Metcalf’s visit brings reminder of 2019 draft’s dropped ball pick
With the Seattle Seahawks headed to South Philadelphia for a Monday night game, it’s not too early to lament one of general manager Howie Roseman’s biggest draft day mistakes with the Eagles.
They made two selections in the second round of the 2019 draft, running back Miles Sanders and wide receiver JJ ArcegaWhiteside.
Arcega-Whiteside came off the board six picks before fellow receiver D.K. Metcalf, who is tearing it up with 48 receptions for 862 yards (17.9 ypr.) and nine touchdowns this season with the Seahawks.
Arcega-Whiteside has 12 receptions for 214 yards and one TD in his career. This season he’s caught two passes for 45 yards. Currently he’s on the COVID-19 list.
Guaranteed the Seahawks weren’t game-planning for Arcega-W hiteside before he tested positive. Certainly not the way Eagles defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz is getting ready for the 6-4, 229-pound Metcalf, who plays as fast as the 4.33 he clocked in the 40 at the scouting combine.
“It’s a great challenge for us,” Schwartz said. “Just watching him and having played him a couple times in the last year and watching him develop, I’d say he’s a much-improved player working with the quarterback, of understanding (Seahawks quarterback) Russell Wilson’s scrambles and how to get open during scrambles. It’s not just about running your route. When it does break down and you have a quarterback that can scramble it’s about being on the same page with him and knowing what spots you want to get to.
“He seems to be a much-improved player doing that. He’s made a lot of big plays doing things this year like that.”
The Eagles can defend Metcalf with Darius Slay (6-0, 190), who not only can run but is the best technician Schwartz has in coverage. Slay has the reach to play the receiver’s hand when he loses track of the ball, and that would have helped the Eagles in their wildcard loss to the Seahawks last January. Metcalf caught seven passes for 160 yards (22.9 ypr.) in that game, including a 53yard TD grab.
Metcalf got a step on defender Avonte Maddox, who has the stubby arms on the long scoring play. Slay would have contested it.
That play also illustrated another point on Schwartz’s checklist to limit Metcalf – getting him on the ground. Metcalf stumbled inside the 5-yard line of the Eagles but was able to pick himself up and score while Malcolm Jenkins and Maddox tried to stop him.
Even the zero hitch, where Wilson fires a quick throw to Metcalf at the line of scrimmage, can turn into an adventure.
“He’s so big and his arms are so long,” Schwartz said of Metcalf, who has an 83-inch wingspan. “Slay has generally been good handling guys like that whether it’s A.J. Green or any of these other guys that he’s been matched up on. He has those long arms. He can poke balls away and things like that. So, it’s a great challenge for us. It’s not just getting him covered, it’s tackling him. You have to defend every inch of
the field with a guy like that. He’s strong, he’s fast. And he’s like a running back when he catches it. You’ve got to get him tackled on that stuff. He also has the speed to be able to go deep.”
Tackle Metcalf on short routes, cover him deep and maintain coverage when Wilson scrambles. And somebody better keep an eye on Tyler Lockett, who has 67 catches for 748 yards and eight TDs. Oh, and then try to get over the decision to dismiss Metcalf and make the “safe” pick in Arcega-Whiteside.
At some point Eagles firstround choice Jalen Reagor will become the last of the eight wide receivers selected in the first 34 picks of the 2020 draft to record a 100-yard receiving game.
Of that rookie class, Justin Jefferson (Vikings), Brandon Aiyuk (49ers), Tee Higgins (Bengals) and Michael Pittman (Colts) were selected after Reagor, who has 16 catches for 211 yards (13.2 ypr.) and one TD.
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The Seahawks (7-3) are favored by five points over the Eagles (3-6
1), who have never beaten Wilson. Wilson is 5-0 versus the Eagles with eight TD passes and one interception, including the playoffs.
He beat them twice last year at the Linc by identical 17-9 scores. He leads the league with 30 TD passes and with a 111.5 passer rating, trailing only Aaron Rodgers (115.8) and Patrick Mahomes (114.3).
Wilson has four scoring passes and four of his 10 interceptions came in his last three games. The Seahawks started 5-0 this season but lost three of their last five games, losing at Arizona, Buffalo and Los Angeles, against the Rams.
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Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz is 0-3 versus the Seahawks with four TDs and five picks in the regular season. Wentz is 0-4 including the playoffs, although he played only nine snaps in the wild card loss before sustaining a concussion.
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Eagles special teams coach Dave Fipp indicated that Reagor would continue to be worked in at punt returner.
The Eagles have gotten little production from Greg Ward, who’s averaging 6.8 yards per return, although he secures the ball.
Ward has let too many balls bounce deep in Eagles territory, costing his team field position.
Seahawks All-Pro punter Mi
chael Dickson is one of the best in the business. He is averaging
49.6 gross punting yards. His net average is 44.1 yards. He has just four touchbacks and has dropped
19 punts inside the 20-yard line of the opposition.
Eagles counterpart Cam Johnston is right there with the numbers as he’s grossing 45.8 yards and netting 42.3 yards. He has four touchbacks and has dropped 15 punts inside the 20.
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NOTES » Last week the Browns were at the mercy of negative COVID tests with respect to kicker Cody Parkey, who was in self quarantine. Fipp said the Eagles have internal and external fixes should kicker Jake Elliott test positive, although he wouldn’t reveal them. ... Johnston has done kickoffs. It’s possible he might could kick PATs. Dallas Goedert is the backup long-snapper. ... The Eagles are 20-5 (.800) when allowing fewer than three sacks since the start of the 2017 season. The Seahawks have 25 sacks. ... With the Bengals in Week 3, the 6-6,
285-pound Dunlap had a gamehigh nine tackles versus the Eagles, including one for a loss and a quarterback hurry. He also batted down a Carson Wentz pass.