Post by TheShadow on Nov 3, 2013 10:44:13 GMT -5
www.insidebayarea.com/
By Jerry McDonald
ALAMEDA -- The Philadelphia Eagles haven't exactly revolutionized offensive football, but Raiders coach Dennis Allen believes there is still plenty to worry about.
With an up-tempo, no-huddle offense imported by coach Chip Kelly from the University of Oregon, the Eagles (3-5) have scored just 10 points in their last two weeks combined.
"I look at the whole body of work, not just the last couple of weeks," Allen said. "This is an explosive offense that can put a lot of points on the board. We have to understand who we're dealing with."
With Michael Vick out with a hamstring strain, Nick Foles, having been cleared after a concussion, will start at quarterback Sunday against the Raiders at O.co Coliseum. He'll be backed up by rookie Matt Barkley, who struggled in back-to-back losses to the Cowboys and Giants.
It was precipitous fall from Week 1, when the Eagles generated a leaguewide buzz after running an incredible 53 plays and scoring 26 points in the first half of a 33-27 win over the Washington Redskins.
ESPN analyst Ron Jaworski proclaimed the Eagles had "changed the landscape of the NFL from a philosophical and schematic approach to how the game is played."
Vick told reporters "when the first quarter was over, I thought we were going into halftime ... the only thing I could tell myself is it's going to be a long season."
Eight weeks later, the Eagles have put up some impressive yardage totals but are tied for 18th in scoring at 22 points per game. The no-huddle offense is generating 67.8 plays per game, only slightly above the NFL average of 65.3.
The Eagles have the Oregon trait in that they don't have the ball for long -- their time of possession is second to last in the NFL at 25:30 -- but without the avalanche of points.
"I don't want to say it's a college game at the pro level, but it's a college theory -- get your athletes in space and let 'em make plays," Raiders linebacker Kevin Burnett said.
The Eagles have 45 plays of 20 more yards, the most in the NFL and five more than the Denver Broncos. They are tied for first with 37 passing plays of 20 or more yards and tied for second with nine touchdowns of 20 or more yards.
Running back LeSean McCoy leads the NFL in rushing with 733 yards, and wide receiver DeSean Jackson has 45 receptions for 673 yards and five touchdowns. Despite the limited time with the ball, the Eagles are fifth in total offense at 397.1 yards per game.
"They do some things from a tempo standpoint that can make it difficult on you," Allen said. "They do some things where the concept of the offense is really to spread the defense out and get their playmakers in space. Being a great space tackling team will be critical in this game."
With the Raiders having already faced no-huddle elements, including Denver's Peyton Manning and San Diego's Philip Rivers, Philadelphia's tempo shouldn't come as a surprise.
Defensive coordinator Jason Tarver, who coached against Oregon while co-defensive coordinator at Stanford, said: "There are so many people playing at this pace now. This is the trend at all levels of football, so we're equipped to get calls in very quickly. That's built into our system."
Even so, cornerback Tracy Porter hasn't forgotten what the Eagles did in the first half of their first game.
"They had a full game's worth of plays in the first half, so they're definitely up-tempo, slightly more up-tempo than normal no-huddle teams," Porter said. "It's going to be a task, but if we can stop those guys on third down, it's going to limit the snaps the have."
Tackle Tony Pashos (hip), guard-center Andre Gurode (knee) and safety Tyvon Branch (ankle) were ruled out against Philadelphia. Tackle Menelik Watson (calf) and wide receiver Andre Holmes (hamstring) were limited in practice and questionable.
Watson, the Raiders' second-round draft pick this year, might be active as a backup tackle. He has yet to play in a regular-season game.
"Physically he looks like he's ready to go," Allen said.
By Jerry McDonald
ALAMEDA -- The Philadelphia Eagles haven't exactly revolutionized offensive football, but Raiders coach Dennis Allen believes there is still plenty to worry about.
With an up-tempo, no-huddle offense imported by coach Chip Kelly from the University of Oregon, the Eagles (3-5) have scored just 10 points in their last two weeks combined.
"I look at the whole body of work, not just the last couple of weeks," Allen said. "This is an explosive offense that can put a lot of points on the board. We have to understand who we're dealing with."
With Michael Vick out with a hamstring strain, Nick Foles, having been cleared after a concussion, will start at quarterback Sunday against the Raiders at O.co Coliseum. He'll be backed up by rookie Matt Barkley, who struggled in back-to-back losses to the Cowboys and Giants.
It was precipitous fall from Week 1, when the Eagles generated a leaguewide buzz after running an incredible 53 plays and scoring 26 points in the first half of a 33-27 win over the Washington Redskins.
ESPN analyst Ron Jaworski proclaimed the Eagles had "changed the landscape of the NFL from a philosophical and schematic approach to how the game is played."
Vick told reporters "when the first quarter was over, I thought we were going into halftime ... the only thing I could tell myself is it's going to be a long season."
Eight weeks later, the Eagles have put up some impressive yardage totals but are tied for 18th in scoring at 22 points per game. The no-huddle offense is generating 67.8 plays per game, only slightly above the NFL average of 65.3.
The Eagles have the Oregon trait in that they don't have the ball for long -- their time of possession is second to last in the NFL at 25:30 -- but without the avalanche of points.
"I don't want to say it's a college game at the pro level, but it's a college theory -- get your athletes in space and let 'em make plays," Raiders linebacker Kevin Burnett said.
The Eagles have 45 plays of 20 more yards, the most in the NFL and five more than the Denver Broncos. They are tied for first with 37 passing plays of 20 or more yards and tied for second with nine touchdowns of 20 or more yards.
Running back LeSean McCoy leads the NFL in rushing with 733 yards, and wide receiver DeSean Jackson has 45 receptions for 673 yards and five touchdowns. Despite the limited time with the ball, the Eagles are fifth in total offense at 397.1 yards per game.
"They do some things from a tempo standpoint that can make it difficult on you," Allen said. "They do some things where the concept of the offense is really to spread the defense out and get their playmakers in space. Being a great space tackling team will be critical in this game."
With the Raiders having already faced no-huddle elements, including Denver's Peyton Manning and San Diego's Philip Rivers, Philadelphia's tempo shouldn't come as a surprise.
Defensive coordinator Jason Tarver, who coached against Oregon while co-defensive coordinator at Stanford, said: "There are so many people playing at this pace now. This is the trend at all levels of football, so we're equipped to get calls in very quickly. That's built into our system."
Even so, cornerback Tracy Porter hasn't forgotten what the Eagles did in the first half of their first game.
"They had a full game's worth of plays in the first half, so they're definitely up-tempo, slightly more up-tempo than normal no-huddle teams," Porter said. "It's going to be a task, but if we can stop those guys on third down, it's going to limit the snaps the have."
Tackle Tony Pashos (hip), guard-center Andre Gurode (knee) and safety Tyvon Branch (ankle) were ruled out against Philadelphia. Tackle Menelik Watson (calf) and wide receiver Andre Holmes (hamstring) were limited in practice and questionable.
Watson, the Raiders' second-round draft pick this year, might be active as a backup tackle. He has yet to play in a regular-season game.
"Physically he looks like he's ready to go," Allen said.