters come in at this point to get rid of the rust before the regular season.

Week 4: Philadelphia 13-6 Indianapolis
Not a game for the fans of shootouts, but very much a vintage Eagles performance - the defence gives away very little, and the offence does just enough to win the game.

Week 5: Baltimore 7-17 Philadelphia
Another solid workmanlike performance, with the defence leading the way - DEs Salerno (3 sacks) and Hansen (2 sacks) were the star performers.

While we have a few injuries, and the offence seems to be a little short of explosiveness, the signs so far are encouraging. (Of course, every team has stories to tell about the season that follows a strong preseason...)

[MartinD]

2022 Regular Season

Week 1: Philadelphia 28-21 New York
A late TD made this one look closer than it actually was - the Eagles were in control pretty much all the way here. Hutchins (20/29-211-2-0) led the offence, with solid support from RB Logan (14-61-1) and Oskolkoff (7-76-1), with Salerno (2.0 sacks) and Hansen (2.5 sacks) continuing their pre-season pass-rush form.

Week 2: Jacksonville (0-1) 23-31 Philadelphia (1-0)
In my experience with various versions of FOF, always be wary of those games in which your team is favoured by a significant amount... Going into this game, the Eagles were favoured by the little matter of 22 points, but had to rely on a Hutchins to Oskolkoff pass with 2.42 left to win the game after a very good performance from the Jaguars. Hutchins (20/28-198-2-0) was his usual reliable self, but got good support from Tito Logan (16-117).

Week 3: Philadelphia (2-0) 14-10 New Orleans (1-1)
Two quick TDs to start the day, then a case of hanging on until the end of the game. Hutchins (24/30-200-1-2) made a couple of mistakes, but his teammates bailed him out - today's RB of choice, Sammie Shipman (16-63-1) kept things ticking over.

With a number of injuries in the defensive backfield (Linville, Branham and Lowe are all out for at least the next game, and Wilcox is doubtful), I cut LB/special-teamer Van Rabdau and sign FS Raymond Logan (3rd year, 27/41) - he won't help much in run support, but is solid in coverage and will contribute on special teams.

Week 4: Minnesota (2-1) 14-23 Philadelphia (3-0)
Another solid workmanlike performance, with the running game being surprisingly solid - Shipman (29-133) was the workhorse, with Hutchins (16/24-160-2-0) providing the cutting edge. The Vikings put up big numbers in the passing game (over 300 yards, with FL Franklin catching 11 balls for 170 yards), but could only score two TDs.

Week 5: Detroit (0-4) 6-16 Philadelphia (4-0)
Defences on top in this one, but the Eagles got enough out of their offence to take the win. DE Salerno (3 sacks) was the defensive star, while Hutchins (21/28-201-1-1) provided the impetus on offence.

Week 6: Philadelphia (5-0) 17-13 Green Bay (3-2)
Another strong defensive performance from the Eagles, led once again by veteran DE Rod Salerno, who had another 3-sack game - CB Jordan also performed well with an interception and three pass defences. On offence, Hutchins (19/27-191-2-0) and McIndoe (13-76) led the way.

Week 7: Philadelphia (6-0) 7-22 Washington (5-0)
A big game this early in the season in what looks to be a very high-quality division (the Giants have won four straight after their season-opening defeat to lie third in the division at 4-1 before the game). The Redskins dominate this game, though, with the Eagles offence struggling all day long.

Week 8: Bye

Week 9: Philadelphia (6-1) 13-14 Chicago (3-4)
One of those frustrating games where your team dominates in terms of yardage and time of possession, but can't get the points on the board... Hutchins (25/33-286-1-1) and Shipman (23-112) had big games, but the team couldn't get those points on the board. I suppose that we've been on the right side of quite a few of these games over the year's I've been in charge, so can't complain too much when one goes against us...

[MartinD]

Mid-season summary

Year                2022                                      
Record              6-2                                       
Winning Pct.        .750                                      
All-Time            138-125-1                                 
Winning Pct.        .524                                      
Playoffs            11-7                                      
Playoff Visits      8                                         
Bowl Wins           1                                         
Head Coach          Wesley Bandle                             
Record              116-69                                    
Winning Pct.        .627                                      
Off. Coord.         B. Meier                                  
Def. Coord.         E. Blackburn                              
   
Philadelphia Eagles     Team      Rank  
Rushes per Game         33.1      3           
Rushing Yards           135.9     3           
Yards Per Carry         4.10      12          
Pass Attempts           28.1      27          
Completions             19.8      18          
Completion Pct.         70.2      1           
Passing Yards           195.0     24          
Yards Per Attempt       6.93      8           
Yards Per Catch         9.87      24          
Total Yardage Gained    324.6     9           
3rd Down Conversions    41.0      10          
Points Per Game         18.6      16          
Pass Rush Pct.          10.5      29 (T)      
Pass Defense Pct.       49.7      14 (T)      
Turnovers               8         3 (T)       
Turnover Margin         +4        6           
   
Opponents               Team      Rank  
Rushes per Game         22.4      4           
Rushing Yards           90.3      4           
Yards Per Carry         4.03      20          
Pass Attempts           33.3      17          
Completions             22.3      29          
Completion Pct.         66.9      25          
Passing Yards           231.5     28          
Yards Per Attempt       6.96      23 (T)      
Yards Per Catch         10.40     16          
Total Yardage Gained    302.9     15 (T)      
3rd Down Conversions    36.0      12 (T)      
Points Per Game         15.5      6           
Pass Rush Pct.          11.1      7 (T)       
Pass Defense Pct.       29.0      2           
Turnovers               12        17 (T)      
   
Week  Team  Versus        Oppnt  
1     28    at NYK        21      
2     31    JAX           24      
3     14    at NOS        10      
4     23    MIN           14      
5     16    DET           6       
6     17    at GBY        13      
7     7     at WAS        22      
9     13    at CHI        14      
10          NYK                   
11          at DAL                
12          at TEN                
13          SFO                   
14          at HOU                
15          DAL                   
16          IND                   
17          WAS                   
   
Passing                 Pos   Att   Comp  Yards Y/Att TD    Int   Rate  
18 K. Hutchins          QB    225   158   1560  6.93  12    6     96.2    
**Team                  ---   225   158   1560  6.93  12    6     96.2    
$$Opp                   ---   266   178   1852  6.96  10    8     86.8    
   
Rushing                 Pos   Att   Yards Y/Att TD    Fum  
30 S. Shipman           RB    144   528   3.67  1     3       
34 T. Logan             RB    51    256   5.02  1     0       
32 E. McIndoe           RB    32    159   4.97  0     0       
18 K. Hutchins          QB    19    49    2.58  0     0       
33 V. Compton           RB    19    95    5.00  1     1       
**Team                  ---   265   1087  4.10  3     7       
$$Opp                   ---   179   722   4.03  3     12     
   
Receiving               Pos   Targ  Catch Yards Y/Ctc Y/Tar Drop  TD  
81 K. Oskolkoff         WR    57    44    547   12.43 9.60  3     6       
80 C. Douglas           WR    48    28    218   7.79  4.54  4     1       
86 R. Mori              WR    26    18    201   11.17 7.73  1     2       
88 C. Kelley            TE    24    17    186   10.94 7.75  2     2       
30 S. Shipman           RB    14    12    96    8.00  6.86  0     1       
31 C. Lane              FB    16    12    68    5.67  4.25  2     0       
   
Defense                 Pos   Tack  Asst  Sack  Hurr  Ints  Defn  PDPct  
54 J. Small             OLB   36    9     1.0   3     0     2     72.1    
51 S. Long              OLB   33    13    2.0   0     0     3     74.7    
23 X. Wilcox            S     27    13    0.5   0     0     7     84.0    
50 H. Robertson         ILB   26    7     0.0   0     0     1     73.0    
25 J. Jordan            CB    25    7     1.0   0     3     4     81.6    
91 R. Salerno           DE    22    5     8.0   8     0     0     81.6    
21 R. Lowe              S     22    7     0.0   0     1     2     79.8    
29 T. Wynn              CB    20    8     0.0   0     2     5     82.3    
26 B. Hastings          CB    20    3     0.0   0     0     1     74.2    
20 R. Logan             S     18    3     1.0   0     1     2     76.7    
99 T. Clayton           DT    17    5     2.0   4     0     0     82.0    
28 B. Baltzer           CB    15    5     0.0   0     0     1     74.2    
90 J. Hansen            DE    14    5     4.5   5     0     0     80.3    
97 R. Necaise           DT    13    8     2.0   1     0     0     80.6    
53 J. Malone            OLB   12    3     0.0   0     0     1     78.7    
96 D. Starks            DT    11    4     0.0   0     0     0     82.5    
27 G. Linville          CB    9     0     2.0   0     1     2     82.9    
56 E. Shannon           ILB   8     4     0.0   0     0     1     71.8

Not as big a season so far from a statistical point of view, but we've been winning games (at least until the last few weeks...) There has been a slight shift in emphasis towards the running game on offence, which explains Hutchins' numbers being down slightly. On defence, Salerno is the obvious standout, with Wynn and Jordan doing a good job in the defensive backfield.

One issue that needs to be addressed is starting flanker - rookie Charles Douglas has started every game so far, and has improved significantly over the season to date (is up to 39/51 at the moment, from 31/51 after camp), but he simply isn't making the big plays that I'd like to see him make. Samanta is no longer a legitimate option as a starter (if he ever was - he always seemed to be more productive as our third reciver), so the other option is to use either Oskolkoff or Mori as our starting flanker. I decide to go with Mori at flanker, with Douglas coming in as the third receiver - Samanta, who has been the backup flanker when healthy, drops to fifth receiver.

[MartinD]

Week 10: New York (5-3) 35-15 Philadelphia (6-2)
These are definitely worrying signs, as the team is looking very vulnerable right now. The Giants simply came out and dominated us after a slow start - the New York offence kept the ball moving consistently, while their defence did a very good job of stopping Philadelphia moving the ball. The only real exception was FL Douglas, who responded to his demotion to second-string flanker with a 5-catch, 126-yard performance.

Making things even worse is an injury to Keith Hutchins - our veteran QB is out for three weeks with a knee injury. With O.J. Hume also injured at this point (he's been holding for field goals), we're down to either Tyrus Monpoto (4th year, 23/41) or Dustin Briggs (5th year, 14/52). I decide to give Briggs first try at starting - this is thinking ahead of just the next few games, as I see Briggs as being a more likely prospect as the eventual replacement to Hutchins.

Week 11: Philadelphia (6-3) 13-24 Dallas (3-6)
Not a bad game to have to play a backup QB in on first glance, but Dallas simply took our defence apart with a powerful balanced offensive attack - two Cowboys' RBs gained over 100 yards, while their QB had over 200 yards passing. Briggs (5/11-62-0-0) struggled to move the team, so Monpoto (15/27-172-1-0) got a chance to play in the second half.

Hutchins is rated as probable after this game, 1 week to full recovery - there's enough of a drop-off behind him to justify taking the chance to play him at 'fairly high' performance with 'moderate' reinjury risk, so Briggs and Monpoto drop back to the bench.

Week 12: Philadelphia (6-4) 24-3 Tennessee (4-6)
Looks like the risk was worth it... At 1.50 left in the first half, leading 24-3, I make the call to pull QB Hutchins (10/12-111-2-0) to protect him from further injury, and trust that our defence can hold on. This defence seems to inspire that sort of trust, particularly when you have a guy like Jerome Jordan to work with - our top cornerback had a nice little game (4 tackles, 1 sack, an interception and a pass defence).

Looking at the injury report after this game, there is both good and bad news - the good is that Keith Hutchins is now fully healthy and ready to go, but the bad is that starting TE Charlie Kelley is out for the year with a serious hamstring injury. This means that rookie free agent Cary Rose is going to have to step up and be our starter the rest of the way...

Week 13: San Francisco (6-5) 6-24 Philadelphia (7-4)
This team may be a bit bashed-around and patched-up, but we still know how to play defence! The 49ers were held to 126 total yards and 9 first downs, while Hutchins (23/28-204-2-0) led an efficient offensive effort. Once again, DE Salerno (2.5 sacks) led the defensive effort.

Week 14: Philadelphia (8-4) 10-17 Houston (6-6)
The last-minute comeback attempt falls just short in this game - Hutchins found Oskolkoff with the deep pass, but four yards short of the endzone as time expired. Two missed field goals from veteran kicker Oden proved to be very important here.

In yet another injury update, SS Xavier Wilcox is the latest addition to our ever-increasing list - our starting strong safety is out for the year after requiring shoulder surgery. We are also without the services of starting guard Melvin Fau for a month or so due to a knee injury.

With three games left, the Eagles are outside the playoff spots looking in - the Redskins lead the NFC East at 9-4 (and would get a week off if the season ended today - 9-4 is the best record in the NFC, with only Kansas City (10-3) any better than that), with New York (8-5) holding a wild-card spot ahead of the Eagles on tiebreakers. We do have three home games to finish off the regular season, however, and still have Washington to play.

Week 15: Dallas (6-7) 3-9 Philadelphia (8-5)
Ugly, difficult to watch, but a much-needed win. Both teams ended up with only around 200 total yards of offence, and both teams turned it over several times, but the Eagles came out on top by forcing four turnovers to three, and taking advantage of their field goal opportunities. Veteran LB Shannon Long was game MVP after finishing the game with two sacks, a forced fumble and two fumble recoveries.

The win, coupled with a Washington loss, puts us tied at the top of the division with both New York and Washington - we're still on the outside looking in in terms of playoffs, though... (Just to keep the good news theme going, the injury list had a number of new additions this week, including starting receiver Oskolkoff, backup receiver McIndoe and backup CB Baltzer.)

Week 16: Indianapolis (4-10) 14-16 Philadelphia (9-5)
This one looked like a tough loss for a long time, as former Eagles QB Jeremy Wason threw two TD passes for the Colts, but a 71-yard drive in the last two and a half minutes led to the winning field goal. DE Rod Salerno continued his great season with another two sacks and the game MVP award.

Well, we're finally in a playoff spot - the win puts us in one of the wild-card spots (and there's only one team that can take that away from us - New York are the only other team who can go past us, but they're one game behind at 9-6.) We have a chance to earn a week off, though - our last game is against Washington, who share our 10-5 record, and are ahead of us only due to a tiebreaker.

Week 17: Washington (10-5) 11-24 Philadelphia (10-5)
With the injuries we've had this year, a week off would be very welcome. The team put in one of their more complete performances of the year, with Hutchins (17/18-196-1-0, rush TD) at his accurate best, CB Jordan making yet another pickoff, and the defence able to keep the Redskins in check for most of the day.

The win earns the Eagles another NFC East title and a first round bye, but doesn't appear to be enough to give us home-field advantage - the Bucs also finished at 11-5, but have a better conference record than Philadelphia.

Looking around the league, three teams in the AFC West made the playoffs with 10-6 records, while San Diego were the odd team out, only managing an 8-8 finish. Thirty of the thirty-two teams in the league finished between 5-11 and 11-5, with only New Orleans (3-13) and the reverse-perfection of Arizona (0-16) breaking the unrelenting spread of parity.

[MartinD]

2022 Playoffs

As the Eagles took the opportunity of enjoying a well-earned week off, the Redskins lost in the wild card round to San Francisco - the 49ers' win earned them a trip to Philadelphia in the divisional round.

The 49ers are led by 7th-year veteran QB Orlando Turnage - not a star, but a guy who managed over 3000 yards passing this season. His top receiver is SE Ronnie Sprague, a first round pick last year who was within touching distance of his first 1000-yard season this year. The ground game is in the hands of Ike Sganga, another former first-round pick. On defence, the guys to watch out for are veteran DE Dana Landrum (14.5 sacks) and CB Ernie Lofton (3 interceptions, 13 pass defences). The Eagles start out as 2-point favourites.

After winning the toss on a bright January day in Philadelphia, the Eagles took a short opening kickoff back into San Francisco territory - one Hutchins-inspired drive later, and the home team are up 7-0, the veteran QB throwing a 2-yard TD pass to Mori for the score. The 49ers came back with a good drive of their own, but stalled in the red zone and were forced to settle for a field goal to cut the lead to 7-3. Another long kickoff return from Wynn put the Eagles in good position again, and again they took advantage, Hutchins finding Douglas with a 3-yarder for his second TD pass of the day - 14-3 Philadelphia late in the first quarter.

After forcing a San Francisco punt, the Eagles were driving when McIndoe fumbled possession away - Turnage made the Eagles pay, throwing a 19-yard TD pass to Moore to get his team back within 4 once again at 14-10. CB/KR Thurman Wynn was having a great day on returns, however, and took the ensuing kickoff back the little matter of 105 yards for the TD - 21-10 Eagles. Neither team was able to get into scoring range in the remainder of the first half, so the Eagles took that 11-point lead into the locker room at half-time.

San Francisco got the ball first in the second half, knowing that they had a lot of work to do to come back against a team with a reputation for being good front-runners in the playoffs. They did not get a good start to the third quarter, though, with backup RB Fellin fumbling the ball away on their first possession - while Hutchins was unable to move the Eagles down the field for a TD, veteran K Matt Oden put his 44-yard field goal try right down the middle to extend the lead to 14 at 24-10. After forcing a three-and-out on San Francisco's next possession, the lead was extended by three more on Oden's 41-yard field goal after a short but productive drive from the Eagles offence. Now down by 17, Turnage tried to make too much happen on the 49ers' next drive, fumbling after deciding to scramble. Another short drive led to another Oden field goal - while the Philadelphia offence was unable to take advantage of starting on the San Francisco 33, Oden's third field goal of the quarter extended the lead to 30-10. With the game well in hand, the Eagles' defence emphasised that superiority by forcing another San Francisco punt to end the third quarter.

With a 20-point lead to defend, the fourth quarter was a formality for the Eagles - the defence was able to hold strong against a 49ers' offence forced to be one-dimensional, while a low-risk offensive effort was rewarded by two further Oden field goals, making the final score 36-10 Philadelphia.

While this was not a performance to make headlines, the Eagles put in a very solid showing in this game - the offence was effective (although the running game left a bit to be desired), while the defence stifled the 49ers' offence, with DE Rod Salerno leading the way with another multiple-sack showing. Special teams were also important, with both Wynn (3 kick returns for 175 yards and a TD) and Samanta (4 punt returns for 46 yards) doing their bit to change field position.

This win was not without a cost, however - top CB Jordan is out indefinitely after suffering from a serious anxiety attack, veteran guard Zack Martin and starting MLB Robertson both suffered Achilles injuries, while K Matt Oden will miss his first game in 14 years after breaking his leg. I decide to take a chance on rookie K Johnnie Sessions as Oden's replacement for the remainder of the season, and also sign 2nd-year MLB Albert Gaines to provide depth in the middle of our defence.

[MartinD]

NFC Championship Game

As I suspected, Tampa Bay have home-field advantage in the NFC playoffs on a tiebreaker, so we have to travel to Florida for this year's NFC Championship game. The Bucs have very few standout performers, but 10th-year veteran receiver Jerry Raymond (76 catches, 1249 yards) and rookie DE Mitch Brooks (10.5 sacks) have had very good years. The Tampa Bay offence is led by Shaun Langham, a 9th-year veteran who bounced around the league for a number of years before finding a starting job in Tampa (he actually played one year in Philadelphia in 2018 before being traded to the Bucs) - while he's an effective starter, he is prone to making the big mistake.

Tampa Bay go into the game as 3-point favourites, which looks to be a reasonable line for this game.

Philadelphia got the ball first, but were unable to muster a first down - by contrast, the Bucs started the game with a 74-yard drive, resulting in the game's first points on a Langham to RB Almon 12-yard TD pass. A holding penalty on the kickoff return meant that the Eagles started their next drive on their own 9, but Hutchins found Mori then Oskolkoff in stride on consecutive plays to get his team deep into Tampa territory - the drive stalled there, but rookie kicker Sessions made no mistake from 29 yards to make it 7-3. The first quarter ended with the Bucs again on the march - penalties stalled the drive, though, but the home team added a field goal to their total, making the score 10-3 early in the second quarter.

The defences started to get a feel for what the opposing offences were trying to do in the second quarter - both teams went three and out on their next drives, but the Tampa punt put the Eagles in a hole at their own 1. One first down gave Philadelphia a bit of breathing room, but a defensive stop gave the Bucs great field position, starting their next drive at the Philly 44. The Tampa offence was able to take advantage of the field position, with Langham throwing his second TD pass of the day, a 7-yarder to Raymond. Now down 17-3, the Eagles needed to put together a solid offensive drive to get back into the game - the Tampa defence forced a fumble from Douglas, giving their offence the ball in great field position once again. This time, the Bucs were unable to take advantage - the Eagles defence forced them to try a long field goal, which was unsuccessful. This miss turned the momentum back towards the Eagles, and Hutchins went to work, driving his team down the field - the veteran QB tried to force one pass a bit too much, though, and was picked off in the end zone. Neither team threatened to score for the remainder of the half, so the Bucs went in ahead by 14 at 17-3.

Tampa got the ball first in the third quarter - a penalty on the kick return saw them start inside their own 10. A sack from Hansen and Salerno forced Langham to try to force a pass on third and long, and Wynn made the interception, returning it 12 yards for a TD that brought the Eagles back within 7 at 17-10. A Tampa three-and-out gave the Eagles the ball back, but the offence was unable to gain a first down - the Bucs took advantage of the reprieve by driving down the field for a field goal to extend their lead to 10. The Bucs' defence kept up the momentum by forcing the Eagles to go three-and-out, and Tampa's offence took full advantage - an 80-yard drive ended in another Langham to Raymond touchdown pass, this time from 10 yards. Tampa's lead was now 17, with less than 15 minutes to play.

Down three scores, the Eagles' offence knew that a scoring drive was a must at this point - knowing that the Tampa defence would expect the pass, McIndoe and Shipman had their number called several times each on the ensuing drive, which was capped by Hutchins finding Mori from 6 yards out to bring Philadelphia back within range at 27-17. The Tampa offence tried to run the clock down a bit, but were only able to gain 5 yards on three plays, and were forced to punt, giving the Eagles' offence the ball back with a little over 6 minutes left. Hutchins found Oskolkoff and Mori on consecutive plays to move his team into scoring range, but once again tried to force a pass to Douglas, and the Bucs gratefully accepted the interception and a big let-off. That effectively ended the game, as the Bucs were able to run the clock down to the two-minute warning on their next possession, then stifled any chance of a last-minute comeback with some solid defence.

A solid all-round performance from Tampa Bay earned them this win - Langham (19/29-234-3-1) was game MVP, with solid support from RBs Almon (23-85, 5 catches for 40 yards and a TD) and Straw (12-52) and FL Raymond (5-96-2). On defence, the Bucs forced Hutchins into two interceptions, and put him under constant pressure. For the Eagles, Hutchins (16/34-187-1-2) did not have his best game, but Shipman (16-75) and Oskolkoff (4-84) put in good performances.

This was a bit of a disappointing game, but we were playing a very solid team in their own stadium - I can't really have any complaints about losing to an inferior team here!

The Bucs went on to win the Bowl, beating Denver 28-23.

[MartinD]

2022 Summary

Year                2022                                      
Record              12-6                                      
Winning Pct.        .666                                      
All-Time            143-128-1                                 
Winning Pct.        .527                                      
Playoffs            12-8                                      
Playoff Visits      9                                         
Bowl Wins           1                                         
Head Coach          Wesley Bandle                             
Record              122-73                                    
Winning Pct.        .625                                      
Off. Coord.         B. Meier                                  
Def. Coord.         E. Blackburn                              
   
Philadelphia Eagles     Team      Rank  
Rushes per Game         34.3      2           
Rushing Yards           129.1     6           
Yards Per Carry         3.77      24 (T)      
Pass Attempts           27.4      31          
Completions             18.8      23          
Completion Pct.         68.6      2           
Passing Yards           189.6     26          
Yards Per Attempt       6.91      7           
Yards Per Catch         10.08     21          
Total Yardage Gained    312.9     14          
3rd Down Conversions    37.9      15          
Points Per Game         17.8      20          
Pass Rush Pct.          10.4      32          
Pass Defense Pct.       51.8      13          
Turnovers               17        2 (T)       
Turnover Margin         +11       4           
   
Opponents               Team      Rank  
Rushes per Game         24.1      2           
Rushing Yards           100.6     8           
Yards Per Carry         4.18      22          
Pass Attempts           30.1      5           
Completions             19.6      10 (T)      
Completion Pct.         65.1      27          
Passing Yards           201.4     7           
Yards Per Attempt       6.70      22          
Yards Per Catch         10.30     14          
Total Yardage Gained    280.1     2           
3rd Down Conversions    34.2      7           
Points Per Game         14.8      2           
Pass Rush Pct.          11.8      4 (T)       
Pass Defense Pct.       34.1      2           
Turnovers               28        6 (T)       
   
Week  Team  Versus        Oppnt  
1     28    at NYK        21      
2     31    JAX           24      
3     14    at NOS        10      
4     23    MIN           14      
5     16    DET           6       
6     17    at GBY        13      
7     7     at WAS        22      
9     13    at CHI        14      
10    15    NYK           35      
11    13    at DAL        24      
12    24    at TEN        3       
13    24    SFO           6       
14    10    at HOU        17      
15    9     DAL           3       
16    16    IND           14      
17    24    WAS           11      
$$CS  36    SFO           10      
$$CF  17    at TBY        27      
   
Passing                 Pos   Att   Comp  Yards Y/Att TD    Int   Rate  
18 K. Hutchins          QB    383   274   2735  7.14  17    7     98.6    
**Team                  ---   439   301   3033  6.91  18    7     95.0    
$$Opp                   ---   481   313   3223  6.70  16    16    81.5    
   
Rushing                 Pos   Att   Yards Y/Att TD    Fum  
30 S. Shipman           RB    226   790   3.50  1     8       
32 E. McIndoe           RB    111   405   3.65  0     2       
34 T. Logan             RB    94    398   4.23  2     0       
33 V. Compton           RB    83    351   4.23  3     3       
**Team                  ---   548   2065  3.77  7     24      
Front Office Football 2007
$$Opp                   ---   385   1609  4.18  10    29      
   
Receiving               Pos   Targ  Catch Yards Y/Ctc Y/Tar Drop  TD  
81 K. Oskolkoff         WR    101   64    806   12.59 7.98  5     7       
80 C. Douglas           WR    81    51    509   9.98  6.28  5     1       
86 R. Mori              WR    74    50    602   12.04 8.14  2     4       
88 C. Kelley            TE    31    23    258   11.22 8.32  2     3       
31 C. Lane              FB    26    21    119   5.67  4.58  2     0       
87 C. Rose              TE    21    18    135   7.50  6.43  2     0       
   
Defense                 Pos   Tack  Asst  Sack  Hurr  Ints  Defn  PDPct  
54 J. Small             OLB   73    20    4.5   4     1     2     71.6    
50 H. Robertson         ILB   71    21    1.5   0     0     2     70.4    
51 S. Long              OLB   63    23    4.0   0     2     4     77.5    
91 R. Salerno           DE    56    17    15.0  14    0     0     81.2    
25 J. Jordan            CB    46    13    2.0   0     6     11    84.8    
21 R. Lowe              S     43    13    0.0   0     1     4     79.1    
99 T. Clayton           DT    36    16    7.5   5     0     0     81.9    
20 R. Logan             S     32    12    1.0   0     2     4     79.6    
27 G. Linville          CB    30    8     2.0   0     2     4     78.8    
29 T. Wynn              CB    29    9     0.0   0     2     8     82.5    
23 X. Wilcox            S     27    13    0.5   0     0     7     83.8    
90 J. Hansen            DE    26    13    8.5   8     0     0     80.8    
53 J. Malone            OLB   26    10    1.0   0     0     1     77.2    
26 B. Hastings          CB    26    5     0.0   0     0     1     72.2    
97 R. Necaise           DT    24    12    2.0   1     0     0     80.2    
96 D. Starks            DT    24    14    0.5   0     0     0     82.5    
28 B. Baltzer           CB    22    8     0.0   0     0     1     76.7    
24 L. Branham           CB    18    6     0.5   0     0     3     76.8    
56 E. Shannon           ILB   16    4     0.0   0     0     1     74.1    

This was a bit of a strange season - the offence wasn't quite as prolific (although this was partly due to a slight shift in emphasis towards the run - thought that this would be productive given our weakness at receiver and the strong offensive line), while the defence was solid rather than spectacular. The RB-by-committee approach was partly successful - neither Shipman or McIndoe was particularly productive, though - so this may be a sign that we need a solid starting back rather than trying to get by with lesser players. Our receivers did a reasonable job, although Douglas struggled to get downfield as much as I would have liked. On defence, the team did a good job - veterans Salerno and Jordan had good years, while Hansen and Clayton were also productive. Our kicking specialists were a bit of a disappointment, with Hawks having a poor year (36.7 yards net average) - Oden did a decent job (26/32 on field goals), but is definitely well onto the slippery slope. The return game was decent, though - first in the league in punt returns (10.7 yards/return), second on kick returns (28.8 yards/return) and best in the league for returns allowed.

2022 Season Awards

Three Eagles were mentioned in the season awards - CB Jerome Jordan was made a First Team All-Pro (for the third time, but the first time since 2016), while LG Zack Martin and DE Rod Salerno were included in the second team.

A late addition to the Eagles' contingent in the awards was head coach Wesley Bandle, who was the Coach of the Year for 2022.

Looking ahead to next season...

This may well be the season when the rebuilding project has to start - Keith Hutchins is a free agent once again, and our key defensive players (most notably Salerno and Jordan) are definitely on the downside of their careers. Our offensive line is in good shape, even with Martin's career winding down, but the offensive skill positions are definitely a bit threadbare.

Is this a team that is likely to be challenging for the Bowl next year? I suspect that this may be a bit unlikely.