December 19, 2024
The Eagles are 12-2 and have a shot at a first-round bye in the NFC. Before they attempt to clinch the NFC East with a win over the Washington Commanders on Sunday, here are five thoughts I currently have about the Birds...
I promise you this isn't akin to LeBron James saying he knew Kobe Bryant would score 70-plus points the night of his 81-point game. When the Eagles drafted Jordan Mailata absent an American football background in 2018, maybe it was just the post-Super Bowl shine, but there was a palpable excitement among the Eagles fan base that this would somehow, some way work out. Philadelphia had just watched magic transpire that winter and why would any of that change? That more so meant, "The Birds will turn him into an NFL player because everything is so rosy in Philly at the moment" rather than "He will become the most fearsome mauler in the sport." Well, the latter has come to fruition.
All the credit in the world to Jeff Stoutland University, but give the man himself his flowers, too.
Mailata is an absolute force in the run game for the league's most dangerous rushing attack. He's allowed just a single sack in the 10 games he's played this season on 343 pass-blocking snaps, per Pro Football Focus. He's PFF's highest-graded offensive tackle, something no Eagles OT has done since future Hall of Famer Jason Peters back in 2014.
I wrote about Mailata's injury derailment, as he missed a handful of games, hurting his chances of those big Pro Bowl or All-Pro accolades earlier in the month, but if he plays 13 games, that's reasonable enough to put him into the conversation given how dominant he's been once he stepped on the field, right? His case has only heightened since then! No organization values offensive line play more than the Birds and no city appreciates it more than Philadelphia.
He's also apparently boys with Pete Davidson?
Jordan Mailata with a big hug for comedian Pete Davidson after the win pic.twitter.com/XAyxQ0PRHS
— John Clark (@JClarkNBCS) December 16, 2024
The guy's doing it all right now!
The trade deadline has long come and gone in the NFL, but could there be one move waiting for the Birds ahead of the postseason?
38-year-old three-time All-Pro Calais Campbell could be on the move soon if the Dolphins are fully out of the playoff picture, per Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald, who writes:
While making clear that his focus is entirely on Sunday’s game, Campbell disclosed recently that before the trade deadline, he and general manager Chris Grier discussed a scenario in which he could possibly join a playoff contender if the Dolphins are eliminated from postseason contention.
“Weeks back, before the trade deadline, there was a small conversation you really didn’t hope would ever even become a thing,” he said Wednesday. “It was just something to talk about, nothing concrete. I don’t know if we’re there just yet. It’s definitely something you think about.
“A lot of moving parts. We’re kind of staying in the moment. [But] it’s definitely something you have to think about.” [Miami Herald]
With franchise legend Brandon Graham out for the remainder of the season, could a different star veteran take upon his role? Campbell has 109.5 career sacks to his name. He's played in 58 percent of Miami's defense snaps this season, which is more than what Graham was playing (46 percent). If Miami is truly out of it and the Eagles want some extra pass-rushing juice for January and maybe even February, Howie Roseman would be wise to keep tabs on what's going on with Campbell, who has four sacks on the year, and the Dolphins.
The Eagles have had three games this season where they've held opponents to under 200 total yards of offense. No Eagles defense has done that since the 2008 team, which did so three times as well. That team was strange. Their record was nothing special at 9-6-1. They needed all the luck in the world to reach the postseason to begin with and then were just a couple minutes short of returing to the Super Bowl in a heartbreaking loss in Arizona.
At different points, they were 2-2, 3-3, and 5-5-1. That screams mediocrity, right?
They were sixth in points scored and ninth in yards gained though. On the opposite side of the ball, they were fourth in points allowed and third in yards surrendered. That's dominant stuff!
Anyway, the Eagles should be giving Vic Fangio a blank check to remain as the team's defensive coordinator for as long as the 66-year-old still feels like coaching. They've run the Fangio-style scheme during the Nick Sirianni era to varying results, but it's a whole different thing when the man himself is calling the shots.
As the Eagles were in the process of moving to 13-1 on Dec. 19, 2004, Cowboys safety Roy Williams yanked down superstar wideout Terrell Owens, causing Owens to have a sprained ankle and fractured fibula.
The horse-collar tackle, due to injuries like this, and maybe this one more than any other, was banned in the ensuing offseason. Owens missed the remainder of the regular season and the Eagles' two NFC playoff games, but Owens returned for the Super Bowl against New England in Jacksonville. Owens had nine catches for 122 yards while playing through injury in the Big Game. It's one of the most valiant performances, given the stage and how beloved, for a time, the player was, in the city's history.
The Eagles are playing in Landover this weekend?
I might as well end with this highlight:
.@MichaelVick and @DeSeanJackson11 together was way too much fun to watch. pic.twitter.com/eALSbDAfE9
— NFL Legacy (@NFLLegacy) March 12, 2019
There was little doubt in my 16-year-old mind that evening that the Eagles would win the Super Bowl. Turns out, they wouldn't even win a single playoff game for another seven years.
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