Wednesday, 3 a.m.
5 Thoughts
- After three games, I am convinced that Mike Evans will get his 1,000 yards this season. I am also convinced that Rachaad White will get 1,000, only in feet.
2. If Tom Brady comes back at all, can he do it as a cornerback?
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3. It didn’t take long for the chuckleheads to start to yell for Kyle Trask, did it?
4. Do you think the Eagles were slowed down by the offensive lineman who got stuck in their cleats?
5. Okay, who let Byron Leftwich back into the building?
5 Comments
(From Todd Bowles’ day-after press conference)
(On running the ball): We’ve got to stay on our blocks a little longer. Obviously, it goes hand in hand. Rachaad [White] has to hit it. I think he tried to make too many big plays when it was a grind-it-out type of game. You’re not going to get big plays on these guys. You’ve got to start hitting it up in there, getting two, three, and four yards and hope you can break one later on. He probably had too many cuts trying to make an explosive play – something out of nothing – as opposed to taking what they give him. Given the magnitude of the game, knowing it was going to be one of those types of games, just from an experience standpoint he can get better that way and he will.”
(On Philadelphia’s success running the ball on Monday night): “When I left the game, I thought it was a lot worse than it was – I just thought they killed us. Watching the film this morning, we misfit some things and had some self-inflicted wounds. I thought they schemed up one of our defenses pretty good and got two runs out of it, which was good on their part. I thought we kind of misfit or ran out of our gaps on certain things, which is encouraging because it can be corrected – but at the same time, you don’t want it to happen.”
(On his assessment of C Robert Hainsey’s play this season): “I think it’s coming together as a group. He had some plays he’d like to have back, but I thought he’s been steady with his calls and been tough that way. Obviously, we’ve got to work on some technique things early in the season – as do all the other offensive linemen – but I think he’s been solid from a mental standpoint. We can be better from a physical standpoint all the way around.”
(On Tampa Bay’s rushing attack through three weeks and how it can improve): (On first-down run efficiency): “I think people load up when they see certain things. Maybe we start out passing a little more and open it up a little bit later, but we’ve got to block it better. We’ve got to continue to grind it. You don’t want these guys [pinning] their ears back and trying to come after Baker [Mayfield] like that. We’ve got to do a better job of executing – it’s really that simple.”
(On the desire for the team to continue generating takeaways and if he’s expecting to face New Orleans QB Derek Carr or Jameis Winston): “We hope to keep getting turnovers, especially in this game because the winner of this game usually has the margin of turnovers on their side. We’ll prepare for Jameis and [Carr] – I don’t think the offense will change that much either way. The bigger problem is going to be [Alvin] Kamara coming back and they’ll have a bit more juice in the backfield to go with the speed they have outside at receiver.”
Gameballs
Offense: Yeah, he dropped some passes. But Mike Evans was still the only threat the Bucs had.
Defense: Lavonte David had 13 tackles. Did anyone else make one?
Special teams: Let me get this right. Jake Camarda punted it too far?
Grades
Quarterback: Did you expect Baker Mayfield to go undefeated? Grade: C-.
Running back: Were the Eagles’ linemen laughing at White? Grade: F.
Offensive line: The Eagles just steamrolled the Bucs. Grade: F.
Defensive line: Didn’t the Bucs used to be hard to run against? Grade: F.
Linebackers; David was good.But the Eagles averaged five yards a carry. Grade: B.
Secondary: They seem to lose the best receivers. Grade: D.
Special teams: Camarda averaged 57.5 yards per punt. Grade: A.
Power Rankings
- Miami
2. Philadelphia
3. San Francisco
4. Kansas City
5. Dallas
Bottom Five
32. Denver
31. Chicago
30. Carolina
29. Minnesota
28. N.Y. Jets