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Big Blue View
Giants QB Daniel Jones has 2nd injury, is uncertain for Sunday’s game
Jones suffered six sacks in that game against Arizona, was noticeably hobbled by the fourth quarter and was replaced for the Giants’ final offensive series by backup quarterback Colt McCoy.
NFL insider Ian Rapoport is reporting that Jones’ second injury is a sprained left ankle that he suffered during the second quarter.
“I haven’t decided either way with Daniel,” Judge said when asked if Jones was locked in as this week’s starter.
“There’s really nothing worse for the wear with the previous injury. He did come out with some bumps and bruises, there’s another lower leg issue we’re dealing with right now.”
Judge said the Giants would move Jones around in Wednesday’s practice and “see where he’s at.”
“I’m going to give him an opportunity this week to work through practice and see how he moves and how he reacts to things,” Judge said. “If he can defend himself properly I’ve said before and obviously that’s I’ve handled it, if he’s not at risk beyond any normal game, then we’ll give him the opportunity to play. If we think that’s an issue that he can’t go out there and defend himself then we’ll make the best decision for him long-term and the team as well.”
Giants quarterbacks coach Jerry Schuplinski had indicated on Tuesday that Jones’ health would have to be monitored the rest of the season, though he did not reveal the second injury.
Judge said Jones is “optimistic” about playing Sunday, but admitted that probably doesn’t mean much.
“If his left arm was attached by a rubber band he would tell us he could figure out a way to get it done,” Judge said.
Bleeding Green Nation
11 things I think about the Eagles following their upset win over the Saints
4 - I think we saw that Carson Wentz is a bigger problem than Doug Pederson
Pederson is now 11-3 without Wentz after Sunday’s win.
Those three losses:
1) Meaningless Week 17 game in 2017 when the Eagles rested their starters and Nate Sudfeld played the majority of snaps at quarterback.
2) One score loss in Week 2 in 2018 when Ryan Fitzpatrick threw four touchdowns for a 144.4 passer rating.
3) 2019 divisional round loss to the Saints when Alshon Jeffery dropped a pass that turned into an interception when the Eagles might’ve had a chance to take a lead late in the game.
Pederson WITH Wentz, meanwhile, is only 35-33-1. And 17-22-1 since 2018.
If you look at the Eagles’ record against teams that ultimately finished above .500 since 2018, the Pederson-Wentz combination is 3-12. Under the same conditions, Pederson is 4-1 in that stretch without Wentz.
Wouldn’t it be at least a little weird to so quickly fire the Super Bowl winning head coach who can win without Wentz ... to hire a replacement with the main goal of fixing the broken quarterback?
6 - I think things could get ugly in the Eagles’ secondary
McLeod is out for the year. Maddox and Slay might miss some time. Not great for the Eagles’ short-term outlook as they try to make a playoff push!
The silver lining here is that the Eagles might be able to get a gauge on some young players like K’Von Wallace, Marcus Epps, Grayland Arnold, and Michael Jacquet. They could really afford for at least one long-term secondary piece to emerge. It’s quite possible that none of these guys are solutions, though, and the secondary is about to get burned a bit down the stretch.
8 - I think the Jake Elliott contract sure looks bad
There were some positives (in results > process fashion) for Howie Roseman in this game with Hurts playing well, Hargrave coming alive, and Sweat looking like a long-term piece.
But it’s hard to not to reminded of how poorly the Eagles have been managed when you look at Elliott’s contract. Elliott missed a friggin 22-yard chip shot on Sunday to give him a missed kick in seven of the Eagles’ 13 games this season.
The Eagles should really be bringing in competition for Elliott but they can’t because they’re so financially tied to him. Cutting Elliott after this season causes the Eagles to LOSE $2.3 million in cap space. The Eagles are already in a bad spot where they need to clear money, not lose more!
Roseman’s rush to pay out the third most valuable kicker contract to Elliott is just another mistake for the Eagles general manager. The Eagles could’ve just let Elliott play the 2020 season on a restricted free agent tender and then extended him (or not) after the season.
11 - I think the Eagles are going to win at least another game or two
I don’t think the Eagles are going to win out to make the playoffs, which they’ll probably need to do. I think they’ll win another game or two that’ll further ruin their draft position. And leave the Eagles in an interesting spot when it comes to deciding what to do about Wentz.
Blogging the Boys
Three free agent defensive tackle options the Cowboys should consider in the 2021 offseason
The three top defenses in the NFL in terms of EPA (Expected Points Added) are the following:
What do those three defenses all have in common you may ask?
Dominant players on the interior of their defensive line.
For the Rams, their entire defense revolves around Aaron Donald. The ability to rush the passer and disruption in the running game - all sits on Donald’s shoulders, and he does more than enough to carry the load. For the Steelers? T.J. Watt is a big reason that defense is as good as it is, but veterans Cameron Heyward, Stephon Tuitt, and Tyson Alualu are just as much to thank for the defenses success in 2020. And by now, Cowboys fans better be familiar with Da’Ron Payne, Jonathan Allen, and Tim Settle.
The Cowboys projected starters at defensive tackle in 2021 are currently Trysten Hill and Neville Gallimore. While those players did show promise in 2020, Hill is currently on IR with a torn ACL, and was graded as one of the worst defensive tackles in the NFL by Pro Football Focus. For Gallimore, there have been signs of life with the former Oklahoma Sooner, but consistency is something he will need to work on as his career progresses. With those two currently as the penciled in starters, the Cowboys may look to the draft to add a talented defensive tackle to push Hill and Gallimore for starting reps, but they will quickly learn that those players likely don’t exist in the 2021 NFL Draft at a price they will be willing to pay. So where do they look?
2021 NFL Free Agency.