PERSONNEL NEWS

Strategy And Personnel

The Sports Xchange

December 13, 2018 at 12:54 am.

PLAYER NOTES

–The Eagles added running back Boston Scott and defensive end Daeshon Hall to take the roster spots of Corey Clement and Josh Sweat. The team also added cornerback Josh Hawkins to the practice squad.

Scott, 5-7, 200, was signed off the practice squad of the New Orleans Saints. He was the Saints’ sixth-round pick in the 2018 draft out of Louisiana Tech. At Louisiana Tech, he rushed for 1,840 yards in 38 games while averaging 21.8 yards on 29 kickoff returns. He scored 15 total touchdowns.

Hall is a former third-round pick of the Carolina Panthers in 2017 out of Texas A&M. The 6-6, 275-pound Hall played in only one game with the Panthers before being waived in September. He was signed to the 49ers practice squad but was claimed by the Houston Texans on Sept. 25 and added to their 53-man roster. The Texans, though, waived Hall on Oct. 20 without playing him in a game.

–TE Zach Ertz has 98 receptions this season, which are the sixth-most by a tight end in NFL single-season history, behind Jason Witten in 2012 (110), Tony Gonzalez in 2004 (102), Dallas Clark in 2009 (100), Jimmy Graham in 2011 (99) and Gonzalez in 2007 (99). Ertz (1,016) also eclipsed 1,000 receiving yards for the first time in his career. He is the first Eagle to do so since Jeremy Maclin in 2014 (1,318), as well as the first Eagles tight end since Pete Retzlaff in 1965 (1,190).

–RB Darren Sproles tied the game, 23-23, in the fourth quarter with a 6-yard TD reception. Sproles (35 years, 173 days), who has recorded a TD in each of his last two games (14-yard rushing TD on Dec. 3 against Washington), became the oldest Eagle to catch a TD since Mike Bartrum (35 years, 178 days) on Dec. 18, 2005 at St. Louis.

–Rookie TE Dallas Goedert registered his fourth TD of the season when he caught a 3-yard pass from Carson Wentz that knotted the score, 16-16, in the fourth quarter. Goedert is tied for the third-most receiving TDs ever by an Eagles rookie TE with Zach Ertz, trailing only Keith Jackson in 1988 and Charle Young in 1973, both of whom have six.

–DT Fletcher Cox (40.5 career sacks) surpassed Andy Harmon (39.5, 1991-97) for the most sacks by an interior DL in Eagles history (seventh overall in team history).

–DE Brandon Graham appeared in his 124th career game with the Eagles, tying Clyde Simmons (1986-93) for the fifth-most games played by a defensive lineman in team history, behind Trent Cole (155, 2005-14), Ken Clarke (148, 1978-87), Vic Sears (131, 1941-53) and Hollis Thomas (126, 1996-2005).

PLAYER SPOTLIGHT: RB Josh Adams. The undrafted rookie free agent from Notre Dame ripped off some big early runs against the Dallas, but the Eagles went away from him. During the team’s two-game winning streak that ended with last week’s overtime defeat in Dallas, Adams carried the ball 22 times for 84 yards against the Giants and 20 times for 85 yards against the Redskins.

GAME PLAN: Find Aaron Donald and block him. That will be much easier said than done for the Eagles offensive line. Donald lines up all over the defensive line and is one of the great disruptors in the NFL and leads the league with 16.5 sacks.

“It’s unique to see speed and power,” said center Jason Kelce. “Very rarely do you see the combination of gifts Aaron Donald possesses, so the fact that he has both of those, you can’t cheat. You can’t play high and get ready to work an arm over move, otherwise he’s going to run through you. You can’t hunker down and lean on the bull rush otherwise he’ll come around you. You have to maintain discipline, you have to maintain balance, and you can’t cheat on a guy like that.”

Donald is only one piece in a defense that is strong up front and quick and physical on the back end. It is a defense that the Eagles must be able to keep from turning over the ball against, which is something the Rams have been good at lately with 10 turnovers in the last three games.

The Eagles have picked up their takeaway pace, too, intercepting Dallas’ Dak Prescott twice last week and forcing a Prescott turnover via fumble. So the Eagles will need to find an errant Jared Goff pass to pick off, and Goff has thrown 11 of them so far, so that’s not out of the realm of possibility.

Offensively, a good ball control attack is a must. The Eagles are 6-0 when they run the ball at least 27 times per game and 0-7 when they don’t. The Rams defense can be susceptible to a ground attack, giving up 5.1 yards per rush. Problem is, the Eagles are running out of running backs, with Jay Ajayi already gone for the year and Corey Clement joining him on injured reserve earlier this week. That leaves only rookies Josh Adams and recently signed Boston Scott, Wendell Smallwood and 35-year-old veteran Darren Sproles.
MATCHUPS TO WATCH:

–Eagles DBs vs. Rams WRs Robert Woods and Brandin Cooks. This is a matchup that just doesn’t seem fair, given the fact that both Eagles starting cornerbacks – Ronald Darby and Jalen Mills – are out for the season. Even with Darby and Mills, this matchup would be a challenge. Woods has 71 catches for 1,032 yards and five touchdowns; Cooks has 68 receptions for 1,048 and three scores.

–Eagles QB Nick Foles (or Carson Wentz) vs. Rams DBs. The Rams’ defensive backs are an aggressive group. As a team, they have 14 interceptions and are one of the top teams in the takeaway/giveaway department at plus-10. FS John Johnson leads the team with four picks while CB Marcus Peters has three. Nickel CB Troy Hill has two.