What They’re Saying About the Eagles

Here’s a roundup of what the national media are saying about the Eagles this week.

Kevin Clark of the Wall Street Journal reports on the Eagles calling on a couple college professors to advise them:

He first met personally with coaches. That is where he learned that the trait they prize in players is the ability to verbally articulate game situations, which they feel leads to better conversations about what’s happening and eventually a better team. Ericsson then addressed the entire staff in a 90-minute session in which Kelly tried to get to the heart of the matter. Kelly wanted Ericsson to understand the basic training methods of the Eagles, then ask of the professor, “What could be done differently?”

Ericsson’s answer is tied to another Kelly secret. The Eagles use memory devices to get players to memorize formations. Safety Malcolm Jenkins said that during meetings, coaches will show an opponent’s formation on a screen, and players will attempt to remember it and yell the play call they would use against it. Then, Jenkins said, snapping his fingers, “They start to flash it quicker and quicker. There’s less time to process. And so you build those same cognitive skills where it’s the same as getting a mental rep on the field.”

The Eagles stand pat at fourth in ESPN.com‘s weekly power rankings:

Darren Sproles caught all seven targets for a career-high 152 yards Monday night, including a 17-yard catch to set up the game-winning field goal. Sproles is a big reason Philly is 2-0.

NFL.com has the Birds moving up one position to third in its rankings:

Monday night’s performance shows what a threat Philly can be, considering Nick Foles missed some wide-open receivers, the club fared quite poorly in the first half — and the Eagles still won. I honestly thought the game was over when Philadelphia cornerback Bradley Fletcher let a would-be interception slip right through his hands in the end zone, giving Indy a chance to go up 20-6 in the third quarter.

Climbing two spots up in the CBSSports.com power rankings, the Eagles are in the sixth spot:

They run the ball out of that spread the way you’re supposed to run it: with a lot of space. The defense has some issues, though.

FoxSports.com has the Birds at fifth for the second consecutive week:

Are there any offensive weapons that Chip Kelly can’t turn into productive players within his scheme? Building on Week 1’s momentum, Darren Sproles totaled 178 yards and a touchdown as he looked like his vintage self. The Eagles completed another impressive comeback and snapped their red zone touchdown drought.

SB Nation went against the grain in their power rankings with the Eagles taking a step backward two spots to sixth:

The Eagles moved to 2-0 with another second-half comeback victory, this time over the Colts, but it wasn’t pretty.

SI.com also has the Eagles dropping from fourth to fifth:

In the Pre-Halftime Power Rankings, the Eagles would come in around the No. 31 or 32 spot. Fortunately for them (and their record), football games span four quarters. Also working in Philadelphia’s favor? The arrival of Darren Sproles, who remains an incredible weapon even if his running style can be described as “like a kid trying to get away after dropping a flaming bag of dog crap on the neighbor’s porch.”

The New York Daily News dropped the Eagles to ninth:

The was the definition of stealing one on the road.

The Eagles jump up from fourth to sixth in the New York Post power rankings:

That trade for Darren Sproles already looks like the deal of the year.

Yahoo Sports moves the Birds up one spot to fifth in its power rankings:

You knew when they got Darren Sproles that he was going to be an insane playmaker in that offense.

Jumping up four spots to seventh, the Eagles are seen as a legitimate threat to Seattle by Pro Football Talk:

Undefeated despite playing at an average level at best, if this team ever finds the gas pedal, they could be the biggest threat to a Seattle repeat.

ESPN Insider Mike Sando feels like the Eagles may not commit to Nick Foles at the end of his rookie deal this offseason:

The more a team pays for its quarterback, the fewer resources there are to build the rest of the roster. Last season, eight of the 11 teams with at least 10 regular-season victories employed starting quarterbacks with contracts averaging less than $10 million annually. Six of the eight, including Philadelphia and the eventual Super Bowl-champion Seattle Seahawks, had QBs locked into team-friendly rookie deals that weren’t even eligible for renegotiation until after three seasons.

Matt Cassidy is a journalism student at Temple and an intern at Birds 24/7.