Philadelphia Eagles vs. New York Giants Semi-Coherent Preview
By Mike Lacy
The Philadelphia Eagles-New York Giants matchup is previewed.
So..that was unexpected, huh? After the Eagles were eliminated from playoff consideration, Chip Kelly was eliminated from the Eagles organization on Tuesday evening. Despite losing their coach, the team still has a game remaining on the schedule, so like it or not, they will have to suit up and play on Sunday.
This game might have less intensity than a typical preseason contest. At least in preseason games, players are fighting for jobs, and the team still has optimism about the season ahead.
Meanwhile, their opponents might be playing for their coach’s job. It seems likely that Tom Coughlin will no longer be the Giants’ coach next season, but the players may want to make that decision as difficult as possible for the front office.
New York Giants
Record: 6-9
Head coach: Tom Coughlin
Last week: Lost to Vikings 49-17
The Last Time They Met
When the Eagles faced the Giants in week six, the Eagles proved themselves the less-crappy of the two teams.
Eli Manning opened the game on a roll, and marched the Giants down the field with ease on their first drive. It looked like it was going to be a long night for the defense, but thanks to some brilliant coaching by Bill Davis (no, seriously), the Eagles adjusted and made life miserable for Manning for the rest of the night.
Offensively, the Eagles didn’t look spectacular, but the 20 points they put up (the defense contributed an additional seven) were more than enough. With a 121 yard night, it kinda appeared that maybe DeMarco Murray was beginning to almost get untracked. Unfortunately, this turned out to be the high mark of the season for him.
Listen: Section 215 Podcast
What’s New with the Giants
I’ve called Giants coach Tom Coughlin a zombie, because every time it looks like he’s going to get fired, the Giants miraculously turn things around. That said, I don’t see how he can survive another year. This will be his fourth straight season missing the playoffs, and his third straight with a losing record.
Coughlin’s Giants will now have missed the playoffs in six of the last seven years. (By the way, there’s some good ammunition for the case against Eli Manning being a Hall of Famer.) If not for the fact that they somehow won the Super Bowl in that seventh year, Coughlin probably would have been canned long ago.
Sadly, that means that Sunday may be the last time we ever see the Coughlin face!
As for Manning, he hasn’t been the problem this year, as he’s having a pretty solid season. However, the passing game is about the only area where the Giants excel. (Unlike the Eagles, they at least have one area that they can point to as a definitive strength.) They rank 26th in the NFL in rushing yards, while their defense is dead last in defensive yards allowed.
Featured Giants Player: Odell Beckham, Jr.
Last week, I mentioned Odell Beckham, Jr.’s meltdown against the Panthers, and how it earned him a one-game suspension. Will teams attempt to employ similar mind games against him in the future?
It wouldn’t surprise me to see OBJ regularly take extra shots from defenders hoping to rattle him. And if teams are wise, they’ll send bat-wielding special teamers to greet him before every game.
The Eagles did a pretty good job against Beckham last time they played. It’s clear that Byron Maxwell isn’t capable of shutting down a top receiver by himself, but given a decent amount of help, he can be effective.
I wouldn’t mind seeing Eric Rowe get some chances against Beckham. The rookie corner showed some signs that he might be a player; at the very least, he has the inside track for a starting job next season. Since Beckham isn’t going anywhere any time soon, it might be time to see how the rookie measures up against him.
And given Maxwell’s health, we may very well get a chance to see Beckham defended by Rowe.
Reason to Hate the Giants
The Giants have missed the playoffs six out of the past seven years…but they’ve also won two Super Bowls in the past ten years. Stupid Giants.
Key Eagles Storyline: The Rise of Pat Shurmur
With Kelly fired, offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur will handle head coaching duties on Sunday. Will he fare as well as legendary interim coach Fred Bruney who took over for Marion Campbell with one game remaining in the 1985 season? (The Eagles won that game 37-35 against the Vikings.)
Perhaps more importantly, will any Eagles players actually give full effort? There have been questions about the team’s character all season, and if they couldn’t get fully motivated for what was essentially a playoff game last week, I can’t see them trying too hard this time either.
On the other hand, there is one player I expect to have a big game…
Nick vs. Sam
Since they were traded for each other, it’s only natural that fans would want to compare how Nick Foles and Sam Bradford are faring on their new teams. I’ll take a weekly look at the two quarterbacks and decide who holds the edge.
This seems like the perfect opportunity for Sam Bradford to have a breakthrough performance. Remember how great he looked in the preseason? Well, he’s dealing with preseason-like conditions on Sunday.
He’s matched against an awful pass defense, neither team is going to be trying too hard, and he’s playing for a new contract. I expect him to throw for 350 yards with three touchdowns (I’d say more, but remember, the Eagles tend to drop a lot of passes), and he’ll convince some team to offer him a huge contract this offseason.
Meanwhile, Nick Foles is still on the bench.
Sure, Foles sucked for the Rams this season, but that doesn’t necessarily mean he’d have been as bad here. Remember, a lot of the Bradford apologists claim that he needed some time to adjust to a new system. We’ve seen Foles be successful in Kelly’s offense, so it isn’t unreasonable to think he could have done it again.
Knowing what we know now, I would undo that trade. Maybe Foles would have sucked just as bad, but they would have missed the playoffs either way and still had a second round pick. They also wouldn’t be in danger of giving franchise quarterback money to a guy who has never really proven to be worth it.
So with all that in mind, the edge goes to Nick Foles (plus a second round pick).
Mocking the East
Part of the fun of being a football fan is taking pleasure in the misfortune of your favorite team’s rivals. Each week, I’ll find a reason to make fun of one of the other teams in the NFC East.
Are the Redskins the least impressive NFC East champions ever? Probably.
Super Bowl Year Song of the Week
The Eagles have not made many appearances in the Super Bowl (Two, to be exact). Each week I’m going to take a song from one of the franchise’s Super Bowl seasons (1980 and 2004) that somehow relates to this week’s game.
Better Love Next Time – Dr. Hook, 1980
Maybe Jeffrey Lurie will get it right with his next coaching hire.
The Week in Andy
Although Andy Reid is no longer the coach of the Eagles, I’m sure many fans miss the guy. Therefore, every so often, I’ll take a look at what “Big Red” is up to in Kansas City.
The scene: Chiefs general manager John Dorsey enters Andy Reid‘s office after hearing the news about Chip Kelly’s firing.
Dorsey: Did you hear the news?
Reid: What news?
Dorsey: They fired Chip Kelly!
Reid: Who fired who now?
Dorsey: Chip Kelly – the guy who replaced you in Philadelphia.
Reid: Philadelphia? Oh yeah, I did use to coach there, didn’t I?
Dorsey: Seems like a lifetime ago, huh?
Reid: I don’t know. Who can keep track of these things. I think I coached in Green Bay once too.
Dorsey: You did. I was on your staff. That’s how we met.
Reid: Ah. I thought you looked familiar!
Dorsey: Anyway, it must make you feel good to have outlasted him here.
Reid: Outlasted who?
Dorsey: Chip Kelly. The guy who replaced you in Philly.
Reid: Right. Is he the visor guy?
Dorsey: Yes, he’s the visor guy.
Reid: Oh yeah, now I remember. He was all like, “We gotta call these plays fast! We gotta run the ball! We gotta worry about the clock!”. I told him that would never work in the NFL.
Dorsey: Well, he is considered an innovator.
Reid: Innovation? You know what innovation is? Innovation is finding a new way to throw the ball deep on third-and-short each week. Innovation is finding ways to completely minimize the running game. That’s how you innovate!
Dorsey: Sure. Anyway, I’ll leave you alone now. You gotta start planning for the playoffs, right?
Reid: Yeah….say, did we make the playoffs this year?
Dorsey: Yes.
Reid: Cool.
Next: Louis Riddick Doubles Down on Ripping Howie Roseman
Prediction
Bradford will have a good game, but the Giants are playing for Coughlin’s job. But honestly, this game means nothing, so your guess is as good as mine.
Giants 33 – Eagles 24