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NBC 10's John Clark joins the show to give the guys an Eagles scouting report heading into Washington's game with Philly on Sunday
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00:00Yeah, John, what's up, dude? How are you?
00:02How are you doing today? I'm out for a walk. It's like 70 degrees.
00:06It's absolutely amazing. Beautiful week.
00:08The weather has been phenomenal all over the East Coast for like what seems like weeks now.
00:13I golfed yesterday. Good for you.
00:15Fantastic.
00:16Nice.
00:17John, there's a lot going on in Philly right now.
00:21What is kind of the temperature of the Eagles in that locker room and walking around that facility?
00:28Well, with all the injuries on offense, with Jalen Hurts, Saquon Barkley, five running backs out, top two receivers out,
00:35I can understand when the offense isn't necessarily running up and down the field and they're not in sync,
00:45but they got more in sync Monday night.
00:47So the big disappointment is the Eagles defense.
00:50And you have to wonder with Jalen Carter, Jordan Davis, and some of the other guys,
00:55especially the defensive line, and that is the heart of the team right now.
00:59The defensive line is what's going to win games for the Eagles at this point.
01:02So to come up with that performance and a lot of people questioning their effort,
01:07are they giving it their most?
01:09Are they intense?
01:10Are they playing with a chip on their shoulder?
01:13Do they want it?
01:15You know, that's a bad sign because we all thought the defense was the calling card for the Eagles
01:21and the thing they can lean on, but obviously it's not.
01:25And there's a lot of issues on defense.
01:27John, when I look at football, I watch offenses when they're, like, we always talk about complimentary football.
01:34Could the offense not, I guess, working as good as they can, have the defense pressing or trying to be
01:42too good
01:43and they mess up a little bit?
01:45That's a good question, and I think another part of that is the last three games before this,
01:50the defense was on the field for, like, 35 minutes plus, and they have been wearing down in the fourth
01:55quarter.
01:56They've been giving up a whole bunch of points in the fourth quarter.
01:58So that could be a sign that they're on the field way too much, playing way too many snaps because
02:03of the offense.
02:04But Monday night, you had a situation where the offense came out and actually scored a touchdown
02:11for the first time on an opening drive this year.
02:14And if you're on defense, you're like, you know what?
02:17Our offense is in this.
02:18Our offense is doing something.
02:20Let's go after the Cowboys offense.
02:22And that was the most disappointing thing.
02:25You went in back and watched the tape, and it just didn't look like they were playing with full effort,
02:31full intensity, and the Cowboys wanted it more.
02:35And that's distressing.
02:36But can it take a mental toll, all the injuries on offense and all the things that have happened to
02:41this team?
02:42Yes, it can.
02:43But that's where a healthy defensive line, especially Jalen Carter and Jordan Davis, needed to step up.
02:48So to me, going into this game Sunday night, they've been challenged this week, Jalen Carter especially.
02:54He has been put out there.
02:55Vic Fangio says he has enough pride to fix it.
02:58And so we will see.
03:00He is the best player on defense, and people are going to have a chance to win this game.
03:03And he's got to be the best player on defense because the defense will follow the great play of the
03:08defensive line.
03:10Specifically to Jalen Carter, I find him a fascinating kind of character in all of this
03:15because when he is properly motivated or whatever the right perm, he can be one of the best players in
03:22the NFL.
03:22But you don't get that week after week.
03:25I saw our buddy Zangaro had a story earlier this week where Carter, after bad games, calls himself trash.
03:33Where do you think he is?
03:35And is he the kind of guy that responds after a bad game?
03:38Or do you think this hole could get worse?
03:43It's a great question.
03:44And to be honest with you, I think we're going to find out Sunday night.
03:47Because if you look at it, some of these guys came into the NFL, like Jalen Carter, Jordan Davis, and
03:52had immediate success.
03:54And they're winning Super Bowls, or actually won Super Bowl.
03:58But, you know, this team has been in the Super Bowl two of the last four years.
04:01So, you know, they came in and had immediate success.
04:04This is the first time we're really seeing where they are facing adversity.
04:08Now, two years ago, they did face adversity going into the Super Bowl.
04:13And then last year as well, they had a bad playoff game.
04:15But I think we're going to find out a lot.
04:17And the thing about Jalen Carter coming out of college was the question marks were maturity, and the motor is
04:24on and then off.
04:25And we're seeing that because you saw the game in London.
04:29He had two strip sacks.
04:30He was all over the place getting after the quarterback.
04:33They couldn't stop him.
04:34And then you see games like this.
04:35So, I don't know what his motivation is.
04:38Because I hear Saquon Barkley talk all the time about how he wants to be one of the best running
04:44backs in NFL history.
04:46I don't hear Jalen Carter saying, I want to be known as one of the best.
04:50So, I think we're going to find out how he deals with adversity Sunday night.
04:54This is basically, hey, this is where you find out about his character.
04:58Yeah, it's going to be really, really interesting.
05:01I'm also, you're much closer to it, and I'm watching TV copy probably three out of their seven games or
05:10something when I'm not working.
05:12You know, Zach Vaughn has been so good up there.
05:15He doesn't seem to be playing at the same level.
05:19Well, I really think it's all connected.
05:21This Eagles defense is predicated on the Eagles defensive line, playing well, getting after the quarterback, stopping the run.
05:29Jordan Davis is supposed to stop the run.
05:30And Jalen Carter and the pass rushers are supposed to get after the quarterback.
05:34And if they are not doing that, then I think it affects the rest of the defense, such as if
05:40the quarterback has a little extra time, Cooper DeGene is not as good in coverage.
05:45So, that's the same thing with the linebackers.
05:47They all have to be working together.
05:48And if the front is not doing it right and they're not in their fits, then it is going to
05:54affect the rest of the defense.
05:55And I think that's what happened Monday night.
05:57So, I think it is all out of whack.
05:59But, the thing is, this week, they have been called out.
06:03They have been challenged.
06:04The Eagles, after games, they show all the plays on film in front of the entire team.
06:11And that's intentional.
06:13So, we will see if this Eagles defense can get back on it.
06:18If this team is not completely worn down by all the injuries.
06:22So, we're going to find out Sunday night.
06:23You know, I try to look on both sides.
06:27I think coaches and players have got to get it.
06:28When do they make adjustments?
06:31Like, if something is not working or it's not working in that way, what do they do to make adjustments
06:36if they can't, if Jordan's not playing dominant like he's supposed to, what do they do to make things come
06:43together?
06:44Well, you know, this is a short week for the Eagles coming off Monday night football.
06:48And then, of course, Washington's coming off a bye week.
06:51And I would think the Eagles this week would say, okay, what do these guys do best on the defensive
06:57line?
06:58We're going to let them do what they do best.
07:00Not necessarily simplifying, but say, okay, okay, Jalen Carter, what do you need to play at your best?
07:07Because, obviously, they were all not playing aligned and together.
07:10So, I think this week, especially being a short week, that's where you kind of, sometimes they don't even watch
07:18an entire game of film because it's a short week.
07:20They just come back in, put it behind you, and go on to the next game.
07:23But I do think you have to say to yourself, okay, Jalen's fun.
07:28Nolan Smith is hopefully back.
07:30What do you do best?
07:31Let's let you rush the quarterback, get after the quarterback, maybe not have you drop into coverage frequently.
07:37So, I think they'll go back to using the skill sets of the Eagles, pass rushers, and the defensive line.
07:43You know, whatever they do best.
07:46So, a couple more on the defense before we circle back to the offense.
07:50Ajooma, what is his status injury-wise?
07:54Because I think he had missed some practice.
07:56Reek Wollin, like just some of the defensive injuries on top of maybe the inconsistencies.
08:01Well, I think Jonathan Grenard, Jay Lickson, they are playing hurt.
08:06Vic Fangio said that.
08:07Jay Lickson came back from his high ankle sprain probably earlier than most.
08:13It's kind of like what Devontae Smith and Saquon Barkley have done because they do want to be out there
08:17and help his team.
08:18Jonathan Grenard hasn't been healthy in his first year with the Eagles.
08:20So, those guys are playing hurt.
08:23I don't know about Reek Wollin.
08:25I don't know about Morrow or Joe Morrow.
08:27I think Morrow's okay.
08:29But Morrow's in a contract year.
08:31You know, Morrow, this is a big year for him.
08:33And he has been their best lineman.
08:36He has been the best on the defensive line this year consistently.
08:40So, of course, he had that stop in the first game, Eagles and Washington, when Washington was, you know, the
08:47shovel pass, two-point conversion, trying to tie it up at the end there.
08:50He had a big play, and that was film recognition.
08:51So, I don't worry about Morrow Jomo.
08:55You know, Reek Wollin is also a guy, one-year deal.
08:58This is like, hey, show the league.
08:59I deserve a long-term deal.
09:01And he could be a trade candidate if the Eagles lose Sunday night.
09:04I really think Sunday night is, it'll be it for one team.
09:08One team is done.
09:09The Eagles are 2-6.
09:11They're done.
09:11If Washington loses, it could ultimately be the team that loses, their head coach could lose their job at the
09:19end of the year if things really fall off.
09:21Is the seat that hot for Sirianni up there?
09:25I don't know that.
09:26But if they have a disastrous season, you know, the Eagles have moved on.
09:30I mean, Doug Peterson, a couple years removed from winning a Super Bowl.
09:34They moved on.
09:34If they don't feel that the things are working and the team is connected and the team is playing as
09:40hard, and I'm not saying the Eagles are going to rebuild.
09:43But if they had a disastrous season and they trade some players at the trade deadline, you could be looking
09:48at a rebuild.
09:49And then you have to decide, okay, Sean Mannion, what is his role going to be as the offensive coordinator
09:53of the new offense?
09:55So I think there's so many questions that will be coming up.
09:59And if the Eagles lose, I expect to see some guys trade.
10:05It's funny because, you know, we all talked about there was a report out of the Philly Inquirer that, you
10:11know, this game could get moved out of Sunday Night Football.
10:14And granted, the records of these two teams are bad.
10:171-4-1 versus 2-5.
10:19Like, you know, you got three wins out of 13 games between the two teams.
10:23But damn if it's not an intriguing game because of everything surrounding it, right?
10:29Like, there is intrigue and storylines all over the place with this thing.
10:34You know what?
10:35You're exactly right.
10:36And I think they probably could have taken one other game.
10:39I think some of the other games are protected.
10:41But this is still the NFC East.
10:42This is still big market Philadelphia, big market Washington.
10:46And you're right.
10:46Like, this is kind of a last stand for these teams.
10:50It's playing for last place.
10:52And, you know, if the Eagles win this game, okay, then you say to yourself, okay, they're 3-5 and
10:58they have a game against the Giants.
11:00If they happen to win that game at home against the Giants and they're 4-5, with how bad the
11:05division is, you have a chance.
11:06But if you lose, you're done.
11:09You're done.
11:09Because 2-6, you know, there's the Giants coming up on the schedule.
11:15Mistakenly, I mean, coming up later, you've got the 49ers.
11:18You've got the Seahawks.
11:19You've got that road game against the Cowboys.
11:20You're looking at three more losses at least.
11:22And then a couple division games against the Giants.
11:25So, you know, this is a last stand for these teams.
11:28These teams, you can see a path if one of these teams should win, even though the Giants and Commanders
11:34tied in a game this year.
11:36You know.
11:37I've never seen anything like that one, John.
11:39I've never seen anything like that.
11:41That says it all for the division right there.
11:43Talking with our buddy John Clark from NBC Philadelphia.
11:46You can watch him in Philly on NBC10.
11:49Sports anchor up there.
11:49Give him a follow at jclarknbcs.
11:52Ton of great pre- and post-game work for the Eagles broadcast.
11:57Offensively, John, maybe even not offensively, on a human level, what, if any, fallout has there been in the locker
12:04room from the Jalen Hurts situation?
12:07You know, I think they're just extremely sad for their teammate, Jalen Hurts, who is the ultimate competitor.
12:15I mean, you saw the Monday night game in Chicago where he was in the concussion tent and he was
12:20waiting and he sees Andy Dalton come in for a play.
12:22And how badly he wanted to be out of that concussion tent to play.
12:25So, I think they feel badly for the competitor, especially such a, you know, a different health issue.
12:33I mean, this is a serious, serious, serious health issue, having blood clots in your lungs.
12:37So, I think they feel really, really bad for Jalen.
12:41And, you know, that's the interesting thing because, you know, if you look at, there's a shift in leadership.
12:46With Jalen Hurts not out there and Saquon Barkley missing a couple games and Devontae Smith missing a couple games.
12:53There's really a shift in leadership and I think that's one of the things maybe that's, I don't want to
12:58say missing, but it's like, okay, who do we look to in these moments?
13:02Does the defense have a leader that can kind of get out there?
13:07Jalen Carter admittedly said that's why we have captains and he didn't really seem to be a leader type of
13:12guy.
13:12Jordan Davis is a captain now, first time captain, but it's like, okay, who is the guy that's going to
13:17fire the team up?
13:18Like, Saquon Barkley spoke to the team after the loss, five state losses, because he said he felt he had
13:23to.
13:24Jordan Mailata, I would say, is the biggest leader after losing Lane Johnson.
13:28There's another thing.
13:29Like, you lose Lane Johnson, he retires.
13:31So, it's really a shift in leadership.
13:34And that's one of the things I think the locker room is trying to figure out here.
13:37That's where I would like to see Jalen Carter.
13:39I wish he would have stepped up more with that and kind of be that vocal leader and say, look,
13:45I'm the best player.
13:45It's got to be me on this defense.
13:47I'm going to take the heat.
13:48I'm going to take it all.
13:49Instead, he was kind of like, you know, he said something about, you know, the expectations.
13:53Everybody else's expectations were a little higher than the defense is going into this year and that the fans, it
13:58doesn't matter what they think.
14:00I'm like, why are you saying that?
14:01Why are you saying, just say, I need to be better.
14:04I need to be the best defensive lineman in the league because he can be.
14:08John, who's the guy on the team that, like, you all look at and say, like, this guy here says
14:13the right stuff that could possibly be that?
14:15I know we always look, on the outside looking in, it's the guy who they think is the best player.
14:21But the guys in the locker room normally are going to follow the guy who they see does the right
14:25stuff, says the right things, and has the coach's ear.
14:29That may not be a star player, but it could be a guy that's been around a good bit.
14:34Well, I'll tell you.
14:35See, that's what I think they're looking for right now.
14:38I mean, on offense, it's definitely Jordan Mailata and then Saquon Barkley feeling he needed to kind of come up
14:44and speak to the team after the game.
14:46So, Saquon is obviously a guy, his success in the league, winning a Super Bowl.
14:51I mean, they won a Super Bowl on the back of him running the ball for a record pace.
14:55And Jordan Mailata.
14:57So, I would say Saquon and Jordan Mailata on offense.
14:59But I think you raise a great point on defense.
15:03You know, Jordan Davis is a first-time captain, and I think he hasn't played up to what he thinks
15:08he should play this year.
15:10Zach Vaughn is a good leader, and he calls the plays on the field.
15:15But, yeah, I think you're kind of searching for that leader that's going to take the guys by the neck
15:22and say,
15:22Guys, we've got to go out there, and we've got to be the best part of this team.
15:26And I think that's what's missing on defense because Jalen Carter, from what he said when he spoke this week,
15:31he does not want to be that guy and does not see himself as that guy.
15:34So, I think that's a good point.
15:36I mean, I think you have your leaders on offense, but they've shifted with Jalen Hurts and Lane Johnson out.
15:41But, I think defense is looking for that leader.
15:44And, you know what?
15:45Maybe we'll find it this week because this is where you find out what you're made of.
15:49Jalen Carter has been called out by fans, by media, by everybody, and we'll see what kind of performance he
15:56has.
15:57I'll be honest, John.
15:58I don't know Jalen Carter personally at all.
16:01But, Jalen Carter versus Chris Paul as a matchup, that should make some Commanders fans nervous.
16:06If Carter is the type of dude that will respond to being called out, that is an advantageous matchup for
16:13the Eagles.
16:14Real quick, John, what do Commanders fans need to know about Tanner McKee?
16:19I had heard the whispers and the conversation around McKee as somebody people in Philly were really excited about.
16:25Not sure the actual play on the field Monday night matched what expectations were.
16:30Who's the QB now for the Eagles?
16:33Well, look, I think, you know, the Eagles changed up their offense for the first time in a long time.
16:38It's a completely different offense.
16:39So, Tanner McKee lost the backup quarterback job to Andy Dalton, and Andy Dalton's not even on the team.
16:45So, that is not a good sign.
16:48But, Tanner's a great kid, and his skill set is he's got a great arm, and he can get the
16:53ball out quick.
16:54He's going to drop back.
16:55He's going to get the ball out quick.
16:56And we saw him have some success out of the shotgun.
16:59And I think he found some rhythm.
17:01I think he really was a lot better on Monday night.
17:04He got the ball out quick.
17:06He's obviously not as mobile as Jalen Hurts.
17:08He's not really going to be able to escape.
17:10But I think they found something with him and Makai Lennon and get the ball out quick, get it into
17:15Makai's hands.
17:16He had seven catches.
17:18And, look, I think the key for the Eagles is the running game.
17:21They were able to get that running game established with Landon Dickerson back and Drew Kendall back on the offensive
17:25line, ran it for 120 yards.
17:28And, unfortunately, by the way, if Saquon Barkley continued to play in Monday night's game, the Eagles may have had
17:35a chance because they would have had the ball longer.
17:37And Saquon Barkley brought such a juice and a spirit to the team, you know, that first drive.
17:42And you could see he was battling through the pain of the hamstring in the back.
17:46And, hopefully, he'll be out on the practice field today.
17:49We're not sure yet, hopefully.
17:50But, you know, I think the running game, the running game has to get going and then Tanner get the
17:55ball out quick.
17:56So, I think they're going to be without the top two receivers again.
17:59And it's going to be Makai Lennon in the passing game and the running game with the offensive line.
18:04That's the key.
18:05It's funny.
18:06B. Mitch and I agree, John, that until I hear Nick Sirianni say Saquon is out, or until I see
18:13Saquon's name on the inactive list Sunday evening,
18:17like, that dude is not out until he's officially in street clothes on the sideline.
18:22And he has killed Washington.
18:25Yes, he has.
18:26In fact, I remember talking to Saquon before the first game of this year.
18:31And I said, look at this statistic here.
18:33You have the second most total yards per game against any team in NFL history behind Jim Brown.
18:42Saquon, total scrimmage yards against Washington per game.
18:45I think it's like a buck 40 or something, whatever it is.
18:47Buck 40 a game, buck 50 a game, whatever it is.
18:50That is the second most all-time of any player against another team.
18:54So, yes, you are right.
18:55He's had tons of success against Washington.
18:58And I've got to tell you, like you saw Monday night, Saquon being in there brings juice and energy like
19:04no one else can on offense right now.
19:05So, that's a huge deal.
19:07We'll see if he's out practicing today.
19:08I know he wants to play.
19:09He played through the hamstring.
19:12He played through the back locking up on him.
19:14And he says he's not happy.
19:15He's not a good guy to be around when he's injured because he wants to be out there.
19:18He's a gamer.
19:19And I think that's a big deal for this game.
19:21Huge deal.
19:22John, we look forward to seeing you Sunday night, man.
19:24Thank you for the time.