Carson Wentz vs. Dak Prescott, a crazy Greg Ward stat and the forgotten greatness of Marion Campbell.
Not to mention the world's greatest Wendell Smallwood stat!
It's all here in this weekend's edition of Roob's 10 random offseason Eagles observations!
1. It’s always fun to compare Prescott and Wentz, and it’s really impossible not to. They came into the league the same year, they’re in the same division, they’ve both been to the Pro Bowl, they have incredibly similar stats, they face off twice a year, they’ve each led their team to two division titles in four years and they’re actually tied for eighth place in NFL history for most TDs by a quarterback in his first four years. But instead of comparing Wentz and Prescott, let’s take a moment to compare who they throw to. Here’s a list of the 10 receivers who’ve caught the most passes from Prescott and Wentz in their first four years in their league:
Prescott
Jason Witten (194), Ezekiel Elliott (189), Cole Beasley (174), Amari Cooper (132), Dez Bryant (118), Michael Gallup (99), Terrance Williams (97), Blake Jarwin (58), Randall Cobb (55) and Geoff Swaim (33).
Wentz
NFL
Zach Ertz (303), Nelson Agholor (156), Alshon Jeffery (143), Jordan Matthews (95), Dallas Goedert (82), Darren Sproles (68), Trey Burton (56), Miles Sanders (48), Dorial Green-Beckham (36), Torrey Smith (33), Wendell Smallwood (33).
I can’t wait to see what their numbers look like when Carson’s weapons match Dak’s.
2. I’ve never understood why so many Eagles fans don’t like Jim Schwartz. The Eagles have allowed the seventh-fewest points in the NFL (and won a Super Bowl) in four years with Schwartz as their defensive coordinator. And that’s with just two elite players — Fletcher Cox and Malcolm Jenkins. And about 50 cornerbacks. Speaks volumes of the job Schwartz has done with limited resources.
3. The most comical complaint about Schwartz is that “he doesn’t adjust.” Only four teams have allowed fewer points after halftime than the Eagles since 2016 (the Patriots, Titans, Ravens and Vikings).
4. One of the most underrated figures in Eagles history is Marion Campbell. If all you know about the Swamp Fox is that he went 18-29-1 in three miserable years as the Eagles’ head coach between Dick Vermeil and Buddy Ryan, you’re missing out. First of all, Swampy was a two-time Pro Bowl lineman for the Eagles and a first-team All-Pro who started on the 1960 NFL Championship team. As Vermeil’s defensive coordinator, he had the Eagles ranked in the top 10 in defense every year he coached — five straight years! — with the exception of the strike-shortened 1982 season. The Eagles were No. 1 in 1980 and 1981 — the only times since 1951 they’ve been the top-ranked defense in the NFL. Campbell, who died in 2016 at 87, is a notable omission from the Eagles’ Hall of Fame.
5. Speaking of the Eagles’ Hall of Fame, why the heck is running back Ollie Matson in there? Ollie is a Hall of Famer, but that’s because of his five straight All-Pro seasons with the Cards early in his career, long before he arrived in Philly. By the time he joined the Eagles in 1964, he was 34 years old and a deep reserve. Matson managed just 608 rushing yards and a 4.1 average and 25 catches for 301 yards with 10 total TDs in three seasons with the Eagles. He barely played. Miles Sanders already has more scrimmage yards than Matson as an Eagle!
But in 1987, for reasons nobody can remember, Matson was inducted into the Eagles Hall of Fame. Bizarre. May as well put in Art Monk, James Lofton and Richard Dent while we’re putting in guys who were way past their glory years by the time they became Eagles.
6. Ertz is one of only four tight ends in NFL history with five straight 70-catch seasons. The others are Travis Kelce, Witten and Tony Gonzalez.
7. I was watching Mike Patterson’s remarkable 98-yard fumble return touchdown against the 49ers at Candlestick Park in 2006 on YouTube the other day. Remember the play? Dawk stuffed Frank Gore at the goal line and stripped him, and before anybody else even realized the ball was out, Patterson scooped it up and began rumbling toward the opposite end zone while Quintin Mikell blocked Alex Smith all the way down the field. Just timed Mike with a stopwatch: 13.7 seconds from the time he picked up the ball till he scored! Not bad for a 305-pounder! That was a fun play.
8. One of the reasons I don’t worry about Wentz is his remarkable consistency. He has 29 starts since 2017 with a passer rating of at least 90, fifth-most in the league, behind Drew Brees (33), Kirk Cousins (32), Russell Wilson (31) and Philip Rivers (30). Bad games? He’s had just three games with a passer rating under 70, and since 2017 some 43 quarterbacks have had more. When you’re usually very good and rarely very bad, it’s a winning formula … if you’re healthy.
9. I never realized this before, but when LeSean McCoy played one snap in the Chiefs’ 51-31 playoff win over the Texans in January it was the first and only snap Shady ever played in his career in a postseason win.
10. If you take Ward’s 28 catches over the last six weeks of last season and project them over 16 games, he catches 75 passes. If you take Mack Hollins’ 0 catches over the last 12 weeks and project them over … oh, never mind.
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