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Your Monday Morning Roundup: Week 1 Mega Links and Nonsense
By Kyle Scott
Published:
Full post-game thoughts here.
Let’s hit it!
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The roundup:
Chip Kelly doesn’t know how bad Evan Mathis is injured, but he doesn’t think it’s season ending. Jason Peters: “I just heard him screaming and I looked back and he is on the ground.”
Chip Kelly on the boos: “I was frustrated. I think everybody was frustrated. I heard a few fans that were frustrated, too. Go figure. But they had every right. I was booing myself.”
Kelly to WIP: “We threw a goose egg up on the board in the first half. You should boo.”
The Sporting News‘ keys to the game were Ertz, Matthews, and Sproles.
Domo gave the team an overall “C,” which seems about right.
Cody Parkey, in his Eagles debut, “already has as many field goals from 51 yards or longer than Henery had in three years.”
Nick Foles sucked and then he didn’t suck.
Jimmy Kempski: “Donnie Jones and Brandon Boykin are the Joe Montana and Jerry Rice of lofting up punts inside the five yard line and having the gunner catch them without letting it land first.”
For Jeff McLane, Foles is still the biggest question.
Foles on his struggles: “It’s definitely frustrating for a second, but then you know that you have to keep your cool because your teammates are looking to you in those situations.”
“I made some eye contacts with some fans running into the tunnel at halftime and, man, rough language coming my way,’ linebacker Connor Barwin said. ‘But I’m sure they enjoyed the second half.'”
Jason Kelce said the the O-Line just wasn’t executing in the first half, and “coming out for the second half, we had a plan, and we were able to execute. That’s what it comes down to.”
Microsoft is paying the NFL a ton of money to promote their very average Surface tablets. The sponsorship is invasive and obnoxious, but the devices do serve their purpose on the sideline. Problem: When FOX announcer mentions Drew Brees is watching game footage on those “iPad-like tools.”
The Eagles are going with Love Parkey. I don’t hate it.
And that’s what he did. Parkey kicked two field goals and had four PATs in the victory. His kickoffs were fine — a touchback, 4 yards deep in the end zone, touchback, touchback, touchback, touchback and 5 yards deep in the end zone — and he passed his NFL regular-season debut with high marks.
Yes, yes it is. But I have much more of a problem with the visor and face paint combo than the jersey, or the King of the Grill hat on the left there. Side note: How many different shades of Midnight Green are in this picture? I’m starting to feel for Nike.
Saw a couple, too, yesterday. I can only image they are ironic at this point, because anyone who is enough of a fan to buy a Bobby Hoying jersey is enough of a fan to have bought a jersey within the last 15 years. But still, you have my permission to run up to people wearing one and yell “SUCKS!” at them.
This was sent to me during the first half, likely after the time Foles threw to a wide open ball boy. I imagine that Hayes and Donovan McNabb were watching the game together, pantsless, whilst gleefully pushing pins into their Nick Foles Voodoo doll, smashing handfuls of (chocolate) ice cream into each other’s faces, and doing awkward things on Twitter. But for real, #marcushayes doesn’t understand #hashtags:
What a chode.
Sheil Kapadia’s All-22 of some of the Eagles’ more favored offensive plays. Good stuff if you have the time.
I laughed:
Good stuff from a Maxim article which quickly goes completely off the rails with robots playing in the NFL:
In keeping with his vow to build the “most connected stadium in the world,” the franchise’s 33-year-old CEO, Jed York, created a wi-fi system that can accommodate 68,000 mobile devices at once. Instead of directing all eyes to a $40 million scoreboard, like, say, Jerry Jones, the young trailblazer wants to let the 49ers’ digital-savvy fans tailor the experience to suit their needs. “You can
plug into the stadium in any way, shape, or form you want,” he says.Multiple in-house cameras designed by Sony will capture the action in ultra-high-def. Want to replay Colin Kaepernick’s first-down scramble on your cell phone? Done. Zoom in on left guard Mike Iupati? Done. Read a brief bio on the undrafted free agent who just returned a kickoff 104 yards? Done. By using the stadium’s app, you get instant access to content unavailable anywhere else.
In theory, the software will get smarter with use, collecting real-time data on traffic and purchasing habits to make your life simpler. It can already show you the quickest route from your home to the stadium. Help you locate your buddy in section 315. Even tell you which restroom has the shortest line during the halftime rush. But it might one day offer you a flash discount on the jersey belonging to the guy who caught that last touchdown pass. It might anticipate your desire for a steak sandwich with a side of truffle mac and cheese and have it waiting at the counter for you. And you won’t need money to complete the transaction: Everything is digital.
The Eagles get this, too. Last week we told you about Verizon’s upgrades to cell service at games. I have AT&T and had no problems in the stadium (actually had them outside, walking to car) yesterday. There’s WIFI. Fantasy leaders are constantly available on scoreboards. Dave Spadaro hosts a (pretty useless) in-game halftime show. All this stuff is really important since the NFL insists on going to commercial every 20 seconds. We all have short attention spans. No surprise that the 49ers are way out ahead here. Now if only they had got the playing surface right.
Mo’ne Davis struck out Jimmy Fallon:
I still have no idea why Jim Cramer isn’t following me on Twitter yet. Tell him he should:
@Eagles t/y for a great comeback; @jmac_18 ; @fcoxx_91 ; @BrentCelek, @DarrenSproles @ZERTZ_86, so many others and of course, Coach Kelly!
— Jim Cramer (@jimcramer) September 8, 2014
Antonio Brown kicks punter in face.
Podcast
NJ.com writer Eliot Shorr-Parks joins me and Jim for our second annual Eagles season preview. Listen.
Kyle Scott is the founder and editor of CrossingBroad.com. He has written for CBS Philly and Philly Voice, and been a panelist or contributor on NBC Sports Philly, FOX 29 and SNY TV, as well as a recurring guest on 97.5 The Fanatic, 94 WIP, 106.7 The Fan and other stations. He has more than 10 years experience running digital media properties and in online advertising and marketing.