Dave Uram
It’s silly to consider your typical Week 3 game in the NFL must-win for a 1-1 team. But, this isn’t your typical run-of-the-mill third regular season contest.
The Eagles are coming off a loss to Kansas City which head coach Doug Pederson called for 56 pass plays compared to only 13 rushing. The second-year skipper dialed up zero runs to running back LeGarrette Blount, who led the NFL in 2016 with 18 rushing touchdowns for the Super Bowl Champion New England Patriots. Pederson continued to allow the inferior interior lineman, Issac Seumalo, get run through by Chris Jones time and time again. And following all that, the Birds coach said he’s still learning a little bit.
Meanwhile, the 0-2 Giants are in disarray. Second-year head coach Ben McAdoo publicly called out two-time Super Bowl Champion quarterback Eli Manning for a costly delay of game penalty against the Detroit Lions during their tilt on Monday Night Football. The G-Men’s offensive line is worse than the Birds. And a team supposed to make the playoffs, if not win the division, is at risk of starting with an almost insurmountable record of 0-3.
If Pederson thought the criticism towards him after the Kansas City loss was bad, a defeat to the dysfunctional Giants in the Eagles’ 2017 home opener would multiply that by infinity.
Therefore, Sunday afternoon at The Linc is a must-win.
The run game must be established against a very strong defensive line. Carson Wentz’s offensive line must shore itself up and give the quarterback more time to look downfield, whether it’s Chance Warmack or Issac Seumalo is at left guard. And costly turnovers must be averted.
Basically, whatever negative happened in the Kansas City game, the Eagles must do the opposite.
The last thing this team needs is more discussion about whether Pederson is qualified. They also don’t want to be the first team to cave to a Giants offense that’s in shambles.
The Birds should emphasize burying Big Blue and essentially look to end their season before October.
Usually NFC East games are close no matter what, but a route is in order so Pederson’s critics can pipe down for at least one week.
Before I forget…
• At Brett Brown’s annual luncheon, the 76ers head coach and his boss Bryan Colangelo informed reporters Joel Embiid isn’t cleared for 5-on-5 basketball, despite meniscus surgery happening a half year ago. Colangelo even contradicted himself twice by saying it’s not about getting Embiid ready for the first practice or game, but he’ll be “on” both of them, only a matter of “how much the first practice or game, just a matter of “how much … if at all.” This is a simple take: there is no excuse for Embiid not to be ready for opening night considering the late March surgery was considered minor. Overprecaution is no longer an option for the Sixers, who received a rapid increase in season ticket sales. There are customers to serve and they’re not doing that without Embiid on the floor. Howard Eskin is correct, it’s contract related and it must be fixed. Embiid is the franchise. Nobody else.
• Speaking of “The Franchise,” how about Rhys Hoskins? Even though it has been over a week since Hoskins last hit a homerun, his four-RBI night against the Dodgers, in which he saw 30 pitches overall, was remarkable. The 24-year-old from Sacramento is intelligent beyond his years. He and Nick Williams were the “professional” hitters Pete Mackanin sought before the season. The future is very, very bright with the Phillies. They’re worth watching in a meaningless September, and will be even more so come next season. The beautiful thing is, there are still more kids to come.
• The Flyers experimented this week with Claude Giroux being moved to left wing in practice, centered by Sean Couturier with Jake Voracek on the other wing. The Flyers made news for the first time in a while, yet it reminded me how boring they are. The only ways this team will be interesting are if they win or start playing an abundance of youth, like Nolan Patrick. Otherwise, it’s going to be the same, old, middle of the road Orange and Black. Yawn. What happened to interesting hockey in Philadelphia?
Dave Uram is a weekly contributor to Philly Influencer. You can follow him on Twitter (@MrUram) and email him at [email protected].