Dallas City News

One play in particular works really well for Philadelphia.

Teams with a mobile quarterback often run counter read rather than standard counter. Counter read is a counter in which the quarterback reads the EDGE defender and keeps it himself if the EDGE crashes down on the running back. There’s almost no point running standard counter if you have a mobile quarterback. It will almost always be counter read.

Counter ‘bash’ is still counter read, but with a twist. Counter bash is where the quarterback and running back roles are reversed, with the quarterback following the pulling linemen instead. The word ‘bash’ means ‘back away’ because the running back runs away from the pulling lineman.

It’s such a difficult play to stop because many linebackers are watching the running back and suddenly have to change direction completely. The Eagles used this a lot down the stretch last year, and it is no surprise that it is a fantastic play to run with a mobile quarterback.

It really is a thing of beauty. The Eagles ran the same play later on, but this time, Jalen Hurts handed the ball off to Saquon Barkley. You can see why it is such a difficult concept for a defense to stop. Defensive players are often told to key on the pulling guards, so when the ball is handed off to the running back, it can catch them out. You need really good awareness as a linebacker to handle this play. You have to watch the back, the quarterback, and the pulling lineman. That’s tough.

Eagles’ Nick Sirianni says Jalen Hurts dealing with ankle issue despite rest designation this week – Jeff Kerr, CBS Sports

Hurts may have had a day off, but he’s also a bit banged up.

Nick Sirianni was asked about the injury status of Jalen Hurts prior to Friday’s Philadelphia Eagles practice. Simple question, simple answer right?

Instead, something else was revealed.

Sirianni said during Friday’s press conference Hurts was dealing with an ankle issue. Hurts was a limited participant in Wednesday’s practice and was given the rest designation. The Eagles quarterback practiced in full on Thursday.

“It was on the injury report dealing with the ankle,” Sirianni said. “Just making sure we’re precautious with everything.”

The Eagles’ final injury report will be revealed later on Friday, and Hurts is expected to play on Sunday against the Dallas Cowboys. During that Wednesday practice, Hurts was out there in a helmet — but wasn’t throwing during the portion of practice open to reporters. Kenny Pickett and Tanner McKee took part in the individual drills as Hurts watched. This is unlike the routine Hurts typically goes through to prepare for a game.

“I just do what I’m told,” Hurts said. “I’m just locking in, and doing what I’m asked to do when I’m asked to do it. It was a really good session when you guys were not out there.”

Sirianni was informed immediately after his comments the Wednesday injury report listed “rest.” He then pulled a 180 on what he said.

“It was a rest,” Sirianni said. “Sorry, I thought you were talking about something else.”

Hurts did deal with a knee injury last season, but was never listed on the injury report with the issue as he continually practicing. There was no need to put Hurts on the injury report if he participated fully every week.

This time, Hurts had to be listed because we was not participating in a portion of practice. As Hurts said, he’s just doing what he’s told.

Eagles Star Could Cut Ties With Philly With ‘Plenty Of Interest’ Expected – Patrick McAvoy, Sports Illustrated

It may be hard to keep a forthcoming Philadelphia free agent in town.

There’s a lot to like about this Eagles team, and they currently are one of the hottest teams in football, with four straight wins heading into the clash against the Cowboys.

Over the next few months, the team will be discussed heavily as the playoffs approach. Now that we are in the second half of the season, free agency after the campaign will start to get brought up as well.

Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox already put together a list of the top 50 players expected to hit free agency and had Eagles star Josh Sweat at No. 38. Knox also noted that Sweat will have “plenty of interest” on the open market which could make a return difficult.

“Josh Sweat has been one of the few consistent pass-rushers for the Philadelphia Eagles this season, though his statistical production peaked back in 2022,” Knox said. “He had 11 sacks that season and only produced 6.5 in 2023.

“However, sacks don’t tell the whole story, as Sweat also had 37 quarterback pressures last year. At only 27 years old, he should command plenty of interest on the open market.”

Losing Sweat would be tough, but it’s still too early to be thinking about free agency.

Here are the final injury reports for both the Cowboys and Eagles.