Sometimes 10 Observations just isn’t enough.
When I finished my post-game 10 Instant Observations Saturday night, I left a bunch of Obs on the proverbial cutting room floor.
There just wasn't enough room.
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Hated to see them go to waste, so the only solution was a Bonus 10 Observations!
So here – for the first time in 10 Observations history – are Observations 11 through 20 off Eagles-Giants!
11. We’ve talked a lot about what a terrific job Howie Roseman has done building this roster with blockbuster acquisitions like A.J. Brown and Haason Reddick and draft picks like Jalen Hurts and DeVonta Smith. But one thing Roseman has been exceptional at is the under-the-radar moves that barely cause a ripple when they’re made but wind up making a huge impact. Kenny Gainwell was a 5th-round pick. Boston Scott was signed off the Saints’ practice squad. Marcus Epps was a waiver claim. Reed Blankenship and Britain Covey are undrafted rookies. Josh Sweat was a 4th-round pick. T.J. Edwards was undrafted back in 2019. Jordan Mailata was a freaking rugby player. None of those guys made a splash when they got here, but they’re all contributing to a 15-win team that’s one win from the Super Bowl.
12. The Eagles have drafted 42 quarterbacks, and Jalen Hurts is only the fourth to win a playoff game. Donovan McNabb won nine, Nick Foles four and Randall Cunningham one (and two more with the Vikings). So Foles and McNabb are the only QBs in history that the Eagles drafted to win more playoff games than Hurts. Who is 24.
NFL
13. Kenny Gainwell is the first 5th-round pick under 24 years old to rush for 100 yards in a playoff game since Pete Banaszak of the Raiders had 116 yards in a 40-7 win over the Oilers in the 1967 AFL Championship Game. Gainwell is one talented kid. If the Eagles are unable to sign Miles Sanders, Gainwell could be the guy next year.
14. Andy Reid hasn’t coached in Philly in 10 years, but it’s remarkable how his fingerprints are still all over this team. It starts with the emphasis on the two lines that Big Red brought to the franchise when he got here. The importance of building a roster around the offensive and defensive lines is something Andy instilled in Howie Roseman and something Roseman has continued long after Andy left. The Eagles might have the best offensive line and defensive line in the NFL and we saw that Saturday night. The Eagles were absolutely dominating in the trenches on both sides of the ball. And three of their key lineman are Jason Kelce, Fletcher Cox and Brandon Graham, guys Reid drafted here over a decade ago. And remember, it was under Reid’s watch that Roseman ascended from a low-level salary cap administrator in 2002 to general manager in 2010. Howie still talks about the football lessons he learned from Andy, lessons he applied in building the 2017 Super Bowl roster and again five years later a 15-win team that’s one win from another Super Bowl. Andy Reid’s lasting impact on this franchise is astonishing.
15. And Andy’s impact is truly league-wide. Look at the 2022 playoff teams. Bucs defensive coordinator Mike Caldwell, 49ers defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans, Jags head coach Doug Pederson, Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy and Giants offensive coordinator Mike Kafka all played for him. Pederson, Bieniemy and Kafka all coached under him as well. And Bills head coach Sean McDermott and defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier and Ravens head coach John Harbaugh were all on his original 1999 Eagles coaching staff, and Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles coached under him his final year here. That’s NINE playoff head coaches or coordinators who played or coached under Big Red. Plus Big Red, whose 20 playoff wins are 2nd-most all-time behind Bill Belicheck’s 31. Most amazing, Caldwell, Pederson, McDermott, Frazier, Spagnuolo, Kafka and Harbaugh all got their first NFL coaching jobs under Andy. Just astounding.
16. One thing that really stuck out to me Saturday night was just how much more physical the Eagles were than the Giants. On both sides of the ball. Whether it was T.J. Edwards and Kyzir White getting big sticks on Saquon Barkley, Haason Reddick manhandling Evan Neal, Dallas Goedert stiff-arming Adoree Jackson into submission, Jason Kelce bulldozing Dexter Lawrence, Miles Sanders and Kenny Gainwell breaking tackles or A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith and Zach Pascal blocking their butts off, the Eagles were the aggressors all night, and the Giants just couldn’t match their intensity. And everybody who doubted whether the Eagles could be a physical team with short training camp practices, Wednesday walkthroughs and veteran rest days you would think has changed their mind by now.
17. One really under-rated move Saturday night by Nick Sirianni and Shane Steichen was playing Zach Pascal more than Quez Watkins, something that didn’t happen all year in the regular season. Watkins averaged 40 snaps this year and Pascal averaged 20. But against the Giants, Pascal got 26 and Watkins a season-low 24. Why? Watkins is a speedy deep threat, Pascal is a tough physical slot. And in this game, against this opponent, with this gameplan, it made more sense to have an elite run-blocking receiver on the field than a big-play specialist. Pascal was targeted once and caught a four-yard pass and Watkins wasn’t targeted. But it wasn’t about that. It was about what each one brings to the table and who fit what the Eagles wanted to do against the Giants. It was all about being physical, running the ball and beating down the Giants, and if that’s the plan, Pascal’s your guy. And it worked to perfection. Fantastic coaching right there.
18. “The Eagles haven’t played anybody.” People throw this stuff out there without a clue what they’re talking about. The Eagles are now 8-1 this year against winning teams, the best record by any NFL team since 2007, when the Patriots were 9-1.
19. Veteran punter Brett Kern had an under-the-radar terrific game Saturday night, his best since he joined the Eagles six games ago. Kern averaged 43.0 yards and actually has the statistical oddity of having a higher net average – 44.0 - than gross average thanks to the Giants having negative punt return yardage. Kern dropped his three punts on the Giants’ 7-, 9- and 12-yard-lines, which was huge. All three of his punts wound up at the 12-yard-line or deeper. In his first five games as an Eagle, Kern punted 10 times and had one inside the 20 with a 40.8 average and a 36.6 net. Kern had been pretty terrible since replacing injured Arryn Siposs, but he was tremendous Saturday.
20. The Gannon Truthers keep referencing all those 80 percent games against the Eagles early last year, which is idiotic for a few reasons. First of all, two of those five 80 percent games were by two of the greatest QBs in history – Tom Brady and Patrick Mahomes. All five were in the first half of the season with a new coaching staff, a new team and not a whole lot of talent. By the second half of the season, you could see the progress. From Week 8 through Week 17, the Eagles held QBs to 65 percent and an 83.4 rating – 11th-best in the league, and allowed the 8th-fewest passing yards in the league. Why don’t people understand these things take time? Jim Johnson is one of the greatest defensive minds in NFL history, and his first Eagles defense in 1999 was ranked 24th in the NFL. And that was with Dawk, Trott, Hugh, Willie T, Troy, Bobby and Hollis. What Gannon has done this year is nothing short of brilliant. No. 1 pass defense. No. 1 in sacks. No. 1 in yards allowed per play. Fifteen yards from No. 1 overall defense. Allowed seven meaningless points, 227 yards and 109 net passing yards Saturday night in a playoff game. What on Earth more do you want?