Eagles observations: Miles Sanders drops a hint about his future

Miles Sanders’ future, T.J. Edwards’ efficiency and the largest snub in Eagles historical past.

It’s a brief week and Nick Sirianni didn’t need us to over-do it with the postseason arising, so we solely have six observations at this time!

No, simply kidding! Right here’s this weekend’s Eagles 10 Random Observations! 

1. Chatting with Miles Sanders Thursday at his locker room he spoke at size about how decided he was to have a profession yr this yr, and he actually delivered, with 1,100 yards, a 5.2 common and 11 touchdowns going into Dallas and his first Professional Bowl choice. Sanders, like half the roster, isn’t signed past this yr, and he’s declined to discuss his contract state of affairs all yr, selecting as an alternative to deal with making an attempt to assist this crew get to a different Tremendous Bowl. Sanders did say one factor that Thursday that stood out when requested about Eagles GM Howie Roseman and his future: “He is aware of I wish to be an Eagle ceaselessly.” Sanders wears his coronary heart on his sleeve, and his agent in all probability wouldn’t need him saying stuff like that as a result of possibly you lose slightly leverage. But it surely was so heartfelt and so real you couldn’t assist suppose possibly they’ll get one thing achieved. However Roseman is sensible sufficient to not let emotion information him in contract talks, and though working backs don’t get very huge contracts, some crew goes to pay Sanders someplace between $6 ½ and $7 ½ million per yr. It’s arduous to think about anybody in Philly that doesn’t need that crew to be the Eagles. Sanders clearly included.

2. T.J. Edwards was by no means going to make the Professional Bowl. It may be powerful for unheralded, undrafted gamers to get that type of recognition until they put up ridiculous numbers. However what a season he’s having. He’s the one NFC linebacker with two or extra sacks, 120 tackles and eight tackles for loss, and he’s simply been a power all yr in protection, in opposition to the run and pressuring. Extremely sensible, versatile and constant. Every little thing you need in an inside linebacker. Very nicely may very well be the Eagles’ defensive MVP when all is claimed and achieved. Professional Soccer Focus charges him because the No. 3 linebacker within the NFL (behind Bobby Wagner and Dre Greenlaw, two different Professional Bowl snubs). Hell of a yr.

3. The Eagles picked off 12 passes of their first eight video games however they’ve simply three within the final six – and none of their final three. A giant a part of that’s the absence of injured Chauncey Gardner-Johnson, who nonetheless shares the NFL interception lead regardless of lacking three video games now. However Darius Slay and James Bradberry, who had a mixed six INTs after eight video games, have none within the final six. The primary eight weeks of the season the Eagles led the NFL with 12 INTs and 18 takeaways, to not point out plus-15 in turnover margin. The final six video games, they’re nineteenth in interceptions, twelfth in takeaways and twenty third in turnover margin (minus three). All of this makes the Eagles’ top-ranked go protection and No. 2-ranked general protection much more spectacular. They’re nonetheless shutting individuals down with out interceptions. Throughout these final six video games, they’re nonetheless the Fifth-ranked protection regardless of solely a handful of takeaways. That is an elite protection any approach you measure it. And a part of that is that groups simply don’t throw very a lot in opposition to the Eagles – simply 166 occasions these final six video games, Third-fewest within the league – as a result of they need to keep away from the Eagles’ ferocious go rush. However the Eagles are making life quite a bit more durable on themselves by not making the most of the takeaway alternatives once they’ve had them. And in opposition to actually good groups – just like the Cowboys or whoever they face within the postseason – they’re going to wish these huge performs to win.

4. A.J. Brown has a shot on the franchise file for receptions in a season by a large receiver. He’s obtained 74, and the file is 88 by Irving Fryar in 1996. We don’t know what number of extra video games Brown will play, however he’s averaging 5.3 catches per recreation and is 14 behind Fryar. And he has 21 receptions in his final three video games. What a yr he’s having.

5. Loopy that Donovan McNabb and Nick Foles are accountable for 13 of the Eagles’ 16 postseason wins over the past 40 years. And Randall Cunningham, Rodney Peete and Jeff Garcia with one apiece.

6. It’s so arduous to win on the highway within the NFL, however the Eagles are 7-0 away from the Linc this yr, and their nine-game highway successful streak – which dates again to Gardner Minshew’s win over the Jets final Decemver – is very spectacular. It matches the longest in franchise historical past – the Eagles received 9 highway video games in a row twice beneath Andy Reid, over the 2000 and 2001 seasons and the 2003 and 2004 seasons. There have solely been 15 highway successful streaks in NFL historical past of 10 video games or extra 100-133. League-wide each different crew has a .412 successful proportion on the highway this yr, and each different crew has a minimum of two highway losses. Says quite a bit about this crew’s potential to focus in troublesome circumstances and be at their finest when confronted with adversity.

7. No Eagles quarterback has ever overwhelmed the Cowboys twice in a season in a yr the Cowboys had a successful file. Sonny Jurgensen beat them twice in 1961, Randall Cunningham in 1988, 1989 and 2000, Donovan McNabb in 2000, 2001 and 2004 and Michael Vick in 2011. Every year, Dallas had a dropping file. 

8. The most important Professional Bowl snub I ever noticed was Clyde Simmons in 1989. Clyde had 15 ½ sacks – and a 60-yard INT return for a landing – that yr and was second amongst NFC defensive ends in sacks. However since he was a Ninth-round choose who performed throughout from Reggie White, the Professional Bowl voters ignored him. The fact was Simmons was an incredible participant in his personal proper, and we noticed that when he had greater than 50 sacks late in his profession when he wasn’t taking part in with Reggie. Not solely was Clyde a monster go rusher, he was nearly as good a run stopper as you’ll ever see from an edge rusher. And do you know Clyde by no means missed a recreation in 15 years? Performed 236 of a doable 236 video games, lacking solely the three substitute video games in 1987 when no one on the Eagles crossed the picket line. Clyde lastly made his first of two Professional Bowls in 1991, and Jerome Brown was so blissful for him he punched a gap in a wall within the Eagles’ locker room on the Vet.

9.  An indication of simply how constant the Eagles’ go rushers have been: The Eagles have three or extra sacks in eight straight video games, which matches the longest streak within the NFL for the reason that Seahawks had a nine-game streak in 2005. In the event that they file three sacks Saturday evening in Dallas – and the Cowboys are No. 1 within the NFL in fewest sacks allowed – they’d match the 4th-longest streak in historical past with 9 straight video games of three or extra sacks. They’ve already tied the NFL file with six sacks in three straight video games going into Dallas. 

10. It speaks volumes about how beloved Jason Kelce, Jordan Mailata and Lane Johnson are round right here that their Christmas album has already raised over 1 / 4 of 1,000,000 {dollars} for the Kids’s Disaster Remedy Middle. That’s unimaginable. These guys are all so linked with the Philadelphia group and so dedicated to causes which can be necessary to all of us. Kelce is from Ohio, Johnson from Texas, Mailata from Australia. But it surely’s arduous to think about anyone being extra Philly than they’re.