First of all, it is a bummer that NFLN-TV has turned its nose up on this PS Game 3 between the Eagles and the Jaguars of Jacksonville on Saturday night. To me it's a fascinating match-up… to the network powers that be, it is a telecast throwaway…
Sure, they try to placate us by guaranteeing a rebroadcast of the game at midnight on MONDAY MORNING !
That's like saying, "Okay, we admit you exist…"
Hurtful!!!
Anyway, you can catch the game live locally on Channel 6, or on WIP Sports Radio at 94 on the dial FM…
Typically, I've got to drive up Route 1 from Conowingo to Newark, Delaware, to ensure myself a solid signal telecast. This usually means renting a cheap motel room for the evening. Fortunately my wife trusts me not to use the game as an excuse to troll for groupies. Ah, just kidding, she usually comes with me.
But truth be told, I am more than willing to stay at home and cover the game by Radio… yes, just me and Merrill and Mike exchanging game notes in my mind… Seriously, you can get a lot of original thought from WIP's radio boadcasts of a game.
Reese is so great at calling wide receiver sets— "double wing, wide left"… Sometimes on TV you can't see that on the screen due to the dimensions of the tube you're stuck with… so I do appreciate the radio perspective.
Baseball is pretty good on radio, too…but I digress.
I called in a favor from Big Nick Fierro of the Allentown Morning Call today….
I asked for his take on the Eagles' offense as he has witnessed it develop—and how long he expects Michael Vick to play against Jax in PS3—as they take on the Jaguars tonight.
Fierro was gracious enough to supply this summary of his recent article on the same topic:
" 2 quarters—-that's the minimum length of time the Eagles are hoping their rebuilt cyborg of a $10 million man will play Saturday, August 24 in Game 3 of the preseason against the Jacksonville Jaguars (7:30 p.m., Channel 6) and be able to walk away toward a regular season in which the newly named starter has set himself up better than ever to withstand."
"You guys act like I get hurt once a week," a confident Vick joked in some playful banter with reporters on Thursday. "You did that to me, you changed the way I play my game."
Fierro continued: "After suffering a concussion in the ninth game of last season, Vick didn't play again until the regular-season finale, and that was only because Nick Foles couldn't play due to a broken hand."
"Vick's mobility and his desire to extend broken plays with his quick feet have always been sources of trouble. And now that he's 33, it's more important than ever that he stays out of harm's way enough to make it through a full season, which certainly will be his last in Philadelphia if that doesn't happen."
Yet Vick also is expected to run more than he ever has as an Eagle. New coach Chip Kelly's offense, which includes an almost unlimited number of read-option concepts, will demand it.
So Vick has bulked up to better absorb the shock of being knocked off his feet. The intent is not to avoid, but to deter. Vick's new body will dish out as much punishment as it takes. The question is just what his new breaking point is, a question Eagles opponents will try to answer as quickly as possible, especially if the team comes out with the kind of shock and awe tackle Jason Peters has predicted.
Vick not only will he be a target when he has the ball, but also when he doesn't. NFL rules permit defenders to treat him as a runner even when he fakes a run away from the action after handing off. It means that in a typical game, he could be knocked off his feet 15-plus times without even taking a sack or being pressured in the pocket.
Vick was unaware of that rule when it was pointed out to him by The Morning Call on Thursday. He was unconcerned.
"That's good, because that's one more defender we take out of the play, one less guy we have to worry about in the blocking scheme," he said. Vick's words underscore that even an accomplished veteran like himself has so much to prove heading into Week 3 of the preseason.
This report inspired me to do some spying on the Jaguars' approach to this preseason match-up ….I went to the team's official site and found this gem from their senior writer John Oehser…
"Ten things to watch when the Jacksonville Jaguars play the Philadelphia Eagles Saturday at EverBank Field…"
1.The performance of Chad Henne. Yes, the quarterback mystery is over, but Henne still needs to play well. While Blaine Gabbert has been named the starter for the regular-season opener, he is out with a thumb injury and – until he practices Week 1 – is uncertain. That means Henne needs a good showing in the dress rehearsal that is the third week of the preseason. Particularly important for the Jaguars is it’s the first time Cecil Shorts III and Justin Blackmon have played together since Game 15 last season. Henne needs to play well to get those receivers into a rhythm, particularly Shorts, who is making his first preseason appearance of 2013.
2.The last full work for Blackmon – for a while. He might play a series or two in the preseason finale, or he might not. Either way, this is the last extensive action the second-year wide receiver will get until the fifth game of the season. He looked good in the second game of the preseason, and the Jaguars would love to get him and Shorts functioning smoothly for an extended stretch to get a glimpse of what this offense can be in October.
3.The search for pass rush. The Jaguars figure Jason Babin will be a factor at the Leo position, but no player has stepped up significantly as a complement. Second-year defensive end Andre Branch played just seven plays last week against the Jets, and he hasn’t made the impact coaches hoped this preseason. Watch ends Ryan Davis and Paul Hazel, but this could be a spot where the Jaguars acquire a released player after teams cut to 75 players next week.
4. A rhythm for Jones-Drew. Jones-Drew hasn’t played much in the preseason lately – sparingly in 2011 and not at all last season. He played seven plays against the Jets and touched the ball four times last Saturday. Jaguars Head Coach Gus Bradley said this week he would like to see Jones-Drew play about a quarter Saturday. Whatever he plays, it’s probably his last significant game work until the regular season.
5. The return of Joeckel. Joeckel didn’t like sitting out last week with a hip flexor injury, not after never missing a game in three seasons at Texas A&M, but the idea was to be smart with the health of a player the Jaguars want to rely on all season. Joeckel, a game-time decision Saturday, likely won’t play as much as the rest of the starters if he plays, so either way he’ll probably play more than most starters in the preseason finale. Joeckel won’t need a ton of reps to get ready for the regular season, but he could use a couple of series each of the next two weeks.
6. The debut of Shorts. He developed into the Jaguars’ best wide receiver late last season, and showed dramatic improvement in the offseason before missing the first two preseason games with a calf strain. He said this week he felt rusty in his return to practice, and his goal is to get rid of the rust Saturday. That’s important, because with Blackmon out early, the Jaguars will depend heavily on Shorts in the passing game early in the season.
7. Happy returns. The Jaguars are still searching for their punt returner. Rookie Ace Sanders can play the role, but Bradley said he’s not sure if Sanders will do it Saturday. He also didn’t sound as if rookie Tobais Palmer would return punts Saturday after fumbling a punt in each of the first two games. Look for Jordan Shipley and Jeremy Ebert to get a look there Saturday. This could be a way on the roster for someone.
8. Roster clues. The Jaguars need to reduce the roster from their current 88 to 75 by Tuesday, which means the second half Saturday will be about young players and a few veterans fighting for roster spots. For insight into who will be on the roster, check the second units and cross-check them with punt return, punt coverage and kick coverage and kick returns. Players playing extensively there – a group that has included players such as Julian Stanford, LaRoy Reynolds, Antwon Blake, Brandon Marshall, Steven Terrell, Kevin Rutland and Jordan Todman – have a real chance to be around next week.
9. The rise of Reynolds. He’s not expected to start this week, but Reynolds – a rookie – seems like a very sure bet to make the roster. Look for him to work at middle and outside backers, and considering his athleticism and nose for the big hit – he separated two Jets players from their helmets last week – he likely will push for a starting position sooner rather than later.
10. A whole lot of moves. OK, you won’t see these on game night, but with the roster deadline looming, you can probably look for them in the day or two after the game. The Jaguars will be scanning the waiver wire, which means it wouldn’t be surprising to see the Jaguars cut more than the 13 players needed to reach 75. They may get down below that with the idea of signing a few to get back to that number before the preseason finale.
There you go—sometimes scouting your opponent's objectives in a PS Game 3 might help you focus on what best position you can put your own guys in to meet their own personal challenges.
Vick's proving his durability is just a start.
Rookies such as wide receiver Russell Shepard and Ifeanyi Momah, defensive ends Joe Kruger and David King, cornerback Jordan Poyer, running back Matthew Tucker and tackle Michael Bamiro have to prove they can play in the league.
Veterans such as safeties Kenny Phillips, Nate Allen, Kurt Coleman and David Sims, offensive linemen Danny Watkins, Dallas Reynolds and Julian Vandervelde and linebackers Jamar Chaney and Casey Matthews must prove they can stick.
This game will reveal a lot, particularly about the young defensive linemen, according to Kelly and defensive coordinator Billy Davis.
"The young guys are coming on," Davis said. "Really, you get the young guys out there to continue to evaluate them versus the opponents' starters in the top echelon of the league. When you're young rookies, you don't know how they match up against the best of the best."
"Well, the preseason in the first quarter, the first half of this preseason game, will give us a good evaluation of where some of those young guys are, too. So there will be the rotation of the D-line. You'll see all different kind of groups in there."
They used to call PS3 a "Dress Rehearsal" game for the first team. Now I'm starting to think of it as a "Last Call For Alcohol" kind of thing… at least as far as the 2nd and 3rd tier guys are concerned.
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